Chapters 39 and 40 Summary

In Korea, the reader joins Dirk Pitt, Jr., Summer, and Clive Cussler on Cussler's Chinese junk. Cussler helps the two out of their handcuffs and gives them money to make a phone call. Not long after that, they are picked up by United States Air Force personnel stationed in Korea and flown back to America. Meanwhile, in California, the command boat that is supposed to launch with the Odyssey experiences a fire in a critical circuit room, delaying its launch. Danny Stamp decides to launch the Odyssey anyway and allow the command vessel to catch up later. The fire inspector inspects the damage, which has destroyed much of the critical wiring, and determines the fire to be the result of a short. However, readers are made aware that a small, well-placed can of napalm with a timer was the real culprit...