“Okay. Lead the way.”
Both men were armed with MP5 submachineguns with multiple spare magazines. It felt strange to be searching an archeological site of such valuable history, with military weapons, but the news of a well-worn path reminded Sam that they weren’t here for its rich history.
They needed to find out who was involved in the world-wide governmental insurrection and more importantly, if any of them were still alive.
It seemed naïve and unlikely that the submarine they had destroyed contained the last of their enemies.
The path rounded to the east, before entering a small passageway. Sam ran his hands across the black glassy stone.
“It’s obsidian.” His eyes swept the archway, all the way up to the top of the behemoth grotto. “Who do we know who has the technology to manipulate and shape obsidian in such a way?”
Tom set his mouth firm. “The Master Builders!”
“Exactly. They’re not just manipulating the obsidian. Whoever built this place knew how to transfer light. That skylight overhead is still covered by 50 or more feet of water, and yet, it’s shining down on this beach as clear as though it were a picturesque atoll.”
Sam continued farther into the tunnel. It went for a couple thousand feet, descending the whole time, before opening up to an underground world. The ceiling in this new vault was so high that it could only be seen at the edges of the wall and not in the middle. As with the beach and submerged atoll, this place had a unique mechanism for providing an overhead light.
It shined so brightly that the entire place looked like daylight.
The passageway opened to a rocky escarpment that overlooked the entire place. There were trees and plants that were filled with fruits neither of them had ever seen, providing a rich fragrance throughout.
His eyes swept the near-mythical environment with wonder. It was impossible to tell where the place began and where it finished. It might have been a small country in its own right. Thick rainforests, including giant gum trees, more than a hundred feet tall, filled the area. There were massive open plains of grass, a freshwater river that split the ancient world in two, with multiple smaller tributaries and streams that ran off from it.
An 80-foot waterfall raged somewhere to the east, sending a fine mist down upon the valley. The sound of birds chirping echoed throughout.
Ancient megafauna drank by the bank of the river, including several monotreme species, including Zaglossus hacketti, a sheep-sized echidna, thought to be extinct from Australia for more than 40,000 years and once uncovered in Mammoth Cave in Western Australia. As well, an Obdurodon dicksoni, a seven-foot platypus spread out along the riverbank.
Sam scanned along the river bank, using his high-powered binoculars. He stopped at a burrowing Diprotodon, a hippopotamus-sized marsupial, most closely related to the wombat, which was thought to have become extinct 20,000 years ago in South Australia.
“What is this place?” Tom asked.
Sam shrugged. “I have no idea, but I feel like I’ve just entered a Jules Verne novel.”
Tom laughed. “Now that you mention it, that’s exactly what it is.”
Like many explorers drawn to the underwater world, they had both enjoyed his early science fiction novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Sam continued to search the area through his binoculars. Aside from the ancient flora and fauna, there were internal farmland areas with livestock, including cattle, pigs, sheep, and chickens. A rainforest. An entire biosphere. Light was being siphoned through the surface and redirected throughout the cavern.
But who was looking after the animals?
There were a series of interwoven, straight waterways. A labyrinth of aqueducts and irrigation. He followed them north until he spotted a series of houses. They appeared old, made out of sandstone, almost colonial in style.
But no people.
“Where is everyone?” Tom asked.
“No idea.”
Sam ran his eyes across the colonial-style building, before reaching an opaline lake some distance behind it. There, several people were swimming. It was hard to tell from the distance, but Sam thought they appeared much taller than average humans. They looked to be at least seven-feet tall. They wore some sort of loincloth.
To himself, he said, “Well, I guess they are some sort of cavemen… and women?”
Then he spotted one of them come up from the surface of the lake, carrying a three-foot-long blue lobster, which he’d speared.
Tom said, “Zoom in over there. To the open grounds to the east of the colonial village.”
“What is it?”
“Trouble.”
Sam shifted his binoculars.
A dust trail showed a modern car racing along a dirt road. It pulled into a large square field. Someone got out of the car. He was too far away to see the man clearly, but he was wearing some kind of military uniform.
Sam moved his binoculars half an inch to the right and gasped.
There, in the large field, was an army – lined up on parade. They were carrying modern weapons and wore a blue military uniform.
“That’s really something,” Tom said. “Just when you thought you’d found utopia, there’s some despot idiot who thinks he can rule it with a mighty fist.”
“Yeah, we’ll never learn from history,” Sam replied. “All right, we need to get back to tell someone.”
Sam lowered his binoculars and came face-to-face with a small car-sized echidna. Sam imagined the oversized spiky ant-eater, might have misinterpreted him as food. The creature snarled happily and charged toward him.
Tom fired his MP5 submachine gun in a continuous, rapid-fire burst.
