Far From The Sea We Know

by Frank Sheldon

“We cannot pass this by.”

  “Fine, then, go if you are so driven. The hell with you both.” She turned and walked away quickly so they wouldn’t see her tears.

  CHAPTER 45

  Penny awoke at dawn. Matthew had slept elsewhere. Just as well, she thought. By the sound of the engines, she could tell they were idling. She got up and looked out the porthole. Gulls and cormorants bobbed up and down amongst the waves, even a few grebes, and more birds than yesterday. One flew by with a small fish in its beak. A few of the others were diving down and mostly coming up with breakfast. She dressed quickly and went topside to get a better look.

  Becka came up along side of her. She had never spent much time alone with Becka, and this seemed as good a time as any to get better acquainted. “They seem to be enjoying their meal. Herring?”

  “Looks like,” Becka said.

  “Odd to see so many out here, isn’t it?”

  “Some of these species shouldn’t be here at all.”

  “Shouldn’t? That’s not a word I’ve heard from you lately. Heard anything about Ripler?”

  “He’s still at the Navy hospital. I called. Mary told me he was getting up, going for walks with her. On the grounds. She can talk to him, but people watch them. Doing better every day. Her being there seems to be making a big difference, so I guess she made the right decision, at least as far as Jack’s welfare is concerned. I also feel she wanted a reason to get off the ship. No, I’m not going to go into it.” She didn’t say anything for a while. “I can’t believe she took the ROV parts. Well, don’t want to believe. Anything new on that?”

  “No,” Penny responded, “but I’ll let you know if there is.”

  “Look, I’m sorry I doubted you and Matthew before. When you first arrived with that story, it seemed justified.”

  “I don’t remember you specifically doubting me, more than anyone else, at least.”

  “I did. I thought you were both dangerous, to tell you the truth. You have to understand, the work I was going to do on this trip was to be the basis of my thesis, and then you two show up and all of a sudden we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

  “The whole thing must have sounded mad.”

  “And for Jack, in the end it was, I suppose.”

  “I didn’t like Jack.”

  “Neither did I, completely.”

  “Really? You seemed to spend plenty of time together.”

  “He helped me a lot at the Point. Never asked for anything back. He was brilliant at times, inspiring, but there was always this slight edge of mania floating around behind his charm. I tried to look past it, figured it might even be a necessary part of his makeup. I’ll always wonder if it might have been different.”

  “Matthew’s not to blame for Jack.”

  “I didn’t mean that,” Becka said. “I already said I was sorry. Listen, can I ask you something?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “What’s your take on Lieutenant Chiffrey?”

  “Manipulator.”

  “I understand why you say that, but maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on him. This thing must be blowing away his superiors and that puts him in between them and us. I feel he’s been fair and is not really such a bad guy.”

  “He’s not just some Air Force lieutenant. He’s working higher up for some other agency. You must know that. I don’t trust people with hidden agendas.”

  “That would seem to eliminate just about everyone wouldn’t it? Funny, though, that you and he are the two people on board most suspicious of the dome. You’ve got that in common with him, and maybe a little more.”

  “Like what?”

  “You both claim not to have been touched in any way during the incident with the whales.”

  “We’re not anything alike.”

  “Okay, you’re not. Fine.” She looked at her diver’s watch and said, “I have to be somewhere.”

  “You are somewhere.”

  “What?”

  “You’re here,” Penny answered, “but if a date with your new boyfriend is your only idea of ‘somewhere,’ then say hello to Chiffrey for me.”

  Becka shook her head in a spasm of anger, her brown eyes blazing up to fire. “You shouldn’t abuse your privilege. No, not ‘a date,’ but if I did have one, I wouldn’t have my own private cabin to bring him to later, would I?”

  Becka whirled around and stomped off before Penny could answer.

  Damn!

  Not much she could say to that, anyway.

