I hadn’t dumped a SeaPod’s ballasts before but instead relied on its neutral buoyancy and propulsion motors to navigate. Blowing the ballasts was an extreme action equivalent to an emergency surface command ridding the pod of hundreds of pounds of dead weight all at once. It just might work. We would head straight up after they filled with compressed air and then I would have time to regain control as we drifted upward.
Bending closer to the control panel, I searched for the ballasts icon. Nestled in between several other icons I found it. A legend below it said RED=EMPTY. I touched the icon glowing green and listened for the hissing of air: a signal that they were filling. Instead, I heard two loud echoing gasps, sounds that I was not expecting but they told me the same information: the ballasts had filled with air as the icon went red.
“Hey Marker. We’re pulling away! That did it. Now figure out how to stop this thing from floating to the surface. Got your power back now?”
Looking at the panel clock for confirmation, I checked it against my watch.
“They’re both ticking forward and the battery gauge reads green, so yes. We have power.”
“Well, thank God! Let’s dock this thing before something else goes wrong.”
A mere thirty minutes after we left Pod Bay 1, we returned as changed beings. Joking about the pilot in the mental ward we wondered if we also should check in, questioning our own sanity. But we had each other as a witness and we agreed on what we had observed. We had to find Bowman and tell him of the looming danger.
“Now repeat that,” he scoffed, “you experienced spaghettifying?”
“Yes, Dr. Bowman, that’s what we’re trying to tell you. Just like Franklin explained to us. When Ivy warned of the Condition Yellow alert after those grotesque sounds echoed through the station we went out in a SeaPod to investigate. What we found was unfathomable. Down below Pod Bay 2, the ROV is melting into the monopole and a tractor wheel near it is starting to warp in a bizarre distorted way. It happened in front of us as we watched although very slowly,” Briscoe answered.
‘B-but that can’t be real — what you saw. It just can’t happen. Are you positive you didn’t experience some form of hallucinogenic mass hysteria down there?”
“We wondered the same thing, Dave,” I answered, “but when the SeaPod began to lose power and almost killed us we knew then we were in real trouble, not imaginary trouble. It’s down there absorbing everything in sight right now. Probably growing brighter too. The only thing we can’t figure is why it’s not using seawater as a fuel.”
“I’m sure the particle physicist will explain that when he gets here if what you tell me is true.”
“And when is he due here?” I asked.
“At 1030 hours unless they experience weather delays.”
“That’s two hours from now. Mind if we catch a nap, Dave?” I asked. “We’re pretty much running on empty right now with all the emergencies waking us up.”
“Sure, knock yourselves out. I’ll handle our guests when they arrive but I’d like for you to meet them and describe your findings over lunch at…,” he glanced at his watch, “1200 hours. I’m having Chef Saunders prepare his special DV meal for us. You won’t want to miss it.”
As he stood to leave Briscoe said, “We’ll be there, Dr. Bowman. I’m as starved as I am exhausted so that will be perfect.”
“Head on up, Chief,” I said, “I need to give Dave this note I found in Li’s back pocket. Almost forgot about it with all the ruckus. Meet you in the mess hall at noon.”
Nodding he smiled.
“Tell me what the note says, then. I’m too tired to care right now. Just old age I guess but I can still hear my bunk calling.” He winked and left the room.
Dave settled back in his chair and held out his hand awaiting the note.
“What do you have for me, Matt? Did you say you found it in Lt. Li’s back pocket?”
“Yes,” I said and pulled the note from my pocket. Unfolding it I placed it in his hand and sat waiting curious about its message. “I haven’t read it,” I added.
He stared at me for a few seconds then moved his attention the note. I watched his eyes quickly scan the note then move back to me.
“Well, Matt, it seems that what you have found is the missing link to his abduction mystery. Li says here that the one that calls himself Ming captured him from a dive with explosives strapped inside his suit and ordered him into the bay then commanded him to retrieve his notebook and return to the bay without being noticed or he would destroy the station with a giant explosion. He obeyed Ming but was taken captive anyway. And the most important thing in here is his comment that when retrieving it he pulled all the Z information from the notebook and left it in his desk.”
“What does that mean, Dave?”
“It means they still think Discovery One is a radiation monitoring station. He kept the Z material from their eyes. What a brave soldier.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Dave. He must have been a pleasure to work with. Renews my faith in humanity.” Growing tired and ready to bunk down I stood to leave. “So does that tie up all the loose ends of your mysteries we came down to solve? I mean can we head back home anytime soon?”
“Not so fast, Matt. You’re forgetting the new elephant that just walked into the room.”
“The monopole?”
“Exactly. Our staff is not trained in stressful diving procedures nor expected to participate in such life-threatening undertakings. That’s what you and Mr. Briscoe are best at from what I hear. I’d like you both to remain here and get us out of this new danger. And, not surprisingly this one may be the most difficult to deal with. Seems we are now fighting the laws of physics and none of us are prepared for that battle.”
Chapter 19. The Visitor
“Station Alert! Station Alert!” Ivy’s voice boomed from the overhead speakers startling us. “We have a visitor. A large submarine is pulling along side the dome fifteen meters out on the starboard side. According to my submersible database and the sonar returns from its structure, it shows to be a Kilo-class submarine modified to operate at this depth, possibly a new PRC super-secret sub. However, none of its measurements exactly match any of China’s submarines in my database. I’ll report more information when my sensors detect it.”
“Oh shit. Speaking of battles,” Bowman said rising from his chair, “Here comes another one. That’s a Chinese Russian sub. They must be looking for their lost whale-ship.”
Sighing he bent over and spoke into the glowing panel on his desk, “Ivy how large do you estimate this ship to be?”
A soft purring sound preceded her answer.
“Its length measures to be eighty meters or about two-hundred-and-fifty-feet and the hull shows a ten meter beam; over thirty feet across. Weight is estimated at three-thousand tons.”
“Good God what a monster,” he said, “I had no idea they could dive this deep.”
He looked at me with eyes like saucers and returned his attention to Ivy.
“What’s it doing now Ivy?” he asked.
“At a standstill ten meters off the ocean floor. Its engines have gone quiet and its sonar is pinging the area, apparently looking for something other than us.”
“They are searching for their ship,” I said. “What do we do now?”
“We wait and pray. Hopefully they will move on after an unsuccessful search. They do have a moon pool according to the whale-ship’s logbook but it can’t be used at this depth so I don’t expect any knocks on our doors.”
“Implement silent running Ivy. PA announcements off.” he ordered.