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“Reverse double half tith a full gainer,” he deadpanned “We’ve got two fish so start recovery operations while we cycle through the air lock”

“Affirmative”

The men could feel water swirl below them as Linda crept forward in the Nomad

Without an effective dive uided by Linc down to the air lock, and he let the Chairh the tight opening, reaching over his head to secure the hatch When an indicator on the wall turned green, he opened the valves that drained the chamber

Cabrillo yanked off his helmet as soon as the level dropped below his chin The air was cold and crisp, refreshing after an hour of breathing the chemically tainted atht quarters, heLinc too many bruises, so when the air lock was empty he was ready to join Linda in the cockpit

“Welcoo?”

“Piece of cake,” he said absently, sliding into the reclined seat in his wet Syrian Navy uniform The computer monitor between them displayed a closed-circuit television shot from below the mini-sub

The low-light cahtly off center of the first torpedo Shearms Max had installed were directly above the three-ton weapon She hit a control, and the tungsten-steel claws curled around the torpedo and claht to the Nomad’s belly

Juan helped her by puain neutral tri its directional thrusters, a corner of her lip pinched between her teeth

She cursed under her breath when the sub lurched past the torpedo “Tide’s co in,” she explained, and reversed power to back the subet

A light on the air-lock control panel went froreen Eddie and Max were aboard

For the second ti Linda to ra into the dry dock The eddies and crosscurrents played havoc with the little sub Juan was confident that if Linda didn’t think she could do it, she’d ask for his help He let her do her job, and, on the third try, she vented air and set the submersible atop the second torpedo She closed the claws around its tubular shape and dumped more ballast

With a self-satisfied smile, Linda said, “Third time’s the charm”

Juan extended the ather up the four slings they’d used to move the torpedoes and stow them in a bin under the Nomad’s chin As soon as the arm was returned to its default position, Linda jammed the joystick hard over to rotate the Nonals froh the partially open door and into the open water of the port

Juan checked their battery status, their speed through the water, and speed over the bottoet an approxi out of their wet suits and dressing in fresh clothes they had packed earlier