Page 21 of Tides of Fire

During the past five days, there had been periodic tremors, but nothing as severe as the one that had knocked the station off its anchors a few days ago.

“How can I help you, Mr. Kaneko?”

“Please call me Adam.” He gave a small bow of his head. When he raised his face, his brows were knit with concern. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a massive quake struck Southeast Asia, with an epicenter in the South China Sea. It only happened within the past hour, so details are sketchy.”

“I hadn’t heard. But why do you need to consult with a biologist?”

Especially me.

“For the past two weeks, our team has been mapping the epicenters of a cluster of tremors. They all seem to be rising from the Tonga Trench, about four hundred miles from our location.”

“Should we be concerned?”

“Not at the moment.”

Phoebe was not reassured, especially at the hesitancy in his voice.

“It’s better if I show you,” he said. “If you can spare a few minutes.”

“Of course.”

Adam led her off the stairs and across Oceanus Tier. The two levels below were the domain of the biology departments; this level was dedicated to chemistry, engineering, and geology. It also had a large lecture hall for cross-disciplinary discussions.

Up until now, Phoebe had barely set foot on this tier. Adam guided her past one of the emergency docking sections. Each level had them. Beyond a thick airlock hatch, four steps led down to a circular docking ring. With all the talk of quakes, she was suddenly all too aware of the two tons of pressure squeezing down upon every inch of the station.

“This way,” Adam said, noting her slowing.

He took her around the central hub and to a door marked with a pickaxe crossed by a hammer. Inside, the geology lab was laid out similarly to all the others. The space was divided into a warren of cubicles, booths, and workstations. Across the back wall, a curve of polarized black glass glowed with the rosy shine of the exterior lamps.

Even at this late hour, men bustled about worktables and computer stations. Sifters rattled and shook. Something rhythmically thumped. The air had a bitter taint to it, likely from reagents and acids used to analyze core samples.

Adam walked her past all of it and over to a wide arc of monitors with a trio of ergonomic chairs before them. Two people were already settled there, and Adam waved her to the empty seat.

Phoebe sank warily into it, confused by the strange summons. An older Japanese man, with neatly combed white hair, sat in the center. He greeted her with a small bow of his head. Still, he kept working at a set of controls, studying his monitor, peering through a slim pair of reading glasses perched on his nose. On the screen, a glowing topographic map slowly shifted over a rocky landscape, shining in a rainbow of hues. A towering cliff rose on one side.

Past the old man, the third seat was occupied by a familiar figure.

“Thank you for joining us, Dr. Reed,” William Byrd said, leaning forward to meet her eye. “I hope we don’t have to keep you for long, but I suggested we consult with you on what we discovered.”

“I’m happy to help.” She glanced over to Adam, who stood behind the older man. “I was told about the continuing swarm of quakes, but I don’t understand what the geology department needs from me.”

Byrd sighed. “After that large jolt a few days ago, I’ve directed considerable resources to assessing the threat level, both to the station and to the general area. For now, the epicenters all seem to be rising along the Tonga Trench.”

The older man glanced over the top of his glasses at the billionaire. “Not justalongthe trench, Mr. Byrd. But from one small stretch of it.”

“I’m not sure I’d call a hundred-mile section of the trenchsmall.”

“Still, the patterning remains strange,” the older man insisted. “And worrisome.”

“It’s too early to state that with any certainty.” Byrd waved over to Adam. “Even your nephew agrees with me.”

Phoebe looked between the older man and Adam, only now recognizing the resemblance between the two.

Adam noted her attention and made the introduction. “My uncle. Dr. Haru Kaneko. Department head of volcanology at Kyoto University.”

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Phoebe said, still unclear why she had been summoned here.

Byrd twisted in his seat. “Adam, while we continue our sonar scan, can you catch Dr. Reed up on the geology team’s assessment.”

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