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AFTER SPENDING the balance of the night at the hospital and talking with the local police, Kurt, Joe, Paul and Gaed a few hours of exhausted sleep, before talking with Rudi Gunn in Washington

The tone of the conversation was somber until Kurt asked Rudi’s perht be hiding

“Not a chance,” Rudi Gunn replied “Absolutely out of the question”

His voice ca in thearound the hotel suite with so ht as well have been there in person

Kurt leaned back in his chair, his eyes on the triangle-shaped speaker “So what I’ isyou’d like us to be careful”

“Then you need to get your ears checked,” Rudi said “The location you gave us is not just deep within Chinese territorial waters In a section they’ve designated a special operations zone It’s one of their naval testing grounds They patrol the demarcation line relentlessly Ships, aircraft, submarines They even have a per like our SOSUS lines in the North Sea”

Kurt looked around at the others After what they’d just been through, every one of the machines had found

Paul took the next crack at it “Rudi, I’ve gone over what I know of Kenzo’s theory Geologically speaking, there’s a reasonable chance he’s onto so the situation, there has to be so us in there”

“That’s not like you, Paul How bad is Kurt twisting your arm?”

“Only a ue in cheek

“Help us and no one gets hurt,” Kurt joked

Joe offered a thought: “We could have a commercial vessel wander off course, break down and request our help Maybe even stage a fire or soent need We’ve done it before If we happen to be the closest vessel—”

“Then you’d already be in Chinese waters,” Rudi said “Look It’s simple The Chinese don’t need our help to rescue anyone that close to their own shoreline And they’re not too keen on anyone ‘wandering’ into their waters or airspace A few years ago, they crashed into one of our surveillance planes—and that flight was still technically in international airspace”

Kurt sat back “What if we hitchhiked aboard one of the Navy’s new attack subs?” Kurt said “I’ve heard they’re undetectable”

“Already asked,” Rudi replied “So far, the only thing undetectable has been an official response totheir newest submarine into a shalloater sea filled with China’sposts And I can’t blame them”