tc.redstormrising-第105节

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Russians。　His　crew　looked　to　be　in　good　shape。　Three　days　on　the　beach　had　counted　for　a　lot。　The　beer　supplied　by　the　Norwegian　skipper；　plus　word　on　what　their　Harpoon　had　done　in　Chicago's　one　real　engagement；　had　counted　for　even　more。　He'd　already　briefed　the　crew　on　their　current　mission。　The　information　was　accepted　quietly；　with　a　couple　of　jokes　about　going　back　home…to　the　Barents　Sea。
〃That　was　Boston；　skipper；〃　the　XO　said。　〃Now　we're　the　caboose。〃
McCafferty　walked　back　to　examine　the　chart。　Everything　looked　okay；　but　he　checked　everything　carefully。　With　so　many　submarines　running　the　same　course　track；　the　risk　of　collision　was　real。　A　quartermaster　ran　down　the　list　of　the　sister　subs　that　had　passed　Chicago。　The　skipper　was　satisfied。
〃All　ahead　two…thirds；〃　he　ordered。　The　helmsman　acknowledged　the　order　and　twisted　the　annunciator　dial。
〃Engine　room　answers　all　ahead　two…thirds。〃
〃Very　well。　Left　ten　degrees　rudder。　e　to　new　course　three…four…eight。〃
Chicago　accelerated　to　fifteen　knots；　taking　her　station　at　the　end　of　the　column　as　the　freight　train　raced　to　the　Arctic。







