Chapter 1: The Storm

"Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science." ~Edwin Powell Hubble, The Nature of Science, 1954

The Florida Strait, November 12, 1943 A.D.

US Navy Motor Torpedo Boat PT-148, Elco 80' PT boat

More than one hundred miles off the sandy shores of Miami, a huge storm was brewing in the Atlantic Ocean. Although technically not yet a hurricane, it could have easily been mistaken as one by someone without seafaring experience. Waves were seven feet tall, and winds were blowing northwards at 43 knots. Visibility was poor. The weather was a worthy advisory for all but the most experienced sailors. While most boats tried to get out while they could, a line of six Elco 80' PT boats did just the opposite. Riding the waves, they sailed into the storm at 21 knots. Maintaining such high speed in such bad weather was no easy task, and the three 1350-h.p. engines on every boat roared in protest as they fought the relentless waves of the furious ocean.

With only six people onboard every boat, compared to the normal eleven, the PT boats were lacking ballast and remarkably unstable. The crushing waves sprayed water across the deck of these small vessels, sometimes submerging the entire bow under a curtain of mist. The pumps had to be turned on in order to pump out the water assaulting the boats from both the ocean and the sky. The 51-ton boats rolled like rubber ducks in bathwater, but they still doggedly continued their east-southeast course heading of 103° through the Florida Strait.

Onboard the first boat in line, the PT-148, Engisn Robert Cleve stood defiantly at the open helm while he was ruthlessly attacked by the elements. He scanned the horizon for his objective, but he was unable to spot it. Unlike his counterparts onboard the other five PT boats, Cleve was not an experienced seaman or observer. With hardly any experiences at sea, the 21-year-old ensign was not ready for the rough seas that confronted him that day. With every wave, the brand-new 80' Elco PT boat sprayed salty water in his face and raincoat. It is a tribute to her builders that the tiny boat can stay intact in such heavy seas, Cleve thought to himself. He had heard jokes that the PT in PT boat stood for "Plenty Tough", and his boat had just proved itself to be more than worthy of the nickname.

For Cleve, the Elco 80' PT boat was truly an amazing craft. Only a mere decade ago, these vessels didn't even exist, not even on paper. When Cleve first enlisted in the Navy, he was unsure of her capability. At only 80 feet long, she was only a little more than the length of seven jeeps placed bumper-to-bumper. She also only had a beam of less than 21 feet, and Cleve had serious doubts about the stability, seaworthiness, and safety of the vessel. However, the moment he stood at the helm of one, all his worries disappeared. She cut through the water like a knife through butter, and the cool winds felt good in Cleve's face. The control layout was perfect. The helm was sturdy, and the throttle controls were easily accessible with his left hand. The instrument panel and controls were placed right in front of him, exactly where he wanted. The torpedo panel was also easily within reach, just a little to his right. The view from the helm was unrestricted, and the boat had unmatched maneuverability and speed. These boats could only be described as "half-bird, half-fish" and having enough dynamite to sink a battleship and the speed to get away. She was a sturdy boat, her bulkheads substantial and her riggings strong. She had self-sealing fuel tanks and plenty of built-in buoyancy. She was a Spartan machine when you look down the unembellished deck, under all the armament. Her single purpose was to inflict heavy damage on the enemy, and it was no question that she served that purpose well. It was no wonder that the Japanese called them "devil boats."

The Elco 80' PT boat was a beautiful boat as well. For Cleve, it was impossible not to fall in love with the sharp lifted bow, the long descending chime hull, and the bulbous flare of the gunnel. Cleve also admired her beautiful lines running from stem to stern. There was class all over her. Cleve could see it in the outer shape, and he knew that she was built with infinite care. It was a proud and purposeful boat. Not only could he see it, he could feel it and hear it. The dulcet sound of her twelve-cylinder engines was a symphony to his ears, and her sturdy helm never failed to assure Cleve of his safety.

