Duncan—Deep Blue—unexpectedly assumed the position of attention and called out in a low but commanding voice. “King.”
King likewise came to attention and took a step forward. “Yes, sir?”
“Assemble for roll call.”
King felt a surge of emotion as he grasped what Deep Blue was doing. He pivoted and faced the gathering. “Chess Team, fall in.”
Queen, Rook and Knight moved forward, their expressions revealing that they understood as well, and formed a line beside him, intentionally leaving a gap between Queen and Knight.
King wasn’t sure what to do next. They had never established a protocol for this eventuality. It occurred to him that Deep Blue was now doing exactly that.
“King?”
King took a deep breath. “Here, sir.”
“Queen?”
Queen followed King’s lead. “Here, sir.”
“Knight?”
“Here, sir.”
“Rook?”
“Here, sir.”
“Bishop?”
Silence.
Deep Blue allowed a moment to pass. “Bishop? Somers?”
Another pause. “Bishop, Erik Somers?”
King had to struggle to find his voice. “Bishop, Erik Somers, is not here, sir.”
In the pause that followed, the only sound was of someone softly crying. Then Deep Blue did something that King did not expect.
“Pawn?” There was a stir of confusion. “Pawn, Machtchenko?”
Asya overcame her surprise and quickly stepped forward. “Here, sir.”
Deep Blue studied her with a look that evinced both solemnity and pride. “A piece has left the board, but Pawn, having demonstrated exceptional valor, has advanced. Will you take Bishop’s place, Asya Machtchenko?”
Asya stared back at him, stunned.
In a less formal tone, Deep Blue added, “According to the rules of chess, a pawn may be promoted to any of the first rank positions, even if that piece is still in play, but I think one Queen is more than enough.”
Asya nodded, dumbly, though whether she was agreeing with Deep Blue or signaling her acceptance was anyone’s guess. Deep Blue took it as the latter. He reached out and pressed a carved wooden chess piece into her hands.
“Welcome to the team, Bishop.”
CODA
Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo
With more than a million inhabitants, Goma, on the northern tip of Lake Kivu, had seen more than its share of ethnically fueled violence. The recent political unrest that had gripped the nation had very nearly fanned the smoldering embers of old tribal feuds to life again. For several tense days, only the heavy presence of foreign peacekeepers had kept the situation from devolving once more into chaos. Gradually though, as news of the fantastic discoveries nearby had reached the ears of the populace, the lingering animosity had given way to a unifying sense of hope. Instead of fear, a spirit of anticipation gripped the city.
Felice Carter was only peripherally aware of what was happening in the world outside her laboratory. She found solace in her work, the only thing that kept her from reliving the tragic ordeal of those days spent hiding in the forest and what had happened after. But that was not the only reason she had sequestered herself in the laboratory on the campus of the University of Goma. If her research bore fruit, and she fervently believed it would, it would usher in a new era of energy production. It would mean an end to reliance on fossil fuels and the inherent exploitation of the natural resources of developing nations to fuel the ravenous appetites of the global energy market.
After sequencing the DNA of the E. coli variant she had discovered in Lake Kivu and in the soil of the cavern near the Ancients’ city, she had gone to work identifying its weaknesses. The bacteria was well-suited to large scale biofuel production, but if it was unintentionally introduced to the surface world, either through a natural disaster, such as the long-dreaded lake eruption, or through human error, such as a mishandling of the bacteria at one of the biofuel production facilities that were now in the planning stages, the result would be a runaway ecological catastrophe. Her goal was to identify the best ways to shut down the extremophile quickly, and thereby ensure that, even in a worst case scenario, the organism could be tamed.
Thus far, the gram-negative bacteria had shown a vulnerability to the antibiotic ampicillin, but medical history had taught scientists the danger of relying on a single cure. So before she was willing to release her research, Felice wanted to make sure that there were many different ways to kill the organism.
