“Conceivably,” said Lucas, “but I don’t think that’s what he intends.”
“Why not?” said Land. “How could any man resist such a temptation?”
“In this time, with this submarine, Drakov could easily make himself the ruler of the world,” said Lucas. “However, doing something like that would make him too obvious a target for others like ourselves. He has to remain hidden. He has to keep moving. He has become the object of an unprecedented hunt, Ned. And there are weapons in the future far more terrible than those he has on board. What makes him safe is his mobility, not only through the oceans of the world, but through all of time, as well. We found him only with the greatest luck. Or perhaps he found us. Maybe he really is the tool of destiny.”
“You don’t believe that, surely?” Land said.
Lucas grinned. “I’m not even sure I believe in belief.”
“The trouble is,” said Andre, “there seems to be no way we can stop him short of sabotaging this submarine, somehow. Only how to do it and survive?”
“Where in our orders does it say we’re supposed to survive?” said Finn. “Maybe another team will get a crack at him. If they don’t botch the job like we did, then our worries will be over. Permanently.”
“What do we do meanwhile?” she said.
Lucas shrugged. “We wait.”
“If this fellow is truly so dangerous,” said Land, “why not just do away with him? Kill Drakov and this Benedetto, and the others will lack for leadership.”
“The only problem with that idea,” Lucas said, “is Drakov’s promise to kill us all if any one of our group stepped out of line. The three of us would be perfectly willing to accept that risk, but what about yourself and Verne?”
Land shrugged. “For my part, the risk don’t bother me a great lot. But do you think he would kill Verne? He seemed quite taken with him.”
“That may be true,” said Finn, “but if Drakov’s killed, who’ll protect Verne from the others?”
“Yes, that is true,” said Land. “We can’t decide without asking him. Maybe we’ll have a chance to kill this madman and escape. This boat must surface sometime.”
There was a knock at their door and it opened, admitting Benedetto. He took one step into the cabin and looked around at them, shaking his head.
“If you are intent upon hatching plots,” he said, “at least have the brains to do it in a manner that you cannot be overheard. This cabin is monitored, you know. It would not have gone well for you if someone else had overheard you, rather than myself. If you must have private discussions, I would suggest the engine room. It is rather noisy there. Of course, the crew will wonder what you are talking about and they will report it to the captain. If I were you, I wouldn’t bother. And I wouldn’t waste my time trying to incite any of these Russians to mutiny, either. It would be pointless. Now, if you don’t mind, I would really like to get some sleep. Do try not to stay up late. We will keep military hours aboard. Good night to you.”
He closed the door.
“There goes a most strange man,” said Land. “What do you make of him?”
Lucas shook his head. “Damned if I know, Ned. I’m starting to think you were right all along and everyone on board is crazy.”
“Interesting he should have us monitored, though,” said Andre. “It does tell us one thing we needed to know.”
“What might that be?” said Land.
“He’s vulnerable,” said Andre. “Let’s sleep on it.”
Verne did not return to the cabin at all that night. They encountered him at breakfast, looking haggard, but with a wild light in his eyes.
“I am going to spend all of my time in this ship’s library!” he said. “I did not sleep at all last night. There is so much to learn. That library is a treasure trove! Books on science, history, novels and texts, in Russian, French, German and English, all published years from now! I have been trying to understand this atomic energy more completely. This Einstein was a genius! Or, I should say, I suppose, he will be a genius. One could read his work for years and still not comprehend it all. What an amazing stroke of luck to find myself aboard this submarine boat! What a fantastic opportunity!”
“You are about to be given yet another fantastic opportunity, Mr. Verne,” said Drakov, coming to the table with his inevitable escort. “I trust you all slept well?”
Only Verne replied. “I could not sleep a wink, Captain Drakov. I found myself unable to resist your fabulous store of books.”
“Then you must force yourself to rest immediately after breakfast, sir,” said Drakov. “You will need all your energy for what is to come. Are you up to a stroll upon the ocean bottom?”
Verne looked alarmed, as did Land.
“Never fear,” said Drakov, smiling. “It is not my intention to drown you. I assure you that you will be able to accompany me on a submarine excursion in complete safety.”
“But… how is this possible?” said Verne.
“You shall see,” said Drakov. “Shortly after breakfast, we will be making temporal transition. The diving Klaxon will sound, followed immediately by the chimes used to signal a missile alert. Since this submarine was not equipped with a special signal for time travel, we must improvise and use a combination of those two. At that point, I would advise you to go to your cabin and lie down. The effects of traveling through time can be mildly unpleasant, but no more so than those of drinking too much wine. The effect will not last long.”
“Traveling through time!” said Verne, in awe. “But… to where?”
Our destination will be the deep water off the Florida Keys, in the 18th century,” said Drakov.
“The 18th century!” said Land.
“Quite correct. We are going on an expedition to recover undersea treasure.”
Land’s eyes lit up. “Treasure? What sort of treasure? Gold?”
“That and much more,” said Drakov. He drank his coffee, watching them with amusement. “We can expect for there to be quite a horde aboard a sunken Spanish galleon.”
“A Spanish galleon!” said Ned.
“Part of a fleet,” said Drakov. “Does the prospect interest you, Mr. Land?”
“You’re going to attack this fleet?” said Andre.
“No, Miss Cross, I will not. I could easily destroy the entire armada if I chose it. However, the destruction of this fleet is a fact of history. I know you respect history,” he added, with a smile.
“On the 15th of July, in the year 1733,” he continued, “a hurricane of immense strength swept up from the Lesser Antilles, past the English Leeward Islands, heading toward the Florida Keys. In its wake, it left massive destruction on the islands of Marie Galante, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Redonda, Nevis, St. Kitts, St. Eustatius and Saba. A Spanish treasure armada under the command of General Don Rodrigo de Torres y Morales had the misfortune to be caught in this terrible storm. Their ill luck and our good fortune.
“The armada sailed from the harbor of San Cristobal de la Habana on the morning of July 13. In all, twenty ships made up this fleet, escorting treasure back to Spain. It was composed of galleons, naos and smaller merchant vessels. Only one, the Nuestra Senora del Rosario, survived the storm. The others, the Almiranta, El Infante, the San Jose, the Populo, the Lerri, the El Sueco de Arizon, the Capitana, all perished, pounded into bits as they were driven on the reefs by the fierce winds.
“They were carrying a fortune in treasure valued at over twelve million pesos in gold and silver, as well as tobacco and spices, teas, ceramics, semi-precious stones and that was only the reported cargo. You can be certain there was contraband on board the ships, as well.”
“Why contraband?” said Verne.
“Greed,” said Drakov. “The King of Spain’s treasuries were supplied by the wealth of the New World. All the treasure brought to Spain was taxed. The tax was known as the King’s Fifth or the Royal Fifth. Smugglers went to great lengths to avoid paying this tax. Despite agents of the Board of Trade examining all cargo carefully, much was hidden from their eyes by clever sailors. The penalties were severe and informants were rewarded with a portion of the contraband recovered, so smuggling became quite an art. Treasure was hidden in barrels of spices and in bales of tobacco, among the ballast stones, anywhere one could think of secreting some gold or silver. There is no telling
