Counterpoint (50 page)

When Carla and Mike’s descent stopped,
the airlock and the outer door opened into a circular room.
Different guards escorted them to the U-boat.

Both Mike and Carla had the same
thoughts, what was this place used for, who was behind it all and
what was going to happen to them?

On board the U-boat a man called
Montoya, a swarthy looking Mexican was discussing their current
plans with a German, a man of about thirty called Gruber, the
captain of the U-boat.

“Now we have the US1,” said Montoya
excitedly, “we should be able to travel the whole length of the
tunnel, if it is as large as Ingrid predicts. If there are any
parts too narrow to get through, there is a strong possibility we
can blast them open at this depth by sending men out to place
charges.”

Gruber replied, “You assume my crew can
master the controls of the vessel to navigate, with or against the
full flow of the current. It can reach up to 40 knots in either
direction, and even the part we have explored is not straight.”

“We will have to learn from the
prisoners,” replied Montoya confidently. “Why should they help,
they will realise you intend to kill them.”

“Look!” said Montoya irritably, “we
have been over this before, if we convince them we want the US1 to
hijack and rob a few cruise ships, and then they can go, I am sure
they will accept it.”

“I suppose so,” Gruber replied, “it
sounds feasible and it is the only hope they have of getting out of
here, but make sure they don’t discover the scale of this
installation, if they do, they will know it’s a lie.”

“We will keep them locked up until we
are ready to leave,” concluded Montoya.

Just then, a Guard knocked on the wall
of the cabin, the door was already open. Both men looked up as the
guard broke the news of Mike and Carla’s capture. Montoya and
Gruber had been expecting it. Their informants in the village,
close to the drilling site, had reported that two strangers were
asking a lot of questions, so it was just a matter of time before
they tried to get inside the dome. No point disappointing the
strangers, so Montoya laid his trap. Now he had to find out whom
they were, and cover his tracks.

Mike was pushed forward in front of
Montoya, who looked him over, and then passed him, at Carla. There
was lust in his cold black eyes as he studied her.

“Why have you trespassed onto my
property,” Montoya barked.

“We were just curious as to what the
dome was for,” explained Mike lamely.

“So curious, you were asking questions
about a girl who works for me,” snarled Montoya.

“Don’t waste my time, who are you and
what do you want?”

Carla piped up, “we are both looking
for a girl called Ingrid Goodwin. She came to the village, and then
just disappeared.

“So who do you work for?” demanded
Montoya.

“We are both friends of the family” she
replied assertively.

“I don’t believe that, you were acting
like professionals, the questions you asked, the way you snooped
around,” scoffed Montoya.

“People know we were here so you won’t
get away with what you’re up to.”

“No one knows where you are, you did
not report back to anyone, we have been watching you carefully ever
since you came here,” bellowed Montoya. “Take them away and lock
them up, but don’t let them near any of the other prisoners.”
Commanded Montoya to the guard.

The guards motioned Mike and Carla
away, the meeting was over.

Further down the passageway, in a small
cabin, was Ingrid Goodwin, she heard everything. Her boyfriend had
introduced her to Montoya and Gruber. She saw a way to lasting fame
by association, with the discovery of an underwater tunnel, from
the Caribbean to the Pacific Ocean. Her calculations had predicted
a clear and extremely large tunnel that could be exploited for the
movement of cargo, or production of energy, depending on the
results of a final survey. She did not realise at the time their
true purpose for the tunnel, or that she was risking her life by
getting involved. She was expected to study the geology, and
provide solutions to make the scheme work. Now she was a virtual
prisoner, Montoya and Gruber would not let her out of their sight,
and she could not relinquish the opportunity to be famous. The fact
that others were being held prisoner and lives might be lost,
caused her to rethink the worth of it all. The prisoners would help
her escape, and she could still end up reaping all the glory, from
this remarkable phenomenon.

At the first opportunity, she slipped
away to the concrete block house.

