“I’m convinced none of us has,” Zach assured him. “We can go ahead as planned. Still, it would relieve my mind if we could discover the new collaborator.”
“It would relieve mine, too,” agreed Wang. “I’d like to know what he wants. Do you think you would recognize him if you saw him?”
“It’s possible,” Zach replied. He told Wang about the instance the face came clearly to him.
“Then it is filed away somewhere in your subconscious,” Wang determined. “You must look carefully at every member of my crew.” He looked at his watch. “All those staying on land will be out on the street in five minutes for our daily calisthenics. Study them.”
Zach watched as the crew members came down from their rooms and crossed the lobby. He studied each face but none caused an alarm in his head. To be sure, he went outside and watched as they did their calisthenics. The expressions on their faces when they were exerting themselves, as his assailant must have exerted himself, would change their looks slightly. Zach still did not recognize the assailant.
“You must go to the submarine and study the faces of those aboard,” said Wang when the exercises were over and Zach told him that he hadn’t spotted the assailant. The captain called his executive officer over. “Yu, take Mr. Arthur to the submarine. He needs to see every crew member aboard.” He turned back to Zach. “That will cover everyone. If you don’t recognize one of them, then. . . ?”
“Then my mind was playing tricks on me,” Zach agreed.
* * * * *
Chapter 41
YU took the controls of one of the sub’s shore boats himself, and fifteen minutes later he and Zach climbed a ladder to the deck of the submarine. Four of the crewmembers were on the deck. They had been exercising, but stopped to gaze suspiciously at Zach. He remembered them from the times his sailboat and the submarine were side-by-side at sea. These were the men who felt Captain Wang should not have befriend Americans. In their minds, they were still at war.
Zach returned their stares, but his was one of curiosity, not antagonism. None of their faces registered as the one he saw in that split second. He shook his head at Yu.
“Follow me,” said Yu. “The others are below.”
They climbed to the top of the conning tower, and then went below. Once inside, they went to the very front of the submarine and then to the stern. They passed three crewmembers that looked as disdainfully at Zach as had the ones on the deck. Zach did not recognize any as the man who clubbed him. Yu looked in the galley and called for Han in Mandarin, but there was no response. He called again and still no answer.
Yu stopped a crewman who was passing by and asked if he had seen Han. The man seemed surprised at first, but then he shrugged and pointed in what Zach took to be toward land. His tone had become a mixture of matter-of-fact and boredom.
“Han was here to fix breakfast,” Yu told Zach, “and he supposed he still was, but he tells me Han often goes into Avalon to get the supplies he needs for the next meal. We are not in a strictly military mode right now, so he comes and goes as necessary without getting permission. He’s not here, so he must have gone to Avalon.”
“There was a dinghy tied to the sub when we came in,” Zach reminded Yu.
“Yes, I recall,” Yu replied, “but there are others. Several are in constant use ferrying people back and forth, and I don’t know where they all should be at the moment.”
“Is he the only crew member I haven’t checked out?” Zach asked.
“Yes; you have seen all the others.”
“It’s either him, or nobody,” Zach concluded. “What do you know about him?”
“Not much,” admitted Yu. “He’s quiet and keeps to himself. He’s a cook and doesn’t have much in common with the others aboard.”
“Does he speak English?”
Yu immediately understood why Zach asked the question. “Ah, yes, if he was collaborating with people ashore, he would have to speak their language. Sorry, but I can say with clear certainty that Han does not. He has never spoken it on board, and all the English speakers get together often to practice. He never joined in and he has showed no sign that he understands what we say. You will recall that all of our English speakers spent time aboard your boat to learn things. No one who speaks English would have passed up that opportunity, but he never showed any interest.”
“It’s sounding very doubtful,” Zach lamented.
“Naturally, you must look at his face when you have a chance, but it is almost certain he is not your man.”
