Oracle

by David Wood

  The suggestion stunned Jade into silence until they reached the salon where Dorion and Ophelia were seated at a table. Dorion rose when they entered, but it was Ophelia that spoke first. “We’ve stopped.”

  “I know,” Professor replied. “There’s a problem with the GPS navigation. They’re working on it now.” He turned to Dorion. “Paul, is there any reason why a dark matter field might disrupt satellite communications?”

  The physicist’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “Digital communications require precise time synchronization. I suppose if the clocks were out of sync, it could cause problems.”

  “What about a magnetic compass?” asked Jade.

  “It shouldn’t be affected. Dark matter has no electrical charge. If WIMPs could disrupt a magnetic field, we would be able to detect them.”

  “Are you saying the compass has failed too?” asked Ophelia.

  “Spinning like a top,” Jade said. She turned to Professor. “Is that why you suspect sabotage?”

  Ophelia gasped. “Sabotage?”

  “It’s a possibility we have to consider. In fact, it’s a simpler explanation than dark matter. The GPS software could have been corrupted by a computer virus. It’s even easier to beat a magnetic compass.” Professor paused a moment before continuing. “I’m not saying that’s what happened, but we need to be on our guard. The Norfolk Group could have someone aboard this ship.”

  “There’s a way to know for sure,” Dorion said. “Or at least to determine if we are being influenced by a dark matter field.”

  “You mean the clock? Doesn’t it need to be synchronized? If this effect is messing with satellite communications that may be a problem.”

  Dorion pondered this. “My system would function independently of the ship’s communication network. If I am also unable to connect, that would tend to rule out sabotage.”

  Jade wasn’t sure which possibility was a greater source of anxiety. They were at least seventy miles from Great Isaac Cay, Professor’s ground zero for the space-time distortions. If they were feeling the effects this far out, what would happen as they got closer? A saboteur at least was something they could deal with.

  As they headed out of the salon, Barry appeared. “I have some good news. Mr. Lee has plotted our position. We are a few degrees off course, but we should still arrive at our destination before dawn.”

  “What about the GPS?” asked Ophelia.

  “Mr. Nichols is working on it. He doubles as our Chief Engineer and Electronics Officer. I told you, we all wear a lot of hats.” He glanced past them at the untouched dinner plates on the table. “Where’s everyone off to?”

  “We are going to use our equipment to see if we can detect anything unusual.”

  “I thought you might want to try that. Watch your step. Ah, Ms. Doerner, if your friends can spare you, there’s something I wanted to go over with you.”

  A perturbed frown flickered over Ophelia’s face, and Barry hastily added, “It will only take a minute.”

  “Go ahead,” Dorion said. “It will take us a few minutes to unpack the gear.”

  As Ophelia followed Nichols back into the salon, Jade and the others headed forward to where Paul’s equipment was stored. Jade noted that, in addition to the plastic seals on the latches, the plastic casket was also adorned with a sticker sporting a yellow and black trefoil.

  “Uh, is this thing radioactive?”

  “Why do you think it’s called an atomic clock?” Professor said in an ominous voice.

  Dorion laughed. “Do not worry. There is a very small amount of cesium—which is why it must have a warning—but it is stable and shielded. You were exposed to considerably more radiation during the flight from Greece than this clock produces.”

  “Is it possible the Great and Powerful Professor didn’t know that?” Jade elbowed him in the ribs.

  “Of course I knew it. The atomic clock works by using a laser to antagonize cesium atoms so that they give of energy at a very specific frequency—nine point one nine two—”

  “Enough,” Jade said. “Show off.”

  As Dorion broke the seals, Professor got in a final comment. “There’s no radioactivity because the cesium doesn’t decay to release neutron radiation. The excited atoms act just like the spring in an old clock, or the quartz crystal in your…say, didn’t you have a watch?”

  Jade shook her head and turned away, trying to avoid that particular discussion. As she did, something—a faint movement, a premonition—made her look past the container. The submersible was moving. “Look out.”

