The 34th Degree

125

The Nausicaa was emerging from the collapsing tunnel and into broad daylight when Myers noticed Franz wasn’t firing the guns anymore. He turned to discover that Franz was nowhere in sight, only the dark, drenched figure of Andros pointing a Schmeisser at him.

Andros said, “You have new orders, Kapitanleutnant. You are to proceed on your present course and present speed, but you won’t take her down until I say so.”

“But we are vulnerable to aircraft,” Myers protested.

Andros raised the Schmeisser to Myers’s head. “Right now you are vulnerable to many things. Where’s von Berg?”

“My quarters.”

“With Aphrodite?”

“Yes.”

“How many are in the conning tower below us?”

“A helmsman and torpedo officer.”

“And in the control room on the level below?”

“Four technicians,” Myers replied. “The diving officer, a helmsman, and two planesmen.”

“So six crew members stand between me and von Berg,” said Andros, calculating the captain’s quarters to be the first compartment forward from the control room. “And the Flammenschwert device. Where is it?”

Myers didn’t respond.

Andros slid back the bolt of his Schmeisser, letting the loud click speak for itself. “I didn’t hear you.”

“It’s in the forward torpedo room,” Myers replied. “You’ll never make it that far. There are thirty-five crew members below and only one fore-and-aft passageway.”

“Let me worry about that. Now call your communications officer in the radio room.”

Myers was about to speak into the intercom when Andros buried the barrel of the Schmeisser in the back of his neck.

“Not into the public-address system,” Andros warned. “This is a private conversation. I know one of these pipes here connects you directly to the radio room, so choose the right one.”

Myers nodded and spoke into his piping to the radio room. “Funkgefreiter Voigt.”

“At your orders, Kapitanleutnant.”

Myers looked up for further instructions.

“Tell Voigt to tune to the following frequency.” Andros gave him the frequency, and Myers repeated it to the dumbfounded telegraphist.

There was a lengthy pause on the other end. “But that’s an Allied frequency, sir!”

“That’s an order,” Myers barked.

Andros told Myers, “And when he’s through sending the following message, you’ll order everybody to abandon ship.”