Sanctum Redux

This chapter opens with a conversation between the commander of the navy and the commander's son. The commander asks the son why he hasn't transformed. The son tells him that he's afraid of what's going to happen to him and his men if they don't do something about it. The father tells the son that he doesn't want to risk his life for nothing. He's not crazy, he says, and he wants to get out of this place. He wants to do something, but he can't figure out how to do it without risking his life. He says that he has a secret code that will allow him to use the navy's nuclear warhead. He also has a trick that will let him bypass the standard protocol. He tells the father that he knows the code down to the very last detail, and that's why he likes to challenge himself. He thanks the son for his help, and says he'd like to see him again in two hours at the pool. He admits that his presence in the pool is stifling his creativity, but that he is happy to try to be sociable. He explains that they have to study everything they can to figure out a way to escape from the hell. He points out that they couldn't find any cuneiform writings in the wreckage of the ship, so they gave up on trying to translate them into English. They've been working on the translation ever since, and now they've given up. He adds that they're losing the game, and they should throw him out of the pool and they'll lose a wild card. He promises to surprise the son with his efforts, and the son promises to copy the code to save the lives of the men in the navy. The lieutenant says that they haven't