Armageddon - A James Acton Thriller Book #29, page 1
ARMAGEDDON
A JAMES ACTON THRILLER
J. ROBERT KENNEDY
About the James Acton Thrillers
"James Acton: A little bit of Jack Bauer and Indiana Jones!"
Though this book is part of the James Acton Thrillers series, it is written as a standalone novel and can be enjoyed without reading the other installments.
What readers are saying about the James Acton Thrillers Series:
“A great blend of history and current headlines.”
“You stop breathing from the first page.”
“If you like Indiana Jones then you will love these stories.”
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“Non-stop action that is impossible to put down.”
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BOOKS BY J. ROBERT KENNEDY
* Also available in audio
The Templar Detective Thrillers
The Templar Detective
The Templar Detective and the Parisian Adulteress
The Templar Detective and the Sergeant's Secret
The Templar Detective and the Unholy Exorcist
The Templar Detective and the Code Breaker
The Templar Detective and the Black Scourge
The Templar Detective and the Lost Children
The James Acton Thrillers
The Protocol *
Brass Monkey *
Broken Dove
The Templar’s Relic
Flags of Sin
The Arab Fall
The Circle of Eight
The Venice Code
Pompeii’s Ghosts
Amazon Burning
The Riddle
Blood Relics
Sins of the Titanic
Saint Peter’s Soldiers
The Thirteenth Legion
Raging Sun
Wages of Sin
Wrath of the Gods
The Templar’s Revenge
The Nazi’s Engineer
Atlantis Lost
The Cylon Curse
The Viking Deception
Keepers of the Lost Ark
The Tomb of Genghis Khan
The Manila Deception
The Fourth Bible
Embassy of the Empire
Armageddon
No Good Deed
The Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers
Rogue Operator
Containment Failure
Cold Warriors
Death to America
Black Widow
The Agenda
Retribution
State Sanctioned
Extraordinary Rendition
Red Eagle
The Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers
Payback
Infidels
The Lazarus Moment
Kill Chain
Forgotten
The Cuban Incident
The Detective Shakespeare Mysteries
Depraved Difference
Tick Tock
The Redeemer
The Kriminalinspektor Wolfgang Vogel Mysteries
The Colonel’s Wife
Sins of the Child
Zander Varga, Vampire Detective Series
The Turned
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents
The Novel
Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 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
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
Acknowledgments
Don't Miss Out!
Thank You!
About the Author
Also by the Author
For those who didn’t make it.
“A fearful explosion. A frightful sound. I am writing this blind in pitch darkness. We are under continual rain of pumice-stone and dust. So violent are the explosions that the ear-drums of over half my crew have been shattered. My last thoughts are with my dear wife. I am convinced that the Day of Judgement has come.”
Captain Sampson British vessel Norham Castle August 27, 1883
She lies almost completely intact, only the front of the ship is twisted a little to port, the back of the ship a little to starboard. The engine room is full of mud and ash. The engines themselves were not damaged very much, but the flywheels were bent by the repeated shocks. It might be possible to float her once again.
Member of the rescue ship that discovered the Dutch gunship Berouw one month after the eruption, carried miles inland by a wave estimated to be over 120 feet high. September 1883
PREFACE
It was the loudest sound ever heard by humankind. On August 27, 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatoa erupted with such violence, the power output was estimated to be over 200 megatons of TNT, equivalent to 13,000 times the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Over 36,000 died.
There were four terrific explosions, the loudest detected by barographs around the world. However slight it eventually became, the shockwave circled the globe four times before becoming undetectable, and was described by one scientist as the “quite impossible occurrence of an earthquake in the air!”
The resulting devastation wasn’t limited to that of the explosion and the continuing eruptions of multiple volcanoes. The shock also resulted in numerous tsunamis, triggered in part by earthquakes resulting from the pressure shift.
It was just such an earthquake that formed the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami resulting in the death of over 225,000 surrounding the Indian Ocean.
An earthquake that originated in the same region our intrepid professors now find themselves.
