Understanding finally cleared the mist of Sam’s confusion. “When we find the rough location of the Omega Deep, we can scatter some of these particles into the water, and… what… they will be drawn to the hull of the Omega Deep.”
“That’s exactly right.”
“How much range?”
“Definitely up to 10 miles. But it might be longer.”
“I’ve also included a device you’ll need to mount onto your keel if you want to track it.”
“Thank you, professor.”
The professor, realizing that he’d been dismissed, stood up and said, “Good luck, Mr. Reilly.”
The professor left, and a navy officer entered the room. Without preamble, the officer handed Sam a second metallic suitcase and left.
Sam’s eyes swept across the two suitcases and landed on the secretary of defense. “Do you want to tell me what the second one is for?”
“As you’re aware, China and Russia are both up in arms regarding the USS Omega Deep. Everyone is searching for the submarine. As much as I hate to admit it, there’s a significant chance Commander Dwight Bower has gone rogue. Are you following what all of this means?”
Sam said, “I need to find that submarine and fast before it escalates to World War III?”
The secretary spoke slowly and clearly, so there could be no confusion. “If we ever locate the Omega Deep — we’re going to have to send her to the bottom for good. There are too many secrets on board that the world can’t know. Too much of a risk that Dwight Bower’s gone rogue. We need to destroy it.”
“Are you sure we don’t want to try and salvage it?” Sam asked.
“Afraid not. It’s too dangerous now. The Russians and the Chinese have both sent their own aircraft carriers into the region.”
Sam opened the suitcase. There were three magnetic beacons with a single switch at their center. “What do I do with these?”
“They’re homing beacons. Attach them to the hull and flick the switch.”
“What will happen?”
“You and anyone you want to keep alive will get as far away as possible. As soon as the USS Gerald R. Ford picks up the homing signal, it will launch a pair of torpedoes. In the end, you’ll have less than five minutes between flicking the switch and the complete destruction of the submarine.”
“What about the crew of the Omega Deep?”
The secretary of defense’s face twisted into a grimace of indecision. “It’s been more than 130 days since the Omega Deep left its harbor. They had enough food to keep them for 90 days. I think one thing’s for certain, Mr. Reilly. We’re never going to see the crew of the USS Omega Deep again.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Sonar Technician Belinda Callaghan’s head hurt.
Not just her head. Her entire body was sore. She had blisters on her hands, her tongue was dry, and her skin was burned. Even just breathing took effort. She tried to roll onto her side, but that only hurt more, and she still couldn’t see anything.
Where was she?
She felt the ground beneath her back move. It was enough of a surprise to jolt her into action. She tried to sit up but struggled to find her balance. She was lying on some sort of rubbery canvas. Again, the ground seemed to move underneath her. Her original fear that she was being attacked by some sort of giant snake had now been quelled, but as yet another ripple of movement knocked her onto her back again, she was still no closer to determining where she was or what had happened to her.
Belinda gritted her teeth, utilized every piece of energy she could muster and sat up fully. Still, all she could see was yellow. She reached the edge of the shallow wall and pulled herself up onto it. Her eyes peered over the edge.
A carpet of ultramarine blue blinded her vision all the way to the horizon.
I’m in the middle of the fucking ocean!
The sudden understanding of her location didn’t provide her with any relief. The fact it didn’t fill her with terror, just proved how lethargic her mind was at the moment, and that it was unable to process what she was seeing.
How did I get here?
She considered the last few things she remembered. She was at her station on board the USS Omega Deep.
There was an accident.
Something happened.
The Omega Deep ran aground!
They all had to escape via their submarine escape immersion equipment — SEIE — she glanced at the side of the life raft. It was part of the SEIE suit. That’s why she was on her own. But how long had she been out at sea? Something seemed wrong. What happened after she and the rest of the crew surfaced? That’s right, they were attacked. Everything was coming back to her in incoherent bits and pieces.
She closed her eyes.
There was a cave. A massive cave. And a sandy beach with a small aircraft at the end of it. Large trees reached for the top of the world in an ancient forest. There were delectable fruits, wild animals, and a small freshwater river with plentiful fish that ran straight through the heart of it. Something about the place made her feel warm.
It felt like some sort of utopia.
A prehistoric Eden.
How long had the rest of the crew been there? Did they all make it? She couldn’t remember. But something went wrong. What went wrong? Why did they ever leave the place? Her heart started to race, and her chest felt heavy at the memory.
She opened her eyes.
That’s right. They were attacked.
By wild beasts! Monsters as big as cars. Some covered with giant spikes. Others were more than ten feet tall and capable of jumping twenty feet at a time.
Her memories seemed so incredibly real yet at the same time, entirely impossible.
She put the thought out of her mind and returned to reality.
How did I get here?
“Hello there!” someone shouted in the distance. “Is anyone alive?”
She squinted.
Was that someone calling for me or just my imagination?
“Hello!” the voice was getting closer. “Are you alive?”
The sound was too clear to be anything but real.
Belinda tried to answer. “I’m here!” Her voice was a dry croak. Relief and hope and dread were jamming her tongue into the roof of her blistered mouth.
The voice continued as though the owner hadn’t heard her. “We’re coming about. Yell if anyone is alive.”
She tried to yell. But the sound came out as an inaudible hiss. She fumbled with her safety vest. There were several attachments. One of them was a whistle. She fumbled with it until she could get it into her mouth, and then blew multiple short, sharp, whistles.
“I hear you!” the voice replied. “We’re going to come get you.”
Belinda rolled onto her back. A dark shadow blocked the burning sun. Her eyes went in and out of focus, trying to make sense of the sight that towered over her. Then she spotted someone waving their hands.
A man climbed down to greet her with a bottle of water.
“Are you all right?” the stranger asked.
“I am now,” she replied with a level of enthusiasm she didn’t quite feel.
The stranger opened the bottle of water. “Here drink this.”
Belinda took a small gulp of water. It burned her blistered mouth but seemed to soothe her dry throat.
She looked at the man who rescued her. “Thank you.”