2042: The Great Cataclysm (6 page)

Nick felt the adrenalin rise and his heart pumped faster. In the seven years he had spent in the Bunyip he had never been under such a threat, and now he knew what it was like to face death. He felt a slap on his shoulder and Wolf’s grinning face laughed into his. ‘My friend. I thought we we’d had it this time.’

‘No way! I knew they’d rescue us.’ Nick laughed. ‘Sam wouldn’t dare lose us.’

Finally, an hour later a diver appeared at a fisheye and made winding up signals to indicate the propeller was free.

Beau hovered his finger over the starter button. ‘Here goes! Start you bastard.’ He exclaimed, punching buttons furiously. The motor turned over and whirred with a low pitched growl under the excessive demand on it’s power. For a moment she felt like a cork about to pop. They could feel the strain as Bunyip battled to pull free of the last restraints around her. A rapid jerk hurled them around the sphere again. Thens
she rose s
moothly and gently from her grave to begin her climb to freedom.

That evening Nick broke out the rum and the ship celebrated their rescue. The Bunyip had suffered only minor damage by the rocks that had lodged in the propeller. The engineer assured him a new propeller housing could be made and apart from the cosmetic damage to the hull, she would be one hundred percent perfect again.

Nick decided the following day was to be a rest day while they worked on the Bunyip, and he received no argument from Beau and Wolf, but a heated one from Jeremy when he told him he would be ship-bound for the rest of the trip.

‘We were lucky mate.’ Nick said. ‘That tremor could be the first of many. What if we strike more. Bigger? You won’t be in any state to help.’

‘It’s only a broken arm! It won’t stop me from doing my job. Doc’s fixed me up, it’s an inconvenience not a bloody handicap! You need me down there.’

‘If this trip wasn’t so important I’d send you back home for R and R.’

‘Not bloody likely,’ Jeremy argued. ‘I’m staying, and I’m going down with you!’

Nick sighed. He knew Jeremy would get his way. ‘Okay. Okay! But the minute you fall down you’re out of here.’

Chapter Six

Two days later the Bunyip had been fixed and they resumed their trip north on the trail of the devils pitchfork, a term scientists had given the necklace of volcanoes and undersea eruptions that forced lava from the bowels of the earth through the seabed in this region.

Nick admired Wolf’s courage, he hadn’t expected him to get back into the Bunyip, but there he sat
with two large bumps on his forehead, pulling at his beard
. The first time Bunyip jittered Beau crossed himself and the others reached for a support. At the forefront of their minds was the threat of meeting more tremors or eruptions, and the thought that perhaps next time they would not be so lucky.

What they found at Mururoa, Unimak and now here, were swarms of hundreds of thousands of slow moving, low frequency earthquakes, that were a forecast of larger earthquakes in the magnitude of eight or nine plus. The Pacific oceanic plate being the largest, doesn’t move in a continuous manner, some parts move faster than others and when it meets resistance these swarms occur, and when they do lava breaks through onto the seafloor.

Nick’s fears deepened. Ice bergs loomed around them like white ghosts in the eternal dark. They formed weird shapes, thrusting out white ridges worn smooth by the whirling currents, as they floated silently on their insidious journey.

Just when Nick decided they’d had enough for the day an eerie sight confronted them. The men strained against the small fisheyes of the sub as the scene ahead grew nearer and clearer. T
he Bunyip’s bright searchlights pierced the freezing, murky depths t
hrough the limited vision, picking up what first appeared to be a ghostly sunken ship. As they approached they were able to make out more dark shapes.

‘Look! Is that a sub?’ Beau whispered in disbelief.

‘Ya, probably be Russian.’ Said Wolf.  ‘Could be one of their dumping grounds. The Ruskis started building those death traps in the nineteen fifties. They’ve been scuttling them somewhere in the ocean ever since’

‘I thought they were dicing that stuff into the sea near Vladivostok.’ Nick said.

‘Maybe a little too close to home.’ Wolf replied.

