Page 39 of Wild Tempest

"I don't think you should be left alone right now.”

His face wrinkled again. "I'm fine.”

That was a load. JD wasn’t feeling well, and it showed. But Jack is as stubborn as the day is long. We both are.

"Let's meet back here in an hour," I said.

Jack went one way, and I went the other. He searched the superstructure, and I moved below deck, clearing storage compartments, cargo holds, ROV hangers, and maintenance areas. There were bays for underwater vehicles and launch and recovery systems. A moon pool allowed the Russians to launch submersibles and RVs undetected from the surface. It was dank and damp, and the smell of rust and mold filled the air. It couldn't have been healthy.

I cleared the sonar and survey equipment rooms, looking in every corner. There were pumps, HVAC systems, electrical switchboards, waste management systems, and a desalination plant.

The ship was an industrial wasteland.

It creaked and moaned, and drips of water echoed. There was standing water in the bilges. The once high-tech equipment was all corroded.

We definitely weren’t the only ones aboard. I saw a few rats scampering around in the darkness, squeaking and squealing. Ragged claws clattered against decks.

It was a little spooky to hear something rustling in the darkness. At times, the hairs on the back of my neck stood tall.

I crept from compartment to compartment with my rifle shouldered, the beam of my flashlight piercing the eerie blackness as the ship pitched and rolled on the choppy seas.

Rain poured down, and flashes of lightning spilled from the upper decks. Thunder, like cannons, rattled the bulkheads.

Scouring every inch of the ship, I didn't find anyone.

I returned to the lab to see if I could find any information about a potential antidote. I wanted to get ahead of this thing.

The freezers had long since stopped working. They were full of various temperature-sensitive chemicals. Another freezer contained blood samples.

I grabbed notebooks, binders, and anything else I could find that might contain information. The computers were useless without power.

When I returned to the rendezvous point, Jack wasn't there. I waited a few minutes, but he didn't show up.

I took the notebooks and binders to Dale's room and left them with Tempest. "Have you seen Jack?”

Tempest shook her head. "I thought he was with you.”

I shook my head.

Dale said, "He looked just like Paul did before he went crazy. I'm telling you, that boy ain't right."

25

Ifound Jack passed out on the deck in the mess hall. It had fountain drinks, a coffee station, and plenty of seating. A flatscreen display on the wall had remained blank for years.

I knelt down beside him and shook him. "Jack! Jack!"

He stirred and peeled open a groggy eye.

"Are you okay?”

His brow knitted with confusion.

"What happened?” I asked.

He shivered, dripping in sweat.

I helped him sit up. “I must have blacked out.”