by Randy Dutton
The beeps are increasing. What else? The beeping sped up. A baby’s gurgling.
With that familiar sound, her lips curled upward. She continued blinking to banish the fog. As things came in focus, through narrowed eyes, she saw Pete to her right and Mac with Connor in the carry pouch to her left. The infant was pulling on Mac’s long hair. Someone in a white coat, near two armed soldiers in green, stood at the door.
Anna’s left hand ached, while her right hand was warm, nestled between Pete’s two large and very calloused hands.
“I’ll give you a moment,” a Spanish accented voice said. The white coat left the room, but the green uniforms stayed.
Pete bent down. His lips gently brushed her chapped, dry lips. “Welcome back, Darling. You’re in the Puerto Montt Hospital.”
“Hi, Honey.” Her voice was weak. “You look good, a little scratched up. How’s your leg?”
“We were able to fix it well enough for me to walk almost normally. How’re you feeling?”
“Woozy...and my head hurts.” Her eyes shifted to a cup of crushed ice on a table. A brow lifted.
Pete gave her a spoonful.
“Thanks...keep it coming.” The beeping slowed.
“Hi, Anna,” inserted a distraught MacKenzie. “Sorry I got angry with you five days ago. Forgive me?”
Anna carefully reached over with her IV constrained and bandaged left hand and touched Mac’s hand. “Mac, there’s nothing to forgive. You were just trying to protect your brother.”
Anna rolled her head towards Pete. “Five days?”
He nodded. “You were in an induced coma the first three, sleeping the rest. It was touch and go.”
“What happened?”
“A ricochet cracked your skull and knocked you out.”
“I remember aiming the rifle and then a blinding flash....” Her eyes drifted to the balloons. “I had the strangest dreams.”
“You had an aneurism and have a concussion, but, thanks to Mac, we got you to the hospital in time. She ordered the medevac, and when she heard you had a head wound, immediately arranged a specialist fly in from Santiago...just in case. That proved to be a life saver. You had intracranial bleeding. The swelling’s going down now, but you’ll be here a few more days.”
She winced when she squeezed Mac’s hand again. “Thanks Mac—”
Anna slightly raised her taped hand. “Why the bandage?”
“You had some broken bones from when that guard stepped on your hand.”
“I thought it felt odd—”
The white coat reappeared. “Give me a moment with her please.” The doctor elevated the bed.
Pete and Mac stood back while the specialist examined Anna.
The neurologist finished 10 minutes later. His smile was genuine as he turned to Pete. “She is stable, señor. Please don’t excite her. You may let her be with her son now. I will return in one hour.” He walked past the guards.
Anna reached out to Mac. “May I have Connor please?”
Mac placed the infant in Anna’s arms and the child’s little hands gripped the gown.
Anna kissed Connor’s head and cradled him so that her nose was against his short hair.
Pete pulled the chair bedside and sat down. His hand caressed his wife’s face. “Feeling better now?”
“Much. The fog’s mostly lifted but my head still hurts.” She glanced at the guards and spoke softly. “Pete, what happened to the ship?”
“It’s beached on the mudflat near where we planned. The FBI and the Chilean Military have taken control of it and Sven’s production site.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Did any of the phytoplankton escape?”
Pete shook his head and maintained his smile. “I don’t think so. None of the cylinders appeared to have been ruptured, though there were several bullet indentations. One cylinder appeared to have been shot in one spot with an entire magazine of nine millimeter rounds. They probably gave up because they didn’t have a lot of ammo to waste. Most of the plankton were cooked dead anyway.”
Her face relaxed.
He continued. “Your plan worked. I’ve got samples from the production site and the ship being flown back to my lab.”
Her brow furrowed. “We did it? We actually won?”
“Yes.” His head bobbed. “This battle. But the world’s going to suffer for years with the carbon-trapping plagues already unleashed. Time will tell how mankind will fare.”
“Will it have mattered?”
“I think so. The media’s starting to ask questions about rogue programs, the lack of oversight, and the potential for zealots to imperil the world.” He motioned his head to a corner table with some newspapers. “I’ve saved you some reading material.”
“So it’s all public?”
