The Hydrax Gamble

By Richard Martin

Some may worry that a Hydrax Gamble could happen; some that it already has. 
When maverick investigator Arnie Krench teams up with Jessica Hahn, a reporter for the Seattle Chronicle, to discover the truth behind a mysterious plane crash, the trail leads to Europe and a sinister research lab run by the German and Japanese governments. 
Returning to America and discovering the U.S. is now covertly involved, they enter a race - not just to publish their findings, but to defend themselves against powerful forces that are out to protect the terrifying secret of the Hydrax Gamble.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Apr 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781838597726

Book preview

THE

HYDRAX

GAMBLE

Richard Martin

Copyright © 2018 Richard Martin

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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Acknowledgement

I would like to thank Robert Elsey for the copy-edit, Hanna Attwell for the proof-read, Jude Williams for character assessment and Johnathan Ward for plot assessment.

And to my many test readers, a special thanks for your invaluable comments.

Contents

Acknowledgement

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

The Cygnus Agenda

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

CHAPTER 1

It was early morning when Brad Carlsson left Spruce Lake Marina, a few miles north of Seattle, the cabin cruiser hugging the coastline of the Puget Sound before crossing to Vancouver Island. Having spent a hot August night at Heron Bay he had changed his planned route and headed for the open sea at 7am, pointing the boat towards the horizon until the coast was out of sight. It was a move his business partner would be angry about but Brad was confident he could pull off the test-run without him.

It was a decision that would change his life.

As calculated, the range monitor showed 60 nautical miles, the position chosen to enable a rigorous trial of the company`s marine technology, state of the art equipment that was the back-bone of his business. His original intention had been to head back to Vancouver Island at around 6.00pm that evening and return to Spruce Lake the next day. It was now 7.00pm and Brad was still preoccupied with the company equipment, though it was not by choice.

The first test-run had been successful and the satellite link-up was in full flow, everything functioning perfectly; until now.

On checking his range he had discovered the location read-out was showing 90 nautical miles, the default indicator inexplicably at zero. Now the satellite programs were displaying a series of scrambled data with two of the sub-screens blank. What he was witnessing not only compromised the integrity of the entire system but pointed to a meltdown.

Looking at his Alpha monitor he saw that the satellite link was now in a state of total disarray.

Rapidly punching in a variety of instructions he battled to regain control, stop the destructive infiltration, but soon gave up as he stared in disbelief.

That`s when he heard it, a deep, droning noise that was increasing in volume and coming from overhead.

His reaction was swift as he spun round and raced to the cabin door. Leaping the four steps onto the wooden deck he snagged the base of the steel railing with his right foot and almost lost his balance. Straightening, he looked up and caught sight of a small executive jet, flying unusually low and only a short distance from the boat. Watching it continue west towards the setting sun, a silvery glint due north of the boat`s position caught his eye, but raising his hand against the direct sunlight he could see nothing definite.

About to head for the cabin he stopped as another glint had him staring back at the horizon. He picked up his powerful whaling binoculars and concentrated on a small object he could now make out in the distance. A passenger jet, he said, losing interest and placing the binoculars on the deck table.

Turning away he hesitated as something prompted him to have another look. Re-focussing the binoculars he scanned the skyline and found the passenger jet which was now rising on a steep trajectory, it`s vapour trail leaving a corkscrew pattern.

As the jet steepened its climb and seemed to be turning, it finally levelled off, easing Brad`s sense of alarm. But it didn`t last as the plane`s nose-cone suddenly dipped then pointed straight down. Within seconds it was in a steep dive, it`s wings appearing to fold into the fuselage as the jet plunged towards the ocean. The speed with which it hurtled down had now given it the profile of a missile, an image hiding the reality of passengers facing the horrifying knowledge they were going to die.

A sickening sensation gripped the pit of his stomach as the plane hit the surface of the water, the binoculars providing enough definition to bring the full horror to his disbelieving eyes.

Due to the distance the splashdown looked insignificant, no noise had come from the impact and the ocean`s tranquillity gave the scene an unreal dimension.

With his hands shaking, the lenses juddered to the right, picking up a faint outline of the executive jet that had passed over and which was now circling the scene.

