Stabenow, Dana - Blindfold Game (v1

by Blindfold Game(lit)

  “Very reliable, Sara said, and added irresistibly, “in everything except marriage. And then wished very much that she had not.

  Lowes eyes narrowed.

  “Hes not a nut case, Captain, she said, unconsciously straightening to attention. “Weve been married for ten years. Ive known him all my life. Hes intelligent, very well educated, and not prone to flights of fancy. The CIA recruited him before we graduated, and however little I may like the CIA they dont recruit dummies. Most of the time hes a by-the-book kind of guy. He wouldnt have gone to such extraordinary lengths to get here if he didnt think the threat was real.

  “He sure as hell convinced Sams and Laird in St. Paul. Of course, theyre aviators and theyll believe anything thatll get them into the air.

  “Yes, sir.

  Lowe jerked his head toward the door. “You didnt sound even a little bit convinced by his argument in there, XO.

  “Devils advocate, sir, she said sturdily. “Part of my job.

  Lowe looked at her for a long, long minute. He reached past her to open the door into the wardroom. They filed in and took their seats.

  “All right, the captain said. “What are we looking for?

  There was a collective exhale of breath. “A fish processor slash stern trawler, Hugh said. “Three hundred forty feet long. Shes leased to a Russian fishing consortium by a series of limited liability corporations. Niue flagged. He looked up to find everyone looking back at him with an enraptured gaze. “What? he said.

  Mark Edelen had to clear his throat to get the words out. “Whats her name, Mr. Rincon?

  “Oh. Hugh looked down at the notes hed spread on the table in front of him. “The Agafia.

  TOMMY WAS A LITTLE startled when the whole horde thundered up the ladder and erupted onto the bridge. “XO? she said.

  “Wheres the Agafia , Tommy?

  Tommy, mute, pointed at a steady green blip on the radar screen. “Shes heading southwest.

  Sara looked up to peer through what was now a stygian gloom. She saw no lights on the horizon. She saw no horizon. They had felt the ship begin to roll more heavily in the wardroom, and she was beginning to pitch and yaw as well. The storm was well and truly upon them, but by now it wouldnt have felt natural if it hadnt been.

  “And Tommy said.

  “Wait a minute, Sara said. “Who the hell is this? She indicated a second blip not far from the first, both of them lying less than a half mile off.

  “Its the Sunrise Warrior, maam, Tommy said reproachfully. “I tried to tell you on the phone. She hove up over the horizon just as you all went below.

  Captain Lowe jumped up into his chair. “Get them on the horn.

  “Belay that, Sara said. She stepped to the captains side and lowered her voice. “Forgive me, Captain, but are you thinking of ordering them from the area?

  “That was my plan, yes, the captain said. “The last thing we need right now is a bunch of idealistic civilians getting in our way. I want them long gone before whatever goes down out here goes down. You have a problem with that, XO?

  Sara refused to be intimidated by the implied menace. “Firstly, sir, I dont think theyll take to being ordered. They dont, as a rule, if you recall.

  They both remembered last August and the whole whaling debacle. “No, he said, “they dont, do they. Secondly?

  “Secondly Sara hesitated.

  “Spit it out, XO.

  “Well, sir, I was thinking that we might be able to use them.

  “Use them how?

  “Its a big ocean, captain. If Hughif Mr. Rincon is right and there are terrorists on board the Agafia, and if they do have a weapon they are preparing to launch, we might be able to use another ship. The Sojourner Truth and the Sunrise Warrior are both faster than the Agafia.

  Lowe snorted. “Thats a stretch. Whats her top speed, five, six knots? A baby stroller is faster than she is.

  “Yes, sir. For another thing, Ill bet both of us are more seaworthy than she is, too. You remember what the Pheodora was like when we boarded her.

  “If the Agafias in that bad shape we can run her down on our own.

  “Still, sir, it wouldnt hurt to have another ship standing by. Just in case. And Sara paused. She hadnt wanted to draw this card, but there wasnt a whole lot of choice left to her. Besides, in this she knew she was right. “I know the international campaigner shes got on board.

  “The international campaigner?