1 |
The Blessed Land Present Day
Jara peered intently at the beach revealed by the low tide, his expert eye seeking the slight dimple in the wet sand indicating a crab might be just below the surface. He spotted one and jabbed his stone spade into the sand, pushing it deep, then shoved down on the wood handle, popping the sand onto the surface. His hand thrust into the turned pile and squeezed, grabbing the crab that was revealed and tossing it into his woven basket sitting nearby, already half-full.
It had been a successful day, the gods granting him a bountiful harvest that would have him heading home early. He could return to collect more, but that would be wasteful. One basket was all he needed to help feed his village for the evening meal. The sweet, succulent meat was always a pleasant addition. He’d be back tomorrow to get more, and because he hadn’t been greedy today, there would be plenty left.
His people had learned long ago to never take more than was necessary, otherwise you risked there being none when you needed it next. He scooped out another crab, tossing it expertly into the basket, and moved on to the next dimple in the sand, happily humming.
Something flashed on the horizon and he rose, staring out over the water, toward where the Outsiders called home, and prayed whatever he was looking at didn’t signal another attempt to invade the realm granted exclusively to his people by the gods.
The horizon quickly darkened, and it sent a chill up his spine as whatever it was grew. A crack of thunder, louder than anything he had ever heard, forced him backward as he gripped his ears, his chest physically reacting to whatever had caused the sound, and as quickly as it had started, it was over.
He tentatively removed his hands from his ears, confirming the sound was gone, then found himself struggling to control his pounding heart. It had been the most terrifying experience of his young life, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.
But something else was happening now.
He stared out at the water. Something was rapidly approaching, a fog that obscured the horizon. He stood tall, peering toward it, struggling to comprehend what he was looking at, when the ground started to vibrate, a sound building, drowning out the waves crashing on the reef.
And he knew this had nothing to do with the Outsiders, but was a message from the gods.
He ran.
2 |
Shiraz Hall Chennai, India Two Days Earlier
Archaeology Professor James Acton adjusted the knot of his tie slightly, giving himself an extra quarter-inch of play as the fashion accessory dug at his neck. He wasn’t a fan of suits. They should be reserved for politicians and businesspeople, not scientists. Whenever he was invited to an event, if it said Black Tie, he would try to find some reason to get out of it, but too often there was simply no way to avoid it.
Like tonight.
His wife, Archaeology Professor Laura Palmer, discreetly stepped in front of him, straightening his mangled tie then giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Maybe next time you should wear a clip-on.”
He grinned. “Consider it done.”
“With our track record over the past few years, our luck is eventually going to run out. Do you really want to be caught dead with a clip-on?”
He chuckled. “If you die with me, then I don’t give a shit how they find me, but if you don’t, I know you’ll take care of it.”
She patted his cheek. “You can count on it. While we’re on the subject, should I make sure you have clean underwear on as well?”
His eyebrows bobbed suggestively. “What if I’m not wearing any?”
She leaned in and a hand cupped the boys. A squeeze had him grunting. “I don’t know who I’ll miss more, you or him.”
Acton cleared his throat, adjusting his tie once again as he eyed the room packed with scientists, dignitaries, and local high society. “Who are you talking to?”
She let go. “I’ll never tell.”
He shrugged. “I don’t care. Either way, I come off great. And if you’re planning on touching my balls or anything else again, I’ll have to warn you that Ritesh is heading our way.”
She took a step back and took his breath away as she always did. She was gorgeous, to him the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And every moment he spent with her made him realize just how lucky he was. He had resigned himself to a life alone, his lifestyle not conducive to a long-term relationship, what with gallivanting around the globe for months at a time. But that lifestyle was her lifestyle, and she understood it and participated in it with equal enthusiasm. They were a match made in Heaven. Some people said opposites attracted, but they were anything but opposites.
“Jim, Laura, so happy you two could make it.”
Laura turned, beaming a smile at Professor Ritesh Jannarkar. “Well, we could hardly ignore the invitation after missing the past two years.”
Jannarkar laughed. “I was beginning to take it personally.”
Acton shook the man’s hand. “I can assure you, whatever excuses we made were genuine, and we’re happy to be here to support the cause.”
