Chapter 15
Ellie had just entered the lab when her phone rang. It was Ray!
After locking the door, she settled down on her ergonomic swivel chair and took the call. "Ray, thanks for getting back to me."
"I've got that data you wanted, Ellie. How'd you want to do this?"
"Can you share your screen with me?"
"Yeah, let's talk via Zoom. I'll send you a link."
She logged on to her high-performance computer just as Ray sent the invitation. After clicking on the link, the familiar screen popped up and she was facing her old college buddy. Ray, unlike her, had never left university. A true academic, he'd opted to study further and had applied to Stanford. He was now a professor of geological sciences.
"Sharing in progress," he said.
A satellite image filled her expansive, high-resolution monitor. Swirls of red, orange, and yellow were surrounded by cool greens and blues like an abstract Van Gogh painting.
She took a long, hard look. A nagging thought plagued her, but she couldn't figure out what it was.
"It's so strange," she said, finally. "From this, I wouldn't have said there were oil reserves beneath us at all, yet the reports we got say there are." Then it clicked. The rock structures on the reports looked different from what she was seeing on the screen.
"This is live, isn't it?" she asked, a little breathless.
Ray grunted. "Yeah, this is a satellite image of the seabed and surrounding rock formations based on those coordinates you gave me. I'm feeding it directly from the satellite."
"Would you mind if I printed off a copy of this?" she asked. "I can take a screenshot."
"Go for it. If you need it for your work?—"
"Thanks." She hit print and the high-end color printer beside her whirred to life. Shortly after, a crisp, standard-size image emerged.
Ellie stared at the images on the screen for a bit longer.
"What are you thinking?" asked Ray, breaking the silence.
"I'm not sure." Ellie frowned, then shook her head. "I think I have to compare this to what I have here."
"Okay, no problem. Let me know if you need anything else."
"Thanks, Ray. I appreciate it."
"Anytime, Ellie. You take care now."
"You too." He ended the call.
She unlocked the lab door then darted into the corridor. The drills were silent now, as she had her test samples. In a day or two, they'd move on to the fifth test site and commence drilling there.
Except, what she’d just learned might change everything.
Ellie glanced at the image in her hand then hurried to the control center. Inside, she approached a technician monitoring numerous screens displaying real-time data and asked if he’d seen Suzi. He shook his head.
She tried the gym, the mess hall, and their room, but Suzi wasn't in any of them. There was only one other place she could be, and that was with Henderson.
Ellie had worked up a sweat by the time she got to their boss's office. In utter contrast to her sleek, modern lab and the busy control center, he was allocated a small cubicle with a dirty porthole for a window, which looked past layers of scaffolding to the ocean beyond. The door was ajar, and she could hear her boss’s voice emanating from inside.
"It has to be tomorrow," he was saying.
Ellie knocked. He fell silent.
She pushed open the door and both Suzi and Henderson spun around to look at her. "Sorry to interrupt, but I really need to see those reports again, Suzi."
"Oh. Hi, Ellie. Of course. I'll just go and get them." She turned back to Henderson. "Okay, I’ll let the Operations Manager know we’ve got the new coordinates."
"What's the rush?" Suzi asked as they marched back along the corridor to her office.
"Something about the rock formations on the satellite images," Ellie panted, still trying to catch her breath. "They look different from those on your reports."
"What satellite images?" Suzi asked, frowning.
Shit, she'd forgotten she hadn't told her about Ray.
"The ones I asked a friend to source for us. He's a professor at Stanford, and he managed to tap into a live satellite feed for me."
"He did?" Suzi frowned. She looked surprised.
"Yeah. I had to know if we were working with the right survey data, Suzi. You understand, don't you?" Hopefully, her new friend wouldn't be too upset that she'd gone behind her back.
"Yes, of course. Sorry, I was just surprised, that's all. I didn't realize you went to Stanford."
Ellie laughed. "He did, not me. Anyway, I thought we'd better check since I'm getting so many anomalies. And I swear the satellite images are showing something different."
Suzi shook her head. "I don't understand."
"Me neither. Let's get the reports so we can compare."
"Okay."
They grabbed the folder then ran back to the lab.
"Look." Ellie placed the printout from the satellite image next to the identical one in Suzi's report.
Suzi studied them both. As a geologist, she was best placed to recognize the differences in the rock strata beneath the seabed. "You're right," she whispered, her voice strained. "The underwater rock structure and the sea bottom morphology are different."
Ellie stared at her, triumphant. "I knew there was something wrong."
"What does it mean?" Suzi asked.
"It means this is a different location from the one in the survey," said Ellie breathlessly. "It means we've been drilling in the wrong place."
"How can it be?" Suzi whispered, once the initial shock had worn off.
"I don't know," Ellie rubbed her forehead. The beginning of a headache pricked behind her eyes, "but I'm going to have to take this to Henderson."
"Oh, my God. This is huge," Suzi's face was pale. "It means we were sent the wrong data. Our entire project was based on that. It’s going to involve a full-scale investigation. The project will be halted. We’ll both lose our jobs."
"I know." The implications weren't lost on her. If the geographical data provided by the survey company was incorrect, it could have severe consequences for the entire oil exploration project. The company had invested millions of dollars based on this data, and if it turned out to be faulty, it could lead to significant financial losses and legal repercussions.
Moreover, an investigation into the survey company would likely uncover the reasons behind the incorrect data. Was it a simple mistake, or was there something more sinister at play like Phoenix had suggested? The possibility of intentional manipulation or corruption within the survey company was a serious concern that she couldn’t ignore.
Maybe she should tell someone? Except whom? She didn’t know how high this went. Henderson might be involved, in which case she was putting herself at risk by going to him. Suzi didn’t want to be the whistleblower, especially since she depended on this job for her living.
They all did.
Ellie spent the rest of the day writing up her report. She knew once the investigation was launched, she'd have to back up her claim. That meant having irrefutable evidence, including double-checking her own data analysis, and referencing Ray's Stanford satellite images.
As she worked on her report, she couldn’t help but think about the potential fallout from this discovery. The oil exploration project was a large undertaking, involving numerous stakeholders, from investors to local authorities. If the project was derailed due to the incorrect geographical data, it could have far-reaching effects on everyone involved.
Plus, the investigation into the survey company could open up a Pandora's box of corporate malfeasance and corruption. If it was revealed that the company had deliberately provided false data, it would not only destroy their reputation but could also lead to criminal charges and a loss of trust in the entire industry.
She sighed, the weight of the responsibility heavy on her shoulders. Her report would be the catalyst for this investigation. She had to ensure her evidence was airtight and her analysis was beyond reproach. The future of the project, including her own career, depended on it.