Deep Sea One

Chapter 32

Nina waited in anticipation for the door to be opened for them. She would be working on her analysis of the Spear of Destiny in this part of Purdue's laboratory and she was eager to see what he had to offer. At the same time she harbored a feeling of foreboding somewhere deep in her gut, that she was not safe down here. Unable to pinpoint it, she put it off to a paranoid reaction to the cramped spaces under the ocean of Deep Sea One, but in truth it was just good instinct.

Sam was conflicted about something else, though. Why could Purdue himself not gain access to this leg of the structure? Who was on the other side of the door that had him asking permission, so to speak? Purdue was not German, as far as he knew, so the fact that he told the occupant scientists that he was not alone before the door could be opened, posed some concern for the journalist. After all, Sam had a nose for discrepancies and underhanded conduct and this one smelled like week-old fish sandwiches.

The door lock buzzed and clicked. Purdue smiled nervously at his companions and opened the door of the red section.

"I take it by the color code that this is the dangerous part of the lab?" Sam remarked, as they entered the last leg of the triangle. It did not deviate from the other two, apart from playing host to only two labs and ten cells. It gave Calisto chills and she could see that Nina made the same deduction as she had — that the experiments here had to have been done on people. What else could account for so many containment rooms? The two women briefly exchanged glances, but were interrupted by the sight of a striking man passing in front of the lab window. Since the other lab was designated to Nina, they assumed he was a scientist working on whatever god-awful experimentation was being perpetrated in this area.

"Oh, that is Johann. He is part of our research team. Come, I want to show you where you will be working, Dr. Gould," Purdue smiled warmly. Inside, he was still as taken with her as he had always been. In his own way he wished to gradually win her affections by accommodating her work and providing grants she could not refuse and in so doing make her see that he cared not only about her allure and beauty, but also her work.

"How will I be gaining access when I come down here?" Nina asked, still dumbfounded by the large blond man whose features were as perfect as she had ever seen on a human being.

"You will get a password to speak into the intercom, one that only you and the operator would know. You will be given the password later up top," he assured her.

"I am not going to fuck around here, Dave, but all this is giving me a very bad feeling. The viruses you are having analyzed and tampered with aside, I think it is a very bad idea for me to be here," Nina revealed, stopping in her tracks.

"What is the problem? I am giving you a unique opportunity to get that big break you have been looking for, Nina. How the hell can you pass that up?" Purdue argued.

"God knows what you are busy concocting. If anything goes wrong down here, with anything, we are fucked. How can you not see that? It makes me seriously uncomfortable. I'm not sure I want to be a part of this, even at the risk of my 'big break'," she moaned in upset. He could see the fear in her face, the uncertainty, and he was aware that her feelings of distrust were well founded.

Nina looked at Sam for support, but to her dismay found him to be quite indifferent. Instead he was combing the place with his eyes, intrigued by the happenings in the other lab and raising himself on his toes to look into the holding cell behind him.

"Don't do that, Sam," Purdue warned with a light slap on Sam's arm, shaking his head.

"Nina, I need you for this. Why do you think I am forking out thousands to procure your services if I did not have faith in your abilities, your caliber in your field?" Purdue retorted. He hated bringing up the money, but when all else failed it was the reason they had agreed to assist him in the first place. There was no need to deny it. She had to consider the exuberant spending and the prospective funding, should she discover something amazing. This relic was legendary and if it was the real thing her name would go down in history. No amount of academic ass-kissing would live up to being mentioned in historical accounts of the Holy Lance.

"Let me get the code from the operator. I'll be right back," Purdue said solemnly, pretending to have accepted Nina's refusal.

"Sam," she whispered loudly, "are you daft? Can you not see that this place is like, like—"

"A Nazi experiment camp?" Calisto added casually.

"Well, yes," Nina nodded, her huge eyes imploring Sam to sense.

"I get it, all right. I really do, Nina. It is everything you feel it to be in my opinion. I really understand. But think about it. This could change our lives!" he stated his case, trying to sway her to see the perks he picked out of the frightening possibilities of his situation.

"Or cost us our lives," she snapped urgently.

"This is the story of a lifetime, Nina. This could be the report that would cement my name into the halls of glory," he explained. "I am staying. I have to see how this plays out. There is just too much going on here to ignore. Imagine what a story I could write from this!"

Nina shook her head, her eyes lining with tears of frustration. Again Sam was betraying her, it seemed. Again he sided with those she opposed. Then she looked back at the rough beauty behind her, who stood with her back to them, scrutinizing Johann through the window.

