The Atlantis Stone (16 page)

CHAPTER 40

Lamont and Sam wore full face masks equipped with voice communication. They could talk to each other while they were underwater and to Nick on board
Sexton's Dream
. Both men wore closed-circuit rebreathers and wetsuits. There would be no telltale bubbles on the surface as they approached the Russian ship.

At twenty feet down there was plenty of light. The surface above was clear blue, the sun a halo glow scattering streams of light through the water. Lamont never tired of the world that existed below the surface of the sea. Most people never saw the true beauty of the ocean.

The Atlantic this far out from land teemed with life. The area was famed with sports fishermen for its abundance of trophy fish. Blue marlin, swordfish and giant bluefin tuna were common. Plenty of fish meant plenty of sharks, including hammerheads, short fin makos and a throwback called the six gill blunt nose. Hammerheads were usually not aggressive unless provoked. The others were. As far as Lamont was concerned, any kind of shark was bad news.

A hundred yards away, the long hull of the Russian ship formed a dark shape on the surface of the water.

"Comm check," Lamont said. "Sam, how do you read me?"

"Five by five."

"Nick, you copy?"

Nick's voice came back through the earpiece. "Five by five, amigo. The Russians are about to put their robot over the side."

"Copy that."

Lamont and Sam dropped down to forty feet and moved silently toward the Russian ship. Visibility was still excellent, the water clear. A school of silvery-blue wahoo swam by, slim and lethal looking, their sharp teeth and spiny ridges a reminder of a time long before humans walked the earth.

The Russian ROV was visible as it descended past the forty foot mark. The tether was a dark thread linking the machine to the ship above. The two men swam toward it. Lamont was equipped with a tool borrowed from the ship designed to cut through cable and chain. It would make short work of the tether. He was about to reach for it when his earpiece crackled.

"Company," Sam said.

He pointed toward the bow of the ship. Two suited figures were coming toward them.

"Armed. They've got APS assault rifles."

The semi automatic APS was a favorite of Russian underwater special forces, a unique piece of weapons engineering. It hadn't been easy to design a gun that could overcome the compressive effects of water against the moving parts of an automatic weapon, much less deliver a projectile with reasonable accuracy.

Water was eight hundred times denser than air. A man could stand a few feet in front of a conventional weapon fired underwater without danger. The APS used special cartridges and 5.66 mm steel bolts that could penetrate a diver's helmet or wetsuit with ease. It was most effective at a distance of twenty or thirty feet and reasonably accurate. The Russians had even designed a cartridge with a rocket assist to give it more speed and penetrating power.

Lamont and Sam carried Heckler and Koch P11 underwater pistols. The pistols had five chambers and fired steel darts a little less than four inches long. The P11 had a greater range than the APS but its accuracy was poor. Both kinds of weapons were better than knives or spear guns for underwater combat.

Nick's voice sounded over the comm link. "Two divers in the water."

"We see them," Lamont said. "They're armed."

"Break off," Nick said. "It's not worth it."

"Copy," Lamont said. "Sam, break it off."

The Russian in the lead raised his weapon and fired while he was still fifty feet away. Steel bolts ripped through the water, too fast for the eye to see, leaving a brief disturbance behind.

"Too late," Sam said.

On deck, Nick had the comm link on speaker.

"Lamont, what's happening?"

Selena had gone to her cabin for her notes. She came out on deck and went over to where Nick was standing.

"What's going on?"

"Trouble. Lamont, come in."

Below the surface, Lamont drew his pistol and fired at one of the Russian divers. The round missed. The man started to bring his APS around. Water resistance against the large, flat magazine and receiver slowed the movement. Lamont fired again. The Russian clutched his shoulder and dropped his rifle. Blood spread in the water, a soft, dark cloud.

The other Russian emptied his magazine at them. Steel bolts shattered Sam's face mask. His arms flew wide and he went limp. His body sank away toward the depths below.

