It was nearing noon when Maxwell Briere, with Emil Carag trailing closely behind, strolled to Kate's side. "And how is it progressing my dear?"
"Quite well, I think. I've increased the output and hopefully reduced some of the vibration."
"You've performed admirably today. Why don't you take a short break and have something to eat. Daniel has saved you one of his special seafood club sandwiches."
Kate started to say no but the growl in her stomach overrode her. Besides, the probe was stabbing her in the foot and desperately needed to be readjusted. "I think I will." Stepping away from the device, she turned to Marco, "come along, my little follow along friend." The comment elicited the tiniest of smiles from the stone face.
"Just a minute, Dr. Manning," Briere cast a discerning eye over the tray of instruments and tools, his mind processing a rapid inventory. "There seems to be a few items missing."
"What?" She turned abruptly, nearing slamming into Marco.
"Don't play dumb with me, Dr. Manning. Do you not think I don't know how you and the admiral are conjuring up an escape? Come now, Doctor. I am certainly a great many things but I am not a fool. I don't believe for a minute that your admiral would sit by passively while we, you, perfected something as potentially destructive as Lightning Bolt. Why, I could almost smell the little motors of his mind whirring away." Briere turned to Karl who, upon seeing Briere's return to the bow, bolted from his chair and darted down the stairs. "Why don't you fetch the good admiral?"
"You're insane," Kate countered defensively.
"Probably," he retorted calmly, edging his way towards Kate. "Mother was quite mad. Nevertheless, there are several items missing." He looked past Lightning Bolt, past Kate. Karl and Nelson were just emerging onto the deck, the admiral shielding his eyes against the bright sunlight.
Kate strained to see what Briere saw and felt her stomach knot. She knew what was coming.
"The reason I've brought you here, admiral, is that Dr. Manning has taken it upon herself to abscond with an instrument or two that I believe would be used in some way to undermine this operation. To cause either permanent damage to Lightning Bolt or," his eyes shifted to Karl, "to aid in your escape perhaps?" Briere turned to Kate, his hand outstretched. "Would you please hand them over?"
While Kate hesitated, Karl placed his hand firmly on Nelson's left shoulder and slowly increased the pressure, his fingers digging at tender tissue until at last the admiral cried out, grabbing his arm and dropping to his knees at the nearly blinding pain.
Kate felt the growing knot in the pit of her stomach twist painfully. Without another thought she lifted her pant leg and pulled out the magnetized tweezers with the attached probe, placing them in the palm of Briere's hand.
Briere smiled graciously, returning the instruments to their place with the others. Turning abruptly on his heel, he brought his hand up with incredible speed, striking Kate across the mouth.
Kate recoiled from the blow not so much from pain but from surprise.
Still on his knees, held up only by Karl's hand still locked onto his shoulder, Nelson was oblivious to the events around him. Intense, screaming pain filled every thought in his head, every bone in his body. Twice he fought the blackness and twice he had come back to himself only to start drifting once again. Finally, the grip slackened and immediately, he felt himself falling forward, unable to control the impending impact with the rapidly approaching deck. Thankfully, he lost consciousness before he hit.
Kate wiped away the dot of blood on her split lip, biting the inside of her cheek in a frantic effort to control her quaking emotions. She was petrified—for Harry, for herself.
"Captain," Briere called out.
The man instantly appeared at Briere's side. "Sir?"
"Can you please tell me if there are any other vessels in the area?"
"In a moment sir." The man disappeared, returning minutes later. "Sir, there is a small craft 8 miles due east."
"If I remember correctly, Dr. Manning estimated Lightning Bolt's range to be 10,000 yards or a little over 5.5 miles. Captain, would it be possible to shadow that vessel at a distance of 5.5 miles?"
"Why yes, sir."
"Then, why don't we. I want us to maintain a distance of 5.5 miles for the next 2 hours."
"Aye, sir." The man turned on his heel and left.
"Dr. Manning," Briere's eyes passed over the barely conscious admiral, watching the man with interest as he feebly attempted to right himself. "In a little less than two hours, two o'clock by my watch," he continued, "you must prove to me that Lightning Bolt is fully operational or I will kill the admiral and dump his wretched remains overboard." His piercing black eyes seemed to laser right through her. "Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
Karl reached down and grabbed Nelson by the left arm, wrenching the limb awkwardly, extracting a cry of pain as hot needles drove through his shoulder and down his arm. Evident by the dark red stain that seeped through the makeshift bandage, Karl's rough handling had undone whatever healing the wound was making.
