A Time to Mourn A Time to Dance - A SciFi Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novella

Chapter Six

Jason wasn't waiting for me in the lounge with my coffee, but Geraldine was there. Her lined, Teutonic face, as always, was steady and calm. Her body was sturdy and solid. In all the years I'd known her, I'd never seen her flustered or agitated. It was as if she had an internal compass made of titanium and she simply put one foot after another in that direction.

No questions. No concerns. Just forward.

She handed me my mug. "Everything's going exactly as it should, Phuong. You should be proud."

"We should all be proud," I said, smiling. "Besides, you're the one keeping us all safe."

She shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. "This sub practically drives itself. Drag and drop a course and off it goes. We haven't had a single contact since we left the harbor. We could last months out here before we're found. Years, even."

I chuckled. "Years might be a little ambitious."

Her steady eyes held mine. "I'm in this until the end. You know that."

I nodded. "Thank you. I never could have done any of this without you. You've always been the foundation of the Hive. The rock that held the rest of us steady."

The slightest tinge of pink came to her cheeks. "I do my best."

"We all appreciate it," I assured her. "I'm glad you're here."

She nodded her head, then glanced at the clock on the wall. "Time to get started."

We headed in.

Everyone was in their seats, and Jason looked around as we came in. His gaze went from Geraldine to me in evaluation, but he said nothing. I put my mug in its holder and then addressed the group.

"Day Three. We've got Geraldine and Anastasia here. Let us know how you're feeling. What you're thinking. If you'd rather talk in private, you can send us a message on your tablet. We'll arrange a time."

Devon asked, "If we choose to stay on board, will we have some way to communicate with people back home? To let them know we're all right?"

"Of course. The same secure systems which will let us upload videos and information to our website will let you all do most typical internet activities. You'll be able to send email messages. Post on social media. The anonymizer will ensure signals can't be traced back to the sub."

Alex said, his voice wholly calm, "I'm assuming once we go live that we won't be able to leave the ship. We're here for the duration - for whatever time period the ship has remaining to it, before it is found and sunk."

There were no flashes of alarm. No gasps of surprise. The entire room had apparently come to this same conclusion.

I held his gaze. "This time viewer only works on the past; the future is unknowable. But it is fair to assume that, for certain powerful organizations and countries, shutting us down will be their top priority."

I waved a hand toward the walls. "That being said, this submarine has impressive capabilities. Like the HMS Artful, we are able to stay underwater for a full twenty-five years. We have ample food, water, air, and fuel."

Geraldine said, "We just have to remain hidden."

I nodded. "The oceans are vast. Impressively deep. But I can't guarantee that we will be able to dodge a concerted radar and satellite effort forever."

Alex pointed out, "They still haven't been able to find Flight 370, and that's been down over five years. And they only had a relatively small area of ocean they had to search."