by K D McNiven
Ryn shook Decker’s hand vigorously. He looked taken aback when he saw Callie, whose eyes still revealed the signs of abuse from her captivity. Despite the severe trauma she’d suffered, a glimmer of new life danced in the jade pools of her eyes. A wide smile tipped her lips. Ryn marveled at her strength and perseverance.
“So sorry for the ordeal you went through, Callie,” Ryn said.
“I’m doing good, Ryn. Thank you.”
“Ryn, I’ll show you aft to your bunk,” Dax said.
“You two want to help me unpack supplies, record, and shelf them?” asked Karina.
“Absolutely,” Callie said, grabbing several packages Dax had set down.
They followed Karina to the dry lab and began pulling out and labeling specific items they would need once they reached their destination and began running tests. Even with the threat of danger hanging over their heads, a thread of excitement pulsed through them.
***
Gordon Pierce sat at his desk, a stack of files tossed over the top. He took another sip of coffee, his eyes drooping. He glanced at the wall clock. Three o’clock in the morning. He hadn’t slept a wink and his body ached from a long day at work. Agitated and restless, he had driven back to headquarters.
He blinked several times to keep his eyes open, then drew back the cover of the file on Decker. “Decker Hayden. What the devil are you up to?’ he muttered beneath his breath. Bone-weary, he dropped his head on his desk and drifted off to sleep.
Several hours later, Gordon found himself agitated when James and Martin reported in.
“Lost him,” Martin said. His reluctance to report the news back to Gordon easily seen on his face.
Gordon stared at them. “Aren’t you trained in espionage?”
Both men looked guilty.
“The police had him locked up,” defended Martin. “How were we to foresee he had the means to escape or that some fool in the precinct would release him?”
“You had him dead-to-rights in your hands!”
They fell silent. What was left to say? They had taken every measure to bring Hayden in as was the directive. They had been briefed on Decker’s formal military training but had not anticipated how easily he’d slipped off the grid.
“And this Dax fellow…he’s a mere salvager! Somehow he’s managed to stay one step ahead of you as well.”
“Apparently, that Detective fellow decided to help them out,” James said. “You saw he flew to Miami with Drake to investigate.”
“They haven’t a clue what they are getting mixed up in,” Gordon growled. His bushy brows were drawn into a frown. “Before this gets any worse, we need to prevent Hayden from investigating this any further. Not exactly sure how to deal with Drake and Detective Brock, but if they don’t back down soon, we’ll have to take matters into our own hands.”
“We’ll get right on it, Sir,” James assured Gordon.
“Find Decker and bring him back to Miami before he suffers terrible consequences. Do I make myself clear?”
They nodded.
“Why are you still standing there?” Gordon shouted impatience etched on his face.
Without another word, the two men headed out the door. For the life of them, they were perplexed as to how Hayden had alluded them. Plainly, he had found help. They would have to backtrack and see if they were able to pick up his trail. The Shark Eater had not signed a vessel itinerary so their whereabouts would be anyone’s guess. Locating the ship would be Martin’s and James’ first move. They had maintained twenty-four-hour surveillance on the ship and were positive Decker had not boarded and realized at some point Decker would contact Dax Drake. Notably, his wife was on board. Decker would make sure he found his way back to her. They were positive.
Gordon felt his neck muscles stiffen. He glanced down at the file still opened wide on his desk and began reading. Hayden had been enlisted in the army for four years alongside Dean McDermott, who after his years of service, led a tactical force unit. Gordon continued to read the details on McDermott coming to Hayden’s aid during a drug bust in the Bahamas and wondered if Hayden would try and pull McDermott into his present predicament.
Gordon rubbed his stubbled chin with his calloused hand. It would be a confidentiality breach if McDermott was brought into the fold, and commanded to hinder Decker’s investigation in the Bermuda Triangle. McDermott was bound to his superiors. If he was ordered to work with the CIA, McDermott would have no other choice but to follow through. What better way to thwart Hayden’s plan to overturn the cart and expose a military catastrophe which had been covered-up since the late 1900s?
