The Sam Reilly Collection Volume 2

by Christopher Cartwright

  Then she noticed something. There was something about the way they interacted which made them look like more than just colleagues. Nothing obvious – a hand offered for assistance climbing onto the Zodiac held for a millisecond longer than it should have been; a glance at each other’s eyes that seemed slightly too attentive for a coworker.

  Genevieve caught her eyes, stared at her for a second, and then looked away – as though Genevieve knew precisely what she was thinking.

  Does anyone like me on this boat?

  Her heart raced as she reconsidered the cook’s gaze, and thought about a second explanation – what if they simply don’t trust me?

  Alexis moved down the decking towards Matthew and leaned on the balustrade next to him, staring out at the icy waters. “What’s your story, Matthew?”

  “I don’t have much of a story ma’am.” He smiled kindly at her. “I come to work pretty much every day of the year and give my best to the project and the team.”

  “You don’t ever go home?”

  “This is my home, work, and entire life.” Matthew smiled warmly as he spoke.

  He seemed happy enough to her, but not driven in the same way as the others who were part of Sam Reilly’s team. Unlike Elise, Tom, Veyron and even Genevieve who all looked like they were constantly on the adventure of a lifetime, Matthew simply looked like he was working a nine to five career. He appeared neither pleased nor displeased by his earlier choices of vocation, and simply continued on his original way of life. Perhaps he’s been around so much longer he’s merely more competent than the rest of them?

  “How did you end up working aboard the Maria Helena and involved with Deep Sea Projects?” she asked.

  “I’ve been on this ship the longest, actually.” He looked pleased that she’d taken an interest and then paused to see if she was really interested in his story. When she didn’t say anything to stop him, he continued. “The Maria Helena was the first ship I commanded after completing my internship with Global Shipping.”

  “I thought this was Sam’s brainchild?”

  “No. His father, James Reilly owned this ship. He used it primarily for deep sea salvage operations. When Sam’s old man was trying to entice Sam to return to the family business he told Sam he could choose the type of work he wanted to use the ship for – just so long as it paid for itself. James was quite clear he didn’t want to give Sam a ship out of charity. He had to make it work. What that work was, was entirely up to Sam.”

  “So, Sam is connected to THAT Reilly?”

  “You mean the shipping tycoon?”

  Alexis nodded, “Yeah.”

  “That’s him. He’s probably one of the richest men in the history of shipping.”

  “Am I right that it was Sam’s grandfather who started Global Shipping?”

  “Yes, but it was Sam’s father who made it the success it is today. I think James had hoped Sam would continue with his legacy.”

  “Sam doesn’t want to be CEO one day?” she asked.

  “Not even slightly.” The question made Matthew laugh. “Can you imagine Sam sitting behind a desk?”

  “No. I suppose not.”

  “Sam’s father loves the sea, but he loves money even more. We’re all good at something and James Reilly knows how to make money multiply. Sam of course, is the polar opposite.”

  “Really?” Alexis was surprised. “Sam doesn’t like money?”

  “Nothing quite so sinister,” Matthew reassured her with placating hands. “Sam’s just different on the subject of money. James wants to take billions and turn them into trillions. Sam was born into money. He’s never had want of anything in his life, but instead of turning out greedy like so many other rich kids, he’s dedicated his life to helping others. He joined the military, like so many others, after Nine Eleven because he wanted to do his part to serve his country. Since he got out, he’s used this ship on countless missions to help people from around the world in areas he’s passionate about, such as environmental conservation, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief.”

  “I’ve heard he’s also made a small fortune of his own finding lost treasure, like a pirate?”

  Matthew very nearly blushed. “The Maria Helena’s running costs aren’t small and Sam has kept his promise to his father to fund Deep Sea Projects out of his own work.”

  “You trust him very much, don’t you?” she asked.

  “Of course I do. I wouldn’t work for him if I didn’t. No one would. The type of work the Maria Helena’s exposed to requires a high degree of trust.” He smiled at her. “You too appear to have placed a large amount of trust in a man you only just met a few hours ago.”

  “I wasn’t really given much of a choice, was I?”

  “It’s all right. He’s that sort of man. Some people are good at public speaking; others have a natural head for mathematics; James turns money into more money – Sam is a born leader; he’s the real deal. He’s a good guy, extremely competent in the work he does, and people naturally trust him with their lives.”

  “Thanks.” Somehow Matthew had come to understand what she was thinking – could she really trust a man who she’d just met, with her life?

  Elise and Sam walked out onto the deck surrounding the bridge four levels above them. A casual glance showed the two were setting up an external radio or satellite connection.

  “They look pretty close,” Alexis said out loud.

  “Who?” Matthew asked.

  “Elise and Sam.”

  Matthew leaned back and looked at Elise outside his bridge. “They are close. Go back a long way. Been through a lot together, and I don’t know what Sam would have done without her.”

  “That’s obvious. He barely tries to hide his feelings.” Alexis didn’t even know why it irked her that Sam should like another woman. Particularly a woman he’d known longer and was younger and prettier.