The bullets appeared to do little to deter the beast, with foot-long spikes covering its entire body. Instead, it changed direction, charging at Tom.
Sam fired on the creature’s hind legs.
The beast made a sharp whine, turned, and fled.
“You okay?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, never better. But we should get out of here while we still can.”
“Agreed.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Virginia
Sam and Tom took a seat at the back of the large room.
Despite its grand size, the office was surprisingly stark. With its blue carpet, a massive desk, and two small tables for meetings – four seats each. It wasn’t the kind of place for a big, open meeting. Just a few generals and maybe a head of state or two. Secrets passed through this unpretentious, innocuous room day and night.
The secretary of defense sat down.
Speaking with authority, she said, “I’ve had those two items you believed came from Amelia Earhart sent away for analysis. The jacket was her exact size and might indeed prove to have once been hers.”
“And the photos, ma’am?” Sam asked.
“Those, I’m told, will take some time, but our people are confident they can develop the photographs – so long as we don’t rush the process.”
“That’s good,” Sam said. “I’d love to know what’s on them.”
The secretary shrugged, as though their historical value meant little to her. She had more important problems to deal with in the present.
As though reading her thoughts, Sam asked, “How did you know, ma’am?”
Her cheeks dimpled slightly and her eyes narrowed. “That the Master Builders were involved in the insurrection?”
“Yes.”
“Because things are happening on a global scale, that aren’t designed to aid anyone. Political strings are being pulled but not by the Russians, Chinese, or the Brits.”
Sam cocked an incredulous eyebrow. “And that immediately drew your attention to a submerged world?”
“No. But I knew there was a secret navy operating in the seas, and the Omega Deep was the best way to locate it.”
“That’s why you created the Omega Deep?”
“Yes.” She sighed heavily. “Li
ke I said before, there’s a war coming between the ancient Master Builders and the human race. Something we can’t see, but it’s coming. A race war, unlike anything we’ve ever seen between the human race and the Master Builders.”
“At least we know who was responsible for the insurrection. Now that James Halifax is dead, we can at least close that door.”
The secretary’s lips thinned into a hard line. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”
Sam studied her attractive face. At nearly fifty years of age, she seemed more beautiful now than when he’d first met her more than a decade ago. As the leader of the U.S. military force, she possessed more power than any other person in the country, with the exception of the president of the United States. Her intelligent green eyes were filled with fear. It was a sight he hadn’t seen there before.
He asked, “What do you know, ma’am?”
“Before the USS Omega Deep diverted from her orders, we received a message acknowledging the new orders from who we believed to be Commander Bower at the time. We’ve since learned that the message came from his XO, James Halifax.”
“That’s right,” Sam said, having been through this line of thinking earlier.
“But the concerning thing here is that the message was written in a code used specifically for the very high echelon of command.”
Sam sighed. “What are you saying, ma’am?”
“I’m saying, James Halifax didn’t have the authority to access those codes.”
Sam felt his world shift at the revelation. “That means someone else gave him the code.”
She nodded. “And only five people in the world have that code. Commander Bower, the president of the United States, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Painter, General Potter – the head of the Army, and General Seymore of the Air Force.”
“Which means, someone within that fine group of people, is currently betraying the United States of America.” She swallowed. “Sam Reilly, I want you and Tom to make it a priority to find out exactly, who.”
“How?”
“I believe the Master Builders are in the process of infiltrating high levels of government around the world, where they are waiting, biding their time, until they’re ready to attack.”
“And you think the 8th Continent might hold that secret?”
She nodded. “It’s the only place where we know they’ve been. As soon as you’re ready, I want you to start planning an expedition, deep into the submerged world of the 8th Continent.”
“All right. We’ll do it, but we might need another ship.”
She smiled sympathetically. “I was sorry to hear about the loss of the Maria Helena.”
“It’s all right. My crew survived.” Sam said, “That’s all that matters. Ships can be replaced.”
She stood up, as though the meeting was over. “I’ve spoken to the director of DARPA.”
“And?”
“Congress has approved a twenty-million-dollar reward for the recovery of the Omega Deep. It’s not a lot, but it should be enough to build a new ship.”
Sam smiled. “That’s very good of them.”
“It’s the least we could do after you recovered a 30-billion-dollar submarine,” she said. “If you provide the lead engineer at the shipbuilding yard in Quonset, Rhode Island, with your unique specification, she said they would be happy to help put together your new ship, and Uncle Sam will pick up the tab.”
“Much obliged, Madam Secretary.”
She smiled, almost kindly at him. “What are you two going to do while your ship is being rebuilt?”
“We were thinking of taking a much overdue vacation.”
“Sounds good. Where were you thinking of going?”
“Hawaii. There was some good surf we were trying to catch when this all came about.”
