Hidden Sun

by John Campbell

Hendrick pulled the railing to one side to rip the railing splice loose. The tubular sleeve over the railing bent and one screw came out, but the rest held fast. Hendrick yanked on it with all his strength, bending the railing he had in his hands, but the splice refused to come free. Lin reached out for Maggie as she piled headlong into Hendrick’s back shoving him forward to the edge of the deck.

  Hendrick squirmed around to grab Maggie so that both of them could get overboard, but Maggie’s shove made him lose his balance. He tumbled over the edge, taking the mangled railing with him. He rotated around until his body fell down past the railing, yanking his arms and the chain between his handcuffs taut. The railing held him up momentarily until his momentum jerked the splice violently apart, sending the remaining screws flying in all directions. The railing bent toward him, and the chain between his handcuffs skidded along the railing’s length as he fell. The chain reached the end of the metal rod, and he tumbled clear.

  Hendrick twisted as he fell and got to glance back at Maggie’s face, which hung over the edge of the deck. A huge arm circled her neck and dragged her back from the brink. He hit the water at an awkward angle, the impact sending a shudder along his body. With his wrists still chained together Hendrick found he could only do a silly looking version of a doggie paddle, but he worked his arms back and forth with all his strength to put some distance between him and the yacht.

  His first instinct was to swim for the submarine, but his second and better thought was to do the unexpected. The water around him wasn’t very clear - the visibility was only about ten feet - and he could use it to his advantage. He swam desperately, his emotions in check until he had time later to lament that Maggie hadn’t made it over the side with him. He swam for the surface, his lungs bursting with the urge to inhale. He exhaled before he hit the air, then when he broke the surface he inhaled quickly and drove himself under once again. He heard some shouting in the direction of the yacht but hadn’t stayed up long enough to get a good idea of what the pirates were doing.

  Hendrick swam literally for his life, adrenaline filling his system and driving him onward with renewed strength. He headed southwest, parallel to the coast. His plan was to swim to the southern landing spot on the island and wade ashore there. He’d find Malik, Howard, Golubev and the others and try to figure out some sort of rescue plan for Maggie. He swam until his lungs ached terribly then slowly went to the surface again. He broke the surface quietly this time and tried to keep his head down as much as possible by leaning backwards and allowing only his mouth nose, and eyes to reach the air. He breathed deeply, taking in the sweet sea air and letting his body rest for a moment.

  Gunfire erupted in the distance, and Hendrick risked a look at the yacht. To his relief, he was at least a hundred yards away from the vessel. Several of Chang’s men were leaning over the side and firing into the water at real or imagined targets. Two men were scouring the sea with binoculars, but they weren’t looking in his direction. Hendrick looked at the upper deck and saw the back of Maggie’s head. She turned seemingly at his unspoken wish and anxiously searched the water.

  Emotion surged in him, and he vowed to get her back from Chang. He slid under the water and pushed himself toward shore. Over an hour later, he dragged himself up on the small beach that was a few hundred yards up the coast from the landing point at the southern tip of the island. He collapsed then rolled over onto his back, his chest heaving to get air into his lungs and his muscles twitching in protest from his arduous swim. After a few minutes of rest, he staggered to his feet and started the trek back to his friends.

  He was on the southwest side of Mount Riposet, and he knew he would find the one dirt road that ran from the southern landing spot up through the middle of the island. Hendrick wandered his way through the foliage, the vision of Maggie chained to the railing in his mind. She had pushed him overboard to save him, knowing that Lin was right behind her and would prevent her from following him.

  The road came upon him suddenly, and he looked around cautiously before he stepped out into the middle of the twin ruts in the ground. Hendrick walked up the road as fast as his fatigued body could move, all the while alert for signs of anyone approaching.

  Minutes later, he wandered into a small clearing and saw a welcome sight. Golubev’s submarine was still tied up to the pier, and he could see his men around and on top of the vessel. There wasn’t a pirate in sight.

  Depression suddenly filled him. Chang had left, taking Maggie with him. Where were they headed? They probably had a base they used for a headquarters, but where? The Philippines had an enormous number of islands. The pirates would never be found. That’s how they survived.

