as if he was looking at some strange thing in the distance.
“Steven said it was my duty.”
“It’s your duty, Joe!”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s your duty as a Chamorro to protect Guam, its people and its way of life. Can you imagine what this venture could do for local business? The companies that would be built here? The factories, labs and supply and storage facilities? Can you see that? Like a manufacturing plant built in a shanty town, local employment and urban development would boom. The economy would explode with the billions of dollars of investment, building and land rental. PRAS Deep would not only be an undersea industrial park, but an Asian employment center.
“And the tourism, Joe! A new dimension of undersea tourism! We can design subs to go into the trench! Not near the mining facility, of course, but take people deeper than they’ve ever been.” Haynes took a deep swig from his bottle, his smile returning as this new vision began to take hold. “And it won’t be like that space tourism crap! Twenty-million-dollars per person! What a crock of shit! This won’t be a goddamn vanity trip for the rich, but an actual life-changing experience for normal people.” Haynes moved even closer to Salas.
“Joe, it costs a typical family of four $700 to see a three-hour NFL game; well, why not charge that much for a five-hour dive into the deepest abyss on the Earth? The deeper the dive, the more they pay. Discount trips for students and free dives for UOG marine biology majors. Joe! Do you see it!? The possibilities for your island!?”
“That actually sounds hella epic,” said Sakura. “That would definitely put Guam on the map. People would come from all over Asia and the world to go into the trench.”
“But you said no to him,” concluded Aurelia. Salas nodded.
“I must admit, I was taken in by the visions. Steven could sell an air conditioner to an Eskimo, but what he said was really starting to make sense to me. I’m a Chamorro, yet my work, my books and my battles for the environment have done nothing to elevate my people or my island. Steven is a genius and a visionary, and with HELIOS money, it could have possibly worked. But in the end, I couldn’t get past the safety factors. I didn’t want PRAS Deep to be a cesspool. ”
“So, why do you suspect he has anything to do with this killer sub?” asked Duenas. Salas grabbed his laptop and connected it to McLaren’s, using the wall screen to display his own files.
“Steven showed me some of his designs for the project. Take a look.” He began flashing the concept art images on the huge screens. They were painstakingly detailed with titles and labels written in Haynes’ own hand.
“Damn! He’s good!”
“He’s a dramatic graphic artist as well as an architectural engineer,” added Camacho.
“Now look at this. This is the prototype he designed as the main mining vehicle.” When the image blanketed the wall, the group gasped.
“Oh my God! That’s it!” Salas went through several images of Haynes’ design from different angles and in different positions of use. It was unmistakable. The thick-lipped, sea bass-like mouth and the hinged chin. It was all there, almost identical, rendered in horrifying detail and color. “Look here at this one. The mouth is open.”
“Hideous!” spat Sakura.
“What’s that inside the mouth?” asked Stone.
“That’s the main bore drill. It comes out when the jaw is dropped.” More images of the drill fully extended impressed and frightened the group. “You can see the engines and propulsion system in this cutaway drawing.”
“It’s different from the photos,” noticed Aurelia. “There aren’t the arched, dorsal fin blades. They must have been added later.”
“So, what happened then, Jody?” asked Duenas.
“After another night of thinking, I told Steven the next day that I still didn’t think his brilliant designs would work for what HELIOS would demand. And I wasn’t going to turn over the rights of my research to those corporate liars for any price. It seemed that he knew I would not relent, because he didn’t bother arguing with me. He took his stuff and just left.”
“To HELIOS?”
“There’s nowhere else he could have gone. And I haven’t heard from him since.”
“Shit,” uttered Aurelia. “So, they built it and it’s out of there now.”
“Would Haynes be the one actually driving that sub?” asked Stone.
“I don’t think so. He always described it as being a directly-remoted or satellite-controlled vehicle.”
“But is there a satellite that could send a signal that deep into the water?” asked Kira.
“No,” answered Camacho. “There would have to be relay buoys or transmitters pre-placed in the water. They would act as relays.”
“Okay, Dr. Salas,” said Aurelia as he stood up. “You and your team find out about those relay stations and take your vehicles to find the Texas. You will have Commander McLaren to help you.” He turned to the naval officers. “Admirals and Captains, this is now a criminal investigation. I need you to call the FBI to pick up Dr. Haynes, and contact the U.S. Attorney General to prepare to open a case against HELIOS for their role in this. Details will come once we get Haynes.” The officers were nodding as they stood up.
“Jody, we will brief NOAA and the crew of the Argonautica,” added Duenas. “You will use of the research vessel as usual.”
“Thank you, Admiral.”
Aurelia looked at the entire group as they began collecting their things.
“This mission will be called “Operation Leviathan.” Admiral Duenas, if you don’t mind, we will base our operations out of here. You and the PRAS team will be linked 24-7 for video conferencing or cell conference calling. Duenas nodded vigorously. Aurelia looked at Kelly Genero.
“Honey, you’re with me. We have to make a lot of calls and give a lot of interviews very soon. We have to get ready. But we first have to call the Secretary of Defense and tell him of the loss of the Texas and all 140 sailors.” He addressed the group once more. “I don’t need to say that all the information we’ve shared is classified for now. Say nothing to the press; Ms. Genero and I will take care of that. The world will find out very soon. We all have our essential phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Share none of this on Facebook or Twitter. Contact me whenever you need to, whatever time. Thank you ladies and gentlemen.”
As the groups began to leave the room, Salas felt someone grab his arm. He turned around and saw Captain Brewer staring at him. His face was slack and his eyes somewhat softer.
“Dr. Salas, I just want to say that I no longer hold any animosity towards you. We both had our jobs to do.”
“That’s good to hear, Captain. We need to work together now.”
“Yes. But in light of this situation, I need to officially ask your permission to use the LFAS so I can hunt that bastard down.” It only took a moment for Salas to nod his head in compliance.
