by Nigel Seed
The officer in the Coast Guard uniform raised a hand slightly off the table. The Admiral nodded to him.
“Mr. Popov, you said you had prepared meeting rooms on Romanov’s yacht and the Major said you had seen Romanov board a yacht just before the attempt to drown you. Was that the same boat you had been on?”
Andrei nodded. “It looked the same, but we were a little busy and I did not get the chance to read the name. Certainly it was the right size and the colors were the same. I would be fairly sure it was his as he has certain changes installed on it that pleased him a lot.”
The Coast Guard officer nodded. “I do not want to slow this meeting down, but once we finish I would like to get as many details as possible from you so that we can try and find this yacht.”
Another hand was raised and again the Admiral nodded, this time at a Naval officer.
“Mr. Popov, you mentioned modifications to the boat, can you tell us what they are?”
Popov smiled. “Certainly, I spent much time searching them out when on that boat. There is a bay at the rear of the boat to carry a fast motor boat, which is standard on a yacht of that type. But the bay has been expanded so there are also two Jet Skis carried there. In the middle of the boat there is a ‘Moon Pool’ with external underwater clam doors, this is to let divers use the boat without being seen. I think he got the idea from a James Bond movie. There is a lot of diving equipment. Concealed in metal life jacket lockers along the upper promenade deck are machine guns that can be swiveled up into position in seconds.”
“How many of these guns are there?”
“Six. Three each side. May I continue?”
The Admiral said, “Please do and gentlemen, let’s keep our questions to the end.”
Andrei took a drink from the coffee cup that had appeared in front of him. “On the upper deck there is another locker that contains shoulder launched SAM-13 anti-aircraft missiles. Four I think. And I think there are another four Rocket Propelled Grenades. There is a helicopter deck and in front of it there is another heavy machine gun that can sweep that deck clean if anyone uninvited tries to land there. There is also a large storage bay with access from a concealed hatch on the upper deck. I also know he has an armory of small arms and hand grenades aboard. I can probably make a drawing for you if that would help?”
There was a silence until the Admiral said, “Quite an interesting design for a pleasure yacht. And its name is?”
“Mr. Romanov has a sense of humor,” said Andrei, “at least he thinks he has. The boat is called ‘Ivan the Terrible’ after one of the Tsars.”
The Coast Guard officer left the table and moved to a computer terminal against the wall. He searched through the databases that his service had access to and found nothing. He reported back to the table that he had drawn a blank. Geordie was the first to suggest that if the yacht was not new it might have had its name changed when Romanov bought it.
Andrei said, “There was a brass plate in the main deck cabin that had some details on it of tonnage, etc. I think that said something like ‘Odessa Star’ on it. Maybe he changed the name of the boat when he decided to change his own to become a Romanov.”
The Coast Guard returned to his terminal. “Got one,” he said. “Could you come and take a look to see if this is the right yacht?”
Andrei and Jim walked across.
“That seems very similar,” said Andrei, “perhaps the weapon boxes that have been added have made it look a little different.”
Jim agreed that it look very similar to the one they had seen when Romanov left the U-Boat. They returned to their seats.
“The next question really is where it was going,” said the Admiral. He turned to a Royal Navy officer that Jim had not noticed before, “Our British friends monitor the straits of Gibraltar quite carefully so, if he is heading back to Odessa, they should have seen him pass through by now.”
The officer stood up. “I’ll check for you now, if I may use your terminal?” The Admiral agreed. “Perhaps you could help me?” the RN officer said to the Coast Guard. They both moved to the terminal and concentrated on getting the required image to the monitoring station on Gibraltar.
A small man in a civilian suit leaned forward. “It’s a big ocean, as you know Admiral, but I wonder if we have any clues about where he was going from anything he said?”
He looked down the long polished table at the four men who had been working on the coffee they had been handed.
All shook their heads except Ivan. “There was one thing that seemed odd,” he said. “Romanov was talking to one of his bodyguards who seemed to have a skin complaint on his neck. He said something about the Caribbean sun clearing it up within a week. If they were passing through the Caribbean that would take less than a week, so maybe they are stopping there somewhere?”
The President’s man, from the White House staff, joined in again; he was still clearly not happy with them. “How did you hear this? Were they speaking in English or do you speak Russian?” he sneered.
He was obviously deflated when Ivan said, “Yes I speak Russian. Quite a few British soldiers are trained in languages.”
The Admiral suppressed a smile.
“I think it’s time we took a break. Please break into your command groups and assess what you have heard and what you can now contribute. I suggest you take the time to check back with your offices to see if we have anything new from them.”
Chapter 35
The three engineers and Andrei stayed seated, watching the group break into huddles. The Royal Navy officer walked over to them and held out his hand to Jim.
“Hello, we haven’t been introduced. James Delaney from the Military Attaché’s office in the Embassy. You seem to have caused quite a stir. Is there anything you need?”
