tc.redstormrising-第129章

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〃Hammer；　this　is　Hatchet。〃
O'Malley　smiled　to　himself。　Unlike　American　procedures；　the　Brits　assigned　helicopter　names　associated　with　that　of　their　mother　ships。　HMS　Brazen's　helo　was　〃Hussy。〃　Battleaxe's　was　〃Hatchet。〃
〃Roger；　Hatchet。　Where　are　you？〃
〃Ten　miles　south　of　you。　We've　two　depth　charges　aboard。〃
O'Malley　switched　his　flying　lights　back　on。　〃Very　well；　stand　by。　Romeo；　the　way　I　want　to　work　this；　you　give　Hatchet　a　radar　steer　to　our　sonobuoy　and　we'll　use　our　sonar　for　the　cross…bearing　to　drop。　Do　you　concur；　over？〃
〃Roger；　concur；〃　Morris　answered。
〃Arm　the　fish；〃　O'Malley　told　his　copilot。
〃Why？〃
〃If　the　charges　miss；　you　can　bet　he'll　e　off　the　bottom　like　a　salmon　at　spawning　time。〃　O'Malley　brought　his　helo　around　and　spotted　the　blinking　anticollision　lights　of　the　British　Lynx　helicopter。　〃Hatchet；　tallyho；　I　have　you　now　at　my　nine　o'clock。　Please　hold　your　current　position　while　we　get　set。　Willy；　any　change　in　the　contact？〃
〃No；　sir。　This　dude's　playing　it　awful　cool；　sir。〃
You　poor　brave　bastard；　O'Malley　thought　to　himself。　The　smoke　float　atop　the　contact　was　about　burned　out。　He　dropped　another。　After　rechecking　his　tactical　display　he　moved　to　a　position　one　thousand　yards　east　of　the　contact；　hovered　fifty　feet　above　the　surface　and　deployed　the　dipping　sonar。
〃There　he　is；〃　the　petty　officer　reported。　〃Bearing　two…six…eight。〃
〃Hatchet；　Hammer。　We're　ready　for　your　VECTAC。　Take　your　steer　from　Romeo。〃
Control　of　the　British　helicopter's　course　came　now　from　Reuben　James's　radar；　which　steered　it　onto　a　precise　northerly　course。　O'Malley　watched　the　Lynx　approach；　checking　to　make　sure　the　wind　wasn't　driving　him　off　his　own　position。
〃You　will　drop　your　charges　one　at　a　time；　on　my　mark。　Stand　by；　Hatchet。〃
〃Standing　by。〃　The　British　pilot　armed　his　depth　charges　and　came　forward　at　ninety　knots。　O'Malley　lined　up　the　blinking　lights　with　the　smoke　float。
〃Charge　one…Mark…mark！　Charge　two…Mark…mark！　Get　clear！〃
The　Lynx　pilot　needed　no　encouragement。　Scarcely　had　the　second　depth　charge　fallen　free　when　the　helo　leaped　upward　and　raced　northeast。　Simultaneously；　O'Malley　yanked　up　on　his　collective　control　to　bring　his　delicate　sonar　transducer　out　of　the　water。
There　was　an　odd　flash　of　light　from　the　bottom；　then　another。　The　surface　of　the　sea　turned　to　foam　that　leaped　into　the　starry　sky。　O'Malley　closed　in　and　switched　on　his　landing　lights。　The　surface　was　churned　with　mud；　and　。　。　。　oil？　Just　like　in　the　movies；　he　thought；　and　dropped　another　sonobuoy　into　the　water。
The　bottom　reverberated　with　the　rumbles　from　the　depth　charges；　but　the　system　fiItered　them　out　and　locked　in　on　the　higher　frequency　sounds。　They　heard　escaping　air　and　rushing　water。　Someone　aboard　the　submarine　might　have　hit　the　ballast　controls　in　a　vain　attempt　to　blow　the　submarine　to　the　surface。　Then　there　was　something　else；　like　water　dropped　on　a　hot　plate。　It　was　a　moment　before　O'Malley　had　it　figured　out。
〃What's　that；　skipper？〃　Willy　asked　over　the　inter。　〃I　never　heard　that　before。〃
〃The　reactor　vessel's　ruptured。　You're　hearing　a　runaway　nuclear　reactor。〃　God；　what　a　mess　that'll　be　this　close　into　shore！　he　thought。　No　more　diving　on　the　Doria　for　a　few　years　。　。　。　O'Malley　switched　to　the　radio　circuit。　〃Hatchet；　this　is　Hammer。　I　copy　collapse　noises。　We　score　that　one　as　a　kill。　Do　you　claim　the　kill；　over？〃
〃Our　fox；　Hammer。　Thanks　for　the　steer　in。〃
O'Malley　laughed。　〃Roger　that；　Hatchet。　If　you　want　the　kill；　you　also　get　to　file　the　environmental…impact　statement。　Out。〃
Aboard　the　Lynx；　pilot　and　copilot　exchanged　a　look。　〃What　the　devil　is　that？〃
The　two　helicopters　returned　in　loose　formation　and　made　a　pass　over　both　the　British　and　American　frigates　to　celebrate　their　kill。　It　was　the　second　for　Battleaxe；　and　Reuben　James　would　now　paint　half　a　submarine　on　the　side　of　her　pilothouse。　The　ships　recovered　their　helicopters　and　turned　west　for　New　York。

MOSCOW；　R。S。F。S。R。
