Authors: Christopher Forrest
Tags: #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #Adventure
Savage Bay (23 page)
The only thing left to do was wait.
ODESSA
UKRAINE
Vasily Orokov sat in his well-appointed study, drinking his morning tea. Leather-bound books lined the shelves of two walls, and fine art adorned the surfaces of the other two. An expensive brown globe depicting the world as it was drawn in the fifteenth century rested in a brown latticework cradle sitting on an expensive Oriental carpet.
There had been a power struggle within the Order. Kai Tanaka, Malaysian billionaire and leader of the Order’s Supreme Council, had wanted the Order’s own geneticists to finish cracking The Genesis Code. The Order and Joshua Ambergris had both discovered the rudimentary message pertaining to past and future cataclysms. But Tanaka believed that the Code could only be entrusted to the scientists and members of the Order. Accordingly, Tanaka had tried to kill Joshua Ambergris and destroy
Manhattan
’s
Millenium
Tower
, where Triad Genomics had been located. Tanaka had failed.
Vasily knew that The Genesis Code would ultimately be deciphered. It was only a matter of time, a point on which he and Tanaka ironically had both agreed. They had disagreed on one crucial point, however: Vasily and others were certain that various political superpowers would crack the entire Code before the Order’s scientists, working with limited funding and resources, could achieve the same goal. The disagreement had cost Tanaka his life.
Vasiliy’s fellow Council member, Li Soo Yang, was much more in tune with Vasily’s own thinking. The Genesis Code could be used for mankind’s betterment as well as providing the ultimate means — nay, power — to enforce order out of the current global chaos assaulting civilization. Financial, environmental, and nuclear catastrophes loomed everywhere. One government must emerge as the leader of a New Millenium, subjugating all others.
The
United States
? The idea was laughable.
Laissez faire
and a free market economy would find ancient secrets on the auction block. No — democracy, Wall Street, and boardrooms would not be the proper custodians for sacred wisdom.
But what of
Russia
?
Orokov took a sip of tea.
In the days of the
Soviet Union
, the motherland might have been capable of conquering the earth by using the knowledge contained within the Code. There had been discipline; there had been the might and power of the Bear’s military forces; and there had been scientists equal in intelligence to those of the West.
But since the fall of communism and the Berlin Wall,
Russia
was a house divided against itself. Vladimir Putin might have designs on resurrecting
Russia
’s former glory, but he would fail. The country was now fragmented and filled with drugs, crime, and corruption. Russian youth ate at American fast food chains and listened to rock and roll. Everything had changed.
The task would fall to
China
. It was a country of billions, all highly disciplined by a strong central government. It owned much of the world’s financial assets, and its citizens were, with some exceptions, still loyal to the principles of the communist state. Their work ethic was unparalleled in the world. Once healed of disease and hunger, they alone had the sheer numbers and resolve to take the information within the Code a step farther.
It was survival of the fittest — social Darwinism. Who better than the Chinese people, considering that
Dominique was unaware of the deeper ramifications of what the Chinese government intended to do with the Code, of course, but Yang would deal with her when the time was right. She would either agree and go the last mile by appreciating their logic — or be killed.
REMOTE PRESIDENTIAL HOSPITAL,
SAVAGE
BAY
Hawkeye opened his eyes, but closed them quickly because of the blinding glare of the overhead florescent lights. He took a deep breath and tried to raise his head, but his neck was stiff, his muscles weak.
“Where am I?” he asked. “What happened?”
“You’re still at
Savage
Bay
,” Dr. Ambergris answered. “You’re going to feel a little woozy for a while, but you’re going to be okay.”
Tank and Shooter awakened next.
“I haven’t felt this bad since the hangover I had in
Hong Kong
,” Shooter said.
“The Chinese,” Tank said, raising himself on one elbow. “Did we stop them?”
Boren shook her head. “No, we didn’t. But we did save the Genesis data.” She paused. “And the Genesis data saved you.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Tank.
