“Sure, dude.” He peered at the screen again. “Three-oh-two degrees.”
“What does your compass say?” growled Professor through clenched teeth.
“The GPS is more precise than—”
Professor pointed out the side window at the setting sun. “The sun sets in the west. Did they teach you that in your GPS class? The sun says that were traveling north. Unless the sky is lying, there’s something wrong with your GPS, so tell me what your compass says.”
The chastened crewman quickly rose and moved to the center of the console. He shifted a stack of magazines to reveal an ancient looking binnacle. Even from across the room, Jade could see that the compass globe beneath the glass was spinning wildly.
The crewman stared at it in disbelief, and in a very small voice, said, “I think I’d better get the skipper.”
TWENTY-THREE
Lee arrived on the bridge reeking of mouthwash and after-shave, which Jade assumed was olfactory camouflage to mask a different kind of stink.
“Wonderful,” she muttered. “On top of everything else, we’ve got a drunk for a captain.”
The ship’s master went immediately to the GPS console and stared at it for several seconds. “This shows that we’re on course,” he insisted.
“Yes, sir,” explained the crewman. “But dead reckoning shows us heading north. The compass isn’t working and neither is the satphone.”
“Uh,” Lee glanced at Professor and Jade and seemed to realize he was in the spotlight. He straightened a little and when she spoke again, there was a little more certitude in his voice. “All stop. Until we can figure out where we are, there’s no sense in continuing in the wrong direction. It’s time for some good old fashioned seamanship.”
The crewman pushed a button on the console and Jade felt a subtle change in the vibrations rising from the deck.
Lee turned to face them. “I’ll have to ask you to leave so we can get some work done here. I believe dinner is being served in the salon, so why don’t you go grab a bite to eat. I assure you, we’ll be back on course within the hour.”
Jade started to bristle at the dismissal, but Professor took her arm and guided her from the room. When they were outside, she turned on him. “Are you going to trust that lush to get us back on course?”
“Not completely, but navigating open water isn’t…well, quantum physics. As long as he knows better than to trust the GPS, we should get where we’re going.”
“Speaking of the GPS, how can it be wrong? And the compass? Why was it spinning like that?”
“Did you forget where we are?”
She gave a short humorless laugh. “Is that your scientific opinion?”
“I don’t know. We could already be experiencing space-time distortions.” He paused. “Or there could be a more mundane explanation.”
“Like what?”
“Sabotage.”
The suggestion stunned Jade into silence until they reached the salon where Dorion and Ophelia were seated at a table. Dorion rose when they entered, but it was Ophelia that spoke first. “We’ve stopped.”
“I know,” Professor replied. “There’s a problem with the GPS navigation. They’re working on it now.” He turned to Dorion. “Paul, is there any reason why a dark matter field might disrupt satellite communications?”
The physicist’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “Digital communications require precise time synchronization. I suppose if the clocks were out of sync, it could cause problems.”
“What about a magnetic compass?” asked Jade.
“It shouldn’t be affected. Dark matter has no electrical charge. If WIMPs could disrupt a magnetic field, we would be able to detect them.”
“Are you saying the compass has failed too?” asked Ophelia.
“Spinning like a top,” Jade said. She turned to Professor. “Is that why you suspect sabotage?”
Ophelia gasped. “Sabotage?”
“It’s a possibility we have to consider. In fact, it’s a simpler explanation than dark matter. The GPS software could have been corrupted by a computer virus. It’s even easier to beat a magnetic compass.” Professor paused a moment before continuing. “I’m not saying that’s what happened, but we need to be on our guard. The Norfolk Group could have someone aboard this ship.”
“There’s a way to know for sure,” Dorion said. “Or at least to determine if we are being influenced by a dark matter field.”
“You mean the clock? Doesn’t it need to be synchronized? If this effect is messing with satellite communications that may be a problem.”
Dorion pondered this. “My system would function independently of the ship’s communication network. If I am also unable to connect, that would tend to rule out sabotage.”
Jade wasn’t sure which possibility was a greater source of anxiety. They were at least seventy miles from Great Isaac Cay, Professor’s ground zero for the space-time distortions. If they were feeling the effects this far out, what would happen as they got closer? A saboteur at least was something they could deal with.
As they headed out of the salon, Barry appeared. “I have some good news. Mr. Lee has plotted our position. We are a few degrees off course, but we should still arrive at our destination before dawn.”
“What about the GPS?” asked Ophelia.
“Mr. Nichols is working on it. He doubles as our Chief Engineer and Electronics Officer. I told you, we all wear a lot of hats.” He glanced past them at the untouched dinner plates on the table. “Where’s everyone off to?”
“We are going to use our equipment to see if we can detect anything unusual.”
“I thought you might want to try that. Watch your step. Ah, Ms. Doerner, if your friends can spare you, there’s something I wanted to go over with you.”
A perturbed frown flickered over Ophelia’s face, and Barry hastily added, “It will only take a minute.”
“Go ahead,” Dorion said. “It will take us a few minutes to unpack the gear.”
As Ophelia followed Nichols back into the salon, Jade and the others headed forward to where Paul’s equipment was stored. Jade noted that, in addition to the plastic seals on the latches, the plastic casket was also adorned with a sticker sporting a yellow and black trefoil.
“Uh, is this thing radioactive?”
“Why do you think it’s called an atomic clock?” Professor said in an ominous voice.
Dorion laughed. “Do not worry. There is a very small amount of cesium — which is why it must have a warning — but it is stable and shielded. You were exposed to considerably more radiation during the flight from Greece than this clock produces.”
“Is it possible the Great and Powerful Professor didn’t know that?” Jade elbowed him in the ribs.
“Of course I knew it. The atomic clock works by using a laser to antagonize cesium atoms so that they give of energy at a very specific frequency — nine point one nine two—”
“Enough,” Jade said. “Show off.”
As Dorion broke the seals, Professor got in a final comment. “There’s no radioactivity because the cesium doesn’t decay to release neutron radiation. The excited atoms act just like the spring in an old clock, or the quartz crystal in your…say, didn’t you have a watch?”
Jade shook her head and turned away, trying to avoid that particular discussion. As she did, something — a faint movement, a premonition — made her look past the container. The submersible was moving. “Look out.”
She leaped toward the two men, tackling them to the deck as the still-covered submersible swung toward them like a giant fist.
There was a crunch and a scraping sound as the QED collided with the shipping container, which in turn slammed into Jade. She tried to scrambled out of the way, saw Dorion and Professor attempting to do the same, but the relentless combination of submersible and casket bulldozed all three of them toward the deck rail.