Chapter 26

"Go sit on a tack!" 2Dads tossed his screwdriver angrily into the corner at the other end of the cabin and rubbed his forehead. He had bumped it for the second time while trying to tighten some tiny screws firmly. "Why do they have to build ships like that? Cable shafts always way over your head or hidden deep under tables and consoles!"
"Finished?" Buffer asked, sticking his head in at the door. "Does it work now properly?"
"We'll see." Leo wiped his hands at his overall and tried to switch on the flow heater. Nothing happened. "Oh come on! What's your problem?"
Buffer shook his head. "Well, you better find out soon. We're going to have a look at the biggest of these islands now and when we come back, some of us want to take a shower – not a cold one – I'm sure I don't need to emphasize that."
2Dads grabbed the screwdriver and turned it in his hands. "There's no way I could come too? Charge could have a look at..." Seeing Pete's expression, he ended with "the beautiful island with you while I see what to do with our warm water problem." Sighing, he bent down on his knees again and started to screw on the next panel.

One deck above, someone else would have done almost anything to miss the boat. Robert didn't really fancy the prospect of crawling through the underbrush, fighting mosquitos while melting away in the hot midday air like ice in the sunshine. He checked his gear reluctantly, hoping someone would come and tell him he had to miss the trip and stay aboard. But nothing happened. Just the usual banter Charge and Spider had before starting the RHIB, Bomber and Swain helping with some equipment, the XO and the CO exchanging most recent amendments.
Not that he hadn't tried. Robert had told the X, he needed to find out about the numbers. The hot water problem could wait 'till 2Dads was back aboard. Alas Lieutenant McGregor hadn't agreed. Nor had the CO. "For now you don't have a clue what to do with the numbers. As far as I can see, you can think about them just as well at the island.", Lieutenant Commander Flynn had said annoyed when Robert had approached him.
"I need 2 Dads fixing the electrical problems so you will go with the party. No discussion about that." Great. Another day just frittered away. Why couldn't they see he was much more useful here than out there?
A slap on the shoulder interrupted his thoughts. "Hey Pinky, are you pondering what I am pondering?" Spider laughed at him. "Come on, RO. It's such a beautiful day. Why don't you enjoy the trip? It's going to be fun."
"Yeah. Fun it will be, I'm sure." Robert entered the RHIB. He wasn't just sure for whom.

Nav stood at the bridge deck and followed the RHIB's white trail with the small ripples easily visible in the quiet turquoise water. Darker shadows in the bright aqua water indicated shallow spots all over the place. "There's no way our underwater support could come close to these islands." She turned round and faced Mike who stood right beside her, binoculars in his hands.
The commanding officer nodded in agreement. "The waters around here are too shallow for our big submarines. They stay behind and forestall a retreat."
"Kind of like a cat sitting in front of a mouse hole." 2Dads strolled at the bridge deck to join them and stretched. "It's a fantastic day, isn't it?"
The CO looked at him suspiciously. "Did you fix the problem already?"
Leo blushed. "I'm on it, Sir. Just wanted to see if you need me up here, outside... in the sun..." His voice trailed of. "Already on my way back down, Sir." He turned round and climbed back inside.
"Will he ever change? Sometimes I think he's acting like a little child." Nikki shook her head. "So carelessly. As if it's just him and no one else."
"Oh don't underestimate him. I'm sure he's capable of much more than jokes and monkeyshines." Turning his back to the sea, Mike added: "Tell me as soon as the team checks in, I'll be at my cabin exchanging news with the commanding officer of the submarine out there. Maybe they found something already."

The RHIB ran ashore grinding, burying its hulk deep into the pale yellow sand. The soldiers jumped off and walked straight up to the edge of the vegetation. At the shadowy band between bushes and beach that provided shelter against the piercing sun they stopped and formed a group round Kate.
"We check out the island by teams of two. There are many underwater caves round here, so if someone wants to hide a small sub, they wouldn't have a hard task. Stay close to the beach, I don't think we find something on the inland. Spider and RO, you go to the east round the island, Charge and Bomber, you see if you find a higher spot where you have a good overview, maybe you can spot some trails. Buffer and I take the way to the west. We meet back here at 1500. Check in at intervals of thirty minutes." She looked at her team. "And be careful. If they are here, they sure don't want company."
Spider turned and began walking along the fringe of the forest. "Come on, RO. Let's go." Reluctantly, the radio officer followed his crew mate. When the X had said they should check in, something at the back of his mind had started nagging him. But he couldn't clothe the thought in words.
"Robert, did you know...", Billy wanted to start a conversation. But a glance back showed him a young seaman being miles away stumbling along the beach ignoring the ubiquitous sun, sea and sand completely. "Oh well, never mind! Let's just find that sub."

