David’s mind raced.
“Fine,” Shaw said flatly. “I’ll say it. Someone killed Martin.”
Every set of eyes in the room went to Shaw. “We all know it. There are three doctors and three soldiers in this room; we all know enough to know that he was murdered. One of us killed him. It wasn’t me, and it wasn’t Kate. So I propose the following: Kate locks herself in the master stateroom with all the guns. We five gentlemen remain here in the upper deck until the SAS soldiers get here. That ensures Kate’s safety.” He focused on David. “Which is our priority, I believe.”
David read Kate’s body language. It said: not a bad idea. It was subtle, but he knew her well enough by now. And it was a good idea: if Shaw could be trusted. But… if he had killed Martin, it would be the perfect trap. Disarm everyone, call in whomever he’s working with and easily capture Kate.
David pointed to a small dot on the map. “What is this?”
“Isla de Alborán,” Kamau said.
“You said in Ceuta that the Immari had taken control of the islands in the Mediterranean.”
“Yes. They have Alborán as well. It is a very small outpost.”
“How small?”
“Tiny. The entire island is less than a tenth of a square kilometer. That would be… maybe fifteen or twenty acres. There is a lighthouse and a building with maybe six guards. A helipad with two large helicopters. Not significant defenses…” He seemed to read David’s mind. “But… it would be difficult to take with only two people.” His eyes cut to Shaw, almost involuntarily.
“Defenses?” David asked.
“Yes, some. A few fixed artillery batteries. We’d have to figure that out. The outpost mainly serves air support to Immari ships that run into trouble. Rescue, fending off pirates.”
“The helicopters are long range?”
“Yes, definitely. There was discussion of having them support the invasion of southern Spain, but they were held back.”
David nodded. That was the good news. If they could take the outpost at Alborán, they could fly anywhere.
Shaw finally broke. “You can’t be serious. You have the option of being airlifted out of here and your choice is to assault an Immari outpost? It’s ludicrous.”
David folded up the map. “It’s what we’re doing. This isn’t a discussion.” He handed the map to Kamau. “Set our course.”
Shaw simply stood there.
“David,” Kate began. The I need to speak with you look was the only cue David needed. He followed her downstairs to their stateroom.
She closed the door gently behind him. “I’m sorry, but I think we have to—”
“I want you to trust me, Kate. Let me do this.” He waited for her.
Slowly, she nodded. “Okay.”
“We’ll reach Alborán inside five hours—assuming whoever is chasing us doesn’t catch us first. We need to figure out who killed Martin before we get there.”
“I agree. But first, I want us to decipher the rest of Martin’s code, then I want to call Continuity and relay our findings. If… something bad happens at Alborán, at least they will have our research. Hopefully they can find a cure.”
This was her deal: David would help her work on a cure and she would go along with his plan—and trust him. Tradeoffs, compromises, trust. This was turning into a real relationship. I’m good with that. I like that. He nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
Dorian rolled over in bed. “Come.”
The door to his room opened, and a shy sailor inched in. He held out a closed envelope.
Dorian snatched it and ripped it open.
Where the hell are you?
Warner close to deciphering code.
Our destination is Isla de Alborán.
ETA 5 hours.
Be there.
Be ready.
CHAPTER 67
Mediterranean Sea
When David and Kate returned to the saloon, the two scientists were there waiting for them, sitting side by side on the white leather couches, placid expressions on their faces, as if the world weren’t dying from a global pandemic and they hadn’t just been accused of murder. David had to marvel at them. He wasn’t sure if he felt envy or sheer surprise at their composure.
“We are ready to resume. If you are, of course,” Janus said.
Kate and David sat in club chairs adjacent to the couch.
The wood-paneled, glass-accented room was lit only by three candles on the coffee table now, and the ambiance had gone from a well-lighted science conference to a late-night sleepover.
David turned the paper with Martin’s code around on the coffee table, positioning it to face the others as if it were a Ouija board.
Everyone took a moment to reread the note.
PIE = Immaru?
535…1257 = Second Toba? New Delivery System?
Adam => Flood/A$ Falls => Toba 2 => KBW
Alpha => Missed Delta? => Delta => Omega
70K YA => 12.5K YA => 535…1257 => 1918…1979
Missing Alpha Leads to Treasure of Atlantis?
“Several items still confuse me,” David said. “I believe the first two lines are simply notes—one about PIE. As we discussed, I’m quite certain Martin believed the Immaru were the PIE, Proto-Indo-Europeans, or at least a descendant group. The other note refers to an event in 535 and again in 1257. I know what it is, and I’ll explain that in a moment. Then the three lines are a chronology—a time line that overlaps and corresponds to the Tibetan tapestry Kate saw at the Immaru monastery. But I believe Martin’s chronology may be incomplete. Let’s take it step by step.”
David pointed at the word Adam. “Adam, Alpha, 70K YA.”
“In research,” Kate said, “the alpha signifies the first person in a clinical trial—the first to receive a test therapy.”
“Yes,” David said. “I think Adam here is the first human that received the Atlantis Gene. That’s the event in the flood of fire in the tapestry and the first major event in Martin’s chronology. The next is the Flood, A$ Falls, 12,500 years ago. I believe A$ is shorthand for Atlantis. So Flood, Atlantis Falls. When I was in the Atlantis structure in Gibraltar, there was a chamber with a series of… holomovies. I believe they showed this event—the fall of Atlantis at the foot of the Rock of Gibraltar. In the movie, the Atlantean ship hovered just above the water, then set down on the coast, just outside a prehistoric megalithic settlement. Two Atlanteans in suits exited the craft and interrupted a prehistoric tribal ritual, saving a Neanderthal. As soon as they returned to the ship, it was hit by a tidal wave that drove it inland, destroying the ancient city. As the water pulled the ship back out to sea, explosions rocked it, destroying the ship.”