"It wasn't a big list." Heather paused for a moment, as if she was trying to recall that list. "But it would do, I think."
"Did it include EMP storms?"
"Fortunately, yes. Would that help?"
"You shall know sooner than you think." Burke's eyes were fixed on the gauges of the dashboard. He knew that moment would come when the. . .
"The engines are dead!" Powell made the announcement Burke had been anticipating. Screams and shrieks came from the passengers' cabin when the HG-3 started falling. To be honest, Burke wasn't less scared than the men and women behind him. He was never a fan of roller coasters, though he knew that at some point the roller coaster cart would rise again.
Unlike this flipping vessel.
Waiting for the moment of hitting the ocean surface like a bullet, Burke caught a glimpse of Powell, who was sitting tight in his seat as he preached his passengers. The Major reached down—or up, when the vessel was upside down—for something that Burke didn't know. He was not looking for his phone to make his last tweet, right?
And suddenly, Burke felt himself pulled upward.
He needed a moment to catch his breath, and then he tried to figure out what was happening. Through the windshield, Burke contemplated the ocean surface from a close range. They must be like ten or twenty feet above the water, and they were falling down slowly this time, like a leaf on a warm day. Now the vessel steady as it landed on the water, Burke spotted the handle near Powell's toe. "That's what saved us today, isn't it?" Burke indicated the handle with his chin.
"It activates an emergency parachute brake system." Powell nodded in approval. "And that system works mechanically." That's why it could never be affected by electromagnetic waves.
"I truly admire your composure, Major," Burke addressed Powell. "Even if I knew the place and the function of this handle, I would never remember to use it in such madness."
The team members in the cabin behind Burke were checking on each other. Heather had unbuckled her seatbelt already to see for herself that everybody was okay. For what? Burke wondered. They were all sitting tight during the adrenaline-rush ride. If there is one she must check on, it should be me.
"The ocean is steady." Powell gazed at the clear horizon ahead. "The storm is over."
"I told you: you have never seen anything like that," said Burke. For a first-timer, it would be hard to believe that this calm ocean had been raging one minute ago.
Heather came to the cockpit. "Damage report, Major."
"I wish I could be more specific, Dr." Powell gestured at the dead gauges and screens. "But as you see, the HG-3 is turned off."
"You were right, then." Heather nodded toward Burke. For the time being, he would take that as a compliment. "I thought that electromagnetic storms only happen in space."
"Starting from now, forget everything you think you know," Burke said.
Heather stared at him before Daniel interrupted their moment as he said, "Santino, Walter, and I are going to check the engine and turn it on. We need to get some coordinates to know where we are."
"Where do you think we are?" Burke teased him. "We are in Bermuda Triangle, Professor Daniel. By the way, are you Professor yet?"
Daniel received Burke's jest with a cold look. "We are going, Heather."
"There is a small chance you can revive that engine," Burke pointed out. "But getting coordinates? That's impossible."
Daniel ignored him as he took Santino and Walter to the engine room.
"Even if they manage to revive the engine, we won't be able to communicate with the outer world, right?" Heather warily asked Burke.
"The Triangle is designed to keep everything inside and prevent anything outside from entering."
"Designed?" Heather arched an eyebrow. "Anyway, it didn't keep you inside."
"Which means you still have a chance to survive Bermuda." He winked.
Heather didn't look amused. "I hope you really mean it, not just trying to be funny." She gazed at the orange horizon of dusk. "The sun will go down in less than an hour."
"Which is what we are waiting for," said Burke. "Without satellites and radio, only one way would work. You need darkness to see constellations, remember?"
13. Yellow Lights
Darkness reigned inside and outside the hovercraft.
Two hours had passed, and still Heather was waiting for Daniel, Santino, and Walter to come back from the engine room below the passengers' cabin with good news.
"Haven't you brought fresh fruits with you?" Burke's voice came from behind her as he approached.
