tc.redstormrising-第124节

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〃Looks　clear　to　me；〃　the　XO　said；　watching　the　TV　display。
The　captain　slapped　the　handles　up　on　the　scope。　It　headed　down　into　its　well。　〃ESM？〃
〃Lots　of　radar　stuff；　Cap'n；〃　the　technician　replied。　〃I　show　ten　different　transmitters　in　operation。〃
McCafferty　inspected　the　Tomahawk　weapons　status　board　on　the　starboard　side　of　the　attack　center。　His　torpedo　tubes　were　loaded　with　two　Mark…48s　and　two　Harpoon　missiles。　The　clock　ticked　away　toward　1602。
〃mence　launch　sequence。〃
Toggle　switches　were　thrown；　and　the　weapons　status　lights　blinked　red；　the　captain　and　the　weapons　officer　inserted　their　keys　in　the　panel；　and　turned　them；　the　petty　officer　on　the　weapons　board　turned　the　firing　handle　to　the　left…and　the　arming　process　was　plete。　Forward；　in　the　bow　of　the　submarine；　the　guidance　systems　of　twelve　Tomahawk　cruise　missiles　were　fully　activated。　On…board　puters　were　told　where　their　flight　would　begin。　They　already　knew　where　it　was　supposed　to　end。
〃Initiate　launch；〃　McCafferty　ordered。

Ametist　was　not　part　of　the　regular　Soviet　Navy。　Principally　concerned　with　security　operations；　this　Grisha…class　patrol　frigate　was　manned　by　a　KGB　crew；　and　her　captain　had　spent　the　last　twelve　hours　sprinting　and　drifting；　dipping　his　helicopter…type　sonar　and　listening　in　the　American　fashion　rather　than　the　Russian。　With　her　diesel　engines　shut　down；　she　made　no　noise　at　all；　and　her　short　profile　was　hard　to　spot　from　more　than　a　mile　away。　She　had　not　heard　the　American　submarines　approach。
The　first　Tomahawk　broke　the　surface　of　the　Barents　Sea　at　16：01：58；　two　thousand　yards　from　the　Russian　frigate。　The　lookout　took　a　second　or　two　to　react。　As　he　saw　the　cylindrical　shape　rise　on　its　solid…rocket　booster　and　arc　southwest；　an　icy　lead　ball　materialized　in　his　stomach。
〃Captain！　Missile　launch　to　starboard！〃
The　captain　raced　out　onto　the　bridge　wing　and　looked　on　in　amazement　as　a　second　missile　broke　the　surface；　then　he　leaped　back　into　the　pilothouse。
〃Battle　stations！　Radio　room；　call　Fleet　HQ；　tell　them　enemy　missiles　launching　from　grid　square　451/679…now！　All　ahead　full！　Rudder　right！〃
The　frigate's　diesel　engines　roared　into　life。

〃What　in　hell　is　that？〃　the　sonar　chief　asked。　His　submarine　shuddered　every　four　seconds　with　the　missile　launches；　but…　〃Conn；　sonar；　we　have　a　contact　bearing　zero…nine…eight。　Diesel…surface　ship；　sounds　like　a　Grisha；　and　he's　close；　sir！〃
〃Up　scope！〃　McCafferty　whirled　the　periscope　around　and　snapped　the　handle　to　full　power。　He　saw　the　Russian　frigate　turning　hard。　〃Snap　shot！　Set　it　up！　Surface　target　bearing　zero…nine…seven；　range〃…he　worked　the　stademeter　control…〃one　six　hundred；　course；　shit！　he's　turning　away。　Call　it　zero…nine…zero；　speed　twenty。〃　Too　close　for　a　missile　shot；　they　had　to　engage　with　torpedoes。　〃Down　scope！〃
The　fire…control　man　tapped　the　numbers　into　the　puter。　The　puter　needed　eleven　seconds　to　digest　the　information。　〃Set！　Ready　for　tubes　one　and　three。〃
〃Flooding　tubes；　outer　doors　open…ready！〃　the　XO　said。
〃Match　generated　bearings　and　shoot！〃
〃Fire　one；　fire　three。〃　The　executive　officer　struggled　with　his　emotions　and　won。　Where　had　that　Geisha　e　from？　〃Reload　with　48s！〃
〃Last　bird　away！〃　the　missile　technician　announced。　〃Securing　from　launch。〃
〃Left　full　rudder！''

