again. He could feel the cold air rushing out of the air-conditioned spaces. He quickly assessed the scene. “All secure. Two dead unknowns. No weapons.”
Armstrong listened. When he heard “all clear” from the bridge he approached the steel door that led to the radio room and turned the handle gently. He felt resistance; then he felt the handle give way. He jumped back waiting for an explosion. Nothing happened and the door closed again. He tried the door again and the handle turned easily. He spoke softly into his microphone. “I’m going in. Lee, come in right behind me. I’m going right; you clear behind me. Roach, Davidson,” he said glancing at them, “come in straight behind us. Three, right; four, left. Ready?” They nodded. They’d practiced this maneuver a hundred times. Armstrong tried to ignore the pulsating heartbeat in his hands and his neck. He threw the door open and ran into the radio room, scanning its length in less than a second. He went down on one knee and held his handgun in front of him. He looked around the room, puzzled. No one was there. “Stay here!” He turned. “Coming out!” he yelled as he rushed to the bridge. There was a body handcuffed to the wheel of the ship and another slumped next to him, handcuffed to a navigation table. Both had been shot in the head. He lowered his handgun as the rest of the SEALs entered the bridge and saw what he saw.
“Where are the hijackers?” Armstrong asked loudly of no one in particular as he looked out the bridge windows at every part of the ship that was visible.
Armstrong pointed to a suspicious-looking device on the deck. “What the hell is that?” he asked Prager, the EOD tech who had augmented the platoon, who slung his weapon and knelt down to examine the device. Prager was a twin pin—a SEAL and an EOD tech. He set his laptop computer next to the device and began scanning through his data for something similar. The screen filled with images of bombs, triggers, and wiring diagrams as Prager scrolled down and selected images deftly.
Prager looked up with a puzzled look on his face. “Never seen anything like it. Might be able to disarm it.” He turned back to the device and said, “No obvious timer,no obvious access door, no way to tell what’s inside.” He felt it gingerly. “Arming switch is on the bottom. Final activation magnetic. If it’s C4, one of these would blow the whole bridge off the ship.”
Lieutenant Armstrong nodded grimly as he considered the options, growing impatient as he checked his watch. “Can you disarm it or not?”
“I’m not supposed to do this under field conditions. But it’s your call, Lieutenant.”
“Do it,” Armstrong ordered. “Everyone clear the area.”
“I’ll need to drill a small hole and use a probe.” Prager shrugged. “It’s the arming mechanism that matters. There just aren’t that many to choose from.” He looked at Armstrong, then at some of the modern arming devices listed on his CD-ROM. “Let me give it a try.”
“Nothing stupid,” Armstrong said. “No heroics…”
“No heroes here,” Prager said enthusiastically as he took out a small electric drill the size of a dentist’s instrument. Prager knew using the drill was the quickest way to disarm the bomb if all went well. If he miscalculated, it was also the fastest way to detonate it.
Armstrong went outside and told Lee, “We’ve got to check the rest of the ship. How many crew were we looking for?”
“Twenty-six,” Lee replied. “And maybe two Indonesians.”
“Get on the PA,” Armstrong said. “Announce that the U.S. Navy is here, and we’re going to be abandoning ship. Tell them we’re coming to find them, and if they can help us by yelling or any the hell other way, start now.” He looked around for BM2 Roach. “Start lowering the lifeboats. We’re going to need them all.” Armstrong turned to another SEAL. “Contact Golf November and tell them we’re aboard the ship and
Armstrong listened. When he heard “all clear” from the bridge he approached the steel door that led to the radio room and turned the handle gently. He felt resistance; then he felt the handle give way. He jumped back waiting for an explosion. Nothing happened and the door closed again. He tried the door again and the handle turned easily. He spoke softly into his microphone. “I’m going in. Lee, come in right behind me. I’m going right; you clear behind me. Roach, Davidson,” he said glancing at them, “come in straight behind us. Three, right; four, left. Ready?” They nodded. They’d practiced this maneuver a hundred times. Armstrong tried to ignore the pulsating heartbeat in his hands and his neck. He threw the door open and ran into the radio room, scanning its length in less than a second. He went down on one knee and held his handgun in front of him. He looked around the room, puzzled. No one was there. “Stay here!” He turned. “Coming out!” he yelled as he rushed to the bridge. There was a body handcuffed to the wheel of the ship and another slumped next to him, handcuffed to a navigation table. Both had been shot in the head. He lowered his handgun as the rest of the SEALs entered the bridge and saw what he saw.
“Where are the hijackers?” Armstrong asked loudly of no one in particular as he looked out the bridge windows at every part of the ship that was visible.
Armstrong pointed to a suspicious-looking device on the deck. “What the hell is that?” he asked Prager, the EOD tech who had augmented the platoon, who slung his weapon and knelt down to examine the device. Prager was a twin pin—a SEAL and an EOD tech. He set his laptop computer next to the device and began scanning through his data for something similar. The screen filled with images of bombs, triggers, and wiring diagrams as Prager scrolled down and selected images deftly.
Prager looked up with a puzzled look on his face. “Never seen anything like it. Might be able to disarm it.” He turned back to the device and said, “No obvious timer,no obvious access door, no way to tell what’s inside.” He felt it gingerly. “Arming switch is on the bottom. Final activation magnetic. If it’s C4, one of these would blow the whole bridge off the ship.”
Lieutenant Armstrong nodded grimly as he considered the options, growing impatient as he checked his watch. “Can you disarm it or not?”
“I’m not supposed to do this under field conditions. But it’s your call, Lieutenant.”
“Do it,” Armstrong ordered. “Everyone clear the area.”
“I’ll need to drill a small hole and use a probe.” Prager shrugged. “It’s the arming mechanism that matters. There just aren’t that many to choose from.” He looked at Armstrong, then at some of the modern arming devices listed on his CD-ROM. “Let me give it a try.”
“Nothing stupid,” Armstrong said. “No heroics…”
“No heroes here,” Prager said enthusiastically as he took out a small electric drill the size of a dentist’s instrument. Prager knew using the drill was the quickest way to disarm the bomb if all went well. If he miscalculated, it was also the fastest way to detonate it.
Armstrong went outside and told Lee, “We’ve got to check the rest of the ship. How many crew were we looking for?”
“Twenty-six,” Lee replied. “And maybe two Indonesians.”
“Get on the PA,” Armstrong said. “Announce that the U.S. Navy is here, and we’re going to be abandoning ship. Tell them we’re coming to find them, and if they can help us by yelling or any the hell other way, start now.” He looked around for BM2 Roach. “Start lowering the lifeboats. We’re going to need them all.” Armstrong turned to another SEAL. “Contact Golf November and tell them we’re aboard the ship and
Similar Books
