Gunn pushed his thick horn-rimmed glasses up onto his thinning hair and leafed through the folder. “At times like this, I realize what a boring life I lead,” he said. “You've really missed your calling. You should be writing scripts for video games.”

Austin took a big gulp of his drink, savoring the deep flavor of the dark rum and the tingle of the Jamaican ginger beer. “Naw. This stuff is too far-fetched.”

“I beg to differ, old pal. What's far-fetched about a mysterious cor- poration that sinks ships by remote control? A long-lost cave with fantastic wall art in the Faroe Islands. A creature out of Jaws that knocks you on your ass.” He started to chuckle uncontrollably. “Now that's something I would have liked to witness.”

“There's no such thing as respect anymore,” Austin lamented. Gunn got his composure back, and he turned a few more pages. “The list goes on and on. Murderous Eskimo thugs who hunt hu- mans instead of seals. Oh yes, a female attorney with a radical envi- ronmental group.” He looked up from his reading. “She has long slim legs, I suppose.”

Austin thought about Them's figure. “About average in length, I'd say, but quite shapely.”

“Can't have everything, I suppose.” Gunn put the folder on his lap and gave Austin the once-over, taking in his scuffed shoes, crooked bow tie and the hole in the knee of the tuxedo. "Did the bouncer

throw you out of the museum reception? You look a little, ah, rum- pled."

“The reception was fine. But I learned that Washington is going to the dogs.”

'Nothing new there. Hope that tux wasn't rented,“ Gunn said. ”Worse,“ Austin replied. ”I own it. Maybe NUMA will buy me a new one.

“I'll take it up with Admiral Sandecker,” Gunn said. Austin refreshed their drinks, then laid out the story of the meet- ing with Marcus Ryan and the evening's events.

After absorbing the account without comment, Gunn tapped the report on his lap. “Any thoughts on how your dogsled adventure fits in with this wild tale?”

“Lots of thoughts, but nothing coherent. I'll sum up what I know in a single sentence. The people who run Oceanus deal ruthlessly with anyone who gets in their way.”

“That would be my conclusion, too, based on what you've said.' Gunn paused for a moment, brow furrowed. He had the capacity to think as coldly and clearly as a computer. He processed the moun- tain of information, separating the wheat from the chaff. After a few moments, he said, ”What about this Basque character, Aguirrez?"

“Interesting fellow. He's the wild card in this poker game. I talked to a friend at the CIA. Aguirrez may or may not be allied with Basque separatists. Perlmutter is looking into the family background for me. All I know for now is that he's either a Basque terrorist or an amateur archaeologist. Take your pick.”