"Seriously," she turned to him, "you feel like eating anything in such a situation?"
Burke gave a careless shrug. "What does this situation have to do with my appetite anyway?"
His peace of mind was really impressive yet provocative. As if he had been asleep while the HG-3 was plummeting into the ocean like a rock. As if he wasn't aware that they were stranded on a dead vessel in the heart of the ocean. Should she bring to his attention that they were not having some rest before resuming their lovely cruise in the Devil's Triangle?
"Maybe we find fresh fruits on your island." She smiled crookedly. "Wouldn't that be nice?"
She left Burke in his fruity dreams and bent over the hatch of the engine room. "What if it is not an electromagnetic shock?" Walter's echoing voice came from the room.
"Could it be something else?" Santino asked.
"I don't know," said Walter. "I guess we need to gather the whole team to consider other options."
"Other options? Like what?"
"Lifeboats, Santi."
"And abandon the HG-3?" Heather couldn't help butting into their conversation. Using lifeboats meant losing the HG-3, probably forever. Also, chasing her luck in the middle of the ocean wasn't something she was ready to do.
"The HG-3 is useless if we can't make it move." Daniel came below the hatch, his head up to face her. "We won't stay here until we starve."
She wished she could tell them that help would come soon, but she didn't dare. That wouldn't fool anybody here. We all knew that from the beginning, she reminded herself. We all knew we would be on our own in this mission.
Next to Nathaniel, the silent languages expert, Jay and Kenji were trying every device and gadget they had brought. "Any good news?" she asked them, both of them shaking their heads in denial.
"Heather," Linda called out from the cockpit. Usually, she was that type of person who wouldn't talk to you unless you talk to her first. "You must come and see this." Heather wasn't sure if Linda sounded excited or alarmed.
"What is it?" Heather joined Linda, Susan, Kenneth, and Joshua who crammed Powell's cockpit, their eyes fixed on the windshield. Something ahead of them was taking their attention.
"Not sure." Linda shook her head as she made way for Heather to advance. "Can you tell?"
It should be an easy question to answer. Assuming there were no ports nearby, those flashing yellow lights at the horizon must be belonging to some ship.
A ship that was coming closer to them.
Burke stood on his toes behind Heather. "What am I missing?"
"Have you seen that before?" Without looking back, Heather lowered her voice as she gazed at what looked like the shadow of a ship approaching the HG-3.
"I can't see clearly from my spot," Burke protested.
Heather warily peered at him, recalling what Mr. Colgate had told her about the official reason why Burke had been fired from the university. He is not up to any foolish acts, is he? She nodded to Linda and Susan to step back and let Burke take their spot. "Is the view better now?"
"Much better." He raised his eyebrows as he contemplated the approaching huge vessel.
"You know what it is, don't you?"
Burke shook his head, pressing his lips together. "I never saw anything like that on my first journey."
Disappointed, Heather exhaled.
"It must be another ship," Kenneth nervously said. "I mean: can it be anythin
g other than that?"
Nobody had an answer to his question. Probably, they were too afraid to answer it.
"Why is that ship not dead like our hovercraft?" Powell wondered as he tried every button on the control panel. Again, the answer would be terrifying.
"Because it's not a ship, Major," said Burke, a hint of amusement in his voice. Heather started to doubt whether Burke knew more than he revealed to them, or he was really blessed with this unbelievable quantum of peace of mind.
"What do you know, Burke?" She peered at him.
"I know nothing." Burke shrugged. "I just spit what I think about."
Footsteps came from behind her. "What is this fuss about?" Daniel pointed his torch at the cockpit as he approached, Santino and Walter following him.
"We got company." Heather pointed at the yellow flashing lights coming from that mysterious. . . "Where did it go?" She squinted at the horizon, which was all black now. The vessel was invisible after the yellow lights were out
"Now what?" Susan wondered.
"This is not promising," Kenneth muttered.
