A Ravel of Waters

Chapter 27

'This is my plan.'

Kay, Tideman and I were back again in the sick-bay. I waited only long enough for the guard to settle behind the glass partition before sitting the others down at the table. The pretence of playing cards was agonizing. Guillotine victims did it with more aplomb. But they had no hope of escape. 'We are going to escape,' I added. 'Tonight.'

Kay's fan of cards trembled. Even Tideman's iron control cracked. 'How?' he demanded. 'For pity's sake, how?'

'It is tonight or never,' I answered. 'Our one big chance — our only chance — is while the fleet is occupied fuelling.' 'Peter!' Kay started to remonstrate.

'Try to remember you are supposed to be playing cards,' I reminded her. 'You know what to expect if that gorilla out there suspects us. It's his neck as well as ours. I intend it to be his.' 'Go on,' said Tideman quietly. I made a pretence of trumping a card. 'I intend to blow up the fleet.'

Tideman's incredulity, backed by the authority of a naval officer, was shattering.

Kay broke the ensuing silence. Her tone said everything. ‘I have never seen so many guns or so many men as there are in the squadron. Group Condor alone must number five or six hundred. Peter, what you propose is totally and wholly impossible.' 'Even if you weren't imprisoned,' added Tideman.

I tried to muster my words calmly despite my excitement. 'Soon every ship will be engaged in refuelling,' I said. 'The fleet will, figuratively speaking, have its pants down. Never will it be more vulnerable. The ships will be surrounded by tens of thousands of hectolitres of highly explosive jellified fuel. Molot Command itself is nervous — no smoking even here aboard Jetwind, kilometres away. No seismic explosions allowed on Trolltunga, either.' 'What's in your mind, Peter?' asked Tideman.

'Molot anchorage is one gigantic, ready-to-detonate bomb. One match would do it.'

'You could escape that way if you had a kamikaze death-wish. But you'd go up in smoke, too,' answered Tideman.

Nevertheless, I thought I detected slightly less scepticism.

'Aboard the pinnace is the scientists' supply of explosive charges,' I went on. 'I intend seizing the pinnace. I will set the charges on a time fuse. I will direct the boat at the fleet. The charges will blow. Up will go the fuel — up will go the fleet.'

'J am not going to stand by and watch you commit suicide,’ protested Kay.

I smiled, despite my tension. 'The pinnace will be unmanned. I will aim her at the fleet by locking the tiller. A bull's-eye isn't called for. A target that size is too big to miss. A flash anywhere near the fuel container will do the trick.'

'It's a good idea, Peter,' said Tideman. 'But it remains only an idea — there are far too many practical steps in-between that it doesn't take account of. The principle is excellent, your logistics are non-existent.' 'What steps?' I guessed what was coming.

'Let us assume for the sake of argument that somehow you managed to escape from the sick-bay — past a guard with an automatic weapon, past another similarly armed on the bridge, past Grohman himself…'

Kay added, 'Grohman brought two extra men back with him from the fleet to reinforce those aboard Jetwind. That makes six guards plus himself.'

'You've got to get from Jetwind to the pinnace. How?' Tideman resumed. 'By boat? Their automatics would cut you and the boat in half before you got clear of the ship. Also, the pinnace is within range of the AK-47 rifles the new guards have — they have the power, even if the UZIs don't. Forget it, Peter.'

'I wasn't thinking of using a boat, and besides they wouldn't dare shoot because of the danger of an explosion.'

‘Please, Peter, this is just talking!' Kay said agitatedly. 'It's simply killing time. Listen to John's advice — forget it.'

I went on. 'I need you two to win control of the bridge for as long as it will take me to climb up to Jetwind's topgallant masts. We'll work out the precise time. Then — ' I addressed Tideman' -1 want you to fire the chicken button on the bridge and blast away Number Two top-gallant mast directly overhead.' 'Ring charges — the ultimate emergency!' he exclaimed.

'That's it,' I replied. 'The ultimate emergency. Those charges are meant to blow away Jetwind’s top-hamper if ever she went over on her beam-ends in a storm. I intend using them for another type of emergency.'

Kay looked horrified. 'And you — where will you be, Peter?'

'Inside the crow's nest — above the site of the charges. The detonations will project the mast and me clear of the ship — the same principle as a pilot's ejector seat. The way the ship's head is lying at present and the direction of the wind will pitch the mast towards the pinnace. The mast is hollow so it'll float for a while. I'll reach the pinnace from it — you know my plan from that point onwards.'

