northwest pacific During the F-14’s refueling with the A-6 tanker it had been up to Pacino to guide Shearson’s probe into the refueling hose receiver. He had called out instructions, as Shearson had taught him, until Shearson, blind, was able to put the probe into the receiver. It was almost comically sexual, but Pacino was too preoccupied to comment on it.

After refueling they flew on into the darkness high above the dense clouds, the cockpit bathed in starlight.

Pacino stared out of the canopy at nature’s beauty.

Closer to the ground, the problems were more real. As if proving Pacino correct, Shearson’s voice clicked into the intercom.

“Admiral, bad news. The tropical storm has turned north. By the time we’re on approach to the Reagan it’ll be only a few hundred miles away. They’re thinking of upgrading it to a typhoon. Fairbanks weather is showing some heavy stuff, they’re recommending we turn back.

There’s nowhere to divert to if we go much farther.

Admiral?”

“Yes, Lieutenant?”

“Did you copy that?”

“Yeah. Lieutenant, they’re holding dinner for us aboard the Reagan. I think we should show up.”

“Sir, you realize that if we can’t set down on the Reagan, we’re going to have to ditch the plane. We ditch in calm weather, it’s a swim date at Club Med. We ditch in the dark, it’s only fifty-fifty that we’ll get picked up until the next morning. A night in the water means it’s us against Jaws and his brethren. We ditch in a typhoon, you might as well break out your survival pistol and eat a bullet. The chances of survival are zero point zero. You copy that, sir?”

“Yes, Brad. For what it’s worth, I’ve spent more time in a life raft waiting for a chopper than some folks have spent in the Navy.”

“Well, sir, if we lose this airplane you’ll have to stand with me at the board of inquiry. And if we lose ourselves you’ll be standing with me at the pearly gates. If you can handle that, I’ll put us on the deck of the Reagan or as close to it as anyone can get.” Far below them, lightning flashed in a cloud, momentarily illuminating the world below.

PIER 23

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, YOKOSUKA, JAPAN

Comdr. Toshumi Tanaka climbed the ladder two rungs at a time to the surface control space. He climbed the final steps to the surface control space, the light from the sun blinding after being below in the belly of the submarine.

The crew in the surface control space greeted him but Tanaka barely heard. He looked out over the lip of the fin and saw that out in the deep channel the manned Destiny II-class submarines. Soaring Cyclone, Winter Dragon, Perfect Voice and Godlike Snowfall were already underway, but each of them holding in the waters of the deep channel. On the starboard side of the Soaring Cyclone tugs were maneuvering the Destiny I’ll-class ship Ring of Fire in close in preparation to being lashed to the manned submarine. The Destiny IIs would be tasked with towing out the unmanned submarines into unrestricted waters; the Three class did not have the capability to navigate near the shore. Tanaka shook his head, the flaws of the Three class so obvious yet so apparently hidden from the high command. Out in the channel Soaring Cyclone and Ring of Fire were now tied together and began to make their way slowly down the channel to the sea. Next the Winter Dragon took on the Circle of Death, the Perfect Voice was tied up with the Sphere of Doom, and Godlike Snowfall was saddled with the Cycle of Fear. Tanaka’s Winged Serpent was next. He turned to the deck officer. Lieutenant Commander Kami, and snapped his fingers for the electronic chart, a notesheet computer that was a halfmeter by thirty centimeters, large enough to display all of Tokyo Bay in large scale. The ship’s position, pulled down from the Galaxy orbiting overhead, was flashing next to the projection of Yokosuka pier 23. Tanaka studied the track out to the channel and from there to the sea. A flash of his fingers on a software button on the display created a window in the chart picture, the window showing wind velocity, tide direction, soundings through the channel, current data and the weather forecast. All but the last were routine. Tanaka stared at the weather prediction, and stroked the key marked more, the subsequent pages of the weather forecast displayed on the screen.