Arctic Fire

by Paul Byers

  Cain stood and walked up the staircase, then motioned for Pike and Mallory to join him. When they reached the top and stepped onto the walkway, Cain turned to them. “That was Pyke’s dream,” he said pointing to the display below, “this is my reality.” Cain pushed a button on a small control panel and Pike heard and felt the drone of a several large electric motors.

  Pike stood and marveled. Like a scene from a James Bond film, the panels of the dome began to fall away as if it were a giant orange peel. Instantly, light flooded the room as if the heavens had opened up. Pike wouldn’t have been surprised to hear a choir at that moment singing the Hallelujah chorus.

  Pike felt like he was on the top of Mount Everest. The sky had cleared and was now a dazzling blue as he swept from horizon to horizon with an unobstructed 360-degree view of it all. Not to be outdone by the cloudless blue sky, the ocean was a deep rich color that rolled in long, low swells.

  In the front, he could see the tug churning white swatches of water as it struggled pulling this massive beast. As he walked around the observation deck he found himself staring at the floating city behind him.

  “Just think,” Cain continued, “what would have happened if we would have had technology like this in 2004 when the tsunami devastated the Indian Ocean? How many lives could have been saved in the earthquake that rocked Haiti in early 2010 by having fresh, clean drinking water available? How panic could have been avoided in the Japanese tsunami if they’d had fresh water and known they wouldn’t run out?

  Cain stood on the observation walk and looked over his massive man-made iceberg and raised his hands as if in prayer and praise. “What Geoffrey Nathaniel Pyke first conceived of for death, destruction, and war, I have created to bring life, health, and peace.”

  That was a little over the top, Pike thought to himself as he stood watching Cain. He turned to look at Mallory and noticed she had a strange look on her face, not a readable expression like joy or sorrow but more of an echo, like she was thinking it but it hadn’t gone all the way from her mind to her heart, then to her face. It was a strange look he just couldn’t identify. She glanced at him and the echo quickly vanished, replaced by an embarrassed smile. “Nigel does get carried away at times.” She said softly, almost reverently.

  Tilting his head, Pike whispered back, “That he does.”

  Cain turned around, his winning smile filling his face. “Every great invention that has dared to step out of the box, so to speak, no matter how innovative or significant, has met with criticism, and my project is no exception,” Cain said as he trotted down the stairs and motioned for them to follow. “Because of the uniqueness and scope of my project, there are those who fear that it may be unsafe to bring into New York harbor. Can you believe that?” He shook his head, genuine hurt flooding his face. “I’m trying to save lives here.”

  Cain reached the main floor and continued on toward the elevator. “Like I said earlier, Gabriel, this is where the rubber meets the road. You are here to disprove the Nay-Sayers with a thorough safety inspection that will put their minds to rest.”

  They got in the elevator and Cain took a key out of his pocket, opened a small panel, pushed a button, then closed the panel again. The door shut and the elevator began to descend. “Don’t want any reporters getting off on the wrong floor and wandering around, getting lost and turning into Popsicles now to do we?” He said smiling.

  “Anyway, I know that what I just said may sound like I am asking you to rubber-stamp this project but I’m not. That’s why I hired you, an independent firm, on the west coast even, with no ties to Cain Industries, to come out here to inspect this. I want everything on the up and up.”

  The elevator came to a smooth stop. When the door opened, Pike saw a group of three men talking. As soon as they saw it was Cain in the elevator, one of them started walking toward them. “This is where I leave you to your work. Elizabeth and I have work to do in a little warmer climate,” Cain said, adding an exaggerated shiver. “That’s Dean Miles, my chief engineer. He’ll get you anything you need. If he doesn’t, you just let me know.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Pike replied as the door shut, swallowing Cain whole.

  Chapter Sixteen

  With the stealth not common for a man of his size, the intruder slipped quietly into the room. The woman had her back to him, facing the wall, watering some plants on the bookshelf. Perfect. He crept forward, slowly inching his way toward her. Just a few more feet and he would be upon her…he hoped.

