The Rowen (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 7)

by JC Ryan

  “The reservoir is fairly large. The water is taken into the water treatment plant at the end closest to the buildings, treated and sent to the buildings for use. The gray water is sent through the waste water treatment plant at the far end before it is returned to the lake.”

  “Yuck!” Several voices shouted in chorus.

  “It’s not like that guys. It’s actually cleaner water than any waste water treatment plant can ever produce.” Aaron explained.

  “The process of recycling of wastewater and sewage to turn it into potable, drinkable, water is older than most of us. In Windhoek, the capital of Namibia in Africa, the process has been in operation since 1968; it’s also been in use in some places here in the USA since the seventies and in many other countries.”

  “And just to help you get over it, the water we have here is only used as sink and shower water. The toilets are incinerator toilets, so all that stuff is dealt with differently. It’s burned to a sterile ash and then removed about every six months.

  Sam swallowed hard and changed the subject. “What about getting the supply trucks in?”

  Jack took over. “Since the blast door for the D and C portals is already open, I suggest we cut an opening through D portal and bring them in. There is plenty of room in the parking lot for them until they are needed again.

  “I don’t want to leave the portal open, though; we’ll work on a way to close it up again.”

  Daniel spoke up, “I suggest a false brick wall. There was one blocking the entry to the escape tunnel we used to get out of the White House. It was the face of concrete blocks that matched the wall, mounted on plywood.”

  “We’d want it to match the look of the other portal,” Aaron said. “It’s a solid concrete wall, so a thin layer of concrete on plywood ought to do it.”

  “We could use holographic imaging to hide it as well,” Roy added. “It wouldn’t be hard to tap the solar power supply to power a couple of stationary imagers to make it look like a solid wall of concrete.”

  “Great idea, Roy!” Jack said. “Can you have them ready to send out with the second team?”

  “Unless they’re leaving today, I don’t see why not.”

  “The plane is due back tomorrow and has another pickup in Washington three days later, so you should have plenty of time,” Sam reassured him. “We’ll send the second team of medical, technical, and support personnel out in two days.”

  “When can we expect the trucks?” Daniel asked.

  “My team in Washington is handling that,” Eric spoke up. “Two trucks of food and medical supplies, plus your other requests, will arrive in four days.”

  “We’re not taking supplies destined for starving people, are we?” Daniel asked, concerned.

  “No, Daniel, Tectus members had a stockpile in their homes and warehouses throughout the city before things went south. We are drawing from those supplies.

  “And before you ask, Tectus all over the country have these stockpiles and are using them as needed to help those in their community.”

  Daniel smiled. He really liked these Tectus teams. “That is great to hear Eric, thank you! And please, thank your teams for their efforts!”

  “You got it Daniel, err, Mr. President,” Eric responded, and the others started laughing.

  “You had it right the first time Eric. It’s Daniel to you,” Daniel smiled.

  Sam grinned, “Alright everyone, is there anything else?” No one spoke up, so he continued after a brief pause, “ok then, in two days, JR, Raj, Roy, Rebecca, Secretary of State Bill Sims, and Elize will join you at RRMC.”

  Chapter 60- Get us to the surface!

  Brideaux paced the deck of the control room becoming more and more agitated by the minute. Muttering to himself he looked at the monitors although they were meaningless to him; he stared over the helmsman’s shoulder at the controls and monitors - also meaningless.

  “I’ve had enough of this,” he exploded turning to Captain Locklin. “Get us to the surface!”

  “Not possible; there’s too much ice over us.”

  “Don’t lie to me. I’ve seen pictures of subs stuck up through the ice.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you have, probably in movies and definitely not in this part of the ice canopy. The ice is too thick here to surface through it.”

  “You’re lying. Surface this ship. Now.”

  “It won’t work, Brideaux. We could surface through ice as thick as six feet, but it’s more than twenty feet here.”

