Chapter 42 - The Steel Canopy
The sky above the bay split open with thunderous fury.
As I dragged Sterling toward the extraction launch waiting at the pier, the *Farragut* responded with the full mechanical wrath of modern naval engineering. The Phalanx Close-In Weapon System ignited, spitting thousands of tungsten rounds per minute into the upper atmosphere. The brilliant stream of red tracers looked like an unbroken laser reaching up to tear the clouds to pieces.
A high-pitched shriek ripped through the air as the first inbound sea-skimming missile met the defensive wall of fire. It detonated barely two miles out, sending an orange fireball rolling outward across the gray swell. The shockwave rattled the concrete pilings beneath my boots, showering the water with burning debris.
"Down!" I shoved Sterling into the bottom of the rigid-hull inflatable boat, jumping down beside him as Chief Boatswain Jackson gunned the twin outboards. Jackson didn't ask questions; his jaw was set like granite, eyes scanning the sky while his hands maneuvered the boat through the choppy harbor chop toward our warship.
"Second missile bypassed the outer perimeter, Ma'am!" Jackson yelled above the roar of the engines. "CIWS is engaging!"
Above our heads, the rolling airframe launcher fired two quick bursts. The dual interceptors curved gracefully into the mist, their rocket trails leaving spiraling smoke trails before detonating directly into the flank of the second incoming missile. The blast lit up the water like midday sun, sending hot shrapnel hissing into the waves around us.
"Bridge, Captain," I radioed, steadying myself against the boat's gunwale. "Report status on the fast-movers!"
"Skipper, the bogeys turned tail after firing their payload," Martinez answered, breathing heavily. "They’re breaking contact toward international airspace at top speed. They didn't linger to confirm kills. They think we took the direct hit."
"Let them think that," I replied, feeling the grim adrenaline settle into cold, calculating focus. "Jackson and I are coming up the starboard ladder now. Secure the flight deck, prepare for silent running, and lock down all internal access points. We are not just clearing my name today, XO. We are tearing down the entire rotten network from the roots up."
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As our launch slammed against the steel hull of the *Farragut*, I glanced down at Sterling. Blood dripped into his eye from the cut on his forehead, his face pale with terror. He had believed the strike would end me. Instead, all it had done was prove just how desperate his masters in the shadows had become.
***
