by Nigel Seed
She looked him over, “You’re welcome. Now then, we looked at some of the stuff you had with you. A World War Two sub machine gun and three Luger pistols in the bottom of the haversack. You were wearing Russian coveralls and you were in a German made dinghy of a type that is not normally used for emergencies. Plus, your friend was waving underpants decorated with the British flag. Could you tell me what it means and what all that was doing less than fifty miles off the coast of the USA?”
“I could, but it’s probably better if we wait until the Major wakes up and we can tell you the whole story just once. I promise it will be worth the wait”
“Major? He’s in the Army?”
“He is Major James Wilson, retired. I am Company Sergeant Major Ivan Thomas and that sleeping beauty over there is Sergeant Martin Peters, known as Geordie, also both recently retired from the Royal Engineers. The other fellah is Andrei, he’s Russian and I don’t know his full name.”
The first officer wrinkled her brow; this was getting stranger by the minute. She made a note of the names.
She said, “You sound British, is that right?”
“Correct ma’am.”
“Well, while your Major is recovering I will call in your details to our Headquarters. I will be back soon.” She left the sick bay and Ivan settled back on his pillows.
“Thanks for that,” said Jim from his bunk. “I could do with a bit more time to get my breath back. How’s Geordie doing?”
“Sleeping like a baby and no doubt dreaming of nice warm bunnies.”
Forty minutes later the First Officer was back. She found the three ex-army men sitting up and taking notice. Andrei was still fast asleep.
“Well gentlemen, would you like to accompany me to the wardroom where the Captain and I can listen to your story. I think we can let your Russian friend sleep a little longer.”
It was not a request. They followed her along the companionway to the wardroom, wearing their borrowed Coast Guard coveralls, and were introduced to the skipper.
Jim stepped forward and shook his hand, “Captain, thank you for picking us up. I am pretty sure you saved our lives. We all owe you and your crew a debt we can never pay.”
“Glad to be of service. Now would you like to sit down and tell us how you found yourselves out here?”
They settled around the wardroom table and Jim told the story from the day he was called to London. The two Coast Guard officers were silent, letting the story run its course.
As Jim finished he said, “Once they submerged and left us for dead we still do not know where they were taking those two U-Boats. You might want to have your people keep an eye out for them.”
The Captain looked at his First Officer, “Oh, we know where they were going and we know what they did when they got there.”
He proceeded to tell them what had happened in New York and what had happened to the two submarines. The three British men were stunned and horrified. They had never imagined an attack like this in their worst nightmares and they were the ones who had made it possible.
Geordie leaned forward and in a quiet voice said, “Do they have any casualty lists yet? A good friend of mine is in New York.”
The Captain shook his head. “New York is still in a mess, casualties are still being assessed. Now tell us what you know of this Romanov. He seems to have been the driving force behind the attack. Did you see the name of his yacht and do you know where he was going after he left you?”
Jim and the others shook their heads. “We didn’t get the boat’s name and we were a little too busy to watch what direction he left in. But the Russian in your sick bay, Andrei, worked for him before we came on the scene. He might know more.”
The Captain nodded to the First Officer. “Get him.”
The first officer rose and left the wardroom without a word. The skipper then turned and ordered coffee from a hovering steward.
“I suggest you enjoy this coffee, when it comes, gentlemen. You have been involved in what is starting to look like the worst terrorist attack ever on American soil and I think the FBI and many others from the Alphabet Agencies will be keen to speak to you. You may find them a little less welcoming than us.”
They drank the coffee lost in their own thoughts; this adventure could be about to turn even more sour, if that was possible. A message arrived for the captain while they were waiting for Andrei.
He read it and looked at the three men. “I am not quite sure what this means but it is from your Embassy in Washington. It lists your names and says that due to the mobilization of British Armed Forces you have been ‘recalled to the colors.’ What the hell does that mean?”
“It’s an old term meaning we have been taken back into the Army. When we were forcibly retired we were put onto the reserve list and now we have been recalled. Not what I expected, I have to confess.”
Andrei appeared in the wardroom shepherded by the First Officer. He was still bemused at being woken and walked along from the sick bay. The coveralls he had been given were way too big for him and he had been obliged to turn up the cuffs of the pants legs. Jim guided him to a chair and poured him a coffee. As he did so a crewman entered with another message for the Captain.
“It seems we will not be having any more of this conversation,” he said, obviously not pleased. “Washington has instructed me to stop any questioning and to put you on board the helicopter that will be here very shortly.”
He turned to the First Officer “Pass the word to prepare the helideck for a short notice landing. You four had better get down to the hangar deck and get into immersion suits, the helicopter is not going to wait.”
Andrei gulped a mouthful of coffee and the four of them were guided down to the hangar and issued with the brightly colored one-piece cold weather immersion suits and life jackets. They were stiff and awkward to put on but should the aircraft have to ditch they would at least have some chance of survival in the cold water. The helicopter became visible, flying in from the west fast and low over the water. It swooped in at high speed and slammed down onto the helideck of the cutter. The four men were hustled across the deck and into the aircraft. The door slid shut and before they were strapped in, the helicopter lifted and turned toward the west.
