The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery 1)

None of the computers had worked since then. Until today.

He wondered if they had already removed the Bell outside, or if the re-activation of the computers meant it was disabled. There was also another possibility: maybe the Bell would only attack people trying to enter, not exit.

If it was still on, he would have to move fast to get clear of it.

Kane took a tentative step out of the decontamination chamber. His eyes were adjusting, and he could see a cluster of soft lights, like tiny stars glowing in a mound of snow, just under a mangled metal cage.

There was something else — a metal basket, hanging from a thick cord. Yes, that was it — his escape route, even if the Bell activated.

Kane took another step, clearing the portal doors. Above him, a loud rumble reverberated through the space and echoed in his suit, maybe even his bones.

There was a Bell. And it was thundering to life.

CHAPTER 145

Kate tugged at the pack on Adi’s back. Finally, it came free. 00:01:53. She turned to Surya. The black goo was eating away at the straps on his backpack as well. They were almost free. Kate’s father pulled the boy away from the straps and shoved him toward her. He motioned toward the second of six doors. “Go, Katherine. I’ll take care of this.”

“No. Tell me. How?” She searched his face, wondering how he could disable the bombs.

He sighed and nodded toward the door. “When the Atlanteans exited the Gibraltar structure, they set the portal up to be a one-way escape hatch; that’s why I couldn’t get back. But if I’m right, the portal will allow Atlanteans to pass back through it. You have pure Atlantean DNA. You were incubated in the tubes. It will work for you. Now this is important — when you get to the other side, you’ll be in Gibraltar, in a control room. Don’t touch anything. You must leave the portal open, so that I can follow you through. I need to close the portal… permanently. And this bomb can’t explode here in Antarctica. Do you understand?”

Kate stared at him, trying to comprehend.

“When you get to the other side, you must get to the surface and as far away as you can. You’ll have about 360 minutes — six hours. A minute here is 360 minutes there. Do you understand?” Her father’s voice was firm.

A tear fell from Kate’s face. She understood. She hugged him for three long seconds, but when she tried to pull away, she found that her father was holding her tight. She wrapped her arms back around him.

“I made so many mistakes, Katherine. I was trying to protect you, and your mother…” his voice broke as Kate leaned back and looked him in the eyes.

“I read the journal, Dad. I know why you did it, all of it. I understand. And I love you.”

“I love you too, very much.”

Kate grabbed the children by the hands and ran through the door.

CHAPTER 146

Konrad felt a bead of sweat form on his forehead as the thump-thump-thump of the Bell above grew louder.

Through the glass of the helmet, an image emerged, as if a miniature version of the person were sitting inside the glass. The gray-haired man was sitting in an office, behind a large wooden desk with an Immari Flag behind him. There was a map of the world on the wall, but it was different somehow, all wrong. And the man’s face… Konrad knew him.

“Mallory!” Konrad cried out. “Help me—”

“Of course, Konrad. There’s a syringe sitting on the basket. Inject yourself.”

Konrad bounded forward, desperately trying to reach the basket. He fell twice, then again. He decided that he couldn’t run in the suit, so he waddled awkwardly, making the best speed he could as the Bell droned louder each second. “What’s in the syringe?”

“Something we’re working on. You should hurry, Konrad.”

Konrad reached the basket and picked up the large syringe. “Take me up, Mallory. Forget this science experiment.”

“We can’t take the risk. Inject yourself, Konrad. It’s your only chance.”

Konrad flipped open the metal case and eyed the syringe for a second as the Bell beat louder. There was something else running down his face. He saw the red reflection in the glass of the helmet. How long did he have? Konrad snatched the syringe, pulled the plastic cover off the needle, and plunged it through his suit, into his arm. The case must have been some sort of warming device, but the liquid was still freezing as it flowed into his veins. “I’ve done it, now lift me up.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Konrad.”

Konrad felt wetness on his arms. It wasn’t sweat. The Bell thundered louder. He also felt strange, weak inside. “What have you done to me?”

Mallory leaned back in the chair, a satisfied look on his face. “Do you remember giving me that tour of the camp where you were testing the Bell? It was the early ‘30s, I don’t remember exactly when, but I do remember your speech, what you said to the workers to convince them to do those terrible things. I had wondered how you would pull it off. You said, ‘This is hideous work, but these people are giving their lives so that we can understand the Bell, so that we can save and purify the human race. Their sacrifice is needed. Their sacrifice will be remembered. The few die so the many can survive.’” Mallory shook his head. “I was so impressed, so enamored with you then. That was before you put me in a tube for 40 years, before you took my life. I was loyal. I played second fiddle for so many years, and look at how you repaid me. I won’t give you a second chance.”

“You can’t kill me. I am the Immari. They will never stand for it.” Konrad fell to his knees. He could feel the Bell beating in his heart, ripping him to shreds from the inside out.

“You aren’t the Immari, Konrad. You’re a science experiment. You’re a sacrifice.” Mallory shuffled some papers, then said something to someone off screen. He listened for a moment. “Good news, Konrad, we’re getting data from the suit. It should give us everything we need. We have a fetus with sustained Atlantis Gene activation — it’s actually the child of Kate Warner and Dieter. Talk about irony. Anyway, the trouble is, we needed a genome of the same genetic stock before Atlantis Gene activation. A parent, ideally. We also needed to track and test that genome as the Bell attacked it in order to understand exactly which genes and epigenetic factors are involved. As you’ll remember, it’s a lot of effort to disassemble a Bell, and then there’s the whole power issue.” Mallory waved his hand in the air nonchalantly. “So, we figured we’d just keep this Bell active, prep a syringe with the gene-tracking therapy and wait for you to walk out. I was never very good at speeches, not as good as you, but I was good at figuring out what people would do. And you’re very predictable, Konrad.”