“It’s more a mystery now than it was before,” sighed Zach. “At least at the start I thought I might be able to recognize my attacker. Now, I don’t even have that. Well, it’s getting late and I have a lot to do. I may see your cook in Avalon, but there’s not much point in wasting time looking for him.”
* * * * *
After Yu and Zach left, Han came out from behind a bulkhead near the galley’s main storage locker. He walked over and sat at a table to think over what he should do. Based on what the American said, something was up. But, he couldn’t go ashore to find out what it was because the American might recognize him. He was far too outnumbered to fight them off by himself.
He was sneaky, that American. It sounded like they were getting their defenses ready, but they didn’t expect the attack for four or five days. Did they know something? This is where that fool Marcus and his radio would come in handy, but he couldn’t go ashore to talk to him.
Even if he could, what difference would it make? The attack was imminent and even if the people on the island were ready for it, what could they do? Kill a few of the attackers, yes, but in war, lives were expendable. The main weapon the islanders had was this submarine, and he did not intend to let them use it.
He would simply arrest Wang and assume command. He represented the Chinese Communist Party, and he had the right. He dared not tell anyone his plan – loose talk was an invisible enemy – but that wouldn’t be necessary. There were several on board who felt as he did; the Americans were to be shunned, if not defeated. He noticed two in particular over his time at sea, and he was certain they would join him. The others, although partial to Wang as their captain, were simple people and would do as they were told. He wasn’t sure about Yu, but he would simply kill him if he got in the way.
* * * * *
Chapter 42
IT was late morning when Mal Slaughter and McFee, the supposed admiral of the state militia’s “navy,” went over the final plans for the attack on Two Harbors. They were in what was left of a restaurant on a Ventura Harbor pier. It was farther away from Catalina than they would have liked, but they needed to be far enough away from Captain Kotchel’s U.S. Coast Guard headquarters at Port Hueneme to avoid detection. They were north of Hueneme, but anything south was potentially radioactive.
Even though Slaughter and McFee lost two boats, a small cargo ship, seventeen men, and a lot of ordnance to the upstarts from the island, they still had more than enough to destroy the entire settlement at Two Harbors without using half of their supplies.
“The way I’ve got this set up,” Slaughter chortled, “we’ll wipe out the whole bunch of them before breakfast.”
“I agree, but let’s go over it one more time to be sure we have it down pat,” cautioned McFee. They were routed the other two times they landed on the island, so he wanted to be darn sure they had it right this time. His eyes swept over the captains standing by him, making momentary eye contact with each one to be certain they were paying attention.
When he was sure they were all listening, he nodded to Slaughter, who took over. “Okay, three of the boats will be leaving here in a few minutes.” He pointed at three of the captains. “Those are your boats.” He tapped one on the shoulder. “I’ll be on your fifty-one footer with fifteen men, all with automatic weapons. That’s our initial ground force. We’ll go around the southeast side and land to the south of Catalina Harbor. The islanders are not expecting us this soon, so they won’t
have an ambush set up this time. Even if they have guards there, our guys who were there last time will be with me to show me where they set up ambush locations. We’ll come up behind them and take them out.”
He pointed at the other two captains. “Your boats will keep going and head for the south side of the Catalina Harbor entrance.”
“Won’t they see us?” one captain asked.
“Yes,” replied Slaughter, “and that’s part of the plan. Their attention will be focused on you and they won’t notice us getting in to position on the hill.”
He next indicated two other captains. “You’ll leave four hours later. You will also head for Catalina Harbor, but from the north. You will arrive at the north side of the harbor entrance just as the two boats arrive from the south. You will also have a bazooka and six men with automatic weapons aboard. By the time you get there, my men and I will have secured the hill south of the harbor. We’ll not only be able to gun them down from our positions at the harbor entrance and on the hill, we’ll block off their only possible escape routes.”
Another captain raised his hand.
“What is it?” Slaughter asked. His patience was beginning to wane.