“Some of the basics and a lot of speculation. There are international camera crews outside the hospital and several trying to sneak in.... And there’s a Congressional hearing next week. President Fernandez is peeved.”
“At us?”
“Us, Snath, the environmental lobby...everyone.”
“Doesn’t do his reputation much good either.”
“No it doesn’t.... More importantly, we’ve exposed reckless geoengineering.”
“Pete”—her eyes were pleading—“I don’t want to talk to the press—”
“Doesn’t matter. We’re under a gag order.”
“Or Congress,” she added.
“I’ll try to keep you out of the hearings. As the technical expert and leader of this little escapade, I probably won’t be so lucky,” he said.
“But you didn’t lead—”
“It’s better this way, Darling. If your past comes to light, our situation will get worse.”
Anna let out a heavy sigh. “Tell me the details. What about the guards and the crew?”
Pete looked up at Mac and motioned his eyes toward the guards trying to listen from the door.
Mac smiled and sashayed from the bedside to engage the young men in casual banter.
Pete whispered, “The few mercenaries who survived were wounded, except that seasick guy in the closet and the one we met on the stairs. They’ve all been arrested.”
“And the crew?”
“Only the captain died. Excluding the enginemen you tied up, the crew all stayed on the fantail. They refused to help the mercs. Your announcement led them to believe the captain was on our side.”
“What about Hopkins?”
Pete let out a deep breath. “Unfortunately, Sven’s benefactor and some of his associates escaped to Argentina. We don’t know what he took with him.”
“Think he’ll be a threat?”
“He’s rich, he’s an environmental extremist, and he may have the knowledge…or at least others who have the knowledge. Interpol’s issuing warrants. Hopefully, he’ll be tracked down before he does something, but the Chilean government isn’t too keen to go after such a powerful man.”
“And Argentina doesn’t have extradition,” she said ruefully. Her eyes drifted to Mac chatting up the armed guards bracketing the door. Someone beyond the uniforms caught her eye, a fleeting glimpse of a tall, somewhat heavy man with a paternal smile looking through her door. The specter hesitated a bit too long.
Her cardio-monitor beeped faster.
She shook off the thought that a familiar face would be walking the hall in this remote hospital.
The beeping rate stayed high as she lowered her voice further, “Pete...did you turn the coins off?”
“Uh...no. I didn’t.” He glanced over his shoulder toward the open door. “Didn’t occur to me it was necessary. Why?”
“No...it’s nothing. The coins just make me nervous.”
“Well, it’s too late. The Army confiscated everything I had when they took me in custody.”
She glanced at the monitor. “Please turn off that sound.”
He walked around the bed and flicked a switch then returned with his back to the soldiers.
An
na’s eyebrow lifted as her gaze returned to the door. “The guards...they’re carrying mini-SAF machine guns.... They’re Chilean special forces.” Her eyes shifted to his. “Are they here to protect us?”
Pete pursed his lips. “Partly. Those two”—he motioned his head to the door—“are Chilean Interior Ministry.”
“Fluent in English no doubt.”
“Yes. And an FBI agent’s outside.... Jim’s flying down to help with our legal issues of...forcibly taking over the Chilean flagged ship.”
She grimaced. “So, we’re pirates now?”
Pete nodded at her acceptance of the situation. “Something like that.”
His lips kissed her cheek then whispered in her ear, “A lot of men died on the ship, and few surviving witnesses really know anything. Your head injury gives you the opportunity to feign a hazy memory.... I wiped down and threw all our weapons into the water...except the Anzio.”
“Think ditching evidence will matter?” she spoke softly.
“It may make prosecution tougher.” He cocked his head. “Jim said he’s bringing a surprise for us that may help.”
“He’s a good lawyer.” She sighed. “It’s ironic.”
“How so?”
“Well...for a decade I promoted an agenda to control humanity, and then spent the last year trying to defeat it.” Her eyes were sympathetic. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this...away from a normal life.”
“Darling, I volunteered. Combating the evil was necessary.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Besides...normal’s overrated.”
She tensed and shot a quick glance back at the door. Just hospital staff walking past the guards. Her eyes shifted to Pete. “How about Sven’s production manager?”
