“I love being a spook temp,” said Cropsey. “When I get done with a job, I go back down to Florida where I skipper my own boat. So it seems like we've got a sensitive as hell operation going on, Buster.”
Before Buster could respond, Cropsey went into a hacking, coughing fit.
“Sorry, folks,” said Cropsey. “Damn Northern weather.”
Bennie noted to me in a whisper that it was 60 degrees and sunny.
“I'm just showing these guys a few switches, Captain Wayne,” I said.
“If I can help let me know, but I've only been aboard for a couple of days,” said Cropsey.
I showed them the air conditioning switch and the fresh air intake.
“I wish I had a diagram of the bridge on Andiamo,” I said. “That would make a picture worth a thousand words.”
“Oh, I have that,” said Buster.
He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a manual that he had downloaded from the Feadship Manufacturing site.
“Were you saving this for Christmas, Buster?” I asked, a little miffed.
“Sorry,” Buster said. “I didn't think about it.”
It's rare that Buster doesn't think of everything, so I let it go.
“You've seen the scuppers, Lieutenant. They'll be easy to spot on Andiamo as well.”
I spread the cabin diagram out on the navigation table and immediately spotted the fresh air intake switch.
“When you select your scupper team, Lieutenant,” I said, “I suggest that you assign a special team to the bridge so they know where to find the switch. It will make your day a hell of a lot easier than racing around the ship throwing tear gas canisters.”
Captain Cropsey walked over to the console.
“Notice the 'whooshing' sound when you throw the fresh air intake,” said Cropsey, helpfully. “You won't have to guess if you hit the right one.”
A woman who I didn't know entered the bridge.
“Molly, great to see you,” said Buster.
Molly MacDevitt was a petite thin woman, I'd say about 55 years old. She had thick gray hair, pulled back into a pony tail.
“Professor Molly MacDevitt is a nuclear physicist from Cal Tech. She's also with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Molly's here to oversee the stabilizing of the bombs once we've secured Andiamo. Her specialty is nuclear weapons.”
“You must be a lot of fun at a cocktail party,” said Bennie.
Molly let out a loud laugh.
“Yes, and my jokes never bomb,” said Molly, as she gave Bennie a high five.
A nuclear bomb expert with a sense of humor. Our operation needs a person like this, I thought.
With that, Cropsey fell into another hacking, coughing fit. Bennie caught my eye. We both raised our eyebrows.
As we were leaving the bridge, Bennie pulled me over just outside the doorway.
“Hey, Kiddo. Is that captain's license of yours up to date?”
My eyes widened and I just nodded. Bennie had just posed an important question. We could hear Captain Cropsey coughing as the door closed.
Buster walked over to Bennie and me. He leaned close.
“Janice, I have a question.”
“I'm gonna guess it's the one Ben just asked me. Yes, my captain's license is current. I can drive this thing.”
“Janice, the bridge is your duty station until further notice. Keep your eye on that guy.”
“Yes, sir.” I said.
I was about to make that suggestion.
Chapter 75
We cast off lines and got underway at 2:30 PM. It was November 5, just shy of three weeks to Thanksgiving. I think Buster got it right as usual. We shouldn't look at Thanksgiving as the set date for the attacks. We're operating under the assumption that the plan could go into effect at any time. Although we don't know anything about Andiamo's drop-off plans, we assume that there will be a delivery to one or more land vehicles to transport the bombs to targets across the country. The guess is that Andiamo will head toward the St. Lawrence Seaway and proceed into the Great Lakes where it can connect with shore vehicles. That's the guess, but we're getting ready to launch our own attack.
As Buster ordered, I was on the bridge with Captain Cropsey, who seemed to have non-stop coughing fits.
“I appreciate Buster giving me a purdy gal to look at while I'm on the job,” said Cropsey.
Stuff it, Bozo, I thought.
“You just concentrate on the instruments and our course, Wayne. I'll be here to help in any way you need.”
