Tropical Terror

10

Commander Blake Murdock snapped to attention along with Senior Chief Will Dobler and Lieutenant (j.g.) DeWitt and First Class Petty Officer Kenneth Ching when the admiral came into the compartment. It was just off the admiral’s quarters on the big aircraft carrier.

“At ease, gentlemen, be seated,” Rear Admiral Matthew Magruder said as he slid into his chair behind the conference table. He stared for a moment at the four men, still in their stained and dirty combat cammies, sweat-streaked and with camo smudges on their faces. His own countenance was set in stone neutrality. That and his undertaker slate-gray eyes had landed him the call sign of “Tombstone” in his first F- 14 squadron years ago. The name had stuck. Sometimes it was shortened to “Stoney,” an even more apt description of his usual expression. Men who had flown with him for years swore that once or twice they remembered seeing him smile. Most of his people on his current watch doubted that.

“Thanks for coming right up from your chopper. We have a problem here that we need some help on.” He hesitated. “This one is a bit different than anything you’ve seen before.”

“Different, sir?” Murdock asked.

“You men know about the Chinese invasion. They pulled their battle group into range of us by infiltrating operatives into our CINCPAC Fleet data correlation center headquarters at Pearl to falsify position and size reports on the Chinese battle group. Originally, it was to be a small contingent of Chinese warships on a goodwill mission.

“To brief you on the situation, we have an invasion of Kauai, with about five thousand troops ashore. They have little support, and we’ve eliminated most of their offshore resupply. We’re presently assembling a force to counter that invasion.

“You know about the invasion on Oahu. It is stalled against the mountains and will be mopped up soon.

“We have CINCPAC headquarters back in our control thanks to you and your men. The Maui kidnapping is over.

“Our planes and ships are chasing the Chinese battle fleet across the Pacific. So far we have damaged them severely. The carrier, which we didn’t even know they had, is limping along at half speed and will soon be sunk. We have cleared the skies of their planes and their fleet is scattered and running for its life.

“Now they spring a new demand. We’ve whipped them, and they won’t give up. Through top-secret diplomatic channels they have given our State Department an ultimatum. They claim they have planted an activated nuclear bomb in the Pearl Harbor area.”

“The bastards,” Senior Chief Dobler said.

“True. They have given us a list of conditions we must meet or they will explode the bomb. They say it’s in the one-hundred-megaton class which would destroy all of Honolulu and Pearl and half the island.

“Among other things, they demand that we surrender to Chinese forces on Hawaii, that we stop chasing their ships on the high seas, and that we deed the island of Kuai to China.”

“Could they have smuggled a bomb into the base during all of the warfare activity and jitters?” Wade asked.

“Our security people at Pearl say it is highly likely that a bomb could have slipped through. Security was rather lax for two days right after the missile hit.”

“Their demands are laughable,” Wade said. “Except for the fact that they just might be crazy enough to plant a bomb on Pearl. Is there a chance that it’s a bluff?”

“Our people in Washington and here don’t think so,” the admiral said. “This threat about the nuke is ultimate top secret. We don’t want any word leaking. The fewer people that know about this threat the better. We don’t want any panic in the streets of Pearl City or Honolulu.

“I understand that our diplomats have turned over a response from our top military directly to China that if there is a nuclear explosion on Hawaii, the U.S. will at once retaliate with nuclear weapons on their three nuclear production facilities, and the ten largest Chinese cities, plunging their nation into the Dark Ages.”

“All we have to do is find the bomb and defuse it before they set it off,” DeWitt said.

“Any idea where it could be on Pearl?” Wade asked. “Did it come in by ship, or is it in a suitcase? No, they don’t have any weapon small enough yet for a suitcase.”

“Wouldn’t even need a ship,” Ching said. “They could drive it right into Camp Catlin Naval Reservation adjacent to Pearl. Any delivery truck could haul a bomb in. Leave the truck or camouflage the bomb in a wooden box and drive away.”

“They want us on the job to help find the bomb?” Wade asked.

“Right. CINCPAC has asked for you and the two top nuclear-deactivating men that I have to come to Pearl as quickly as possible. He thought you might have some additional equipment or gear here that you would need. He wants all of you on-site right now. We’re attaching them to your platoon. You’ll fly out of here as soon as we can get some clean cammies for you, a good meal, and another briefing.”

“Sir, any machine we can use to sniff out this package?” DeWitt asked.

“Not unless the bomb is leaking radiation, which we hope it isn’t.”

“Do they still have those prisoners from the CINCPAC takeover?” Murdock asked.

“I’m sure they do.”

“Might be a place to start. Questioning them. We must have something to start with. Anything. We can’t fine-tooth-comb five or six hundred acres, hundreds of buildings, and all of the ships in Pearl.”

