Darke Mission (45 page)

“I understand, Kruglov,” the Admiral eventually replied. “We have a Udaloy class destroyer on manoeuvres in the Sea of Japan, probably about fifty miles from the port of Pusan in South Korea.”

“Thank you, Admiral. What are the capabilities of this ship?”

“It is the
Admiral Vinogradov,
Kruglov,” said Chirkov, with an intonation which implied that Kruglov should know the ship's capabilities. After an ignorant pause, Chirkov continued. “The
Vinogradov
is the Pacific Fleet's most advanced anti-submarine destroyer. It carries Silex and Moskit missiles, torpedoes, anti-submarine rocket launchers—”

“Enough Chirkov,” interrupted Kruglov. “Is the Baltic fleet not closer?”

“No. Most of the fleet are in port at Baltiysk. We have only some patrol boats and corvettes near the Korea Strait,” replied Chirkov.

“How fast is the
Vinogradov
, Admiral and what is its range?”

“At full bore, 35 knots. At half that speed its range would be around 10,000 nautical miles. At full blast, 4,000-6,000,” replied Chirkov with confidence.

“Thank you Admiral, you have been most helpful,” said Kruglov insincerely. Chirkov's information was music to his ears. “Please order the
Vinogradov's
captain to head immediately for the Korea Strait at full speed. He will receive further orders in due course. I will clear this with the Director of the SVR and the President himself within the hour. They will get the authorisation from the South Koreans and the Japanese to enter the Strait. Your co-operation will be noted Chirkov.” Before the Admiral could respond, Kruglov continued. “One final question. What is the range of the
Vinogradov's
anti-submarine missiles?”

“It carries two missile systems. The older one can launch Silex missiles with a range of up to 50km. The newer system, the SS-N-22 Moskit has an effective range of over 200km. This missile can travel at Mach 3. That would be approximately 50km a minute, giving the target very little time to respond.”

“Thank you again, Admiral,” replied Kruglov, hanging up as soon as the ‘l' had left his lips.

Igor Kruglov was formulating his plan on the run. Not that his body was moving that fast, but his mind was. If Chirkov's information was accurate, and he had no reason to doubt it, then the
Admiral Vinogradov
was probably less than 55 nautical miles from the Korea Strait. At full speed the ship could make up that distance in an hour and a half. Menkov had said that agent Ivanovna's signal was first located at approximately 10nmi off the coast of Jejudo Island. The top speed submerged of the stolen Borei was twenty-nine knots, nearly 55km/hour, only a little less than the destroyer's. There was no hope of the
Vinogradov
catching the submarine quickly. At best, it could close the gap by 5-6nmi every hour, meaning that it would not be on top of the submarine for eight to ten hours, assuming it was on a direct path in the sub's wake.

Kruglov had a clear pecking order of events in his mind. His first choice was for the
Admiral Vinogradov
to catch up with the submarine, contact the thieves and force them to surrender. It would be very much preferable to return $1bn worth of nuclear vessel hardware to the navy than destroy it. If push came to shove then destroy it he must. Better $1bn of Russian submarine blown to smithereens at the bottom of Davy Jones's Locker than in the hands of the enemy, whoever that enemy was. That was his second choice. Indeed, mulled Kruglov, the identity of the thieves could be narrowed down in this process. Whether the theft of the submarine was aimed as a blow to North Korea or Russia was, at this moment, irrelevant. The enemies and ideological opposites of both nations overlapped. The United States, Japan, South Korea, maybe Britain or low probability China were the most likely sponsors of this audacious act. If either South Korea or Japan refused permission for the
Vinogradov
to pass through the Korea Strait then that would put them in the frame. If they did not, then the other three would rise up the suspect scale.

Igor Kruglov was satisfied with his work and his plan. As long as Anyata's signal kept emitting and was trackable by Menkov, the better the odds that he would hunt down the Borei and give his ambitious career prospects a mighty boost.

