Four
Ethan unclipped his safety harness and straightened as much as the cramped headroom of the Lady would allow. The sub shuddered, and a loud clang reverberated through the metal hull as the vessel docked with the Ceto habitat. His free hand dropped to his hip, sub-consciously checking the laser handgun on his hip.
“Gray Lady locked. Umbilical secured,” Finn reported from the cockpit. A roaring of compressed air emanated from the airlock. “Pressure steady, airlock purge in progress.” Finn glanced back at the assembled team, creases marring his brow. “Chief, still no response from the Ceto. But according to diagnostics the lights are on and they have power.”
Luca cocked his laser rifle. “Ready to make the world a better place.”
Chief stabbed a thick finger in Luca’s direction. “Luca put your damn ego away.”
Luca lowered the gun, but his eyes narrowed. He stroked the barrel. “Someone’s got to try out these new babies. Lasers that vaporize flesh but leave the hull intact.” He purred, “Sexxxy.”
“Purge complete,” Finn reported. He unclipped his safety harness. “I’ll be here fixing all the broken shit if you need me.”
The Lady’s access hatch clunked loudly as Nik cranked the circular lock on the hull door.
Ethan’s gut churned as water splattered from the rim seals, dousing him in an icy spray.
Chief hollered, “Set?”
“Set to get wet,” Ethan muttered under his breath.
* * *
Ethan stepped into the airlock and spun the lock on the bulkhead, his rough palms catching on small crustaceans that dimpled the metal. The door swung open, protesting at the inconvenience as Ethan entered the Ceto habitat. The main lights were off, the room dim. Ahead, his eyes were drawn to a large sign.
Welcome to CETO Habitat
Deep Sea Exploratory Mining Station
TRITON CORE
Making the World a Better Place
Luca grunted and jerked his weapon in the direction of the sign. “Better for who?”
Ethan fired Luca a glance to shut him up, his pulse accelerating. He raised his weapon and scanned the room, unnerved by the silence. Soft orange light glowed from regular intervals close to the ceiling, but the main overhead lights were dark.
He hit switches on the wall, but nothing happened. “Lights aren’t functioning, Chief. Cade, you said this place is run by some state-of-the-art computer?”
Cade gave a brief nod of affirmation as he exited the airlock.
Ethan bumped backs with Nik as they progressed across the large space.
Nik’s voice was a low murmur. “Maybe this is the computer’s day off?”
Straight ahead, between them and the exit door, a large moon pool dominated the floor space. Diving equipment lay scattered beside the pool’s edge. Ethan edged closer for a better look. Medical wrappings littered the floor just to the side of the pool. He picked one up. “Sterile wraps.” He held it up for Chief to see. “Dumped on the floor. Someone’s been in a hurry.”
He turned to his left. Luca and Cade were at a second exit hatch. Luca shaded his eyes with his fingers and peered through the tiny porthole at the top of the door. Above his head, the door lock blinked red in the subdued light.
“Hatch is sealed. Mini sub’s berthed,” Luca reported. He shrugged. “No one’s home but the car’s still in the garage.”
A long bench table separated the main docking bay from a row of metallic lockers stenciled in red. Diving supplies. Ethan edged around the bench. On the other side, more equipment was scattered in all directions. Wetsuits tossed to the floor, several air tanks lying at awkward angles. A harpoon. Nothing of note, but the hairs on the back of his neck were straining. Something didn’t add up.
Ethan skirted the moon pool and approached the door that connected to the rest of the habitat. It was flanked on each side by a bank of computers. All the screens were asleep, their screens a shifting kaleidoscope of jellyfish and sharks. Pink light glowed from under the mouse tracking pads.
Luca touched one of the screens and it woke up instantly, the screen filling with a complicated list of algorithms. “Holy crap. I hope someone brought a calculator.”
Ethan glanced at the screens. “Luca, don’t touch shit you don’t understand.”
Luca ignored him and reached over and tapped on one of the keyboards, but the screen remained locked to the mathematical equations. “Frozen.”
“Or locked?” Ethan asked.
Luca squinted around him. “Where is everyone? This doesn’t make any sense.”
“Luca, you’re not paid to understand shit. You’re paid to point your gun and get a fucking move on when I tell you,” Chief instructed.
Ethan sidestepped between the computers and approached the docking bay door. He suppressed a sigh. All he wanted was a clean, simple mission that he could tie up neatly. An easy in and out that wouldn’t cloud his thinking any more than it already was. Was that too much to ask? He wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. The room was stuffy and sweat was pooling in the small of his back. “Cade, can you locate the crew?”
Cade hooked a wheeled stool with one boot and unrolled his keyboard at one of the computers with a flourish. He removed his comms unit and wedged ear buds into his ears. “On it.” He rubbed his hands together. “Talk to Daddy, sweetheart.”
Ethan held a hand up to the air vents that lined the room. A lackluster draft wafted across the back of his hand.
Chief jogged over to Ethan’s side and keyed in an access code. The keypad bleeped but the door remained locked. Chief punched the wall. “Freaking code they gave us doesn’t work. What a surprise. Door’s pressurized. Nik, can you get it open?”
Ethan thumped the wall with the heel of his hand. “Where’s the welcome party? They must know we’ve docked.”
“Maybe they heard Luca was in town,” Nik said as he produced a wafer-thin universal key.
“Screw you, Boris,” Luca grunted.
Nik flicked him the finger and turned to the door.
Ethan stared at the key. “You going to just unlock that?”
“Nah.” Nik grinned and produced a penknife from his pants pocket. “That would be boring.”
“Maybe they’re all dead?” Luca offered.
Nik jammed his penknife under the lip of the control panel. “That’s really helpful, Luca.”
“Enough jabbering. Cade, get a move on. Nik, what’s happening with that door?” Chief asked.
“Welcome, gentleman.” A warm female voice filled the air.
Nik jerked, his knife scraping metal.
The cultured female tones continued. “There’s no need for forced entry, Nikolai Borostovlo.”
A solid thunk emanated from the wall then, with a burst of compressed air, the hatch leading into the rest of the habitat swung open in a smooth well-oiled arc.
Nik cocked an eyebrow and pocketed his knife. “My reputation precedes me.”
The main screen facing Cade had changed and was now pulsing with blue and white light. “Aimee,” Cade explained. He pushed back from his seat and pulled his ear buds out. “Aimee, where is the Ceto crew?”
“All team members are in the infirmary. Chief Haynes, shall I inform them of your arrival?”
Chief puffed his cheeks at the ceiling. “I have no idea where to look or talk when I can’t see a person.”
Cade grinned. “Aimee, please inform the Ceto crew we will make our way to the infirmary.”
“Okay. Let’s check out the rest of the habitat and locate the residents.” Chief’s brow furrowed. “I expect manners all around. People sometimes get upset when we come visit unexpectedly. Luca. I’m looking at you.”
Luca held up his hands, waving his fingers. “Innocent ’til proven guilty.”
Chief nodded. “Let’s move, people.”
Cade inserted his flexible keyboard down the front of his armored vest. He gestured at Luca. “Let’s go, amigo.”
Ethan stepped first into a stuffy corridor, Nik close on his heels. Pipes and enormous steel conduits, as thick as a man’s waist, lined the walls and ceiling wherever Ethan looked. Despite the overhead lighting, shadows swam around them and filled the large gaps between the pipework, setting his teeth on edge. Too many places to hide.
“Moving into the hot tube,” Ethan confirmed as he progressed up the corridor that led to the center of the habitat. He swiped up the map on his wrist screen. “Operations and infirmary straight ahead. Let’s go.”