Chapter 9
Up on the bridge of the icebreaker, the dull tension of waiting for something to happen was shattered when a door flew open and the leader of the salvage team burst in. His group had strung the braided metal cables below the surface.
He raced over to Li, breathless and carrying a printed image. “Excuse the interruption, Admiral,” he began, “but I have something you should see.”
Li took the photo. It was grainy and dark; anything but impressive. “What am I supposed to see here?”
“It’s an American submersible,” the man said. “One of the ROVs hit it while checking the cables. It’s operating below the net.”
Li’s eyes widened. “Are you certain?”
“We have video,” the man said, stepping to a console. Switching it on without waiting for permission, he brought up the navigation screen from the ROV in question.
At first all anyone could see was a trail of bubbles and occasional specks of sediment as the machine sped through the dark water. Then, as it turned, Li saw the target: a cigar-shaped machine. It was compact and sleek, all the things the construction ROVs weren’t.
“Are we sure it’s an American craft?”
“Who else could it be?” the salvage specialist said.
It could have been Russian or Norwegian perhaps. But one look at the sleek lines, the style over substance, and Li agreed there was little chance of it being owned by any nation other than the United States.
Gushan and the icebreaker’s captain joined the conversation.
“Some of their nuclear submarines carry teams of commandos and submersibles to deploy them,” the captain said.
“You’re referring to their Navy’s SEAL teams,” Li said. “They could cause us great trouble out here on the ice.” He turned to Gushan. “You will deal with them if they appear.”
Gushan wasn’t concerned. “If I have to,” he said.
Like any combat specialist he believed he and his men were the best. Part of him longed to prove it, and testing them against America’s famed warriors would give him just that chance.
But as he studied the American craft, he didn’t think it was carrying SEALs or commandos of any other type.
For one thing, it was too small. It couldn’t possibly hold more than two men.
“How many ROVs have been deployed?” Li asked.
“Two.”
“Give them orders to track the American sub. Ram it once they get in range,” he ordered. “Hit it repeatedly until it cracks open and sinks to the bottom.”
The ROVs operated on an artificial intelligence system. They didn’t require connected cables like a traditional submersible robot. Once an order was given, it would be followed until achieved or new orders were received.
The admiral felt a surge of adrenaline as he gave the order.
Despite his rank, his combat experience was mostly limited to training and war games.
He found the wave of energy to be a rush, but also accompanied by anxiety.
He looked at Gushan for confirmation. He hated himself for feeling this slight weakness, but this was the commando’s field of expertise.
Gushan nodded calmly. “They must not report what they have found. Sink them before they get the chance.”