Chase and Nina were almost at the exit when the subterranean shockwave blew them off their feet, a vaporous wall of compressed air surging down the tunnel and blasting them out into the open. They tumbled across the sand, the ground reverberating with more enormous impacts as the mesa fell in on itself. Nina couldn’t even hear herself scream as she curled into a ball, trying to protect her head from the noise and debris.
Finally the tumult faded.
Nina risked opening her eyes. Dust and sand swirled round her, but even through the haze she could see that the entire shape of the mesa had changed, the high walls and flat top replaced by ugly, jagged peaks and mounds of boulders.
The Garden of Eden had been destroyed.
She slumped in defeat, barely able to believe the sheer pointlessness of the devastation. The most significant archaeological find in history, to say nothing of the world-shaking anthropological revelations it had contained . . . and now it was gone, wiped from the face of the earth. Not by the wrath of God, but by the will of man. One man: Victor Dalton.
Why? She couldn’t even begin to think of a reason. Why had Dalton suddenly turned on the Covenant? How would he benefit from Eden’s destruction?
Coughing nearby. Chase. ‘Eddie?’ she called. ‘Where are you? Are you okay?’
‘Tip fuckin’ top,’ Chase grumbled, crawling to her. ‘You?’
‘I’ve . . . been better.’ She slumped against him. ‘Jesus, Eddie, this is, this is . . . I can’t even begin to describe it. Everything’s . . . it’s all gone. The greatest find ever, and it’s gone. And it’s my fault.’
‘How’s it your fault? You didn’t drop the bomb.’
‘But I gave them the target. They never would have found it without me. If I hadn’t been so obsessed, if I hadn’t been so determined to prove how goddamn great I was . . .’ She put her head in her hands, voice quavering with exhaustion - and misery. ‘Rothschild was right. And so was Sophia. And you. I was doing all this for myself, for my own glory.’
‘Yeah,’ said Chase. ‘You were.’
‘Oh, thanks, Eddie,’ Nina replied, despondency deepening.
‘But so fucking what? Why does any explorer do anything? Columbus didn’t discover America for shits and giggles - he did it for fame and fortune. And I bet Rothschild didn’t take the IHA job for the benefit of all humanity either.’ He put an arm round her shoulders. ‘At least when you go looking for this stuff, you’re doing it because you want to show it to the world, not because you want to steal all the treasure or blow everything up.’
She lifted her head. ‘What you said on the way here, about me going too far . . . do you still think that?’
He glanced back at the ruined mesa before looking into her eyes. ‘I think that, yeah, sometimes you go overboard. But other times . . . the stuff you find is worth it. You found the Garden of Eden, for Christ’s sake.’
‘And lost it again. It’s all been destroyed. And we’ve got nothing.’
‘Not all of it’s gone,’ he reminded her. ‘Sophia and Ribbsley’ve still got that head.’
‘Yeah, and they’re going to trade it with the Covenant - who’ll destroy it. And we haven’t got a chance of catching up to them.’
‘Hey, hey,’ said Chase, resting his head against hers, ‘it’s not over yet. We’re still alive, aren’t we?’ He pointed; the last of the Covenant’s Humvees was parked not far away. ‘We’ve got a ride out of here - and if it’s got a satellite phone, we can call TD and get her to pick us up.’
‘And then what?’ Nina asked gloomily. ‘We still have to find Sophia and Ribbsley. They’re probably halfway to Khartoum already, and after that we don’t even know where they’ll be going.’
Chase didn’t answer at once, but Nina could tell from the movement of his facial muscles against her head that he was smiling. ‘What?’
He leaned back, grinning. ‘I think I do . . .’
41
Switzerland
Moonlight glistened on the snow-capped peaks above the valley, the constant rumble of a waterfall rolling through the clear Alpine air.
Sophia looked over the edge of the viewing platform as the churning waters dropped away into a lake hundreds of feet below. The scenic point she had selected for the meeting was some thirty miles from Zürich, a popular tourist spot during the day, but now, at night, completely deserted. The nearest village was in the valley below, over two miles away by winding road, and past the surrounding trees she had a clear view of the route to the top of the waterfall. Nobody could approach without being seen.
‘Someone’s coming,’ said Ribbsley.
