The Nautilus Sanction (TimeWars 5)

“We?”

“That’s right, you’re going to help me.”

“Hey, get your own guys.”

“Finn, dammit, you help me with this or I’ll bust your jaw!”

“Boy, you’re really nasty when you’re in heat, you know that?”

A moment later, as he was picking himself up off the floor, he shook his head and said, “Okay, okay, I’ll help you. But I hope you know what you’re doing.”

They timed it with excruciating precision. They took up their positions with Andre up forward and Finn roughly amidships. At the proper moment, Andre “slipped” and plunged over the side with a piercing scream loud enough to be heard in the Canary Islands. Instantly Land was diving over the side after her, hitting the water scant seconds after she did. Finn was ready with the rope and life preserver, tossing it to Land on cue. The ship was steaming along at a leisurely pace and there was plenty of time for them to be pulled aboard with the aid of several crewmen who instantly leaped to Delaney’s aid. As Land picked her up in his arms, both of them shivering and streaming water down onto the deck, she threw her arms around his neck and said, “Oh, Ned! You saved my life! My hero!” And kissed him.

Lucas came running up to Finn, having heard all the commotion.

“What the hell happened?” he demanded.

“Excuse me,” Finn said, brushing him aside. “I’ve got to go throw up.”

They were eighteen days out when a knock came at Finn and Lucas’s cabin door at about midnight. Finn opened the door to admit a haggard-looking Verne.

“I must speak with you,” the author said, entering the cabin.

Lucas sat up in his bunk. “Are you all right, Mr. Verne?”

Verne waved his hand irritably. “I am not all right,” he said. “Oh, I am occasionally seasick on an ocean voyage, but that is of no consequence. I have been for the past two weeks the victim of acute anxiety. I must ask you gentlemen to open those cases for me. I simply must!”

“Mr. Verne,” Lucas began, “we’ve been through that. We simply cannot-”

“Then you must decide what sort of drastic thing it is you want to do about me,” he said, visibly agitated. “For if I am not permitted to see what is inside those cases, I will go to Commander Farragut and tell him what I know.”

“Mr. Verne,” said Lucas softly, “we can’t allow you to do that.”

“That curious alarm device of yours,” said Verne, “has left me almost completely bereft of sleep. I am on the verge of complete nervous collapse. I must know the nature of its operation, gentlemen!”

“Mr. Verne,” said Finn, “Lucas explained to you. This is a top secret government-”

“Do you take me for a fool?” Verne almost shouted. “I wanted to believe you! I wanted for there to be some sort of sane, rational explanation, but there isn’t one. You’re lying to me. I know it beyond a question of a doubt. Even given all the resources of the American government or any other highly industrialized state, such a device could not possibly have been manufactured! It contravenes known science. It exists, yet it cannot exist. You understand, gentlemen, I am no scientist, but I keep abreast of new developments. I read voraciously; I am not an unversed layman. I do have some understanding of these things. The technology simply does not exist to manufacture such a thing! The scale of miniaturization is beyond any comprehension. There is no known power source which could be made small enough for such a device. There must be circuits, yet for someone to make circuits of such infinitesimal size, they would have to be able to dance upon the head of a pin! I must know how it was done. I must know what sort of process made those cases. I must know how those locks upon those cases operate when there are no apparent workings within them. I must know how these things were done. I must know where they were done. And I must know…”

He sat there, staring at them wildly.

“Mon Dieu, dare I say it?”

“Go on, Mr. Verne,” said Finn.

In a voice that was almost a whisper, Verne said, “I must know when.”

“Jackpot,” Finn said.

Lucas gave him a tight-lipped look.

“I am right, am I not?” said Verne, softly. “I felt certain I was going mad. Or perhaps I am already mad. Please, gentlemen, I beg you, for the sake of my sanity, you must tell me!”

“Mr. Verne, Jules,” said Lucas, “before this discussion goes any further, you must understand one thing. When I spoke of a top secret mission, I was not lying. If I tell you what you want to know, you must swear it will go no further than the confines of this room. Thousands upon thousands of lives could depend upon it.”

Verne licked his lips and took a deep breath. “And if I do not swear so?”

“Then Finn and I will have to figure out some way to make certain you cannot tell anyone. We do not wish to harm you. We do not wish to harm anyone on board this ship. Chances are no one will believe you anyway, but we can’t risk having our belongings searched. Please, Mr. Verne.”