The Carbon Cross (The Carbon Series Book 2)

by Randy Dutton

  Mac’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you putting that on if you’re surveilling the ship from a distance?”

  “Just to maintain anonymity.” Anna clipped the shoulder-length wig securely in place, and applied a bronzing cream to her face and hands.

  Mac tried to lighten her own mood. “Anna, that black jumpsuit does nothing for your figure.... With those boots, you kinda look like a guy.”

  “It’s kind of the intent.”

  Mac whispered to the child, “You’re momma wears Army boots.”

  Anna strapped on the sword belt to cinch her waist. “Does this help?”

  “Yeah. Now you’ve got curves.”

  Anna grinned and donned a waterproof, dark green, hooded coat.

  “Okay, you’ve lost all fashion sense...big and bulky.” Mac grinned slightly.

  “Wait until I fill my very large cargo pockets.” Anna puffed her cheeks.

  While Mac and Pete were preoccupied with the child, Anna went to the bedroom and closed the door. Shielded from their view, she partly disassembled the stroller and extracted various custom components from its redesigned hollow metal framing. Its thicker tubular steel had been replaced with a stronger but thinner titanium, coated on the inside with lead foil. Separating the large plastic stroller handles revealed two magazine clips. After a few minutes, the numerous 3-D printed pieces had been removed and lay on a spread-out towel. She quickly reconnected the stroller, and then, with practiced skill, assembled the weapon. This she slipped into her right pocket along with two loaded magazines. Pete would be pissed if he knew I had this. Some secrets are best untold.

  Pete called through the doorway, “Hey, Hon, you’ve been in there a while, what are you stuffing into your pockets?”

  “Oh, just the ten essentials,” Anna called back.

  “Boy Scout stuff?” Mac’s brow furrowed.

  “Not quite.... Probably gloves, a multi-tool, zip-ties, first-aid kit, duct tape, epoxy and superglue, extendable mirror.”

  Mac just nodded.

  He walked into the bedroom and saw the lock pick kit in her hand. “Did you bring that on the plane?”

  “Of course! You think they sell these on the local street corner?”

  “No, because it’s probably illegal for a non-locksmith to have one here.”

  She grimaced. “Think I care? Hon, it never hurts to be prepared.”

  “Ditch it if someone gets suspicious.... What’s that thing?” He pointed to a round disc connected to an earplug by a thin wire she was inserting into a little pouch.

  “An optical contact microphone. Better than a stethoscope. Allows me to listen through walls and doors.”

  He frowned.

  She smiled mischievously. “What?! You want me to be safe don’t you?”

  “I don’t even want you close to them!”

  “Well, this stuff helps me keep my distance!”

  Pete shook his head in frustration while walking back into the common room.

  Mac saw his grimace and whispered into his ear. “This happen a lot with you two?”

  He nodded.

  Chapter 98

  June 13, 0800 hours

  Don Luis Hotel Conference Room

  Pete stepped into the conference room. “Welcome, Dr. Heyward.” Señor Foxley, the meeting organizer greeted him. “It’s such an honor to have you attend our meeting.”

  “The honor is mine, Señor Foxley. Please call me Pete. I appreciate you being able to squeeze me in at the last minute.”

  “May I ask what caused you to consider this meeting?”

  “Most certainly. Many of us in the United States are studying the invasive species that are absorbing the carbon dioxide. We are seeking insights and information from around the world. I thought a southern hemisphere perspective might come in handy.”

  “Excellent. As you can see from your travel here, we are heavily infected with those species. Permit me to introduce you around.” Foxley paraded Pete around the room, stopping only briefly at each participant, until he reached an elegantly-dressed man in his mid-50s. “I’d like to introduce Señor Paul Hopkins.”

  A hand extended. “Ah, Dr. Heyward, it is a pleasure to meet you, and an honor to have an American researcher here studying evolution at work.”

