04 The Edge of Darkness Read online

  This is a afferent world.

  Another two hours passed as Murphy went back and forth in a grid pattern. He finally slowed to a stop and grabbed something to eat and some water to drink.

  “I guess I can work any hours I want down here. There is no day. It’s only night.”

  Time began to lose meaning in the darkness. It was only the hope of finding something that kept Murphy motivated. He made another grid pattern and continued the search.

  Three hours later the metal detector indicated that something very large was nearby. He followed the gauges toward the object.

  Murphy soon felt dwarfed in the mini-sub as it came next to a large cargo ship lying on its side. He slowed the engine and gently glided over the boat. He estimated that it was as long as a football field. He could see steel cargo boxes strewn about the ocean floor around the ship. They each looked to be about forty feet in length.

  I’ll bet they lost millions of dollars with the loss of the ship and cargo.

  He began to wonder how many people had died when it sank. Had this boat become their tomb? It was a very strange feeling to move about in silence around this sleeping giant resting on a bed of sand.

  Murphy maneuvered the sub around the cargo boat, appraising it from different angles. As he passed by the deck he could see the arm of a loading crane sticking out. It looked like the arm of a beggar asking for an offering. It seemed to say, Please, give me something I can pick up. I’m so bored down here.

  Hey, Murphy, are you losing it? You must be tired.

  Murphy slowed the sub and moved closer to the ocean floor. He allowed the sub to settle into a resting place on the sand.

  As he looked out the curved window he could see strange fish swimming by the sunken ship. He watched for a few minutes and then his eyelids grew heavy and finally shut. He drifted into a weary sleep.

  The next thing Murphy knew he was awake. Some noise had startled him out of his slumber. His heart was beating fast.

  What was that?

  The noise hadn’t been loud. It was more like a thud against the outside of the small submarine. He turned on the outside lights and peered through the window. He watched for a moment and then he saw them. Three sharks were lazily swimming around the sub. It may have been the noise of the generator that had attracted them. Two of the sharks looked to be about twelve feet long and the third was very large at about sixteen feet long.

  One of their tails must have hit the side of the sub.

  Murphy started the engine and began to move away from the sunken ship and into the darkness of the ocean. He figured he was a hundred yards away from the ship when his metal detector began to sound again. He adjusted the meter. The gauges indicated brass.

  Could it be?

  Murphy’s heart started to beat faster. He could feel a little bit of an adrenaline rush. Although he went back and forth over the spot he could see nothing.

  I guess I’ll need to pump some water.

  He slowed the submarine to a stop at the point where the beeping was loudest and then turned off the sound so he could concentrate. He then maneuvered the mechanical arms down toward the sand. On each arm there was an attached tube through which water could be pumped. The flow of water under pressure would move the sand to expose objects that might be buried underneath.

  Murphy started the slow process. If he pumped water too fast he would not be able to see. It would create something like an underwater dust storm.

  After about ten minutes he saw something move in the sand. At first he thought it might be a fish, but it didn’t swim away.

  He stopped the pumping of the water and let the sand settle. The moving object looked like a strap of some kind. His hand shook as he maneuvered the mechanical arm toward the strap, opened the grips on the end, and then closed them on the strap. He slowly began to lift up the arm.

  Murphy stopped breathing for a moment when it came out of the sand. It was the backpack. He just sat there and looked at it in the underwater lights, not believing what he saw. He closed his eyes for a moment and prayed.

  “Thank you, God.”

  Murphy was so enthralled with what he found that he was not aware of the new reading on his metal detector or the dark gray shadow in the water moving toward him.

  SIXTY-FOUR

  MURPHY UNBUCKLED the harness and climbed out of his seat. He moved closer to the thick glass window to get a better view of the backpack. He wanted to see if it might have been damaged in any way. He wanted to be sure that none of the bronze plates had somehow fallen out. All three plates would be necessary for the formula of the Philosopher’s Stone.

  As far as he could tell, the backpack looked intact. There were no rips or tears. All the zippers were closed. He sighed in relief. Now the only thing to do was to work the mechanical arms and deposit the backpack in a watertight holding compartment.

  Murphy turned and started to move back to the driving seat. His hand was on the arm of the seat when it happened.

  The dark gray object that Murphy hadn’t noticed was Talon in one of the Carson Oceanographic mini-subs.

  Talon had spotted the lights of Murphy’s sub and approached with his outside lights off. He had watched at a distance as Murphy had blown water into the sand and discovered the backpack.

  Thank you, Dr. Murphy. You’ve saved me a great deal of time and effort. Now for your reward.

  Talon moved the speed control to maximum on the Carson sub. He was going to be able to catch Murphy off-guard and blindside him.

  The Carson sub rammed into Murphy’s just behind the windows that wrapped around the front. Talon was ready for the impact but Murphy was not.

  The collision sent Murphy through the air into the side of his ship. A lever that controlled the movement of the watertight holding compartment was sticking straight out. Murphy’s body smashed into the lever, breaking three of the ribs on his left side. One of the ribs penetrated his lung and he cried out in shock and intense pain. He desperately gasped for air and collapsed to the floor.