  “Hello Senator Williams,” Mallory said, her back still towards him. Disappointment at having been caught flashed across his face, which he quickly smothered as she turned around.

  “Nigel will be here shortly. Please have a seat and I’ll have some coffee brought in.”

  “That’s just as well. This will give us a bit of a chance to get to know each other better.” He said with a well-practiced, charming smile as he followed her back to her desk.

  He sat on the corner of the desk as he continued to speak. “You’ve been with Nigel for a long time now haven’t you?”

  Mallory nodded her head. “Nearly ten years,” she replied with pride.

  “So you two have been through a lot together?”

  “Yes.”

  “So tell me, honestly, will this crazy idea of his work or does he have something else up his sleeve? Don’t get me wrong, I admire Nigel, but I need to know if this horse will get out of the gate before I bet the farm on it.”

  “Oh, it will work Senator. This isn’t a long shot, this is the odds on, hands down sure winner you can bet the farm on.” Mallory smiled as she spoke to the Senator, but there was no warmth in her voice. She didn’t like or trust the Senator. She didn’t like having to make a deal with the devil, so to speak but there was nothing she could do about it, at least not at the moment. And what she hated the most was the way he looked at her. She wasn’t new to this game and knew that boys will be boys, but the way he leered at her sometimes brought it down to a whole new level. The Senator fancied himself as a ladies’ man but his ugly grins, smug arrogance and not so subtle innuendos made her feel cheap, like she was an object to be used and thrown away and not a person. She hated him.

  “We all know that Nigel has the financial means to make this project happen but like they say, money can’t buy you love or congressional approval.” Williams paused and thought about what he’d said. “Okay, maybe it can, but the point is, as powerful as Cain is, he still needs help in order to make this thing float.”

  “You have the political clout and connections to be nominated by your party to run for the presidency and you’re right of course, money can’t buy you love or in this case, the money needed along the campaign trail.” Mallory said coolly. “So I believe this is a win-win situation all the way around.”

  “Damn, girl!” Williams exclaimed, standing up. “You were made for politics. Come work for me!”

  “Trying to steal my help Pug?” Cain said smiling as he walked into the room.

  “I just might.” He let his eyes linger over her then turned to Cain smiling. “She is a woman of considerable talents.”

  “You couldn’t afford her, old friend; she is too high maintenance.”

  Mallory shot him a dirty look.

  Just then Brad, the waiter from the Crystal Palace, brought in a serving tray with coffee, hot tea and an assortment of pastries. Cain grabbed a cup of tea and sat down at his desk. “What can I do for you Pug?”

  Williams leaned back in his chair and took a sip of coffee, drawing all the attention to himself, making them wait to hear what he had to say. “There are some potential benefits to this project, but also a lot of risks. While the benefits to Third World and starving nations may be apparent, what can it offer industrialized nations such as the U.S.?”

  Before Cain could answer, Williams took a sip of coffee then turned to Mallory. “Beth, darling, could you get me a little cream and sugar please?”

  Mallory remained calm and unaffe
cted on the outside and even managed a polite smile, but inside she was about ready to explode. She knew the Senator was testing her, that this was just one big game to him, but she was not about to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that she was the slightest bit irritated.

  “Nigel, would you like something since I’m up?” Mallory said, making a point to serve him before Williams. “Thank you, no,” Cain replied, sitting back and watching the exchange.

  “Senator?” Mallory said standing over him with the service platter. “How would you like it— cream and sugar?” Throwing the ball back in his court. Williams looked up at her and smiled, “Just set it down, thank you…darlin,” he threw in at the last moment, ending the volley.

  Cain waited patiently for Williams to put the cream and sugar in his coffee before he began. “Let’s get right to the backroom politics shall we?” Cain said. Williams just smiled and nodded his head.

