“People aren’t nails.”
“Some are. Some aren’t, Dr. Cabral.”
Francesca wanted to change the subject. “How do you know my name?”
“I have known and admired your work for years, Dr. Cabral. In my opinion, your fame as one of the world’s leading hydro engineers easily eclipses your more recent notoriety as a white goddess.”
“You know who I am, but who are you?”
“My name is Brynhild Sigurd. Although your name is better known than mine, we are both accomplished in our chosen field, the movement of the earth’s most precious substance, its water.”
“You’re a hydro-engineer?”
“I studied at the finest technological institutions in Europe. After I finished my studies I moved to California, where I started my consulting company, now one of the biggest in the world.”
Francesca shook her head. She thought she knew everyone in the water engineering fraternity. “I’ve never heard of you.”
“I prefer it that way. I’ve always operated behind the scenes. I’m nearly seven feet tall. My stature makes me a freak, subject to derision from those very much inferior to me.”
Despite her predicament, Francesca felt a slight pang of empathy. “I had my share of harassment from idiots who don’t like the idea of a woman excelling in their field. I never let it bother me.”
“Perhaps you should have. In the long run my resentment at having to hide from the public has been an asset. I directed my anger, retooling it into an unstoppable ambition. I acquired other companies, all with an eye toward the future. There was only one fly in the ointment.” The cold smile again. “You, Dr. Cabral.”
“I’ve never considered myself an insect, Ms. Sigurd.”
“My apologies for the label, but the analogy is precise. Some years ago it became clear to me that in time the demand for the world’s water would exceed the supply, and I wanted to be the one with her hand on the tap. Then I heard about your revolutionary desalting process. If you were successful it would torpedo my carefully laid plans. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I considered making you an offer, but I had studied your personality and knew I could never get through your impractical altruism. I re solved to prevent you from giving the process to the world.”
Francesca felt the heat rising in her cheeks. Her voice came out in a hiss. “You were the one behind my attempted kidnap ping.’
“I had hoped to persuade you to work for me. I would have set you up in a laboratory to perfect your process. Unfortunately my plans went awry, and you disappeared into the Amazon. Everyone thought you were dead. Then I read with admiration about your adventures among the savages, how you became their queen. I knew that we were both survivors in a hostile world.”
Francesca had gotten her initial fury under control, and her reply was in measured tones. “What would you have done with the process if I had given it to you?”
“I would have kept it secret while I consolidated my grip on the world’s water.”
“I was going to give my findings to the world free of charge,” Francesca said disdainfully. “My goal was to relieve suffering, not profit by it.”
“Laudable but self-defeating. With you apparently dead, I set
up a plant in Mexico to duplicate your work. It was destroyed in an explosion.”
Francesca almost laughed. She knew the reason for the blast and was tempted to throw it in this woman’s face. Instead she said, “I’m not surprised. Working with high pressure and extreme heat can be tricky.”
“No matter. The main lab here was working on another aspect of the process. Then came the happy announcement of your escape from the Amazon. Again you disappeared, but I knew of your ties to NUMA. We’ve been watching the Trouts since they returned.”
“Too bad you’re wasting your time once again.”
“I don’t think so. It’s not too late to put your talents to work
“You have a strange way of recruiting employees. Your first kidnapping attempt was the reason I spent ten years in the wilderness. Now you drug and kidnap me again. Why would I want to do anything for you?”
“I can offer you unparalleled support for your research.”
“A dozen foundations would be glad to fund my work. Even if I were inclined to work for you, which I’m not, there is a major obstacle. The desalting process involves a complex molecular metamorphosis that works only in the presence of a rare substance.”
“I know about anasazium. My supply of the material was destroyed in the blast at the Mexican facility.”
“Too bad,” Francesca said. “The process can’t work without it. So if you’ll be so kind as to allow me to leave …”
“You’ll be pleased to know that I have all the anasazium you’ll need to develop your process. When I heard of your re turn I acquired a substantial amount of the refined material. Just in time, I might add. NUMA had dispatched part of its Special Assignments Team on a similar mission. Now I can carry out my full plan to control the world’s fresh water. You alone would appreciate the simple brilliance of my scheme, Dr. Cabral.”
Francesca feigned a reluctant agreement, as if she were secretly pleased at the compliment. “Well, of course, as a water scientist I would be curious about such an ambitious endeavor.”
“The world is entering one of the most serious droughts in its history. This dry spell could last a hundred years if the past is any indication. The first impacts have been felt in Africa, China, and the Middle East. Europe is beginning to experience a thirst that cannot be quenched. I simply plan to accelerate the process of drying out the world.”
“Excuse my skepticism, but that’s absurd.”
“Is it?” Brynhild replied with a smile. “The United States is not immune. The great desert cities of the Southwest, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, draw their water from the Colorado River, which is now under my control. They rely on a tenuous network of dams, reservoirs, and river diversion. The water sup ply hangs by a thread. Any disruption in the water supply would be disastrous.”
“You’re not going to blow up a dam?” Francesca said with alarm.
“Nothing so crude. With their regular water supply at the breaking point, the cities have been depending more and more on private sources. Gogstad’s straw corporations have been buying up water systems everywhere. We can create a water shortage wherever and whenever we want to simply by turning the handle of the tap. Then we will sell only to the places that can afford it, the big cities and the high-tech centers.”
“What of those who can’t afford it?”
“There’s an old saying in the West: ‘Water flows uphill to money.’ The wealthy have always been assured of a cheap water source at the expense of others. Under my plan water will no longer be cheap. We will be doing this on a worldwide scale, in Europe and Asia, South America and Africa. It will be capitalism at its purest. The market will determine price.”
“But water isn’t a commodity like pork bellies.”
“You’ve been in the jungle too long. Globalization is nothing more than the promotion of monopolies in communication, agriculture, food, or power. Why not water? Under the new international treaties, no one country owns its water resources anymore. They go to the highest bidder, and Gogstad will be the highest bidder.”
“You will deny water to thousands who will be forced out of the market. There will be famine and chaos in countries that can’t afford to buy water.”
“Chaos will be our friend. It will prepare the way for Gogstad’s political takeover of weakened governments. Think of it as water Darwinism. The strong will survive.”
The icy blue eyes seemed to bore into Francesca’s skull. “Don’t think this is retribution for all the slights I have received because of my stature. I am a businesswoman who realizes the proper political climate is necessary to do business. This has required no small investment on my part. I have spent millions building up a fleet of water tankers that would transport water from places that have it, towing it behind them in huge ocean going bags. I have been waiting years for this moment. I have not dared to move because I feared your process. It could destroy my monopoly within weeks. Now that I have you and the anasazium, I can strike. Within days the entire western half of the country will run out of water.”
“That’s impossible!”
“Is it? We will see. Once the Colorado River is finished as a supplier, the rest of the pieces will fall rapidly into place. My company controls most of the fresh water supplies in other parts of the world. We will simply turn the faucet off, so to speak. Gradually at first, then more forcefully. If there are any com plaints, we will say that we are
