“No, actually, there are five entrances and two exits… one of them is far below the water line… come around to the computer station and I’ll bring you up to speed with what we have discovered so far. We’ve had three men down here including Mr. Rodriguez, who has told me he wants to be involved every step of the way. You’ve already met Frank — he’s our drilling engineer. And then there’s me. Senior geologist for Rodriguez Mining Inc. You now make the fourth person who even knows of its existence.”
“You guys look pretty set up here. All of you must be used to working in similar environments. Why doesn’t Mr. Rodriguez bring in a full scale team and mine this ship? Why me?”
“It’s a good question. I’m surprised Mr. Rodriguez didn’t talk to you about it before you came. The land that we drove through to reach this shaft is private property. It’s farming land — cattle to be precise. We haven’t purchased the license to mine here, because with the exception of the gold coin, our exploratory core samples show no gold deposits. As far as the government’s concerned, this is still an exploratory expedition. You, my friend, are the fourth person who even knows of the existence of that Spanish coin.”
“Couldn’t he get a grant to dig specifically for the Mahogany Ship? I know that the Victorian government, seeking to find the answer to the mystery, offered $200,000 to anyone who could locate the remains of the ship. I’m certain they would offer exploration rights for that purpose.”
“Yes, but it would take months, if not years, to get around the bureaucracy. Outsiders would come in and take over. Besides, it’s going to become complex. You see, the land above us is on the corner of three separate properties. Depending on which tunnel our mysterious ship lies in, we’re going to have some difficult negotiations. But if we can continue as an exploratory team, for which we already own the rights, and then come across the Mahogany Ship in all its remaining glory, then…”
“You’re merely a mining corporation that is now helping bring a name to the local community.”
“Right, you’ve got it. So, you see, we can’t just go around blasting our way through these tunnels, pumping out the million plus gallons of water in the process. We need an expert cave diver, with experience in treasure hunting.”
“I wouldn’t call myself a treasure hunter, but I’ve been involved in a few expeditions to find lost wrecks over the years. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in finding the Mahogany Ship, so here’s to hoping that your boss’s luck hasn’t run out just yet.” Sam smiled. “All right, now down to work. Let’s see what you have explored so far.”
Byron slid his hand across his laptop screen four times, revealing a new system, “This is a geological scan of the cavern and tunnels that we’ve reached so far. Using ground penetrating radar, the computer has been able to predict size and shapes of the tunnels. The red arrows show the direction of water flow.”
Sam looked at the screen, which displayed a map that looked more like an ant's nest than a cave. There were five tunnels in and two out. Two of the tunnels looked quite detailed, with the map going nearly a mile down each of them. The rest of the tunnels stopped for no apparent reason within a hundred feet.
“You’ve explored the first two tunnels, is that right?”
“Yeah, we can set the SONAR up at the entrance of each new tunnel, but it only works based on line of sight, so we need to physically move it further up the tunnel to capture each new section.”
“And the other three tunnels?”
“Five tunnels, you mean?”
“No, three tunnels. At this stage, we’re working on the theory that the gold must have come from further up the tunnel, which is where we will find the Mahogany Ship, if it was ever here.”
“Okay, each of them are going to be a bit more trouble. You see, there, the tunnels open into more tunnels, which then open into yet more tunnels. To complicate things more, the tunnel depths change dramatically, both raising and dropping more than a hundred feet. At some sections, it’s wide like this cavern, but in others, it begins narrow enough that you and I might only just reach our way through it. In other words, it’s going to be a cave diver’s nightmare.”
“No, this is the type of challenge we dream about, but it’s going to take some time.” It had already become clear to Sam that it could take years for a team of divers to explore this underwater labyrinth.
“Time that we don’t have,” Rodriguez said, as he came down the mine elevator.
“No, I understand that. So, we’re going to have to narrow our field of search a little.”
“And how do we do that?”
“Okay, I’ve laid eyes on her… now let’s get the rest of my equipment down here, and I’ll show you just how we’re going to solve this mystery.”
Chapter Eight
The Sea King helicopter dropped the new team of arrivals on the deck of the Maria Helena. Keeping its rotors turning as the passengers disembarked, the pilot took off again, as though the precious minutes it took to fully allow its rotors to cease spinning was too much. They were the latest of a set of arrivals who’d come to assist in their work uncovering the underground pyramid and its mysteries. It was the third inflight the past 24 hours, and the Maria Helena was starting to fill up, mostly with scientists, engineers and microbiologists.
Tom Bower shook his head.
It had never ceased to amaze him how much a man like Sam Reilly could obtain when he thought it was important. Even if, in this case, he was making certain that Michael Rodriguez was going to foot the bill for every piece of equipment that had arrived. But it wasn’t equipment that surprised him. It was the professionals who came. Each one the top of their respective field, they had been brutally poached from whatever expedition or project they had formally been working on and whisked from any location on earth to help.
To do so required money and power. Both of which, Sam’s family had in abundance.
He looked at the flight manifest. Ignoring the other three passengers, whose roles would most likely be limited to that of lab technicians aboard to examine artifacts and sea life, Tom’s eyes reached the name of the man he wanted to meet.
Dr. Bill Swan.
The four passengers stepped out of the helicopter and moved towards the main cabin with military efficiency. Each one carried an identical large duffle bag over his shoulder. They could have all been top of their field scientists — nerds — but they meant business.
Tom took notice of the only woman amongst the new arrivals, as the only one who didn’t appear to be a scientist. Her features were clearly part Southeast Asian, but her height betrayed her European heritage. She was wearing olive cargo pants and a light tank top. Her face displayed all the signs of a person who hadn’t slept much in the past 24 hours. There were slight bags under her almond shaped hazel eyes and her messy dark hair had been tied back in a careless ponytail, a pair of Ray Bans propped on top.
Matthew shook her hand as he greeted them all at the rear of the Maria Helena, and despite her obvious fatigue, she responded with a warm smile, full of perfect white teeth. She could have been a model.
I bet that smile’s gotten her whatever she wanted many times before…
Tom wondered what such a beautiful woman was doing aboard their ship. Already, he’d decided to make it his mission to find out. He would have approached her directly, but first he needed to meet the new archeologist Sam had sent him. Work would have to take priority over pleasure.
Tom approached Matthew after the group of new arrivals were shown to their respective living quarters, “Have you seen this person?” Tom pointed to the name Bill Swan, “This man.”