The Ark: A Novel (24 page)

"Why bring so much attention to themselves?"

"I don't think that plane was meant to make it back to the US. They expected it to go down at sea. That's the only reason I can guess as to why they made such a risky and hasty plan to get at something in that wreckage. They never thought we'd find it if it crashed in the ocean."

"Any leads?"

""The medical examiner is still pulling brick chunks out of one of the hijackers. Witnesses at the wave pool saw a man jump into the deep end as the truck passed, but he got away in the confusion. We're checking to see if any vehicle in the lot was stolen, but that will take a while with all of the flattened cars out there. We've got the video from the camera at the TEC front gate. I'm having Aiden MacKenna run it to see if he can make an ID."

"They went to a lot of trouble to make sure we didn't open that suitcase," Miles said. "And now it's going to cost us a pretty penny."

With a clunk, the dump truck's enormous bed settled onto a flat bed trailer. Locke could still see part of the hurricane fence clinging to the lip.

"I'd worry more about their ultimate plans," he said. "Miles, I know they built a bunker somewhere. They're planning to use it as an ark. This is all a prelude to something big, and the Genesis Dawn has some part in this."

"A field test for the bioweapon?" Miles was as sharp as ever.

Locke nodded. "Could be. Maybe they were through with lab testing and wanted to see if it actually worked in an uncontrolled environment. The Genesis Dawn will either be another test or their end game. Whoever
they
are."

"The end of the world is at hand," Miles said in an airy manner. "I just thought that was what crazies printed on pieces of cardboard."

"Nobody spends $400 million dollars building a bunker unless they think they might need it someday. In this case, I think they
knew
they would need it."

"Has your new companion, Dr. Kenner, figured out the link with Noah's Ark yet?"

"She's back at the TEC working on it. She's convinced that her father found the actual Noah's Ark. That it's not just a metaphor for the Oasis bunker. She thinks that if we can find it, we might be able to tie all this together. To say the least, I'm not confident."

"You don't believe." It was a statement, not a question.

"Come on, Miles. A 400-foot-long wooden ship that survived six millennia and now is part of some madman's scheme to kill billions of people. You know me. I'm an empiricist. I'll believe it when I see it."

"I have to say I'm skeptical as well, but something about Dilara Kenner's surety in her father...Well, I tend to listen to my gut. Her belief eases my doubts."

"And the big wooden ship that should have been rotted to dust by now?"

"Maybe your skeptical mind is latching on to the wrong thing. You should be asking yourself, how would Noah's Ark last 6000 years? If you answer that, you might actually find it. And find the perpetrators of this god-awful mess. Now I've got a real stake in solving this problem. Gordian's going to be on the hook for the damage from the Liebherr unless we find someone else to blame."

"What about the Genesis Dawn? It sails on its inaugural cruise in two days."

"From now on, that's your responsibility. I'm counting on you to make sure the world is still here next week. Grant will finish up here. I'll give you a lift back to the TEC. I've got a dozen lawyers and insurance adjusters to meet with."

As he followed Miles back to the specially-equipped van he could roll into with his IBOT and drive, Locke for once wished his problems were as mundane as talking with attorneys about settling lawsuits. Instead, all he had to do in the next day was come up with a way to find Noah's Ark, an archaeological treasure that had been hidden since the beginning of recorded history, while preventing the deaths of virtually every person on earth.

No pressure.

Cutter started explaining to Garrett how, sopping wet, he had eluded the mass of police who had converged on the water park the day before and stole a car that he drove to Tuscon. There, under an assumed name and using falsified documents, he boarded a plane that took him back to Seattle. As they walked back from the Orcas compound's helipad, Garrett held up his hand to say that was enough. The details of Cutter's escape were unimportant to him. The fact that he had the suitcase was all that mattered.

Although the test aboard Hayden's plane had potentially compromised the whole operation when it turned back to the mainland unexpectedly, he had to consider it a success. It proved that the Arkon-B could be administered in a non-laboratory environment. Now he was assured that the delivery method for Arkon-C for the Genesis Dawn would be equally effective.