Rage drove Lamont toward the Russian, firing his pistol as he swam. All of the three rounds he had left missed. The P11 came pre-loaded from the factory. Even if there'd been time, he couldn't have loaded it again. He dropped the pistol and drew his knife. The Russian let go of his empty rifle and reached for his own knife. Lamont slashed out, opening a deep cut. More blood seeped into the water.

The Russian wasn't out of the fight. He lunged forward, trying for a gut thrust. Lamont twisted away but the blade sliced through his suit and into his arm. His own blood mixed with the Russian's. Lamont looked into the man's face and saw sudden fear. He sensed a shadow behind him.

Shark!

A sudden blow knocked him to the side. The shark slammed into the Russian, taking him with wide open jaws. The ugly, pointed teeth were close enough for Lamont to touch as the monster went by. The man thrashed in helpless agony as the shark swam away with him. The water was suddenly black with blood

The diver Lamont had wounded was swimming away as fast as he could. A second shark appeared, a vision from hell. It zeroed in on the wounded Russian, clamped it's terrible teeth around his legs and dragged him away.

The fight was over.

"Nick, it's bad. Sam's dead. Sharks and I'm wounded. Get ready to pull me out."

"Copy."

Lamont fumbled for a packet of shark repellent. The chemicals were supposed to smell like a dead shark and the live ones didn't like it. He ripped open the package, released the chemicals and started for the surface. Hoping they worked. Hoping no more sharks appeared. A thin trail of blood streamed behind him.

On deck, Sexton began giving orders.

"Get the zodiac in the water. He's not far from the Russian ship."

"Lamont," Nick said, "we're putting a boat in the water. Stay cool."

"Copy."

Lamont had been more than forty feet down but it was his first dive of the day and he didn't need to make a decompression stop. There wouldn't have been time for one anyway, not with sharks nearby. He still had his knife, but his arm was weakening.

He looked down. More sharks circled below. One of them started for him. He was nearing the surface but the shark was closer. He turned to face it.

Only one chance.

Four blue-gray shapes shot through the water and passed by him. They attacked the pursuing shark.

Dolphins. They're Dolphins...

Lamont broke the surface near the
Tolstoy
. The Russians were letting a boat down into the water. The railing was lined with people watching. He saw Selena's sister. Lamont swiveled and saw the zodiac from
Sexton's Dream
racing toward him.

A man appeared at the railing of the Russian ship with a bull horn.

"We are sending someone to assist you."

Lamont raised his good arm and gave them a middle finger.

CHAPTER 41

Nick stopped the bleeding with a temporary dressing.

"Hang in there. We're almost back to the ship."

"Heath is dead." Lamont said. "The Russians shot him. A shark got the bastard."

"Yeah."

They reached the ship and got Lamont on board. The Dolphins had followed the zodiac back to the ship. Now they circled once around
Sexton's Dream
and disappeared.

Nick paced the deck.

"We didn't need this." He looked at the
Tolstoy
.

"I don't know who's running things over there, but they're nuts to try a stunt like this," Ronnie said

"What are we going to do about it?" Selena asked.

"There isn't much we can do," Nick said, "short of starting a war."

"Another minor incident? Is that how we're going to treat it? First they trash our rover. Now one of Jeff's crew is dead."

"What would you have me do? Tell your pal to ram them? Plant explosives and blow them out of the water?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

"You used to have second thoughts about what we do. When did you get so blood thirsty?"

"You have to agree it has a certain appeal."

"Yes, but you know I can't do that."

"I know you can't sink them. Besides, Valentina is on that boat. How about something less extreme? Something to disable them, like a small explosion."

Ronnie said, "We need to stop them messing with us."

"I can't ask Sexton to put another one of his crew in harm's way. Lamont's out of commission."

Selena raised her hand. "I can do it."

"You're not trained in underwater demolition. It has to be me or Ronnie. Besides, Harker would never authorize it."

"She doesn't have to know about it. How hard can it be to plant something on the hull that goes boom?"

"You're serious."

