Page 52 of Clive Cussler Desolation Code

“They have to be,” Kurt said. “The same guy who jumped us in Reunion showed up here almost before we did. That can’t be a coincidence.”

Interesting, Rudi thought. He’d been frustrated that Kurt and Joe had gone off to India in search of the answer to this random message. But now the seemingly random events appeared to be linked. Perhaps letting Kurt and Joe chase their electronic ghosts had been a stroke of luck.

“If these guys can hack anything they want in real time, what makes you think this deli with its Wi-Fi password we_love_sandwiches_#1 is some bastion of security?”

“Because it’s not linked to NUMA in any way. There’s no reason for anyone to be monitoring the landlines of a small dining establishment. The only way this line is tapped is if they’re monitoring everything, everywhere, all the time, like Big Brother and the Thought Police.”

Rudi had to admit it wasn’t a bad idea. If the high-tech systems had been compromised, low-tech was the way to go. Off-site, low-tech was even better. “Okay, we’ll go with that for now. But Hiram isn’t going to appreciate you suggesting his computers have been hacked. You may find your laptop and other high-tech gear inoperative when you get home.”

Kurt laughed. The hidden power of the IT department was not to be trifled with. “I can never get a printer to work correctly as it is, so no big loss. On the other hand, if it prevents the people we are dealing with from getting the jump on us again, it’s worth it.”

As Rudi listened intently, Kurt described their discovery of the stowaways on the lower deck of theSoufriereand the chaos that followed. He relayed the details of torture and experimentation that Five and his brothers had endured, and finished with the possibility—Kurt insisted it was a probability—that Five had been cloned.

Rudi didn’t react, though he found the idea of someone creating humans just to conduct torturous experiments on them abhorrent. “Any idea who’s behind this?”

“I was hoping you could tell us.”

Rudi was at a loss. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“By telling us where Five came from,” Kurt said. “Have Hiram and Max go over the data from the tracking beacon and then extrapolate for the time before it was activated while adjusting for the drift based on wind, waves, current, and the possibility of powered travel. They were picked up by that freighter in a tricky area of the sea, with intersecting currents and variable winds, so you’ll have to get detailed weather reports to make the analysis work, but backtracking forty-eight hours should point us toward the island Five came from.”

“And then what?”

“Get someone to look into it,” Kurt said. “My choice would be the 82nd Airborne, or a UN team that investigates crimes against humanity backed up by a battalion of Marines.”

Rudi knew instantly this wasn’t a scenario the UN, Interpol, or the U.S. military would jump on at first sight. If Kurt was right about any of it, the entire situation was a giant can of worms. One with the potential to make people terribly uncomfortable. The powers that be would open it slowly. In the meantime, the experiments and torture and death occurring on whatever island the young man had come from would continue.

Rudi knew that. Kurt knew it as well. “And if they’re not available?”

“Then Joe and I will do it,” Kurt said.

“You’d have to bring back proof,” Rudi said. “Acres of it.”

“We’ll get it,” Kurt insisted. “Just tell us where to look.”

Rudi nodded. “I’ll have Max work on the drift plot. In the meantime, is there another way to contact you, or am I running NUMA out of a sandwich shop for the foreseeable future?”

Kurt hesitated. “Uhhh…”

“That’s what I thought,” Rudi said. “Hopefully this place makes a good Reuben.”

Chapter 30

Research VesselIsabella

Seventy-Six Miles East of Madagascar

The small research vessel rocked gently on the passing swells as the evening deepened. Aside from a pair of crewmen on the bridge and another acting as duty engineer down below, most of the crew were asleep or having a late meal.

Only the science lab remained fully active as Gamay and Chantel ran tests on the samples they’d retrieved from the depths. Paul watched over them like a nervous supervisor, asking numerous questions and getting irritated looks when he needed elaboration to understand the answers.

At one point Gamay stood abruptly, almost headbutting him on the chin as he was trying to read the computer over her shoulder. She offered a withering stare. “Paul, if you don’t find something else to do, we’re going to need couples counseling.”

“Can’t help it if I’m curious,” Paul said. “It’s like you’ve discovered an alien life-form.”

“Be curious from over there,” she said, pointing to the far side ofthe small compartment. “Or better yet, go for a walk. I promise to brief you as soon as we’re done.”

“Fine,” Paul said, “but I don’t want to hear any complaints the next time I tell you to do something else while I’m watching the World Series.”

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