The sky was clear and the sea calm.
After sailing for more than two hours, the supply ship finally reached its destination—the Ace Ocean Research Base.
Standing on the deck, Owen looked out at the facility in the distance. The base was shaped like the character "日"—a central structure flanked by connecting wings. It had only one visible floor above water, and at its center stood a control tower that offered a 360-degree view of the entire base, though it wasn't particularly tall. Reportedly, the real facility lay beneath the sea, several times larger than the portion above. The perimeter was enclosed by concrete walls and alloy mesh fencing.
As the supply ship docked, crew members secured the mooring lines to the pier. People began disembarking, while some workers started unloading supplies—freshwater, food, daily necessities, fuel, and other materials.
Owen and Eddie followed the crowd onto the pier. The others appeared to be base workers. The group passed through a gated fence, then along a steel walkway over the water, eventually entering the main building.
Owen and Eddie were considering whether to just blend in with the group when a young white man with brown hair walked up to them.
"Hey, buddy. You must be the new structural engineer?"
"Uh… yeah, the folks at the dock told me to take the boat over, said someone here would be doing interviews," Owen replied.
The young man smiled and shook hands with both of them. "I'm Scott, structural engineer here. Welcome aboard, buddy. This way…"
Scott nodded for them to follow, then turned and led them toward the main building.
"I'm Owen, this is Eddie. When do we start the interview?" Owen asked, not bothering with a fake name.
"No need. You've already passed."
Scott shrugged. Owen raised an eyebrow. "When?"
"Just now."
Scott patted Owen's shoulder. "Alright, buddy, relax. This job's easy—way easier than you'd think. If you've worked in this field before, you'll be fine. I'll give you some files to review in a bit. Like I said, it's simple. Oh, and about your compensation—you'll need to discuss that with the Doctor. She's the one in charge here."
"She?"
"Yep, Dr. Susie is a woman. A brilliant biomedical scientist, a real looker too. And she's single."
Scott even winked at Owen.
Owen remained expressionless—he couldn't care less if she was single. He wasn't actually here to get a job, after all. With Scott leading the way and Eddie trailing behind, Owen noticed several people heading back toward the dock. Curious, he asked, "Where are they going?"
"They're heading home. It's the weekend, so most of the staff go back and return on Monday."
Scott led them into a large elevator. As they entered, he continued his introduction. "I'm guessing this is your first time here, so let me give you a quick rundown. This place used to be a World War II submarine base. The U.S. military used it as a sub refueling station. After the war, Ace Pharmaceuticals took it over, added water-level barriers and an underwater lab, and turned it into the facility it is today."
Scott operated the elevator, which began to descend. Owen looked around curiously. Soon, they were below the waterline, and through the transparent glass walls, he could see the dark sea outside.
Scott went on, "Most of our work takes place underwater. Living down there is kind of like being in space—you've got to be extremely careful. Even a small mistake could be fatal. There are three underwater levels: the first is the living quarters, the second houses the labs and workspaces, and the third is the engineering zone and sealed underwater passageways. The entire base is encircled by an 800-meter titanium alloy mesh. We usually work on the third level. Recently, a lot of that mesh has been needing replacement, so that's part of the job."
As Scott chattered away, the elevator stopped at the third floor. He pulled open the iron gate and led them into a room.
"Alright, here are the documents. Look them over. If anything's unclear, just ask me."
Scott tossed a stack of papers to Owen and then went into the restroom. Owen quickly flipped through the files, paying close attention to the facility layout and room functions. These skills had been drilled into him during his SEAL training—this kind of memorization had become second nature.
After scanning the documents, he looked over at Eddie, who leaned in and whispered, "I remember this place. We're on level three right now. Avril's room is on this level, not far from here…"
From the restroom came the sound of a flushing toilet. The two stopped talking immediately. Scott emerged and was about to speak when a voice came through the wall intercom.
"Scott, Matt wants you on the surface."
Scott shrugged. "Sorry, someone's looking for me. You guys look through the material. I'll be back in a bit. Get ready to meet Dr. Susie—she'll decide whether you stay or not."
The two nodded. Once Scott had left and the elevator door closed behind him, Owen tossed the papers aside and followed Eddie out the door.
"This way…"
Eddie oriented himself and led Owen down a corridor. After a short walk, he stopped in front of a door.
"This is it. I'm sure of it."
Owen noticed the door had a keypad—unlike the other rooms on this level, which used simple locks, only this row of three doors had password entry.
Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, Owen drew his pistol and stood by the door, listening. After a few seconds, he nodded at Eddie. Eddie cracked his knuckles, thought for a moment, and then pressed four buttons. With a beep, the keypad confirmed the entry and the door opened.
Owen held the door as they both entered in CQB formation, clearing the corners quickly. The room was empty.
Once inside, Owen noted how tidy everything was. There were almost no personal items.
"This room is Avril's. Her satellite phone must be here…"
They began to rummage through everything. Owen had hoped to find additional valuable intel, but apart from some weapons and medical supplies, the place held little of interest.
The rooms in the research base weren't large, but Owen searched thoroughly. His experience with the police and CTU had given him extensive training in room searches. He knew the usual hiding spots for ordinary people, as well as the preferences of terrorists and spies.
Finally, he found the satellite phone tucked inside a drawer false bottom. He powered it on—just as he'd guessed, it required a password. That meant only Becky could crack it.
With the phone secured, their mission was accomplished. They closed the door and hurried toward the elevator, returning to the surface level. As they emerged from the main building, they saw the supply ship already hundreds of meters away.
They stood silently at the fence, speechless. They weren't getting out today.
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