  Pete’s hand completed the formalities. “Señor Hopkins, it is I who am honored. But I’d hardly call the phytoplankton spreading around the world an effect of evolution.”

  “Oh, but you are wrong. Nature was here first. Mankind evolved to dominate and tax nature to her limit. It then took enlightened individuals to evolve sufficiently to self-impose a solution that undoes the damage.”

  “This imposition was not the will of the people, but perhaps of a select few.”

  “A very select few indeed.” Hopkins grinned.

  “And to what end?” Pete pushed the conversation.

  “To rebalance nature, of course.”

  “And what does a rebalanced nature look like...to you?” Pete eyed the smirking aristocrat.

  Hopkins paused and tilted his head, studying the American. “Nature should be wild without mankind’s destructive influence.”

  Pete looked intensely at Hopkins. “Will you survive?”

  Hopkins suddenly laughed and slapped Pete on the shoulder. In a jovial voice he said, “Oh, but we’re just talking hypothetically. Let’s s not get too serious, no? It’s a pleasure meeting you Doctor.” He walked away and joined another group.

  Chapter 99

  June 13, 0815 hours

  Puerto Montt Dock

  The Verde Desea lay just ahead. Anna slowed the rental car as the coastal road swerved around the fenced dock facilities. Her mood soured.

  Damn. Black smoke’s streaming from the ship’s stack...they’ve just lit the boilers. Smoke would have been obvious in last night’s photos. The shore power cable’s been disconnected. The bow and stern mooring lines are singled up, and the spring lines have been pulled. The exhaust plume shows a pretty good breeze trying to push the ship from the dock. The cross wind must be at least 10 knots. They wouldn’t have reduced the lines unless they were preparing to cast off in the next couple hours.

  She gauged the waterline at the rocks.

  Nearly high tide. It’ll flow out in a couple hours. This isn’t good.

  Anna parked the car two blocks away at a market, pulled her hood over her head, and, with hands in her pockets, slowly walked to a city park next to the facility. Crossing patches of pooled Fuzz she reached the perimeter fence to observe the facility through a barbed-wire topped chain-link fence that ran to the water’s edge. Long beards of moss clung to it, giving it an ethereal appearance and mostly obscured her presence from the dock.

  There’s movement on the ship’s bridge, but I can’t make out images through the window glare. Hmmm, four guards on the main deck and along the top of the gangway – each carrying an automatic pistol. Maybe ten crewmen carrying supplies from the dock up the gangway. As I had hoped, they’re all wearing green work jackets. None are near this closest building...here goes everything.

  Putting on tough but thin skin-colored gloves, she walked to the water’s edge and climbed around the fence.

  Springing off the fence mesh back onto land, she walked quickly to the closest of two white industrial buildings near the fence line. Using the small mirror, she peaked around the corner.

  A mechanic’s walking from the small building to the front of the larger one.... Okay, the coast is clear.

  Anna quickly walked along the front of the smaller building.

  No windows, and no sounds from inside... I’ll just walk straight in as if I belong here.

  She opened the door and glanced inside.

  The hallway’s empty with two doors on each side and one at the end. So far, so good. Guess I’ll start on the left.

  She put in the earpiece and pressed the microphone against the first door.

  Nice and quiet.

  Anna slowly turned the knob and entered.
>
  A desk dominated the room and was littered with hardware blueprints, receipts, and sketches.

  Cylinder parts designs...these will help. Must be the machine shop building.

  She snapped photos with her iPhone.

  Male voices suddenly came from near the front door. She considered her options.

  I’ve not proven anything yet. I’ve got surprise on my side, but if I take them out, it’ll screw up anything else I need to do.

  She dashed behind a locker near the corner and kept the pistol ready. The voices faded deeper into the building.

  With the listening device to the door, she knew the hallway was vacant. Across the corridor, the next room’s desk had purchase orders and schematics for the cylinders.

  Bingo!

  Her eyes widened when she studied several documents.

