He chuckled. “I wanted you to see what man can do. What we can achieve. What we can conquer. There is no limit to human ingenuity, and this pyramid is a monument to that.”
Eleanor shrugged. “Okay.”
“I know you and your mother believe it is dangerous to utilize the Trees. But I have faith in our dominion. We have mastered the air, the sea, the earth. We have mastered the interior of the atom, and the vastness of outer space. We will master this dark energy, too. But I need your help to do it.”
Eleanor couldn’t help herself. She laughed. “You think I’m going to help you?”
“I do,” he said, and went reptilian again, cold and unknowable. “Because I know what you are.”
The laughter plummeted from Eleanor’s voice, and for a surprised moment, words evaded her. “Wh— I don’t— Who I am?”
“Not who,” he said. “What.”
Before last night, and her confrontation with the last Concentrator, his statement might have terrified her. But since she had embraced that part of her, whatever it was, she found she no longer needed so badly to understand it. The drive to do so had been motivated by fear, and she was no longer afraid.
“You know what I am?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Then what am I?”
“I will only tell you if you help me.”
“That’s what this is about?” Eleanor said. “A bribe? That’s all you got?”
“You—you do not want to know?”
“Of course I want to know,” Eleanor said. “But I don’t need to know.” And she wasn’t about to let Watkins think he had any kind of power over her.
He licked his lips and frowned. “I underestimated you. That is not a mistake I often make.”
Eleanor shrugged. “Guess you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
“But I don’t think I’ve underestimated how much you love your uncle Jack.”
The quietly menacing way Watkins said it robbed Eleanor of what strength she still had, as if a wind could have stripped her from the pyramid’s face. Was he threatening to hurt Uncle Jack? Had he already done so?
“What we won’t do for the people we love, eh?” Watkins said.
“H-have you done something to him?”
“I’ve brought him here, to Egypt.”
Eleanor looked down at the encampment. “Uncle Jack is here?”
“Safe and sound.”
She felt a sudden elation but quickly suppressed it, angry that Watkins had found a way to get to her, and worried this was some kind of trap. He could easily be lying. “I want to see him.”
“You will. He is like you, you know.”
“What do you mean?”
“He shares your ability. Though it would seem yours is phenomenally strong.”
What was Watkins saying? That Uncle Jack could also connect with the Concentrators? “He can—?”
“Yes. It would seem the trait is most common in males. A recessive, X-linked gene, like color blindness. But every so often, a female does manifest it.”
Eleanor had always assumed, without really questioning it, that the ability had come from the Donor, her unknown father. But Watkins seemed to be suggesting it had come from her mom’s side. If Uncle Jack had it, maybe that explained why she had always felt closer to him than she had to her own mom.
“I sensed it, you know.” Watkins took a deep breath through his nose, nostrils flaring. “All three times, I sensed it when you shut them down. A sudden weakness. With the last, I could barely move. I thought I might be dying. I’m sure your uncle Jack felt it as well, along with everyone else on the planet who has the trait.”
“How—?”
“We are connected to them. And I’m sure you’ve noticed, the weakness gets worse each time. What do you think will happen to you and the rest of us when you shut down the last one? What will happen to your uncle?”
Eleanor tried to speak, but her mouth had gone dry. She hadn’t even considered that she might be affecting others, let alone Uncle Jack. And Watkins was right—the weakness was getting worse each time, and he seemed to be suggesting that she could be doing real harm to other people. But how many people, and what kind of harm? She wondered what would happen when she shut down the last Concentrator. How bad would the weakness get? Could people die? And how much of what Watkins was saying could she even trust?
“How do you know all this?” Eleanor asked.
“I already told you. I know what you are. And if you want to know more, you will assist me.” He got to his feet. “But now, it is time to return. I wouldn’t want to concern your mother, and I’m sure you would both like to see your uncle Jack.”