Although she desperately wanted to end Nelson's torment, Kate hesitated. She knew Briere's intentions: to test Lightning Bolt's power on that distant boat. And after the previous display, she was confident it could…it would…destroy the craft. She thought of the people on board; the innocent lives. And then her eyes dropped on Harry, his face a tortured picture of complete agony. There was little doubt left in her mind that Briere would do what he said. He had made that point clear in the beginning. God, what should I do? In the back of her mind, Harry's words carried: The life of one man isn't worth the devastation Lightning Bolt could reap upon the world. But the life of that one man was worth it to her. She would agree and live with the consequences.
"Yes," she answered weakly, "perfectly clear."
Nelson slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers but Kate turned away, unable to return his gaze. She knew what he would have wanted and hopefully someday they would both be alive to argue about it.
~oOo~
"It's ready?" Briere's eyebrows arched in anticipation.
"Yes, it's ready. I did as you ordered. It's warming up now and you should have full power in about ten minutes but either you or Carag are going to have to control it. I won't be responsible for anything more than I've already done."
Briere bowed to her wishes, permitting her to step aside while Carag, eagerness highlighting his face as he stepped up to the machine. Kate edged away, joining a haggard Nelson who was leaning rather precariously against the capstan and holding his shoulder. Briere climbed up to the flying bridge, perching himself behind the pair of long ranged binoculars, searching the waters until he spied the unsuspecting boat.
The captain stood outside the wheelhouse, calling out the readings, "Humidity: seventy-two percent. Winds: southwesterly at eight miles per hour. Range: five point five miles. Helmsman, come ten degrees NNW and cut the engines."
The hum became more and more noticeable, causing a light vibration in the ship until at last a bright light arced over the stern of the ship and raced almost two hundred feet above the surface of the water. Briere's shrieks of glee were almost drowned out by the hum that had now reached a fevered pitch as the current of electricity intensified.
~oOo~
Off in the distance, the Donna Marie, a 150-ft trawler, idled languidly over the area known as the Clarion Clipperton fracture zone. It was here, 15,000 to 18,000 feet down on the deep-sea floor between Baja California and Hawaii, that manganese nodules were collected off the bottom where they sat on the mud. Processed for their copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese, the nodules were crushed and pumped up a pipe to the surface ship.
Mining the manganese nodules wasn't as lucrative as it had once been. It was difficult to compete with land-based deposits because of the cost involved to get them to the surface. Additionally, mining on a private basis was not a profitable enterprise. But the seven crewmen, three marine geologists and two geophysicists that made up the Donna Marie were optimistic that ocean mining would once again be a plentiful treasure. And today, the vast market was theirs: with the exception of the large research ship one of the crewmen had spotted earlier that morning, there wasn't another discernible vessel for at least a hundred miles.
~oOo~
"Bullseye! Direct hit!" Briere yelled, throwing his fist triumphantly into the air.
Kate helped Nelson over to the railing. Squinting, the single puff of black smoke far off on the horizon was easily visible to the naked eye. Kate turned away in disgust, appalled at the thought that she could be responsible for the death of innocent people.
"Dr. Manning, you're brilliant!" Briere called out from his position on the flying bridge. "It performed magnificently!"
Kate closed her eyes, trying desperately to keep the images of death and destruction at bay. She didn't want to think what effect a direct hit might have on a human body but she could definitely speculate.
Nelson gripped the railing until his knuckles were white. He could feel the surge of anger welling within him but knew he was powerless to act. Casting a glance in Kate's direction, he noticed the look of anguish set in her expression and gently placed his hand on hers. Whatever he felt paled in comparison to what she must be feeling.
~oOo~
One hundred fifty feet below the surface, less than 200 yards from the Donna Marie, instrumentation on board Seaview registered the concentrated electrical surge moments before the entire submarine went dark.
"What the hell!" Chip Morton exclaimed, immediately checking the boat's status.
Lee Crane sprinted into the Control Room. "Chip, what happened?"
"I have no idea," he answered, picking up the intercom to call Engineering then realizing even communications was affected. "We're dead in the water. Gyro controls are inoperative, guidance control is gone and we're sinking fast."
