CHAPTER 25
The formerly dazed crewmembers had now fully revived, and wandered around the decks laughing and hugging each other, all the while grinning ecstatically like idiot saints. The exception was Ripler, who had been heavily sedated and placed under the watchful eye of Mary Sims in the infirmary. He was in the bed recently vacated by Daryl, the TV cameraman, who had unaccountably snapped out of his withdrawal the instant the whales had vanished. Daryl was now in his own state of bliss and insisted on thanking everyone he met over and over, sometimes falling on his knees to kiss their feet.
Penny tried to talk with some of the students, but when she asked why they seemed so elated, they somehow couldn’t explain it to her in a way that made sense. Their euphoria eventually tired her, and she retreated to the fantail. She stood there now, gazing at the disabled Navy vessels lazing in the afternoon sun like tired suburbanites in their pools. Some divers had gone down not long ago, but a recently arrived frigate now blocked the view.
The Captain walked up behind her, his surprisingly light footsteps giving him away. She turned to him with a smile. “You see the divers a while ago?”
He brought his binoculars up to his eyes and nodded. “Chiffrey’s been in direct contact with the captain of the salvage vessel. Was told that their propellers are gone, same with the other ship. Just sheared off, no explanation. Happened when they closed on us, just before the whales left.”
“Left? More like vanished.”
He shook his head as if remembering the impossibility of it and gazed out at the Navy ships. “They’ve rigged sea anchors, so they’re okay for now. Tugs are on the way and we’re standing by just in case.” He smiled. “Doubt if they’ll ask.”
She had known Andrew Thorssen almost as long as her father. Even when she was a small child, he had always spoken to her in this direct and plain way, had always included her in whatever was going on as an equal. There was probably no one on earth she trusted more.
“Andrew, they’re just not going to believe that two ships could become disabled at the same time by accident.”
“Can’t blame them for wanting answers. Looks like their asking starts now.”
Lieutenant Chiffrey came around a bulkhead and ambled up in his usual relaxed way, an innocent smile at home again on his face. His earlier loss of aplomb was evidently only temporary.
“I believe we have a deal,” he said. “You’ll both get a high level of security clearance. Matthew as well.”
“Sounds like a field commission,” Penny said.
“No, but it will do the job. And we’ll work something out with the rest of the crew as well. I convinced the brass that we need you all. After what happened to the cruiser and the salvage vessel, they believed me.”
He glanced over at the disabled ships. “They don’t know why they lost their props, but I pointed out that the Valentina had no problems. Or at least mechanical ones. You’re also set up well for an investigation, you have the gear, the facility, some talented people. You’ll have backup, don’t worry. Got some stuff for you to sign.”
He took some large envelopes from his briefcase and handed them out. “Any questions, let me know. You can give this one to Matthew, thanks. The sooner we get this out of the way, the better. A fait accompli. Got to tell you again it took some persuasion, but they understand now that your ship and crew are an asset best left as is.”
“So we’re your Judas goat,” Penny said. “Bait.”
“That’s not the way I would put it,” Chiffrey said. “This clearance will allow me to tell you all we know. They accepted that as justifiable considering the threat.”
“Threat?” Penny said. “They have problems over there, but surely they’re in no danger.”
“Let’s see,” Chiffrey said. “Two Navy ships, top of the line, rendered helpless, and nobody can begin to explain how. Or why. Many would consider that an act of war. If I had not talked them out of it, by the way, they would have quarantined your ship, gotten you out of the way, and taken over. I need your help, you need my help. I know you want to discover what is really going on with the whales just as much as we do.”
“Help doing what?”
“For starters, Captain, we want to know where the whales went. What force disabled these ships? And, especially, why?”
He scratched his ear, looked up to the sun, chuckled. “And I guess we’ve all become believers in purple whales. Sorry for ever doubting Matthew. Where is he, anyway?”
“Brooding on his redemption somewhere,” Penny said.
“Well, he earned it.”
“What else?” she said.
“How about the state of the people here? Ripler’s had a total meltdown. And the others. Have you seen the cameraman lately? That kid’s spontaneous recovery seems like a miracle. I wouldn’t have believed it possible. Happy as a clam at high tide now, but I got to wonder. Maybe his detour through cloud cuckoo land is not a real recovery.”
“Getting a little paranoid?” Penny said.
“Something out of the ordinary is going on here, and you both know it as well as I do. I just spoke with Dirk and Lorraine Hart. They’re planning to get married when they get back on shore! They’ve known each other a few hours, and they’re getting married? Just passed them, and they were mooning over each other like lovesick teenagers. And the stuff they were saying! If I ever start spouting babble like that, please stab me with a fork. And more of the like going on all over this ship. It’s certainly not just stress. Some unknown agent affected your people.” He glanced at Penny. “Or at least most of them. You put that together with the ability to render warships useless and, yes, we have a problem.”
Chiffrey was pacing back and forth as he spoke, but in spite of his concern, he seemed oddly happy.
“Fortunately, we finally have physical evidence: two pairs of propellers sheared right off. Not to mention the whale’s transceiver sprouting on the deck of the bridge like a mushroom. No, let’s do mention that.”
“It’s not a plant.”
Chiffrey smiled at the Captain’s comment.
“Who knows, but that thing has sent down roots and they’re still growing. I saw them move! Anything else to add to the long list of questions without answers?”
“That’s plenty for now.” Andrew replied. “If we help you, then what?”
“At this point, we can’t even be sure what we’re looking for,” Chiffrey said. “Whatever way we believed the world worked is now in tatters. So how can I possibly say?”
He had his hand on the railing and seemed to be trying to wear away the paint with his thumb. “We need to work together, and you have my promise that I will do everything I can to see that this comes out right for all of us.”
Chiffrey looked toward the drifting cruiser and then to the Captain. “What about it?”
“I’ll have to ask for volunteers.”
“We can take back anyone who wants out,” Chiffrey said. “Escort them all the way to the safety of their homes, if requested.” He looked at Penny.
“I’m in,” she said, “but I want to make clear that I have serious misgivings about your agenda, and I’m remaining in spite of them.”
“Or maybe because of them,” Chiffrey said, giving one of his annoying winks.
“You’ve got your ‘yes,’ Lieutenant,” Andrew said. “Leave it at that.”
“Yes, sir. Looking forward to working together.” He held out his hand and the Captain met it halfway with his own. “I’ll set it up, then. Should be fun operating as a team, finally.” He gave Penny a quick nod and walked away.
Andrew turned to Penny, smiling. “Take some down time. Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day.”
“Is there any other kind?”
She kept her gaze on Chiffrey as he strolled away. “Can we really trust him?”
“Up to a point,” Andrew said. “But his own mission will always come first.”
“You told us when he first arrived that he wasn’t just a troubleshooter for Air Force r
adar glitches. He seems to have clout. What do you think of the deal?”
“The terms he offered are as fair as we’ll get. We either take this berth and ship with him or get left behind.”
“You never believed him, did you? Ripler, I mean.”
“I had the advantage of knowing his words were false. Don’t blame the crew for taking him seriously. Jack believed what he was saying.”
“He was persuasive,” Penny said, “but did you see his eyes after the whales vanished?”
Andrew nodded sadly, then squinted through his binoculars toward the south. “They got here fast enough. Tugboats, another salvage vessel.”
“I never liked Ripler,” she said, “but I didn’t realize he was so fragile.”
Andrew put the binoculars down and scanned the entire horizon before speaking. “Jack’s fallen right off the edge of his little world. I’ve seen it before, and you know what? People can forget they’re insane. With enough time. Happens everyday.” He looked at the ships again. “I’m due on the bridge.