He said nothing else as they scrambled back down, and by the time Eleanor’s feet touched the sandy ground, her hands were scraped raw by the stone, and her emotions had been scraped raw by what Watkins had just revealed. They returned to the same tent from which they had left, and Eleanor found that breakfast had arrived while she was gone. There was a big bowl of fruit, cheese, and a platter of breads, some of them sweet. Tension wound those at the table into a knot, and Eleanor could tell they’d just been arguing about something. But whatever it was didn’t matter to her.
“Mom,” she said, “they have Uncle Jack here.”
Her mom tilted her head, as if she didn’t believe she’d heard correctly. “What?”
“It is true,” Watkins said. “He should be here momentarily.”
Eleanor turned toward the door, putting aside her fear and uncertainty for the moment, focusing only on the joy. She bobbed a little, anticipating as the moments ticked by. He was here. Her uncle Jack, who’d always taken care of her, who cooked the best food on earth, who understood her better than anyone. And then she saw him through the Plexiglass, walking toward them, escorted by a guard.
“Uncle Jack!” Eleanor cried as he came into the room. She rushed him and threw her arms as far around his large frame as they would reach, which wasn’t very far. His long arms completely enveloped her, and he smelled the same, like aftershave and a hint of something baked, and she was crying.
“Ell Bell!” he said, kissing the top of her head.
“Jack!” Eleanor felt her mom’s arms come around them both.
“Samantha,” Uncle Jack said. “I’ve been so worried about you both!”
Watkins cleared his throat. “I’ll leave you to have your reunion. I’m sure there is much to discuss.” Then he turned and left the room.
Uncle Jack pulled away so he could look Eleanor in the eye. “Do you have any idea what you put me through, young lady? Running away like that?”
The last he’d known, Eleanor’s mom was missing in the Arctic and Eleanor had gone to find her. “I know, I’m so sorry,” she said. “But I found her and . . . there is so much to tell you!”
“That’s what I gather,” Uncle Jack said. “But that Watkins fellow hasn’t told me much. The G.E.T. basically said you were both here and put me on a plane. What are you doing in Egypt? Who are these people?”
Eleanor looked at her mom, and then together they introduced everyone and gave a brief account of all that had happened, including the Concentrators and the rogue planet. Uncle Jack listened without reacting in any way, and when they were finished, he sat there for a long time without saying a word.
Finally he spoke, staring at the conference table. “What you’re telling me sounds too incredible to—”
“But you believe us, don’t you?” Eleanor said.
He looked over at her. “Of course I believe you. But more than that, I’m proud of you.”
That was exactly what Eleanor wanted and needed to hear, and she wanted to hug him all over again. That was what she had been missing. Someone who understood her.
“So what happens now?” he asked.
“Now?” Dr. Powers said. “Now we have a decision to make.”
“A decision you appear to have already made,” Eleanor’s mom said, which seemed to be a reference to whatever she and th
e others had been arguing about before Eleanor came back from the pyramid.
“What are you talking about?” Eleanor asked.
“Well, let’s see,” Finn said. “My dad has apparently signed on to the Preservation Protocol since I last saw him, and now he’s trying to talk the rest of us into it.”
“What?” Eleanor said. “I can’t believe this.”
“What did you think would happen when they caught us?” Julian said. “Look around. You think we have a choice?”
“I have a choice,” Luke said. “So do you. But I guess it’s easier to pretend you don’t.”
“What choice would that be?” Dr. Powers asked. “I have placed my sons in harm’s way, and for what? All our efforts haven’t changed a thing. Do you know of another way to stop the Concentrators? In addition to being a pilot, have you become an expert in telluric currents since I last saw you?”
Von Albrecht knew more about telluric currents than anyone there, but he had been silent for a long time. “What do you think about all this?” Eleanor asked him.
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I think I will not be a part of this Preservation Protocol. This is not the mark I want to make. It is wrong, and I would rather freeze out there than send someone else to die.”
“Amen,” Luke said.
“But we can change it,” Dr. Powers said. “From the inside. We can make it better—”
“Oh, come on,” Luke said. “Do you hear yourself? Do you know how naive that sounds?”
“Naive?” Dr. Powers said, raising his voice. “You think I’m naive?”