  Matthew stood up. “I have to get back to work. I’d better plan the route between here and McMurdo Bay, if we’re going to leave soon.”

  She wondered if he was brushing her off because she was asking sensitive questions about Elise and Sam. Either way, she wasn’t going to get an answer from him, so she ignored it. “Okay. Thanks, again.”

  Alexis watched Tom and Genevieve working together tying down the armaments that threatened to sink the Zodiac under their weight. They were efficient and professional, but there was definitely something more to their relationship, too. She was almost certain they were romantically entangled. She made a mental note to ask Sam about it later. She trusted her own instinct. For some reason, she had always been able to tell when people were honest; what they were thinking, and who she could trust. It was because of that additional sense, she was willing and confident to entrust her life in Sam Reilly’s hands – a man she’d met only hours previously.

  It’s the one area of my life that I naturally just get right. The last statement wasn’t entirely accurate though. She used to look at women who were having relationship troubles and think, of course they picked the wrong guy. They were such fools.

  Except she had been the greatest fool of them all, hadn’t she?

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Sam ended the call to the Secretary of Defense.

  Elise then broke the connection, which she’d woven through a complex series of proxy servers that would take the best hacker hours to unravel – by which time Sam hoped the Maria Helena would be nowhere near the original place of the call.

  Elise closed her laptop. “What did she say?”

  “That if Randy Olsen’s still alive and behind this, we need to be worried.”

  “Why? What’s so important about him, and why should we be frightened about a man who faked his own death?”

  “She didn’t say.” Sam shook his head. “Just that she’d send help immediately – and that we’re to secure the Antarctic Solace at all costs.”

  Elise secured her laptop inside her slim backpack. She then slid her arms through the shoulder strap
s and tightened them until it molded with the natural contours of her back. “Do you still think it’s a good idea to go to the Pegasus station?”

  “No.”

  Elise removed her computer glasses and folded them into a case. She slid that case into the side pocket of her laptop bag and smiled at him. It was patronizing and he’d seen it before. “But you’re going anyway, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tom’s going to be pissed.”

  “I know.” Sam knew it, too. “But if we can reach them in time, we might just save their lives.”

  “You should be bringing Tom instead. Alexis’s not going to be much use to you if this thing goes bad.”

  “No. I want him on the Antarctic Solace.” Sam was emphatic. “I’m still working on the principle that no one else knows where the Pegasus science station is – for now. If we can beat whoever’s responsible for all of this to the Pegasus station, then we can have the scientists out within a matter of hours. Then we hold up on board the Antarctic Solace until reinforcements arrive.”

  Elise stood up to leave. One of the things Sam had always liked about her was the fact she made a decision quickly and kept to it. In this instance, she’d decided she wasn’t going to change his mind, so moved onto the next step – reducing the risk, which meant it was time he left.

  She stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug. “Don’t do anything stupid while you’re away. Tom and I will remain on board the Antarctic Solace, so that leaves only Alexis to stop you from being yourself and doing something that’s likely to get you killed.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll behave. I’ll be careful and won’t take any unnecessary risks – even if I have to,” Sam lied. “You just concentrate on getting me the missing parts to the security tape and gaining access to the crew’s levels of the Antarctic Solace.”

  “I will, Sam.”

  He caught Alexis’s eye as she approached. She looked slightly upset but said nothing. Sam broke the hug and squeezed Elise’s right hand.

  “You should go.”

  “Okay,” Elise said and she turned to leave. On the side of her right thigh, over the top of her skin tight leggings, Sam noticed she wore an Uzi like another girl might wear a pair of designer shoes.

  Elise looked at Alexis who walked towards them. “Take care he doesn’t do something stupid, will you?”

  “I’ll try my best.”

  Chapter Twenty Four

  The zodiac disconnected from the Maria Helena. It was no more than a dozen yards away before Matthew waved goodbye and increased power to the Maria Helena’s twin propellers and steered a course for McMurdo Bay. Inside the bridge, Alexis found herself holding onto a side handle trying not to fall backwards under the increased pressure.

  Sam looked at her. He had a warm smile that put her at ease. “What do you think of her?”

  “Who?” Alexis knew damn well who he was talking about, but she wanted him to be clear about it.

  “Elise. Isn’t she really something?”

  Alexis grimaced. “I think she’s a bit young for you, don’t you think?”

  “Hey, I’m only thirty five!” Sam said. “And it’s not like that, anyway.”

  “Really?” She didn’t believe him for a minute. “You two look very close. I saw you embrace her when she left, yet I failed to see you share the same sentiment with Tom?”

  “We are very close. We’ve been through a lot together. It’s a long story. I love her, but not the way you’re thinking.”

  “She’s easy on the eye.” Alexis looked skeptical. “Much less nerdy than I was expecting. How do you love her?”

  “She’s more like my kid sister, or my adopted, overly intelligent child.”

  “How old is she?”

  “We think she’s in her early twenties, but it’s hard to tell.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “No.”

  “But she works for you? Come on, you must have her records on file?”

  “Elise? No, she doesn’t work for me.”