“Well I hear tell that you're a licensed captain, pretty lady, so why don't you take the helm while I go outside and have a smoke.”
Great. Overweight, coughing like a kennel dog, and now he wants a cigarette.
“I got the helm, Wayne,” I said. “Enjoy your smoke.”
We steered a course that would bring us within visual contact of Andiamo within an hour. The bomb yacht was travelling at a slow speed, probably to save on fuel. According to our radar and GPS, Andiamo was doing only five knots, the speed of a vessel entering or leaving a marina.
Captain Cropsey came back into the cabin after his tobacco break, coughing more than usual. I noticed that he was sweating profusely, even though the temperature was a comfortable 60 degrees. I also noticed that he kept rubbing his left arm.
“I'll take over, pretty gal.”
“The name's Janice, Wayne,” I said. If I don't call him fatso, he should reciprocate by using my real name.
I was on the port side of the bridge, familiarizing myself with the various dials and instrument displays. I heard a loud thud. I looked at Cropsey but he wasn't there. I then looked at the deck, and there he was, flat on his back and apparently unconscious.
“This is the bridge,” I shouted into the microphone. “Man down, man down, man down on the bridge. Need medical assistance.” I didn't know if that's what I was supposed to say, but it seemed natural.
In moments a SEAL corpsman ran onto the bridge with his medical bag. Doctor Bennie was right behind him. The corpsman felt Cropsey's neck for a pulse. There wasn't any.
“This poor guy's dead,” the corpsman announced.
Buster came running through the door. He looked at Cropsey, then at Bennie, who just shook his head. Then Buster looked at me.
“Captain Janice, you're in command of this vessel.”
I felt nervous. I'd skippered larger yachts than this, and frankly I felt more confident with me than with our poor deceased colleague at the helm. But I was nervous because we were soon to engage in a violent military operation, an operation that would decide the future of the country. I kept reminding myself of Frank's advice. Focus on the mission, nothing else.
The fact that I was scared shitless is totally irrelevant.
Chapter 76
Buster called a pre-attack briefing on the bridge. Lieutenant Billings, the SEAL commanding officer was there, along with SEAL Chief Petty Officer Jay Filippo, and two other SEALs. Our nuclear physicist friend Molly MacDevitt was also there, along with me and Bennie. The bridge was spacious enough to accommodate the meeting.
“Right now it's 3:45 PM,” said Buster, “or 1545 for our military friends. Sunset is at 4:49, about an hour from now. As Lieutenant Billings reminds me, the SEALs own the night, and we will attack at 7:30 PM under cover of total darkness. I'm going to turn this over to Lt. Billings to brief us on the plan.”
***
“Our objective is to neutralize all personnel aboard Andiamo, and then to secure four nuclear bombs,” said Billings. “If it weren't for the nukes, our operation would be routine. We've trained more than I can remember on how to attack and neutralize a large boat. The nukes present some interesting complications, but Captain Janice over here has come up with an excellent plan to drop tear gas canisters into the yacht's scuppers.”
“Do we have any idea where the bombs are located, Lieutenant?” asked Molly.
“We don't have a clue, professor,” said Billings. “Our plan is to incap
acitate the onboard personnel and to leave the nukes in your capable hands.”
“I can't wait,” said Professor Molly with a chuckle as she rubbed her hands together. We had all taken a liking to this lady.
“As we slowly come up on the target's port side,” said Billings, “we'll launch three Zodiac inflatable boats over our port side so they won't be seen until the final moments. Each Zodiac will carry four SEALs making a total boarding party of twelve men. Four guys are tasked to drop the canisters in the scuppers, two on the port side and two on starboard. Four men will storm the bridge, as Captain Janice has recommended, to hit the air intake switches and suck the gas throughout the ship. Within a couple of minutes the air on Andiamo won't be breathable. Four SEALs will remain on this vessel on the upper deck for sniper duty in case any bad guys make it to an outside deck on Andiamo. I don't expect much gunfire, but we're ready for it. After stinging eyes and a lung full of tear gas, the enemy will be temporarily retired from the gun shooting business. Anybody who boards Andiamo will have an oxygen breathing apparatus.
