Arctic Fire (16 page)

Pike felt like he was on the top of Mount
Everest. The sky had cleared and was now a dazzling blue as he
swept from horizon to horizon with an unobstructed 360-degree view
of it all. Not to be outdone by the cloudless blue sky, the ocean
was a deep rich color that rolled in long, low swells.

In the front, he could see the tug churning
white swatches of water as it struggled pulling this massive beast.
As he walked around the observation deck he found himself staring
at the floating city behind him.

“Just think,” Cain continued, “what would have
happened if we would have had technology like this in 2004 when the
tsunami devastated the Indian Ocean? How many lives could have been
saved in the earthquake that rocked Haiti in early 2010 by having
fresh, clean drinking water available? How panic could have been
avoided in the Japanese tsunami if they’d had fresh water and known
they wouldn’t run out?

Cain stood on the observation walk and looked
over his massive man-made iceberg and raised his hands as if in
prayer and praise. “What Geoffrey Nathaniel Pyke first conceived of
for death, destruction, and war, I have created to bring life,
health, and peace.”

That was a little over the top, Pike thought to
himself as he stood watching Cain. He turned to look at Mallory and
noticed she had a strange look on her face, not a readable
expression like joy or sorrow but more of an echo, like she was
thinking it but it hadn’t gone all the way from her mind to her
heart, then to her face. It was a strange look he just couldn’t
identify. She glanced at him and the echo quickly vanished,
replaced by an embarrassed smile. “Nigel does get carried away at
times.” She said softly, almost reverently.

Tilting his head, Pike whispered back, “That he
does.”

Cain turned around, his winning smile filling
his face. “Every great invention that has dared to step out of the
box, so to speak, no matter how innovative or significant, has met
with criticism, and my project is no exception,” Cain said as he
trotted down the stairs and motioned for them to follow. “Because
of the uniqueness and scope of my project, there are those who fear
that it may be unsafe to bring into New York harbor. Can you
believe that?” He shook his head, genuine hurt flooding his face.
“I’m trying to save lives here.”

Cain reached the main floor and continued on
toward the elevator. “Like I said earlier, Gabriel, this is where
the rubber meets the road. You are here to disprove the Nay-Sayers
with a thorough safety inspection that will put their minds to
rest.”

They got in the elevator and Cain took a key out
of his pocket, opened a small panel, pushed a button, then closed
the panel again. The door shut and the elevator began to descend.
“Don’t want any reporters getting off on the wrong floor and
wandering around, getting lost and turning into Popsicles now to do
we?” He said smiling.

“Anyway, I know that what I just said may sound
like I am asking you to rubber-stamp this project but I’m not.
That’s why I hired you, an independent firm, on the west coast
even, with no ties to Cain Industries, to come out here to inspect
this. I want everything on the up and up.”

The elevator came to a smooth stop. When the
door opened, Pike saw a group of three men talking. As soon as they
saw it was Cain in the elevator, one of them started walking toward
them. “This is where I leave you to your work. Elizabeth and I have
work to do in a little warmer climate,” Cain said, adding an
exaggerated shiver. “That’s Dean Miles, my chief engineer. He’ll
get you anything you need. If he doesn’t, you just let me
know.”

“Thank you, sir,” Pike replied as the door shut,
swallowing Cain whole.

Chapter
Sixteen

With the stealth not common for a man of his
size, the intruder slipped quietly into the room. The woman had her
back to him, facing the wall, watering some plants on the
bookshelf. Perfect. He crept forward, slowly inching his way toward
her. Just a few more feet and he would be upon her…he hoped.

“Hello Senator Williams,” Mallory said, her back
still towards him. Disappointment at having been caught flashed
across his face, which he quickly smothered as she turned
around.

“Nigel will be here shortly. Please have a seat
and I’ll have some coffee brought in.”

“That’s just as well. This will give us a bit of
a chance to get to know each other better.” He said with a
well-practiced, charming smile as he followed her back to her
desk.