‘Yeah, and I read somewhere they found a big dump in the Norwegian Sea in the nineties. Must be at least thirteen damaged sub reactors on the bottom there, five still filled with fuel.’ Nick said. ‘That’s also where the nuclear sub Komsomolets went down with four kilos of plutonium in her nose.’

‘Ya, and what about the seventeen thousand containers of radioactive waste they dumped in the Bering and Kara Seas
?
Plu
s
the twenty-thousand spent fuel rods they found off the Kola Peninsular west of Murmansk. I could go on and on.’

They manoeuvred slowly around among the relics and sighted piles of barrels and cylinders.   ‘Why couldn’t they have spread them around a bit?’
Jeremy snapped, nursing his plastered arm. ‘
No-one knows how long these things will hold together or what they’ll do to the environment.’

‘’I think it’s a case of out of sight out of mind, the Russians don’t care about the environment.’ Wolf said. ‘Don’t forget the Japs.’

‘They’re not the only ones.’ Nick said. ‘Excuse me guys, but look what the US did at Amchitka in the seventies? The underground blast was the biggest in US history. It raised the ground six metres! They’re still monitoring the area for leakage of nuclear materials.’

‘Christ. Listening to you two is scaring me.’ Beau said. ‘What’s all that doing to the marine life?’

Nick turned to Beau. ‘Look around. Do you see any? Radioactive material travels with ocean currents. It’s deposited in marine sediment and climbs the marine food chain. Seals have died here from blood cancer, so have millions of starfish, shellfish, seals and porpoises in the White Sea, caused by pollution or nuclear contamination. Most of the world’s radioactive contamination is in the marine environment.’

H
is mind was working furiously as h
e stared at the scene in front of him, and suddenly his head jerked around, his eyes narrowed into slits then widened as his pupils dilated to darkened orbs.  At the same time Wolf’s expression turned sour. 

‘Christ! That pile of junk out there’s sitting right on top of the fault line.’ Nick said. ‘When the quakes open up the seabed here, that stuff will be swallowed.’

‘Ya, and when it hits the molten magma, it’ll make Krakatoa look like a baby.’ Wolf added.

Nick turned an ashen countenance to Jeremy. ‘You’d better make a note of everything out there, see if you can get some images. It’s bloody frightening. I need to get back to Washington. Fast!  How soon can we get back to land and have a Veto pick me up Wolf?’

Wolf immediately reached for the radio. ‘It’ll take about six hours to get to Kotzebue Sound, we can have a military Veto from Fairbanks waiting for you, he can take you to Anchorage airport.’

‘Good. Get them to book me on a flight to Washington while you’re at it. We’ll head off when Jeremy’s finished.  Um, we should keep this under our hats for now, until I can sort it out with Josh in Washington.’

Nick retreated to his thoughts, his mind racing as he tried to assimilate all that had transpired in the past month. The ramifications of his findings were beyond calculation. The eruptions and crustal movement between Tahiti and the Aleutians would cause immeasurable damage to a vast region of land bordering the Pacific, but what they were facing here would destroy the weakened polar ice.  Any that withstood the nuclear blast would be melted by the boiling sea and molten magma forced out by the amplified eruptions below the earth’s crust.

An explosion such as this would have a devastating affect on the already floundering cities on sea level, forcing the oceans higher, perhaps drowning all coastal cities entirely!  His mind was spinning, questions flooding in at a rate he was unable to process. He wondered if Josh or anyone else would believe him.

Jeremy completed his observations and they headed back to the Platypus where Sam and the boys were more than glad to see them. ‘It’s about time y’ finished up down there. We’ve bin freezin’ our butts off as usual. What the hell did y’ find that took so long?’ Sam demanded.

Ignoring his question Nick pulled him aside out of earshot. ‘I’m jumping a Veto back to Washington. I want you to take the Platypus to Australia, but don’t go into any port unless it’s to refuel or take on supplies. If you do, get back to sea quick-smart, and stay there! Understand?’

‘Are you serious!’ Sam exploded, eyes bulging with disbelief. ‘e’ve bin at sea over six weeks and the men are restless. They need a break. Now your tellin’ me to go to Australia!  Sweet Jesus. It’ll take us two weeks to get there!  What the hell’s goin’ on?’

