“I cannot believe this!” Niles said, almost gasping for air as he watched.
The massive submarine finally reached a point where its forward bulk outweighed its stern and the giant ship started to fall toward the sea below. The gulf beneath its hull was crushed as the behemoth crashed into the water, sending forth a wave two hundred feet into the air. The mist from the top of the wave reached as far as the hovering aircraft.
Niles started measuring with his mind’s eye. The vessel was well over a thousand feet in length, possibly more. He couldn’t begin to calculate her displacement tonnage, but it had to outweigh any ship in the naval arsenals of the world. Larger than a Nimitz class carrier, the submarine was unlike any vessel any of them had ever laid eyes on. The hull had clean lines and was rounded even upon the upper deck. The conning tower was a giant structure that angled aerodynamically, and was made to align itself deep into the hull when submerged, obviously for speed purposes.
Niles could see two large, finlike, harsh triangles—powerful-looking bow-planes slicing the waters just under the surface—and then finally two towering, angled, hundred-foot-long, fifty-foot-high tail fins sprang from the sea like the dorsal fins of a monster shark. As they held their breath, the vessel’s bow opened up and revealed a glass nose hidden under a retractable armor front, and they could see that the glass covered at the very least ten decks of the forward parts of the vessel. The giant submarine continued to run on the surface, sending out very little tail wake from her power plant at the stern. Seagulls, after the initial shock of her arrival, started flocking around the skyscraperlike conning tower, mistaking it for land because of its size.
“On behalf of my captain, I welcome you to Leviathan.”
Lee turned and looked at the man, who was watching them all with an intent gaze. He recalled a poem from the time of the Civil War, which he memorized in his college days and deemed appropriate now that the man had placed a name to the great vessel.
“ ‘Lo, as I am swallowed by the salt-laden waters, I am cursed to behold the shape and dark intent of my enemy, the very destroyer of men, thus as I am laid asunder, water invading my soul, there, under the waves, travels the monstrous grace of Leviathan, God of the Sea, and Master of the World.’”
As the four tilt-wing aircraft started forward, the lead craft banked hard and started settling for the deck of Leviathan. As it approached, two large doors, over seventy feet in length and just aft of the conning tower, parted and rose into the air, revealing a cavernous hangar deck. Niles watched as crewmen far below prepared to take on the four aircraft. The hovering VTOLs aligned perfectly with the fast-moving vessel and settled into her bowels. Compton took the opportunity to examine the open section of hull and counted five distinct layers of a material that to his untrained eye resembled titanium, or steel, but seemed porous. He was amazed when he realized he wasn’t looking at metal at all—he was staring at what he thought must be a composite material similar to nylon.
The tilt-wing settled to the deck and her engines started to spool down. Then one of the other craft settled beside them and the remaining flight behind. Compton turned and sat in his seat while looking at the others.
“This is not the first such vessel to carry the name,” Lee commented.
The tall man rose from his seat and completely removed his body armor, his eyes watching Lee. The rest of his men were now fully awake and seemingly glad to be home as they joked and made their way to the rolling stairs that had been pushed into place.
“Correct, Senator. This is the third vessel to carry the name Leviathan,“ he said, handing his armor and weapon to the nearest man.
Niles looked at Garrison Lee, who winked. “Vault 298907, level seventy-three, inactive file.”
Recognition etched Compton’s face as he remembered one of the Group’s more prized possessions. He knew what vault the senator had referred to, and now he knew one of the reasons for the vault’s destruction.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you would follow me, please.” The man hesitated and looked at Henri Farbeaux. “I will ask you for your word as a gentleman to behave upon this vessel. We will tolerate no activities that may harm the crew or systems aboard. If you can’t agree to this request, we can set you adrift before diving. You will be picked up within the day, I assure you.”
Farbeaux stood and looked at their host and then at Niles and Sarah, who in turn were looking at him expectantly.
“Why of course, my word as a gentleman,” he said without a trace of humor.
The man held the colonel’s gaze a moment, trying to detect any form of deceit, and then he turned for the large doorway.
As they gained the stairs, they saw at least a hundred men and women moving about the hangar deck. They were busy with tasks such as washing the four aircraft down, freeing them from metal-eating salt. A loudspeaker echoed among the fifteen helicopters and four tilt-winged aircraft.
“Stand by to secure hangar doors. All hands make ready for submerged operations.”
Garrison Lee leaned on his cane as Alice placed one of her hands on top of his and watched the sunlight of the outside world be slowly shut out. The giant doors hissed closed above them with a finality that made Alice cringe slightly.
Sarah watched the crew members around them as they secured the tilt-wings to the hangar deck with long nylon straps, using come-alongs to tighten them to piano-wire tightness. Arrayed along the wall were projected and enhanced electronic readouts displaying the exact weight of what was carried in the hangar. She was amazed that an object that could travel under the sea could tolerate such weight, as it had to be a hindrance to their speed. She was also amazed at the ethnic makeup of the crew; black, white, Asian, and others worked together side by side with children not more than sixteen.
The tall man was again watching them.
