Day of Doom (9 page)

time. It’s just what the Vespers do.”

“I still don’t think —” began Amy.

“He didn’t need to send us that link with the hostages, Amy,” interrupted Atticus. “He’d already won, or so he thinks. So why did he?”

“Just his way of, like you said, rubbing our noses in it.”

“It was a link, Amy. It wasn’t a realtime transmission. Which means that Vesper One had time to look at it before it went out to us. Now, I recognized pretty much right away that Ted was using his blinking as Morse code to convey

information to us. Do you really think Vesper One, as smart as he is, failed to see that, too? But he still let the link go out. So I’m thinking that the initial activation of the device was done to alert

us that time was running out. Of course Vesper One’s ego won’t let him even consider the possibility that if we do get there, we’ll be smart enough to beat him. But make no mistake, he wants us there.”

They all stood there looking stunned by this theory.

Atticus added, “And also keep in mind that no one alive has actually seen what the Doomsday device Archimedes designed can do. Vesper One thinks he’s figured it out, but even he will have to exercise some degree of caution. It will take him some time to test it.”

Dan said, “You know, Amy, what Atticus is saying actually makes sense.”

Amy slowly nodded. “I’m starting tothink the same thing. So if he’s waiting forus to appear —”

Jake finished for her, “—  then thatmight give us the one chance we need tobeat him.”

“But how do we get to the West Coast?” said Amy.

Dan had continued working on hislaptop while they were discussing things. “The train,” he announced.

“The train?” exclaimed Amy. “Youcan take a
 
train
 
across the country?”

“Actually, it requires two trains. The Capitol Limited from right here in DC. Itgoes to Chicago. Leaves this afternoon atfive and gets into Chicago tomorrow

morning. Then we take a second train from Chicago to Seattle. That takes forty-six hours.”

“Forty-six hours!” cried out Amy.

“In the interest of full disclosure it’s

actually forty-six hours and ten minutes,”

amended Dan.

“I can fly around the world in fortysix hours and ten minutes,” barked Amy.

“The operative word being
fly
,” said Atticus.

Dan looked at his sister. “What otheroption do we have?”

Her face took on a resolute look.

“Buy the tickets, Dan.” She looked at her watch. “We’ll have just enough time to catch this Capitol Limited train thingy.”

While Dan did that and Jake and

Atticus were getting their stuff ready, Amy

texted Evan. It bounced back. She tried to call him. It went to voice mail. She tried

to contact Jonah, Hamilton, and Ian. The same result. She wondered if the magnetic pole disruption also had affected wireless communications on the ground. As a test, she texted Dan. He looked up from his computer when the text landed in his mailbox and his phone chirped.

“Why are you texting me? I’m right here.”

Amy didn’t answer. Now she knew

something was very wrong.

It was a tight fit.

Jonah, Hamilton, Ian, Evan, and Phoenix were tied up in a small, darkenedroom. They were each trying to figure outwhere they were.

Evan had counted off the seconds inhis head on the drive, and gauging thespeed of the van he figured they wereabout two hours and a hundred miles awayfrom the motel. However, he couldn’t tell

in which direction. If south, they would be near Seattle or Tacoma. If north, they could be in Canada.

He told this to the others.

“Or east and west,” Ian pointed out.

“No,” said Evan. “Two hours west and we’re in the ocean. And why go east? The subduction zone is along the coast.”

Jonah perked up and asked the others if they wanted him to sing to keep their spirits up. “Be glad to do it, bros,” he added with a dazzling smile.

The immediate consensus was that

none of their spirits had reached such a level of depression that warranted Jonah’s musical intervention.

“Well, just let me know when it does,” Jonah said, attempting to sound cheerful.

“How   about   never?”   Hamilton

mumbled under his breath.

Phoenix said, “I wonder if they’regoing to take us to the other hostages.”

Ian piped in, “Let’s hope no more ofthem are dead.” He closed his eyes and asmall tear appeared at the edge of his righteyelid.

A noise made them all fall silent.

A door opened and a light appearedthrough the opening. It was just a narrowshaft of illumination. They heard footstepsgrowing closer. It was still too dark forthem to see who it was.

Ian stiffened and opened his eyeswhen he felt something press against theback of his head.

It was the muzzle of a Glock pistolwith a suppressor can attached.

Casper Wyoming’s voice came out ofthe darkness. “Get up, Kabra. Someonevery special wants to see you.”

“Who?” exclaimed Ian. “My sister?”

“I said special, not stupid. Like
 
you
 
.”

Casper jerked Ian up, lifting himcompletely off the ground. But when Iancame down he made certain that he landedon top of Casper’s foot. Hard.

“Oww!” yelped Casper.

“So sorry,” said Ian, trying to hidehis grin. “But after all, as you so helpfullypointed out, I am quite stupid.”

“Maybe I’ll shoot you right here,”growled Casper, putting the gun muzzleagainst Ian’s head again.

“I don’t believe you can,” said Ian.

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

“As you said, someone very special

wants to see me. I’m sure you don’t want to disappoint the person.”

