Silence Beneath the Greek Sea by Yong Fenlon - Author

At 0217 hours, Submarine Headquarters received the last transmission from the nuclear submarine Argo.

The message came from beneath the Aegean Sea near Greece: an unusual contact had appeared close to the hull, and the crew requested updated navigation instructions. Static swallowed the next words. Then the signal stopped. No emergency beacon followed. No distress call reached the surface.

For the next three hours, sonar aircraft, rescue ships, and allied submarines searched Argo's last known position.

They heard merchant engines, distant propellers, and the natural groaning of the sea floor, but nothing from the missing boat.

A nuclear submarine that large could not simply disappear, yet the sea returned no answer.

The only clue came from a small automatic data packet sent seconds before contact was lost. Technicians recovered several frames from an exterior camera.

The first images showed only black water and the pale curve of the hull. In the final frame, however, something enormous was pressed against Argo.

Long arms spread across the submarine, curling around the sail and forward section. Above them floated a huge rounded body, half hidden in darkness.

The shape looked like an octopus of impossible size.

Jack and Matt were called immediately. Five engineers from the Winged Submarine team joined them, carrying equipment for propulsion, electrical systems, hydraulics, damage control, and structural repair.

Their mission was to locate Argo, determine whether its crew was alive, and free the submarine. But the camera image changed everything. If the creature were real, the rescue team would be entering the water beside something powerful enough to cover a submarine's hull.

Before dawn, the Winged Submarine descended into the Aegean. Greek naval officers had warned them about steep ridges and deep trenches near Argo's last position.

Sunlight faded from blue to gray and finally to darkness. Jack ordered slow speed while the sonar operator listened. Minutes passed.

Then three faint metallic knocks came through the headphones, followed by a pause and three more.

The team followed the sound behind a wall of black rock.

Their lights finally found Argo resting at an angle near the sea floor. One propeller was motionless.

Part of the hull was covered by a dark mass that moved gently in the current. Matt stared at the forward camera.

At first he thought he was seeing torn cables.

Then one thick arm slowly uncoiled from the submarine and crossed the beam of light. Another followed.

A massive eye reflected the camera for a single second before disappearing into darkness.

No one spoke. The creature was still there. Jack ordered the Winged Submarine to hold position. They had found Argo, and the trapped crew might still be alive, but the rescue had become more dangerous than anyone expected.

The engineers would have to reach the disabled submarine, restore its systems, and discover why the enormous octopus had wrapped itself around the hull. Somewhere in the black water beneath the Greek sea, the creature moved again—and the rescue mission had only begun.