Deep Storm (41 page)

And then the spell was broken and he was scrambling backward, falling over himself and the rest of the team, slipping and cursing and staggering in a mad rush to gain the stairwell and escape the horror rushing up behind them.

His radio was squawking but he paid no attention. There was a sharp clang directly behind as one of the rescue crew slammed and dogged the hatch leading to the rear hallway. Stamper didnt even bother to look around. They could shut half a dozen hatches if they wanted to; in the end it would make no difference. Because now it was all too clear to him there was no way in hell that the breach was going to be sealed or that deck 8 was ever going to be secured.

Chapter 52

Crane ran down the corridors of deck 6 as quickly as he dared. At each intersection, he slowed; once past it, he broke into a jog again. The halls were quiet: he encountered a maintenance worker trundling a cart, two scientists murmuring to each other in low tones. Whatever loud noise had shaken the Facility so severely just minutes before seemed to be causing little alarm. The warning sirens had been silenced, and there was no anxiety in the faces he passed.

Ahead lay the cul-de-sac that housed the Maritime Applied Physics lab. He paused outside the door, glanced back down the corridor: still deserted. The lab itself seemed silent. He opened the door and quickly slid inside.

Hui Ping was standing beside the lab table. Where have you been? she asked. I was sure something happened to you. And then that explosion just now

Im sorry, Hui, I was held up. Hows it been here?

Quiet. Until a minute ago. She gave him a mirthless smile. Actually, the time wasnt really wasted. While waiting, I think I deciphered that first signal, the one coming from beneath the Moho. And when you see

Theres no time for that. Weve got to get out of here, and fast. The security cameras will have picked me up by now.

Security cameras? Whats happened?

Korolis has happened. Hes taken command of the Facility.

What about Spartan?

God only knows whats happened to him. It gets worse: Korolis is insisting the digging proceed on schedule. He seems obsessed with it, even manned Marble Three himself. I think the illness is beginning to affect him, too. When I tried to stop him, he had me arrested.

What?

I managed to get away before I was thrown in the brig. But we have to get to deck twelve. Ive mobilized some of the top scientists theyre gathering in the conference center there. I intend to explain everything to them: the dig, Ashers discoveries, Korolis everything. We have to get word up to the surface, get the attention of people who can put a stop to all this madness

Suddenly, he stopped. Oh, shit. His shoulders slumped.

She looked at him in mute inquiry.

The Barrier, he explained.

In his haste, hed forgotten about the checkpoint between the secure and nonsecure zones. The guards were probably still on the lookout for Ping and theyd sure as hell be looking for him.

Damn it! He turned, slamming a fist against the lab table in frustration. Well never get past the Barrier.

He turned back to look at Ping. What he saw startled him. The computer scientist had gone a little pale. Surely, she hadnt forgotten about the Barrier as wellhad she?

What is it? he asked.

When she replied it was in a very small voice. Theres another way. One possible way. An emergency exit hatch on deck two.

Emergency exit? From the Facility? Suddenly, Crane remembered the rungs hed seen, bolted to the outer hull of the Facility, as hed climbed the catwalk on his way to meet the Tub.

Is it guarded? he asked.

I dont think so. Its a one-way hatch you cant get back in, so theres no security issues with avoiding the Barrier. Not that many people know about it. The only reason that I do is because its located in the maintenance spaces just below my lab.

He paused only another second. Lets go.

Crane followed Ping as she began retracing the route theyd taken from her lab earlier in the day. Was it really only seven hours before? he reflected bitterly. In terms of everything theyd discovered since and what had gone down within the Facility it seemed ages.

Gaining the stairwell, they descended quietly and cautiously, pausing before each landing to make sure they remained alone and unobserved. They passed deck 3, the clang of pans from the Bottom kitchen clearly audible, and descended one more level. Hui put her hand on the exit bar, took a deep breath, then pushed it open.

Crane peered out. Ahead lay a short corridor that ended in a T. Between them and the junction was a group of men in lab coats, standing in the doorway of an office labeled SEDIMENTATION AND STRATIGRAPHY. At the sound of the stairwell door opening, they glanced over, expressions curious.

Crane sensed Ping hesitating. Go on, he said in a low voice. Just walk past them.

Ping stepped into the corridor. Crane followed as casually as he could, nodding to the group as he passed by. The faces werent familiar, and he hoped none of them had been in the Drilling Complex when hed been put under arrest. He had to force himself not to look back over his shoulder. But there was no clatter of feet, no shouted demands for them to stop.

At the intersection, Ping turned left, passing a series of small labs and offices. Then she stopped abruptly.

What is it? Crane asked.

Wordlessly, she pointed. About ten yards ahead, a security camera was fastened to the ceiling.

Is there another way around? he asked.

Very circuitous. And wed probably pass other cameras, anyway.

He thought for a moment. Is it far?

Just around the next corner.

Okay, then. Quick as you can.

They trotted ahead, keeping their heads down as they passed the camera. Ping turned another corner, stopped outside a gray door. She pulled it open and they ducked inside.