'You'll be killed!' protested Kay. 'The blast inside the confined space will kill you!'

'Self-destruct charges like that are precisely calibrated to do their job and their job only,' I answered. 'In this case, it's to chop off the mast at a given point and throw it clear. The force of the explosion will be directed outward, not inward where I will be. The structure of the crow's nest in itself will be an additional protection.'

'This is plain crazy!' went on Kay. 'I won't let you do it, Peter! No experiments were ever carried out to establish how far the masts would be thrown by the ring charges. It's designed purely as a last-throw emergency!' 'I'll have to take the risk, Kay.'

'I'd like to hear what else you have in mind, Peter,' said Tideman speculatively. 'Before you do so, however, you might remember something else — the sea temperature, especially close to Trolltunga, is close to freezing point. You won't survive for more than a couple of minutes in it after the mast blast-off, even if the rest of your plan succeeds.'

'Deal another round of cards,' I told him. 'Don't either of you look up in surprise when I speak. The next step in my scheme is probably the most crucial of all. It's the way I aim to break out of the sick-bay.'

Kay gathered up the cards like a sleep-walker. Tideman dealt.

'In the sick-bay there's that anti-exposure survival suit for inspecting Jetwind's drop keels and underwater propeller nacelle. We moved it into the cubicle next to Kay's — it's hanging there still. That's what I intend to wear to overcome the problem of the near-freezing water.'

Tideman gave a silent whistle through his teeth. 'You half convince me, man!'

'The anti-exposure visor will protect my face and eyes against flash from the ring charges,' I continued. 'The suit is foam-lined, which will help give me a soft landing when the mast hits the water. I'll swim from the floating mast to the pinnace, fuse the charges, and send the boat on its way to the fleet. Then I can swim back to Jetwind in safety — it's not far.'

'It might just work, Peter — it just could work!' Tideman's sceptical questioning had changed to a vibrant, excited undertone.

'We must be careful not to betray ourselves to the guard by any action or gesture,' I warned.

'He's the joker in the pack.' There was a near-sob in Kay's voice. 'We can't get past him.'

'We can,' I said. 'This is how. Again, the survival suit is the key. I've often accompanied you to your cubicle, Kay. The guard is accustomed to it. Now — as soon as we've finished this discussion, you and I will go there. John will stay here, pretending to be listening to the radio. There's only a curtain between your cubicle and the empty one. We slip next door. You help me into the survival suit. It takes less than a minute, you said, John. Back you go into your cubicle, Kay. Then, after a while, you join John at the radio. I'll be missing. After a time the guard is certain to wonder about me. You can leave your cubicle's outer curtain drawn so he can see for himself that I'm not there. The idea is to draw him into the sick-bay.'

'Where will you be all this time?' asked Kay in an anguished tone.

'Where the survival suit always hangs — up against Number Two cubicle wall,' I said. 'Arms outstretched, just like a suit on a hanger.'

'The guard will see your face — he must!' protested Kay.

'No. Before you leave you will pull the helmet right down over the visor, which normally leaves only the nose and eyes visible. It will restrict my range of vision, but I can't help that. In addition, I'll hang my head. The rest of the suit is so shapeless that the guard won't suspect that it's occupied.' 'Then?' Tideman demanded.

'I'll want your slide-rule dagger,' I said as matter of factly as a man can when thinking of a sudden knife-thrust to an unsuspecting victim's heart. 'The suit is unwieldy so I'll have only one chance to finish the guard in the cubicle. After that it's up to you to grab his automatic and cope with him further, if necessary.'

'Any chance shots will bring the rest of the gang at the double,' said Tideman. 'Action must be silent at that stage.'

Kay shuddered and glanced involuntarily at the sentry. He was staring the other way, probably yearning for a smoke.

'I won't be able to move fast in the survival suit,' I continued. 'John, you've got to take the bridge guard by surprise. You must keep control while I get up aloft to the top-gallant mast.’

'This is not going to work’ said Kay emphatically. 'You're both assuming that the bridge is the only place which is occupied by the gang. With the reinforcements Grohman brought there are now three Group Condors in the stern keeping watch over the crew. There's another in the engine room. Then there's Grohman himself — where will he be? As soon as shooting starts on the bridge, the gang will converge on it. John against — how many? He won't stand a chance.'

