"Ronnie and I both have underwater training."
"I want to do this. Those people over there tried to kidnap me. I was tasered."
"This isn't about getting even," Nick said.
"No? Then think of it as a preemptive move to prevent further interference with the mission."
In spite of himself, Nick smiled. "A small explosion, you said."
"That's right." Selena nodded. "Enough to give them something to think about. To keep them busy while we finish up."
"I can show her what to do," Ronnie said.
"You think this is a good idea, Lamont?"
"I almost bought it down there. Yeah, I think it's a good idea. It'll teach them a lesson."
"Harker will have a cow when she finds out."
Selena smiled at him. "Like I said, she doesn't have to know about it. Remember that old saying about forgiveness and permission?"
"You know they're going to keep screwing things up," Ronnie said. "I've got C4 and detonators in our kit. It won't take long to make up a charge."
Nick was quiet for a few seconds. "All right, Ronnie, go ahead."
"Right away, Kemo Sabe."
"I still don't know what that means."
"And you still don't want to know."
"I hope I don't regret this," Nick said.
Ronnie put together a charge and scrounged a magnet from the ship's stores. He taped it to the package. Once Selena got close enough to place the charge, the magnet would hold it on the hull of the Russian ship.
Two hours later she was getting ready to go in. Sexton came over to the group. He seemed angry.
"Going for a swim?" he said to her. "In a rebreather?"
"Only for a short reconnaissance. To make sure they don't have anyone in the water."
"Sam was a friend of mine. If I'd known you were going to put my crew at risk, I never would've agreed to do this. What the hell are you people up to? I never wanted to deal with this crap again, that's why I got out."
Nick said, "We didn't know the Russians would show up. I'm sorry about Sam, I really am. He seemed like a nice guy. But it's done."
"You're sorry. So am I. We're heading back to port."
"Look, I understand you're pissed off. Hold off and I'll fill you in on the mission. If you still want to leave after that, that's your option."
"Fair enough. But if I don't like what I hear, we're leaving."
He stalked away.
"Harker won't like telling him why we're here," Ronnie said.
"You heard what he said. If I don't tell him, he's pulling the plug. We don't have a choice."
"I need to go," Selena said. "While there's still light."
"Make sure you set that timer right," Ronnie said. "If it goes off and you're nearby in the water…" He left the sentence unfinished.
"Don't worry."
She slipped into the water on the far side of the ship, out of sight of the Russians. The afternoon light still gave some visibility below the surface. She dropped down to sixty feet, checking her dive calculator, tracking her time and depth.
She neared the Tolstoy, watching for divers. There was no one about. The sharks were gone. There was no sign of the bloody events of the morning.
Selena came up under the vessel and made her way aft. The tether to the Russian ROV formed a dark line disappearing into the depths below. Two enormous, silent propellers protruded into the water. She placed the charge and set the timer for forty minutes. It would give her more than enough time to return to the boat. There was no rush. The Russians had no idea she was there.
"Where'd you put the charge?" Ronnie asked when she was back on board.
"Right where the props come out of the hull. It should damage the shafts. Might even blow the tether on their robot."
Sexton passed by and came back to them. "Why are you all standing here?"
"We're waiting for the sunset," Ronnie said. "I was kind of hoping for the green flash."
"It's half an hour till the sun goes down."
No one said anything. Sexton shook his head.
"Meet me in the wardroom in fifteen minutes."
"Hey, Skipper," a crewman called.
"Coming." Sexton walked away.
Nick looked at his watch. "Any time now. You're sure you set the detonator the right way?"
"It's not rocket science, Nick. Yes, I'm sure."
The explosion, when it came, sent a tall fountain of water into the air. The sound echoed across the flat sea separating the two ships. The Tolstoy shuddered in the water.
"I might've used a little too much C4," Ronnie said.
CHAPTER 42
"What did you do to their ship?" Sexton asked Selena. "She's down some by the stern. They've got the pumps going."
"We wanted to stop them from harassing us."
"You've changed, Selena. I never would've figured you for something like this."
She shrugged. "Stuff happens."
Sexton looked at her as though she were a stranger.
Nick said, "I'm going to tell you why we're here."
Sexton listened while Nick filled him in.
"I don't believe this. You really think these people had something like antigravity? You're trying to find a record of what it was? What they used to control it?"
"That's about it."
"That's crazy."
"No more crazy than those ruins down there that aren't supposed to exist," Nick said. "The Russians don't think it's crazy. That's one of the reasons we have to follow up. What if it isn't crazy and the Russians find what we're looking for? We have to find it first. It's a matter of national security."
"I'm getting damn tired of hearing that phrase tossed around," Sexton said. "The politicians love it."
"Do I have to point out that I'm not a politician?"
Selena spoke up. "Jeff, I know you want to get out of here and I don't blame you. At least stay until I finish translating what's on those pyramid walls."
"I don't want any more surprises."
Nick held up his hand. "No more surprises. I promise."
"One more day. Then I'm leaving."
Nick went back to his cabin and called Harker to tell her what had happened. He got to the part about disabling the Tolstoy.
"You did what?" Harker said.
"We didn't sink them," Nick said.
The satellite connection was spotty, crackling with atmospherics.
"What didn't you think?"
"I said we didn't sink them."
"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," Harker said. "I can't wait until the president calls me up and asks me why I attacked a peaceful civilian research vessel belonging to the Federation."
"I don't think he's going to hear anything about it," Nick said. "They attacked us, not the other way around. Lamont almost died. One of Sexton's crew is dead and he was a civilian. If they make waves it's going to bounce back on them."
"Two of their people are dead."
Elizabeth thought she could hear Nick shrug on the other end of the connection.
"Like I said, they attacked us. They got more than they bargained for. I can't see how they'd want to turn this into an incident. It's to their advantage to keep quiet."
"You'd better be right."
Nick waited.
Elizabeth said, "All right, we'll move on. What's your plan now?"
"Sexton says there's an alert about seismic activity. The ruins are crawling with vapor columns that indicate something's happening down there. The city sits on the edge of a precipice and an undersea quake might finish the job. Selena wants to take one more look tomorrow for that archive. After that we're heading back to port."
"I don't want any more trouble with the Russians."
"We never wanted trouble in the first place. If they don't provoke us there won't be any more problems. There's one other thing you need to know."