‘We hope for nothing. What we gain is everything.’
‘You seek a world government,’ Steiner said.
‘A world government would stop all wars. Is that such a bad thing?’
‘No, not if it was democratic, but it won’t be, will it.’
Selene smiled again. ‘Why do you continue to fight us, Professor? You should know by now, those in power always get what they want, it is inevitable. And our power is absolute.’
‘Is it?’ Steiner said, trying not to rise to the bait. ‘Then how am I still alive?’
‘Time comes for all men,’ Selene said, ‘but we remain.’
‘The Committee,’ Steiner said, noticing a flicker of surprise on Selene’s face. ‘We know who you are. We know what you want.’ Steiner leant toward the screen. ‘And I’ll make it my mission to destroy every last one of you.’
Selene laughed. ‘Many have tried. All have failed. I’m afraid our ranks are quite extensive, something the hacker can attest to. Isn’t that right, Da Muss Ich?’
Bic didn’t reply, but Steiner knew her arrogance wasn’t for show. This woman believed – knew – she was untouchable, or at least that those she served were. ‘Your lust for power is your downfall,’ Steiner said. ‘There will come a time when your control will fail, and it will be the unexpected that brings you down.’
‘We expect everything,’ Selene said, ‘which is why we rule and you don’t.’
Steiner frowned. ‘You speak of the God Device.’
Selene didn’t bat an eyelid at the mention of the supposed machine that could predict the future. Instead, it was her abnormal calm that gave away her fury. ‘Do you know how far our power goes, Professor?’ she said. ‘Shall I give you an example of our reach?’
‘We know what you possess,’ Bic said, backing Steiner up. ‘A machine that can predict the future.’
‘Is that the source of your power?’ Steiner said.
‘Our source is our belief, and our belief is our source.’ Selene Dubois said. ‘Do you remember Stanford, Professor?’
‘We know about the Stealth Space Station,’ Bic said. ‘We know about Project Ares.’
Steiner held Selene’s gaze, but inwardly cursed Bic for revealing their hand. What is he thinking?! Steiner thought. We need the space station to stop the other asteroids; if they know we need it, they’ll try to stop us, or worse, destroy it before we can use it.
No one spoke until Bic said, ‘We know about the Anakim.’
Steiner felt his chest tighten and he glanced at the camera, where he knew Bic was watching.
‘We know about Sanctuary,’ Bic said.
How can he know? Steiner thought, his mind racing. Is this all a test to find out my secrets? Is he using Dubois against me?
‘You surprise me, Professor,’ Selene said. ‘We assumed you would keep such information close to your chest.’
Steiner saw Brett looking at him, but he didn’t – couldn’t – respond.
‘You were a lecturer, if I recall,’ Selene continued, ‘at Stanford. We expected great things from you, but it seemed your focus had turned elsewhere.’
‘What?’ Steiner adjusted his spectacles. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Your wife, Professor. She was called Amelia, wasn’t she? It was tragic how she died. Although some say it was the best thing that could have happened for your career.’
Steiner’s fingers touched the gold wedding band he still wore on his left hand.
‘We knew you would eventually embrace the path we chose for you,’ Selene said. ‘It just took a little longer than we expected.’
Steiner shook his head. ‘You think I’ll believe you had a hand in my wife’s death?’
‘You can believe what you like, Professor. I’m just here to deliver the truth. And the truth is, we arranged for the truck to drive your wife off the road. Unfortunately, she decided to stop at that convenience store, and we had to improvise. The other loss of life was regrettable, but we were pleased with the outcome and your subsequent dedication to the Subterranean Programme. My associates have asked me to thank you for your efforts in working so long and hard to provide them with their new underground homes. Some say it’s a cruel twist of fate that your life’s work was done in service to those who murdered the only woman you’ve ever loved. I, on the other hand,’ – Selene’s eyes creased with pleasure – ‘call it – call you – my greatest work.’
Steiner stood up and Brett grasped his arm.
He shrugged it off. ‘If you think to deceive me with such lies, you’re sorely mistaken.’
