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The Virage TX was painted a charcoal gray that blended into the black water Contrary to what is shown in the ht suits, dark gray has less visibility under the stars at night The three-cylinder engine was ineers to put out one hundred and seventy horsepower Noise reduction was also modified to reduce exhaust noise by ninety percent

Speeding across the black water, the only sounds came from the slap of the bow and the muted hue of the Isle de O a deserted wharf south of Granada

Pitt eased back on the throttle as Giordino studied a basic, handheld radar detector "How's it look?" Pitt asked

"Their bea us"

"We ise to take the precaution of finishing the trip underwater," Pitt said, tipping his head toward a pair of searchlights that were sweeping the water for five hundred yards off the shore

"I make it about a quarter of a mile"

"Our depth sounder reads the bottom at only twenty-two feet We must be out of the main channel"

"Ti toward a patrol boat that appeared around the end of a long dock

Already in their light wet suits, they quickly pulled their dive gear and packs froe was a stable craft and they could stand while helping each other slip into their oxygen closed-circuit rebreathers, of a type used by thethrough the predive checking procedures, Giordino slid into the water while Pitt tied the hand grips in a straight position Then he aimed the jet ski on a course toward the west shore of the lake and set the throttle as he slid off Neitherbeneath the surface Though they were using co each other in the ink-black water They clipped the ends of a ten-foot line to their weight belts

Pitt preferred the oxygen closed-circuit rebreather The semi--closed circuit rebreathers were ns of bubbles on the surface Breathing one hundred percent oxygen, the rebreather was the only true bubble-free diving system, the reason they were used by military divers on covert missions There could be no detection on the surface because the system eliminated all indications of bubble exhaust It took specialized training to use the system efficiently without probleers to rebreathers, having used them for twenty years

NeitherPitt's ht that sent out a thin beam that was next to impossible to spot from the surface Pitt saw the bottom slope down as they came to the an kicking toward the Odyssey dock Far into the distance, nified by the water, he and Giordino could hear the thrash of the patrol boat's twin screws

Relying on his co GPS positions, they homed in on the section under the main dock where itthe water on the surface becohts bea over the entire dock area They could also see the sweep of the searchlights as their yellow shafts streaked across the surface above them

The water becalow turn brighter on the water surface Another hundred yards and they could s They skirted around the big COSCO containership, staying far enough away so no idle crewman could see them under the surface All activity had co cranes became immobile and the warehouses were closed and deserted as the trucks moved away

Suddenly, Pitt felt the back of his neck tingle and he sensed a e shape loom and swiped Pitt's shoulder with its tail and disappeared He stiffened and Giordino io slack

"What is it?" Giordino demanded