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Byrd stared toward it, too. “That should be our new guests. Arriving just in time.”
Phoebe squinted. “Who are they?”
“The U.S. requested that two DARPA researchers join us. To judge the level of threat to the region and to help identify the submarine we found.”
“Word must’ve traveled fast,” Phoebe said sourly, perturbed that any military were getting involved, even if it was just a pair of DARPA scientists.
Byrd nodded. “As I understand it, they were already in the area. In Hong Kong. They were there for the quake and flooding. So it’s little wonder that DARPA’s taking our discovery seriously.”
Phoebe frowned and glanced to Adam, expecting him to be equally irritated. Instead, his eyes had narrowed as he watched the seaplanecourse across the waves in a fan of spray. He did not look irked, only expectant and wary. One of his hands had balled into a fist, as if readying for a fight.
She suspected the truth.
He knew they were coming.
10:55A.M.
Adam stood at the edge of the helipad with Dr. Reed. Phoebe had a backpack slung over her shoulder. His bag rested at his feet. They were not the only ones waiting.
An ESKY corporate helicopter—an AgustaWestland AW119 Koala—warmed its engines for the flight to theTitan X. With an extended flight range of more than six hundred miles, it would make the hop to the research yacht, then serve as a transport between these waters and the Tonga Trench.
Adam took advantage of the delay to bask in the warmth and take deep breaths. The scrubbed air and artificial light boxes paled to the real thing. He had been submerged atTitan Station Downfor ten days. Still, he regretted leaving his uncle far below.
Phoebe shifted on her legs, bending one knee, then the other, clearly anxious to get underway. Under the bright sky, she looked like an Amazon preparing for war. She stood as tall as him, but there was no lankiness to her. Even the bagginess of her jumpsuit could not hide her curves.
She caught him staring. “That seaplane landed half an hour ago. When are we getting out of here?”
He shifted closer. “I’m sure Mr. Byrd is giving them his usual sales pitch for the Titan Project, likely trying to encourage DARPA to reach deeper into its pockets to further fund this enterprise.”
“No doubt.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “But I’d prefer the military stay as far from this project as possible. Still, I get why they’re involved. Do you think the submarine could be from the U.S. Navy?”
“I... I don’t know.” He felt a twinge of discomfort at lying to her.He swallowed and glanced toward the elevator as its doors opened. “But it looks like we’ll finally be underway.”
Byrd led the two Sigma operatives across the deck. The billionaire’s head was bowed toward the shorter of the two men. Director Higashi had already passed a brief dossier to Adam on the newcomers. Aiko had assured him that the two could be fully trusted and had told him to give them his full cooperation—though she had also cautioned him to be discreet when sharing any details about TaU.
Despite Aiko’s assurance, Adam resented involving a foreign covert group. He was proud of all that TaU had accomplished in a short time. In the past six months, they had thwarted a bioterrorist attack in Kyoto and exposed a Russian hacking scheme against the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But those operations had all been on home soil. He understood the necessity for Sigma’s involvement here—both as support and to address the caveat in Japan’s constitution that limited intelligence operations conducted abroad.
Still, it doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Byrd reached them and made introductions, offering Phoebe and Adam’s names and backgrounds. He then waved to the shorter of the two men, who wore a gray hoodie and a black pair of tech trousers with multiple pockets.
“This is Monk Kokkalis, who has a PhD in biology with an emphasis on biomedicine, which hopefully will prove valuable as you all dive into that trench.”
The man doffed a black cap, exposing a bald scalp. He shook Phoebe’s hand, then offered his palm to Adam.
Adam gripped it hard to assert his place. Still, it was like trying to break rocks with his fingers. The Sigma operative might only stand to Adam’s shoulders but every inch of him was steel.
Monk’s expression never changed from its genial grin. “I hope we’re not intruding.”
“Not at all,” Adam answered, trying not to grit his teeth.
They backed from each other as Byrd motioned to Monk’s towering companion, a beast of a man. His gruff face was gnarled by an oldbreak of his nose. He bore a cut across a cheek, taped over but clearly fresh. He wore a long wool duster over black jeans, boots, and a T-shirt. He hauled a heavy duffel over one arm.
“This is Joseph Kowalski. Former Navy man, with a degree in mining and demolition.”
Adam was happy the man failed to offer his hand, fearing that massive mitt would crush his bones to dust. Kowalski merely nodded to each with a small grunt of acknowledgment.
“As there’s very limited space in the research submersible that’ll descend into the trench,” Byrd said, glancing at the larger man, “especially for one this size, Mr. Kowalski will be staying here to assist Dr. Kaneko and me in monitoring the ongoing threat.”