31　…　Demons

VIRGINIA　BEACH；　VIRGINIA
〃Left　full　rudder！〃　Morris　screamed；　pointing　at　the　torpedo's　wake。
〃Right　full　rudder；　aye！〃　the　helmsman　replied；　spinning　the　wheel　right；　then　left；　then　centering　it。
Morris　stood　on　the　port　bridge　wing。　The　sea　was　flat　calm；　and　the　torpedo's　wake　was　clearly　visible；　following　every　turn　and　maneuver　the　frigate　made。　He　even　tried　reversing；　and　that　didn't　work…the　torpedo　appeared　to　go　sideways。　It　stopped　dead　in　the　water　and　rose　to　the　surface　where　he　could　see　it。　It　was　white；　with　what　seemed　to　be　a　red　star　on　the　nose　。　。　。　and　it　had　eyes；　like　all　homing　torpedoes。　He　ordered　flank　speed；　but　the　torpedo　stayed　with　him　on　the　surface　now；　skimming　along　like　a　flying　fish；　clearly　visible　to　all　who　could　see…but　only　Morris　saw　it。
It　closed　ever　so　slowly　as　the　frigate　maneuvered。　Fifty　feet；　thirty；　ten　。　。　。
〃Where　did　my　daddy　go？〃　the　little　girl　asked。　〃I　want　my　daddy！〃
〃What's　the　problem；　skipper？〃　the　exec　asked。　This　was　very　strange；　because　he　didn't　have　a　head。
Sweat　poured　from　Morris's　face　as　he　bolted　upright　in　his　bed；　his　heart　racing；　The　digital　clock　on　the　headboard　said　4：54。　Ed　got　up　and　walked　shakily　into　the　bathroom　to　splash　cold　water　on　his　face。　The　second　time　tonight；　he　thought。　Twice　more　during　the　tow　back　to　Boston　the　nightmare　had　e；　robbing　him　of　the　few　hours　of　rest　he　allowed　himself。　Morris　wondered　if　he　had　screamed　in　his　sleep。
You　did　everything　you　could　have　done。　It's　not　your　fault；　he　told　the　face　in　the　mirror。
But　you　were　the　captain；　it　replied。
Morris　had　gotten　through　five　homes　when　he'd　had　to　stop。　It　was　one　thing　to　talk　to　wives　and　parents。　They　understood。　Their　sons　and　husbands　were　sailors；　and　had　taken　a　sailor's　risk。　But　the　four…year…old　daughter　of　Gunner's　Mate　Second　Class　Jeff　Evans　had　not　understood　why　her　daddy　would　never　e　home　again。　A　second…class　petty　officer　didn't　make　much；　Morris　knew。　Evans　must　have　worked　like　a　madman　on　that　little　house　to　make　it　as　neat　as　it　was。　A　good　man　with　his　hands；　he　remembered；　a　good　gunner's　mate。　Every　wall　was　newly　painted。　Much　of　the　interior　woodwork　had　been　replaced。　They'd　been　in　the　house　only　seven　months；　and　Morris　wondered　how　the　petty　officer　had　found　the　time　to　get　all　that　work　done。　He　had　to　have　done　it　himself　No　way　he　could　have　afforded　contractors。　Ginny's　room　had　been　a　testimony　to　her　father's　love。　Dolls　from　all　over　the　world　had　stood　on　hand…made　shelves。　As　soon　as　he'd　seen　Ginny's　room；　Morris　had　had　to　leave。　He'd　felt　himself　on　the　verge　of　breaking　down；　and　some　absurd　code　of　conduct　wouldn't　allow　him　to　do　that　in　front　of　strangers。　So　he'd　left　and　driven　home；　with　the　rest　of　the　list　tucked　back　in　his　wallet。　Certainly　the　fatigue　that　had　enveloped　him　would　allow　him　a　night's　sleep。。。
But　now　he　stood　in　front　of　the　mirror；　looking　at　a　man　with　hollow　eyes　who　wished　his　wife　were　there。
Morris　went　out　to　the　kitchen　of　his　one…story　house　and　went　mindlessly　through　the　process　of　making　coffee。　The　morning　paper　was　on　the　doorstep；　and　he　found　himself　reading　stories　about　the　war　that　he　knew　to　be　inaccurate　or　out　of　date。　Things　were　happening　much　too　fast　for　reporters　to　keep　up。　There　was　an　eyewitness　account　from　an　unnamed　destroyer　about　a　missile　that　had　leaked　through　her　missile　defenses。　An　〃analysis〃　piece　explained　how　surface　warships　were　obsolete　in　the　face　of　determined　missile　attacks　and　asked　where　the　fleet's　vaunted　carriers　were。　That；　he　thought；　was　a　pretty　good　question。
Morris　finished　his　coffee　and　returned　to　the　bathroom　for　a　shower。　If　he　had　to　be　awake；　he　thought；　he　might　as　well　be　at　work。　He　had　one　set　of　undress　whites　in　the　closet。　He　donned　them　a　few　minutes
later　and　walked　out　to　his　car。　It　was　already　first　light　when　he　drove　to　the　Norfolk　Navy　Base。
Forty　minutes　later　he　was　in　one　of　several　operations　rooms；　where　the　positions　of　convoys　and　suspected　submarine　locations　were　plotted。　On　the　far　wall　the　threat　board　listed　estimated　Russian　assets　and　the　numbers　and　types　of　kills　accumulated　to　date。　Another　wall　showed　losses。　If　the　intel　guys　were　right；　he　thought；　the　war　at　sea　had　the　look　of　a　draw…but　for　the　Russians　a　draw　was　the　same　as　a　win。
〃Good　morning；　mander；〃　NAVSURFLANT　said。　Another　man　who　had　not　slept　very　much。　〃You　look　a　little　better。〃
Better　than　what？　Morris　wondered。
〃We　have　some　good　news　for　a　change。〃

NORTH　ATLANTIC
The　B…52　crews　were　nervous　despite　the　heavy　fighter　escort。　Five　thousand　feet　above　them；　a　full　squadron　of　F…14　Tomcats　flew　top　cover；　having　just　refueled　from　KC…135　tankers。　The　other　squadron　was　tanking　now　for　their　part　in　the　mission。　The　sun　was　just　peeping　above　the　horizon；　and　the　ocean　below　them　was　still　dark。　It　was　0300　local　time；　when　human　reaction　times　are　at　their　worst。