Selene gave him a pitying look. ‘I’m afraid it’s quite true.’ She held up photos of Amelia and Steiner together in a park, taken the day before her death, then of his wife getting into her car, driving down the road, and a final one of her entering the convenience store ...
Steiner’s heart skipped a beat and he found himself reaching out to the image of his lost love.
‘I know I don’t look my age,’ – Selene Dubois touched her face – ‘but my first major assignment as a Committee member was to ensure your service to the cause. I quickly realised that meant killing your wife.’
Steiner stared into her spiteful face and his hands clenched into fists. ‘The Deep Space Detection Array only found the asteroids thirty years ago; my wife had already been dead for seven years by then. You couldn’t possibly have known the underground bases would have been needed.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry. Did you think we didn’t know about the asteroids before they were sighted?’ Selene glanced at Brett, who’d stood up beside Steiner. ‘If you knew anything about us, then it wouldn’t surprise you that the God Device is not our only source of knowledge. We’ve been well aware of the impending threat for quite some time, in fact, far longer than you can possibly imagine.’
‘Don’t listen to her, Professor,’ Bic said.
‘The prophetic power of the gods is ours to wield,’ Selene said, her expression exultant. ‘And we will join them in immortality.’
Steiner refused to believe it, but deep down he knew she was telling the truth. Deep down he could feel it in his bones. This woman had killed his wife, and his whole life had been manipulated ever since. Thoughts of the family he’d never had flashed through his mind and a sense of loss consumed his soul.
‘We will hunt you down,’ Bic said, ‘and we will have vengeance.’
‘Malcolm Joiner believed as you do,’ Selene said, ‘and his life hangs in the balance.’
‘Your assassin will fail,’ Steiner said. He glared into his adversary’s eyes. ‘And I am not Malcolm Joiner.’
Selene smiled at him. ‘That’s exactly what we’re counting on.’
The screen fuzzed and Selene vanished from view, casting the interior of the truck’s cockpit into darkness. Red emergency lighting glowed to life and Steiner was left staring at a blank screen, his sense of self in tatters.
‘Are you okay, Professor?’ Bic said.
He didn’t reply and Brett touched his arm. ‘Professor?’
Steiner looked down at the ring on his finger. He didn’t think he’d ever be okay again.
Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Two
Selene Dubois gazed out of the window of the Anakim tower that dominated the centre of USSB Sanctuary’s uppermost level. Far below her, the underground citizens went about their daily business, unaware of what transpired on the surface high above.
She tapped the window and a digital display appeared with the word ‘connecting’ at its centre. A moment later the face of Ophion Nexus came into view.
‘I have news,’ Selene said.
Ophion frowned. ‘I told you not to contact me.’
‘Unless I had information on Professor Steiner’s whereabouts, and I do.’
‘I’m closing in on his location,’ Ophion said. ‘I need no assistance.’
‘That is for me to decide,’ Selene said, and pressed a button to send S.I.L.V.E.R.’s leader the relevant data. ‘Besides, if you
hadn’t noticed, your two-week deadline is nearly up and all three targets remain.’
Ophion perused what he’d just received. ‘How did you come by this?’
Selene smiled. ‘The hacker led us straight to them.’
‘On purpose?’
‘We believe so. It seems the professor has become surplus to Bic’s requirements, along with everyone else in his little team.’
‘I’ll take it under advisement.’
‘We’ve verified its authenticity. The professor is in Washington D.C., there can be no doubt.’
‘I don’t disagree,’ Ophion said.
‘Then why won’t you act on it? He seeks to influence the president’s conference, he must be stopped.’
‘Because I’m already in the capital.’ Ophion closed his visor. ‘Professor Steiner will be dead within the hour and the president an hour after that.’
Wait!’ Selene said, before Ophion could end the video call.
Unflustered, Ophion waited for her to continue.
‘The professor knows you’re coming.’
‘Good,’ Ophion said. ‘Then he knows his death is near. It’s as you said. It has been foretold.’
