Weapon of Atlantis (22 page)

“That’s got to be it. Look at the shape of the markings. They look ‘U’ shaped, just like on the spacecraft. That’s got to be the docking station,” he said.

“But how does it actually work? I don’t see any kind of seal or locking mechanisms. You can’t just drive up and open a door. The extreme pressures would kill you instantly,” Price asked. “I was hoping we’d find some kind of airlock, one we could drive into, close the door and seal off the ocean,” he added.

“So far, this is the only way
I can see into the facility,” Jack said.

“I’m sure they must have some other way into this thing? The spacecraft you found holds two people. They couldn’t have loaded this entire facility, moving people in two by two. That would’ve
taken forever. I’m certain there must be some kind of airlock for mass entry and exodus of personnel,” Price continued.

“We need to make a search of the windows,” Hammond suggested.

Price nodded, then turned to Capt. Elders.

“How quickly can you search this place?” he asked.

“Why, you going somewhere?” Capt. Elders responded in mild humor.

Price glared back coldly.

“We’ll being making a call shortly. Our boss prefers favorable reports,” he said in serious tone.

Capt. Elders nodded in understanding. “There’s only a few. We can have it done by the end of the day,” he responded.

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

Lt. Rucker moved the joystick slightly, inching the ROV forward toward the first window. Slowly, cautiously, as the vehicle closed the distance, he scanned his instruments, noting his speed and proximity. With all eyes on the large video screen, the brilliant lights of the vehicle began to illuminate the interior of the laboratory through
the window.

“Five feet till contact with the structure,” the
lieutenant announced.

“Slow and steady,” Capt. Elders responded.

“Four feet, three, two…” the lieutenant counted down.

The video screen showed a slight jarring action, then became perfectly still.

“We’ve made contact with the structure,” Lt. Rucker announced.

All eyes stared at the screen with interest. For the first time in seven-thousand years, the room was bathed in light. Javi’s expression turned to disappointment.

“Strange. The room looks empty,” he said aloud.

“Can you maneuver the camera for a better look?” Jack asked.

The lieutenant nodded and pressed several buttons, repositioning the camera toward the left. On the large screen, the slight sweeping motion revealed the same results:

“Nothing… the rooms completely empty. That sucks,” Jack said, communicating the feel of the room.

He studied the screen more closely, then said, “Lieutenant, shift right again.”

The
lieutenant twisted the buttons slightly, bringing the camera’s focus back right. Jack pointed.

“Look, right there… there’s a control panel on the far wall. This isn’t an office-type room that just happens to be empty. This’ an airlock,” he said excitedly. “There must be a doorway on the other side of this window. The spacecraft must dock to the outside of the structure, then enter through here. The airlock acts as a fail-safe if the seal between the craft and outer surface ever break.”

Javi nodded. “I think you’re right, Jack.  It makes sense when you consider the purpose of the window. There’s almost nothing to see down there at that depth, so why would they need windows in the first place?” he asked. “They must be for viewing arriving spacecraft,” he said, answering his own question.

“So then, every window on this structure must represent some kind of airlock,” Jack added.

“What about the windows on the top of the structure?” Capt. Elders asked. “They seem to be a rather odd way to enter the facility.”

“I
’m betting they’re just for viewing incoming traffic,” Jack responded.

“So this kind of airlock is for low-volume traffic, I’m guessing. The only way to access it, is through a spacecraft docked to the outside,” Capt. Elders speculated.

“Which suggests that somewhere around here, there’s probably a window that shows a cavernous room, one where you can park a spacecraft inside,” Javi considered.

“A large spacecraft,” Jack added. “Come to think of it, on the other side of the facility, I remember seeing a couple of windows on the far corner. Why would they need two windows for that airlock and only one for this one…”

“Unless two windows are required for the larger airlocks,” Javi cut in. “You’re right, Jack. That’s got to be the full docking station.”

Capt. Elders nodded, then turn to Lt. Rucker.

“Ok, let’s move. North-east corner,” he ordered.

Within seconds, the lieutenant backed the ROV away from the structure and gained elevation. Once he was clear of the top, he headed diagonally across the top of the facility. Minutes later, as he crossed the far corner, he dropped back down to ground level and lined back up with one of the two windows on the northeastern corner.

“Ten feet, nine feet, eight, seven…” he announced as he closed the distanced.

All eyes watched with anticipation as the lights began to shine through the window, inside the building. As the ROV came to rest against the outside structure, every man stared in awe at the sight.

“It’s like a massive parking garage in there. The whole back of the building must be a loading area,” Jack speculated.

“Agreed, you can easily fit another half dozen spacecraft in there,” Javi said.

“How do we get in?” Price shouted from the back of the room, as he and Hammond entered.

“Not su
re yet,” Jack responded. “Probably an outside control panel like the one on the spacecraft,” he added, anticipating the agent’s next question.

