Roger Ellis - AK-239

Imagine what a mouthful of air would do to you traveling at 1,000 miles per hour?

The pilot uses the radio in his oxygen mask to talk to NORAD.

“FA-146 Blue Diamond 1 to Pinnacle, FA-146 Blue Diamond 1 to Pinnacle,”

“Weapons pointed and locked. In position. Waiting your command.”

Peterson AFB

NORAD

Command Center

An assistant to the general says, “If that really is an SSBN Boomer it could light up North America.

General to pilot:

“This is General Norton at Pinnacle, Blue Diamonds, you are clear to engage. I repeat, clear to engage!”

The pilot confirms:

“Confirmed. Weapons armed and hot. I have a lock. Engaging now. Two birds in flight. Repeat, two birds in flight.”

“This is Blue Diamond 2 to Pinnacle. Blue Diamond 2 to Pinnacle. Two more birds in flight. Repeat, two more birds in flight.”

Kendrick Bay

We all stand on the deck of King of the Crabs watching the approaching sub. An orange, still glowing, shoreline has the silhouette of a man firing a round with his very old hunting rifle shouting,

“Die you Commie Bohunks!”

“Friend of yours?” says Jennifer to Stone as she looks through her binoculars at the black silhouette on the beach.

“Could I see those?” Stone asks Jennifer for her binoculars. She gives them to him.

Stone looks through the binoculars and apologizing says,

“It’s Jimmy! He’s alive! And almost deaf. I’m not sure he could hear us even if I yelled at him.”

Meanwhile Stone’s pilot, Jimmy, fires off another round at Vasili’s sub.

“Okay, Eskimo, you’re up!” says Stone to Tony.

Without a missing a beat, Tony dives into the water swimming toward Jimmy, yelling at him.

At this point I look at Jennifer thinking, “What kind of weirdos live up here?”

Jennifer seems to understand the silent communication and shrugs her shoulders, embarrassed.

TK-20

Vasili’s Diary

I’m forced to duck as another bullet ricochets off my conning tower.

My young sailor friend helps me to my feet,

“Sure you want to go to America?”

I quickly answer, “That’s what I love about this place:”

Individuality!”

“Look at that spirit, son.”

“Could you imagine some Russian shooting at an American in Moscow?”

The sailor looks bewildered, confused as he ducks from another incoming round.

I don’t even flinch on this round.

I look at the American on the beach and say,

“Fantastic, just fantastic!”

Kendrick Bay

I’m looking through binoculars at this madness and say,

“Are all Alaskans crazy?”

Stone without missing a beat,

“No, just my employees!”

The Russian sub has now quietly pulled alongside King of the Crabs .

Although quite different in height, Russian sailors help Stone, Jen and me aboard TK-20 .

Tony has now reached Jimmy on the shore and they’re talking.

Vasili yells down from the conn,

“Should I be worried about him?”

Stone yelling to Tony, “Is it Jimmy?”

Tony from the beach exited yells back,

“Ya, it’s Jimmy. He’s fine!”

I mumble, “I’m not sure we can definitely say that yet.”

Then I get very serious and yell up to the captain,

“Are there any ballistic missiles aboard?”

Vasili says, “No. Negative.”

“I have no missiles on board.”

“I have no nuclear materials.”

“We come in peace.”

“You have nothing to fear.”

Just then Vasili hears a jet fighter in the distance and asks, “Are we safe?”

Stone, “Oh sure there aren’t any military assets within a thousand miles of here!”

Suddenly the ships alarms system go off and Russian sailors announce, “Radar, conn, incoming. Multiples! At least four.”

Stone, “Shit! Pulls out his phone and redials,

“Yura, get me that fuckin’ general.”

Peterson AFB

NORAD

Command Center

The young nerdy airman says, “It’s that foul mouth Alaskan again, sir.”

“Put him on the speaker,” says the general.

“You dumb mother fuckers. Abort! Abort! Abort! The Russians surrendered. We’re on the sub. You’ll kill us all!”

General, “Use EXACTO override.

Nerdy young airman, “EXACTO isn’t operational sir. It’s not been tested.”

General, “We’re testing it with now!”

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) had been testing a new weapon: EXACTO (Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordinance). Any projectile, bomb, missile or bullet, theoretically could be adjusted by onboard computers to change course and not detonate, if done in time.

This would be a big if.

EXACTO is the only bomb in the world right now that can actually change direction (within the bounds of gravity) after locked and released. However, the system has never been put into actual use before.

The nerdy airman is working rapidly to shut down the bombs that are seconds from crashing into the sub.

Airman, “This is gonna be close.”

General Norton, “Seek shelter! Four 500-pound birds are already flying to you. Impact in three… two…

Kendrick Bay

All I remember is crazy Stone’s face as he’s standing on the hull of the sub next to Jennifer and me. He throws his phone and jumps into the water yelling,

“S h i t!”

Jen, fortunately, grabs the flying phone.

All the rest of us hit the deck, literally as two bombs splash in the water right in front of us. But the good news is: No explosion! However, the impact of the bomb is still so great that water splashes up and soaks all of us.

We pause and everyone quietly stands.

We’re all relieved until I say the obvious,

“Didn’t he say four?”

Just then another bomb splashes in the water between the sub and the beach.

“Thank God! They’re duds,” I mumble to myself.

Unfortunately, the fourth bomb explodes near both Jimmy and Tony.

As the smoke clears we see two bodies on the beach.

I see Stone trying to swim to them in the water yelling, “No!”

Seeing this, I think: Great! If he can’t make it to shore on his own, I doubt I’ll be able to save him. Orca’s going to pull me under.

I dive into the water and outswim the older, and much more out of shape, Stone deciding to see if I can help the wounded on the beach first.

I climb out of the water and run to the two men who are motionless, face down, on the sand.

I roll Stone’s pilot over first.

After an eternity passes, Jimmy opens his eyes, sits up and says in the Queen’s English:

“I believe all of my nine lives are now up!”

I then grab Tony and roll him over.

Tony opens his eyes looking at Jimmy, “He told me to duck!”

I ask them, “You guys, Okay?”

Both nod their heads, slowly, in the affirmative.

I now realize Stone is still in the water.

“Help! I’m drowning!” says Stone.

Tony stands up laughing saying, “Dad never could swim.”

I shake my head and walk slowly toward Stone.

As I swim to him I realize the water is only about four feet deep so I stand up.

Stone, seeing this, tries it and feeling embarrassed just stands up too. As soon as Stone gets closer to the beach his son runs out and hugs his dad.

On the sub I can hear General Norton screaming,

“Give me a damage report! Now!”

Jennifer and Captain Vasili are the only ones now standing on the front hull of TK-20 .

“This is former Navy Lieutenant Commander Jennifer Tavana. Scratch one Russian nuclear facility. Scratch one Iranian sub. We have control of the Russian Typhoon, sir.”