Dead Edge

by Jack Ford

  ‘I don’t know what to say… or think.’

  Teddy said, ‘Me neither. And I know I’m no cop, John, but I do know this doesn’t smell right at all.’

  HATAY PROVINCE, TURKEY

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  With the sun slowly setting, leaving a blood-red and crimson sky in its wake, Cooper rested his weight on the stone wall which ran along the edge of the tiny fishing village down by the sea. He suspected it was probably a popular time out smoking spot for errant husbands wanting a few hours’ peace from nagging tongues, because although he was only on his sixth cigarette the number of butt ends was at least ten times that amount.

  He was tired. They’d driven two hours along the coast and tomorrow they’d have to find a fishing boat to take them out to the ship, but for now they were booked into a small Turkish tavern which smelt of clean sheets and homemade food. And it was there he’d last seen Maddie and Rosedale, in the bar enjoying the local musical entertainment.

  The place was the stuff of vacation brochures. Real pretty. He closed his eyes. He breathed deeply. Feeling the cold sweat run down his back and hoping the cramps and shakes weren’t about to set in. He’d taken his last pill just after they’d left the port.

  The sound of a car made him bolt up straight. He stared, fixing his eyes on the vehicle as it slowly drove towards him.

  ‘How did you persuade them, Mr Cooper?’

  ‘By telling them we were doing the job without you knowing.’

  Ismet, sitting, leaning his sizable body out of a dark black car, wearing dark black shades along with a dark black shirt, smiled. ‘I’m impressed. For a while back then, I was worried, but when I got your call I realized some things in life are as predictable as one thinks… here, this is what you want.’

  Cooper strode up to the car, snatched the large bag of pills out of Ismet’s hand, stuffing them quickly in his jacket pocket. ‘Are they the right ones?’

  Ismet answered with a smirk. ‘Exactly what you asked me to prescribe.’

  Feeling ashamed, Cooper kicked at the sandy colored ground. ‘When I’ve located the ship, I’ll come back on my own and let you know what the situation is.’

  ‘What about the others?’

  ‘Let me worry about that.’

  ‘And Mr Granger?’

  ‘As far as he goes, we’re not doing the job.’

  ‘Whatever you say.’

  ‘I’ll be in touch… And just so you know, I hate myself for doing this.’

  Driving off, Ismet said, ‘Clearly not enough, Mr Cooper. Clearly not enough.’

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  Acres of blue beyond acres of blue. Deep, wide and powerful. Explored, yet eternally unconquerable. Explored yet a mystery holding secrets. That’s the way Cooper remembered it. And that’s exactly how it still was to him. The sea. The ocean. A place he’d been drawn to from the first time his Uncle Beau had driven him fifteen hours from the plains of Missouri to Emerald Isle, North Carolina, as a frightened eight-year-old boy. Where they’d stood, bare feet on the cold white sand, whilst the wind and the rain besieged them and he’d kissed and said his last goodbye to his Momma before releasing her ashes into the ocean, to hold them safe until the day he’d meet her again.

  His love affair with the ocean had started that storm-filled spring day but it’d ended on the day of Ellie’s accident. And this was the first time since his discharge from the Navy, not long after he’d watched her reach out to him and call his name.

  ‘What the hell’s wrong with you? You look like you’re in a state of grace. That’s some kind of stupor.’ Rosedale kicked the base of Cooper’s boot, jarring his whole body.

  Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Cooper sat up. ‘Do you have to do that?’

  ‘I do if I think you’re dead.’

  ‘Shut up, Rosedale, I’m just seasick.’

  ‘Don’t give me that, Thomas. You’ve spent a good part of your life in the Navy. A SEAL, no less, but now I find you lying on the wet wooden deck of a fishing trawler, saying you’ve got seasickness. What’s going on?’

  ‘Out of practice. What can I say? Give me a hand up.’

  ‘Get up yourself.’

  Without Rosedale’s assistance, Cooper got up. Unsteadily. And leant over the boat’s rail, watching the white surf racing with the bow.

  Over the loud, shuddering noise of the engine, Rosedale put his fingers under Cooper’s chin, turning his face towards him. ‘Is that the new word for it, Thomas? Look at you. You’re high. Wired.’