He had considered going ahead with the plan for the cruise ship without testing it first, but that course of action would have been risky. If it hadn't worked, and the device was discovered prematurely, it would have been difficult to mount a second attempt. Possible, because of his backup facility in Switzerland. The bunker under his castle near Bern was functional, but not nearly as comfortable as Oasis. Once Garrett had realized it would be more efficient to have all of his scientists and followers in one location, he had consolidated everything at Orcas Island and put the Swiss laboratory into hibernation. He could revive it at a later time, but only if necessary.

"Of course," Garrett said to Cutter, "this means you can't accompany me to the Genesis Dawn to activate the device."

"I could wear a disguise..." Cutter protested. Garrett understood. Cutter was as eager to be a part of the final operation as Garrett was. But Garrett couldn't allow anything to jeopardize their plans now.

"No, you'll stay. Take care of the preparations here. When I return, we should be ready to button up. Everyone is due to arrive in the next two days. It's just a matter of double-checking our stores and procedures."

"Yes, sir. But what about Locke? Our contact said that he went to Coleman's office."

"That avenue was thoroughly sealed off, both from Coleman's death, and the subsequent scrubbing of his files. No, without the device, he won't be able to make a connection to us. I thought Watson might have implicated me directly, which is why I wanted Tyler killed. Now it's obviously not necessary. Believe me, I know Tyler. If he knew anything remotely close to the truth, he would have come after me by now. He might have a few clues, but nothing that he'll put together before it's too late."

"And you completely trust our contact?"

Garrett nodded. "Absolutely. In fact, after I heard about your misadventures in Phoenix, I told him to meet me in Miami. He'll ensure that the device is activated after I leave."

When he had first heard about the Genesis Dawn's inaugural sailing, Garrett knew it was the perfect way to launch the New World. The official maiden voyage of the world's largest and most luxurious cruise ship had been booked solid for years, but Garrett used the considerable clout that his billions gave him to rent the biggest suite on the ship. As part of the deal, he had promised to attend the inaugural gala. Going to the party was an annoyance, but the cabin was perfect for his needs, so he had readily agreed.

The ship would cruise to New York and then on to the major seaports of Europe, where thousands of dignitaries and passengers from around the globe would board to tour the immense vessel or even travel for a few days before disembarking, carrying their tales of the ship back to their home countries.

The entire itinerary was 40 days exactly. The same 40 days as Noah's Flood. When Garrett had seen the itinerary, he knew it was a sign. How apt.

When the passengers left the ship, they would travel through the busiest airports in the world. It was a perfect way to transmit the Arkon-C worldwide in a matter of weeks. By the time anyone realized the true source of the disease, it would be too late. It would have been unwittingly communicated around the world.

Garrett had been disappointed when he and his scientists had developed Arkon-B, the type he had used for the test on Hayden's plane. Although it produced the effect he wanted, it worked much too fast. The infected would be quarantined. A few thousand might have been killed. But that wasn't his plan. He needed a variant that would work more slowly.

It had taken another year to develop Arkon-C, but it finally allowed him to put his plan for the New World in motion. There was, of course, no cure, so once the Arkon-C was communicated worldwide, nothing would stop it. A few isolated groups might live through the outbreak, but it would be by sheer luck. Garrett's computer models estimated less than a million survivors worldwide. All he and his followers would have to do was wait it out and emerge as the leaders of the New World.

Which was why he had put so much of his fortune into building Oasis. His own underground ark. It would forever be known as Garrett's Ark.

How ironic, he thought, that finding Noah's Ark had made his own vision possible. For a brief moment, he had considered releasing news of his discovery to the world, his lifelong dream realized. But the discovery had enabled a new dream, one grander and even more profound. God had seen fit to make him the conduit for rebuilding the earth in his vision.

He would be the Noah of a new generation. The father of all that would come in the New World. It was a heavy burden, but he knew that God saw something in him that generations would come to venerate.

