by Bryan Alaspa
“The rig is one of the most advanced on the world,” Larry stated. “While we had fifteen people on the structure to get the operations going, due to the computerized tools in place, the rig can be operated by as few as two people. This is why only two of you with any actual rig experience are going with. The rig is also outfitted with the latest in comforts to make the stay on the rig as comfortable as possible. Finally, the rig has state-of the-art safety features, not the least of which is the most unique evacuation system ever devised.”
The picture switched to a schematic drawing of one of the uppermost crossbars on the legs of the structure. This crossbar would have been well underwater, and the schematic was cutaway so that you could see what was inside. It looked to J.D. like some kind of torpedo tube with a large red-colored torpedo sitting in it. J.D. had the bizarre thought that this was some kind of weapons system for a moment.
“The legs of this structure are so large and hollow, that we devised a method for evacuating the structure in times of dire emergency when there would either be difficulty or no way of landing a helicopter or of getting a support sea-vessel to the structure,” Larry said. “Basically, you can enter the legs of the structure and enter this support here. There are escape vehicles in there. They are launched underwater through the tubes and immediately head toward the surface. Once they reach the surface, a GPS system begins to transmit a signal to the Coast Guard for rescue. The tops can be retracted once the vehicle has reached the service and there are oars and a small outboard motor if they are needed as well as provisions in case rescue is not imminent.”
“What do those work off of?” Joe asked.
“What do you mean?” Larry asked.
“Well, I am guessing you wouldn’t want explosive devices on a rig dealing with oil and natural gas,” he said. “I am also guessing an explosive device might move it too fast and kill the people inside.”
“The tubes fill with water,” Larry indicated, “the water pressure builds and then is released, like those rockets you had when you were a kid. This propels the capsule away from the structure, hopefully to the safe distance, and internal mechanisms get it to the surface.”
“Obviously,” Lazlo piped in, “we would still prefer to evacuate the personnel using a helicopter or a ship, but in case things get too intense too fast, these can be reached very quickly and launched quickly and the two capsules are enough for an entire crew.”
“This is new technology invented just for this particular rig,” Larry said, “although we are considering selling some of the technology for other purposes. These capsules are able to handle a lot of bad weather and they can be underwater and still keep the occupants safe.”
“Always looking for the commercial option,” J.D. muttered. “Let’s hope that this job doesn’t require that particular piece of equipment.”
“I’m going to turn things over to J.D. here,” Larry said.
J.D. stood and walked to the front of the room in front of the pictures. “I am hoping this will turn out to be a lot of pomp and circumstance for nothing. Since there is the chance of chemical contamination, we are going to have to go in wearing chemical suits. Rhonnie, I understand you have equipment that will be able to tell us rather quickly if the air is contaminated.”
She nodded.
“Then we’ll be able to remove the suits,” J.D. said, “and proceed normally. Karmen, Joe and I will go in first and make sure everything is clear. I’ll want you guys staying close behind. Once we clear out the control rooms, Lazlo, you and Monica can start checking the systems.”
Lazlo nodded.
“With any luck, during that time, the rest of us will have figured out what happened to the original crew and whether or not it’s possible that such a thing might happen again,” J. D. continued. “Rhonnie, Karmen, Joe, Mark and myself will be checking out the structure and looking for signs. I need to warn you all, that if there was some kind of gas leak or attack of some sort, there might be bodies lying about. Just prepare yourself for this possibility.
“With any luck, this will only last about forty-eight hours and then we can all get back to our real lives, ok?”
Everyone stared at him mutely, many of them still pondering the idea of seeing bodies lying around. It was obvious from the look on Monica and Lazlo’s faces; they hadn’t really considered the option. J.D. studied them all closely, nodded just slightly towards Karmen, and then returned to his seat.
“I’ll introduce our pilot tomorrow,” Larry said. “I suggest everyone get back to their hotels and get some sleep. I expect everyone back here by five in the morning. We need all the time we can get out there so we can get this operation running again. Time is not on our side in this, folks.”
There was a slight groan from Lazlo about the time, but everyone else just gathered their things. J.D. held back for a few minutes and waited until everyone else had left. He turned his attention to Larry.
“You are prepared to lose this whole thing if need be, right?” J.D. asked.
“Let’s hope that isn’t going to happen,” Larry said.
“I’m not talking about what we hope for right now,” J.D. replied. “I want to know if you’re going along to make sure no matter what we find out there, we declare the rig safe or if you are really going out there to find out what happened and report back whatever it is. I want to know that if the thing it unsafe, and has to be destroyed, you are willing to say that and do that.”
“I’m not looking to go out there and get killed,” Larry said. “I also don’t feel having an unsafe oilrig is going to look good for the company. You’re full of conspiracy theories all of the sudden, J.D. Relax.”
“I don’t get paid to be relaxed,” J.D. said.
He fixed his stare on Larry and then calmly stood up and walked out of the room.
* * *
Back at the hotel, J.D. stopped and knocked on Karmen’s door. She answered wearing shorts and a T-shirt - that showed off her stomach again - and not much else. She gave him a hard stare that managed to be both threatening and curious.
