Debut for a Spy (39 page)

“
Consider it done, David. Now, the two Phantoms will launch from the cat. They'll pick you up when you're airborne. We're facing a north wind. That's good for your deck launch – you may need most of it. Brad, start your engines.”

“
Aye, aye, CAG. See you upstairs, David.”

“
Come on, David. We'll run to the stern in a mule.”

We sat in this little flat tractor that reminded me of a golf cart, and drove to the stern of the ship. There was XP831 waiting for me. She looked small and lonely all by herself on this huge carrier. There was a crew around her, checking her out.

“They patched a few holes in her, David, and straightened a couple of rods that were a little bullet-bent. No serious damage. You've got a full tank of JP5. We had to adapt our starting cart, but everything works fine.”

A sailor wearing a headset came over.

“Excuse me, sir, the Phantoms are ready to launch. They want the word from you.”

“
Tell them to hold a couple of minutes. I'll say when.”

“
Aye, aye, sir.”

“
Climb in, David. Here's your sea bag.”

I rummaged in it, pulling out the helmets, but kept looking.
“I need the engine-start sequence out of my pocket.”

Bingo. Cap in, close the bag. The chief offered to take it.

“I'll stow it behind the seat for you, sir.” And off he went.

“
Thanks a bunch, CAG,” I said, saluting. He returned it.

“
And thank you, commander. See you in London.”

I climbed up the ladder and into the cockpit, helmets on, and strapped in. The radio was on, and I could hear the traffic.

“CAG to Catcher. Launch escort.”

“
Roger, CAG. Ready for launch on starboard catapult.”

“
Stand clear catapult one! F-4A Phantom departing!”

I looked down the deck to see the big fighter hurled down the launch deck and leap into the sky. The procedure was repeated instantly and the second Phantom tore off the port catapult. My turn. I did it out loud. This was my last flight in a P1127.

“Canopy shut.” Clunk.

“
Oil temp above 0 degrees.” Check.

“
Master instrumentation switch on.” On.

“
Booster pumps on.” On.

“
Magnetic indicators black.” Check.

“
Throttle/HP cock at idling.” Check.

“
Starter trolley connected.” Thumbs up.

“
Ignition time switch turned clockwise, fully on.” Check.

“
Light-up in nine seconds.” I hope.

She whined up, and the Pegasus caught, roaring to life.

“Disconnect starter.” Thumbs up.

“
Idling speed in 35 seconds.” Another thumbs up.

I was ready. I was nervous. All of the pilots and many of the crew would be watching this rolling take-off – never seen on a modern carrier with catapults. Here goes nothing.

“Catcher, this is Jumper. Request permission to roll.”

“
Stand clear the flight deck! British jet departing! Jumper, you are clear to roll!”

“
Roger, Catcher.”

Nozzle lever forward fully. Brakes on. Flight Deck Officer giving me wind up sign. Throttle ahead. The salute. Returned. The 'go' signal! Brakes off. Rolling! Nudge the pedals! Keep it straight! Passing the island. 150 knots! Nozzles down 50 degrees. Airborne! Keep it straight. Climb. Undercarriage up. Level off, 100 feet. Swing to starboard. Tight turn. Along the ship, past. Tight turn to starboard. Airspeed 400 knots. Approaching port side of the Enterprise.

“Catcher, this is Jumper. Requesting flyby.”

“
Jumper, you are cleared for flyby.”

I pushed the throttle to full as I neared the stern, waggled my wings as I passed the island, then snapped the stick to port and barrel-rolled as I cleared the bows and the big '65' on the deck. Nose up, climbing, and the two Phantoms took up station on either side .

“Jumper, this is Rooster, your escort leader. Nice pass. Ease to starboard and course heading 045 degrees.”

“
Roger. Turning now.”

Not far to turn, only 20 degrees. Cockpit heat on, gloves on, thank God for the jacket. Still climbing. Oxygen on. Up we go.

“Jumper, this is Rooster. Angels 20. Level flight.”

“
Roger. Leveling at Angels 20.”

It hadn't even been twelve hours since I'd escaped from the Empress of Britain. I wondered where they were, what had happened to the band, what had happened to Marijke. How would I find out? I didn't know.

What they had all done was worth it.

I was taking XP831 home.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Over
the
English
Channel
–
the
same
day

“Jumper, this is Rooster. How's your fuel holdin' out?”

I checked the gauge.
“Over half full, Rooster. Where are we?”

“
We're gonna overfly the Isle of Wight in a couple of minutes. I've already logged our flight with Air Defence Command, and we're cleared right to Dunsfold. There's gonna be a lot of folks wonderin' what we're up to, but I'm not spillin' the beans.”

“
Thanks, Rooster. I want it to be a surprise party.”

“
Jumper, make a slight course correction and fly 042 degrees. That should lay us right over Dunsfold.”

“
Roger, course correction to 042 degrees, turning now.”

Hardly took a lean. I looked down. The Isle of Wight.

“ETA Dunsfold in 8 minutes. Start powered descent, Jumper, 3000 feet per minute, level out at 1000 feet.”

