Steiner then looked at Brett, whose grim face hardened in response. Steiner knew she was the most fearless of them all, but at the same time, the most scared. What she feared was not pain, suffering or even death; no, she knew them well. What she feared was the other thing, a thing she knew not. It saddened Steiner that someone should be so tortured by the friendship, or love, of another – as that’s what her brash exterior masked; the grief of a broken heart at the hands of her father, the brute of a man known as Colonel Samson.
Steiner had come to care for the FBI agent despite her misgivings towards him, and her animosity to almost everyone and everything around her. And that was probably how Steiner had come to see her simmering anger for what it was: a cry for help ... a cry for love.
Brett looked away, unable to maintain Steiner’s eye contact. It’s her way, he thought, as she walked past him to the computers where she stopped to stare at the screens and their flow of data. It always will be.
Steiner recognised his attitude towards Brett, and indeed, Jessica and Eric, was something new. It was akin to something that had been inside him all along, as he’d always cared for those he worked alongside. He thought of Malcolm Joiner and Colonel Samson; well, he reasoned, most of them, anyway. But Steiner knew, after he had been wrongly convicted – from his perspective – for the mass murders carried out by Samson in LA, and his subsequent death sentence by lethal injection, something had changed within him. Obviously, the injection he’d been given had turned out not to be lethal, the drugs administered meant to give the impression of death rather than the real thing. However, the cleverly orchestrated plan undertaken by Da Muss Ich to prolong his earthbound existence had ended up nearly costing Steiner his life regardless, the concoction devised sending Steiner into the realm beyond life. And it was that experience that had changed him, and more than he’d previously thought. He now saw people for what they were, he saw beyond their anger, hate and pain, and glimpsed the tormented soul within. In Brett’s case, he saw a child crying out for the unconditional love a parent had been unable to give. It didn’t mean he would let people walk all over him, far from it; it did, however, open a window to a compassion he otherwise wouldn’t have known.
‘Eric said you haven’t heard from him,’ Jessica said, snapping Steiner out of his introspection.
‘What?’
‘Bic,’ Eric told him. ‘It’s been days.’
Steiner’s smile faded, the brief moment of levity gone.
‘Maybe we should talk about him later,’ Eric said, noticing Steiner’s souring mood.
Jessica glanced up at her young friend, who flicked his eyes towards the professor in a poorly concealed suggestion that she should drop her line of questioning. That was fine by Steiner. Just thinking about the hacker made his blood boil.
‘The president sanctioned martial law?’ Jessica said.
Steiner nodded. ‘Tanks are rolling down main streets of every major U.S. city as we speak.’ He moved back to his worktop and the array of screens and cobbled together computers. ‘The combined fleets are streaming in from the world’s oceans to protect our borders and interior alike, and the air force is patrolling the skies like never before.’ He gestured at the various news channels streaming the unfolding scenes he described.
Jessica surveyed the footage with fearful fascination. ‘What are the GMRC doing?’
‘The Council’s officials are defecting in droves,’ Steiner said. ‘Those of American citizenship, anyway; the majority of foreign GMRC employees, which includes most of the GMRC’s military, are standing their ground and awaiting a response from the Directorate.’
‘And what will that be?’
‘If I was still on the council, I’d call for calm and for GMRC forces not to engage until a peaceful resolution could be found.’
‘But that’s not what’s happened, is it?’ Jessica said.
Steiner shook his head. ‘No. There have been some skirmishes between the U.S. military and the GMRC standing armies, but nothing major—’
‘Yet,’ Brett said, before stalking out of the room.
Steiner noticed the frosty glare Jessica gave the FBI agent just before the door slammed closed behind her.
‘She just saved your life,’ Steiner said.
Jessica looked at him. ‘She saved me from capture, on your orders.’