She bent over a line of petri dishes that hosted colonies of the bacteria grown in agar and began adding carefully measured doses of streptomycin to each. The DNA map indicated that the extremophile had the same vulnerability to the broad spectrum antibiotic as more common variants of the bacteria, but this test would reveal whether the organism had other defenses hidden in its genetic code.
“Dr. Carter?”
She frowned but did not look up until her task was finished. Kabika, a nursing student who had volunteered to work as her lab assistant, was standing in the doorway.
“There is a man here to see you.”
Felice frowned. In the last two weeks, she had been inundated with phone calls and e-mails from scientists and biotech upstarts in every corner of the globe, all eager to reap the benefits of her work. This was the first time someone had actually bothered to come see her in person, but she knew it probably wouldn’t be the last.
“Tell him to make an appointment,” Felice said, turning back to her experiment. “Sometime next year, maybe.”
Kabika approached the table, her forehead creased with uncertainty. “This man is very insistent. He says that he is a friend.”
“A friend?”
“Yes. He said that you promised to help him.”
Felice stared back at the young woman, trying to make sense of the request. Promised to help? Could it be David?
No. David had been whisked off to Kinshasa to give a full account of his discovery of the cavern. And besides, she certainly hadn’t made any promises to him. In fact, she could think of only one man that…
All thoughts of experiments and antibiotic therapies momentarily forgotten, Felice ran for the door.
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A NOTE FROM JEREMY ROBINSON
Dear Reader,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading SAVAGE. I hope you have enjoyed this brand new Chess Team adventure. If you did enjoy the book, please show your support by posting a review at your online retailer. E-book websites work on algorithms, meaning the more people review my books, the more the e-book retailers will recommend them to other readers. And the more people buy my books, the more I get to write them, which is a good thing for both of us (assuming you enjoyed the book). If we can get SAVAGE moving off the virtual shelves, there will be many more Chess Team adventures to come.
Thank you!
—Jeremy Robinson
Follow King’s adventures in the past.
GUARDIAN
By Jeremy Robinson
and J. Kent Holloway
Description:
Jack Sigler, Callsign: King, has been a lot of things in his life. A soldier, a father, a hero. But now he’s taking up a new title: guardian.
After a life fighting billionaire madmen, terrorists and unnatural threats, he’s stuck thousands of years in the past, using his knowledge of history and modern warfare to right wrongs and stand up for those in need.
When he meets a twelve year old boy—the prince of the Babylonian Empire—who is to be sacrificed to the ancient goddess, Tiamat, by a twisted High Priest, King steps in, sword swinging. But what starts as a simple snatch and grab, quickly turns into a pitched battle against a legion of men and hideous creatures. As Tiamat rises from her ancient resting place, the fate of the world—and King’s future—is at stake.
Trapped millennia in the past and gifted with regenerative abilities, King must live
out the centuries until he returns to his own time and his family. The Jack Sigler Continuum series tells the events that occurred in King’s life as a result of the full-length novel, Omega, but no prior reading is required to enjoy the Continuum series. Each story will be a standalone adventure, and a great jumping-on point. For more of King’s adventures, check out the entire Jack Sigler/Chess Team series.
Coming in 2014.
FLOOD RISING
By Jeremy Robinson
and Sean Ellis
Description:
In a minute, everything changes.
Fifteen year old Jenna Flood’s discovery of a bomb—ticking down from sixty seconds—is the first in a series of explosive revelations that destroy her understanding of the world and her place in it.
Jenna believes she is an ordinary teenager, busy with schoolwork and helping her father run a Key West charter boat. But when a team of killers show up, intent on erasing her from existence, she learns the unbelievable truth: she is not who she thinks she is.
Alone and on the run, betrayed at every turn, Jenna’s path takes her from sun-drenched Key West to the alligator-infested Everglades, the streets of Miami and the Caribbean islands. Along the way, brutal criminals, deadly assassins and the forces of nature conspire to end her life unless she can rise to embrace an impossible destiny and unleash her own lethal potential.
Everything Jenna has been told about herself is a lie, and the truth is a secret that may destroy the world…or save it.
