“Of course, Cate. We’ve been introducing ourselves to Dmitry and Yegor. As you know, this investment is expensive, and I’m sure we all want to get the maximum benefit from it. We also want to come back safely. And now…” Mironov held his arms wide. “…it looks like we’re just about ready to go.”

“Ah, speaking of that.” Greg had his hand up. “Safety, I mean. Not that we’re expecting any trouble, but we already know that the thickness of the granite shell over the lake makes communications impossible. But what if we, um, need to call home in an emergency?”

Cate rolled her eyes, and went to respond, when Mironov came and stood beside her.

“If I may?”

Cate nodded. “Please.”

Mironov turned back to Greg. “Good question, Mr Jamison, because when you plan for things to go right, you must also plan for when they go wrong. We’ll be entering zones that are well over a thousand feet below solid rock, and then entering water that is even deeper. The combined pressure will make it what they call abyssal zone water. Unfortunately, there is no way a signal will get through that much geology, and given the size of the subterranean sea, we may be well away from any signal relay buoys we drop. So…” He smiled, seeming to enjoy the suspense. “I have taken the trouble of having communication pipes drilled down right across the Alaskan continent – all the way down to the water. My engineers will be lowering a goodies package of extra supplies, plus two-way communication silos. We’ll be moving between those, periodically checking in with our surface support personnel. If we need to call home urgently, then we make our way to one of them.”

Cate couldn’t hide how impressed she felt. “I’d say we certainly backed the right guy.”

“How many, and how far apart, are they… the buoys I mean?” Abby asked.

“Twenty overall, and first one is close, just fifteen miles,” Mironov responded smoothly.

Greg scoffed. “That’s close? We’re talking underwater distance here.”

“I’m guessing you needed to find suitable geology for drilling,” Jack said. “Also some parts of the subterranean body of water are deeper than others. Right?”

“Exactly, Mr Monroe.” Mironov looked along the faces of the small group “Now if—”

“One more thing.” Greg held up his hand again. “If we’re in trouble and need to get out quick, I don’t suppose climbing up one of your communication silos is a possibility?”

“No.” Mironov began to look bored.

“We’ll be fine,” Jack said. “The Priz Class submersible is basically an underwater tank. It’s low tech, and slow tech, but its got plenty of room, is tough and reliable… at least now it is.”

“Now it is?” Greg’s eyebrows shot up.

“Early models suffered implosions at depth. But its seals were strengthened with the new models.” Jack grinned as Greg pretended to faint.