Headlights were moving along the road. ‘Is it him?’
Ribbsley watched the car through binoculars. ‘I think so.’
‘Is he alone?’
‘As far as I can tell.’
That wasn’t as much of an assurance as she would have liked, but there was certainly nobody else in sight. They had only told di Bonaventura that the meeting place would be in Switzerland that morning, and given him the exact location less than forty minutes earlier. There was still the possibility the Cardinal might try to take what they possessed by force, but with the Covenant’s forces seriously depleted, the odds of that seemed long.
Besides, she thought as she fingered the revolver in her coat pocket, the weapon having been kept in the same safe deposit box as the object she had come to Switzerland to collect, she and Ribbsley were prepared for trouble.
She stood beside him as the car got closer. At his feet was an unassuming leather case the size of a bowling bag. Inside it was the skull: the last piece of proof that an intelligent, but non-human, civilization had existed on the earth before man. In whose hands it ended up depended entirely on whether di Bonaventura was good to his word.
The car, a sleek silver Mercedes, turned on to the short spur leading to the beauty spot and stopped beside Ribbsley’s rented BMW. Di Bonaventura stepped out. He was alone.
The Cardinal approached them, giving Ribbsley a baleful look. ‘Gabriel.’
‘I’m sorry this means the end of our friendship, Jonas,’ said Ribbsley, ‘but it isn’t the first time a woman has come between two men.’
‘Perhaps so. But that woman, Gabriel? You know what she has done.’
‘I believe that sins are traditionally forgiven upon death. And officially at least, Sophia Blackwood is dead. With the Covenant’s help, we can ensure nobody ever knows that’s not the case.’
Di Bonaventura regarded Sophia sourly. ‘There is one quick and simple way to make certain of that.’
‘Our way is better for everyone,’ said Sophia, sliding the gun from her pocket and making sure di Bonaventura saw it. ‘Except Victor Dalton, of course.’
‘You have it?’ asked the Cardinal.
She took something from another pocket and held it up: a small white plastic stick. A flash drive. ‘Video proof of the President of the United States not only committing adultery, but doing so with . . . well, you know my reputation. Only eight minutes long - Victor was another short-term politician - but it should be more than enough to have 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue sending out change-of-occupier cards.’
‘And . . . the other item?’
Ribbsley nudged the bag with his foot. ‘Physical proof of the true nature of the Veteres, ready for DNA testing. Or incineration. As long as you agree to our terms, I don’t care which.’
‘Your terms,’ said di Bonaventura with distaste. ‘Ten million euros, a new identity for her, and the Covenant’s . . . protection. ’
‘We won’t need your protection if you use this,’ Sophia said, turning the flash drive in her hand. ‘It’s the only copy - but I’m willing to give it to you. It’ll take down Dalton, and all his cronies like Callum will go down with him.’
‘Actually, Callum’s dead,’ said a new voice.
All three whirled to see Nina emerging from the nearby trees. ‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ said Sophia in exasperation as she raised her gun. ‘She’s more
resilient than a bloody cockroach!’
‘Ah-ah,’ Nina warned, waving a finger. ‘Try anything and Eddie’ll blow your head off. He’s in the trees with a sniper rifle.’ Sophia reluctantly returned the pistol to her pocket, but her hand remained hanging over it like a Wild West gunslinger. Ribbsley raised his hands.
‘I’m surprised to see you again, Dr Wilde,’ said di Bonaventura. ‘I’d been told you were dead.’
‘Your man Vogler saved us. He wanted to save Eden too - he decided that its value to the faithful, to the world, would outweigh any damage that the truth about the Veteres might cause. As long as that truth was revealed gradually.’
He nodded. ‘I would probably have reached the same conclusion.’
Nina came to a stop facing the trio. ‘It was kind of a least-worst option, but I agreed to go along with him. Until Callum decided to blow up Eden on Dalton’s orders. And then Ribbsley took the opportunity for a little blackmail. So here we all are.’
‘How did you find us?’ Ribbsley asked.