The story of the PT boat was equally as magnificent. They were an honor to the Navy. They could turn on a dime, lean into a curve, and jump the waves like a jackrabbit. They've fought out of Tulagi, at Guadalcanal, and at Sicily; they fought on the shores of New Guinea and dirty weather of the Aleutians. They helped guard the Panama Canal. They were the little boats they can tackle anything that floats. They represent the newest combat weapons produced by the war, designed to meet and destroy the enemy where he could be found, be it on or under the sea, on the land, or in the air. The PT boat and her crew had done just that, from barge to battleship, and from submarines to airplanes. Cleve was proud to serve on her, and so were the rest of the crew. The Elco 80' PT boat was the little boat that could.

Despite often disparaged for her small size, the officers' quarters of the PT boat was nearly nineteen feet long. New crewmen were surprised by the fact that there were actually two toilets and sinks onboard the vessel, and there was plenty of commodious storage space. His only complaint was the lack of good food on longer missions. Although the vessel had a refrigerator, it was puny and incapable of storing foods such as milk and eggs. The only foods available on long patrols were dry sandwiches, spam, beans, and Vienna sausage. The cook, officially the quartermaster, was terrible at cooking. At the frontlines, the crews of PT boats were often at the end of the supply chain. He has heard tales about PT boat crews having to beg or fish for food. At every meal onboard a boat, Cleve would dream about the apple pie and steak his girlfriend made. Speaking of food, a coke could really help right now, thought Cleve as he daydreamt about a cool, refreshing glass bottle of coca-cola.

"Well, Cleve, we're approaching our destination. How are you doing up there?" Lieutenant Fred Ruffy interrupted in a booming voice as he poked his head out of the cabin entrance. Over the deafening noise of the ocean, the storm, and thunder, Cleve could barely hear the voice, but it was enough to shock him back into reality. Cleve was the only man on the deck, with the rest of the men inside the snug engine room, dayroom, or charthouse of the boat. Ruffy put on his raincoat and approached the helm. The bouncing and rolling motion made even such a short walk difficult, and the wet deck only made situation worse. Only with great difficulty did the 28-year-old lieutenant reach the helm of the ship.

"I can hardly see," Cleve stated in a concerned voice, "and the storm is taking a turn for the worst."

"Perfect cover for our secret mission, no? Besides, you call this a storm?" Ruffy asked incredulously, clearly amused by the new officer.

Before Cleve could answer, a flash of lightning appeared in the sky. The thunder was heard by Cleve merely three seconds later. He quickly did some calculations to find the distance from the lightning. That was only a little more than a half mile away. And this guy here isn't the least frightened.

"Indeed, Ruffy." Cleve said, somewhat annoyed. For the hundredth time, Cleve was reminded of the fact that he was the new guy. He grew up on a farm in Iowa, and the ocean seemed a place of wonder and awe. However, he never realized how trivial his knowledge of seafaring was. He only got his sea legs a mere month ago, and he only learned celestial navigation during specialty training. He excelled at things like aircraft identification, gunnery, radar operations, and diving, but it did not make up for his lacking in general knowledge about the sea. Because of this, instead of being sent to the front lines in the Pacific, he was assigned to defensive and testing duties in the US. Still, his incompetence in oceangoing knowledge and experience made him the laughing stock amongst his colleagues. However, Cleve's docile and amenable personality normally led him to accept the criticism and admit his shortcomings.

Ruffy, on the other hand, was a skilled seaman. Experienced, hard-working, and calm-under-fire, he was the ideal officer in the Navy. He was a feared, yet congenial man. Being a superior of Cleve and the skipper of the PT boat, he was also a good and reliable friend. Also, unlike Cleve, he grew up in Miami, right near the port. His father was a merchant, and he went out to sea as early as age seven. He joined the Navy before the Pearl Harbor attack, and he was a seasoned veteran. Ruffy served as a role model who Cleve tried to emulate

"Lower the speed, Cleve" Ruffy ordered. "We should be close to our objective." Cleve pulled back the three throttle sticks with his left hand. The responsive 51-ton PT boat slowly coasted to a leisurely ten knots as the needles of the three RPM indicators dropped. The roar of the three Packard V12 engines died down as the bow lowered itself into the waves, filling Cleve's ears with the sound of thunder and the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Ruffy immediately took out a pair of binoculars and scanned the horizon to look for their objective.

"You see it?" Cleve inquired, "I can't see a thing through this weather."

"No, not yet. Give me a second!" responded Ruffy.

