Hosein Kouros-Mehr - Extinction 6

Manos raises a thumb. “The timing is perfect, Gareth. I’m heading to Google now to take the reins. This is a great opportunity to restructure the company and develop a new pipeline. Let me see what I can do for you.”

“Thank you, that’s patriotic. The President is counting on you to deliver. The country needs this, Manos.”

“My pleasure. Let’s negotiate the contract. Perhaps $10B for every cyber virus we design for you? I’m willing to be generous.”

Gareth frowns. “I thought you would do it for free.”

Manos laughs. “Are you kidding me? Everything in life comes with a price.”

“Okay, we need something soon. Please be in touch ASAP.”

“Will do.”

Manos ends the call. “Another win for GoldRock.”

Felina smiles warmly. “You are brilliant, Mr. Kharon.”

“Indeed I am.”

The helicopter arrives at Google headquarters and lands on the executive helipad. They exit the chopper and walk across an empty parking lot.

“What a beautiful place,” Felina says.

Manos walks with a flat expression. “This a dump. You should have seen the old Google campus.”

“What was it like?”

“Imagine an adult amusement park with gourmet food and amenities. It was heaven. I interned there decades ago.”

“What happened to it?”

Manos points down the hillside. “It’s under water with the rest of Mountain View.”

They approach the tallest building on campus and find its doors locked. Manos calls his Chief of Staff. “Seth, we’re here at Google. I need access inside.”

Seth appears in the view. “Okay, I’ll program your way in. Tell me when you’re ready.”

Manos removes a blank ID card and holds it above a scanner, which beeps and flashes red. “Come on Seth, hurry up!” Seconds later the light turns green and the door opens.

“Magic,” Felina says as she follows her boss into the building. They take an elevator to the top floor and enter Beth’s office suite, beholding the magnificent view of Silicon Valley.

Manos notices empty desktops and frowns. “Where are the computers?”

“They’re gone.” She opens drawers and finds them bare. “It looks like Andrews took everything with her.”

“What a bitch!” He spots a wireless port. “Felina, get us online and connect me to the Google servers. Hurry, we don’t have a lot of time.”

“Yes, sir.”

Through his smartglasses, Manos talks to his Chief of Staff. “Seth, we’re here in my new office.”

“Mr. Kharon, I have some bad news.”

“What’s happening?”

“I can’t get hold of the Google management team. It appears they’ve gone into hiding.”

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

Manos shrugs. “Don’t care. That’s wonderful news to me. Let’s replace them with the GoldRock team. It’s the easiest coup I’ve ever seen.”

Seth pauses. “Sir, it’s more complicated. I can’t access the private network. Their files are missing.”

“How is that possible?” Manos screams. “There must be hundreds of exabytes of data on their extranet. How does that disappear?”

“…I don’t know, sir. I wish I had answers for you.”

Manos slams his fist on a desk and throws a chair across the room. “Andrews sabotaged our transition. I want you to find her, Seth. This is a crime! I’ll make sure she goes to jail for stealing company secrets. We need to locate the missing information and bring it back online immediately, do you understand?”

“Yes, absolutely, sir. I will trace her location.”

“Hurry and find her.”

Manos ends the call and barks at Felina. “Did you get online?”

She stares at a laptop. “Yes, but the networks are gone. They’ve deleted everything—”

“Those bastards conspired against me!” Manos shouts. “How can they do this to me?”

Flush with anger, Manos runs to the wall and grabs a portrait of Beth, hurling it across the room. It shatters against the wooden floor and sends glass shards flying. He picks up an autographed baseball bat and slams it. “You bitch!”

Felina grins and removes her fur coat. “Would you like me to contact our lawyers, Mr. Kharon?”

Manos smashes a floor lamp and destroys a painting of Larry Page and Sergey Brin. He throws the bat at a Google emblem on the wall. Wheezing as he pants for air, he clenches his fists in rage. “I’ll… destroy her!”

His smartglasses vibrate and his Chief of Staff appears on the screen. “Sir, I have an update.”

“Seth, did you… find her?”

“Mr. Kharon, it seems Andrews went underground.”

Manos catches his breath. “Where is she?”

“Apparently she’s working on a secret project.”

“It must be that stupid energy fiasco. Find her immediately!”

“Yes, sir, I’m tracing her location now.”

Manos turns to Felina. “Get the lawyers on the phone.”

“Yes, Mr. Kharon.”

“I’ll teach Andrews to mess with GoldRock. I’ll mutilate her and all her weak underlings. They’re all going to jail when I find them!”

IN THE LIVERMORElaser facility, Austin stands next to a two-ton zirconium cube containing six pounds of frozen deuterium and tritium. He inspects the makeshift fusion reactor with Pete Nelson, head of the National Ignition Facility, overseeing the world’s largest laser.

Austin checks the time – 11:29 p.m.

Six more hours until the gravity wave hits.

Panic overcomes him.

Where is Beth?

Pete inspects the cables anchoring the reactor to the ground. “Your welders did a great job. This is aligned perfectly with our laser.”

“I’m glad something worked,” Austin mutters. Unshaven and visibly tired, he avoids eye contact. “We have a long way to go.”

“You seem distressed.”

Austin bellows. “Time is not on our side. I sense an impending failure… I’m sorry if I sound pessimistic.” He tries to shake off his anxiety. “Thanks for granting us access to your facility.”

Pete smiles. “Don’t mention it. We ran fusion experiments here for decades. Sadly, nothing ever worked. I’m excited by your plans, though. I never thought of gravitational waves as an energy source.”

“Well, let’s see if it works.” Austin frowns. “It’s a long shot.”

“It’s worth a try. Have some optimism.”

“I’m sorry, I wish I could be more positive, but the event happens at 5:30 a.m. and there’s no sign of the particle accelerator. Without a titanium field to boost it, the beam won’t reach 100 million degrees.”

“I’m all too familiar with the limitations of our equipment. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

Austin turns. “Sorry, no. I have to go.” He walks along a chalk outline running perpendicular to the laser, forming a large cross in the warehouse.

Anxiety consumes him.

It’s come to this.

A surge of stress cripples him.

When this fails, I’ll be out of a job.

Someone yells from across the room. “Dr. Sanders!” Anil runs towards his boss. “I have some news for you.”

Austin’s posture eases. “What’s going on?”

“Diego found a supply of titanium. He’s delivering here it now.”

“From where?”

“New Mexico. The same supplier as before.”

Austin tenses. “What good will it do without an accelerator? We’re six hours away from the event!”

Anil’s voice lowers. “Dr. Andrews hasn’t found one?”

“No. I’m sorry, but I don’t feel like talking.” Austin abruptly leaves, walking along the laser’s scaffold and heading for an office. He closes the door behind him.

I can’t take this anymore.