The Bin Laden Plot

After another glance at one of the combat control console displays — the mother ship kept closing while matching Michigan’s course — Wilson verified that the mother ship hadn’t displayed additional aggressive behavior. Now that Wilson thought about it, he realized that the mother ship had fired only in self-defense. Perhaps its protocols were functioning properly and it would attack only if fired upon.

Wilson decided to take a gamble. “Helm, ahead two-thirds.”

He slowed his submarine so the acoustic communications could be understood.

As Michigan’s speed decayed, the words became clear.

“Ohio class submarine. Identify yourself and the reason for your attack.”

What also became clear was that the mother submarine was quite capable, identifying Michigan as an Ohio class submarine from the tonals it emitted into the water. However, it had asked two questions that Wilson would normally not be able to answer.

During underwater communications between U.S. submarines, the vessels used code names to prevent anyone in the area who might intercept the communications from identifying which U.S. submarines were nearby. Wilson figured the mother ship likely didn’t have the codebook loaded into its memory banks, so he decided to answer the first question in plain English. The second question, however, couldn’t be answered, at least not truthfully. Wilson couldn’t tell the mother ship that Michigan was bent on destroying it. Perhaps he could strike up a dialog with the mother ship’s artificial intelligence and see where it led.

Wilson pulled the WQC microphone from its holster, then spoke slowly and distinctly. His voice would be transmitted by sonar hydrophones and would be difficult to understand.

“This is Captain Wilson aboard USS Michigan. Repeat. This is Captain Wilson aboard USS Michigan. Do you have a name?”

The response from the mother ship was quick and direct.

“You’re damn right I’ve got a name! This is Dennis Gallagher aboard USS Jimmy Carter. Murray, what the hell are you doing, shooting at us?”

29 PERSIAN GULF

A full moon shone down upon the Persian Gulf as USS Michigan cruised slowly on the surface, not far from the silhouette of another black submarine paralleling Michigan’s course. Murray Wilson, standing in Michigan’s Bridge atop the sail, monitored the activity on the Missile Deck below as several SEALs pulled one of their RHIBs — rigid-hulled inflatable boats — from the starboard Dry Deck Shelter, inflated it, and attached the outboard motor.

As they lowered it into the water, Wilson climbed down the side of the sail, then joined two SEALs aboard the RHIB. The barely audible engine was started, and the RHIB skimmed across the water’s surface toward its destination: USS Jimmy Carter.

Less than an hour ago, Wilson had stood stunned in Michigan’s Control Room after hearing the mother submarine’s response to his question — Do you have a name? It had taken a while to convince him that the submarine following them was indeed USS Jimmy Carter and not an automated mother ship’s artificial intelligence attempting to impersonate a U.S. submarine and its captain.

Fortunately, Wilson knew Dennis Gallagher. He was one of the prospective Commanding Officers he had trained during his last shore tour, and he had worked out with him at the gym during lunch, showering afterward. Only when the mother ship had correctly answered Wilson’s question — what did Gallagher have tattooed on his right butt cheek — did Wilson become convinced that the mother ship was actually USS Jimmy Carter, a Seawolf class submarine manned by an elite crew and modified with a one-hundred-foot-long hull extension outfitted with the most advanced technology in the U.S. Navy.

A conversation had followed, and both Commanding Officers had quickly agreed that a face-to-face discussion was required to sort out what had happened and its implications. Although Wilson was senior and could have requested Gallagher board Michigan, Wilson was already thinking ahead. Jimmy Carter was outfitted not only with advanced weapon technology but with enhanced communication capabilities, something he might want to tap into depending on where their conversation led. That the secretary of the Navy had lied to him on several occasions, even ordering him to sink another U.S. submarine, was clear. What wasn’t yet clear was why and who Wilson could trust.