by R. D. Brady
“Why?” Matt asked.
“They claimed terroristic threats.”
Or maybe they worried that putting it in place would set off a chain reaction they were not prepared for.
“Anyway, it would make sense if there were lots of scans from that time period. They would need to make sure the Pyramid could support the weight of the capstone,” Mustafa said.
Danny frowned. “This is weird.”
Laney leaned forward. “What?”
“They did a lot of high-resolution scans as well.”
“Of the Plateau?”
“No, of the Pyramid. But they seemed to run dozens of them of this one area.”
“Above the fiftieth level?”
Danny looked up at her. “How’d you know that?”
Laney leaned forward, anticipation tingling through her. “Can you bring those up?”
“Hold on a sec.” Danny hunched over the keyboard, and then half a dozen scans filled the screen. Laney scanned all of them, pointing to one that seemed to be an image of the top of the Pyramid, right under the plateau. “Can you enlarge this one?”
“Yup.” The scan filled up the screen. Her mouth fell open, her brain trying to register what she was seeing.
Henry leaned forward. “Is that what I think it is?”
Laney nodded slowly. “It’s the capstone. It’s been hidden inside the Pyramid this whole time.”
Chapter 46
Washington, D.C.
Nancy Harrigan sat in the Oval Office, listening to the replay of the conversation between Stanton Calloway and Delaney McPhearson. She had warned the President that the approach would not work. Choosing Stanton had been the first mistake. He had the personality of a wet sock. But offering Delaney McPhearson an out that required innocents being put in the line of fire? It was a non-starter.
But Nancy had been outvoted. The national security advisor, head of the FBI, and Homeland Security director all pushed for the hardline approach. They balked at the idea of handing Delaney a pardon without requiring something stringent from her in return. Had they made the deal for only Delaney, demanding she defend the country while being given pardons for the rest, Nancy was pretty sure she would have taken that deal. But requiring that a bunch of innocents be slaughtered? There was no chance Delaney was ever going to agree to that.
While Stanton had been offering the doomed proposal, the President had had people trying to track Delaney down. The signal had bounced all around the globe. When Delaney cut the feed, it had been in Tokyo. Some in the Cabinet insisted that they immediately sent a contingent to scour the city for any sign of her or her people. Nancy had struggled not to roll her eyes. Tokyo was one of the most populated cities on a planet. And while there were about half a million foreigners staying in Tokyo, 97% of them were from other Asian countries. A large group of non-Asian individuals, some of whom were incredibly tall, slipping in and out of a bustling metropolis, along with two dozen genetically enhanced cats, would stand out a little bit. So Nancy knew there was zero chance they were in Tokyo.
“I still think we should send a team. Make sure they’re not hiding out there,” the FBI director said.
Nancy ran a hand over her face. God, politicians could be such idiots at times.
“I will take it under advisement,” the President said. “Now, I’d like to speak with Nancy alone. We’ll reconvene in the dining room in an hour.”
Nancy looked up in surprise but said nothing as everyone else filed out. The President waited until the door closed before turning to Nancy. “We botched that, didn’t we?”
“Yes.”
The President sighed as she stood up and strode over to the fireplace. “Why? It was a reasonable offer.”
“Not to her.”
“But it’s not just her. She might be in charge of that ragtag group, but they all have a say.”
“That is correct. But you are missing the bigger point: Delaney McPhearson will never offer someone up as cannon fodder, except maybe herself, if it will spare others. When you mentioned the age limit, I have no doubt she flashed on Molly McAdams, who is only a few months away from the age of fourteen.”
The President winced. “That was a horrible situation. But this isn’t that.”
“Isn’t it, though? Aren’t you telling the Fallen they have no choice? That if they want to come back, they must offer themselves up on the altar of public service? For life?”
The President narrowed her eyes. “Whose side are you on, Nancy?”
Nancy put up her hands. “I am on the side of getting this situation resolved. I am on the side of securing the future of all Americans, enhanced or otherwise. Requiring military service from a group who this country has targeted is a non-starter for McPhearson. She was never going to go for that.”
“So what will she go for?”
Nancy studied the President. “What do you actually want her to do?”
“I want her to make this whole damn thing go away.”
“Then offer her that.”
The President frowned. “I’m not following.”
“You tried to get McPhearson to follow the government’s playbook on Samyaza, and let’s be honest, it wouldn’t have worked. Pushing her to the side, letting the traditional forces take over, would have been a bloodbath. But McPhearson, she ignored the conventional approach. She came up with her own. And she did what we needed her to do: She removed the threat of Samyaza.”
“Unleashing this new threat.”
“Which would have been unleashed no matter who killed her. But the truth is, as bad a shape as we are in now, it is better than the shape we would have been in if Samyaza had survived.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
Nancy paused for a moment. “Delaney McPhearson wants her people safe, but she is not someone who sticks her head in the sand and doesn’t see the other problems swirling around her. She no doubt also wants the problem of the manufactured Fallen contained. After all, she did not reveal the contents of the Omni for just that reason. She will want to help.”