“Yes. We know about the attack on New York, but with no details. Do we know how many people were killed and just what happened?”
Delaney told them what had happened, in more detail than the Coast Guard had given them. “But at present we don’t have casualty figures. New York is in a bit of a mess and the authorities are just now sorting out the confusion. They have been refusing to speculate until they are sure. You will have noticed that most of the people at the table are controlling their emotions and staying very calm. They want to know exactly what has gone on before they strike back, so your information has been very useful. But make no mistake, the Americans are bloody angry and somebody is going to regret this.”
“And what’s this about us all being back in the Army? The Skipper on the Coast Guard cutter told us he had got that from the Embassy.”
“I’m sorry, I should have told you. One of the first things the British government did when this happened was to mobilize our forces ready to support the US. Not sure whether that is just an excuse to cover the fact that they have screwed up the force reductions or not. In any case the Reserves have been called back to the colors and you are back in.” He looked at Geordie and Ivan. “All of you. Tell me something though, are you the Sergeant. Peters I read about in the newspapers after that bulldozer incident?”
Geordie was surprised his story had been seen in the US, but he smiled and nodded to confirm that he was the bulldozer driver.
Jim thought for a moment. “Well if we are back in the Army and we are going to be interrogated here in the Pentagon, what can you do about getting us some uniforms? It might make us look a little less like criminals and make these folk think more kindly of us. By the way, just how much trouble are we in?”
Delaney nodded. “Seeing you in uniform might make you more accepted by the Pentagon people. Trouble is the Embassy doesn’t have a uniform store. Let me think about that one. As for trouble, we don’t know yet. One of the people listening to you today is from the Justice Department and they are trying to decide if you are criminals or have just been duped. Whichever way that decision goes you should continue to be as helpful as you are able. Oh, looks like we are reconvening, better take your seats.�
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Delaney walked back to his place and the four sat down as the Admiral tapped the table for attention.
“We have just heard back from our British colleagues in Gibraltar that the yacht has not passed through there and with the clue that Sergeant Major Thomas picked up, I feel that the most likely area of search is the Caribbean. Now I want some options. What surveillance and search assets are immediately available? Navy?”
The Naval officer to his left looked at the folder in front of him and said, “We have one submarine training in the area and there are four surface ships actually in the islands. We can move assets from Florida and the Keys quickly if needed and the ships checking the Eastern Seaboard can be redeployed if we are sure there are no more of these submarines threatening our cities.”
“Coast Guard?”
“Five cutters that could be immediately diverted from anti-drug patrols and more that could move there a short time later.”
“Air Force?”
“We have P3 Orions that can be deployed within the hour and we could move AWACS down from Oklahoma inside six hours or we could redeploy one or more of the JSTARS aircraft.”
“NSA?”
“We have the Atlantic surveillance satellite that can be diverted and could be on station in something like six hours.”
“CIA?”
“We might have some people on the ground that could have a look round for us.”
“Britain?”
Delaney looked a little surprised to be asked. “We have HMS Newbury, our Caribbean guard ship and HMS Huntingdon is still in the New York area, she could be moved south rapidly, plus of course we have the Governors of the Dependant Territories who can engage the various island police forces to check around.”
The Admiral looked satisfied. “Unless the President’s representative has any objections I want all the assets we have described deployed to search for this yacht ASAP. I also want all other assets made ready to move as soon as we have any further information.”
He looked at the President’s representative who said, “No objections. Plus I think this might be the time to invite the Cubans to help.”
The individuals around the table were surprised and all heads turned toward the speaker. He looked around the room, “Relations need to improve between us and this human tragedy in New York could be a convenient way for both sides to achieve this without any loss of face for either of us.”
The Admiral smiled. “That could be a useful extra asset. If the President agrees I think we should pursue it.” He stood. “Any more points for today from anyone? Right, let’s get these assets deployed now and find that yacht. I want this meeting to reconvene at 0900 tomorrow with full and up to date reports from all of you.” He looked at Jim and his team and said, “If you four could wait one moment.” He turned to a tall thin civilian across the table. “Can you join us please?” The two Americans walked round to the bottom of the table, followed by Delaney.
“Well gentlemen we have a problem of what to do with you. This gentleman is from our Justice Department and he has been listening to you, to try and determine what your status is under US law.” He turned to the civilian. “Have you reached a decision yet?”
“No sir. Frankly they could be accessories to a major crime, however it seems as if they were unaware of Romanov’s intentions and they have been very helpful here today. We also have to consider our relationship with the UK and these three are serving members of the Armed Forces that have been committed to supporting us. You see the dilemma?”
“I do and until you make your decision I have a solution.”
Chapter 36
The Admiral turned to Delaney, “Lieutenant Commander, I guess we ought to arrest these people, but right now I am going to ask you to take responsibility for these three gentlemen. You will notice I did not say they were in your custody. But I am not sure what we do with Mr. Popov here?”