"Are you sure you don't have another reason for staying?" her voice cracked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Nina. I can't believe you entertain shite like that," Sam sighed.

"It didn't look like shite in the kitchen," she mumbled.

"Don't be such a bitch. You know you…" Sam stopped right there. He had almost told her how he felt about her and realized in the nick of time what his words were about to reveal.

"I what?" she prompted, with a look of hope on her pretty face, picking up on his thoughts.

"Nothing. Just stop jumping to conclusions out of desperation. You know it's not true," he said, his eyes on the floor in fear that she might read his mind again.

Purdue returned and punched in the code. The door hissed and sprung open. He switched on the light and the sudden brightness of it jerked Nina and Sam out of their subdued intimacy, smothered by their incessant jousting.

"Sergeant, will you be joining us?" he asked, as Sam and Nina entered the lab.

"No, thank you, sir. It does not really pertain to me. Besides, I am very interested in the enticing experiments conducted in this lab," she replied. "I shall wait here."

Purdue smiled to himself. He knew what she was staring at and understood unrequited attention better than anyone.

"Very well," he said, with his open hands stroking the sides of his jacket and went inside.

Nina was impressed by all the space and the high-end computers. There were analyzing instruments, gloves, magnifiers linked to two of the computers and several books on the history of the artifact already placed on the bookshelf. Among all the items she was not going to utilize she noticed old transistor radios and frequency devices, telegraph machines and strangely fashioned sundials in unusual metals.

"This place is so steampunk, Sam," she remarked on her observations. Sam smiled and nodded in agreement. It certainly was. The merging of technology and antiquated industrial machinery, clock wheels and cogs, tarnished metal forged roughly for scientific inventions certainly was interesting and it gave the laboratory a wondrous old-world feel, unlike the cold white medical sting of the other labs.

"So, what do you think, Dr. Gould?" Purdue said, keeping his tone void of any hopeful beckoning for her approval. He wanted to sound indifferent to her decision.

"Obviously I would be here with her, right, Mr. Purdue? After all, I would have to make notes on her discoveries and the historical facts for the piece I'm writing. It is best if I am here as she goes on," Sam added. He had hoped Nina would catch on to his intentions and decide to stay.

"Of course," Purdue said in his trademark cheer, grateful for Sam's backup in persuading the delectable Dr. Gould to stay. "You two would be combining your expertise in this project to tell me all about what we have here and to document every step."

Nina stood in contemplation. The two men waited in anticipation. What she never considered was the measure of peril she would have to concern herself with, knowing what she knew about Purdue's secret station and the unsavory, immoral tests conducted within. It never crossed her mind that leaving to the mainland was not an option, but Purdue had hoped her reluctance would not ignite such unpleasantness.

Calisto sauntered down the corridor in front of Nina's window. The sight of her competition for Sam's affection shifted her decision instantaneously. If she left, she would not only be excluded from all credit due the contributors of this expedition, she would, no doubt, be excluded from Sam's life. Calisto was nothing like her, but in her own tough way she was very appealing to any man and she would have no trouble in seducing the wayward boyish journalist.

"I'll stay," she smiled suddenly, to the delight of both men.

"Fantastic!" Purdue exclaimed, and locked his hands together in elation. He was relieved that the looming threat of silencing Nina was eradicated before it had to be addressed and he nodded to Calisto to notify her that she could stand down now. The three carried on talking inside the lab, discussing the schedule of the inspection and the workings of the software he had created to assist her in her analysis of the relic. The bodyguard took the opportunity to return to the window of the other laboratory. Two scientists were busy examining Johann's eyes, unaware of the woman watching them. Quickly she took a chair and placed it under the peephole of one of the cells. Peeking through it, she could see another man inside, sleeping. He was remarkably tall and his hair was blond. She found it peculiar that he looked so much like Johann. Hastening, she climbed down, checked for any movement and placed the chair under the window of the next cell. Inside was a young girl, aged about nine years, sitting on her bed. She was reading a book on ethnicity. On her bed lay strewn literature on civilizations of ancient Nordic origin and occult roots of the Third Reich. A textbook on physics lay open at her feet, implying her level of intellect at such a tender age.

Calisto swallowed hard. She could not believe what she beheld in front of her. Keeping her presence hidden she whispered to herself, "My God! They did it! They actually managed the absurd." Her entire body trembled as she watched the young girl look up at her with pristine blue eyes filled with an old wisdom. "Jesus! They are creating a new Aryan race!"