Dead Asleep

by Jamie Freveletti

  “I’ll tell Oz to get on it.”

  “And then maybe get below.”

  Carrow shook his head. “I’ll stay up here with you both. I’m not dying alone.”

  Oz looked over from the helm.

  “I’m going to straighten her out and give it one more shot,” he said.

  Carrow left her side and returned to bailing. The engines continued clanking and whining. Emma watched the other vessel approach and did her best to settle her mind and focus only on the boat. She ignored the rising water and tried to ignore the fact that something strange had grabbed hold of them and was dragging them into the deep.

  She heard the other boat’s engine seize. It, too, came to a dead stop. The man with the gun flew toward the front of the vessel and Emma heard him yell. The black churning wake formed around the back of the other boat and the aft section began lowering into the turbulence. Emma wanted to shout in exultation as she saw it shift violently. Its nose pointed upward and the stern down. Considerably lighter than the Siren, it was sinking faster. She heard the yell of the driver and for the first time the shooter stood up, seemingly heedless of the open target he’d become. He stalked to the rear of the boat, aimed his weapon and shot four times in rapid succession into the water. Emma could have told him not to waste his bullets. The boat continued to sink.

  She felt a lurch, and the Siren’s aft section rose higher in the water. The engines gave a roar and the wake behind the boat grew even more turbulent.

  “Come on, you son of a bitch, let go!” Carrow yelled. The Siren surged forward. It was as if whatever was holding them had heard Carrow and obeyed. Oz whooped and Carrow laughed out loud.

  “Go, go, go!” he yelled. Oz kept the throttle down and the boat surged through the waves.

  Emma kept her eye on the other boat, but the driver had joined the shooter at the back. He held a gun with a bayonet on the end and was repeatedly stabbing it into the churning water. The boat, though, didn’t move. Even as they pulled away Emma could hear the misfiring of the other vessel’s engines. She glanced at her watch. It had taken them twenty minutes to get whatever was holding their boat down to release them. They were some of the longest twenty minutes of her life so far. She could only hope it would take the other boat equally as long.

  As they sped away. Emma watched the boat grow smaller in the distance. When they were out of range she emptied the gun and moved up next to Oz. She placed it on an undercounter shelf.

  “Are the compasses still going haywire?” she asked. Oz nodded. He was pale, but his face had a determined look.

  “I’m just going to try to get as far away from that boat as I can.”

  “I’m going to help Carrow get the pumps working,” she told him. “How much fuel do we have?”

  “Half a tank and two extra cans in the hold. That’s thanks to Marwell. He overprovisioned us.”

  “Thank God for the gun,” Emma said.

  “And here we thought we’d be shooting monsters with it, not humans.”

  Chapter 27

  Emma joined Carrow to bail the deck, a task made much easier because they were once again floating on the water rather than being dragged down. The boat was no longer listing and they’d been able to start the bilge pump. They worked in silence and Emma kept an eye on the horizon behind them. If their pursuers were able to free their boat quickly, they could be tracking them.

  “Is the radar working?” she asked Oz.

  “No, and the GPS and compass are still down. You think they’re following us?”

  “I wish I knew. The radar would tell us. I can only hope that their equipment is acting as strangely as ours.”

  Carrow paused a moment and pulled a bottle of whiskey from the cooler, uncapped it and poured it into a small plastic glass. He handed the glass to Oz and began to pour another, which he gave to Emma. He poured the third and held it up for a toast.

  “To life,” he said. Emma and Oz repeated the toast and they all swallowed the shot.

  “Think we’ll outpace the shooter?” Oz said to Carrow.

  “If they remain stuck. That boat was faster. If it wasn’t for that lucky break it would have overtaken us. Do we have any idea where we are?”

  Oz shook his head. “Not really. We haven’t gone that far from the holes, but I can’t tell you in which direction until the compass situation straightens out. What I will say is that we’d better get the hell out of this area before another incident causes the boat to stop.” He looked at Emma and Carrow. “Any ideas about what it was that held us in place? Did either of you see a creature under water?” Emma slid into the companion seat at the helm next to Oz. Carrow took another swallow of his drink.