‘Because Eddie knew Sophia,’ she replied with a small smile. ‘When she “died” and he got all her paperwork, he saw she had a Swiss deposit box. After she told us about the recording,’ she glanced at the flash drive, ‘we figured that must be what she kept in it. So we got out of Sudan by persuading the head of the UN relief effort in El Obeid to fly us to Egypt, then came here, and staked out the bank until you turned up. Then we followed you and waited to see what happened. As Eddie would say, doddle.’
‘So now, what does happen?’ said di Bonaventura. He indicated the bag. ‘I assume you want that.’
‘That depends on you. You said you would probably have done the same as Vogler - is that still the case now Eden’s been destroyed? Because if it is, I’m willing to make the same deal with you that I did with Vogler.’
‘How very mercenary of you,’ Sophia sneered.
‘I’m not asking for money,’ said Nina. ‘I just want the truth to be revealed . . . however long it takes. And, y’know, I’d prefer to be alive when it happens.’
‘And President Dalton?’ asked di Bonaventura.
‘Screw him,’ said Nina after a moment. ‘Although not in the way that Sophia did. But he betrayed everyone - including the Covenant - and tried to kill us. Callum’s dead, but I bet there’s a dozen more like him. The only way Eddie and I can be safe is if Dalton’s removed from office.’
The Cardinal stood in thoughtful silence for several seconds before speaking again. ‘Until now, it was easy for the Covenant to suppress any discoveries of the Veteres. But now that we know the scale of their civilization . . . sooner or later, they will be revealed, and the Covenant will not be able to stop it.’ He looked at the bag, then back at Nina. ‘Vogler was right. If this is to become known, then it should be on our terms. We have to prepare the world for it. Dr Wilde . . . if you agree to work with us towards that goal, then I will grant you protection.’
‘And Eddie, too,’ Nina said.
‘And Mr Chase, yes. What do you say?’
‘Excuse me,’ Sophia snapped, ‘but we were here first.’
‘Sophia,’ Ribbsley said tersely, ‘we’re not arguing over a parking space here. Your ex-husband has us in his gunsights.’
Sophia gave Nina a suspicious look. ‘Does he, though?’
‘You want to find out the hard way?’ said Nina.
‘I think I might. Gabriel, take out your gun.’
‘You must be joking!’ Ribbsley protested. ‘You know that I’d do almost anything for you - but getting shot is definitely one of the exceptions.’
‘You won’t get shot. I’m sure Eddie’s here somewhere, but he doesn’t have a gun. And nor does she.’ Sophia fixed her eyes on Nina’s, calculating. ‘You can’t have arrived in Switzerland much before we did - we didn’t come directly from Khartoum, but we weren’t stopping for picnics en route either. I know Eddie has friends all over the world, but I find it hard to believe they could furnish him with a sniper rifle - but not get you a gun as well.’
Nina put a hand in one pocket. ‘I assure you, I’m armed.’
‘Then Gabriel won’t have to feel guilty about shooting a defenceless woman, will he?’ She turned to Ribbsley. ‘Gabriel, take out your gun. Nothing will happen, I promise. I know Eddie - and I know Nina as well.’
‘Your call,’ Nina said.
‘Your bluff,’ Sophia replied. ‘Do it, Gabriel. Now!’
Ribbsley hesitated, eyes scanning the dark forest - then pulled out his gun and pointed it at Nina.
Nothing happened. No gunshot came from the trees, the only sound the endless thunder of the waterfall.
‘Well,’ said Sophia, ‘I told you.’
Ribbsley let out a relieved breath. ‘I wish you could have found a less stressful way of proving it.’
Sophia nudged the bag. ‘Cardinal, our original offer still stands. I recommend that you take it. Otherwise we’ll have to fall back on Plan B - blackmailing the President of the United States. Which would be messy for everyone. As for you, Nina . . . I think it’s time we said goodbye, once and for all. Gabriel, shoot her.’
Nina tensed. ‘Don’t you want to know where Eddie is?’
The question was enough to give Ribbsley pause, though the gun remained locked on Nina’s heart. ‘All right,’ Sophia sighed impatiently, ‘where’s Eddie?’
‘Right behind you.’
Sophia looked annoyed at the attempted distraction, but Ribbsley turned his head—
To see Chase vault over the railing and smash a fist into his face.
