To call Daniel Recker's current situation perilous..would be an understatement.

He was at the controls of a Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boat ( RHIB ), racing over the choppy waters of the Suez canal at reckless speed. The RHIB bucked and lurched under him like an angry bronco each time it hit one of the many waves in the way. The impacts sent shockwaves thudding through him, reverberating through body, especially his bones, his spine, and teeth. Water kicked up from that sprayed in his face, and soon drenched the rest of him as well.

His uniform and gear were sopping wet, and his fingers were going numb, holding the throttle as far forward as it would go and wrestling the wheel to keep the bow pointed dead ahead…

..At the renegade Chinese warship, a thousand yards up the canal. Its main deck gun was spitting fire, blasting heavy shells downrange….at the US Navy Amphibious Assault ship USS Valkyrie.

Recker's ship.

She was already reeling under the punishing barrage. Several hits had set her bridge aflame, and ruptured the hull, allowing pools worth of seater to flood below the waterline. Worst of all, she was defenseless. None of her weapons could reach the enemy, let alone sink them.

In short, she was a sitting duck, and essentially floating target practice.

However, she did have one final shot at survival: a dedicated Marine in a boat. Barreling toward the enemy, armed with a healthy dose of courage ( where that came from, he did not know ) some borderline insanity…and a hefty load of C4 charges.

And he was not alone.

Laying in the bow, gripping the cable railing and his M249 machine gun with a viselike hold, fellow Marine, Kimble " Irish " Graves stared the Littoral down. If he'd been looking back, and not forward, Recker would've seen the other man's jaw was tightly clenched, and the way his eyes glinted with the same powerful brew of fear and determination that was gripping Recker. He took the pounding of the waves too, letting the spray sweep over the sodden beanie hat he wore. Judging from that, you'd never guess he was terrified of heights; right now, Irish wasn't flinching.

Across from him, legs firmly braced against the deck, was that agent of the real Chinese government, a spirited and capable woman named Huang Shuyi, better known to them as " Hannah. " Her P90 submachine gun was raised, as if to defy the hostile vessel. The gale rushing past them had her ponytail streaming out behind her like a ribbon, and she was poised against the gunwales with a predatory stance.

Hell of a team, both of them. Recker silently offered thanks for having people like them alongside him. Could've been anyone else along for such a astoundingly dangerous plan.

" You two ok ?! ", he called. The screaming air battered his words back, but they still carried.

Irish responded. " This is a such a dammed bad idea, Reck ! Like we got another way though, right ?! "

" Yeah, that sums it up ! "

There was a sudden burst of shouted Chinese, as Hannah reached up to keep her boonie hat from flying off, before glancing behind her." Basically, its so insane, it just might work ! ".

Undoubtedly true. However although he RHIB was small and fast enough to present to the littoral an impressively small and fast moving target, its main cannon could still track them…and unlike the Valkyrie, only 1 hit would be needed to get rid of them. One of the high velocity, high explosive rounds didn't actually have to hi them directly, even. A near miss would be enough to rock the RHIB over..

That is, if it spotted them.

Only thing for it was to keep going . The RHIB continued its bold charge, as shells whistled overhead. This was completley ridiculous, what they were doing, and yet, like Irish said, also their only option. With no anti ship assets available, this was their hail mary; a boat full of explosives, 3 possibly deranged volunteers, and one little detonator.

The best plans..are often the most .

They hammered over the waves, with the burning city of Suez on either side being reflected on the waves. The horizon glowed a dull orange from the fires, and tracers arced up into it like streams of fireflies. Their ears were filled with the sound of the RHIBs racing engine, and the boom of the littoral's gun. They could hear the dreadful sounds of the Valkyrie taking hits behind them as well, but all stubbornly refused to look back.

They knew she was suffering…and they were going to save her.

" Come on ! " Irish bellowed. " This is OUR day ! Fortune favors the bold ! "

Save your ship, or you won't have anywhere to rest your head..

" Steady, people ! " Recker bellowed. By now, the littoral was looming before them now, directly under a massive bridge that spanned the canal. " Final stretch !

BOOM !

The deck gun fired yet again, and as its shockwave tore the air, the Recker coasted the RHIB to a stop, a scant 12 inches from the enemy vessel's hull.

He glanced up at the bridge overhead. " Allright…Hannah, get the grapples out.. "

" Roger that. "

Irish stood up, holding a suitcase sized container with magnetic strips on one side. " I got the C4. "

Carefully, he leaned forward, placing it against the the hull. With a low, bass thump, it adhered to the metal and held fast in place, as Hannah opened the the RHIB's footlocker, removing a handheld grapple launcher.

