The Carbon Cross (The Carbon Series Book 2)

by Randy Dutton

  “I still think we had the right tactic, it’s just that we have another player involved. Someone practiced in espionage.”

  “Would they have abducted him against his will?”

  “If I were Sven, I’d want to isolate Thames first, then talk with him.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “Now that we know he’s working with someone, we try to find them.”

  Chapter 66

  September 28, 1300 hours

  West Coast of the Olympic Peninsula

  Dark clouds rolled in from the west. The trees swayed alongside the highway as their SUV headed south from Lake Quinault. Anna angled her head to peer higher through the windshield and into the tall trees. “This is going to be quite a storm.”

  “Weather report says we’re in for a series of them,” Pete responded.

  Her lips pursed as a small branch landed on the opposite side of the road. “Guess our outdoor honeymoon is over.”

  “We got a lot in over the weeks.”

  “And I’ve got lots of photos and videos.” She turned the iPad to him. “Here’s one of my favorites – you scuba diving through the kelp next to the Diamond Knot.”

  “We got lucky with the visibility on that ship wreck. Must have been 15 meters. With Snath’s light-green phytoplankton, they say the visibility has dropped about 50 percent.” Pete peered up through the windshield for debris raining down from the trees. “Go to Pete’s favorites.”

  “Finally, you’ll let me see what you put together!” She clicked on a directory, and then sighed. “Not very diverse, Honey. A lot of these are of me sunbathing on river boulders”—her head cocked and eyes narrowed—“and not all with a suit on.”

  “And your baby bump is obvious.”

  “Yes, there’s that too.... Not sexy.”

  “It is to me!” He chuckled. “I particularly like the sequence of shots where you jumped into the glacier pool... and the expression on your face when you jumped out, even faster.”

  “Far below this Goldilocks’ tolerance.”

  “Go to Music Images.”

  She flipped to the directory and frowned. “Do I really look sad when I play the flute?”

  “Sometimes. It’s as if one of your dark boxes opens and dumps bad memories over you.”

  “Yeah, sometimes they mix when my guard’s down. I do get lost in the mood.”

  “I’ve seen you actually shiver, yet you play through. When you finish, you liven up.”

  “Imagine the pied piper willing the rats into the river with his music.”

  “And you’ve dealt with so many rats! In the next several, you’re playing much happier pieces.”

  Her smile returned. “Okay, these are pictures I want our children to remember of their mother.”

  “The backdrops of surf and misty valleys aren’t too bad either! Really professional shots.”

  “If you don’t mind bragging a little.”

  “Right!”

  Her voice tensed. “Hey! You created a plague file? This was supposed to be a plague-free vacation.”

  “It pretty much was for conversation. I still wanted to record the Fuzz and phytoplankton intrusion. Notice the date stamps? Just during our vacation, there was a big increase in accumulation. See how the haze increased?”

  “From Fuzz particle shedding,” she grumbled.

  “That and the airborne bacteria concentration. It’s actually depositing a biofilm on the windshield that I have to clean off every morning.”

  She deeply exhaled. “The respite’s over. I knew eventually we’d go back to discussing this,” her tone was flat. She continued flipping through plague photos, which caused her expression to turn more dour. She turned off the iPad and put it back into her bag.

  “Look at all the small branches on the road.” His head bobbed forward.

  “Uh huh.”

  “They’re so heavily loaded with Fuzz, the increased wind resistance and weight’s breaking them off.”

  Her fingers drummed restlessly on the center console. “You think it’ll damage most trees?”

  “I’d bet on it.”

  She massaged the back of her neck. “Well, there certainly were large patches of it washing up on the surf line.”

  “When we were scuba diving that ship wreck, I thought a cloud was passing over until I got close to the underside of one mat.”

  “I remember.” She chuckled. “Afterward, the divemaster screamed obscenities at it until he remembered his guests were listening.”