  ‘The hell I am.’

  ‘Oh, I think you are. Shall I call Maddie over and ask her? I’m sure she’ll know. What do you say?’

  Cooper flicked Rosedale’s hand away. Rolled his tongue in his mouth to try to get some saliva. ‘Leave Maddie alone, and leave me alone whilst you’re at it for that matter.’

  ‘Where did you get them?’

  ‘Jesus, Rosedale, go and be a jackass to somebody else.’

  Rosedale grabbed hold of Cooper’s shirt. Shaking him about. A bit. A lot. ‘You brought them with you, didn’t you? Didn’t you! Look at you, you’re a mess. Can’t even fight back, can you?’

  ‘I’m just ill, I told you. Thirteen hours chugging along on this old boat would make most people sick. Now get your hands off me.’

  ‘Have you thought what would’ve happened if you’d been caught? Because I know. Maddie and I would’ve been in the frame too. This is Turkey. You don’t mess about with that crap here.’

  ‘What? Have you seen Midnight Express too?’

  A tight, close upper cut burst open Cooper’s bottom lip. Crashing him down to hit the deck hard. Slipped back into a cold pool of stinking water and fish entrails.

  ‘And don’t ask me what that was for, because you know damn well. What you should be asking is how you’re going to explain this to Maddie.’

  He wasn’t going to feel it. No way. No damn way was he going to allow Rosedale to get to him. He swallowed down the lump in the back of his throat. Covered his face and with a voice he didn’t recognize, which broke and cracked, he shook his head. ‘There’s nothing to explain.’

  ‘Oh my God, Tom, what’s happened?’

  Maddie crouched down, pulling Cooper’s hands away from his wet, bloody face. ‘Jesus Christ, are you crying? What’s happened?’

  Using the bottom of his shirt to wipe his whole face, Cooper, red-eyed, tried to smile. ‘No, of course not, I’m fine.’

  Gently, touching his lip, Maddie turned to Rosedale accusingly. ‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at?

  Answer me.’

  Rosedale opened his mouth but his sentence was beaten and replaced by Cooper’s one word.

  ‘Don’t!’

  ‘Don’t what?’ Maddie said.

  Tasting the salt from the sea mixed with the salty blood on his lips, Cooper for the second time in a short few minutes slowly got up, listening to Maddie go after Rosedale like the dog with that bone.

  ‘I asked you a question. And now I’m going to ask you again, Rosedale. What are you playing at?’

  ‘Leave it, Maddie.’ Cooper said.

  ‘No I won’t, because I want to know what happened to having each other’s backs? We’re here to do a job, not beat the crap out of each other. So go on, what are you playing at?’

  Rosedale shrugged as he glanced at Cooper. ‘Yeah, that’s right, what am I playing at? I guess it’s just Rosedale being a jackass.’

  Maddie scowled. ‘That’s it? That’s the explanation? You know you can be such a jerk sometimes… Oh, and Rosedale, by the way, it’s true what Tom says, you speaking in third person just irritates the hell out of us all.’

  A quick flash of hurt crossed through Rosedale’s eyes. He nodded his head and before turning away. ‘Message understood… Loud and clear.’

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  The old trawler began to slow down as the dark-haired, black-bearded captain, with his wind-leathered face, waved
his hand to gesture that the boat the Onyx team had come out to see was right there in front of them.

  Maddie acknowledged the captain, returning his wave as she walked across to the starboard bow to where Rosedale and Cooper, who weren’t speaking to each other, stood already looking at the ship.

  She hesitated to decide which one to address. And not really wanting to speak to, or favor, either of them, Maddie left it slightly ambiguous. ‘Well at least the crew was telling the truth. The co-ordinates they gave are almost bang on. What do you think? I must say that’s one hell of a ship just to import and export olives, or whatever Granger said.’

  Neither men answered, just continued to marvel at the boat. Millions of dollars’ worth of marvel. But then you get what you pay for. And a stealth ship was certainly something to behold.