“Either that or you’re not as smart as I thought you were,” Luke said, raising his.
“You better watch your tone!” Dr. Powers said.
“Or what?” Luke said.
Eleanor wanted to cover her ears to shut out the conflict. This was not how things were supposed to be. They had started out as a team, with a common purpose, and now they were fragmenting, and Eleanor straddled the fault lines. She understood what Luke and von Albrecht were saying, because that was how she felt, too. She had made a promise to Amaru to save his son, and she intended to keep it. But she didn’t know how. She didn’t know how to stop the Concentrators anymore, and she didn’t know what effect that might have on others. She wasn’t even worried about herself. But Uncle Jack was sitting there, and Eleanor didn’t know how to tell anyone else about this. Her mom would see it as a confirmation of everything she’d feared.
Dr. Powers was still shouting. “I will not be threatened by some ignorant bush pilot!”
“Ignorant?” Luke yelled back.
“Shut up!” Finn shouted. “Just stop it, all of you!”
That brought quiet into the room, which lasted a few moments, and then Watkins returned.
“We have some decisions to make,” he said. “Hard decisions, I’m afraid, but necessary ones.”
“I’ve made mine,” Dr. Powers said.
“Simon . . . ,” Eleanor’s mom said.
“Indeed you have, Dr. Powers,” Watkins said. “And you, Dr. Perry?”
“I haven’t made any decisions,” she said.
“No?” Watkins said. “I’m surprised you would put your daughter in such danger.”
Eleanor froze, while her mom frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Watkins glanced at Eleanor with a hint of a smile and that same meaningful look. “She knows.”
Helplessness and rage set Eleanor quivering. She knew how her mom would react to this. She knew what this would mean.
Her mom turned toward her, and so did Uncle Jack. “Sweetie, what is he—?”
“Allow me to explain,” Watkins said. “Shutting down the Concentrators comes at a dangerous price for your daughter, Dr. Perry. A price for many people, including your brother, who shares her ability. Perhaps the ultimate price, if they’re all shut down.”
“What are you saying?” Eleanor’s mom grabbed her hand. “Is this true?”
Eleanor couldn’t speak.
“It might be,” Luke said quietly. “I had to carry her part of the way out of that tomb.”
“Mom,” Eleanor said. “Please, don’t—”
“I knew it.” Her mom closed her eyes and shook her head. “I knew it all along, and I didn’t stop you.” She opened her eyes and looked at Eleanor with a fierceness that almost frightened her. “Well, I will not allow you to endanger yourself anymore.”
“Mom, please. We’ll find another way.”
“What other way is there?”
Eleanor didn’t know. She didn’t know how she could shut down the Concentrators if doing so meant hurting Uncle Jack, or anyone else. Watkins had twisted things around so much, she wasn’t even sure what was true. But the one thing she did know was that the Preservation Protocol was still completely wrong.
“Please, Uncle Jack,” Eleanor said. He would understand. He knew her better than anyone. “Tell her.”
“Ell Bell, listen to me.” He cupped one of her cheeks with his broad, warm hand. “I still don’t quite understand what’s happening here, but I know I don’t like this Preservation Protocol any more than you do. If I knew of a way out of this, I’d take it. They’ve got us over a barrel.”
It was as though the bottom had fallen out of the room, and the walls had rearranged themselves. No one spoke. Eleanor was too stunned to make sense of where she sat now, but she wasn’t in the same place she had been a moment ago.
“An accurate assessment, Mr. Perry,” Watkins said. “Thank you. And now—”
Hobbes entered the room, interrupting him before he could finish. “Sir, there’s a situation developing. We need to get you out of here. Now.”
CHAPTER
24
“SITUATION?” WATKINS SAID. “WHAT KIND OF SITUATION?”
“I’ll explain on the way,” Hobbes said. “Let’s move.”
“They are coming with me,” Watkins said, pointing at Eleanor and her mom.
“Yes, sir. What about the others?”
“Watkins,” Dr. Powers said. “We had a deal.”