  “I would have enjoyed getting that on video.... No, this’ll get much worse. I predict the wind and tides will soon create vast islands.”

  “And with the honeymoon mood broken, what’s your current prognostication for the plankton?” she asked gloomily.

  “Most of the oceans will be varying shades of light green this time next year. What gyres Sven didn’t hit with his coordinated releases, ballast water from a hundred thousand ships will.”

  She glanced at a sign in passing. “I’ve seen a lot of those ‘No Wild Olympics’ signs. What’s that about?”

  “Locals trying to block an attempt to expand the peninsula’s human exclusion zone.”

  “But we want the peninsula to be wild. It’s going to be our backyard.”

  “True, but Wild Olympics decimates working class jobs. It blocks timber cutting on second growth timber, prevents building anything near the rivers or even sometimes anything visible from one. And it expands the wilderness rules that eliminate forest access roads and mechanized travel.”

  “Does that include mountain bikes?”

  “And wheelchairs.”

  “That’s cruel.”

  “Had it been implemented, we wouldn’t have been able to see as much of the peninsula as we did. The roads would have been ripped apart,” he said.

  “Sometimes people can be so stupid!”

  Chapter 67

  October 1, 1000 hours

  Ocean Shores, Olympic Peninsula

  October came with a fury. Wind and rain are common autumn occurrences in the Pacific Northwest, but with the storms came a reminder that the fair summer season was temporary. The next eight months would be wet, blustery, and cool.

  Anna put her tablet down and squeezed her eyes. “I’m tired of reading. Want to look at property today?”

  His right brow raised as he put down his book. “You do realize the wind is roaring off the ocean at 50 knots don’t you? What would you expect to see?”

  “You’re right...I’ll just cuddle up against you and veg. Thanks for shaving off the beard. You don’t look like Grizzly Adams anymore.” She rubbed her bare feet against his. “I’d love to have a roaring fire in a massive fireplace right now.”

  “With a glass of wine too, I’d bet.” He was rubbing his freshly shaved face.

  “Don’t remind me. That’s the worst part of pregnancy...the abstinence.” Her head tilted towards him. “Admittedly, I probably drank more than I should have.”

  “How many drinks did you average?” Pete’s brow furrowed.

  “I wasn’t a lush mind you, but usually four to six glasses a day when I wasn’t”—she grinned—“on a mission.”

  “That’s still a bit much. Any reason?”

  “Self-indulgence...maybe trying to dull the more gory details of my actions...maybe from boredom...who knows?” She kissed his cheek, and smiled. “Being responsible for someone else puts lifestyle into perspective.... How about you?”

  “Never did illegal drugs, and since my military days, I drink very little, always social, never more than two. And when you stopped, so did I.”

  “You’re sweet, but as I often remind you, it’s unnecessary for you to abstain.”

  “I’m a sympathetic husband. What can I say?”

  Pete, his arm around her, glanced out their hotel window from the sofa they had repositioned. Another wave of rain sheeted over its surface while the wind whipped around the building creating ominous groans and whis
tles. Both were drinking coffee and listening to classical music on the radio.

  Pete turned towards her. “Let’s play a game.”

  “Such as?”

  He smiled. “The news is coming on. Whenever they mention something you were involved with, would you give me a thumbs up?”

  “Okay...maybe...but shouldn’t it be thumbs down?” Her brow rose while returning the smile. “You’re going to keep probing aren’t you?”

  “Do you blame me?”

  “No...not really. I’d probably do the same...but I’d be more successful.”

  He changed the station to an AM news channel. “This is Jill Brent of Global Heartbeat Network. Today is October 1st, and here is the news.

  “Today marks Russia’s second installment for purchasing Alaska. President Fernandez said the $100 billion would go into an environmental recovery program instead of paying down the debt. When Congressional leaders complained, the president said his unilateral action was Constitutional. Meanwhile, Russian ministry officials and their staffs have started arriving in Alaska to prepare for the transition to Russian rule. Every Alaskan government agency soon will have embedded Russian counterparts who were picked by the Russian president’s staff....”