  “I don’t believe you, and I don’t care. Get this ship to the surface. Now!” Brideaux shouted.

  “Please wait until we’re closer to the edge of the ice canopy or you’ll kill us all!”

  Brideaux grabbed the helmsman, violently twisting his arm causing it to snap. The helmsman cried out in pain and swung at Brideaux who reacted by knocking the man to the floor, unconscious. He pulled his gun to shoot the man.

  “Brideaux!” Locklin yelled.

  Brideaux spun in surprise, bullets flying from the gun in his hand, and pieces of glass and plastic rained down on Locklin who dove to the deck.

  Leveling the gun at Locklin’s head Brideaux spoke through clenched teeth, “never yell at me, Captain; next time it will cost you your life.”

  “You have to quit killing and injuring people, otherwise you won’t have anyone left that knows how to run this boat.”

  “Then get someone up here who can surface this boat or I swear I will kill every man on board and you will be begging for death long before we die together,” Brideaux was shaking with rage.

  “Have Lieutenant Copeland sent up,” Locklin ordered.

  Kicking his guard who had also taken refuge on the deck, Brideaux ordered “take that lump,” he pointed to the helmsman, “out of here and bring back Copeland… on the double!”

  When the guard returned with Lieutenant Copeland, and Locklin told him they were going to surface on Brideaux’s orders, Copeland looked at Brideaux, “Are you out of your mind? The ice is too think here; we’ll never get through.”

  “How the hell do you manage to function with a crew that questions your every order?” Brideaux snarled at Locklin.

  Locklin chose not to answer. “Get ready to blow the tanks Copeland, and hold on to your ass.”

  “Aye, sir. Holding onto my ass,” Copeland said dismally.

  “Before you blow the tanks, sound the collision alarm and make sure you have something to grab hold of.”

  “Aye.”

  Locklin sat down at the helm and prepared to brace himself. “Alright, blow the tanks!”

  Copeland pressed the button to sound the alarm and pulled the levers that would rapidly blow air into the ballast tanks.

  The sub surged forward and up, rapidly gaining speed as it ascended.

  Chapter 61- No, absolutely not

  Before leaving the Rabbit Hole, Daniel asked Nigel’s advice about the people to appoint to the Cabinet. He knew he wanted to keep the members Laurie had appointed or trusted to keep, add Salome as head of Homeland Security if she would agree, and fill the rest of the positions with experienced, trustworthy people.

  Nigel had made suggestions of three people for each open position and helped Daniel pull résumés on all of them.

  Daniel made his decisions and was ready to send teams out to collect the currently serving members and the newly chosen ones and bring them to RRMC for protection until they could oust Hayden.

  ***

  Upon arrival at Raven Rock, Daniel was taken to the Presidential Suite. He found the accommodations luxurious, too luxurious—he wanted to be with his team who were being housed in building C. He had always been part of the team, and it was not going to be different now.

  “No, absolutely not. I won’t be staying here.” He said when the agents wanted to unpack his bags in the suite.

  The two agents stared at Daniel, not quite sure what to make of the situation. “Please, Mr. President; these are the Presidential quarters. They are designed a
nd set up with your privacy and protection in mind.”

  “I said no,” Daniel replied tightly, in a low voice. “I will not stay in such extravagance and be separated from the rest of the team!”

  “But, sir, your safety…”

  “Is not in question here,” Daniel interrupted. “These are my friends and teammates. I will stay in regular housing with them and eat my meals with them. Is that clear?”

  The agents looked at one another in consternation. “Yes, sir,” they replied together in submission but clearly not happy about it.

  “Look, I’m not trying to make your job harder,” Daniel spoke in a friendlier tone. “If we were outside this facility it would be different, but there isn’t anyone on this team that I wouldn’t trust with my life, and that includes the two of you. I will be fine with them.”