“Let’s break off fro
m here and find it,” he ordered abruptly.

Capt. Elders glanced to the two agents. Both men’s postures were cold and uncompromising. He nodded to them, then turned to Lt. Rucker.

“You heard the man, make a sweep of the outside surface,” he ordered. “Start at the northeastern corner and move west along the back wall of the structure.”

As the lieutenant worked the controls, the cameras scanned the blank metallic surface of the structure. Nearly half way across the northern side, Jack spotted black markings, similar to those he found on the spacecraft.

“Right there!” he shouted excitedly. “Those are the same kinds of markings on the spacecraft. The door must be close by. Can you zoom up on that surface?”

Lt. Rucker merely nodded. He flicked several buttons, then rotated a dial, zooming in closer with one of the cameras. He swept the camera from left to right, then top to bottom.

“Stop right there!” Jack shouted again. Pointing, he continued, “Right there. Do you see that thin vertical line on that wall? That’s got to be the door.” He turned back to the lieutenant and asked, “Can you move the ROV to follow it?”

The
lieutenant nodded agreeably and moved the joystick once more. The cameras showed the vehicle moving higher, using the vertical line as a guide. Near the top of the structure, the line curved toward the right, then continued on horizontally. Slowly, the ROV followed its path. Twenty feet later, a vertical line extended down from the horizontal line.

“That’s got to be the separation between the two doors,” Jack announced.

Minutes later, the horizontal line angled downward. The ROV began to descend, following the path of the line lower.

“Ok, this is the other side of the doorway. The total size of the entry looks to be about forty feet wide and twenty feet high,” Jack announced once more.

“So where’s the control panel for it?” Hammond asked gruffly.

“If it’s anything like the spacecraft, it’s integral with the skin of the structure… probably on the right hand side, midway up,” he answered.

“Lieutenant, focus on that region,” Hammond ordered.

“Yes Sir,” the lieutenant responded.

As the ROV drifted higher, several cameras focused on the area to the right of the door. Nothing appeared on screen, except a thin line that split the blank wall.

“It’s got to be there!” Hammond spat, now growing impatient.

Jack glared at him with contempt, then responded, “It
is
there. You can’t see it without power to the door.”

“Great!” he shot back in disgust. “Anyone have any ideas on how to power this thing?”

All heads shook negatively in response.

“Getting inside isn’t you’re only trouble,” Jack said. “Once you’re in there, the pressures will still be the same as the outside. Some type of discharge system with have to be activated to pump the water out of the chamber… and that also takes power.”

“How about power from Zeus’ scepter? If it powers the spacecraft, maybe it’ll power this facility too,” Price suggested.

“The whole facility? I doubt it,” Jack shot back.

“You got any better ideas?” Hammond spat.

Javi and Jack stared at each other momentarily, then shook their heads.

“Well, I guess the crystal scepter it is,” Hammond said with authority. He turned to Price and smiled. “Time to try out the new sub, eh?” he asked.

Price smiled back and nodded.

“Now it gets interesting,” he responded cryptically.

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

The following night…

Javi and Jack stood behind the crew and watched as two naval men waited for their signal to enter the twenty-foot-in-diameter secret submarine. As they stood on an elevated platform, perched just above the sub’s circular entry hatch, bright lights illuminated the topside deck and clearly advertised their excitement. Confident grins spread across their faces.

Standing next to the two
ensigns, Captain Tim Elders listened intently to his headset, then flashed the two men a ‘thumbs up’ signal, clearing them to enter the sub. Slowly, deliberately, they eased their slim bodies down through the narrow hatch and nestled into their seats. From outside the tiny round sub, the two-man crew could be seen through portholes, preparing the vehicle for its long underwater descent.

Minutes later, they flashed their own ‘thumbs up’ si
gnal. Captain Elders shouted a ‘good luck’, then sealed the hatch. With the loading platform swung out of the way, an overhead crane lifted the heavy-duty sphere into the air, then positioned it over the black water. As it lowered beneath the surface, Jack shot Javi a nervous stare.

“I’m sure they’ll be alright,” Javi said.

“I’m not,” Jack returned bluntly.

“We have to stay positive… for their sake,” he
responded.

“Staying positive won’t change reality. That sub’s never been tested. It’s basically a bomb ready to go off at the slightest sign of trouble,”
Jack responded.

“Then we better keep
our fingers crossed this test goes well,” he said.

Jack shook his head in disgust.

“I just don’t get it. Why don’t they just send down the sub by itself? If it does collapse, they’ll have their answer without killing two people,” he reasoned.

“I think Price and Hammond have something to do with it. Their focus on timing seems all-consuming. They’re so paranoid about world domination
that they ignore simple logic and safety,” Javi replied.

“I don’t think they ignore it. I just think human life isn’t factored very high in their decision making process,”
he responded.

“I hope you’re wrong about that statement, Jack
.”

“I know I’m right,” Jack shot back.