White Death (NUMA Files 4)

Austin swore under his breath, angry at himself for putting his partners in danger.

"I didn't realize what I was getting you into. I'm sorry." Don't be. You only asked us to see what we could learn about Oceanus. It was our decision to go flying off to Canada and poke our noses in where they weren't welcome. It was worth the trip, too. We wouldn't have learned about the devilfish otherwise."

The only devilfish Austin had ever heard of was the manta ray.

Are you sure that concussion is on the mend?"

"I've never been more clearheaded, Kurt. In all my years as a ma- rine biologist, I've never encountered anything like this before. Paul calls it 'white death.5 "

Austin experienced a quick frisson as he recalled his brush with the large, toothy creature in the Oceanus fish tank. "You can fill me in when I get there."

He hung up and punched out Gunn's number. "Hello, Rudi," he said, without the usual exchange of pleasantries. "I think it's time we had a meeting with Sandecker."

29

THE GIANT VIDEO screen in the conference room glowed blue for a second, then an image appeared. There was a flash of silvery-white scales in a net, and Mike Neal was heard shouting, "Hold on, folks, we've got a live one!" There was a blurred glimpse of a fish slamming against the deck and a close-up of a toothy mouth snapping a gaff handle in two. The handheld camera showed the same fish being clouted with a baseball bat. The astonished voices of the Trouts were audible in the background.

Paul Trout clicked the remote control and froze the picture. The lights blinked back on, and a crisp, commanding voice was heard to say, "It seems Jaws has formidable competition."

Admiral James Sandecker, the driving force behind NUMA, sat at a long conference table, his head enveloped in a purple cloud that belched from the fat cigar in his hand.

"That thing up on the screen is in a class of its own, Admiral," said Gamay, who sat at the table along with Austin, Zavala and Rudi Gunn. "The great white shark attacks when it's hungry or hunted. The creature we're looking at is more like Mack the Knife: just plain mean."

Sandecker blew out a plume of smoke and glanced around the table. "Now that you've engaged my attention with what must be the short- est monster movie on record, please tell me what in blazes is going on and what that creature has to do with the cast on Paul's wrist."

Gamay and Paul took turns telling the story of their Canadian adventure, from their visit to the Oceanus fish-processing plant to their talk with the geneticists at McGill.

Austin cut in. "Did you say Frederick Barker?"

"Yes," Gamay said. "Do you know him?"

"We've had a passing acquaintance. His men tried to kill me last night."

Austin gave the gathering a quick rundown of his encounter with Barker and the wild dogsled race through the Mall.

"Congratulations, Kurt. The traffic tie-up you caused was page one in The Washington Post." Sandecker paused in thought. "Let me see if I understand this story to date. You believe that Oceanus or- chestrated the sinking of two ships in Faroe waters to divert atten- tion from a secret project, directed by this man Barker, having to do with the breeding of mutant fish." He gestured at the screen. "Fish similar to the one Paul and Gamay encountered in Canada. And that people from a rogue Eskimo tribe made attempts on your life in the Faroes, in Copenhagen and in Washington."

"Sounds unbelievable when somebody else tells it," Austin said, with a shake of his head.

"Baron Munchausen couldn't have done better. Luckily, Paul and Gamay have verified the existence of these homicidal Eskimos." He turned to Gunn. "What do you make of this fantastic tale, Rudi?"

"Before I answer, I'd like to ask Gamay what could happen if these artificially mutated superfish got into the sea and started breeding."

"According to Dr. Throckmorton, Barker's colleague, in sufficient numbers, they could create a biological time bomb," Gamay said. "They could replace the natural strains of fish within a few genera- tions.

"What's wrong with that?" Sandecker said, playing devil's advo- cate. "Fishermen would have to catch a few large fish instead of many smaller ones."

"True, but we don't know enough about the long-range effects.

What would happen if these Frankenfish had some property that made them unfit for human consumption? What if an unforeseen mutant strain resulted? What if the superfish offspring couldn't sur- vive in the wild? You'd have neither the natural species nor the mu- tants. The ocean system would be thrown out of whack. Fishermen, processing people and distributors would be idled around the world. This would disrupt whole societies that depend upon fish protein for nourishment. Industrial nations would be damaged, as well." "That's quite a dismal forecast," Sandecker said. "I'm being conservative in my assessment. There are so many unknowns. We know that more than twenty-five species are being targeted for genetic modification. It could mean a tragedy of un- imaginable proportions if they escape into the sea."

"We're assuming that monster up there escaped from a research lab," Rudi said. "Suppose he and others like him were released into the sea deliberately ?"

Gamay stared at Gunn as if he had grown a set of horns. "Why would anyone risk extinction of a whole species? That would be a ter- rible thing."

Gunn shook his head. "Not for everyone."

"What are you saying?" Sandecker asked.