They entered the fjord.
* * *
—
Linc and Eddie found a stable perch at the top of the ridge and had an expansive view of the fjord’s entrance. From a prone position, they could see the opening of the gap leading to the other arm of the fjord, but from this angle they wouldn’t be able to see the Oregon until she emerged from the narrow canyon.
“Chairman, the Portland is coming into the fjord,” Eddie said into his molar mic as he watched the ship make a sharp turn in their direction.
“Acknowledged,” Juan said. “I’m in position. Let me know when to begin my run.”
“Roger that.”
“What do you think are the chances that this will work?” Linc asked Eddie, the scope of the sniper rifle against his eye.
“I don’t know,” Eddie said. “Even with half an engine, the Oregon can build up some good speed. That’ll be a lot of force. As long as Tate can’t evade the hit, it might be enough to sink the Portland.”
“And if it isn’t?”
Eddie lowered his binoculars and looked at Linc. “Then the Portland will kill all of our friends, and all we’ll be able to do is watch.”
“You’re a fresh breath of optimism,” Linc said.
“You asked.”
“Next time, lie to me.”
Eddie turned back with his binoculars. The Portland was fully in the fjord now and approaching the opening. He calculated the ship’s speed and the distance to the point where it would be directly opposite the gap. To hit the Portland, Juan would have to start his charge before he could see his target. He had to lead it, just like a duck hunter, except in this case both the shot and the prey were eleven-thousand-ton ships.
“Chairman,” Eddie said. “The Portland is now in the center of the fjord, two hundred fifty yards from our side. At her current speed, she will be directly in front of you in forty-five seconds.”
“Roger that,” Juan said. “Beginning my run.”
Eddie put down the binoculars, but kept an eye on the Portland in case she changed course.
Quietly, he said, “Happy hunting, Juan.”
* * *
—
Murph and Hali had crowded into the Gator’s cupola with Eric, who had partially surfaced the submersible so they could see the Oregon one last time. They watched water shoot from behind the ship as she accelerated toward the gap.
“That still looks awfully narrow,” Hali said as the Oregon approached the glacier-carved canyon. “And it looks tighter the closer the ship gets.”
“The Chairman is the best ship driver I’ve ever seen,” said Eric, who was no slouch himself. “If anyone can get a ship that size through there, it’s him.”
“Isn’t it harder to keep the ship straight with only the right venturi tubes functional?” Murph asked.
“Max said he got the maneuvering thrusters working,” Eric said. “If the Chairman puts them at full power toward starboard, it should be enough to keep the Oregon on a direct path.”
As he said that, the bow of the Oregon shot into the gap.
“Come on, Chairman,” Eric said under his breath. “You’ve got this.”
Within seconds, the Oregon was swallowed by the fjord.
* * *