The assassin’s image vanished and Selene was left staring at a blank screen.
She switched off the display and resumed her perusal of the underground realm she now called home. Why the hacker was helping them was confusing, but not unwelcome. He had been known to change sides on a whim when it suited his goals. And, whatever they were, they now coincided with the Committee’s, which was good enough for her.
Selene withdrew the photographs she’d previously shown Steiner and held one up before her. She ran her finger over the professor’s image. ‘Your days are numbered, Director General.’ She dug her fingernail into the paper and punched a hole through his face. ‘It’s time to die.’
Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Three
Professor Steiner sat in the back of the amphibious Darklight truck and stared into space. My whole life has been a lie, he thought, everything I’ve done hasn’t been for the good of mankind, but for the good of this secretive Committee. He gave a shake of his head. You’re still saving lives, he told himself. You’re still saving our species, regardless of who rules. He sighed and knew it was true, but somehow it didn’t make it any easier. He’d been duped by Amelia’s killers. She died because of me, he realised. He put his head in his hands. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end, he thought. I can’t stop these people, one man against potentially thousands. You’ve got to stop the asteroid first, he reminded himself. And if you’re lucky enough to survive that, the other asteroids that follow. The Committee will have to wait. Others will have to shoulder the burden. His mind wandered to Richard Goodwin, as it often did nowadays. He sent a prayer out to his friend and protégé. It’s up to you now, Richard; if I fail, it’s all up to you.
Someone touched his arm.
He looked up to see Jessica looking down at him.
‘Brett told us what happened,’ she said. ‘I’m so sorry.’
He put on his glasses. ‘Don’t be. I wouldn’t change a thing.’ The lie stuck in his throat, but what else was he supposed to say? Admit he’d been played? Admit he’d been helping the very people who’d caused his greatest pain?
‘She might have been lying,’ Jessica said.
Steiner saw the hope in her eyes and once more felt a deep sense of shame about what was to come. ‘She might have been,’ he said, trying to dispel the feeling, ‘but the photographs she had and the details she knew make me think otherwise. And I can recognise the truth when I hear it, even when it’s from someone like her.’
‘This Committee is what Bic warned us about,’ Jessica said, as Eric re-entered the vehicle, after having relieved himself outside. ‘Can’t we do anything about them?’
Eric slid the door closed behind him. ‘Da Muss Ich will sort them out, you’ll see.’
‘I don’t think so, Eric,’ Jessica said. ‘If he could, he would have done so by now.’
Eric didn’t look convinced, but Steiner knew this was something they didn’t have the luxury of discussing. The clock was ticking.
‘You still haven’t told us,’ Brett said, as she watched Captain Radcliffe and his four Darklight soldiers prepare their weaponry at the front of the truck.
Steiner looked over at the FBI agent who sat opposite him. ‘Told you what?’
‘What Bic meant when he said he knew about the Anakim.’
‘The Ana what?’ Eric said, bemused.
Brett held Steiner’s gaze. ‘Exactly.’
Steiner waved away the question. ‘It doesn’t matter now. We have far more pressing things to discuss. We need to go over the plan one more time. Are you ready, Captain?’
Captain Radcliffe slammed a magazine into a rifle and handed it to one of his men. ‘Ready as we’ll ever be.’
‘It doesn’t matter?’ Brett said, unwilling to let it go. ‘What about this so-called God Device? If it does what Bic says, they’ll know our every move.’
‘If it does what he says,’ Steiner said, ‘then why do they still seek to stop us? They could have just waltzed up anywhere at any time and found us, but they haven’t. Why? Because it’s a sham. Nothing can predict the future. It’s what we make it.’
‘Are we missing something here?’ Jessica said. ‘They have something that can predict the future. Is that even possible?’
‘They have something that makes predictions,’ Steiner said. ‘Or that’s what Bic seems to think.’
‘And you don’t?’ Jessica said.
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t know. It may, or may not be what Tyler Magnusson saw on his space station before the GMRC removed it. Whatever the case, if this thing exists or not, it hasn’t helped them stop us so far, has it?’