  “Good; I’ll be blunt then.” Cain continued. “From the inception of this project you’ve been intrigued by it and have been enjoying the free publicity garnished from it, but now that the time is near, you’re getting cold feet; should you stay and have your name associated with it or cut your losses and bail. And second, while you may have honest concerns about how it could help the U.S. economy, the real question going through your mind is, how or if it can help you get to the presidency? Stop me here anywhere along the line where I’m wrong.”

  Williams sat very noncommittally in his comfortable chair, sipping his coffee and not saying a word.

  Cain continued. “In the short term, with your name on everybody’s lips, can that be a bad thing with elections looming just over the horizon? Plus, think about the small economic boom this is bringing to New York. I’ve checked with the State’s bureau of tourism and there’s been a 35% spike for the city and a 23% increase for the state overall compared to this same time last year. I’m sure your PR boys can take those numbers and run with them. During the elections, you can spin those numbers again, taking credit for them saying you did it for New York and you can do it for the entire country too.

  “In the long term, once you are elected, you’ll be assured of a second term by being the President who saved the country. How? You will be at the forefront, the leader who is solving this nation’s water shortage before it even happens. This,” Cain said, waving his arms around the room, “all this is nothing but a big show, to get people’s attention, to get them thinking about what is coming and what we can do now to avoid major rationing down the road. This is just a showboat. The real workhorses, if you will, will be smaller blocks towed directly to the cities in need, where nearly 100% of the iceberg can be converted into safe drinking water.

  “Did I say affordable? Once stations are set up, a 16-ounce bottle of berg water will cost less than half that of its store bought competitor. In times of great need, it’s cheap enough to be given away free and when there are just spot shortages, supplies can be brought in and sold to John Q. Public at a discount. The public will love you for this, and you can use the profits to supplement the bottles given away or whatever projects you need funded.”

  Cain moved from behind his desk and sat on its edge in front of Williams. “And this water supply is terrorist proof. For a determined terrorist, there are any number of ways to sabotage any major city’s water supply. If that happens, bam! We, or should I say YOU, bring in a fleet of icebergs and the problem is solved. The terrorists can’t hijack an iceberg and they can’t sink it and they can’t contaminate it. The only way to stop it would be to nuke it. And this same benevolence can be shared with other countries, creating unprecedented goodwill toward America, and towards you as its leader. Who knows, you may even become another Roosevelt and be elected to more than two terms.”

  Cain paused to let the idea sink in and to let Williams play with it a bit. He walked back around his desk and sat down and sipped his tea, enjoying the look on the Senator’s face as visions of sugar plums, roaring crowds chanting his name, and a subservient House and Senate danced in his head.

  “Pug?” Cain finally said after a few minutes.

  “Yes?” Williams said, almost unwilling to let his dream go. “Ah yes,” he said clearing his throat, “you do make a very convincing argument but I learned at a very early age that there is no such thing as a free lunch. What more do you want from me?”

  Cain shook his head. “Nothing more than what you’re been doing already. Just keep running political interference against those who have no vision of the future and keep endorsing and touting the praises of the project.”

  Williams nodded his head slowly, considering every angle. “I’ve also learned that you don’t get something for nothing, what’s in this for you?”

  “Complete and total world domination.” Cain replied in a flat, mater-of-fact tone.

  Williams just stared at his friend, not believing what he had just heard. He knew from experience that the super wealthy could be eccentric, but he never figured Cain to be one of those. Then, he saw a slight crack pierce Cain’s lips and he stared to laugh, quickly followed by Cain. “Oh you had me there for second.” Williams said between laughs. “Remind me never to play poker with you; that was one hell of a bluff.”

  After a few more bits of laughter, Williams looks back at Cain. “Seriously, Nigel, what are you getting out of all of this?”

