"Evie!" cried a voice with a thick Russian accent. Soon a face emerged from
the metal door to match the voice.
"Da?" she answered, "I know. I know. My accent is horrible, but give me some credit."
Which she deserved. Her Russian course in college had not gone to waste after all, as her mother had said it would. She was one of a few of the Americans on the Russian expedition, and the only one who knew any Russian. It served useful, so that she could understand the others on the ship, since most spoke it, but she couldn't speak worth crap. They were all there for their own reasons, but they all had one goal, to explore the ocean floor and what was on it. Nicholas, for instance, was on it for the sea life. Evelyn was on it to keep a promise, a promise she had made to herself a long time ago, to see the thing which captivated her heart and mind, Titanic.
"Still reading that Tolkien are you?"
"Nicholas, you've known me long enough. Of course I am, I would never stop reading it."
"I don't understand how you can read that."
"I could loan you a book."
"Maybe, but you have a phone call right now."
"Thanks." She made her way to the upper deck. There were phones on the lower ones, but it was more than likely her mother, and she'd rather delay that as long as possible. "Hello?" she spoke as she put the receiver up to her ear.
"Hello, Miss Combe. I'm Diane Kramer with ITC. I would like to discuss a proposition with you that I think you will be very interested in."
"Okay."
"When would be a convenient time for you?"
"Right now is fine with me."
"Alright then. I'll be there in an hour." The woman hung up before Evie could explain that she meant to tell her on the phone right now not fly to the ship to tell her right now. There was nothing left in the lab to do, since there was another dive being made that day so, she slowly made her way back to her small cabin and laid on her bed as she read some more of her book. Unfortunately, it didn't seem long before someone was at her door and Chris's head popped in.
"You've got a visitor." They must have sent him down, knowing that he was the only one able to get her to go out of her cabin when she didn't want to do something. She didn't actually want to talk to this woman, but she was from ITC, which was known for funding archeological research, so it might prove rewarding. She followed Chris up to the conference room, on the way she had run into Andre and had tried to talk with him to delay her meeting, but Chris had interfered. He always seemed to do that, but maybe it was because he knew her too well. He knew how she would procrastinate social meetings she didn't want to do, and would face all the scientific problems she didn't want to do head on, and get them over with. They had become good friends after having been assigned as partners for an assignment in college. One of the reasons she chose to go on this expedition was Chris. Evie had never liked meeting new people, so a friendly face on the ship helped her deal with the separation from her family, minus her mother. She could have withstood that just fine
She walked into the conference room to see a woman dressed in the complete opposite as Evelyn. A business suit, high-heels, complete with a briefcase made the woman look like a typical lawyer especially when compared to Evelyn's worn jeans, t-shirt, and wet tennis shoes.
"Hello Miss Combe. I'm Diane Kramer. We spoke on the phone."
"Oh, yes. Hello. What did you want to discuss with me?" Kramer looked to the door, still ajar from when Evelyn had entered, where an eavesdropping Chris was. Evelyn cast a glare towards his direction; he took the hint and left, but not before shutting the door entirely.
"I have to be very careful of who I speak to about this. For years, ITC has been looked on as a normal computer corporation, with the only thing setting it apart from others is it's unusual interest in historical research. Do you know why? It's because we've discovered the quantum computer. Billions of times more powerful than a normal computer, we've used this to be able to go to parallel universes and essentially back through time."
"And you're telling me this because?"
"I know you. You've been the topic of discussion at our latest meetings. We'll send you to see your beloved ship wreck."
"Hey! That ship sinking helped save thousands of lives! You out to pay it at least a little dignity." Diane paid no heed to Evelyn's sudden outburst, and continued on.
".back in all its glory, if you do us a little favor."
"And what is that?"
"First, I need to know that you'll agree."
"I never agree to anything without knowing what I'm doing first."
"You'd be going on another trip first to help out with one of the problems we've been experiencing with the machines."
"And why can't you have one of your staff do this?"
"Because all of the people, but one have not come back to where ever the machines end up, and what we can gather from his condition and possessions, you're the only one who wants something we can bargain with and has enough knowledge about this place."
"And this place is? The bottom of the ocean because I know a lot about that, but then why would you call me? So why is it that you want me over all the other more qualified people around here."
"I hear you have a passion for a certain author's fantasy novels. You sure must know a lot about that other little world after reading those books for so long."
"You're joking. It doesn't exist. It's just a story, a fairy tale. It doesn't exist," she said with the typical confidence of a scientist. She received nothing in response, but a knowing stare. Evelyn just sat there thinking for a while. Trying to think of all the reasons this woman would lie to her, would tell her this. She could think of millions, and they all fought over her attention.
As she sat there confused, she hardly noticed as Diane slid to her across the long table a report and a small dagger. She picked it up and stared at it in wonder. The blade of it glowed a light blue and Evelyn noticed trace amount of a black liquid on the tip. She switched the way she held it from an archeologist examining an artifact to a much more natural grip. She noticed as she held it in the proper way a series of runes or letters seemed to be suddenly engraved into the rim of the handle. She turned her attention to the reports and stared at the information in front of her disbelievingly, yet strongly convinced.
"We leave in an hour. You won't need to bring anything, except maybe those books of yours if you want," with that said Diane Kramer picked up her briefcase and laid a small contract in front of Evelyn before walking out the door.
Evelyn read the contract thoroughly; she had always been mistrustful of lawyers, and signed it. She made sure she copied the engraving on the dagger in the small notebook she carried around with her and slipped it in her pocket. 'I'll have time to translate it later,' she thought. She walked out the door to see an anxious Chris waiting for her.
"So, what was that all about?" he finally asked her when he could bear the curiosity no longer.
"Oh, just another one of those, once in a lifetime opportunities. You know," she said calmly.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said as they rounded the corner that would lead to the crew's cabins.
