Ocean Blue (Sea Lab Book 1)

CHAPTER 56

Fifteen minutes later, the dark hull of the Hercules Australis materialized.

"They must have glimpsed Dalton's Zodiac as it explored the bay," Jake said.

Tony's voice: "That would be a good reason to maneuver out to sea... so they'd be ready to split if things got hairy."

"Agreed. There's no way they've seen us. We've been underwater the entire time. Let's get closer and see if we can tell what they're up to."

Jake and Tony took advantage of the sleek DPVs, cruising around to the front of the massive ship and buzzing down the length of its hull. The vessel looked twice as long as the Atlantis. On the starboard side, a gargantuan chain extended to the ocean floor, attached to an anchor in the sand the size of a compact car. The anchor weighed much heavier, however, and held the icebreaker in position.

With Tony on his tail, Jake aimed for the ship's stern. The giant underbelly shielded the sun's rays, resulting in an ominous shadow on the sea floor. Jake stole a glance back at his friend. If he didn't know it was Tony behind him, he might have thought a small great white was stalking him for a learning experience. The notion made him consider the possibility since he knew the predators roamed these waters.

Jake wondered if the fish population had been affected this far south of the sunken trawler they'd passed on the way here. In the distance, a large school of colorful fish answered that question.

"Marine life at ten o'clock."

"A shark?" Tony's response seemed tentative. Their voices had a nasal tone to it, as if trapped in a bottle.

"No, just fish. Can't identify them from this far away. It's just nice to know there's some life out here besides overgrown barracudas."

"What's that up ahead?"

"I don't see anything."

"On the underbelly of the ship."

"Oh, now I see it. Let's slow down and approach the stern." Jake released the talk button on his dive mask. As they neared the last quarter of the ship, one of their options for boarding the vessel appeared from nowhere.

"I didn't realize icebreakers needed a moon pool," Tony said.

"A big one at that. Twice the size of our pool."

"Why do I feel like we just went from the Holiday Inn to the Ritz-Carlton?"

Jake signaled for them to stop shy of the cavity in the ship's belly. What surprised him most was that it was open. That seemed to suggest some kind of activity was or had been going on in the pool room since the Hercules Australis repositioned itself off the coast. Divers could be in the area. They needed to be on alert.

Convenience aside, Jake believed the moon pool wouldn't be a wise entrance for them later. Men could lie in wait for them as they broke the surface. He was certain the welcoming party wouldn't embrace them with warm smiles and hugs. Rather, he envisioned automatic gun fire ripping them full of holes.

"I suppose we'll be looking for an alternate, more difficult means of entry." Tony read the hesitancy in his dive partner.

"That would be a smart idea."

Jake craned his head and gazed toward the bow of the ship. Then he brought his focus back to the stern, sweeping from left to right.

"Follow me."

He turned the underwater craft around in a graceful arc and pointed its nose for the bow. At full speed, Jake neared the anchor chain that stretched from the bottom up to an opening in the icebreaker's hull. The compartment was well above the waterline. Jake knew there had to be a room housing the chain and anchor. Thus, there was a viable means to access the ship.

"If we enter before they pull anchor, we should be able to get in through the gap around the chain," Jake said. "It'll be tight, but doable. I'm certain there's a maintenance hatch leading into the ship. It should work because they have to perform repairs."

"Climbing the chain should be fun," Tony replied.

Jake looked away, his concentration dialed in, focused on saving Sarah. "I've got some ideas for when we return later. An assurance plan, so to speak."

"Mind filling me in?"

"I will, back at the Atlantis," Jake answered. "One other thing. When we come back, if they've already drawn anchor, this entry point will be a no go. I'm sure once it's wound up and in place, the anchor itself will seal us out."

"The moon pool room would be our only option then."

"If it's still open. If both are closed, we'll have to head back to the Atlantis and come up with another plan."

"That would mean scaling the icebreaker with grappling hooks." Tony shook his head. "Cat wouldn't like that."

"We'd have to figure out a way not to tell her. Let's get back to the ship. We can observe Mr. Hercules the rest of the day and prepare for our mission at twilight."