He sat on the corner of the desk as he continued
to speak. “You’ve been with Nigel for a long time now haven’t
you?”

Mallory nodded her head. “Nearly ten years,” she
replied with pride.

“So you two have been through a lot
together?”

“Yes.”

“So tell me, honestly, will this crazy idea of
his work or does he have something else up his sleeve? Don’t get me
wrong, I admire Nigel, but I need to know if this horse will get
out of the gate before I bet the farm on it.”

“Oh, it will work Senator. This isn’t a long
shot, this is the odds on, hands down sure winner you can bet the
farm on.” Mallory smiled as she spoke to the Senator, but there was
no warmth in her voice. She didn’t like or trust the Senator. She
didn’t like having to make a deal with the devil, so to speak but
there was nothing she could do about it, at least not at the
moment. And what she hated the most was the way he looked at her.
She wasn’t new to this game and knew that boys will be boys, but
the way he leered at her sometimes brought it down to a whole new
level. The Senator fancied himself as a ladies’ man but his ugly
grins, smug arrogance and not so subtle innuendos made her feel
cheap, like she was an object to be used and thrown away and not a
person. She hated him.

“We all know that Nigel has the financial means
to make this project happen but like they say, money can’t buy you
love or congressional approval.” Williams paused and thought about
what he’d said. “Okay, maybe it can, but the point is, as powerful
as Cain is, he still needs help in order to make this thing
float.”

“You have the political clout and connections to
be nominated by your party to run for the presidency and you’re
right of course, money can’t buy you love or in this case, the
money needed along the campaign trail.” Mallory said coolly. “So I
believe this is a win-win situation all the way around.”

“Damn, girl!” Williams exclaimed, standing up.
“You were made for politics. Come work for me!”

“Trying to steal my help Pug?” Cain said smiling
as he walked into the room.

“I just might.” He let his eyes linger over her
then turned to Cain smiling. “She is a woman of considerable
talents.”

“You couldn’t afford her, old friend; she is too
high maintenance.”

Mallory shot him a dirty look.

Just then Brad, the waiter from the Crystal
Palace, brought in a serving tray with coffee, hot tea and an
assortment of pastries. Cain grabbed a cup of tea and sat down at
his desk. “What can I do for you Pug?”

Williams leaned back in his chair and took a sip
of coffee, drawing all the attention to himself, making them wait
to hear what
he
had to say. “There are some potential
benefits to this project, but also a lot of risks. While the
benefits to Third World and starving nations may be apparent, what
can it offer industrialized nations such as the U.S.?”

Before Cain could answer, Williams took a sip of
coffee then turned to Mallory. “Beth,
darling
, could you get
me a little cream and sugar please?”

Mallory remained calm and unaffected on the
outside and even managed a polite smile, but inside she was about
ready to explode. She knew the Senator was testing her, that this
was just one big game to him, but she was not about to give him the
satisfaction of letting him know that she was the slightest bit
irritated.

“Nigel, would you like something since I’m up?”
Mallory said, making a point to serve him before Williams. “Thank
you, no,” Cain replied, sitting back and watching the exchange.

“Senator?” Mallory said standing over him with
the service platter. “How would you like it— cream and sugar?”
Throwing the ball back in his court. Williams looked up at her and
smiled, “Just set it down, thank you…
darlin,
” he threw in at
the last moment, ending the volley.

Cain waited patiently for Williams to put the
cream and sugar in his coffee before he began. “Let’s get right to
the backroom politics shall we?” Cain said. Williams just smiled
and nodded his head.

“Good; I’ll be blunt then.” Cain continued.
“From the inception of this project you’ve been intrigued by it and
have been enjoying the free publicity garnished from it, but now
that the time is near, you’re getting cold feet; should you stay
and have your name associated with it or cut your losses and bail.
And second, while you may have honest concerns about how it could
help the U.S. economy, the real question going through your mind
is, how or if it can help you get to the presidency? Stop me here
anywhere along the line where I’m wrong.”

Williams sat very noncommittally in his
comfortable chair, sipping his coffee and not saying a word.

