they could find the missing steam launch, they would have adequately proven the efficacy of their approach.
Skipper seemed content with this revelation, and since she already harbored an abiding crush on Robert, any excuse to stick around the office was just fine with her. And believing, as she did, that the enigmatic stones were a separate project controlled by Robert’s interests alone, Skipper happily volunteered to help him streamline and clean up his computer models for eventual physical reproduction.
Thirteen weeks into the project, Luke and Robert decided it was time to show their results to their backer. Subsequently an appointment was made with Mr. Wu for the following Monday evening. Luke leased a big-screen monitor to show off their new program to the best effect, and he also arranged that no one else would be present when they made their demonstration.
Up until now Luke had been so busy tweaking the finer details of the current and tidal charts that he had put off doing a general search for the launch. Robert teased him about getting his feet wet, but suggested that they wait and run the complete search program with his father present so he might appreciate the complexity of what had been accomplished. He also put forward the idea that even if they didn’t find the target they were looking for, the program itself might be of great commercial value in other fields, such as deep-ocean mining, marine salvage, and oil exploration. The possibilities were wide-ranging. Even if their original goals went unfulfilled, at least all parties could realize some reasonable profit from the work they had already completed. Luke admitted that he had not been looking that far ahead.
MR. WU WAS MOST IMPRESSED with what Luke and Robert had accomplished. First, Robert showed his father the jade seal and the stone tablet as reconstructed by the computer. He mentioned in passing that it would be possible to have more copies of the artifacts made through a computer milling process, but said that hopefully that wouldn’t be necessary if they found the originals. Then he showed his father the complete translations of the various texts on the stone and the inscription and chop on the jade seal. He said there was no doubt whatsoever that the seal was once the property of Zhou Man. His name and imperial titles were clearly indicated on both the stone tablet and the seal.
Then Luke took over. He showed Mr. Wu the computer reconstruction of the steam launch, and the probable location of the boxed artifacts in the passenger cabin with the company courier. Using computer animation, Luke demonstrated the probable cause of the explosion and the subsequent fire. When the rate of the conflagration was estimated on the computer model, the steam launch was shown to burn to the waterline in less than twenty-five minutes, after which the remnants would sink. However, Luke pointed out that if the explosion had blown a hole in the hull, the launch might have gone to the bottom before being completely destroyed by fire. Either scenario was possible. Only discovery would answer the question.
Luke began to demonstrate how the various marine topographical maps and sonar surveys were overlaid with more recent side-scan radar and even satellite images. He went on to illustrate how the various maps, when overlaid on a detailed Coast Guard survey, pinpointed the various shipwrecks of known or unknown origins, as well as smaller debris fields from other maritime accidents. The computer program illuminated everything from the 1935 wreck of the Macon airship off Point Sur to the recent sinking of the trawler Bella Stella off the coast of Half Moon Bay. Luke then had the computer eliminate every known shipwreck, leaving only eighteen unidentified targets. He set the launch in its approximate position when the boiler exploded. Using the tidal and current charts, Luke showed that at the approximate time of the accident, the tides were slack, verging on the outgoing tide. The program illustrated just how far the burning launch would have drifted before sinking. This eliminated another ten targets. Then Luke eliminated any wreck that showed no magnetic anomalies, meaning it had no engine or substantial metal parts. This reduced the targets to four. Two were of the wrong length, and a third was broken up so badly that nothing could be determined of its original size. But the fourth was a strange anomaly that showed up as a cross- shaped image on the sonar and radar scans.
At first Luke thought that perhaps it resembled a side-wheeler, but there was no indication that such a vessel had ever sunk in that location. Then he suggested that perhaps, against all reasonable odds, a longer ship had gone down perpendicularly over another sunken vessel. The upper image was approximately seventy feet long, and showed a strong magnetic response amidships, but the cross-shaped member beneath corresponded in length and width to the fifty-five-foot steam launch.
To make sure that nothing had escaped their notice, Luke ran the program again, and again they got the same responses. Just in case he’d calculated the tidal chart wrong by a few hours, he expanded the search another twenty miles north, west, and south, but still there were no viable matches that could possibly correspond with their target parameters. When he had finished, Luke turned to Mr. Wu and nodded. “That’s it, I’m afraid. Despite the best efforts of all concerned, I really don’t believe there could possibly be any targets that we’ve missed. We’ve included the best sources available anywhere, including the United States Navy and a half dozen government surveys, not to mention all the historical maps we could find. If your launch is down there, it has to be in that last location. Even the magnetic indications seem to be telling us that there are two vessels in that one spot.”
Robert’s father looked thoughtful for a moment, and then smiled and spoke with finality. “I’m most impressed with what you’ve accomplished in so short a time. Now all we have to do is go down and see if you’ve hit the mark.”
Luke smiled and shook his head. “Well now, I can’t speak for your son, of course, but I’m a research biologist, not a salvage diver. I’m afraid you’ll have to find some professional types to take care of that part of the search. Still, I think you should know that even with all this information, the odds of finding what you’re looking for are still not very promising. And given all the legal and technical hurdles that still stand in your way, it might be quite some time before you’ll be able to exploit this information.”
Mr. Wu nodded. “I understand, but I do hope you will stick to our bargain not to publish your findings until we’ve had an opportunity to search for the wreck.”
Luke nodded. “Of course, Mr. Wu, but that agreement was predicated on the understanding that you would not take an overly long time to come up with an answer one way or another. In the meantime, if I might suggest, it would be a good idea to get ahold of the Rodriguez brothers and have them streamline this program for commercial use. It could easily offset the costs you’ve incurred so far, and possibly bring in more than you expect. And, if you offered the Rodriguez brothers twenty percent of the copyright, their dedicated enthusiasm would be cemented for sure. You could have this program out on the market in less than three months.”
“And what about you, Mr. Lucas? What about the IAS Project? Don’t you feel you’re entitled to part of the profits?”
“Not really, Mr. Wu. I mean, if you should choose to toss me a bone, I certainly wouldn’t object, but you’ve paid me very handsomely for my efforts, and I have no expectations for further profit from a program I didn’t really design anyway. It’s the Rodriguez brothers you want as partners, not me. I wouldn’t have thought of the whole thing except for this project, which you paid for . . .” Luke paused and smiled. “But there is one thing I’d like to have.”
“Name it, Mr. Lucas.”
“Perhaps, when you’re ready to go public with all this, you might let me have a copy of the program for my own private use. Aside from that, I can’t think of anything more I need or want. However, I would appreciate being kept