Jim lifted an eyebrow at Ivan. “Somebody seems keen to see us.”
The ride was as smooth as it ever is in a helicopter at full speed. Jim noticed that the unsmiling crewman sat watching them the whole time without attempting to speak to them. Unusually he was wearing a holstered pistol. It would appear the authorities were not inviting them to a social gathering.
After making landfall the aircraft flew low up the Potomac River and then swung sharply to the left to land on the helicopter pad outside the Pentagon. The four survivors looked through the window at the iconic building with some surprise. They were escorted to the main building by a team of six heavily armed soldiers. Given no time to remove their bulky immersion suits they looked and felt incongruous when entering a building full of busy people in smart uniforms. They passed through security and were walking along the wide, long corridor when one of the escorts made the mistake of nudging Ivan along.
He stopped and turned to the soldier very slowly.
“Corporal, do you make a habit of pushing Warrant Officers in your Army? Just because I am wearing this ridiculous suit does not give you any authority to push me.”
The young corporal did not deserve that, Jim knew, but it had been a long and difficult few days. He stepped in front of Ivan to ensure his temper did not get the better of him.
“This seems as good a place as any to lose these suits,” he said.
Without more ado he started to struggle out of his Immersion Suit in the middle of the broad corridor. The other three followed his example and were suitably cheered up by the nonplussed expressions worn by their escorts. Now dressed in just their borrowed Coast Guard coveralls, they left the immersion suits lying where they were.
Jim turned to the corporal, “
That’s better. Shall we move on?”
Chapter 34
The four were eventually ushered into a large impressive conference room. Their armed escort stayed outside the door. As they walked in they found that the spectacular, highly polished oval table was already occupied by a mixed group of civilians and senior military officers. There were four empty chairs at the end nearest to the door.
A four star Admiral at the far end of the table did not introduce himself, but pointed to the chairs, “Make yourselves comfortable, we may be here some time.”
Jim led the way to the table and sat down with Ivan and Geordie to his right and Andrei in the left hand seat. They looked around the room and as they did so, the questions started to come from all sides.
Jim stood. “I understand that a horror has been visited on this country and that unwittingly we were a part of that. May I suggest that it would save a lot of your valuable time if we told you what we know and then invited questions afterwards for detail and clarification?”
One of the civilians to the right was obviously incensed by this. “How dare you? Do you think you are running this investigation? You sit down and we will run it our way!”
Jim sat. The Admiral tapped the table, his physical presence had an effect and the people around the room immediately calmed and waited for him to speak.
“The President’s representative is quite correct to remind us that Major Wilson is not running this meeting. I think you will all notice that I am, and I do not need people shouting at these witnesses. The Major’s suggestion is a sound one and may well save us time.” He looked around the room for objections and found none. “Major, would you care to introduce your people and then tell us your story. I realize that it is not long since you were rescued from a dinghy in the North Atlantic, so if you find you need a break or anything else please say so.”
The President’s man was moving to object again when he caught the Admiral’s look and subsided into his chair. Jim looked at the Admiral for a second or two. This was clearly an impressive man and not one to be trifled with.
Jim introduced himself and the two soldiers to his right. He turned and indicating Andrei said, “And this is Andrei, he used to work for the cause of this entire problem but I am afraid I do not know much else about him. Andrei?”
Andrei stood and looked around the room slowly.
He bowed slightly and cleared his throat. “I am Special Investigator Andrei Alexandrov Popov of the Moscow City Police. I am a part of a special organized crime unit and I and one of my colleagues have been working undercover in Romanov’s organization for a little over three years now.”
The Army General at the left of the table said, “I’m sorry, who the hell is Romanov and where is your colleague now?”
From the head of the table the Admiral said, “I think we are going to find that out when the Major tells his story. Thank you, Mr. Popov, from the looks on the faces of your companions your real identity has been a well-kept secret. Major will you begin please?”
Jim noticed the courtesy. Even at a time of huge stress the Admiral remained polite, so he was a gentleman as well as a commanding presence. Worth remembering. Jim started from the beginning when he had received the first message from his sister. He explained the steps that had occurred and why he had taken them. The room was silent as he spoke, with no fidgeting or interruptions. In a room full of large egos like this he was surprised. He turned to Ivan a couple of times for confirmation of detail, but did most of the speaking himself. As he reached the part of the story where the submarine dived beneath them he noticed that the naval officers in the room paid particular attention. He described their time in the dinghy briefly and ended by praising the swift action of the Coast Guard. As he finished he had expected a barrage of questions, but his words seemed to hang in the air.
The Admiral broke the silence. “A remarkable adventure, up to the point when you were dumped in the Atlantic. Tell me something. You say there were twenty of these V1 missiles on the two boats and we are painfully aware of where they were used. So how many more were left at the base? And could you estimate how many of the chemical warheads there might be as well?”
