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“Then we need to stop Mallik”
“Exactly,” Carlton said “And we need to convince the others in the Nine That’s why I asked you to jointo do to take hi the trap”
FIFTEEN
JHOOTHA ISLAND
After a thirty-hour voyage that allowed everyone on board the Oregon to get a good rest, they arrived at the twenty-mile exclusion zone around the forbidden island and prepared for a overnment didn’tacross one of their Coast Guard patrol vessels were sli to take any chances of a flyover by one of their airplanes, so he thought it best to approach its shores by stealth
When he reached the Oregon’s reeted hiantry crane suspended above a rectangle of water the size of an Oly pool The water in the er of the cha down and away to allow vessels to be launched and recovered unseen
A large subned for deep-water dives, re in its cradle
Its s, the Gator, had already been lowered into position for its dive through the open keel, and the clang of e space as the sub submersible had a low-profile cupola with narros on all four sides and an air snorkel behind it The flat-topped deck was barely above water level Like an alligator, it would be nearly invisible at night, capable of sneaking up on ships at sea with no warning using battery-powered e, but also rise to the surface and use powerful diesels to dash across the water
As he descended the stairs to the wet-deck, Juan was surprised to see helicopter and drone pilot George “Gomez” Adams, who didn’t venture into this area of the ship very often He’d gotten his nickna lord’s ho looked just like Morticia Addams from the sixties television show The Addaood looks and a handlebar mustache that would look appropriate on Wyatt Earp, Goot himself into that kind of trouble
“I thought you flyboys didn’t like going underwater,” Juan said
“Only e’re in so that’s supposed to stay in the air,” said Go with a saucer-sized quadcopter drone “Since we’re going to be doing soood idea forBesides, you won’t need me in the helicopter for this operation”
Juan nodded “Right No clearings big enough to land in But what if we need you to operate soon?”
Goaed this up for h-def screen we have on the Gator, I can operate any drone on board the Oregon reed, because of the telescoping antenna This allows us to extend the control range of all our drones” He nodded to a whip-thin metal projection at the back of the Gator that was currently at its full extension
“Then we’re happy to have you along Did Max brief you on the mission parameters?”
Gomez nodded “We stay as invisible as possible Don’t want the natives to know they’re being observed, right?”