Masters of the Broken Watches

by Razi Imam

  As they were considering their next move, the same pufferfish joined them, appearing to debate whether or not to cross the invisible threshold. Proving itself the more daring of the group, it propelled itself forward and vanished right before their eyes. It was gone.

  Sebastian swam to where the pufferfish vanished and stuck his hand out in a piercing motion. Just like the fish, his hand disappeared. He pulled his hand back, wiggling his fingers, checking for damage—it was fine. He gestured for them to wait, and before Maria could stop him, he too vanished. Maria gestured to Charles that they should follow.

  On crossing the threshold, Sebastian didn’t feel anything resembling the force registered on Charles’s device. In fact, he was surprised to find that this area was the same as the one he had left—vibrant and full of marine life. But for some reason, it was all invisible from the other side, except for the open blue sea.

  He turned to Charles and Maria, and what he saw shocked him. They were still, picture-perfect, not moving at all. The bubbles created by their regulators hung around them, like hundreds of sparkling jewels. He could see every fish, plant, and coral for miles, just like looking into a massive fish tank, except everything was still.

  He understood what was happening. Time was moving faster in this area.

  It wasn’t long before Maria and Charles joined him, equally shocked by what they saw. They stayed in the area for fifteen minutes, according to their watches, searching but finding nothing. Sebastian made the diver’s sign for “boat” and they headed back.

  Back on the Skjold, Adora and Shiloh were going through the galley, trying to figure out what to make for dinner. With all the action and stress, they realized the team had not had a full meal for over fifteen hours. While going through the freezer, Adora turned and saw Minh standing at the galley entrance, watching them shyly. She gestured for her to join them. Adora had the kitchen freezer open. It had large rations of beef, chicken, shrimp, and fish. Minh gestured to Adora, seeming to ask if it was okay if she took over. Adora nodded.

  Minh took out two bags of chicken and two bags of beef. She placed them on the stainless steel counter and started opening various cabinets. She found soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger paste, hot chili-garlic paste, and lime and lemon juice concentrate. In the spice cabinet, she found the usual salt, pepper, ground and crushed red chilies, and peppercorn. She also found a large bag of rice, cans of condensed milk, cream cheese, and unbelievably, coconut milk—a staple ingredient in Vietnamese cooking.

  Adora and Shiloh were fascinated by her speed—Minh was in her element. She soon had the chicken cut into pieces, which she placed into a thick mixture of soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger paste, red chili paste, and lemon juice. While the chicken marinated, she used gestures to ask Adora and Shiloh, who were busy making a salad, how the stove and oven worked. She’d probably never seen one so sophisticated.

  Minh arranged all the pieces of chicken she’d prepared on a baking sheet. Adora then placed the tray in the oven and set the temperature to three hundred degrees and the timer to forty minutes.

  Minh then found celery, broccoli, peas, potatoes, and carrots, and started to stir-fry them in oil and soy sauce. She added a tablespoon of brown sugar and chili paste, and some red crushed peppers. She also did something very odd—she found a peanut butter jar in the pantry, opened it, and smelled it. Unfamiliar with it, she could tell it was some kind of peanut paste. She took two tablespoons and added it to the mix. The incredible aroma of the stir-fry flooded the galley.

  Shiloh and Adora both clapped. They knew this was going to be an amazing meal. Minh took the two large slabs of beef and sliced them into long, thin strands. She then placed the beef into a separate pan and fried it with some red pepper. Once the color of the beef turned brown, she added it to the stir-fry pot, turning up the heat, making a high-pitched sizzling sound.

  Pham Kai, hearing the commotion—or smelling the wonderful aromas—joined them too. On seeing Pham Kai, Minh lit up. She said something in Vietnamese, and Pham Kai picked up the bag of rice and took out six cups. He first washed it, which they guessed was a Vietnamese thing, then placed it in the boiling water. He was making sticky rice, Pham Kai style, he added a little bit of milk, a teaspoon of condensed milk, and a quarter cup of coconut milk.