"You want me to check the radar…"

"There she is. What a beauty!" Ruffy interrupted as pointed towards a dark gray figure about a half mile north of his location. In perfect conditions, such a large object could easily be seen clearly from the PT boat from up to thirteen miles. However, due to the poor visibility, the objective only manifested itself at the distance of one mere mile.

Cleve turned and also spotted the grey figure, but it took him nearly a minute to pick up the shape of an American Cannon class destroyer escort. Its gray color blended in nearly perfectly with the gray sky. Only its ghostly silhouette gave away its shape and location. If he hadn't been told to look in that direction, he probably would have sailed right past the 300-foot vessel. Despite being the length of a football field, the "tin can" bounced up and down in the water like the PT boats, rolling form side to side. Looks like that her crew isn't better off either, Cleve thought as he chuckled to himself.

Cleve had never seen the destroyer escort, the USS Eldridge, before. Nor did he want to. All he knew was that he was supposed to rendezvous with the Eldrige at 1400 hours, on November 8, 1943, at (25°20'59" N, 78°24'50" W), where Ruffy would give further orders. That was just a little more than 110 miles east-southeast of Miami, about 15 miles west-northwest of the closest land—Andros Island. The nearest town was even further away. The location was close to the British territorial waters of the Bahamas, but it technically was still international waters. They were not close to any shipping lane or airway he knew of. With the weather hampering most smaller vessels, there was only a flyspeck chance that they would be seen. This was good news, because the mission was supposed to be top-secret.

The mission was so secret that as of yesterday afternoon, Cleve hadn't even heard of the USS Eldridge, Project Rainbow, or even the Philadelphia Experiment. He was only briefed on his mission only seven hours ago, and he was coerced into signing secrecy papers. When the commander told the sailors about the mission, the room immediately became tense; his commander did nothing to relieve the cryptic atmosphere.

Another flash of lightning quickly ended Cleve's flashback. It zipped across the sky before hitting the water. The PT-boat was made out of wood, and lighting strikes could cause catastrophic fires and damage to his vessel. He decided to ask Ruffy for further instructions.

"What now Ruffy?" Cleve asked inquisitively. Even up to this point, he still had no idea what to do. Suspense and ebullience filled Cleve's body as he turned to Ruffy for an answer.

"Bring us closer. I'll tell you what to do next," Ruffy responded a hint of worry in his voice. Cleve has never seen his friend so worried, and he knew that this wasn't a good sign. His friend, who was joking with him only a mere minute earlier, has completely changed faces.

"What are you nervous about?" Cleve asked.

"Nothing," Ruffy responded in an angry tone "just dock with that destroyer, ensign."

Ruffy had never called him "ensign" before, typically, he called him by his first name. Ruffy was not acting normally. Cleve knew that something was bothering the lieutenant, but he didn't dare ask again.

Naturalist Basin, Utah, April 20, 140,001,943 B.C. (Before the events of the Land Before Time: Journey through the Mists)

The Land of Mists

Nearly 140 million ears ago, the Earth was a different, yet similar place. Much like today, all kinds of creatures roamed the Earth, and it was rife with life. Some of these creatures found comfort, some found hardship, but most extraordinarily, some found companions.

No where was this more true than an area we now know as Northeastern Utah, in the United States of America. Even over the course of 140 million years, the geography of the region has changed extraordinarily little. The Great Valley, known today as Ashley Valley, is still a cloister of lush trees and green grass. The air is still filled with the laughter of children playing in the grass, and it still resembles a true paradise on Earth. If Littlefoot and his friends can visit the valley today, they would surely be able to recognize it.

The northern parts of the valley have gone through a more drastic change than the other parts. The valley today considerably is smaller than what it was 140 million years ago, with Buckskin Hills now filling up the northern portion of the valley. The most drastic change in this region, however, is probably the waterways. A long time ago, the lakes we now know as Steinaker Reservoir and Red Fleet Reservoir were connected to each other. At the current location of Red Fleet Dam, Thundering Falls once stood. Water from Thundering Falls flowed eleven miles south to meet up with another river, one we now know as Green River, before flowing further south into the distance. However, the river that connected Thundering Falls to Green River—the one that has been delivering water to the valley for hundreds of years—has largely dried up. Only two small creeks, named Brush Creek and Ashley Creek, remain today, but they're still worthy memorabilias to the great river that once flowed through the valley.