  “The ship is here on what they call a campaign. It was someones idea, and that someone, once they sell the idea to Greenpeace headquarters in Amsterdam, usually heads up the campaign when it goes into action. I know the point person on board.

  “How?

  Sara looked at the overhead. “I arrested her once.

  The captain stared at her, disbelieving what she had just said. “You what?

  “I worked one year at Prudhoe Bay, sir, when the freight barges were coming in. Greenpeace was getting in the way with inflatables. Vivienne Kincaid was ramrodding that campaign with a crew of six. I was with the detachment that arrested them.

  “And because of this history you think shes going to help us?

  “Shes not an unreasonable person, sir, and shes an American. I think when it comes down to it shell chose country over cause.

  The captains voice was cold and hard. “I dont like the prospect of trusting the fate of the crewnot to mention an entire cityto a fanatic, XO.

  “No, sir. But theyre what weve got. She could have said more, but she knew when to shut up, and did so.

  He brooded for a moment, and then raised his voice. “Whats it doing out there in the way of weather?

  “Barometer still dropping, sir, Tommy said. “Temperature in the low twenties. Rain, snow, freezing spray. Winds out of the southeast at forty-five knots. Seas eighteen to twenty feet. Forecast is for fifty-five knots before midnight.

  The captain looked at Sara. “Well never be able to launch a small boat in this.

  “No, sir.

  “Are we still on an intercept course for the Agafia? he asked Tommy.

  “Of course, sir, Tommy said, a little hurt.

  “How long?

  “Were closing to half a mile now, sir. I dont think shes making much headway in the storm.

  “Probably ran into it on purpose, trying to hide, he said.

  The deck rolled and Sara took a quick step to regain her balance. Hugh lost his balance and crashed into the bulkhead. PO Barnette, on the conn, stood rooted to the deck, hands clasped in the small of his back, staring straight ahead.

  The captain made up his mind. “Lets make the storm work for us for a change. Bosun, pipe the aviators to my cabin. XO, Mr. Rincon, with me. Chief, you have the conn.

  “Aye aye, sir.

  “WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, sir, Lieutenant Sams said, and halted, at a loss for words. He didnt say, “You gotta be kidding me, but the words were on his face for anyone to read.

  Captain Lowe was not unsympathetic. “I know its a lot to ask. Can you do it?

  Samss eyes were red-rimmed. He ran his fingers up into his thinning hairline and scrubbed vigorously at his scalp. “Theres a question of fatigue here, Captain. We were in the air for He stopped, obviously trying to add up the hours.

  “A long time, Laird said.

  Sams nodded. “A long time.

  “The question is, can you do it, Lowe said.

  “The question is, can I even get off the ship, Sams said. “Im sorry, sir. I beg your pardon for raising my voice. Its been a long day. He glared at Hugh, who looked back without apology.

  There was a knock at the door. “Come, Lowe said.

  It was Ops. “Still no response from the Agafia, Captain. Either their radios down or theyre ignoring us. And e-mail is still down.

  “Just as well, the captain said with a hard look at Hugh. “District isnt going to believe this anyway.

  “Look, Captain, Sams said, “were coming up hard on her stern, right? Were going to be close enough that we dont have to
put the bird in the air. We can just put a boat in the water.

  “I dont believe this, Sara said. “An aviator thinking up reasons not to fly. A thing unheard of in memory of man.

  They all smiled, except for Hugh. It lightened the tension, just a little, maybe just enough.

  “Ah hell, Sams said, shaking his head, “thisll be one for round the bar.

  “Yeah, said Laird, “and I never said I wanted to live forever anyway. Lets take a look at the pitch and roll.

  They went back up to the bridge. They were close enough now to be able to see the Agafia s lights, diffused through the blowing snow and fog into an enormous halo off their port bow. There was a smaller glow illuminating the fog and snow to starboard, indicating the position of the Sunrise Warrior. The lights were bobbing up and down with the motion of the sea, no more so than the cutter. Sara took two quick steps to grab hold of a pipe to steady her footing.

