Clive Cussler - White Death

Aguirrez eyed Austin warily. "What do you mean?" Austin handed over an envelope containing a copy of the Black- thorne manuscript. "This material suggests that the relics may not be where you think they are." Austin proceeded to lay out the story Perlmutter had told him. As Aguirrez listened, storm clouds seemed to move in and perch on his brow.

"I know of St. Julien Perlmutter through my own research. He is highly respected as a sea historian." "There is none more knowledgeable."

Aguirrez slammed a fist into his palm. "I Ifnew Diego wasn't killed by Brasero. He escaped with the relics."

"There's more," Austin said. He handed Aguirrez the news clip detailing the interview with the zeppelin's survivor.

"I still don't understand," the Basque said after reading the article. "Oceanus is the owner of the zeppelin that found your ancestor's boat locked in the ice."

Aguirrez saw the connection immediately. "You believe that Oceanus has the sacred relics in its possession?"

"It's a good bet if you follow the chain of evidence." "And in your view, Oceanus can't be approached on this matter?" "I don't think Oceanus can be approached on anythmg Austin said, with a rueful chuckle. "You recall my boating accident? I have a confession to make. An Oceanus security guard blew up my boat with a hand grenade."

"And I must confess that I never believed your story about engine fumes."

"While we're in a confessing mood," Austin said, "maybe you can tell me why your men followed me to Copenhagen."

"A precaution. To be frank, I didn't know what to make of you. I knew from your identity card that you were with NUMA, but I didn't know why you were poking into the Oceanus operation, and assumed it must be an official mission. My curiosity was stirred, so I decided to keep an eye on you. You made no effort to hide your movements. My men happened to be nearby when you were at- tacked. How is the young lady you were with, by the way?" "She's fine, thanks to the alertness of your men." "Then you're not angry at being followed?" "Not at all, but I wouldn't like to see you make it a habit." "I understand." Aguirrez paused in thought. "Am I correct to as- sume the men who attacked you were from Oceanus?"

"That seems a safe conclusion. The attackers resembled the guards I encountered at the Oceanus operation in the Faroes."

"Oceanus tried to kill you twice. Be careful, my friend, they may try again."

"They already have."

Aguirrez didn't ask for details, and it was obvious he had other things on his mind. He rose from his chair and paced the room Blackthorne's manuscript clutched in his hand. "The people here must not know of this material. Without the relics, the Spanish gov- ernment will lose its incentive to move on Basque autonomy. But this goes beyond political matters," he said in a hollow voice. "I have failed my ancestor Diego by not finding the relics."

"There may still be a way."

Aguirrez stopped his pacing and fixed Austin with a penetrating stare. "What are you saying?"

"We're both interested in nailing Oceanus to the wall. Let's talk about it, taking account, as you said before, of mutual interests."

Aguirrez hiked his bushy eyebrows, but his face remained im- passive. Then he went over to a liquor cabinet and brought back two small glasses and a bottle of greenish-yellow liquor. He poured the glasses full and handed one to Austin, who recognized the distinc- tive scent ofizzara.

An hour later, Austin slid behind the wheel of his car. He wondered if he had made a deal that might come back to haunt him, but he trusted his instincts, which were all he had to go on at this point. He sensed that Aguirrez was devious but principled, and since they shared the same goals, it would be foolish not to form a loose al- liance.

He checked his cell phone and saw that there were two calls. The first was from the Trouts. He was relieved to hear from them. He knew from working with them on the Special Assignments Team that Paul and Gamay were able to take care of themselves, but at the same time, they had gone looking for Oceanus without knowing how dangerous their mission might be.

Gamay answered his call. She and Paul had returned from Canada a few hours before, and dropped their luggage off at their town house. Then they had gone to NUMA headquarters to meet with Zavala, who was going to update them.

"Did you get inside the Oceanus operation?" Austin asked. "No," Gamay said, "but we bumped into a few of their people." Gamay was being a little too casual. "I know from personal expe- rience that when you bump into Oceanus, it bumps back. Are you and Paul all right?"

"We're fine. A slight concussion for me and a broken wrist for Paul. The cuts and bruises are healing nicely."

Austin swore under his breath, angry at himself for putting his partners in danger.

"I didn't realize what I was getting you into. I'm sorry." Don't be. You only asked us to see what we could learn about Oceanus. It was our decision to go flying off to Canada and poke our noses in where they weren't welcome. It was worth the trip, too. We wouldn't have learned about the devilfish otherwise."

The only devilfish Austin had ever heard of was the manta ray.

Are you sure that concussion is on the mend?"

"I've never been more clearheaded, Kurt. In all my years as a ma- rine biologist, I've never encountered anything like this before. Paul calls it 'white death.5 "

Austin experienced a quick frisson as he recalled his brush with the large, toothy creature in the Oceanus fish tank. "You can fill me in when I get there."

He hung up and punched out Gunn's number. "Hello, Rudi," he said, without the usual exchange of pleasantries. "I think it's time we had a meeting with Sandecker."

THE GIANT VIDEO screen in the conference room glowed blue for a second, then an image appeared. There was a flash of silvery-white scales in a net, and Mike Neal was heard shouting, "Hold on, folks, we've got a live one!" There was a blurred glimpse of a fish slamming against the deck and a close-up of a toothy mouth snapping a gaff handle in two. The handheld camera showed the same fish being clouted with a baseball bat. The astonished voices of the Trouts were audible in the background.

Paul Trout clicked the remote control and froze the picture. The lights blinked back on, and a crisp, commanding voice was heard to say, "It seems Jaws has formidable competition."

Admiral James Sandecker, the driving force behind NUMA, sat at a long conference table, his head enveloped in a purple cloud that belched from the fat cigar in his hand.

"That thing up on the screen is in a class of its own, Admiral," said Gamay, who sat at the table along with Austin, Zavala and Rudi Gunn. "The great white shark attacks when it's hungry or hunted. The creature we're looking at is more like Mack the Knife: just plain mean."

Sandecker blew out a plume of smoke and glanced around the table. "Now that you've engaged my attention with what must be the short- est monster movie on record, please tell me what in blazes is going on and what that creature has to do with the cast on Paul's wrist."

Gamay and Paul took turns telling the story of their Canadian adventure, from their visit to the Oceanus fish-processing plant to their talk with the geneticists at McGill.

Austin cut in. "Did you say Frederick Barker?"

"Yes," Gamay said. "Do you know him?"

"We've had a passing acquaintance. His men tried to kill me last night."

Austin gave the gathering a quick rundown of his encounter with Barker and the wild dogsled race through the Mall.

"Congratulations, Kurt. The traffic tie-up you caused was page one in The Washington Post." Sandecker paused in thought. "Let me see if I understand this story to date. You believe that Oceanus or- chestrated the sinking of two ships in Faroe waters to divert atten- tion from a secret project, directed by this man Barker, having to do with the breeding of mutant fish." He gestured at the screen. "Fish similar to the one Paul and Gamay encountered in Canada. And that people from a rogue Eskimo tribe made attempts on your life in the Faroes, in Copenhagen and in Washington."