Deadly Apparition Read online

  “When does the show start?” he asked Hill.

  “Soon,” responded Hill. “We’ve set up a miniature emitter array on the model ship to reproduce the sphere phenomena.”

  “What kind of phenomena?” asked Castillo in puzzlement.

  Hill removed his glasses, extracted a small cleaning cloth from his pocket and began to clean them as he considered his answer. Susan Lambert and Crystal McConnell came up to within earshot. “This breakthrough is a result of an accident, as are so many great discoveries. I assume you are all familiar with the Hadron Supercollider in Switzerland?”

  “Yes,” replied Castillo. Lambert and McConnell both nodded.

  “There was an accident there in 2008. A magnetic quench during a high energy beam rotation and approximately 6 tons of liquid helium was explosively released. It made a real mess!”

  “I remember reading about it,” said Lambert.

  Dr. Hill replaced his glasses and sniffed. “Yes, but you didn’t read about the niobium-titanium hypercompression phenomenon, did you?”

  “That’s used for making high powered magnets, isn’t it?” said Castillo.

  “Yes. We had a block of the stuff in one of the detection chambers, just to have something to focus on. At the moment of the liquid helium release, it disappeared!”

  “Disappeared?” exclaimed Castillo. “How?”

  “Well, that’s what we thought at first anyway. We had high speed cameras rolling and when we backed up the video, we could see that the block was there in one frame and gone in the next. It was most perplexing. Then one of the scientists observed a crystalline grain of something very dense in the chamber. The metal block was still there, but it had been hypercompacted.”

  “What? How’s that possible?” asked Crystal McConnell. She was a thin woman with fine features and large fawn-like brown eyes. Castillo guessed her age to be about 34.

  “Our bodies, the air, this rail,” said Hill slapping the metal rail in front of them. “Everything is made of atoms, but these atoms are held in a structure at a certain distance from each other by forces we don’t fully understand. If you could remove the space between all the atoms in our bodies, you could reduce us down to the size of a BB. But it would be a very heavy BB because it would not lose any mass. In my case, my BB would weigh about 12 and a half stone, or 180 pounds as you Yanks like to say.”

  “I think we’re ready,” shouted Baynes from below. He and Admiral O’Keefe and several other men, some in lab coats, were standing next to the test tank. There was a man in a black wet suit standing in the tank about ten feet from the model boat.

  “I’m switching on the emitter now,” said a technician at a nearby work station with a flat display screen.

  Castillo felt the hairs on the back of his arms and neck stand up. It was like having an electrostatic charge applied to his body. That same feeling you get when there’s a lightning storm nearby. At once a shimmering 5 foot silver colored circle appeared on the surface of the water around the boat and the water level dropped. Violent ripples spread through the water and sloshed against the sides of the tank. The silvery circle was thin like the shell of an egg.

  “What you’re seeing,” said Baynes, “is a barrier that surrounds the model on all sides and beneath in a perfect hemispherical pattern.” He nodded to the man in the pool. “Our first test is a high-powered spear gun, capable of penetrating quarter inch steel plate.”

  The man in the wet suit took a heavy spear gun from the side of the tank, lowered it into the water and said, “Everyone ready?”

  “Go,” said Baynes.

  The man pulled the trigger and a spear shot forth through the water and bounced off the silver barrier and fell harmlessly to the bottom of the tank.

  Castillo blinked, unsure of what he had just seen. “Could you do that again?” The man in the wet suit reloaded the spear gun and repeated the demonstration.

  This time Castillo knew what to expect, but still had a hard time believing his eyes.

  “Holy Mackerel!” exclaimed Susan Lambert.

  “Bear in mind,” said Baynes, “that if the ship and its emitters are completely underwater, like a submarine would be, the protective barrier is a sphere completely surrounding the boat offering protection from above as well.”

  “What’s this barrier made of?” asked Castillo.

  “Water,” replied Hill.

  Castillo frowned, saying nothing.