‘Looks like some major undersea earthquakes coming up Sam! It could affect the entire world as we know it. Jeremy can fill you in. Just trust me. This’s important. Don’t screw up. Just do as I tell you!  I’m relying on you.’

‘Je..sus, if things aren’t bad enough.’ Sam muttered, thinking of the world-wide flooding. He knew it would be pointless to question Nick any further and stabbed his finger several times on the map on the console display.

***

Friday, May 26

T
hey could see the Veto waiting as promised as they steamed
into the sequestered inlet of Kotzebue Sound. Sam had informed the crew of their orders and heated arguments had followed and he had a great deal of trouble persuading the men to stay with him, several threatened to jump ship, and would have done so had they been anywhere else but in that isolated Godforsaken freezing hole.

Nick left his men with a feeling of deep sorrow not knowing whether he would ever see the Platypus again.  He did know however, that its safety was going to be crucial to his future.  ‘Remember what I said Sam.’ He reiterated. ‘Stay at sea!  I’ll keep in touch.’

Wolf’’s robust complexion had paled and he walked with a slight stoop as he escorted Nick to the waiting Veto. ‘Nicky, this’s bad. What’s worse is there’s nothing we can do to stop it.’

Nick lowered his voice. ‘Listen mate, why don’t you to come back to Washington with me? It’s going to be tough convincing those sceptics back there. Besides, I reckon you shouldn’t hang ‘round here, it’s going to be a bloody catastrophe when that lot goes off.’

‘Thanks Nicky, but you don’t need me. I’ll get Sam to take me back to Unimak. I want to get my records and make sure my men get out of there. I’ve spent way too long up here to walk away and leave it all behind.
Maybe I’ll join you later.’

‘Do you think it will matter? Nothing will be the same again!’

Ya.’ He sighed. ‘I s’pose you’re right, but you know me. Never give up.’

Nick boarded the Veto and waved a fond farewell to his old friend who presented a desolate figure standing alone on the edge of the pad as he waved back. His friendly blue eyes no longer smiled and his face held a grave expression as he tugged at his beard. The Veto lifted off and Nick leaned against the window to take one last look at his ship, his eyes remained fixed on her outline as she receded, dissolving into nothing more than a speck on the ocean. Not being a religious man he found himself praying for his men and their safety. It would be quite a trip, he thought, whilst unconsciously chewing a fingernail until it’s tips oozed tiny red droplets.

After a long uncomfortable flight into Anchorage, Nick settled into the comparative luxury of the old 777 jet bound for Washington. Knowing relaxation would be impossible, he sought to sooth his frayed nerves with a nudge from his favourite amber fluid and buzzed the flight attendant.  ‘A double scotch. On the rocks, please love.’ He sighed.’Got any black label?’

While he waited for his drink he dialled Josh Harrington’s number in Washington and was somewhat soothed by the warm deep voice on the other end. ‘Nick, where the hell have your been? I expected you back weeks ago.’

‘Good to hear from you too. I’m on my way back. Can you meet me at Dulles? My flight gets in at ten. Three twenty-two from Anchorage.’

‘Anchorage? What’re you doing there?’

‘It’s along story, mate.’ He sighed. ‘Look forward to seeing you.’

‘Ten. Right. I’ll be there.’

Nick hung up just as the flight attendant brought his drink, which he quickly swallowed an ordered another. After the third drink he began to unwind and felt the pressure lifting. He closed his eyes and eased
the seat back into the reclining position
and allowed his mind to shift direction towards Laura and more pleasant times.

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven
 

Nick had met Laura Forrest two years previously at the historical Lincoln Hotel in Washington, when they each had attended a Government reception for a team of visiting English Scientists.

His first impression of the Jefferson function room was of an aircraft hanger, festooned as it was with giant crystal chandeliers,
draped
like parachutes from one end of the ceiling to the other. He admonished himself for being conned into another of these superfluous ‘do’s’. Josh was always trying to pair him off with some glamorous socialite. He just wasn’t interested, there was no room in his solitary life for a woman.