Weapon of Atlantis (20 page)

“My God, t
hat thing’s massive!” Roger shouted, seeing the image for the first time.

“It gets better,” Fred said, his voice quivering with anticipation.

As the seven men studied the video moving in reverse, they watched the larger craft grow smaller, then disappear. In the seconds that followed, they watched the ocean rushing at them. Suddenly, as if a light switched to off, the video darkened.

“What just happened? Is th
at it? Is the video broken?” Hammond rattled off anxiously.

“This’ the point where this spacecraft is underwater, but just keep watching. In a few more seconds, you’re going to see something amazing,” Stan said, his eyes still glued to the hologram.

Moments later, faint lights seemed to appear on the screen. As they grew larger and more distinct, the men noticed dark images beginning to take shape.

“Is that what I think it is?” Javi asked, his voice quivering with excitement.

Before anyone could respond, a massive structure appeared on the video screen. Light radiated from it and it looked to be one-story in height, and many thousands of square feet in length and width, spread out over a large area.

“It’s the deep water laboratory. It’s got to be,” Fred blurted loudly.

In seconds, the craft moved toward the structure. It traveled above the rocky floor of the ocean, quickly closing the distance to the underwater lab. As the men watched with excitement, the video showed the craft stop several feet just before contacting the structure. It hovered momentarily, then inched toward a “U” shaped doorway.

Javi’s face lit up as he finally understood what he was looking at.

“That must be the hatch into the structure,” he shouted.

“It is,” Jack responded. “It matches the shape of the markings just outside the doorway,” he said, pointing to the exit.

As the spacecraft made contact with the structure, the video suddenly stopped.

“Is that it?”
Price asked.

“Yeah, it started just as they entered the spaceship and stopped just after the crash,” Stan responded.

“This is amazing. We actually just witnessed an alien attack,” Fred said.

“And more importantly, we just found the laboratory,” Stan stated.

“Next question: where is it? I hope this thing gave us some idea of its location,” Price said with concern.

Stan pointed to one of the four videos.

“It’s all right here in latitude and longitude,” he said.

“So w
here is it?” Hammond asked impatiently.

“The western Pacific ocean… at the southern end of the
Mariana Trench,” Stan responded in ominous tone.

“How deep is it?” Price asked with
dread.

“That’s the part I’m concerned about. I think it’s showing just over forty-two thousand feet,
” he answered with apprehension.

“
Forty-two thousand feet
?” Javi shouted in surprise. “I thought the deepest part of the trench was thirty-six thousand feet deep.”

“It is. By the looks of the video, they must have excavated out a much deeper area south of the Marianas. I’m guessing due to its obscurity,
the excavation was never found when the trench was originally investigated,” Stan answered.

“This poses a big problem,” Javi informed. “At that depth, it might as well be a million feet deep. The pressures are far beyond anything we could ever hope to overcome. There’s just no way we can reach it.”

“I think we can,” Price retorted in cryptic tone.

All men shot Price a suspicious glance. Both Price and Hammond stared back confidently.

“What do you mean ‘we can’? Is there some kind of advanced submarine out there we haven’t heard of?” Fred asked in disbelief.

Price nodded to his partner, then answered, “It’s never been tested to that depth, but I think we might have something that’ll get us there.”

“That doesn’t sound very encouraging,” Fred shot back. “If it hasn’t been tested, how do you know it can withstand those pressures?”

“We don’t,”
Hammond responded matter-of-factly. “But this is the perfect mission to test in on.”

Jack stared at Hammond
with contempt. “I don’t care what you threaten us with. None of us are going to risk our lives to test your stupid sub,” he spat angrily.

Price smirked. “Relax, we need you guys alive. We have others in mind,” he said
blandly.

“Others? Like who?” Jack asked with distrust.

“We’ll be using a few Navy grunts. They’re a dime a dozen,” Hammond responded with indifference.

“Your concern for their safety is touching,” Javi said, angered by the callous remark.

Hammond shrugged off the protest with a smug grin, then said, “Ok, we’re suspending all search op’s temporarily. We want all the data on the lab’s location within the hour,” he demanded.

The five men stared at the data on the hologram, then back to the two agents. The request seemed reasonable and for a moment, they breathed a sigh of relief.

----- ----- ----- -----

Langley, Virginia

CIA Headquarters

Director of Special Operations, Steve Grayson sat in his chair and listened to the reports from his subordinates. The meeting had extended far longer than he had hoped with his men relaying the tedious details of the programs they were responsible for. While taking notes on a lined notepad, his cellphone vibrated on the table in front of him. He quickly reached for it and muted the annoying sound. Glancing at the I.D.screen, he nodded approvingly.

“Grayson,” he said softly, upon answering the call

“Sir, good news: we’ve found it,” Price announced proudly.

Grayson looked up at the men around the conference table, then down to his watch.