  Hendrick sat heavily on a fallen tree and anguish grew in him. The thought of Maggie in the hands of Chang made his insides quiver. She was a slave, a sex slave until he got her back. Maybe I’m being a macho idiot, he thought, but I feel that I should rescue her. Men should protect women. His thoughts stopped as a new realization surfaced in his mind.

  Or is it something more than that? Love? He smiled at the thought in spite of his anguish.

  Hendrick got to his feet and walked down to the submarine.

  CHAPTER 20

  Departure

  Hendrick looked at the now empty spot where they had stacked the cases of gold in the early morning. Splinters of wood were all over, but the pirates had scooped up the pieces of gold that their gunfire had ripped off the ingots.

  “Hendrick!” shouted a voice in the direction of the submarine. He looked up and saw Ian Howard waving at him. He was aft of the sub’s superstructure near the decompression chamber. A number of sailors were working on opening the hatch to the chamber.

  Hendrick ran across the gangway onto the deck of the sub and met Howard halfway to the chamber. Howard gave him a hearty handshake.

  “Bloody good to see that you’re still alive!” said the big Englishman.

  “Where’s Malik? Is he okay?” asked Hendrick.

  “He’ll be fine,” replied Howard. “He’s below decks getting that wound taken care of.” He eyed Hendrick closely. “That took a lot of guts to trade the gold for all of our lives. And that nonsense about the detonator was absolutely superb. The damnable pirates were fooled all the way.”

  Hendrick nodded modestly. “They have the last laugh. They have all the gold.” And Maggie, he thought in desperation. He looked down at the deck at a large spot of dark red.

  “That’s where one of Golubev’s men got it,” said Howard in a somber tone. “It happened right in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

  Hendrick nodded sympathetically. Howard rummaged around in a toolbox on the deck and produced two long sharp tools. He expertly picked the handcuff locks in a few quick minutes.

  “Where did you learn that little trick?” asked Hendrick as he rubbed his wrists.

  “The benefits of a misspent youth,” replied Howard with a conspiratorial smile.

  Hendrick nodded a thank you. “I have to talk to Golubev.” He walked past Howard to the group near the chamber. The sailors got the hatch open and let the water trapped in the chamber rush out to splash on the sub’s deck. The water flow slowed, then dropped to a trickle. Two sailors reached in and began to wrestle a bale of bank notes from the interior of the chamber.

  Golubev spotted Hendrick approaching and gave him a big welcome, hugging and slapping him on the back. He seemed genuinely glad to see the American again.

  “I am glad that you are with us once again, tovarisch,” said the gruff old Russian.

  Hendrick nodded and tried to smile. “I have to talk to you about something.”

  “In a few minutes,” replied Golubev. “We are about to see what treasure we have left.” He gave Hendrick a stern look. “You should have told us about the bank notes.”

  “Slipped my mind,” replied Hendrick. “You would have found out eventually. How would we have gotten the notes away from here without you finding out?” We never did figure out a way t
o do that, he thought.

  Golubev thought for a moment, and his stern expression faded. He nodded and smiled at Hendrick. “That is true.”

  Hendrick moved to stand directly in front of Golubev. “We have to go after the pirates.”

  Golubev eyed him curiously. “You were the one who wanted us to give up the gold to save our lives. Now you want to put us in danger again.”

  “Yes,” said Hendrick.

  “And what weapons do we have to fight these pirates?” asked Golubev.

  “What about the torpedoes? Are they fixed yet?” asked Hendrick.

  Golubev gestured toward the open sea, ignoring Hendrick’s question. “And where are these pirates? Do you see them?”

  Hendrick eyed the empty sea and shook his head in frustration. “We can’t just let them take our gold and not do anything about it.” We also have to rescue Maggie, he thought desperately. But he knew Golubev had a point. With no real weapons and not knowing where to look, a rescue mission was impossible. Hendrick ground his teeth at the thought of Maggie being held by Chang.