“But how? If you don’t think she’ll defend our country, what makes you think she’ll tackle the larger problem? And how would she even start? We have the best minds in the country working on it, and we still don’t have any good ideas.”
Nancy smiled. No, we have the best minds in the government working on it. Wisely, she did not share that thought out loud. “Well, that’s the thing. She doesn’t look at problems the way we do. Instead of telling her what we want her to do for us, why don’t we ask her how we can help her defeat this problem?”
The President stared at Nancy, slowly nodding her head. Nancy knew the President was thinking of how to spin this. And she would see the upside. Yes, they would be helping McPhearson, but it would be McPhearson’s show, which meant if everything went sideways, the U.S. could lay the blame there.
“Do you think she would be receptive to that?” the President asked.
“I’m pretty sure Delaney McPhearson is already trying to figure out a way to stop the spread of the Omni. So I think we have two choices: get out of her way or help her. And this time, I think she could actually use our help.”
Chapter 47
Tiwanaku, Bolivia
That night, Laney was back at the farmhouse. She’d explained what they had found to her main group back at Havenville. Everyone had been shocked. Laney couldn’t blame them, although she knew the Great Pyramid often offered amazing little finds long after people thought they knew everything amount the ancient monument. In fact, it was one of those discoveries that got her thinking. In 2017, a giant cavern, large enough to hide the entire Statue of Liberty had been discovered inside the Great Pyramid. No one knows its purpose. It seemed to be empty. But yet again, the Great Pyramid was confounding the experts.
The fact that they now knew where the capstone was, though, offered a glimmer of hope that they might have a chance of ending all of this. Of course, getting to the capstone was going to b
e the issue. Laney had spent hours brainstorming idea after idea with the group. But after hours of getting nowhere, they had come to one glaring conclusion: they were going to need help preferably of the Egyptian government. But being a military coup had occurred weeks ago throwing the whole country into turmoil that seemed increasingly unlikely.
With that dour realization in the front of their minds, news reached them that the government was once again looking to speak. Laney was tempted to ignore the call. But she knew she couldn’t overlook a chance to help the people in her care. So now, Laney sat at the same table she’d sat at earlier. She glanced at David, who was out of camera range. “Any chance they’re tracking us somehow?”
David shook his head. “Not according to Danny, but they might have figured out that we can only use electronics for a few hours a day.”
“Will that tell them anything?”
David shrugged. “In and of itself, no. But if they start drawing up a list of locations, it may help them pin down where we are. Of course, the government is notoriously unimaginative. I don’t think hidden in a secondary dimension through an ancient star gate will ever make their list.”
Laney smiled. “Probably not.”
“I’m ready to go when you are, Laney,” Danny said.
Drake stepped into the house then and nodded at her. He’d refused to be left back in the cave to “babysit” again as he put it. Laney had conceded when Danny assured her that while the government had tried to track the signal, they had gotten nowhere close.
When they’d arrived at the farmhouse, Drake had immediately taken off to do a security sweep, extending out farther and farther to make sure no one was encroaching on them. It looked like their little farmhouse was still secure. Matt had done one as well. And Danny had spent the last few hours checking to see if any satellites had been redirected near their location. They hadn’t. According to the communications he’d intercepted, the government seemed to believe they were somewhere in Japan.
Cleo was the last member of their little group. It wasn’t much of a break in the routine from Havenville, but it was something. She had wandered off while Drake and Matt were running their patrols before returning to curl up contentedly on the couch.
Laney glanced back at Danny’s setup, spying the clock that he’d run the last time they’d spoken with the government. It was blank. “Five minutes?”
Danny nodded as the numbers 5:00 appeared on the screen. “Yup. Clock starts as soon as we make the connection. You ready?”
“I’m ready.”
Danny hit a few keys, and the clock next him sprung to life. Laney focused on the screen in front of her. This time someone else was waiting.
“Madame Secretary.”
Nancy Harrigan nodded. “Hello, Dr. McPhearson. I hope you are well.”
“As well as someone who is being hunted by every government on the planet can be, yes.”
Nancy raised an eyebrow. “Most people would crumble under that kind of pressure. You don’t seem to have faltered. In fact, you seem to be traveling through all different parts of the globe according to our reports.”
Laney shrugged. “Well, you know what they say, when you have the chance to travel, you really need to take it.”
A small smile appeared on Nancy’s lips. “Indeed. It’s nice that you’ve had that chance.”
“All right, enough chitchat. What do you want, Nancy?”
“The U.S. would like to extend an offer.”
Laney held up her hand. “If this is anything like the last offer, then let’s just save us both some time, and I’ll say no now.”
“It’s not like the last one. I think you might like this one.”
Somehow I doubt that, she thought, but she waited for Nancy to continue without speaking.
“The U.S. government is prepared to offer complete immunity to you and all the individuals who are in hiding with you.”