  She had immediately offered the cabin—her father’s cabin—back to him upon his arrival, but he had insisted on bunking in a hastily cleared-out storeroom that was little bigger than a closet. It was true, she didn’t deserve the cabin, but she smiled to herself. It made her feel better, to know Becka still had her kick and hadn’t, like some of the others, become totally enthralled by their newfound bliss.

  Bliss. The cabin, modest by any other standards, was nonetheless an exquisite luxury on a ship like this, and she was glad they hadn’t given it up. The hours she and Matthew shared there were a joy, effortless, life as it seemed meant to be. All the cares of the world left behind. And now the idiot felt compelled to prove his valor locked away in a tin can.

  CHAPTER 46

  The Navy had been true to its word and still kept away. The Valentina could still see the dome on sonar, and Chiffrey had been sending out encrypted copies of their scans over his sat-phone. Although she didn’t like the secrecy, her father was right: they were better off undistracted by more news crews. She hadn’t seen any military aircraft, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. It was a sure bet they were poring over satellite photos and other forms of data, as well as the new sonar scans.

  Life on board was returning to a something like normalcy. The afterglow of the whale incident was beginning to fade, and every one of the crew was hard at work again, contributing in whatever way they could. Between most of the crew, there was a genuine feeling of harmony in the air. But not many people went out of their way to speak to Penny. She couldn’t blame them.

  Everything seemed to be going flawlessly. It would have been almost anticlimactic, except for one thing: the Bluedrop and her crew would be going down tomorrow morning to look at the impossible.

  Penny had made an effort to take part in the preparations and worked for a while with a couple of students. Their discovery that the level of plankton in the water surrounding the dome was way above normal should have been as exciting to her as it was to them. It probably explained the abundance of fish and other sea life in the immediate area building up from the chain below and hence the prevalence of waterfowl. It soon became clear, though, that the students didn’t really need her help, and worse, she found it hard to care. Sitting around doing nothing was becoming intolerable. She paced the deck, trying to get an exercise rhythm going, but because of all the gear piled up, there was little room. Defeated, she was about ready to head for the treadmill in its reeking little alcove when Chiffrey approached her from behind. She heard him and spun around before he could say anything.

  “Yeah, I’m getting a little antsy myself,” he said. “This ship seems smaller every day.”

  “Maybe you’re just getting bigger.”

  “I’ll steal that one. But look, I’m going to meet with your father. Care to come along?”

  She didn’t say anything, just motioned him to go and then followed him below deck and into the lab where they would monitor the minisub. Matthew sat at one of the consoles scrutinizing readouts. Her father smiled at her as she walked in, and said to Chiffrey, “I believe we are ready to send the Bluedrop down. She’s fully fit.”

  “Great. Have you settled on a crew?”

  “Yes. Myself for one.”

  Penny said nothing.

  “Glad to hear that,” Chiffrey said.

  “I will captain and pilot. Becka will handle navigation and cameras.”

  “Becka. Good, That leaves room for one more, if I’m not mistaken.”

 
“Matthew.”

  “Hmm, are you sure?” Chiffrey asked. He looked over at Matthew and smiled. “No offense, but you’ve not crewed on the Bluedrop even once, from what I understand.”

  “I’ve had many hours on the simulator at the Point, and I’ve always done well.”

  Her father raised his hand just enough to signal Matthew to back off, and said to Chiffrey, “I have to insist that Matthew be onboard the Bluedrop. Choice of crew was part of our original agreement. You remember that, I’m sure.”

  Penny didn’t remember any such conversation. When had they come to that and what else might they have discussed? Chiffrey blinked his eyes a few times, his face almost expressionless. Then he smiled and pushed on.

  “Yes, I remember, Doctor, but I’d like you to reconsider. However worthy of going Matthew no doubt is,” and he gave a quick wink in Matthew’s direction, “he would be taking the place of someone with more training and experience.”