“They lay out any kind of a schedule or deadline?” DeWitt asked.

The admiral scowled. “Damn them, they did. Tomorrow at noon we have to broadcast a message that we will receive a delegation from the Chinese battle group. Also, they say that all military operations against Chinese forces on land, sea, and air must cease immediately. That was about two hours ago.”

“Have you shut down your chase?”

“Partially.”

“What’s the highest-ranking Chinese we captured at Pearl?”

“One of them claims he’s a colonel in the Chinese Marines.”

“I didn’t know that China had any Marines.”

“Over five thousand from what this colonel says.” Admiral Magruder flipped a pencil onto his desk. “That’s it. We have your Sea Knight serviced and ready to go.”

“Let’s go now,” Murdock said. “No sense in keeping the Chinese waiting. We’ll get a better feel of it when we get on-site.”

“Good hunting,” Admiral Magruder said.

“Oh, Admiral. Work out some way to stall them on that 1200 deadline tomorrow. Not a chance we can find the thing by then. Also, it’s portable, so they may be moving the nuclear device around right under our noses.”

“That’s a Roger, Commander. I’ll tell Admiral Bennington that you’re on your way.”

The fifteen SEALs and the two nuclear technicians deplaned at Hickam Field, next door to Pearl Harbor, looking much better. They had washed up as best they could, changed into clean cammies, and stowed their firepower.

A Humvee and Commander Johnson met them at the chopper. He explained the four planners were to report to CINCPAC GHQ at once. The rest of the platoon would be taken to the quarters on Pearl they had used before.

“Everyone is on this one, including a team from NEST that is flying in from Guam,” Johnson said. “I think this whole bomb scare is a bluff, but it has to be checked out.”

“How the hell do you inspect every square foot of land and building in Pearl in twelve hours?” DeWitt asked.

Ten minutes later, the same four SEALs who had talked with Admiral “Tombstone” Magruder on the carrier stood at attention in front of Vice Admiral Bennington.

“Be seated, men,” the admiral said. There were six others in the room, half military, half in civilian clothes. “No need for introductions, we’re all here to get a job done. So far we’ve decided on several courses of action. Every ship that has docked during the past week is in the process of a minute inspection of all spaces for any large heavy object that could be a somewhat crude Chinese nuclear device.”

“What about Hickam?” Murdock asked. “Close counts in nuclear weapons and this device must be small enough to be hauled by a modest-sized truck. Security is not as high at Hickam as it is here.”

The admiral nodded at a three-striper. “Get on it. Tell them we’ll send search parties to help if they need us.”

“Sir,” Murdock said, and waited.

“Commander Murdock.”

“Do we still have the POW Chinese Marine colonel?”

“Indeed. He’s been in questioning for the past two hours. He tells us nothing and spouts Chinese propaganda he’s been spoon-fed since he was in diapers.”

“Sir, he looks like our only handle on the situation. He must know something. I’d like to put him one on one with one of my SEALs, Kenneth Ching, who is Chinese.”

Admiral Bennington twirled a lead pencil in his fingers for a moment, then eased it down on the desk. His face, a bit long, now showed signs of strain. He rubbed his eyes with his left hand. “Yes, give it a try. Can’t hurt.”

Murdock nodded at Dobler and Ching, who left the room with Commander Johnson, their liaison.

“Anything more, Commander?” the admiral asked, looking at Murdock.

“Yes, sir. Anyone here from NEST?” He referred to the Nuclear Energy Search Team.

“I am, minding the local store,” a civilian in light blue coveralls at the back of the room said. “Our five-man team is flying in from Guam.”

“Do you have a local center here with equipment?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You have leaded sheets and components to completely shield a leaking nuclear device?”

“Yes, sir. Bottle it up tight for as long as you want.”

“Wouldn’t that shielding work in reverse as well? Wouldn’t it prevent any radio signals from penetrating the lead shielding?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then I suggest that you have such material loaded on a truck and ready for deployment.”

The admiral nodded. “So when we find the device, we cloak it in a lead blanket and no firing sequence of signals could get through to activate the bomb. Yes. Get on that, Casemore.”

The civilian stood and hurried out of the room.

“Commander, to bring you up to date, a thorough and systematic search of all ships, aircraft buildings, and grounds is now under way. We have over three thousand officers and men scouring the base. It’s been the opinion in this room that if they were clever enough to slip such a weapon on-base, they would have an ingenious method for concealing it. This whole threat may be a hoax, but it is the kind of problem that we must take seriously. The lives of more than a million people are riding on our decisions, our actions, and our ability to find the device.”

DeWitt attracted the admiral’s attention. He pointed at DeWitt.

