The Covenant of Genesis

‘I—’ Nina began, before stopping as she considered the question. ‘Wait, you’ve seen the proof, and your beliefs haven’t changed,’ she said, changing the subject to avoid having to give an answer.

‘My beliefs are unshakeable. I would not be able to do what I do if they were not. Accepting the existence of the Veteres does not mean denying the existence of God. But there are many who will feel angry and afraid at having their beliefs challenged. And when people are angry and afraid . . . that is when order breaks down.’

‘Order, and obedience,’ Sophia said cuttingly. ‘Which is what religion is really all about, isn’t it? It wouldn’t be good to have people questioning what they’ve been told to believe.’

‘Mr Callum, if she speaks out of turn again, you can shoot her,’ said Vogler. Callum’s expression made it clear that he thought the decision was long overdue. Ribbsley watched the American closely, face tight. ‘Dr Wilde, do you remember what Cardinal di Bonaventura told you about the way the Vatican dealt with controversial scientific theories?’

‘Yeah. It accepted them.’

‘Over time. The Big Bang, evolution . . . the Church now accepts such things as fact. But that acceptance took years, even decades. Not because those within the Vatican resisted the ideas, but because the faithful would resist them if they were thrust upon them all at once. But if they are gradually introduced . . .’

‘. . . they’re believed,’ Nina concluded.

‘Yes. They eventually become part of catechism, and cannot be denied. But when the truth will seem so controversial, so dangerous, that truth needs time to be accepted.’ He looked back at the entrance. ‘You have found the Garden of Eden. I . . . I cannot allow it to be destroyed. It must be revealed to the world. But the Veteres are an integral part of Eden - yet I cannot reveal them to the world without risking chaos. Do you see my dilemma?’

‘Yeah. But I’m starting to see what you’ve got in mind for a solution.’

‘And do you approve?’

‘No. But I approve of the alternative even less.’

‘Mind filling the rest of us in?’ Chase asked.

‘He’s giving me two choices,’ Nina told him. ‘I tell the world about finding Eden, but don’t mention anything about the Veteres - for years. In the meantime, the Covenant gradually introduces the idea of them into the public consciousness, while they get theologians to work out ways to explain their existence that don’t contradict Genesis. Then, by the time their existence is actually revealed, the idea’s been around long enough to neutralise the shock value. Am I right?’ Vogler nodded.

‘And option B?’

She glanced at Vogler’s gun. ‘Bang, aargh, thud.’

‘Yeah, I thought so.’

‘So what is your decision, Dr Wilde?’ said Vogler. ‘One way or another, Eden must be revealed to the world . . . but whether by you or by someone else is entirely your choice. Make it now.’

Nina turned to Chase. ‘Eddie? This affects you too - what do you think?’

He shrugged. ‘Either cave in to these arseholes and lie to the world, or be dead? They’re both crap options, but the second one’s definitely crappier.’

‘I know.’ She squeezed his hand sadly, then reluctantly turned back to Vogler. ‘I don’t have much choice, do I? I . . . I accept your offer. At least this way, some truth will come out. Eventually.’

‘A wise decision,’ said Vogler.

‘Hardly!’ Ribbsley spluttered. ‘Do you really think she’ll go along with it?’

‘I think she’s a person of her word, yes.’

‘It doesn’t matter what you think,’ said Callum. ‘It’s the wrong choice.’

Vogler rounded on him. ‘That is not for you to decide, Mr Callum.’

‘Actually, it is.’ He drew his gun - and shot Vogler.

38

Nina gasped as Vogler fell to the floor, blood gushing from his abdomen. Before anyone could react, Callum unleashed a rapid-fire spray of bullets at the remaining Covenant troopers, felling them.

Vogler’s rifle landed near Chase. He was about to drop and grab it, but Callum had already seen the danger and was jabbing his gun at him. ‘Don’t even think about it!’ He gestured for Chase, Nina and Sophia to move towards the doorway.

Ribbsley retreated to the other side of the room. ‘Some explanation, please, Mr Callum?’

‘I’m correcting the Covenant’s bad choice.’ He reached into his jacket, flicking a switch on something within. ‘Mr President, did you hear all that?’

‘Loud and clear, Mr Callum.’ The voice was rendered hollow and metallic by the radio’s small loudspeaker, but it was still unmistakable: Victor Dalton, President of the United States of America. ‘Report your situation.’

‘All remaining Covenant forces are dead or,’ he glanced at Vogler, who was weakly clutching the bullet wound, ‘disabled. Still here are Chase, Professor Ribbsley, Dr Wilde . . . and Sophia Blackwood.’

‘Hello, Victor,’ said Sophia, almost chattily. ‘It’s been a while.’

There was a pause before Dalton spoke again, choosing to ignore her. ‘Mr Callum, I take it that the Garden of Eden contains what we feared?’

‘Yes, sir. Definitive proof of a non-human civilisation pre-dating mankind - which influenced the story told in the Book of Genesis.’

Another pause. ‘I see. In that case, Mr Callum - codeword: Revelation.’

‘Understood, sir,’ said Callum. Still covering Nina, Chase and Sophia, he adjusted a setting on the radio. ‘Abaddon, Abaddon, this is Archangel. Do you copy?’

‘Roger, Archangel,’ came a distorted Texan voice, ‘this is Abaddon. I read you.’

‘Abaddon, you have authorisation to proceed with the operation, these co-ordinates. Give me estimated time to initiation.’

‘Archangel, I estimate fifteen minutes to initiation. Will that give you sufficient time to egress area?’

‘Affirmative, Abaddon. Begin operation now. Archangel out.’

‘Confirmed, Archangel. Commencing operation. Out.’

Callum flicked the switch back. ‘Mr President, the operation is under way.’

‘What operation?’ Nina demanded.

Dalton sounded faintly amused. ‘Abaddon, Dr Wilde, is the codename of a B-2 stealth bomber that took off from our base in Uganda about an hour ago and is now circling over Sudanese airspace at sixty thousand feet. Mr Callum just gave the order for it to drop two MOPs on what the pilots have been told is a high-value terrorist target.’

‘MOPs?’ Nina suspected she wouldn’t like the meaning of the acronym.

‘Massive Ordnance Penetrators,’ said Callum. ‘Thirty-thousand-pound bunker-busters.’

‘Earthquake bombs,’ added Chase.

‘Ah. But - but why? What do you gain from destroying Eden?’

‘That’s not your concern any more, Dr Wilde. Mr Callum, I’ll let you get moving. But one last thing - you know your orders. Carry them out . . . starting with Sophia Blackwood.’

‘My pleasure, sir. Callum out.’ He switched off the radio, then stepped forward, shifting his gun from Chase to Sophia.

‘Kill me, and Victor’s career is over,’ she said. ‘The recording of us together will be released.’

‘You’re already officially dead,’ he reminded her with a cold grin. ‘Nothing happened. The president’s position is secure.’

‘Oh, nice job with the blackmail,’ Nina muttered as Sophia’s face fell. ‘You didn’t think of that?’

‘Actually, I did. But I was rather hoping nobody else had.’

Callum’s smile widened as he took aim at Sophia’s heart—

Blam!

The gunshot echoed round the chamber - but it hadn’t come from Callum’s gun, which flew from his hand to land inside the burial chamber. The white-haired man yelled in pain.