  “As you wish sir.” With reluctance, the agents accepted his choice of a one-bedroom apartment on the third floor and appreciated that he at least let them have rooms on either side of him with the teams sharing the apartments directly across from him.

  Anyone else coming in would be housed on the second floor, so they were satisfied that they had a measure of security around him.

  Aaron felt sorry for the lambasted agents, but he knew his brother. He meant no disrespect to them; Daniel was just not the type of leader who led from the rear. He wanted to be in the thick of things.

  As soon as this was settled and Daniel’s bags were unpacked in the apartment, he accompanied Eric, Aaron, and Jack to view the holding cells for the prisoners which had been hastily constructed from materials found at the site.

  At the back of several of the buildings, shrouded in darkness, Aaron had found stacks of metal and PVC pipe, lumber, concrete blocks, bricks, wiring, and other building materials. He’d seen a machine and maintenance closet in the West power building and raided it, producing torch welders, masonry drills, bolts, hammers, and nails.

  With the help of Jack and a few others, Aaron had constructed six 8x10 holding cells, each complete with a table, chair, and bed confiscated from apartments in building C.

  Chapter 62- Finding the Trepang

  At dinner, the second night after Daniel arrived at Raven Rock, Cliff looked across the table at Daniel as dessert was placed before them. “You know what I wish I had? A Snow Cone. I really miss Snow Cones. I haven’t had one in ages.”

  Nodding at Cliff, he said, “I know what you mean.”

  Daniel calmly finished his cake then got up to leave the table, “please excuse me, and continue to enjoy your meal.”

  Cliff followed Daniel with his eyes for a moment and then got up himself and made his way through the room, stopping briefly to speak with one person and another. After casually circling the room once, he wandered through the exit into the hall in time to see Daniel enter an office a few doors down.

  Casting his eyes along the hallway in both directions, making certain he was alone, he followed Daniel, paused at the door to check the empty hallway again, and then entered the room where Daniel was waiting.

  “What’s happened?” Daniel asked without preamble.

  “Mr. President, the Trepang missed her last two scheduled contacts. We have to assume something has gone wrong,” Cliff reported.

  “There could be any number of reasons for that. Is that not true?” Daniel responded.

  Cliff nodded. “But the fact that we haven’t had a signal from them in the last twelve hours is disquieting, sir. If they had technical problems, I would like to believe that they would have been able to resolve it within that time.”

  “Okay. I hear what you’re saying, but there’s not much we can do at the moment. Is there? It’s not as if we are able to send another sub, or any vessel for that matter, to go and look for them?”

  “Yes, sir. Unfortunately, thanks to General Hayden, that’s the painful position we are in right now.”

  “It’s agonizing and infuriating,” Daniel said. “Do you think we might be able to get someone in the Navy, in control of one of the submarines to go rogue and go looking for the Trepang?”

  “That’s one option, sir…”

  “We know the coordinates from where they were the last time they made contact don’t we?”

  “Yes, sir; that’s correct.”

  “What about sending in a team of Navy SEALs on a commercial vessel?”

  “That’s a possibility sir, but the Trepang is traveling around on a preset course under the polar icecap, specifically to avoid detection. It’s not going to be possible to get close to them with anything but another sub. Even if we could airdrop a team of SEALS, they will somehow have to get through the ice.”

  Daniel shook his head. “I’m not ready to give up on them Mr. Secretary. There has to be a way, or we will make a way. I don’t care a hoot about Brideaux and his fellow prisoners, except maybe for Rafael Martinez, but as for the rest of them… well, let me rather not go there.

  “My only concern is for Captain Reese Locklin and his crew. We must do everything humanly possible to rescue them, that’s if they need rescuing.”

  “My sentiments exactly Mr. President.”

  Daniel paced thoughtfully for a moment, “Why don’t you contact Admiral Johnson and see if he has any ideas on what we can do to find and help them?

  Willis smiled. “Actually, sir, I anticipated your request and have already been in touch with him by brief code. This situation is need-to-know and face-to-face only as you know.

