BLACK COBRA (Aaron Quinn thriller series, No. 2)

by John Avery

  ---

  Uri Ruden inspected the torpedoes. The red and white one was on the rack, and the green one was still loaded into tube 5.

  He reviewed the launch procedure in his mind. The shot would be at close range, so they would not be using the fire-control system. They would simply aim the sub straight at the target using the attack periscope, and fire the torpedo from the bow tube, hoping for the best.

  Satisfied that everything was in order, he closed tube 5’s inner hatch cover and returned to the Control Room.

  ---

  Next to arrive were Jason and Brandy. They met Uri Ruden in the Control Room, and Jason introduced him to Brandy.

  “If I’d known there would be beautiful women at the party I would have dressed up a little,” Uri said.

  Brandy noticed that Uri was in full dress uniform and she smiled. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

  “Why don’t we head down to the galley and make ourselves some drinks?” Uri said.

  Brandy had no problem with that. She could use a stiff drink about now.

  “Sounds good,” Jason said, and they ducked through the watertight hatch leading to Compartment Four.

  ---

  Jason and Uri were too tall to stand comfortably in the tiny galley, so Brandy had the honor of mixing the drinks. When she was ready she joined them in the corridor and they touched paper cups, toasting nothing in particular.

  Uri looked at his watch and said, “Will you excuse us, Brandy? I have something to discuss with Jason. If you need us, we’ll be two doors down, there in the Midshipmen’s Cabin, just beyond the pantry.”

  “No problem,” Brandy said. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

  The men turned and walked down the corridor.

  “Pour me another Scotch, will you, Brandy?” Jason said over his shoulder. “We’ll only be a minute.”

  He followed Uri into the Midshipmen’s Cabin and closed the door.

  Left with nothing to do, Brandy downed her drink, mixed two more, and then headed down the corridor toward the Engine Room to explore the rest of the sub.

  Chapter 42

  A light rain continued to fall as Aaron dropped Katya off at the dock. She kissed him and then ran inside the gift shop to change. Aaron motored across to the Cayman Jewel to do the same.

  ---

  They met back at the dock a few minutes later.

  “You look amazing,” Aaron said, at the sight of Katya’s dress.

  Katya beamed. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” She had never seen him in long pants before. She kissed him hard on the lips, and then hand in hand they walked down to the submarine.

  ---

  Through the rain they saw that the big plastic tarpaulin had already been completed and that it covered the entire sub. The gangway was gone, replaced by a simple temporary wooden gangplank that led through a narrow opening in the tarp.

  “I wonder why they had to do that?” Aaron said as they ducked inside.

  ---

  All of the tourist handrails and walkways were missing. And as they walked up on deck they saw that the bow and stern stairways leading down into the submarine were gone as well, and the openings welded shut.

  Aaron figured it was all part of the restoration project and decided not to dwell on it.

  They entered the submarine through the fin hatch and climbed down the ladder to an empty Control Room.

  ---

  Just as she stepped off the ladder, Katya remembered that she had forgotten to lock up the gift shop.

  “I’m such a space head,” she said. “I think I forgot to lock up.”

  “Two days on the job and you’re the one who locks up?”

  She held the key up like a trophy. “My father had to pull some strings to get me this job, and I don’t want to screw it up.”

  “While you’re gone I think I’ll check out the Captain’s Cabin. Can you find your own way out?”

  “Of course, silly,” Katya said. “I’m not incompetent.”

  Aaron laughed. “Go on then,” he said. “I’ll be in Compartment Two, right through there.” He pointed to one of the two watertight hatches leading out of the Control Room, the one near the helm controls. “Last door on the left, I think. You can’t miss it.”

  “I’ll find it,” Katya said. “Back in a flash.” She gave him a peck on the cheek and then climbed back up the ladder exiting the submarine.

