The Black Silent

Now, Haley Walthers is on the run. Her friend and mentor, Ben Anderson, is missing, and the
one man she never thought she'd see again is the only man who can help her. Sam Wintripp is a
former covert operative whose shadowy past has trained him to be as lethal as anyone he's up
against. Together, they set out to find Ben
—
and learn the secret that a soulless corporate
syndicate will do anything to possess.

With a merciless enemy closing in, Haley and Sam must prevail in a brutal race. Against all
odds, they'll risk everything to secure the extraordinary finding that, in the wrong hands, could
wreak untold devastation, starting with the Pacific Northwest
—
and ending with the world. . .

Raves for David Dun and
The Black Silent:

"Nonstop action that takes off from the very first page. David Dun knows how to keep the pages flying."

—
New York Times
bestselling author Tess Gerritsen

"Prepare to hold your breath!"

—
New York Times
bestselling author Lee Child

"Lock your doors and order in.
The Black Silent
by David Dun is a spellbinding adventure that's chilling, real, and unforgettable. With his unerring eye for detail and ballistic pace, Dun proves himself a master of intrigue and suspense. Watch out, Michael Crichton!"

—
New York Times
bestselling author Gayle Lynds,
The Coil
and
Masquerade

"When you learn what's on the ocean's floor, you'll get the wits scared out of you. This terrific scientific thriller has a heart-pounding pace that never stops."

—
New York Times
bestselling author David Morrell

"Once you start reading
The Black Silent,
you won't come up for air until the very last page. Original, compelling, and, best of all, thought-provoking, it is a page-turner in the best sense of the word! I thoroughly enjoyed it."

—
New York Times
bestselling author Chris Reich

"David Dun combines cutting-edge science and classic suspense with superb results."

—Bestselling author Steve Alten,
Domain

"David Dun delivers. You won't be done with Dun until the very last page."

—
New York Times
bestselling author Ridley Pearson

"Readers will delight in well-executed plot twists. . . escapist fiction of the first order."

—
New York Times
bestselling author Clive Cussler

THE BLACK SILENT

DAVID DUN

PINNACLE BOOKS

PINNACLE BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp. 850 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022

Copyright © 2005 by David Dun

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.

All Kensington Titles, Imprints, and Distributed Lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, and educational or institutional use.

Special book excerpts or customized printings can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write or phone the office of the Kensington special sales manager: Kensington Publishing Corp., 850

Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022, attn: Special Sales Department, Phone: 1-800-221-2647.

Pinnacle and the P logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

First Pinnacle Books Printing: July 2005

ISBN: 0-7860-1637-X

10 987654321

Printed in the United States of America

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T
o Ed Stackler, my friend and editor, whose thoughtful comments are always invaluable and whose labors made a significant contribution to this novel; to Anthony Gardner, my agent, for being a great advocate, a terrific adviser, and a good friend.

To all the creative people at Kensington Books: to Publisher Laurie Parkin, for her book-savvy street smarts and for taking a chance on me, for her no-nonsense approach to the truth, and for having just the right dose of tact mixed in with her reality; to editor-in-chief, Michaela Hamilton, for keeping things on track and for our conversation about the essentials of compelling plots (and for privately editing my first book
Necessary
Evil);
to my editor, Gary Goldstein, for his artful and efficient handling of the entire publication process, for keeping me informed and ensuring that I did not end up with mushroom status, for his great advice with regard to plotting and his enthusiastic support

—every author wants this kind of thoughtful get-it-done editor.

To Stephanie Finnegan, a great copy editor whose inspiring devotion to all manner of factual and grammatical details is deeply appreciated.

To Dr. Michael Kinsella, Ph.D. (a fun guy with a great imagination), of Beneroia Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, for helping me understand the foundations of molecular biology and the evolution of the science of the human genome. Mike has been a major underpinning in my efforts to understand molecular genetic science in this and other plots.

To William Pendergrass, Ph.D., of the University of Washington Medical School, Department of Pathology, for his invaluable assistance with molecular biology as it pertains to aging.

To the University of Washington Marine Laboratory, for their generous hospitality and great assistance in showing me around the Friday Harbor, San Juan Island University Marine lab, and Bob Schwartzberg, who gave me a much appreciated personal guided tour.

To Professor Jerry Dickens Ph.D., professor of oceanography, Rice University, Texas, for his assistance in understanding the geology of methane deposits, possible mechanisms for methane release into the atmosphere, and the chemistry of undersea microbial life, as it pertains to food supply and energy consumption. He is one of the few people to have eaten gas hydrates from the sea floor (no lie).