* * *

Tommy Fairclough and David McCoy had driven the Borei safely and swiftly away from Jejudo Island. They were now in the East China Sea and back on track for their ultimate destination in Scotland, the best part of five days away. All the navy SEALs on board seemed in a much better mood. The news on Billy Smith and Yang Dingbang was good. Ding was fine, his sore head was more a result of dehydration than any fever. Smith did have Dengue Fever but it had been caught early enough. He was under supervision at the same Seoul hospital that Ethel Rogers was in, unbeknown to both of them, and several floors apart. He would be released in a few days. The news on the stowaway was not as good. He died later that day despite all the best efforts of the SNUH staff. The SEALs were also happy that they were submerged, undetectable, had edible food, enough bottled water and the company of two fine looking women. Commander O'Neill had made it clear that Reynolds and Eagles were of the ‘look, don't touch' variety. The SEALs respected this, which was just as well. In a physical tussle the two NGA officers were eminently capable of inflicting some damage on even the most testosterone filled SEAL.

While Carolyn Reynolds was assisting acting chief engineer Barry Minchkin on a series of checks involving the status of the nuclear reactor on board and the Borei's missiles, Dannielle Eagles was operating the submarine's radar system. Normally, this would have been Ding's job backed up by Joe Franks. Ding was in Seoul and Joe found it difficult to sit in one position for too long without his broken leg aching a lot, so Dannielle suggested that he lie down for a few minutes and that she would monitor the screens for a while.

“Thanks, Dannielle,” said Joe. ‘I think I will, if you don't mind.”

“Sure, Joe, go ahead. I'll see you in a bit,” replied Dannielle. Now that the two NGA officers had been assimilated into the crew, were proving useful and had come bearing food and uncontaminated water, they were on first name terms with the rest of the team, bar Commander O'Neill and XO Harris.

“Anything to report, Officer Eagles?” asked Mark O'Neill in a friendly tone. Dannielle was monitoring the radar and digital sonar screens built into the Borei's advanced multi-purpose combat and command system. The high-speed integral computer system on board allowed her, amongst other capabilities, to determine whether there were any surface or submerged vessels in the vicinity or, indeed, outside of it.

“No Commander,” replied Dannielle. “Nothing to report.” This was a black lie, very different from the harmless white ones JJ may have told Cyrus on occasion, for the greater good. Officer Eagles' ‘black lie' was not aired for the greater good. It was intended to deceive O'Neill and, ultimately, help a Russian warship locate the Borei. At this instant, Dannielle Eagles knew nothing of Kruglov's plan. She inferred from both her knowledge of the SVR Deputy Director and the navigational geography of the situation that he would send either a submarine or a ship after them. She knew enough about the Russian navy's capabilities to realise that few submarines or ships were as fast as the Borei or were likely to be in the Korea Strait or East China Sea at precisely this moment in time. Her hope was that Kruglov had received her phone signal, located the Borei and would then devise a scheme to negotiate its surrender back into the hands of its original owner. Dannielle Eagles, though, was no dreamer. She had been fortunate enough to be one of the Illegals who had avoided detection and capture by the FBI a few years ago. She was illogically committed to mother Russia and she believed that Igor Kruglov was more of a father to her than her biological dad ever was. Dannielle felt that Kruglov loved her in a fatherly way but deep in her heart and soul she knew that he would sacrifice her in a flash if that sacrifice was perceived to be for the greater good of their homeland. This was Eagles' moral justification for her attempt to scupper Mark O'Neill's mission, perhaps lead the US navy SEALs to their capture or death. Indeed, her own death and that of Carolyn Reynolds, her BFF. It was a price she was prepared to pay.

* * *

Sergei Kargin was captain first rank of the
Admiral Vinogradov
and had been for three years. He was a career seaman in the Russian navy, having enlisted at eighteen. Now thirty-eight years old he was one of the youngest captains in the Pacific Fleet, certainly to be in command of such a state-of-the-art destroyer. A short man, of around 5ft 6in in height, stockily built with dark, cropped, greying brown hair, he offset his lack of inches with an oversized character and a general joie de vivre about most things. Captain Kargin was surprised to hear from Admiral Chirkov. The manoeuvres in the Sea of Japan had been planned months ahead and unless something really important was underway it was most unusual for his original orders to be rescinded or altered. Chirkov had stressed that Kargin's new orders were of the utmost importance and critical to Russia's national security. That was enough for Kargin. He ordered the helmsman to change the
Admiral Vinogradov's
course and to crank up the ship's four gas turbine engines to its maximum speed of thirty-five knots. The captain also ordered a complete weapons check, to ensure that if required, all missiles and submarine countermeasures were ready to go. The navy pilots on board were ordered to inspect their two Ka-27 helix helicopters currently housed in the ship's aircraft hangar. Sergei Kargin did not know if helicopter assistance was to be required but, as a kid he was a boy scout, so he was going to ‘be prepared'. Indeed, once Kargin had absorbed Chirkov's orders very few of the ship's crew of 300 were not doing something with a little more focus than they had been a few minutes previously.

