James Rollins - The Eye of God - A Sigma Force Novel

“I’ve tried reaching him for the past ten minutes,” Painter said. “But there’s been no answer. The last update from his team was when they were heading out on horseback into the mountains.”

“It’s getting dark out here,” Gray offered. “Maybe he’s busy setting up camp.”

Painter sighed in tired exasperation. “I had hoped to consult with Dr. Shaw before they settled in for the night.”

“Why?”

“I just received a final assessment from the crew over at the SMC in L.A. I told you about the physicist who was monitoring the gravitational anomalies that Jada had first noted in the comet’s path.”

“Right. You mentioned something about them changing.”

“Growing, in fact. They’ve confirmed that these tiny changes are incrementally increasing in direct proportion to the comet’s approach toward Earth.”

“You’re not concerned about the comet hitting us, are you?”

It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. In 1994, the Shoemaker-Levy comet collided into Jupiter, and sometime next year, a comet was likely to smash into Mars.

“No,” Painter said, “the comet will pass close in astronomical terms, but it has no chance of striking us. But that doesn’t mean we’re out of danger. We’ve been tracking NEOs for the past day.”

“NEOs?”

“Near-Earth objects. We’ve been monitoring any asteroids that might pose a risk of shifting earthward due to the stirring of the comet’s energy through our neighborhood. Its trajectory has already shaken up the cosmic game of billiards out there, resulting in the recent meteor showers.”

“Along with what happened in Antarctica.”

“Exactly. That was why I wanted to consult with Dr. Shaw. She understands these gravitational anomalies better than anyone. The consensus out of the SMS is that the increasing flux could trigger the mother of all meteor showers as the comet reaches its closest pass by the earth. And NASA is monitoring some very large rocks beginning to respond to those deviations.”

Gray heard the dread in the director’s voice. “Is there anything we can do to stop this?”

“The physicist at the SMC believes that Dr. Shaw would be the best one to answer that question. He’s growing to believe that there must be a reason these anomalies are growing larger in direct relation to its approach toward Earth. He thinks there must be something here on the planet that the comet’s energy is responding to.”

“Jada seemed convinced of the same,” Gray conceded, suddenly glad he had agreed to search for the stolen relics. “She thinks this ancient cross we’re hunting for might have been sculpted out of a piece of that comet when it last appeared. That it could still retain some of its dark energy, and that the two—the cross and the comet—are entangled at the quantum level.”

“Then we need to find that artifact.”

Gray offered a bit of hopeful news. “We may have a solid lead for once. Vigor is working on it right now. But as a precaution, can you get Kat started on arranging transportation for our group?”

“Where?”

“To Russia, to a lake near its southern border called Baikal. It’s about three hundred miles north of where we are now.”

“We’ll get on it. That short a distance should only take a few hours of travel, but you’d better still hurry. We only have forty-eight hours remaining until the events pictured by the satellite come true.”

Recognizing the urgency, Gray finished his call and returned to the others. As he stepped into the room, he found everyone gathered around Vigor and his laptop.

“What?” he asked.

Vigor swung to him. “The more I look into Lake Baikal, the more I’m convinced that’s the correct spot.”

Rachel smiled over, flushed with excitement. “We may even know where on Lake Baikal to look.”

“Where?” He shifted to join them.

“First of all, legends say that Genghis Khan’s mother was born on an island in that lake.”

“Another island,” Gray said.

That at least sounded right. The first relics were found hidden near Boszorkánysziget, the Island of the Witches, in Hungary, and the second beneath an island in the old Aral Sea.

“It’s called Olkhon Island,” Vigor explained. “Local rumors say that Genghis Khan’s mother came from there. Which may very well be true.”

Gray considered this. If we’re looking for where Genghis Khan came from , you can’t get much earlier than his mother’s womb.

Vigor continued, “Other legends claim Genghis is indeed buried on that island. Not that we should put a whole lot of weight on that rumor. The same can be said of countless other places across Asia. But this particular story mentions that Genghis was buried with a great weapon, one that could destroy the world.”

Rachel nodded. “This legend may be the source of the commonly held belief by the Mongols that if Genghis’s tomb is ever found and opened, the world will end.”

Gray felt their excitement seeping into his blood.

“From a real-world practicality,” Vigor said, “archaeologists have found many Mongol weapons and relics on that island. There are even historical records of Mongol warriors of Genghis’s time coming to that island. Though what they were doing there, no one knew.”

“The island is also the center for a unique form of shamanism,” Rachel said. “The local Buryat tribesmen, who descend from ancient Mongols, practice a religion that merges Buddhism with naturalistic animism. They believe a great conqueror of the universe resides on the island. Shamans still protect many of that ruler’s sacred sites and believe trampling them would invite ruin upon the world.”

Similar to the Genghis story . . .

“Last,” Vigor said, “some travelers to that island report fits of energy . Those are their words.”

Rachel nodded. “Maybe these folks are attuned or hypersensitive to whatever energy is emanating from St. Thomas’s cross. Some even claim to have visited a cave that opened a door to other worlds.”

Gray remembered Dr. Shaw’s statements about dark energy and the multiverse. He also wondered if these other worlds could be related to the visions of St. Thomas.

“Then let’s check it out,” Gray said. “I already have Sigma command arranging our transportation.”

“But what about Monk and the others?” Rachel asked.

Gray frowned. He doubted they could spare the time to wait for them. His group could easily lose half a day while Monk and the others returned from the mountains.

“We’ll move on,” Gray decided. “Update them when we can.”

Still, worry nagged him.

What was going on with Monk’s team?

23

November 19, 6:20 P.M. ULAT

Khentii Mountains, Mongolia

Batukhan sat astride his horse, both mount and rider in traditional leather armor. He also wore a Mongol war helmet that was crowned with steel and draped with a mask made of real wolfskin to hide his features.

It was important to remain anonymous, especially now when murder was involved.

The bowstring near his ear still vibrated, singing a chorus of blood. He had watched his arrow pierce the back of the woman standing at the cliff’s edge above, enjoyed seeing her sink to her knees in shock. He smiled under his mask, his heart thundering in his ears.

“Excellent shot,” Arslan said, sitting on a stallion to the side. Similarly attired in leather, the man also wore a helmet, but the ruin of his face was bared for all to see. Sutures knit his skin together, laddering across his cheek and brow. It was a sight both gruesome and fearsome.

“I saved Sanjar for you,” Batukhan said.