Fire Ice (NUMA Files 3)

"Well, Admiral?" the president said to Sandecker. "Perhaps if we heard from an authority on the subject, it might allay any doubts."

"That seems like a good idea," the president said. "When can you line up your expert?"

"As long as it takes to summon him from the reception room. Actually, I've brought along two experts, Dr. Leroy Jenkins, an oceanographer formerly with the University of Maine, and Dr. Hank Reed, a geochemist with NUMA."

"You never go anywhere without backup, do you, James?" the president said, with a smile.

"It's my old academy training. Why fire one torpedo when you can launch a whole spread? I've also taken the liberty of inviting NUMA's chief computer programmer, Hiram Yaeger."

The president murmured an order over the intercom. A few minutes later, the Secret Service agent ushered Yaeger, Reed and Jenkins into the office. Yaeger was no stranger to the corridors of power and was little impressed by anyone who did not speak in terms of megabytes. In deference to the president's title, he had donned a well-worn Madras-plaid cotton sports jacket over his jeans and T-shirt and wore a new pair of desert boots. Jenkins had on his tan poplin suit from his college days and a new blue oxford shirt bought for the occasion. Hank Reed had made a valiant effort to subdue his Lyle Lovett hair, but even his suit and tie couldn't prevent him from looking like a troll doll.

If the president wondered at what may have been the oddest-looking assortment of human beings ever to visit the Oval Office, he was diplomatic enough not to show it. After a round of handshakes and introductions, he said:

"The admiral here was telling us about that tsunami business up in Maine. He seems to think the wave was man-made."

Jenkins had been nervously playing with the knot of his tie. Under gentle prodding from the president, he spun out the story of the Rocky Point tsunami and his investigation as to its cause.

The president turned to Reed. "Do you agree with Dr. Jenkins?"

"Totally. I see no reason to doubt his conclusions. My re- search shows that force applied at specific points on the continental shelf could produce the results he's predicted."

Austin jumped in. "I've described the projectile I saw on the Ataman ship to some ordnance people. They suggested that it might be a concussion bomb with a shaped charge capable of great penetration. The thrusters drive it deep into the seabed. It might have multiple warheads similar to a nuclear ballistics missile."

"You're not suggesting nuclear warheads?" the president said, with a look of alarm.

"From what I understand, it could be done with conventional explosives. Some of the new ones are almost as powerful as a nuke. There's another thing. When I talked to the captain and pilot of the NR-1, they said Ataman had been using the sub to look for weak spots, faults and thin cover in the crust along the slopes and canyons of the continental shelf."

"Where is this Ataman ship now?"

"Off the New England coast. I've asked our satellite people to look around. A courier will have the results here shortly."

"I'll instruct my receptionist to send your person right in," the president said. He turned to Sparkman. "You're the mining man, Sid. You know anything about this methane hydrate?"

Sparkman, who had been quiet throughout the presentation looked as if he were having acid indigestion. "Yes, Mr. President. It's basically frozen natural gas. Some people call it fire ice."

"Let's get back to specifics, Dr. Jenkins. What could we expect off the U.S. coast?"

Jenkins looked preoccupied, as if another thought had occurred to him. "Damage depends on the shallowness of water near shore, the shape of the bay, whether there is a river where the wave concentrates its energy." He took a deep breath. "It's possible that a wave might reach a height of one hundred feet after it hits the shore."

The president looked shocked. "That could cause unimaginable damage."

"Unfortunately, there are worse things than tsunamis," Jenkins said quietly.

"What could be worse than a giant wave hitting a metropolitan area?" the president said.

Jenkins took another deep breath. "Mr. President… a massive release of methane could trigger large-scale global warming."

"What? How could that happen? I thought it was just man-made causes we had to worry about."

"That, too, but – look, let me give you an example. Back in the eleventh century, there was a huge 'burp' of methane that released a giant amount of methane into the atmosphere and started a worldwide warming trend. The tropics advanced as far north as England and the sea may have extended as far as Arizona."

The room was silent.

"Razov must know about the possibility," Sparkman said, at last. "Why would he do such a thing?"

Reed offered an explanation. "The Russians have always wanted to warm the northern wastes of their country. It's an incredibly rich, but very harsh land. There was serious talk at one time of warming the waters off the Arctic with atomic energy to accomplish the goal. A temperate climate would allow vast development and settlement. At the same time, some people speculate that global warning would turn America's interior into a dust bowl."

"My advisors have filled me in on global warming," the president said. "It's a very complex process, as I understand it. There's no guarantee it would turn out the way Razov wants it to."