Deep Storm

Suddenly, he stopped. "Oh, shit." His shoulders slumped.

She looked at him in mute inquiry.

"The Barrier," he explained.

In his haste, he'd forgotten about the checkpoint between the secure and nonsecure zones. The guards were probably still on the lookout for Ping-and they'd sure as hell be looking for him.

"Damn it!" He turned, slamming a fist against the lab table in frustration. "We'll never get past the Barrier."

He turned back to look at Ping. What he saw startled him. The computer scientist had gone a little pale. Surely, she hadn't forgotten about the Barrier as well…had she?

"What is it?" he asked.

When she replied it was in a very small voice. "There's another way. One possible way. An emergency exit hatch on deck two."

"Emergency exit? From the Facility?" Suddenly, Crane remembered the rungs he'd seen, bolted to the outer hull of the Facility, as he'd climbed the catwalk on his way to meet the Tub.

"Is it guarded?" he asked.

"I don't think so. It's a one-way hatch-you can't get back in, so there's no security issues with avoiding the Barrier. Not that many people know about it. The only reason that I do is because it's located in the maintenance spaces just below my lab."

He paused only another second. "Let's go."

Crane followed Ping as she began retracing the route they'd taken from her lab earlier in the day. Was it really only seven hours before? he reflected bitterly. In terms of everything they'd discovered since-and what had gone down within the Facility-it seemed ages.

Gaining the stairwell, they descended quietly and cautiously, pausing before each landing to make sure they remained alone and unobserved. They passed deck 3, the clang of pans from the Bottom kitchen clearly audible, and descended one more level. Hui put her hand on the exit bar, took a deep breath, then pushed it open.

Crane peered out. Ahead lay a short corridor that ended in a T. Between them and the junction was a group of men in lab coats, standing in the doorway of an office labeled SEDIMENTATION AND STRATIGRAPHY. At the sound of the stairwell door opening, they glanced over, expressions curious.

Crane sensed Ping hesitating. "Go on," he said in a low voice. "Just walk past them."

Ping stepped into the corridor. Crane followed as casually as he could, nodding to the group as he passed by. The faces weren't familiar, and he hoped none of them had been in the Drilling Complex when he'd been put under arrest. He had to force himself not to look back over his shoulder. But there was no clatter of feet, no shouted demands for them to stop.

At the intersection, Ping turned left, passing a series of small labs and offices. Then she stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" Crane asked.

Wordlessly, she pointed. About ten yards ahead, a security camera was fastened to the ceiling.

"Is there another way around?" he asked.

"Very circuitous. And we'd probably pass other cameras, anyway."

He thought for a moment. "Is it far?"

"Just around the next corner."

"Okay, then. Quick as you can."

They trotted ahead, keeping their heads down as they passed the camera. Ping turned another corner, stopped outside a gray door. She pulled it open and they ducked inside.

Crane found himself in an equipment storeroom; tools and light machinery sat on deep metal shelves that rose from floor to ceiling. Ping led the way to the rear, where there was a heavy unmarked hatchway.

"Help me undog this," she said.

With effort, they pushed the four heavy drop bolts out of the way, then opened the hatch. Beyond was a small, dim space, lit only by a caged red bulb. There was another hatch here: round, much smaller and heavier, with a servo-controlled opening mechanism. WARNING, read a sign above it. EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY. NO REENTRY AT THIS LEVEL.

Crane put his hand against the hatch. It felt cold and damp. From beyond it came a faint roaring sound he couldn't quite identify.

Behind him, Ping was breathing rapidly. He turned toward her. "Are you ready?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure I can do this."

"You have to. This is the only chance we have of getting past the Barrier. You've got a better chance on deck twelve, among scientists, far from the classified sector. Stay down here, and it's only a matter of time until Korolis's goons find you and lock you up."

She steadied herself. "Okay. Let's go."

Once she pulled the hatch closed behind them, Crane undogged the exit portal, and then-putting his hands on a spoked wheel at its center-turned it counterclockwise. One revolution; two; then, with a chuff of air, it sprang free in his hands.

There was a small control box beside the hatch, housing a single red button marked ENGAGE. Crane glanced at Ping, who nodded. He pressed the button and the servos stirred to life, pulling the hatch inward toward them.

The roaring sound suddenly increased an order of magnitude. A sharp smell of brine and bilge wafted in on a chill breeze.

Beyond-in the strange twilight of the interior of the dome-lay a narrow platform, no more than four feet square. Quickly, Crane backed himself onto it, helping Ping out after him. Satisfied she was safely on the platform, he turned around.

And froze in shock and disbelief.

53

"We're six minutes out from the interface, sir."

"Thank you, Dr. Rafferty." Commander Korolis shifted on the small pilot's seat, nodding his satisfaction. He glanced approvingly at the dive engineer. The man was not only extremely loyal to him but also was one of the top military scientists on the Facility, a physicist by training. Handpicked by him and 100 percent dependable. Only the best talent was good enough for this particular dive.

Descent number 241 was well under way, and there would be no screw-ups this time.

Korolis glanced over the controls once again. He'd run them in the simulator a dozen times, and in any case they weren't all that different from those of a submarine. There would be no surprises.

As he looked at the gauges he felt a spike of pain at his temples. He winced: had he thought of it, he'd have taken a handful of Tylenol before boarding. He straightened, forcing the pain away: no headache was going to detract from this moment.

He turned back to Rafferty. "Doodlebug status?"

"Green across the board, sir."

"Excellent."

The descent was going like clockwork. In just a few minutes, they would arrive at the dig interface. And then, with any luck, soon…soon…

He spoke to Rafferty again. "Has that reading been confirmed?"

"Yes, sir. Sensor reports from Marble Two's last dive indicate the oceanic layer is at maximal penetration."

Maximal penetration.They had done it. They had bored through the third-and deepest-layer of the earth's crust.

No, there would be no surprises. Except for the most important one: the riches that lay in store directly below, at the Mohorovicic discontinuity.

Whoever said the price of freedom was eternal vigilance was right-as far as that went. But Korolis knew there was more to it than that, much more. It was not enough to be watchful-one had to act, to seize the nettle. If the opportunity presented itself, it had to be taken, no matter what the difficulty. America stood alone, the only remaining superpower; the rest of the world, out of either jealousy or hatred, was arrayed against her, hoping for her to fall. Hostile governments were bleeding her dry through trade imbalances while at the same time increasing their armies and refining their own weapons of mass destruction. In such a desperate climate it was his duty-it was all their duties-to do whatever was necessary to ensure America stayed strong.