The Savage Horde

Chapter 26

Rourke stood in the sail, the snowflakes thick and large, the temperature barely cold enough for them, he thought. They melted as they reached the backs of his hands on the rail, the knit cuffs of his brown leather bomber jacket, occasionally one of the larger flakes landing on his eyelashes—he would close his eyes for an instant and they would melt.

The flakes melted down from his hair, the melted snow running in tiny rivulets down his forehead and his cheeks—he could feel them.

Natalia Anastasia Tiemerovna shivered beside him and he folded his arm around her to give her warmth.

The submarine was moving—through the fjord-like cut in the land and toward the new coastline—it was north central California and beneath the wake the sub's prow cut were the bodies of the dead and cities they had lived in.

' Rourke thought of this—he could not avoid thinking of it ...

There was a bay that had been carved at the far end of the inlet, Commander Gundersen on the sail beside Rourke, Rubenstein and Natalia, in constant radio contact with his bridge for depth soundings of the fjord—it had been created by the megaquakes that had destroyed California beyond the San Andreas faultline on the Night of The War. There were no charts.

'I'm running even at eighteen feet below the waterline—shit,'' and Gundersen looked away from Rourke, snapping into the handset, "Wilkins—this is it—we get ourselves hung up—bad enough we can't dive. All stop, then give me the most accurate soundings you can all through the bay—wanna channel I can stay over where I can dive if I have to. Once you've got that, feed in the coordinates and back her up—you got the con."

"Aye, captain," the voice rattled back.

Gundersen put down the set. "You've been avoiding Captain Cole."

Rourke nodded, saying, "You didn't want a fight on board ship."

"Well—the time has come, hasn't it—let's all get below and talk this out so we know what the hell we're doing, huh?" Gundersen didn't wait for an answer, but retrieved the handset, depressing the push-to-taik button. "Wilkins—Gundersen.

Get that Captain Cole sent over to my cabin in about three minutes."

"He was just up here looking for you, skipper."

"Terrific—well—tell him I'm looking for him."

Gundersen started below, cautioning. "Watch your step, miss," to Natalia. She nodded, starting down the hatchway after him.

Rubenstein caught at Rourke's arm. "We really gonna go through with this?"

"Cole wants those warheads—whether it's just carrying out his orders or for some other reason. Only way we can know is to be there with him when he gets them."

"I was afraid you were gonna say that."

Rourke felt himself smile. "Come on—watch your step. Slippery."

Rubenstein nodded as Rourke looked away—there was more to watch your step about than ice on the sail, Rourke thought.