  Murphy had also hit his head on the metal side wall and was bleeding, disoriented, and confused. He had no idea what had just happened. The outside lights and inside lights on the right side of Murphy’s sub flickered for a moment and then went out.

  Talon, in the meantime, was putting the Carson submarine in reverse.

  Murphy finally caught some air and struggled to his feet. He was holding on to his left side, fighting the sharp pain every time he tried to breathe. He moved his body in different positions to find some relief but there was none.

  He staggered forward and attempted to reseat himself. He had lifted his right leg to get into place when Talon rammed the Carson submarine into the right side of the ship for a second time.

  The impact caused Murphy’s left leg to crack as he hit the floor and he shouted in agony once more. The blood from his head wound still flowed, soaking his shirt with blood. He felt water on his face, and as he lay on the floor of the sub, he saw a number of areas where water was leaking in.

  His clothes were already wet with the cold salt water. He estimated that there was about an inch of water on the floor. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before his ship would fill.

  Talon backed away from Murphy’s sub a little distance and watched. Only a couple of small lights were still working. He could see the bloody and clearly injured Murphy on the floor.

  I think that should take care of you for the time being, Dr. Murphy. Now I think I’ll go pick up my price. Cheer up … I’ll return to finish the job. Your submarine will become your tomb.

  Talon then began the task of retrieving the backpack.

  Murphy’s mind was spinning. He was aware that he was severely injured. If he didn’t get help for his punctured lung, he knew he would eventually drown in his own blood. To make matters worse, his ship was rapidly filling with water. He would have to somehow get to the surface quickly.

  He began to pray.

  Yosef Rozen was pacing ba
ck and forth. Standing around in airports was not one of the things he liked to do. Finally, he heard what he was waiting for.

  “British Airways Flight 9312 is now arriving at gate number forty-seven.”

  He turned and walked to the doorway and waited as passengers disembarked. Soon he saw the imposing figure of Levi Abrams in the crowd. They smiled and shook hands.

  “Yosef. It has been a long time.”

  “Too long, Levi.”

  “How long have you been stationed in Istanbul?”

  “Five years. Frankly, I would like to go home to Israel.”

  Levi nodded in agreement. “Have you heard anything from Dr. Murphy?”

  “No. He took a chartered flight to Varna and boarded the submarine. Since that time we have not heard from him. We’ve tried to radio him several times but there’s been no response.”

  “There must be something wrong with his equipment.”

  “Possibly, but everything was checked out before he left and was in good working order.”

  “Dr. Murphy had experience with mini-subs when he was in the armed services of the United States. I’m sure he’ll be all right.”

  “Maybe so, Levi, but it’s always a little dangerous to operate a submarine by yourself. If something should go wrong, there’s no one to help you.”

  Levi considered this. “Maybe we should alert the Bulgarian Navy that we may need their assistance. At least they could be prepared to respond quickly if called upon.”

  “I’ll have someone contact them.”

  “Have you any other information that might be helpful?”

  “I think so. One of the mini-submarines belonging to Carson Oceanographic has been stolen. Two of the dockworkers were found floating in the water with broken necks. No doubt the person who stole the submarine also killed the men.”

  “Talon. It has to be. But what about Murphy? He may not know that Talon is already out there looking for the same object.”

  “There’s not much we can do, Levi. We have only a general idea where they might be. The Black Sea is very large.”

  “I know, Yosef… I know!”

  SIXTY-FIVE

  WITH MUCH PAIN Murphy crawled through the water, dragging his leg behind him. He somehow pulled himself into the driving seat and buckled the harness. There was no comfortable way to sit with the pain of the broken ribs. Breathing was very difficult. His leg was numb. He knew that he was in mild shock but he had to forget the pain and do what he had to do, or he was dead.

  Murphy could feel himself starting to shake, the first signs of hypothermia. His body temperature was beginning to drop from lying in the cold water. He glanced over to the side of the ship where it had been rammed. It seemed like the leaks had grown larger. He grabbed the radio unit, but it was dead, evidently damaged in the collision. Murphy was on his own.

  He looked out the window and saw a sub with large white letters … CARSON OCEANOGRAPHIC.

  Although he didn’t see the person piloting the ship, he knew it was Talon. He could see the mechanical arms of the Carson sub holding the backpack and beginning to draw it inside. Murphy knew it would only be a matter of minutes before Talon would have complete possession of the bronze plates.

  He reached down and turned the switch. The diesel engine made noise but would not start.

  Oh, no.

  Murphy tried it again. It still wouldn’t start. He tried it a third time and it finally caught hold and turned over.

  I hope it can still maneuver.

  Talon had pulled in the backpack. He got out of the seat and unzipped the top part and looked in. All three bronze plates were there. He could also see two of the crystal lighting jars. He smiled smugly.

  And now for Dr. Murphy.

  He had just climbed back into the driving seat when he noticed some movement outside. He turned and looked out the viewing bay and saw a gray object filling up the window. Murphy was coming after him.

  I don’t think so, Dr. Murphy!

  Quickly Talon pushed the lever in reverse and gave the Carson sub all the speed he could. It worked. He was able to go faster than Murphy’s damaged sub.

