Sea of Greed Read online

  TITLES BY CLIVE CUSSLER

  DIRK PITT® ADVENTURES

  Odessa Sea (with Dirk Cussler)

  Havana Storm (with Dirk Cussler)

  Poseidon’s Arrow (with Dirk Cussler)

  Crescent Dawn (with Dirk Cussler)

  Arctic Drift (with Dirk Cussler)

  Treasure of Khan (with Dirk Cussler)

  Black Wind (with Dirk Cussler)

  Trojan Odyssey

  Valhalla Rising

  Atlantis Found

  Flood Tide

  Shock Wave

  Inca Gold

  Sahara

  Dragon

  Treasure

  Cyclops

  Deep Six

  Pacific Vortex!

  Night Probe!

  Vixen 03

  Raise the Titanic!

  Iceberg

  The Mediterranean Caper

  SAM AND REMI FARGO ADVENTURES

  The Gray Ghost (with Robin Burcell)

  The Romanov Ransom (with Robin Burcell)

  Pirate (with Robin Burcell)

  The Solomon Curse (with Russell Blake)

  The Eye of Heaven (with Russell Blake)

  The Mayan Secrets (with Thomas Perry)

  The Tombs (with Thomas Perry)

  The Kingdom (with Grant Blackwood)

  Lost Empire (with Grant Blackwood)

  Spartan Gold (with Grant Blackwood)

  ISAAC BELL ADVENTURES

  The Cutthroat (with Justin Scott)

  The Gangster (with Justin Scott)

  The Assassin (with Justin Scott)

  The Bootlegger (with Justin Scott)

  The Striker (with Justin Scott)

  The Thief (with Justin Scott)

  The Race (with Justin Scott)

  The Spy (with Justin Scott)

  The Wrecker (with Justin Scott)

  The Chase

  KURT AUSTIN ADVENTURES

  NOVELS FROM THE NUMA® FILES

  The Rising Sea (with Graham Brown)

  Nighthawk (with Graham Brown)

  The Pharaoh’s Secret (with Graham Brown)

  Ghost Ship (with Graham Brown)

  Zero Hour (with Graham Brown)

  The Storm (with Graham Brown)

  Devil’s Gate (with Graham Brown)

  Medusa (with Paul Kemprecos)

  The Navigator (with Paul Kemprecos)

  Polar Shift (with Paul Kemprecos)

  Lost City (with Paul Kemprecos)

  White Death (with Paul Kemprecos)

  Fire Ice (with Paul Kemprecos)

  Blue Gold (with Paul Kemprecos)

  Serpent (with Paul Kemprecos)

  OREGON FILES

  Shadow Tyrants (with Boyd Morrison)

  Typhoon Fury (with Boyd Morrison)

  The Emperor’s Revenge (with Boyd Morrison)

  Piranha (with Boyd Morrison)

  Mirage (with Jack Du Brul)

  The Jungle (with Jack Du Brul)

  The Silent Sea (with Jack Du Brul)

  Corsair (with Jack Du Brul)

  Plague Ship (with Jack Du Brul)

  Skeleton Coast (with Jack Du Brul)

  Dark Watch (with Jack Du Brul)

  Sacred Stone (with Craig Dirgo)

  Golden Buddha (with Craig Dirgo)

  NONFICTION

  Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt

  Built to Thrill: More Classic Automobiles from Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt

  The Sea Hunters (with Craig Dirgo)

  The Sea Hunters II (with Craig Dirgo)

  Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed (with Craig Dirgo)

  CHILDREN’S BOOKS

  The Adventures of Vin Fiz

  The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy

  G. P. Putnam’s Sons

  Publishers Since 1838

  An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

  375 Hudson Street

  New York, New York 10014

  Copyright © 2018 by Sandecker, RLLLP

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Cussler, Clive, author.

  Title: Sea of greed : a novel from the Numa files / Clive Cussler and Graham Brown.

  Description: New York : G. P. Putnam’s Sons, [2018] | Series: A novel from the Numa files

  Identifiers: LCCN 2018037962| ISBN 9780735219021 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780735219038 (epub)

  Subjects: | GSAFD: Adventure fiction. | Suspense fiction.

