Echo breakthrough book 6, p.16
Echo (Breakthrough Book 6), page 16
“Like rushing forward, no matter what the consequences?”
“There are always consequences. Always. A smaller number of sacrifices now is more humane than millions later. But you can’t see that, or you don’t have the stomach.”
“Sacrifices for what?”
“To save people!” Talbot fired back.
Neely Lawton stared back at her, speechless, shaking her head. “Do you seriously expect anyone to believe you were trying to save people?”
“Do you even understand where we are as a species? The magnitude of what’s happening today?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Deoxyribonucleic acid,” she replied sarcastically. “The discovery of DNA has given us the literal building blocks—not just of animals or humans, but for all of life itself. Every animal, every mammal, every insect, even every plant. Every form of carbon life on this planet has been laid bare for us to see.” She motioned past Neely. “Look out there at the grass. There are millions of blades right in front of you. Right there. And we can take any one of them and see exactly how it was constructed, molecule by molecule. We’re not just talking about replicating life. We’re talking about creating life one piece at a time. Now do you understand?”
“I do. Who needs God when you can create life?”
“It’s not about needing God. God gave us the universe, the Earth, the laws of physics and the intellect to learn and understand. And we have. He also gave us the intellect that would allow us to eventually discover our own DNA, learn from it, and use it.” Talbot shook her head. “Don’t you see? He wanted us to figure it out. He wanted us to make ourselves better. That’s why he gave us the ability to do so!”
“Beginning with?”
“With life. There’ve been incremental improvements since the dawn of time, until we could break free from our own limitations. Our own boundaries. Think of all the illness and disease that has plagued our planet. Not just in our bodies, but in our minds, people doing terrible things both to themselves and to others. The same things over and over. For eons. For the same reasons and with no end in sight. Our quality of life has never been better, and yet humanity is just as nasty as it has ever been. Nastier, even—more apathetic and divisive.” She stared at Neely. “We’re not learning anything. Everything around us is evolving except us. Except human nature. All of this guile and righteousness keeps the world from advancing as it should—just like the condemnation I see in your eyes.”
“No,” replied Neely. “The world is advancing, but it’s foolish to believe taking lives now will make life better later.”
“It’s not foolish. It’s a fact. If people were unwilling to take the risk for a better tomorrow, how many people would have gotten on those airplanes or tried a new medication, even penicillin.”
“But they were aware of the risks. Your patients were not.”
“You don’t know that. Besides, people don’t have to be aware of the risks,” said Talbot, “to be part of the solution.”
“Spoken like a true fascist.”
“No,” she said. “Spoken like a realist. And a scientist.”
Neely could only stare at the woman in stunned silence, thinking of how Talbot’s view of the world, of life, made her want to vomit. Yes, advancement was a risk. But the cost should never have to be borne by the unknowing or the innocent.
“So what was Seever, then?”
Talbot looked away, past the railing and over the open field. “Seever was both a miracle and a curse.”
“Because?”
“I’m not an immoral person,” she said, looking back at Neely. “I know when someone doesn’t deserve to be here. But with Seever, we had no choice. For whatever reason, the DNA changes we were making could only be absorbed by him. No one else could take it. This left us with a difficult decision—slow down and make much smaller changes or continue to move forward with Seever, the one viable patient we had and the last person who should have been improved.”
“Well, I guess we know which decision you made.”
“My choice didn’t matter. Bullman wanted to continue, and Hayes was pushing him.”
Neely frowned dubiously. “You wanted to slow it down?”
“I wanted to make progress, just not with Seever. But I also knew that slowing things down wouldn’t give us the progress we needed using the other patients. Not any time soon.”
“A calculated decision,” said Neely, folding her arms.
“Every decision is calculated. Eventually.”
“Well, then here’s something for you to calculate,” said Neely. “You can either help me or stay here until Seever finds you.”
Talbot’s eyes widened. “What?”
“Didn’t you know? He’s been moving from place to place killing all those who’ve wronged him. And something tells me you’re on that list.”
“You said you were going to stop him!”
“We tried.” Neely shrugged, watching as Talbot’s face grew pale. “But some of his attributes are adapting faster than even you predicted. I suspect it’s just a matter of time before he finds out where we’re keeping you.” Neely’s eyes became cold. “All it would take is a phone call.”
“You… don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“I think I have some idea. Then again, I suppose if Seever likes you, you don’t have anything to worry about.”
Talbot’s expression immediately shifted to panic.
“I suppose your third option,” said Neely, motioning behind her, “is the forest.”
***
In the car, Li Na sat quietly, listening through the glass at all the sounds around her—insects zigzagging over the tops of the lengthy grass, and small animals skittering deeper down near the ground. Caws from birds in the nearby trees. Speaking. Communicating across an open field and a barrage of competing sounds like nature’s symphony.
