by David Meyer
Simona nodded. “Exactly. If the atmosphere were well mixed, the material would’ve hit everywhere at once. But it’s not well mixed. My research indicates the material fell in concentric circles. That’s why certain cities were spared the Black Death while neighboring ones were devastated by it.”
“Ancient air.” The last big piece clicked into place. “That’s why you needed the reliquary. That’s why you collected those other artifacts, the ones that had been originally sealed in boxes. You’re trying to recreate the exact air quality that existed during the Black Death.”
“Actually, my scientists already recreated it. We call it Miasma.” Simona smiled. “First, they developed specific nanomaterials to mimic the properties of ordinary chemicals, only on a much greater scale. Then they spent many hours researching comets and trying to synthesize a mixture that would approximate the Black Death. But the result—which we call CN-46—was unsatisfying. So, I started funding digs, hoping to find an air sample from the era. That’s how I met Lila. Unfortunately, she didn’t agree with my intentions.”
“You mean she realized you were crazy,” Beverly said.
“I liked Lila. I hated to see her go.” Simona exhaled. “On the bright side, she led me to the reliquary. And to top it off, I even got a chunk of Comet Negra in the bargain.”
I followed her gaze to the dragon statue. And then I realized why the rock had looked so strange to me.
It’s carved out of a meteorite.
I thought about Carrie’s quest to find out what had happened to Saipan’s homeless people. And I thought about Eco-Trek’s capture of Rizzalyn and the other Pagan Nation members. “You tested Miasma on people,” I said slowly. “That’s how you know it works.”
She nodded. “Based on our tests, it’s the real deal. It’s the Black Death, just in a much tighter package.”
A moment of silence fell over us as the gravity of the situation became fully apparent. I recalled Beverly’s work on the Israeli soil samples. The nanomaterial discs—which I now realized were actually CN-46—had begun to experience structural disintegration shortly after their deployment. This allowed the individual nanomaterials to separate from each other. Miasma, I realized, was designed to do the same thing.
Under the guise of geoengineering, Simona planned to pump tons of Miasma aerosols into the upper atmosphere. Those tightly-bounded compounds would break apart, spilling nanomaterials into the air. The nanomaterials, which were equivalent to vast quantities of individual chemicals, would spread out and slowly descend to the earth. In the process, they’d contaminate water supplies. They’d alter the air. Immune systems would falter, break down. Diseases would run rampant.
“You really think you can replicate a global comet shower with your little fleet?” Graham said.
“I’m not just replicating it. I’m improving on it. Miasma aerosols are a miracle of nanotechnology. They allow us to mimic the effects of the Black Death with far less material.” She smiled. “Also, Comet Negra was inefficient, dumping much of its deadly debris over oceans or vacant land. My planes have spent the last year and a half circling the globe, collecting data on how chemicals behave in the atmosphere. We’ve learned about particle stability, the impact of wind currents, and many other things. We’ve already adapted that knowledge for the Miasma dispersal, allowing the aerosols to be specifically targeted for optimal effectiveness.”
“A traditional pandemic would be quickly isolated and stopped,” I said slowly. “But yours will arrive all at once, like a blanket. And since it’s not an actual disease, it can’t be cured.”
She nodded. “Once it’s in the upper atmosphere, it can’t be stopped. My models project that a small amount of Miasma, scattered in aerosol form above a busy city, will kill ten percent of the inhabitants within two weeks. An additional thirty-five to forty-five percent will suffer severely weakened immune systems. They’ll succumb over a period of six months. Altogether, I expect over three billion people to perish within the next year.”
The number was shocking, outrageous. I couldn’t even begin to contemplate it.
Graham shook his head. “You’re a fool.”
She cast him a curious glance. “Oh?”
“You built a model, performed calculations. You think you’ve got everything figured out. But there’s one thing you never took into account.”
“What’s that?”
“Human ingenuity. People like you can’t imagine progress. Instead, you sit around and calculate things as if the world will never change. And that’s just the thing. The world does change, often for the better.” Graham shook his head. “If you kill half the world, you’re killing half the ingenuity as well. And you might end up killing off the very people most capable of saving this planet, if indeed it needs saving.”
“We agree on one thing. Ingenuity will lead to the world’s salvation. But it won’t come from just anyone. It’ll come from me and my scientists.”
“What about morality?” Beverly asked.
Simona looked curious. “What about it?”
“You’re talking about killing billions of innocent people. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“There are no innocent people. All of us, without exception, have embraced industrialization.”
“But people—”
“Are inferior to the natural order,” Simona said, cutting her off. “Nature is perfect. Anything that subverts it is evil.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“It regulates itself, takes care of itself, even evolves on its own merits. Every animal, every plant, every aspect of it plays a role in an established ecosystem. Except, that is, for mankind. We are the fallen ones. We’ve stepped outside nature’s perfection and attempted to remake it in our own image. Miasma will change that. It’ll end industrialization and force us into a new age. We’ll return to our rightful place among animals, among nature.”
“Among billions of dead bodies,” I said.
“Unchecked development will end,” she continued, ignoring me. “Centuries will pass and nature will heal itself. And then all will be right.”
