that parts of her could be on this ledge here at 3,000 feet, but then it’s a sheer drop from there to this ledge here at 16,000 feet.” Salas raised his hand. “Yes, Doctor.”
“There’s a powerful canyon current which travels south from 10,000 feet from Sarigan down to Rota before it moves east. The wreckage most likely will be farther south because the current moves steadily at 20 miles an hour.” Aurelia moved quickly around the tables and handed Salas his light pointer who retraced the path of the current.
“I would say right here is the best chance to spot the wreckage. There’s a long, flat ledge, about 130-feet long by 63 feet wide, under these boulders here. The current crashes into this cliff face here because of the topography, then veers off and back into the flow. A lot of debris would have settled there, at 18,500 feet.”
“That’s why your presence is so crucial, Dr. Salas,” said Aurelia with relief and appreciation. “The trench is your backyard. No one knows these waters better than you.”
“Jody, your deep submergence vehicles are the only ones on earth that can reach the bottom of the trench and work there for hours,” said Admiral Duenas. “And your knowledge of the trench is second to none.”
“You will have the Navy’s full cooperation, Dr. Salas, as well as any funding you need,” added Admiral Glass. “First, find the Texas, son. Then, if possible, find the son-of-a-bitch who did this.”
“If you can locate it, you will contact Admiral Stone who will direct his subs to destroy it,” added Aurelia. He joined everyone else in the room looking at Salas’ team. They were now the focus of attention.
“Dr. Salas, I know you never thought you’d ever hear this,” continued Aurelia with a slight hint of urgency. “But the Navy needs you. Desperately. If that thing can destroy an American sub and disappear into the abyss, it can go on destroying and no one could ever go down and get it.”
Salas nodded slightly as the mission described to him became blatantly clear.
“Somehow, you and your team have to find the secret of this killer sub.” A dark look of dread masked Aurelia’s face. “There’s no one else we can turn to.”
Salas turned his head to Camacho who was already looking at him. His wide eyes confirmed everything Salas was feeling:
They both knew who designed the monster.
Chapter 4 — The Devil’s in the Details
HELIOS Energy Corporation
Corpus Christi, Texas
“We’ve lost contact with Goliath again, Steven,” huffed the man in the lab coat as he glared from screen to screen.
“Shit! How long has it been since our last connection?”
“Four days.”
“Have you checked the mines?”
“I’m doing that now.” He slammed his fist on the table. “Goddamn it! The satellite isn’t cooperating again.”
“That’s what happens when the biggest multi-billion-dollar conglomerate buys cheap Chinese shit,” the man in the silk suit spat. “Try the secondary satellite hook-up.”
The man in the lab coat began tapping furiously on his keyboard, shaking his head.
“Piece of shit! The secondary hook-up is not responding either.”
“That’s what happens when the same corporation buys cheap French shit to use as a back-up!” The man in the suit sat at one of the consoles and typed in several codes. “I don’t have time for this Nick. I have a meeting with Barrymore,” he checked his diamond-studded Rolex watch, “in thirteen minutes. A progress report. And I’m going to tell him we lost contact with the company’s latest multi-million-dollar project?”
“I told you it was too early,” replied Nick. “I told you we needed more remote tests.”
“I know, I know, I know. I agree. We should have conducted the remotes in the Gulf, where we could have had more control.” He shook his head again. “But Barrymore wanted to seal the deal with the other board members and they wanted to launch immediately because of the market crash.” He typed in more strings of code and looked up at the multitude of wall screen displays and TVs of the massive laboratory. “There!”
“Damn, Steven! How do you pull that shit off!?”
“That’s the advantage of designing the entire program—you can create cheat codes to circumvent traditional pathways.”
“Well, that’s why they pay you the astronomical bucks.”
“Hey, you’re not doing too bad yourself. How’s the Bentley I bought you last week?”
“Oh my God, Steven! It’s fantastic!” Nick’s eyes and smile were beaming. “It’s a dream. And the apartment you bought me the month before—what can I say but thank you so much! I’ve gotten laid three times so far as a result of them!”
“Just three times?” The two shared a laugh.
“You’re a brilliant, hard working assistant,” Steven acknowledged. “I take care of those who work hard for me.”
“Thank you, Dr. Haynes.” Nick turned back to his consoles. “I’ll fuse the connection and add it to the system.”
Haynes moved across the shiny tiles of the lab to another set of computers and typed in more codes. Instantly, on the far wall near the ceiling, a group of four wall screens fused together to create one image—a 3D rendering of the Marianas Trench. The map was labeled not only with cartographic information, but also areas Haynes himself implanted in the image. At the base of the canyon, along a two-mile stretch near the ocean floor were objects and labels. He tapped the zoom key and the objects bloomed larger. The words CONSTRUCTION SITE 1; CAVE ENTRANCE 1; CONSTRUCTION SITE 2; and CAVE ENTRANCE 2 were clearly visible. Thick pipes, iron girders and steel frames lay in stacks near the cave entrances. Flood lights encased in thick cylinders sat aimed at the outer walls.
Haynes looked for the glowing light that indicated the sub’s location.
“There she is, Nick. North of the site, around 24,000 feet.” He looked at the light suspiciously. “I don’t detect movement. Nick, get on the stick and test her responses.” Nick moved from the long computer console to the sub control simulator. Resembling a flight simulator, he climbed in the cockpit and took controls of the sub via a high-tech stick, wheel and peddle set-up. He was now virtually in control of the sub. Haynes watched the wall screens as Nick began manipulating the controls.
“Move her around, Nick.”
Nick tried the stick and hit the accelerator, but the sub was unresponsive. He flipped a few manual switches and tried again; the result was the same.
“What’s wrong?”
“She’s not moving! I’m trying the emergency overdrive.” After a few more entries on the keypad, Nick tried to move the sub but it remained motionless. “Do we have undersea connection?” Haynes looked at his readouts.
“Yes, the connection is solid.”
“Then we’re fucked, Steven! We need to bring the crew in tomorrow to do a diagnostic on the system.”
“Shit!” He checked his watch. “I gotta go! Do what you can to reboot the program yourself. First, second and third levels. If nothing responds by the third level, we’ll call in the others tomorrow.”
“What are you going to tell Barrymore?”
Haynes turned to Nick and smiled.
“What all CEOs want to hear from their prized program designer, of course: ‘Everything is going perfectly according to plan, Mr. Barrymore. Everything’s right on schedule.’” He flashed his confident smile, winked and left the lab.
Naval