In fact, most of the rivers and streams that flowered across the valley were located in the northern regions. This part of the valley, receiving the largest amount of water, was also the lushest and loveliest. It was the location of Littlefoot's nesting place and the Fast-Water Creek. However, this lovely landscape can not be seen anymore. The relentless movement of Earth's crust caused an earthquake that pushed this land upwards. The lush vegetation and waterways have disappeared due to these changes, leaving behind only a barren mountain that looks nothing like it did 140 million years ago.

The southern, western, and eastern parts, in comparison, have changed very little. The eastern parts were more fertile and green then they are today, but changes in the southern and western parts are negligible. The place where Littlefoot and his friends first entered the Great Valley can still be visited. Today, this entrance is near Split Mountain, and some lucky hikers today still get the chance to enjoy the same view that Littlefoot and his friends did more than 140 million years ago.

As for the mountains protecting the Great Valley, very little has changed. Even millions of years of corrosion have somehow failed to abate these titanic mountains. Made of solid quartzite, shale, and slate, these magnificent mountains, formed in the Paleozoic Era, still stand tall and defiantly today. And for thousands of years, these mountains, rising 600 feet, have protected the inhabitants of the valley from outside invaders. In fact, Ashley Valley would not be discovered until 1776 and would not be thoroughly explored until the arrival of General W.H. Ashley in the 19th century.

The most special mountain, Saurus Rock, is still visible. The "neck" of the dinosaur-shaped monolith collapsed in an earthquake, but the base still stands today. By some almost divine coincidence, this is the current location of the National Dinosaur Monument. Doc would have been proud…

The valley is still home to many different creatures, and quite a few can trace their lineage to Skip, Milo, Lydia, Plower, and the colony of underground mammals that Spike once fell in. The tales of the dinosaurs will live on in the stories that were passed down from millions of generations earlier. The dinosaurs are as active in these mammals' memories just as they were 140 million years ago. As for the humans in the valley, they still get to enjoy the tracks and fossils that these mighty creatures made.

The fossilized remains of the original Sharptooth can still be found in the buried under the waters of the Green River, just waiting to be found by the paleontologists who prowl this region. Hanging Rock, Black Rock, and Ruby's Thinking Place have—extraordinarily—remained almost unchanged. The Secret Caverns, known today as the Big Bush Creek Cave, is now the second-largest cave in Utah. Deeper parts of the cave are off-limits due to obstacles like logs and rocks, but deep inside, the Cave of Many Voices still remains. Whereas shouts of joy once echoed through its corridors, now, there's only a deathly silence.

Littlefoot and his friends lived in the early Cretaceous period. The Big Water, which is now known as Mowry Sea, is no longer existent. However, many icons live on. Littlefoot's birthplace, near Dodge City, Kansas, although not marked by any structure, can still be visited. The canyon that separated the families in the Great Earthshake can still be seen in Colorado. After the lava cooled, a river, known today as the Cucharas River, cut its way through that canyon. Some parts of the canyon have withered away, but the half-mile wide and 400 feet deep gap that separated Littlefoot and his friends from their parents can still be seen near Cedarwood, Colorado. The canyon is now called Keystone Canyon, a relatively obscure canyon near the foot of the majestic Rocky Mountains.

Today, Littlefoot's bold 880 mile journey to the Great Valley has been shortened to just 690 miles. The The trip took Littlefoot nearly a month, but thanks to cars and the interstate highway system, the same journey today lasts only 12 hours.

Less than 35 miles north of the Great Valley, across many mountains and forests, was the location of the Land of Mists. Located near a town we now know as Dutch John, the Land of Mists has gone through a more noticeable change. The mists have disappeared, and the Night Flower, along with many of its dangerous residents, are now gone. The Mowry Sea, the predecessor to the Western Interior Seaway, was only a few miles from the Land of Mists, but neither the sea nor the seaway exists today. The swamps and ponds have been replaced by the Flaming Gorge reservoir. The trees once there now are the center of Ashley National Forest. The only things that have remained unchanged are the mountains surrounding this land.