“Sir, is there a holding area on-base for damaged or leaking nuclear devices?”

A voice came from the side. “I can answer that. Yes, we do have such a facility. A week ago all but four devices were transshipped to another base where the items are being deactivated and disposed of. The four remaining items have been on-site for a little over two months, and we know that none was made by the Chinese. We believe we’re clear in that area.”

The phone on the desk buzzed three times. Admiral Bennington picked it up. He said hello and lifted his brows, then pushed a button on the phone and the speaker came on.

“Admiral Bennington, General Kerstan here. We’re on your suggestion like a herd of wild grasshoppers at Hickam Field. Our people are furious about the Chinese attack and our losses. We won’t let a stone get left in place over here hunting that damn bomb.”

“Thanks, Kurt. I hope you get it. If you do, yell at us and we’ll send over enough lead shielding to keep any detonation signal from getting to it.”

The admiral hung up.

The talk went on for another hour. Murdock began to shift in his chair. The admiral stood up. Every man in the room shot to his feet.

“We’re repeating ourselves, gentlemen. We’ll meet here again at 1800 hours. Let’s hope we have some news, or some new ideas, by then. That will be all.”

The men filed out of the room.

Murdock and DeWitt stopped at the second of three desks outside the admiral’s office, and asked where the Chinese colonel was being questioned.

The chief looked at them questioningly for a moment. “Oh, you just came from the admiral’s office?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a restricted area. I’ll get you badges and a guide. It’s not far away.”

Five minutes later they met Dobler in an underground facility with a one-way mirror showing another room. Ching sat on one side of a bare wooden table, and a small, crew-cut Chinese man sat across from him.

Dobler turned down the loudspeaker.

“Nothing so far,” Dobler said. “They’re speaking Mandarin, so I don’t have a clue. My guess, just a warm-up chat.” Two video cameras recorded the scene from different angles.

Murdock turned on the speaker. Ching had switched to English.

“No, Zhang, you are the one who doesn’t understand. The others were gentle with you; they were polite and civil. I am through with all three. From now on you will answer my questions truthfully, or you will die.”

The Chinese colonel smiled. “It is easy for you to say, but you have no weapon. You are being recorded on videotape. I think you will not harm me.”

“I am a U.S. Navy SEAL. A SEAL never is without a weapon.” Ching reached to his left ankle and pulled up a.32-caliber automatic. The Chinese only smiled wider.

“I am not afraid of weapons.”

“First I will shoot you in the shoulder, break the shoulder bones, and ruin the rotator cuff. It’s more painful than you can imagine. I have the record in my outfit. Twenty-eight shots into a terrorist before he died. They said it was from bleeding to death.

“Now, let’s start over from the beginning. Your name?”

“Colonel Zhang Ding-fa.”

“You are a member of the Chinese Marines?”

“Yes, a full colonel.”

“You and six men in your group came to Hawaii as tourists?”

“Yes. It was simple getting in.”

“You know about the threat to set off a nuclear device in Pearl Harbor?”

“Only what you have told me.”

“Untrue. You were one of the prime planners of this invasion. Your true rank is that of vice admiral, commander of the Chinese North Sea Fleet.”

“That is not true.”

“You were the only ranking Naval officer who spoke good enough English, so you were drafted for the role to infiltrate and subvert the communications center and downgrade the size of the ‘goodwill’ fleet coming to Hawaii.”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“Then you are a vice admiral?”

“No.”

Ching shot the Chinese officer in the right shoulder.

The roar of the gunshot in the small room was like a dozen bombs going off at once. Ching couldn’t hear a thing. He watched Zhang. He had been thrown back against the chair by the force of the shot, but the force of the small round hadn’t toppled the chair. He screeched in pain, but he couldn’t hear himself.

“Two Navy SPs boiled into the viewing room outside the interrogation space.

“Heard a shot,” one of them said.

“Sound effect,” Murdock said. The SPs grunted, looked through the window at the men inside, and turned and left.

Gradually Ching sensed his hearing return. He waited until he could hear the prisoner moaning. He had slid the weapon back in his ankle holster soon after the shot.

Now he leaned toward Zhang. “Let’s try that question again. You are a vice admiral, correct?”

Zhang nodded. “Yes.”

“See how easy that was? Now we’re making progress. You knew about bringing a live nuclear weapon onto Hawaiian soil when you came, right?”

“Yes, I knew.” The prisoner gritted his teeth, evidently to stifle the pain between his words.

“Now, just where did those men who brought the nuclear device ashore hide it here on the Pearl Harbor Naval base?”

Ching watched him. Zhang looked up at Ching, started to say something. Then his eyes closed and he fell facedown on the table. Ching stared at the prisoner in surprise. Had he only fainted or was he dead?