“
Roger. Descent commencing now.”

I moved the stick forward, the nose dropped and we started down, the airspeed increasing to 450 knots.

“Rooster, this is Jumper. Shall I reduce airspeed?”

“
Negative, Jumper. Let's roll downhill.”

“
Rooster, suggest we switch to Dunsfold tower frequency. 92.5 Mhz. I'll call them up, with your permission.”

“
Commander, it's your game. We just had to get you here.”

“
Understood, Rooster. My call-sign at Dunsfold is Hawker X-ray. Switching channels now.”

I took a deep breath.

“Dunsfold tower, this is Hawker X-ray.”

Surprise! Surprise!

“Hawker X-ray? What the hell?... ah… sorry… this is Dunsfold tower. Pass your message, Hawker X-ray.”

“
Requesting clearance for flyby. Three aircraft. Two US Navy Phantoms and one Lost Sheep. Over.”

“
Hawker X-ray, standby.”

There was silence. I could imagine the consternation and speculation that was taking place in Dunsfold.

“Hawker X-ray, this is Dunsfold tower. You are cleared for flyby above 500 feet.”

“
Roger, Dunsfold. Did you copy, Rooster?”

“
Roger, Jumper – sorry, X-ray!”

“
No sweat, Rooster. Descending to 500 feet. I have Dunsfold Aerodrome in visual. Estimating four miles. Turning to starboard.”

“
Roger, X-ray.”

I held XP831 steady, lined up on the runway, and the three aircraft roared over Dunsfold at 400 knots, west to east.

“Rooster, a 180 to port. We'll make a slower pass, and I'll go to hover as you flyby. Stay clear of my tail.”

“
Roger, X-ray.”

“
Dunsfold tower, this is Hawker X-ray requesting permission to hover and land.”

“
Hawker X-ray, you are cleared and more than welcome!”

We completed the 180.

“Rooster, I'm reducing speed to 200 knots.”

“
Roger, X-ray.”

We came in over the runway again. This time I pulled the nozzle control lever back as I approached the tower. 831 came to a nose-up halt in the air, and the two Phantoms hurtled by.

“Gentlemen of the US Navy, thank you for the escort.”

“
Our pleasure, commander. See you in London. Rooster out.”

I'd been reducing power and 831 was settling to the ground. Gently, gently
– don't spoil it now. I touched, breathed a sigh of relief, and shut down. The ladder had appeared, and I popped the canopy to a burst of applause and cheering! The whole station must have been there. Unstrapped and unplugged, and out I went.

At the foot of the steps
– Bill Bedford.

“
Good God, David! What a shock! What on earth is going on? As far as we know, you’re away on a cruise, 831 is at the bottom of the channel, and suddenly you both drop in out of the blue!”

“
I'll tell you all about it, Bill, but in private.”

The Hawker people were crowding around, shaking my hand, plying me with questions, but I ducked the answers. I didn't know what the official version would be. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Colonel Hammond! You received my message, I see. One hijacked aircraft returned, sir!”

I grinned at him, and for the first time he actually broke into a smile.

“Well, David, I take one look at you in the uniform of a commander/flying in the US Navy, and immediately I have the feeling that 'therin lies a tale.' I can't wait to hear it. Bill, can we go somewhere?”

“
Use my office, colonel.”

“
Come with us, old chap. You should be in on this, too.”

Just then there was a fantastic whoosh, and the two Phantoms did a flyby at near Mach 1. They waggled their wings, did a vertical climb, and then they were gone.

We pushed through the crowd, leaving XP831 in the best of hands, and made our way to the relative quiet of Bill's office.

“
Well, David? Where did you find it?”

“
On the Empress of Britain, sir.”

“
What? But how?”

“
Stavic, sir. He faked the whole thing. It was extremely well-planned. The ship pretended a breakdown in the channel at night. The Soviets monitored the air-to-ground transmissions between Stavic and Dunsfold tower, and when they knew it was a go they used that microwave beam to transmit to the ship – there's a similar antenna aboard. They had a landing space prepared on the after deck, and put all the passengers below decks on a false pretence. Then they put a tarpaulin on a frame over it, and bold as brass steamed into Southampton.”

“
Why would they do that? Why take the chance? Why not high-tail it for Odessa?”

“
I've thought about it, sir. The last place anyone is going to look for a missing jet is on a cruise ship in Southampton. But I also think they came in to give themselves another shot if the first one failed. They could have stretched their visit by a couple of days and sailed when Stavic was going to try again. It wasn't necessary, but they came in anyway to avoid suspicion.”

“
How did you guess?”

“
The smell of the aviation jet fuel gave it away, and I had a sneaking look on Wednesday night to make sure.”

“
You actually got near it?”

“
I had help, sir.”

I couldn't mention Marijke.

“The band, sir – the musicians on the Empress. They helped me get away. If it hadn't been for them I couldn't have done it. I left them under fire on the deck, and I don't know if they've survived. You've got to rescue them if they're still alive.”