The guards knew her well, so she was
free to go where she liked, except up to the surface. She opened
the door to the blockhouse and slipped inside. The prisoners were
astonished to see her, and would have bombarded her with questions,
but she motioned them to be silent.

“My name is Ingrid Goodwin, Senator
Goodwin’s daughter and I am being held down here against my will,
like you. I am working down here to stay alive,” she said in a low
voice. “I will explain everything to you.”

Later today you will go back on board
your submarine. You will be expected to navigate through a long
underwater tunnel to complete a scientific survey. You will be told
the mission is to train the other submarine crew how to work the
controls so they can rob a few cruise ships. The truth is, as soon
as the crew can safely handle the US1, you will all be killed. The
real objective is to collect a massive haul of drugs and then sell
the submarine to a foreign power. Anxious murmuring of protest
broke out. Ingrid shushed them to be quiet. Apart from the rest of
your party in another building, there are two other prisoners as
well, a girl and a man. They were caught inside the ventilation
dome, above ground, and brought down here; they also will be
killed. You will all be thrown into the current as it rages through
the tunnel, and torn to pieces on the rocks. Your only chance to
escape will be to jump the other crew as they learn the controls,
but you must take me with you.

“I think we would do better just
sitting it out,” scoffed Captain Williams, “the moment
communications were broken with US1, a rescue team would have been
sent out, and they would have tracked us to this lair.”

“I am sure they won’t,” Ingrid said.
“The first explosion you heard was to simulate an explosion on
board your sub and then it would have been seen sinking into the
trench. A week ago, Gruber scuttled a small freighter at the base
of the trench and the second explosion was to cause an earth slide
to cover it. Any sonar or magnetometer readings will show a large
metal vessel covered with mud and rock. At 3000m, it will be
impossible to uncover the wreck, and they will believe that is your
grave.”

There was a murmuring of understanding
and agreement.

More questions followed, so Ingrid
explained. “At the end of the last war, a German U-boat captain,
Baron von Ryman, was ordered to bring treasures to South America by
top officials in Germany, fleeing capture by the allies. The U-boat
was swept into the mouth of the tunnel, by the strong current, and
left stranded on a rock ledge. Gasses rising from the seabed
millions of years ago, had seeped into the chamber forming a large
dry void, without oxygen, the U-boat was largely protected from
corrosion. There was only one way out, and that was by using
breathing apparatus, and the out flowing current, when the tide
eventually turned. The Captain was one of the few to reach the
surface alive. With no money to sustain him, he eventually joined
with the drug cartels, to earn enough money to finance the recovery
of the treasure. A short time later, he married and had a son. The
son, Gruber, is the man with Montoya and is the captain of a
different U-boat, bought for film work and smuggling.”

“Anyway, Baron von Ryman became
extremely wealthy and abandoned the idea of returning to the U
boat, for all he knew, it could have been swept away by then. One
evening he was dining with Montoya, and they swapped life stories.
The tale of the stranded U-boat and its treasure was told. Montoya
thought it was worth the risk to see if the U-boat was still there
and if it was, could it be re-floated, and used for drug smuggling.
At any rate, the treasure on board would be some compensation.”

“Montoya and the son, Gruber,
commissioned a team of salvage men to recover the vessel. They
found that was impossible, but they did salvage the treasure.

“Under the guise of a film prop, they
bought another U-boat. It was refurbished and has been used
regularly ever since for smuggling drugs. The problem is that the
trip is long and hazardous, and the U-boat is becoming hard to
maintain. If the passage I predicted is viable, with your sub, they
can use it as a short cut. The passage and its chambers along the
way can be used as a secure hideout if necessary.”

“Why did Montoya drill down into this
chamber,” asked Captain Williams?