  Two sailors ripped open the wooden crate holding the bank notes, the rotten wood splintering and disintegrating under their attack. The bale was wrapped in rubberized cloth, which decades ago substituted for plastic tarps. One sailor produced a knife and in a few minutes had hacked open the top of the bale and reached in to pull out a stack of paper. He handed part of the stack over to Golubev who showed it to Hendrick.

  Hendrick picked up one of the notes and read the print nestled among the incredibly elaborate scrollwork that bank documents were known for in the 1930s and 1940s.

  “One thousand dollars,” mumbled Hendrick as he read the amount on the top of the notes. “Payable to the bearer on demand.” The amount didn’t register in Hendrick’s mind.

  Golubev’s jaw dropped open as he realized how much money was represented by the bales of bank notes. There were thousands of notes in one bale, and they had recovered three bales.

  The amount of money on the note in Hendrick’s hand shot through the crew like lightning, leading to the frenzied emptying of the bales and the retrieval of the other two bales.

  Hendrick shoved the bank note into his pocket and watched the gleeful sailors begin to count the notes. He thought he should be happy for them, but he saw no joy in the situation. He couldn’t get Maggie out of his mind.

  The rubberized cloth had been only partially effective. The seawater had been kept from only the innermost notes with the outer notes disintegrating in the water. Most of the notes were wet, and the sailors laid the individual bundles of notes out to dry. After fifteen minutes of excited Russian expressions filling the air, Golubev approached Hendrick.

  “Same deal. You get thirty-five percent,” said Golubev with a wary look at the American.

  Why not? Hendrick thought. Then we’ll all get away from this with a little something. Hendrick nodded.

  “How much?” asked Hendrick nodding at the pile of bank notes.

  Golubev asked a question of one of his men, received a quick answer, then turned and spoke in English.

  “About ten million American dollars,” replied Golubev with a huge smile. “And your cut is three and a half million.”

  “His cut is zero,” said a voice behind Hendrick.

  Golubev looked over Hendrick’s shoulder, and Hendrick turned to confront the intruder. Loshak and Drukarev walked up to the group with sneering, arrogant looks on their faces.

  “The Americans get nothing,” said Loshak.

  “If it isn’t our fascist friends,” said Hendrick with disgust.

  “I am in command here, Loshak. Not you,” retorted Golubev. “And where were the two of you when the fighting was going on?” He darted looks at both of them. “Hiding below! Isn’t that right?”

  Hendrick had been slowly inching toward them in anticipation of a fight. Both men reached for their weapons just as Hendrick leaped at Loshak. The SVR agent got his pistol out before Hendrick had a chance to grab him. The Russian swung at the American’s face, the barrel bouncing off Hendrick’s left temple further aggravating the injury he had received from Lin earlier in the day. Hendrick sank to his knees and held his throbbing head.

  “Another incident like that, and you will die right here,” threatened Loshak as he waved his gun barrel in Hendrick’s face. He turned to Golubev who stood growling at the two agents. “Captain Golubev, you will put the Americans and their diving team ashore, then have these bank notes stored below. They will go into the Russian Federation’s treasury.”

  “Chekist!” erupted Golubev through clenched teeth, referring to the notorious Cheka, the ancestor of the KGB and the SVR during Lenin’s time. “This money is ours! You will not get away with this. Fascisti!” He spat at Loshak’s feet.

  Loshak walked up to Golubev and shoved the gun into his face while Drukarev held everyone else at bay. “Listen to me, Golubev. You can be replaced!” The threat was clear to everyone - they could, if pressed, go back to Russia without Golubev whose body would no doubt fertilize the voracious jungle only yards away.

  “Wait until we get back to Russia, my Chekist friends,” snapped Golubev. “And you are without your weapons.”

  “Get moving, Golubev. We sail in ten minutes,” ordered Loshak. He turned to Drukarev. “We have a message to send,” he said in a low voice. Drukarev nodded.

  Golubev started to move, then stopped and helped Hendrick to his feet. “I am sorry, tovarisch,” he said with real regret in his voice.