  Ops got on the VHF again. “Fishing vessel Agafia, fishing vessel Agafia, this is the United States Coast Guard cutter Sojourner Truth, please respond, I say again, please respond.

  The result was a weighty silence. Ops repeated the hail. Same response. Ops looked at Lowe and raised one shoulder. Lowe climbed up into his chair. “XO.

  Sara presented herself. “Sir.

  He nodded at Hugh, standing silently to one side. When Lowe spoke, he was at his most formal, which could be extremely intimidating and which immediately straightened the spines of everyone within hearing. “Regardless of the reliability of the intel provided by Mr. Rincon of the CIAhis voice was even and pleasant but no one on the bridge was left in any doubt as to the captains opinion of Hughs employer“the Agafia has already crossed the Maritime Boundary Line, trespassing multiple times on the territorial waters of the United States. We have in hand a letter of no objection from District. We can board and seize her at our discretion.

  “Agreed, sir.

  “However. We are looking down the maw of a nine-sixty-millibar low, heavy seas, and freezing spray. These are not ideal conditions for a boarding. A wintry smile broke through. “Im not even going to ask for a GAR assessment on launching the helo.

  This actually raised a chuckle around the bridge, which did nothing to lessen the level of tense expectation. “Were good to go, Captain, Sams said, and next to him, Laird echoed his assent.

  “No, youre not, the captain said, “but if Mr. Rincons information is correct, we dont have a lot of choice here. Therefore, I

  “Captain? Tommy said, her puzzled expression reflected in the green back lighting of the radar screen.

  “Tommy

  “Captain, the Agafia. Shes come about.

  “What? Lowe pulled upright. “Come about? You mean shes coming at us? Why would she

  They all looked up to see lights bearing down on them out of the fog. The next thing Sara knew she had been hit by a couple of hundred pounds of hurtling male that knocked her across the deck from next to the captains chair to up against the starboard hatch, which fortunately was closed or they would both have tumbled out onto the starboard wing of the bridge.

  She lay there, stunned into immobility, staring up at Hugh. She opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he thought he was doing and at that moment four of the forward bridge windows blew in with a sound like a thunderbolt, only ten times as loud. There were loud thumps and crashes as high-velocity metal projectiles stitched a line across the bridge five feet high.

  Glass broke, metal housing splintered, flesh was shredded, and the bridge was filled with screams, curses, the angry howl of the wind and the bitter force of the blowing snow.

  JANUARY

  MARITIME BOUNDARY LINE

  ON BOARD THE USCG CUTTER SOJOURNER TRUTH

  SARA HAULED HERSELF TO her feet with numb hands reaching for anything left intact. “Captain, she said, groping her way forward, trying to find some footing in the debris on the deck, fighting the roll of the ships hull. The sleet driving through the shattered windows seemed to penetrate every pore.

  She heard a moan. Someone swore. This time she yelled. “Captain!

  Her outstretched hand touched an arm. It was dangling down the side of the captains chair. The ship jerked, off course because the helmsman was no longer at his post, and the motion caused the body attached to the arm to fall to the floor. She had to jump out of the way to avoid being knocked over.

  She got her eyes open against the wind enough to see that Captain Lowe was dead, his torso severed almost in two by a large gaping wound, a bloody mass of torn tissue and splintered bones. The motion of the ship caused his body to roll onto his back. His eyes stared in surprise at the ceiling.

  Sara looked around and slowly the rest of the bridge came into focus.

  Tommy was clutching a shoulder, a dark liquid seeping from between her fingers, her other hand clutching the radar console to pull herself erect. The helmsman, Razo, had been thrown from his chair and lay facedown on the floor, unmoving. His head looked misshapen. Ops was bleeding from his right temple and Sara could hear him swearing. “Ops?

  “I got hit by some glass, XO, Im okay!

  Everyone was yelling to be heard over the wind roaring in the broken windows. It didnt help when general quarters sounded and alarms whooped up and down the length of the ship. “Chief? Chief!

  A hand came up to grasp the controls console and Mark Edelen pulled himself to his feet. His face was bruised and his right eye was swelling shut, but the rest of him was mercifully intact. “Find out if our controls still work and put our ass to the storm!