Dropping the binoculars onto the deck table, Brad slowly climbed the upper cabin steps, stopped and stared back at the calm waters of the Pacific, his mind in a state of disbelief. For a moment he contemplated heading for the site, but he instantly dismissed it, knowing that nobody could have survived and that the crash site was many miles away.

On entering the control cabin he remembered the chaotic state of the satellite equipment and approached the row of monitors with some dread. Three had returned to displaying the clearly defined data they should, but his eye was drawn to the satellite feed which had been functioning in a state of bizarre confusion. He stared at the two blank screens.

The fifth monitor, priority linked to the satellite and harnessed to a file of complex algorithms was displaying a series of web-like waves pulsating across the screen. Now he knew there was no choice. Sweeping back his hair and wiping the sweat from his brow he reached over and switched off the satellite engagement.

The scrambled data cleared the screen, but staring back at him was something he hadn`t expected, a code signature, and there shouldn`t be one. As he tried to figure out the implications he realised only one explanation made sense: a second satellite and that meant big trouble. But the characters were from no matrix he had ever come across and the significance was alarming.

Turning to check the other screens he was faced with a second shock.

Jesus Christ, I`ve screwed up on the streaming profile and accessed another satellite, that can`t be, makes no goddamned sense.

Staring at the row of monitors he hovered in indecision, finally thrusting his right hand towards the master switch, hitting it hard and shutting down the entire system.

With head bowed he struggled with his emotions as he tried to make sense of the nightmare scenario, discover his mistake and more importantly, assess the consequences. The system corruption was a serious affair, the ramifications huge, but one thought was overpowering: the significance of that second satellite he had accessed.

An even bigger blow was about to hit; a realisation that the meltdown of his satellite link could in some way be related to the crashing plane. It made no sense but it was a possibility, one that prompted a decision that came fast. I`ve got to get the hell out of here.

It was approaching 8pm when Brad headed the cabin cruiser back to the coast, the horizon beginning to darken, the waters now a deep gray. He knew it would be a journey of constant vigilance, the boat`s default navigation equipment now suspect. The disastrous state of his high-tech system was of great concern, a threat to his future and now a top priority. But above these concerns came the second satellite and the fear of what he might have done.

Several hours later, mooring alongside the moonlit quay at Heron Bay on Vancouver Island, he found some release from the tension but no respite from the turmoil in his mind. He knew he should report his witnessing of the plane crash, the right thing to do. But that executive jet will bear sufficient witness, he told himself as he dropped onto the narrow bed under a row of starboard port-holes. He knew that sleep would not come, the worry of what lay ahead playing on his nerves.

At 6.00am the next day, Brad readied the boat for departure and the final leg home, still worried about his non-reporting of the crash. He looked towards the marina`s registration office and paused as the compelling moral case ate at his conscience. Turning away he forced himself to resist, the consequences of accessing the second satellite a powerful deterrent and too terrifying to contemplate.

Having to peer through some early morning mist he steered the cruiser out of Heron Bay, heading south east towards Puget Sound and the home-strait to Spruce Lake Marina. It would normally be a tranquil journey, his usual positive outlook on life ready to embrace the future, but today that vision held a mountain of trouble.

What he didn`t know was the effect last night`s events would have on others and how far the consequences would spread.

Brad`s home stood on a generous wooded plot in the up-market neighbourhood of Redmond. Parking up he gathered his sailing clothes and walked towards the house, stopping to glance over at the cedar-clad barn. Surrounded by tall pines and guarded by a towering redwood, it had been re-modelled to provide a retreat for his wife, Alice, a place to indulge her artistic pursuits.

It was close to 11.00am when Alice awoke with a seething headache, blaming it on the bottle of red wine she had the night before. In a state of drowsiness she negotiated the stairway and went into the kitchen, drank a glass of water and popped a couple of pain-killers. Returning upstairs she heard the shower running in the guest-suite and realised Brad was back. Entering the master suite she lay on the bed, curled into a ball and waited for the pain killers to work.

An hour later, Brad was finishing a glass of orange juice when Alice entered the kitchen.

You okay? he asked.

No, I`m not, I can’t shake this terrible headache.

Her voice had an edge to it. Can we agree not to have another argument today, that last one was cruel and hurtful, both of us as bad as each other. But you leaving without me was childish.