  My God! According to these purchase orders, there are 152 cylinders, each with 12,000 liters capacity. Half are on the main deck, half are below.

  After taking more photos, she let out a deep breath.

  152...that’s a lot of sabotaging!

  Reaching the second door on the left, the microphone revealed two men discussing the journey.

  “When you get to Buenos Aires, go to Las Niñas, it has the best girls,” a gruff voice said in Spanish.

  A younger voice responded, “I will email you about it...but then...maybe I won’t tell you too much. My wife, you know, she would not like it, and she is not happy I will be gone for seven months...”

  Anna stepped away.

  Pigs.... Hopefully, these are the only ones in the building.

  She opened the last door slowly, peered inside with the mirror, then walked inside the main fabrication shop.

  Ah yes, the mock-up.

  She slowly walked around a six-meter long cylinder with most of its installed controls.

  Excellent...its access cover’s off!

  She clicked pictures from all angles and from inside, including close-ups and panoramic shots of the wiring and controls. She drafted an email. ‘Mac, here are photos of blueprints, the cylinder prototype, and the wiring. Share them with Pete when he gets back. Anna.’ She hit send.

  Engrossed in analyzing functions of individual wires and deciding how controls could be surreptitiously sabotaged, she didn’t hear the shop door open.

  “You grab the wrenches, I’ll get the spare wiring,” said a gruff voice.

  Anna’s eyes flashed in alarm. She was partially hidden by the cylinder, and quickly scrambled into the meter-long access hole. Scampering on her hands and knees, she was careful to avoid the internal heating elements and piping, lest metal scrape on metal. Pressing her back against the access side wall, she scooted to the far end, staying in the shadows. Hunched over, she pulled the jacket hood farther over her face and tucked her left hand into the sleeve that covered the pistol in her right hand. Only the black silencer barrel protruded. Her breathing was slow and shallow.

  The younger man moved in front of the access. The interior darkened. “We’ve got two hours before we sail and six loads to carry. Let’s pick up the pace. I want to grab a couple of bottles of wine from the market before I leave.”

  The men grunted as they hefted their burdens...and then the shop went quiet.

  Anna crawled to the opening and peeked out.

  Good! The workshop’s empty...and the phone shows the photos have been sent.

  She clambered out, rushed to the door, stopped, and listened. She hoisted a bulky coil of light-weight tubing leaning against the wall onto her shoulder. Turning the knob, she peered through the corridor, then, with the load, dashed to the entrance. The mirror gave her another peek outside to see the men rounding the corner of the larger building. With the load as camouflage, she walked briskly to the next building and again used her mirror to look around the corner.

  The gangway’s 250 meters down the dock. I can do this.

  Back to the wall, she made a quick call.

  “Duke. This is Anna—”

  “Anna! what a pleasant surprise—” Duke started in a jovial voice.

  “I don’t have much time. I’ve got a deal for you, but you have to act fast.”

  “And I thought we were doing so well...are you trying to renegotiate?” he asked warily.

  “I’m offering you an opportunity to turn me in.”

  “What? Explain to this old—”

  “Duke, listen up! In twenty minutes I’m going to turn on a GPS tracking device that tells Gabriel exactly where I am. If you call him first and give him the coordinates, you can claim credit—”

  “That’s an inter—”

  “Duke. There’s more. Tell him you know where Sven Johansson is.”

  “Who?”

  “He’s the guy who created the plagues. There’s probably an equal bounty on him.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because I want my family protected. There’s a chance I won’t survive what I’m about to do...and I like you.... I think you can help.”

  “Okay, give me the details.”

  After providing Duke with the necessary information, she disconnected and placed another call.

  “Babe?” Pete answered softly while walking out of the conference room.

  “Pete, I’m near the freighter.” She heard the voices of men in his background.

  “Is everything okay?” His voice lowered. “You sound nervous.”

