Клайв Касслер - Typhoon Fury

“ If it’s still on that destroyer, if the formula still exists, and if we can successfully manufacture it. That’s a lot of ifs. I’d rather get paid now. Let Locsin take the risk of being a drug dealer.”

The men who’d been asleep had been waiting for the gunshots. They came up and began tying the feet of Polten and Davis to the heavy kettlebells. They’d take the bodies to the middle of Manila Bay later for an unceremonious burial at sea.

Van Der Waal pointed to the computer screens and said, “Looks like we’ve got some activity.”

Brekker looked at the feed from the remote cameras stationed outside the Baylon Fire factory and saw two SUVs enter the gate. They were waved through by the guards without even stopping. When they reached the warehouse, a half-dozen men got out, including one that looked like Locsin, though it was impossible to be sure at this distance. Two women got out with them, one a redhead, the other raven-haired. Both were shoved roughly toward the warehouse and taken inside.

“You think they’re going to have a party?” Van Der Waal asked in amusement.

“I don’t know,” Brekker said, unzipping one of the equipment bags and taking out his assault rifle. “Let’s go find out.”

29

OFF NEGROS ISLAND

From the catwalk at the top of the chamber housing the moon pool, Juan looked down at the unusual vessel that hovered above the water, making sure it was positioned correctly as it was lowered by the gantry crane. The distinct smell of ocean brine and machine oil filled the cavernous room, the largest on the Oregon . It was in the center of the ship and contained an Olympic-pool-sized opening that was equalized with the sea level outside the ship so that subs and divers could leave unnoticed through huge double doors that swung down from the keel. Eddie, Linc, MacD, and Murph, clad in black night camo, were down below getting ready to load their tactical gear on board.

The Gator was the newest addition to the ship’s complement of watercraft. The test dives they’d put it through over the last few months had gone off without a hitch, but this was the first time it would be used on an operation. Modeled after the U.S. Navy Sealion and other semi-submersibles employed by countries like Singapore and North Korea, the 40-foot-long Gator was a craft specifically designed for infiltration of targets both at sea and onshore. The Oregon ’s Discovery 1000 had been used for similar missions in the past, but its replacement boasted significant advantages.

Shaped like an angular cigarette boat, the stealthy Gator’s surfaces were shaped to reduce its radar signature to that of a bathtub toy, and the mottled black and charcoal paint made it difficult to see at night when surfaced. Like the Discovery, the Gator could carry up to eight passengers, dive to one hundred feet, and maneuver with electric thrusters, but the newer vessel’s sound-insulated diesel engine allowed it to reach over forty knots on the surface while simultaneously recharging the batteries. The Gator’s most unusual and useful capability was its ability to semi-submerge so that the small viewing cupola for the single pilot was the only part of it above the water, just like an alligator cruising through a swamp with nothing but its eyes visible. Since the Gator ran on its powerful diesel engine in this state, it could sneak up on a moving ship, match its speed, and deliver a boarding party through a portal in the roof while still in motion.

The Gator complemented the larger Nomad, which hung from a sling above the moon pool. The 65-foot-long deep-water submersible was built to descend to one thousand feet with six passengers and had an air lock for swimmers to exit while submerged. Though the Nomad could remain underwater for long periods before the batteries needed to be recharged, its bulky pressure hull and electric motors meant it moved much more slowly than the sleek Gator.

As the Gator settled into the water, and the mission team climbed aboard with their equipment, Linda Ross joined Juan on the catwalk and leaned on the railing, her head barely even with Juan’s shoulder. Like him and the rest of the team, she was dressed all in black.

“I’ll miss the Discovery,” she said, “but, I have to say, her replacement is extremely sexy.”

“Don’t let Nomad hear you or she’ll get jealous.”

“Oh, I love all my children equally.” She mouthed Not really , then pointed at the Gator and gave Juan the thumb-and-fingers OK sign.

“Well, now we get to prove to Max that it was a wise investment.”

Linda chuckled and said, “I think his hand was shaking when he signed the purchase order,” referring to their notoriously stingy VP.

Knowing that Linda’s arrival meant the Magellan Sun was nearing its destination, Juan asked, “What’s the good news?” Gomez was observing the 400-foot-long ship with a drone equipped with a night vision camera.

“Seems like she’s preparing to hold station a mile off Campomanes Bay, just like we thought she would.” They had surveyed the coastline of Negros, and the bay was the least populated spot on the west side of the island. Satellite imaging showed a small dock in the bay that was normally used for scuba diving boats and sightseeing tours. At this time of night, the entire place would be deserted, the ideal spot for illicit activity. The dock was too small for a large cargo ship, so they knew the Magellan Sun wouldn’t be entering the bay. The Oregon was positioned five miles to the north, far enough away so that it wouldn’t seem to be any kind of threat.

“How is she getting her cargo off-loaded?” Juan asked.

“There’s an old offshore supply ship, the kind used for oil rigs, heading out from the island, and the crane on the Magellan Sun is getting set to lower cargo from her deck.”

“Then we should get going,” Juan said and nodded at the Gator. “Ready to take her for a spin?”

Linda rubbed her hands together with glee. She was going to be driving the Gator during the mission. “I thought you’d never ask.”

They took the stairs down to the well deck. Juan picked up his own gear bag that he’d packed earlier, and they went aboard. Linda sat in the pilot’s seat and went through her pre-dive check, while Juan secured the top hatch and joined the rest of the team in the passenger area at the rear. Because of the Gator’s low profile, the accommodations were cramped but still comfortable, with cushioned benches along both sides of the cabin and seat belts if the seas got choppy. The interior was solely lit by red illumination so that their eyes would quickly become dark-adapted.

“What’s the weather report?” Juan asked Murph, whose tablet was connected to the Oregon via satellite linkup.

“Cloudy and dark right now,” he said, “but the moon could put in an appearance.”

“Have you got the feed from Gomez’s drone?”

“As if you were there,” Murph said and turned the tablet toward Juan.

The Magellan Sun was clearly visible against the flat black sea. Although she was only two-thirds the length of the Oregon , she had a similar outline, with a superstructure rear of amidships, four cranes for loading and off-loading cargo at smaller ports, and a deck stacked with pallets and containers. Judging from the diminishing wake behind her, she seemed to be coming to a stop.

One part of the two-pronged mission would put Murph, Eddie, and MacD on board the Magellan Sun . Since she was a standard Chinese design, Langston Overholt was able to send them CIA archived blueprints of the ship, which they studied to plan their infiltration.