Maybe it was his fatigue or maybe it was truly inspired, but a thought began to take shape in Jesse’s head. This missile system was important to national security. They had to get it right. With one man already dead from the security breach last night, he couldn’t afford another problem.
He knew the navy sometimes used dolphins and sea lions to patrol offshore for divers who were threatening national security. Sea lions were trained to carry a clamp in their mouths. They would approach an intruder from behind and attach the clamp, which was connected to a rope, to the swimmer’s leg. With the person restrained and tagged, sailors aboard ships could pull the swimmer out of the water. Would something like that work here with Nani?
“How many dolphins do you work with?” he asked slowly.
“Three,” Kaia said. “But only Nani is this responsive.” She pushed her wet hair out of her eyes.
Bane put his hand on her shoulder. Jesse could tell they were both done in. His aide, Ensign Will Masters, motioned to him, and Jesse went to join him. “What’s the death toll so far, Ensign?”
Masters grimaced. “Five dead so far, sir. I don’t know about missing yet. But we’ve got another problem, Commander.”
“What is it?”
“Headquarters just radioed. Television news cameras are waiting for us.”
Great, just great. As if he didn’t have enough to worry about, now the media would be swarming the base gate and trying to point a finger at what went wrong. “I’ll take care of it.” It was all he could do to suppress a sigh.
“One of the survivors is asking to talk to you, sir.”
“Which one?”
The ensign pointed out a white-haired man leaning against the railing. Jesse made his way through the survivors. He paused frequently to offer reassurance to those crowding together before he finally reached the man. “Ensign Masters said you needed to talk to me?”
The elderly man blinked bleary hazel eyes and straightened. “Been years since I was on a navy ship,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve been to the islands since World War II, and I get fired on again. That missile came right at us like it was aimed, my boy. I think the navy has a big problem.”
Jesse pressed his lips together. Could the missile have been tampered with? Security was already so tight a crab couldn’t scuttle across the sand, though an approach by sea was still a possibility. He wasn’t sure how to tighten it, but he was going to have to find a way before the next test.
By the time they arrived at the base, the storm had passed. When Jesse got to shore, he headed off to talk to Captain Lawton, who was in charge of the testing. He found the captain pacing his office. Nearly sixty, Captain Jim Lawton had the vigor and drive of a thirty-year-old.
Lawton stopped wearing a path through his carpet. “How many dead?”
“Five.”
Lawton’s expression didn’t change. “The next trial is in two weeks. I don’t want to miss that date.”
Jesse nodded. “Sir, one witness, a World War II veteran, said it looked like the missile had targeted the catamaran.”
The captain scowled. “That’s not possible, Jesse. I was right there watching the trial. It was a computer malfunction. The guidance system, most likely.”
“I don’t think we should do any more trials until we investigate. What if it was more than the malfunction it seems?”
Lawton jabbed his finger in Jesse’s chest. “Security is your baby, Commander, not missile design. I’ve waited my whole life for this moment. Nothing is going to stop this test. I’ll get my engineers on it. It was a simple computer problem and I’ll fix it. You just do your part and make sure the public doesn’t panic. There’s nothing to fear.”
“What about the possibility of terrorist interference?”
The captain stared hard at Jesse. “Are you saying you suspect a terrorist plot?” His lips lifted in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Don’t mention such a harebrained idea to the press. You just keep everyone off my back until I get the real problem corrected.”
“Sir, last night’s security breach. It could be related.” Jesse could hear the captain’s teeth grinding. Sometimes he wondered if Captain Lawton had it all together.
Lawton’s teeth grinding grew louder before he spoke again. “I’m not going to stop our military exercises on a vague feeling from an old man. It’s not going to happen. We have this under control. You’re dismissed.”
Jesse didn’t understand the captain’s stubborn position. The World War II veteran wasn’t some crackpot. This was more serious than the captain wanted to admit. Jesse had to figure it out somehow. But first he had to deal with the media.
He could hear the buzz of voices as he approached the gate to the base. A young man with a shock of red hair was the first to reach Jesse.
“What happened, Commander? A terrorist attack?”