"Eleven twenty-one North latitude and one-forty-two twelve East longitude," Everett said to himself. Then he looked at the flat expanse of seafloor highlighted in holographic blues rushing toward them. "Jesus Christ," Everett shouted, "everyone hold on tight--this crazy woman just may be on a suicide run."

"Explain, Captain," Lee asked loudly as the observation deck began to flicker and then went out, leaving the only light the green, red, and blue colors of the massive hologram in front of them.

"That ocean bottom coming straight at us is what's called the Abysmal Shelf. The mountainous area to the front is the continental plate of Asia. We can only be headed for one place--where no attack submarine in the world can follow--the Mariana Trench!"

Mendenhall and Ryan exchanged looks. When Captain Everett got scared, that meant they were going into the extreme of all dangers.

The green readout started pumping out numbers that were hard to follow as Leviathanran deep.

"Captain, Missouriis giving chase at their maximum speed of forty-seven knots!" Samuels announced over the intercom from his station in control.

"The Missouriwill never catch us; she better turn and head for home. They're already too deep!" Everett said as the hologram split into two sections to show Leviathan's bow and stern and the computer-generated depiction of the Missouri.

"God, she's a fast boat, but she has to turn away," Everett said proudly, even as he prayed Missouri'scaptain would give up.

"Turn away, damn it!" Niles said as he watched Missourithree miles behind.

"Four thousand meters--thirteen thousand feet deep!" Everett called out. "We're at the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean--there's the Trench!"

As they watched, the black image of the Mariana Trench grew in scope before their eyes. It was rushing at them just as Leviathan's inner hull started to bend inward, and to the amazement of all, they actually witnessed the composite material shimmer in the dark as its matrix started changing right before their eyes. The interior hull looked as if it were sweating as the composite fibers tightened, making itself stronger against the depths.

"How can this material take this depth?" Niles asked just as the pressure in the boat started to increase, making them all dizzy and grabbing their heads.

"How deep is the trench, Carl?" Sarah asked as she watched Everett pull his harness tighter.

"If you sank Mount Everest to the bottom of the trench, there would still be more than seven thousand feet of water above it."

"Can this damn thing hold up to that pressure?"

"It's been rumored for years that General Dynamics Electric Boat Division has been working on a chemical-electrical mix that would reinforce a composite design for deepwater submergence, but this is far beyond anything ever dreamed."

Mendenhall and Ryan were shaking as hard as Leviathanherself. Will closed his eyes and started praying.

"I think we're too close to the depths of hell for that to help!" Ryan called out.

Virginia watched Alexandria's eyes narrow once more to slits as Leviathanscreamed for the deepest part of the world.

"Captain, the thermal-dynamic drive is going into the red; the reactors have been running at one hundred and twenty percent power for three minutes. Estimate power plant scram in thirty-eight seconds!"

"Maintain current power output, Commander. We need this demonstration for the benefit of our American friends."

There was a momentary silence from the control center, and then Samuels answered. "Aye, Captain, maintaining one hundred and twenty percent on the reactors."

The sound of the hull compressing did not affect the crew of Leviathanas she entered the trench. Three miles distant, Missouristill came on.

"Fools, they can't take this depth. They must turn away!" Heirthall screamed, watching the jagged scar depicting the gaping maw of the world's deepest valley open up fully before Leviathan.

Outside Leviathan, the topmost walls of the Mariana Trench slid by and the giant submarine disappeared into the blackness of the abyss, a place far more deadly and inhospitable than the deepest reaches of outer space.

"Look," Everett called out. "Missouriis turning away and heading for the surface."

"Why in the hell did she risk imploding like that?" Alice asked.

"Because they had to try," Sarah said, thinking about Jack.

The observation deck became quiet as they watched the hologram turn to black. As they entered the trench, the computer-enhanced depiction of the giant Leviathanstarted to lessen the steepness of her dive.

Once in sickbay, the two guards unceremoniously tossed Jack onto one of the unoccupied beds. They turned and left without a word to Dr. Trevor, who watched without comment. He checked Collins and quickly found his problem.

Thirty minutes later, Jack slowly came around. The doctor was nowhere to be seen. Collins rubbed the gash in his head, which Trevor had cleaned, stitched with six very neat stitches, and dressed with a small bandage.

Jack looked around until his eyes fell on a man staring at him from one of the six beds in the clinic area. The pale blue eyes never blinked, never moved. Collins knew him immediately. Jack made sure he wasn't feeling any ill effects from the blow to his head, then sat up and slowly walked over to the occupied bed.

"Colonel," Jack said, sitting on the bed next to the Frenchman. "Sarah told me you had booked passage on this little cruise."

Farbeaux said nothing as he fought slowly to sit up in his bed. He was grimacing a little more than he actually had to.

"Look, I heard what you did for Sarah at the complex, and I--"

"Let us dispense with the pleasantries, Colonel," Farbeaux said as he looked at Jack. "Young Sarah had to have also told you why I was there in the first place. I was willing to let things go with the news of your supposed death, but now I see and feel that this can no longer be accomplished."

Jack smiled and shook his head.

"So, you want to kill me?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Because you lost Danielle in the Amazon?"

"No."

"Really? Then what is your reasoning?"

"I do not like myself, and you, Colonel, are the architect of that."

"Well, that puts us at cross-purposes, Henri, because I like myself a lot. I've been there, so I don't want to die again. If it makes you feel better, though, I don't like you, either. However, I still want to live and have no desire to kill you. Where does that leave us?"

"We all want what we cannot have. I will kill you and I will feel better for it." Farbeaux looked away and then back after completing a thought. "However, since we both find ourselves in a rather strange predicament here in fantasyland, I am willing to forgo my hostility toward you until such time as we are freed. Then I can kill you and Captain Everett at the same time, and at my leisure. So unless that can be accomplished during our escape from this vessel and without altering my own fortunes, we will call a truce until such a time as we can take up old habits."

Jack reached out and patted Farbeaux on the leg near his wounded hip, making the Frenchman jump in pain. This time he didn't have to act at all.

"Okay, Henri, once we're out of here, we can resume the game. Until then, I can definitely use your penchant for planning, cheating, lying, and being one sneaky bastard."