Lee kept his voice low, out of earshot to the rest of the crew, "What's the depth here?"
"Seventeen thousand feet, keel to bottom," Chip answered in a grim voice that matched his expression. "We're in the middle of the Clarion Clipperton."
"That's just great. There's not a ledge within twenty miles of here."
Just as soon as each crewman began to get the morbid sense they were on their way to being crushed at a depth well beyond Seaview's capacity, the main generators kicked in. The immediate chatter over the intercom told the officers that communications were also back on line.
"Engineering, this is the exec. What's our status?"
"Some kind of electrical interference, sir. Everything appears to be operational now."
"Kowalski, can you pinpoint the source of that interference?" This time Crane asked the question.
"I'm not sure but it definitely came from the surface. There's something else, Skipper."
"What is it?"
"Just before it hit, there was a boat on the surface about 200 yards from us. It's gone now."
"Could it have moved out of the area?"
"I don't think so. Not that fast. She was pretty heavy."
"Probably collecting manganese nodules," Lee explained to Chip. "As soon as we're able, get us up to periscope depth." Lee wanted a look around the surface. "There could be survivors and I'd like to know what hit us."
Chip, absorbing the incoming damage reports, nodded, "With a little luck we should be able to blow ballast."
~oOo~
"I can't believe it Harry. Every person on that boat…gone. Obliterated by something they didn't even… My God, what have I done?" She closed her eyes and for a moment, he thought she would faint. Gripping the railing tightly, she steeled her jaw and looked at him with questioning, sorrow-filled eyes.
"You did what you felt was right, Kate. Either way, it was an impossible decision to make." He spoke the words with an odd sense of emotion. She was upset because she chose his life over those faceless unknowns in the boat. Of course he was grateful for his life but was it the right decision? Would he have done the same had the roles been reversed? With some trepidation he felt enormous relief that this time the burden wasn't on him to make that decision. He had been there too many times. Something Briere had said earlier reverberated in his head: I don't know these people. They mean nothing to me. Whether they live or die is of no importance to me. He didn't agree with Briere when he spoke those words but how untrue were they? It was easy to save the life that was before you and sacrifice the ones that weren't. Kate's decision came from the heart. Although she was brought up with a strong military influence, the theory that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few just wasn't ingrained in her conscience.
Someday, when she felt like talking, he would explain about the unavoidable guilt and the justification and rationalization that comes later, about the dark places in your mind where you store the memory and hope to forget about it. He would be able to answer all her questions because he knew.
A shiver ran through him, bringing him out of his reverie making him aware that Kate was no longer by his side. She had moved a few feet away, standing all alone with her arms gathered tightly to her chest. Cradling his throbbing left arm he leaned heavily against the railing and surveyed the expansive blue water, an expression of grim determination settling on his features.
~oOo~
From his vantage high over the main deck, Briere watched Kate carefully. She had disappointed him more than she would ever know. Still, Briere was confident she hadn't thought the scheme up herself. Nelson! It was obvious he had put her up to it. And now, no matter what happened, she was of no further use to him. Yes, he was displeased but in the end, he really didn't mind too much: she had served her purpose. Lightning Bolt was up and running. Carag, ridiculously loyal to the hand that paid him, could easily accomplish any additional changes. Discreetly attracting Karl's attention, he motioned for the henchman to join him.
"I fear Dr. Manning is losing her usefulness to me," he said in a low voice as soon as Karl was beside him. "And once Dr. Manning loses her usefulness to me, the admiral becomes nothing more than a liability."
"You'd like me to dispose of him then?" Karl grinned at the prospect.
"I don't see why not."
"And what of Dr. Manning?"
Briere let out a remorseful sigh. "She too will have to be… eliminated."
"The admiral I can understand but why kill the woman?"
"Replication, dear boy, replication. As long as she's alive, there is always the possibility of replicating Lightning Bolt. She did it before; she could very well do it again." Briere paused, as if he had finished, then began again, "When the time comes, make it a clean shot. I don't want her to suffer." Turning away, he removed his hat and ran a pristine white handkerchief over his smooth head. "The admiral's demise is purely at your discretion."
While Briere started down the stairs, Karl stood fast, fixated on the woman. Such a waste, he thought watching her dark hair blow loosely in the breeze and remembering his one brief touch before Nelson…
Absently stroking his jaw, he was still acutely aware of the lingering soreness.