Leo cursed.
"Anything amiss? You are in want of anything?", a voice asked slightly amused in his back.
He rammed his head against a tube when turning round to the voice and cursed again. "Swaino, what are you doing down here?"
"Seeing if you are in need of anything. You know, one can hear you cursing all over the ship. Sure you could get a dock worker to blush. So can I help you?"
Oh you can. Just get me off that ship and on the beautiful beach over there. "Thanks. But I think I've got the solution already. Could you go up and try the hot water please. It should be fixed right now." Hopefully.
"I don't want to spoil your day, 2Dads, but I did before coming down here and it didn't work." The Coxswain made a placation gesture. "And before you start swearing again, CO says he needs you up at the bridge."
Leo's face lighted up. He mopped his brow and followed Chris up the ladder to the upper deck. "Why didn't he use the radio?", he asked curiously.
"Well that's why you are needed up at the bridge."

The CO stood next to the radio officer's console. The young man behind it tried several settings and looked miserable. "No Sir, I'm sorry. Can't get it to work."
"Sir." 2Dads entered the bridge behind Swain. "What's the problem?"
The black haired seaman behind the console seemed relieved he could hand over the responsibility. "We keep getting interferences whenever trying to check in with the team on the island or with the submarine.", he answered before the CO could say anything.
"Isn't that something RO should have a look at?" Leo addressed his superior officer. He saw his chance and grabbed it with both hands.
"Well Robert is currently not available, so you will have a look at it." Mike pointed at the young seaman. "You're going to have a capable assistant."
Great, now RO is doing my job and I have to deal with his problems."Then let's have a look, shall we?", he asked the black haired, trying to sound casually. "What have you already tried?"

Kate and Buffer stopped and looked down at some rocks rising above the waterline.
"It isn't easy to steer clear of these rocks out there but if you manage, this could be a natural harbor." Kate looked over the small bay. "See this tideway? It seems to be wide enough for a small sub."
Buffer nodded his agreement. "You're right, X. Maybe we should have a closer look at the rocks. If there are any caves, I can't see them from above here."
They started their way down to the waterline, rounding some bigger boulders on their way. Pete took the lead, Kate followed and provided rear cover. Suddenly the tall man stopped dead. He lifted his right fist to indicate "attention, stop right now". Then he motioned "I heard something".
Kate lifted an eye-brow. "Where? What", she whispered crouching instantly behind a boulder.
Pete sat down next to her, his back pressed at the cold stone. "Down at the waterline. There are some bigger rocks and between them, there is something. I'm not sure but I think it's someone with a skiff.", he answered under his breath. "Maybe just a fisherman?"
Kate lifted her head just enough to have a glimpse over the rock. "Don't think so. We didn't had any ships at the radar. Must be someone that was already at the island when we arrived earlier." The woman crouched down again. "It's definitely one man with a skiff. I saw him too. Didn't see anyone else. Let's contact the Hammersley and then try to get a bit closer to get a better view."

Charge breathed heavily. "Bomber, maybe we should turn round." Pressing his hands to the side, he added: "There's so much trees, I don't think we find a free spot where we can see anything."
The young woman agreed. She was exhausted too, the path had ascended steeply and although the sun couldn't pervade the thick leaf canopy, it was hot and damp. She hoped from the bottom of her heart that 2Dads had fixed that hot water problem. Feeling sweaty and scruffy she wished nothing more than taking a shower. So she needed not much persuasion. "Let's tell the X we're heading back to the RHIB."

Robert and Spider had made their way round the Island. First the shoreline hadn't looked very promising. Then the terrain had changed and now they stood at the edge of a bluff bank. After a short argument the two young men started to climb down.
"I told you, I saw the entrance of a cave down here." Spider sounded intrigued and excited at the same time. He stood next to a small opening. "We should have a look inside. X told us that there are caves round here. This could be a cave with access to the sea."
"Really? There's so many rocks round here, I don't think there's a water access. We should climb back up. Honestly, there could easily be a landslide. I don't like that bluff bank towering us."
But Spider already started squeezing himself through the opening. "Hey RO, there's water in here. Seems to have water access after all. Come in and bring a torch. Seems I've forgotten mine."
That can't be possible. How could one forget something so vital?
"Wait a minute. I'm going to check in with the X and then I come to you. But if there's nothing interesting in there, you owe me."