‘Unless we’re doing what they want,’ Brett said. ‘You heard what that woman said; they’re counting on you doing something. What if they want us to carry out our plan?’
‘If we start second guessing ourselves,’ Steiner said, ‘then we’re as good as dead already.’
‘Predicting the future,’ Eric said, his eyes alight with wonder. ‘Think of all the money we could make.’
Brett gave the young German a hard look. ‘Fraud is a federal offence.’
Eric gave a derisive snort and the professor clapped his hands together.
‘Are we done?’ Steiner said. ‘Or is the small matter of an asteroid heading straight for us not worth worrying about?’
No one answered.
‘Good,’ he continued, ignoring Brett as she studied him with her analytical gaze. If she wants to find out about the Anakim, Steiner thought, she’s going to have a long wait. ‘Right.’ He turned and pressed a button on the wall of the truck behind him. A screen powered up showing the layout of Congress and the surrounding area.
He pointed at the centre of the building. ‘From what Bic has been able to find out, the conference between the president and the EU and Chinese leaders, who we assume he’s meeting, will be happening here, in the Senate Conference Room, next to the Senate Chamber in the north wing.’
Eric put his hand up.
‘Yes, Eric?’ Steiner said, with a sigh
‘Congress is like the British Houses of Parliament, or the German Reichstag in Berlin, yes?’
Steiner nodded and Captain Radcliffe gave Jessica a smile at Eric’s expense.
The young hacker gave the soldier a hateful look and muttered something under his breath in German.
‘If we’re to get to the president and convince him to help us stop the asteroid,’ Steiner continued, ‘then we need to be inside Capitol Hill before he and his special guests arrive.’
‘Which means,’ Radcliffe said, ‘navigating your way through four layers of security.’
‘Your way?’ Jessica gave the Darklight captain a worried look. ‘What about your team? You’re not coming with us?’
Radcliffe pointed to his four heavily armed men
. ‘There’s no way my unit will get within a hundred yards of Congress, let alone inside. They’re here to escort you as far as they can go, and then you’re on your own.’
‘But you’re coming with us?’ Jessica said.
Captain Radcliffe unclipped a section of his armour and smiled. ‘Of course.’
‘But you’ll be unarmed,’ Jessica said, and turned to Steiner in concern. There was nothing he could say. It was what it was.
‘Continue, Captain,’ he said.
‘Okay, four layers.’ Radcliffe looked at them each in turn to make sure they were watching. ‘Layer one,’ – he pointed to the outer ring – ‘is where all the heavy weaponry will be. Think tanks, armoured vehicles, Humvees, and lots and lots of men with guns.’
‘And women,’ Eric said, trying to highlight his misogyny.
Radcliffe ignored him. ‘This military blockade will be – is – made up of the National Guard and the U.S. Army. They want no interference from the GMRC, so the skies will also be patrolled, by military drones and the U.S. Air Force. If a fly even farts in the president’s vicinity, they’ll know about it.’
‘Lovely,’ Jessica said.
Radcliffe winked at her and Eric’s scowl deepened.
‘Anyway,’ Radcliffe continued, ‘that’s layer one, the ring of steel. The second layer of security around the president and within the blockade itself,’ – he pointed to the next layer within, directly encircling the Capitol Building – ‘will be made up of the FBI, military police and counterterrorism units. If—’ He gave Steiner a look of apology. ‘When you – we – make it that far, the next layer we’ll need to breach will be security inside Congress itself. The USCP, the United States Capitol Police, are a federal agency and will be working hand in glove with the FBI.’
Brett nodded her agreement.
‘Once we get through their scanners and vetting procedures, we’ll then be on the inside looking out. However, roving patrols and CCTV will be everywhere. And if you think the toilets are off limits, think again. If they think we’re a threat to the president, they won’t hesitate to breach our privacy.’ He glanced Eric’s way. ‘And a full cavity search is made to make your eyes water.’
Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2) Page 88