Counterpoint

by John Day

  The men, who were operating the controls, were having considerable difficulty in managing the navigation of the US1 with all the turbulence around them, from the explosion and earth slide. The leader released the captain, technicians and Max and ordered them to take the controls. No one wanted to die from the hijacker’s bullet or drown in the sinking US1, so they regained control and stabilised the descent.

  Using sonar the U-boat was able to track US1. It was not the echo they were listening for, but the loss of echo from the trench wall when the sub was in between. The new skin absorbed the sonar beam entirely.

  Under direction of the leader of the hijack team, stood inside the large, spherical, panoramic screen, he could see exactly where he was going. US1 entered a crevice in the trench wall under an overhanging ledge. The U-boat slowly followed.

  It was pitch black inside the crevice, but the computer-generated image on the screen, made it like daylight. The current pulled the vessel further and further along the enormous tunnel, for about 10 minutes until external light started registering as false colours, on the pilot’s panoramic display.

  “Reduce speed to half a knot until we are in the main chamber, surface and steer hard to port into the larger pen,” commanded the leader.

  The technicians didn’t know what to expect until they entered the main chamber, and then it became clear to them. They had entered a huge subterranean cavern that was modified by man, to form two submarine pens. As the technicians edged into the pen, the U-boat swung round expertly into its own. The current was practically nothing as the docking crew tied up both craft. Max pointed out to the technicians that although they had surfaced, the depth gauge registered they were still submerged at 40 meters. The leader confirmed his observation and told everyone to get ready to adjust to the increase in pressure, which will be painful, but would not be for long.

  The Captain, Max, and the technicians were handcuffed again and lead outside to a concrete blockhouse, joined by the remaining people on US1. They were pushed inside, and locked in. The prisoners were desperate to know where they were, and what was going to happen to them, but the guards just told them to shut up!

  From a small window, Max could see both submarines and dockside. Preparations were going on at a frantic pace as the air pressure was rising. To his amazement, the water level was slowly dropping, and the subs were grounding on a coarse sandy bottom. He also noticed the current had reversed, and with a vengeance. The shore team was having trouble keeping the two craft aligned as the current tugged at their stern. Eventually, the beached craft defied the grip of the current and all was calm again. The water level continued to drop though, until the coarse sand was high and dry. By now, the water was flowing at a furious rate through the chamber; it looked like a horizontal waterfall. No wonder the submarines were beached, and the water level lowered, without that, everything would have been washed away.

  Chapter - Prisoners in the cavern.

  When Carla and Mike’s descent stopped, the airlock and the outer door opened into a circular room. Different guards escorted them to the U-boat.

  Both Mike and Carla had the same thoughts, what was this place used for, who was behind it all and what was going to happen to them?

  On board the U-boat a man called Montoya, a swarthy looking Mexican was discussing their current plans with a German, a man of about thirty called Gruber, the captain of the U-boat.

  “Now we have the US1,” said Montoya excitedly, “we should be able to travel the whole length of the tunnel, if it is as large as Ingrid predicts. If there are any parts too narrow to get through, there is a strong possibility we can blast them open at this depth by sending men out to place charges.”

  Gruber replied, “You assume my crew can master the controls of the vessel to navigate, with or against the full flow of the current. It can reach up to 40 knots in either direction, and even the part we have explored is not straight.”

  “We will have to learn from the prisoners,” replied Montoya confidently. “Why should they help, they will realise you intend to kill them.”

  “Look!” said Montoya irritably, “we have been over this before, if we convince them we want the US1 to hijack and rob a few cruise ships, and then they can go, I am sure they will accept it.”

  “I suppose so,” Gruber replied, “it sounds feasible and it is the only hope they have of getting out of here, but make sure they don’t discover the scale of this installation, if they do, they will know it’s a lie.”

  “We will keep them locked up until we are ready to leave,” concluded Montoya.

  Just then, a Guard knocked on the wall of the cabin, the door was already open. Both men looked up as the guard broke the news of Mike and Carla’s capture. Montoya and Gruber had been expecting it. Their informants in the village, close to the drilling site, had reported that two strangers were asking a lot of questions, so it was just a matter of time before they tried to get inside the dome. No point disappointing the strangers, so Montoya laid his trap. Now he had to find out whom they were, and cover his tracks.

  Mike was pushed forward in front of Montoya, who looked him over, and then passed him, at Carla. There was lust in his cold black eyes as he studied her.

  “Why have you trespassed onto my property,” Montoya barked.

  “We were just curious as to what the dome was for,” explained Mike lamely.

  “So curious, you were asking questions about a girl who works for me,” snarled Montoya.

  “Don’t waste my time, who are you and what do you want?”

  Carla piped up, “we are both looking for a girl called Ingrid Goodwin. She came to the village, and then just disappeared.

  “So who do you work for?” demanded Montoya.

  “We are both friends of the family” she replied assertively.

  “I don’t believe that, you were acting like professionals, the questions you asked, the way you snooped around,” scoffed Montoya.

  “People know we were here so you won’t get away with what you’re up to.”