  She leaped toward the two men, tackling them to the deck as the still-covered submersible swung toward them like a giant fist.

  There was a crunch and a scraping sound as the QED collided with the shipping container, which in turn slammed into Jade. She tried to scrambled out of the way, saw Dorion and Professor attempting to do the same, but the relentless combination of submersible and casket bulldozed all three of them toward the deck rail.

  In an instant that probably could only have been measured by Dorion’s clock, Jade saw that she was about to be crushed against the heavy tubular steel of the rail.

  “This way,” shouted Professor. From the corner of her eye, Jade saw him insinuate himself in the gap between the horizontal rails. She thought he was jumping overboard, but as soon as he was clear of the rail, he gripped the edge of the deck and reached up to drag the dazed Dorion through as well.

  Jade didn’t think she could hang on, but falling overboard and hitting the water some forty feet below had to be better than getting crushed. As she started to move forward however, she felt the container strike her again, driving her into the rail, pinning her…squeezing her.

  Frantic, she desperately tried to squirm free, felt the hard rough plastic bowing just a little, but not nearly enough, and then, all of a sudden, she was free, squirted out like a bean from a husk, to land atop the container.

  The reprieve was short-lived.

  There was an ominous grinding sound as the container was relentlessly smashed between the rail and the QED. Jade launched herself down the length of the container, leaping clear just as the molded plastic collapsed like a Styrofoam cup under someone’s shoe. The submersible lurched and closed the gap in an instant, gonging against the rail, and then, with a tortured groan, the rail began to bend under the unyielding assault.

  Jade lay on the deck, just a few inches from the QED, which continued to press against the rail like a tarp-covered battle tank. There was a sharp splitting noise, like the report of a pistol, and the rail along a considerable portion of the deck it was attached to, broke loose and fell away, allowing the little submarine which hung from a cable at the end of the boom crane, to swing out over the water like a pendulum.

  She rolled to the edge of the deck and peered over, searching the water below for some sign that Professor and Dorion were still alive. She found them a moment later, not in the water, but still clinging desperately to the side of the ship. Professor hung by one hand, his other grasped Dorion’s arm. His face showed the intense exertion of suspending their combined weight. He couldn’t possibly hold on much longer. It was a wonder his grip hadn’t already failed.

  With the QED swinging back and forth like something from an Edgar Allen Poe story, she did not dare try to assist them directly, and she wasn’t sure that she would be able to pull the two men back from the precipice. In the instant she contemplated their fate, it occurred to her that this could not be an accident. Someone had to be operating the crane, intentionally using both the crane and the deep sea vessel together like a wrecking ball, for one reason only: to kill the three of them.

  Wonder who that could be?

  Then another thought hit her. The crane!

  She spun around and sprinted for the crane’s control station amidships. She was mentally preparing herself for battle with the would-be killer, but there was no one there; the saboteur, whomever he was, had already gone.

  The unfamiliar leve
r controls were labeled and she quickly picked out one that seemed to regulate vertical lift. She pushed up and felt the entire ship shudder as the boom arm rose, lifting the still swinging submersible several feet above the deck.

  She acutely felt the clock ticking down for Professor and Dorion. What if she was already too late?

  She worked another lever and saw the crane arm swivel out over the water, and as the submersible started to swing again, she hit the winch control, unspooling the cable to lower the small underwater craft several yards.

  The ship shuddered again and Jade heard a sickening crunch as the submersible dangling at the end of the cable swung back and slammed into the hull. Jade had a fleeting mental image—she hoped it wasn’t a literal vision—of Professor and Dorion smeared against the side of the ship. She raced back to the place where the disaster had begun, and sagged in relief when she found both men perched atop the mini-sub, clinging desperately to the cable.

  It took less than a minute for a swarm of red-shirted crewmen to rush up from below decks, get the two men safely aboard, and begin assessing the damage. Ophelia and Barry hurried out as well, and a few seconds later, Lee and Nichols joined the throng.