Okay, he said, you`re right, I should have calmed down and turned back, I`m sorry.

Moving to the sink she filled a glass of water and turned to him. Well that`s a start, I guess I`m sorry too. So did you have a nice time on the boat without me?

No I didn`t, it wasn`t the same with you not there. I took the opportunity to go out to sea and test the new programs.

Well are we going back to the marina, take that trip up the coast, together this time?

Brad stood silent for a moment, knowing he had to tell her what had happened but unsure how. I have something to tell you, so let`s go sit on the deck, this is going to be a shock.

She stared at him. What`s happened Brad? Tell me. Is it to do with us?

Hell no, Alice, this is about what happened on the boat and its serious. Get some coffee on and let`s do this outside, I need to be in the fresh air.

Seated on a lounger, Alice swept back a few strands of hair, her eyes squinting as the sun emerged from behind a cloud. So tell me what happened.

Brad sat on the opposite lounger, his long legs stretched out, sun hat pulled down to shade his unshaven cheeks. He began hesitantly. After I started the test, our latest programs were ripped apart by some bizarre external code, something that just shouldn`t have happened, a total disaster. The survival of the company rests on these programs, we`ve invested every dime of our capital in them.

She said nothing, allowing Brad to continue. Don`t ask me anything about it, Alice, how it happened or why because I don`t know. I don`t know how any of this is even possible, but it is what it is and I`m in big trouble.

Surely it can be fixed, you`ve got a great team of guys and Joe`s red-hot at what he does. I know it`s cutting edge stuff and hugely complicated but you`ll get the programs back together.

Brad took a moment, his apprehension clear and Alice knew there was something else. What is it, Brad? What else happened?

A plane crash, Alice, I saw a plane crash, a passenger jet go straight into the ocean, right before my eyes. It was horrific.

My God, that`s terrible. I didn`t hear about it, the television has been off.

Well I want the television kept off, I don`t want to be reminded, and no newspapers either. Look, Alice, obviously I`m going to have to tell Joe about the programs going into meltdown, and once he`s over the shock he`s going to be angry because I went out there to test them without him. He`ll blame me as the satellite streaming is my responsibility. It won`t be an easy conversation, you know what Joe can be like so I need to figure out how best to do it.

She interrupted. Why, it`s not your fault this happened, you didn`t cause it, and Joe needs to remember his place.

I`m not so sure that I didn`t cause it, looks like I could have, but I don`t want to get into that, it`s complicated. Are you up for a trip to Timberlake Lodge, I need to get away for some peace and quiet, see how to handle this, and especially Joe.

Alice leaned forward. Like I said, he needs to know his place, but tell me more about the plane crash.

Not now, Alice, I don`t want to discuss it. The plane went down and people died a terrible death, there was nothing I could do.

Okay, okay, she said hurriedly, I just thought you would want to share such a traumatic experience.

Well I don`t. I can handle it.

Jesus, Brad, you can be so cold at times, I`m only trying to be supportive.

I know you are, but I need to deal with this in my own way. So can we just get the hell out of here and head for Timberlake.

Fine, she said, I`ll chuck some things in an overnight bag, how many nights?

Tonight and Sunday night, hopefully Joe can make it up there tomorrow, and given what`s happened I`m damned sure he will. Timberlake will be a good place to break this kind of news and Monday is going to be like no other when we have to tackle this thing head on.

CHAPTER 2

Checking in at Timberlake Lodge, nestled in the foothills of the Cascades, Alice nudged Brad’s arm to indicate the presence of a nearby newspaper stand. I`ll tell them not to provide the complimentary newspapers in the morning, the last thing I want to see are the plane-crash headlines with all the gory details.

Their room was spacious, the décor rustic, and while Alice unpacked, Brad took a beer from the room fridge then moved to the balcony, settling into one of two Appalachian chairs to enjoy the spectacular view.

Within minutes he was pacing, deep in thought about how to break the news to his business partner, and crucially, how much to tell him.

He reached for the cell-phone and rapidly punched in the numbers. Joe, it`s Brad, I`m at Timberlake Lodge.

Hey, Brad thought you took the motor cruiser out, went over to Vancouver Island with Alice.

Yeah, had to come back early. Got some bad news, Joe, we`ve had a complete system failure. The programs are trashed, total collapse. Why don`t you and Georgie come up tomorrow, I can tell you all about it, see what the hell we`re going to do.

