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Mansa slowly shook his head without turning. "No, allow them to go wherever they wish."
"And if Dr. Hopper finds signs of toxic sickness?"
"No matter. As long as I control communications with the outside world his reports will be altered to show our country lo be clean of illness, and hazardous wastes."
"But when they return to the UN headquarters-"
"Won't the true findings be exposed?" Mansa finished. "Yes, most certainly." He swung around suddenly, his expression menacing. "But not if their aircraft tragically meets with an accident during the return flight."
Pitt dozed off and on during the plane ride from Egypt to Nigeria. He woke only when Rudi Gunn came down the aisle of the NUMA executive jet, three coffee mugs firmly gripped in both hands. Taking a cup, Pitt looked up at Gunn in weary resignation, his expression devoid of enthusiasm and any expectations for fun times.
"Where in Port Harcourt are we meeting the Admiral?" he asked without really caring.
"Not exactly in Port Harcourt," Gunn hedged, handing Pitt a coffee.
"If not there, then where?"
"He's waiting on board one of our research ships 200 kilometers off the coast."
Pitt fixed Gunn with the gaze of a hound staring at a cornered fox. "You're holding out, Rudi."
"Would Al like some coffee?"
Pitt glanced at Giordino who was snoring in sweet bliss. "Save it. You couldn't wake him with a lighted firecracker in his ear."
Gunn eased into a seat across the aisle from Pitt. "I can't tell you what Admiral Sandecker has on his mind, because I honestly don't know. I do, however, suspect it has to do with a study NUMA marine biologists have conducted on coral reefs around the world."
"I'm aware of the study," said Pitt, "but the results came in after Giordino and I left for Egypt." Pitt was comfortable with the fact that Gunn would eventually level with him. He and Gunn had an easygoing relationship despite th
e obvious differences in their lifestyle. Gunn was an intellectual with degrees in chemistry, finance, and oceanography. He would be totally at home living in the basement of a library inundated by books, compiling reports and planning research projects.
Pitt, on the other hand, enjoyed working with his hands on things mechanical, especially on the old classic automobiles in his collection in Washington. Adventure was his narcotic. He was in paradise when flying antique aircraft or diving on historic shipwrecks. Pitt had a master's degree in engineering and took great pleasure in tackling the jobs others thought impossible. Unlike Gunn, he was seldom found at his desk in the NUMA headquarters building, preferring the excitement of probing the unknown depths of the sea.
"The bottom line is the reefs are in peril and dying off at an unheard-of rate," Gunn answered. "Right now, it's a hot topic among marine scientists."
"What parts of the oceans show this trend?"
Gunn stared at his coffee. "You name it. The Caribbean from the Florida Keys to Trinidad, the Pacific from Hawaii to Indonesia, the Red Sea, the coasts of Africa."
"All with the same attrition rate?" asked Pitt.
Gunn shook his head. "No, it varies by locale. The worst-case scenario appears to be along the West African coast."
"I didn't think it uncommon for coral reefs to go through cycles where they stop reproducing and die before becoming healthy again."
"That's correct," Gunn nodded. "When conditions return to normal the reef will recover. But we've never seen such widespread damage at such an alarming rate"
"Any idea of the cause?"
"Two factors. One, the usual culprit, warm water. Periodic rises in water temperature, generally from changes in sea currents, cause the tiny coral polyps to eject, or vomit if you will, the algae they feed on."
"The polyps being the little tubular devils that build the reefs with their skeletal remains."
"Very good."
"What about sums up my knowledge on coral," Pitt admitted. "The life-and-death struggle of coral polyps rarely makes the evening news."
