by Steve Alten
Captain Wilkins stares at UNCLE’s numbers, silently rooting for them to descend faster. From experience he knows the MPK gas must decrease sustained winds below 140 mph for the storm’s feedback cycle to be significantly disrupted.
168mph … 167mph … 166mph … 167mph …
The crew groans.
Wilkins grits his teeth. Wasn’t enough … not nearly enough. He lets out a frustrated breath. ‘Conn, radio. Contact ESMA headquarters. Alert them the weather net has failed to cap the storm.’
South Beach, Florida
Friday Afternoon
The surf laps gently along a deserted stretch of beach. The sun beats down upon a coconut tree, a gust of tropical air causing one of its fruit to fall. Sandpipers dip, then soar away, racing inland.
Immanuel Gabriel opens his eyes.
He is strapped within the bucket seat of the Amphibian, which has beached itself on shore. Releasing the shoulder harness, he turns around to face Lauren, who is strapped in the seat behind him. ‘Lauren? Lauren, wake up.’
She opens her eyes, spitting a strand of hair from her mouth. ‘Oww, my head … what happened?’
‘We got zapped by a taser. I managed to activate the autopilot before it hit us. Looks like we made it to Miami.’
He climbs slowly out of the cockpit, then helps her from her seat.
She hugs him, laying her head wearily against his chest. ‘Why were you at NASA?’
‘God, don’t ask. It was sort of, I don’t know … call it a family obligation. I’ll tell you about it later. What were you doing there?’
She pulls herself from his embrace. ‘I’m in real trouble. Someone killed Professor Gabeheart, and now they’re after me!’
‘Whoa, slow down. Who’s after you?’
‘Government thugs. Something’s happening in Yellowstone. We have to go public—’
ATTENTION.
They look up, startled.
It is a PAWS (Public Aerial Warning System), a flying vehicle operated by the Earth Systems Management Agency to assist in evacuating populated areas prior to storms.
THIS AREA HAS BEEN CLOSED BY ORDER OF THE ESMA. EVACUATE THE AREA AND REPORT TO A STORM SHELTER IMMEDIATELY OR FACE PROSECUTION.
‘Super-Cane Kenneth—I completely forgot.’
‘Come on.’ Sam climbs back in the Amphibian and tries the power switch.
Nothing.
‘Fubitchshitting piece of junk.’
DO YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE?
‘No, no, we’re waiting to re-charge.’ Lauren activates the battery re-charger, then drags him out of the boat. The two hurry off the beach.
PAWS keeps pace, hovering twenty feet above.
She whispers frantically in his ear. ‘They’re watching both of our apartments.’
‘Who’s watching?’
‘Them! The guys who killed Gabeheart.’ She digs her nails into his arm. ‘One of them came for me in the lab. I hid under the computer decking. I heard him say they were watching my dorm. If they find me, I’m dead.’
They exit the beach, crossing Collins Avenue. South Beach is deserted. There is no traffic, not a single car or street vendor present.
‘Kind of spooky.’
‘Sam!’
‘Okay, okay—’ He looks around, then pulls her beneath a floating walkway. ‘All right, start from the beginning.’
Lauren tells him everything, showing him her scarred hand.
When she is through, he leans back against a lamp post, rubbing his brow. ‘Jesus, Lauren, how’d you get yourself into this mess?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘And you really think these people have connections within our government?’
‘Yes! Weren’t you paying attention?’
‘Okay, okay.’
‘Sam, that PAWS drone will alert the cops. We have to get out of here.’
He recalls Jacob’s last words. ‘I think I know somewhere we can go.’
Hangar 13
Friday Evening
The parking lot of Hangar 13 is filled beyond capacity.
HOPE employees are arriving by car and bus, board members by private helojet. An invading army of technicians and scientists, engineers and associates—all waiting their turn to view the alien starship berthed in the main hangar bay.
Inside the complex, away from the action, four people emerge from their hiding place beneath the Japanese A-frame.
The two bodyguards, Salt and Pepper, stand vigil at the front porch. Each is wearing an aluminum foil EMP suit, designed to shield their nervous systems from the effects of taser fire. Dominique is inside Jacob’s home, anxiously waiting for her son to finish working at his computer.
Mitchell Kurtz scans the atrium using his smart-glasses. ‘Here we go. Northern entrance. I see four guards, all carrying stun guns.’
‘They’re yours,’ says Pep. ‘I’ll get Dom and the kid.’
Jacob finishes uploading information from his computer terminal. ‘Computer, complete upload to mainframe, then erase all records … Password: Gabriel Alpha-Zulu-Delta-4 Ahau, 8 Cumku.’
UPLOAD COMPLETED. ALL RECORDS HAVE BEEN ERASED.
‘Jacob?’
‘Mother, listen to me carefully. Go with Salt and Pepper, they’ll get you out of here. Pick up Eve Mohr, then meet me at the rendezvous point.’
