Silent Waters

Chapter 43

As McCann passed through the reactor tunnel into the engine room, he considered the possible reasons for bringing the submarine to a complete stop.

One reason was to hide. As silent as Hartford was, if the hijackers wanted to completely disappear from the sonar of a pursuing submarine, they may have decided to go ‘all quiet’. But the engine room had not been completely shut down yet.

The second reason could have been that they were carrying out their escape. Too much to hope for, McCann thought, moving cautiously up the ladder toward Maneuvering.

He wouldn’t have to break down the door, for he had a key that would give him access. The only thing he worried about was facing any resistance from the operator.

“It doesn’t matter,” he muttered to himself. “You’ll do what you have to do.”

Arriving at the door to Maneuvering, he found it partially open. He moved in quickly.

The sight of two dead bodies immediately stopped him. One of them belonged to his petty officer. He had slumped forward on his face at his station. Blood was spattered across the screen and there was a bullet hole in the panel holding the monitor. On the floor beside the reactor operator, McCann found the machinist mate. His life had ended execution style. He leaned down and checked the pulse on the young man’s neck. The body was still warm, but he was dead.

No one else was in the room. He had a feeling there was another dead machinist somewhere around.

He checked the displays. The reactor was in hot standby mode. Doing what he came to do, McCann went to work. In two minutes, he’d scrammed the reactor, taking it to non-critical.

Immediately, the lights dimmed as the batteries took over.

McCann left Maneuvering and made his way to the reactor tunnel. As he went through, he pulled the watertight door shut and secured it. If there was anyone left in there, that’s where they were staying.

He stood for a moment by the closed door, trying to understand what the hell these people had up their sleeve. Brody was on McCann’s side. With the exception of Cav and Dunbar, the rest of his crew appeared to be dead. He remembered what Amy had heard. Was this the end of their operation and they were cleaning house?

He looked at his watch. It was 1400 hours. Two o’clock.

There was only one place left on the sub to check. McCann ran toward the control room.