“Captain Janice will then transfer from White Cloud to Andiamo after we've neutralized the ship. We had a captain scheduled to be brought in by helicopter, but Buster and I decided that Janice has the expertise we need for this operation. One of my guys knows how to operate a boat and he'll stay here to run the White Cloud. At that point there should be little to do until a Navy ship comes alongside with a nuclear weapons team to help Professor MacDevitt with the bombs.”
“I hope they're young and handsome,” said Molly.
I think Molly must have attended a Frank Thompson lecture on remaining calm under stress.
“So that's it, folks,” said Buster. “We tear gas an 85-foot yacht, neutralizing the personnel aboard. Then Professor MacDevitt and the other experts do their thing with the nukes. After that we can all make our plans for a wonderful Thanksgiving.”
Chapter 77
At 7:30 PM, I maneuvered the White Cloud 100 feet abeam the port side of Andiamo. We wanted to appear to be just another boat passing in the same direction. The target yacht was still creeping along at five knots, and I set our speed at seven knots, just enough to edge ahead slowly. The SEALs launched the three Zodiacs and arrived at Andiamo's large swim platform in moments. Two enemy men on Andiamo ran to the edge of the upper deck when they heard the whine of the Zodiacs' engines. SEAL snipers on White Cloud opened fire with silenced carbines, killing the men instantly. The tear gas team fanned out along the deck dropping the canisters into Andiamo's scuppers.
Four SEALs stormed onto the bridge, shooting three of the four men on watch. Petty Officer Condon ran to the console and flipped on the fresh air intake switches to send the tear gas throughout the ship. One man, stationed at the helm, immediately raised his hands over his head and shouted, “I'm American!”
One of the SEALs opened all the windows on the bridge to disperse the tear gas.
Petty Officer Jackson, the man in charge of the bridge team, aimed his carbine at the man in front of the helm as I took over the operation of the ship. Looking at an array of dials and switches through a gas mask is a real trick.
Jackson led the man to the outside deck next to the bridge. As planned, Bennie showed up to aid in interrogation. Buster was with him. The man who I relieved at the helm had ingested only a small amount of tear gas, but he seemed to be in obvious distress.
“Listen to me, pal,” said Bennie. “I know you want to take deep breaths but don't do it. Just gulp short shallow breaths and you'll feel fine shortly.”
“What's your name?” asked Buster.
“My name's Mike McDonald,” said the man as he gulped fresh air. “I was hired in Florida by these scumbags. They got my name off a 'Captain for Hire' bulletin board at the marina.”
“Do you know how many men are aboard?” asked Buster.
“Twelve, including me.”
“Great,” said Lieutenant Billings. “All ship's personnel have been accounted for. Six dead, one captured, four remaining on deck one, plus Mike McDonald here makes 12.”
“I assume you've been kept in the dark about what this ship is carrying,” said Buster.
“No, they told me everything. I assumed they intended to kill me shortly so they didn't bother to keep any secrets. It seemed like they wanted to brag about what they were doing. LISTEN TO ME. We've already dropped off one bomb on the West Side of Manhattan.”
“To a burgundy van marked Ajax Plumbing Supply?” asked Bennie.
“Yes,” McDonald said. “You guys are on the game, I see.”
“There's another thing you people have to know right away,” said McDonald. “We're running low on fuel. I suggested that we top off the tanks a few times, but these assholes aren't exactly mariners. We were scheduled to stop at a fuel dock in Kingston, about a half-hour north of here.
“Do you know where the bombs are located on this ship?” asked Buster.
“Deck one, forward. There's a big lounge with a bar. The next compartment is a small theater with a viewing screen. These shitheads have been watching porno movies since we left Florida. The next compartment forward is where they've stored the bombs.”
Buster called Professor MacDevitt, who had just stepped onto the upper deck with her bomb team as he dialed. Buster described the bomb location to Molly.