"Why did it stop?" Glancing at Burke, Heather was growing impatient.
"What?" Burke's eyebrows rose. "I am not a fortune teller."
"Dammit!" Heather gnashed her teeth. "Let me through." She gave him a dismissive wave before she strode to the side windows that showed nothing but the silent dark ocean. "Where did it go?" She turned to her IT experts. "You will do us a great favor if you find a way to communicate with that unidentified comer."
"Unidentified comer?" Jay exclaimed. "What are we missing?"
Before Heather uttered a word, Powell left the cockpit in a hurry and stopped by every locked side window to look through it. "Something wrong, Major?" she warily asked him.
Powell shushed her as he gazed through the second window to the left. His gesture might have irked her on a normal occasion, but right now it made her curious.
And anxious.
"What is it, Major?" Daniel asked, obviously sharing her anxiety.
"Quiet," Powell nervously whispered. "A boat. Get down."
Unable to resist her curiosity, Heather sneaked a peek through the nearest window to her. "Get down, I say," Powell insisted.
"Where is that boat?" Heather asked as she complied with Powell's order.
"Gone," Powell whispered nervously.
For a couple of minutes, no one said a word as they all sat on the floor. Heather wanted to ask Powell how long they would stay like that, but after a second thought she changed her mind. She was not ready for another shush from the burly marine.
"Did you hear that?" Susan sounded alarmed, pointing upward. . . where the light footsteps came from.
Heather's heart pounded as she followed the cautious footsteps with her ears. Whoever he was, he was doing his best not to be noticed.
Powell stood below the upper hatch, gesturing with one hand to Heather and her team to stay as they were, the other hand balled into a fist.
"Do you hear that?" Kenneth asked in a low voice when a faint buzzing sound came from behind the very upper hatch Powell stood beneath. In a minute, the buzzing was gone and the hatch was slowly removed. From her angle, Heather could barely see the frame of the intruder's face.
A face that was too long to be human.
14. Humanoid
The darkness made it hard for Heather to see the features of that long face. And obviously, the case was the same for the mysterious intruder, who slowly moved his head right and left, as if he was scanning the vessel from inside. After a minute of absolute silence, Heather doubted if he could see the passengers of the HG-3 in the first place.
And then, the intruder jumped into the vessel. While Heather was petrified like everybody else, Powell made his move.
The marine pulled the intruder by his thin, long arm, and slammed his back against the floor. Without giving the unwelcome visitor a reprieve, Powell smashed his jaw with a straight punch in that long face. The intruder screeched like a crow before he lay motionless on the floor.
Except for Powell, who was already standing by the fallen creature, nobody dared to move from his spot, as if they wanted to make sure that the intruder was asleep now. A click so close to Heather startled her, but she realized it was only Jay's flashlight. The shell of the HG-3 must have spared it the worst of the electromagnetic storm.
"Oh God!" Susan covered her mouth when Jay approached the fallen intruder, his torchlight showing a long, gray, humanoid face with two narrow eyes that topped a small lipless mouth. The tiny nostrils above that thin mouth were too hard to recognize. Maybe that thing did not need to breathe anyway.
"Unbelievable." Heather came closer and bent over the unconscious humanoid, feeling the texture of his brown two-piece outfit that covered his body from shoulder to knee. "It feels like leather."
Burke joined her and touched the humanoid's outfit as well. "Because it's leather indeed." He gripped the upper part of the outfit, as if he was going to pull it off. "Well, almost."
"I don't think it's a good idea to touch anything now," Daniel cautiously pointed out.
"Are you so optimistic that you think you can return with him as a sample?" Burke scoffed.
"You didn't come with us to be trapped here for life, did you?" Daniel peered at him.
"Gentlemen." Heather wanted to stop a probable pointless argument. Like seriously, how many times would you enter Bermuda Triangle and encounter an intelligent race other than humans? Unfortunately, she couldn't know the reasons why he decided to come to their vessel on his own. "Wasn't there another way to. . . neutralize him?" she asked Powell.