  Penny found it hard to resist saying something, and almost laughed because she wanted to come to Matthew’s defense even though she didn’t want him to go. She should be supporting Chiffrey’s bid to have Matthew taken off the mission, but somehow couldn’t.

  “Right,” her father continued. “Experience is precisely what I need, but of a particular kind. Matthew seems to have a connection to the whale, and I think we all have concluded that the whale has a connection to what lies waiting below us. I can’t explain exactly why, but I want him to be there. You don’t always go by the book, do you?”

  “Not unless I clearly see a reason not to, and when I’m willing to accept all the consequences. Believe it or not, it doesn’t happen often.”

  “Well spoken, but I believe this is one of those instances. The Bluedrop may be small, but it is a ship, and I her acting captain. That makes the lives of everyone on board my responsibility. I know I can count on Matthew, and his being on board may be crucial.”

  “All right, Doc, we’ll do it your way. When do you launch?”

  “Five tomorrow morning.”

  Her father hadn’t hesitated to use the same argument that Chiffrey had been employing: Matthew as a ward against the dome, a charm for remaining in its good graces. But it seemed to Penny to be more than that. In his battle against forces that sought one day to completely reduce the mystery of the sea to the scale of park and farm management, her father had never found a real protégé, someone to pass his work on to, his legacy. Someone with the same essential view. Perhaps he now believed he had.

  After dinner, Penny found Matthew and pulled him into a small lab, flicking on the exterior Do-Not-Enter light as she went in. She whirled around on him. “You shouldn’t be on the Bluedrop.”

  “I thought we settled this. I have to be there.”

  “But do you want to go?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “It is that simple. Do you want to go or not?”

  “Yes, I do want to go. But I’m afraid.”

  She was silent for a moment and looked him in the eye.

  “Is that what this is about?” she finally said. “Matthew’s big chance to conquer his fears? Some ‘be all you’re told you to be’ bullshit? Can’t you just take a ropes course or something?”

  “Your father’s going down, and you don’t seem so worried about him.”

  “Who says I’m not? And who says I’m worried about you?”

  She jerked away, took as many steps as the small room would allow, and wheeled back right in his face.

  “Listen. My father does what he does. That doesn’t mean you have to do the same. You don’t need to prove anything. And this is not a good idea.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you have no real experience. You’ve never been down there. Not once!”

  “Have to start sometime.”

  “This is clearly the wrong time. More important, you’ve been affected by this thing, touched somehow. Several times.”

  “Which is a good argument for me going, as your father pointed out.”

  “But a much better argument for not going.”

  “Why?”

  She started to say something, then stopped. Her reason didn’t make any sense, or any more sense than anything else. Everything they were saying was emptier than air.

  “Just listen to me,” she said. “Yes, we don’t really know much, but we do know that whatever it is we are dealing with is unpredictable and therefore dangerous, even if not by intention.”

  “I don’t get it. How come you’ve become so cautious in the last days? Why are you worrying about every possible thing, and especially me? You didn’t start this mission that way.”

  “I just don’t—”

  “You don’t want to lose me.”

  “That is not what I was going to say.”

  “But that’s what you’re feeling. Why don’t you admit it, for once?”

  “Oh, all right, why not. It’s true. Yet another woman—excuse me—girl, hopelessly in love with Matthew Amati, he of the killer good looks, and world class jerk. Sniff, sniff, sob, sob.”

  “Penny, it’s never been that way for me. You’re the best thing—”

  “Don’t flatter yourself! Yeah, it’s been good, but I don’t need you, and don’t ever say that again, unless you want to get rid of me. And you may want to yet.”

  He stuck his thumbs in his pockets and leaned back against the bulkhead. She had the feeling that he was tuning her out.

  “Ayn Rand,” he finally said. “You sound like you’ve been reading The Fountainhead. The self-righteous indignation, the over zealous individuality—”

  Swak!

  She slapped him across the face. The sensation on her hand didn’t even register to her.