A smile shaped his lips. McDermott would be his secret weapon.
***
Shark Eater skimmed the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, connecting with the Gulf Stream fifty miles off Florida’s east coast. A pleasant northerly wind pushed them along at twenty knots. The crew busied themselves with inspecting and cleaning the equipment, wondering what awaited them once they anchored smack-dab in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.
Busy filling the eighteen-pound aluminum diving tanks, Dax barely heard the falling footsteps of Decker as he came up alongside him.
“How’s it going?” Decker asked, squatting down.
“Everything is nearly ready,” he replied. “Have you heard anything back from McDermott?”
“Not yet. Maybe he’s out of the country. Hopefully, I’ll hear from him soon. If anyone can figure out what we’re messed up in, it will be Dean.”
Dax smiled. “I’m both excited and anxious.”
“Yup, me too,” said Decker. “I’m concerned what measures the CIA will take when they realize we’re going back to investigate the elusive island. Makes a person more than a little uneasy.”
“Hope we get to the bottom of it and we can send the documentation to an outside source willing to release it if the occasion arises.”
Decker cocked his brow. “You mean if something should happen to all of us?”
Dax shrugged. “Possibility, mate.”
“Unfortunately, you’re right.”
Shark Eater scudded along at a one hundred and twenty-degree-angle, heading north around North Rock to Mackey Shoal, and onward to a deep trench one hundred miles past Tucker Island where they dropped anchor.
As the day passed, the crew converged in the mess hall to go over the details. Captain Manny took center stage to answer any questions any of them might have.
Decker shared the information Detective Brock had given to him. No one seemed to have any information on Tucker Island, except that it had British and American military activity for several years. It was common knowledge the UREF tested submarines and weaponry in the vicinity in years past. They were aware of the fact Shark Eater’s presence would be caught on radar within a matter of minutes. How Naval Intelligence would plan to deal with it was another matter.
“You don’t think there might be some kind of underwater military base, do you?” asked Chase.
Decker shrugged. “I have no idea what we’ll find. Maybe nothing.”
“I guess we’ll know soon enough,” Captain Manny said. “We lay anchor tomorrow midday. “If anything is out there, the sonar will pick it up.”
“Let’s hope we aren’t going to be sitting on a missile launch,” Chase chuckled. He had meant it as a joke but wondered in the back of his mind if he wasn’t too far off base. If this had been a military testing area, it’s difficult to know what they would turn up.
Shark Eater’s engines made a constant drumming sound over the deck. They had since weighed anchor and had begun preparing Ceto, the ROV.
“Ceto,” said Linus as he walked up to the controls. “Is translated, ‘sea monster’ in Greek mythology. Ceto is also depicted as the primordial goddess of large sea monsters.”
“Appropriate, when you think about Ceto’s attributes…a monstrous yellow submarine-looking sea creature,” Chase chuckled. “So, let’s let the goddess do her magic down there!”
Ceto had been secured to the A-frame hoist and tethered by a load-carrying umbilical cable. Electrical conductors and fiber optics were encased inside the cable and would carry power and data signals between the system and the operator. She is outfitted with sonar and LiDAR, as well as equipped with high-tech video and camera equipment. Ceto also had a cutting arm, manipulated by the on-deck operator, who in this case would be Linus.
Decker and Callie made their way to the pilot house where they found Dax, Captain Manny, and Ryn looking over various charts laid out over the counter. All eyes turned as the two of them entered.
“Sonar shows what appears to be a small mountain of lava beneath us,” Manny said. “When we send down Ceto, we’ll have much more information at our fingertips.”
“We were giving Ceto a once over. Quite impressive,” Callie said.
“She certainly is,” Manny agreed.
“Are we getting close to sending her down?” asked Decker.
“We’re making sure the monitors are all functioning. Linus will be making sure all the data will be recorded,” Manny replied.