Ametist　never　saw　the　missiles　launching　behind　her。　The　men　were　too　busy　racing　to　stations；　while　her　captain　rang　up　full　power　and　the　ship's　weapons　officer　ran　up　in　his　shorts　to　work　the　rocket　launchers。　They　didn't　need　sonar　for　this；　they　could　see　all　too　well　where　the　submarine　was…firing　missiles　at　the　Motherland！
〃Fire　when　ready！〃　the　captain　yelled。
The　lieutenant's　thumb　came　down　on　the　firing　key。　Twelve　antisubmarine　rockets　arched　through　the　air。
〃Ametist；〃　the　radio　squawked。　〃Repeat　your　message…what　missiles？　What　kind　of　missiles！〃
Providence　discharged　her　last　missile　just　as　the　frigate　fired　at　her。　The　captain　ordered　flank　speed　and　a　radical　turn　even　as　the　rockets　tipped　over　and　began　to　fall　toward　his　submarine。　They　fell　in　a　wide　circular　pattern　designed　to　cover　the　maximum　possible　area；　two　exploding　within　one　hundred　yards；　close　enough　to　startle　but　not　to　damage。　The　last　one　hit　the　water　directly　over　the　submarine's　sail。　A　second　later；　the　forty…six…pound　warhead　exploded。
Ametist's　captain　ignored　the　radio　while　he　tried　to　decide　if　his　first　salvo　had　hit　the　target　or　not。　The　last　rocket　had　exploded　faster　than　the　others。　He　was　about　to　give　the　order　to　fire　again　when　the　sonar　officer　reported　two　objects　approaching　from　aft；　and　he　shouted　rudder　orders。　The　ship　was　already　at　full　speed　as　the　radio　speaker　continued　to　scream　at　him。

〃Both　fish　have　acquired　the　target！〃
〃Up　scope！〃　McCafferty　let　it　go　all　the　way　up　before　pulling　the　handles　down。　At　full　magnification　the　Grisha　nearly　filled　the　lens；　and　then　both　fish　hit　her　port　side　and　the　thousand…ton　patrol　frigate　disintegrated　before　his　eyes。　He　turned　pletely　around；　sweeping　the　horizon　to　check　for　additional　enemy　ships。　〃Okay；　it's　clear。〃
〃That　won't　last　very　long。　He　was　shooting　at　Providence；　sir。〃
〃Sonar；　what　do　you　have　on　zero…nine…zero？〃　McCafferty　asked。
〃Lotsa　noise　from　the　fish；　sir；　but　I　think　we　have　blowing　air　at　zero…nine…eight。〃
〃Get　us　over　there。〃　McCafferty　kept　the　periscope　up　as　the　XO　conned　the　sub　toward　Providence。　The　Grisha　was　well　and　truly　destroyed。　Together　the　torpedoes　carried　nearly　fifteen　hundred　pounds　of　high　explosives。　He　saw　two　life　rafts　that　had　inflated　automatically　on　hitting　the　water；　but　no　men。
〃Boston　is　calling　on　the　gertrude；　skipper。　They　want　to　know　what　the　hell　happened。〃
〃Tell　'em。〃　The　captain　adjusted　the　periscope　slightly。　〃Okay；　there　she　is；　she's　surfacing…holy　shit！〃
The　submarine's　sail　was　wrecked；　the　after　third　of　it　pletely　gone；　and　the　rest　shredded。　One　diving　plane　hung　down　like　the　wing　of　a　crippled　bird；　and　the　Periscopes　and　masts　housed　in　the　structure　were　bent　into　the　shape　of　a　modernistic　sculpture。
〃Try　to　raise　Providence　on　the　gertrude。〃