  ---

  The Captain’s Cabin was a tiny room, the width of the bunk against the back wall, with a small writing desk on the left. The Maritime Museum had outfitted the room with period pieces for the benefit of the tourists: a Soviet Captain’s jacket, some playing cards, and an old, framed photograph of Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

  Some of the playing cards had spilled on the floor, and Aaron considered picking them up; then he figured the museum had placed them there to add authenticity, so he left them alone.

  ---

  Katya returned from the gift shop and made her way back down the ladder to the Control Room.

  She ducked through the hatch leading to Compartment Two, looking for the Captain’s Cabin, but there was no Captain’s Cabin ...

  In her confusion, Katya had gotten completely turned around, and instead of Compartment Two, she was in Compartment Four, and she had run out of cabins. The only room left in the compartment was the galley, and beyond that a dark space that led to the Engine Room.

  She tried calling Aaron on her cell phone, but there was no service, so she turned and headed back down the corridor toward the Control Room.

  When she came to the door with the small sign that read MIDSHIPMEN’S CABIN, she stopped, thinking maybe Aaron had gotten the cabin name wrong. But as she went to knock, she overheard two men talking inside — and neither of them sounded like Aaron.

  Either he’s being really quiet, or he’s not in there, she thought. Then she held her head up to the door and listened ...

  ---

  “I met with Commander Fagan and Captain Zaane today,” Jason said. “The President’s VIP cruise is all set. The USS Hampton will head out at 9:00 p.m. tonight as scheduled. The Neau Islander will depart the dock at 8:15, and hit the main channel by 8:30. By 8:35 Cobra should be beneath her wake as she escorts us to Ballast Point before heading out to sea.”

  “That’s great news,” Uri said. “We should be hiding under the bait barges no later than 8:55.”

  “Fagan told me you were in charge of Cobra’s weaponry,” Jason said. “Can you tell me what type of bomb we’re packing?”

  “I’ve armed Cobra with a conventional, high-explosive torpedo with enough fire power to cut the Hampton in half,” Uri said. “The President will never know what hit him.”

  Katya clutched the front of her dress. Oh my God, she thought. She had heard rumors of a Presidential visit to San Diego, but this plot to assassinate him sounded too absurd to be true.

  “I wish we could nuke the bastards,” Jason said. “Just to be sure. But I suppose the collateral damage would be unacceptable — not to mention suicidal.”

  “You’re right,” Uri said. “It would be suicidal.”

  Katya suddenly felt an urgent need to find Aaron. She headed back to the Control Room to try again.

  Chapter 43

  Katya managed to find her way back to the Control Room, but as she looked around at the confusing array of hardware, she feared that she may still be lost.

  Just then a woman with long red hair appeared in the hatch Katya had just come through. The woman was clutching a paper cup in each hand, spilling most of their contents while ducking through the low opening.

  “Oh, hi,” the woman said, seeing Katya. “Who are you?”

  “Uh — my name is Ekatarina,” Katya said, a little off guard. The woman was very pretty. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Brandy,” she said, glancing down at her alcohol soaked fingers. “I’d shake your hand
, but —”

  “That’s okay,” Katya said quickly. “I was looking for my date. His name is Aaron and I really need to find him.”

  “Aaron Quinn?” Brandy said, surprised.

  “You know him?” Katya said.

  “We’ve met,” Brandy said curtly, still harboring a grudge for what happened in Panama. “But I haven’t seen him.” She gave Katya a quick look up and down, as if to determine whether or not she was worthy of him.

  “I’m here with Jason Beckham,” she boasted, as if he were a famous celebrity. “He’s currently in a meeting, but I expect him back soon.”

  “You’ll have to excuse me, Brandy, but I —”

  “Looking for me?” a man’s voice said from behind.

  Katya whirled around and swallowed hard, certain she was facing one of the men plotting the assassination.

  “Oh, hi, Jason,” Brandy said. “We were just talking about you.” She handed him the remains of one of the paper-cup cocktails and gestured toward Katya. “This is Ekatarina. She’s looking for Aaron.”

