Final Option (Oregon Files 14)

“We’ll drop you off at the nearest city with an airport and put you on a plane.”

“What should I tell the Navy?”

“The truth. But they might not believe you.”

“When I bring them back here, they will. I never thought—”

Juan put up his hand to interrupt him. It was the vibration in his feet that he noticed first. Then a rhythmic beat against the steel hull became audible. If they had been underwater, he would have thought it was the sound of a destroyer’s screws as it approached to depth-charge the U-boat.

But to Juan’s mind, the reality sounded just as ominous.

Linc looked upward, as if he were peering at the sky through the ceiling of the U-boat, and said, “The helicopter is back.”

45

The Agusta had been flying the pattern set by Farouk, who was now in the front seat next to the pilot, and Tate had grown bored. They’d been at this all day, and he was getting sick of staring down at the featureless green expanse of trees. Ballard was dozing opposite him, and Li was checking the crate of C-4 plastique he’d loaded onto the helicopter, twelve bundles in all. They’d been fitted with time detonators, and he was adjusting the settings. Half a minute would give them time to get free of the explosion.

He sighed in irritation, but he sat up when Farouk spoke.

“Go back,” he said to the pilot.

“Did you see something?” Tate asked.

“A long cigar shape. It could be a log, but it seems particularly large.”

The helicopter swung around and retraced their path.

A few seconds later, Farouk raised his fists in triumph.

“That’s it!” He held up the laptop. Sure enough, Tate could make out the distinct outline of a U-boat.

Farouk guided the pilot until they were hovering.

“We’re right over it.”

Tate leaned out the open door, but he could see nothing unusual. The canopy of trees completely shielded the ground from view.

“Where can we land?” he asked the pilot.

“I haven’t seen a clearing for miles,” the pilot replied, “at least none big enough for the chopper.”

“We’ll have to get a boat and come back upriver,” Ballard said. “We can hike in and plant the explosives.”

“No,” Tate said. “That’ll take too long. Li, can we drop those bricks without them blowing on impact?”

Li nodded. “The C-4 is very stable. And I’ve installed the detonators so that they won’t be dislodged when they hit the ground.”

“You’ve got enough bricks to completely destroy the U-boat?”

“More than enough. Half that number should be plenty.”

“Then we’ll drop them from here,” Tate said. “After the explosions, we’ll make another pass, and Farouk can take a look at the aftermath. If anything is left, we’ll do it again.”

Li rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Sounds good to me. I’ve been waiting all day for this.”

With Farouk’s help, Li set the timers on the bricks and dropped them into the trees. When the sixth one was away, the pilot wheeled the helicopter around and raced away at top speed.

Tate looked back out the door while Li counted down.