“No. I’m afraid even she was reluctant to assassinate a sitting President. Or even a President Elect. This I’ve decided to do on my own. ”
“You’re Sam Reilly! I’ve seen your file — recruited while on your first tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2003, based on your profile, you were specifically targeted for scientific espionage. Since then, you’ve made several remarkable discoveries; proven the existence of the Master Builders, saved the world from a deadly virus. As recently as last year, you saved Manhattan and most of the east coast from certain destruction when you stopped Atlantis from erupting! No, you’re an all-rounded American hero! For someone like you, duty and integrity are paramount with life — without either you would cease to exist. Your word is like a binding contract, and you swore to serve your country.”
Sam grinned. “Well Madam President Elect — you were right about one thing. I did swear to serve my country, but for the rest of it… I either had help, or just damn well made it up. My word’s not a binding contract — I do what’s right. Hell, your people have had me live so many lies, I often find it easier to tell another than to explain the truth. I serve my country by fixing things that can’t be fixed. Sometimes that means calling in experts to help rebuild something from a different angle, other times, I just get rid of something that plain old doesn’t work. And you, Madam President Elect, with your greedy desires, just don’t work for me.”
“You wouldn’t dare! You can’t kill me!”
“That’s exactly what the Secretary of Defense told me — I don’t see why not, you live and breathe like the rest of us, you may as well die too?”
Sam pulled out a ceramic knife. It was small but it would kill her just as quick.
“I’ll make you a deal, Mr. Reilly.”
Sam laughed.
It was a boisterous laugh at the simple fact that all politicians were the same — she had no idea that he wasn’t capable of being bought. She just couldn’t imagine that some people believe in a higher order. More importantly, he believed in the truth. And in this case, the truth told him that she had orchestrated one of the all-time worst crimes against humanity. By making a deal to bury the truth about Elixir Eight, she had traded the health and well-being of the planet and all persons on it for the sake of unlimited coffers to her campaign war chest. “I’m afraid you have very little I’m interested in.”
“What if I told you that I know exactly how to find and kill the hive?”
Chapter One Hundred and Five
At 8 p.m. the Maria Helena cruised north, towards Bermuda. Sam Reilly flew the powerful Sea King down to meet her. They were only ten minutes out. President Elect Croft sat next to him. At a glance she still maintained her confidence, but she’d lost some of her carefree persona — her famous charisma.
An hour earlier, using their secret email server, she’d emailed Timothy Locke informing him of her intention to review the Maria Helena, including the precise time and location. Timothy would never get to open it, but she was certain the nanobots would. It was the way they’d first discovered that she’d ordered Timothy to destroy them all. They saw her as the enemy. There was no doubt about it, they would come for her. Once she was aboard, the Maria Helena would become their next target.
She looked tentatively across at Sam. “Are you sure this will work?”
“The EMP has a twenty-mile radius. It will work.”
She made no attempt to reply, and he didn’t check to see that she’d heard him. After a few minutes President Elect Croft turned to him and said, “You know I never intended half of these things to happen. I joined politics for the right reason. I wanted to make a difference. You and I have both fought on the same side our whole lives.”
“No. You only fought with odds that you could win. To do that, you sold your soul to anyone who could give you the Presidency.”
“It was the only way to make a real difference!” There were tears in her eyes — the best liars were the ones who believed their own. “I wanted to save the world.”
“If this works it will go a long way towards helping the world,” Sam reassured her.
Her kind smile returned. “You know I will give my life to correct my mistake.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that.” Sam shook his head. “Tell me. Who was Peter Flaherty?”
“Peter Flaherty is the reason I’m doing this!” She burst into tears. “Peter was my first son. I had an abortion at twenty-eight weeks, after doctors discovered that his brain was underdeveloped and thought he wouldn’t survive more than a few years. They agreed to mark it down as a miscarriage to save me the stigma associated with having an abortion — especially one so late in the pregnancy. Because of his age, we needed to give him a name.”
“I’m sorry,” Sam said. His eyes were fixed on the nearly black horizon.
“It wasn’t until six months later, when I got pregnant again, that we discovered that the problem was the result of lead poisoning. That’s why I loved my son until the day he died — because I was never given the chance with Peter. And that’s why I have spent my entire life trying to reach the Presidency, so that I can finally make a difference.”
She lost all composure and Sam let her cry in silence.
He landed on the back of the Maria Helena on the helipad and was immediately greeted by Veyron. “The EMP is ready to go Sam.”
Sam grinned. “Good. Because they will be here soon.”
Chapter One Hundred and Six
Sam stood on the Maria Helena’s bridge. His eyes carefully switched between the screens which showed the satellite imaging of the water surrounding them, RADAR and SONAR. The EMP was fully charged, and capable of being fired in a 360-degree arc outwards from the Maria Helena at the push of a button.
The strong hatches surrounding the Maria Helena were all fastened and the ship was ready for the most violent of seas. Sam felt confident. But he didn’t like waiting to see if that confidence was deserved.
He didn’t have to wait long.
At 8:32 p.m. the warning alarm went off.
“Wave approaching from the bow,” Matthew said. His hands gripped both throttles as he was maintaining a slightly forward movement.
“Are you ready, Veyron?” Sam asked.
“Not yet. Let’s let it get a little closer. I want this thing to knock out the nanobots that are following the wave.”
“Not too close, I hope.”
Elise pointed at her screen which showed the satellite image of the water surrounding them. “There’s four waves!”
Sam moved over to have a look. “They’re going to flood us together.”
“Range?” Veyron asked.
“Five hundred feet,” Matthew confirmed.
Veyron hit the fire button. The pitch of the loud EMP changed to a higher amplitude. The sea outside their protected cabin appeared green. The bright glow creating a second daylight.
“Prepare for the waves after they fall,” Matthew warned. “Confirm all hatches secured?”
Sam looked to the portside door. He’d locked it himself — but now it was flung wide open. Vanessa had run out towards the bow. She was screaming hysterical obscenities at the approaching wave. Demanding God take her.
The EMP discharged.
Sam ran out the door. “Vanessa. Get back in here now!”
All momentum seemed to fall from the four approaching rogue waves. The eerie green still glowed, but without the nanobots maintaining the direction of the flow, the waves were now free to dissipate in all directions.
The largest remaining wave approached the bow.
“Vanessa!” he ran towards her.
She turned to face him. Her eyes were open and she stared at him — but they didn’t see him at all. “I’m so sorry Peter.”