Simon Hawke - The Nautilus Sanction

“News of this discovery will cause Bohr and Fermi to realize these men had succeeded in splitting the uranium atom. Nuclear fission. Bohr and Fermi will also realize that nuclear fission might involve a chain reaction, in other words, one split atom of uranium would release two neutrons, which would split two more atoms, releasing four neutrons, splitting four more atoms and releasing eight neutrons and so on, in geometric progression, releasing fabulous amounts of energy in an infinitesimal space of time.

“Albert Einstein will have enabled us to understand all this with a formula which will revolutionize science. In the year 1905, Einstein will make history when he writes the simple equation, E = MC ^2. Translated, it means energy equals mass multiplied by the square of the speed of light. The neutron, the sub-atomic particle with no electrical charge, strikes a large uranium nucleus, causing it to split. The ‘debris’ of this split is neutrons and lighter nuclei. What is left after the nucleus splits weighs less than the original. The mass which is lost is converted into energy via Einstein’s formula. This debris shatters other nuclei in a self-sustaining process called a chain reaction and all that is required to produce this is a sufficient quantity of uranium, below which this process will not be self-sustaining. This quantity is known as a critical mass.

“On the basis of Einstein’s formula, it can be calculated that one-thirtieth of a gram of water converted into pure energy would yield enough heat to turn a thousand tons of water into steam. A device which facilitates this process is called a nuclear reactor and it is that which drives the Nautilus.

“A uranium core-fuel rods-can be thought of as the firebox of your coal-fired steam engines. Nuclear fission produces heat. The steam from the heart of the Nautilus is taken to the engine room in two large, insulated pipes leading to four turbines, two turbo-generators and the auxiliary steam line. Again, I use terms you are unfamiliar with, but it suffices to say that this steam produces the power we require, then enters the condensers, having done its work, and in the form of water is pumped back into the steam generators, where it is heated once again by the pressurized water in what is called the primary loop of the reactor. The water in the primary loop is kept under very great pressure, so it cannot turn to steam. In this manner, we have a propulsion system in which no combustion is required. Coolant pumps circulate the water, drive motors raise and lower the fuel rods, controlling the reactor. The fuel rods will last for several years and when they are depleted, I have ways of getting more. Extreme precautions must be observed to ensure there is no leakage anywhere within the system, for such leakage would not only result in loss of pressure, but in radioactive contamination. That is the reason for the dosimeters, Mr. Verne, to monitor radioactive exposure.

“Yet, lest you should think this new fire of Prometheus is an inestimable boon to mankind-which it is-atomic energy has its darker side, and you will find that aboard the Nautilus, as well. The energy obtained by the fission of any given amount of uranium, released at an uncontrolled rate as an explosive, is millions of times more powerful than dynamite.

“You may have noticed large, round hatches in the deck of the Nautilus when you came aboard. Beneath each is a missile kept in a compartment called a silo. Think of these missiles as being rockets, if you will, of a very advanced nature. Each of these missiles carries fourteen atomic warheads, only one of which would be more than sufficient to level a city the size of Paris. From aboard this submarine, even while submerged, I can fire my missiles at any spot upon the globe. So, as you can see, I have at my command both the benevolent nature of atomic power and its destructive capability, which is the greatest the world has ever seen.”

“You neglected to mention how you came by it,” said Finn.

“Yes,” said Drakov. “In that sense, Mr. Priest was quite correct in his earlier assessment of me. I am a pirate. I stole this vessel.”

“But… for what purpose?” Verne said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I told you, Mr. Verne, I am Fate’s cats-paw. I am but following my destiny. Your three friends here are soldiers from a future time. At some later point, perhaps, you might wish to ask them the nature of their duties and why those duties have become necessary. Oh, I beg your pardon. Will become necessary. That which I explained to you just now heralded the dawn of a new age for mankind in the 20th century. The age of atomic power. It enabled mankind to reach farther than ever before, widening the horizons of science. Yet, as ever, mankind’s grasp exceeds its reach. I told you I am a living paradox. Allow me to explain.

“Mr. Land earlier called me a bastard in his anger and he was quite correct. I am. My father, as it happens, is a man well known to Mr. Priest, Mr. Delaney and Miss Cross. His name is Forrester and he is their commander. As they have traveled to this time, so Colonel Forrester traveled to the time of my mother, where he seduced her and begat me. I am a man who should never have been born, Mr. Verne. At the time my father impregnated my mother, he himself would not have been born for hundreds of years. An impossibility, you say. Yet, here I am. A man who should not exist, brought into being by Fate to bring about an end to that which cannot exist, but does. There is an order to the universe and in the time from which these three soldiers came, mankind has disturbed that order. It has taken me a great many years, Mr. Verne, for I am far older than you think I am, to understand the purpose behind my existence. I was born to set things right, to restore order to the universe. And you, Mr. Verne, shall see it done. You shall be my Boswell. I could not have asked for a better man. But there is still much remaining to be done, many preparations needing to be made, before I can undertake the task Fate has set before me. You will learn things you have not dreamed of, see wonders beyond even your not inconsiderable imagination. My fate will forever alter yours. You have, indeed, a voyage extraordinaire ahead of you. And now, if you good people will excuse me, I will take leave of your company. I have matters to attend to.”

Drakov rose, followed by Shiro, and left the wardroom.

Verne gulped down some wine. “My head is swimming,” he said. “A power that could level Paris! Rays, particles, unheard of elements, I must see this library he spoke of!”

“I would be pleased to show it to you, Mr. Verne,” Count Grigori said in French. “Come.”

They left together, the author dwarfed by the gargantuan von Kampf.

“How does he fit through the hatchways?” Andre said.

“With a certain amount of difficulty,” Benedetto said, smiling a vulpine grin.

“We know why the others are in this with him,” Finn said to Martingale. “What’s in it for you?”

“I thought he made that clear,” drawled Martingale. “Money.”

“Just money?” Lucas said, wryly.

“There are easier ways of making money than being a soldier,” Martingale said. “I’m sure you know that. But it’s all I know. It’s what I do best. Besides, how many mercenaries can claim to have served in action across the boundaries of time? I wouldn’t trade this for the world, Priest. It’s one hell of a kick. See you round.”

He got up and sauntered out of the wardroom, carrying a whiskey bottle with him.

“A kick,” said Lucas. He glanced at Benedetto, who sat sipping wine and smoking a cigarette. “You know Drakov’s insane, don’t you?”

Benedetto shrugged. “I am not a judgmental individual. Who is to say what is sanity and what is not? I prefer to deal in the hard sciences and leave metaphysics to besotted Irish philosophers such as Finn Delaney.” He glanced at Finn and raised his wineglass in a toast.