‘What about Manny?’
‘He’ll be all right.’ He forces a smile, then hugs her tightly. ‘Remember, do exactly what we talked about, and I’ll see you soon.’
Pepper yanks open one of the shoji panels, the powerful bodyguard literally tearing it from its frame. ‘We gotta go—now!’ He grabs Dominique by the arm, half-carrying her through the fragmented doorway.
She looks over her shoulder.
Jacob is gone.
Mitchell Kurtz glances up casually as four heavily armed Mabus security guards make their way across the bridge. ‘Evening, fellas.’
‘Don’t move. Don’t even blink.’
Kurtz smiles. In a millisecond, his thought energy is processed through the neural shunt connected to his biceps, igniting the taser strapped to his forearm.
The four guards drop like a house of cards.
Jacob is in the central garden of his home, seated in a lotus position. Registering the change in temperature, he opens his eyes.
Lilith is staring at him from the open shoji door. ‘Jacob?’
Jacob stares at her as if observing an approaching cobra, her smile electrifying his groin.
‘I always suspected you were still alive … always sensing the shadow of your presence.’ Her eyes flash violet. ‘You abandoned me!’
‘I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.’
‘Sorry? Is that all you have to say? You were my only friend, the only one who loved me. All of those promises … they were all lies.’
‘I did love you, Lilith, I still do.’
‘Bastard.’ She circles him, brushing her fingertips lightly across his chest and neck, their lips inches apart, the glow of their azure eyes reflecting off one another’s cheeks.
She moves closer, allowing her hip to brush against his groin.
‘I make you afraid. Why are you so afraid of me, Jacob?’
Lilith’s scent is in his nostrils, pounding in his blood. ‘I’m … I’m afraid of my feelings.’
‘Liar. You’re afraid of what I’ll become. But like you, I’m simply a product of my environment. Which means you helped create me, just as I’ve created you.’
She grins. Leans in. Pauses. Licks his lips.
A tidal wave of insanity overwhelms him as his mouth crashes against hers and their limbs entwine in the embrace—two victims of society, two polar extremes, two lonely souls sharing this one promised moment of passion.
Lilith pants in his ear as her fingers scramble to undo the belt buckle of his pants—
—while Jacob’s hand slides beneath her silky bottoms, groping her moist pubic region, all the while his conscience screaming at him, No, Jacob stop,
Jacob stop … stop … stop … STOP!
He yanks his hand free, pushing her away. ‘I can’t … I can’t do this!’
Lilith’s azure eyes are full of lust, her lips red where the kiss has bruised them. ‘We were meant to be together.’
‘No … too dangerous.’
‘I want you, Jacob.’ She slips off her top, exposing her breasts. ‘I want you inside of me, and I won’t take no for an answer.’
And suddenly she is upon him, raping him from within the nexus. Jacob’s mind leaps inside the void to join her, Lilith’s nude torso thrusting up and down upon his naked pelvis, the intensity of the moment magnified a hundredfold within the supernatural corridor.
And in his single moment of weakness, he explodes inside her, planting his Hunahpu seed deep in her ovulating womb.
Exhausted and spent, their minds tumble out of the nexus, Lilith collapsing upon his chest. ‘You’re my soul mate, you always will be.’
Jacob Gabriel wraps his arms around her and weeps.
Salt and Pepper escort Dominique through the open vault door and down the main corridor.
‘Hold it!’ The two MTI security guards at the end of the hall raise their weapons. ‘No one leaves the facility without Mrs. Mabus’s permission. Stop or we’ll fire.’
The three continue running toward them.
The lead guard fires–
—the electrical burst immediately absorbed by their suits.
‘Fubishit—’
Ryan Beck is first to reach them. Grabbing each guard by the back of the neck, he slams their heads against the steel door, knocking them out.
Delray Beach, Florida
The estate home at the end of the cul-de-sac is similar to the other mansions in this very private, gated West Delray community. Like other homes, it overlooks a lake on three acres of land. It has a tennis court, a basketball court, and a pool, but seldom are they used—except when the grandkids come to visit. In fact, the only amenities its owner uses these days are the satellite dishes, and, of course, the live-in private security personnel.
Ominous clouds have blanketed the sky by the time the canary yellow Amphibian skids to a halt in front of the automated guardhouse located at the main entrance of the community.
Immanuel Gabriel climbs out. Presses the ID pad.
REMAIN BY YOUR VEHICLE, SIR. STATE YOUR BUSINESS.
‘Samuel Agler to see Frank Stansbury.’
STAND BY.
Heavy raindrops plop against the multicolored pavers. Come on …
PLEASE WAIT. MR. STANSBURY’S SECURITY VEHICLE WILL ESCORT YOU TO THE HOME MOMENTARILY. HAVE A NICE DAY.
Droplets have turned into a downpour by the time the security vehicle pulls up to the outer gate. An armed guard climbs out of the back seat, signaling for Immanuel and Lauren to get inside.