  “And?”

  “His response was very brief; ‘Confirmed, David.’”

  Daniel raised his eyebrows and spoke incredulously, “what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “To anyone else who might hear it, absolutely nothing. To me, it means that he is aware of the matter and wants me to meet him at Camp David.

  “At least it’s close; how soon?”

  “As soon as we can both get there. I’ll leave immediately and wait for him. With the dusk to dawn curfew in place, he may not be there until early tomorrow morning.”

  “Alright. Please let him know that we have former military people who would be willing to provide assistance and safe houses available for meetings if needed.”

  “I will.”

  “Very good; I’ll be waiting. And Cliff, before you go, stop and see Raj or Roy. Tell them you need to keep a meeting top secret and have them give you one of our special pens and show you how to use it. Better safe than sorry, even if it is at Camp David.”

  “Will do,” Cliff said and quietly left the room.

  ***

  Cliff stepped into the living room of the Camp David house and was surprised to see Admiral Johnson sitting on the couch studying a map laying on the coffee table before him.

  “Good evening Admiral,” he greeted as he sat down.

  “Good to see you Mr. Secretary,” Johnson responded.

  “How did you get here so fast?”

  “I left as soon as I sent the message and managed to get out of town before dusk. I brought along some night vision goggles so I could drive with the headlights off for the last bit.”

  “Smart. So, what’s the situation?”

  “Here, have a look,” Admiral Johnson invited, gesturing to the map before him.

  Willis sat down looking at a map like he’d never seen before. It was mostly blue with white and tan areas. He looked at Johnson, “what’s this? It isn’t like any topographic map I’ve ever seen.”

  “It’s a bathymetric map of the ocean floor in the Arctic. Similar to a topo but this one shows the ocean floor relief with the depth notation instead of elevation above sea level.

  “The last ping originated from here,” Johnson said indicating an area near the middle of the map, “just after they crossed over the Spitsbergen Fracture Zone and were about to enter the Barents Plain at the South-East end of the Nansen Basin.” Johnson indicated the location of each of the places as he named them.

  “Their next ping location was supposed to be here, as they
crossed over the Nansen Ridge and were entering the Fram Basin.”

  “Has there been any intelligence at all as to their whereabouts?”

  “No, nothing. As far as anyone knows that sub is in drydock as scheduled.”

  “Any ideas on how we find her?”

  “That’s the big problem. With Hayden in control of the military, I can’t use our detection system or satellites to try to locate her.

  Thinking of what he has learned about the incredible abilities of the Rossler technical team, Willis was inclined to believe they could probably locate the missing sub themselves.

  “Admiral, with your permission, I would like to bring a few of President Rossler’s top team members in on this. They may be able to locate her for us without anyone else knowing, and they are one hundred percent trustworthy. President Rossler is very concerned about the disappearance of the sub and anxious to find her.”

  The Admiral raised his eyebrows, “Do they have that kind of equipment?”

  “I don’t know what kind of equipment they have, but they were able to bring Brideaux down and shut down all his operations, worldwide, within a few hours. I desperately want to believe they are capable of locating a submarine … especially when we have a general idea of where to start looking.”

  “Good point,” Johnson agreed. “Alright Mr. Secretary, we don’t have much of a choice. Let’s bring in the Rossler people, but keep it limited to as few as possible and let’s continue with the need-to-know and face-to-face communication. When they find her, I want to meet with you and the team to discuss interception, rescue, and recovery scenarios. We won’t know exactly what is needed until we find her.”

  Johnson folded the map and handed it to Willis. “You know the route they were taking. I suggest they start looking for the sub in the Fram Basin and then the Makarov Basin. If they don’t find it there, have them look back at the Norwegian Sea and the area along the East Coast of Greenland and Iceland. If Brideaux or his Council members somehow got loose, Captain Locklin may have been forced to turn the sub back.”