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“And we were able to keep it a secret for all those years. That shows our abilities in the trade.”
“When?”
“We started dating when we were both fresh recruits. We knew it would damage our careers if we came clean about it, so we kept it hidden. It became a kind of game to see how long we could stay under the radar of the great Langston Overholt. And you never found out. Neither did Juan.”
“So when Tate was imprisoned,” Overholt said, “you couldn’t very well reveal your relationship.”
“And be branded a co-conspirator?” she asked with a chuckle. “Give me some credit.”
“I do. You’re quite devious. That’s why I knew you’d make a good agent. I just didn’t realize how deep that deception went.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely, taking it as a compliment.
Overholt waved his arms at the surroundings as they got onto an elevator appointed in brass and mahogany. “This all must have cost a fortune, including smuggling me out of the U.S. Who is funding this operation? China? Russia? I know the Muslim extremist groups have access to oil money, but this isn’t their style.”
“We’re a private organization with a group of highly motivated volunteers who believe in our mission. Just like Cabrillo’s Corporation.”
Overholt knew there was more to that story, but he didn’t want her to put up roadblocks, so he played to her vanity.
“You must have helped Tate get out of prison. Only a talented insider could have done that.”
“And helped him fake his death,” Ballard said proudly. “It was all very clever and done right under your nose. Aren’t I just the best?” She smirked at him. “Please, I know all your tricks.”
The elevator opened, and the smell of saltwater washed over them. They emerged into a cavernous space percolating with activity. A gantry crane high above was lowering a yellow diving bell toward what looked like an Olympic-sized pool, and workers on the catwalks and the decking around the pool were shouting instructions that echoed through the space.
Zachariah Tate saw Overholt from across the pool and strode toward him, Ballard, and the guard.
“Isn’t it impressive?” Tate asked, showing off, his hands out wide. “Welcome to the moon pool.”
“I know what it is,” Overholt said. “I saw it in the plans of the Oregon. How were you able to copy Juan’s ship?”
“That is a long story involving some thievery from a Russian naval yard in Vladivostok a few years ago after I escaped from prison.”
“Juan destroyed all of those records.”
“He might have, after I got there, but we don’t have time to go into that now. We have a tight schedule to keep.” He turned to Ballard and gave her a kiss. “Have you told him any of the juicy details yet?”
“I would never rob you of that pleasure,” she replied with a sickly sweetness.
“Thank you, my dear,” Tate said with a clap of his hands. He pointed at the diving bell. “Do you know what that is?”
The sphere had one window and was surrounded by a protective cage of thick metal struts that extended below the bell to provide a base for when it rested on the ocean floor. The hatch was on the bottom, and the struts supported a dozen large air tanks and like number of batteries.
“It’s a Personnel Transfer Capsule, to use its technical name,” Overholt said. “It’s for housing divers during deep saturation dives.”
Tate wagged a finger at him and smiled. “Excellent! I see you’re still as formidable as ever. This one dates from the seventies and was used for North Sea oil rig maintenance. I got it for a song.”
“And you’re going to put me in this old diving bell as a lure to get Juan to save me.”
“Right again! We’re going to plant you at the bottom of the harbor and then put some distance between us and that location. You’ll have twenty-four hours before your air runs out. Carbon dioxide suffocation isn’t a terrible way to go, I’m told.”
“You’ll kill me no matter what.”
“That’s up to Juan.”
“Is it?” Overholt asked, nodding at a device mounted on the sphere. “That’s an explosive device, if I’m not mistaken.”
“You are not,” Tate said, “but that’s just there to keep Juan honest. I doubt he’ll call the Argentine Coast Guard, but, if he does, I can’t have them saving you.”