  Dorion appeared to be in shock and Ophelia moved to comfort him. Professor however was fully in control of his faculties and completely livid. He stalked toward Lee.

  “There’s a killer on this ship,” he said in a low dangerous voice.

  “Now just a second,” Nichols began, but Professor cut him off.

  “We need to account for every person on board and then search the ship. If we don’t find anyone, then the killer is someone in your crew.”

  Lee nodded, but kept glancing uncertainly at Nichols as if seeking his approval.

  “Captain,” Professor said sharply. “You’re going to need to select a security detail for the search. Do you have weapons aboard?”

  “Ah, weapons? Yes. We have a small arms locker.”

  Nichols spoke up. “Dr. Chapman, I assure you, my crew is above suspicion.”

  “Then our search will turn up the real saboteur. Make this happen, Mr. Nichols.”

  The VMI founder reluctantly nodded his assent and Lee moved off to organize the security detail. Professor wasn’t finished however. “What’s the situation with the GPS?”

  Nichols’ face screwed up in consternation. “I rebooted the system and it seems to be working again. Not sure what’s up with the compass; it’s about as old as some of the wrecks we dive on and honestly, we haven’t used it in years. But it hardly matters.”

  “Why?” asked Jade.

  “We have to head back to Nassau.”

  Ophelia stiffened and strode over quickly to face Nichols. “Absolutely not.”

  Jade heard unexpected steel in the blonde woman’s voice. “I’ve already paid you well, Mr. Nichols, and I’m willing to pay you a good deal more, but you will take us to our destination.”

  “Ms. Doerner, when I agreed to this, I didn’t know that my ship was going to be in the crosshairs. Even if we ignore this incident, and I don’t think that’s a very good idea, the fact of the matter is that we’re not going to be able to use the QED until it is repaired and thoroughly tested and inspected. You can’t pay me enough to send her down to crush depth until that happens. And, if I’m not mistaken, the equipment you were going to use to focus your search just got pulverized. So what exactly do you hope to accomplish by continuing forward like nothing has happened?”

  Nichols’ assessment of the situation hit Jade like a blow. Even though he had failed to kill them, the saboteur had done incalculable damage. Ophelia however was undeterred. “I can have another atomic clock flown out to us in forty-eight hours. As to the submersible, if the target location is at dive depth, we may not need it.”

  Nichols’ frowned. “And if it’s not?”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” She scrutinized him for a few seconds. “I’m surprised at your reluctance. Given your reputation, I didn’t think you would want to give up so quickly.”

  Nichols reddened, but evidently remembered who was talking to him and swallowed his pride. “I have to answer to my stockholders, Ms. Doerner. And despite whatever reputation you think I have, safety is my primary concern.”

  “Your stockholders will be grateful for the money that I’m paying you. They’ll be even happier when you discover a fortune in Spanish gold.”

  Jade turned to Professor. “What do you think?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not sure. If we can dive, then she’s right. But I don’t like the idea of pushing forward with a killer on board.”

  “Going back now might give the Norfolk Group a chance to get even more men aboard.”

  Lee returned before a consensus could be reached. “We’re still searching deck by deck, but it may not do us much good. One of the RIBs is missing.”

  “Rib?” Ophelia asked.

  “Rigid inflatable boat,” Professor explained quickly. “A Zodiac. Basically a big raft with an outboard.” He faced the captain. “You think our saboteur set out in open water?”

  “It looks that way.”

  “Could there be another ship shadowing us?” Jade asked.

  “Possibly. But we’re not that far from Nassau. He could simply be heading back.”

  “Then we should keep going. Make for Great Isaac.”

  “Without a functioning atomic clock, we’re not going to be able to accomplish much.”

  Jade turned back to Ophelia. “Are you serious about having another clock flown out to us?”

