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Rogue Wave
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Rogue Wave
By
Christopher Cartwright
Copyright 2016 by Christopher Cartwright
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty Two
Chapter Twenty Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Six
Chapter Twenty Seven
Chapter Twenty Eight
Chapter Twenty Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty One
Chapter Thirty Two
Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty Four
Chapter Thirty Five
Chapter Thirty Six
Chapter Thirty Seven
Chapter Thirty Eight
Chapter Thirty Nine
Chapter Fourty
Chapter Forty One
Chapter Forty Two
Chapter Forty Three
Chapter Forty Four
Chapter Forty Five
Chapter Forty Six
Chapter Forty Seven
Chapter Forty Eight
Chapter Forty Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty One
Chapter Fifty Two
Chapter Fifty Three
Chapter Fifty Four
Chapter Fifty Five
Chapter Fifty Six
Chapter Fifty Seven
Chapter Fifty Eight
Chapter Fifty Nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty One
Chapter Sixty Two
Chapter Sixty Three
Chapter Sixty Four
Chapter Sixty Five
Chapter Sixty Six
Chapter Sixty Seven
Chapter Sixty Eight
Chapter Sixty Nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy One
Chapter Seventy Two
Chapter Seventy Three
Chapter Seventy Four
Chapter Seventy Five
Chapter Seventy Six
Chapter Seventy Seven
Chapter Seventy Eight
Chapter Seventy Nine
Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty One
Chapter Eighty Two
Chapter Eighty Three
Chapter Eighty Four
Chapter Eighty Five
Chapter Eighty Six
Chapter Eighty Seven
Chapter Eighty Eight
Chapter Eighty Nine
Chapter Ninety
Chapter Ninety One
Chapter Ninety Two
Chapter Ninety Three
Chapter Ninety Four
Chapter Ninety Five
Chapter Ninety Six
Chapter Ninety Seven
Chapter Ninety Eight
Chapter Ninety Nine
Chapter One Hundred
Chapter One Hundred and One
Chapter One Hundred and Two
Chapter One Hundred and Three
Chapter One Hundred and Four
Chapter One Hundred and Five
Chapter One Hundred and Six
Chapter One Hundred and Seven
Epilogue
Prologue
Bermuda, Five Days Ago
The clock showed precisely 4:30 p.m. on the island of Bermuda. Luke Eldridge ran his right hand along his unshaven face. It was uncomfortable. For his 38 years of life he’d always maintained a clean shaven face, until this week. At five-foot ten he was roughly average height for an American of his generation. He had thick brown hair. Hazel eyes. A smile that would have allowed him to go into politics and a cleft chin that made him belong in Hollywood.
He stared at the time for a moment, as though his will alone could stop its progression. In thirty minutes, the others would come for him. They would have his answer. Although it was unlikely to be the one they had sought.
From the comfort of the tiny stone cottage, overlooking the pristine waters of the Atlantic Ocean, his mind should have been clear to roam the many possibilities of the offer which had been made to him. His team had hit the big time. With their discovery, the world was going to be changed forever. He and his fellow scientists were going to be rich. The offers were going to flow in like a deluge. The only problem was the first offer they received had been too good to refuse.
But that was exactly what he intended to do. It was going to dangerously upset the buyers.
THEY had told him not to leave the island until a decision had been made. None of the scientists were given permission to leave, even though the others had hinted that they would be willing to acquiesce to such an offer. Luke had already talked to the other three in his team. Of course they would want to accept. They would all be rich eventually, but the offer they had been given already would see all of them immediately richer than they had ever dreamed of.
He was the exception of course. He was born into a wealthy family. It was easy for the other members of his team to argue that he had the financial luxury of waiting for a better offer. It wasn’t about the money. Luke knew he would have to refuse the offer for the simple fact that it was evil.
He thought about the offer for a moment. It was provided by an angel who delivered the will of the Devil. Twenty billion dollars to purchase the discovery of Elixir Eight and all research lines relating to it for the next hundred years. Effectively banning the progression of the human race in exchange for lining the pockets of a global conglomerate of wealthy oil tycoons. It was one hell of an offer. Only a fraction of Elixir’s true value in the future, but it might take more than a decade to have a working prototype in production scale capable of proving its actual worth.
To the scientists who had made the unlikely discovery, the offer was unbelievable. If it wasn’t for the person THEY had sent to make the offer, he would have accepted it. Even Luke had a price. But when he found out who the offer was made by he saw the extent of the corruption. It was all too much, he couldn’t let that much pass him by. The insult was unbearable, and he would risk his life to confront it.