  Her thumb went up and a mischievous smile formed.

  “How were you involved?” Pete asked.

  Anna picked up a piece of cheese from a plate and took a bite. “I prepared the historic document that helped rationalize the sale.”

  He cocked his head. “How does one prepare a historic document?”

  She grinned. In a singsong voice, and moving her head left or right with each step, she explained, “I wrote it up in the historical format and context... I aged it... I put it onto microfilm... I aged the film... I made another film copy of it... I aged it as well... I printed it out... I photocopied it.”

  Pete’s brow knitted in slight confusion.

  Still smiling, she looked him in the eyes. “Being a multigenerational copy, the document wasn’t very distinct. I got it secretly placed into a private library and made sure a professional researcher who didn’t know of the ruse stumbled upon it the next day. Then I destroyed all the legacy documents and film so the copy couldn’t be validated...well, so Swanson thinks.”

  His head shook. “Your accounting of it is so matter-of-fact.”

  She shrugged, put cheese on a cracker, and chomped on it.

  “Swanson asked you to do that?” Pete probed.

  “Swanson suggested it to President Fernandez, who okayed it.... The Russians collaborated.”

  The broadcast continued. “In a major speech to Alaskans, the Russian president announced the proposed Eurasia-America Transport Link is starting its planning phase. This is a long-ago proposed $100 billion system that spans the relatively narrow and shallow Bering Strait between Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula and Alaska’s Seward Peninsula. The two Diomede Islands in the middle will be the anchor points for the three tunnels. This 80-kilometer link will connect the two continents and provide high-speed freight and passenger service.

  “The Russian Minister of Transport, in demonstrating Russia’s commitment to lowering carbon emissions, identified the Levx permanent magnetic levitation system as the rail transport system to be used. He explained that the Levx System, invented by Americans, uses much less electrical power and allows steeper grade climbs and sharper turns than friction rail.

  “Why’s that important?”

  “It lowers operational and installation costs while reducing infrastructure changes.”

  “Hey, that company is located in Port Angeles!” Pete exclaimed.

  It was Anna’s turn to show confusion. “Levx?”

  “The company’s called Magna Force Technology. I read about it,” Pete said excitedly. “It’s really advanced stuff...uses eddy currents for propulsion. Leave it to the Russians to leap over older railroad technology. Of course, it’ll require a lot of rare earth elements for the magnets, and that means China’s probably involved.”

  Anna stayed silent.

  He looked at her with dawning comprehension and exclaimed, “You mean I know of a high technology you don’t?”

  She put a piece of cheese in his grinning mouth. “Will wonders never cease,” she replied facetiously.

  The report continued. “Responses in Alaska were positive. Many are seeing that perhaps Russia is more committed to allowing production and service jobs than the current American government. Asked for comment, the Alaska Freedom Party maintained its adamant opposition to the selling of Alaska. The spokesperson, who remains in hiding from the DHS, said Alaskans don’t want to trade one tyrant for another. Regarding the proposed tunnel system, he complimented the Russian forward thinking regarding the Levx technology. But he went on to predict that the transport link, essentially, will allow the shipment of resources to be one-way, out of Alaska and into the Russian purse.

  “The Department of Labor initially estimated that out of the 600,000 Alaskan residents, approximately 240,000 will return to the lower states.. Officials, who want to remain anonymous, say they now expect the number to be much lower because of the prospective jobs that will be created. They also note that some Americans have announced their intentions to move to Alaska, explaining that they believe Russia may need experienced workers.

  “In employment news, the official US unemployment rate hit 18%, as industries run out of carbon-based resources and fuel shortages increase. Transport drivers struck last week because of the cost of fuel, which is not offset by government-imposed tariff rates....”

  Pete glanced at her thumbs.

  “No, I had nothing to do with any strikes,” she said defensively.

