The Lucifer Code by Michael Cordy

Author:Michael Cordy
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi, pdf
Publisher: Transworld

35

Alaska

Miles Fleming had never been this far north before. Three years ago he and Rob had gone to Alaska to climb Denali, the highest mountain in North America. Soames’s jet had already flown over the Alaska range on its 2,500-mile flight from San Francisco to Fairbanks. From there they had taken the helicopter into the Arctic region towards the Brooks mountain range and the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay and Point McIntyre.

‘You’ll see the Foundation soon,’ Soames said, beside him, pointing out of the tinted helicopter windows to the white-capped mountains piercing the clouds below. ‘A few miles to the east lies the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but my grandfather bought most of the mountains you can see to your left. Aeons ago they were under the sea. Formed from marine rock, they contain huge deposits of petroleum. My grandfather created Alascon Oil but it was my father who built up the company after the big oil strikes in the sixties and seventies. He perfected the process of drilling through the mountain core. It made his fortune, which, of course, formed the basis of mine.

‘When he died I sold Alascon to BP to fund Optrix but kept about a thousand acres. I like it here; the climate agrees with me. From November to early February the sun doesn’t rise at all, which is ideal. And in the summer, well, I don’t go out much and privacy is never a problem here.’

Fleming looked down at the sea of white-crested peaks and felt a flutter of excitement. He saw the mountains as a good omen, reinforcing his impulsive decision to accompany Soames. What better place to ensure that Rob’s soul was safe than in his beloved mountains?

Through a patch in the clouds he saw an isolated collection of cabins studding one of the valleys. ‘Is that it?’ he asked.

Soames laughed so loudly that in the window’s reflection Fleming saw the two wolves raise their heads. ‘No,’ Soames said eventually. ‘That’s the rangers’ station for the wildlife refuge.’ He indicated the wolves behind him. ‘That’s where I got them as abandoned cubs. My Foundation’s just ahead.’

A particularly high peak appeared in front of them and the helicopter rose. As they neared it Fleming caught himself analysing its slopes for the best ascent, evaluating the angles and how best to tackle each section. It represented a decent challenge with a variety of inclines.

A voice broke into his thoughts. ‘That’s VenTec.’ Soames pointed to a black dome supported on eight angled struts on top of the flat mountain peak. Large plates of tinted black glass covered the massive construction and as the helicopter rose above it Fleming saw a large neon H in a circle on a steel platform projecting from the northern side.

‘It was originally an oil-rig, intended to link up with that refinery in the next mountain.’ Fleming saw a huddle of incomplete buildings, abandoned processing plant and skeletal metal frames on the lower peak. ‘The plan was to have a system of

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.