The field was vast and untouched. Untainted. Free from mankind’s control and machinations. It wasn’t just the sounds or the noises she could sense. She could feel all of them in her chest and deep in her gut.
Just as she felt Neely nearby. And Talbot.
***
“Help you with what?”
“With Li Na,” Neely answered.
“The girl?” The doctor curled one side of her mouth and looked back out at the horizon. “I’m surprised she’s still alive.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Help you with her how?”
“Help me find a way to fix what’s happening to her. To stop it before it’s too late.”
“It’s already too late.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“It doesn’t matter what you believe,” said Talbot. “The changes are too far gone. You can’t just roll those back.”
“I’m not talking about rolling them back. I just want to stop them from getting worse. A person can take only so many changes to their system before it becomes terminal. You know that more than anyone.”
“I don’t know what I would be able to do.”
“You can use what you’ve learned to help me.”
“Or I stay here?”
“And wait for Seever.” Neely nodded. “Waiting, wondering how many days you have left.”
“Unless someone else finds me first.”
“If you’re talking about General Bullman and Director Hayes, they have more pressing problems than trying to find you. Trust me. If anything, you’re a liability to them, not an asset, someone who can expose everything to an investigative committee. I’ll bet they would be delighted for Seever to find you first.”
“You wouldn’t just tell him where I was.”
“Wouldn’t I? Being the righteous person I am, I would afford you the same protections and considerations you gave your patients.”
Talbot squinted at Lawton, who rose from the railing and moved toward her.
“And in case you need more convincing, I’ll tell you this. Help me try, and you live. Help me save her, and I’ll tell you why Seever was able to absorb all those changes when no one else could.”
***
After almost thirty minutes, Neely rounded the end of the house and found their bearded friend not far away, waiting beneath a tree and surveying the dirt road they’d come in on.
She approached and briefly spoke to him before turning and walking back to the car, opening the driver’s door and sliding in. With a quiet thump, she closed it and stared contemplatively at the house.
“Did it go well?”
She shrugged. “As well as possible, I suppose.”
The teenager nodded. “You were right. She was lying to you.”
Neely inserted the key and turned the ignition, listening to the engine rumble smoothly back to life. “That’s okay. It was mutual.”
46
They were gone for three days. On the fourth, Neely and Li Na strode into the hospital room just before 9:30 a.m. to find Clay and Caesare both standing, completely dressed.
“What is this?”
“We’re ready,” said Caesare. “Feeling better and fit as a fiddle.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You said yourself. We’re healing faster than normal due to all the time spent in that water around the ship.”
Neely eyed them suspiciously, then turned to Clay, noting that he no longer had the small cast on his arm. She walked across the room and stood in front of him, examining his forearm, holding it in one hand and pressing firmly down on the bone with the other.
Clay showed no reaction.
“That doesn’t hurt?”
“A little,” he shrugged.
She stepped back. “I don’t like this. No one can heal that fast.”
“We’re not a hundred percent, but we’re getting there.” Next to her, Li Na remained quiet, while Neely glanced around the room. “Where’s Mr. Borger?”
“He’s downstairs arranging transportation.”
“Transportation? To where?”
“France. We have a cathedral to check out.”
“You’re going to France? Now?”
“We all are.” He grinned devilishly. “To Paris, the City of Love.”
“And who told you we were going?”
Caesare glanced at Clay. “What woman wouldn’t want to visit Paris?”
Maintaining her gruff exterior, Neely folded both arms in front of her. “How about women who have other things to do? Important things.”
“I think we could use a break,” said Clay, “after what we’ve all been through.” He looked affectionally at Li Na. “Besides, there’s someone here we can show that the world is not all bad.”
A surprised Li Na blinked and turned to Neely with raised eyebrows.
“It won’t take long,” said Caesare. “Will knows exactly where we’re going.”
There was no answer. Instead, Neely remained quiet, visually examining both men before speaking to Caesare. “Let me see you walk to the door.”
“What for?”
“To see how healed your leg is.”
He nodded and looked down at the gray-tiled floor, slowly walking forward and passing the women and then reaching the door and opening it. He kept it propped open with his left hand. “After you.”
With some trepidation, Neely shook her head but finally gave in, continuing into the hallway with Li Na trailing behind her.
Caesare turned and looked at Clay, who also stepped forward.
“How does it feel to walk?”
“Excruciating,” said Caesare quietly. “How’s your arm?”
“I almost passed out when she pressed into my bone.”
***
In the hall, the four ran into Borger as he exited one of the elevators. He appeared surprised and stared nervously at Neely.
“Oh, uh, hi everyone. I was just, uh, looking for something to drink…”
“It’s okay, Will. They know.”
He relaxed and grinned. “Oh good. Sorry. I just–”
Neely cut him off, continuing past and into the elevator. “Some advice, William—don’t ever try to be a spy.”