  “Just checking,” he smiled. “By the way, weren’t the Snath bioengineered technologies supposed to replace petrochemicals?”

  “Yeah. Guess that didn’t work out too well.”

  “What do you suppose happened?”

  She sat more upright. “Honey, if you haven’t been paying attention, I’ve gotten married and been a little busy to follow up on my former employer’s business plan.”

  “Just thought you might have some insight.”

  “You’re the scientist, what do you think happened?”

  “They overhyped their technology and weren’t able to fully adapt from laboratory conditions to the real world.”

  “And that means?” she challenged.

  “Contamination, equipment variation, genetic mutation...in a nutshell...reality struck.”

  “...In agricultural news, farm output dropped 8% from last year as harvesting problems increase. Transportation strikes caused additional crop loss. The Department of Sustainable Agriculture has asked President Fernandez for Ready Reserve Force personnel to fill in for striking drivers. In a show of solidarity with the Administration, union leadership has again ordered their membership to return to their jobs. Workers appear to be largely ignoring these demands, claiming the union leadership has lost legitimacy. One unidentified worker said yesterday that many of his co-workers were beaten by union enforcers, but that the strikers remained defiant....”

  Anna shook her head.

  “...In related news, the Internal Revenue Service announced yesterday a special division has been set up to audit strikers.”

  Again Anna shook her head. “Swanson told me some of his contacts in the government are using the IRS as a weapon.”

  “Isn’t that illegal?”

  “Of course it is. It doesn’t take a Harvard law degree to know how bureaucracy is corrupted to favor a political agenda. A steamroller has replaced subtlety.”

  “Been meaning to ask, did you ever take the bar exam?”

  “Yep. In New York...passed it the first time.” Her head cocked. “Why?”

  “No reason.” His lips pursed.

  “...In other international news, food riots continue for their fourth month throughout Africa and Asia. Global population experts now predict the world population will stabilize next year as mort
ality and birth rates equalize. Health professionals report a dramatically reduced birth rate across much of Africa and Asia. One medical expert in Africa attributes this to reduced food supplies and the consumption of biofuel feedstocks that weren’t designed to be edible. This was a factor HNN reported on last month, but the problem is expanding. When asked to comment, the UN Department of Sustainable Agriculture refuted a report suggesting biofuel feedstock might have been designed to include sterilants. The spokesperson says their reports show UN family planning education finally is taking hold and that the poor now realize it’s in their self-interest to have smaller families...”

  Pete again turned to Anna, who was biting her lower lip and shaking her head negatively. “Anna, is that true?”

  “Not that I’m aware, but with Sven’s designs, anything is possible. I know there were times he and Alexis would meet without me.”

  The news continued. “In a related story, the UN denies a report that the mosquito nets provided to the young in Africa were doused with chemicals that adversely affect human reproduction. When asked about the approved pesticides, UN experts claimed the chemicals only affect mosquitoes and other pests that otherwise would get through small tears in the nets. A biologist who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retribution said his review of the material safety data sheets for those chemicals indicates the chemicals are very toxic. He says some cause reproductive problems, are skin sensitizers and endocrine disrupters, or may cause other systemic health problems. Asked about the long-term consequences of doped mosquito nets, the biologist said that Africa may lose much of an entire generation through the unintended effects of constant chemical inhalation and contact.”

  Anna had drawn her feet up to the sofa and had wrapped her arms around her knees, her head resting on top.

  Pete’s eyes narrowed as he looked at her, realizing her discomfort. He put his arm around her. “Honey, are you okay?”

  She studied the textured ceiling. “FDR once said, ‘In history, nothing happens by accident. If it happened, you can bet someone planned it,’” Her voice quavered. “Swanson was a major funder of these nets, but I swear I didn’t know the effects the chemicals had until the first days of July. I was chilled when I heard what the experts knew and thought were an acceptable, perhaps even a desirable, outcome. A synergistic chemical added to the nets even lowers newborn mental abilities.”