The Sam Reilly Collection Volume 2

by Christopher Cartwright

  “Of course they did. If you really want funding for research and development, just tell them that one of the uses of your study will create a weapon. Pity, really. The human race is so predictable.”

  “Did you know who was making the offer?”

  “No. It was a high tech armaments company. Probably American based, but who knows. Our friend assured us THEY would only sell to friendly countries.”

  “You were going to create the world’s most destructive weapon, and you took it on your friend’s word that THEY weren’t going to sell to unfriendly nations?”

  Luke stood up and paced a little. He looked uncertain about whether or not he would be allowed to leave the ship. “We just wanted the funding. Per our contract, we were paid for the product. Any other collateral data gathered in the process was a bonus. We kidded ourselves into thinking that we were producing a machine that could power the world, rendering most wars redundant. Wars that, as you know, are fought over energy.”

  Sam sighed. “I thought they were fought over religion.”

  “No, we just say that so that people accept the craziness better. We don’t blink an eye when a country slaughters its minorities, despite our Christian ideals that America was supposed to be founded on. But if such an atrocity were to affect our pipelines, our oil production, or our gas production – then let’s put boots on the ground.”

  Sam had been in Afghanistan. Even if he’d been there for the right reasons, he knew that Luke was telling the truth. Would his government have cared so much, if it hadn’t effected the free flow of oil and gas? “Okay, so you were saving the world at the same time as you were offering the perfect weapon to destroy it.”

  Luke laughed. “Don’t think I missed the irony. I get it. And at the end of the day, I won’t lie – I wanted to make some real money, too.”

  “Okay, so you went to bed with an arms dealer. Never a good idea to begin with, but you came good with the research, so where did it go wrong?”

  “When we failed to produce the weapon.”

  Chapter Ninety Two

  Sam stood up. “You failed to produce the weapon?”

  “Yeah. More irony, hey?” Luke replied. “We could get the plankton to raise and lower its height in the water, but we had no way of controlling the direction of the water once it fell. In fact, when we tried, it simply splashed back down gently, barely creating a ripple. Like I said, these were simple machines. Nothing like the science fiction movies.”

  “So what did you tell your backer?” Sam asked.

  “I told them what they wanted to hear. We needed more time. We were making great leaps of progress but it would take time and money.” Luke’s eyes then widened as he appeared to recall something fantastic. “And then the magic started.”

  “What magic?”

  “We spent so much time working on the weapon, we ceased researching energy solutions. Then one day we noticed a single metallic sphere.”

  “Like the millions we found inside the cavern?” Sam asked. His interest picking up.

  “Yes.”

  “So, what’s with those small metallic balls? There must have been millions of them.”

  The wonder disappeared from Luke’s eyes. “Those are what caused all this trouble in the first place.”

  “Little metallic balls?” Sam was incredulous.

  “We called them Elixir Eight. It was a play on a number of things really. They’re batteries built out of thorium. Like a shrine to their ancestors, they’re produced every time the plankton’s lifecycle of eight days is over. The nanobots seem to like producing them. I don’t know why. I can’t see any purpose for them. And the nanobots certainly don’t seem to use them. But, all the same they produce them and stockpile them here.”

  “Tiny batteries?” Sam confirmed.

  “Those are the most powerful batteries the world has ever seen. One of those spheres would power your submarine for its lifetime.” Luke sighed. “Don’t you see? That’s what this is all about. Someone came to us from the oil companies to make an offer to buy the research. They wanted to purchase the research lines and quash them from ever being used. I was very nearly tempted by the offer, too. It was to the tune of 20 billion dollars! That’s a lot of money for someone like me. Even for someone like you.”

  Sam smiled at the attack. His father was one of the richest men alive. “Okay, so why didn’t you just accept their offer.”

  “I was going to. Really, you have no idea how close I was. The technology was worth ten times that much if we could harness it. But research takes time. Politics come into play and the next thing you know you’ve blown the remainder of your life trying to achieve something that will serve only to make your grandchildren rich.”

  “And stop the human race from destroying itself.”

  “Well, there is that, too.”

  “So what did stop you?”

  “It was the person they sent to negotiate on their behalf that made me change my mind. I was so insulted by their boldness. In the end, I couldn’t live with myself if I accepted. Of course, I couldn’t do that without it being obvious that I would go to the media about it. And if I did that, this person’s world was going to change. This person represented a conglomerate of oil tycoons from around the world. Powerful and protected, this person convinced the other members of my team to use my own creation to kill me.”

  “All right. Who’s the person?” Sam asked.

  Luke shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you. Not until I have the final piece of evidence. Once I have that I will tell you everything. Then we can make them pay.”

  “So what are you doing here?” Luke asked.

  “We came to destroy the colony. What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see if my creation had returned.”

  “Returned?” Sam looked confused. “You knew about this place?”

  “Of course I did. I had it built four years ago, to protect my colony.”

  Chapter Ninety Three

  Sam walked into the bridge. Elise took one look at him. “I’ve just had a hit for another rogue wave forming.”

  “Where?” Sam stood behind her.