As the door closes and they drive into the complex, a tow truck arrives to haul the Amphibian away.
Inside the car, the driver says nothing. Immanuel notices Lauren’s hand is trembling. He squeezes it.
The vehicle enters the gated driveway of an estate, stopping beneath an enormous porte cochere, its rooftop shielding them from the rain.
The driver turns to face them. ‘Out you go. Mr. Stansbury is waiting for you inside.’
They exit the vehicle. Manny knocks on the imposing double oak door.
The door opens, releasing an aroma of glazed ham and stuffing.
The African-American is stooped over. The eyes are sunken, twitching behind old-fashioned spectacles. What’s left of the man’s hair has grayed.
The owlish smile is genuine, the voice a familiar rasp.
‘Hello, Manny. Been expectin’ you.’
Ennis Chaney, former president of the United States pulls his shocked godson in, out of the weather.
35
NOVEMBER 25, 2033: DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA
Friday Night
Manny sits alone on the sofa opposite Ennis Chaney’s mahogany desk, feeling lost in time. ‘Jacob told you I’d be coming?’
‘Years ago. Your brother’s ability to foresee certain events convinced me long ago to go along with his schemes.’
‘So what happens now?’
‘I don’t know. Jacob told me to expect you, nothing more. So let’s talk about your fiancée. Lovely girl. Why haven’t you told her who you really are?’
‘How can I? How do you tell the person you love that you’ve been living a lie, that you’re not the person you claim to be?’
‘She deserves to know. What if you two have children? They could turn out like Jake.’
‘I know.’
‘Tell her.’
‘I will.’
‘When?’
‘Soon.’
‘Do it tonight.’
Immanuel looks up at his godfather. ‘Why tonight? What’s the rush?’
‘Just do it tonight.’ He leans back in his easy chair. ‘Now go bring her in, and let’s see if I can help her out of the mess she’s in.’
Immanuel finds Lauren in one of the guest rooms, changing into dry clothes.
‘Lauren, I spoke with Chaney. He wants to help.’
‘Thank God.’ Lauren hugs her fiancé, then follows him back to the office.
Chaney sits back in his chair and thinks. ‘Okay, young lady, let’s say you’re right. Let’s say Professor Gabeheart was murdered because he suspected something someone wanted kept quiet. How do we prove it? Where’s the evidence?’
‘The evidence is in Yellowstone,’ she says. ‘The evidence is hidden beneath the hot springs and caldera.’
‘Assume things are as bad as you say, that the caldera is getting ready to erupt. Who’d want to keep it secret? And how could they?’
‘They’d do it by shutting down the park. They’d want it kept a secret to prevent a widespread panic.’
‘Mr., uh … President, we need you to bring Gabeheart’s death and this entire issue into the public eye. Once you do that, it eliminates the need for outside parties to keep Lauren silent.’
Chaney nods. ‘Okay, consider it done. By Sunday morning, the story will be sent to every media outlet in the world. Only then will we bring the FBI in. Sound like a plan?’
‘Oh, God, thank you.’ Lauren wipes back tears of gratitude. ‘Thank you so much. And thank God you’re a big Miami booster.’ She looks at Immanuel. ‘Sam, I had no idea your father had such influential friends.’
Manny shrugs.
Chaney grins. ‘For now, the two of you will stay with me. Bad storm coming, but we should be okay.’ He stands, hobbling like an old soldier to the den door. ‘Come on, my wife’s prepared a Thanksgiving feast. Eat everything, or I’ll be dealing with leftovers past Christmas.’
Hangar 13, Kennedy Space Center,
Cape Canaveral, Florida
Hand in hand, Lilith and Jacob stand before the Balam’s sealed entry.
‘Incredible,’ she whispers. ‘And this was built by our Hunahpu ancestors?’
‘No,’ Jacob says. ‘The origins of the starship remain a mystery.’
Danny Diaz, Dr. Mohr, Benjamin Merchant, and two gorillasized security guards join them on the gantry platform.
Merchant smiles. ‘Why, Lilith darlin’, you’re positively glowing. I’m extremely jealous.’
Jacob looks below. More than six hundred MTI technicians, scientists, and VIPs have gathered, all waiting to tour the interior of the sleek, gold-paneled vessel.
Lilith coos in his ear. ‘Open it, my love.’
‘Of course.’ Jacob closes his eyes.
The sealed panel door of the Balam slides open.
Lilith steps forward—
—and suddenly she is sent hurtling over the rail, falling to the crowd below.
The blur of movement that is Jacob Gabriel grabs Dave Mohr by his wrist, yanking the scientist inside the starship.
Lilith lands awkwardly atop the crowd. ‘Jacob!’ She scrambles to her feet. ‘Damn you, Jacob …’ She slips inside the nexus.<
br />
Jacob pulls Dave Mohr to his feet. ‘You okay?’