“All in due time,” said Boren. “It’s a long story.”
Moans and groans could be heard coming from Gator and Pyro.
“Guys are all the same,” proclaimed Shooter, her eyes closed. “The tougher they are, the more they complain when they’re sick.”
“Everybody just stay still and keep quiet for now,” Ambergris instructed. “Your bodies are in the process of recovering from a rather nasty case of radiation sickness.”
“That’s impossible,” stated Tank weakly. “We were toast.”
“If there’s one thing we’ve all learned today,” said Ambergris, “it’s that limitations are all in the mind. Apparently the idea has been around for many thousands of years.”
OPS
CENTER
, ABOARD THE ALAMIRANTA.
“What we’re seeing is miraculous,” said Dr. Nguyen. “Titan Six may feel like hell, but their vital signs are returning to normal at an accelerated rate. The amino acid cocktails described by the Code go far beyond what we can do with nanobot technology, as impressive as it is.”
“We’re talking about a full recovery?” said Caine.
“A complete restoration of all bodily functions,” Nguyen said. “All thanks to knowledge that was once practiced by our human ancestors over two hundred thousand years ago. The civilization of the Ancients must have been advanced to a degree that we can’t at present comprehend. I would estimate that they were at least one to five thousand years ahead of us technologically.”
“Which means that they passed through our present crises,” Caine said, “such as annihilating ourselves with atomic weapons.”
“Precisely,” said Nguyen. “My guess is that the one thing they couldn’t conquer was the biorhythms of the earth, solar system, and the galaxy itself — not that they weren’t working on it.”
Caine seemed absorbed in thought.
“Mrs. Caine?” said Touchdown.
Caine continued to stare into space. The strong, confident leader of the past few hours was nowhere in evidence.
“Mrs. Caine?” Touchdown repeated.
Caine turned towards Touchdown, her eyes refocusing on the surroundings in the
Ops
Center
. “Sorry. What have you got, Touchdown?”
“The Triad employees from
Savage
Bay
are all on board the
Alamiranta
now. Quarantined and being treated for radiation sickness. No casualties. But when Titan Six is back aboard, we’re going to have to begin a massive clean-up operation unless . . . ”
Caine shook her head. “No. I’m not going to destroy Es Vedra. The Chinese are gone, and such a drastic step at this stage would trigger too much curiosity around the world. Plus we need to pull out all the computer equipment from every level. Those hard drives may have been wiped clean, but as I implied to Joshua, data recovery is always possible. We can’t have foreign interests making the attempt.”
“A clean-up might take years,” Quiz noted.
“True,” said Caine, “but I’m going to make sure Titan’s board of directors finds the resources to do it. Sometimes it takes a long time to make things right again.”
Caine crossed her arms, once again lost deep in thought.
A very long time. Or maybe never.
TITAN SIX,
SAVAGE
BAY
Hawkeye walked around the RPH, stretching his arms and yawning. “So what you’re telling me, Doctor Ambergris, is that everything this mission was about — cleansing the base of the Chinese and securing The Genesis Code — has actually led to a virtual resuscitation of me and my team.”
“Essentially, yes,” said Ambergris. “You and Titan Six could not have been saved by conventional medical measures.”
“In other words, I was saved by well-intentioned people who lived two hundred thousand years ago.”
“Correct.”
“Is everyone on the team okay?”
Ambergris extended his hand in a sweeping gesture, inviting Hawkeye to survey the underground hospital.
Shooter was in the corner of the lab, doing yoga. She had removed her battle gear and was taking her very supple body through a variety of poses. She inhaled deeply, her hands above her head, palm to palm.
Gator and Pyro were in a common area, doing calisthenics. Both men appeared to be as agile and strong as before the mission began.
“Well, big brother,” said Tank, “it looks like we beat the odds.”
“It’s not the first time on missions like this,” said Hawkeye. “We obviously have nine lives — and then some. We should have been dead years ago.”
Tank laughed. “I’m not sure we ever came up against odds like
this
, but from the larger perspective, I guess you’re right.”
