Temple of the Gods

‘I have a few questions I’d like answered first.’

‘Of course,’ said Warden smoothly. ‘We want you to be completely comfortable with your role. What would you like to know?’

‘More about the meteorite, the Atlantean sky stone, first of all. You think it’s composed of a naturally superconducting material, yes?’

Warden nodded. ‘That’s right. We don’t know how big it is, but hopefully it’ll allow the extraction of enough of the metal to supply multiple earth energy collection stations.’

‘But there’s more to it, isn’t there? The connection I felt to it when I put the three statues together in Japan suggests that the stone has some intimate link with life on earth, as if it’s somehow integral to its creation.’

No words were spoken by her audience, but Nina immediately sensed a change in attitude from the watching billionaires. Eyes fractionally narrowed, forehead furrows deepened almost imperceptibly. Caution, concern, even outright suspicion that she knew more than she was supposed to. ‘Don’t you think?’ she added, trying to prompt a response.

‘That’s our theory, yes,’ Warden eventually said. ‘The basic building blocks of life were seeded by comets soon after the planet’s creation, but the sky stone brought something more… complex. We don’t know where it came from — Mars, maybe Venus before it overheated, some other planet that doesn’t even exist any more. It doesn’t matter. What does is the end result. Through whatever chain of events, life began on earth after that meteorite fell, perhaps even jump-started by earth energy. It’s part of our world — and it’s part of us.’

‘Mm-hmm.’ Nina nodded. ‘But your interest in that side of things is purely scientific, right? Your primary goal is harnessing earth energy.’

‘That’s right,’ said one of the Bull brothers. ‘What else could it be?’

‘Are you suggesting we’ve got another interest?’ the other asked in an accusatory tone.

‘Maybe you can tell me. You see, I had a private chat with one of the Group’s members before coming here.’ Her words immediately set the cat amongst the pigeons, paranoid glances shooting back and forth. She enjoyed their discomfort before clarifying, ‘A former member, I should say.’

‘Glas,’ Warden hissed.

‘Yeah.’

‘Where did you talk to him?’ Brannigan demanded sharply.

‘On his submarine.’

That produced mutterings around the circular table. Gorchakov banged a fist. ‘I knew it! It was the only way he could have disappeared completely. I told you to have the American navy find it!’ he said to Warden.

The Group’s chairman held up his hands in an attempt to restore order. ‘The oceans are rather large, Anisim,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t exactly ask President Cole to divert half his carrier groups on your hunch, could I?’ As the consternation settled, he turned back to Nina. ‘So, you spoke to Glas. What did he tell you?’

‘Well, once we got past the initial awkwardness about the whole him-trying-to-kill-me issue, he was very talkative. He told me why he’d been trying to kill me.’

‘So that you couldn’t help us,’ said Warden. ‘I told you, he was desperate to maintain the profits of his energy business.’

‘That’s strange, because these two guys here —’ she indicated Gorchakov and al-Faisal — ‘should be in the same boat, but they don’t seem at all worried. No, what Glas told me was that there’s more to your plan than just gaining a monopoly on earth energy. There’s something else you want a monopoly on, isn’t there?’

Warden’s expression was slowly turning cold. ‘And what would that be, Dr Wilde?’

‘Power. Over everybody. For ever. If you find the meteorite, you’ll have a genetic Rosetta Stone that will let you create a virus to modify human DNA, to give you control over an obedient and pliant population. Am I getting warm?’

A lengthy silence. First to speak was al-Faisal. ‘Glas should have been eliminated the moment he opposed the plan,’ he growled.

‘I’ll take that as a big yes,’ said Nina. ‘So, y’know, I really don’t think I want to be a part of this. I have an old-fashioned notion that people have the right to decide how they’re going to live their own lives — and by people I mean everybody, not some self-appointed elite. Crazy, I know.’

The masks of civility were rapidly falling away from the others at the table. ‘You’ll do what you’re damn well told,’ snarled William Bull.

‘You think “the people” have ever controlled their own lives?’ his brother went on. ‘That’s fairytale liberal claptrap! There have always been the rulers, and the ruled. That’s the way it is.’

‘We just want to put an end to all the wasteful over-consumption and in-fighting,’ added Brannigan.

‘An end to conflict,’ said Warden. ‘That wasn’t a lie. We will bring order and peace to the world. Finally.’

‘Peace on your terms,’ Nina sneered.

‘Peace is peace.’

‘Does that include resting in peace? How many people will be killed by your virus?’

‘No more than three per cent of the global populace, we estimate,’ said Frederick Bull, as calmly as if discussing how many people owned a particular brand of phone. ‘But population control is part of our long-term plans anyway.’

She regarded him in disgust. ‘So the price of your peace is over two hundred million dead — and genetic slavery for everyone else? Wow, what a bargain.’ She shoved back her chair and stood, picking up the case. ‘It doesn’t matter anyway, because you can’t achieve anything without my cooperation. And I’m sure as hell not going to give it.’

‘Your cooperation,’ said Warden coldly, ‘doesn’t have to be voluntary. If necessary, it will be forced.’

‘You mean like this?’ Nina reached into her jacket and whipped out a gun — Sophia’s Glock. She thrust it at Warden’s face, making him recoil in shock. Gasps of fright came from the others.

‘Stikes didn’t search her?’ said Meerkrieger in disbelief.

‘I said you should have fired him,’ Nina told Warden, who was shaking with fury. ‘Okay, I want you to tell your security goons to withdraw. I’m going to take the statues, and I’m going to take Larry Chase, and we’re going to leave—’

A slow handclap echoed through the room. Nina spun to see Stikes standing nonchalantly at one of the side doors, giving her mocking applause. She snapped the gun round at the former soldier. ‘Oh, put it down, Dr Wilde,’ he said, raising his open hands to show they were empty. ‘We both know you’re not going to shoot an unarmed man.’

‘I’m willing to bet you’re not unarmed,’ Nina said coldly, the Glock not wavering.

‘Actually, I am. But he’s not.’ Stikes nodded towards another door across the room.

‘Yeah, like I’m going to fall for that—’

‘Nina!’ The voice was English, shocked — and frightened despite an attempt at bravado.

Larry Chase.

She had no choice but to look. Larry was shoved into the room by a large man holding his collar with one hand — and pressing a gun into his back with the other. ‘Larry! Are you okay?’

‘Yeah, but — what the hell’s going on?’ He stared at the people around the table in confusion. ‘That’s Caspar Van der Zee! What is this?’

‘It’s a meeting of the secret rulers of the world,’ said Stikes, with a tinge of derision. ‘Now, Dr Wilde, put down the gun. I know we can’t shoot you, but —’ his lips curled sadistically — ‘I will have Daddy Chase over there shot, in such a way that it takes him several excruciating hours to die. You’ve got ten seconds.’

‘If you shoot him, I’ll kill you!’ Nina warned.

‘You wouldn’t have come here at all if you were willing to let him die. Three, two—’

With an anguished look at her father-in-law, she tossed the gun on to the table. ‘Good,’ said Stikes, smirking. ‘Now, sit back down. I think it’s time we all finally saw what happens when you put the statues together, don’t you?’

Nina reluctantly returned to her seat as Larry was pushed to the table. She was filled with concern — for both of them — but another thought dominated her mind.