  Cain stood and held his arm up and Williams stood as well. Cain put his arm around the Senator and led him to toward the door. “It doesn’t really matter what I’m getting out of this does it, so long as you get what you’re hoping for?” Before Williams could answer, Cain continued. “No it doesn’t, and as Beth pointed out earlier, this is a win-win for everyone."

  By now they were standing at the door and Cain held out his hand. “Thanks for coming by and I’m glad we had this discussion and we’re both on the same page. Now if you will excuse me I have some plans to make for taking over the world.” Both men laughed as they shook hands and Cain skillfully led the Senator out the door.

  As soon as the door closed, Mallory spoke. “You’d better do something with him, Nigel,” she said, grabbing a doughnut and biting it viciously in half, “darlin, or I will.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing I showed up when I did then and came to the rescue.” Cain replied.

  Mallory shot him a dirty look. “I can take care of myself.” She replied defiantly.

  Cain laughed, “I showed up to rescue him, not you.”

  “Damn straight. I don’t see how he and his ego fit on this chunk of ice. It’s a wonder we haven’t capsized yet.”

  “I know you don’t like him, Elizabeth, but for now we need him.”

  “And he needs us. You know that as soon as he gets what he wants he’ll drop you like a bad campaign promise.”

  “That’s why we have to beat him to the punch.”

  “Did you say beat him?” Mallory’s grin was sadistic.

  Cain frowned. “Just be patient a little longer; don’t worry, I’ll tell you when the gloves can come off.”

  “Fine.” Mallory replied like a spoiled child.

  “I know Pug well enough to know that he has something else on his mind but he’s too good at the game to tip his hand. See what you can find out from his aid, Robert. There’s already a little bit of animosity between them. Let’s see if we can exploit that.”

  “Divide and conquer?”

  “Exactly.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Mr. Pike, Dean Miles.” Miles introduced himself as he walked up and stretched out his hand. Miles was a tall, rugged-looking man of about fifty with short wavy brown hair who looked more like a Texas oil wildcatter than an engineer. Pike caught himself. Here he was, an engineer himself, and he was putting the stereotype of the nerdy glasses and pocket protector on him. Pike introduced himself and both men shook hands; from his grip, Pike knew Miles was no nerd.

  “Welcome to the ice planet Hoth.” Miles smiled, holding up his hands, presenting the
underground room. It was a huge cavern that was nearly as wide as the iceberg itself at eighty feet and almost as long at sixty. The room was well lit with banks of florescent lights that hung from the ten-foot high ceiling.

  As Pike looked around, he noticed that there were stacks of lumber, pallets of supplies and other building equipment scattered around. The whole scene looked like any other construction job site except they were inside a huge iceberg floating toward New York City. He thought the walls would have been shinier since they were made of ice, reflecting light like a giant disco ball, but instead, they had a dull sheen. The two men stepped into a small trailer that acted as the office where Miles pulled out a set of blueprints.

  “This is just an overview print.” Miles said as he spread out the plans. We have detailed plans for each level and you can see them anytime you like. We’re here,” Miles said as he pointed to the plan, “and you have three main vertical tunnels, here, here, and here, that all connect to the Broadway tunnel here. It’s the main and largest horizontal access tunnel that runs just above the ships. From there, we have two vertical tunnels each, running to the four ships encased in the ice. There is of course, a honeycomb of service tunnels running throughout the iceberg. These shown here are just the main ones.”

  “The four ships here,” Pike asked, “they’re supposed to melt the ice once we arrive at our destination?”

  Miles nodded. “The ships are old WWII mothballed liberty ships that Mr. Cain dug up from who knows where; they are all part of the big, reduce-reuse thing. The superstructures have been removed and they’ve been stripped of any asbestos and any another toxic material and are eco-friendly just in case there’s an accident. All four still have their engines and supply all the power for the barge.” Miles paused for a moment. “Ah, don’t ever call the iceberg a barge in front of Mr. Cain, he doesn’t like it. It really is a giant barge if you think about it but he prefers not to think of it like that, not good PR he says.”