  “I couldn’t see a thing,” he said. “The water was black and so disrupted that there could have been an entire herd of them and I wouldn’t have spotted them.”

  “We’re in the Bermuda Triangle,” Emma said. “Before I came here I did quite a bit of research on the area. Lots of disappearances here and lots of theories as to why. Up until now I was on the side of the human error theory. Many planes and boats traverse this route and human error is bound to occur. Nothing supernatural.”

  “And now you’ve changed your mind?” Oz said.

  “Absolutely. That was no ordinary event.”

  “Sea monster?”

  “Hmmm, probably not, though I agree that visibility underwater was so poor, I can’t rule it out definitively. But I have another idea. I think it was a methane eruption.”

  Carrow perched against the nearby counter.

  “Is that an actual eruption or a Bermuda Triangle theory?”

  “Well, both, actually. Methane eruptions are real, but there hasn’t been one detected in the Triangle. Methane bubbles that naturally form at the sea’s bottom float upward in massive quantities and eventually erupt. Methane gas eruptions cause the water around the explosion to grow much less dense, resulting in a sudden loss of buoyancy, and anything above it will sink. Oil rigs have been the primary victims of methane gas eruptions.”

  “They’ve sunk?” Carrow sounded surprised.

  Emma nodded. “They have. No injuries. The sinking process was slow and the rigs were able to radio for evacuation, but it does occur. However, it’s extremely rare and I wasn’t willing to give the theory credence until now. Now I think that the eruption we experienced in the holes and the turbulence that Oz said he felt on the surface was a methane gas eruption. It’s the only explanation that comes close, I think.”

  “So no sea monster?”

  “Well, I did shoot, just in case.”

  Carrow held up his glass. “Amen to that.”

  Oz checked the compass. “The gyroscope is spinning less and less. Whatever is disrupting it is settling down. Maybe we’re getting out of the zone. Which leaves me wondering why that other boat was shooting at us.” He gave Emma a pointed look. She sighed.

  “I think they were after me, though how they knew that I’d be diving the holes today is a question that I can’t answer.” Carrow refilled his whiskey glass as well as Oz’s. He offered it to Emma, but she waved it away. If the attackers returned, she needed to keep her wits about her.

  “All right, fire away,” Carrow said. “Tell me why two murderous individuals want to kill a nice chemist like you.”

  Oz nodded. “I want to hear this as well. You assured me that you weren’t working on a project for Banner.”

  Emma held up a hand. “And I’m not.” She looked at Carrow. “In case you’re wondering, Edward Banner is the head of a contract security firm that takes on difficult projects worldwide. I sometimes assist.”

  Carrow nodded. “I’ve spoken to Banner once, though I’ve not met him. He was looking for information on Oz.”

  “Banner’s great, but I’m really working at Terra Cay on private business. Unfortunately, I’ve recently learned that someone is gunning for both me and another freelancer who works for Banner. We don’t know who or why. I was told to watch my back.”
<
br />   “Old grudge?” Carrow asked.

  “Very likely.”

  Carrow took another gulp and gave her a considering look. “You are just chock-full of surprises,” he said.

  “And not all of them nice ones, I’m afraid. I’m sorry to subject you both to this.”

  “You’ve saved my life in the past,” Oz said. “If I can help you, then that’s the least I can do.” He gave her a reassuring smile. How lucky I am to have such friends, Emma thought. Oz returned his attention to steering the boat. Carrow took another sip of the whiskey and kept his gaze on her.

  “What did you do that may have made these two gun for you?” he asked. Emma took a deep breath and stared out to sea. Though she was thinking about Carrow’s question, she was also scanning the horizon. How quickly she fell back into old survival habits, she thought.

