“So you’ll set it off once he’s next to the diving bell?”
Tate shook his head as if Overholt just didn’t get it. “Hardly. I don’t want to kill Juan. I want him to suffer. He can’t suffer when he’s dead. When Juan fails to rescue you, I want him to live the rest of his miserable life knowing he had a chance to succeed and blew it. Pun intended.”
“Are you so sure he’ll come?”
“Juan’s a Boy Scout with a competitive streak. You’re his damsel in distress, so to speak. He wouldn’t turn down this challenge for anything. Believe me, I know him well.”
“And he knows you just as well.”
“That’s what makes this so much fun for both of us.” Tate seemed giddy over the prospect of matching wits with his former partner. Ballard beamed at him, reveling in his enjoyment.
“So you’re planning to capture Juan?” Overholt asked, hoping to goad Tate into revealing some useful information. “Good luck with that.”
Tate smiled. “Nice try. I realize it sounds like I’m monologuing here, but you know only the barest part of my plans.”
“I know that you sank the Mantícora and Avignon. And you’re responsible for the disappearance of the Kansas City.”
“Not bad for a week’s work, wouldn’t you say?”
“I understand why you destroyed the ships, but a U.S. nuclear submarine? That’s risky.”
“It was a good chance to show off our capabilities to potential customers. Besides, that SEAL was too curious about his cousins’ deaths.”
Overholt saw Ballard’s eyes narrow slightly, and he knew Tate had given away something important without realizing it.
“That SEAL may be your undoing once the Oregon finds him,” Overholt said.
Tate shook his head. “Not likely. The sub was so damaged that the entire crew will be dead by now even if they weren’t killed in the initial collision. Besides, all Juan knows is the actual depth of the sub. The Oregon will be two thousand miles away from the Kansas City’s real location.” He gestured to the diving bell, which now hovered beside them with a ladder resting against its open hatch at the bottom. “Now, time to get in. You’ll find a couple of protein bars and water bottles inside, as well as a camera to monitor you. I want you awake and alert when Juan sees your air run out.”
“And if I refuse to play along?”
“Then we tie you up and shove you in. Your choice, but your last twenty-four hours will be a lot more unpleasant that way.” The grin on Tate’s face radiated with gleeful malevolence.
“I see your point,” Overholt said.
He started climbing in.
23
OFF THE COAST OF BRAZIL
As the Oregon headed southwest toward Buenos Aires at top speed, Juan sat in the infirmary while Julia Huxley injected the GPS tracker into his right thigh. All crew members were outfitted with trackers so that they could be found in the case of abduction.
She wiped away a drop of blood and said, “Done. You sure this new design will work?”
“Murph double-checked it.” Juan inspected the injection site. “How long until you can’t see that hole?”
“It should be invisible in a day. Let’s hope you don’t need that thing.”
He stood and pulled up his pants. “You know me. I always like to have a backup plan.”
“From what I’ve heard,” Julia said, pointing at his leg, “this doesn’t sound like a backup plan. It sounds like the plan’s plan.”
“It is,” Max said from behind them. “And I don’t like it.”
Juan turned and said, “We’re going to have to put a bell around your neck.”
“I have a tracker, just like you.”