  He is such an ass! Shit…

  She watched, suddenly detached, as the blood rushed burning hot into his face. His arms made quick movements toward her, then just as abruptly locked. In the suspended moment, it was as if a thin crack of light appeared between them, and instead of boiling over, the heat from his rage subsided to a simmer, then drained away completely, taking his anger and tension with it. His arms fell back to his sides. She looked into his eyes and saw the glitter of tears held back. He found his way back to her, and held her so softly they seemed to melt together.

  “Matthew, look…stay with me. For now. Before you go.”

  “I’ll come back, you know. Nothing will stop me.”

  “If you’re going to make a promise, how about coming up with better lines than that?”

  He hesitated a moment, but smiled. “Yeah, okay, but I meant it. And as far as the slap across the face, it broke something loose in me, so thanks, but if you ever do that again…”

  “I might do it again.” She didn’t smile. Her guard was completely down. He looked at her, a little sadness in his eyes, then kissed her and said, “Your place?”

  “Our place. Unless you prefer the men’s quarters.”

  “Come on. It’s late.”

  CHAPTER 47

  Matthew had risen earlier and, after silently dressing, slipped from their cabin like a wraith. Penny had been awake but had not stirred, preferring to lay still and listen to his quiet movements. There was nothing left to say or do, nothing they hadn’t shared last night, and they had already had the closest thing to a farewell she desired. She would wait and go out later.

  By that time, he was already on board. She stood at the railing while they gently lowered the Bluedrop into the sea from the fixed crane on the aft deck. When she had seen them do the sea test the day before, it had reminded her of a baptism. Today, it was more like a burial, with the minisub a gaudy yellow sarcophagus. It was not a good thought at this moment, and she renewed her effort to concentrate on what was going on around her.

  Emory was on top of the Bluedrop, checking the connections. He had always seemed more like a techie, but in spite of his size he looked comfortable in full diving gear. Sunlight, glinting off the high-visibility yellow hull, made the vess
el look as if its paint hadn’t dried yet. Lemondrop would have been a better name, thought Penny. Her father’s sense of humor. It looked more like a child’s plaything than a vessel that could protect them from the crushing pressures of the depths they would reach.

  Along the tethering line ran a full communications cable, which meant the Bluedrop would have audio, visual, and data communications with the Valentina. Unless something went wrong. Not many other than Penny were thinking this way. Nearly all the crew had brightened up over the last few days, as if finding the dome had buoyed their spirits. Ripler’s disturbing outburst seemed to have faded from memory.

  Emory now stood on top of the Bluedrop, holding onto the cable as they slowly dropped into the sea. Water began to wash over the shiny yellow hull, an enormous lemon sloshing in a punch bowl. Finally the ocean took all the weight of the minisub, and the line went slack. The small vessel found its buoyancy, but because of its bulbous shape bobbed up and down like a coracle, even in this relatively mild sea.

  Emory slipped off to join other divers already in the water. They released the safety fenders and he hand-signaled “all clear” through a porthole to Becka. The divers swam away and the Bluedrop slipped below the surface like a stone. The vague tension in Penny’s chest that had been there since waking became sharper. Although what she really wanted to do was to curl up on her bunk with a tall glass of scotch, it was time to head for the control room.

  She didn’t feel like sitting and, in any case, there were no extra seats. Malcolm was in front of one console. Chiffrey had commandeered the one available bar-height stool, and sat with his arms crossed as if waiting for the big game to start. There was a free chair in front of another console, but that was for Emory, who would soon be joining them. She stood behind the empty chair, which gave her a view of all the screens: one for the interior of the Bluedrop, and six for exterior cameras.

  “Why only one camera pointed forward?” she asked.

  “No,” Malcolm said. “These two aiming back at the sub are for inspection now but will be turned forward later. We have cameras all around, including bottom and aft, and all can be independently swiveled as needed, zoomed and panned as well.”