  “Not your fault, Viktor Ivanovich,” said Hendrick. He locked eyes with the old Russian. “We will have our day.”

  Golubev nodded. “I hope you are right.” He made sure that Hendrick was steady on his feet then moved along the deck and disappeared below after issuing the orders to comply with Loshak’s commands.

  Drukarev forced Hendrick and Ian Howard off the ship, both of them protesting that they needed to offload their personal belongings. Drukarev wouldn’t budge, however, and shoved them along the plank leading to the pier with the point of his gun.

  One by one the diving team exited the submarine, the last two divers helping Joe Malik negotiate the more difficult steps. Hendrick gave his friend a look of relief then filled him in, telling him the bank notes totaled ten million dollars.

  “So they’ve got everything then,” said Malik in a dead tired tone of voice. “Charts, equipment, and our ten million.” He just faced the submarine and stared.

  “We’re lucky to get away with our lives,” said Howard. “That Loshak bloke was about to kill our friend Hendrick here.”

  “Glad to see that you’ve cheated death one more time,” said Malik, but Hendrick was staring intently past the submarine down the shoreline. Malik shuffled over to look along Hendrick’s line of view and saw a ship in the distance. Malik looked at Hendrick again with a question on his face.

  “One of Chang’s boats,” said Hendrick. “Too bad he’s not onboard that one. It must have engine trouble for Chang to leave it behind.”

  “You can bet it doesn’t have any of the gold on board either,” said Malik.

  They all watched the Russian sailors prepare to get underway. The Kurchatov’s diesels rumbled into life, sending up a small cloud of black smoke, which cleared quickly in the stiff breeze. The deck sailors cleared the lines from the pier and threw aside the planks they had used to travel to and from the pier. One of the sailors waved. Hendrick and the others sat and stared, then slowly waved back. Golubev appeared at the top of the superstructure, and Hendrick could see him lean over the side, checking on the deck sailors’ progress. Behind him, out of earshot of Golubev, they could see Loshak set up an attaché case satellite modem. He picked up the handset and began speaking into it. Probably talking to his superiors in Russian intelligence, thought Hendrick.

  Hendrick cupped his hands around his mouth. “Viktor Ivanovich!”

  Golubev’s head rotated around to look at Hendrick who pointed at the ship in the distance.
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  “You wanted to know where the pirates were,” yelled Hendrick over the noise of the idling diesels.

  Golubev looked at the ship then nodded. “I have just received word that one of the torpedoes has been repaired. They killed one of my men. They will not escape us!” Golubev saluted Hendrick and the others. Hendrick raised his right hand and touched the tips of his fingers to his temple then drew his hand away quickly.

  Golubev turned away and issued orders into his intercom. The sub’s engines increased in speed, emitting a low frequency growl, and the sub slowly backed out into the channel. The channel’s swift current began to take the submarine to the southwest even before Golubev had the chance to reverse engines and put any forward speed on the vessel. The Russian sub proceeded down the channel between Itbayat and Diogo Islands and headed straight for the ship that was headed southwest. The two vessels seemed frozen in place for a long time as Hendrick followed their progress.

  Suddenly he saw a plume of water and smoke erupt from the side of the pirate ship. The sound from the explosion came to him seconds later as a rolling thump of noise. Hendrick and the others watched fascinated as smoke obscured the stricken vessel for a long while. The smoke finally faded, and the sea was clear of everything including Golubev’s submarine. He had submerged and was gone.

  “That Golubev chap wasn’t a bad sort,” said Howard under his breath. Hendrick glanced at him and nodded. He sat down next to Joe Malik. After five minutes of silence, they looked up at one of the other divers. He had just sighted another ship on the horizon headed straight for the island. Hendrick shaded his eyes and stared at the vessel. They were coming to take them and the treasure home. Only there was no treasure.

  Maggie Ramsey ran through his mind once again, and Hendrick lingered with thoughts of her. What had she been trying to tell him when they were on Chang’s yacht? What was that business with the Russian numbers? Prior to that, she had been explicit about making a phone call. For what reason? She had made it seem like a check-in to let someone know that she was in trouble.