“It’s imperative to download every bit of evidence we acquire onto disks. All information will be sent to Carson in Miami who will secure it,” Decker said. “I know I’m sounding paranoid. However, with two murders to show for, I don’t think we can be too cautious. Carson will make sure if anything happens to us, the information will be safeguarded and released to the public if need be.”
“Doesn’t sound paranoid to me,” Ryn jumped in. “They’ve been monitoring us for quite some time. I think we’re all on edge. I know I am. A bit of insurance suits me.”
“Then we’re in agreement?” Decker leveled his gaze on Manny.
“Of course. We have no idea what we will uncover here. Like Ryn, I’ll feel much safer knowing someone has our backs.”
A half hour passed and the crew worked aft preparing to lower the ROV. The high-powered motor used to drive the hydraulic pump would propel Ceto through the water, as well as assist in powering the manipulator arm. Along with the pump and generators, a continual rumbling rolled across the deck, causing Captain Manny to shout out orders to the crew to be heard.
Linus stood at the control unit, his hand maneuvering the levers to guide Ceto, which to Linus felt like playing video games. Linus thought it both fun and challenging at the same time. Chase stepped up beside him to assist. While a few of the crew prepared to dive and inspect the lava mountain beneath. The uppermost peak of the seamount lay close to thirty meters below the surface, exceptionally lower than when Jade II had made her first sighting.
Callie and Karina went to the moon pool and began taking water samples. They wondered what elements would be discovered because there still remained high levels of magnetic interference at play. An edge of excitement and curiosity filled them as they capped off the plastic tubes and headed back to the dry lab to evaluate the samplings.
“Callie, look at this,” Karina said, her head down. She had her arm extended behind her and wriggled her fingers in a motion to say, “come here, and quickly.”
Callie set aside the inventory she’d been working on and moved behind Karina who sat with her legs crisscrossed and tucked beneath her. She held a magnet inches beneath the water’s surface in the moon pool. “See those black-colored particles? They’re everywhere in the samples I took earlier. They have extremely strong magnetism. Look how the particles are swarming the magnet.”
“What’s their origin?”
Karina shrugged. “Not sure exactly, but my first guess is the marine sediment is ferrimagnetic. I know industrial and fossil fuels have increased magnetic concentrations over the years, but I’m not sure this is what we’re looking at. Some of what I’m detecting is from volcanic activity. But the amounts of magnetic influence have me stumped.”
“Everything about this area has me stumped.” Callie drummed her fingers on the metal surface. “Keep testing and see if we can make sense of this.”
“Consider when the Jade II anchored here the first time, there happened to be an electrical storm creating microbursts—those in themselves create magnetic influences. But you also had high winds and torrential rain—those elements certainly affect the ocean currents. I also understand a violent storm, such as the one you experienced, has the ability to play havoc on planes and ships navigational instruments, causing them to plummet from the sky or even capsize. What I can’t grasp is, what fused them into a lava mountain and in one concentrated area? It’s plain mind-bending. There’s more. Much more…”
Chapter 24
⁂
Battery-operated Ceto slowly floated down through the waves, suspended on the armored cable. Its bright yellow silhouette could be seen topside for a short time, but as it was slowly being lowered, it disappeared beneath the ocean surface. It would take some time to position it where they had calculated. Monitors were set up aft where Linus worked his magic on the controls. They were hoping the underwater volcano wouldn’t erupt while Ceto explored the area or they could have a disaster on their hands. Also, they didn’t want any unexpected storms to break out and damage the expensive remotely operated vehicle. Presently, the conditions were excellent.
Captain Manny called for Dax and Decker to meet with him in the pilot house. When they arrived, Manny and Ryn were bent over one of the monitors.
“What’s up, Captain,” Dax said, moving behind him to peer over Manny’s shoulder and Decker to his left.