  The cavern team was back first, followed by the lagoon team, both heading straight to the showers. Adora and Shiloh surmised that neither of them had been successful in finding the specimen. However, they didn’t look disappointed—they had found something. They set the table, placing the dishes that Minh had prepared.

  About half an hour later, they gathered around the table. The sight of the freshly prepared food made them smile with anticipation. Just when they were about to start eating, Sebastian noticed that Pham Kai and Minh weren’t there. He knew Vu was still resting—perhaps they were checking on him. He got up and searched the galley on his way to the medical bay and stopped. What he saw was achingly beautiful and humbling.

  Minh and Pham Kai were sitting on the floor of the galley—they had laid out a hand towel, with pots and a pan from the stove on it. Minh sat at one end, and Pham Kai sat at the other. They had made their own small dining area, and Sebastian knew why. In the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, there was a common practice that people didn’t eat with other people if they felt they weren’t of the same financial and cultural status.

  He sat down next to them, gesturing for them to please join the rest of the team in the mess hall. Surprised, Pham Kai bowed, and shook his head, declining the offer. Sebastian insisted that they both join them, or he would bring the entire team into the kitchen. He didn’t know how much of his rapid gesturing was understood, but it did the trick. Pham Kai picked up his plate and said something in Vietnamese to Minh, who picked up her plate.

  They followed Sebastian into the mess hall. As soon as the team saw Minh and Pham Kai walking in with Sebastian, Shiloh started clapping and cheering. The rest of the team joined in, applauding loudly. Both Pham Kai and Minh were beaming, unable to bow enough to share their happiness. They all sat at the table as equals.

  The dinner was a blessing. It fired them up—their sinuses were running, and some of them even had sweat beads on their foreheads, yet they couldn’t stop eating. The combinations of flavors Minh had created were out of this world.

  After the team cleared the table, Nidal transferred his pictures from the lagoon to his computer, displaying them on the monitor at the far end of the mess area. He then brought up the picture of Fabienne dangling off the coconut tree. It was a spectacularly colorful picture, wonderfully clear, in perfect focus, and it didn’t make a lick of logical sense. It was evident that Fabienne was dangling off the tree in midair—but why were schools of fish, and sea plants suspended in the air around her?

  Fascinated, the whole team walked up to the monitor as Nidal cycled through photos. Picture after picture was shockingly beautiful. Even Pham Kai came closer, looking at them intently.

  “What do you think is causing such unbelievably clear water?” Shiloh whispered.

  “I think it’s the time particles,” Michelangelo said.

  Fabienne rolled her eyes. “We don’t know that.”

  “We do,” Charles said.

  Everyone tore their gaze away from the screen and focused on him.

  “I think when time is slower in water, the effect is the opposite of the mist we’re used to seeing with time particles in air.” Charles said, putting his pencil and notebook down. “But one thing is for sure—we now have clear evidence that Isikhathi Isilwandle is in the area!”

  They all decided to call it a night. Fabienne went to the medical bay to check on Vu, who was fast asleep. He was much better, breathing steadily, with color back in his face. Adora and Charles found their cabin, happy to crash for the night. Nidal and Michelangelo went back onto the bridge to confirm that all systems were operational, and to make sure the proximity warning system was functioning in case the Chinese Navy made
a move.

  Sebastian, Maria, and Shiloh, instead of going to their cabins, stepped out onto the deck. It was a typical Vietnamese night—hot and humid and pitch dark. The stars were out, and they could see the Milky Way with incredible clarity. Sebastian sat down, and Maria and Shiloh joined him.

  Sebastian peered up at the stars and just when he was about to say something.

  Shiloh bolted upright. “Look!” he yelled, pointing.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  The Two-Headed Monster Awakens

  “In each moment the fire rages, it will burn

  away a hundred veils. And carry you a

  thousand steps toward your goal.”

