Dead Ice

SEVEN

The sound of gunfire silenced Maddock, Bones and Professor for a moment, but in the long sliding echo that followed they were on their feet and shrugging themselves into their coats and stepping into boots. Maddock’s coat still felt heavy from water, but it was almost dry on the inside; it was the only item of clothing that he hadn’t brought a spare of. He snatched up his gun without slipping on his holster, and stepped outside. There was no way of knowing what lay out there, but they wouldn’t be shooting unless there was a damned good reason for it, like a bunch of Spetsnaz thugs trying to fill their bodies with lead.

“You stay here,” he whispered to Professor, “and hold down the fort. Bones and I will check it out.” Professor grimaced but nodded his acquiescence.

Maddock took a few steps, the chill wind battering his weakened body. He paused and cocked an ear. Sound travelled in a strange way in this place, making it difficult to know which way they should go.

He held Bones back with one straight arm as they moved forward.

If they could identify the problem without alerting anyone else to their presence, that would be a win. If the threat was Spetsnaz, better if they didn’t know there were more men and more guns to deal with than they’d faced so far. Better to be smart than lucky. Always.

Maddock pressed himself tight against the wall of the shack, his Walther at the ready as he reached the corner of the building. He held a finger to his lips, then motioned for Bones to cover the next point. The air echoed with the sound of footsteps moving quickly. They were getting closer by the moment.

Maddock signaled for Bones to hold back.

They had a good position. They were ready for whoever it was. Maddock tensed as a figure barreled around the corner. He recognized the man immediately.

“Nate!” Maddock hissed as Shaw thundered toward them.

“We’ve got something.” The point man sucked on the cold air as he struggled to catch his breath. “This way.”

Maddock called for Professor to join him and Bones. They followed close behind Shaw, Maddock keeping pace despite the ache in his joints. It was getting easier with each stride. It felt good to be moving. He saw the door to the concrete building hanging open and stopped.

“It’s all clear,” Shaw said.

Maddock frowned. “We heard shooting.”

“Willis used a little extra force to open the door. We’d checked all the other buildings and they were clear. This was the only one that was locked. We guessed it had been secured for a reason.”

“And?”

“You’d better see for yourself.” Shaw stepped back and invited Maddock to walk inside.

The interior lay in gloom, contours of shadow picking out the shapes of furniture. Someone was speaking Russian but he couldn’t see anyone.

It took him a second to realize the voice emanated from a radio.

He saw Leopov sitting beside the base unit, listening intently to the words crackling out of the speaker.

“What’s he saying?”

“It’s a distress call.” Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she concentrated on the words. “It’s not live though. It’s being broadcast on a loop.”

“Can we get a fix on it?” Maddock asked.

“I’ll get in touch with the ship,” Professor said. “If they can pick up the signal we might be able trace it back to a location, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. Best hope, we might be able to get hold of someone with access to a satellite. Maybe Big Brother back home can get a fix on it.”

“Assuming it’s the sub,” Maddock said. “We know the Russians will be monitoring the frequency. We just contact the ship, you know the drill. If we try to make contact with home base there’s more chance the Russians will hear. Do what you can. If you can’t, such is life. There’s more than one way.”

“I’m on it,” Professor headed back to the shack they’d set up their base camp in. The Russians would already know exactly where the submarine was and would be heading straight for it, no need for stealth or subterfuge. They weren’t the ones risking an international incident.

“It’s not a standard SOS,” Leopov said. “There’s more to it than that.”

“Go on.”

“They’re not just trapped in the ice. They’re dying.”

“What?”

“They’re dying,” she said again. “There was some kind of accident. The members of the crew are all falling ill and dying. They need help.”

“They’re on a nuclear sub,” Bones said. “Any kind of accident that has people dying is a game changer. Are you sure about this?”

Leopov nodded. “I’m sure. We should try to help them.”

Maddock shook his head. “That’s not the mission.” He wasn’t sure if he believed that himself. Yes, they had had their orders just as the Russians did. Men were dying out there. It was an Echo II class nuclear sub. It had an onboard reactor. What the hell kind of accident were they talking about?

What was he leading the team into?