  “I’ve done only two missions for Banner. Both of them ultimately saved lives. I’m proud to work at something that makes a difference. I only wish that innocent people like you and Oz wouldn’t get caught up in it.” She went to take a sip of her drink and was surprised to see that the glass was empty. She looked up and Carrow was standing over her, a serious look on his face and the whiskey bottle in his hand. He poured some into her glass.

  “I’ve never done anything that I thought made a real difference,” he said. “You’re right to be proud.” His voice was low and meant for her ears only.

  “I don’t believe that,” she said. “Randiger told me that you’ve instituted music education in the school at Terra Cay. That makes a difference to a lot of children.”

  “Don’t let that news get out. Will absolutely ruin my reputation among the rock ’n’ roll set.” He moved to sit on the open seat next to her.

  “The radar’s up,” Oz said. Emma and Carrow both got up to stand at Oz’s side.

  “What a beautiful sight. Where are we?” Carrow moved closer and watched the radar for a moment.

  “Ahhh, not good news, I’m afraid. We’ve gone the wrong way. In fact, the exact opposite way from Terra Cay.”

  “That’s not as bad as it could be,” Emma said. “We have extra fuel and lots of food. Even if it takes a while longer than we projected, we should be able to get home, right?”

  “We have enough fuel, yes, but only enough if we cross back through the zone. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t need to go through another methane eruption or whatever it was. And I definitely don’t need to meet up with those two losers again,” Oz said.

  “Are they around? Is the radar picking them up?”

  “No boats.”

  “Well at least that’s something,” Emma said.

  “Do we risk the Triangle again? What’s your vote?” Oz looked at Emma. She was up and pacing while she thought of all the possible angles.

  “My biggest concern is that the radar and compasses will go down again once we reenter. Can we signal for help? Maybe we can get an escort to help us return?”

  “The radio, compass, and satellite phone are all down,” Oz said. “I can’t be sure that any message will make it to anyone.”

  “And there’s something else,” Carrow said.

  “Out with it,” Emma said. “We’ve been attacked by a monster and shot at by killers. It can’t be much worse than that, can it?” She was having a difficult time thinking of anything worse.

  Carrow sighed. “Maybe not, but that,” he pointed to a mass entering the right of the radar screen, “is very bad news.”

  “Is that what I think it is?” Emma said.

  “A tropical storm is coming our way.”

  Chapter 28

  Banner stood with Sumner in the kitchen of his rented house while Sumner laid a bullet on the table. It sparkled blue in the sunlight that shone through the window.

  “This is what we confiscated from the airplane that Stromeyer asked us to intercept,” he said.

  “That looks like a glitter crayon,” Banner said.

  “You know how ammunition manufacturers have been trying to create a caseless bullet that can withstand heat and eject with accuracy?”

  Banner nodded. “The Heckler & Koch, G–11 prototype came close.”

  “But it was expensive and never went into full production. As far as we can tell, this bullet is made from a unique mineral. It contains the usual propellant inside, but the casing is not metal. This material seems the answer to the prayers of terrorists the world over.”

  “Why?”

  “It can withstand the heat generated in the chamber of a fired gun, but it’s not metal.” Banner picked up the bullet. It was sleek and felt cool to the touch but had a denser feel, almost like glass.

  “Ceramic?” Banner asked.

  “Not really, but close.”

  “How does it avoid the heat issue?”

  “Far as we can tell, it has unique properties that allow it to disperse heat evenly and it doesn’t retain as much as regular metal.”

  “Okay,” Banner said. “So a better bullet. I don’t want to sound jaded, but the bullets we already have create damage enough to keep me in business. Stromeyer said that it has a substantial defect rate, yet the arms dealer wanted top dollar for it, which is odd, because no one needs their weapon misfiring in the heat of battle. Seems to me this is just another prototype that may never become worth the cost.”

  “The bullet might not be worth the cost, but something else may really be happening here. I discussed this with the Southern Hemisphere Drug Defense guys and we came up with a theory. We think this bullet is only a small part of a larger problem. We think it fits into a gun manufactured from the same material.”