“Yes, you’ve been quite generous with your donations, even when you don’t attend to take advantage of our hospitality.”
Laura smiled. “We’ve been fortunate in life, and preserving historic buildings is a cause dear to my heart. All history should be preserved. It’s only through understanding and remembering our past that we can learn from it.”
“I agree wholeheartedly. Tearing down the past because one is offended by it today, means that those former remembrances are no longer in the public eye so they can be discussed and questioned. If history is hidden away because of offense, then so is the reason for that offense, and then one can no longer learn.”
“Wise words, my friend.” Acton’s eyes scanned the room. “I thought your wife was going to be with you tonight.”
Jannarkar threw up his hands. “She was supposed to be but got called away. Apparently, the Barren Island volcano is acting up, so she’s leading a team to investigate. The timing is fortuitous, since I’m heading to the area in two days with a team. A local villager discovered something, and I’m taking some of my students to see what it might be.”
Acton perked up at the mention of a new discovery. “Any clues? Pictures?”
“I believe it’s an old naval vessel, mid-to-late nineteenth century.”
“Interesting, though hardly unusual.”
“No, not if it were found on the shore.”
Now Acton’s curiosity was piqued. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, it was found buried several miles inland.”
Laura’s hand gripped his. “That could mean only one thing. A tsunami.”
Jannarkar smiled. “The two of you are the best archaeologists I’ve ever met, and together you’re unstoppable. That’s exactly the conclusion that I came to, though not within five seconds.”
Acton’s pulse quickened. “Wait a minute. Mid-to-late nineteenth-century vessel carried inland by a tsunami. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Laura stared at him, her eyes wide. “It has to be Krakatoa. Where was it found?”
“You’re not going to believe this. The Andaman Islands.”
Laura’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me! That far west?”
Acton squeezed her hand a little tighter. “There were multiple tsunamis that occurred over days, if not weeks, that wiped out entire islands. It’s definitely possible.”
Jannarkar cleared his throat. “There’s more.”
They both turned to their host, Acton ready to burst from the anticipation. “Out with it, man, you’re going to give me a stroke.”
Jannarkar laughed. “It was found on the west coast.”
Acton’s eyes narrowed, doubting himself. “How far from the east coast is that?”
“It was found a little less than ten miles from where the tsunami would have hit on the eastern shore.”
Laura’s hand darted to her mouth. “I’ve heard of tsunamis making it that far inland, though those events were unprecedented.” She stared at both men. “Could it be possible for a ship to have been carried that far inland, almost to the other side of the island?”
Acton squeezed the back of his neck with his free hand. “There’s only one way to find out.”
Jannarkar stared at both of them with a wide smile. “You’re welcome to join us if you wish.”
One glance at Laura and Acton knew her answer. “Try to stop us!”
3 |
On board the Norham Castle Northwest of Krakatoa August 27, 1883
Captain Sampson sat in his cabin, recording yet another fairly routine log entry, though perhaps not entirely routine. Since they had arrived in the area, a volcano had been acting up on the horizon, though it was far enough away to be of no concern. He, of course, had heard of volcanoes, though had never seen one himself. It was fascinating, and most of the crew, when not on duty, were up on the deck watching what was likely a once in a lifetime experience for all of them.
This was why he had become a mariner. He had wanted to see the world, as his father had, and his father before him. He wasn’t sure how far back in his lineage the sea went, but he was certain he had saltwater running through his veins. He loved this life, though he loved it a little less since he’d been married and the first of his children had been born. He missed them dearly every day, and the farther into any voyage, the worse it became.
He was near his destination now, their incredibly valuable cargo soon to no longer be his responsibility. Yet it would be a long journey home, and he’d be counting down the days until he was reunited with them. He had decided this would be his last long-haul voyage. It was simply too difficult, and not fair to his wife, now that they had three young children. While expeditions like this paid handsomely, especially as Captain, it was simply too painful to justify the extra pay. There were plenty of captaincies that would keep him close to Europe, where instead of seeing his wife once or twice a year, he’d see her once or twice a month. It would mean he’d have to work longer before he could retire, though work never scared him. It was the time away that tormented him now.
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