The birth of the New World would be painful, as birth often is. Yet he was confident he would be seen as the hero he was, as God's representative who would usher in a golden era of mankind.

His companion for the New World, his beloved Svetlana, walked over to him followed by a servant carrying her luggage. She would be there at the gala to toast the beginning of the New World with him.

"You look happy," she said. "Are you ready?"

"Do you realize," he said, "that we're about to embark on the greatest journey in history? One even greater than Noah's."

"I do," she replied. "I'm so excited. But this is the last time I'll be able to wear an Armani original, so let's hope it doesn't rain."

Locke returned to the TEC Wednesday afternoon. Aiden hadn't found the identity of the hijackers in the FBI or military databases yet, so Locke had been running the video of the car going through the TEC's front gate, trying to find some clue about their identities. Grant Westfield, having finished dismantling the Liebherr, joined him in the screening room, and a disturbing look crossed his face as soon as he saw the video.

"Son of a bitch," Grant said.

"What's wrong?"

"I know him."

"Which one?"

"The driver. The one that got away. His name is Dan Cutter."

"How do you know him?"

"I served with him in Iraq."

"Rangers?"

Grant sat heavily, the chair creaking under the load. "For about four months. Just long enough to get to know how dirty he played it."

This was the first Locke had heard any details about Grant's troubles in the Army's special forces detachment. Locke had served in the Army before 9/11 and had returned to his unit as a reservist. In Afghanistan and then Iraq where Locke was a company commander, he had developed a close friendship and rapport with Grant, his first sergeant. Over Locke's strenuous objections, Grant had been transferred to the Ranger Orientation Program because of his reputation as an electronics whiz, which they desperately needed for special forces. Combined with his combat skills, he was a formidable team member.

For all Locke knew, everything in Grant's detachment was going well until two years later, near the time when Grant reached his in-service date. Locke was already out at that point. He thought Grant was going to re-enlist, but something happened that made Grant ask him about getting a job in the real world, so Locke gladly made him a partner at Gordian. Grant had never talked about his Ranger service except for vague references to an incident in Iraq.

"Is this about Ramadi?" Locke asked.

Grant nodded slowly. It was one of the few times Locke had seen him deadly serious. It made him nervous.

"This guy was the best," Grant said. "My superior NCO. Since I wasn't company top hat any more, I was back to being a master sergeant then. Cutter was first sergeant, but he went by his nickname, Chainsaw, because of the way he cut the enemy to pieces. I refused to call him that, mostly to piss him off. He could sniff out insurgent hiding places no one else could find. He was a legend in the Rangers. Everyone knew him. Cutter had a better score than anyone else in the team." Score, Locke knew, meant number of enemy kills.

"I could see that Cutter was on the edge of going too far," Grant continued. "He enjoyed the kills too much. Started notching his weapon. He had so many notches the damned thing looked like my mother's sofa after our cat got his claws on it. Then it all came to a head in Ramadi."

Grant paused for a moment. Locke didn't interrupt. This obviously wasn't something Grant found pleasant to talk about.

"We were on an incursion looking for a suspected insurgent cell in a neighborhood in the north side of the city. We went in on foot for stealth, but we had chopper evac ready. Cutter had the cell zeroed in one of the few undamaged houses. We were approaching when a guy popped up out of nowhere with an RPG. Cutter got the rocket man in one shot, but not before the blast took out our lieutenant. That set Cutter off.

"We infiltrated the house, but we were only supposed to nab the suspects. Cutter wasn't having it. He ordered us to terminate them. So we did as ordered." Grant said it flatly, but Locke could make out the underlying pain in his voice. "But it didn't stop there. Cutter went outside and herded all the families hiding in the nearby houses out into the street."

Locke could sense what was coming.

"Said he wanted to question them," Grant said. "Then Cutter opened fire. Men, women, children. Maybe all of them innocent. Didn't matter to Cutter. As soon as I realized what was happening, I tackled him. The families scattered, or what was left of them. Cutter and I got into a fight right there in the street, and that's when a sniper opened up. He hit Cutter twice, in the shoulder and the groin.