The Planck Factor

Daniel grinned. “Here’s the bottom line. This was never about building bigger bombs. Once the hydrogen bomb was invented, there was no limit to the size a hydrogen bomb could be. They can always be made bigger by using more material to feed the fusion reaction.

“My research proved we could create an entirely different kind of weapon--a quantum gravity weapon. Fusing together Planck particles would be akin to smashing tiny black holes together and generating pulses of gravity waves. But we don’t know what immediate effects those waves would have in close proximity.

“So, we’re not talking about creating a greater explosion. We’re talking about a concentrated waveform that changes the way matter exists in space. This could be a wavefront that causes chemical bonds to break and everyday objects to collapse at a molecular level into dust, vapor, and flame. Or it could cause an uncontrollable nuclear reaction releasing unimaginable amounts of energy, consuming everything as surely as if uranium or plutonium atoms were all that were involved.”

Lips parted, Alexis looked frozen. “Sounds like Armageddon,” she whispered. Her expression transformed from one of horror to a scowl. “Why didn’t they tell me you were alive?”

Daniel gave a wan smile. “They wanted everyone to think I was dead, so the terrorists would focus on Swede. Following only one person made their investigation easier, less labor-intensive.”

“So,” Alexis said. “I assume that what Mel and I are going to discuss tomorrow is how to get me back to my sister’s, get your research, and take it to the Feds.”

Daniel nodded, looking sheepish. “Yeah. That’s it.”

“Basically, I have to pretend I don’t know who these people really are and convince my sister to tell me where your research is hidden?”

“Yes.”

Alexis blew out a breath. “I wish I’d taken acting lessons.”

“And I wish I could do it instead.” Daniel grabbed her arms and gazed at her, his eyes drinking her in like a life-sustaining glass of water on a hot day. “But I need to stay dead. At least, until this is over.”

Alexis felt tears welling in her eyes again. “I wish to hell it were over now.”

JESSICA

I took a quick break from reading. My plan all along had been to bring Daniel “back from the dead,” but I wondered if doing so at this point was more a function of good plotting or simply wishing Fred could be brought back, too. As I thought this over, a spark of recognition went off in my mind. What was it? The agent’s name. The one Daniel mentioned.

“Benson,” I said aloud. The woman at the next table shot me a look, then glued her eyes back on her iPhone.

I mouthed the word silently, which must have looked odd. Benson . . . Benson . . . . Then, I remembered the dream. Fred and Selby. The building Selby had emerged from. It had a name.

“Benson Earth Sciences Building. Holy shit.” I blurted the words loud enough that the woman with the iPhone got up and moved to another table.

Now I remembered. Selby was a geologist. Then, I remembered his specialty. Plate tectonics.

Earthquakes, caused by the movement of the earth’s plates against one another. And San Francisco was located right on the San Andreas Fault, where two major plates ground against each other. I imagined a nightmare scenario in which terrorists might try to trigger a major quake—or more than one. Fault lines like the San Andreas could be found all over the planet. If the group caused enough earthquakes, millions (or even billions) could die. And my parents were close to ground zero.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Jessica

For a moment, this revelation stunned me to the point where I simply sat and stared through the picture window fronting the store. People walked by, moving in and out of view at random intervals. They barely registered on my mental radar. People going about their business, not imagining the horror I envisioned.

Could that really be the truth? Or am I just letting my imagination run away from me?

Someone touched my shoulder and I started with a grunt. My heart was beating its way out of my rib cage. I gulped air as if I’d been drowning.

“Are you all right, Miss?”

I gazed up into the milk chocolate face of a motherly looking woman with honey golden eyes beneath a furrowed brow.

“Are you feeling okay?” she asked.

I realized I was staring and stuttered, “I’m . . . I’m fine, really. Just have a lot on my mind today.”

“Uh huh.” The wo

man neither looked nor sounded convinced. Her brow relaxed, but she still looked doubtful.