فصل 2

chapter two: who is the voice

Two Weeks Earlier

Schema hadn’t spoken for nearly a minute when the voice leaned back in his chair. “What’s wrong, my friend? Cassy got your tongue?” “It’s not me, sir,” Cassy said, brushing her short blond hair back over one ear. “I’m not doing anything.” “I know, Cass,” the voice said. “The chairman’s in shock. I suppose he wasn’t expecting to see me.” “Coonradt,” Schema said.

“Doctor Coonradt,” the voice corrected. “At least that was once my name. Many years ago. Now I’m simply ‘the voice.’ That is all you will call me.” Schema looked even more confused. “But I don’t understand. . . . You were dead.” “Because you killed me?”

Schema said nothing.

“Don’t bother to deny it. I know that you tried. You used my own technology against me. And, in a way, you succeeded. Coonradt is dead. After you killed Carl Vey, I knew that I was next. I knew that you were behind his heart attack, because it was my technology that allowed you to do it—a mistake I’ve regretted since I invented it.

“What a simple, perfect way to murder, to give someone a heart attack from a hundred yards away. It’s the perfect weapon. In a way, it’s the same power that Cassy has, except she comes by hers honestly.” He glanced over at Cassy, who slightly nodded.

“You thought I was dead, but rumors of my death were exaggerated. I was sick, mind you. Quite sick for a while. But then it became clear to me that I had to die.” Schema shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “If you knew what I’d done, why did you rescue me from the Elgen? Why not just let Hatch kill me?” He looked into the voice’s eyes. “Why haven’t you already killed me?” “Because I want your help to stop Hatch. You have information that will help us dismantle what Hatch is building.” “My enemy’s enemy is my friend,” Schema said softly.

“No,” the voice said in a low tone. “You are not my friend. You are an opportunity. I’m offering you an arrangement, not a friendship. You can help us or not, it’s your choice. But now that you know my identity, if you choose not to cooperate, you will be silenced.” Schema blinked. “Silenced?”

“I believe that’s the word you once used to order my murder,” the voice said. “Hatch would have fed you to his rats. I, on the other hand, am much more merciful. But if you reveal my identity, thousands, maybe millions, will die. Your life is not worth that. So make no mistake, you will be . . . silenced.” The voice turned to Cassy. “Go ahead and attach the arrestor.” “Yes, sir,” Cassy said. She walked out of the room.

“What’s an arrestor?” Schema asked.

“Your new companion.”

Cassy walked back into the room carrying a small box. She stood in front of Schema. “Take off your shirt, please.” Schema looked at her, then back at the voice. “What are you doing?” “Let me be clear,” the voice said. “Your very existence hangs by a thread. Don’t get into the habit of questioning orders. I am not your employee or your subordinate. I do not have time to trifle with you. You will obey me without question or die quickly.” His eyes narrowed and he spoke slowly, carefully enunciating each word. “Do you understand?” “Yes.”

“Then take it off.”

Schema quickly pulled off his shirt, exposing his tan, flabby body.

“Now put your arms through here,” Cassy said.

The device she was putting on him looked a lot like the Elgen RESAT. Schema put his arms through the straps, and Cassy slid the device forward. A thin, rubber-coated box about the size of a cell phone rested over his heart. Cassy locked the straps, then took the other two straps from the box and brought them around Schema’s ribs and snapped them shut in back.

“You are familiar with the RESAT machines, of course,” the voice said. “This is patterned after them, but based on the same technology that you used to kill Carl Vey. Except I’ve made a few improvements.” The voice lifted a small remote. “If you are a half mile or more from the central monitor, which is secured somewhere in this building, the arrestor will automatically activate, immediately stopping your heart. If I push this button, right here, the arrestor will activate, stopping your heart. If you try to remove the device, the arrestor will activate, stopping your heart.

“Of course Cassy can do any of this without technology, but I wanted insurance in case you think you can escape while we’re not around. You will wear the arrestor until I take it off you.” Cassy fastened the final lock, then stepped back. The machine hummed quietly as two diodes began blinking.

“It’s on,” Cassy said.

The voice lifted the remote in front of him, his index finger hovering a quarter inch above a red button. “One push, and your heart ceases to beat.” “I get the idea,” Schema said, sounding more annoyed than scared.

“Of course you do,” the voice said. “You’ve held others’ lives in your hands for some time. How does it feel to be on the opposite end of the leash?” “Humbling,” Schema said. “But Hatch already put me on that end of the leash.” “Yes, he has. And it’s time to talk about him. Time is of the essence. We have a plan we are about to put into motion.” The voice leaned forward. “We are going to the heart of the Elgen. We are going to steal the Joule.” Schema looked unimpressed. “That’s a foolish idea. The Joule is tighter than Fort Knox. Trust me, the ship is impenetrable.” “Nothing is impenetrable.”

“The Joule is. Its security systems can’t be breached. And it keeps its periphery. If anything comes within three hundred meters, it submerges. Its protocols are unbending.” “Which is why we need you to help us steal it. We need to know the ship’s security features and its crew’s protocols.” The voice leaned back in his seat. “If you help us steal the Joule, you get your life back. We’ll give you a hundred million dollars from the boat and allow you to regain control of the Elgen company.” “I want Hatch’s head on a stake.”

“You can get his head yourself. Take your money and buy an army. But first we need to steal the boat. We need protocols and security features.” “I’ll do what I can,” Schema said. “But Hatch has probably already changed the protocols.” “We’ll take what you can give us.”

“I can get you the boat’s schematics. . . . There are plans—blueprints.” “Where are they?”

“They were on the Ampere.”

“We sunk the Ampere.”

“I know. I was there. But the plans are still on it. And the Ampere is resting in only seventy feet of water. The Peruvian government hasn’t started to move it yet. The plans are protected in a waterproof safe in the captain’s suite. If you can get to the Ampere, I can tell you how to get into the safe.” The voice nodded slowly. “All right, that’s a beginning.” He turned. “Cassy, please tell Maggie to come in.” “Yes, sir.”

“Then come back yourself. I want you here for this. I want you to know everything about our plans.” Cassy’s eyebrows rose. “I’m going to be involved in this mission?” “Maybe. This might be too big even for the Electroclan.”