“I think we all need a break. Take five, guys,” he ordered.

The men understood the insinuation and quickly cleared the room.

“Ok, I’m listening. What do you got?” he said, continuing his call.

“Sir, the alien spacecraft has a flight data recorder. We were able to retrace its last movements which lead us directly back to the lab.”

“That is great news, Price. Where’s it located?” he asked, feeling a sense of relief.

“That
’s the troubling part. It’s located somewhere in the Mariana Trench,” he responded.

The phone went silent momentarily.

“Sir? You there?” Price asked, suspecting a bad cell connection.

“Yeah, I’m here,”
Grayson said, his tone now filled with disappointment. “How deep?” he asked simply.

“That’s the problem: they’re claiming it’s around forty-two thousand feet,” he answered.

Grayson thought about the response. His mind quickly flashed to the small deep-water submarine being tested at Phantom Works, Boeing’s secret engineering facility in Long Beach, California. Although the thirty-foot sub named ‘The Phantom’, was fully designed, it’s long testing phase had only recently been initiated. It would be another year before any conclusive results would be submitted, approving it for future missions.

“The Phantom won’t be ready for another year… and it’s only rated to the maximum ocean depth of thirty-seven thousand feet,” he state
d flatly.

“I know, Sir, but vessels like the sub are always built with a twenty percent safety factor added into the design structures. I figure the sub is good to somewhere around the forty-five thousand foot level,” Price explained.

“There’s not much margin left in those numbers for safety,” Grayson shot back. “At that depth, any miscalculation in the design won’t be forgiven. That thing will just implode without warning.”

“I thought of that too, Sir, but I don’t think we have much of a choice
but
to use it. The Russians already have a micro reconnaissance-sub that can match those depths. If we wait another year, and word gets out about the lab’s location, they’ll beat us to it. They’ll record, then obliterate every piece of information inside that structure. We’ll be left with nothing and they’ll be in sole possession of probably the most lethal weapon mankind has ever known. I’m sure I don’t need to spell out the implications of a scenario like that,” Price said in grave tone.

“No, you don’t,” Grayson responded bluntly.

“So how do you want to handle this?” Price asked respectfully.

Grayson needed only a moment to consider his options. Too much was at stake for a cautious position. Aggressive action was the only way to insure the nation’s safety, even at the expense of human lives.

“I’m sure you’ll agree: this’ a no-brainer. I’ll contact Phantom Works immediately and instruct them that we’ll be needing both subs A.S.A.P.,” he announced resolutely. “What do we have in Manila?”

“Off the top of my head, I think there’s the container ship, Horizon and the research ship, Corrine.”

Grayson nodded, then said, “Good enough… the Corrine it is. I’ll have the subs flown there by the weeks end. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“There is another thing we need to consider. The Corrine is a top secret vessel. The NASA guys are only cleared to the secret level and the two archeologists have no clearances at all. I think at this point, we can do without the NASA team, but we’ll definitely be needing the two archeologists. How fast can you have them cleared,” he asked.

“I’ll have them cleared by the end of the day,” Grayson shot back quickly. He thought about his response, then added, “We don’t want those two simply wandering around the ship. Once they’re aboard the Corrine, make sure they’re restricted to their cabin and top side only.”

“Yes Sir, already on it. They’ll be guarded round the clock,” Price replied.

“Good work,” Grayson responded simply. “Call me with any problems or delays.”

----- ----- ----- -----

A week later…

With the spacecraft closely guarded by ‘security’ in Greenland, Javi and Jack, along with agent’s Price and Hammond, flew to the U.S. Naval base ‘Subic Bay’ in Manila, in the Philippines. With both reconnaissance subs neatly stowed below deck, and a small detachment of US naval men assigned to the mission, ship and crew set sail under the screen of darkness.

Staring out the porthole in their small cabin, Jack watched the lights of civilization grow smaller on the horizon. He turned to Javi,
lying on his bunk, reading a transcript of their previous week’s research.

“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, this whole secret mission really has me worried,” he started. “I guess in some ways, we’re all off the hook. We found the lab and the stiffs are satisfied, but I still don’t trust these guys as far as I can throw ‘em. I can’t help but wonder what new stunt they’ll pull next.”

“You’re not alone, Jack. Men like that simply can’t be trusted. Unfortunately, they do hold all the cards and the proof of it is, we didn’t really have much of a choice to come on this next part of the mission. Their suggestion that we ‘volunteer’ was pure intimidation.”

“And the guards outside our door aren’t very comforting either,”
Jack shot back.

“There’s not much we can do about
it at this point,” Javi said in resignation.

Jack looked back out the porthole and stared at the last of the flickering lights across the ocean.

“Not yet anyway,” he said in low tone.

Javi stared at Jack with heightened interest.

“What’re you up to, Jack?” he asked.

“Nothing,” he responded, still gazing out the porthole, lost in thought.