“Complete immunity?”
“Yes. The incidents in D.C. and West Virginia will be expunged from your records. You will be free citizens.”
Laney frowned. “In exchange for what?”
“As you know, China has gotten access to the Omni. We have it from reliable sources that at least six other interested parties have also gotten ahold of the formula.”
Laney sucked in a breath. Damn it. It had been bad enough when China had the formula. Stanton had mentioned that others might have access, but Laney was hoping he’d been wrong. This was what she feared: that once one person got it, it would only be a matter of time before everyone had it.
Nancy noted the reaction. “Yes. The United States does not think it is in anyone’s interest that the Omni continues its spread. We already have word of troop movements across the globe. The United States itself has moved to Defcon 2.”
Defcon 2: all armed forces ready to engage in warfare in less than six hours. The last stage was Defcon 1, which would happen when nuclear war was imminent.
“The world is on the brink of war, Laney. It will touch every facet of this planet.”
“What does that have to do with us?”
Nancy settled back in her chair. “I’ve been reading up on you. Long odds against you never seem to pay off. For all intents and purposes, Samyaza should have succeeded on coronation day. Yet she didn’t. And that’s because you outplayed her.”
Laney shrugged. “Perhaps.”
“Not perhaps. You did that. Own it. The world would be in much more dire straits if you had not succeeded.”
“More dire than on the edge of nuclear war?”
“If Samyaza had succeeded, I think we would already be embroiled in nuclear war. So yes. But the danger now is stark.”
“And you want me to advise some committee? Because I have to tell you, that didn’t really work well last time.”
Nancy smiled for a just a moment. “No, it didn’t. Which is why the United States is prepared to offer you and a list of people of your choosing complete immunity in exchange for nullifying the threat of the Fallen.”
Laney paused, not sure she had heard the secretary correctly. “Immunity after the threat is nullified? Because that will make it a little difficult to do anything.”
“You will be given temporary immunity until the threat is nullified. And you will have the resources of the entire United States government at your disposal.”
Laney’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“We believe it is in the United States’ best interest to follow your lead. So whatever you need, you will have.”
Laney stared at the monitor, her mind whirling. Something was off. “Who exactly will be required to aid me in removing the Fallen threat?”
“Only those you choose.”
“So no draft.”
“No.”
Laney drummed her hands on the table, her gaze flicking to Cleo in the corner, who stretched and wandered over to Laney, leaning against her leg. “What about the cats?”
Nancy sighed. “We cannot allow them to exist. Within just a few generations, they could number in the thousands.”
“I will not allow them to be killed.”
“A compromise, then,” Nancy said without pause, letting Laney know she’d anticipated her response. “All cats will be sterilized so they cannot reproduce. When they die, of natural causes, that will be the end of their line.”
Laney looked into Cleo’s eyes, her heart clenching. Thinking of Cleo dying was not something she ever wanted to do. Thinking of this world without them was also not something she wanted to do.
“Laney, they were not supposed to be here. They were created in a lab. They were never supposed to exist.”
It is all right, Laney. She is right. We are not supposed to be here.
I can’t just let you go.
You don’t have to. Not yet. Not for a long time. Make the deal.
Laney recoiled at the idea. But Nancy was right. The cats, like the Fallen, were never meant to be part of this world. The cats had an intelligence o
n par with humans. But that also meant they had human weaknesses: arrogance, pride, envy. In a few generations, they could number in the thousands.
Laney kept her gaze on Cleo before turning back to Nancy. “I will agree to that for the moment. But that is an issue we will be discussing in greater detail in the future.”
“Good, good. Now, I’m hoping you have a plan.”
“I have a rough idea of what needs to be done. With your intelligence, I should be able to see a way forward.”
Nancy let out a breath. “Good. That’s good. I think it would be best if we met in person to iron out plans—”
“After you’ve sent the immunity agreement and our lawyers sign off on it.”
“I’ll need a list of individuals.”
“You’ll have it within the hour.”
She nodded. “Then I’ll have the immunity agreement to you within two. Now, we can arrange transport for you to—”
Laney laughed. “Nice try. We’ll get to the States on our own, and once we’re inside, we’ll tell you where to send a plane.”
Nancy hesitated. “All right. When?”
“Give us twenty-four hours.”
“Very well. We’ll await your call.” The screen went blank.
Laney sat back and looked at David, Drake, and Matt. “So who’s up for sneaking back into the United States?”
Chapter 48
In Havenville, the discussion of who would be heading back to the United States was heated. Everyone wanted to go. Not because they believed the government but because they didn’t. But finally, it was decided that Laney, Matt, David, and Drake would go. Drake because he refused to stay behind. Matt and David, who still had friends in government, would also be useful if things went badly. Everyone else would be preparing for leaving Havenville or preparing to defend it if somehow it was uncovered. Laney and her group left Havenville an hour after they returned from the farmhouse. It was going to be a long trip back to the U.S.