In this same location more than 140 million years ago, a hungry ichthyornis (sharpbeak), an early carnivorous bird, prepared for landing. It spread out its wings and landed softly on the back of a deinosuchus (bellydragger), an early crocodile.

"Ichy, is that you?" Dil, the deinosuchus, yelled, "You have better found some food, or else I'm leaving you forever!"

"Calm down, Dil!" Ichy, the ichthyornis replied, "I'm sure that we'll find something to eat… eventually. Did you find anything?"

"Ichy, you know how bad my eyes are. You'd better find some food fast. Or else we're all gonna starve! Now go up there and find us some food!"

"I know, Dil, I know." Ichy replied impatiently as he flapped his wings and took off into the bright and sunny sky. The white feathers on the front of his wings shone brightly against the midday sun. However, couldn't marvel at this sight. All he cared about was food, and it wasn't exactly plentiful.

Ever since the longnecks moved out of the land, food sources have been low. Finding food, even from the sky, was no easy task. With the large longnecks gone, the only prey was the rare lost far-walker. Having one arrive in the land was infrequent, to say at best, and actually finding one was a matter of extreme fortuity. Other sources of food, such as fish, have either been depleted or driven away. Sighting prey from the sky was arduous and inefficient, but in order to search a large area of ground, it was the only option.

Only if I had something to help me see the ground, this would be so much easier, Ichy thought. Little did he know, his wish would become true.

The Florida Strait, November 12, 1943 A.D.

US Navy Motor Torpedo Boat PT-148, Elco 80' PT boat

The PT-148 sailed closer and closer to the USS Eldridge, and the five other PT boats did the same. Two of the crewmen onboard the PT-148 came out of the dayroom to look at the destroyer escort. The identification code, DE 173, was painted proudly on her bow. Under Ruffy's orders, the PT-boat approached the starboard bow of the destroyer. With VHF radio, he also gave orders to the other five boats. The weather badly hampered the approach and forced Cleve to approach more slowly and cautiously. As Cleve guided the boat to dock with the Eldridge, he tried to catch a glimpse of the crewmen inside the bridge. The windows on the bridge were quite small, and his angle prevented him from actually seeing anyone inside the bridge. It was a disappointment, but his attention soon turned to the main guns.

For all his life, he wanted to shoot the three-inch gun found on these vessels. He had seen pictures of them when he was just a little kid. Those things had a range of nearly 15000 yards and a rate of fire of nearly 20 rounds a minute. He had learned about the effectiveness of these guns during specialty training, and it was one of Cleve's personal favorites. He scanned the forward deck of the destroyer-escort for the guns. It was only then that noticed something peculiar about the forward deck. Something wasn't right…

"Look at the forward deck," Cleve exclaimed, "What are those things?"

Wrapped around the ship's forward deck, four large objects took up the space where a gun was supposed to be. Despite having never served on a destroyer, he knew the proper layout of one. He learned during specialty training that a Cannon class destroyer escort like the Eldridge was supposed to have three single Mk.22 3"/50 caliber guns. Two were to be located at the bow, and one was supposed to be located between the stern and the amidships. However, one of the guns on the front was missing. The four objects that stood in its place aren't like anything that Cleve has ever seen. There were two big cylinders that nearly took up the entire width of the bow. In front of it were two smaller, flatter cylinders. At first, Cleve thought that they were storage tanks, but he soon realized that the two smaller tanks were too small. Besides, why would they need extra storage space? He thought, if they need extra fuel or food, the Navy would just send along a tender or munitions ship. No need to replace a gun with storage tanks. But if they're not storage tanks, they what are they?

"That's classified," Ruffy responded in a stern voice. "You mission is to dock with the USS Eldridge and help take her crew off her. Do not ask any further questions. Understood?"

Cleve nodded in fear and shock as he brought the PT boat alongside the destroyer. He had never seen his friend act in such a harsh manner. His humor was gone, and he wore a worried look. All of a sudden, Cleve developed a presentiment feeling the pit of his stomach that something was wrong. Once again, he dared not ask any further questions.

Linwood, Utah, April 20, 140,001,943 B.C.