“I was over on that side a few weeks ago. There’s an old missile cruiser anchored there. What if it’s armed and they have gunners aboard?”
“Did you think we didn’t think of that?” Slaughter sneered. “We checked it out thoroughly just a few days ago. They only use that for turning salt water into fresh water. The missiles are all gone, and the only personnel aboard are the guys who run the desalination plant.”
He looked sternly around to forestall any debate on the matter. “Okay, when in position, stop and wait for my signal to open fire. I want us all to open up at the same time.” He laughed. “I’ll time it to see how long it takes us to kill them all. I’m betting fifteen minutes.”
He looked around with slitted eyes, daring anyone else to interrupt. No one did.
“Okay, that will give us control of that side of the island. Now for the other side. Two hours after those boats leave,” and he again pointed at the last two captains he had talked to, making sure all was clear, “you other five captains, who have our biggest boats, will take off. You’ll head for Isthmus Cove.” He eyed them and they each put up a hand to let him know he was talking about them. “The four seventy-footers will arrive right off the cove at dawn. You all have two bazookas and ten men with automatic weapons aboard, right?”
They all agreed.
He looked around, eyeing each of them in turn to be sure everyone accepted their part in the attack. They all nodded again. “All the boats have radios and radar,” he continued, “and I have it timed so we all get into position at dawn. I repeat - I will give the signal and we all attack at the same time. With twelve bazookas and sixty-four automatic weapons firing from the sea and sixteen shooters on land, we’ll wipe out everyone there in a matter of ten minutes.” Having cut five minutes off the anticipated time it would take, he laughed again.
“Hey, I don’t mean to be a nuisance,” cut in the man who dared ask a question before, “but you didn’t say what our most potent ship and weapon would be doing. We’ve got a big cargo ship with a tank on it, and you didn’t even mention that. And, you left out the submarine the islanders have. That could really hurt us.”
Slaughter’s eyes focused with alarming hostility on the man, but McFee hurried to cut in. “Mal, he was on maneuvers when we went over this before, so he didn’t hear what the rest of them heard.”
Slaughter turned to the man. “First, you should know that Mal has found a man aboard the sub who is on our side. He will take it over if the captain tries to help the islanders so the sub will not be a factor. Second, yes, the ship I will be aboard is now a potent warship. It’s a three hundred foot cargo ship that was made into a fighting ship by putting a tank aboard. It has become our flagship. Having a tank is like having ship’s cannons, but there is a caveat. We have a limited amount of ammunition for the tank. There’s enough to wipe out Two Harbors if it comes down to it, but then we won’t have anything left for other operations down the road.
“So, being as we have more than enough firepower without it, we will use the flagship for mop-up activities. We’ll have fifty armed men aboard. After you’ve decimated the area, I’ll take it to the dock and drop the fifty men off. They’ll kill anyone still alive around Isthmus Cove. Meanwhile, Mal and his men will move through Catalina Harbor killing any still alive in his path.
“The beauty here,” Slaughter interjected, “is that even if the impossible happened and we aren’t able to wipe them out with our first wave of firepower, that one ship and its men can come in and wipe them out on its own. Those guys on Catalina don’t stand a chance.”
“What’s the signal?” the bold captain dared ask.
Slaughter raised a flare gun. “A red flare,” he replied. “I’ll fire it from the hill. Keep your eyes peeled, and when you see it, blast away with all you’ve got.”
The captains nodded once again. There was no doubt in their minds that Catalina would be theirs before breakfast the next morning.
Chapter 43
ZACH and Warren selected seven men and three women from Simi Valley who they would ask to join them in the fight the next day. All were handy with weapons and obvious in their disdain for Marcus and Barry Lockman.
Since none of the Simi Valley contingent was aware of the impending attack, the two boaters went to each of the ten individually to explain the situation. By early afternoon, all ten agreed to join in the defense of Two Harbors and keep what they had just learned about the upcoming attack to themselves until it was underway.
