The Alex Cave Series. Books 1, 2, & 3.: Box set

by James M. Corkill

  According to Joshua’s radiation detector, the device should be at the center of the target north of their current position, but that was his best estimate due to a strange anomaly appearing on the radar screen. Joshua thought it might be a much larger deposit of the dark material causing the anomaly.

  Alex heard his satellite phone ring and slipped it out of his coat pocket. He recognized the ID. “Hi, Sonja. I was going to call you later.”

  “We have a major problem in the Atlantic Ocean, Alex. The salinity of the water flowing down from the north has increased significantly. The water is so laden with salt that it is sinking, and flowing south into the Atlantic Ocean much faster than normal and it is affecting the North Atlantic Ocean currents. It is driving warm water from the Gulf north at a much faster rate and the atmospheric conditions over the north Atlantic are changing. This is a very dangerous condition, Alex. It will affect the northern weather conditions and Western Europe will suffer the most damage. Crops will be lost and the storms will be massive.”

  “We may have located the device near the southern end of the ice cap. I’m about to leave to discover what I’m up against. I’ll call when I know something.”

  “I know you are doing your best. Call me with good news. Bye, love.”

  Okana noticed Alex’s grim expression. “Not good?”

  Alex explained the call. “With a little luck, we’ll find the device.”

  “I’ll make sure the ship is still here when you return.”

  Everyone turned around and looked down at the stern when they heard the engine from the helicopter rising in pitch. Alex, Mike, and Lisa walked down the steps to the helicopter, and Alex climbed in front with Bett, while Mike and Lisa climbed onto the rear seat, facing forward.

  Alex and Mike agreed not to leave the ship vulnerable to a hostile takeover and left Rita, Joshua and Okana behind to guard the Mystic.

  When the blades began to rotate, the others moved onto the bridge to avoid the downwash when the helicopter took off, and a moment later, the helicopter leapt into the air.

  As the helicopter gained altitude, up over the wall, everyone stared in rapt fascination at the scene ahead, something they could never have imagined. Fifty-miles ahead, another wall of ice stood above the vast expanse of ice, and twenty-miles farther inland, another wall of ice stood above that one, and another beyond that one. It was a circular pyramid of transparent ice.

  Mike leaned forward between Bett and Alex. “Those walls of ice might be the dark areas we saw in the photograph. The device must be in the top layer of the pyramid. I hope.”

  Bett increased their elevation and the ice raced past beneath them as the pyramid slowly increased in size as they drew near.

  Alex doubted the device would be above the water level, but did not voice his opinion. In any case, the pyramid was a spectacular sight and he wanted a closer look.

  When they were within five-hundred-feet from the top, the angle of the sun was such that the ice acted like a prism, sending small beams of rainbow colored lights bouncing around the inside of the top layer of the pyramid.

  Lisa had moved forward, next to Mike, for a better view. “Oh my, that is fantastic.” She held her I-phone out at arm’s length and began recording. “Everyone’s going to want to see this when we get back.”

  No one spoke as they admired the light show, until Bett dropped the helicopter down on the flat surface and set the engine speed down to idle.

  Lisa opened the side door and leapt out onto the ice, but her feet slid out from beneath her and she plopped down on her butt. She put her hands down to push herself up, and abruptly stopped when she looked down. “I see it!”

  The others carefully climbed down from the helicopter and knelt beside her. Deep beneath the surface, the device was visible, looking small and innocent in the fantastically clear ice sheet.

  Alex looked at the others. “We won’t be able to retrieve it from up here. Now that we know its exact location, we can remove it from below with the submarine.” He stood and reached down to help Lisa up.

  Lisa took his hand and stood. “Just imagine what this recording will be like on the cover of National Geographic Magazine.” She pulled her phone from her coat pocket and began recording as she turned in a circle.

  Once Mike and Bett were standing, everyone climbed back into the helicopter for the return trip to the Mystic.

  Bett touched the button on her headset. “Mystic, this is Bett. Come in.” No one answered, and she tried again with no response. She noticed Alex listening. “It must be because of the interference Josh mentioned. I’ll try again when we get closer to the Mystic.”

  *

  Okana sat in the bridge chair with only the radio for company. He had volunteered to stand watch over the thrusters to occupy his time, but the computer was keeping the Mystic stationary in the field of ice slabs, so he had nothing to do but think. Dieter informed him the disk would stay in his pocket for the duration of the trip, and now his curiosity was driving him crazy. What could be so important? Trying to take over the Mystic was a stupid idea in the first place. Why is he still being so secretive about it?

  “Mystic, this is Bett.”

  Okana grabbed the microphone from its overhead bracket. “Hey, Bett. Okana here. Any luck?”

  “In a matter of speaking, I suppose. We’re going to need the sub ready when we get back.”

  “How long do I have?”

  “We’ll be there in forty-five minutes.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  Okana snapped the microphone back into its bracket, and then grabbed the microphone for the intercom system. “I just got a call from the helicopter, and we need to start prepping the sub and have it ready to go in forty-five minutes.” He replaced the microphone, and a moment later, Rita came up the steps, onto the bridge, and leaned against the control console to face him.