Jim said, “Sir, if you will permit, we came here as a group of four and we have been through a lot together. If Andrei agrees I would like us to stay together, as a team, to support you.”
“Any objections Lieutenant Commander?”
“None, sir.”
“Very well. I will see your team of four back here at 0900 then.” He turned and walked away, quietly conferring with the civilian from the Justice Department.
Delaney stepped forward, “We will need an escort out of the building, but there are some Marines outside waiting to do just that.”
They left the conference room and with the Marines in close attendance made their way to the exit. Delaney led them to a car park area where he opened up an anonymous dark blue MPV.
“In you get, guys. We’ll get you settled in your hotel shortly, but first we have a few calls to make.” They climbed in and he set off for the city. They entered the Georgetown area and after a few minutes Delaney pulled up outside a disreputable looking shop in one of the less-fashionable streets.
“I was thinking about your request earlier and this place could be the solution. It’s an Army surplus store. If we buy you some plain green fatigues of the type the US Army has stopped using they will be recognizable as uniform even though they are not official.”
They all entered the shop and in a short time had kitted themselves out with olive drab fatigues. Andrei had decided that he too needed to look like the rest for some kind of comfort in numbers. Ivan even managed to find them some black berets, similar to the ones the British Army uses, but they would have to be worn without cap badges. Andrei had been wandering around the store looking in the dusty display cases. As they were standing at the checkout he approached and tossed a couple of Russian Army shoulder boards on the pile.
Delaney was puzzled, “What are those?”
Andrei smiled, “If I am to wear a uniform I think I should return to the rank I wore in the Army as a Junior Sergeant.”
Delaney looked at Jim, who nodded, “I agree. Not sure how legal that is, but we need to remind everyone that we are on side in this.”
Geordie grinned and flung an arm around Andrei’s shoulder. “Well now bonny lad, there are two Sergeants to look after all these important people and keep them out of trouble.”
They left the store carrying their packages and drove back south of the river. Delaney drove them into the car park of a huge shopping mall.
“This is Pentagon City Mall,” he explained, “you can get the rest of what you need here, underwear, toiletries, socks etc. You may also want to get some basic civilian clothes for the hotel this evening. Don’t worry, the Embassy is paying for all this.”
The mall was even bigger inside than it seemed from outside. At the bottom of the numerous floors was a food court and the noise coming up from it as they entered was loud and constant. They orientated themselves and made their way to Macy’s where they found everything they needed.
“If we need you to be more formally dressed later I will take you round to Nordstrom,” said Delaney, “but for now I think we need to get you fed and watered and then I guess you would appreciate some sleep?”
They returned to the vehicle and he drove them to the Holiday Inn on Wisconsin Avenue.
“Quite a comfortable hotel,” he said, “and they do a damn good breakfast. Plus, if you go out through the back you will find an area of scrubland and if you follow the path you end up at the back of the Embassy. At some point the Air Commodore will want a word with you but he is rushing round helping to coordinate our part of the military response at present.”
Settled in their rooms, none of them was interested in the restaurant or the bar. They fell into bed and slept, trying to compensate for the days spent in the cold of the Atlantic. Only Geordie stayed awake as he settled himself in front of an Internet terminal in the lobby.
The three soldiers were up early the next morning ironing the fatigues they were going to wear to the Pentagon. All four of them met up for breakfast at 0730 and Delaney joined them a little later.
As he sat down
he said, “I managed to scrounge these for you from the military staff at the Embassy. I thought they might help.”
On to the breakfast table he tossed three sets of rank badges. The officer’s shoulder slides bearing the crown of a Major. The three sleeve stripes for a sergeant and the large crown of a Sergeant Major to be worn on the cuff. He also dropped a sewing kit on the table for the two NCO’s to use to attach their rank insignia.
“You can have a sewing circle in the car on the way to work.”
Ivan and Geordie were not totally amused, but Andrei found it very funny. The distance to the Pentagon was not long, but they made slow progress through the Washington morning traffic. By the time they reached the Pentagon the rank badges were sewn on and they felt that they would look less like criminals and more like allies. At least they hoped so.
They arrived at the entrance to the huge building to find their armed escort waiting for them. Passing through security they were escorted back to the conference room. As they entered they found everyone clustered round a table getting coffee and doughnuts. Ivan and Jim were happy with just coffee but Andrei and Geordie set about their second breakfast with enthusiasm.
The Admiral entered and called everyone to the table. “Good morning, everyone. No preamble this morning, let me tell you what we have got. So far none of our assets have found the location of the yacht. However, our Cuban colleagues think they saw it from one of their observation posts on the eastern end of the country, somewhere called Punta de Maisi, a little to the north of Guantanamo. I have already given orders for the search to switch to the Caribbean south of Cuba. Does anyone have anything else to offer?”
The NSA agent cleared his throat, “It may be unrelated, sir, but the satellite did find something strange on one of the small uninhabited islands. Well, not quite uninhabited, there is a single large house and a few cabanas, with a small dock.”