The silence was deafening and Brad knew what was coming. Joe Cutter was the junior partner but never one to let that get in the way when he had an opinion to voice. You conducted the test-run without me? Why the hell did you do that?

You were in California, Joe, and I was on the boat by myself so I took the opportunity.

You could have waited for Christ`s sake, and anyway, I thought Alice was with you?

We had a fight that day and she didn`t want to go. I hadn`t intended to test the programs but couldn`t see the harm in it.

Couldn`t see the harm in it? You kidding, I should have damned well been there and you know it. Jesus, Brad, what the hell did you do?

Don`t lay this thing on me, Joe, the system would have crashed whether you were there or not, it`s not down to me.

Okay, take it easy, Brad, this thing`s come as a real shock and I don`t have to tell you how serious it is, reckon I`m entitled to be angry about it.

Serious, you can bet your ass it`s serious, and that means keeping a cool head if we`re going to figure a way out of this, so less heat more light, Joe, you got that?

Yeah, I`ve got it.

That`s all we can do, and Joe, I don`t want Georgie knowing about this, just between us two, okay?

Switching off the phone, Brad heaved a sigh of relief that Joe hadn`t mentioned the plane crash, which by this time the news channels would be headlining. Joe couldn`t know the direction Brad had taken the boat or how far out to sea he had been, and that had given some breathing space.

Turning round, he found Alice had stepped onto the balcony and caught the last part of the conversation. That must have been Joe, she said.

Yeah, he`s coming up tomorrow, just back from California and he`ll be bringing Georgie. Got to get them a room, you okay with that?

Of course, I love being with Georgie.

Brad now stood to face her. Look, Alice, I don`t want Joe knowing I witnessed the plane crash. He must have seen it in the news headlines but he didn`t say anything and he wouldn`t know the boat was that far out to sea.

Why the hell not tell him, Brad?

Because I need time to figure out what happened with my satellite code. I just don`t want Joe knowing about the plane. He`s already angry at what`s happened to his programs, suspicious about the whole thing. He`s going to demand answers, answers that I don`t have, and it`s my sat-link that`s suspect.

But you need to share that experience, and so do I, it`s eating away at me.

Goddamn it, Alice, this is not about you and your sensitivities, this is my nightmare and I have to handle it alone.

She was used to Brad`s angry turns, but this reaction was different. She could see it was fuelled by fear.

Okay, Brad, if that`s the way you want it, I won`t tell Georgie.

Look, Alice, I know it`s a big ask. Just let me break it to Joe back at the office, okay?

Fine, Brad, I won`t say a damned thing.

The next day Alice`s mood was down as they sat on the south terrace, conversation at a minimum.

It was approaching noon when a voice from behind carried through the warm, morning air. Hey guys, came a familiar cry as Georgie approached, putting her arms round Alice’s shoulders and kissing her on the cheek. Great to see you, Joe`s parking up, be here in a minute.

The full-tilt gregarious type, Georgie was larger than life and always fun to be with. Tall and trim, she looked a good ten years younger than the thirty eight that had passed.

Now Alice turned to welcome Joe with a hug, but she spoke no words.

Grabbing Georgie`s hand, Alice took charge. We’re leaving you tech-heads to yourselves and going down to the river, back in an hour or so.

Brad shot her a look that held a clear reminder to honour his request, her expression providing little comfort.

As they left, Brad and Joe moved to a table at the far end of the terrace, Brad first to speak.

Might as well get right to it, Joe, the whole system`s a disaster. We`ve been hit by some kind of external infiltration and it`s run riot, corrupted the hell out of everything.

Joe took time to respond, returning a stare that gave nothing away. What`s that supposed to mean, corrupted the hell out of everything? I wrote that code to an impregnable standard, nothing could get in there, no way! And even if it could, where the hell would it come from? What`s going on, Brad?

Take it easy, Joe, this thing came out of nowhere, I don`t have any answers yet. My sat-link could be the source but how that could be beats the hell out of me.

It would need a pathway, Brad, did you leave one open?

No way, I know my code inside out, it wasn`t at my end.

I`m not saying it`s at your end, but whatever this thing is it has a source so got to be the sat link, the damned thing had access for Christ`s sake.