“That is my doing,” Ingrid said. “I was
approached for advice about the tunnel. They wanted to know if it
went right through under the mountains to the Gulf of Tehuantepec,
and I believed it did, based on the flow of water. I reckoned that,
at the time the continents drifted apart, I’m referring to Pangaea;
the Middle America Trench was a hinge point running through to the
Gulf of Mexico. Tidal forces opened up the fault, eroding the
passage we see now. I wanted to drill a series of exploratory holes
that followed the course of the tunnel and make a name for myself.
Montoya and Gruber decided to use the borehole as an access point
to service their smuggling operations. They blew up the old U-boat
to bring down the roof, enlarge the cavern and reduce the drilling
distance. All the rubble was swept away by the ferocious currents,
and by pressurising the chamber; they can easily control the water
level here. With the US1, they are going on to the next phase of
exploration. I believe they will get through, but even if they
don’t, early indications are, there are vast mineral deposits there
for the picking.”

What about the other two prisoners,
asked Captain Williams, “who are they and where are they now?”

“You won’t be seeing them,” replied
Ingrid; they are being held on the U-boat.

“Montoya could not find out anything
about the man and girl by questioning them, so he proposes to hang
on to them for a while to see who, if anyone, come looking for
them. They were trying to find me though, so they could be employed
by my father. I must try and find a way of getting them on board
your sub, before it sails. They may improve our chances of getting
away.”

Max was keen not to blow his cover so
kept quiet about the girl and man prisoner. He knew the girl was
Carla, and the man was Mike Teal as soon as Ingrid introduced
herself.

“Any ideas on how you propose to get
the man and the girl aboard with us?” queried Max.

“I have a couple of crates for
equipment to go on your sub, I can fit them into,” she replied,
“but, the problem is how to get them off the U-boat and into the
crates. You will have to leave that to me, I will find a way,” she
added.

Ingrid headed for the door and peeked
out, seeing the coast was clear, she slipped away back to the
U-boat.

Everyone started talking at once,
asking questions no one could answer until Captain Williams urged
them to keep their voices down. You all know as much as I do he
said, we must sit tight for now, and as soon as we are back on
board and underway, we must strike.

They did not have long to wait. Ten
minutes later Montoya came into the room with Gruber and three
guards. Montoya spoke to his prisoners. “I have captured your
submarine for the purpose of robbing several cruise ships. You have
the choice of helping me do this and then I will let you go or I
will kill you now!” The rehearsed guards cocked their weapons
menacingly, right on cue.

“All those who want to live, step
outside now!” A murmur of voices broke out debating the options,
but Montoya cut them short.

“The choice is straightforward and
non-negotiable” he said coldly.

Max got up and pushed his way towards
the door as the others grumbled in surprise and protest.

“Max turned and looked back at the
crew, I want to live he said, don’t you? This man will kill you if
you don’t cooperate, have no doubt about that!” Max continued to
the door as the others got up and quietly followed. Montoya smirked
as he looked across to Gruber.

Back on board the US1, the crew felt
more secure; there was hope of escape now they were on their own
territory. All they needed was a plan of attack, and a signal from
Captain Williams to implement it.

The guards were everywhere, making sure
the crew did not have the chance to group or plot any sort of
rebellion, much to everyone’s dismay. Ingrid had now arrived on the
main deck with two men who struggled to bring aboard items of
equipment. Some still in large crates. She directed the men to stow
the gear in a large cabin near the medical bay. So she could
monitor data for her own purposes, she quickly ran cables from her
equipment to various systems linked to the sub’s own sensors.

Left to work on her own, she opened the
two large remaining crates and let Carla and Mike out.

To Captain Williams’s relief, the crew
were busy getting on with their respective tasks, their minds fully
focused on the difficult journey ahead of them. The officials, who
came for the sea trials, were herded into a cabin, and locked in to
keep them out of the way.

Gruber approached Captain Williams and
briefed him on the journey ahead of him. Max watched the two
carefully, Williams appeared to put on a splendid act, by looking
shocked at the suggestion of going deeper into the tunnel, and the
unknown, though perhaps the realisation of what lay ahead, caused
him to look shocked.