Everett nodded when he saw that not only were the monitors and main screen of Aegis shut down, they were also covered with tarps to keep the Russians from viewing the Aegis brain. Carl’s eyes went from Salkukoff to the Russian seamen. The captain and Dishlakov were wide-eyed at the CIC. This was nothing compared to what they had to work with. Kreshenko could not believe they lived in the same advanced world as the Americans.
“The time is coming where we will have such toys, Captain.”
Kreshenko looked down and saw that it was Salkukoff who had spoken.
“The question then is, how many people will he kill to get this technology?” Dishlakov said as he joined his captain. Kreshenko said nothing but watched as the colonel walked away and stood next to Collins.
“What have you got, Mr. Franks?” Johnson said as he approached a console with a lone officer manning a joystick. The large main display screen was on, and all eyes went there.
“Approaching the island right now, Captain. Professor Ellenshaw, you requested contaminant readings — we have them here.” The remote control pilot, a lieutenant, pointed to data scrolling across the screen in bright green letters. “Our sensors are within 5 percent plus or minus accuracy. They were just recalibrated before we left for Operation Reforger IV.”
Charlie adjusted his glasses, and Jack watched the green lettering scroll across his wire-rimmed glasses.
“No radiation and no contaminant particulate,” Charlie mumbled as Jack tried to hear. “No pollution of any kind.” Again, Ellenshaw pushed his glasses back up. “I wish the master chief were here. I think he would find this ash count interesting.”
“Why?” Salkukoff asked before Jack could.
“Sulfides, fluorides, and pumice — a lot of volcanic discharge. If I didn’t know better”—he turned and smiled at Jack—“I would say that we were looking at what the air quality would have looked like during the early Bronze Age. Heavy volcanic activity is the indicator.”
“In the North Atlantic?” Carl asked.
Ellenshaw smiled. “You mean our North Atlantic, or this one?” Charlie sniffed and then saw that Carl wasn’t smiling.
“Look at that beach,” one of the US Navy crewmen said as he pointed at a scene that looked as if it had been taken recently at one of the more fabulous Hawaiian resorts. The beach was wide, and the sands were the color of soft mocha chocolate. The drone rose higher. The beach was littered with palm fronds and other detritus that scattered on dry land after a major storm. They all noticed that the hurricane had touched this world as it had in their own. Most wondered if it was the same hurricane that had affected their world and started by the Simbirsk.
The palm trees were the predominant species of plant in and around the beach area. The more the drone flew into the island’s interior, the more varied the species. Plants of every size and shape engulfed the green island.
“Look at that,” Everett said as the drone passed over a large village.
From an altitude of eight hundred feet, the Raytheon propeller-driven drone displayed an amazing sight. The village was huge. Grass huts, some large, some small. Community buildings and boats. A large, violet stream-fed lagoon at its center. But most amazing of all were the hundreds upon hundreds of men, women, and children going about their late-afternoon chores. Fish cleaning, boat repair, children playing, and wives cooking. The camera zoomed in, and they saw these people closely for the first time. They were heavily tanned, and there were indeed several varying races of humans. All small, but some were tanned heavily, or Caucasian as far as they could see, while others were black.
“Mixed raced. That in and of itself means we are in a very special place.”
Jack looked at Charlie, who studied the scene far below the drone with a rapturous eye.
“How do you mean, Doc?”
“I mean, in our own shared history, differing races rarely mixed before the advent of trade and travel. This… this is amazing.”
“There could be another explanation, Doc,” Everett said aloud.
Charlie again pushed his glasses up on his nose and then turned and faced the captain.
“What is that?”
“Mutual defense against a common enemy,” Salkukoff said.
The men around the remote control console became quiet as the drone moved over the large village. Only Salkukoff looked annoyed at the direction of the summarization by Ellenshaw.
Ryan entered the CIC and joined the group.
“Colonel, according to Charlie’s data,” he leaned in and whispered, “we have four hours until sunset. Maybe we should take a Zodiac over and introduce ourselves. As the security liaison on this mission, I find it vital to see if this asshole is right about a common enemy. Because if these peaceful-looking fishermen have bad guys they’re afraid of, I have a feeling we won’t like them very much ourselves.”
Before Jack could comment on Ryan’s suggestion, the remote operator brought the drone to a higher altitude, and then all conversation stopped.
On the large monitor, a long line of natives was returning from the large mountain that rose high at the center of the island. The trail they traveled was wide and worn. The travelers upon this road had large baskets strapped to their foreheads, and those baskets were large enough that they ended only at the smalls of their backs.
“Well, it looks like they have more than just fishermen. Is that villagers gathering food from the mountainside?” Jack asked aloud.
“No, I don’t think so,” Charlie said as he squinted toward the screen. “Lieutenant, could you get a better shot at a lower altitude?”
The naval officer complied, and the picture from the drone’s camera system shifted as the operator sent the sixteen-foot-long aircraft into a shallow dive and then brought the zoom lens in tight on the long line of women, children, and men.
“Not gatherers.” Charlie looked away from the picture and then faced Jack. “Mining, perhaps.” He pushed his glasses back upon the upper portion of his nose.
“Well, we suspect fishing, and now they may be mining something. Ryan is right; maybe we’d better get in a boat and make a courtesy call on our hosts. They didn’t seem hostile up close, at least the fishermen didn’t,” Jack said as he faced his team as the remote drone rose back up into the sky and then circled the large village.
“Uh-oh,” the remote control officer said as they all looked at the screen. “I think our little spy mission has been found out.”
On the screen, all the faces of the villagers were turned skyward as the miners made their way into the camp. All eyes were turned upward as the noise of the propellers cutting the air gave them away.
“Sorry, Captain. Flew a little too low.”
Women scrambled to get their children inside. Men and others pointed toward the drone and gestured animatedly.
“Bring her back to the barn. We’re scaring these people,” Johnson said, slapping the young lieutenant JG on the back.
“I think we should not concern ourselves with these island people nor fear scaring them. They have nothing to do with our predicament.”
Jack looked from the retreating drone on the screen to Salkukoff. He thought about not saying anything but decided that he really despised this man.
“Colonel, we like to learn things. Aren’t you Russians always saying knowledge is power?”
“Yes, we are, Colonel Collins. But we also have a limit to cooperating with people who don’t make it a priority to return to our own world. I suggest we concentrate on getting the phase shift equipment operational and leave this place.”
The colonel got up and abruptly left the CIC. After a moment, Kreshenko and Dishlakov stood to follow. The captain paused and faced Jack.