Page 216 - Demo

216It was the most advanced sub-surface ship mankind had ever build. It out-stripped many of the war-machine nuclear submarines. No, it did not carry nuclear war-head missiles, nor was it a weapon of war: it was a scientific exploration ship. It could stay submerged for eighty years without needing fuel or oxygen. It was designed with greater and more advanced technology than any space vehicle sent to explore outside the Earth, and it could safely dive to any depth in any ocean.Paula was one of only two women selected to fill the prize positions of leading members of the six people crew. The other woman, Lisa, was less qualified than her but an important member. Ben, Norman, David, and Robert were the men. There was a further member, but not one who could walk. In fact Q was the most important. He was an A.I. Intelligence, functioning in a state-of-the-art quantum computer. He, it, was the heart and mind of the submarine. It was Paula%u2019s job as one of the people that had helped develop it at Google Corporation, to be its minder, keeper, analyst, and interpreter. She was a person with a brilliant mind and a software engineer of the highest capability. She was also a stunningly beautiful twenty-six year old who enjoyed life whenever opportunity arose. Most of the men were Marine Biologists, and Lisa was an analyst committed to recording or ensuring that a detailed record of the voyage was created.The submarine was named Nautilus after the famous author%u2019s book, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne. Paula loved that fact. She had read it as a young child and now here she was in a ship that was beyond anything the brilliant author could have possibly imagined. This was the ship%u2019s maiden voyage, other than the times it had SubChapter 1: Exploration