With no proof, it would be difficult to make them pay publically. He was still working on getting evidence. THEY had told him not to go into the yacht race this year. It was a threat, and he really didn’t like threats. Like a snake, he would bite back.
He wrote a single message to his life insurance broker, the only person he was certain didn’t currently want him dead – and pressed send.
In the event of my death tonight contact Sam Reilly. Only he can prove it was murder.
Luke then proceeded to make his way quickly to the beach where his yacht was moored, awaiting him to join the race.
*
Hundreds of miles away in a secret chamber on the east coast of America using advanced satellit
e surveillance, THEY watched the Mirabelle leave the harbor.
“It appears he said no.” From deep in the shadows, the man spoke slowly, so the severity of his statement could not be misunderstood.
Timothy was the first to reply. “Benjamin said he would personally take care of it if Luke refused the offer.”
“Yes, but what if he can’t achieve it? What if his research fails him? Perhaps he was only boasting. I’m not completely confident that it’s even possible in theory, let alone practice. My sources tell me it’s science fiction.”
“It’s been done before,” Timothy replied. “I’ve seen it myself. It sits somewhere between our very near scientific future and science fiction.”
“Yes, but that was only in small tidal pools. Never anything to this scale.”
“Yet it did work. So it’s possible,” Timothy persisted.
“And it requires a lot of energy. Far more than anyone could achieve without destroying half the planet. Hell, when I ran my most optimistic tests, I concluded how such an event would require the detonation of more than five atomic bombs like the one which leveled Nagasaki.”
“Why don’t we just send a team in and kill him?”
The woman in the room sighed. “We’re not the only ones watching him tonight. You know how he’s set up his trust. If there’s anything suspicious surrounding his demise, all of his research lines are to be put forward to public trust. It would be the worst thing to happen. No, the world has to know this was an accident, and this is our best opportunity to make that happen.”
The first speaker replied, “Yeah, well this is going to appear to be one hell of an accident.”
“If you can find any other way to have him killed by an accident, while being filmed, in such a way that the coroner has no choice but to rule accidental death, then I’m open to suggestions?” she replied.
“No, I just hope it’s possible. You know how these scientists get when they’re talking research grants.”
Timothy stood up. “Benjamin doesn’t boast. If he says he has the ability to make it happen, he’ll do it.”
“You better pray you’re right, because Luke has enough information to sink us if any of this gets out. Not only will exposure ruin all of us, but it’ll most likely see us spending the rest of our lives in prison or even end up dead.”
*
The Mirabelle left the tiny harbor off the small island of Bermuda just after nightfall, leaving a radiant glow of phosphorescence in her wake. She was a 140-foot super yacht. Made from composite materials, she was one of the fastest and most luxurious yachts in the world. A tribute to naval engineering, and ultimate ascension to success for her owner, who had known when he was just three years old that he wanted to become an engineer.
Luke Eldridge, her owner, took the helm with a small complement of skilled sailors at his command, all of whom are established blue water ocean racers. As he cleared the harbor all four of her massive, state of the art, carbon fiber sails were opened fully and the Mirabelle picked up speed, skipping eagerly across the ripples of the unusually mild swell.
The phosphorescence appeared brighter than he’d ever seen. With each crash of the bow as it sliced through the otherwise dark water, it seemed to radiate – giving the surreal appearance as though the ocean were coming alive.
Luke was still reeling with anger as the Mirabelle took the lead in the race, distancing herself quickly from the other yachts in the regatta. It was merely a charity race from Bermuda to Florida Keys, but he normally enjoyed it. There were no other yachts in his class, and none of the vessels matched his abilities. THEY didn’t want him to race this year, and he nearly hadn’t. But then, when the offer was made, he decided he needed the time out to clear his thoughts.
It was THEIR first mistake.
Thinking he could be muscled into a decision about his greatest development was ridiculous. If anything, it had made him even more determined to refuse the offer.
He rounded the island and turned towards the west. At the press of a couple buttons, the enormous carbon fiber sails, attached to the four masts, tacked westerly. The traditionalists among sailors would argue that his ship was a monster bred out of some ghastly land based engineer’s mind, with no resemblance to skilled sailing. To Luke, the Mirabelle was a monument of man’s ability to overcome any challenge through the achievement of science and dedicated engineering. A perfect balance of modern engineering and synergy with nature.
The swell appeared unusually mild, and the now offshore winds were picking up their pace, gusting through to thirty knots. It would cause trouble to some of the smaller yachts in the fleet, but to the Mirabelle, was only just enough wind to motivate her massive hull to skip over the ocean ripples.
It would be an easy twenty-four hour run.