‘We both know capture and life is the same thing for us now.’ Steiner turned and pressed some buttons to scan a host of radio frequencies for signs that their location was compromised. Satisfied there was no immediate threat, he glanced at Eric and then back to Jessica. ‘If one of us gets caught, our whole plan goes up in flames, and no plan means—’
‘Yes, yes, the asteroid hits,’ Jessica said, growing angry, ‘tell me something I don’t know.’
‘Then give her some slack.’ He held up a hand to quell an angry response. ‘I know you both think she’s not to be trusted, but look at her actions, not what she says.’
‘And that’s exactly why you’re blind to the threat she poses,’ Jessica said, her voice lowered to prevent Brett from overhearing. She glanced back at the door. ‘She wanted to get caught, and it’s her actions and words that make me not trust her.’
Steiner frowned, his stomach tingling in warning. ‘What do you mean?’ he said, suppressing the feeling.
‘She told the soldiers her name, that’s what I mean.’
Steiner’s frown deepened and his eyes flicked to the door Brett lurked beyond.
‘And that’s not all,’ Jessica said. ‘If I hadn’t intervened she would have let those soldiers arrest us. She just sat there when you used the drone as a distraction, I had to stamp on the accelerator or we wouldn’t be here now.’
Eric muttered an angry curse in German.
‘We need to get rid of her,’ Jessica said, moving closer to Steiner. ‘And we need to get rid of her now.’
Steiner shook his head. ‘She probably just froze; the drone caught her by surprise, that’s all.’
‘And giving them her name?’ Jessica said.
‘A mistake. You’re here, aren’t you?’
Jessica shook her head in disbelief. ‘Your trust in her will get us all killed.’
Steiner stared into the newsreader’s eyes. He didn’t know what to say. They needed Brett for what was to come; without her, their plan was doomed to failure. But from Jessica’s perspective, it was doomed to failure if she stayed. They were at an impasse.
‘Can’t you talk to her?’ Eric said, attempting to break the deadlock.
‘She respects you,’ Jessica said to Steiner, ‘it’s only your authority that keeps her in check.
‘It’s familiar to her,’ he said, checking the computers again for any signs their secret location was out. ‘I’ll keep an eye on her.’ He looked back at Eric and Jessica. ‘And it’s more than familiarity. I was with her when her father kidnapped her, we have a connection, but she’s torn between trusting me and turning me in.’ Steiner rubbed at his beard and stared at the floor. ‘And I know the feeling,’ he muttered.
‘What?’ Jessica said in concern.
Steiner shook his head. ‘Nothing, just the mumblings of an old man.’ He avoided Jessica’s gaze and cursed his lack of control. He couldn’t afford to let them know how he really felt about what they were planning. Sometimes he couldn’t even face it himself, and so he continued to avoid the inner turmoil that sought to tear him apart, a turmoil that made his life a misery whenever he paused to consider a future that couldn’t be denied.
If he told them the truth they’d never trust him again and he wouldn’t blame them. The biggest problem, though, was that he didn’t trust himself. He’d spent his whole life helping prepare the Earth for the coming apocalypse. His job as Director General of the Subterranean Programme was to ensure life continued underground when the approaching asteroids laid waste to the surface. He’d always had the feeling that the Space Programme would fail to stop the impacts, regardless of it having been sabotaged
by nefarious means, something that had come to light the previous year. But now that the world’s underground bases were the last line of defence, their protection was paramount. However, Bic had shown Steiner that all was not lost and the surface could still be saved. In no other circumstances would Steiner have listened to the cyberterrorist, who had been a threat to the GMRC’s plans to save all life on the planet for longer than Steiner cared to remember. The only reason Steiner believed the plan to stop the asteroids could work was that he’d worked out the keys to its success. Or perhaps that should be, worked out the person key to its success – John Harrison Henry – the current President of the United States.
It was simple when you looked at it quickly. Persuade John Henry to coordinate a worldwide nuclear strike on the asteroid fast approaching the USA and then, when it had been successfully destroyed, get him to use his executive orders to resurrect the Space Programme’s intercept missions to stop four of the five asteroids following in its wake. Simple, Steiner thought, as he considered the slim odds they had of overcoming the first hurdle, so slim that the rest of the plan seemed a distant problem that didn’t even register as something to worry about, which in itself was worrying.