  “Three miles north of here.”

  “Matthew, any ships in the area?”

  Matthew looked at the IAS log of ships within twenty miles on his GPS. “Only one. A Coast Guard cutter. And it has Senator Croft on board.”

  “Holy shit, they’re trying to kill her!”

  He looked at Luke.

  Luke said, “Go. Save her life, I have to get some more proof, and then I’ll see you in Washington in a few days.”

  Tom sat in the pilot seat of the Sea King and flicked the main power switch on.

  Sam climbed into the copilot’s seat. “One more question.”

  “Shoot,” Luke replied.

  “Who was your marine biologist?”

  “Who?” Luke looked slightly flustered, as though Sam had caught him out on a lie.

  “To make a symbiotic relationship between plankton and nanobots, you must have had a marine biologist. I just wanted to know who?”

  “You’re correct, there were four of us who worked on the project. Each of us were leaders in our own field, who came together to make this work. But the fourth person I must keep as a secret until I have evidence. It’s a matter of life and death that I get this right while THEY still believe I’m dead.”

  “Why did he call himself Peter Flaherty?”

  “I can’t say. Not yet, anyway.”

  “Do you want to come with me to Washington? I’m about to go see the Secretary of Defense. Come with me, let’s spill the beans about all of it.”

  “Okay, but first I have to talk to someone and grab some old documents. Once I’m done I’ll meet you there. I need proof before I can say who made the offer. I know it was on behalf of big oil, but there’s more to it than that. Much more. I could have accepted big oil would be behind this, but this goes much deeper than simple financial corruption.”
r />   “Okay, I’ll see you in two days, in Washington.”

  Chapter Ninety Four

  Senator Croft watched as the Captain of the Coast Guard vessel received the radio message from the Maria Helena. Another rogue wave? And it was a direct collision course with them. For the first time in years, she didn’t know what to say.

  “Senator Croft, you have to take off. There’s a report of another large rogue wave approaching. We should be able to ride it out, but can’t risk you getting killed.”

  There was no need to tell her twice to save her own skin. “Of course.”

  She climbed back into the military helicopter. The pilot flicked some switches and the engine hummed. Thirty seconds later, the large rotary blades began turning. Slowly at first. Then a little bit faster.

  In the distance, where the dark horizon had been moments earlier, she spotted the glowing light. It was green. It stifled her breath. She knew exactly what it was.

  She unclasped her seatbelt and tapped the pilot on his shoulder. “That thing’s coming for us. Get us in the air. Now!”

  The pilot turned his head. Spotted the glowing wave moving towards them at a slow and tantalizing pace. As though it were toying with them. “I’ll do my best Ma’am.”

  He tapped on the RPM monitor. Confirming the speed of the main rotor blades had reached its minimum takeoff speed. He pulled on the collective and they took off, banking almost immediately to the left and away from the wave.

  Seconds later, the rogue wave destroyed the Coast Guard vessel as though it were a bath toy. The pilot pulled the helicopter up.

  Vanessa watched as the giant wave reached its peak.

  It was going to be close to reaching them. In front, she saw the helicopter’s altimeter read 126 feet. Will it be enough?

  She watched as the wave flowed beneath them and the water reached within two to three feet. She sighed deeply with relief.

  And then a following crest clipped the side of the helicopter.

  Chapter Ninety Five

  The helicopter dipped its skids into the water. The main rotors continued to spin. For a second Vanessa thought the helicopter was going to pull out. Instead the wave seemed to pull it downwards.

  A moment later the helicopter, failing to maintain lift, banked to the left. The main rotors sliced at the seawater sending a spray of misty green water into the air.

  And then her entire world went dark as the cabin was enveloped by the wave. The sound was horrifying. The powerful engine roared and then exploded as the cold seawater reached the internal point of combustion. The front windscreen shattered.

  There was no way to tell the direction to the surface. Everything was dark. She was nothing more than a ragdoll. Vanessa fought with her seatbelt which finally gave way to the frantic pressure of her hands tearing at it.

  Her chest hurt but she couldn’t recall why. In her panicked state, she didn’t even realize that it had been nearly half a minute since she’d last taken a breath.

  She felt her way to the side of the helicopter. The doors were still closed. She slid her hands all over the dark space until one of them reached the emergency release latch. She pulled on it. No response. Changing her position, allowing for greater leverage over the handle, she pulled on the latch again.

  Gas powered explosions ruptured and the door disappeared.

  It was still dark out there. And she had no idea which way was up. She swam through the open door and pulled the toggle on her life jacket.

  It inflated instantly.

  A moment later her head pierced the surface of the water.

  Chapter Ninety Six

  Tom flew over the location where the Coast Guard vessel was supposed to be. The previously glowing green water had returned to its naturally dark state. The hive must have returned to deeper waters.

  Sam checked the GPS.

  Staring down at the dark seascape he knew the truth. He was too late. The rogue wave had killed again. Nothing remained on the surface. The ship, its life rafts, everything had been taken to the bottom of the ocean.

