“Ahh, waking up to the aroma of breakfast that someone else is cooking,” Cal said, sitting up on the couch with a yawn. “How about some bacon?”
“How about kissing my ass? Put your dirty clothes in the sink, and the rinsing is on you. There’s another bathrobe in the armoire.”
He pushed to his feet. “Yes, drill sergeant Andie.”
By the time he returned in a silk bathrobe with black trim, Andie had carried two plates to the table.
Cal rolled back the sleeves of his robe. “I look fairly ridiculous.”
“I won’t disagree. This is hardly my natural habitat.”
“The eggs are delicious,” he said, “and I was just kidding. I love to cook.”
“I loathe it. I had to cook for my dad almost every night growing up. I’d be happy with takeout the rest of my life.”
“My dad didn’t lift a finger at home either. Not unless it was to smack me.”
“Mine is a gentle guy. He’s just an alcoholic who can’t fend for himself and had no business raising a child.”
“Ah, the good old days.”
“What about your mom?” Andie asked. “Was she around?”
Cal took a moment to answer. “She was there. And she was awesome. We split from my dad and took off for LA when I was fifteen.” He averted his eyes, leaving a story untold. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about.”
“Yeah?”
“The Ascendants and this Enneagon thing. I get that human beings crave answers to the big questions. And I understand this technology could be groundbreaking, or might access this Fold place—if it really exists. But even with all of that . . . is it really worth the lengths they’re going to? Am I just being dense?”
“I think some of these answers only the Ascendants and the Leap Year Society can give us,” she said slowly, “especially concerning the Fold. But in terms of groundbreaking technology, these very same questions were raised in the early twentieth century, when relativity and quantum mechanics had just been discovered. Why pour all of these private and government resources into these bizarre theories, everyone wanted to know? How relevant are they to our everyday lives?”
“Exactly. Who the hell cares if a theoretical cat is alive or dead at the same time? Or if a black hole might swallow our planet fifty trillion years in the future?”
“The desire for knowledge is reason enough for me. What’s more worthy than developing a better picture of the universe in which we live?”
“Feeding hungry children? Peace on Earth?”
“You’re right,” she said. “But those aims aren’t mutually exclusive. Where do you think we got nuclear energy and the transistor? CDs and DVDs? Nanotech, lasers, GPS, MRIs? Modern computers and the internet, Cal. All in less than a century. Billions of lives improved, children saved, average life spans extended. Theoretical physics isn’t science fiction. It’s quite literally the world in which we live.”
He scratched at his stubble. “That does put it in perspective.”
“The next leap in physics won’t just be a cool idea. It will be the future. Even if the theorems or the technology inside the Enneagon is a small piece of the puzzle, the value could be incalculable.”
“That’s not even considering the potential for weapons, is it? Nuclear energy was the first thing you mentioned. A new superweapon could make hydrogen bombs look like hand grenades.”
“You’re getting the picture,” she said quietly. “Apart from the economic impact, the next frontier will affect the balance of power for generations. Imagine if Hitler had managed to split the atom before the Allied powers.”
He chewed on his lip, and they finished eating in silence. After breakfast, he hung their clothes to dry on the patio while she paced the living room. Now that she was rested, she was itching for a long run or a heavy bag to pummel. An outlet for her stress and mental energy.
“Have you thought any more about the Star Phone clue we found in Egypt?” Cal said from the couch. “The zero inside the double helix?”
“Thought about it? Yes. Made any headway beyond what we’ve already discussed? No. I’m tempted to take a cab to the nearest internet connection and do some research.”
“Do they still have cybercafés in western Europe?”
“I doubt it. There’s got to be something. A library, maybe.”
“I don’t think we should go out today. It’s too dangerous.”
Andie knew he was right, and it made her furious at the valuable time lost. They were stuck until they figured out the next destination on the Star Phone. She ran a hand through her hair as she continued to pace, hating the fact they were virtual prisoners.
“First thing in the morning,” she said, “no matter what happens tonight, I’m researching that clue.”
Cal crossed his arms, his face still wan from his ordeal in the dungeon. “I’ll be right beside you.”
11:30 p.m.
Still no message, still no sign of anyone from the Leap Year Society.
Andie had begun to give up hope, feeling bitter they had wasted an entire day. Why bother to save her and Cal if the Society was just going to abandon them?
She thought of Zawadi, wondering if she had survived the flight through the lagoon, and remembering her final imperative before she left them at the gate to the island cemetery.
Whatever you do, keep the Star Phone safe.
Would the Society take the device from them? Andie knew worrying about it wouldn’t change anything, but she had never been good at sitting back and letting life happen. She had spent the day conducting a more thorough search of the apartment, looking for a hidden compartment or more clues to the LYS, even checking behind the artwork and moving the appliances. When that failed, she flipped through the books on the shelves in the
