Page 235 - Demo

235The ship took a deep angle causing the six of them to stagger and grip the walls, the table, and each other. %u201cNet released,%u201d Q announced.%u201cReport the depth, please, Q,%u201d Paula said.%u201cOf course. Two thousand metres.%u201dThey all waited. Minutes passed. %u201cThe vessel has ceased following. Three thousand metres.%u201d%u201cQ. Continue diving and turn around. Travel for two miles and remain stationary,%u201d Ben said.%u201cTurning.%u201dThey all hung on until the ship levelled out. %u201cThe current depth does not allow me to dive further. We are 5000 metres down,%u201d Q said.%u201cJust over 3 miles,%u201d Paula told Ben. %u201cNo military submarine with weapons can hope to reach such a depth.%u201d%u201cTurning now,%u201d Q announced.%u201cGood, Q. Are you mapping the trench?%u201d Ben asked.%u201cYes. That%u2019s one of the mission%u2019s primary objectives.%u201dPaula nodded at Ben. %u201cWe need to talk about this, Ben.%u201d %u201cAre you all comfortable with myself and Paula having a chat in private? I%u2019ll share the outcome when I return.%u201d Ben asked them.No one objected. Ben and Paula went to the main control room.Ben said, %u201cSit down, Paula. What%u2019s worrying you?%u201d%u201cBefore the mission, I think the world was moving close to global war. Mainly the USA and China. Could it have started?%u201d Paula said.Ben knew what she was saying.%u201cI think it%u2019s a possibility. We could launch a wired radio buoy but it would mean returning to a higher level. I think its more reliable than ELF or TARF. And it might give us away if we use it for too long, Sub