  “No one knows where you are, you did not report back to anyone, we have been watching you carefully ever since you came here,” bellowed Montoya. “Take them away and lock them up, but don’t let them near any of the other prisoners.” Commanded Montoya to the guard.

  The guards motioned Mike and Carla away, the meeting was over.

  Further down the passageway, in a small cabin, was Ingrid Goodwin, she heard everything. Her boyfriend had introduced her to Montoya and Gruber. She saw a way to lasting fame by association, with the discovery of an underwater tunnel, from the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean. Her calculations had predicted a clear and extremely large tunnel that could be exploited for the movement of cargo, or production of energy, depending on the results of a final survey. She did not realise at the time their true purpose for the tunnel, or that she was risking her life by getting involved. She was expected to study the geology, and provide solutions to make the scheme work. Now she was a virtual prisoner, Montoya and Gruber would not let her out of their sight, and she could not relinquish the opportunity to be famous. The fact that others were being held prisoner and lives might be lost, caused her to rethink the worth of it all. The prisoners would help her escape, and she could still end up reaping all the glory, from this remarkable phenomenon.

  At the first opportunity, she slipped away to the concrete block house.

  The guards knew her well, so she was free to go where she liked, except up to the surface. She opened the door to the blockhouse and slipped inside. The prisoners were astonished to see her, and would have bombarded her with questions, but she motioned them to be silent.

  “My name is Ingrid Goodwin, Senator Goodwin’s daughter and I am being held down here against my will, like you. I am working down here to stay alive,” she said in a low voice. “I will explain everything to you.”

  Later today you will go back on board your submarine. You will be expected to navigate through a long underwater tunnel to
complete a scientific survey. You will be told the mission is to train the other submarine crew how to work the controls so they can rob a few cruise ships. The truth is, as soon as the crew can safely handle the US1, you will all be killed. The real objective is to collect a massive haul of drugs and then sell the submarine to a foreign power. Anxious murmuring of protest broke out. Ingrid shushed them to be quiet. Apart from the rest of your party in another building, there are two other prisoners as well, a girl and a man. They were caught inside the ventilation dome, above ground, and brought down here; they also will be killed. You will all be thrown into the current as it rages through the tunnel, and torn to pieces on the rocks. Your only chance to escape will be to jump the other crew as they learn the controls, but you must take me with you.

  “I think we would do better just sitting it out,” scoffed Captain Williams, “the moment communications were broken with US1, a rescue team would have been sent out, and they would have tracked us to this lair.”

  “I am sure they won’t,” Ingrid said. “The first explosion you heard was to simulate an explosion on board your sub and then it would have been seen sinking into the trench. A week ago, Gruber scuttled a small freighter at the base of the trench and the second explosion was to cause an earth slide to cover it. Any sonar or magnetometer readings will show a large metal vessel covered with mud and rock. At 3000m, it will be impossible to uncover the wreck, and they will believe that is your grave.”

  There was a murmuring of understanding and agreement.

  More questions followed, so Ingrid explained. “At the end of the last war, a German U-boat captain, Baron von Ryman, was ordered to bring treasures to South America by top officials in Germany, fleeing capture by the allies. The U-boat was swept into the mouth of the tunnel, by the strong current, and left stranded on a rock ledge. Gasses rising from the seabed millions of years ago, had seeped into the chamber forming a large dry void, without oxygen, the U-boat was largely protected from corrosion. There was only one way out, and that was by using breathing apparatus, and the out flowing current, when the tide eventually turned. The Captain was one of the few to reach the surface alive. With no money to sustain him, he eventually joined with the drug cartels, to earn enough money to finance the recovery of the treasure. A short time later, he married and had a son. The son, Gruber, is the man with Montoya and is the captain of a different U-boat, bought for film work and smuggling.”

  “Anyway, Baron von Ryman became extremely wealthy and abandoned the idea of returning to the U boat, for all he knew, it could have been swept away by then. One evening he was dining with Montoya, and they swapped life stories. The tale of the stranded U-boat and its treasure was told. Montoya thought it was worth the risk to see if the U-boat was still there and if it was, could it be re-floated, and used for drug smuggling. At any rate, the treasure on board would be some compensation.”

  “Montoya and the son, Gruber, commissioned a team of salvage men to recover the vessel. They found that was impossible, but they did salvage the treasure.

  “Under the guise of a film prop, they bought another U-boat. It was refurbished and has been used regularly ever since for smuggling drugs. The problem is that the trip is long and hazardous, and the U-boat is becoming hard to maintain. If the passage I predicted is viable, with your sub, they can use it as a short cut. The passage and its chambers along the way can be used as a secure hideout if necessary.”

  “Why did Montoya drill down into this chamber,” asked Captain Williams?

  “That is my doing,” Ingrid said. “I was approached for advice about the tunnel. They wanted to know if it went right through under the mountains to the Gulf of Tehuantepec, and I believed it did, based on the flow of water. I reckoned that, at the time the continents drifted apart, I’m referring to Pangaea; the Middle America Trench was a hinge point running through to the Gulf of Mexico. Tidal forces opened up the fault, eroding the passage we see now. I wanted to drill a series of exploratory holes that followed the course of the tunnel and make a name for myself. Montoya and Gruber decided to use the borehole as an access point to service their smuggling operations. They blew up the old U-boat to bring down the roof, enlarge the cavern and reduce the drilling distance. All the rubble was swept away by the ferocious currents, and by pressurising the chamber; they can easily control the water level here. With the US1, they are going on to the next phase of exploration. I believe they will get through, but even if they don’t, early indications are, there are vast mineral deposits there for the picking.”