“Are you staying with Titan?” asked Tank.
Hawkeye tilted his head and frowned. “Do I look like a guy in middle management who wears a suit and works from nine to five for a company that manufactures food additives?”
Tank shook his head. “Nah. You’re more of a kick-ass honcho. You wouldn’t last a second in the real world.”
“After a mission like this,” Hawkeye declared, “I’d like to know what’s real anymore.”
Tank made no response.
TITAN SIX,
SAVAGE
BAY
Christian Madison stood in a corner of the RPH with Doctors Ambergris and Boren.
“We obviously can’t continue the research here,”
Madison
commented. “Too much radiation, but this is where Dominique assembled everything necessary to find and interpret the Code.”
“Catherine is relocating as much equipment as possible before she closes the base down for decontamination procedures,” Boren said. “Especially Gencore, which will be moved, along with other computer systems, to the Greek islands. The CompCenter has impressive lead shielding that minimized radiation exposure in the room. Ultimately, Gencore will be duplicated for research in coming months and years.”
“It’s going to be a race with the Chinese,” Ambergris noted. “The world doesn’t know it yet, but it’s about to be changed forever.
How
it will be changed will depend on how quickly and accurately we can unlock the rest of the Code — and how new information is used.”
“Ancient prophecy says that the end of the world is upon us,” said
Madison
.
“Or the beginning,” said Boren. “Maybe it’s only going to be the end of the world as we know it. That may not be such a bad thing.”
The three scientists exchanged sober glances but said nothing.
84
th
FLOOR,
JIN
MAO
TOWER
,
SHANGHAI
,
Dominique Caine rolled over onto her side of the luxurious bed, breathing hard and fast. Beads of perspiration rolled down her forehead and cheeks.
“You’re the best lover I’ve ever had,” she told Yang, kissing him lightly on the forehead.
“And you’ve had many,” Yang said wryly.
Dominique looked indignant for a moment, then smiled. “I forgot,” she said, “that you keep very detailed files of every one of your . . . associates.”
Yang raised his eyebrows. “That is true, my love. Both in business and pleasure. Speaking of business, how far along are you in creating a new set of Crystal-Linear chips?”
“I’ll need another two months, maybe three.”
“You realize that time is of the essence,” Yang said, leaning over and burying his head between Dominique’s breasts.
“I was planning on going to the Tower’s sub-basement right now,” she said.
She grabbed a sheer silk robe at the foot of the bed, but Yang grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back.
“I think your work can wait another hour,” he said.
He pulled her down on the bed and kissed her lips hard.
Yang had decided to keep Dominique satisfied until she completed transferring all Genesis data to the new CL chips. And perhaps beyond that. When her team had assimilated everything they needed to know, Dominique would be given new knowledge — and an ultimatum.
Yang was a betting man. He didn’t think she would take it.
SICK
BAY
, ABOARD THE ALAMIRANTA
“I’ve already told you,” Touchdown said to Hawkeye. “I
know
it was an accident.”
Touchdown stared up at Hawkeye from his modern hospital bed. There was no ill will in his countenance.
Hawkeye debated what to say next. “I get paid to make sure accidents don’t happen. I’m responsible, directly or indirectly, for what happened to you and Inch Deep when we came up against the Somali pirates.”
“Accidents surely happened on Es Vedra,” Touchdown pointed out. “But did
you
cause the radiation leak? Are
you
responsible for Pyro getting hit twice in the leg? And what about Nigel Battenford? Are
you
responsible for his death?”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Hawkeye said. “I sleep better, however, when I live by the philosophy that ‘The buck stops here.’”
Touchdown tossed the sheet from his body and sat up in bed. “You know what your problem is, Mike? You’ve got a God complex. That’s why you took to cage fighting. God forbid that you should admit you’re human.”
Touchdown stood up and walked into a nearby dressing room. He emerged wearing military fatigues.
“Dr. Nguyen says I can leave today,” Touchdown said. “I’ll be working in Ops again.”
