NEXT- PATH 2- FLIP
Church feels overjoyed by the arrival of his baby daughter. His wife, Sue, looks even more radiant than ever as she suckles, Eve in the private maternity ward. The elated Church thinks that nothing can spoil this day, not even Ryan moaning as usual about being hungry. Sue tells Church that Granny pearl and Grandpa Jack, their spirit keeper and guide, had already popped in through a portal and visited them, but they had to leave as something urgent was happening in the spirit world. However, the astonishing conversation that Church will have with a strange entity on his arrival home was about to ruin his perfect day.
Church feels overjoyed by the arrival of his baby daughter. His wife, Sue, looks even more radiant than ever as she suckles, Eve in the private maternity ward. The elated Church thinks that nothing can spoil this day, not even Ryan moaning as usual about being hungry. Sue tells Church that Granny pearl and Grandpa Jack, their spirit keeper and guide, had already popped in through a portal and visited them, but they had to leave as something urgent was happening in the spirit world. However, the astonishing conversation that Church will have with a strange entity on his arrival home was about to ruin his perfect day.
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“Damn! Must be Hyper-subs,” said Alan. “We can’t see them or outrun<br />
them. I wish Gabe was here, he would know how to evade them.”<br />
“Hang on a minute,” said Ryan, “If vessels and people are no longer on<br />
the ocean...Why do they need a coastguard?”<br />
“These aren’t coastguards. They are maritime mercenaries paid by the<br />
pens, allegedly to stop poachers,” Alan sighed. “These, and others like<br />
them, are the ones responsible for sinking all the conservation, activists,<br />
and research vessels, including most of my fleet. They are ruthless<br />
killers who have the latest and most efficient weapons and, as the HPM<br />
satellites have been monitoring our communications. We now appear to<br />
be in deep shit.”<br />
The warning repeated over the ships system, except this time, the vessel<br />
threatened to open fire should they fail to comply<br />
“We can’t outrun them, or their sting-fish torpedoes,” Alan informed<br />
them. He knew that if they continued on their course, they would be<br />
destroyed. However, if he allowed them to board, they would take all<br />
the equipment and research, and then kill them, before sinking the<br />
vessel. It seemed a hopeless situation. Alan made a grave decision.<br />
“Stop engines,” he ordered. He then gave instructions to his V-com.<br />
The viewer from the soncam went off, leaving a blank screen for<br />
several seconds and then the computer voice announced. “Soncam is<br />
off-line from the Ocean Guardian” Alan removed a thin hard-drive from<br />
a console. He looked at Church and the team.<br />
“Sorry to have got you into this mess.”<br />
Church put his hand on Alan's shoulder and said,<br />
“We have a job to do... And we intend to finish it.”
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