by

      Joaquin De Torres

      edited by

      Dr. Joseph De Torres

      Copyright 2013 Joaquin De Torres,

      All rights reserved.

      Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com

       http://www.eBookIt.com

      ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-1618-2

      No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

      For my brother,

      Christopher Matthew De Torres.

      You’ve come to my aid more times than I can count, and you’ve sacrificed more tears than anyone will ever appreciate.

      You’ve shown your quality and your nobility by caring for our mother, and safeguarding the dignity and memories of the house she and our father built.

      And I will never forget this.

      Kin

      “It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose, should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life. But the sea, though changed in a sinister way, will continue to exist: the threat is rather to life itself.”

      Rachel Carson

      “A person writing at night may put out the lamp, but the words he has written will remain. It is the same with the destiny we create for ourselves in this world.”

      Shakyamuni

      Image courtesy of

      Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

       www.WHOI.edu

      Prologue

      “Guam. Population: 210,000. A territory of the United States since 1898 when the Spanish surrendered the island at the end of the Spanish-American War.

      “A tiny speck of rock in the Pacific Ocean some 3,800 miles west of Hawaii; 1,600 miles southeast of Japan; and 1,500 miles east of the Philippines. And did I mention it’s just a speck? Thirty miles long by 12 miles wide at its widest point, it is the largest gem in a necklace of tropical, mountainous and volcanic islands known as the Mariana Islands Chain.

      “The world calls the local people Guamanians, but they call themselves Chamorros. A rich, historical ethnic blend of multi-raced islanders consisting of the Guamanians, Filipinos, Palauans, and numerous blends of Polynesian and Asian ancestry. Basically, if you look like you could be an extra in a Bruce Lee movie, you’re probably from Guam.

      “The weather is sunny and balmy all year round; the water within the surrounding reef is as warm as bathwater, shimmering blue-green and crystal clear. At least, that’s what the tourist website photos show. In fact, other than the business generated by its U.S. military bases, tourism is the island’s number one export. But unless your country touches the Pacific, you’re in the military or watch Discovery Channel, you probably have no idea that this island even exists.

      “No one really famous or significant has ever come out of this tiny island. Well, I take that back. If memory and Wikipedia serves, one Kim Santos was crowned Miss World in 1980. A couple of years later, one Joe DeTorres became the first island-borne Chamorro ever elected to a Stateside public office as mayor of Pittsburg, California; a rustic, blue collar town some 50 miles east of San Francisco.

      “Hmmm. What else? Oh wait! Did I mention SPAM? Of all the island’s exotic delicacies, SPAM is the local’s favorite meat source; that is, if you can call SPAM meat! In Guam, it’s called “Chamorro steak” and, apparently, any dish made with beef, chicken or pork can be substituted with SPAM, and it will supposedly taste even better. What-EVER!

      “Anyway, so why the hell is the Navy sending me all the way from Virginia to this God-forsaken rock in the first place?”

      The young woman looked away as if annoyed by the thought of it. The flight from Virginia to Guam was 16 and a half hours. She checked her watch: Less than an hour to go. Knowing that the journey was almost at an end, she proceed to give her report.

      “Because I have to find someone,” she huffed. “Someone important. I have to find a man—one man—whom the Navy desperately needs. Kind of ironic really because this man has been the bane of Navy public relations for the past six years.

      “From his scientific journals, to his international interviews and video documentaries, this man and the Navy have been at war on several fronts. Mortal enemies—the classic story of the little guy against the government establishment; the hourly-wage worker versus the multimillion-dollar corporation; the Monk seal versus the Great White.

      “Well, apparently this seal has some serious teeth of his own because when the dilemma arose, the tragedy that I’m not to speak about until I meet him, this guy was the first person everyone said they needed. His very enemies, the commanding officers of the Pacific Fleet and the Pacific Submarine Fleet; the Chief of Naval Operations and the Secretary of the Navy—all requested him by name. All these men despise the very man they so desperately need. In fact, there was no one else they wanted.” She smiled to herself. It’s funny how things work out.

      “After that call, they contacted my CO, Admiral Kyoko Kaneshiro at WEPs, and that’s why I’m involved.

      “The Navy needs this guy to help investigate either the scene of an accident, or the scene of a crime. Either way, the scary thing about it all is that this “scene” is more than six miles beneath the surface of the ocean; in a stretch of area that, I thought, made Guam famous in the first place: the Marianas Trench.”

      She pressed the button of her handheld voice recorder, let out a long breath and began rummaging through her carry-on bag. She found the dossier folder that held all the information on the man in question, sandwiched between some of those magazine journals and four books he’d written. There was a crackle on the loudspeaker.

      “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. We are on final approach to Antonio Won Pat Memorial airport and will be landing in 20 minutes. Local time is 4:43 P.M. Weather on the ground is 83 degrees with light winds. A beautiful day. We hope that you’ve enjoyed your flight these last 16 hours. I know it’s been a long journey, but I hope we’ve made you comfortable.

      “Please make sure your seatbelts are fastened, and that your tray and seat are in their upright and locked position. If you have any loose articles, please stow them in the overhead compartments or under your seat. And please keep all electronic equipment and cell phones off until we touchdown.

      “On behalf of my cabin crew, I’d like to thank you for flying Delta Airlines. Flight attendants, please prepare for landing.”

      The captain was right, it had been a long flight; her longest. But she got plenty of sleep and she was not fatigued at all. The evening was young. With the man’s work address in hand, she decided that once she got her rental car and checked in at the officer’s quarters on base, she would go and try to find him. It was Friday, and a guy like this