“Good to hear it,” Hawkeye said.
“But!” Touchdown said. “I also have clearance from Mrs. Caine to begin training. I intend to be reassigned to a Titan team again within six months.”
Hawkeye remained silent.
“Listen, Hawkeye,” said Touchdown. “I wouldn’t be walking again if you hadn’t risked your ass at
Savage
Bay
. Can we call it even?”
Hawkeye walked up to the strong and vigorous Touchdown and extended his hand. “Yeah. We’re even.”
TITAN SIX,
HONG KONG
Hawkeye motioned for his team to fan out. Urban combat was the most dangerous kind of all. U.S. Forces had found this out the hard way in
Iraq
.
Shooter kneeled behind a dumpster while Tank slid into an alley between two warehouses. Only three streetlamps were lit, the rest having been shot out long ago. It was a little past
, and the Chinese commandos were hiding somewhere in the block ahead. The street was littered with trash and broken glass.
Hawkeye crouched behind a junked automobile, a 1987 Ford Taurus. He spoke into his COM set. “Shooter and Tank, you take out anyone visible after I throw the phosphorous flare. Gator, Pyro, and I will open up if we can flush out the Dragons.
Hawkeye lobbed the flare fifty yards down the street. A sickly yellowish-green color permeated the damp air on the seemingly deserted street. A foghorn sounded in the distance.
Shooter fired and hit a Dragon concealed behind one of the darkened lampposts. Tank downed another who had been frightened from his position inside the open door of a warehouse with dozens of rows of broken windows.
Hawkeye, Gator, and Pyro brazenly charged down the street.
Five Dragons emerged from hiding. Had they been invisible? Shielded perhaps by some thermal garment?
Gator opened up his SAW. Hawkeye and Pyro fired their machine guns. The noise of battle reverberated between the warehouse walls.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me that you guys were going to start a shit storm?” asked Inch Deep.
“Lights on!” called Hawkeye, lowering his weapon and exhaling in frustration.
Titan Six sauntered to the middle of the street, which was located in Shotgun Alley aboard the
Alamiranta
. The holographic images of the back streets of
Hong Kong
disappeared.
“You’re supposed to be recuperating from your daring climb up the steel mast,” Hawkeye said. “Has Nguyen released you for active duty?”
Inch scratched his head. “Well . . . um . . . not exactly, but I thought I could handle some simulations. I’ve been laid up long enough.”
Tank threw his arm over Inch’s shoulders.
“I think you’ll get your chance before too long,” Tank said. “Hey, we’re in the
Indian Ocean
. That could mean only one thing. Teams are going to be deployed to
Pakistan
soon.”
“Then why the Chinese simulation?” asked Inch.
Hawkeye glanced at Tank.
“I figure we’ll be battling Dragons again sooner or later,” Hawkeye said. “I’ve been told there’s going to be a briefing in a few hours. I expect that Mrs. Caine will have a bit to say about our mission at
Savage
Bay
. She’s been suspiciously quiet on what went down at Es Vedra.”
“Is that why Ambergris,
Madison
, and Boren have been away for the past month?” asked Shooter.
“They got back this morning,” Hawkeye said. “And they’re grinning like
Cheshire
cats. Something’s up.”
ODESSA
UKRAINE
Dr. Henry Warren Shiloh sat in the study with Vasily Orokov.
Shiloh
had been dispatched to
Paris
and then
Munich
for the past month before being summoned to
Odessa
. The Order, at the insistence of Clude Dubois, had thought it best to keep the geneticist moving. Rumor on the street was that Triad Genomics and Titan Global were not happy with his disappearance.
Shiloh
was a man of medium build, but women thought him to be extremely handsome. At
Savage
Bay
, Heidi Boren had once kidded him that he was in the George Clooney category of hunky good looks. His facial features and eyes were kind but resolute.
“Is Dominique safe?” Dr. Shiloh asked.