Like other millionaires, Luke was consumed with passion for everything he did, and his latest choice, would have far reaching consequences beyond financial wealth. The players were powerful, the stakes even higher, and the outcome would definitely change the world – but for good or for worse, he still hadn’t decided.
Just over fifty miles out from the starting line, his mind was drawn back to the words Benjamin had said to him at the end of the meeting.
Don’t take the Mirabelle out until you’ve made your decision known. They will sink you and we both know how they’ll do it, too – the threat was fanciful at best.
Luke thought about the words again and how ludicrous the threat was. The Mirabelle and all other vessels in his near vicinity were being tracked by GPS – no one, bar a submarine could reach him. Lastly, the threat that had been made was not yet possible – despite their current research into it.
That night he slept peacefully for the first sleep rotation starting at 11 pm while one of the crew took the helm. The Mirabelle sailed through the open ocean at speed. He rested better than he had for many years. The stress finally relinquished from his mind.
At three a.m. the skipper knocked on the door of his private cabin. It was the confident knock of a man who knew he had a duty to perform and concern for waking up his master was of little consequence.
“Good morning, Brian.” As Luke spoke, he was already pulling his safety harness over his shoulders. “I will be up in a minute.”
“Very good sir. Coffee will be waiting for you on the bridge.”
Despite owning the yacht and paying for a professional crew, Luke always insisted that he took his natural turn on the rotating roster of watches; otherwise, for him, the entire purpose of sailing would have been perverted.
He climbed the stairs towards the bridge with resolute movements.
“Anything to report, Brian?” he asked.
“No, we’ve had a good sail this watch. Our winds have behaved kindly at twenty knots with the occasional gust up to thirty. They’ve been maintaining their easterly direction. Mirabelle is performing at her natural efficiency, and we are comfortably maintaining a speed of eighty percent of her hull displacement.”
“Very good.” Luke had heard this type of report many times already this trip. “How about you, James?”
“Nothing of significance to report, sir, but you might be interested to note the phosphorescence seems to be out in full tonight. It’s quite beautiful.”
“I’m pleased to hear it. I shall enjoy that.” Since the first time his father had taken him out sailing when he was a young boy, Luke had been mesmerized by the star like glow that the microscopic creatures would emit as they react with the mechanical motion of the waves and the bow of the yacht. “Very good, gentlemen. You’re both dismissed.”
Luke sipped his warm coffee as he walked around the deck assessing the sails. The moon was absent, but the myriad of stars reflected enough light on the almost still water to see the sails clearly without a flashlight.
Ordinarily, he would connect to a lifeline while on a night watch. Tonight, the calm waters left him with a sense of safety on the large vessel and despite having done so a thousand times before
, he failed to clip into the lifeline that ran the length of the yacht.
He walked around the deck, methodically checking that everything was in order. Pleased to discover it was and that he had not wasted the exorbitant money he spent on the crew, Luke decided to walk directly to the foredeck.
There he stood, watching the surreal blend of starlight and phosphorescence. He had never seen a more magical night, and Luke took it as a sign from God that his decision had been justified as it was necessary. Although, the Almighty alone, may be the only one to realize it within his lifetime.
For the first time in years, he’d accepted this with equanimity.
Ahead of the Mirabelle, Luke noticed the phosphorescence increased in luminosity. Slowly at first and then a little more rapidly. It moved away from the yacht as though something pulled at it. Against all common sense and alone on the watch, Luke decided to climb the eighteen-foot bowsprit to get a better view of the strange and beautiful phenomenon.
His intuition wasn’t awakened as it should have been.
Instead, something intrinsically deeper was stirred by its magic. He should have alerted the crew; he should have checked to see how much the autopilot had to correct its steering against the strange current.
If nothing else, he should have had a glimpse at the radar. If he had, he might have received warning about what was heading his way and the outcome may have been very different.
As it was, Luke was caught up in the beautiful event.
It wasn’t until the fast flowing glow along the surface of the ocean turned into a green glowing froth that he realized the breadth of his mistake.
Ahead of him, approaching at a tantalizingly slow pace was a wall of green. It appeared more like a waterfall.
My God, I can’t believe they managed to build it!
His first thought was only of the science behind the achievement. Then he understood the danger. Luke ran as fast as possible towards the safe house – a clear dome shaped room designed as a place of last resort during large seas. He ran as fast as he could, thankful today of all days that he hadn’t clipped into the safety line.
He reached it just in time. He spun the lock on the hatch until it became airtight. The room was supposed to be nearly bombproof. Luke had barely enough time to look back and see the apparition as it flowed towards them.