  Jason was struck by Katya’s rare beauty. “Jason Beckham,” he said, offering her his hand. “You must be Captain Pankov’s daughter.”

  Katya hesitated, and then shook Jason’s hand quickly, as if he were a leper. There was no doubt he was one of them. I can’t believe I’m touching one of the men plotting to kill the President of the United States! She shuddered and glanced around for a good place to throw up.

  Jason was accustomed to women being uncomfortable in his presence, and normally it was due to his irresistible charm and powerful, animal magnetism. However, Ekatarina clearly found him repulsive, and this was new to him, and he didn’t appreciate it.

  Suddenly Katya spotted the hatch near the helm controls, and kicked herself, thinking, That’s that hatch leading to the Captain’s Cabin, you idiot! Not the other one! If only she hadn’t blundered into Compartment Four. Life would have been a whole lot simpler!

  She looked at Jason and Brandy and forced herself to be polite. “I-it was nice meeting you,” she said. “But if you will excuse me, I have to go find my date. Maybe we’ll see you at the party.”

  “What party?” Brandy said sarcastically, gesturing to the vacant space surrounding them.

  Katya laughed nervously then waved a quick goodbye and ducked through the hatch in search of Aaron.

  Jason was shocked to hear that Aaron was Ekatarina’s date. The very idea of a punk like him being with a woman of her caliber, a woman he would clearly never have, turned him to stone. He made a mental note to rectify the situation as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

  Chapter 44

  Finally, Katya was in Compartment Two. She made her way down the corridor to the Captain’s Cabin and was relieved to see that the door was open. She peeked inside and saw Aaron seated on the bunk reading something tacked to the wall. At his feet were a few playing cards, scattered randomly about.

  She tapped on the doorframe.

  “Oh — hi, Katya,” Aaron said. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back. Did you get everything locked up?”

  “I need to talk to you,” Katya whispered quickly.

  Aaron stood up from the bunk. “Is everything all right?”

  “I’m not sure,” Katya said, gesturing for him to keep his voice down. She glanced down the corridor toward the Control Room where she’d left Jason and Brandy.

  “Come in and shut the door,” Aaron said.

  “Somewhere more private,” Katya said.

  Aaron could tell by the look in Katya’s eyes that she had something very serious to tell him. He thought of the Forward Torpedo Room next door. It was tucked deep into the bow of the boat, and he doubted there was anywhere more private.

  “Follow me,” he said.

  He took her hand and led her through the watertight hatch leading next door to Compartment One. He swung the hatch cover shut and cranked the locking handle tight.

  ---

  Katya’s brain hurt. She pressed her fingers to her temples and took a moment to collect herself. “I got lost, and I ended up in the wrong end of this stupid submarine. So I was heading back and I overheard two men talking in the Midshipman’s Cabin, with door closed ... a-and I swear on my mother’s grave, Aaron, they were talking about a plot to kill the President of the United States.”

  “What?”

  She knew how ridiculous it sounded, but she had to get it out. “The President is here in San Diego, and he’s going on a VIP cruise on a nuclear submarine ... and these men are planning to torpedo it.”

  “That’s the craziest thing I’ve —”

  “Why would I feed you a bunch of lies, Aaron? I heard them! This is for real!” Tears welled in her eyes.

  An icy chill ran down Aaron’s spine as suddenly he recalled that crazy night when he, Jason, and Brandy got drunk together in that nightclub down in Cabo San Lucas. He had assumed that all of the memories of that night had been lost to a severe tequila hangover. But he’d been wrong.

  “Did they say when they’re planning to do this?” he said firmly.

  “I-I don’t know,” Katya said. “I left before they —.”

  “Did you see their faces?”

  “No. The door was closed. But I’m positive one of the men was Jason Beckham.”

  Aaron ran his hand through his hair. How could this be? Katya’s wild story was the same story Jason himself had told him and Brandy that night in the Cabo Wabo Cantina!

  “We have to tell someone,” he said. “We have to let someone know, and quickly.”

