Free TW05 The Nautilus Sanction NEW by Simon Hawke Page A

the hell am I supposed to deal with a 19th-century male?”
    “You should talk,” said Finn. “You’re a 12th-century female.”
    “With 27th-century sensibilities,” she said. “Still, even in the 12th century, we were more direct than this! I like him. He’s handsome, he’s charming, he’s fun, he’s rough-edged and he has a terrific body. But he’s so goddamn
dense!
What am I supposed to do, fall overboard?” Finn began to laugh again, then saw the expression that suddenly appeared upon her face.
    “Oh, now
wait
a minute!”
    “It’s perfect! Why didn’t I think of it before?”
    “You can’t be serious! That water’s cold. By the time the ship could turn around—”
    “It doesn’t have to turn around! Not if we time it just right.”
    “We?”
    “That’s right, you’re going to help me.”
    “Hey, get your own guys.”
    “Finn, dammit, you help me with this or I’ll bust your jaw!”
    “Boy, you’re really nasty when you’re in heat, you know that?” A moment later, as he was picking himself up off the floor, he shook his head and said, “Okay, okay, I’ll help you. But I hope you know what you’re doing.”
    They timed it with excruciating precision. They took up their positions with Andre up forward and Finn roughly amidships. At the proper moment, Andre “slipped” and plunged over the side with a piercing scream loud enough to be heard in the Canary Islands. Instantly Land was diving over the side after her, hitting the water scant seconds after she did. Finn was ready with the rope and life preserver, tossing it to Land on cue. The ship was steaming along at a leisurely pace and there was plenty of time for them to be pulled aboard with the aid of several crewmen who instantly leaped to Delaney’s aid. As Land picked her up in his arms, both of them shivering and streaming water down onto the deck, she threw her arms around his neck and said, “Oh, Ned! You saved my life! My hero!” And kissed him.
    Lucas came running up to Finn, having heard all the commotion.
    “What the hell happened?” he demanded.
    “Excuse me,” Finn said, brushing him aside. “I’ve got to go throw up.” They were eighteen days out when a knock came at Finn and Lucas’s cabin door at about midnight.
    Finn opened the door to admit a haggard-looking Verne.
    “I must speak with you,” the author said, entering the cabin.
    Lucas sat up in his bunk. “Are you all right, Mr. Verne?” Verne waved his hand irritably. “I am
not
all right,” he said. “Oh, I am occasionally seasick on an ocean voyage, but that is of no consequence. I have been for the past two weeks the victim of acute anxiety. I must ask you gentlemen to open those cases for me. I simply
must!”
    “Mr. Verne,” Lucas began, “we’ve been through that. We simply cannot—”
    “Then you must decide what sort of drastic thing it is you want to do about me,” he said, visibly agitated. “For if I am not permitted to see what is inside those cases, I will go to Commander Farragut and tell him what I know.”
    “Mr. Verne,” said Lucas softly, “we can’t allow you to do that.”
    “That curious alarm device of yours,” said Verne, “has left me almost completely bereft of sleep. I am on the verge of complete nervous collapse. I must know the nature of its operation, gentlemen!”
    “Mr. Verne,” said Finn, “Lucas explained to you. This is a top secret government—”
    “Do you take me for a fool?” Verne almost shouted. “I
wanted
to believe you! I wanted for there to be some sort of sane, rational explanation, but there
isn’t
one. You’re lying to me. I know it beyond a question of a doubt. Even given all the resources of the American government or any other highly industrialized state, such a device could not possibly have been manufactured!
It contravenes known
science.
It exists, yet it cannot exist. You understand, gentlemen, I am no scientist, but I keep abreast of new developments. I read voraciously;