Chapter 31

Following a nap, Captain Fletcher was on back on the bridge. Viktor relieved James so James could rest for a few hours.

In the evening, a helicopter buzzed Rapunzel, then turned away.

“Probably a scout,” Egan said to Viktor, “sent by the North Koreans to check on us—to see if all is going as planned.”

“How far out are they, sir?” Philip asked.

“We’re showing a group of several ships about five klicks ahead,” Egan said. “We count one large ship and four smaller ones. Nalon Vet is positioning to the north of the group. She will act as a net if the North Koreans should get nervous and try to run.”

“What about our spirit?” Philip asked.

“We presume Besstrashny is astern. She won’t stray far from the action. We should be seeing the lights of the freighter Serra Angel soon. You men should get into position now.”

Philip’s smile had no warmth. “How ironic. The warrior angel carrying the devil’s cargo.” He motioned to Andrew, Simon, Valentine, and Kimo. “Time to go, lads.” The men left the bridge without a word being spoken.

James relayed Egan’s message: a Russian lookout had reported seeing Serra Angel’s lights. He ordered Rapunzel’s engines reduced to one-third. Sister Golden Hair followed suit. The next move was up to the North Koreans.

“Irina,” Egan said, “will you send a cryptic message to Nalon Vet? Tell them the North Koreans have been sighted.”

Irina was doing an excellent job of keeping Sister Golden Hair informed but unaware.

Irina updated Egan that she had received a message from Serra Angel. “They are waiting for a response code from Rapunzel,” she said. Irina then responded with the proper code.

A North Korean helicopter would deliver a team to preview Rapunzel’s cargo. It would be up to Viktor, posing as Captain Valcov, and James, posing as his X-O, to give the Koreans the grand tour. Once the Koreans were satisfied the missiles were indeed present and accounted for, Viktor and James would proceed to Serra Angel to repeat the process and to view the greenbacks.

Egan heard the thumping sound of a helicopter rotor as it approached Rapunzel. He ordered Rapunzel’s stern helicopter landing pad to be illuminated.

Valentine, who was positioned near the stern, reported the helicopter’s approach and touchdown. “Four bodies aboard, plus the pilot,” Valentine advised. “Each body packing an automatic weapon.”

Viktor and James met the four men as they ran from the chopper. One of the four was a Korean who spoke Russian. Putting brief formalities behind them, the party proceeded to the ship’s hold. A brief inspection of the missiles was all that was needed to satisfy the Koreans.

The group returned to the helicopter pad. It was time to spring the trap.

While the Koreans inspected the missiles, with Nalon Vet in position north of Serra Angel, Viktor ordered Sister Golden Hair to take position south of the action. The maneuver was supposedly at the request of Captain Valcov. Rapunzel was positioned east of Serra Angel, which left the west as the only possible escape route. The North Koreans could escape toward the shore, but they would not get far. Serra Angel was not going anywhere. She was too big, too slow, and only lightly armed. The smaller and faster patrol boats accompanying Serra Angel would be harder to corral.

The exchange took place along the remote coastline of China, several hundred miles south of Shanghai. Egan received a report Chinese destroyers Shenzhen and Harbin were active in Shanghai harbor. Still, the two ships did not indicate they were interested. There were no Chinese ships or aircraft in the immediate area. The nuclear spy submarine Jimmy Carter hunkered down into the mud at the Shanghai harbor entrance. Should Shenzhen or Harbin show an interest in the shindig to the south, then Jimmy Carter would ensure they did not join the party as uninvited guests.

One team member went ashore to scout the nearby jungle for Chinese army patrols as a further safety measure. Andrew Lawrence had drawn the assignment, one he relished. His instructions were to respond every fifteen minutes with a status check.

James and Viktor were ready to board the Korean helicopter for the flight to Serra Angel. Simon, Philip, and Kimo were in position with their sniper rifles trained on the aircraft and the Koreans. As soon as Viktor and James subdued the Koreans aboard Rapunzel, Nalon Vet would round up the Koreans aboard Serra Angel and those aboard the small patrol boats. Nalon Vet would fire a warning shot at Serra Angel. Immediately, Irina would radio the crew to ask for their surrender. Nalon Vet had two anti-ship missiles ready for Sister Golden Hair and two for the Besstrashny. Just as in an Old Western shootout, everyone had everyone else covered.

Egan gave the order. He heard a soft thud come from the general direction of Nalon Vet, then saw the ocean explode in a column of water near the bow of Serra Angel. The activity distracted the Koreans aboard Rapunzel. James and Viktor drew their weapons and subdued the bewildered Koreans.

The sting went as planned. Egan directed Irina to contact Sister Golden Hair, apprise the captain of the situation, and order him to hold his position or face the consequences.

Nalon Vet arrived on the scene. Several small boats, filled with Marines from the Nalon Vet, combed the waters. They were looking for those Koreans who had jumped ship and decided to take their chances with the sharks rather than be captured by the Marine Corps.

The last of the Koreans were rounded up, and then E-Team waited until the light of dawn to board Serra Angel. The Koreans were brought aboard Nalon Vet and jailed. Simon, Valentine, Kimo, James, and Philip traveled from Rapunzel by boat to Serra Angel.

