Deep Blue - The Descent

42: Lost and Found

Nick checked the sonar again as he continued toward the glowing light in the distance, but there was still no sign of a torpedo.

"Um Syndi, you said it would be here,", Nick said, "and you said it would be here and we would have 30 seconds before it hit the rift. That's not a big window for error."

"Correction Sheppard, I said that my calculations put it here.", Syndi replied. "It's possible factors are in play that weren't in my calculations. But we know it's headed here...and we know we didn't miss it."

"How do we know that for sure?", Nick asked.

"Because -- we're still here.", the A.I. replied with an "oh so obvious" look on her face.

Syndi's holographically projected face took communicating with her to a whole new level. Nick wasn't sure if he didn't prefer the audio-only version better.

"Alright, good point.", Nick had to admit.

"We're still in the direct flight path between where we know the torpedo was, and where we think it's going to be.", Syndi remarked. "So if we hold our position here it's going to show up, assuming nothing happened to..."

Her statement was cut short by a bright flash of light directly in front of them in the distance, followed by a single ping on the sonar.

Then, before Nick could even react, another flash was followed by another sonar blip, followed by another in faster succession until at least a dozen signals appeared on the sonar in front of the M.A.N.T.A.

They were a few hundred yards away and headed directly toward the Nick and Syndi.

"Interesting.", Syndi replied.

"I'm pretty sure those aren't torpedos.", Nick said as he banked the M.A.N.T.A. into a tight turn. "Why don't we stay on the intercept course the other direction, and try to cut off the nuke before it gets here."

"That sounds like a plan.", Syndi remarked.

Once Nick had made the 180 degree turn he punched the throttle to full.

As the M.A.N.T.A. quickly sped away, Nick watched on the sonar display as the dozen or so contacts continued to gain on them.

"What are the odds those are the same flying star ship things that Eugene and his friends were in?", Nick said aloud.

"Judging from the size and speed I'd say the odds are extremely high.", Syndi replied before adding. "Sheppard, I have a thought about those ships."

Suddenly a new blip appeared on the sonar, this one was alone and much smaller than the others. It lay directly ahead of the M.A.N.T.A. and was on course for the crevasse.

"I think we found our nuke.", Nick said, oblivious to Syndi's final statement.

"I'm going to pull around behind him to get a better angle for the shot."

Syndi shook her head, "I still think your plan has an unacceptably high level of risk.", Syndi said disapprovingly. "And the thing about the ships, specifically their 'weapons' as you've referred to them."

As Nick performed a fly-by past the oncoming sonar contact, he did indeed visually confirm that it was a torpedo. Now he just had to maneuver behind the thing, secure a target lock and blow it out of the water -- hopefully before it had a chance to arm itself.

The cluster of contacts from the crevasse was gaining on the M.A.N.T.A. rapidly. They would overtake Nick in only a matter of seconds.

Syndi continued, "I don't think they're weapons at all."