Cradle

In 1994, the Marines test a new missile. After launch it mysteriously disappears. If it reaches civilian areas they'll be in big trouble. Carol Dawson, a journalist, is alerted by an unusual sight of whales in the Miami area & decides to write about it. Armed with equipment provided by her friend, Dr. Dale Michaels from the Miami Oceanographic Institute, she goes to investigate the rumors of a missing missile that could be behind the mysterious whale behavior. She hires the services of Nick Williams & Jefferson Troy, boat owners, so she can get to the Mexican Gulf to investigate. They find an unknown artifact. They have doubts about its nature, hoping it's part of a lost treasure. Old friends of Williams & Troy notice their discovery & want to steal it. In the story's background, the authors describe a submarine snake civilization on a planet called Canthor, & how they struggled to stay alive despite threats to their ecosystem. It's revealed that the artifact is actually a cradle that contains seeds with altered superhumans extracted from Earth millions of years ago & altered so they could live with other species--including the submarine snakes--on Earth. The spaceship that carries the cradle is manned by robots/cyborgs & has hidden itself on the ocean floor to make repairs. Dawson, Williams & Troy are asked to gather materials so the ship can be repaired & return to its mission. The ship... A journalist hunting military secrets uncovers an alien presence off the Florida Keys in this novel by the award-winning author of 2001: A Space Odyssey. In 1994, an experimental navy missile mysteriously disappears off the coast of Florida during testing. While investigating the link between the disappearance and some unusual whale sightings, journalist Carol Dawson finds much more: a strange golden trident that may be worth millions . . . and may not be of earthly origin. While Dawson and treasure hunter Nick Williams try to make sense of their discovery, they must also outwit thieves and criminals to keep it safe. But the trident leads them to another, more unsettling discovery. Deep underwater, Dawson and Williams encounter the highly advanced beings that placed the trident where it is. And their plans for it could change the face of humanity forever. In Cradle, the Hugo and Nebula Award–winning author Arthur C. Clarke, widely considered one of the most important figures in science fiction literature, teams up with author Gentry Lee to deliver another thrilling tale of alien contact and human conflict.