“
I'll do what I can, David. It's going to be tricky. Leave it with me. We've been monitoring the Empress since you sailed. I think she's off Portugal right now. I'll get an update.”

Bill was flabbergasted.

“David, there isn't enough range in a P1127 to fly that far.”

I related my escape, the Soviet fighters, the Mayday, the USS Enterprise, and the subsequent events. They were dumbfounded.

“What would you have done if the Enterprise hadn't been there, David?”

“
In the drink, I guess. Better than leaving 831 in the hands of the Soviets.”

“
You might have drowned or died from exposure.”

“
It was a calculated risk. I would have aimed for a ship to ditch near, and since I was over the Bay of Biscay I figured there'd be a fair number of fishing boats about. What I didn't bank on were the Tupolevs.”

“
You actually caused one of them to shoot down the other?”

“
I ducked.”

They broke up. The same reaction as on the Enterprise. Why was that so funny?

“David,” said Bill, “I'd like you to write a summary of your experiences for us at Hawker's, if you will – I mean the flying, of course. There's a lot to be studied there, and you've actually landed on a carrier with no previous experience.”

“
Be careful what you say, Bill,” warned Hammond. “There's going to be some political fallout over this, I can assure you. We won't know the official version of the story for some days, perhaps weeks. They may say none of this ever happened, rather than cause embarrassment. You never know with politicians. So please, not a word for a while.”

“
As you wish, colonel.”

“
May I use your phone, Bill? I must put a couple of things in motion,” said the colonel.

“
Go ahead, sir. I'll leave you to it.”

He started to go, and I thought I'd step out, too.

“I've got to collect my bag from 831, Bill. Can we go get it while the colonel uses the phone?”

“
Certainly. Come on.”

We went out into the cooler air. It was good to be in Britain and in one piece, but I was very concerned about the mess I had left on the ship. I hoped Hammond would be able to do something.

“Well, lad, you've had quite an adventure, haven't you?”

“
I have, Bill. I don't know whether I believe that it all happened. It's like some sort of strange fantasy that I saw in a movie. This doesn't ever happen to me, at least it's not supposed to.”

We reached the hangar. 831 was being checked out thoroughly.

I went up the ladder, retrieved the sea bag, then remembered something and rooted about in the cockpit. I found the Makarov which I had stowed when I flew off the Empress, and stuffed it into the sea bag. I climbed down as one of the technicians approached us.

“
We've counted eight holes patched in the skin. Looks like the bullet-holes I patched as a fitter in the RAF during the war.”

“
Couldn't be,” I said. “Hailstones. Some really bad weather.”

“
Hailstones? In June? On the undersurfaces?”

“
Sure,” I said. “I was up very high. Never know what the weather's like up there.”

He was walking away.
“Hailstones?”

“
Yeah,” I muttered, “made of lead.”

We collected my bag and walked back to the office. Hammond was coming out.

“Well, the Empress is making for Lisbon. She's asked permission to dock, claims there's a rudder malfunction. We're going to monitor. I have an idea, if I can pull the right strings. David, I'm off to London. Can I drop you?”

“
Yes, sir, I'd be grateful for a lift. Bill, I'll call you.”

“
I'll be waiting, old chap. Once again, thank you. You’ve saved the project.”

We shook hands, and then Hammond and I were away in his Rover. He quizzed me in detail all the way back to London, wanting a step-by-step account of events as they unfolded aboard the ship and during the escape. I had to be careful. As much as I trusted him, I had to protect the confidentiality of Marijke and her family. If only one other person knew in the Dutch government, I didn't want any possible reference made which could put them in jeopardy. Other than that, I faithfully recounted the details of the entire episode. It took the whole journey back to my flat. There, Hammond stepped out and took my hand.

“It was a fortunate day which brought you to my attention, Minstrel. I hope you have no regrets over the events.”

“
I have some regrets, sir, but not over my involvement in the operation. They're more personal.”

His eyes pierced mine.

“Something to tell me, Minstrel?”

“
Not now, sir. Maybe not ever. We'll wait and see.”

He was gone in a hurry. I went in, said hello to Wicks, and laughed at the expression when he saw me in the US Navy uniform. I had remembered my keys from the Empress, which was just as well. I stepped through the door of my flat, let it close behind me, and felt a weight lift off my shoulders. It was over. Except for Marijke, of course, and there was nothing I could do about that, at least for the moment. I started to relax. The phone rang.

“Lords 0-5-8-2,” I answered wearily.

There was silence on the line, but I knew someone was there. Then a quiet, menacing voice.

“Well, my friend, my very good friend, you are full of surprises for a singer of songs, aren't you?” I turned to ice. Nalishkin! I struggled to remain calm.

“
Well, Volodya, I thought you'd be basking in the Mediterranean sun by now. Sorry I had to leave without saying thanks and goodbye and all that, but you know how it is.”

“
Yes, my friend, I know how it is. But you and I have now a score to settle, and it has nothing to do with music. You have caused me much censure from my superiors. They have given me one chance to make amends for what you have done. You are going to pay dearly, and my revenge will cause you to suffer for the rest of your days.”