Pete smiled and rubbed the unbandaged hand cradling Connor. “Relax, Dear. Eric Thames was arrested and is cooperating. His wife was oblivious to what he had worked on.”
“She seemed nice...but rather clueless.”
“She was aghast when the interrogator informed her what her husband had done. She told her husband to help the authorities any way possible.”
“What will happen to him?”
“He’ll be extradited back to the States.”
“What’s he being charged with?”
Pete chuckled. “Something about unlicensed technology transfer. The FBI just wants him under their thumb. He’s not resisting...likely realized his life’s expendable if let loose.”
“They’ll probably put him in witness protection...a real one,” she mused. “Not our own version.”
“Oh, and they found an attractive, tall blond American woman by the name of Tanya Smith living at Sven’s house in Puerto Montt. She was packing to return to the States. They’re questioning her as well. Her name ring any bells?”
Anna considered the name. “Now that you mention it...a ‘T. Smith’ was on memo notes to some holding company’s invoices to Snath Genetics. Damn. I thought it was a fake name. That’s a thread I should have followed.”
Her eyes lowered as she bit her lower lip.
Pete squeezed her hand. “That leaves the one person you’ve avoided asking about.”
She breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled. Her eyes lifted again. “Where’s Sven?”
Pete looked at his attractive sister still flirting with the guards. His eyes narrowed as he somberly replied, “He caught a bullet in the heart during the battle.”
Anna cocked her head and cast a dubious look, and then revealed a knowing smile of relief...and gratitude. More relaxed, she stated sadly, “He wasn’t the same person I thought I knew.”
“Anna, are you the same person you thought you were last year, or do you think you’ve you changed?”
She emitted a slight laugh. “I think I’m the same person...it’s just that since falling for you, I no longer feel like an actor playing a role.”
Squeezing his left hand, she drew him closer. “You’re a good man, Pete, and I love you more than you can possibly know. You really are my guardian angel – you helped me earn back my soul by stopping this new plague. I feel like I’ve earned some peace.”
“You have, Darling.” Pete’s smile widened and he motioned for Mac to join them. His right hand brushed his son’s head, then slid it to where her left hand was on the child’s back. His hand now rested on hers. He looked into her deep blue eyes.
“What’s that look for? What’s going on?” Anna’s eyes shifted from his to Mac’s and back again. “Why are you both grinning?”
Pete couldn’t contain his happiness. “Congratulations, Darling...you’re going to be a mommy...again.”
Her eyes widened, “I am?”
“Yes, you’re pregnant!” His voice radiated excitement. He then kissed her. “I love you, Anna.”
Mac cut in. “Pete mentioned that you got seasick on the ship’s bridge, so I asked the doctor to check for pregnancy. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No. No, I don’t mind at all. Thanks, Mac.”
With tears of joy and a broad smile, Anna cradled her child in her arms and kissed him on the forehead. Life is indeed precious.
###
The Carbon Series
The Carbon Trap: Book 1 – 2012
The Carbon Cross: Book 2 – 2015
The Carbon Crash: Book 3 – Coming Soon
Muckraker Series
(Digger Cavanaugh – Investigative Reporter)
Pink Slime
Short Stories
LinkedIn Love
Professor Limn Series as Contributor
About the Author:
Randy Dutton is a retired Navy Supply Corps Commander, an inventor, and former vice president of a high-tech packaging company. He has worked as a supervisor at the Port of Long Beach and owned Creative Solutions, a management consulting company. In 2008, Randy ran for the Washington State Legislature in an effort to improve government efficiency, something he was able to do successfully in the military units in which he served.
Working from their large timbered property on the edge of the Olympic Peninsula rainforest, he and his science journalist wife spend much of their time reading and writing about new technology. He has been engaged in the community for the past several years, having served as Scoutmaster for his identical twin sons, now both Eagles, college students, and serving in the Air National Guard
His passion is identifying problems and arriving at workable solutions, often using evolving technology, or just plain common sense.
Comments:
Send to [email protected]. Author appreciates feedback and promises to respond to every serious inquiry. Publisher reserves the right to use any comments for promotional purposes, and sender maintains no proprietary right to any information sent.
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