  “The water at a specified distance has gone through a molecular compression. Scientists are calling it hyperdensification. The atoms in this layer of water are bound so tightly they resist any force trying to separate them.”

  “Any force?” asked Lambert incredulously.

  “Well, we haven’t found any force yet that will penetrate it, but we haven’t tried everything.”

  “Why doesn’t a sphere enclose this model?” asked Lambert.

  “Because our hyperdensification process only works with water and the air just doesn’t contain enough water molecules for the molecular compression to work. It takes an enormous amount of water for this to work…and an enormous amount of energy too.”

  “Okay,” said Baynes. “Are we ready for the next test?” He nodded to a technician. “We’ve placed a small explosive charge in the bottom of the tank right beneath our model to simulate a torpedo explosion.”

  A blond young man in a white lab coat said, “Fire in the hole in three…two…one…”

  BLUP!

  Water erupted violently straight up into the air from everywhere in the tank, spraying the bystanders. Everywhere except inside the silver barrier. The model ship was barely disturbed.

  “The pressure wave from the blast is dissipated across the barrier and hardly any of it carries through to the ship.” Baynes had a triumphant smile on his face.

  Castillo’s mind reeled at the implications of what he was seeing. This was a protective shield that could be deployed during a battle and completely protect a submarine and her crew. Whoever possessed this technology would have a great tactical advantage. He understood the need for secrecy too. “This is amazing!”

  “There is a downside to this thing too,” said Admiral O’Keefe. “Tell him, Nate.”

  “Well,” began Baynes. “The worst effect is the guillotine effect when it’s first deployed. If you’re trailing an array, it gets chopped off. If you have wire guided ADCAP’s in the water, you’ll lose your guidance. Your sonar will be useless as well as acoustic communications. Nothing penetrates this barrier. And it consumes quite a bit of power, so we’re recommending deploying it in short bursts as needed.”

  “You must have a large scale version of this somewhere,” said Castillo.

  “As a matter of fact we have several,” replied Hill. “At a remote test site on the Irish coast away from prying eyes. We’ve even conducted tests with animals and a few brave humans, and so far, so good.”

  “No after effects at all?” asked Lambert.

  “Doctors have given everybody a clean bill of health. No harmful after effects. Most people report a tingling sensation over the skin, but that’s about all.”

  “I think we’re ready for the next phase of testing,” said Baynes. “What do you think, Don?”

  Castillo didn’t like playing the guinea pig, but he knew for the sake of his career and the lives of many sailors in life and death situations at sea the correct answer. “Let’s go for it, sir!”

  “Yes!” Baynes smiled broadly and punched the air with his right fist.

  • • •

  The Kansas was a Virginia class attack boat built out of sequence. Originally it was intended to be a full sized test platform for evaluating new weapon systems and electronic counter measures. It was not much more than a hull and a crude power plant and propulsion system that could get it out of a slip and back in. It served well in its test capacity until defense cutbacks and the sequester happened and money started getting tight everywhere. Many new proposed submarines were cut from the
Navy budget. Navy officials decided to press their test platform into service. It would not be as costly to outfit the test platform with full systems as it would be to build a brand new submarine from scratch. So, the test platform was completely fitted with new systems and a new reactor and it was christened the USS Kansas, after the 34th state and home of the Jayhawks, SSN 849.

  The Kansas was assigned a crew and a commander, Commander Don Castillo. It was assigned to the Submarine Squadron 6 and patrolled the Eastern seaboard, but after a year was asked to perform tests on a new system. There was some grumbling. Some of the men would rather be performing normal duties with the real Navy instead of performing test operations. Conducting tests involved long hours of boredom while scientists and engineers made observations and recordings and checked settings and rechecked them. This was not high adventure!

  When the crew of the Kansas were told they were going to be testing another counter measures system, they were not happy. Castillo was not allowed to talk about the top secret project with anyone except his executive and engineering officers. But when Castillo told the crew about spending extended liberty in Glasgow, they seemed more accepting of their new assignment.

