Page 103 of Clive Cussler's Quantum Tempest

The Brazilian led Fierro and his bodyguard to an armored compartment located one deck below the amidships superstructure. Stokes and Bose were inside amid the glowing LCD monitors and flashing electronics. The techs in the darkly chilled room were all former military, but no one shouted,Attention on deck!or snapped to attention when Fierro, a civilian, entered. They all turned around to catch a glimpse of the man with the inexhaustible bankroll who paid their lavish salaries. The few women in the room were instantly attracted to his smoldering good looks. The men envied his wealth and power.

“You can all return to your duties,” Fierro said. The techs turned back around to their monitors, keyboards, and joysticks.

Stokes flashed a pleasant smile and extended his hand, noting the drug lord’s grim and tired face. He avoided the soul-snatching stare of Fierro’s muscular goon, scanning the room for threats against hispatrón.

“Welcome aboard, Mr.Fierro. I’m glad you made it safely.”

Fierro ignored the handshake. “I almost flew past you beneath that cloud cover. Why didn’t you answer my radio call?”

“As I informed you before, we’re on complete radio and electromagnetic silence.”

Fierro pointed at the techs and their stations. “Then what are they doing?”

“Passive sensors only. Optical and electromagnetic invisibility is our best protection. Nobody can shoot at us if they can’t find us.”

“And the artificial cloud cover?”

“We’ve been dispersing micron-size metallic nanoparticles to obscure high-altitude satellite imagery, along with a thermal-blocking silica-based aerogel mist that disrupts infrared sensors.”

Fierro gave a begrudging nod to the ingenuity.

“Lucky for you I’m an excellent pilot. Otherwise, you might have missed your next paycheck.”

“You pay me to keep theBaktunsafe, Mr.Fierro, not run a taxi service.”

“How was your flight, Mr.Fierro? Uneventful, I trust?” Bose asked as she approached. She smiled pleasantly, trying to smooth the turbulent waters threatening to overwhelm the two alpha males.

“It was a very long and very loud helicopter ride from Colombia to Nicaragua with a refueling stop in Panama,” Fierro said. “And an equally long flight from Nicaragua to here.”

“You mentioned in your radio message that you had been attacked?”

“By the Americans, I’m sure of it.”

“How did they find you?” Stokes asked.

“A leak in Colombian intelligence most likely.”

“Terrible,” Bose offered.

“And how can you be sure they don’t know you’re here?” Stokes asked.

“I took precautions, if that’s what you’re suggesting,” Fierro said.

Stokes frowned. “You may have put us all in the crosshairs.”

“That’s also what I pay you for.” Fierro turned to Bose. “Where are we on the AGI launch? Still on time?”

Bose turned to a newly installed digital countdown clock.

“Forty-seven hours and twenty-one minutes from now, we will change history.”

“And if I recall, that means we can’t fire up the engines for forty-seven hours and…twenty-two minutes. Is that correct?”

Bose nodded. “Correct.”

“Unless the Americans show up,” Stokes said. “We may need to evade or maneuver.”

“Do that and you’ll destroy the AGI,” Bose protested.