“All right.” She stood up and shook his and Tom’s hands with a firm handshake. “Enjoy your vacation, but don’t take too long. There’s a war coming. Few people know about it, and even fewer still believe it, but mark my words, the human race might just be forced to get along, in its final battle for survival – against an enemy, we can’t see.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Will do.”
She said, “Sam Reilly.”
“Yes ma’am?”
“What did you do with that girl – the Russian spy?”
“Svetlana?”
“That’s the one.”
“You’re aware that she can’t return to Russia without being tried for treason after the loss of the Vostok, where she would most undoubtedly be convicted, and executed.”
The secretary shrugged again. She was responsible for the lives and deaths of billions of people throughout the world. What did she care if Russia felt the need to execute one of its own. “Get to the point, Reilly.”
“I liked her. She was intelligent, dedicated, and well meaning.”
“Good God!” The Secretary’s nostrils flared. “You’ve hired her, haven’t you?”
Sam shrugged. “If it would make it easier for your moral compass, let’s say she never survived the sinking of the Maria Helena.”
“Reilly!”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“You’d better hope she never made it back alive.”
“Understood, ma’am.”
Recognizing he was being dismissed, Sam stood up and made his way for the door, alongside Tom.
The secretary of defense said, “Mr. Reilly.”
Sam raised his eyebrows. “Ma’am?”
“Be careful. Watch your back and keep your mouth shut.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We have a high-level traitor among us.” She made a thin-lipped smile. “I’m glad you’re still alive. We still have a use for your service.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Sam opened the soundproof door and stepped into the hallway.
A moment later, he felt the cold steel barrel of a handgun pressed hard against his neck. His pulse raced and his muscles tightened, but he made no attempt to fight against the solid arm around his neck.
The panicked stranger shouted, “Everyone back away, or this man dies.”
Chapter Sixty-Three
Sam swallowed hard. “We’re not looking for trouble.”
“Yeah, neither was I,” the stranger replied. “I was just trying to do what I thought was right, and now look at me.”
Sam remained silent.
The stranger motioned toward the door. “Is anyone in that room?”
“Yes,” Sam replied, mechanically. “One person. Female.”
“Can the room be secured?”
Sam genuinely thought about the question for a moment and answered, “Sure.”
“Good.”
Sam felt himself thrust into the office of the secretary of defense.
His captor moved with the calm efficiency of an elite soldier. There was nothing Sam could do to maneuver himself free of his restraint.
The secretary of defense’s eyes widened with dismay. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Out!” the stranger said, emphatically.
Her emerald eyes grew wide with incredulity. “Do you have any idea who I am?”
“No,” the stranger fired a single warning shot at her desk. “And I don’t care. Get out of here or this man dies!”
The secretary of defense scowled. She straightened her suit and headed toward the door.
Her eyes met Sam’s.
“Don’t worry Mr. Reilly. He’ll never make it out of the building alive,” she said defiantly, as she stepped out through the door.
Sam watched her go. He noticed that she’d made no reference to whether or not he would make it out of the building alive.
His attacker latched the door behind her.
It appeared to be an ornamental door, made out of rich mahogany, but had two linings of lead, designed to stop the interference of listening devices from eavesdropping. The metal latch was solid. It would be impossible to kick in and it would take
time for the marines, stationed nearby to retrieve a battering ram.
The stranger pushed him hard enough that he hit the floor.
By the time Sam was on his feet again, his attacker was pointing a handgun at him. It was a Glock 19. The weapon had no safety latch. It was designed to be used by law enforcement for its reliability and the immediate nature of its firing capability.
Sam glanced at his attacker.
The man was tall, a little taller than himself, at probably six foot-two. He had short brown hair and a strong jawline that women sometimes found attractive. He had a youthful appearance, like a man still in his early twenties, and the athletic frame of a soldier, with broad shoulders and muscular arms.
The man’s piercing violet colored eyes fixed on him. “Where am I?”
Sam replied, “This is the Secretary’s Office.”
“What building?”
Sam squinted, surprise creeping in at his attacker’s obvious confusion. “The Pentagon.”
“The Pentagon!” The man’s eyes flashed anger. “What the hell am I doing at the Pentagon?”
“I have no idea.”
The man paused.
His focus was shifting fractionally in and out, his brows rising and falling a little, the shape of his mouth always changing, as if he was constantly thinking. As if there was a computer behind his eyes, running at full speed.
“I need to get out of here!”
“That might be difficult,” Sam pointed out pragmatically. “We’re near the center of the Pentagon. Already, there must be a hundred soldiers swarming toward this office. The building’s going to be on lockdown. No one’s getting in or out.”
The stranger smiled sardonically. “Then we’d better move quickly. Because if I die, you die.”
The End
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Omega Deep (Sam Reilly Book 12) Page 26