Lieutenant Billings radioed his men on deck one to let them know the location of the bomb compartment, and to let them know that Professor MacDevitt and her team were on their way.
The SEALs on deck one ran through the lounge area and into the theater, where an orgy scene was playing on the screen. The four men in the audience grabbed their AK-47s and the SEALs opened fire, killing them.
“The door's locked, Lieutenant,” said one of the SEALs on deck one.
“Is that a woman I hear moaning?” asked Billings.
“We just interrupted a jihadi porn film festival, Sir. I turned it off.”
Scumbags, thought McDonald.
“It's not a security lock,” said McDonald. “They should be able to break the door down without using explosives.”
“You copy that?” asked Billings over his phone.
The SEALs easily broke into the room and Professor MacDevitt and her team entered the bomb space. The bombs were all located along the forward bulkhead, heavily covered with blankets, which they began to remove.
***
“Oh Dear God Almighty,” Molly screamed.
“One of the bombs is armed. The timer's set for three hours.”
Chapter 78
Buster announced Molly's horrifying discovery to all of us on the bridge.
“Mike,” Buster yelled to Andiamo's former captain. How far can we get with the fuel we have?”
“Ten miles, max. We need fuel now. Why not continue to the fuel dock I was headed for?”
“Wrong direction,” said Buster. “We have to get this ship south into the open ocean.”
“Mike, Janice, can you plot a course on the GPS and give me an ETA to a point, say, 25 miles southeast of the Verrazano Bridge?”
”You need more room than that, Buster,” said Professor Molly, who had just stepped onto the bridge. “It's impossible. New York Harbor is roughly 75 miles from here.” Molly had done the math in her head.
“Top speed on this thing is 20 knots,” said McDonald, “but we can't make that speed if we have to stop or slow down to take on fuel. Even if we did make top speed we'd blow up half of Manhattan before we got anywhere near open ocean.”
“A helicopter is the obvious way to go,” said Buster.
“Agreed,” said Professor Molly. “And we need to off load that bomb soon, real soon.”
Buster called Director Carlini at the CIA and then called the White House. A CRH-60M combat/rescue helicopter took off from Stewart Air Force Base in nearby Newburgh within five minutes.
“Okay, folks, here's the drill,” said Buster. “As Mike McDonald had intended, we're going to continue on to the fuel dock in Kin
gston. There we'll meet a helicopter from Stewart Air Force Base.”
Andiamo tied up to a fuel dock in Kingston. The helicopter was waiting.
Before she left the bridge, Molly turned to me, smiled and gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder.
“My parents wanted me to go into botany.” Molly said.
Professor Molly MacDevitt, nuclear physicist, walked swiftly to the helicopter, her arm around the waist of a handsome young scientist from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The objective was to drop the bomb in deep water off the continental shelf beyond the end of the Hudson River Canyon, a deep trench that extends 400 miles southeast of New York City. Molly insisted that the weapon be dropped beyond the canyon to avoid the risk of creating a tsunami by crumbling the walls of the trench.
The date is November 5, 2015, three weeks to Thanksgiving.
Chapter 79
The Washington Times
“Nuclear Bomb Attacks on Five American cities Thwarted – Timer on One Bomb Had Been Set – Disposed of at Sea – Helicopter Lost”
By Jack Thurber, November 6, 2015
A potential catastrophe of epic proportions was thwarted yesterday by the combined efforts of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the New York City Police Department.
A cell of al Qaeda, the international terrorist organization, planned to detonate five suitcase nuclear bombs in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington DC. The bombs were between 10 and 12-Kilotons in yield, each approximately the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. The original target date for the attacks was the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, less than three weeks from now, but intelligence operations uncovered a plan to move the date forward.
The discovery of the planned attacks came a few days on the heels of another nuclear terrorist operation, the detonation of suitcase bombs on five American aircraft carriers. Those weapons were discovered and disposed of on October 17, just three weeks ago.
Box Set - The Time Magnet Series Page 55