  *

  Dieter looked around for bystanders as he walked out onto the stern with Harrison and Bartram. “Okana will not trust you. Just do it quickly.”

  *

  “Did they tell you what they discovered?” Rita asked.

  Okana shook his head. “Not exactly. They didn’t find the device on the surface, but think it’s underneath the ice.”

  “One of these days, you’ll have to take me down with you.”

  “I think you would enjoy it. It’s a different world down there. According to the sonar, the ice is only six hundred-feet-deep beneath the water and vertical like that wall in front of us. That should make for an easy dive. Could you take over for me up here? I don’t trust Bartram or Harrison to prep the sub. I would hate to get under the ice and have something go wrong.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about Harrison. He was on the bridge with Alex when the engines stopped. My money is on Bartram.”

  “Maybe.” He stood from the chair. “I’ll see you on deck later.” He didn’t tell her the only person he trusted right now was Alex.

  Okana turned and stepped out through the starboard side door, and as he approached the stairs, saw Dieter glance up at him. He continued down to the bottom of the stares, and over to face Dieter. “Last minute instructions?”

  Dieter looked over at Harrison releasing the tie down straps on the sub. “Do not worry, Okana. No one will sabotage your precious submarine.”

  Okana heard the hatch cover close and turned and continued walking across to the sub. Now why would Dieter refer to the sub as precious? He wondered.

  *

  Alex stared through the window as Bett brought the helicopter over the stern, and Okana, Rita, Joshua, and Dieter were waiting up in the bridge. The helicopter set down lightly and everyone climbed out while Harrison and Bartram walked over and secured the helicopter.

  Lisa ran past Bett, Alex, and Mike, and hurried up the stairs. “You guys have to see this.” She held her phone out for everyone to watch her recording, and everyone crowded together to see the small screen.

  Okana was the closes
t, and a few moments later, he looked up. “You recorded snow?”

  Lisa stopped smiling. “No, a rainbow.” She brought the phone back and stared at the screen. “That’s not right. Let me rewind it.”

  Joshua could see her frustration. “It might be because of that anomalous reading on my radiation sensor. I still don’t know what’s causing it.”

  Lisa’s shoulders sagged as she slipped the phone into her coat pocket. “It was this beautiful glass pyramid. When we were close to the top, the light was shining into the ice, creating this beautiful rainbow inside.” She turned when Alex stepped up beside her. “It’s all gone, Alex. The recording is just snow.”

  “At least you have the memory.” He looked over at Okana. “Are we ready to go?”

  “I’m all set, Alex. We can be in the water in less than ten minutes.”

  Lisa reached into her coat pocket and held out a folded piece of paper. “You’re going to need this. It’s the direction and approximate distance to the device. I figured it out on the way back.”

  “Thank you.” He took the paper, and then turned and went with Okana down the stairs to the sub and heard the hoist rising up from the deck. “We could barely see the device down through the ice, but it’s definitely at the bottom.”

  “I wish Lisa’s recording would have survived. It sounds interesting.”

  Alex followed Okana up the ladder and down into the sub, then secured the hatch while Okana slid into the front seat and informed Harrison they were ready. Alex looked over Okana’s shoulder, through the front window as the sub slowly spun around. He could see the rest of the crew standing behind the bridge, watching the launch. “I forgot to ask how deep we’re going.”

  “Six hundred-feet, to the bottom edge of the ice, so add another ten for good measure.”

  “ That shouldn’t be too hard. What attachment did you bring?”

  “One circular saw and a pincher-spreader combination tool. It shouldn’t take too long.”

  The sub continued to swing around until they were facing the sea, then slowly dropped down into the water.

  * * *

  Chapter 30

  MOUNT BAKER:

  Jamie wondered where Wesley was going as they walked across another logging road, back into the trees. It would be much easier on his ribs if they stayed on a road. Every time he had to step over a fallen tree trunk, she could see him wince.

  Twenty minutes later, they stepped out of the trees and the Hummer and trailer were right in front of them. “This really is your mountain, Wesley.” She looked over at him and he was grinning. “I don’t know why you’re so happy. You’re going to have to back that trailer a long way to get out of here.”

  “That’s not a problem. I just realized that if you weren’t along, I might have been trapped in that ice cave.”

  “I’m glad you asked me to go with you.”

  “I didn’t. You invited yourself, remember?”

  She gave him a quick grin. “How old are you, Wesley?”

  He was caught off guard and hesitated, wondering why she wanted to know. “I’ll be fifty in April. Why?”

  “Have you ever thought about shaving and getting a haircut?”

  “Now listen, Ms. Representative. We may be friends, but don’t try to change me.”

  Jamie put her hands on her hips. “You don’t have to get all huffy about it. I didn’t mean you had to do it.”

  “Damn straight, I don’t.”

  “I bet you’re not bad looking under all that hair.”

  He turned his head away. “Help me get that trailer off the road.”

  Jamie walked to the door of the Hummer and tossed her backpack inside. When Wesley stepped up beside her, she slipped the strap off his shoulder and heard him sigh as she tossed it inside. “I bet that’s a relief, too.”