  “Aye aye, XO! He stumbled over bodies and binoculars and broken glass to the helm. A few minutes later the gale roaring through the bridge had eased.

  “Sara! Hugh said, voice fighting the sound of the wind. “Youre bleeding!

  She looked down and saw with some surprise that he was right. No wonder her left arm felt so numb. She touched her reddened sleeve and found a three-inch splinter of metal run completely through the flesh. It didnt hurt yet, but it would.

  She raised her head and saw them all gaping at her.

  “XO, the chief said, taking a step forward and being thrown back by the movement of the ship.

  “Are you okay, XO? Tommy said.

  “Im fine. She looked around and raised her voice. “How is everyone else?

  There were more wounds from flying glass and debris. Due to the chest-high sills of the windows, most of those wounds were to the upper torso, shoulders, arms, and heads. The captain and the helmsman had both been seated, the helmsman behind the captain and to his left. They were the only fatalities on the bridge.

  “Tommy?

  Tommy had to shout to be heard. “XO!

  “Does the pipe still work?

  “I dont know, XO!

  “Try it! Pipe damage control to the bridge at once! And Doc!

  Tommy was shaken but still capable of thought and action. “Doc and damage control, aye aye, XO!

  “Sams! Laird! Sara lurched across the bridge, staggering from one handhold to the next, slipping and sliding in blood and glass. “Sams!

  “Were here, XO! Both had facial wounds from glass cuts but were otherwise unhurt.

  The pipe worked. Tommy must have cranked the volume knob all the way over to the right because her voice blasted out all over the ship, loud and high but amazingly calm. “Damage control, Doc Jewell, report to the bridge immediately, damage control and Doc Jewell, to the bridge at once.

  Sara continued to move around the bridge, trying to assess the damage. The Transas hanging from the bulkhead in front of the window before the captains chair was gone, nothing left but shreds of circuit board and wire, but the one over the plot table was still there, to all appearances intact and still working. The radar console was still blinking out contacts, too, but then it was located almost directly behind the captains chair, which had taken the brunt of the attack.

  People began to tumble onto the bridge. The captains and the helmsmans bodies were removed. Doc Jewell bandag
ed everyone who didnt move out of his way first. He winced when he came to Saras splinter, and it hurt like hell when he extracted it, but she refused anything stronger than aspirin. He looked as if he wanted to insist.

  Sara cut him off, curtly. “Not now, Doc. She flexed her arm beneath the bandage. Everything still worked, even if it felt like shed been seared with a red-hot branding iron. “Anyone hurt anywhere except on the bridge?

  No, ma am.

  “Very well. She pulled her fleece back on. Damage control had unearthed some Plexiglas from somewhere and cut rough squares to fit over the gaping holes where the windows had once been, riveting them in place with power drills. The ravenous howl of the wind was reduced to a distant snarl of disappointment at being balked of its prey. Hugh had found a broom and was sweeping debris into someones cap and chucking it out the port hatch, which was still latched open. Tommy was standing at the chart table, staring at the captains chair with a set face. She looked at Sara. “If he hadnt been sitting there

  “Belay that, Tommy, Sara said. “PO Barnette, you have the helm.

  Tommys face stiffened. “PO Barnette has the helm, aye aye, XO, she said, and there was a chorus of ayes.

  “Aye aye, XO. Barnette took Razos place at the small brace wheel.

  “Tommy, you have the conn.

  “BM2 Penn has the conn, Barnette said. He had a deep voice and it seemed to boom off the Plexiglas.

  Tommy looked at him, swallowed, and pulled her way around the console to stand in an imitation of Barnettes brace. “I have the conn, XO.

  “Doc, canvass the ship for any casualties. I want a report ASAP. Chief? This to Chief Lindsey Moran, the head of damage control on board, who stood waiting, power driver at the ready. “Report.

  “They only hit the bridge, XO. There has been no other damage reported.

  “Make sure of that yourself, Chief, and then report back to me.

  “Aye aye, XO.

  “Mr. Rincon, follow me. Chief Edelen, pipe all the officers to the wardroom, and then join us.