Jim cast his mind back. “There would be at least twelve missiles left, but I am unsure if all of them could be made to fly, unless Romanov’s people found some more spare parts, which is perfectly possible given the size of the base. There were many more warheads. It looked like the Germans were awaiting a delivery of more V1 Flying Bombs when they were closed down back in 1945. There were certainly handling cradles for more. I would guess there were in excess of fifty warheads though I can’t give you an exact count.”
The Admiral nodded and turn toward Andrei, “Mr. Popov, it seems it is time for you to enlighten us about your employer. Maybe you could also tell us about the colleague you mentioned. Are they in a position to help us? I think your three companions are going to be interested too.”
Andrei looked around the table.
“Sadly, my colleague Tatiana was aboard the other U-Boat and was murdered at the same time as the attempt was made on our lives. She is now at the bottom of the ocean.” He sighed. “It has been a long day. Would it be possible to order some of your fine American coffee?”
The Admiral beckoned the Lieutenant who sat against the wall behind him and spoke to him quietly. He left the room with a rapid stride.
The Admiral turned back to Andrei. “Do go on, Mr. Popov.”
Andrei started with a brief history of the rise of the Russian Mafia at the end of the Soviet era. The confusion and collapse of many communist-era institutions had allowed organized crime to blossom and it was soon out of control. Vicious gangs were controlling all sorts of criminal activity and were starting to take over legitimate businesses to launder their money. The Russian government, realizing that they were on the slippery slope to anarchy, had to try to do something about it. The police across the country were revamped and money was found to improve equipment and increase manpower. People were transferred into the police from the Armed Forces and action was started to combat the gangs. Many policemen were killed trying to re-establish the control of law and there were many setbacks, but slowly the police began to gather momentum. They thought they were closing down gangs little by little, and in fact that was true, but what started to emerge were super gangs that took over the smaller ones that could not survive.
Attempts had been made to penetrate the major gangs and get people on the inside to gather information. Within weeks or sometimes days these people would be found dead in the street with horrific injuries. The police realized that they had been penetrated and every mole that got into the Mafia was being betrayed from inside police headquarters. Senior police officers met in secret and agreed to form a new police command unknown to the rest of the police service. They were also to be unknown to the rest of the senior policemen at the meeting once a commander for the force had been decided. Secrecy was to be their only defense.
Andrei had been recruited secretly from his job as the foreman in a failing metal working plant. He had no family left and no close ties. He had a military background having served in the Army, as a conscript, a few years before. It took him over a year to establish himself as an unemployed waster and petty thief in Moscow before he managed to get himself given small jobs by the Mafia. Once trusted, he let it be known he was a good cook and eventually that got him taken into Romanov’s personal staff. He had been Romanov’s personal cook and valet for almost two years. In that time Romanov had risen from number three in the organization to take over the top slot.
Number two had been involved in a bizarre road accident with a petrol tanker. Oddly, the truck driver had managed to escape the huge fireball that destroyed the bulletproof limousine containing the Mafia leader and his three bodyguards. In the world of the Mafia, that had been seen as a legitimate way of earning promotion and Romanov moved up.
Romanov’s next promotion took place in a large country Dacha outside Mosco
w where the various Mafia groups were having a conference to divide up territories and spheres of influence, to avoid conflict between them. At dinner, Romanov had stood up to make a toast to the assembled group and as they stood to drink the toast, he had produced a pistol and put a bullet between the eyes of his now former boss. The others at the meeting came from violent gangs and murder concerned them not at all, but even they were taken by surprise.
As the body fell back into its chair and slid to the floor Romanov had apologised for the noise and carried on making the toast. The Mafia men around the table admired his style as he sat down and carried on eating his dinner.
The gang accepted the change in leadership without question. There had been concerns about the old leader going soft. He had spared the life of one of their pimps who had not been passing on all the tribute that he should. Romanov had the pimp killed the next morning and left at the edge of Red Square to be found and so consolidated his position. His management style from then on had been to richly reward success and to visit fast and vicious retribution on anyone who displeased him.
Andrei had not known about the submarine plot. It must have been developed during the secret meetings that Romanov had been having for the last ten months. Some of these had taken place in Moscow and some on his motor yacht in Odessa. Whenever they were to take place Andrei had been allowed to prepare the meeting rooms and then he and other staff had been taken away to await the end of the conference. He had never seen the other participants and knowing that Romanov had an electronic sweep carried out before each meeting he had never been able to plant a listening bug.
Being dumped off the back of a submerging U-Boat had been as much of a surprise to him as it had to the other three and he supposed he had been betrayed from within the police or had somehow irritated Romanov.
The room was quiet as he finished speaking.
The Admiral looked around. “At least we know who we are dealing with and what sort of people they are,” he said. “Judging by Mr. Popov’s description Romanov seems to be a sociopath and a very dangerous one. No wonder the Russian government is keen to support us; this could be their chance to rid themselves of a serious problem. Any questions for Mr. Popov?”