“If I may ask, what is your function aboard this vessel? Or are you just the resident killer and kidnapper?” Niles asked as he rolled down the sleeves of his white shirt. The eyes behind his glasses held firm against the glare from the tall man.
He smiled at last—a cold, mean-spirited smile.
“I follow my orders. However, I am the resident security specialist and special forces commander for Leviathan—Sergeant Tyler, Benjamin Tyler. And if I hadn’t been good at what I do, the people back at your ridiculous little complex would be burying quite a few more associates today.” Tyler gestured toward a young woman who was standing by at one of the larger consoles awaiting his orders.
They watched as the young woman walked over. She was dressed in a red shirt and blue shorts, different from the hangar deck crew who wore blue jumpsuits, not unlike the military members at the Event Group. Her brown hair was braided—coiling around both ears—and her smile was genuine. Her eyes were deep and dark blue, with a ring of soft silver around the pupils. She was an amazing-looking girl.
“This is Yeoman Felicia Alvera. She will show you to your quarters so you may rest and change clothes. We are conducting operations this afternoon, so your lunch will be served in your staterooms. The captain sends apologies.”
“When you say operations, you mean attacking merchant shipping and killing more innocents?” Niles asked.
“Is there such a thing as innocence in your world, Doctor? Even in this world we have our faults, and at times, very little innocence.” Tyler turned and strode quickly away.
“I must apologize for the sergeant. He has his manner; that’s why we don’t allow him out very much,” the yeoman said, smiling. She saw her humor did not sit well with Leviathan‘s new guests, so she cleared her throat and gestured to her right. “If you’ll follow me, please.”
Niles allowed the senator and Alice to fall into place behind the woman so he could assist the former director if he needed it. Virginia, unusually quiet, stepped up and took Niles by the arm as if fearful of something or to keep Niles in check with his insults, he wasn’t sure.
“After you, dear Sarah,” Farbeaux said with a wave of h
is arm.
“Colonel, just because there are no armed guards on us does not mean we are not being watched.”
“I’ve already spotted ten security cameras, my dear, and they are tracking us, indeed. Someone is quite interested in our little group.”
Sarah just realized who it was she had given the warning to. This man had a sense about him that others could only dream of. He was a survivor beyond measure and a master predator. She decided she would keep close to Henri Farbeaux. She took his arm to steady him and they followed the others.
The group stepped into a plastic-lined, carpeted elevator that blended well with the bulkhead. The yeoman waited until all were inside and then said aloud, “Deck ten.”
As the elevator doors closed silently, they all felt the movement of the car. In just about ten seconds, they felt the elevator glide to a soft stop, then another strange feeling began and that was when they realized they were moving horizontally. They followed their progress on a multicolored chart on the wall that depicted their car moving at a rapid gait along a multitiered grid. The elevator traveled another thirty seconds and then stopped. The doors slid open with only the slightest hiss.
“Deck ten.”
Sarah looked at Alice and Virginia as the computerized female voice controlling the elevator announced their deck.
“Is that—?”
“If not, she has a sister,” Niles said as he commented on the computer-controlled voice. They were all startled when they realized it had the same sexy and embarrassing audible print as their own Europa system at the Group.
“This woman must make a fortune doing these damn recordings,” Sarah said as she followed the yeoman out of the elevator.
“If you’re speaking of our computer’s voiceprint, it may be just like your system.” She gave a small laugh. “It’s recorded by a little old lady in Akron, Ohio.” She gestured for them to step free of the elevator. “She’s seventy-six years old.”
“Oh,” Sarah said as she waited for Lee, Alice, Niles, and Virginia to catch up with her and Farbeaux. She frowned toward Alice. “Don’t ever tell Carl, Ryan, or Mendenhall. It would shatter their fantasies about Europa’s voice.”
As they entered a very long and curving hallway, they saw magnificent laser prints of the oceans of the world lining the wall. Each was backlit and was a depiction of a bay, a sea, or a moonlight view of the Arctic. As they walked slowly behind the yeoman, they all stared at the design of the hallway. The material was unrecognizable. It had the look of hard plastic, but as each reached out to touch the material in turn, they knew it was something beyond their own engineering knowledge. It was soft in spots and hard in other areas. Large panels met at a stringer that felt and looked like painted titanium.
“All hands, prepare to dive.” A loud horn sounded throughout the boat.
The wall, about five feet up from the floor, split, and a long panel slid down as it did. A stout-looking handrail slowly slid from the abcess.
“If you’ll stop and take a handhold, this will only take a minute. The initial dive profile of Leviathan can be rather steep. We call it the ‘the fall from grace.’” Yeoman Alvera smiled as she took hold of the steel-and-wood handrail.
“Nice,” Sarah said, but taking ahold of the rail anyway.
“Dive, dive, dive.” The voice was strong and clear over the hidden loudspeakers as a soft tone sounded throughout the boat warning of the dive.
The yeoman let go of the rail and stepped up to the senator and Alice.
“If you like, we have straps. Would you prefer that?”
Lee fixed the young girl with his one good eye.
“The day I need to wear a—”
“No thank you, young lady, we are fine,” Alice said, giving Lee a harsh look.
