Submarine Warriors: The Enemy Beneath by Rob Tiffany

compass needle spin around if you hold a magnet up to it? It looks something like that.”
    At that moment, lights in the control room began to flicker, while the video monitors became distorted. A scared look came across everyone’s faces as the Alaska wobbled and continued to sink with its bow pointed upward.
    “ All the extra air in the ballast tanks from the emergency blow is causing the boat to behave erratically as we sink,” the Admiral exclaimed. “Mike, open the vents and refill the tanks with water and get us to zero bubble on the double. Annie and Chrissie, zero your planes and work with Mike to get us level.”
    A chorus of “aye, sirs” came from the kids as they worked to stabilize the Alaska.
    “ I don’t suppose there could be some kind of giant, super magnet out there that’s causing our instruments to behave like this.” Caroline thought out loud.
    “ Lucky for us, we’re in a giant steel tube.” Annie joked with the last ounce of humor in her body.
    “ Thanks for that, Annie,” Mike retorted. “A giant magnet is actually the one thing that could explain both our sinking and why our navigation systems are freaking out. That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all year, Caroline.”
    Caroline glared over at Mike without saying a word.
    “ So basically, there’s some kind of magnetic force beneath us that’s trying to pull us down to the bottom of the sea,” Nick noted aloud. “Admiral, how long can we keep sinking before reaching crush depth?”
    Without answering, the Admiral became lost in his thoughts for a moment.
    “ Torpedo room, flood torpedo tube two and prepare to fire on my mark,” commanded the Admiral through his sound-powered phone.
    “ But, sir, I don’t have a target solution to plug into fire control,” said Nick from the fire control panel.
    “ I just want you to shoot the torpedo straight out of the tube at minimum velocity,” the Admiral replied. “Open outer doors on torpedo tube two.”
    “ Aye, aye, sir,” replied Nick.
    A moment later, the Admiral gave the order to shoot and a Mark 48 torpedo emerged from the open tube with a “whoosh.” Everyone felt their ears pop as the air pressure changed inside the sub.
    “ Torpedo room, Conn, cut the wires,” the Admiral ordered.
    “ But sir, how will we be able to steer the torpedo?” replied the Torpedoman.
    “ I don’t want you to, and don’t question my orders,” the Admiral barked back.
    “ Conn, Sonar, I’m tracking the torpedo and it’s beginning to lose depth control,” the Sonarman announced.
    “ Sonar, Conn, aye,” replied the Admiral. “That’s what I was counting on.”
    The torpedo pointed downward and picked up speed as it headed toward the ocean floor.
    “ I want whatever magnetic force is out there to pull our metal torpedo right down to it,” the Admiral explained. “I have a little surprise that it won’t be expecting.”
    “ Fire Control, arm the torpedo and set it to go active,” commanded the Admiral.
    “ Sending HFIP command to arm torpedo and make it go active, aye,” Nick replied.
    The torpedo began pinging and, sure enough, it homed in on something that looked like a giant underwater radar dish pointing up from the ocean floor.
    “ I think the torpedo has acquired its target!” Nick yelled.
    A second later the torpedo detonated a foot away from the dish, causing a giant underwater vacuum bubble that sent shockwaves in every direction.
    The Alaska rocked backward and then sideways, knocking everyone off their feet as the shockwave hit. Cries and screams could be heard throughout the sub. A moment later, everything went dark and the propeller stopped spinning.
    “ My head is killing me.” Caroline screamed out from the deck of the control room.
    “ Tell me about it,” Mike echoed.
    “ I’m glad Annie and I were strapped into our seats,” Chrissie exclaimed. “Click-it or ticket.”
    “ Chief of Boat, we need emergency lighting,” the Admiral ordered,