"Damn right I am. These people think they can get away with anything. We have to respond and I'm the best one to do it. We can't get near on the surface without being spotted and that means going deep. Neither one of you has the experience I do when it comes to diving."

"Ronnie and I both have underwater training."

"I want to do this. Those people over there tried to kidnap me. I was tasered."

"This isn't about getting even," Nick said.

"No? Then think of it as a preemptive move to prevent further interference with the mission."

In spite of himself, Nick smiled. "A small explosion, you said."

"That's right." Selena nodded. "Enough to give them something to think about. To keep them busy while we finish up."

"I can show her what to do," Ronnie said.

"You think this is a good idea, Lamont?"

"I almost bought it down there. Yeah, I think it's a good idea. It'll teach them a lesson."

"Harker will have a cow when she finds out."

Selena smiled at him. "Like I said, she doesn't have to know about it. Remember that old saying about forgiveness and permission?"

"You know they're going to keep screwing things up," Ronnie said. "I've got C4 and detonators in our kit. It won't take long to make up a charge."

Nick was quiet for a  few seconds. "All right, Ronnie, go ahead."

"Right away, Kemo Sabe."

"I still don't know what that means."

"And you still don't want to know."

"I hope I don't regret this," Nick said.

Ronnie put together a charge and scrounged a magnet from the ship's stores. He taped it to the package. Once Selena got close enough to place the charge, the magnet would hold it on the hull of the Russian ship.

Two hours later she was getting ready to go in. Sexton came over to the group. He seemed angry.

"Going for a swim?" he said to her. "In a rebreather?"

"Only for a short reconnaissance. To make sure they don't have anyone in the water."

"Sam was a friend of mine. If I'd known you were going to put my crew at risk, I never would've agreed to do this. What the hell are you people up to? I never wanted to deal with this crap again, that's why I got out."

Nick said, "We didn't know the Russians would show up. I'm sorry about Sam, I really am. He seemed like a nice guy. But it's done."

"You're sorry. So am I. We're heading back to port."

"Look, I understand you're pissed off. Hold off and I'll fill you in on the mission. If you still want to leave after that, that's your option."

"Fair enough. But if I don't like what I hear, we're leaving."

He stalked away.

"Harker won't like telling him why we're here," Ronnie said.

"You heard what he said. If I don't tell him, he's pulling the plug. We don't have a choice."

"I need to go," Selena said. "While there's still light."

"Make sure you set that timer right," Ronnie said. "If it goes off and you're nearby in the water..." He left the sentence unfinished.

"Don't worry."

She slipped into the water on the far side of the ship, out of sight of the Russians. The afternoon light still gave some visibility below the surface. She dropped down to sixty feet, checking her dive calculator, tracking her time and depth.

She neared the
Tolstoy
, watching for divers. There was no one about. The sharks were gone. There was no sign of the bloody events of the morning.

Selena came up under the vessel and made her way aft. The tether to the Russian ROV formed a dark line disappearing into the depths below. Two enormous, silent propellers protruded into the water. She placed the charge and set the timer for forty minutes. It would give her more than enough time to return to the boat. There was no rush. The Russians had no idea she was there.

"Where'd you put the charge?" Ronnie asked when she was back on board.

"Right where the props come out of the hull. It should damage the shafts. Might even blow the tether on their robot."

Sexton passed by and came back to them. "Why are you all standing here?"

"We're waiting for the sunset," Ronnie said. "I was kind of hoping for the green flash."

"It's half an hour till the sun goes down."

No one said anything. Sexton shook his head.

"Meet me in the wardroom in fifteen minutes."

"Hey, Skipper," a crewman called.

"Coming." Sexton walked away.

Nick looked at his watch. "Any time now. You're sure you set the detonator the right way?"

"It's not rocket science, Nick. Yes, I'm sure."

The explosion, when it came, sent a tall fountain of water into the air. The sound echoed across the flat sea separating the two ships. The Tolstoy shuddered in the water.

"I might've used a little too much C4," Ronnie said.