  When the SSN Kansas arrived in Scotland it was late summer. There was a hint of autumn in the air suggesting at what was to come but the temperatures in the highlands were mild, the purple blossoms of heather were still prominent and the hills were still very green.

  The submarine base was at HMNB Clyde which is actually part of Faslane Naval Base twenty miles to the west of Glasgow. The Royal British Navy made the Kansas crew feel at home, showing them to their temporary quarters and welcoming them, although they were not told why the Kansas was here. Indeed, most of the Kansas’s crew didn’t know why they were here either. The first thing they wanted to do was visit Glasgow.

  Glasgow is a city of contrasts. The third largest city in the UK, it is a modern bustling city with shopping malls and mass transit but also with ancient reminders of a rich history. It boasts a cathedral that dates back to the 12th century with soaring stone gothic arches and grinning gargoyles, a throwback to the Renaissance. It also has a modern university performing cutting edge research in the fields of physics, chemistry and medicine. It has the Burrell Collection which is an astounding mix of Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Chinese artifacts as well as old European masters. The oldest parts of the city puts one in mind of medieval Europe with its narrow old cobblestone streets, old gray stone buildings and slate roof pubs and stacked moss-covered stone walls. Stone is evidently a plentiful building material here for some of the bridges and even some fences are made of stone. There are always festivals and renaissance fairs going on in the streets or in parks where actors perform Shakespeare or play medieval street entertainers, jugglers and troubadours for tourists.

  A popular tour with the crew was the Glengoyne whiskey distillery where they were guided through the cask rooms, the still house, the storage house and got free samples of the world’s finest Scotch.

  • • •

  When Kansas first arrived at the Clyde Royal Naval Base the first thing that happened was her identity was erased. Her identifying number and markings were painted out. The high American and British command did not want her identified, although the shipyard workers knew quite well that this was the attack submarine Kansas from America. Then she was moved to a dry dock and a large structure was erected over her. It looked a lot like a gigantic boathouse made of canvas, hiding Kansas from prying, spying eyes and satellites.

  Many vans and trucks traveled the long pier, and boxes and instruments were dollied aboard. Technicians swarmed over Kansas like fire ants over a bratwurst and welding arcs sputtered like flash bulbs inside the structure as work progressed, and the scent of ozone wafted on the air. After many days, the work was complete and Kansas was scheduled for deployment.

  A meeting was called to order at the Clyde Royal Navy Headquarters building. Present were Commander Don Castillo, Nigel Hill, Admiral Nate Baynes, Admiral Quenton O’Keefe, Dr. Susan Lambert, Crystal McConnell and Kansas’s executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Mason Taylor. There were also a great many high-ranking British Naval officers whose names Castillo had forgotten.

  “What you’re holding is a list of people,” said Admiral O’Keefe, “we deem necessary to this test. I trust that you can accommodate them all.”

  “But…there are seventeen names here, sir,” said Castillo.

  “Is that a problem?” asked O’Keefe.

  “Yessir, a big one. Kansas is pretty cramped, as are all submarines. Where will I put all these people?”

  “You’ll think of something,” chuckled O’Keefe.

  “There’s no way, sir,” said Castillo. “Unless I leave some crew ashore.”

  “Okay,” said O’Keefe.

  Castillo blinked. He couldn’t believe what O’Keefe was suggesting. “You’re asking me to leave some crew ashore, sir, and take on these people? How many of these people are sub qualified? Can any of them help out during an emergency?”

  “Oh, C’mon, Don!” snapped O’Keefe. “It’s just during a few test runs. It’s not forever.”

  “I don’t like it, Admiral. There are too many unknowns during test runs. Too many things can go wrong as you well know.” He said this deliberately to remind the admiral of the tragic second AMTOK test in 2007 that caused a fire and claimed the lives of 6 people aboard the SSN New Hampshire.

