Ghost Ship (NUMA Files 12)

Without delay, he spied the emergency shutoff lever, grabbed it, and yanked it down hard.

The fuel cut out and the turbine instantly began a rapid deceleration. It was more than the reduction gearing could handle.

With a loud bang and the shriek of tearing metal, something major blew apart in the system. Paul found himself diving for the deck and covering his head as shrapnel flew through the compartment.

The hurtling missiles of steel cut apart several cables and a coolant line. Steam came blasting out and filled the compartment.

Paul looked up as the commotion died. He could feel the ship slowing even as the compartment filled with steam. He got to his feet, drenched in sweat, and made his way back to where the captain and the chief had been. The captain was on the ground, a nasty-looking gash on his leg bleeding badly.

“Get me up,” the captain ordered, holding the wound. “I need to see if we’re all right.”

Paul helped the captain to his feet. The chief pushed the hatches open to help clear the room.

The ship was coasting.

“We’re definitely coming to a stop,” Paul said.

“What happened?” th

e captain asked.

“Something went wrong in the master control unit,” Paul said. “It came alive on its own and wouldn’t respond. We’re dealing with people who know how to hack computers. And this ship is one of the newest in the fleet. It’s basically one big computer.”

The captain nodded weakly, getting whiter by the second. “Rip out all the computers and pull the circuit breakers. We’ll row this ship, if we have to, but I’m not losing control of my vessel again.”

Down below, Gamay Trout gazed into the darkness as the superstructure of the wreck became a silhouette, backlit by the floodlights of Duke’s sub. It was an eerie sight and it sent a chill down her spine. She noticed Elena’s hands on the throttle.

“Hold on,” she said.

From the darkness, Scarab Two appeared, cruising over the Ethernet like some predatory fish.

“He’s following our last heading,” Elena noted.

Gamay watched as the glowing orb surrounding the yellow sub continued to track away from them. It was like watching a spaceship cross some void in the depths of the galaxy. There was no frame of reference. The seafloor was black, the water around them into the distance was black. Directly above was black. Though it was broad daylight at the surface with a cloudless sky, no light could penetrate this deep.

Even the lights from Duke’s submersible faded as he headed into the dark. After several minutes, they too vanished, swallowed up by the depths.

“Where do you suppose he’s going?” Elena asked. “Looking for us,” Gamay began. “Why? I don’t know. This doesn’t make any sense.”

“Something big is going on here,” Elena said.

“Seems that way.”

“I should have known,” Elena said. “When the Special Projects Division gets involved, it’s usually trouble. At least that’s what the scuttlebutt is.”

Gamay could not disagree.

“Too much excitement for me,” Elena said.

“Me too,” Gamay replied. “Me too.”

“Shall we surface?”

“Can you do it without the lights?”

“With ease.”

Gamay took one last look into the dark. “Let’s go. I want to warn Paul and the others as soon as possible.”