When you were in a first-class pig fuck like this, Orr knew, trust was sometimes an endangered species or it was already extinct. There was no way to know if everything that was going on in the LSB and the Neptune was constantly monitored. It sounded paranoid, but when you dealt with the sort of groups that were behind the Lake Vordog mission, paranoia was not a weakness, but an asset. It was quite possible that there were plants in the Kharkov Station crew or in the drill tower crew. Hell, Anderson, for all he knew, might be one of them.

The attack on the habitat had not been a blind act of rage, though for those below it had seemed that way. The purpose of it was to disable the submersible that would bring the dive team up to the LSB. Something, of course, which had been accomplished. The submersible was not only disabled…it was gone. The creature had stripped it free of its moorings and taken it away. It probably lay crushed in some deep abyss.

There were still the escape pods. And the hardsuits. Both of which could get the team to the LSB safely. But if that happened, would the dread contingency plan be set into motion?

Orr had considered taking the LSB’s submersible down to pick up the team…but if they showed up at Kharkov, would someone in the station alert command of the breach of operation?

Christ, but they were in a spot.

Orr sat there, wanting a drink very badly. The dive team was in incredible danger down there. But they might be in worse danger if they dared return to the surface.

He thought of what was in the safe and it made him feel not only hopeless, but doomed.

26
AFTERMATH

The air inside the hardsuit tasted metallic.

Gritty and dry, like sucking wind through a metal pipe. That’s what occurred to Bell as the hydraulic winch lowered both he and Murphy through the moon pool and down into the lake itself. Below the level of the Neptune habitat itself, the clamps released them and they sank slowly down to the baseplate which supported the entire structure above.

“Just take it real easy,” Javonivic said over the comm.

“We’re fine, Javy,” Murphy said. “I think our beastie is long gone.”

“Yes, of course. But take it slow.”

This was the point, Bell knew, where Murph and Javy usually started joking with each other, but there was no good cheer or humor in the air today. Everyone was wound tight. They were scared and they had good reason to be.

“Hubbs, just make sure you don’t take your eyes off sonar,” Murphy said.

“I’m glued to it.”