BLACK COBRA (Aaron Quinn thriller series, No. 2) (12 page)

Detective Harness and his partner had waited a day and a half in Panama City, but by the time they figured out that they’d been given bad information by their own canal agent, the
Cayman Jewel
had already gone.

---

Jason waited until they were far from shore and then set the ship to autopilot. He joined Brandy and Aaron on the aft deck.

“Two years ago I promised you we’d marry,” he said to Brandy. “Well, today’s the day.”

Brandy was floored. “What?”

“I wanted to wait until we made it safely through the canal,” Jason said.

Brandy gave him a big hug and kiss. “Oh, Jason. I can hardly believe it!” She stopped and looked at him. “But we’re miles from
anywhere
. Who will marry us?”

“I’m a ship’s captain, right?” Jason said. “
I
will preside." He knew he wasn’t actually qualified to marry anyone, but he figured what Brandy didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

Aaron had heard about captains marrying people and he was pretty sure it wasn't legally binding back in the States. But he’d also heard of an unwritten law that said if you truly
think
you’ve been married, you have, and he had no reason to believe otherwise.

Jason looked at him. “Aaron will be our witness.”

“Awesome!” Aaron said, truly happy for them. “Do you have a ring?”

Jason reached into his pocket and produced a ring box with two rings and a slip of paper. He gave the rings to Aaron and faced Brandy, reading from the prepared notes.

“Do you, Brandy Fine, take me, Jason Beckham, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

Brandy paused for a moment; it all seemed rushed and
very
unromantic, not at all what she'd dreamt it would be. She searched Jason for the faintest sign of true love, but it wasn't there. She couldn't see herself in his eyes.

The idea of marriage suddenly felt trite: the vows, the rings, the kiss. More than ever before, she deeply regretted never having had the chance to marry Johnny Souther. In spite of his faults, he had loved her truly. And she had loved him.

She began to wonder what she'd been thinking, going on this wild adventure with a man who didn’t love her. And did she love Jason enough to be a good wife for him? Even if the feelings weren’t mutual? She wasn’t sure. But she had nowhere else to go, nothing else to live for. She may as well take a chance on being Mrs. Jason Beckham.

“I do,” she said at last, adding a brief, silent prayer.

Jason gestured for her to continue.

“What? Oh — um, do you, Jason Beckham, take me, Brandy Fine, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

She waited, smiling to herself, savoring the moment she’d yearned for her whole life.

“I do,” Jason said.

Brandy searched his eyes.
Do you mean it, Jason? Is there even a small part of you that means it?

Aaron handed them the rings and the newlyweds placed them on each other's fingers.

 I will pretend that he loves me
, Brandy thought.
Where is it written that I can’t pretend?

“I now pronounce us husband and wife,” Jason said.

“You may kiss the bride,” Aaron added.

Brandy giggled and closed her eyes again, and then she and Jason kissed.

~ PART II ~

Friday

Nine Days Later ...

San Diego Bay

Chapter 32

It was early afternoon on a Friday when at last Jason, Brandy, and Aaron left Mexican waters and crossed into the United States, about 3 miles offshore. The trip had taken longer than planned — with the delays in Costa Rica and Panama, and refueling issues in Cabo San Lucas — and they were running late.

They cruised a short way up the coast of California with Jason pointing out the San Diego headquarters of the U.S. Navy Seals and the Hotel Del Coronado which could be seen just east of their position, on the south side of Coronado Island.

Jason recalled a story about a famous long-time resident of the hotel: the ghost of Kate Morgan.

“I believe it was November 24th, 1892,” he explained, “A woman named Kate Morgan checked into room 304, now 3327, to meet her husband ... but he never arrived. Five days later she was found dead on the steps leading to the beach. They determined she had shot herself. However, it was reported that during the coroner's inquest, the bullet found in Kate’s head did not match that of her own gun — but that was never proven. And since that day, guests who have checked into room 3327 have frequently reported ghost sightings and other paranormal events.”

“Remind me not to stay in
that
room," Aaron said.

“Me, too,” Brandy said.

“Many famous people have stayed at the Hotel Del,” Jason said. "Thomas Edison and Marilyn Monroe to name just two.”

---

Jason prepared to sail through the entrance to San Diego Bay. "Would you like to take the helm?” he asked Aaron.

