Clive Cussler - White Death

They left the room and its strange museum display and followed a maze of passageways totally unlike those they had encountered when they first came aboard. Their surroundings were newer and more functional. They came to a set of stairs leading down. Austin thought they had come to the control cabin, but he changed his mind when his nose picked up a whiff of brine and fish. He was reminded uncomfortably of his first breath inside the Oceanus fish nursery in the Faroe Islands.

He hesitated at the top of the stairs, drew his Bowen, and slowly descended into the blackness below. His ears picked up the sound of motors and bubbling aerators, further convincing him that his fish- nursery theory was correct. He was about halfway down the stairs, when the lights went on and he saw that he had more than biofish to contend with.

Dr. Barker stood at the bottom of the stairs looking up at him, a cheerful smile on his thin face. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses.

"Hello, Mr. Austin," Barker said. "We've been expecting you.

Won't you join us?"

Any inclination to refuse Barker's offer was tempered by the sight of the stone-faced guards who surrounded the man, and the assault rifle muzzles pointed up the stairwell. The touch of a finger on even a single trigger would be enough to reduce Austin and Zavala to their basic molecules. Even more persuasive was the expression on the face of Barker's scarfaced henchman, who had tried on several occa- sions to kill Austin. His liver-colored lips were stretched in a wide grin that told Austin he was still the top target in the man's sights.

"I would be a fool to refuse such a warm invitation," Austin said, as he descended the rest of the way.

"Now drop your guns and kick them over/' Barker said. Austin and Zavala did as they were told. The guards picked the weapons up. One man came over and frisked Zavala. Scarface stepped up to Austin and ran his hands roughly down the front of the leather coat.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you die," he growled.

Durendal seemed to glow red hot against Austin's ribs. "I know a dentist who could do wonders for your teeth," he said.

Scarface stopped his search and grabbed Austin's lapel in a chok- ing hold, only to back off at an order from Barker.

"That's no way to treat our guests," Barker said. Turning to Joe, he said, "You're Mr. Zavala, I presume?"

Zavala's mouth turned up slightly at the ends, and the softness of his dark brown eyes couldn't disguise the contempt in his voice. "And you're Dr. Barker, the mad scientist, I presume. Kurt has told me a lot about you."

"All good, I'm sure," Barker said. He seemed amused as he glanced back to Austin. "Are you gentlemen on your way to a cos- tume ball?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. If you don't mind, we'll be on our way/ Austin said.

"Don't run off so soon. You just got here."

"If you insist. We'd like to lower our hands, if you don't mind." "Go right ahead, but don't give my men an excuse to kill you on the spot."

"Thanks for the warning." Austin glanced around. "How did you know we were aboard, hidden surveillance cameras?"

"Nothing so sophisticated in this old relic. Purely as a safety meas- ure, we installed sensors around the ship. A light in the control cabin indicated a change in air temperature in the starboard engine- maintenance room. When we went to investigate, we found the hatch open. We thought it was an accident until we noticed that the coats were missing."

"How careless of us." "It's the kind of carelessness that can get you killed. That was a dangerous way to come aboard. If you wanted a tour, we would have been glad to accommodate you."

"Maybe next time."

"There won't be a next time." Barker stepped forward and re- moved his sunglasses, revealing the pale eyes Austin had first seen at the Smithsonian reception. The irises were almost as white as the rest of his eyes and reminded Austin of a venomous snake he had once seen. "You and NUMA have caused me a great deal of trouble," Barker said.

"Your troubles are just beginning," Austin said.

"Brave words for someone in your position. But not unexpected. Umealiq was disappointed when you foiled his plans for you in Washington."

"Umealiq?" said Zavala, who was hearing the name for the first time.

"That's Scarface's real name," Austin said. "It supposedly means 'stone lance.' "

Zavala's lips curled in a slight smile.

"You find something humorous in the situation?" Barker said. "That's funny," Zavala said. "I thought it was Kiolyan for 'seal ma- nure/ "

Scarface's hand went to the ivory knife at his belt, and he took a step forward. Barker stopped him with an outstretched arm. He gazed thoughtfully at the NUMA men.

"What do you know about the Kiolya?"

"I know that the Inuit consider you to be the scum of the Arctic," Austin said.

Barker's bloodless face flushed scarlet. "The Inuit are in no posi- tion to judge. They have let the world think that the people of the north are nothing but a bunch of blubber-chewing caricatures who run around in furs and live in ice houses."

Austin was pleased to see that he could get under Barker's cold skin. "I've heard the Kiolyan women smell like rancid whale blub- ber," he said.

Zavala sensed the opening and joined in. "Actually, they smell worse," he said. "That's why these goons prefer their own male com- pany."

"Insult us all you want," Barker said. "Your feeble repartee is the ranting of the doomed. My men are a brotherhood, like the warrior monks of the past."

Austin's mind was racing madly. Barker was right. He and Joe could summon up every insult possible, but they were still two un- armed men against several well-armed guards. He would have to try to change the equation. It took some willpower to do so, but he yawned and said, "What about that tour you promised?"

"How rude of me to forget."

Barker led the way onto a raised catwalk running down the mid- dle of the chamber. The sound of bubbling water came from both sides, but the source of the noise was hidden by darkness. Barker re- placed the sunglasses on his head and gave an order to one of his men. A second later, the chamber was flooded in a blue light that came from fish tanks on both sides and a couple of feet below the catwalk. The tanks were flush to the floor and were covered with sliding transparent plastic lids that allowed a view of the huge fish swim- ming inside.

"You look puzzled, Mr. Austin."

"Another miscalculation on my part. I thought your fish were being held at your coastal operation where they would have access to salt water."

"These are no ordinary fish," Barker said with pride in his voice. "They are designed to survive in salt or fresh water. The seed fish are improvements on the models I developed with Dr. Throckmorton. They are slightly larger and more aggressive than ordinary fish. Per- fect breeding machines. The airship will fly within feet of the ocean's surface, and they will slide down special chutes built into the belly of the zeppelin." He spread his arms the way he had done at his pep rally. "Behold my creations. Soon, these beautiful creatures will be swimming in the sea."

"Where your monsters will create incredible havoc," Austin said.

"Monsters? I think not. I've simply used my genetic-engineering skills to produce a better commercial product. There's nothing ille- gal about it."

"Murder is illegal." "Spare us your pitiful indignation. There were many casualties before you came onto the scene. There will be many more obstacles to be removed." He crossed to the tanks on the other side of the fish hold. "These are my special pets. I wanted to see how large and hun- gry I could make an ordinary fish. They are too aggressive for breed- ing purposes. They are separated by sluice gates now so they don't at- tack each other."