Austin suggested that they meet at the boat launcher. He went to his cabin and exchanged his soggy clothes for dry ones. Before hooking up again with Zavala, he stopped at the sick bay to check on the Trouts. They were sleeping. The medical tech said they were suffering from exposure and exhaustion but after a few hours of rest they would be fine.

On the way out of sick bay, he encountered Professor Adler, who was anxious to talk to the Trouts about their firsthand experience in the whirlpool. The professor was disappointed that he couldn't see them, but he seemed happy when Austin suggested that he speak instead to some of the crew of the Benjamin Franklin, who had been transported to the Throckmorton to have their injuries treated. The Franklin was anchored near the Throckmorton while recovering from its battering.

Austin met Zavala at the launch boom as planned, and minutes later their boat was cutting a foamy way toward the mystery ship. Austin steered the inflatable around the vessel in a big circle while Zavala snapped photographs. The sea was covered with dead fish and debris of every kind. Austin measured the vessel with his eye, comparing it to the NOAA and NUMA ships.

“She looks fairly new. I'd say she's around three hundred feet long,” he said.

“She looks like I feel after a night out on the town,” Zavala said. “She's fairly wide in the beam. Built to take a sizable load of cargo. But I don't see any cargo booms. They must have been knocked off in the whirlpool.”

“There's no name or registration numbers on the hull,” Austin said.

“Maybe we're looking at a pirate ship.”

Zavala's suggestion was not as bizarre as it sounded. Modern-day piracy was a big problem on the seas of the world. Like their ancient counterparts, pirates captured ships and used them to attack other vessels.

“Maybe,” Austin said, but he sounded unconvinced. The vessel was in fairly good condition, considering that she had lain on the bottom of the sea. “From the look of her, she was only submerged a short while. I don't see any unusual rust, although it might have been blasted off.” He slowed the boat down to a crawl. “We've seen everything we can from sea level. Let's go aboard?”

“Proper protocol says we should wait for an invitation from the captain?” Zavala said.

“Yes, under ordinary circumstances. But he seems to be otherwise occupied. I think I see the cocktail flag flying,” Austin said.

“You've got better eyesight than I have. All I see is a hulk that looks as if it would roll over if a seagull landed on the deck.”

“In that case, we'd better make sure we're wearing our water wings.”