They called a meeting of all Avalon combatants at eight o’clock that night. The four men who came with Warren from Two Harbors were there, as were all members of the Arthur family – except for young Glen and Denise. Both argued their value in battle – Denise was the best shot in the group, and Glen was very level-headed in stressful situations – but their parents refused to put a fifteen-year-old boy and a thirteen-year-old girl in harms way.
Stacey took them to the school with all the other youngsters. Mur did not return from his secluded hideaway in the middle of the island, but the teacher was there to look after the younger children.
Captain Wang was at the meeting, and six men and two women from Simi Valley showed up as well. They were aware they were putting their lives on the line but were willing to do so in a situation as important as this. The one man and one woman who didn’t show up sent no word explaining why they weren’t there, but no one asked questions.
The plan was simple enough. Zach’s boat with one bazooka and eight armed men and women would leave the dock at three a.m. and round Catalina’s southeastern corner shortly thereafter. They would head northwest and arrive at the Catalina Harbor entrance just before dawn. They would meet up with Captain Kotchel’s U.S. Coast Guard Cutter and take out any enemy ships in the area.
Warren’s boat would leave at four-thirty, along with Captain Wang’s submarine. They would follow the northern Catalina coastline to Isthmus Cove. Because the submarine was heavier and drew more water, Captain Wang said he would stay well outside Warren’s course. He would sail on the surface until they were near the Isthmus and stay close enough to remain visible; then he would submerge the sub. After that, Warren would be on the surface hunting for enemy boats, and the sub would be underwater looking for torpedo targets.
The people at Two Harbors would defend the area from the land. They had bazookas on each side of both harbor entrances. If an enemy boat got within three hundred yards, the bazookas would be able to take them out. They had fifteen sharpshooters, three of whom had served as snipers, to combat troops aboard the ships. Over one hundred of the others had either rifles or handguns.
“What are our chances?” asked one of the women from Simi Valley.
“We’ll win handily,” Warren told her.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because we’re in the right.”
“Of course we are, but the good guys don’t always win.”
Warren laughed. “I know. Actually, the real reason we’re going to win is because we have the cutter and sub. Those guys from the mainland can’t have anything to cope with real military ships. With their armaments and our resolve, we’ll make short work of them.”
The woman looked at Zach for confirmation but he looked away and didn’t offer an opinion. He wasn’t nearly as sure as Warren about what was about to happen. As a combat veteran, he knew it was impossible to predict the outcome of a battle not yet fought. Although he didn’t see him, Zach considered it almost certain there was a spy aboard the sub. What was he capable of doing? The possibilities were alarming.
Even more alarming was the fact that there was no sign of the cutter. Their radars scanned the area for more than twenty-four hours, and no ship came in from the north – or anywhere else. Other than their own boats, the boats anchored at Catalina Harbor and the crippled missile cruiser offshore, there was no sign of another ship within miles. Captain Kotchel insisted on radio silence so that they wouldn’t give away the cutter’s presence, but now their own side was not aware of where it was.
If the cutter didn’t appear soon, it would be too late to be of any help.
* * * * *
Chapter 44
THE La Sirena left the Avalon dock in the early morning, as planned. Fog that had settled in during the night was being whipped about by a fresh breeze that developed as the sailboat headed south to the southeast tip of the island. They picked up three blips on the radar immediately. They were no doubt enemy ships, and they were heading in the same direction as the La Sirena.
The murky dark water was choppy by the time the sailboat made the turn and started northwest. The wind whirled most of the fog away but the clouds still hid the stars and moon. Their radar showed them the land location and allowed them to keep track of the course the blips on the screen were following. It was becoming clear that the enemy boats were headed for the same place the La Sirena was – Catalina Harbor. Zach calculated that they had a half-hour lead.
Seeking a Sane Society: Nothing is the Same (The Seeking Series Book 2) Page 18