  By the time she’d come to the end of her naval career, the US had several ships with advanced stealth technology, though the industry evolved so rapidly that today’s science very quickly became yesterday’s news. But even with the most cutting edge, almost futuristic development, the basic principles were the same. The primary objective with any stealth technology was simple: not to be seen or heard.

  The standard ways were to reduce the acoustic, thermal and wake signatures of any ship. The acoustics were dealt with by getting rid of the smooth, metallic surfaces, changing them to carbon composite materials which absorb and soak up the radar waves, along with replacing the rounded, hydrodynamic body with the construction of flat surfaces and sharp angles to deflect the radar’s cross section, scattering and preventing the signals from bouncing back to the source. In this way the ship’s detection range was reduced by up to ninety-nine percent.

  Stealth manufacturers were also continually developing the best ways of minimizing the temperature of the boat, so that the ships could not be located by the enemy’s infrared detection equipment. But one of the biggest problems, and a flag of a giveaway, was the wake of the ship, acting like a trail, exposing the route and ultimately the position of the vessel. Although it was certainly trickier to get round this problem, one of the ways they lessened the wake was by shaping the hull and revolutionizing the way the vessel sailed through the water, to distort and vary the usual pick up patterns. And then there was the one bit of stealth technology which remained ageless, and was perhaps her favorite one of them all. The good old fashioned camouflage paint. Maybe it was silly, but it never ceased to amaze her how a bit of careful shading and shadowing allowed a massive, state-of-the-art craft to fade and become one with the horizon.

  Managing to take her eyes off the high-tech, matt grey and black ship, Maddie asked, ‘Okay, now what?’

  The men said nothing.

  ‘Are you kidding me? Rosedale? Tom? What? Now all of a sudden I’m the bad guy? Okay, fine, have it your way… But just so you know, Cora behaves better than you two at the moment.’

  And with that, Maddie walked across to her oversized Rothco Military cargo bag and backpack. Rummaged. Searched. Shook her head at the thought of Cooper and Rosedale. Pulled out a variety of steel-strength but lightweight Kevlar climbing ropes, along with other apparatus.

  ‘What the hell are you doing? Maddie, you stop right there.’

  ‘Oh, now you want to speak to me, Rosedale?’

  ‘Thomas, come and see what she’s doing.’

  Almost snorting with the derision she felt, Maddie’s words were scornful. ‘This really is something else. All of a sudden not only are you speaking to me, you’re speaking to each other, and all because you want to tell me what to do. But the thing is, Rosedale, right now, I’m not interested in speaking to you or Tom.’

  She turned her back on Rosedale and proceeded to expertly attach a grappling hook with a skilfully tied bowknot to one of the ropes. Concentrating. Fixed. Focusing. With a serious look and her tongue sticking out, she connected the six-part, streamlined, custom made, pneumatically powered plummet gun. This was a baby version, made by the same people behind the Tactical Air Initiated Launch system used by the Navy SEALs, which would shoot the hooked rope high into the air and reach the deck of the ship. Batman gun it was not, but highly developed device it was.

  Cooper, slightly unsteadily, walked across to Maddie. ‘No way.’

  Maddie said nothing. Latched the rope carefully through and onto the gun.

  ‘Hell, woman, I’m talking to you. I said, no way.’

  Maddie stepped into her harness, pulling the straps around her waist and over her shoulders.

  ‘Maddison! Listen to me!’

  Making another loop with one of the ropes, Maddie didn’t even bother to look up at Cooper. ‘Save it, Tom. Not interested.’

  ‘There’s no way, you’re going on board. No Goddamn way. We’re here to see the ship. That’s it. Now we have, we’re going. Tell her, Rosedale.’

  ‘You know how much I’m going to hate to say this Maddie, but Thomas is right. Crap. See, I said it. But he is.’

  Ignoring them both, Maddie signaled to the captain. ‘Nearer. Can you take us nearer to the ship?’

  Cooper, also gesturing shouted to the skipper. ‘No! No! Don’t.’

  With a large smile and her big brown eyes twinkling and with a little wave to the old sea captain, along with a fluttering wink, Maddie said, ‘Please.’

  They began to move, and with the fishing boat bobbing and drawing up to the side of the stealth ship, Maddie looked at Rosedale and Cooper, amused by their synchronized hostile glares.