  “They’re leaving in two hours with the tide. They’ve got 152 six-meter long cylinders onboard, half on deck, half below—”

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he cautioned. He looked at the men behind him and whispered. “Don’t do it! Do not go onboard! It’s too dangerous!” He was now out the conference room and rushing to the elevator.

  “I have to Pete! I’ve seen their mockup. I know how to take out the cylinders—”

  “Anna, you can’t! It’s suicide! I won’t let you—”

  “Pete, I’m sorry! But I have to fix this! I’m the reason this is happening—”

  “You would abandon your son?!” He repeatedly pressed the elevator button.

  “No!” she interrupted. “But this is about more than us! I’m the only one in a position to stop it! I know how to get aboard. I’ll turn the Krugerrand on so you can track me—”

  “That wasn’t the plan! You’ll be trapped and Swanson will find you! There are other ways to track the ship.” He knew he couldn’t control her.

  “I didn’t tell you last night, but I played a hunch and went onto the global Automatic Identification System database—”

  “What’s—”

  “It’s how ships are tracked...and Desea Verde’s gone dark.”

  “Dark?”

  “Someone’s hacked their signal. There’s no way to track it except by my coin—”

  “I don’t care—”

  “Pete, I love you and Connor. Good bye, Darling!” She turned the phone off and then wiped the tears with her sleeve.

  “Anna!” He stared incredulously at the silent phone, and hit redial. She lied to me! She planned to go onboard from the start!

  Leaning against the wall and breathing hard, she felt her phone vibrate. She pressed, ‘Decline’ and turned it off.

  Pete skipped the elevator and ran upstairs to his room. In moments, he charged past Mac. “I’m going after her!”

  Startled by his appearance, Mac yelled, “Pete, what’s going on?!” Nervously, she added, “I just got an email from Anna with photos. But she never called me.”

  He tossed her his phone. “Copy everything to my phone!” He was stripping off his suit. “She’s going onboard the freighter, said it’s leaving in two hours. If I can’t bring her back before it sails, I’m going aboard. I’m not letting her go by herself.”

  Pete changed to a black jumpsuit, similar to Anna’s, and a green jacket. He stuffed essential survival equipment in his pockets, and a couple bottles of water. Momentarily lost in thought, he added a large stack of Argentin
ean pesos into a pocket. Lastly, he held the second Krugerrand in his fingers, and used the VersaTool pliers to make a full turn on the gold coin’s tracking device. The coin went into his back pocket.

  “Bring up the tracking software and track both of us.”

  “Pete! This is out of control!” Mac was shaking, tears trailing down her cheeks. “Don’t leave us here like this!”

  Their eyes met, and his hands grasped her shoulders. “Mac.... Understand, I can’t live without her!” He leaned down and kissed Connor on the forehead. “I love you, Connor. I’ll bring Mommy back.”

  “What if neither of you come back?!” She was nearly sobbing.

  “Tell him...his parents loved him so much they tried to protect his future. Then take care of him as if he’s your own. I love you, Sis! I’ve got to go! Whether Anna realizes it or not, she needs me.... I’ll call you.”

  He rushed out the door.

  Chapter 100

  June 13, 0900 hours

  Puerto Montt Harbor

  Pete raced out of the room. He was at the front of the hotel in two minutes and in a taxi a minute later. It was a quick two klicks to the port. He overpaid the driver, then slowly walked past the gate while scanning the compound for people and weapons. His mind spun with ideas of how he might extract her in case she was discovered – some were more violent than others.

  On the gangway a hundred meters away, someone in a green jacket, hood up, head down, carried a large, loose coil of tubing up the gangway. Pete’s attention focused on the worker with a slight build – like that of a woman. The bulky load blocked the carrier’s face from the guard’s view. The bearer, once on the quarterdeck, made an immediate right. The tubing still shielded the face.

  Pete stared at the small freighter with the lines of cylinders.

  She’s done it. She’s onboard. Now how the hell will I get onboard? There are at least four guards on the ship.

  As he squinted at the pilot house, a tall blond man stepped out onto the bridge wing.