"Sure," Aaron said, surprised. Jason had never let him near the wheel this close to shore before. But he was confident he could handle it.

“Pay attention to the channel markers,” Jason said. “Red, right, returning."

 Aaron was familiar with the mnemonic and quickly spotted the buoys.

"The nuclear submarine base is on the west side of the channel, and North Island is to the east, to starboard,” Jason said. “These are restricted areas.”

“What happens if we enter a restricted area?” Brandy asked.

“They U.S. Navy will blow us out of the water,” Jason said. "No questions asked."

Brandy's eyes went wide at that thought.

“Duly noted,” Aaron said, and then he carefully guided the
Cayman Jewel
through the narrow channel entrance to San Diego Bay.

“That’s Naval Air Station North Island to starboard, on Coronado Island. To port is Naval Base Point Loma, one of America's largest and most tactically important nuclear submarine bases. Its facilities include the Fleet Antisubmarine Warfare Training Center, Fleet Combat Training Center Pacific, and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, among others.”

Aaron was impressed but disappointed that the awesome submarines were hidden from his view by some kind of huge floats.

“Follow the channel as it turns east,” Jason said. “After Harbor Island, roughly nine nautical miles east of here, we'll jog north again. We’re heading for the A-9 Cruiser Anchorage, for 'out of town' boats like ours. It'll be off your port bow, just south of the U.S. Coast Guard Station, across from the Maritime Museum of San Diego.”

Aaron nodded and took them the rest of the way in.

---

As they approached the anchorage, they passed the MMSD on their right.

Jason pointed out one of the submarines on exhibit at the museum. "That’s b-39, code name Cobra," he said. “That's why I’m here.”

Brandy looked down at the 284-foot hunk of black iron moored at the dock along side the museum. “We sailed all the way here for that?” she said. The submarine had obviously seen better days and looked very unsafe.

“She’s a former Soviet attack sub,” Jason said. “A Foxtrot-class hunter killer. She’s about to undergo a top to bottom restoration, and I’ve been hired as a technical consultant."

Aaron glanced down at the submarine, hoping to see it close up later. Then he concentrated on his job at the helm, carefully guiding the
Cayman Jewel
into the anchorage.

---

Jason tied up at a mooring buoy and joined the others on deck. “Talk about cutting it close,” he said, checking his watch. “It’s 3:45 p.m. I’m scheduled to meet Uri Ruden on board Cobra at 4:00.”

He looked at Aaron. “Captain Ruden is one of the Russian submariners who actually piloted Cobra during the Cold War back in the Seventies. Would you like to meet him and check out the sub?”

“Hell, yeah,” Aaron said.

Jason turned to Brandy. “The mooring office will be expecting us to contact them for an inspection and a permit. Their phone number is up on the chart table. We shouldn't be long.”

Brandy nodded. She was happy to stay behind and relax on deck while the men had their fun.

San Diego Waterfront

Chapter 33

Jason and Aaron lowered the
Cayman Jewel’s
dinghy, an 18-foot Zodiac inflatable outboard, into the water and motored across the basin to the MMSD. At 4 p.m. sharp, they walked up Cobra’s gangway to meet Uri Ruden.

“Welcome to San Diego,” Uri said, shaking Jason’s hand firmly. “I trust your trip was a pleasurable one.”

Jason hesitated then decided not to mention the pirate attack that almost ended their voyage. “It was a relaxing cruise, thank you. Uneventful.”

He gestured toward Aaron. "Uri, this is my good friend Aaron Quinn. Aaron, meet Captain Third Rank, Uri Ruden, a former Soviet submariner. Uri is here to help whip Cobra into shape.”

Aaron couldn't imagine what Jason meant by “whip Cobra into shape”, as if that were even possible. He stepped forward and shook Ruden’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, Captain,” he said.

“You as well, Mr. Quinn,” Uri said.

"Aaron’s a SCUBA instructor down on Cayman Brac," Jason said. “He’s an accomplished sailor himself and owns his own boat. He crewed for me on our trip up here — very capably, I might add.”

 Uri guessed Aaron to be about eighteen. “Captain Pankov’s daughter will be happy to know she won’t be the only person under twenty at the welcome party tonight,” he said.

Jason had heard about the party, but he hadn't planned on having Aaron hanging around while he and his fellow conspirators conducted business. Uri obviously wasn't concerned, though, so he let it go.