"Da?" she answered, "I know. I know. My accent is horrible, but give me some credit."
Which she deserved. Her Russian course in college had not gone to waste after all, as her mother had said it would. She was one of a few of the Americans on the Russian expedition, and the only one who knew any Russian. It served useful, so that she could understand the others on the ship, since most spoke it, but she couldn't speak worth crap. They were all there for their own reasons, but they all had one goal, to explore the ocean floor and what was on it. Nicholas, for instance, was on it for the sea life. Evelyn was on it to keep a promise, a promise she had made to herself a long time ago, to see the thing which captivated her heart and mind, Titanic.
"Still reading that Tolkien are you?"
"Nicholas, you've known me long enough. Of course I am, I would never stop reading it."
"I don't understand how you can read that."
"I could loan you a book."
"Maybe, but you have a phone call right now."
"Thanks." She made her way to the upper deck. There were phones on the lower ones, but it was more than likely her mother, and she'd rather delay that as long as possible. "Hello?" she spoke as she put the receiver up to her ear.
"Hello, Miss Combe. I'm Diane Kramer with ITC. I would like to discuss a proposition with you that I think you will be very interested in."
"Okay."
"When would be a convenient time for you?"
"Right now is fine with me."
"Alright then. I'll be there in an hour." The woman hung up before Evie could explain that she meant to tell her on the phone right now not fly to the ship to tell her right now. There was nothing left in the lab to do, since there was another dive being made that day so, she slowly made her way back to her small cabin and laid on her bed as she read some more of her book. Unfortunately, it didn't seem long before someone was at her door and Chris's head popped in.
"You've got a visitor." They must have sent him down, knowing that he was the only one able to get her to go out of her cabin when she didn't want to do something. She didn't actually want to talk to this woman, but she was from ITC, which was known for funding archeological research, so it might prove rewarding. She followed Chris up to the conference room, on the way she had run into Andre and had tried to talk with him to delay her meeting, but Chris had interfered. He always seemed to do that, but maybe it was because he knew her too well. He knew how she would procrastinate social meetings she didn't want to do, and would face all the scientific problems she didn't want to do head on, and get them over with. They had become good friends after having been assigned as partners for an assignment in college. One of the reasons she chose to go on this expedition was Chris. Evie had never liked meeting new people, so a friendly face on the ship helped her deal with the separation from her family, minus her mother. She could have withstood that just fine
She walked into the conference room to see a woman dressed in the complete opposite as Evelyn. A business suit, high-heels, complete with a briefcase made the woman look like a typical lawyer especially when compared to Evelyn's worn jeans, t-shirt, and wet tennis shoes.
"Hello Miss Combe. I'm Diane Kramer. We spoke on the phone."
"Oh, yes. Hello. What did you want to discuss with me?" Kramer looked to the door, still ajar from when Evelyn had entered, where an eavesdropping Chris was. Evelyn cast a glare towards his direction; he took the hint and left, but not before shutting the door entirely.
"I have to be very careful of who I speak to about this. For years, ITC has been looked on as a normal computer corporation, with the only thing setting it apart from others is it's unusual interest in historical research. Do you know why? It's because we've discovered the quantum computer. Billions of times more powerful than a normal computer, we've used this to be able to go to parallel universes and essentially back through time."
"And you're telling me this because?"
"I know you. You've been the topic of discussion at our latest meetings. We'll send you to see your beloved ship wreck."
"Hey! That ship sinking helped save thousands of lives! You out to pay it at least a little dignity." Diane paid no heed to Evelyn's sudden outburst, and continued on.
".back in all its glory, if you do us a little favor."
"And what is that?"
"First, I need to know that you'll agree."
"I never agree to anything without knowing what I'm doing first."
"You'd be going on another trip first to help out with one of the problems we've been experiencing with the machines."
"And why can't you have one of your staff do this?"
"Because all of the people, but one have not come back to where ever the machines end up, and what we can gather from his condition and possessions, you're the only one who wants something we can bargain with and has enough knowledge about this place."
"And this place is? The bottom of the ocean because I know a lot about that, but then why would you call me? So why is it that you want me over all the other more qualified people around here."
"I hear you have a passion for a certain author's fantasy novels. You sure must know a lot about that other little world after reading those books for so long."
"You're joking. It doesn't exist. It's just a story, a fairy tale. It doesn't exist," she said with the typical confidence of a scientist. She received nothing in response, but a knowing stare. Evelyn just sat there thinking for a while. Trying to think of all the reasons this woman would lie to her, would tell her this. She could think of millions, and they all fought over her attention.
As she sat there confused, she hardly noticed as Diane slid to her across the long table a report and a small dagger. She picked it up and stared at it in wonder. The blade of it glowed a light blue and Evelyn noticed trace amount of a black liquid on the tip. She switched the way she held it from an archeologist examining an artifact to a much more natural grip. She noticed as she held it in the proper way a series of runes or letters seemed to be suddenly engraved into the rim of the handle. She turned her attention to the reports and stared at the information in front of her disbelievingly, yet strongly convinced.
"We leave in an hour. You won't need to bring anything, except maybe those books of yours if you want," with that said Diane Kramer picked up her briefcase and laid a small contract in front of Evelyn before walking out the door.
Evelyn read the contract thoroughly; she had always been mistrustful of lawyers, and signed it. She made sure she copied the engraving on the dagger in the small notebook she carried around with her and slipped it in her pocket. 'I'll have time to translate it later,' she thought. She walked out the door to see an anxious Chris waiting for her.
"So, what was that all about?" he finally asked her when he could bear the curiosity no longer.
"Oh, just another one of those, once in a lifetime opportunities. You know," she said calmly.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," he said as they rounded the corner that would lead to the crew's cabins.