Alex Mitchell - The 13th Tablet

‘A major in the US army told me he had classified information according to which an earthquake was going to occur today.’

‘Two days ago? That’s impossible.’

‘I know. I tried explaining this to him, but he hung up on me,’ Bob lied.

‘That’s a real shame. Did you get his name or his number?’ asked Carson.

‘No. He didn’t say.’

‘That’s not good enough. Bob, next time someone tells you a tsunami is about to occur, patch him through to me immediately. Maybe there is a classified military research project on earthquake detection that we are not aware of. We can’t afford to dismiss information out of hand, especially when it turns out to be correct.

‘With hindsight, I…’ Bob began.

‘Just do it next time,’ said Carson cutting him off mid-sentence.

‘I’m so sorry sir.’

Jim Carson was furious. Until five minutes ago he thought he was at the head of one the most advanced seismic detection centres in the world. But here was a secret military researcher who had somehow managed to detect an earthquake two days ahead of the event. As a seismologist he couldn’t understand how that was possible, but as a scientist he had to accept the evidence when it stared him in the face. He would make every effort to find out who had called the centre two days before and what he knew exactly.

Thailand. Patong beach. Chiang Mai restaurant.

Natasha stepped onto the terrace, pushing in front of her a dishevelled Mina, who seemed to hesitate with every step. Natasha hardly concealed her gun. Jack walked up to them.

‘Mina. Are you OK?’ he asked her.

She seemed dazed, and tearful as if she’d been drugged.

‘I’m not feeling very well,’ she murmured weakly.

He turned around to meet Oberon’s cold gaze and asked angrily, ‘What’s going on here? Did you drug her?’

Natasha took a step forward and answered for Oberon, ‘Be happy nothing worse happened to her. She’s been so out of it, I haven’t even had the opportunity to have her raped.’

Jack turned around to face Natasha, brimming with barely restrained anger.

‘I should’ve dealt with you on the yacht last night,’ he spat.

‘You should have, big boy,’ she answered, keeping a safe distance between her and Jack.

Oberon was enjoying this banter but he had more pressing things on his mind.

‘Don’t you have a call to make?’ asked Oberon.

Jack dialled Noi’s number.

‘Hi there.’

‘Hello sir. Do you want me to come now?’

‘Yes. Don’t forget the bag.’

‘I’m coming,’ the boy answered and hung up.

‘It’s on its way’ Jack said to Oberon.

‘Good,’ Oberon replied. He turned to Natasha. ‘What’s going on out there? What are all those people looking at?’

‘I’m not quite sure,’ she answered looking through the binoculars, ‘the water’s edge, which is normally right up close to the promenade has receded far out to sea. There was some frothing and bubbling, but most people don’t seem to be particularly bothered. The locals seem to be focused on trying to catch fish trapped in the remaining pockets of water.’

‘How strange,’ said Oberon, feeling a shiver run down his spine.

Jack threw another cursory glance at the people on the shore, and turned pale as he realised what Natasha had just said. The frothing of the water and the sea suddenly receding had to be linked to an earthquake. Was it linked to the earlier tremor, or a sign of another one to come? They all looked at each other as the wind suddenly changed, and more birds, this time by the thousand flew inland. A rumbling sound like thunder seemed to roar from a distant place and the volume steadily grew. A number of people on the beach looked up for helicopters or airplanes, but the blue sky was as beautiful as it was empty.

The young boy Jack had called arrived at the restaurant. Oberon stood up to greet him. But Jack was quicker, and pulled him aside next to Mina. He stood in front of them. Before Wheatley had time to pull out his gun, Jack had kicked Natasha’s gun out of her hand, pulled a sharp knife from his pocket and grabbed Natasha by the throat from behind.

‘Leave that gun where it is,’ Jack ordered Wheatley.

Oberon looked at him with disdain. ‘You have what you want. Give me the photograph.’

‘Pass me the rucksack Noi,’ said Jack to the terrified boy.

Noi handed him the small rucksack. Jack threw it over to Wheatley, still holding Natasha at knifepoint. She knew better than to move a muscle, Jack was not a man to be trifled with. One of Wheatley’s men picked up the rucksack, opened it, and took out an envelope, which he handed to him.

Oberon feverishly opened the envelope and pulled out the photograph. He examined it and seemed satisfied. He put it back into the rucksack, which he slung over his shoulder.

‘I had planned a very different ending to this meeting. I don’t think you fully understand who you are dealing with, Major Hillcliff.’ Wheatley levelled his gun at Natasha’s head. ‘I’m sorry my dear,’ he said.

‘Mr W… Oberon, please!’ pleaded Natasha, all her usual composure gone.

Oberon hesitated for just an instant. He lowered his gun a fraction but then he aimed and fired. Natasha was hit straight between the eyes and crumpled to the floor.

‘She’s out of the picture now, so what are you going to do with your little steak knife?’ he taunted Jack, aiming his gun at Mina. He raised his gun, ready to shoot, but unexpectedly faltered. That nagging thought had finally struck him, it all made sense: Jack calling NOAA and warning about an earthquake, the tremors earlier on, the birds flying inland, the water receding far out at sea, the frothing and bubbling, the thundering noise that had steadily been increasing and was now deafening. Oberon spun around and saw it. His facial expression turned to one of absolute terror. A huge, grey wall of water was advancing at an unimaginable speed towards the shore. It changed appearance as it approached, seeming both to slow down and grow in strength, shiny green then deep blue. By then everyone had turned to face the shore and stood in frozen horror, at the sight of this awesome wave racing towards them. The tsunami was moving at almost 100 metres per second and although it was slowing down as it approached the coastline, its height was growing to something like ten metres.

By the time Jack screamed ‘tsunami!’ the wave had already hit the beach and enveloped hundreds of people. Nothing could slow down its progress. It devoured everything in its path; deck chairs, people, whatever stood in against it. Then the restaurant was hit. Windows exploded inwards under the terrible pressure of the wave and the chairs, tables, even the platform on which the restaurant was built, were swept up in a single whirl.

Jack and Mina were swallowed by the wave and dragged a block inland in a matter of seconds. Somehow they had managed to hang on to each other as the water hit and Jack grabbed hold of a metal railing set in a hotel’s concrete outdoor terrace, which they were now clinging on to desperately. He held fast, with every muscle in his body screaming from the effort. As they fought to keep their heads above the torrent, all sorts of floating debris passed in front of them in the current. It lasted less than fifteen minutes but it felt like an eternity. Jack had seen Wheatley and his men vanish in a tangle of tables and chairs, some of them smashing against a line of coconut trees. He looked for Noi in every direction but couldn’t see him, they’d been separated when the wave had first hit. Finally the wave seemed to have run its course. Jack felt his strength leaving him, he couldn’t hold on much longer. Suddenly he felt Mina’s grasp slacken, her head slipped beneath the water and her eyes were closed.