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“What’s the word from the yacht?” Adam asked, as Bryan returned to his seat.
“Most of their comms are down. I likely only reached them because we’re practically bobbing in their shadow.”
Phoebe frowned, matching Adam’s expression. “Do they know what’s happening back at Titan Station?”
“Last word was that the quakes were worsening over there, so they instituted an evacuation of the station. Everyone was going to weather out the storm at the topside rig.”
Phoebe let out a long breath.
At least, Jazz should be safe.
“And nothing after that?” Monk asked.
“Like I said, comms are mostly down. Can’t even get a sat-feed.”
Phoebe stared out at the dark seas.
So, we’re cut off out here.
4:44A.M.
Monk stood at the bow of the rescue boat. The rigid-hulled inflatable craft droned slowly through the ash-covered waves, hauling theCormorantbehind them. He was flanked by Adam. Behind them, Phoebe and Datuk shared a bench. The two cradled steaming cups of coffee on their laps, courtesy of their rescuers.
Bryan had stayed aboard the DSV as it was towed. He would help get the vehicle hooked back into its launch-and-recovery crane at the stern of theTitan X. The plan was to quickly ready theCormorantfor another dive, though if it ever happened was another matter. With the radiation levels down there, any approach would be dangerous, if not deadly. Still, the question remained:What the hell is happening in that trench?
But Monk had a larger concern, even one that outweighed the fiery horizons and the rain of ash. He watched the seas around them, searching for any evidence of the presence of a submarine. The fact that the sub remained submerged and hidden reinforced his assumption that it must be a Chinese boat.
If one’s even out there.
He wanted to get to the yacht’s sonar room. As an oceanic research vessel, it had a sophisticated system of exploratory tools, certainly more than what was available aboard theCormorant. Movement snapped his attention to the starboard. Around the far side of theTitan X, a tall red mast appeared low in the water, cutting through the waves.
But it was too small to be the sail of a military sub.
Adam confirmed the same. “It’s one of the two Drix USVs. It’s still paired with its twin. They’re programmed to autonomously circle theTitan Xand surveil the seas.” He turned to Monk. “Could those vessels’ props be the source of the interference we heard?”
Monk shook his head. “They run too quiet. We would’ve heard them when we were descending. The only times they revealed themselves were when they periodically pinged their echosounders to monitor our descent. And those pings were plenty loud and distinct.”
Adam nodded. “Then what do we do from here?”
Monk narrowed his gaze on the tall red mast. “For now, let’s keep those sharks circling out there. Just in case.”
“So, you’re still convinced we’re not alone in these waters.”
“Never hurts to keep our eyes open and ears up.”
The boat closed the last of the distance to theTitan X. They all offloaded and headed into the yacht’s stern hold. Behind them, Bryan orchestrated the recovery of theCormorant.
Monk glanced back toward the cascades of fire along the horizon. Rumbles and booms had chased them back to the yacht. The skies had lowered further, the air filling with smoke and ash. Bolts of lightning flashed up there, discharged by the immense energy inside those clouds. Another fountain of flames burst higher from one of the erupting peaks.
He grimaced.
We need to find out what’s causing all of this.
He pictured the wrecked sub in the trench, the luminescent coral forest, and the spreading dead zone. Still, he could not dismiss the threat closer at hand.
As their small group crossed toward the elevator, Phoebe stumbled on her feet, clearly exhausted from the lack of sleep. He hated to keep her from her bed any longer, but—
He touched her elbow as the elevator opened. “Phoebe, can I have a word with you?”
