Experiment 209: Alexandra

Lilly Charlton has just inherited the world's fourth largest shipping company. She's barely 26, a graduate in psychology, is far too easily frightened and knows nothing about ships. So when one of her company's largest vessels - a 250,000 tonne crude tanker - goes missing somewhere off the coast of Australia, Lilly hasn't the slightest idea what to do.

Her friends suggest she sells the company, the board suggests she go hang, but her lawyer suggests something else entirely. Mr Eli Goldberg has friends in the Australian Navy, friends who have led him to believe that Lilly's tanker may not have sunk after all. But in trying to find out the truth, Lilly finds herself propelled from her ordinary world to a structure in the middle of the Indian Ocean: Oil Rig Alpha 209.

There she meets Alexandra.

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Drills: big, dirty great, riveted spears that slammed into the earth. They dug down till they tapped the pools of tar-like crude oil. This is what they did, what they were made for.

Oil Rig Alpha 209 was owned by the oil giant Cata. It was located approximately 2000km from Perth, Australia, smack bang in the middle of the Indian Ocean. It was alone here, there was no other rig, island, or atoll in sight. The only black spot on the horizon of clear blue ocean.

But something unexpected lay underneath this rig. There was oil, yes: a giant reserve, one that would satisfy the rig’s thirst for almost 20 years. But then, when they would dig deeper, to pass the blockages and air pockets, to see if there was yet more black gold. Then they would come across something else entirely.

On the 2nd of July 1995 Oil Rig Alpha 209 stopped operations. The drills and pumps ground to a halt. By 11am the entire rig was evacuated. In the operation room, the computer panels were still on. A cup of half-finished coffee rested on the table next to scattered papers. A rolled up blueprint sat in the middle of the room, several footprints pressed into its bulk.

On the platform outside the alarm klaxon still sounded. It would run out eventually.

Oil Rig Alpha 209 would lay undisturbed for 15 years. There would be no investigation and no liquidation of machinery. No one from Cata would be sent to confirm the fault and no engineers would be sent to decommission the rig. It would be left as it was on that day in 1995.

Alpha 209 wasn’t the first to drill this section of ocean. The geologists hadn’t known that when they’d picked the site, nor had the engineers figured it when they’d built it. Nobody had a clue. It was just the middle of the ocean right? Unpopulated, untouched and relatively unimportant.

These were assumptions.

In 1941 the American and British governments began a top secret project. Liaising with the Australians, several hundred nautical miles outside of their territorial waters: the three countries began an experiment. Even though she was in the grips of a terrible war, Britain diverted a considerable sum to the construction of a scientific laboratory, with financial and technical aid coming from the Americans. 2000km from Perth Australia, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, they began to dig.

‘Get on the boat.’

The rifle swung through the chill air, striking him on the back of the knees. He slammed onto the wet dock, breath caught in his throat as the pain ripped through his legs. ‘Shit.’

The assailant’s blue fatigue-clad legs slowly walked into his view, the butt of his rifle barely an inch from his victim’s face. ‘You shouldn’t have come here Mr Bucket, this was a very bad mistake for you. Now get on the boat.’

Bucket tensed his shoulders and sucked in the air. ‘Kinda hard.’ Another breath. ‘If I can’t walk.’

The man chuckled, swinging his rifle so the muzzle lightly brushed Bucket’s cheek. ‘This makes me laugh, you have a wonderful sense of humour Mr Bucket. Get up now.’

The rifle pressed deeper into his skin.

Bucket braced his arms and pushed. His knees buckled from side to side, but somehow he managed to stand.

‘Good. Move now.’

The ship was off to his left. A large white schooner with Clarice painted along the stern. He could just make it out under the reflected light from the Marina. If there was anyone else out here on this blustery night, they’d be able to just make out his hunched form as he was shoved onto the boat. But there was no one, the dock was completely quiet save for the whistling wind.

She was about 42ft he guessed. No spring chicken either. Whether his kidnapper owned her or not was hard to say. Didn’t really matter right now, his knees hurt like hell and his heart was ripping away in his chest. The Doctor had said to keep excitement down to a minimum. So he had to go and get himself kidnapped by a god damn pirate. Retirement was proving to be nothing like they’d touted.

‘You want to know where we go eh? Why I take you?’ The guy didn’t even turn around as he revved up the donk and the diesel fumes wafted into the cabin.

He kept silent.

‘Maybe wondering why I tied you up?

‘There might be a bit of that.’ Mr Bucket took a deep breath to try and gain control of his heart. The cabin was small, that really didn’t help things.

‘1995 Mr Bucket. Where were you on July…. Now I forget, what was it again… ah yes, the 2nd. Where were you on July the 2nd Mr Andrew Bucket?’

For the second time in his life, he had fainted dead away.

‘I don’t understand, what do you mean she disappeared?’

The lieutenant leaned closer so his voice could cut through blaring rotors. ‘Don’t know yet ma’am.’ His lips formed around every word, clear as day.

For a moment she just sat there, holding tight to her brief case as the wind pulled at her hair and clothes. ‘Well… is this normal?’ She instantly regretted the comment as the Lieutenant’s face folded into a grin.

‘No ma’am, not every day you lose a 250 thousand tonne crude tanker.’

She started to chew her lip, clutching the case tighter as the helicopter lurched to the side. ‘Ahhhh Lieu-‘

‘Turbulence,’ he cut in. ‘Buckle up.’

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Tell me what you think. I plan for this story to be a bit of a quick action adventure with a good dash of romance and comedy. But yeah, suggestions and feedback are certainly encouraged.