KEFLAVIK；　ICELAND
The　alarm　klaxon　jolted　the　sleeping　Russian　pilots　off　their　cots。　Their　ground　crews　took　fewer　than　ten　seconds　to　begin　preflight　procedures　as　the　airmen　climbed　the　steel　ladders　into　their　cockpits　and　plugged　in　their　helmet　radios　to　learn　what　the　emergency　was。
〃Heavy　enemy　jamming　activity　to　the　west；〃　the　regimental　mander　announced。　〃Plan　Three。　Repeat：　Plan　Three。〃
In　the　control　trailer；　radar　operators　had　just　seen　their　radar　screens　turn　to　a　cluttered　nightmare　of　white…noise　jamming。　An　American　raid　was　ing　in　probably　B…52s；　probably　in　force。　Soon　the　American　aircraft　would　be　so　close　that　the　ground…based　radars　could　bum　through　the　jamming。　Until　then；　the　fighters　would　try　to　engage　as　far　out　as　they　could　to　reduce　the　number　of　bombers　before　they　could　strike　their　target。
The　Soviet　pilots　had　been　well　drilled　in　their　time　on　Iceland。　Within　two　minutes　the　first　pair　of　MiG…29s　was　rolling；　in　seven　all　were　in　the　air。　The　Soviet　plan　left　a　third　of　the　fighters　over　Keflavik　while　the　others　charged　west　toward　the　jamming；　their　own　missile…targeting　radars　on；　seeking　targets。　They　were　ten　minutes　out　when　the　jamming　stopped。　A　single　MiG　got　a　radar　contact　off　a　retreating　jamming　aircraft　and　radioed　Keflavik；　only　to　learn　from　his　ground　controllers　that　nothing　was　on　the　scopes　out　to　a　range　of　three　hundred　kilometers。
A　minute　later；　the　jamming　began　again；　this　time　from　the　south　and　east。　More　cautiously　this　time；　the　MiGs　flew　south。　On　orders；　they　kept　their　radar　systems　shut　down　until　they　were　a　hundred　miles　offshore；　but　when　they　switched　on　they　found　nothing。　Whoever　was　jamming　was　doing　it　from　a　great　distance。　The　ground　controllers　reported　that　three　jammers　had　been　involved　in　the　first　incident　and　four　in　the　second。　Quite　a　lot　of　jammers；　the　regimental　mander　thought。　They're　trying　to　run　us　around；　trying　to　make　us　use　up　our　fuel。
〃e　east；〃　he　ordered　his　fight　leaders。
The　B…52　crews　were　really　nervous　now。　One　of　the　escorting　Prowlers　had　picked　up　the　voice　radio　orders　from　the　MiGs；　and　another　had　caught　a　flash　of　their　air…intercept　radars　to　the　southwest。　The　fighters　eased　south　also。　They　were　now　one　hundred　fifty　miles　from　Keflavik；　crossing　the　Icelandic　coast。　The　mission　mander　evaluated　the　situation　and　ordered　the　bombers　to　turn　slightly　north。
The　B…52s　carried　no　bombs；　just　the　powerful　radar　jammers　designed　to　allow　other　bombers　to　reach　targets　within　the　Soviet　Union。　Below　them；　the　second　squadron　of　Tomcats　was　heading　for　the　deck；　the　eastern　slopes　of　the　Vatna　glacier。　With　them　were　four　Navy　Prowlers　for　additional　protection　against　air…to…air　missiles　in　case　the　MiGs　got　too　close。
〃Starting　to　get　some　airborne　radars；　bearing　two…five…eight。　Seems　to　be　closing；〃　one　Prowler　reported。　Another　copied　the　same　signal　and　they　triangulated　the　range　to　fifty　miles。　Close　enough。　The　mission　mander　was　flying　a　Prowler。
〃Amber　Moon。　Say　again；　Amber　Moon。〃
The　B…52s　turned　back　east　and　dove；　opening　their　bomb　bays　to　disgorge　tons　of　aluminum　chaff　that　no　rada