“We broke up, remember?” She said.
“Knock it off,” J.D. replied. “I need you and Joe to come to my room in five. Be quiet about it and don’t let any of the others know.”
Karmen nodded, obviously used to the secrecy and the idea of taking orders.
Five minutes later, Karmen knocked and she and Joe entered J.D.’s room and sat around in the chairs while J.D. sat on the bed.
“Joe,” J.D. said, “as I recall you have a knack for getting hold of things on short notice.”
“Yes,” Joe said simply.
“Can you get enough explosives to bring that thing down?” J.D. asked.
“Are you going to blow the thing up?” Karmen asked.
“You both heard that tape,” J.D. said, “and I think we all can agree that whatever it was wasn’t like anything we heard before. I have no idea what we’re going to find out there, but if it’s something half as awful as that tape sounded, I want to level that fucking thing. However, I know Larry’s going to stand in my way.”
“Didn’t you two used to work together?” Karmen asked.
“He was a contact I had within the CIA,” J.D. replied. “We worked together a few times, which is why I know I don’t trust him even for a second. He’s a complete company man, whether that company is the CIA or GemCo. So, not only do I need explosives powerful enough to bring down the biggest oilrig on the planet, I need a way to sneak all of that on board. Can you do it?”
“Let me make a few phone calls,” Joe said and promptly left.
J.D. looked at Karmen. He felt tired but there was a mixture of excitement and fear bubbling in his stomach. She looked very beautiful sitting there and he felt a lot of the old feelings he had felt for her suddenly rush to the surface. These took him by surprise and it was an act of will not to show those emotions on his face.
“I can still read your mind like an open book,” she said.
“Sorry,” he replied.
“You’d just better get some sleep,” she said, standing up and moving towards the door. “Everyone is going to be looking to you tomorrow. Even Larry.”
“You’re not doing my confidence much good by reminding me,” he said.
“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” she said. “If we find anything out there, I am confident that at least I can kick its ass. I’m pretty sure you can too.”
“Thanks,” he said, “I think.”
She smiled and let the door close behind her. He felt a sudden longing like he hadn’t felt when he had left her in the desert in Somalia. For once, he was going into a place where everything felt very alien and nothing about it so far indicated that he would find anything like he had experienced before. The sudden reappearance of fear was sort of refreshing. He climbed into bed and attempted to sleep.
* * *
The day dawned blue and spectacular. The sun was just barely edging over the horizon by the time they managed to get into the chemical suits. The suit was orange and it covered J.D.’s clothes. Beneath the suit he was wearing a skintight black T-shirt and khakis, along with black gloves and combat boots. Karmen and Joe were dressed similarly. The rest of the crew was wearing mostly denim and work boots. Mark looked particularly nervous.
The helicopter pilot was an Asian gentleman with the name of Chun, and he was rather short, with very closely-cropped back hair and just the tiniest hint of a goatee beneath his chin. The hair there was so fine it appeared almost as if it had been shaved from a different part of his body and then glued there. He smiled a little too much for J.D.’s taste, but he seemed competent enough and Larry vouched for him and, despite his faults, Larry was pretty good at spotting talent when it came to things like this.
The door to the helicopter slid open and there was just enough room for everyone to fit. When they got in J.D. decided it was time to issue some final instructions before they lifted off.
“When we land,” he said, “I want you to let me, Karmen and Joe get out first. We’ll make sure everything is clear up top. Once we give you the sign, I want you all to file out. Make sure you have the masks on securely before you get out. Rhonnie, I’ll need you to start doing your readings as soon as you are clear of the chopper. The sooner we find out if we need to stay in these suits or if we can ditch them, the better. Save the air in your masks, don’t put them on until I tell you to.”
Everyone nodded. J.D. nodded as well. He paused to wink at Karmen, who smiled a bit, but he could tell she was nervous as well. Joe looked impassive; as if this was the kind of thing he did every morning before dawn. J.D. realized that, for all he knew, this was. Larry sat up front next to the pilot and he fidgeted inside his suit and looked supremely uncomfortable. Having to give up his shirt and tie must have been torture for him, J.D. figured.
J.D. tapped Chun on the shoulder and then gave a thumbs-up sign. Chun nodded as J.D. closed the door. Above their heads the rotors turned, the engine came to life and the machine began to lift off the ground. J.D. had a moment to hope that no one got airsick, or they would have to put the masks on much sooner than he wanted.
The helicopter swung south, headed over the city and towards the open ocean. Beneath them the buildings gradually died away, followed closely by a small spit of sand, and then it was just blue. The sky was turning fiery colors towards the east which caused the ocean to burn with the colors of the sun. The water looked relatively calm, but constantly shifting and moving. The sky was clear, with the possibility of a warm day after the cold nights of the last few weeks and maybe some high, white clouds later. All in all, it was the perfect day for a helicopter ride, had the folks on the helicopter been going anywhere or doing anything other than what they were doing.