The Mysterious Beyond

Ichy has been in the air for an entire hour, and his body ached with every flap of his wing. So far, he had encountered no prey, none at all. His stomach protested in pain, along with his wings. To distract himself from the abject situation, he drifted off into a daydream about a small finned swimmer. It would leap out of the one of the ponds, with its scales glistening under the morning light. He would swoop down from the sky and catch it in his beak. Yes, it would have a delightful taste, a taste that he would never tire of—a taste that he associated with his childhood.

And yes, the memories of childhood. How wonderful they were. The days near the Big Water, the good days, the days that he played with his siblings, preyed happily on finned swimmers, and slept safely in his nest at night. Ah yes, and his first finned swimmer, how could he ever forget? It had been a gift from his mother, a very special gift indeed. It was his favorite, and he would do anything to gain back his childhood. The laughter that he used to share with his friends and siblings, the stories that his mother would tell, and memories of hunting by the Big Water filled Ichy's head. Overcame with nostalgia, he began to sing in a soft voice, one that most would never associate with him.

When the sun went down
And everyone was sleeping
If I heard a sound
Like things around me creeping
She would wrap her wings around me
And tell me "Don't be scared"
And I knew that I was safe because
She's always there

In a way akin to a sleep story, Ichy soon woke up in reality. The pain in his gut and wings could no longer be ignored. Those happy days are over, long over, Ichy thought to himself. An earthshake had destroyed his home, killing his entire family. All sorts of predators moved in, forcing him to move out. But right now, that wasn't important. He needed to find a spot to rest. With no other option available, he spread out his wings and landed at the edge of a small creek. It was too small to home any finned swimmers, but the water would abate his thirst. He nearly collapsed from exhaustion, but he somehow managed to reach the edge of the water. The deep, cool water was just what he needed. He stuck his beak into the water and drank until he was full. Afterwards, he took a small nap at the edge of the water. He was still hungry, and he knew that Dil would punish him for returning late, but all that was behind him. He leaned against a rock near the edge and settled into a comfortable afternoon nap. With the warm sun and memories once again alive in his mind, he felt like that he was home again, in his mother's care and love.

The Florida Strait, November 12, 1943 A.D.

US Navy Motor Torpedo Boat PT-148, Elco 80' PT boat

Nearly two hours after the PT-148 docked alongside the USS Eldridge, her skeleton crew was finally beginning to disembark the ship. Nine of them boarded the PT-148. The boat was now holding 15 people. The maximum number of people the boat could accommodate was 17. With no torpedoes or gunners onboard however, the men all comfortably fit in the cabin of the boat. Meanwhile, Cleve and some others voluntarily helped out with operations onboard the Eldridge.

Although Ruffy emphatically told him to not ask any questions, curiosity got the best of Cleve. While moving around boxes on the wet and slippery deck, Cleve, also known for his rhetorical skills, successfully managed to inveigle information form a buzzed ensign onboard the vessel. He told Cleve that the two large cylinders were electrical generators while the two smaller cylinders were field coils. When Cleve asked him what they were for, he simply responded: "I have no idea."

Cleve knew from physics class in high school what the coils were meant to achieve. When the field coils are activated, they will generate a large electromagnetic field. This was used in degaussing operations, where electromagnetic coils would be installed into the hulls of ships. The British used this to counter Nazi magnetic mines, and it was already commonplace. Based on the info he coaxed out of the ensign, it seemed ostensible that this was just simply a degaussing operation. Cleve breathed a sigh of relief, but he soon found two problems to his theory.

First, the field coils were way too big. The field coils and generators used on other ships were small enough to be fitted inside the hull. They took up nearly half the forward deck. The big coils will be able to produce higher electromagnetic fields, and higher electromagnetic fields means a less likelihood of detection by magnetic mines. Still, the smaller, typical coils were more than enough, and trading in a gun for oversized coils didn't exactly make sense.

Secondly, if this was just some degaussing operation, there was no reason for it to be so secretive. Nearly all British cruisers and battleships had them, and the Nazis were already developing countermeasures. It was no secret that the allies were trying to degauss their warships. Most degaussing operations were done right in the harbor and some were even done by civilian contractors. Also, most degaussing operations were conducted with crew onboard. Doing a degaussing operation in total secrecy did not seem necessary whatsoever.