  Classification: LCC PS3553.U75 S43 2019 | DDC 813/.54—dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018037962

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Version_1

  CONTENTS

  Titles by Clive Cussler

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Cast of Characters

  Part One: The VanishingChapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Part Two: InfernoChapter 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

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

&nb
sp; Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  About the Authors

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  MEDITERRANEAN—1968

  David Ben-Avi Israeli genetics expert, stationed on Jaros.

  André Cheval French scientist and overall leader for Project Jericho.

  Lukas French commando and member of the SDECE, the French external intelligence.

  Gideon Executive officer on the Israeli submarine INS Dakar.

  NATIONAL UNDERWATER AND MARINE AGENCY

  Kurt Austin Director of NUMA’s Special Projects division, world-class diver and salvage expert.

  Joe Zavala Kurt’s closest friend, mechanical genius responsible for constructing much of NUMA’s exotic equipment.

  Priya Kashmir Lead member of NUMA’s technology division, confined to a wheelchair due to an automobile accident but determined to get onto a field team.

  Rudi Gunn Assistant Director of NUMA, graduate of the Naval Academy.

  Hiram Yaeger NUMA’s resident computer genius, owner of many patents relating to computer design.

  St. Julien Perlmutter NUMA historian and gourmet chef, owns thousands of rare books and artifacts.

  Paul Trout Member of the Special Projects division, has a Ph.D. in Ocean Sciences, married to Gamay.

  Gamay Trout NUMA’s leading marine biologist, married to Paul, Gamay is a fitness aficionado and tends to say exactly what’s on her mind.

  Kevin Brooks Captain of the NUMA vessel Raleigh.

  CREW OF THE ALPHA STAR OIL PLATFORM

  Rick L. Cox Operations manager and drilling supervisor of the Alpha Star offshore rig.

  Leon Nash Roughneck and crewman on the Alpha Star.

  NOVUM INDUSTRIA

  Tessa Franco Founder and CEO of Novum Industria, a high-tech alternative energy company, also the designer of the Monarch, a one-of-a-kind amphibious aircraft.

  Arat Buran Volatile leader of the Central Asian oil Consortium, Tessa’s former lover and confidant, currently involved with Novum via a clandestine financial arrangement.

  Pascal Millard Censured French geneticist, now working for Novum.

  Brian Yates Engineer and architect of Novum’s revolutionary fuel cells.

  MERCENARIES

  Volke Submersible pilot and former mercenary, works for Tessa in various capacities.

  Woodrich Ecological fanatic, wants to see the end of the Oil Age at all costs, goes by the nickname “Woods.”

  Alexander Vastoga Ex–Russian helicopter pilot and soldier of fortune, can be had for a high price.

  FLORIDA

  Misty Moon Littlefeather Electronics expert and old friend of Joe’s.

  Redfish Misty’s father, always suspicious of Joe’s intentions toward his daughter.

  WASHINGTON POLITICIANS

  Lance Alcott Head of FEMA, jockeying for control of the Alpha Star cleanup.

  Leonard Hallsman Former geologist, now Undersecretary of National Resources and Energy Security.

  James Sandecker Vice President of the United States, founder and former Director of NUMA.

  BERMUDA

  Macklin Hatcher Wealthy venture capitalist, false identity assumed by Kurt Austin.

  Ronald Ruff Hatcher’s assistant, false identity assumed by Joe Zavala.

  ISRAEL

  Admiral Natal Israeli Admiral, old friend of Rudi Gunn’s, currently in charge of the Office of Naval Records in Haifa.

  SHIPS AND AIRCRAFT

  INS Dakar Israeli submarine, purchased from the British, vanished on its way from the UK to Haifa in January 1968.

  Minerve (S647) French submarine, vanished in 1968 roughly twenty-five miles from Toulon.

  Monarch Wide-body amphibious aircraft designed by Tessa Franco, built in Kazakhstan.

  Gryphon Well-armed NUMA hydrofoil, deployed in dangerous environments.

  PART ONE

  THE VANISHING

  1

  ISLAND OF JAROS, AEGEAN SEA

  JANUARY 1968

  DAVID BEN-AVI walked along a trail on the rocky, windswept island of Jaros. The barren clump of land was just three miles in length and no more than half a mile wide at its broadest point. It sat in an isolated spot of the Mediterranean, a hundred miles northwest of Crete. Though it was officially uninhabited, Ben-Avi and a dozen others had called it home for nearly two years.