  Banner made the connection immediately, as well as the grave danger posed by the material if Sumner was correct.

  “A completely nonmetal gun. Able to be smuggled through any metal detector the world over,” he said. Sumner nodded.

  “Even the ammunition won’t be detected. It’s like the legendary glass gun that the CIA claims doesn’t exist.”

  “Reminds me of that movie,” Banner said.

  “In the Line of Fire,” Sumner said. “The villain makes a plastic gun that he smuggles through security. But even in that movie he had to hide the ammunition because it would set off the detector.”

  “Still, to create a gun that unique has to cost millions. Is there a government behind the manufacture?” Banner asked. Sumner sat down in a chair.

  “We’re not sure.”

  “Because such a weapon—not to mention the ammunition—violates the Geneva Accords. They require a full metal jacket. Seems as though the major governments should band together to shut this particular technological development down. And who has the knowledge to both find the mineral and create the weapon?”

  “We do know that it probably required a team of chemists to fashion the bullet alone.”

  Banner looked at Sumner, who was watching his expression closely.

  “Chemists,” Banner said. “And the arms dealer was headed to Terra Cay, where Caldridge is currently working.”

  Sumner nodded. “She just received a contract to find an unusual mineral located in the blue holes off Terra Cay. She was excited about the project, but dealing with some crazy stunts that I now think were designed to scare her off. Make her leave before she could go out and mine the holes.”

  Banner refilled his coffee cup and offered the pot to Sumner, who nodded. Banner took a cup from the cabinet and poured one.

  “So they keep the mineral for themselves,” Sumner said.

  “Let’s get her on the phone,” Banner said.

  Sumner pulled out his cell, accessed the contacts list, and hit a number. He put it on speaker and placed it on the table. After a few rings the phone cycled into voice mail.

  “I’ll text her,” Sumner said. “What do you want me to say?”

  “ ‘Can the ATD program spare you for a couple of days?’”

  Sumner nodded. “I think my cover’s been blown.”

  “Then maybe you tell h
er that you’re flying over to Terra Cay. Something strange is going on there, and I think it’s time to dig a little deeper.”

  Chapter 29

  Emma sat on the back bench holding the rifle while Carrow drove the boat. They’d decided to risk crossing the blue holes again. The radar was back up, but the phones and radio remained broken. Night had fallen. Emma kept the gun at her side even though they hadn’t seen the shooter’s boat again. Carrow plotted a course a mile from the scene as a precaution and it seemed to be working. There was nothing that she could see or hear on the ocean.

  Oz sat on a bar stool at the counter under the helm’s canopy, making notes and glancing occasionally at the radar. The moon rose above them, full and bright. Emma shivered in the cool air and watched the whitish glow as it hit the waves. She couldn’t hear much over the noise of their engines, but she still endeavored to listen for other sounds that weren’t synonymous with nature. While she might not see the boat if it was far enough away, she knew that sound would carry and she might pick up the noise of an engine or the clank of machinery. She shivered again and rose to get a sweatshirt from her bag. She placed the gun in its case, closed it, and headed down to the cabin.

  The spacious cabin had a galley kitchen on one side and a table and benches on the other. Emma put the heavy, fleece-lined sweatshirt over her head and sighed at the warmth. Since the dive, she’d felt the cold in her bones. Oz came down the stairs, lowering his head to avoid hitting it on the stairwell’s low ceiling.

  “You okay? You’ve been really quiet,” he said. His hair gleamed in the lamplight and his angular, classical face contained shadings and shadows.

  “I’ve been thinking about the shooter. Wondering what it all means. You’ve been quiet, too. What are you writing?”

  Oz sighed and reached into a small refrigerator. He removed an energy drink and slid onto the bench to sit at the table.

  “I’ve been figuring out the return trip by celestial navigation. Just in case the radar gives out again.”