Watkins squinted at them. “So we did. I suppose we should bring the others with us.”
A slight twitch beneath Hobbes’s left eye was the only sign of irritation he displayed. “I’ll have two cars brought around. Wait here.” He left the room, speaking into his wrist.
“I truly have no idea what this is all about,” Watkins said.
Eleanor believed him and wondered what could possibly be happening that might pose a threat to him or the G.E.T.
“But not to worry,” Watkins said. “I’m sure it will be fine. I’ve yet to encounter a problem for which Hobbes is unprepared.”
The agent returned a few minutes later, beads of sweat on his brow. “We’re clear, but the window is closing. Let’s move out.”
“You heard the man,” Watkins said.
Everyone rose from the table and proceeded out of the conference room, through the tent, and outside into the sun. Eleanor smelled smoke. Then she saw it, a thick column rising up on the far side of the encampment, and she heard the roar of a large crowd. Hobbes opened the doors of two black SUVs parked in front of the tent.
“I want Eleanor and Dr. Perry with me,” Watkins said.
“Uncle Jack, too,” Eleanor said. “Or I’m not getting in.” She wasn’t going to be separated from him again.
Watkins rolled his eyes. “Fine, the uncle as well.”
Hobbes nodded and ushered Eleanor, her mom, and Uncle Jack into the backseat of the rear vehicle, with Eleanor on one side of Uncle Jack and her mom on the other. Luke and Betty went with von Albrecht, Dr. Powers, and his two sons to the forward car. Hobbes shut all the doors and then climbed into the driver’s seat of Eleanor’s SUV, speaking into his wrist again, while Watkins took the front passenger seat next to him.
“Proceed to route alpha forty-one,” Hobbes said. “Let’s roll.” Once they were moving through the encampment, he seemed to relax a little and
glanced back at them in his rearview mirror.
“Can you explain the situation now?” Watkins asked.
“Local mob,” Hobbes said. “They started mobilizing about an hour ago. Preliminary assessment this morning determined it was just another protest, one of the usual. Nothing to worry about. But the climate took a hostile turn. They broke down the gates and set fire to a couple of our tents.”
“Good lord,” Watkins said. “Was anyone hurt?”
“Not yet,” Hobbes said. “Egyptian security forces are on their way. They’ll have the mob dispersed soon. But in the meantime, it wasn’t safe for you to be there.”
“I see,” Watkins said. “Well, I trust your judgment implicitly, Hobbes.”
The SUVs reached the edge of the encampment, where the rioters weren’t as numerous. But Eleanor saw them staring and shouting at the vehicles, making hurried calls on cell phones. Armed guards opened a gate, and the vehicles plowed through, then charged forward into the streets of the city at a speed that made Eleanor nervous, bouncing down narrow roads, scattering pedestrians and animals. After hearing the way Youssef and Samir had spoken about the G.E.T. presence at Giza, she wasn’t surprised to hear the protest had turned violent, and she hoped it wouldn’t get any more dangerous or destructive than it already had.
“Where are we going?” Eleanor asked.
“Secure location” was all Hobbes would say.
“And why did you want us in your car, specifically?” her mom asked Watkins.
“It was Eleanor I wanted,” he said.
“What? Why?”
“You don’t realize how useful she is.”
Eleanor’s mom leaned forward. “What do you mean?”
“Why are we slowing?” Hobbes said into his wrist.
Eleanor looked ahead of them and saw the forward vehicle’s brake lights, and ahead of that car, an approaching mob of men that had completely filled the street. It seemed the protesters on their cell phones had quickly organized a roadblock.
“Back up, back up!” Hobbes ordered, but when Eleanor craned her neck, she saw that another group had closed in behind them.
They were trapped.
Hobbes got on a radio and spoke loudly in Arabic, while Eleanor watched the crowd squeezing in on them, anger evident on their faces and in their voices as they chanted things she couldn’t understand. Her heart pounded in her ears and throat.
Island of the Sun (Dark Gravity Sequence) Page 23