“People will find out you did this. You’ll be remembered as a monster.”
“Perhaps at first,” she replied. “But history has a way of changing things. Abraham Lincoln fought a Civil War that killed over seven hundred thousand people. He was hated in his time, viewed as a bloodthirsty tyrant. But now, we remember him as a demigod. A man who made horrible sacrifices to improve humanity.”
My mind whirled as I thought about the similarities between Simona and myself. Our fathers had both been developers. And we’d both tried to make up for their presumed misdeeds.
I’d taken the viewpoint that the future had already been decided for us. So, I’d increased my focus on saving the past, on trying to salvage artifacts like the ones my father had destroyed.
Simona had taken a decidedly different approach. Rather than plant trees to replace the ones her father had torn down, she’d vowed to change the future. To stop humanity from hurting nature. It was oddly inspiring.
And utterly insane.
Alarm bells blared. Red lights, mounted on the walls, started to flash. Metal shifted inside the lab and clicked loudly.
I ran to the door connecting the lab with the air shower. I yanked it, but a large bolt kept it in place.
“Don’t bother,” Simona called out. “The locks have been electronically activated.”
Slowly, I turned to look at her.
“I enjoyed our chat.” She gave us a sad smile. “Unfortunately, I need to go before more soldiers arrive.”
My eyes widened.
“If you have anything to say to each other, do it now.” She turned to leave. “Because you won’t get another chance.”
Chapter 81
“She locked us in here?” Graham’s visage morphed into one of disbelief. “But why?”
I eyed him. “You’d rather she sent her goons in to kill us?”
“No. But why d
idn’t she?”
Looking through a section of thick glass, I took in the cavern. Moments earlier, Simona had walked into the far left tube. It led north, presumably to Pagan Bay.
Beverly lifted her eyes. “Maybe she’s going to gas us.”
I followed her gaze to the ceiling. A chill ran through me.
Graham gritted his teeth. “Let’s not wait around for it.”
I tried to think. But the blaring alarm caused my head to hurt. Twisting around, I saw the reliquary. My final conversation with Lila blazed a trail across my brain.
“Destroy it. Burn it. Break it. Grind it into pieces. Whatever it takes. Or they’ll die.”
“Who? Who will die?”
“Everyone.”
Why hadn’t I listened to her? Why hadn’t I destroyed it when I had the chance?
I noticed a shadow. Lifting my gaze, I saw Benigno creep out of the far northeastern tube. Stepping quietly, he made a beeline for us.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glimpse of light. But it wasn’t one of the red flashing bulbs.
Oh, no.
“Wait,” I yelled. “Get—”
Gunfire ripped out of the northern tube.
Benigno faltered. He spun around. Blood flew out of his chest and stomach. He collapsed to the concrete. A final breath escaped his lungs.
Then he died.
Chapter 82
My gaze shot back to the far northeastern tube. My eyes searched the area for Carrie.
Hide. Hide now.
I glanced at the north tube. Three guards were situated just inside it. They kept their distance, like snipers watching over the cavern.
“That bastard.” Graham shook his head. “She didn’t just leave us to die. She left guards behind to make sure it happened.”
I looked at Beverly. “Think you can find enough stuff in here to rig up some explosives?”
“Maybe.” She looked around. “There’s just one problem. We’re in close quarters. We might not survive the blast.”
As I twisted toward the ancient reliquary, I realized the stark choice before me. There was still a chance I could save the ancient box. I could take it to a boat. I could flee the island. But if I did that, I’d be dooming people—including the ones who meant the most to me—to horrible deaths.
My brain focused. I knew my next move would seal the reliquary’s fate. But the more I thought about it, the less I cared. Yes, the reliquary was an ancient artifact. Yes, it was an irreplaceable piece of history.
But it wasn’t worth more than the future.
“Leave that to me,” I said.
She ran toward a workbench and began taking an inventory of the lab’s contents. Meanwhile, I darted to the hydraulic lift and studied the controls. Then I activated the lift and began to operate it.
“Hold on,” Graham said. “You’re doing it wrong.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“Really? Because you’re about to dump the reliquary on the ground.”
“Exactly.”
He frowned. Then his eyes started to shine and he pushed me aside. Taking the controls, he manipulated the hydraulic lift, raising it into the air. Then he tipped it. The dragon statue toppled off the lift and clattered against the ground. The lid was next to go, striking the floor with a dull thud.
Then the reliquary started to slide. Seconds later, it fell off the lift, shifted ninety degrees, and crashed sideways to the ground. Dust kicked upward, filling the air.
“Okay, this should work.” Beverly took an armful of supplies to the partition. “Just give me a second.”
“You’re going to blow up the wall?” Graham frowned. “Why not the door?”
“Because the other doors are probably locked, too.”
As she set up the materials, Graham and I ducked down and slid into the large space afforded by the reliquary.
Moments later, Beverly squeezed into the space with us. “Get ready, boys.” She grinned. “This is going to be a big one.”
Chapter 83
The air exploded. Metal cracked. Glass shattered.
A generator sizzled. The blaring alarms ceased. The flashing red lights went out. Light fixtures turned black.
