The Cardinal of the Kremlin - Tom Clancy [264]
"How are things up there?" Bondarenko asked.
"My section chief is dead. I took this from him. Many people are hurt, and the rest are as terrified as I am."
"Stay with the sergeant," the Colonel told him. "Keep your head, Comrade Engineer, and we may yet live through this. Help's on the way."
"I hope the bastards hurry." Morozov helped the sergeant-who was even younger than the engineer-go to the far end of the corridor.
Bondarenko put half of his men at the stairwell and the other half by the elevators. It was quiet again. They could hear the jabbering of voices outside, but the shooting had died down for the moment.
"Down the ladder. Carefully," Clark said. "There's a cross-member at the bottom. You can stand on that."
Maria looked with disgust at the slimy wood, doing as she was told like a person in a dream. Her daughter followed. Clark went last, stepped around them, and got into the boat. He untied the ropes and moved the boat by hand underneath where the women were standing. It was a three-foot drop.
"One at a time. You first, Katryn, Step down slowly and I'll catch you." She did so, her knees wobbling with doubt and fear. Clark grabbed her ankle and pulled it toward him. She fell into the boat as elegantly as a sack of beans. Maria came next. He gave the same instructions, and she followed them, but Katryn tried to help, and in doing so moved the boat. Maria lost her grip and fell into the water with a scream.
"What is that?" someone called from the landside end of the pier.
Clark ignored it, grabbing the woman's splashing hands and pulling her aboard. She was gasping from the cold, but there wasn't much Clark could do about that. He heard the sound of running feet along the pier as he turned on the boat's electric motor and headed straight out.
"Stoi!" a voice called. It was a cop, Clark realized, it would have to be a damned cop. He turned to see the glimmer of a flashlight. It couldn't reach the boat, but it was fixed on the wake he'd left behind. Clark lifted his radio. "Uncle Joe, this is Willy. On the way. The sun is out!"
"They may have been spotted," the communications officer told Mancuso.
"Great." The Captain went forward. "Goodman, come right to zero-eight-five. Move her in toward the coast at ten knots."
"Conn, sonar, contact bearing two-nine-six. Diesel engine," Jones's voice announced. "Twin screws."
"Will be KGB patrol frigate-Grisha, probably," Ramius said. "Routine patrol."
Mancuso didn't say anything, but he pointed to the fire-control tracking party. They'd work up a position on the seaward target while Dallas moved into the coast at periscope depth, keeping her radio antenna up.
"Nine-seven-one, this is Velikiye Luki Center. Turn right to new course one-zero-four," the Russian voice told Colonel von Eich. The pilot squeezed the microphone trigger on his wheel.
"Say again, Luki. Over."
"Nine-seven-one, you are ordered to turn right to new heading one-zero-four and return to Moscow. Over."
"Ah, thank you, Luki, negative, we are proceeding on a heading of two-eight-six as per our flight plan. Over."
"Nine-seven-one, you are ordered to return to Moscow!" the controller insisted.
"Roger. Thank you. Out." Von Eich looked down to see that his autopilot was on the proper heading, then resumed his outside scanning for other aircraft.
"But you are not turning back," the Russian said over the intercom.
"No." Von Eich turned to look at the man. "We didn't leave anything behind that I know of." Well
"But they ordered you-"
"Son, I am in command of this aircraft, and my orders are to fly to Shannon," the pilot explained.
"But-" The Russian unsnapped his straps and started to stand up.
"Sit down!" the pilot ordered. "Nobody leaves my flight deck without my permission, mister! You are a guest on my airplane, and you'll goddamned well do what I say!" Damn, it was supposed to be easier than this! He gestured to the engineer, who toggled off another switch. That shut off all the cabin lights in the aircraft. The