  With hands shoved in his pockets, Ben-Avi kept his face to the wind, walking briskly. The Mediterranean air had a bite to it in January. Fresh and pure in comparison to the stuffy laboratory and cramped barracks they lived in.

  The solitude wasn’t bad either . . . while it lasted.

  “David,” a voice called from behind him. “Where are you going?”

  The words came in English with a distinct French accent.

  Ben-Avi stopped in his tracks. Mother Hen had found him.

  He turned to see André Cheval, rushing after him. Cheval was leader of the French contingent on the island but also acted as overall commander for the entire group. He was always after them about something. Trash in the correct receptacle, no outside lights after sundown, be careful near the cliffs.

  He was dressed in outdoor gear and carrying a wool peacoat, which he handed to Ben-Avi. “Put this on. It’s freezing out here.”

  Freezing was an exaggeration, but Ben-Avi took the coat without objection, he knew better than to argue.

  “Where are you going?” Cheval asked.

  “You know where I’m going,” Ben-Avi said. “Out on the bluff, to watch the sunset and think.”

  “I’ll walk with you,” Cheval said.

  “Can’t I go anywhere without a chaperone?”

  “Of course,” Cheval said. “You’re not a prisoner.”

  That was true. Ben-Avi and the others were here as part of a joint Franco–Israeli research project. They had all volunteered, but after so long on the barren island, with only the monthly arrival of a supply ship to break the monotony, it felt like they were marking time and waiting to be paroled.

  “I have a feeling,” Ben-Avi said, “that all who come to Jaros must be prisoners in one sense or another. The Greeks kept captured communist insurgents here after World War Two, the Turks used it five centuries before that and the Romans picked this desolate spot to exile a troublesome daughter of the Emperor Octavian.”

  “Really?” Cheval said.

  Ben-Avi nodded. At the same time, he wondered how the Frenchman could live on the tiny island so long and not know a thing about it.

  “At least the Romans put some thought into the place,” Ben-Avi said. “All the Greeks did was put up those terrible rock huts we’re living in. The Romans carved the harbor out of solid rock. They set up catchment basins, dug a series of tunnels and underground cisterns to hold the rainwater, even found a way of using limestone to purify it and keep it from becoming stagnant. You should really have a look at them, they’re quite remarkable.”

  Cheval nodded but seemed unimpressed. “It seems Octavian’s daughter commanded a nicer prison than communist rebels.”

  The two men continued walking, though because the path was narrow in places Cheval was half a step behind.

 
; “So, what do you think about when you’re out here?” Cheval asked. “Getting back to Israel?”

  “That and the implications of our work,” Ben-Avi said.

  “Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts? It’s a little late now. The project is all but finished.”

  Ben-Avi stopped and glanced sideways at the Frenchman. The project, as he called it, was a giant step forward in an entirely new branch of science called genetics. It involved manipulation of cellular codes, tampering with the instructions of living things. The field had been talked about in theoretical terms for years, but like many scientific endeavors—everything from atomic energy to spaceflight—once the military became interested, progress had accelerated dramatically.

  “We’re changing living things,” Ben-Avi said. “Distorting life, creating new life. That’s an awesome responsibility.”

  “Yes,” Cheval said. “Some of the others have suggested that we’re tampering with the designs of God. Do you feel this way?”

  “Which god?” Ben-Avi replied briskly.

  “Any god,” Cheval said. “Yours, mine . . . the universe at large. Take your pick. Is that what you’re worried about? Divine retribution?”

  Ben-Avi resumed his walk, continuing along the path, angry now. “If God chose this moment to get into the retribution business, I would find that a very funny thing indeed. I would ask Him where He was when the Nazis came to power and Kristallnacht occurred. Ask Him where He was when the fires burned in the camps, incinerating the bodies of murdered Jews, day and night.”

  “So, the Holocaust shook your faith?”

  “Not just the Holocaust,” Ben-Avi said. “The entire war. I was an engineering student before it started. Because of my skills, the German Army dragged me into Russia with them. Whoever the Germans didn’t kill on the way in, the Russians killed on the way out. After that, I was in Berlin when the Allies bombed it to rubble. Buildings shattered to bricks, bricks pounded to dust. Day and night the raids came until the air was black and we choked with every breath. And that was nothing compared to the firebombing of Dresden. It’s a wonder that anyone survived.”