I grabbed my gun and jumped to my feet. Through a thick cloud of dust, I saw a gaping hole in the partition.
Part of me was tempted to wait for the guards to enter the lab, to seek us out at close range. But I couldn’t be sure they’d do that. They might keep back, knowing we’d have to move sooner or later.
Using the dust as cover, I made my way to the partition. Peering forward, I saw a guard standing in the center of the room, flanked by two pillars. He held a rifle, which he swung back and forth. Despite his bulletproof vest, he still looked skinny.
Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw the other guards. They’d moved to the far ends of the room, taking cover behind other pillars.
As silently as possible, I crept through the gaping hole.
The middle guard shifted. His gun swung in my direction. “I got one,” he shouted. “Over here.”
Time slowed down as I dove to the side. I saw the tubes, the pillars. I saw the wreckage wrought by Beverly’s impromptu explosives. And oddly enough, I saw liquid streaming into the cavern.
My finger squeezed the trigger. The middle guard staggered as a barrage of gunfire slammed into him. A bullet caught his chin and he went down like a rock.
The other guards took aim at me. I retreated behind a cracked generator and laid down some cover fire. Graham and Beverly raced out of the gap and headed for my position.
“Not the worst odds,” Beverly said as she knelt next to me. “But I’d feel more comfortable if they weren’t the only ones with body armor.”
“Who cares?” Graham shrugged. “Just aim for their heads.”
The two guards hunkered down behind the last layer of pillars. A couple moments of silence followed.
“That looks like water.” I nodded at the liquid. It was two inches deep and rising at a disturbingly fast clip. “You don’t suppose Simona’s flooding the tubes, do you?”
“Makes sense,” Graham replied. “The Japanese could’ve booby-trapped this place back in 1944. Simona would’ve just had to get everything in working order.”
“Death by drowning, huh?” Beverly arched an eyebrow. “At least we’ve got time to escape.”
I sniffed. The air smelled of salt. “Not as much as you think. The water is moving fast. Coupled with the aging concrete, I wouldn’t be surprised if the walls start to give way.”
Her jaw tightened.
“If that happens, the water will saturate the soil,” Graham said. “This tunnel system could fail. Hell, the whole station could come crashing down.”
“Then we’d better hurry.” Beverly shifted her gaze. “Split up. I’ll take the guy on the right. Cy, you take the one in the middle.”
“What about me?” Graham asked.
“Keep us covered.”
Graham took up position next to the generator. I slid out from behind him and eased toward the middle of the cavern. Beverly passed behind me and made her way to the right side.
My boots sloshed gently in the water. It moved faster and faster. It splashed against pillars, walls, the broken partition, and everything else in the cavern.
I stopped next to a pillar. Kneeling down, I felt the middle guard’s pulse. He was dead. Quickly, I detached his vest and donned it.
A burst of gunfire filled the air. Instinctively, I ducked down.
I heard a soft grunt. Flesh slapped against water and concrete. I snuck a quick look and saw the right-side guard lying face down in the dark, swirling water.
Two down. One to go.
Water splashed.
“Watch out,” Beverly shouted. “He’s—”
Another gunshot rang out. I twisted around just in time to see the last guard fall to his knees.
Graham slid out from behind the generator. A puff of smoke drifted out of his gun barrel.
I ran to the last guard. Felt his pulse.
He was dead as well.
With gun drawn, I headed deeper into the manmade cavern. Graham followed me and we met Beverly on the back end. We cleared the rest of the area and then made our way to the far northeastern tube. “Carrie?”
A shadow appeared from inside one of the glass enclosures. She sprinted toward us. “I was playing dead. Is …?” Her words trailed off as she caught sight of Benigno’s body. “No. Oh, God no.”
“You can mourn him later.” Beverly grabbed Carrie by the arm. “Right now, we have to focus on escaping. Can you do that?”
Carrie blinked away a tear. Then she nodded.
I cast a quick glance at the reliquary. The stone had cracked from the force of Beverly’s explosives. Jerusalem’s dragon had been smashed to smithereens. But truth be told, I didn’t care. All I cared about was getting my friends to safety.
And destroying Miasma.
“How do we stop Simona?” I asked.
“We could take out the reservoirs back in the basement,” Graham suggested. “Stop the chemicals, stop the flights.”
“Tempting.” Beverly frowned. “But I’m willing to bet the chemicals are already on the move.”
I rubbed my jaw. “If we take down Simona’s model, we can ground her fleet. That might buy us time to figure out a permanent solution.”
Graham scrunched up his brow. “Even better, I might be able to reprogram it. Make her drones crash into the ocean.”
“Sounds good.” I glanced at Carrie. “Once we get topside, we’re splitting up. I need you to go with Dutch. You know this place better than any of us.”
She took a deep breath. “Okay.”
I darted into the far north tube, splashing through the rising water. Setting a fast pace, I made my way forward.
Graham caught up to me. “What about you and Beverly?”
“We’re going to take down Simona,” I replied. “Or die trying.”
Chapter 84
I sprinted through the tube. Mentally, I pictured our location on the island. We were close to Pagan Bay.
