by David Poyer
He couldn’t fault them for guts. Or was it something darker, not heroism, but the unconscious reactions of automatons? He started to shake with the aftermath of terror. The wounded diver moaned, holding his gory face in one piece with the pressure of both hands. His buddy threw the rifle aside and grabbed him by the shoulders, asking something in a concerned tone.
That was when the last North Korean slid through.
She was larger than the others, more muscular than wiry. Short hair, matted with oil and sweat. Pistol in one hand, knife in the other. Smooth thick arms. Panting, with a craving for death lighting black eyes. She squinted past the flashlights. They must have dazzled her after the utter dark. Maybe that was why she didn’t see Dan, standing to the side of the access. Why she focused on the South Korean bending over his wounded buddy.
Barking something hoarse, she brought the pistol around.
Dan tripped the buckle on his weight belt. The heavy nylon strap studded with cast lead slid off his hips, and he continued and altered the motion and whipped it around into the side of her head. Lead impacted bone like a sledgehammer hitting a hollow log. She went down at once. The gun hit the deck with a clattering splash. The others were on her in a moment, kneeing, shouting, kicking, punching, until he screamed at them over and over again to stop.
* * *
He hung on the line, only checking his watch when he couldn’t help it. Decomp time passed so slowly. Shudders writhed through him. His suit leaked cold water through the rip in his chest. He yearned up at the surface. Only fifteen feet away now, a silvery rolling through which now and then shot a hot golden vein of sun. He’d spent an hour hanging on the line. Two safety divers hovered near. They’d brought down the extra air he needed.
They’d found eleven more bodies in the after compartment, all shot in the head at close range.
He twisted to look behind him. The last one alive, the woman he’d knocked out. Her hands were wired behind her. The South Koreans gripped her by the arms. They’d bundled her into the suit Dan’s buddy, the dead diver, didn’t need anymore, and wired her ankles and wrists together. She’d regained consciousness dangling on the ascent line. Struggled, glaring at them through the helmet port, before accepting captivity. Now she sagged in the water, slowly turning in the tidal current.
What had the Sang-O been doing? Why were they carrying charts for the Strait? Why had they surfaced? According to Dr. Kim, they’d been almost to the DMZ and safety when it had broached.
Lots of questions. Maybe she’d have some answers. Which was part, at least, of why he’d stopped them from killing her.
He checked his watch one last time. Gave it a few more seconds, just to be sure. Then valved air into his vest.
Shivering, gripping his captive’s arm spasmodically, he lofted toward the shivering light. Contemplating what had startled him so much, there in the sunken pressure hull, that he’d almost lost his life. He’d only belatedly recognized it, so strange it seemed to a Western eye.
Every one of the submarine’s crew had been a woman.
St. Martin’s Paperbacks Titles by
DAVID POYER
THE THREAT
THE COMMAND
BLACK STORM
CHINA SEA
TOMAHAWK
THE PASSAGE
THE CIRCLE
THE GULF
THE MED
Electrifying Praise for the Novels of
DAVID POYER
THE THREAT
“Plenty of action, plot twists … frenetically paced … [an] engaging pot boiler.”
—The Virginian-Pilot
“Poyer remains the most thoughtful of the military-thriller set and a master of authentic detail.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Poyer’s forte is storytelling, and The Threat delivers a masterful tale that leaves the reader dazzled.”
—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Third Secret, The Templar Legacy, and The Romanov Prophecy
“[Fans] of The West Wing … and political novels will enjoy the author’s revealing portrayal of the backroom goings-on at the White House.… Recommended especially for fans of Robert Ludlum’s political thrillers (although Poyer is a superior writer).”
—Booklist
“Terrific suspense … perfect authenticity … powerful storytelling and compelling characters … David Poyer is our finest military novelist and The Threat is simply superb.”
—Ralph Peters, author of New Glory and Never Quit the Fight
THE COMMAND
“[An] explosive climax … the reader takes a well-informed cruise on a U.S. destroyer. Poyer knows the ship intimately. Vivid descriptions cover everything from knee knockers to combat information center, radar to computers, wardroom to enlisted quarters. Battle scenes in particular come alive with authenticity … and all that, and more, is in this latest chapter of Commander Daniel Lenson’s contentious career.”