  He checked his cell phone, but there was no service. “Wait here,” he said. “I need to see if we can get off this boat without attracting attention.”

  Katya looked at him doubtfully. “What if someone decides to load a torpedo or something?”

  “You’re right,” he said.

  He took Katya’s hand and led her out of the Forward Torpedo Room and back into the Captain’s Cabin.

  ---

  Katya sat on the small bunk, looking up at Aaron with fear in her eyes.

  “Keep the door locked until I return,” Aaron said. “I won’t be long.”

  “Hurry, okay?”

  “Like the wind,” he said then stepped out and closed the door behind him.

  ---

  Jason had sent Brandy to the galley for fresh cocktails and had followed Katya into Compartment Two.

  He hid in the Ward Room and waited until she and Aaron came out of the Forward Torpedo Room, and then, as soon as Aaron left, he stepped out and walked slowly down the narrow corridor toward the Captain’s Cabin.

  Chapter 45

  Katya waited alone on the bunk in the Captain’s Cabin, nervously pushing one of the playing cards around with her toe. She heard a click, and saw the door handle slowly turn, but instinctively she knew it wasn’t Aaron, and her heart leaped up into her throat.

  She had forgotten to lock it!

  She jumped up and tried to shut the door, but the man jammed it with his foot, peering in at her with one eye through the narrow opening.

  It was Jason.

  “Hello, Katya,” he said calmly. “May I come in?”

  “W-what are you doing here?” Katya said. “The party’s somewhere else.”

  “I’m here to remind you that Aaron is just a boy,” he said, “and that what you really need is a man.”

  Katya found that unbearably insulting on many levels. Aaron Quinn was definitely not a boy. But she knew it would be best to be friendly and try to calmly discourage Jason. Keep it cool, Katya. For the love of God, keep it cool.

  “You’re right,” she said, struggling to hide the tremble in her voice. “I like real men way more than boys. But we can’t be fooling around here on this silly submarine, can we? Someone might see us. Why don’t we meet somewhere more private?” It sounded fake and patronizing and Katya knew she hadn’t done herself any favors.

  Jason agreed.

  He forced his way in and g
rabbed her left arm, spinning her around with her back to him, holding her close to his chest. She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip, cupping his free hand firmly over her right breast.

  “Why are you fighting me?” he said, teeth clenched. “You know you want it.”

  Jason had a death grip on her arm. “Please,” she said. “You’re hurting me ... Please don’t do this.”

  Jason’s hand moved from her breast and slid down between her legs. The hot breath on her neck that would normally have turned her on only made her nauseous. Oh, my God, she thought. This can’t be happening. Do something Katya. Don’t give in to him. THINK girl. THINK!

  She steeled herself and decided to give the asshole one last thing to consider. “I’ll scream, Jason,” she said. “This cabin door is thin, and I swear to God if you do this I’ll scream so fucking loud your eardrums will bleed and this entire submarine will split in two and sink to the bottom of San Diego fucking Bay.”

  Jason smiled and flipped open the blade of a long, very sharp knife, holding it flat against her cheekbone. “You do and I’ll kill you,” he said calmly. “Right here — right now. Is that really what you want?”

  If that’s what it will take to make you stop, Katya thought, then yes! That’s exactly what I want!

  ---

  Brandy Fine had entered Compartment Two looking for Jason. She had already downed the last two cocktails she had made and had a fresh one in each hand. She was feeling the alcohol and was anxious to get the party started.

  She walked down the narrow corridor checking each room, and when she neared the Captain’s Cabin she heard a scream.

  She threw the drinks to one side and tried the door, and to her surprise it opened, and what she saw inside tore through her heart like flying shrapnel: Jason Beckham was sprawled across a struggling, terrified girl named Ekatarina.

  “HEY!” Brandy shouted. “What the hell are you DOING?”

  Jason started, easing his hold on Katya, and then he stood and folded his knife into his pocket. Katya jumped up and ran to Brandy, tears flowing down her face.