Crane found himself in an equipment storeroom; tools and light machinery sat on deep metal shelves that rose from floor to ceiling. Ping led the way to the rear, where there was a heavy unmarked hatchway.

Help me undog this, she said.

With effort, they pushed the four heavy drop bolts out of the way, then opened the hatch. Beyond was a small, dim space, lit only by a caged red bulb. There was another hatch here: round, much smaller and heavier, with a servo-controlled opening mechanism. WARNING, read a sign above it.

EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY.

NO REENTRY AT THIS LEVEL.

Crane put his hand against the hatch. It felt cold and damp. From beyond it came a faint roaring sound he couldnt quite identify.

Behind him, Ping was breathing rapidly. He turned toward her. Are you ready?

She shook her head. Im not sure I can do this.

You have to. This is the only chance we have of getting past the Barrier. Youve got a better chance on deck twelve, among scientists, far from the classified sector. Stay down here, and its only a matter of time until Koroliss goons find you and lock you up.

She steadied herself. Okay. Lets go.

Once she pulled the hatch closed behind them, Crane undogged the exit portal, and then putting his hands on a spoked wheel at its center turned it counterclockwise. One revolution; two; then, with a chuff of air, it sprang free in his hands.

There was a small control box beside the hatch, housing a single red button marked ENGAGE. Crane glanced at Ping, who nodded. He pressed the button and the servos stirred to life, pulling the hatch inward toward them.

The roaring sound suddenly increased an order of magnitude. A sharp smell of brine and bilge wafted in on a chill breeze.

Beyond in the strange twilight of the interior of the dome lay a narrow platform, no more than four feet square. Quickly, Crane backed himself onto it, helping Ping out after him. Satisfied she was safely on the platform, he turned around.

And froze in shock and disbelief.

Chapter 53

Were six minutes out from the interface, sir.

Thank you, Dr. Rafferty. Commander Korolis shifted on the small pilots seat, nodding his satisfaction. He glanced approvingly at the dive engineer. The man was not only extremely loyal to him but also was one of the top military scientists on the Facility, a physicist by training. Handpicked by him and 100 percent dependable. Only the best talent was good enough for this particular dive.

Descent number 241 was well under way, and there would be no screw-ups this time.

Korolis glanced over the controls once again. Hed run them in the simulator a dozen times, and in any case they werent all that different from those of a submarine. There would be no surprises.

As he looked at the gauges he felt a spike of pain at his temples. He winced: had he thought of it, hed have taken a handful of Tylenol before boarding. He straightened, forcing the pain away: no headache was going to detract from this moment.

He turned back to Rafferty. Doodlebug status?

Green across the board, sir.

Excellent.

The descent was going like clockwork. In just a few minutes, they would arrive at the dig interface. And then, with any luck, soonsoon

He spoke to Rafferty again. Has that reading been confirmed?

Yes, sir. Sensor reports from Marble Twos last dive indicate the oceanic layer is at maximal penetration.

Maximal penetration. They had done it. They had bored through the third and deepest layer of the earths crust.

No, there would be no surprises. Except for the most important one: the riches that lay in store directly below, at the Mohorovicic discontinuity.

Whoever said the price of freedom was eternal vigilance was right as far as that went. But Korolis knew there was more to it than that, much more. It was not enough to be watchful one had to act, to seize the nettle. If the opportunity presented itself, it had to be taken, no matter what the difficulty. America stood alone, the only remaining superpower; the rest of the world, out of either jealousy or hatred, was arrayed against her, hoping for her to fall. Hostile governments were bleeding her dry through trade imbalances while at the same time increasing their armies and refining their own weapons of mass destruction. In such a desperate climate it was his duty it was all their duties to do whatever was necessary to ensure America stayed strong.

The nuclear fraternity was large, and getting larger. Nukes were no longer enough to intimidate or impress or keep at bay. What was needed was something new something whose power was so awesome it would guarantee Americas position for the indefinite future.

And that meant appropriating by any and all means necessary technology to keep her ahead of the herd. And that technology lay directly beneath them. Technology that could transmit messages from beneath the earths crust. Technology that could store almost infinite reservoirs of energy in a tiny, iridescent chip.

The thought of passing up such technology was inconceivable. The thought of someone else claiming it was unacceptable.

Four minutes out, said Rafferty.

Very well. Korolis glanced from the engineer to the third occupant of Marble Three: the wiry old man with the blizzard of unruly white hair. Dr. Flyte, for once saying next to nothing. Korolis frowned. The mans presence on the Facility had been an unfortunate necessity: as the foremost authority on cybernetics and miniaturization, hed been the only person capable of devising the complex robotic arm the Marble employed. The man might have been a genius, but he was notoriously eccentric, and in the opinion of Korolis a security liability. As a result, he had been kept secretly aboard the Facility, more or less against his will. It seemed the best solution: not only had it kept the all-too-talkative old fellow from speaking to the wrong people, but also Flytes presence on the Facility meant he could maintain the robotic arms and train others in their complexity.