  The distance between the two subs grew. Talon briefly considered leaving with his spoils: the backpack and yet another clear victory over Murphy. But that wasn’t enough. There was still a chance that the good doctor could make it to the surface. He wanted Murphy out of the picture for good.

  Talon took the sub out of reverse. He could now maneuver into a better position to ram Murphy a third time.

  His attention was fixed on Murphy’s sub when he punched the Carson sub forward and to the left. What Talon didn’t notice was that he had backed close to the sunken cargo freighter. As he turned and increased the speed, he ran into the crane arm that was sticking out from the ship. The outer point of the arm broke through the window of the Carson submarine like a dart going into a dartboard. Water began to rush in.

  Murphy saw it all happen. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He began to slow his ship. Finally Talon was getting what he deserved.

  He was close enough to see a look of shock and horror on Talon’s face. He watched as Talon struggled to undo his harness but couldn’t get it to unlatch.

  Murphy thought back to Talon choking Laura to death. How fitting that he would suffer the same fate. One of Murphy’s outside lights was still working and gave him enough light to see the Carson sub fill with water.

  Sweet Laura’s justice has finally arrived.

  Talon’s eyes bulged with fear as the water level rose above his head. Then the lights in the Carson sub went black. Murphy watched as enormous bubbles of air escaped toward the surface. The weight of the water in the Carson sub caused it to slip off of the crane arm and drop into the sand next to the cargo freighter. A dust cloud of sand kicked up off the ocean floor, marking the spot that would forever be Talon’s grave.

  Murphy maneuvered a little closer and shined the light into the window. He could barely see Talon still strapped into the driving seat, his mouth and eyes wide open. The hair on his head was waving back and forth like grass in a gentle breeze. Murphy could see the backpack on the floor of the sub. Perhaps he could still retrieve it.

  He heard a popping sound as the pressure outside the sub dislodged a rivet, further deforming the hull. Water began rushing in even faster.

  Murphy knew he needed to surface quickly or this would be his grave also. The plates would have to wait.

  Murphy felt a chill and his body began to shake some more. He pushed the lever to maximum speed and began the ascent to the surface.

  Murphy looked around. The floor was now a pool of water six inches deep and quickly getting deeper. He glanced back at his oxygen gauges. They were deep in the red. His heart started to beat faster as he realized he had a punctured oxygen line.

  Then Murphy noticed that the gauge registering his ascent was not working. He really wasn’t sure if he was rising rapidly or not, and had no idea how far he had to go to get to the surface.

  Between his injuries and hypothermia setting m, he could feel himself getting lightheaded. Or was it the loss of oxygen in the ship? He couldn’t tell for sure. He was trying to hold his thoughts together but things seemed to be slipping away.

  Murphy began to pray … and then there was darkness.

  SIXTY-SIX

  SOMETHING INSIDE MURPHY began to stir. He tried to open his eyes but it seemed very difficult. Slowly his eyelids fluttered a little and then opened. He immediately closed them again. The bright light was painful. He tried again, squinting and blinking until his eyes began to focus.

  He was disoriented. Where was he? What was going on? Was he dead? Was he in Heaven? Soon his mind started to clear. He was in a bed and there were tubes in his arms and an oxygen tube in his nose. The bright light he saw was the sun shining in the window of the room.

  He look around and could tell that it was a hospital but certainly not a modern one. The room was small… there was no television … the bed was old �
� and the green paint on the walls was chipping off. Out the window he saw some distant mountains.

  Where am 1?

  As he took a breath of air, he felt a pain in his left side. He then became aware of bandages wrapped around his chest and his head. He tried to move a little, only to realize that his left leg was in a cast.

  Then it all began to come back to him. He remembered the discovery of the backpack … the rammings and the breaking of his ribs and leg. He recalled the image of Talon harnessed into the seat of the sunken submarine.

  But how did I get here?

  An hour passed before anyone entered his room. The first person to come in was an older nun. She moved quickly over to the bed and looked at him and smiled. She was unmistakably excited. She then began speaking to him in a foreign language that he did not understand. Murphy shook his head back and forth.

  “I’m sorry but I don’t understand you.”

  She patted his arm and left the room.

  It wasn’t long before she returned with a doctor and a nurse. They too spoke to him in a foreign language. He again shook his head, indicating that he did not understand. The doctor then began to examine him, listening with a stethoscope and looking into his eyes. Soon they brought him food to eat. This continued for another day.

  About midafternoon the next day, Murphy was occupied looking out the window at a bird circling in the sky when he heard a familiar voice.

  “It’s about time you rejoined the land of the living.”

  He turned and looked toward the sound. The large body of Levi Abrams filled the doorway. He had a big smile on his face.

  “Levi!”

  He came over and shook his hand. As he did, Murphy groaned a little.

  “Oh, are we getting soft in our old age? Can’t you take a little blow in the side?”

  “It feels like one of your karate punches.”

  Levi laughed.

  “Levi, what happened? Where am I? How did I get here?”

  “Somehow you were able to maneuver to the surface with the mini-submarine. No one knows how you did it in your condition.”