Black wind

again.
    “We’re a half mile beyond Dr. Biazon’s grid,” Stenseth reported. “Judging by the water, it looks like we’re well clear of the toxic zone.” “Agreed,” Pitt replied. “Let’s stand by here until we see what kind of results the lab has found.”
    As the ship ground to a halt and the sonar tow fish was retrieved, Pitt led Biazon down a level into a teak-paneled conference room, followed by Giordino and Stenseth. Biazon studied the portraits of several famous underwater explorers which lined one wall, recognizing the images of William Beebe, Sylvia Earle, and Don Walsh. As they were seated, a pair of marine biologists clad in the requisite white lab coats entered the conference room. A short, attractive female, her brunet hair tied back in a ponytail, walked to a suspended viewing screen at the front of the room, while her male assistant began typing commands into the computer-driven projection system.
    “We have completed an assessment of forty-four discrete water samples collected, which were analyzed using molecular separation of existing toxic molecules,” she said in a clear voice. As she spoke, an image appeared on the screen behind her, similar to the navigation screen Biazon had noticed the ship tracking to earlier. A zigzag line line punctuated by forty-four large dots ran parallel to an outline of the pang lao Island shoreline. Each dot was color-coded, though Biazon noted that most of them glowed green.
    “The samples were measured for toxic content in parts per billion, with positive results occurring in fifteen of the samples,” the biologist stated, pointing to a row of yellow dots. “As you can see from the chart, the concentration increases as the samples moved east, with the highest reading registered here,” she said, tracing past a few orange-colored dots to a lone red dot near the top of the map.
    “So the source is from an isolated location,” Pitt said.
    “The samples tested negative beyond the red point, indicating that it is likely of a concentrated origin spreading east with the current.”
    “That would seem to dispel the red tide theory. Al, do the results mesh with anything we picked up on the sonar?”
    Giordino walked over to the console and leaned over the operator’s shoulder, typing in a quick series of commands. A dozen As suddenly appeared on the projection screen, overlaid at random points along the zigzag tracking line. Each AT was lettered, beginning with A at the bottom, proceeding to L near the top.
    “Al’s “Dirty Dozen’ hit list,” he smiled, retaking his seat. “We ran over twelve objects that appeared man-made. Mostly chunks of pipe, rusty anchors, and the like. Three items appeared that could be suspected culprits,” he said, eyeing a sheet of handwritten notes. “Mark Cwas a trio of fifty-five-gallon drums lying in the sand.”
    Every eye in the room jumped to the A’marked Con the overhead. The water samples on either side of the mark were all illuminated with green dots, which signified a negative test result.
    “No toxins registered in the vicinity,” Pitt said. “Next.”
    “Mark F looks to be a wooden sailboat, perhaps a local fishing boat. She’s sitting upright on the bottom with her mast still standing.”
    This AT was located adjacent to the first yellow dot. Pitt commented that it was still down current of the toxic readings.
    “Strike two. But you’re getting warmer.”
    “My last mark is a little odd, as the image was just at the range of ij the sonar,” Giordino said, pausing with uncertainty.
    “Well, what did it look like?” Stenseth asked.
    “A ship’s propeller. Looked like it was protruding from the reef. I couldn’t make out any sign of the ship that went with it, though. Might just be a lone propeller that got bashed off against the reef. I tagged it at mark K”
    Every voice in the room fell silent as their eyes found the A’marked Kon the overhead screen. It was positioned right above the red dot..;
    “It would appear there’s something more to it than just a propeller,” Pitt said finally. “Leaking fuel from a submerged ship, or perhaps its cargo?”
    “We did not detect abnormally high readings of petroleum compounds in the water samples,” the NUMA biologist stated.
    “You never did tell us what you found,” Giordino said, raising a dark eyebrow at the biologist.
    “Yes, you said you did identify toxins in the water, didn’t you?” Biazon asked anxiously. “What was it that