As Yeoman Alvera returned to her spot, the deck suddenly angled down and they felt their stomachs go with it. Then they could tell by the centrifugal forces being applied that the speed of the great ship increased to unheard-of velocity. The young woman pointed to a red-numbered digital readout at the next bulkhead, twenty feet in front of them and over the next hatchway.
“Impossible,” Niles mumbled.
The indicator was flashing numbers at an incredible rate. Their depth had gone from two hundred feet to six hundred in a matter of forty seconds. As Niles tried to follow the digital numbers, Leviathan started to level off and slow. Soon the LED readout at the bulkhead said that the massive boat was at nine hundred feet in depth. Then the readout changed and the numbers split, now showing not only depth but also speed.
“We will travel at this speed for the next—well, we’ll be pretty steady for the time being.”
Niles saw Leviathan was cruising at seventy knots with not so much as a shiver coursing through the vessel.
They continued on their way, not seeing another crew member on their journey. Then they came to the first stateroom.
“Mrs. Hamilton, we have put you in with Senator Lee. We believe those are the accommodations you are used to?”
Lee looked slightly embarrassed, but Alice just raised her left brow.
“Good, you’ll find a fresh suit in the closet for the senator. We believe we got the size right, and a nice pantsuit for you, Mrs. Hamilton.”
She opened the door and allowed the two to enter. They were surprised to find their accommodation would have rivaled anything on a modern cruise ship. There was a small living area complete with desk, separate bathroom with tub and shower, a completely stocked wet bar, and a large bed dominating the room. The motif was in greens and blues with rich wood paneling.
“These accommodations were specially built for this occasion. Normally the captain—well, let’s just say our berthing areas are a little more spartan and functional.”
As Niles stepped aside and allowed the girl to pass, he nodded at Lee and Alice and then closed their stateroom door.
“So, our abduction was planned for a while, at least long enough to refit this deck?” he asked, following the girl.
“Oh, yes,” she said slightly turning her head and looking at Niles. “We were just unsure of how many to accommodate.” She looked to her right at Colonel Farbeaux. “Unfortunately, we were only expecting two people from your Group. I’m afraid you’ll have to double up in your staterooms for the time being.”
Farbeaux looked down at Sarah and smiled. Sarah only rolled her eyes.
The girl caught the look and gestures. “You, sir, and Director Compton will be sharing a stateroom.”
As they walked to their rooms, Farbeaux frowned and Niles cringed.
“Young woman, err … uh … Yeoman Alvera, is it?”
“Yes, Dr. Compton,” she answered with her permanent smile in place.
“You know your captain, or whoever it is that is leading you, is quite mad. I mean … do you understand what you’re attempting, although for a noble cause, would throw the world into total economic collapse?”
The yeoman stopped in midstride and looked at Virginia, Farbeaux, Sarah, and Niles one at a time, and for the first time her smile faltered. Also for the first time they saw the seriousness of the young woman.
“I understand completely your concern, but I can guarantee this matter has been thought out carefully and my captain has come to the conclusion that extreme measures must be taken now to stop the seas from dying. The incident in the Mediterranean has forced our …” She attempted an ill-fated smile, and then corrected herself, “the captain’s hand.”
“The Med—what does that have to do with this vessel and its intent?” Niles asked.
“Moreover, Dr. Compton,” she continued, ignoring his second question, “you will find that the loyalty of this crew is beyond reproach. I was found when I was only seven years old. I had just witnessed my mother, father, and older brother die from a chemical spill. My captain found me in very bad shape, took me in, educated me, trained me, and made me a person of pride—I am even loved here. No, Doctor, you’ll find no disloyalty onboard Leviathan, and you’ll
also not find one soul that doesn’t approve of the methods employed by the captain.”
THE EVENT GROUP COMPLEX,
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA
Collins had just left the infirmary where Dr. Denise Gilliam had given him a complete physical and pronounced Jack officially alive and back from the dead. He tried to explain to her everything he remembered, even down to the strange dreams he had had, even the small creature in the bottle, the tentacled arms and clear body floating in a solution. Denise accepted all of this with raised brows but no comment on his sanity was forthcoming.
“Well, Colonel, I would say you have a combination of memory versus nightmare. The little octopus thing says nightmare, but voices in the dark says you weren’t sleeping the whole time. I would say give it more time. Meanwhile I’ll get your exams to Dr. Haskins when he returns from leave; we’re shorthanded until then.”
A knock sounded on the infirmary door. Mendenhall poked his head inside and held up a file folder. Jack excused himself and exited the clinic.
“We found this in the cafeteria,” Will said as he handed Jack a blue-bordered folder with the single word and numbers on it.
“Vault 298907,” he said aloud, and opened it as he walked.
“It was found at the table the chef remembers the senator and Alice were working from. It was the only folder there, found on a chair. The other files faxed out from Arlington for levels seventy-three and seventy-four were missing. The closed-circuit recording in the hallway verified they were in the possession of the assault element.”
“Maybe it just fell off the table when—” Jack’s words trailed off and he slowed his pace. He closed the file and thought a moment, and then started walking. Instead of going toward the comp center, he turned at the bank of elevators.
Leviathan: An Event Group Thriller Page 17
