Code to Extinction
Page 27
Sam Reilly watched as the darkness above finally gave way to crepuscular rays of sun. He picked up his cell phone and called the Secretary of Defense.
She answered on the first ring, without preamble. “What’s the outcome?”
“It’s finally over.”
The Secretary said, “Not completely. I’m afraid some things have only just begun.”
“Really?” Sam held a tight-lipped smile. “The asteroid’s passed Earth and the ocean’s thermohaline currents are flowing in the right direction again – as far as I see it, everything’s just fine.”
“I read your report on the mission to the temple in Tepui Mountains.”
“And?”
“A Master Builder was found strung up on a stalagmite. Evidently killed by one of his own people.”
“You think there’s going to be a war between the remaining Master Builders?”
“Yes,” she said. “The question is, who’s side are we going to take?”
Chapter Sixty-Eight
The Sikorsky Blackhawk VH-60N VIP designated helicopter landed in the clearing, where more than a hundred marines had secured the forest. The surrounding land dipped into a shallow crater.
As the rotor blades began to wind down, the Secretary of Defense stepped out of the helicopter. A five-star General stepped up to greet her.
“Well.” She said. “Did you find it?”
He grinned. “Yeah, we found it all right.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “So, Leo Botkin was right all along. The meteorite did break in two, sending the second fragment of blackbody into a completely different part of the world.”
She ran her eyes across a large, dark stone. Light appeared to be distorting near it. The stone was being lifted by a twin-engine tandem rotor Chinook helicopter.
Her eyes turned and fixed to the man in a white coat next to the General. “The trillion dollar question is, will there be enough of the usable material left?”
The scientist nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Her tightlipped smile relaxed. “Good. Can you control the material?”
“It will take time. But I believe we can make it work for us.”
“Good. No more setbacks. I want to see the Omega Project up and running within the year. Can you achieve that?”
The scientist smiled decisively. “Yes, ma’am.”
The End
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