I had earlier realized the discrepancy of forces involved. I had rather pushed the risk to one side when thinking through the logistics and split-second timing of the operation. 'That's part of the risk…' I started, but she stopped me. 'The odds are too long for success.' 'What do you suggest?* I asked. 'I'll give you a more sporting chance.' ‘You, Kay?’ 'I want to rush the bridge with John.' I was about to protest, but Tideman interjected. ‘I agree.'

'While John is… accounting… for the guard, I'll make for the hydraulics control panel…' 'Kay,' I said impatiently, 'the hydraulics can come later.'

Kay's eyes were bright. She went on. 'Let's run over the position of various members of the gang — three in the stern, one in the engine room, another on the bridge, and finally our sick-bay guard. Grohman could be anywhere, but let's assume he will be in your cabin, Peter, when our attack goes in.'

'At the slightest sound of trouble he'll be out like a rocket — plus UZI,' I remarked.

'I intended stopping all of them from getting into orbit, like a rocket or anything else,' she said.

'What's in your mind?' demanded Tideman incredulously.

'Jetwind is practically unsinkable,' she replied. 'She has the most elaborate system of watertight bulkheads in case of damage — bridge, stern, engine room, the accommodation, the hull 'The hull's in no danger!' I exclaimed.

'The captain's and officers' quarters can be isolated in an emergency,' she went on. 'Your soundproof cabin doors double as bulkheads. As you know, all emergency doors are held open magnetically until they are released by a master switch on the bridge. One touch and the whole ship can be sealed off.' She emphasized her words. 'Sealed off. Equally, sealed in. The gang can be effectively sealed in.'

'Good girl!' Tideman exclaimed excitedly. 'Heavens, what a brain-wave!'

'Kay,' I said. 'You're wonderful! You've levelled the odds in our favour! We're going to make this operation work. It will, I hope, catch everyone off-balance. We'll play the detail by ear as we go.'

'So far, so good,' said Tideman. 'Let's assume we're in command of the ship and your part of the plan is working — you've aimed the pinnace loaded with the fused-up charges at the fleet. What next?'

'Your job, John, is to have Jetwind poised to high-tail the moment I get back aboard. Cut the anchor free, if necessary, manoeuvre ready to take off — you'll have the time while I'm making my way back from Trolltunga.'

'A lot depends on how fast the pinnace travels,' said Tideman. 'If our own craft of the same type are any criterion, it will cruise at something like seven or eight knots. Which means in turn it will tkke roughly fifteen minutes to reach the Red ships. Once I start to move Jetwind, the fleet is sure to spot her. We know Grohman has orders not to move. They'll suspect the hijack has misfired. The Reds are trigger-happy. A couple of 76 mm shells from the Sposobny or a missile will put paid to Jetwind.'

'The fleet has castrated itself already,' I answered. 'No ship dare fire. The flash would detonate the fuel in the same way that the pinnace will.'

Tideman riffled the cards in his excitement and repeated my words. 'We're going to make this operation work!'

‘I want Jetwind pointing northeast when I get back aboard from the pinnace,' I went on. 'She's lying roughly facing south now, head to wind.'

'Northeast?' echoed Tideman. 'Past the fleet? What will be happening to it at that stage? It's too risky, Peter. Rather head south, altogether clear of Molot. We don't know the location of Molot's shoals, remember.'

'The stranded icebergs will guide us. They mark the main exit channel to the open sea.' 'But…' objected Tideman.

'It's a waste of time to attempt to beat the wind,' I went on. 'If it holds as it is now, Jetwind will enjoy her best point of sailing the way I aim to go.'

'Why the hurry?' demanded Tideman. 'The fleet won't be able to chase us, if everything goes according to plan.' 'There is need for hurry,' I said. 'What do you mean?' 'Tomorrow Jetwind has an appointment with Seascan!'

'You still intend to keep the rendezvous? I'd overlooked that!' Tideman exclaimed in amazement.

'Of course. Then Jetwind has another appointment at Gough with Thomsen's party of shipping tycoons. With any luck I'll keep both.'

Tideman forgot himself as far as to throw down his cards and stare at me. 'You're a devil for punishment, Peter!' Kay asked quietly, 'When do we start?'

All three of us had now put down our cards. The guard still lolled aimlessly. The UZI, sinister and black, lay on the table only as far as his reach. 'Now,' I replied. 'Give me the dagger, John.'