The Storm Quotes

“looked at the surface of the sea once more. The horde covered him like shining liquid metal all the way to the horizon. Kimo was faced with the horrible truth: there was no chance of escape He didn't want to die like Thalia and Halverson and made a painful decision.
He emptied the last drops of gasoline onto the deck, forcing the swarm back again, grabbed a lighter from his pocket, and dropped to one knee. He braced himself, snapped his finger on the flint, and lit it on the fuel-soaked deck.
A few sparks flashed, and the vapors ignited. A sudden blaze leaped forward from the aft end of the catamaran. The flames leaped through the ever-approaching swarm, all the way to the cabin, and then thundered back toward Kimo, engulfing him and setting him ablaze.
The pain was too intense to bear even for the few seconds he had left. Engulfed in flames and unable to scream, his lungs destroyed by the fire, Kimo A'kona staggered backward and fell into the waiting sea.”
― Clive Cussler, The Storm

“Kurt smiled again. "I'm glad you're not alone." The taxi arrived at the hotel. She opened the door and waited.
“Goodbye, Leilani,” Kurt said to her gently. “I’ll be thinking of you Often”
She leaned forward and gave him a light kiss on the lips. Then she closed the door and left.”
― Clive Cussler, The Storm

“What will you have?"
Dirk ordered a Don Julio Blanco tequila with ice, lime, and salt. Joe had a Jack Daniel's with ice. Leilani opted for a Ketel One Cosmopolitan, while Kurt asked for a Gibson with Bombay Sapphire gin, pollen instead of olives.”
― Clive Cussler, The Storm

“The woman tilted her head like a child or a cocker spaniel. "Actually, it could be me," she said. "But what you're saying doesn't make much sense.”
― Clive Cussler, The Storm

“Ever heard of Wernher von Braun? He was a Nazi, a German scientist who built missiles capable of killing thousands of people. We took him under our wing after the war because he had skills we needed. Viktor Belenko is the Russian pilot who brought us a MiG-25. We welcome baseball players, dancers, computer programmers, anyone with something meaningful to offer. Maybe it's unfair to the poor farmers and bumpkins who would like to come to us, but for you, it's a good thing. It gives you an escape.”
― Clive Cussler, The Storm

“I think it's an upwelling, an upwelling current of deep, cold water," Kimo said. "Something like the El Niño-La Niña effect. Since we're in the Indian Ocean, it must have an Indian name."
"Maybe they'll give them our names," Thalia suggested. "The QAH effect, Quivaros-A'kona-Halverson.”
― Clive Cussler, The Storm

“the sinister, perpetual roar of the microbots continued to grow in-woord. It reached everywhere, at once, like billions of full electromagnetic cicadas chirping and getting closer and closer, moment by moment.
The noise was irritating to Kart Austin, but it seemed to annoy Zarrina and Jinn even more.
The woman looked over the edge and down the rows of buildings between which the platform for the fire had been located. The smear of the approaching horde had now risen to a quarter of the height of the pyramids, whose white structures were covered in dark gray and black.
Give him the code, the woman said.
But, Jinn retorted.
“You should listen to her, Jinn,” Kurt said. “She’s not a nice woman, but she’s not an idiot either.
We have men, money, lawyers, I remind him of the woman.
We will take care of this.
Shut up! Jinn ordered.
The woman clung to him. Please, Jinn, she begged.
With a slap, the man shrugged off her hand and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. He blasted her with his hand. "You're just a burden, woman!"
Before she could respond, he pushed her backwards, over the edge.
Zarina fell, screaming. She hit a layer of boron about six inches thick, ten feet below, sending it flying in all directions like submerged dust. She remained like that for no more than a few seconds before the swarm converged on her, covered her completely and began devouring her.
Jinn stared at her for a moment, anger, not pity, etched on his face. But Kurt thought he detected even the slightest trace of fear. The speed with which the microbots were devouring everything was unsettling. Jinn knew this better than anyone.
“Look closely, Jinn. This is how he will die,” Kurt said. “Are you ready for that?”
It was getting darker around them. The microbots were just one floor below them, knocking out all the overhead lights. Now, only the few halogen lamps on the side of the hangar and the red streetlights at the edge of the helipad illuminated them.
Jinn seemed a little less sure of himself. "He will die with me," he reminded Kurt.
"For my friends. For my country. For the people around the world who would die if she won. It's not a problem for me. What are you dying for?"
Jinn stared at him, his face flushed with anger, his lip curled in a sneer as he narrowed his eyes. He knew his bluff had been called. Dying would gain him nothing. No wealth, no power, no legacy. His world was his existence, his arrogance, his greatness. Once dead, not even the apocalyptic actions of the microbots would bring him satisfaction.”
― Clive Cussler, The Storm

“A controlled outward explosion,” Kurt said. “Basically, a giant sucking sound that ends with us flying out through the shattered window and free-falling toward the ocean for approximately ten minutes. Which will seem rather pleasant when compared to the sudden stop at the bottom.”
― Clive Cussler, The Storm