  What about the other two prisoners, asked Captain Williams, “who are they and where are they now?”

  “You won’t be seeing them,” replied Ingrid; they are being held on the U-boat.

  “Montoya could not find out anything about the man and girl by questioning them, so he proposes to hang on to them for a while to see who, if anyone, come looking for them. They were trying to find me though, so they could be employed by my father. I must try and find a way of getting them on board your sub, before it sails. They may improve our chances of getting away.”

  Max was keen not to blow his cover so kept quiet about the girl and man prisoner. He knew the girl was Carla, and the man was Mike Teal as soon as Ingrid introduced herself.

  “Any ideas on how you propose to get the man and the girl aboard with us?” queried Max.

  “I have a couple of crates for equipment to go on your sub, I can fit them into,” she replied, “but, the problem is how to get them off the U-boat and into the crates. You will have to leave that to me, I will find a way,” she added.

  Ingrid headed for the door and peeked out, seeing the coast was clear, she slipped away back to the U-boat.

  Everyone started talking at once, asking questions no one could answer until Captain Williams urged them to keep their voices down. You all know as much as I do he said, we must sit tight for now, and as soon as we are back on board and underway, we must strike.

  Chapter - Montoya gives ultimatum.

  They did not have long to wait. Ten minutes later Montoya came into the room with Gruber and three guards. Montoya spoke to his prisoners. “I have captured your submarine for the purpose of robbing several cruise ships. You have the choice of helping me do this and then I will let you go or I will kill you now!” The rehearsed guards cocked their weapons menacingly, right on cue.

  “All those who want to live, step outside now!” A murmur of voices broke out debating the options, but Montoya cut them short.

  “The choice is straightforward and non-negotiable” he said coldly.

  Max got up and pushed his way towards the door as the others grumbled in surprise and protest.

  “Max turned and looked back at the crew, I want to live he said, don’t you? This man will kill you if you don’t cooperate, have no doubt about that!” Max continued to the door as the others got up and quietly followed. Montoya smirked as he looked across to Gruber.

  Back on board the US1, the crew felt more secure; there was hope of escape now they were on their own territory. All they needed was a plan of attack, and a signal from Captain Williams to implement it.

  The guards were everywhere, making sure the crew did not have the chance to group or plot any sort of rebellion, much to everyone’s dismay. Ingrid had now arrived on the main deck with two men who struggled to bring aboard items of equipment. Some still in large crates. She directed the men to stow the gear in a large cabin near the medical bay. So she could monitor data for her own purposes, she quickly ran cables from her equipment to various systems linked to the sub’s own sensors.

  Left to work on her own, she opened the two large remaining crates and let Carla and Mike out.

  To Captain Williams’s relief, the crew were busy getting on with their respective tasks, their minds fully focused on the difficult journey ahead of them. The officials, who came for the sea trials, were herded into a cabin, and locked in to keep them out of the way.

  Gruber approached Captain Williams an
d briefed him on the journey ahead of him. Max watched the two carefully, Williams appeared to put on a splendid act, by looking shocked at the suggestion of going deeper into the tunnel, and the unknown, though perhaps the realisation of what lay ahead, caused him to look shocked.

  Williams grabbed up the microphone and made an announcement. “The US1 will continue, along the subterranean tunnel in a westerly direction; the navigation team to be on full alert for any obstructions and narrowing of the tunnel. The current will rise to about 40 knots, cycling with the ebb and flow of the tide in both directions.”

  The prospect of hurtling along through an unknown and relatively narrow tunnel at any speed other than a crawl was frightening. When heading into the full flow, their maximum, continuous, motor speed would be just above 50 knots giving them a safe 10-knot reserve for headway.

  With the current pushing from behind, the motor would have to run at just under 40 knots, in reverse, to maintain forward travel. However the motor had never been tested above 15 knots in reverse!”

  Max approached Captain Williams, and asked what he had in mind for the manoeuvres, a subtle hint about escape. The Captain just replied, “We will just have to go with the flow and see what happens.”

  Max walked back to the control panel, appearing to check the various systems. His mind was racing, desperately trying to find some plan to get everyone out of the mess they were in. As he saw it, the crew would have their hands full trying to control the craft, without wrestling with the guards, in an attempt to take over the sub.

  Chapter - The Subterranean journey.

  The air pressure in the cavern had reduced now, to allow the water level to rise sufficiently to float the US1. The first indication of buoyancy was the slight rocking of the vessel followed by a grating and shrieking noise as the sub moved over the shingle.

  The current was about to turn when Captain Williams ordered reverse motors and the immense vessel slid out to the centre of the channel. The US1 submerged fifty metres below the water level, turned and glided forward at two knots, up the tunnel.