  ‘Like it or not boys, I’m going on board… Now, stand back.’

  Feet slightly apart.

  Knees bent.

  Grounded stance and the plummet gun pushed firmly against her shoulder, Maddie calculated the distance between her and the stealth ship’s deck. Then, squinting up through the glare of the sun, she pulled back the trigger. And released. Felt the kick. Watched the spinning hook lift and take the ropes into the air before landing with a hollow thud.

  Quickly pulling back and down on the ropes, Maddie heard the hook trail and drag back to latch onto the ship’s rails. Exactly where she wanted it. A further sharp tug locked the hook securely into place.

  She grinned. ‘Cat got your tongue, boys?’

  ‘No actually, I’m just lost for words,’ Rosedale said,

  ‘Why? Because it’s me?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Because I’m a woman?’

  Rosedale thought, yes, said, ‘No, of course not. It’s because you’re usually the sensible one, Maddie. The one that keeps us together. So let’s just turn right on back.’

  Maddie regarded the men with a look of surprise. ‘I thought that’s why we were here. What’s wrong with you guys? When have we ever just turned right on back? That’s not who we are.’

  ‘No, but it’s who we should be. We should use Levi as our prototype. The man doesn’t do more than breathe. Never goes beyond anything but second helpings.’

  ‘Rosedale, you know perfectly well Levi has your back as much as I have. Tom, come on, if it wasn’t for you, I’d be on a plane back home. You were the one who encouraged us and suddenly all you want to do is look.’

  Cooper knew under usual circumstances he wouldn’t have thought twice. Not even once. And whether it was because the pills Ismet had given him were slightly different to what he usually took, or whether it was the numbness of life which came hand in hand with painkillers, or even perhaps the persistent thoughts of Ellie which had entered his mind the moment he’d stepped on board, but from the minute they’d set off, he’d never had any intention of going on board. Never. All he wanted to do was turn back round. Let Ismet know the job was done and he’d upheld his side of the bargain. And then… Then fly the hell home and hide out at his ranch where no-one could tell him how he should feel. How he should be. And how he should get his life to resemble something that looked like life.

  ‘I never mentioned going on it. Christ, Maddie, this is just crazy…’ Pausing, and not quite knowing what else to say, Cooper looked at Ma
ddie with hazy eyes adding, ‘Honey, listen…’

  He stopped.

  Closed his eyes.

  Felt the rush of sweetness arrive in his mouth.

  Didn’t manage to get to the side of the boat in time.

  Wiping his mouth and chin of the watery vomit, sheepishly, Cooper gave a half smile.

  ‘Sorry about that. Seasick. Who would’ve thought?’

  Rosedale said, ‘No-one.’

  With the rubber-coated grappling hook held by the rails, Maddie talked as she fitted two mechanical ascending devices. With one attached to her harness, and one attached to the line with a loop for her foot, she stepped up onto the side, using Rosedale’s involuntary shoulder as a balance.

  ‘You do realize if you go up there, then that means I do too. Forget him, he’s in no fit state. But me, I’ll have to join you, and Miss Maddison, you know how I hate climbing almost as much as I hate admitting that Thomas is right on anything. This is exactly why I left the Navy to join the CIA. This, and the incident with the raccoon of course.’

  Not wanting to get embroiled in any of Rosedale’s elaborate stories, Maddie spoke firmly. ‘I’m not asking you to come on board. I’ll be fine, and the climb is easy. The way the boat is shaped. The flat surfaces. It’s a cinch.’

  ‘I don’t like it.’

  ‘Rosedale, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but I’m not asking you to like it. There’s nothing to think about for me. We’re here and I’m as curious as hell… See you on the other side.’

  And with a giant step, Maddie soared off the fishing boat, swinging across to the ship. Moving up the rope towards the deck with diligence and expertise.

  Rosedale turned to Cooper. ‘So come on then, drugstore cowboy, what’s it going to be?’

  ‘Doesn’t look really look like Maddie has given us much choice, does it? We can hardly let her explore the ship on her own… And Rosedale, whilst I think about it, hit me again, seasick or not, next time you can be damn sure I’ll fight back.’

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