Hamilton added, “Yeah, you might get in trouble, doofus.”

Casper eyed him grimly. “Just give me a reason, Holt. Just one reason.”

“If you untie me, I’ll give you ten of them wrapped around my fists. They’ll be the last things you ever see.”

“You don’t scare me, muscle man.”

“Sure I do. And my time will come.”

Ian snapped, “Let’s get a move on. You don’t want to keep your fearless leader waiting.”

“Hey, I’m giving the orders around here, not you,” barked Casper.

“All right. So what action do you propose we take?” Ian stared up at him expectantly.

Casper hesitated, his mind evidentlytrying to think of something pithy to comeback with. But failing that, he simply said, “Let’s get a move on.”

“Right,”   said   Ian,   smilingtriumphantly.   “Bloody  well  wish
 
I’d
thought of that.”

“Doofus,” muttered Hamilton, staringat Casper.

Casper   pushed   Ian   forward,slamming the door and locking it behindhim.

Casper led Ian into another room. Heturned on a light and Ian blinked to adjustto the brightness. He saw that there was alarge TV screen on one wall. Casper hit abutton on a console and the screencrackled to life.

At first the screen remained black,

but then someone appeared there. Ian took an involuntary step back, and shuddered.

His mother, Isabel Kabra, was staring at him.

Could she see him? Ian wondered.

Then he noticed the TV camera bolted tothe wall. It was pointing at him.

As if in answer to his unspokenquestion, his mother snapped, “Of course Ican see you.”

“What do you want?” retorted Ian.

“You have betrayed me. You haveturned against your own family.”

“No, you’re the one that turnedagainst
 
us
,” Ian said hotly.

She ignored this. “However, being ofa kind and compassionate nature —”

Ian snorted at this remark, but sheignored this, too, and continued. “The only

reason you’re not dead is because, in keeping with my compassionate nature, I have decided to give you a second chance.”

“Why?” he shot back.

“I’m a loving, caring mother and, therefore, I don’t want to have to kill my own son.”

Ian  scowled.   “I  don’t  believe

anything you say.”

“I’m on my way out to see you, son. And your sister, Natalie. If you’re smart, and I hope you are, you will reconsider your loyalties and side with me. If you continue to support the Cahills, only death awaits you.
 
And
 
your sister. It will be out of my hands. It really will be.”

“You don’t care what happens to us.

You   bloody  well   shot  your   own

daughter!”

“It was just a flesh wound. To my knowledge, no one has ever died from being shot in the foot. Perhaps a permanent limp, a bit of arthritis, but is that really so bad?”

“You’re barking mad. You could’ve
 
killed
 
her.”

“On the contrary, did you know that certain of the Vespers
 
did
 
want to kill your sister? I intervened and they shot Nellie Gomez instead. Worse the luck she survived. Why aim for the shoulder when a perfectly good head was right there? I will never understand. However, the fact remains: But for me, your precious sister would be dead. So, you see, dear boy, I
 
do
 
care.”

“They should have kept you in

prison. You simply bought your way out. It’s pathetic.”

Isabel took a step closer, nearly filling the screen. The charm bracelet she never took off rattled on her wrist. “I

raised you to be a Lucian. I raised you to be loyal.” She paused and added quietly, “I suppose I should tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“I’m dying.”

Ian snorted. “Right. Do you think I’m a fool?”

She held up her arm and let her sleeve slide down. There was a large reddish-purple mass on it.

“Poisoned, Ian. Slow-acting, but irreversible. From the South American blowfish. My death will not be pretty.”

Ian stared at the disfigured arm. It

looked quite painful, but he knew his mother too well to be fooled. “How could

someone poison you? You’re the queen of poisoners. You poison others, not the other way around.”

“I went to visit your father, Vikram.”

“What? Why?” Ian hadn’t seen his father in quite some time. Not since Vikram had fled the country for South America after abandoning his family.

“He’s my husband. I love him. I’ve always loved him. He had fallen ill. Nothing life threatening, but he was in the hospital. But it was really a trap set by my enemies. Instead of seeing your father I got this, administered by a kindly old woman dressed as a nurse who I took to be totally harmless until she stuck the needle into my arm.” She paused. “I calculate that I have

at most five days to live.” She lowered her arm and her sleeve slid back down.

“The organ shutdown will be massive and linear.   Death   will   follow   almost

immediately.”

“I . . . I don’t believe you.”

“I completely understand why you feel that way, son.”

This response surprised Ian. He had always assumed that his mother would never understand how another person felt about anything.

She said, “But the fact is, as one grows close to death, the only thing that matters is family, Ian. I hope you can see that.”

Isabel’s   tone   had   lost   itsaggressiveness. It was lower, gentler. Herfeatures had softened, too. She was a very

attractive woman when she wasn’t running around as a homicidal maniac killing people   and   shouting   things   like, “Everyone must die. Now!”

Ian stared into his mother’s big eyes.

“But if you saved Natalie, then you were behind her kidnapping. It’s the only way you could have known where she was.”