Sixty　Tomahawk　missiles　were　now　in　the　air。　On　leaving　the　water；　solid…fuel　rockets　had　boosted　them　to　an　altitude　of　one　thousand　feet；　where　their　wings　and　jet…engine　air　inlets　had　deployed。　As　soon　as　their　jet　engines　had　begun　to　function；　the　Tomahawks　began　a　shallow　descent　that　ended　thirty　feet　above　the　ground。　On…board　radar　systems　scanned　ahead　to　keep　the　missiles　close　to　the　ground；　and　to　match　the　terrain　with　map　coordinates　stored　in　their　puter　memories。　Six　separate　Soviet　radars　detected　the　missiles'　boost　phase；　then　lost　them　as　they　went　low。
The　Russian　technicians　whose　job　it　was　to　watch　for　a　possible　nuclear　attack　against　their　homeland　were　every　bit　as　tense　as　their　Western　counterparts；　and　the　weeks　of　sustained　conventional　conflict；　coupled　with　continuous　maxirnum…alert　status；　had　frayed　nerves　to　the　breaking　point。　As　soon　as　the　Tomahawks　had　been　detected　rising　from　the　sea；　a　ballistic…missile　attack　warning　had　flashed　to　Moscow。　Ametist's　visual　missile　warning　arrived　at　naval　headquarters　in　Severomorsk　almost　as　fast；　and　a　THUNDERBOLT　alert　sent　immediately；　the　code…word　prefix　guaranteeing　instant　passage　to　the　Ministry　of　Defense。　Launch　authority　for　the　antiballistic　missiles　deployed　around　Moscow　was　automatically　released　to　the　battery　manders；　and　though　it　was　several　minutes　before　radar　officers　were　able　to　confirm　to　Moscow's　satisfaction　that　the　missiles　had　dropped　off　their　scopes　and　were　not　on　ballistic　trajectories；　defense　units　stayed　on　alert；　and　all　over　northern　Russia　air…defense　interceptors　scrambled。
The　missiles　could　not　have　cared　about　the　furor　they　had　caused。　At　this　point；　the　Russian　coast　was　posed　of　rocky　bluffs　and　cliffs　that　gave　way　to　tundra；　the　flat　marsh　of　northern　climes。　It　was　ideal　terrain　for　the　cruise　missiles；　which　settled　down　to　a　flight　path　scant　feet　over　the　grassy　swamps　at　a　speed　of　five　hundred　knots。　Each　flew　over　Lake　Babozero；　their　first　navigational　reference　point；　and　there　their　flight　paths　diverged。
The　Soviet　fighters　now　lifting　off　the　ground　had　little　idea　what　they　were　after。　Radar　information　gave　the　course　and　speed　of　the　targets；　but　if　they　were　cruise　missiles；　they　could　reach　as　far　as　the　Black　Sea　coast。　They　could　even　be　targeted　on　Moscow　and　be　flying　a　deceptive　course　far　off　the　direct　path　to　the　Soviet　capital。　On　orders　from　their　ground　controllers；　the　interceptors　arrayed　themselves　south　of　the　White　Sea；　and　switched　on　their　look…down　radars　to　see　if　they　could　spot　the　missiles　crossing　the　flat　surface。
But　they　weren't　going　to　Moscow。　Dodging　between　the　occasional　hills；　the　missiles　flew　on　a　bearing　of　two…one…three　until　they　reached　the　scrub　pine　forest。　One　by　one　they　banked　hard　to　the　right　and　changed　course　to　two…nine…zero。　One　missile　went　out　of　control　and　fell　to　the　earth；　another　failed　to　make　the　turn　and　went　south。　The　rest　continued　to　their　targets。

SEA　EAGLE　TWO…SIX
The　last　Backfire　bomber　circled　Umbozero…South；　waiting　to　land。　The　pilot　checked　his　fuel。