"Did you expect me to offer him a welcome drink?" Powell curled his lip.
Heather sighed. "I said nothing about welcome drinks, Major. I'm just wondering if there is a possible way to communicate with him."
"How would that matter? We would never understand a damn word from this creature."
Only when he harrumphed, Heather remembered that one of her team members was a guy called Nathaniel. "Actually, we can." Probably it was his first time to speak since their departure.
"Did you understand what that creature said?" she asked Nathaniel.
Nathaniel swallowed. "He speaks Latin. The vessel is not abandoned was what he said."
Latin? Why wasn't Heather surprised? "The photo you captured." Heather stared at Burke. "He is the one who wrote those words in the sand."
Burke shrugged. "Or one of his people did. We have no idea how many they are."
Of course, that mysterious vessel must be carrying more humanoids. It would be exciting to meet them, but would they be excited as well to meet Heather and her crew?
Another creaky voice coming from the knocked out humanoid startled her, but she realized it wasn't him. Powell searched the long-faced intruder and found a spherical gadget from which the voice was coming. "That must be the communicator through which he was reporting that the vessel was not abandoned."
"They are calling him, it seems," said Burke. "Either we reply or leave this vessel immediately."
Heather pondered the two possibilities. "Leave and go where, Burke? To the island?"
"We have no other options," replied Burke. "Shortly, others will come from that mysterious ship to find their missing dude. Don't you have lifeboats on this HG thing?"
Heather shot Powell an inquisitive look. "What do you think?"
"I still don't like the idea of following the lead of this weirdo." Powell shook his head. "But I guess he is right about our options; they are so limited." He peered at Burke as he continued, "I hope you know what you are talking about. We will take the two lifeboats we have into the middle of the dark ocean."
Burke's response was nothing more than his strange smile. A smile that would irritate anybody in such a situation.
And indeed it did.
"Do you really understand the damn hole we are stuck in?" Powell held Burke firmly by the shoulders. "Our lives are on the edge."
Burke did
n't look bothered that much. "As long as the sky is clear, we still have a chance." He grinned before pushing Powell's arms gently. "Now, if you don't mind. We can talk like civilized people."
Heather heard the worried mumbling of her crew. She was not less anxious than them. From the beginning, she was the one who insisted on bringing Burke on board with her team to Bermuda, but when it was time for a reality check, she did not feel so sure about leaving her destiny, as well as her crew's, in the hands of Burke.
The creaking voice started again through the spherical gadget.
"Now what?" Daniel addressed Nathaniel.
"I don't know this time." Nathaniel shrugged. "Maybe they are calling him by his name."
"So be it," said Heather. "We will release the capsules, but first we have to check them to make sure they are not dead." She gestured to the three engineers in her crew to hurry and examine the lifeboats.
"What about that ship?" Santino pointed at the dark figure that could be barely seen through the glass window. "They must be watching us."
"That's why we want to make sure that the diving mode is still working in both boats."
"Diving mode," Burke echoed in excitement. "Interesting. The capsules are designed with diving modes." He looked at Heather. "You really did a great job in your preparations for this cruise."
Cruise? "Just pray the EMP didn't kill those capsules."
Burke nodded his chin toward the humanoid. "What are we going to do with Longface?"
"We can't leave him here," said Powell. "We can't afford losing our only means of escape."
"We can't take him with us, either," said Susan.
"Then, what's your suggestion?" Heather asked nervously. "You can't throw him in the ocean."
"Listen, Doctor." Powell wagged a firm finger. "Our plan did not involve humanoid creatures. I'm taking charge from here if you want to survive."
"Mind your tone, Major," Daniel warned.
"Or what? Huh? Or what?" Powell glowered at Daniel.
"Major! This is still my expedition!" Heather snarled. "I'm the one in charge here."
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