  “I am,” Ophelia said. “But there’s something else I’d like to try first.” She glanced at Nichols and Lee, and then in a conspiratorial tone meant only for Jade and Professor’s ears, added, “I need to speak to you privately.”

  TWENTY-FOUR

  The search of the vessel yielded another vital clue to the identity of the saboteur. In addition to the motor launch, the ship had also lost a crewman—a last minute replacement added shortly before Jade and the others had arrived in Nassau. Nichols came to them in the salon with the news, and assured them that the rest of the crew was above reproach, but that did little to ease their concerns.

  “Who hired him?” Jade asked.

  “Cliff handles personnel matters,” Nichols replied and then seemed to grasp the subtext of the question. “You can’t think he’s involved in this, too?”

  “He did call Ophelia away just before the attack. Almost like he wanted to protect her.”

  Nichols swallowed nervously. “I trust Cliff implicitly.”

  His tone was not quite convincing, but before he could further protest his subordinate’s innocence, Ophelia dismissed him tersely. “Thank you. We’ll talk about this more in the morning.”

  When he was gone, she immediately changed the subject. “I will arrange to have another atomic clock brought to us by helicopter. It should take no more than forty-eight hours. Until then however, I believe there may be something else that can help us find what we’re looking for.”

  “The Shew Stone,” Jade murmured.

  Ophelia nodded. “We know it has a connection to what we seek. It didn’t show us anything at Delphi, but this close to our goal, close enough that the ship is already experiencing distortions of space-time, I believe we should take another look at it.”

  “We don’t know that a dark matter field caused the problem with the GPS,” countered Professor. “In fact, given what just happened, I’d say that the explanation for that is almost certainly much more commonplace.”

  Jade’s first impulse was to agree with Professor, but Nichols hadn’t said anything about the cause of the problem with the GPS; only that it had evidently cleared up with a reboot. That seemed inconclusive at best. “We’ve nothing to lose by trying it,” she said, taking the crystal ball out and placing it on the table. “Should we light some candles or something?”

  Ophelia reached out for it quickly, greedily, and grasped it between thumb and forefinger.
She held it up and peered into its depths as if hoping to see the answer to every question she had ever asked.

  “If it’s that easy,” Jade whispered to Professor, “then I guess we don’t need to find the Moon stone after all.”

  After a moment, Ophelia set the globe down, her smooth face creased by uncharacteristic uncertainty.

  “Did you see anything?” Jade asked.

  “I’m not certain. For a moment, I thought I was somewhere else. At our corporate headquarters building in New York. I was in my office, but it…it wasn’t my office. Not the one I have right now. It was my brother’s office, one floor above mine, but somehow I knew that it had become my office.” She shook her head as if trying to clear away mental cobwebs. “What do you think it means?”

  “Sibling rivalry rearing its ugly head?” Jade remarked. “I thought you and your brother were two peas in a pod.”

  “I love my brother deeply,” Ophelia said, a faint smile touching her lips. “But he thinks he’s better and smarter than me, and as it happens, he’s wrong. I am much better suited to leading our family empire than he, but for many reasons, not the least of which is my gender, he will not admit it.”

  “It may be a possible future,” breathed Dorion. “Where you have taken control of your company.”

  Ophelia nodded. “I thought the same. This is a sign. If we can find the Moon stone, I will be able to use it to see the future more clearly, and that knowledge will enable me to chart a course that leads to ultimate success. Now I know that we cannot turn back.”

  Jade thought it sounded more like Ophelia was misconstruing a wishful daydream as a vision supplied by the Shew Stone, but she said nothing. Regardless of where the images had come from, Ophelia’s “vision” offered no insight into the location of the Moon stone.

  “May I?” Dorion asked, and then promptly picked up the crystal orb. Unlike Ophelia, he did not peer into, but instead held it tightly in his fist and closed his eyes.

  The seconds stretched into a minute, then two, and the silence was almost unendurable. Jade could feel the vibrations of the ship’s engines, once more turning and propelling the vessel through the Atlantic, hopefully on the right heading.