“Alexander?”
He held his breath, listening for anything. Studying the wall of debris, trying not to think the worst. Keeping it out of his mind, just as he kept away the horrors of what must be happening on the surface, up in Alexandria. What kind of devastation…?
A glimpse, a curse rewarding his lack of willpower:
Not possible, Caleb thought. Pausing now in his search. Going with the vision, the power that wanted, needed him to see.
He’d seen this before. Something Orlando had shown him…
Caleb shook his head, gagging on the visualization of the complete destruction of such a grand monument, not to mention the instant death of all those people. And only minutes after his arrival!
There could be no natural event. Just like he now believed Tunguska, Siberia was anything but natural. That place by the snowy mountains… Calderon…
He hung his head, fighting the tears, the guilt threatening to rend his heart of its last remaining strength. Willing it all away. He had to get to Alexander.
As much as it might be the final nail in his heart, he had to
But before he even looked, he knew what he’d find. Alexander was okay. He just had to be.
If Calderon did this, he would only have gone so far if he knew of the vault down here. Knew they’d be here. Calderon gave them enough time to get settled in, then he brought the world down upon them, sealing them in.
Keeping Caleb and Alexander—and the other Keepers—from the worst of the destruction.
But Alexander had the keys.
That was the one thought that kept Caleb going.
If Calderon still wanted that translation, he needed the keys. Sure he could mount an excavation in the guise of a rescue, and dig up the lower vault to find the keys, but that could take months, especially given the level of response and world attention that would be starting even now.
No, something told Caleb that Calderon knew that there would be an easier way.
One that would only be possible if he knew about the other exit from the vault, and if he knew that Alexander might actually be okay. Or at least reachable quickly.
Caleb knew it had to be true. After all, Mason Calderon was not without his own resources. Resources that could see, most likely, as well as anyone on the Morpheus Initiative.
12.
Mason Calderon put away his cell phone, slipped it inside his suit coat pocket, and turned back to the twins, standing on either side of their mother.
“It’s done. If your visions were right, your brother is now buried under the sadly short-lived
Isaac shrugged. “We no more doubt our visions than you doubt when you look up into the sky and say it’s blue.”
Mason took a moment. “A shame really, about their library. Such noble endeavors for the sons of Thoth, but in the end, what is it I always tell you boys?”
Jacob looked at his brother, and they both intoned the mantra at once: “Nothing ever lasts, least of all knowledge.”
Calderon smiled, a grin that lingered despite the concern he saw on Nina’s face. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’m sure you’re old lover has managed to survive. Although what he’s feeling right now, I can hardly guess. To actually be witness to the destruction of the great library on both occasions, and with his fondness for wisdom…”
Nina’s lips curled up at the edges. “I still have a score to settle with him. So, are we going?”
The boys looked up at her with something like flashing respect. She was all business, a quality they understood.
Calderon nodded, motioning the soldiers to carry up the heavy chest and prepare to take it away. He addressed the senior guard. “Seal the door when we’re gone. I want no evidence of this entrance, and no further questions. Tell the press the situation is controlled. The bomb threat was a false alarm.”
Nina followed, lost in her thoughts amid confusion about her feelings for Caleb. Feelings now that seemed mired in shifting sands. Caleb and Nina shared something now, a connection to a line of heredity. Their genes, their individuality merged in these two living beings. She never imagined she’d feel this responsibility, this curiosity, or this stake in the future of other beings. Halfway up the stairs, she realized that Jacob was holding her hand, as naturally as if he’d been with her all his life.
Two more steps, and Isaac noticed. Scowling at his brother, he took Nina’s other hand and led her up the last few steps impatiently.
“Come on,” he said, manic glee in his voice. “I want to meet my father. Let’s go dig them out.”
“And get those keys,” Calderon said over his shoulder as he headed for the helicopter. “And then…” He held the briefcase in a tight grip, feeling the handle tremble with the power of the Emerald Tablet inside. Another step and he paused and looked around the perimeter to the armada of jeeps, soldiers and onlookers. Then, back to the imposing sight of the Great Pyramid rising from beyond the Sphinx’s back.
BOOK TWO
Seeing Is Believing
1.
