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49
THE SOUTH ATLANTIC
Tate hoped that he had destroyed the Bremen before Juan could get anything useful from it. But he couldn’t be sure. Now, he couldn’t count on the sonic disruptor to disable the Oregon again. Juan’s presence did, however, confirm that Jiménez had provided information about how to find the U-boat. Tate was sick of making mistakes, like not searching for the Bremen earlier to blow it up. He wasn’t going to underestimate his opponent again.
Unlikely as it was that Juan and his crew could quickly develop a countermeasure for the weapon, even a small chance was still a chance. It was also possible that Juan could build his own version, but that would take weeks or months. Not that it mattered. The Portland was shielded from sonic effects.
Since he couldn’t depend on his superweapon anymore, he had a backup plan for sinking the Oregon. He’d flown straight back to Montevideo with the others and ordered the Portland to set sail immediately. They had a rendezvous to keep.
“They’re right on time,” Tate said as he watched the one-hundred-ninety-foot missile boat on the main view screen of the Portland’s op center.
“A fine craft,” Pavel Durchenko said. The gruff Russian executive officer nodded appreciatively at the screen. “It has been too long since I had a ship of my own.”
“Just like I promised you,” Tate said, before turning to Farouk. “Prepare to engage the sonic disruptor.”
“Aye, Commander,” Farouk said. “Ready in all respects.”
The Israeli-made Reshef-class warship was on a transatlantic crossing to its new owner, the Chilean Navy. The boat, renamed the Abtao after a famous sea battle, had originally been made for the South Africans and served in their Navy for over forty years. Chile had bought the heavily modified vessel to join the three others like it in its fleet.
For such a small ship, the Abtao carried an imposing array of armaments. She could fire up to four Harpoon anti-ship missiles, which were supplemented by two 76mm guns and twin 20mm Oerlikon cannons. For the delivery, though, she was unarmed. The ammunition was to be loaded once she arrived in Valparaiso.
Normally, the ship required a crew of forty-five, but the South Africans had installed automated controls that would let her be run by just twelve people for short periods of time.
Perfect for Tate’s purposes.
When she passed within a mile of the Portland, Tate said, “Fire the disruptor. Full power.”
“Firing,” Farouk responded.
For a number of seconds, nothing seemed to happen. Then the Abtao’s engines abruptly shut down, and her bow plowed into the water. A minute later, the first of the crew emerged on deck. They ran around, confused and shrieking. One by one, twelve men tossed themselves into the ocean until no one was left on board.
“Is that all of them?” Tate asked.
Durchenko nodded. “Twelve were on the manifest.”
“Good. Nice to see that they even stopped the ship for us. Take your crew over and bring her alongside the Portland.”
“Aye, Commander,” Durchenko said and left the op center.
While he waited for Durchenko to get over there, Tate walked over to Ballard and put his arm around her. “What did Admiral Yu say? Good news, I hope.”
She smiled weakly at him before reading from her tablet. “He expects to be in Tierra del Fuego in four days.”
“A day after the next step in our operation. N
ot bad.”
Ballard lowered her voice. “You don’t seem concerned about our setbacks.”
“This was never going to go exactly the way I wanted,” Tate said. “Although you worked closely with Langston Overholt, Juan’s mentor, you never had much contact with Juan himself. He’s a formidable guy.”
“I never thought he’d be able to find the Kansas City, let alone the Bremen. Does he have a sixth sense?”
“He’s not a superhero. He’s a man, just like me. But he does have a major weakness, as you’ve seen. He can’t stand to see a friend or an innocent person suffer. That’s why we’re undertaking this operation. I had a feeling I’d need a fallback, and I was right yet again. Don’t worry. This will all work out.”
Ballard’s smile brightened. “I told Admiral Yu to surface for a radio message when he reaches the islands around Tierra del Fuego. He sounded eager to see the ship that killed his brother.”
“If I decide to be a nice guy, I may let him make the kill shot.” When she looked at him dubiously, he added, “Just kidding. I want that pleasure all to myself. Admiral Yu will be there to herd him into my waiting arms.”