***
The flight out was from Myrtle Beach’s international airport aboard Admiral Langford’s commissioned Gulfstream III. It was the same aircraft Clay and Alison had taken to Greece to find a professor holding a vital secret regarding the remains of their lost Spanish Galleon.
The route was similar. They stopped to refuel in the Azores, but this time flew directly to Paris.
Once airborne, Clay attempted to distract Borger from his flight phobia by asking to look through the folders in his hand.
“Okay, Will,” he said, opening the first. “Time for the full rundown.”
Borger managed to tear his attention from the window and nodded. “We’re, uh, headed to Chartres, France, a small city with a famous church known as the Chartres Cathedral. It’s Roman Catholic and was built between 1194 and 1220, coincidentally where four other churches had once stood before it. So, not surprisingly, there is quite a lot of history there, attracting tens of thousands of visitors every year, many of whom are travelers coming to venerate the Sancta Camisa.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary during Christ’s birth,” answered Borger. “The place is huge, with one portal dedicated to Mary and the Visitation, the second to John the Baptist and St. Peter, and another to King Solomon. And then there’s the chapel built next to it of Saint Piatus of Tournai, added in the early fourteenth century.”
“And you and Lee are sure this is the place your Machine identified?”
“Pretty sure. Just like last time, the system identified the year, along with two words—Mary and Cathedrali. We even got a few numbers that match the city’s GPS location.”
“Okay,” said Caesare, subtly trying not to move in his seat. “So what are we looking for?”
“Well, that’s actually a tad vague.”
“A tad?”
Borger tilted his head. “A bit?”
“A bit?”
“As in, it’s not…entirely clear.”
“What is not entirely clear?”
Borger stammered and straightened his large Hawaiian shirt with one hand. “Well, so, last time was a little different. After a lot of narrowing down, the clue led us to the Piri Reis map. This time is kind of…the opposite. We didn’t have to narrow it down all that much, but the specifics are not as concise.”
“Spit it out, Will. What does this mean?”
“It means the Piri Reis map was a singular item. But the Chartres Cathedral isn’t. It’s huge, adorned and represents lots of different aspects of history. Different people, different ages, different stories. For starters, there are literally thousands of different statues there.”
Caesare leveled his gaze at Borger. “We don’t know what we’re supposed to be looking for?”
“Not exactly. I was hoping the second lead would allow us to cross-reference something, but again, like before, the second clue appears to be something else entirely.”
“And what is that?”
“We’re not sure yet. We’re still working on it.”
“But it’s not France?”
“No.”
“I see. So, we’re just going to this Chartres place to look around for anything that jumps out at us. Something that hopefully yells alien ship.”
Borger frowned and started to speak but stopped, still stammering.
“Oh brother.”
“Look,” Borger said. “It’s all we have at the moment. And last time we found something. Something huge! We just have to stay sharp and keep an open mind. It could be anything. And I figured ten eyes are better than two.”
Clay was less than enthused. “You’re proposing we just keep our eyes peeled while examining thousands of sculptures and paintings.”
“More or less.”
“Maybe we can save some time,” said Caesare. “Let’s just ask the tour guides if they’ve seen anything that looks related to aliens.”
He glanced sarcastically at Clay, who surprised him by thinking it over.
“I was joking!”
“Look,” said Borger defensively, “last time we found the navigation system for that ship, and we didn’t even know what we were looking for. This time we do. Or at least what it may be similar to. We’re not completely in the dark here.”
“That is true.”
Caesare glared at Clay. “You’re agreeing with him?!”
“He’s right. It could be almost anything in the Cathedral, but we at least have a hint of what we’re looking for.”
“Maybe St. Peter holding a toy spaceship in his hand.”
Borger shrugged, mulling it over.
“My God, don’t you guys know when I’m being sarcastic?”
Clay feigned confusion. “Sarcastic?”
“Stop it.”
“I’m sorry, you guys,” said Borger. “I wish we had more to go on. But I’m hoping we see something that looks out of place or familiar. Some kind of reference. In the meantime, I’ll keep looking for anything else from The Machine we can use.”
After quietly contemplating, Neely raised her hand. “You said this place was built in honor of the Virgin Mary?”
“Yes, primarily.”
“What about the Star of Bethlehem?”
“What about it?”
“Wise men from the east were said to have followed the Star of Bethlehem to find Mary and Jesus.”
“And?”
Neely stared at them, thinking out loud. “I was raised Christian, and while Christians believe the star to be a divine miracle, other modern-day astronomers believe it may have been an actual celestial event. In fact, some have even tried to trace back the constellations in an attempt to identify what the Star of Bethlehem really was.”
“What do you think?”
She shrugged. “I’m on the fence. In those days, no one knew what stars even were yet. But let’s say for the sake of argument that it was a heavenly event as well as a celestial one. You said the Maya may have figured out how to use that alien navigation system at some rudimentary level.”