To Professor Gregory Retallack, Ph.D., University of Oregon, Department of Geology, for his invaluable information concerning the accumulation of methane on the ocean floor and the various potential triggering mechanisms for catastrophic methane release that have been discussed among scientists.

To Sheriff Bill Cumming, the San Juan County sheriff, whose help was invaluable and whose professionalism and knowledge deeply impressed this author. His noteworthy honors, achievements, and activities in the community and Washington State are too numerous to mention, but no doubt account for his exceptionally long tenure. I want to particularly thank Sheriff Cumming for his help in understanding the sheriff's department, the chain of command, and the interplay between various law enforcement agencies, island culture, and the subtle permutations of law enforcement in an island community. My extrapolation from actual facts about the sheriff's department and the islands to construct a story was mine alone.

To Fred Wilson, BM3 United States Coast Guard, and Clinton Townsan, United States Coast Guard officer candidate, for their assistance in understanding Coast Guard command structure and activity in the region of Bellingham and the San Juan Islands.

To Jim and Kathy Crain, residents of San Juan, for showing me around the islands, for explaining island life and culture, and for Jim's tutelage in island geology.

To Anacortes Yacht Charters for supplying great boats with which to watch the whales and explore the San Juan Islands.

To Lauren Holden, resident of San Juan Island and the former proprietor of the bicycle rental shop on the landing above the ferry, for telling me about her life on the islands.

To the ever-enterprising oyster lady at the oyster bar on the veranda, and the oyster girls, who have learned how to feed the tourists and make a living cooking up great seafood and telling good stories.

To Ruth Johnson, for her extensive efforts in finding original research and articles, word processing, and logistical support; to Jo-Anne Stevens, in finding original research and articles, travel arrangements, word processing, and for logistical support.

To Justin Kirsch, for invaluable personal encouragement, helpful information concerning computer security, and insightful editorial suggestions.

To Richard Downs, of the Monday-night group, who, while sitting around the bar, told me of a fascinating article in
Discover
magazine concerning strange things in the deep sea, which provided the seminal idea for research on the subject.

To Mariana Krattiger, for creating the marvelous calligraphy map in front of the book.

To Miles Hay, for his technical assistance on the subject of weapons and firearms.

To all my friends, family, and coworkers from whom I have received a large measure of encouragement and inspiration, some who helped with a few words and some who devoted themselves to many hours, even days of thought and helpful editorial commentary. Not all of them are listed here. I thank you all for your generosity, support, and hard work. I will undertake the risk of naming a few of these fine folks (in alphabetical order): Nancy Andrew, Mark Emmerson, Russ Hanley, David Martinek, Missy McArthur, Bill Warne, and Donna Zenor.

To all of my friends at the Outback Steak House of Redding, California, who cook me up some great fish while I write into the night. Redding Outback knows my favorite recipe. You won't quite find it on the menu. These are fine people who give great service.

To Ritchie Phillips, proprietor of R&D, my network computer guru (and the ever-faithful Brian Small) who keeps the office connected.

To Steve and Mary McCaughey and Strange Birds, for their technical assistance in flying wounded airplanes.

To my wife, Laura, who is the love of my life, who unfailingly supports me, and who inspired parts of the Haley character when she piloted and flew me in a Lake amphibian around the San Juan Island chain.

Sunday morning, three days after Thanksgiving

T
he shock of no air hit him at the same instant someone pulled his mask loose from behind, filling it with icy water. Despite the shock, Ben's diver's mind instinctively began a countdown: he had two minutes.

Ben couldn't sense his attacker's location—the other diver had to be staying behind him, hovering at the edge of a forest of kelp, where Ben had been concentrating on a broken pump. Forcing himself to stay calm, he tried reaching up for his air hose, hoping to follow it with his fingers to the mouthpiece. But his assailant had looped his right wrist with a restraint. Ben struggled against the cuff, quickly realizing that his left wrist had also been fastened.

It had been perhaps fifteen seconds since his last breath. He pulled frantically on both the lines, but seemed only to tighten the restraints around his wrists. In the blur he saw that the material around his wrists led to some sort of white line around his torso and thighs. It was a simple but effective binding slipped on from behind in the distraction of work. Ben had no time to solve it. Compressed air pumped into the seawater behind his head, making a tantalizing bubbling sound. He wrenched his arms and reached for the air button on his buoyancy compensator to inflate and ascend. By hunching over he could barely push the valve. Instead of the comforting feeling of an inflated vest, a torrent of bubbles escaped the BC. The other diver had opened the release valve when Ben used the compressed air.