Look, Joe, it was right there on the screen, two sets of code in your program so how the hell does that make sense? We`re dealing with some weird shit here, a code infiltration that`s capable of God knows what.

Come on, Brad, what are you saying here? A goddamn phantom algorithm jumped my stuff?

Then how did it get there?

This is so fucked up, what the hell`s really going on here, Brad?

I don`t know, and I don`t like the insinuation. You know your job and I know mine, and we both know these programs were in perfect sync when they were installed so get off this inquisition of yours.

Joe sighed and looked away. Brad didn`t like to pull rank but though he felt bad about it he was relieved it had stopped Joe in his tracks.

We need to cool our wheels Joe, wait until we get the kit back from the boat then go at it. The sat-link has to be the key to this and we won`t find answers until it`s examined, stripped down and re-constructed.

Joe`s expression was grim, and it was beginning to worry Brad who leaned forward. So can we make peace here, Joe, chill out, grab a beer and wind ourselves down, you good with that?

Joe stared back in silence; he hated Brad pulling rank and was itching to say so. Suspicion was continuing to eat away at him; something was wrong but he knew he had to hold back. Okay, Brad, let`s leave it at that. I`ll strip the whole system to the last digit if I have to, find what happened alright.

Good. Like I said, Joe, we wait until we get the kit back from the boat, then go at it, okay?

Fair enough, said Joe, his anger abating.

Dining in the gourmet restaurant, with its French doors open onto the lantern-lit terrace, lively conversation was under way at their table, three bottles of Chablis unwinding everyone and leaving Alice and Georgie showing signs of being a little giddy. We good for another bottle, Alice said.

Think maybe you`ve had enough, Alice, said Brad, abruptly, it`s time for coffee on the terrace.

She tried to ignore the remark but then turned to glare at him.

Georgie rescued the uncomfortable moment. So you guys going to take the boat out and cruise along the coast, I thought you had planned to hit Vancouver Island.

Alice`s tone was sharp. Well we would be taking that trip, Georgie, but for a little incident that Brad refuses to share with you. So I`ll tell you. He saw that passenger jet go down on Friday, he was on the boat, saw the whole thing.

Agitated by Georgie`s puzzled gaze, Alice repeated: Friday’s plane crash, he saw it go down.

Joe and Georgie sat in silence, making no attempt at a response and Alice could see something was wrong. Not only were her friends not responding they appeared shocked.

Hesitating, Georgie finally dispelled the silence. What plane crash, Alice?

Seeing the stunned look on Alice`s face she continued. We didn’t know there had been a plane crash.

And Brad witnessed it, from the boat? said Joe.

You didn’t hear about the passenger jet that went down off the coast on Friday? Brad asked.

No, we haven’t heard anything about it, said Georgie.

Alice paused for a moment. But it must have been front page news.

Joe seemed confused, as if not sure what he was dealing with. I read this morning’s papers and there was no mention of any plane crash. I watched several news channels yesterday and today, there was nothing there either.

Brad continued to stare at Alice, struggling to get to grips with what had happened, her announcement a cruel betrayal. But their friend`s response left him reeling. How can an air-disaster involving the loss of so many lives not be front page news, just not possible.

Alice`s tone indicated irritation. Are you guys kidding me? It must have been reported, you must have heard about it.

Really, it`s not in the news, said Joe, firmly.

Then something`s way wrong here, said Alice, now angry.

Nobody said anything, the background noise of fellow diners sounding muted as if they were also reacting to the announcement.

Turning to stare at Brad, without warning, Alice abruptly stood, threw her napkin on the table and marched from the room.

As Georgie rose from her chair, intent on going after Alice, Brad grabbed her arm. No, Georgie. I`ll go.

CHAPTER 3

Nearly 800 miles south of Seattle, in a California county court-house, a local trial was under way. It was about small town politics and the corruption that went with it. The conduct of the trial had been volatile, the defense counselor taking considerable liberties and receiving several reprimands from the judge.

Little had been done to modernise the cavernous courtroom, the dominance of dark mahogany fittings providing a repressive atmosphere, the only natural light coming from a bank of roof panels. With his heavy southern accent the defense counselor was once again berating a witness.

"Let`s be clear on this, you’re telling the Court