“The shadowy shapes Ceto’s picked up when Linus switched on the four LED lights revealed a heavy proportion of slurry mixed in because of wave action. Also, the sonar shows a shelf portside that looks to have collapsed and has stirred up some of the volcanic sediment. Seems to be clearing up some.” Manny said.
“Definitely the makings of a seamount that hasn’t fully diminished,” Decker said.
“Look,” said Ryn. “You can vaguely distinguish the contour of an airplane wing.”
Several of the team huddled around the monitors to observe the bazaar spectacle. Except for Decker, Callie, and Ryn, the others had not had the opportunity to view it.
Decker strained to see the silhouette. “Sure enough, it’s the wing of a plane. He’d glimpsed the phenomenon on their first trip out. Even so, he still stared in awe.
“I believe we can tie up most of the scientific elements at play here,” said Manny. “However, there’s still a missing piece of the puzzle…why is there metal and wood twisted together in the lava in just this one concentrated area?”
“Let’s give Ceto time to gather all of the data,” Decker replied.
“Hey,” Ryn broke in. “We’re being spied on.”
“What!” Manny exclaimed.
“Submarine starboard. An eighth mile out.”
“Didn’t take them long,” Decker said. An icy chill rode along his spine. He wondered if they were prepared to fire on them. For the moment, they had not hailed Shark Eater, merely loomed in the distance.
“Should we try and contact them?” Ryn asked Manny.
Manny stood silent for a time. “Go ahead, see if they answer.”
Ryn hailed the submarine several times. Dead silence. “This is Ryn Lansing, the first mate on the Shark Eater, please respond. Over. We have you on our sonar, please identify. Over.” Still silence.
“She’s turning back,” Ryn said, perplexed by the sub’s actions. “Apparently she wants to observe our actions. Hard to say what her intentions are, Sir.”
After an interval of time, the submarine disappeared off sonar. “Keep a sharp eye, Ryn. No doubt they’ll be back. Hopefully not to torpedo us.”
“Roger that,” Ryn replied.
Aft, Linus pulled at the levers, manipulating Ceto’s cutting arm and snagged a rather impressive wedge of a plane wing. By midday, the team hauled Ceto back to the surface. They would have plenty of videotape and photos to go over, working diligently, not letting the opportunity slip by. If another storm blew in, chances were high it might cause a b
reak down in the lava mountain even more.
Any information they acquired would be sent directly to Carson on board the Jade II for safekeeping until they made it back. At least they hoped they would make it safely back. The intentions of the submarine spying on them remained unclear.
The crew gathered as the sun slipped beyond the horizon leaving a trail of scarlet and gold ribbons of color. They began sorting through sonar readings and viewing Ceto’s findings.
“These clips are extraordinary,” Dax said. “I can even spot the vague outline of a ship’s porthole lodged in the lava.”
“Must be fifty or more chunks of planes and ships embedded in the rock,” Decker noted.
“Probably the only reason the seamount has sustained its shape and not broken to pieces,” Karina said. “Seamounts push through the surface and as the currents push against them, they tend to erode and float away. Some for miles.”
“Any clue as to why the planes and ships might have been drawn into the lava?” Decker asked.
“That’s what you’re supposed to be finding out,” she said. “As you’re aware, a magnetic force exists which I can’t explain. Powerful storms which create microbursts can cause rogue waves and can be dangerous to both planes and ships. I understand if they’re caught in one of these mega-storms they may have sunk or dropped from the sky. And the extreme electromagnetic energy in this area no doubt has played havoc on their navigational equipment. But why they all bunched together like that, entangled themselves with the seamount goes beyond my scientific mind. I feel like I’m in the twilight zone.”
The team laughed.
“Since we discovered this, we’ve been trailed by government officials or military people—maybe both,” Decker said. “Whatever we have stumbled onto has some significance, or at least that’s the consensus. But I feel like we’re swimming through quicksand and haven’t made many steps forward. C’mon! I need someone to throw me a bone. Something solid to chew on.”