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Raoul Island
Standing at the bow of a Zodiac, Phoebe rode across Denham Bay toward the shores of Raoul Island. Her hair was bunched behind her head. The winds brushed her cheeks, and she inhaled the salty spray with each bounce over the waves.
She glanced behind her. The afternoon sun reflected brightly off the blue waters, hiding the dark mysteries below. Closer at hand, theTitan Xrose like a glossy white iceberg. Its glass sphere, wide decks,and long halls had been polished of any speck of ash. The insides had been scrubbed of blood and were undergoing repairs from the damage inflicted.
It was all overseen by William Byrd, who had forced the Chinese to pay for repairs, along with doling out restitution to the families whose loved ones were killed. China was also funding the new Titan Project. This was achieved not because of Beijing’s guilt or sense of justice, but because Byrd was the owner and CEO of ESKY, the shipping conglomerate that orchestrated commerce across the world’s oceans. With a word, he could cripple the Chinese economy... so he got his way.
Phoebe pushed such matters aside, finding it all disheartening.
She knew what had drawn her to this topic. At the back of the Zodiac, Major Choi Xue and Dr. Luo Heng sat in front of Bryan, who piloted their craft. She did not know them well, but Monk had vouched for them. She had also reviewed Heng’s research on the cure for the biomineralizing disease that had afflicted thousands across the region.
Including someone close to her heart.
Jazz shoved up next to her. She carried her right arm in a sling. She had been released from the hospital a week before and had headed straight here. She had lost two fingers to that disease, but she remained in good spirits and was anxious to continue their partnership.
The other researcher afflicted by the coral’s venom—Dr. Kim Jong Suk—had not fared as well. He had lost his left arm. Byrd had offered Dr. Kim a place on the new station once it was built. The man had bitterly declined.
“When are you going to tell me why we’re headed to the island?” Jazz asked.
Bryan cut them off, calling from the stern. “Better sit down, gals! Might want to grab on to something, too!”
Jazz glanced back as she took her seat. “I know something I’d like to grab on to. That accent of his... phew...”
Phoebe tried to frown at her but ended up smiling.
Jazz turned forward. “A gal’s got to do something with her off time.” She eyed Phoebe sidelong. “Speaking of which, I heard Adam’s flying in tonight.”
“To see how things are going. That’s all. It’s purely professional.”
Jazz cast her a doubtful look.
The conversation mercifully ended as the Zodiac reached the shore and beached high onto the sand with a grating bump. They all offloaded.
Xue and Heng hauled out a large waterproof case and carried it to shore.
Jazz kept alongside her. “What’s in there?”
Phoebe knew the answer. Only a few others did. Still, Jazz deserved to be here, having paid in flesh and blood for this honor. If left untreated, her friend might have suffered far worse.
Jazz was about to find outhowmuch worse.
2:11P.M.
Heng lowered the heavy crate to the sand. He wiped sweat from his brow and stared up at the ruins of the island. It was a charred husk of rock and charcoal. The caldera lay quiet but still seeped a curl of smoke.
It was a grim place for a homecoming.
Xue crossed and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you all right?”
Heng took a deep breath. “I will be.”
Guilt ate at him.
I should’ve done more.
Shortly after the tragic events, he had managed to distill the antitoxin from the sample they had collected near Mount Tambora. Dr. Reed had aided in this effort, supplying him with several samples of the nematocyst-tipped tendrils. The species had been dubbedIridis serpens, in respect for the Aboriginal people who had first formed a relationship with them. The antitoxin ended up being an organo-silicon enzyme, one that was easy to mass produce via a solid-state fermentation process.
Still, it hadn’t been quick enough to save everyone. He had managed to treat Sublieutenant Junjie back at the Réam Naval Base in Cambodia. But it had been too late to help Officer Wong. Heng regretted keeping the man alive for so long, repeatedly reviving him when therewas no hope, making him suffer through a long, torturous decline to an agonizing end.
