AGM-114 Hellfire missiles

The AGM-114 Hellfire missiles are the high-explosive, antitank weapons still attached to the Kiowa Warrior helicopter as it sinks into the deep-sea vortex. Intended as part of the aircraft’s armament, they become an unintended force in the final underwater crisis: their detonation tears open the magma dome and briefly lights the darkness around Rachel Sexton and Michael Tolland.

Armament and Circumstances

The missiles remain aboard the bomb-laden Kiowa after it has been brought down and pulled beneath the sea. As the aircraft descends toward the ocean floor, the surrounding water pressure compresses its damaged fuselage and places the weapons under increasing strain. The narrative identifies fifteen AGM-114 Hellfire missiles still aboard, linking the helicopter’s military payload to the unstable conditions at the bottom of the vortex.

Detonation at the Magma Dome

The helicopter is drawn toward a magma dome beneath a three-meter-thick crust. A hundred feet above the seafloor, the deepwater shaft pulls the aircraft downward and hurls it against the dome. The missiles’ copper liner cones and spring-detonation heads are described as being forced inward by the pressure; when the weapons explode, their combined force tears a large opening through the dome’s crust.

Consequences for Rachel and Tolland

The explosion occurs while Rachel is underwater, disoriented in the darkness and unable to determine which way leads to the surface. Michael Tolland is also submerged, searching for her. The flash from the missiles’ detonation illuminates Rachel suspended beneath him and the Triton sub falling away with its dome hanging loose. It gives Tolland a sudden view of her position at a moment when the sinking sub and the surrounding black water have made rescue uncertain.

Narrative Function

The missiles’ role shifts from conventional weapons to an accidental catalyst: the same armament carried by the attackers’ helicopter produces the blast that breaches the magma dome and changes the underwater scene. Their detonation connects the military violence of the pursuit to the geological danger beneath the sea, while its flash briefly makes Rachel visible in the darkness. The weapon’s consequence is therefore both physical and narrative: the dome is opened, the danger escalates, and Tolland gains a fleeting chance to locate her.