wrath of the Sea Queen (55 page)

Vin looked up as he heard the helicopters overhead.  A black helicopter was being chased by a larger, military version of the same craft.  The military aircraft was forced to break off when the civilian helicopter began to fire at the exposed people on the ship and on t
he
pier
each time the military craft
drew near.  This must be how Ben had been hit.  It made Vin angry to think of such careless violence against people who
did
nothing to deserve it.  Salma tend
ed
to Ben,
so
all Vin could do was
lend his
help
to
catch the ones responsible for
Ben's
injury as he stood protectively over the couple.

The military aircraft held its position between the
ship and the assailants.  This
forc
ed
the unknown helicopter to stay further out over the water where the wind suddenly picked up.  The door of the black aircraft
hung
partially open and a large gun
aimed
at its opponent.  A loud bang accompanied the firing of the weapon, and a trail of white smoke followed the projectile across the distance between the two adversaries.

Vin
blew
the round far enough off course that it missed the military aircraft and fell harmlessly into the waves below. 
T
hen
the
strong, angry gusts began to harry the unknown helicopter. 
The pilot
had
difficulty maintaining
the craft's
altitude. 
It
spun
around as if in the center of a
funnel cloud
and continu
ed
to
drop
closer
and closer
to
the water. 
The craft spun and dipped
four or
five
times, each time breaking free
moments
before being pulled down into the watery depths. 
In a final
round
, however, the
fierce power of the wind threatened to over
whelm
the
helicopter. 

Vin took a moment to look directly into
a camera
,
knowing t
hat C
a
eli would be watching from below, and smiled slightly.  C
a
eli could not help
him
, but she would appreciate his final touch.  A gust of wind knocked the camera around
t
o conveniently
point at
the black helicopter still struggling in the air.  As it hovered and spun above the water's surface, a strong wind blew it sideways and down, directly into an oncoming wave.  The helicopter was
engulfed
, taking all of its
hostile
occupants along with it, tumbling over and over into the deep, blue waters.  The threat
was
neutralized
, and the people responsible for Ben's
downfall
had been held accountable for their actions
.

"
You i
diot!  What was that?  That is not what I told you to do
,
"
Dr. Jacobs whispered harshly to his nephew as he watched the scene unfold on the monitors in the infirmary.

"
But it will work.  He will be laid up
and unable to travel right away; so
she will
most likely
attend the conference
as planned
,
"
Scott smiled smugly, ignoring the
image
s
on the screens.  He did
n
o
t care to watch.

"
Just because it worked out, doesn't mean it wasn't stupid.  What if they
had
missed?  What if they killed him, or worse, her?  It was risky and foolish!  It could have cost us everything.
"
  Dr. Jacobs ranted as he stood in his office.  After the incident on deck, he slipped out the back entrance of the wheelhouse and rushed Scott below before anyone
called for their assistance
.

"
Calm down, Uncle Neal.  Don't worry about something that didn't happen.  You've made your point, now
let's
move on.  What do we do next?
"
  Scott asked in a casual voice.  He lean
ed
against a long, white counter that was empty except for a stainless steel centrifuge at the far end. 

"
For starters, you are going to have to do something about this friend of yours.  He will be a liability if the cops get hold of him.  He could lead them straight back to you.  Can I assume that you will take care of this
properly
?
"
  Dr. Jacobs fum
ed
.

"
Yes, yes.  I'll handle it. 
Geez
!
  Chill out. 
O
nce we find out whose blood
Dr. Erickson
used, are you certain it will allow us to use the book?  Are you sure she
i
s the right blood type?
"

"
Of course
, I'm sure
.  The book responds to the blood
line
, not the
specific
person.  All we need is a large enough sample to test it.  Didn't Antonius teach you any of this while you were under his
tutelage
?  Some of this is basic information, Scott.
"

"
Hey, I told you what happened.  The crazy old timer got tunnel vision.  He was so obsessed with destroying the barrier, that he ignored the obvious problems such an attempt would cause.  Eyvindr's devotion to his family
proved
more problematic than Antonius
ever imagined it
w
ould be
.  In the end, it cost
the
man
his life.
"

"
Well, I suppose the small fortune I paid to arrange you
r
infiltrat
ion into
that organization was only partially wasted.  At least you learned a shocking trick or two.  You even turned one, if what you t
old
me
about Dalla
wa
s true,
"
he stopped to stand next to Scott and nudge the younger man knowingly
.

"
Never mind that the misguided old fool reached for things far beyond his grasp.  My ambition is not nearly so earth shattering. 
I don't wish to destroy any barriers. 
I don't need th
at cursed
book to reach my goal. 
I simply wish to enjoy all th
e privileges
that money can buy
. 
Taking over
Dr. Erickson's research will give me
that.  Finding the source of
her
medicine
is the key to taking it from her
.
  That is enough for me.
"
  Dr. Jacobs smiled in anticipation of his plan
to amass a
great
fortune.

"
Not for me, thanks. 
I have only one interest at the moment. 
I want th
e
power. 
I want to be able to access th
e
b
ook directly, any time I
choose
.  I don't want to be dependent on someone else's blood to do it for me. 
Then, no matter my desire, I will have the means to accomplish it. 
I think this mystery donor will provide that for me. 
P
erhaps I have a lesser goal as well.  I
woul
d very much like to meet Eyvindr's wife.  I'm
certain
she is the one who took the book.  I got word that she survived
the battle against
Antonius
, though it has been
exceedingly
difficult to get
any verifiable
information about
the incident
since that day.  The FBI and the cops
ha
ve kept a tight lid on the
details.
 
The news reports can't be trusted, and
I
never saw either of them return
to their house during the week afterward;
but she is the first one I plan to visit
once I have access to the book.
"

"
Did you get a good look at
either of
them?  Have you seen their photos?
"
 
Dr. Jacobs
kept pointing out the obvious flaws in his nephew's logic.  Either
Eyvindr or his wife
could have been dressed in a police uniform to mislead anyone who might be watching
for their return
.  Scott
's
tunnel vision
often limited his perspective
.

"
I would know Eyvindr.  His image
i
s engrained in my mind
;
but I
never
did get a good look at his wife.  I only
saw
her
briefly
and from a
distance.  I caught a glimpse of her when Nemi first brought her out
near
the training field.  Then I didn't see her again until she was at the top of the ridge with Antonius, right about the time all hell broke loose.  I was not able to see her clearly either time.  I think I would have enjoyed a closer look.  After all, Eyvindr crossed the barrier
between life and death
twice
to protect her.  I should think that would make her a woman worth seeing, don't you
agree
?
"
  Scott talked himself into an intrigued state of excitement.