J.D. dozed off halfway through the trip. There was nothing for him to do or look at and the regular motion of the helicopter coupled with the steady sound of the rotors lulled him. He snapped awake a few times and noted that Joe and Lazlo had also dozed off. Mark still appeared nervous as he chewed at his fingers and looked anxiously out at the ocean. J.D. had completely lost track of time or how far they were. He turned his head and saw Chun at the controls and watched as his eyes scanned the horizon and then the instruments in front of him. Larry appeared to be dozing as well, and beyond the window it seemed like there was nothing but more ocean. J.D. could not fathom what it would be like to work in such an environment. It must have been close to what it would be like to work on another planet. The workers on the oilrig would normally be surrounded by nothing but angry, deep sea and would not be able to see land. J.D. had been on many ships that were out that far at sea, but at least with a ship there was a sense that you were moving somewhere. When you were on a ship there was the sense that eventually you would find land again and set your foot upon the shore. Out here, on this rig, there must not have been any such sense. There was the inherent danger of the work and the knowledge that help was a long helicopter ride away. J.D. suddenly found respect for the men and women who had volunteered to be a part of this organization and the crew.
After what seemed like an eternity, Karmen tapped J.D. on his knee and then pointed towards the front window. J.D. turned around and could see the structure on the horizon. The rig stood black against the blue of the ocean and sky. The structure seemed impossibly big. Everything about it was an impossibility. All around them they could see the waves of open ocean, and yet, here was a massive structure, bigger than many buildings J.D. had seen, like some defiant man-made island, in the middle of the ceaseless movement of the ocean. It looked both strong, yet extremely fragile and delicate. As impressive as this man-made structure was, nature was still kicking its ass when it came to the beauty of the ocean around it.
“When we come in,” J.D. said to Larry and Chun, “let’s go in low and circle around. I want to get an aerial view.”
Chun and Larry both nodded.
“Let’s get the masks on,” J.D. said.
Everyone was nudged awake. Joe seemed to snap from soundly asleep to fully awake in a fraction of a second. The suits were zipped up and covered the heads of his companions and the black gas masks were affixed to their faces. Even Chun put on a gas mask but J.D. noticed that he was not wearing a chemical suit. It was just after this that J.D., Karmen and Joe reached into the large duffel bags they each carried and removed their guns. J.D. noticed the eyes of the others as they watched them check, load, and check their weapons again. J.D. looked at them and then reached into the bag in front of him. He removed several automatic weapons and handed one to Mark.
“You guys need to have these,” he said, “I’m not expecting you to be great shots or anything, but we don’t know what we might find down there. You need to be able to defend yourself. These are very simple guns to use, just make sure you click off the safety before you try to shoot anything. Aim low at whatever you fire at and use both hands to try to steady the gun. Let’s hope we don’t have to use it because, quite frankly, I don’t like the idea of untrained people firing wildly around a place that could explode, but we might have to deal with hostility.”
The looks he got back did not really reassure him much, but he figured it was the best he could hope for. He hoped to God no one shot their own foot off, one of the other team members, or blew a hole in something that would blow the entire rig to hell before they had a time to get out. J.D. nodded at Karmen who nodded back. Joe did the same. J.D. checked the submachine gun he was holding one more time.
The helicopter came in low and circled around the massive structure, tilted in such a way that Karmen, J.D. and Larry were able to look down. The building on the rig was huge and very tall. The oil derrick was also very tall as it loomed over everything. There was a crane on one side used for loading and unloading supplies and equipment, and the hook swung lazily in the wind. The fact that it was not tied down made J.D. nervous because it indicated to him that something had indeed happened very quickly here. The top portion of the oilrig looked des
erted. There was no movement save for the shadow the helicopter itself. It was like looking down at a ghost town.
“Set us down,” J.D. said. Chun nodded.
The helicopter made one more pass and then slowly descended onto the large helicopter landing pad, which was marked with a large yellow circle and centered with a large red “X.” The helicopter touched the landing pad gently, with a soft bump, and Chun gave a thumbs-up sign to J.D.
“Let’s grip it and rip it!” J.D. said, and grabbed the handle of the door.
He swung the helicopter door open and stepped out onto the deck. Karmen jumped out right after him and Joe was right after her. They had their guns ready as their eyes scanned the building, the pipes, the machines, tools, crane and oil derrick. There was nothing. A door into the main building was open and it blew absently in the wind, which made a soft noise as it banged against the doorjamb.
They moved forward the way they had been trained. They exchanged hand signals and fanned out a bit. They moved rapidly and searched every conceivable spot where a human being might have hidden. Their guns were ready to burst into fire at the speed of thought. They moved and signaled each other, still wary of shouting in case anyone was inside. They covered the entire surface in minutes. They searched from the crane to the various pipes and every storage closet and shed. All of it was empty. J.D. turned back to the helicopter and gave the all-clear signal he had shown them earlier that morning.
Mark came out first and looked around nervously at the roiling ocean all around them and then at the structure that dwarfed them. Lazlo was next, utterly unimpressed, it seemed, with the size of the structure he stood on, just anxious to get inside and see what he could find. Then came Monica, Larry and Rhonnie. Rhonnie was already searching through her bag for equipment and when she pulled her hand out it held a small device, which she turned on using her free hand.