The fact was, destroying the asteroid was just the first of a long line of problems to be overcome, not least Steiner’s continued doubts about the efficacy of a resurrected Space Programme.
But it wasn’t Steiner’s plan to use the world’s nuclear arsenal to stop the asteroid that was his biggest problem, nor was it the monumental effort that would be needed afterwards if they miraculously succeeded in saving the United States from obliteration. No, the problem was far greater. The awful reality was that when it came to the crunch, when it came to deciding once and for all whether to save the surface or let it burn for the sake of humanity’s future, Steiner didn’t know what he should do.
Can I trust myself to do what’s right? he wondered. How can I? was his response, as, like Brett herself, Steiner didn’t know what was right and what was wrong. He was willing to die to save lives, but he also knew trying to save the surface would put the Subterranean Programme at risk, and even if that risk was small, it was one Steiner still wasn’t sure he was prepared to take.
He turned away from Jessica and Eric and screwed up his eyes in torment. No matter how long and hard he thought about the dilemma that faced him, a dilemma to end all dilemmas, he couldn’t for the life of him make that final call.
How can I let billions die? The thought appalled him.
If you don’t, all life on Earth might end, was his mind’s chilling answer.
But if there’s a chance of saving them, he thought, saving everyone, shouldn’t I take it? Shouldn’t I at least try?
Steiner’s mind didn’t answer.
The only thing that was certain was that he was trapped by indecision, and the way ahead was shrouded in uncertainty.
You’ll know when the time comes, Steiner told himself. He looked at Jessica and Eric, who’d moved away to whisper to each other in aggravated tones.
Will I? he thought.
The lack of another response inside Steiner’s head rang loud in his ears.
When the time comes, Steiner thought again, busying himself on his computers and substituting the future for the present. I’ll know what to do when the time comes. The only problem was – he gazed at an on-screen clock as its seconds ticked away – that time was almost now.
Chapter One Hundred Thirty
‘—it’s true, whatever we thought we knew is wrong. If the Mona Lisa is a fake, then nothing is certain anymore.’
‘Will there be an internal investigation?’
The head-curator of the Louvre shrugged. ‘Oui, of course.’
‘And the rest of the museum,’ said the BBC’s French news correspondent, ‘are you checking the other paintings?’
‘We will be, but we are concentrating on finding the real Mona Lisa first. The police have already got some leads. It should only be a matter of time before it’s tracked down ...’
The two people on-screen shrank into a smaller window as they continued to converse, and then a newsreader reappeared. An image of the enigmatic Mona Lisa in a 3D graphic materialised next to her. ‘So, there you have it. The world’s most famous painting is a fake. It’s not known when or how the original was stolen, but it’s thought to have happened sometime in the last few years. Amazingly, the theft has only just come to light, with some blaming the outgoing president-director of the Louvre for a raft of personnel changes that have also swept through the rest of France’s extensive range of museums.’
Eric muted the monitor.
‘It has begun,’ Steiner said. ‘The cracks in the cover-up are appearing.’
Jessica gave him a worried look. ‘It’s a little soon, isn’t it, for the veil to be lifting? I thought the GMRC would have kept a tighter rein on things before the asteroid hit.’
Steiner paused, and then said, ‘We could never predict exactly when things would start to unravel. As long as the final evacuation of the surface was completed before the surface descended into anarchy, that was seen as good enough.
‘When the asteroid hit the United States,’ Steiner continued, ‘it was predicted the ensuing aftermath would cast civilisation as we know it into an irreversible collapse. Remember, this was seen as inevitable, as the intercept missions were never designed to stop the two smaller asteroids of the four due to impact this year.
‘By that time, any irregularities, glaring or otherwise, conspiracy theories, or growing lists of vanished persons, would be forgotten as people and nations turned on each other in a battle for survival. When the asteroid after the one destined for the U.S. hits in northern Africa, Europe will follow the States into catastrophic failure.’