" Here you go, boys. " She offered one to Recker, then another to Irish. " Quality Sweedish engineering. "

Irish looked down at the cumbersome device in his hands, and frowned slightly. " Sweedish ? "

" Have a little faith, Kimble. The Swedes can do more than produce complicated to build furniture. " Recker said, making his way over to them. He reached into the locker, retrieving the third grapple.

BOOM !

All of them automatically flinched, and the RHIB rocked again. Time was running out..

" Tombstone ! "

The voice of the Valkyrie's commanding officer, Captain Garrison, sounded in their earpieces. His tone was exactly what you'd expect of a ship's commander whose vessel was being torn apart around him:

Righteously angry.

" Tombstone, our hull has taken multiple breeches below the waterline, and we've lost power to most of our systems ! The Valkyrie's structural integrity is falling fast, people ! What's your 20 ?! "

Recker thumbed his comm device. " Tucked in beside the enemy vessel, sir ! Charges placed ! We're set to blow it soon as we get out of the blast radius ! "

No doubt its a big one too…

Garrison didn't wast a moment replying. " Then get your collective asses outside that radius, and send that tub to meet Davy Jones ! "

Then, though, his voice softened somewhat " And Tombstone…I don't want to have to put one of those over any of you. Don't get too reckless…Fortress out. "

He signed off..and a single thought ran through all their minds:

He knows there's nothing he can do from where he is…nothing he can do to save his crew, or the refugees we saved from Shanghai. That's got to be the absolute worst for a skipper..

BOOM !

Hannah swore in Chinese, stumbling from the deck gun's shockwave. She still held her grapple in one hand. Now she aimed it up at the bridge overhead, and Irish and Recker did the same. The RHIB bobbed even harder under their feet. Fighting the its rocking motion, they lined up their grapples on the bridge's underside.

Now or never..

They fired as one. Titanium hooks trailing carbon fiber enhanced cables rocketed from the grapples' muzzles, reaching up for the metal spars 210 ft. above. As the hooks found their resting places, the lines stiffened, indicating they'd been anchored in place.

" Going up ! " Irish called.

Again, as one, they triggered the grapples. Instantly, the little devices whirred to life, hoisting the threesome upwards with jolting speed. In seconds, they were racing up the cables, leaving the RHIB far below.

Seconds later, they were in place at the top. The RHIB now looked pathetically small from up here, and each of them felt like a human pendulum, swinging back and forth on their cables.

" Irish ! Call Garrison ! Tell him we're ready to sink this bastard ! "

" Roger that ! "

Irish keyed the comms again. " Fortress, this is Tombstone 2 ! Explosives are primed and in place ! We're all set over here ! "

Garrison's response was swift…and strangely calm. " Tombstone. Heavy flooding on the lower decks. All the refugees are safe, but if you don't sink that ship in the next 30 seconds…you won't have to worry about them anymore. Or anyone else aboard.

Save. Our. Ship. Fortress out. "

Something about that transmission…Garrison's calm certainty of what would happen if they failed, filled Tombstone with fresh motivation. Recker whipped out the detonator….

" Blowing it now ! "

He thumbed the clicker….but nothing happened.

The C4 did not detonate.

" Reck ! " , Irish seemed as puzzled as he was horrified.

click…click….

Still…nothing.

" Its malfunctioned ?! ", called an alarmed Hannah.

Damn it..! Recker tried it one more time, but still…nothing.

"…There's no link between it and the explosives ! "

It was a horrifying moment, for all of them. So close, and with so much at stake…

Chang's warship was still blasting away, as if taunting them for not having blown it up yet.

Boom !

…..

It was still firing….

Boom !

And suddenly, Recker knew exactly what needed to be done. It was a terrible plan, he knew..but it was their only play.

We need a boom of our own….and I know how we can get it.

He addressed the squad: "Someone needs to head down there.."

His brief proclamation was met with strong ( and understandable shock ). Irish protested first. He stabbed a finger at Recker.

" Reck !? No ! You're not going to risk your life like this ! "

That was Irish to a T. The same way he'd been when Dunn died in Baku. The way he'd been when Recker himself had been pinned with death bearing down on him…

In fact, that was all Tombstone to a T. Hannah wasn't anymore receptive of the idea either.

" Recker ?! " She clutched her P90 like it was keeping her from falling, not the grapple line. " …Recker, I know what you're planning, but it doesn't have to be you ! "

No, it technically didn't. On some, selfish self preservation level, Recker wanted to order one of them to do it instead. It was a human thing, to want to save your own life, even if if meant sending someone else to die in your place. He actually found himself forming the words for such an order….but then solider in him-the leader in him- rebelled against it.

No.

Not them.

Recker didn't give them a chance to say or do anything more. Instead, in a swift, fluid motion, he released the clamps on his own line, and let gravity take over.