Admiral Chirkov had not told Kargin the precise reason for the change of orders, nor whether there would be a target to intercept or destroy. The Admiral had emphasised the need for speed and he had assured Kargin that he would have no trouble entering or navigating the Korea Strait. Chirkov informed him that his orders would be updated in due course. They would be transmitted under the secure code, VOR, the Russian term for a thief involved in organised crime. The ship's crew was ready, the
Admiral Vinogradov
was in pursuit of its prey. The exact nature of that prey would be revealed soon enough and when it was it would be dead meat shortly thereafter. Captain first rank Sergei Kargin was in his element.

* * *

By the time the
Admiral Vinogradov
had entered the Korea Strait, Commander Mark O'Neill and the Borei submarine were close to crossing the Tropic of Cancer, heading for the Indian Ocean and beyond. Tommy Fairclough and David McCoy had to be alert due to the variety of submerged reefs in the East China Sea but the passive sonar system on board was very sensitive and they had steered the submarine safely so far. Their intended route from the Indian Ocean was Red Sea, Suez Canal, the Mediterranean, the Alboran Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and finally, Scotland and the River Clyde. Normally, a ship or submarine wanting to cross the Suez Canal would need permission from Egypt. That wasn't happening. In any event the near silent propulsion system of the Borei and its stealth modifications made detection of the submerged boat most unlikely. The Alboran Sea was narrow, lying at the far west of the Mediterranean, Spain on its north side, Morocco and Algeria on its south. The Strait of Gibraltar, also known as the Pillars of Hercules, is located at the west end of the Alboran Sea and connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean. The average depth of the Alboran Sea is over 1,400ft; this would present no difficulty for the Borei's navigational capability. The Strait of Gibraltar had a depth range of 950 to 3,000ft. Even the shallowest parts would not test Fairclough and McCoy's skills. At that point, in any event, they would be nearly at their destination and in friendly waters. Their focus would be acute.

Mark O'Neill was on the conn. He had been joined by Carolyn Reynolds who was studying the route planned by O'Neill and Harris.

“I believe your dad's Scottish?” asked O'Neill, always happy to see this particular NGA officer.

“He is, Glasgow born and bred,” replied Carolyn, guessing that the Commander had picked up this choice piece of information from Dannielle directly or some crew gossip.

“What does he do?” O'Neill continued, wishing to keep this chat going for as long as possible.

“That's a good question Commander,” responded Carolyn, still studying the route. “I thought he was a fund manager in London, but he turned up in Seoul, on some dodgy venture—”

“Why do you think it was dodgy Carolyn?” interrupted O'Neill and addressing Officer Reynolds for the first time by her Christian name.

“I didn't know he was going to be in Seoul, we hadn't been in touch for a long time. He turned up at the CIA offices with a serious looking woman and a hippy kid. He seemed to be best pals with the KLO, Jim Bradbury. It all seemed a bit surreal.” She felt comfortable in divulging this information to O'Neill. She had noticed he'd called her Carolyn. In different circumstances, who knew, maybe they'd go out on a date, he was OK looking and seemed quite smart judged the NGA woman. That was enough of that thought Carolyn, immediately snapping back into professional mode. O'Neill may be the Commander of this SEALs team and they were both on the same side, but no more intel on her dad and she had certainly no intention of divulging that JJ had been in the DPRK a day or two earlier.

“Commander,” said Carolyn. “This route, are you set on it?” she asked.

“We are,” he replied, slightly disappointed not to hear his first name so far in the conversation. “Why do you ask?”