  ~ Rumi

  CAPTAIN FRANCIS DRAKE stood inside the combat ready room of USS Bainbridge, a formidable Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer with a full complement of missiles, torpedoes, and a battle-hardened 270-man crew.

  Bainbridge’s deployment meant two things—the mission was of the utmost importance to national security, and the need for enemy pacification was paramount. The crew knew they were on a seek-and-retrieve mission—they were going deep into enemy territory to extract their asset. Drake knew that being activated by the secretary of defense meant the situation was serious, and carrying out his orders was his only priority.

  But it was the nature of his orders that confused Drake. Ordinarily, he would be engaging terrorists on hostile ships representing governments that were sworn enemies of the United States. However, this time he was ordered to apprehend a team of scientists and their research. Most confusing, that research involved a fish. All this might and power for a small team of scientists and a fish? These orders certainly didn’t fit the profile of previous operations.

  Drake was leaning over the navigation station, reviewing the course set by his new executive officer. His previous XO was removed due to disciplinary issues. The new XO, John Paul Jones, had a stellar record, but was a bit nervous explaining his strategy to Captain Drake.

  John believed avoiding commercial traffic wasn’t a good idea. He had a list of container ships en route to Vietnam, and had identified two that belonged to companies based out of the UK. He’d already contacted them, and they had agreed to have the USS Bainbridge come in between them. Chinese radar would register the Bainbridge and not react, being that they would be in internationally recognized shipping lanes. This would allow them to enter deep into the South China Sea before changing course to find their target.

  Drake approved the strategy, and the course was locked into the navigational computer. They were still two full days from reaching the general area of the last ping from Adora’s phone.

  He then ordered an immediate meeting of his senior staff.

  “Officers, our testing of ‘Trident’ will have to wait. I’ve been on two calls with a very irate Secretary of Defense. We’re headed into South China Sea. Our mission is to apprehend a team of scientists and all the research they have in their possession, including a specific type of marine life that’s of the utmost importance to national security. Two attempts have been made to retrieve it, both of which failed—one in Guam, where the researchers neutralized six armed men assigned by the secretary of defense, and the other in Singapore, where the scientists switched the marine life with a worthless specimen which was flown all the way back to D.C. As I said, the secretary is beyond upset. He has now appointed us to carry out the mission.”

  “Sir, are we hearing you right?’ asked one of the senior officers. “We’re going into hostile territory to apprehend a team of scientists and bring back a fish?”

  “Why are the scientists and this fish so important?” John asked.

  “I won’t go into details,” Drake said. “Suffice to say it’s an important fish, and its retrieval is priority number one.” He paused, eyeing each of his senior staff in turn. “All we know from the secretary is that it’s aboard a small vessel near Bombay Reef. These scientists have commandeered the vessel in an effort to find the specimen’s source, and they plan to share their findings with the world. We need to stop them at all costs. If required, we’ve been authorized to apply lethal force. Keep in mind this is a dangerous mission, deep in Chinese waters. Most importantly, we can’t under any circumstance let the Chinese take control of the research or the specimen—even if it means sparking an international incident. Do I make myself clear?”

  The staff voiced their affirmation in unison, even those who found the mission to be absurd.

  ***

  WANG LI, THE infamous captain of the Youling Chuan, and the two other captains of the Chinese patrol boats raced toward mainland China. They were less concerned about their fate—which could include a court martial, and dishonorable discharge—and more concerned with the unidentified, armed warship that had initiated hostile action. It represented a direct attack against China itself. They had already radioed the incident to their naval headquarters, describing the black warship in detail. The Chinese Navy had deployed their version of the AEWAC—an Airborne Early Warning and Control drone—over the Paracel Islands. They had also started using satellite surveillance of the area, so far with negative results.

  It took the patrol boats over four hours to get to their base. On arriving, they were received by military police that took the captains and crews to the barracks for questioning. The forensics team collected the residue from inside the machine guns to run a series of tests. This would help them identify the make and model of the ship involved. Based on the description from the crew and captains, they were sure it was a Norwegian Skjold-class attack ship—China had recently placed a large order with Norway for the very same ships to replace their current patrol boats.

