The Red Alert Story

The Red Alert Story.
by Gareth Bird

CHAPTER IX
Several more hours passed along with shift changes from both allegiences. Jack was resting when Dylan burst into the room. "We could have a serious problem here!" he screamed as Jack, Higgins, Murphy and Gower woke and jumped up. Jack grabbed his gun and followed Dylan down the corridors with the rest hot on his heels. "Walden's gone ape-shit about something and he told me to get everyone in the control room!" he yelled over the noise of the stomping boots. "Everyone - and I mean everyone - bar about 20 people are being locked in their cabins 'cos we reckon they're up to something!"

They burst into the main room to see Walden holding the submarine's Captain by the throat yelling at him while Dunn desperately tried to translate. "What's going on?" asked Jack to Rigg.

Rigg nodded towards Taylor who was being tended to by the submarine's medical staff. He had a huge cut on the side of his face and a lot of blood had obviously been soaked up by his jacket. Jack asked how it had happened. Rigg shrugged. "They claim he was overcome by the heat and just collapsed. Walden reckons one of them clouted him." Rigg paused as he listened to Walden screaming at his adversary. "It was Davies who found him when he came to relieve him. He said it looked like Taylor was out cold for a good half-hour, going by the blood, but those two," continued Rigg as he waved a finger in the direction of a couple of Soviet sailors, "those two say it had just happened the minute Davies opened the door." Rigg paused again as the others digested the senario. "Which is total bollocks, of course." he finished.

"So what's happening now?" asked Higgins as Williams, Black and Breeze arrived, reporting that everyone else was locked in the cabins. Walden had now relaxed his grip on the Captain of the submarine, but kept his gun trained on him.

"Well, first, we find out what happened exactly." demanded Walden. Everyone stood in silence until one of the Soviets said that they were dropping behind the rest of the fleet and were completely out of formation. Walden wasn't interested until the radio operator said that the leading submarine was asking questions. "Tell 'em you've got a problem. Tell them you'll break formation now and set down for repairs in Leningrad."

"It won't work!" interupted Jack. "This is exactly what we were talking about earlier!" Walden turned to face Jack, although kept his eyes pointing in the direction of the Captain. "The nearest Soviet submarine depot to here is in Tallinn, which is twice as far from Kalinin than Leningrad!"

"He's right." admitted Davies. "And we'll never have enough time to make it there if we get dropped off at Tallinn." The radio operator was beginning to look worried as he tried to stall his comrades under the supervision of Black.

Walden stared at the Captain for a few seconds, who simply grinned back at him. He muttered something, after which, Dunn turned away, dreading the inevitable translation he would be forced to make. "Tell me what he said!" ordered Walden.

Dunn sighed before his response. "He said that were in trouble, 'cos we don't know what to do." Dunn looked up at Walden after he had finished.

"He said," called Black, still facing the radio operator, "'You're more stupid than you look - and you look like pig shit.'". Dunn sighed again. Walden responded immediately with a blow from his gun's butt on the Captain's face. He collapsed instantly.

Davies burst into the room with a small device hanging by its wires which were clasped tightly in his fist. He stepped over the unconscious Captain and thrust it into Walden's face. "I knew they were up to something!"

Walden refocussed his eyes on Davies' find. "What is it?" he asked roughly, snatching it from his hand.

"A fucking radio adapter." he reported. "They were trying to link it into the sub's main radio system so they could may-day for help from in that room rather than in here where everyone's listening!"

Walden stared at the box of electronics in his hand, fuming at the thought that their plan was falling all around them. He screwed it up and dropped it to the floor as he turned to face the radio operator.

He panicked and yelled into the microphone. Walden turned to face Black to get a translation. He got it in actions rather than words. Black opened fire on the radio man with several rounds of ammuntion which carved up the side of his body. His lifeless body slipped from his seat and his smashed machine spat sparks for a few seconds.

One of his comrades tried to respond with a half-hearted attack, but received a similar fate. The rest of the submaine's official crew stood motionless. Walden stared wildly at nothing in particular. What could they do now? It appeared that their plan was now well and truly out in the open. Jack glanced at the SONAR system and estimated that although they were some way behind the rest of the fleet, they may still be within torpedo range of them.

"What are you waiting for?" shrieked Davies, finally breaking the silence. "Turn this boat 'round and get us the hell out of here!"

Jack agreed. "Quickly, unless you all want to get blown out of the water!" Between them, Dunn and Black issued the orders to set a course to Leningrad. Jack leant over to Walden. "You do realise," he whispered, "that if we do make it away from the rest of the fleet without them blowing us up..."

"Which I don't believe they will." interupted Walden. "'Cos they know as well as us that they can't stall their mission by wasting their time and ammunition on us. No, if they've a brain cell between them, they'll get a message to Soviet shores who will give us a welcoming."

Jack nodded. "Precisely." he agreed, rubbing his still sleepy eyes. "Unless we can stop that happening, we'll be dead meat before we even get into Soviet waters!"

Walden nodded in reciprocation. "Well, we'll have to trick 'em, won't we?" he suggested, finally relieving Jack of his mesmorising stare and turning to face him. As he did so, he saw Jack's questioning look. "We'll tell them to expect us in Tallinn. They'll send all of their spare troops - which, let's face it, can't be many - to Tallinn, to watch us sail on by." Walden paused and allowed himself the pleasure of a grin. "And there's no way they'll be able to beat us to Leningrad, and nothing to stop us getting to Kalinin." he finished defiantly.

Jack grimaced with slight agreement. "Maybe, but how d'you know there still won't be anyone waiting in Leningrad?"

"I don't. It's a guess. But it's all be have right now, isn't it?" informed Walden. Jack nodded, but was unconvinced of its success likelihood. "All we need to do is tip off the authorities." Walden looked around the room and pointed at a cowering Soviet sailor, standing shaking over the body of one of his comrades. "He'll do." declared Walden, before issuing some men to repair the radio.

Dunn and Black ordered the young man to call over the radio to Soviet land forces and to make it seem that he had managed to get hold of the radio without being noticed. He would then inform his comrades that the hijacked submarine was no longer sea-worthy enough to get to Lengingrad and that Soviet forces should be deployed in Tallinn where it would be set down by the Allies.

The alternative for the man was clear; Dunn pointed at the bodies, at which the man audibly gulped and nodded in acceptance. At an opportune moment, the decoy was sent. Satisfied that there could be no further use for any further communication with the land based troops, the radio equipment was destroyed, irrepairably. The men who had been locked in their cabins were released as necessary so as to continue the operation of the submarine, although more scrutiny was kept over them than before.


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