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"How about a sneezing seagull?"

"Look at it this way Where would you rather be, behind your desk at NUMA or a place like this, where you've got a great ocean view?"

"I'd like to be behind the wheel of my Corvette with a view of a lovely blonde"

"I'll take that as a yes," Austin said "I think I see a way in"

Despite their playful badinage, bothbelowdecks But Zavala trusted Austin's judgment and instincts iates of hell without hesitation Austin made his way to a deck hatch, about three feet square, that his sharp eyes had picked out

He unlatched the cover, braced his feet and pulled back The cover banged against its hinges, and a foul exhalation flowed fro and rocked theht clipped to his belt and pointed it into the opening The intense beas of a metal ladder

They slipped off their flotation vests The vests would only get in the way, and would be useless if the ship rolled over while they were belowdecks Austin was the first down the ladder, which was sharply angled because of the ship's list He descended twenty feet and felt a solid surface under his feet The deck slanted sharply, and he held on to the ladder to steady himself

Zavala was right behind hilanced around and said, "It looks like a fun house"

"Let's go have some fun," Austin said

Bracing hi a narrow passageway After walking for about fifty feet, they ca deeper into the stricken ship was not an appetizing one, especially when they felt the deck list another few degrees Both men knew that if the vessel capsized, they were dead There would be no tiet out But Austin was determined to pry out the secrets the ship held

"Feeling lucky today?" he said, his voice echoing off the walls of the passageway

Zavala siant whirlpool and won I'"

The stairs led down to another deck that was identical to the first The passageway ended not in a stairwell but in an unlocked door, which they opened As they stepped through the doorway, their noses told thes Instead of the briny odor that had pervaded the passageways, the air had an electrical smell to it, as if they had stepped into a Radio Shack

Austin played the light around They were standing on a balcony that overlooked a huge, central hold The space contained four massive, cylindrical objects set in a line

"Looks like the electrical generating plant inside Hoover Dam," Austin said