Cleve began to doubt his theory, but he couldn't think of any other explanation. All I have to do is wait and see, he thought.

Regardless, orders were orders. They were already behind schedule. With nothing else to do, he descended the ladder and into his PT boat. The rain made this a difficult task. He almost slipped and fell down the ladder, but he regained grip at the very last second. When he got down, Ruffy was already waiting for him.

"Careful there, Cleve," Ruffy said, "We only have half an hour till the experiment. It's time to cast off."

"Experiment? What experiment?" Cleve asked.

"Never mind. I'll tell you later. Right now, we have to cast off."

Cleve nodded in agreement. The tiny bit of information that Ruffy leaked was of no use whatsoever. He already predicted that there was going to be an experiment, but he needed to know what the experiment was trying to test. Just wait, Cleve thought.

As skipper, Ruffy ordered the lines cast off and singled the engineer for power. In another moment, they were headed back out to sea. Cleve was once again back at the helm, doing his favorite job in the world. By this time, the visibility and waves were starting to improve, although the storm was still raging like a mad bull.

"Travel south for a mile," Ruffy ordered, "This should take us to a safe distance. I'll radio the other PT boats. Be extremely careful, because the experiment could be dangerous."

"Is that what has been bothering you?" Cleve inquired.

"Yes, Cleve," Ruffy said as he sighed deeply as he scratched his head, "the PT-147 will be staying behind in case anything goes wrong. Her crew is equipped with protection suits, and we're not. Still…"

"You're worried about the possible consequences of this experiment?" Cleve interrupted.

"Yes"

"Don't worry. What can possibly go wrong?" Cleve asked. He tried to sound care-free, and he hoped that his voice didn't give away how nervous he actually was. Contrary to what Ruffy believed, Cleve actually knew what the objects on the front deck were. He had a bad feeling all day, and he was just as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room of rocking chairs. Fortunately, Ruffy did not notice.

"A lot of things," Ruffy replied with condor, "Once again, the experiment is extremely dangerous. What we're about to test is nothing short of revolutionary. It potentially holds to key to winning the war."

Cleve gulped. At this point, he abandoned his "degaussing" theory altogether. Although valuable, degaussing has already been done and was of little importance now. He wondered what this experiment was about. He just had to ask.

"Can you please tell me what the experiment is about?" Cleve entreated.

"You'll see," Ruffy responded, "but for right now, I want you to go monitor the radar in the charthouse. Tell me when the radar detects anything approaching. I will take the helm. I'll exonerate you when the experiment starts. You'll get a chance to watch." Ruffy turned and tried to smile.

"Yes sir!" Cleve responded with alacrity. Ruffy had a habit of taking things as they come along, and Cleve's ebullience was being driven sky-high. However, Cleve was forbearing. He walked towards the stern and then descended down the hatch leading to the dayroom. Inside, the crew of the Eldridge was playing a round of poker. Cleve still had ten dollars in his pocket, but he decided against using it. He took off his raincoat and headed for the charthouse.

Starting in 1942, Elco began to equip their PT boats, including the PT-148, with Raytheon SO radar. The antennas were mounted on the foredeck, and the display was mounted in the charthouse. The radar had a range of 17 nautical miles, and it was a sublime piece of equipment. It gave the boats a decisive advantage attacking enemy shipping at night, and it also gave the boats warning about incoming enemy aircraft, which were rarely detected before unleashing their bombs or guns.

Cleve took off his raincoat and grabbed a seat in front of the display. Due to the poor weather, only the Eldridge, the closest PT boat, and Andros Island could be seen on the radar. The other boats were too small and far away to be picked up. The weather was badly degrading the performance of the radar, but all large approaching vessels should be able to be detected. If one was to be detected, they would have to abandon the experiment and restart it again elsewhere; such were the orders his commanders gave that morning. However, larger ships tend to follow shipping lanes, and smaller boats probably would not be crazy enough to set sail in such bad weather. The chance that they would be seen was truly Lilliputian. However, Cleve still had to monitor the radar. He stretched out his legs and leaned back in his chair. Once again, all he needed do was to wait.