my salary I don't give a flying fuck who you are or who people think you are. I need incentive to be leashed, unlike these ladies here," Calisto said, in her low husky voice, displaying absolutely no emotional ripples or fear.
Purdue liked that. Not only was she as efficient and cold as the late Ziv Blomstein, but he guessed that she used her own discretion under pressure and she obviously was not easily subjugated. These things could count in his favor, he reckoned.
"Gentlemen, would you please excuse us?" Purdue finally said in his normal lighthearted way. When he was alone with Calisto he printed her contract, on which her substantial fee was posted.
"Goddamn! You want me to kill the queen or what?" she marveled at the amount he offered her.
"No, Calisto, I am buying the most expensive and ultimately the most costly service from you—trust, unchallenged loyalty. And when this contract is concluded you will have the prerogative to apply for a permanent post in this capacity. Consider this your probation period," Purdue sang in his best sales pitch.
Calisto spared no time in grabbing his pen to sign her name to join his service.
"I have two other people already recruited. This top-secret venture is among four of us only and I expect everything to be handled with utmost confidence. Do you understand?" he asked.
"Unequivocally, sir," the rigid discipline rang in Calisto's voice, as she took on her duty immediately.
"Excellent," Purdue smiled with glee.
In the late afternoon he sent a very important email to Sam Cleave. Although things were rocky between them, Purdue turned to Cleave to record the progress of the new discovery. Cleave had an established reputation now, his work was excellent and he was not the worst person to have on a trip. How he would gel with Dr. Gould after their jagged parting was none of his concern. Purdue trusted Cleave to keep a secret as long as he needed him to, a rare quality in a world-renowned investigative journalist. There were secrets in that U-boat at the bottom of the ocean and whatever they were, he needed an expert, such as Nina to decipher and interpret them.
He felt his excitement bound as he started typing the message.
Dear Mr. Cleave,
I trust you are well and handling the pressures of society swimmingly.
If you are not held up with another project, I would once more like to procure your services to document a venture I am embarking on within the next two weeks, if all goes well.
Of course, I cannot discuss the details here, so I would appreciate it if you could grace me with a visit within the next three days.
I am afraid time is of the utmost urgency for me to finalize the details of the excursion, so I need to impress on you the gravity of our meeting. You can reply to this email to confirm your interest. The rest we will discuss when you come to see me.
Appreciate your swift response, Sam. I look forward to seeing you.
Have a good week.
Regards,
Dave Purdue
PS: Do you have scuba training?
By the following week Purdue had meticulously laid out his plans, signed contracts with Sam and Nina and notified them of the rendezvous point from where they would be transported to the platform of Deep Sea One. The manufacturers from Holland had delivered his new submersible to the oil rig where it was docked and ready. Now things began to fall into place for the first phase of his discovery. Purdue could not wait to sink beneath the waves to meet her, to excavate her and see what she held hostage.
☼
Chapter 9
Nina felt queasy when she saw the small private helicopter. Not only was she claustrophobic, but the thought of seeing Sam Cleave again only exacerbated her apprehension. It was as if she was forced to deal with Frank Matlock's lackeys wherever she went lately. Because of the excitement she felt after Purdue had informed her of the exact nature of the new exploration, she had hardly been able to get more than two hours of sleep a night.
Purdue liked that. Not only was she as efficient and cold as the late Ziv Blomstein, but he guessed that she used her own discretion under pressure and she obviously was not easily subjugated. These things could count in his favor, he reckoned.
"Gentlemen, would you please excuse us?" Purdue finally said in his normal lighthearted way. When he was alone with Calisto he printed her contract, on which her substantial fee was posted.
"Goddamn! You want me to kill the queen or what?" she marveled at the amount he offered her.
"No, Calisto, I am buying the most expensive and ultimately the most costly service from you—trust, unchallenged loyalty. And when this contract is concluded you will have the prerogative to apply for a permanent post in this capacity. Consider this your probation period," Purdue sang in his best sales pitch.
Calisto spared no time in grabbing his pen to sign her name to join his service.
"I have two other people already recruited. This top-secret venture is among four of us only and I expect everything to be handled with utmost confidence. Do you understand?" he asked.
"Unequivocally, sir," the rigid discipline rang in Calisto's voice, as she took on her duty immediately.
"Excellent," Purdue smiled with glee.
In the late afternoon he sent a very important email to Sam Cleave. Although things were rocky between them, Purdue turned to Cleave to record the progress of the new discovery. Cleave had an established reputation now, his work was excellent and he was not the worst person to have on a trip. How he would gel with Dr. Gould after their jagged parting was none of his concern. Purdue trusted Cleave to keep a secret as long as he needed him to, a rare quality in a world-renowned investigative journalist. There were secrets in that U-boat at the bottom of the ocean and whatever they were, he needed an expert, such as Nina to decipher and interpret them.
He felt his excitement bound as he started typing the message.
Dear Mr. Cleave,
I trust you are well and handling the pressures of society swimmingly.
If you are not held up with another project, I would once more like to procure your services to document a venture I am embarking on within the next two weeks, if all goes well.
Of course, I cannot discuss the details here, so I would appreciate it if you could grace me with a visit within the next three days.
I am afraid time is of the utmost urgency for me to finalize the details of the excursion, so I need to impress on you the gravity of our meeting. You can reply to this email to confirm your interest. The rest we will discuss when you come to see me.
Appreciate your swift response, Sam. I look forward to seeing you.
Have a good week.
Regards,
Dave Purdue
PS: Do you have scuba training?
By the following week Purdue had meticulously laid out his plans, signed contracts with Sam and Nina and notified them of the rendezvous point from where they would be transported to the platform of Deep Sea One. The manufacturers from Holland had delivered his new submersible to the oil rig where it was docked and ready. Now things began to fall into place for the first phase of his discovery. Purdue could not wait to sink beneath the waves to meet her, to excavate her and see what she held hostage.
☼
Chapter 9
Nina felt queasy when she saw the small private helicopter. Not only was she claustrophobic, but the thought of seeing Sam Cleave again only exacerbated her apprehension. It was as if she was forced to deal with Frank Matlock's lackeys wherever she went lately. Because of the excitement she felt after Purdue had informed her of the exact nature of the new exploration, she had hardly been able to get more than two hours of sleep a night.
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