In the meantime, two crafts loaded with Marines traveled from the Nalon Vet to Serra Angel to secure the ship and its cargo of counterfeit currency. Serra Angel would be towed to the Yokosuka Navy Base. The greenbacks would be turned over to the Treasury Department.

Besstrashny appeared, drifting nearby, her guns trained on everyone. Even though Irina was in contact with him, her captain was not committed. Besstrashny remained neutral for the moment.

“The Besstrashny should be flying the Swiss flag instead of the Ensign of St. Andrew,” Egan said to Viktor.

Viktor and Irina would return to Russia aboard Rapunzel, the ship now crewed by loyal officers and crew. Sister Golden Hair was given no choice but to follow; the Besstrashny would see to it. E-Team would return to the Nalon Vet. At some point, E-Team would be picked up by an Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and flown to Bon Homme Richard.

With a team of Treasury agents aboard, David Ray returned to the scene to watch over the abandoned cargo ship. Once a sea tug arrived, David Ray would escort Serra Angel and the sea tug back to Japan.

Whether the missile came from Viktor on Rapunzel, Captain Moore on Nalon Vet, or Besstrashny, no one would admit. Egan watched as the bow of Serra Angel rose skyward, hung motionless for a moment, and then slipped beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

“I’m concerned,” Egan said to James. “The last report we received from Timmy was over an hour ago.” Andrew had reported seeing a group of men, fifteen in number, in a small encampment about two hundred yards inland. He had surmised they were either smugglers or drug runners and had advised he would hold his position until further notice. E-Team would not leave the area without Andrew Lawrence.

It was 12:00 hours when Hurricane Fletcher found himself racing across the water, surveying the distant shoreline.

Their faces painted with foliage camouflage greasepaint, E-Team sat quietly, checking and rechecking their equipment.

Fletcher could not decide if the anxiety he felt for Timmy Lawrence’s safety was more significant than the anxiety he had felt before the Caspar mission. It unsettled him not to have a game plan. Unlike the elaborate ruse devised for the Caspar mission, this had to be played by ear.

The high-speed run from Nalon Vet to the beach objective took thirty minutes. As the boat neared the shore, Fletcher resolutely watched the looming shoreline, looking for anything unusual.

The boat ran up onto the deserted beach, and James gave the order to hide the craft in the undergrowth and fan out into the jungle. “When Timmy is located, everyone reconvenes on that location,” he told the team.

Not more than ten minutes had passed when Matthew Valentine reported sighting their objective. The rest of the men quickly joined him at his location.

Egan observed the activity from his vantage point near the clearing edge. He estimated there to be approximately fifteen men. Egan noted three dogs, two jeeps, a cargo truck, and a twin-engine airplane. Andrew was spotted sitting near the center of the clearing near a corrugated metal shed, his hands bound behind him. No one seemed to be paying much attention to him.

Lying prone on the jungle floor, Egan thought of his life over the past week. What is a fifty-year-old sea captain doing hiding in the bushes? He brushed a giant ant off of the back of his right hand and hoped he had not chosen to lie atop an ant nest.

“How’s it going, Hurricane?” Simon whispered into his Rascal.

“I’m covered in ants.”

“Lie still, Hurricane. A dog is heading toward you.”

Egan looked through the tall grass toward the encampment, spotted the dog, and said, “You mean the one dragging his handler towards me?”

An alert German Shepherd had sensed something and was guiding his handler directly toward Fletcher. He watched the dog work its way through the tall grass bordering the clearing, the dog’s ears erect as it moved purposefully toward him. “I have the man in my sight,” Fletcher whispered. “You take the dog, Simon.”

“Got him,” Simon confirmed. “You say when, sir.”

As the dog drew near, Egan held his breath, not daring to move. The Shepherd was now twenty paces away from him. Fletcher’s finger tightened on the trigger of his weapon; he knew even the slightest movement would be noticed by the dog. He resisted the temptation to brush away the ants that had found their way to his face.

The dog stopped in its tracks. Suddenly, a small animal darted from a spot just in front of the dog and disappeared into the jungle in James’s direction. The handler apparently realized the dog had picked up the animal’s scent. Pulling sharply on the leash and issuing a command in Chinese, he retreated back toward the clearing.

“Close call,” Egan whispered and frantically brushed off a small herd of ants from his face and neck. “I gotta get out of this ant hotel before these little guys decide it’s dinnertime.”

James was curious about the ants. “Those small ants or large ants?”

“Big ones.”

“Are they black or red?” James quizzed.

“Ah…hold on,” Egan replied. “Little ants, big ants, black ants, purple, I don’t know…you think I’m some kind of entomologist or something, James?”

Four minutes passed, then Simon whispered, “One of those mutts is on to me, now.” This one hurried through the tall grass, heading directly for him. “I’ve got the man, Hurricane,” he said. “The dog is yours.”

Egan did not respond. “You all right, Captain?” Simon asked.

“These goddamn ants are driving me nuts,” Egan said as he brushed at the back of his neck. “I’m with you, Simon.”

Egan disliked the thought of having to shoot an innocent animal. In this case, he had no choice. When the dog reached ten paces from Simon’s position, Egan squeezed the trigger. The dog and the handler dropped dead, almost in the same instant, without a sound. No one in the clearing noticed.

“Fall back,” ordered James Rayzon.

“Too late,” Kimo barked, “we’ve been spotted.”