  According to the captains, the ship that attacked them didn’t have a flag—it didn’t belong to any country. It was as if they were dealing with a private group that came in to save the Vietnamese fisherman. One theory they had was the Vietnamese government had hired mercenaries to protect their fishermen from harassment and potential attacks from the Chinese.

  The grilling of Wang Li wasn’t half as bad as he’d expected. The captains were reprimanded, but the interrogation went no further. The report from the forensics team had been shared with their superiors, and there was clear evidence that the patrol boats had indeed been attacked by a Skjold-class attack ship. The three boats would have had no chance of surviving, had they confronted the aggressor. Retreat had been the best course of action. They had, nevertheless, brought shame to the People’s Republic of China.

  The supervisor of the investigative team read the report aloud, almost shouting the last sentence. “Your actions, though correct, have brought shame to our nation!” He removed his reading glasses and conferred with his colleagues. The rest of the investigative team had somber expressions on their faces. “You two,” he said, pointing at the subordinate captains, “You will perform menial work on your boats for the next thirty days.”

  Then he turned to Wang Li. “You are a whole different story. You deserve severe punishment for not sinking the fisherman’s boat. However, I want you to report to Captain Zheng He of the Luyang-I and provide him with support in locating this mysterious ship.”

  Wang Li couldn’t believe his superstitious nature had paid off. By not attracting any more bad luck from Pham Kai and his wife, he wasn’t being dishonorably discharged—at least, not yet. Without making eye contact with the other two captains, he saluted and walked out.

  The Luyang-I class destroyer was a multipurpose attack ship with approximately similar armament to the Bainbridge. Commissioned in 2004, it was the workhorse of the Chinese Navy. Designed for deep-water missions, the ship was equipped for heavy battle. It was undergoing routine maintenance of its engines, weapons, and electronics when Captain Zheng received the message regarding Wang Li and the mission from naval GHQ. Just then, an intercom announcement came through that a patrol boat captain was requesting permission to come aboard. He took a deep breath and pressed the intercom, telling his purser to hold the c
aptain on deck.

  Upon seeing Zheng, Wang Li saluted him. Zheng responded half-heartedly, surprised to see how much starch the man had applied to his uniform. “I’m not sure why GHQ has assigned you to my ship,” Zheng said, a hint of disdain in his voice. “I have all the information needed for the mission. We don’t need you.”

  Wang Li wasn’t sure how to respond. He kept quiet and stared straight ahead, not making any eye contact.

  “Well, you’re here now,” Zheng continued. “The purser will escort you to your cabin, and you will remain there until I ask for you.” Zheng started to walk away.

  “Yes, sir. When do we plan to cast off?” Wang Li asked, still staring straight ahead.

  Zheng turned, annoyed at Wang Li’s direct question. “Get comfortable,” he replied. “We’re not going anywhere for at least forty-eight hours. We’re overhauling several major systems.”

  “Yes, sir,” Wang Li said with a salute. Zheng again responded half-heartedly.

  Wang Li sat in his cabin. Zheng’s sophistication, education, and class annoyed him—most high-ranking officers were part of the privileged class, and being the captain of a destroyer was a far cry from being the captain of a patrol boat.

  It had been four hours since Wang Li was shown to his cabin, and he seethed with anger. There was obviously more to the black ship than just saving the Vietnamese fisherman. No one comes into Vietnamese waters with that kind of firepower to save a fisherman. But he was glad the destroyer would blow it out of the water. That is, if these lazy idiots decide not to take their sweet time cleaning their ship or whatever the hell they’re doing, he thought.

  There was a knock on his cabin door, and a voice announcing his name came through. It was the ship’s petty officer third class. The junior-most officer had been sent to retrieve him! If he were anyone else, they would have sent a senior officer. Wang Li had a pretty clear indication of how he was regarded on this ship.