Page 158 of Clive Cussler's Quantum Tempest
“We were grasping at straws and got lucky. It all came together just at the right time.”
“How so?”
“Hali’s Sniffer dissected Suárez’s cell signal as soon as he called you on the beach. That gave Hali the phone’s unique electronic signature along with the exact make, model, and software version he was using. Murphy used that intel to find an exploit in the phone and built a malware program. Meanwhile, Eric was searching CIA files for any information he could get on Suárez and just happened to come across old footage of his wife, Nadia. It was Eric’s idea to embed Murph’s malware into the video.”
“Something he knew Suárez couldn’t resist.”
“Murph’s malware bypassed the phone’s safety measures and overloaded the lithium-ion battery with rapid charge and discharge cycles.”
“Inducing a thermal runaway. No wonder the airlines hate lithium batteries.”
“It was a Hail Mary play for sure.”
“And all that in forty-five minutes?” Cabrillo asked. “Those two young geniuses never fail to impress.”
“It was our only shot. We were just too far away to use shipboard weapons.”
“And how did you sneak Eddie and MacD onto the island?”
“As soon as Gomez lifted off in the AW, the Joby slipped in behind him, using the AW as a screen. The side of the island where you—I mean, Kevin—were held was on top of a cliff.”
“If Gomez flew the AW, then Arnie Davis must have flown the Joby.” Cabrillo’s decision to hire the temp contractor pilot had paid off handsomely.
“He was aces. No surprise there. He’s former Air Force Spec Ops.”
“I’m guessing Arnie held the Joby just beneath the cliff to stay out of sight and waited for your signal to infil after Suárez released the nuns?”
“Bingo.”
“What’s their condition?”
“No physical harm. Just a little shook up. But they’re a pair of troopers, for sure. Arnie’s flying them back to their convent as per their request.”
The twoOregonexecutives arrived at the sick bay. Juan pulled open the door and ushered Linda inside.
?
Kevin Nixon lay in anOregonhospital bed, propped up with pillows. A thick bandage was wrapped around his right hand. He had just polished off a tall cup of ice water when Cabrillo marched into the room with Linda in tow. Kevin flashed an awkward smile. Diminutive Dr.Huxley stood by his bed updating his digital chart.
“You look good, Kev,” Linda said. “How are you feeling?”
Nixon held up his hand. “Reminds me ofThe Mummyremake I worked on a few years back.” He examined the bandage more closely. “Not exactly period accurate, but Dr.Huxley did a good job.”
“What’s the prognosis, Doc?” Cabrillo asked.
Huxley shot Kevin a glance. Technically, patient confidentiality rules forbade her to answer, but Kevin gave her a wink. TheOregoncrew were like family.
“The bullet passed clean through, but that hollow-point slug did quite a bit of damage—bones, muscle, tendons, nerves. I put things back together as best I could and stopped the bleeding. But he needs a level of care I can’t provide on this ship and he needs it right away. James Heiskell is the best orthopedic hand surgeon in the world. His clinic is in San Diego. I’ve already reached out to him.”
“How soon can we move Kevin?”
“Jimmy’s rearranging his schedule so we can get him on his table tomorrow afternoon.”
Juan turned to Linda. “Make the travel arrangements with Max and Gomez, pronto.”
“On it.” Linda sped for the door.
“What’s my long-term outlook, Dr.Huxley?” Kevin asked.