‘And the final two asteroids due this year?’ Eric said with morbid curiosity.
Steiner sighed and wondered how many more times they’d ask him the same questions. ‘If they aren’t stopped?’
Eric nodded.
‘Then those on the surface that are still alive wouldn’t be for much longer. Nor will any other beast or insect that crawls, walks or flies. A new dust cloud will encompass the planet, and unlike its predecessor, this one will not recede, at least not for a very long time.’
Eric’s eyes widened at the enormity of what he’d just been told, despite him having been told it numerous times previously. Steiner got it, it was hard to take in, and he sometimes wished he could forget what was to come himself. But, like it or not, the reality of living on the surface of a planet was something no one could hide from forever: sooner or later we were going to be hit by an asteroid, it just happened it was sooner rather than later.
‘This is not something to look forward to, Eric,’ Jessica said, her tone admonishing.
Eric made a face at the diminutive newsreader, who sat on the edge of Steiner’s desk, her legs dangling.
‘I’m not looking forward to it,’ Eric said, his expression hurt. ‘I’m just—’
‘Looking forward to the challenge,’ Brett said, entering the room.
Steiner knew what she meant; it was a well-documented phenomenon of the human condition. The GMRC had put a lot of research into the psychological effects of entering the Subterranean Programme, as even though the majority of underground residents would not have been aware of six of the seven approaching asteroids, they were well aware of the first, predicted to arrive in 2040. ‘A break from the monotony of capitalism’s empty promise,’ Steiner said, quoting the phrase well-known amongst GMRC employees.
‘You sound like Bic,’ Jessica said.
Steiner grunted at the observation, but didn’t respond. Instead, he continued his surveillance of the airwaves before pointing at the newsfeed Eric had been watching. ‘The Chinese are mustering their forces,’ he said, ‘as are the Europeans and Russians. The GMRC wants a smooth transition below ground and is seeking to pressure the president into relinquishing control with a show of force.’
&nbs
p; ‘Will it be war?’ Jessica craned her neck to look.
‘It shouldn’t come to that. Although if it did, it would make our job a lot harder.’ Steiner grimaced. ‘If that’s even possible.’
‘“Shouldn’t” isn’t very reassuring,’ Jessica said.
‘It’s highly unlikely.’
‘And why’s that?’
‘Because, Jessica Klein,’ – all the screens in the room flickered, the lights dimmed and the familiar face of Bic appeared on each – ‘by activating martial law, John Henry has just signed his own death warrant.’
Steiner’s expression hardened at the sight of the cyberterrorist.
‘Da Muss Ich,’ Eric said, overjoyed to see his idol back among them. ‘Where have you been?!’
Bic smiled. ‘Here and there, Eric, here and there.’
‘Wait,’ Jessica said, concerned. ‘Without the president, we can’t stop the asteroid.’
‘I know,’ Bic said, ‘but the executive order he has just activated is the one thing that takes power out of the GMRC’s hands. It is the one act the transitional government could have made that would challenge the GMRC’s stranglehold on events to come. When the president was under their control, he was not a threat to the Tenth Protocol, or the Subterranean Programme. Isn’t that so, Professor Steiner?’
Steiner felt his anger rising and he glared at Bic without comment.
‘But surely the GMRC knew he might be forced to take such action?’ Jessica said.
‘Ach, we’ve been through this all before.’ Eric stood up in frustration.
‘Not recently, we haven’t,’ Jessica said. ‘At least, not while I’ve been here.’
‘It was a risk some said was worth taking,’ Bic said, ‘and those same people said there was a simple solution to its activation: assassination.’
‘Killing the president was part of their plan? Why didn’t they just rescind the executive order?’
‘They think they can use it,’ Bic said. ‘Plus, they have someone who can take the president’s place. Especially if the Vice President is also taken out of the picture.’
Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2) Page 70
