“Muonic activity?” Foreman asked.
“Nothing unusual.”
“Do it.”
Nagoya hit the Enter key, and the program began running.
From the bulb on the bottom of the FLIP, a stream of muons began flowing in the direction of the first probe.
We’ve got a path,” Ahana said. Her screen showed a red line across their position and cutting into the dark triangle in front of them. “Follow it,” she told Loomis as she superimposed it on his video display.
The craft began moving, following the line of muons.
Dane’s hands grabbed the arms of his seat, and a line of sweat trickled down his forehead. His temples throbbed as they approached the gate. In the midst of all that pain, though, he could sense Rachel alongside, swimming less than ten feet off their starboard side. Her presence was like a light in the darkness that threatened to overwhelm him. He would have thought it would get easier, this third trip into the gate, but this was the worst.
“One hundred meters to the gate,” Ahana announced. “All electromagnetic systems to minimum.”
The lights inside dimmed, and only three screens glowed: the forward video, Ahana’s computer, and the feed from Rachel. But Dane saw more than that. The gate was a presence, the limits of which he could feel. And he could also see the line of muons that the FLIP was projecting, punching into that darkness.
“Fifty meters,” Ahana said.
“A little to the right,” Dane said.
The pilot glanced over his shoulder, but Dane’s eyes were closed.
“Do it,” Ahana ordered. She looked at her screen. “Ten meters. Eight. Six. Four, Two. Contact.”
Dane felt the entry into the gate like hitting a pool splayed out from the high jump. His entire body jerked, spasmed, then he forced himself to focus. Rachel was in front of them now.
“We’re in the gate,” Ahana said. “I’ve lost the line to the portal!”
“I see it,” Dane said, eyes still closed. “Steady as we’re going.”
“We’ve got the Chernobyl probe,” Nagoya said. Foreman had lost the feed from the Crab as soon as it entered the gate. Whether that was from the gate’s effect or the craft’s power-down, he didn’t know. He was behind Nagoya now, watching.
“Linking power,” Nagoya said as the program went to the next phase. The muon line that had been going from the FLIP to the first probe now made another jump to the Chernobyl probe.
“There’s the portal,” Nagoya tapped the screen. “I’m boosting power.
“Rachel has the portal located,” Dane said. “She’s on the muonic trace Nagoya is projecting.” The dolphin was in front of them, swimming slowly, allowing them to keep pace.
“How far ahead?” Loomis asked.
“I can’t tell distance,” Dane said. “All I know is that we’re closing on it.”
“We need to stop just short of it,” Loomis said.
From what Dane was picking up from Rachel, the portal was a sphere space in the center of the gate. The dolphin was getting echoes back from it and other objects in the water, none close so far.
“There are other things out there,” Dane said.
“What things?” Ahana asked.
“Living things.” Dane remembered the krakens that had attacked the Glomar. Rachel was swimming faster, sensing the other objects. “Pick up speed,” Dane told Loomis.
Something was closing on them from the right, swimming fast. Dane could sense Rachel’s fear, but still the dolphin led them toward the portal.
Dane had been watching Loomis pilot the Crab. The controls were simple: a wheel that when rotated turned them left and right, when pressed in, they dove, and when pulled back, they went up. A throttle, much like an airplane’s, controlled their speed.
“Move,” Dane said, tapping Loomis on the shoulder.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the colonel demanded.
“You’re flying blind,” Dane said. “I’ll get us there.”
Loomis reluctantly gave up his seat, and Dane took his place. He closed his eyes and saw what Rachel saw: the image of the portal directly ahead, a creature coming from the right. Rachel turned, putting herself between them and the creature, which appeared in the dark water: a kraken a hundred meters away and closing fast, tentacles trailing as it sucked in water through vents on the side of its head and expelled it.
“No,” Dane whispered as he turned the wheel. “Behind us.”
“Who are you talking to?” Loomis demanded.
Dane didn’t even hear him. Rachel did as he asked, putting the Crab between her and the kraken.
“Brace for impact,” Dane announced.
“Impact with what?” Loomis asked with alarm.
Dane reached down and shoved the throttle to maximum speed. The blunt nose of the Crab hit the kraken in the head, the collision sending a shudder through the craft. Dane spun the wheel, putting them back on course for the portal as the creature drifted, stunned by the impact. Rachel raced out in front again.
“What was that?”
Dane was getting tired of listening to Loomis. “The portal is about two hundred meters ahead,” he announced as he throttled back. There were other kraken about, several coming closer to investigate. Dane estimated they had about a minute.
“I’m launching the plug,” Ahana said.
“We don’t’ have much time,” Dane said. The Crab was slowing. “The portal is a hundred fifty meters ahead.”
“The plug is on its way,” Ahana said.
Dane could see the torpedo moving through the water as Rachel moved out of its way. He could also see the portal now, a black circle directly ahead of them. The torpedo hit the black and stopped, prevented from going in.
“It’s there.” Dane said.
Ahana reached forward and threw a switch. “Let’s hope this works.”
The nose of the torpedo opened, and a two-inch-diameter probe appeared. The core of the probe was radioactive, emitting a weak nuclear force. It extended forward and passed into the portal.
“We’ve got power!” Nagoya slapped his palm on the side of his chair. “The plug is working. We’re drawing power from the portal.” He hit the Enter key on his computer. “Redirecting power back to the portal and opening it.”
“Twenty seconds,” Dane said. A half-dozen kraken were racing toward them. Rachel was close by the nose of the Crab, her fear soaking into Dane.
“If it worked, we should be able to go in,” Ahana said.
“If it worked,” Dane repeated, but he was already accelerating. Through Rachel, he could see the probe against the portal, but there was no apparent change.
“Brace for impact,” Dane announced once more.
He throttled back just before they hit the portal, but there was no impact as the crab, Rachel alongside, went into the portal. The Crab was suddenly jarred as one of the kraken grabbed the turret, but then the portal they had opened shut behind them, slicing the arm off.
They were in.
Ariana blocked her eyes to protect them from the debris blown up by the helicopter as it came in for a landing in Central Park. She was off as soon as they were on the ground, Miles right behind her. A man waited next to a car, and he whisked them to the Rose Center where the master programmer for the Hayden Planetarium, Professor Mike O’Shaughnessy, waited for them, just inside the large glass block that contained the projection sphere.
As soon as introductions were made, he took them inside the sphere. The interior was dimly lit by thousands of projected stars on the half dome above their head.