Shadow of the Dragon

42

Seated to Ryan’s right beside Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Talbot, near the head of the polished Situation Room table, Secretary of Defense Bob Burgess got straight to the point, as he always did. He was brash, outspoken, sometimes downright combative, but, as Lincoln had said describing General Grant: “Where he is, things move.” Ryan didn’t often yield to Burgess’s hawkish nature, but it was good to have a plan. As Ryan’s dad had told him: Decide what you’re going to fight for, and how you plan to do it, then, when the time comes, you don’t have to waste any time making those decisions.

Bob Burgess provided Ryan with the military options, so he didn’t have to search for them himself.

The Situation Room, not exceptionally large to begin with, was packed to the gunnels. Arnie van Damm was there, along with Foley, Forestall, Commander Carter with the Coast Guard, and a dozen other military men and women — and their aides.

Commander Carter had completed his brief regarding the Healy’s recently acquired new passenger — and the fact that the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long’s Z-9 helicopter was already buzzing dangerously close to the Healy, while she closed the distance at a steady six knots.

Carter stood to leave, but Ryan asked him to stay, stating his desire to have all the smart nautical brains the room could hold.

“Mr. President,” Burgess said. “We believe the 880 is the Long March 880, the Chinese Type 094 Jin-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine that took part in the Snow Dragon war games. Last year, President Zhao gave an address to the Central Committee where he noted a ‘revolutionary’ propulsion system for their submarines that would render them as quiet as any in the United States’ arsenal. It was, Zhao said, a new dawn for the PLA-Navy that would take them out of littoral waters and into the blue — an ‘underwater Great Wall’ of weapons that could protect Chinese interests from anywhere, and remain undetected.”

Burgess nodded to an aide against the wall on the other side of the room. A moment later, the two images appeared side by side on the screen at the end of the table and Admiral Talbot took over.

“These are both satellite images of a submarine believed to be Long March 880.”

“The sub on the left is shorter,” Ryan noted. “By at least…”

“Twelve feet,” Talbot said. “We believe this indicates the addition of their new propulsion system, similar to our gearless pump jets. To the consternation of his admirals, President Zhao even called the new device by name—Hai shi shen lou—Mirage.”

Ryan nodded to Commander Carter. “The man the Healy plucked from the ice used this same term.”

“He did, Mr. President.”

“Any chance the Chinese know we have Commander Wan?” Ryan asked.

Carter shook his head. “Very slim. Captain Rapoza was closer. His Dolphin picked up the commander a good twenty minutes before the Xue Long’s chopper overflew the scene. Rapoza sent the bird back out again to recon, so for all the Chinese know, we are trying to figure out what happened as much as they are.”

“This guy, Wan, mentioned a professor as well,” van Damm said. “The missing Professor Liu?”

“Just so,” Burgess said. “He’s one of their top propulsion engineers. It’s not a great leap forward to think that Liu is on the DISSUB. Whoever it was sounds like he had a heart attack or some other debilitating injury. Commander Wan is much more taciturn now that he’s warmed up.”

“Nice work by Captain Rapoza, by the way,” Ryan said. “Engaging him while he was still hypothermic.” He leaned back in his chair. “In any case, if Liu is on board and badly injured, there may not be any way to make repairs to the 880.”

“Heck of a lucky stroke,” Arnie said. “The rest of the submariners are fortunate that the Healy picked up their guy since their rescue party is looking in the wrong place.”

Burgess, Talbot, and Ryan looked at one another, and then at van Damm.

“What?” the chief of staff said, in the crosshairs.

“Arnie,” Ryan said. “Those subs are coming to make sure we don’t get our hands on it, even if they have to destroy it—”

Van Damm cut him off. “I guess this rules out your Fairbanks trip. A ballistic missile sub off the coast of Alaska… that’s the last place you need to be.”

“The icebreaker Xue Long will be on station with the Healy in…” Ryan looked up at Carter.

“Six hours, sir,” Carter said.

“There you go,” Ryan said. “And their Yuan submarine three times faster than that. A few hours and this is all going to be over, one way or another.” Ryan turned to the SecDef. “Bob, I don’t want to escalate this any more than we need to, but with the Xue Long’s chopper harassing Healy, let’s get a couple of F-35s from Eielson to let Captain Rapoza know he’s not alone on the ice.”