  Admiral O’Keefe’s nostrils flared. “I don’t need reminding, Commander!” He shifted in his chair. “I know quite well this is dangerous work. Do you need reminding of exactly what’s at stake here?”

  Castillo said nothing. He knew this was an important advancement in naval warfare. He immediately began considering what crew he could do without. He would need Damage Control in case they had an emergency. Engineering also. He had eight SEAL team births available. They had not come to Scotland. Did he need the weapons crew on this run?

  “We eventually plan to outfit all NATO ships with this countermeasure,” said Admiral Baynes, “but for right now, this is a joint American/British venture. It’s important, Don, for our relations with our allies.”

  Castillo still didn’t like leaving part of his crew behind and taking on all these civilians, but he said, “I understand, sir.”

  • • •

  On the day before deployment, Kansas’s executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Mason Taylor, showed the civilians aboard and to their assigned births. They weren’t all civilians, however, there were two British Naval officers, Captain Miles Simms and Commander Lauren Gastmeyer.

  Dr. Susan Lambert surprised Castillo in the passageway outside his stateroom. “Isn’t Glasgow fabulous, commander? I’ve had a ball here!” Her blue eyes were doing the highland fling.

  “Really,” responded Castillo. “What did you do?”

  “Crystal and I toured the museum at the Glasgow School of Art and the Burrell. Then a bunch of us took a tour of the highlands by bicycle. The first two days it rained, and we went from tavern to tavern, trying to stay dry and sampled the ale, then the rain cleared up and it was glorious! There were these beautiful clear lakes that reflected the surrounding peaks and blue sky and the heather was in full bloom and it was so green! It was like you were looking at a picture postcard in every direction. It was just so beautiful! God! What a place, huh? What did you do, commander?”

  “I spent most of my time back in Virginia Beach, I’m afraid.”

  “Oh.” It dawned on Lambert that Castillo might want to spend his off time with his sick wife back home. “How’s your wife?”

  “She’s good. I got the feeling she would rather have been here touring Scotland. I had to promise to bring her back one of those thick woolen tartan blankets they’re famous for here.”

  Susan laughed. “Well, you’d better do it then.”

  Castillo liked Dr. Susan Lambert. She had a good sense of humor and a pleasant square face which displayed lively expressions. Her short s
andy hair hugged her head and stopped at her thick neck. Her muscular build gave her the look of an athlete, and, in fact, she was. A triathlete to be exact. She could run, cycle and swim faster than any woman in the state of Virginia. She had proven it twice! And although her doctorate was in computer science, she was the best systems analyst, Castillo had ever seen. He had worked with her twice and she seemed to have been gifted with an ability to sense when a test was not ready. Either equipment had not been prepared, or people had not been trained properly or a procedure had been overlooked. She had a sixth sense about test preparations. Castillo couldn’t help but notice she spent a lot of time with Crystal McConnell. He wondered briefly whether they were a couple. Oh well, it was none of his concern.

  “You’re the chief test conductor for QVR for this run. Correct?”

  “Yes, sir,” she responded.

  “As captain, I’m going to appoint you as test liaison. Okay?”

  Lambert compressed her mouth thoughtfully then said, “Sure. What do I do?”

  “Just serve as a go-between for me. Relay messages and advisories to the rest of the test people.”

  “Sure, commander. I can do that.”

  “Good!” Castillo smiled. “And call me Don. I’m an informal type. Remember? You can start by telling everyone there will be a meeting in the crew’s mess at 1700. We’ll be discussing tomorrow’s schedule.”

  “Will do, Don.” And Lambert rushed off.

  Castillo was impressed by the professionalism of the civilian test crew. They were all concentrated on their mission and talked about little else. Whenever Castillo asked a question they always answered with that humorless sincerity scientists often have. Even when he was joking.

  In the aft equipment room Castillo spied an Apparition test set with a large display screen on it and said, “Hey, can you get the Panthers game on that thing?”