“I wasn’t aware that Pankov had a daughter,” he said.

"He does indeed,” Uri said. “She’s his only child, and with her father’s Russian good looks and a beautiful Korean mother, Ekatarina Vtorakevna Pankova isn’t a woman you’ll easily forget.”

Jason and Aaron tried to picture her ethnic blend but couldn't.

Aaron was stoked to be invited to the welcome party. He had no idea who Captain
Pankov
was, but he would definitely check out the man’s daughter. He liked the way the name
Ekatarina
rolled off his tongue.

“Are the Pankovs here yet?” Jason asked.

“I believe Ekatarina arrived yesterday,” Uri said. “However, Captain Pankov had last minute business to attend to back in Russia, and he’s due in later tonight. Fagan should be here around 7:00.”

Jason was curious to see Ekatarina’s beautiful Korean mother. “And Pankov’s wife?”

“Mrs. Pankov succumbed to breast cancer four years ago,” Uri said.

“I’m sorry,” Jason said.

Uri knew that Pankov had never fully recovered from the loss of his wife, and that it was one of the reasons the old Captain was losing his mind; but he didn’t mention it.

“Perhaps while we’re waiting we could explore this beautiful, once top-secret combat submarine?” he said, indicating the b-39.

Jason checked his watch. 4:05 p.m. “You’ll have to pardon me, Captain,” he said, “but I have another appointment. Perhaps Aaron would appreciate a tour.”

Uri looked at Aaron expectantly.

“I’d love it,” Aaron said. He had never seen the inside a real submarine before.

 “I’ll be back in time for the party,” Jason said and excused himself.

Chapter 34

“
We’ll begin topside and then go below,” Uri said, “working our way from bow to stern.”

“Sounds good,” Aaron said.

“It takes years of specialized training to understand the operations of an attack sub,” Uri said, “but I’ll try and whittle it down. Let me know if I go too fast, as I wouldn’t want you to get lost during the party.”

Aaron laughed. “That would
not
be good,” he said. He was serious about meeting Ekatarina.

Uri gestured toward a heavy, flat-steel hoop about 3 feet in diameter mounted vertically on the dock near the gangway. “Do you see that big ring mounted there?” he said.

Aaron nodded.

“That’s a mock-up of one of b-39's watertight hatches, or bulkhead doors. The maritime museum installed it so visitors can see if they can fit through Cobra’s real hatches. They don’t want anyone getting stuck inside their submarine.”

“I hate when that happens,” Aaron said, grinning.

He turned to give the mock-up a try. He had to stoop very low, but he managed to step through easily.

“Try doing that in a hurry with eighty other men in flooded conditions while under attack,” Uri said.

“I can’t even imagine,” Aaron said. Then he followed Uri up a ramp onto Cobra’s main deck.

---

“What you see when you look at a submarine is just a skin, or shell, which floods with seawater when submerged,” Uri explained. “The skin gives the sub its streamlined shape and helps protect the vital inner hull, or pressure hull, from damage. Like a space capsule, the pressure hull is the main component of the crew’s life support system, and if it is breached, or punctured, things can go bad in a hurry.”

Aaron looked around at Cobra’s heavy, steel-plated skin, painted a dull black.

“Within the pressure hull there are a total of seven compartments,” Uri went on, “lined up end to end, with one long, narrow corridor running through them — just like you would see on a passenger train. Compartment One is up in the bow, followed by Compartments Two, Three, and Four, and so on down the line, ending with Compartment Seven in the stern.”

“That’s a lot of compartments,” Aaron said.

“Yes, and many of the main compartments house smaller compartments,” Uri said. “It may sound confusing, but actually the layout is very simple: Compartment One is the Forward Torpedo Room, Cobra’s primary weapon array, and the main reason for an attack sub like her to exist. Compartment Two contains the Captain's Cabin, the Sonar Room, other Officer’s Quarters, and the Officer’s Ward Room. Compartment Three houses the Control Center, otherwise known as the Control Room — the heart and brain of the sub. Compartment Four houses Midshipmen’s Quarters and the galley. Compartments Five and Six are the Engine Room, and the Electric Motor Room, respectively. And finally, Compartment Seven, in the stern, contains the Aft Torpedo Room.”