Orokov clasped his hands and looked pensively at the ornate ceiling. “She passed through
Odessa
a few weeks ago before moving on to
Shanghai
. She is currently working on correlating the data from Es Vedra.”
“Does she have any idea of my clandestine role in the
Savage
Bay
project?”
Shiloh
said. “Other than my work as a geneticist, of course.”
“No,” replied Orokov, “which is why you’re going to resume the same role in
Shanghai
. You’re going to assist her in using the Chinese version of Gencore.” Orokov paused. “But you’re going to continue looking over her shoulder lest she feel a sudden compulsion to return to her mother’s loving embrace. She could never really be trusted to be begin with, but Mr. Yang feels that the coming months will be a true test as to whether she will be faithful to our ultimate objectives.”
“I understand,” said
Shiloh
.
Orokov stood. “Racquetball, Henry?”
“Always, Vasily. You’ve never beaten me yet.”
Fifteen minutes later, Orokov and
Shiloh
stood on the private indoor racquetball court behind Orokov’s mansion. Both men wore T-shirts and shorts. Two serpents, coiled together, were tattooed on the forearms of both men.
THE GALLERY, ABOARD THE ALAMIRANTA
Hawkeye entered the enormous room that was part library and part museum. At the far end of the space, beneath the many-tiered glass walkways and a suspended Mercury Seven space capsule, was an oval mahogany conference table.
“Please sit, Mr. Hawke,” said Catherine Caine, who was seated at the head of the table.
Flanking the Titan leader were Joshua Ambergris, Christian Madison, Heidi Boren, Grace Nguyen, Touchdown, Quiz, and DJ. Other Titan and Triad executives who Hawkeye had never seen before were also seated at the table.
“I’m including you in this meeting, Mr. Hawke, since there will in all probability be a future mission for your team that will necessitate knowing what is discussed here today.”
Hawkeye nodded as he seated himself.
“Dr. Ambergris,” Caine said, “why don’t you begin?”
“Thank you, Catherine,” said Ambergris. “First, I want to thank Christian, Grace, and Heidi for their tireless efforts over the past month in working on the Code while in
Greece
. And Quiz and DJ, of course. Their computer skills have proven invaluable. I am pleased to report that we have now deciphered additional sections of The Genesis Code.”
Hawkeye glanced at the unfamiliar faces at the table. They leaned forward as they let out murmurs of surprise.
“That is not to say,” declared Ambergris, “that we’re anywhere close to reading all introns of our
have
managed to decipher. Christian, why don’t you chronicle our progress thus far?”
Madison
breathed deeply and began.
“Intron 1,111, as we have seen, is encoded with information on the self-healing properties of the human body and how those properties can be enhanced with the right amino acid sequences. But we’ve found that this intron is an index to hundreds of thousands of other introns. Our working theory is that the Ancients knew the mathematical significance of the number eleven and hard-wired an awareness into our
“Which is why so many people notice the numbers 111 or 1,111,” Quiz interjected.
“Precisely,” continued
Madison
. “Furthermore, Intron 1,111 goes into exacting detail as to how basic genetic codes of deoxyribonucleic acid can be re-written or modified. We now have the basic techniques used by the Ancients, though we are just beginning to understand possible applications for such modifications.”
Boren spoke next.
“Intron 1,111 also points to other introns: 2,222; 3,333; 4,444; 5,555; 6,666; 7,777; 8,888, and 9,999. Each of these introns contains information on critical subject areas, but they, in turn, also point to thousands of other introns. This kind of ‘directory approach’ was obviously necessary since the entire Code — or even long sections of the Code — could not interrupt a single sequence of
Heads around the table nodded their understanding.
“What are some of these critical areas of interest?” asked Hawkeye.
Boren continued.
“Much of the Code discusses not only the cure of diseases, but the prevention of most illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and thousands of others. We believe that the human organism originally evolved with the ability to fight off
all
disease. Our lifestyles, however, have always compromised the body’s ability to fight disease, whether in present day or hundreds of thousands of years ago.”
