“Something like that,” responded Kwon. He’d enlisted as a Seaman recruit into the U.S. Navy following high school. After completing Hospital Corpsman training, he’d reported to BUD/S training at NAB Coronado near his hometown of San Diego, California. BUD/S was an acronym for Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training.
Kwon had an aptitude for medical training, so while he was at Fort Bragg, he’d completed his Special Operations Combat Medic Course before being assigned as a Special Warfare Operator with SEAL Team 3, Charlie Platoon, back in San Diego.
Known as the Punishers, SEAL Team 3 was not Kwon’s final landing spot. He quickly grabbed the attention of his commanding officers, who plucked him from the Punishers and enrolled him in the enlisted-to-officer commissioning program. When his college education was complete, he’d obtained his degrees in biology and epidemiology from MIT and undertook his residency at Mass General.
However, his special skills as a warrior and SEAL Team member were not wasted. With his ability to conduct complex, dangerous missions and his medical knowledge, he was an ideal fit at DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. That was where he’d met Harper.
“How can you tell that from the wreckage?” asked Bear.
Kwon continued to study the withering wreckage in the photos. “The conning tower was very distinctive to the various U-boats. This one is remarkably preserved. Based on its size, and what I know of the Kriegsmarine submarine program, it’s definitely a Type IX. The other telltale sign, again amazingly well preserved, is the unit symbol shown here.” He pointed toward the rusting emblem on the conning tower.
Cam looked closer. “Yeah. We had a better look at the smiling fish with the sawbill.”
“A laughing swordfish,” said Kwon. “It was one of the more common. Others included the Olympic Rings because of the Berlin games in thirty-six, and the Snorting Bull, one of the most famous of them all, homage to the large number of German subs sailing out of France.”
Gunner nodded to himself. Kwon had impressed him. However, he really wanted to talk with Harper privately.
“Cam, Bear, would you mind briefing Dr. Li on what you observed while in the submersible? I need to speak with Dr. Randolph for a moment.”
“Harper, please,” she commented.
“Sure,” replied Bear, who was anxious to get to know the mysterious Dr. Li.
Gunner turned to Harper. “Do you mind walking with me?”
“Lead the way.”
Chapter Two
Aboard the Sea Searcher II
One Hundred Seventy Miles North of Puerto Rico
North Atlantic Ocean
Gunner and Harper arrived at a railing on the port side of the Sea Searcher II, where they could observe the activity aboard the other research ship from a distance. They both leaned on the rail with their elbows as they spoke.
“Nazis. It’s just hard to fathom,” began Harper, trying to adopt a casual tone. She was anxious to get started on her research, but she was intrigued by the opportunity to meet Gunner.
Gunner looked toward the waves gently slapping the side of the ship, and then he retrieved his iPhone from one of his cargo pockets. He scrolled to his photos and then handed the phone to Harper.
“Aw, shit,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief as she watched the brief, five-second video. “Dying sucks any way you look at it, but this appears particularly brutal. I gather this is one of the crew members of the other ship.” She pointed across the water toward the Sea Searcher I.
Gunner took the phone back and shoved it in his pocket without taking another glance. “The captain emailed the video to me. It had been sent by one of the crew members of the other ship before they died. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Harper stared across the ocean. “I have. In medical history documentaries while I was in med school at Georgetown. This was not the type of virus we were used to dealing with at the CDC. If I were to guess, we might be looking at VX, a venomous chemical warfare nerve agent that’s highly toxic. Only—” She paused as she gathered her thoughts.
“What?”
“VX was developed by the Brits in the early fifties. The timeframe wouldn’t match up with anything found on board the U-boat.”
“What are other options that may have been in use during the period?” asked Gunner.
“Nerve agents come in two main classes. The V-series, like VX, came years after World War II. The Novichok agents, favored by the old Soviet Union in the mid-sixties, weren’t even a twinkle in the German scientists’ eyes yet. Other than the insecticide-based organophosphates like malathion, the most likely option would be the G-series compounds.”
“G-series?” asked Gunner.
“Well, yeah. G, quite simply, stands for German. A scientist named Gerhard Schrader began to toy with sarin in the late thirties as a pesticide until he figured out how lethal it could be. As is so often the case, any new invention immediately was considered for military use. It’s so toxic that most every nation has outlawed its production.”
Gunner rubbed his temples. “Sarin could cause what we saw in the video?”
“Yes.”
“How much? I mean, how much sarin would be necessary to produce a death that gruesome?”
Harper sighed. “Sarin is generally considered a weapon of mass destruction because it is lethal even at very low concentrations. And death comes quickly. Usually within one to ten minutes after inhalation.”
Gunner stood in silence for a moment, continuously staring across the water at the activity taking place on the other ship. He was processing it all, and Harper, who was married to a powerful congressman, understood men needed time to think things through from time to time. She waited for him to speak. His next statement caught her off guard.
“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your husband. Congressman Joe Mills, correct?”
Harper lit up. She’d grown accustomed to meeting people who knew Joe, and they usually heaped praise upon him as they discussed their relationship to him.
“How do you know him?”
“There have been occasions when things needed to get done. Joe has called upon
