tc.redstormrising-第104部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


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　years　did　you　believe　that？
〃Nothing　can　be　done　about　that　now；　father。　We　also　need　information　on　NATO's　supplies。　The　data　that　gets　to　us　at　the　front　is　over…processed；　shall　we　say。　We　need　better　data　to　make　our　own　estimates。〃
At　the　front；　Mikhail　thought。　His　anger　at　those　words　could　not　entirely　suppress　the　pride　he　felt　at　what　his　son　had　bee。　He'd　worried　often　that　he'd　turn　into　another　young　〃nobleman〃　of　a　Party　family。　Alekseyev　was　not　the　sort　to　promote　lightly；　and　from　his　own　sources　he'd　learned　that　Ivan　had　acpanied　the　General　to　the　battle　line　many　times。　The　boy　had　bee　a　man。　Pity　it　had　taken　a　war　to　make　that　happen。
〃I'll　see　what　I　can　do。〃

USS　CHICAGO
The　Svyatana　Anna　Trough　was　their　last　bit　of　deep　water。　The　freight　train　of　fast…attack　submarines　slowed　almost　to　a　halt　as　it　approached　the　edge　of　the　icepack。　They　expected　to　find　two　friendly　submarines　here；　but　〃friendly〃　was　not　a　word　that　went　well　with　bat　operations。　All　the　American　submarines　were　at　battle　stations。　McCafferty　checked　the　time　and　the　location。　So　far　everything　had　gone　according　to　plan。　Amazing；　he　thought。
He　didn't　like　being　the　lead　boat。　If　there　were　a　Russian　patrolling　the　edge　of　the　pack　。　。　。　he'd　get　first　shot；　McCafferty　knew。　Wondering　if　the　〃he〃　would　be　a　speaker　of　English　or　Russian。
〃Conn；　sonar；　I　got　faint　machinery　noises　bearing　one…nine…one。〃
〃Bearing　change？〃
〃Just　picked　it　up；　sir。　Bearing　is　not　changing　at　the　moment。〃
McCafferty　reached　past　the　duty　electrician's　mate　and　switched　on　the　gertrude；　a　sonar　telephone　as　archaic　as　it　was　effective。　The　only　noise　was　the　hissing　and　groaning　of　the　icepack。　Behind　him　the　exec　got　the　firecontrol　tracking　party　working　on　a　torpedo　solution　for　the　new　target。
A　garbled　group　of　syllables　came　over　the　speaker。
McCafferty　took　the　gertrude　phone　off　the　receiver　and　depressed　the　Transmit　trigger。
〃Zulu　X…ray。〃　There　came　a　pause　of　several　seconds；　then　a　scratchy　reply。
〃Hotel　Bravo；〃　replied　HMS　Sceptre。　McCafferty　let　out　a　long　breath　that　went　unnoticed　by　the　rest　of　the　attack　center　crew；　all　of　whom　were　doing　exactly　the　same　thing。
〃All　ahead　one…third；〃　the　captain　said。　Ten　minutes　later　they　were　within　easy　range　of　the　gertrude。　Chicago　halted　to　municate。
〃Wele　to　the　Soviet　back　garden；　old　boy。　Slight　change　in　plans。　Keyboard〃…the　code　name　for　HMS　Superb…〃is　two…zero　miles　south　to　check　further　on　your　route。　We've　encountered　no　hostile　activity　for　the　past　thirty　hours。　The　coast　is　clear。　Good　hunting。〃
〃Thank　you；　Keylock。　The　gang's　all　here。　Out。〃　McCafferty　hung　the　phone　set　back　in　its　place。　〃Gentlemen；　the　mission　is　a　go！　All　ahead　two…thirds！〃
The　nuclear　attack　submarine　increased　speed　to　twelve　knots　on　a　heading　of　one…nine…seven　degrees。　HMS　Sceptre　counted　the　American　boats　as　they　passed；　then　resumed　her　station；　circling　slowly　at　the　edge　of　the　icepack。
〃Good　luck；　chaps；〃　her　captain　breathed。
〃They　should　get　in　all　right。〃
〃It's　not　getting　in　that　I'm　worried　about；　Jimmy；〃　the　captain　replied；　using　the　traditional　name　for　a　British　sub's　first　officer。　〃The　ticklish　part's　getting　back　out。〃

STORNOWAY；　SCOTLAND
〃Telex　for　you；　mander。〃　An　RAF　sergeant　handed　the　message　form　over　to　Toland。
〃Thank　you。〃　He　scanned　the　form。
〃Leaving　us？〃　Group　Captain　Mallory　asked。
〃They　want　me　to　fly　down　to　Northwood。　That's　right　outside　London；　isn't　it？〃
Mallory　nodded。　〃No　problem　getting　you　there。〃
〃That's　nice。　It　says　'immediate。'〃