Jeremy Robinson and Sean Ellis, the bestselling team behind The Brainstorm Trilogy, Prime and Savage, have thrilled audiences with stories of science gone wrong and monsters on the rampage. Now they break new ground with a taut suspense thriller sure to appeal to fans of 24 and The Bourne Identity, with all the pulse-pounding gut-wrenching action you’ve come to expect.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Jeremy Robinson is the bestselling author of more than forty novels and novellas including Xom-B, Island 731, SecondWorld, the Jack Sigler thriller series, and Project Nemesis, the highest selling original (non-licensed) kaiju novel of all time. He’s known for mixing elements of science, history and mythology, which has earned him the #1 spot in Science Fiction and Action-Adventure, and secured him as the top creature feature author.
Robinson is also known as the bestselling horror writer, Jeremy Bishop, author of The Sentinel and the controversial novel, Torment. His novels have been translated into eleven languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children.
Visit him online at www.jeremyrobinsononline.com.
Sean Ellis is the author of several thriller and adventure novels. He is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom, and he has a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources Policy from Oregon State University. Sean is also a member of the International Thriller Writers organization. He currently resides in Arizona, where he divides his time between writing, adventure sports and trying to figure out how to save the world.
Visit him on the web at: seanellisthrillers.webs.com
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ALSO by JEREMY ROBINSON
Standalone Novels
The Didymus Contingency
Raising The Past
Beneath
Antarktos Rising
Kronos
Xom-B
Nemesis Novels
Island 731
Project Nemesis
Project Maigo
SecondWorld Novels
SecondWorld
I am Cowboy
The Antarktos Saga
The Last Hunter – Descent
The Last Hunter – Pursuit
The Last Hunter – Ascent
The Last Hunter – Lament
The Last Hunter – Onslaught
The Last Hunter – Collected Edition
The Jack Sigler/Chess Team Novels
Prime
Pulse
Instinct
Threshold
Ragnarok
Omega
Savage
Jack Sigler Continuum Novellas
Guardian
Chesspocalypse Novellas
Callsign: King
Callsign: Queen
Callsign: Rook
Callsign: King 2 – Underworld
Callsign: Bishop
Callsign: Knight
Callsign: Deep Blue
Callsign: King 3 – Blackout
Chesspocalypse Novella Collected Editions
Callsign: King – The Brainstorm Trilogy
Callsign – Tripleshot
Callsign – Doubleshot
Horror Novels
(written as Jeremy Bishop)
Torment
The Sentinel
The Raven
Refuge:
Night of the Blood Sky
Darkness Falls
Lost in the Echo
Ashes and Dust
Bonfires Burning Bright
Refuge (Omnibus)
ALSO by SEAN ELLIS
Jack Sigler/Chess Team
Callsign: King - Book 1
Callsign: King - Book 2 - Underworld
Callsign: King - Book 3 - Blackout
Callsign: King - The Brainstorm Trilogy
Prime
Savage
The Nick Kismet Adventures
The Shroud of Heaven
Into the Black
The Devil You Know
Fortune Favors
The Adventures of Dodge Dalton
In the Shadow of Falcon’s Wings
At the Outpost of Fate
On the High Road to Oblivion
Novels
Ascendant: A Mira Raiden Adventure
Magic Mirror
Wargod—an Ogmios Team thriller (with Steven Savile)
Hell Ship: A Dane and Bones Origins Story (with David Wood)
Secret Agent X
The Sea Wraiths
The Scar
Masterpiece of Vengeance
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Epilogue
Coda
A Note from the Author
About the Authors
Also by Jeremy Robinson
Also by Sean Ellis
Copyright ©2014 by Jeremy Robinson
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Jeremy Robinson at:
[email protected].
Cover design copyright ©2014 by Jeremy Robinson
Visit Jeremy Robinson on the World Wide Web at:
www.jeremyrobinsononline.com
Visit Sean Ellis on the World Wide Web at:
seanellisthrillers.webs.com.
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