  “But you said…”

  “I know what I said. The fact of the matter is Elise comes and spends time on board the Maria Helena because she feels like it. And in my line of work, there are periods of prolonged boredom filled with periods of craziness. We’re currently going through a long spell of craziness – so Elise stays around for the adventure. She doesn’t need the money – she just likes to see what happens next, I guess.”

  “What’s her last name?”

  “She doesn’t have one. Heck, I doubt very much if Elise is her first name, for that matter.”

  “Does she have a passport?”

  “Sure she does,” Sam said. “She just creates a new one, along with an entire past life, every time we enter a country.”

  “Do you know what happened in her previous life?”

  “How did she come to be living a life with no past, you mean?”

  Alexis sat down in a chair. “Yes.”

  “Her parents died and the government wanted her to do some work she wasn’t interested in – either because it didn’t stimulate her or because she didn’t believe it was the right thing. Either way, you can’t make a person like Elise do something she doesn’t want.”

  “She worked for the government?”

  Sam nodded. “Something like that.”

  “I thought they could make anyone do what they wanted if it was in the interest of national security.”

  “Not Elise. She just walked away.”

  Alexis persisted. “And they didn’t try and stop her?”

  “I’m sure they did, but it wouldn’t have helped. Elise is way too smart to get caught. As one of the greatest hackers of her generation, she just deleted every trace of her old life and created a new one.”

  “How did you find her?”

  “I didn’t. She tracked me down and when she did, I asked for her help. She’s spent the last few months aboard the Maria Helena.”

  “She must be pretty smart.”

  “Let me put it this way, she’s probably as smart as the rest of my crew combined and I only work with the brightest people in this industry."

  Chapter Twenty Five

  The Maria Helena dropped anchor in the McMurdo Sound. To the west Mount Erebus, the active volcano, stood silently dominating Ross Island at nearly twelve and a half thousand feet. Half a mile to the south, the sea confronted the Ross Ice Shelf, an impenetrable wall of ice. Just back from it a tourist ship with the words Frozen Magic written in purple lettering on her hull, rested at anchor. She was the only other vessel still inside McMurdo Sound so close to the oncoming winter, and along with the Maria Helena took the enormous risk of becoming locked in the freezing sea. To the south-east the transantarctic ranges filled the horizon with their imposing and majestic heights. They provided a strange contrast to every other high altitude mountain scenery in the world, because in Antarctica, where snow is ubiquitous, the high peaks were the only places barren of snow.

  The water in the bay was icy still and crystal clear; the morning light fixed in a permanent dull gray, which they’d become accustomed to seeing. Sam breathed the fresh air which seemed infinitely pure and unaffected by the manmade pollution that now seemed more than a world away. A sound like the crack of thunder disrupted the otherwise serene environment, as the Maria Helena’s earlier bow wave caused a piece of ice the size of a five story building to break free of the Ross Ice Shelf and crash into the otherwise tranquil waters of the McMurdo sound.

  Sam loaded a bag of food and medical supplies into the hovercraft. He checked that the additional fuel tanks, strapped to every spare place on board were filled completely and each intact. Even with the hovercraft’s recently installed long range fuel tanks an additional fourteen fuel containers would be required to reach the Pegasus station. Once there, Alexis assured him the science station would have plenty of fuel for the return trip. The hovercraft would be tested to its limits for endurance on this tr
ip. He confirmed the antifreeze had been added to each container to prevent any deadly ice crystals from forming. “That’s our cue. Time to go, Alexis.”

  Alexis slid inside the small hovercraft into the passenger compartment that Sam had occupied less than twenty four hours earlier, when Tom had rescued him. “I’m good to go.”

  Matthew placed his hand on Sam’s shoulder. “I’m giving you three days. Find the Pegasus and get back here. I hope you appreciate we’re in deep trouble here. Someone’s gone to great lengths to kidnap those passengers, and if the Secretary of Defense is telling you to be frightened, for once I suggest you listen to her.”

  “I’m with you on this, Matthew.” Sam grinned. He’d never learned that some things were out of reach. “Whoever’s responsible for this don’t know where the Pegasus is, but they’ll be out there. I’m hedging my bet that we can find the scientists before Randy Olsen’s men find us.”

  “You know you’re on your own if something goes wrong?”

  “That’s not true. Alexis’s with me – and she grew up in Oregon, so she’s a pretty good shot. And we’ve got the radio.”

  “Lot of good that’s going to do for you. What if we have another ionization storm and the radio goes dead?”

  “We’ve got rocket flares.” Sam held up a bag of four red flares. The type that are launched by a rocket and send a red flash several hundred feet in the air, akin to the flash of fireworks at an altitude anyone onboard the Maria Helena would see. “If you see it, you know it means we lost the race and we need help.”

  “What if you’re already on the other side of the mountains?”

  “Then, we’ve already lost everything,” Sam replied.

  “How do you expect Genevieve and I to come to your assistance?”

  “Take the Sikorsky,” Sam suggested, looking at the helicopter.

  “I thought something in its engine was still frozen?”

  “Veyron wrapped her for freezing condition and installed a heater while Tom and I were stuck in the fake Pegasus station. She’s been slowly thawing over the past three days.”