Mikhail　Sergetov　embraced　his　son　in　the　Russian　way；　with　passion　and　kisses　to　wele　him　back　from　the　front。　The　Politburo　member　took　his　son's　arm　and　led　him　to　his　chauffeured　Zil　for　the　drive　into　Moscow。
〃You've　been　hurt；　Vanya。〃
〃I　cut　my　hand　on　some　glass。〃　Ivan　shrugged　it　off。　His　father　offered　him　a　small　glass　of　vodka；　which　he　took。　〃I　haven't　had　a　drink　in　two　weeks。〃
〃Oh？〃
〃The　General　does　not　permit　it　in　his　mand　post；〃　Ivan　explained。
〃Is　he　as　good　an　officer　as　I　thought？〃
〃Perhaps　a　better　one。　I've　seen　him　in　mand　at　the　front。　He　is　a　truly　gifted　leader。〃
〃Then　why　haven't　we　conquered　Germany？〃
Ivan　Mikhailovich　Sergetov　had　grown　up　while　his　father　had　climbed　the　Party　ladder　nearly　to　the　top；　and　he　had　often　seen　him　switch　in　a　moment　from　affable　host　to　abrasive　Party　apparatchik。　This　was　the　first　time　it　had　ever　happened　to　him；　however。
〃NATO　was　far　readier　than　we　had　been　led　to　expect；　father。　They　were　waiting　for　us　to　e；　and　their　first　mission　of　the　war…before　we　had　even　crossed　the　border　in　force…came　as　a　rude　shock。〃　Ivan　explained　the　effects　of　Operation　Dreamland。
〃We　were　not　told　it　was　that　bad。　Are　you　sure？〃
〃I've　seen　some　of　the　bridges。　Those　same　aircraft　raided　a　dummy　mand　post　outside　Stendal。　The　bombs　were　falling　before　we　knew　they　were　there。　If　their　intelligence　had　been　better；　I　might　not　be　here。〃
〃So　it's　their　air　power？〃
〃That's　a　major　part　of　it。　I've　seen　their　ground…attack　fighters　cut　through　a　tank　column　like　a　harvester　through　a　wheatfield。　It's　horrible。〃
〃But　our　missiles？〃
〃Our　missile　troops　practice　once　or　twice　a　year；　firing　at　target　drones　that　plod　along　in　a　straight　line　up　where　everyone　can　see　them。　The　NATO　fighters　fly　between　the　trees。　If　the　antiaircraft　missiles　on　either　side　worked　as　well　as　their　makers　said；　every　airplane　in　the　world　would　have　been　shot　down　twice　over　by　now。　But　the　worst　thing　of　all　are　their　antitank　missiles…you　know；　just　like　ours；　and　these　missiles　work　all　too　well。〃　The　younger　man　gestured　with　his　hands。　〃Three　men　in　a　wheeled　vehicle。　One　driver；　one　loader；　one　gunner。　They　hide　behind　a　tree　at　a　turn　in　the　road　and　wait。　Our　column　es　into　view　and　they　fire　from　a　range　of…say　two　kilometers。　They're　trained　to　go　for　the　mand　tank…the　one　with　the　radio　antenna　up。　As　often　as　not　the　first　warning　we　have　is　when　the　first　weapon　hits。　They　fire　one　more　and　kill　another　tank；　then　race　away　before　we　can　call　down　artillery　fire。　Five　minutes　later；　from　another　spot；　it　happens　again。
〃It's　eating　us　up；〃　the　young　man　said；　echoing　the　words　of　his　mander。
〃You　say　we　are　losing？〃
〃No。　I　say　that　we　are　not　winning；〃　Ivan　said。　〃But　for　us　that　is　the　same　thing。〃　He　continued　with　the　message　from　his　mander　and　saw　his　father　settle　into　the　leather　seat　of　the　car。
〃I　knew　it。　I　warned　them；　Vanya。　The　fools！〃　Ivan　gestured　with　his　head　to　the　driver。　His　father　smiled　and　made　a　dismissive　gesture。　Vitaly　had　served　Sergetov　for　years。　His　daughter　was　now　a　doctor　because　of　the　Minister's　patronage；　his　son　safe　in　the　university　while　most　of　the　young　men　in　the　country　were　under　arms。　〃Oil　expenditures　are　twenty…five　percent　above　predictions。　That　is；　twenty…five　percent　above　my　ministerial　predictions。　They　are　forty　percent　above　the　Defense　Ministry's　predictions。　It　never　occurred　to　anyone　that　NATO　aircraft　would　be　able　to　find　our　hidden　petroleum　storage　facilities。　My　people　are　reevaluating　national　reserves　even　now。　I　am　to　receive　the　interim　report　this　afternoon　if　it's　ready　on　time。　Look　around；　Vanya。　See　for　yourself。〃
There　were　hardly　any　vehicles　in　view；　not　even　trucks。　Never　a　lively　city；　now　Moscow　was　grim　even　to　Russian　eyes。　People　hurried　along　half…empty　streets；　not　looking　around；　not　looking　up。　So　many　men　were　gone；　Ivan　realized。　So　many　of　them　would　never　return。　As　usual　his　father　read　his　thoughts。
〃How　bad　are　casualties？〃
〃Dreadful。　Far　over　estimates。　I　do　not　have　exact　numbers…my　posting　is　intelligence；　not　administration…but　losses　are　very　bad。〃
〃This　is　all　a　mistake；　Vanya；〃　the　Minister　said　quietly。　But　the　Party　is　always　right。　How　many　ye