The Belial Stone (The Belial Series #1)(66)

“I’m afraid my science background is a little lacking. How can sound destroy walls?” Laney asked.

Henry looked around the group. “Resonance as a destructive force works by matching the resonant frequency of a target. For example, we’ve all seen a high note shatter a glass. For that to happen, the glass is forced to absorb more and more energy at its natural frequency. The end result is that it shatters.”

Jake shook his head. “But there’s a big difference between being able to shatter a glass and create an earthquake.”

Henry nodded. “True. But the idea of creating an earthquake is not that far out there. Tesla was rumored to have created an earthquake-producing machine called the Tesla oscillator back in 1898. So we know that, in theory, others have embraced the idea that you can utilize resonance for destructive purposes, even on a large scale.”

Patrick nodded his head. “I wonder if the stone works as some sort of acoustic tuning fork, for lack of a better term. Something that focuses, directs, and shoots out sound at a level equal to the natural frequency, the result being the destruction of the object.”

“A sound weapon,” Laney said.

“Exactly,” Patrick said.

“But wouldn’t it only damage the immediate area?” Yoni asked.

Henry shook his head. “Not if you chose the right area. The Western seaboard of the States is littered with quake sites. If you set those off, you would have a domino effect of earthquakes. A strong enough one could even force the super-volcano under Yellowstone to finally blow. That could take out the whole United States.”

“And the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan have horribly demonstrated the vulnerability of nuclear plants to natural disasters,” Laney added. A meltdown at one or more of those would set the world on a slow, agonizing downward spiral.”

“Great,” Yoni grouched. “So if this guy sets this thing off, we either have an immediate death by volcanic eruption or a slower death by radiation poisoning. Good times.”

“But,” Jake said, “that might not be a concern. Kensington is in all likelihood viewing the stone as an energy source. It would help him cement his political ambitions. Any weaponized goals would probably come long after that. And we don’t know for sure our fallen angel friend would set it off, do we?”

Laney and Henry shared a look. She hadn't mentioned Gideon to them yet. And apparently neither had Henry.

“Okay you two, spill it. What do you know?” Patrick demanded.

“We found out the identity of Paul’s companion,” Henry said. “His name is Gideon Wright. From all reports, he goes just by Gideon.”

Jake pushed himself away from the wall. “Gideon. Are you sure?”

Laney looked up in alarm. Jake’s tone’s was urgent. “Jake? Do you know him?”

“No. But I know of him.” He looked at Henry. “He’s linked with a spate of international terrorist incidents, including the attack on the school in Chechnya. Right?”

Henry nodded.

Jake closed his eyes. “He was dangerous even without any supernatural abilities. But I haven’t heard anything about him since 2004. Where’s he been?”

“He was working with the Syrians. But he began showing up in the background of pictures with Senator Kensington a few years ago.”

“An international terrorist with super-human abilities. This just keeps getting better and better,” Yoni said.

“And according to Dom’s database, his real name is Azazyel,” Laney said.

Jake frowned. “I’m not up on my fallen angels. Was he a really bad one?”

“Actually, he was the worst,” Henry said. “Suffice it to say, there are strong indications that he has a suicidal streak.”

“Suicidal? Can’t he just find a way to kill himself that doesn’t take the rest of us with him?” Yoni grumbled.

“Apparently, he also has a grandiose view of himself.” Henry said. “If Gideon gets ahold of the stone, he will try to destroy the world. So we need to keep that from happening.”

“Yes,” Laney said slowly. “But what I don't get is why Kensington would work with him. And why keep the site secret? I mean, this is something the whole world would be intrigued by.”

“That’s easy,” Jake interjected. “The military is always looking for the next great weapon. And the less your enemy knows about it the better. Plus, think about the political windfall for Kensington. He could announce that he already has a plan to keep America safe.”

“Not to mention the knowledge. As we get more and more advanced, we’re always looking back to the past to regain the knowledge that we’ve lost. And now we’re talking about an incredibly advanced ancient civilization. Think of what knowledge they might be able to share,” Patrick added.

Henry leaned forward. “And don’t forget that we’re talking about a stone of incredible energy. Since the 1970s, the United States has been dependent upon foreign oil. Oil is the basis for our transportation, our machinery. As a result, we’ve been embroiled in numerous wars. We’ve been the target of terrorists with apocalyptic agendas. And we’ve had to turn a blind eye to horrific human rights abuses in countries that provide us with oil. It’s safe to say that while oil allows us to live our lives as we currently do, it also endangers our lives on a global scale and makes us vulnerable to the influence of other countries."