NORTHWOOD；　ENGLAND
He'd　been　to　England　many　times；　all　on　business　with　his　opposite　numbers　at　Government　munications　Headquarters　outside　Cheltenham。　His　flights　always　seemed　to　arrive　at　night。　He　was　flying　at　night　now；　and　something　was　wrong。　Something　obvious　。　。　。
Blackout。　There　were　few　lights　below。　Did　that　really　matter　now　that　aircraft　had　sophisticated　navigation　aids；　or　was　it　mainly　a　psychological　move　to　remind　the　people　of　what　was　going　on？　If　the　continuous　television　coverage；　some　of　it　〃live〃　from　the　battlefront；　didn't　do　that　already。　Toland　had　been　spared　most　of　that。　Like　most　men　in　uniform；　he　had　no　time　for　the　big　picture　while　he　concentrated　on　his　little　corner　of　it。　He　imagined　it　was　the　same　for　Ed　Morris　and　Danny　McCafferty；　then　realized　this　was　the　first　time　he'd　thought　of　them　in　over　a　week。　How　were　they　doing？　They　were　certainly　more　exposed　to　danger　than　he　was　at　the　moment；　though　his　experience　on　Nimitz　the　second　day　of　the　war　had　given　him　enough　terror　to　last　the　remainder　of　his　life。　Toland　did　not　yet　know　that　with　a　routine　telex　message　sent　a　week　before；　he　would　directly　affect　their　lives　for　the　second　time　this　year。
The　Boeing　737　airliner　touched　down　ten　minutes　later。　Only　twenty　people　were　aboard；　almost　all　of　them　in　uniform。　Toland　was　met　by　a　car　and　a　driver　which　sped　him　off　to　Northwood。
〃You're　mander　Toland？〃　a　Royal　Navy　lieutenant　asked。　〃Please　e　with　me；　sir。　EASTLANT　wants　to　see　you。〃
He　found　Admiral　Sir　Charles　Beattie　chewing　on　an　unlit　pipe　in　front　of　a　huge　map　of　the　eastern　and　northern　Atlantic。
〃mander　Toland；　sir。〃
〃Thank　you；〃　the　Admiral　said　without　turning。　〃Tea　and　coffee　in　the　corner；　mander。〃
Toland　availed　himself　of　the　tea。　He　drank　it　only　in　the　U。K。；　and　after　several　weeks　he　found　himself　wondering　why　he　didn't　have　it　at　home。
〃Your　Tomcats　have　done　well　up　in　Scotland；〃　Beattie　said。
〃It　was　the　aerial　radar　that　made　the　real　difference；　sir。　More　than　half　the　kills　were　made　by　the　RAF。〃
〃Last　week　you　sent　a　message　to　our　air　operations　chaps　to　the　effect　that　your　Tomcats　were　able　to　track　Backfires　visually　at　very　long　range。〃
It　took　Toland　a　few　seconds　to　remember　it。　〃Oh；　yes。　It's　the　video…camera　system　they　have；　Admiral。　It's　designed　to　identify　fighter…size　aircraft　at　thirty　miles　or　so。　Tracking　something　as　big　as　a　Backfire　they　can　do　at　fifty　or　so　if　the　weather's　good。〃
〃And　the　Backfires　would　not　know　they　were　there？〃
〃Not　likely；　sir。〃
〃How　far　could　they　follow　a　Backfire？〃
〃That's　a　question　for　a　driver；　sir。　With　tanker　support；　we　can　keep　a　Tomcat　aloft　for　almost　four　hours。　Two　hours　each　way；　that　would　take　them　almost　all　the　way　home。〃
Beattie　turned　to　face　Toland　for　the　first　time。　Sir　Charles　was　a　former　aviator　himself；　last　mander　of　the　old　Ark　Royal；　Britain's　last　real　carrier。　〃How　sure　are　you　of　Ivan's　operating　airfields？〃
〃For　the　Backfires；　sir？　They　operate　from　the　four　airfields　around　Kirovsk。　I　would　presume　you　have　satellite　photos　of　the　places；　sir。〃
〃Here。〃　Beattie　handed　him　a　folder。
There　was　a　degree　of　unreality　to　this；　Toland　thought。　Four…star　admirals　didn't　chew　the　fat　with　newly　frocked　manders　unless　they　had　nothing　better　to　do；　and　Beattie　had　lots　of　things　to　do。　Bob　opened　the　folder。
〃Oh。〃　He　looked　at　a　photo　set　for　Umbozero；　the　field　east　of　Kirovsk。　There'd　been　lit　smokepots　during　the　satellite　pass；　and　the　resulting　black　smoke　had　pletely　hidden　the　runways　to　visual　light；　with　flares　messing　up　the　infrared　imaging　systems　as　well。　〃Well；　there　are　the　hardened　shelters；　and　maybe　three　aircraft。　Was　this　taken　during　a　raid？〃
〃Correct。　Very　good；　mander。　The　Backfire　force　left　the　airfield　three　hours　before　the　satellite　pass。〃
〃Trucks；　too…fuel　bowsers？〃　He　got　a　nod。　〃They　refuel　them　right　after　they　land？〃
〃We　think　yes；　before　they　get　into　the　shelters。　Evidently　they　don't　like　the　idea　of　fueling　inside　a　building。　Seems　reasonable　enough。　Ivan's　had　problems　with　accidental　explosions　the　last　few　years。〃
Toland　nodded；　remembering　the　explosion　at　the　main　ordnance　storage　facility　for　the　Russian　Northern　Fleet　in　1984。　〃Be　a　hell　of　a　nice　time　to　catch　them　on　the　ground…but　we　don't　have　any　tactical　aircraft　that'll　reach　nearly　that　far。　B…52s　could　do　it；　but　they'd　be　murdered。　We　learned　that　over　Iceland。〃
〃But　a　Tomcat　could　trail　the　Backfires　nearly　to　the　Russian　doorstep；　and　that　could　allow　you　to　predict　exactly　when　they'll