The Last Second (A Brit in the FBI #6)(99)

Nevaeh looked sad as she took Kiera’s hand. “And where will we go, Kiera? The eye of the storm will pass soon and then the hurricane will be upon us again. We can’t drive down the mountain or fly out. No. There is no choice. You have to fight, you have to stop them, just long enough for the bomb to explode and the Numen to come. Trust me one last time. They will come. They promised.” She rubbed the Grail. “The Heaven Stone. I know it will come to life for me, it must. I know it will come to recognize my worthiness, recognize I’m the only one destined to guide the world with the Numen at my side.”

Kiera paced away, then back again, trying to figure out what to say, how to convince her. “You must listen to me. Look, I appreciate that you have this—belief, this fantasy—I’m sorry, Nevaeh, but that’s all it is, a fantasy, maybe a delusion. Whatever it is, it’s not real. I’m real and you’re real, but the rest of it?” She shook her head. “We can’t waste any more time, I must get you to safety.”

Nevaeh slapped her hard, panting, her rage was so great. “How dare you? You believe I’m insane? You, the only person I’ve trusted over the years with my love, with my life, with my secrets? You’re like that lying, jealous bitch Holloway at NASA, that miserable traitorous cow in New York. And now you’re betraying me, Kiera? You?”

Kiera’s cheek burned, but it didn’t matter. “Nevaeh. You wanted to eliminate the people who hurt you, I get that. You want to clear out all the junk in space—silence the heavens for these aliens—the Numen, you said. I do get all of it. I understand. But now you have to stop this absurd belief that this stupid rock you’re holding is something special when it’s only like a rock you could pick up in your garden. It doesn’t mean anything, it doesn’t have any more reality or power than these aliens, the Numen. No one from outer space is coming. Believe me, but someone else is and this someone is coming to destroy us. Do you understand? We must leave, now, while we still can.”

All Nevaeh could hear was Kiera’s contempt. How long had she only humored her? Should she kill her now and be done with it? Or let the Numen end her? Yes, she would let the Numen deal with her. She said, her voice infinitely calm, “You will lead the team to stop whoever has come. Leave me now. I will be fine.”

“No, no, you can’t stay here, they’ll kill you.”

Nevaeh shrugged. “Let them try. Now, if you’re nearly as capable as you claim to be, you’ll be able to stop them. Are you responsible for their being here? Did you somehow give away our location? No, don’t argue. Quit your sniveling. Get out there and deal with your mistakes.” She shoved Kiera toward the doors. “Go!”

Kiera stared at her, unwilling to believe what she’d said. She saw no forgiveness on Nevaeh’s face, only implacable—what? Resolve? No, belief, fanatic belief, that she was going to meet up with this alien species.

“Go!”

She hesitated only a moment before running from the control center. She looked back once to see Nevaeh staring after her, no expression on her face. Nevaeh didn’t care. Not about her, in any case. It hit Kiera hard, and she ran.

When Kiera was gone, Nevaeh calmly pressed a series of commands into her keyboard, and a huge steel door slid shut behind her. She checked her command module once more, pleased to see the countdown proceeding as planned. As her very own flight director, she said aloud, “Flight, all is nominal,” then laughed and rubbed the Heaven Stone. Why didn’t it warm at her touch? Why didn’t it seem to recognize her? Welcome her?

It would. It would. She glanced once more at her countdown clock. Ten minutes. Ten minutes until her life changed forever, until the world changed forever. And the Numen agreed and sang to her in their sibilant single voice, The world will change forever, the world will change forever.





CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE


T-MINUS 8 MINUTES

The white-tile hallways branched out in a labyrinth of corridors in every direction. Mike saw a head duck around a corner twenty feet ahead and moved steadily forward, shooting rhythmically, smoothly, driving back the gunfire until Nicholas was at her side.

When the firing stopped, she whispered, “Reloading.”

“Let them. I saw a sign back in another corridor. Let’s go this way, I think it might take us to Patel’s command center.”

They walked down the hallway, clearing it of three more of Patel’s guards, moving deeper into the facility.

The gunfire abruptly stopped. They looked at each other. Too easy.

She whispered, “We can’t be sure if the rest of the team made it inside. We could be alone in here, Nicholas.”

“Yes, and we’re running out of time. We’re going to have to split up. I’m not sure now about that bloody sign, and these hallways are a maze. Who knows where they’re leading us. We need to find the control center and shut this computer system down.”

“Yes, but we have to find our way there. Adam, can you help us? Which direction? Which way?”

Silence.

Mike said, “Hey, where’s Lia? Are all our comms down?”

Nicholas tapped his, checked his satellite phone. “Everything is down. Something in here is interfering with the signal. This place is supposed to be ready to withstand a massive EMP, so there’s a good chance it’s the facility itself.”