~oOo~
"Skipper, I'm picking up another ship."
"Coordinates?" Crane asked, peering into the periscope and sweeping the area one more time only to find nothing but debris littering the surface.
"130 degrees W, 12 degrees N."
"Down scope," he said, leaning against the railing of the periscope island. "Sparks, see if you can raise that ship. I'd like to talk to the Captain." Turning to Chip, "Maybe they can tell us something."
Looking up at Crane and seeing the frown etched on his face, Chip asked, "What's it look like up there?"
Lee shook his head. "There's not much left to tell."
"Those trawlers are pretty big. Maybe there was an explosion on board."
"No, if she had exploded, there would be more debris, smoke…something. It almost looks like she disintegrated." Leaning towards the radio shack, Lee called to Sparks, "Do you have that ship yet?"
"She's just coming through now."
~oOo~
"Mr. Briere, can you please come to the radio room?"
Briere, just reaching the main deck, turned on his heel and sauntered up the stairs to the wheelhouse.
"Sir, the Seaview is out there and she's hailing us. Would you like to speak to her captain?"
Briere shot an excited look in Nelson's direction. "Seaview? By all means, yes. I'd like very much to speak with her captain."
The radioman held up the phone. "I have Captain Crane of the SSRN Seaview on the line."
Briere held the phone for a brief moment before speaking. "Captain Crane, Maxwell Briere of the Falconer. How may I be of service to you?"
"Mr. Briere, we registered a very large electrical surge several minutes ago and are now picking up surface debris. Tell me sir, have you experienced anything out of the ordinary?"
Briere maintained a look of concern as his inner wheels churned. "As a matter of fact, captain, yes. About a half an hour ago there was a slight surge in power but it only lasted a few minutes. We are operating with a very precarious generator and I just put it down to our equipment." He paused to muster concern then continued, "If you registered it below the surface, then it must have been something significant." Briere was hopeful the Seaview's captain would disclose what effect Lightning Bolt had on the submarine.
No matter how sincere and cooperative this man sounded, Crane still remained guarded. "No, nothing significant."
"Now that I think about it, captain, I do seem to recall there was another ship out there—collecting manganese nodules, no doubt. We seem to have lost contact with them. Perhaps that was the source of the anomaly. My radioman tells me he received no distress call."
"Nor did we."
"Tragic," Briere commented, managing to add a twinge of sorrow to his voice for effect. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful, captain."
"That's quite all right. Thank you for your time."
Briere handed the phone back to the radioman, a smile as wide as a Cheshire cat's lighting his fleshy features as he scuttled down the stairs and onto the deck. "Dr. Carag!" he called, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, "I want Lightning Bolt ready for immediate use!" Sidling up to Karl, he spoke softly, "What we discussed, why don't you take care of it now. Once he finds out what our target is, he's apt to cause considerable problems."
Concealing his mounting excitement, Karl merely provided a curt nod.
Before Karl could leave, Briere seized his arm and hissed, "Not up here, mind you. Not in front of the woman—I don't want her to know. Take him below to the Hold, perhaps. Yes, that would be the best place."
Again, Karl nodded then made his way across the deck towards the admiral.
Standing alone, his eyes settling on the unsuspecting admiral, Briere spoke to no one in particular, "Pity really. I would truly love to see his reaction when he saw his beloved Seaview destroyed. Megalomaniac indeed!"
~oOo~
Hearing word of a second target and seeing Carag scurry to make Lightning Bolt operational once again drew disquieting looks from both Kate and Nelson. Before they could react, Karl was waving Nelson forward with the barrel of his gun.
"Mr. Briere says you go below."
Nelson shot Kate a reassuring smile before Karl's hand came crashing down on his injured shoulder. Nelson tensed, waiting for the pain to pass before he could take another step. "It might not have occurred to you," Nelson muttered tightly, "but I was cooperating." Gripping his left arm at the elbow, he continued his slow steady walk.
Taking the familiar path to the lower deck and the storage locker, Nelson was slightly alarmed when Karl motioned for him to take the passageway towards the stern. "This way. You're spending the rest of this trip in the Hold."
Nelson shrugged offhandedly but did not let Karl's wry grin go unnoticed.