—Proceedings
“Poyer packs the story with both dense technical info and welcome local color. Unique Aisha merits a spinoff series.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Plows fearlessly—though with hair-raising effect on occasion—through today’s stormy international and social seas … the salvos of nautical expertise also lend flavor and authenticity … the author provides believable insights into Muslim thinking … Poyer’s genius for description impresses on page after page. The vividness of his scene-setting grabs you.”
—The Virginian-Pilot
“Lovers of procedural military fiction wait for David Poyer’s next installment of the career of Dan Lenson.”
—Roanoke Times
BLACK STORM
“No one writes gritty, realistic military fiction better than David Poyer. No one.”
—Stephen Coonts
“A gripping, gritty novel that reads like the real thing. You’re with the marines every step of the way. Poyer knows his stuff.”
—Vince Flynn
“Exceptional … A straight-ahead adventure yarn, a frontal assault on the bestseller lists.”
—Boston Globe
“A must-read … not since James Jones’s Thin Red Line have readers experienced the gripping fear of what it’s like to fight an enemy at close quarters … Poyer’s research is impeccable, his characterization compelling, and the Iraqi Desert Storm scenario all too believable.”
—John J. Gobbell, author of When Duty Whispers Low
“I’ve been a David Poyer fan for over a decade, and his storytelling abilities—always first-rate—just get better and better. Black Storm is a timely, gripping, compelling yarn told by a master.”
—Ralph Peters
“Absolutely riveting. David Poyer has captured the essence of what it is like on long-range patrols. His book is distinguished by quick action and continuing suspense that will keep the reader on edge until the very end.”
—Maj. Gen. H. W. Jenkins, United States Marine Corps (Ret.), Commander of the Marine Amphibious Forces in the Gulf War
“One of the strongest books in an outstanding series … the remarkably vivid portraits he draws of the variety of men and women drawn to serve their country merit high praise.”
—Booklist
“One of the best … action fans will be rewarded.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Poyer’s close attention to military practice and jargon will … suit those looking for accurate detail.”
—Newport News Press
“A thrilling and suspenseful fictional piece … you won’t be able to put the book down.”
—Roanoke Times
CHINA SEA
“Poyer’s characters are as good as ever, and the action scenes lively.”
—Library Journal
“The battle scenes are scintillating and satisfying … Poyer displays a fine sense of pace and plot.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Action, realism, and exotic locales … an absorbing, exciting, and t
hought-provoking experience.”
—Chesapeake Life
“An exciting story … The author’s vivid descriptions of life on a ship show us not only the ‘Anchors Aweigh’ honor and dedication, but also the boiler-room sweat and frustrations of naval life.”
—Virginia Times
“Poyer springs plenty of action on us … his narration and dialogue ring true.”
—Jacksonville Times-Union
“Poyer brings the courage, honor, and commitment of sea duty to life in this vivid portrayal of life aboard a Knox-class frigate … the details describing life at sea are captivating as the action is continually rolling along, and each page pulls a new twist into the architecture of the story. In the end, the reader is treated to a fantastic battle that pulls each of the story threads together as a tightly woven yarn … the scales of intrigue, from murder, piracy, and battle to international diplomacy, capture the imagination with lifelike characters of heroes and villains most naval readers can link to real people met during their own world travels … China Sea belongs in the library of avid fiction readers.”
—Shipmate
TOMAHAWK
“There can be no better writer of modern sea adventure around today.”
—Clive Cussler
“An absorbing narrative that whips along at the author’s usual firecracker pace … Tomahawk is very much a book of today.”
—The Virginian-Pilot
“Poyer’s characters are well-developed and frequently complex. His description is vivid. And he certainly knows the navy.”
—Jacksonville Times-Union
“Sharp-edged … [a] tense tale.”
—Florida Times-Union
“Tomahawk is a book of many levels. On the surface, it is a book of suspense—spies, secret missile strikes, murder … Dig a little further, and there is an officer who is troubled deeply by the effects of the weapons that he is developing.”
—Proceedings
“The intrigues of bureaucracy have a ring of authenticity … if you’re into military thrillers, you’ll like this book.”
—Wisconsin State Journal
“A gritty thriller.”
—Microsoft Network
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE THREAT
Copyright © 2006 by David Poyer.
Excerpt from Korea Strait copyright © 2007 by David Poyer.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2006040591
ISBN: 0-312-94854-9
EAN: 978-0-312-94854-2
St. Martin’s Press hardcover edition / November 2006
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / August 2007
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
eISBN 9781466836204
First eBook edition: December 2012