"RO to X. Copy please. Spider want's to check out a cave..." Kate tried to turn down the volume but the damage already had been done. The man down at the waterline looked up, then took cover behind his skiff.
"Damned! Shut up RO! Absolute radio silence." Pete cursed under his breath.
"It's too late, Buffer. He already spotted us. Also better light a candle than curse the darkness. It's not Robert's fault. I should have turned off the radio the moment we spotted the man." Kate lifted her hand with which she had covered the radio. "RO? We can't talk right now. Please check in with the CO, we need assistance at our current position."
She broke down in her speech when a bullet whooshed past her head and ricocheted at a small boulder. Luckily it only hit the sand to her feet splashing wet sand all over her boots. Kate suppressed a shriek. That was way to close. Where the hell had that come from? Buffer seemed to have the same thought because he tucked up his long legs and made himself a catchier target before asking: "Have you seen where that bullet came from? There must be someone else higher up the beach near the forest line."

"Was that gunfire?" Bomber and Charge had just reached the RHIB when they heard the shot.
"Charge, this is Hammersley. We heard gun fire. Bomber and I are at the RHIB. Have the other teams checked in? We can reach neither RO and Spider nor the XO and Buffer."
They waited anxiously hearing nothing more than static crackle. Then an accessible voice answered them: "Charge, this is the CO. We heard the fire as well. Seems to come west of your current position."

Mike feared the answer to the next question. "Which team went that way?"
A long painful pause made him even more nervous before the next words came through: "That's the X's and Buffers position. We're already on our way."
Before the CO could say anything, the next call came in: "RO to Hammersley, RO to Hammersley. Spider and I tried to reach the X, it seems she and Buffer are in trouble. I haven't understood what she said before we got interrupted but I think I heard a gunshot."
"You heard right. We can't reach them either. Where are you right now? Charge and Bomber are already on their way to help."
Again static crackle, then Robert's voice came through clear again: "...haven't understood what you said last. What's with Charge and Bomber? They OK? Tell 2Dads … check the areal and its connections... We will... Spider...watch out!"
The last two words were screamed with a frightened shrill voice. The crew on the bridge heard a loud rumble and crash and after that only dead and ominous silence.
"Hammersley to RO, please respond. Robert, what happened? This is Hammersley to Spider, do you copy?" The young man at the radio console shook his head. "I can't reach them."

Complete darkness surrounded him. No sounds reached his ear. His body felt oddly numb. Just bit by bit the realization sank in. He felt the sand at his cheek. His hands grabbed cold dirt when he moved them carefully. Then his left hand touched something warm and soft. Groaning he lifted his head and looked to the side. Nothing to see than blackness. There was something at the back of his brain nagging him. Of course, the torch! Robert frisked the ground, that stupid thing had to be somewhere. The wet ground stuck to his fingers and made them slippery so he nearly lost grip when he finally found the light. Switching it on with conflicted emotions, he let the beam sweep around. Half fearing what he could discover, half being relieved to unveil the darkness.
"Spider!" He knelt down to the unmoving figure laying at the ground. The young man seemed to be unharmed but he knew better than be fooled by appearances. His crew mate coughed and pushed himself from the ground. Robert helped him to a sitting position.
"Wow, RO. You hit me like a cannonball. You should reconsider your diet. Sure you are not overweight?" Spider rubbed his spine and tried to get the sand out of his eyes. "What the hell happened?", he asked looking around and seeming now more aware of his surroundings.
"Well, as I predicted, the bluff bank gave way and the landslide buried us inside your cave. I just made it through the entrance before getting swept away with the mudslide."
"Oh." Spider managed to stand up with some help. Grabbing RO's arm, he ignored his weak knees and checked the cave. "At least we have fresh air.", he said and pointed to a small clearing high up at the cave ceiling. "Does the radio work?"
More feeling than actually seeing RO's nixing head-shaking, he sighed. "Well we could be off worse. We just have to wait until they come and get us out. You told them our last position and..." His voice trailed off. Robert had turned his attention from him to the waterline. "You did, didn't you?", Spider pressed on. "So they come and get us out of here in next to no time."
"I think that is the right cue. No time. See the water? It's coming closer. You did find us a beautiful cave. Really nice beach inside here. To bad, the tide seems to like it as well. See the greenish line over there at the wall? That's the water stand at high tide."
Horrified Spider looked at the wall of the rock. A thin green line was faintly visible just a finger's breadth under the ceiling.