  He had just given up hope when he spotted a single head bobbing above the water. It was attached to a yellow life jacket. For an instant he wondered if the person was already dead. And then it started to move its hands. It turned to face him.

  He recognized the face immediately. Senator Vanessa Croft had a face hard to forget.

  Tom lowered the helicopter until his skids rested approximately twenty feet above the water. Any lower than this and the downward pressure of the rotors would likely drown her.

  Sam left the cockpit and shuffled to the back of the helicopter. He slid the sliding door open and attached a life ring to the winch. He checked to see that Senator Croft had followed what he was doing.

  Then he threw it into the water next to her.

  She didn’t wait for an invitation. She immediately placed it over her head and wrapped her arms around it.

  “Okay Tom. She’s good. I’m going to start the winch.”

  In front of him, Tom prepared to take the additional weight in the helicopter’s controls. Sam then pressed the red arrow pointing upwards and the winch began to draw the cable inwards. Thirty seconds later, she put her feet on the skids and Sam drew her into the main cabin.

  She smiled at him. “It’s good to see you, Mr. Reilly. This time I really do owe you one!” Her eyes darted around the helicopter and back towards the desolate sea. “Where’s everyone else?”

  “I’m afraid you’re the only survivor we found Ma’am.”

  Chapter Ninety Seven

  At 8 a.m. the next day, Sam Reilly walked into the office of the Secretary of Defense in Washington DC. He explained everything he’d discovered and what he had done. He explained about the symbiotic nanotechnology embedded in the plankton and how it had grown to be much more advanced than he’d first thought. That they had tried to destroy it near Mosquito Bay, where it appeared to have a hive. And how he’d lost it.

  At the end of his rant, he looked at the Defense Secretary. He was surprised she had let him speak for so long. She still maintained the same dark red hair she always had. Her emerald green eyes appeared slightly wearied by the strain of responsibility, but her face lacked none of the beauty that she’d commanded for her other 45 years of life. She maintained a permanent scowl instead of a smile. Somehow, even it too appeared just as beautiful as it had always been.

  “Well, Mr. Reilly, you have certainly had a busy month. Now, tell me what you came all the way out to Washington D.C. to ask me about. I doubt very much that you’re all that taken with our latest Democratic Nominee. She can be quite the flirt with younger men in private, but I’m told she’s reigned it in since she got the Nomination. So you can’t simply have come here to receive her formal congratulations for rescuing her – what do you want to know?”

  “Madam Secretary. I’m talking about a weapon capable of destroying America. It will cripple our ability to defend ourselves, crush our economy through the destruction of our shipping lanes, and consume our people with fear, hunger and futility. It’s an entirely automated weapon, and I believe it’s specifically choosing its targets. At first we thought it was randomly sinking ships, now we know it targeted them all for a very specific reason. It’s playing a game of chess right now, and the end game is the total annihilation of America.”

  “No, no. I heard what you said about the damn weapon. Now, for Christ’s sake young man, what have you come here to ask me?”

  “You’re the Secretary of Defense for a country with the largest military budget in the world. You’re advised by countless people who have devoted their life to defending America. The CIA, FBI, Counter Terrorism, and Homeland Security – they all feed you with information. You must have some idea who’s responsible. Madam Secretary, we’re at war – we just don’t know who our enemy is.”

  She walked closer to him. Staring at him. Her face full of derision. “My God, you really don’t know, do you?”

  “Know what?”r />
  “Why, who paid for the research and development, of course.”

  She looked right into his eyes. Close enough that he could smell her perfume. The warmth of her breath. The tiny sparkles in her emerald eyes. And the freckles on her cheeks, which she’d worked hard to cover with makeup. His heart quickened. Sam had often wondered if he hated or loved her more. He was certainly compelled by her. She had commissioned him and made him the man he was. Taken him out of the Corps and trained him for his unique projects. He did it for his country, but he never would have remained if it wasn’t for her.

  “So, who paid for the research and development into manufacturing rogue waves?”

  She looks at him. Her serious expression remained unchanged. She lowered her glasses as a teacher would before reprimanding a bad child. “We did, Mr. Reilly. We commissioned its research and development. When it killed its creator, we lost control of the best technological advancement the Department of Defense has gained since the atomic bomb.””

  Sam was genuinely surprised. “What did we want with such a ghastly device?”

  She smiled. It was patronizing, and at the same time, appeared endearing to him. “A naturally occurring phenomena capable of destroying an entire naval fleet in one go? Think about it, not only could we wipe out entire navies, but where are the largest cities found around the globe?”

  “Near water?”

  “Exactly, so we could wipe out major cities with such a weapon.”

  “Okay, so we funded it. What the hell went wrong?”

  “It didn’t work. Despite research and development to the tune of nearly a hundred billion dollars, the project came up as infeasible.”

  “Well someone worked out how to do it!”

  “Yes, and we’re going to need you to find out who they sold their research to, before it is used to cripple our shipping lanes and brings our nation to a halt.” She smiled at him. “I want you to contact Vanessa, now that you’re on such friendly terms with her. Find out who else was involved in the original research, and who she could think of that would have been interested and capable of buying the product.”