Cain continued. “In the short term, with your
name on everybody’s lips, can that be a bad thing with elections
looming just over the horizon? Plus, think about the small economic
boom this is bringing to New York. I’ve checked with the State’s
bureau of tourism and there’s been a 35% spike for the city and a
23% increase for the state overall compared to this same time last
year. I’m sure your PR boys can take those numbers and run with
them. During the elections, you can spin those numbers again,
taking credit for them saying you did it for New York and you can
do it for the entire country too.

“In the long term, once you are elected, you’ll
be assured of a second term by being the President who saved the
country. How? You will be at the forefront, the leader who is
solving this nation’s water shortage before it even happens. This,”
Cain said, waving his arms around the room, “all this is nothing
but a big show, to get people’s attention, to get them thinking
about what is coming and what we can do now to avoid major
rationing down the road. This is just a showboat. The real
workhorses, if you will, will be smaller blocks towed directly to
the cities in need, where nearly 100% of the iceberg can be
converted into safe drinking water.

“Did I say affordable? Once stations are set up,
a 16-ounce bottle of berg water will cost less than half that of
its store bought competitor. In times of great need, it’s cheap
enough to be given away free and when there are just spot
shortages, supplies can be brought in and sold to John Q. Public at
a discount. The public will love you for this, and you can use the
profits to supplement the bottles given away or whatever projects
you need funded.”

Cain moved from behind his desk and sat on its
edge in front of Williams. “And this water supply is terrorist
proof. For a determined terrorist, there are any number of ways to
sabotage any major city’s water supply. If that happens, bam! We,
or should I say YOU, bring in a fleet of icebergs and the problem
is solved. The terrorists can’t hijack an iceberg and they can’t
sink it and they can’t contaminate it. The only way to stop it
would be to nuke it. And this same benevolence can be shared with
other countries, creating unprecedented goodwill toward America,
and towards you as its leader. Who knows, you may even become
another Roosevelt and be elected to more than two terms.”

Cain paused to let the idea sink in and to let
Williams play with it a bit. He walked back around his desk and sat
down and sipped his tea, enjoying the look on the Senator’s face as
visions of sugar plums, roaring crowds chanting his name, and a
subservient House and Senate danced in his head.

“Pug?” Cain finally said after a few
minutes.

“Yes?” Williams said, almost unwilling to let
his dream go. “Ah yes,” he said clearing his throat, “you do make a
very convincing argument but I learned at a very early age that
there is no such thing as a free lunch. What more do you want from
me?”

Cain shook his head. “Nothing more than what
you’re been doing already. Just keep running political interference
against those who have no vision of the future and keep endorsing
and touting the praises of the project.”

Williams nodded his head slowly, considering
every angle. “I’ve also learned that you don’t get something for
nothing, what’s in this for you?”

“Complete and total world domination.” Cain
replied in a flat, mater-of-fact tone.

Williams just stared at his friend, not
believing what he had just heard. He knew from experience that the
super wealthy could be eccentric, but he never figured Cain to be
one of those. Then, he saw a slight crack pierce Cain’s lips and he
stared to laugh, quickly followed by Cain. “Oh you had me there for
second.” Williams said between laughs. “Remind me never to play
poker with you; that was one hell of a bluff.”

After a few more bits of laughter, Williams
looks back at Cain. “Seriously, Nigel, what are you getting out of
all of this?”

Cain stood and held his arm up and Williams
stood as well. Cain put his arm around the Senator and led him to
toward the door. “It doesn’t really matter what I’m getting out of
this does it, so long as you get what you’re hoping for?” Before
Williams could answer, Cain continued. “No it doesn’t, and as Beth
pointed out earlier, this is a win-win for everyone."

By now they were standing at the door and Cain
held out his hand. “Thanks for coming by and I’m glad we had this
discussion and we’re both on the same page. Now if you will excuse
me I have some plans to make for taking over the world.” Both men
laughed as they shook hands and Cain skillfully led the Senator out
the door.