Ribbsley crashed nervelessly to the ground, the gun spinning away. Soaked by the waterfall’s spray while he climbed round the viewing platform’s supports, Chase whirled to face Sophia—
She shot him.
‘Eddie!’ Nina screamed as he fell, blood splashed across his chest. He let out a strangled moan, convulsing before falling still.
‘Hold it!’ said Sophia as Nina ran to him, pointing the smoking .38 at her. Nina stopped. ‘Gabriel, are you all right?’ Her concern went unanswered. ‘Gabriel!’
Nina was unable to take her eyes from Chase’s motionless body. ‘Oh, Jesus, Eddie!’ she gasped, shocked tears streaming down her cheeks. ‘Oh, please, get up, get up . . .’
Sophia cast a dismissive sidelong glance at him. ‘I think,’ she said, ‘that marks the end of the Chase.’
Hatred exploded inside Nina. ‘You fucking bitch,’ she snarled, all fear vanishing in her fury, ‘I’m gonna fucking kill you!’
‘No,’ said Sophia, with a smile of malicious pleasure, ‘you’re not.’
Di Bonaventura jumped forward, arms held wide as if pleading. ‘No! You don’t have to—’
Sophia fired just as the Cardinal moved in front of Nina. The bullet caught him high on his chest. Sophia froze as he collapsed, realising she had just shot the only person with whom she could make a deal.
Nina leapt at her.
Driven by rage, she smashed the gun from Sophia’s hand before slamming a brutal blow into her face. Sophia shrieked in pain, the flash drive in her other hand dropping to the ground, but Nina was already striking again, and again, fists crunched tight like blocks of stone. Blood smeared her knuckles as Sophia staggered.
Nina pulled back her arm, winding up for a final punch, swinging—
Sophia caught it.
‘Whore!’ she hissed as she gripped Nina’s hand in both her own, twisting. A spear of agony shot through Nina’s wrist as the Englishwoman pulled her closer, wrenching harder as she raised an elbow, ready to smash it into the back of Nina’s arm to break it at the joint—
Nina struck first. One of Chase’s moves: crude, savage - but effective. Sophia’s nose broke with a snap of cartilage as Nina headbutted her, spraying both women with blood.
She tried to pull free, but Sophia still had a solid grip on her arm despite the pain. Gasping, Nina raked her fingernails at the other woman’s eyes.
Sophia jerked her head back - and ki
cked Nina hard in the stomach. Choking, Nina stumbled, the wound in her leg searing with resurgent pain. Sophia tried again to break her arm, but the kick had thrown her off balance, forcing her to let go to avoid falling.
But Nina was already past the point of no return. She fell heavily beside di Bonaventura. For a moment their eyes met, the Cardinal’s gaze full of pain and regret, before an almost infinitesimal relaxation of the tiny muscles around his eyes marked the moment when life became death. Di Bonaventura was about to find out if his beliefs were true.
Clutching her aching stomach, Nina got to her knees and looked up.
The gun was pointing at her head.
Sophia’s enraged face was behind it, rivulets of blood running from her nose. Her finger tightened on the trigger—
A terrifying roar made both women whirl.
Chase had staggered upright, one hand clutched to his bloodied chest. He launched himself at Sophia, tackling her as she fired again and slamming her back against the railings.
They toppled over them, and were gone.
Sophia’s piercing shriek of terror vanished beneath the waterfall’s rumble as she fell. Chase made no sound as he plunged into the darkness with her.
Nina stared at the railings in stunned disbelief before running to the spot and looking down. The waterfall was a silver streak in the moonlight, the lake at its base a pool of pure black speckled with froth. Of Chase and Sophia there was no sign.
‘Eddie!’ She couldn’t accept that he was gone, leaning out to look beneath the platform. He must have managed to grab its supports or a rocky outcropping as he fell, she told herself, was dangling just below her, saving himself at the last moment yet again . . .
But he wasn’t. There was nobody there.
She had lost him.
Nina stumbled away from the railing with a moan of despair, tripping and landing by the bag. She didn’t feel the pain of the fall, a far greater agony overpowering it.
Chase was dead.
‘No,’ she whispered. ‘No, no, no . . .’ She couldn’t accept it. She wouldn’t. He couldn’t be dead. It wasn’t possible.
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