  When he didn’t reply, she looked over and saw him staring at the river. She turned to see why. “It looks like we can cross it now.”

  “This shouldn’t be happening, Jamie. The water level is dropping because something is holding it back.”

  “What? How?”

  He walked around the front of the Hummer and gently climbed into the cab. “That’s a good question. Guide me back into that wide area so I can leave the trailer. We need to find out why.”

  *

  SPARROW VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL:

  Derek closed his locker and tried to avoid the other students looking at him. Word had gotten around that his uncle was a geology instructor, and during an earlier class the students stared at him when the ground moved. He tried to avoid any groups of people wanting to know what happened. If they knew the whole story, they might panic, so it was better to play ignorant.

  He walked down the hallway to the exit doors, and saw Jessica Parker waiting on the other side through the glass. He was sure she would hound him for answers. He was right, because as he stepped out through the doorway Jessica stepped in his way.

  “I’ve wanted to talk to you all afternoon, Derek. I looked everywhere.”

  “I was hiding.”

  “From Me?”

  “From everyone.” He turned and began making his way toward the parking lot.

  Jessica stared after him for a moment, and then hurried to walk beside him. “Derek?”

  He glanced over at her. “What do you want me to say?”

  “My older sister works for the park service and last night she said there are some strange things happening in the park.”

  Derek abruptly stopped and looked at her. “What kind of things?”

  “A little girl was nearly scalded by a hot spring near a campground.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No. The hot spring was never there before the earthquakes. My sister is a friend of Wesley Patterson, and he’s worried, too.”

  Derek thought about what Wesley told him about the flooding. “I’m going for a ride.”

  Jessica crossed her arms and stared at him. “Why won’t you talk to me, Derek? Do you really believe I’m a snob?”

  “I didn’t say you were a snob. That was my sister.”

  She uncrossed her arms. “I know, but you smiled when I asked you.”

  “I smiled because you’re cute when you’re angry.”

  She lightly shook her head. “Where are you going? We still have classes this afternoon”

  “I want to see if the streams are starting to rise yet. I’ve got an hour until my next class.” He turned and mounted his motorcycle.

  Jessica watched him pull away, and then went back into the building.

  *

  Derek drove west, over the crest of the valley, and followed the highway down the mountain toward Mount Vernon. Three-miles farther, he arrived at the main bridge up to Sparrow Valley, over the Tempest River. He found a small area to park next to the massive stone bridge and climbed off to get a better view of the water level. He could tell by the watermarks on the bridge support that the water was above normal. Damn, he thought. This can’t be good.

  He climbed back onto the motorcycle and rode back up the mountain. He parked at the school and ran into the building. He grabbed the sat phone from his locker, pressed button two, and held it to his ear. Wesley didn’t answer, so he left a message.

  * * *

  Chapter 31

  MYSTIC:

  Okana turned on the exterior lights and steered the sub underneath the Mystic. In the distance, they could see their reflection on the submerged side of the ice wall. Okana moved the sub forward and stopped fifty-feet from the wall as they slowly began their descent to the bottom of the ice.

  A few minutes later, Okana looked back over his shoulder. “Do you believe that?”

  When Alex leaned forward around Okana to see out the window, the bottom of the ice wall turned ninety-degrees at a sharp edge back under itself. The flat bottom of the ice acted as a lens, bringing light down from the surface and illuminating the water as if in daylight. “That is amazing.”

  The bottom of the ice cont
inued to be flat for another fifteen minutes, and then Okana had to slow down for another wall of ice. Alex leaned over his shoulder. “This is not good. If this mirrors the surface, this will be an upside down pyramid.”

  Okana repeated the process two more times before they were at the bottom of the iceberg. “I’m going to bring the nose up so we can see what’s above us. I’m giving you a warning since you’ve never done this before. You’ll be lying on your back in the seat.”

  Okana maneuvered the submarine as if it were an extension of his body, and the nose slowly rotated as he dropped lower to increase their upward view. “There it is,” he said over his shoulder as he brought the submarine to hover directly below a dark object high up in the ice.

  Alex had been leaning forward by grabbing the back of Okana’s chair, but when he saw that the device was nearly the same size as it had appeared on the surface, he leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Damn!”

  “I’m sorry, Alex. Do you want me to head back?”

  “You might as well. It looks to be about the same size that we saw from on top. That means it’s directly in the center and we could never get it out.”

  Okana noticed a clear liquid dribbling down between his feet and reached under the instrument console for the main hydraulic manifold. One of the high-pressure hose fittings felt slippery and the connecting nut turned easily in his fingers. He tightened it as best he could with his fingers, then leveled the sub and set a course back to the Mystic. When they were getting close, he called on radio to inform them what they had seen.

  *

  Bett was on the bridge with Dieter when Okana told them they could not get the device, and she saw the rage in his eyes when he heard they were nearing the stern of the Mystic. When he spun around to go out the door to the stern, she grabbed the microphone for the intercom. “The sub’s almost here.”

  When Dieter reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked around to make sure no one else was on the stern as he stomped across the deck to Bartram, sitting on the sub’s storage bracket.