“I have no idea,” Sam answered. “But I cannot risk calling him on Margaret’s phone at the moment. Who knows where they are behind enemy lines, you know? It would be a daft move that could cost everything.”
“I know. I was just wondering,” she said.
“Why?” he had to ask.
“Well, you said that Margaret had this idea about someone using the mask to take on the guise of Professor Sloane, even just to sign the peace treaty, right?” Nina recounted.
“Aye, she did,” he affirmed.
Nina sighed hard, contemplating what she was about to bring to the table. Ultimately it would serve a greater good than just her welfare.
“Can Margaret get us in touch with Sloane’s office?” Nina asked, as if she was ordering a pizza.
“Purdue can. Why?”
“Let’s set up a meeting. The day after tomorrow is Halloween, Sam. One of the biggest days in recent history and we cannot let it be run into the ground. If Mr. Marduk can get the mask to us,” she explained, but Sam started shaking his head profusely.
“Absolutely not! There is no way I am letting you do that, Nina,” he protested vehemently.
“Let me finish!” she cried as loud as her sore body could handle. “I’ll do it, Sam! It is my decision and my body — my fate!”
“Really?” he shouted. “And what about the people you will leave behind if we don’t manage to get the mask off before it takes you from us?”
“What if I don’t, Sam? The entire globe descends into the fucking World War III? One person’s life…or the whole planet’s children under air raids again? Fathers and brothers on the front lines again and God knows what else they will use technology for this time!” Nina’s lungs were working overtime to get the words out.
Sam just shook his bowed head. He didn’t want to admit that it was the best thing to do. If it were any other woman, but not Nina.
“Come on, Cleave, you know it’s the only way,” she said, as the nurse came rushing in.
“Dr. Gould, you cannot exert yourself like that. Please leave, Mr. Cleave,” she demanded. Nina did not want to be rude to the medical staff, but there was no way she was leaving this matter unresolved.
“Hannah, please let us finish this discussion,” Nina implored.
“You can hardly breathe, Dr. Gould. You are not allowed to excite your nerves and send your heart rate through the roof like this,” Hannah reprimanded.
“I understand,” Nina replied quickly, keeping her tone cordial. “but please just allow Sam and I a few more minutes.”
“What is wrong with the television?” Hannah asked, perplexed by the constant broadcast interruptions and ghosting of the images. “I’ll get maintenance to have a look at our antenna.” With that she left the room, giving one last look back at Nina to impress what she’d said. Nina nodded in return.
“Good luck fixing that aerial,” Sam smiled.
“Where is Purdue?” Nina asked.
“I told you. He is busy linking up satellites under his umbrella companies’ operations to the remote access of his clandestine accomplices.”
“I mean, where is he? Is he in Edinburgh? Is he in Germany?”
“Why?” asked Sam.
“Answer me!” she demanded, scowling.
“You did not want him anywhere near you, so now he is staying away.” Now it was out. He had said it, unbelievably defending Purdue to Nina. “He is seriously contrite about what happened in Chernobyl and you treated him like shit in Mannheim. What do you expect?”
“Wait, what?” she snapped at Sam. “He tried to kill me! Do you understand the level of distrust that cultivates?”
“Aye, I do! I do. And keep your voice down before Nurse Betty comes in again. I know what it is like to be plummeted into despair, my life threatened by those I trusted. You cannot possibly believe that he would ever deliberately want to harm you, Nina. For Christ’s sake, he loves you!”
He stopped, but it was too late. Nina was disarmed, for what it was worth, but Sam already regretted his uttering. The last thing he needed to remind her of was Purdue’s unrelenting pursuit of her affection. Already Sam was in many ways inferior to Purdue, in his own opinion. Purdue was a genius with charm to match, independently wealthy with a legacy of holdings, estates and technologically advanced patents. His reputation was stellar as explorer, benefactor and inventor.
All Sam had was a Pulitzer and several other awards and commendations. Apart from three books and a bit of money from his share in Purdue’s treasure hunts, Sam had a penthouse apartment and a cat.
“Answer my question,” she said plainly, observing the sting in Sam’s eyes at possibly losing her. “I promise to play nice if Purdue gets me in contact with the W.U.O. head office.”
“We don’t even know if Marduk has the mask yet,” Sam was grabbing at straws to mar Nina’s advance.
“That’s fine. Until we know for sure we may as well arrange my representation of the W.U.O. at the signing, so that Prof. Sloane’s people can arrange logistics and security accordingly. “After all,” she sighed, “with a petite brunette showing up with or without Sloane’s face, it would be easier to cry hoax at the reports, right?”
“Purdue is at Wrichtishousis as we speak,” Sam surrendered. “I’ll get hold of him and tell him about your proposal.”
“Thank you,” she replied gently, while the television screen blinked between channels by itself, settling briefly on test signals. Suddenly it stopped on a global news station that had not been rendered powerless yet. Nina’s eyes were glued to the screen. She was ignoring Sam’s morose silence for the moment.
“Sam, look!” she exclaimed and lifted her hand with difficulty to point to the television. Sam turned around. The reporter appeared with her microphone with the C.I.T.E. offices in the Hague behind her.
“Turn it up!” Sam cried, grabbing at the remote control and pressing a myriad of incorrect buttons before getting the volume increased in escalating green bars upon the high definition screen. By the time they could hear what she was saying she was three sentences into her speech.
“…here at the Hague, following reports of Professor Marta Sloane’s alleged assassination yesterday at her holiday residence in Cardiff. The media has been unsuccessful in confirming these reports, as the Professor’s spokesperson has been unavailable for comment.”
“Good, at least they are still unsure about the facts,” Nina remarked. The report continued from the studio where the newscaster added more information on another development.
However, in light of the approaching summit for the signing of the peace treaty between the Meso-Arabian states and the W.U.O. the office of Meso-Arabia’s leader, Sultan Yunus ibn Meccan had announced a change of plan.
“Aye, here it comes now. Fucking war,” Sam growled as he sat listening in anticipation.
“The Meso-Arabian House of Representatives has altered the agreement to have the treaty signed in the city of Susa, Meso-Arabia, following threats against the life of the Sultan by association.”
Nina drew a deep breath. “So now it’s Susa or war. Now do you still think my wearing of the Babylonian Mask is not pivotal to the future of world as a whole?”
Chapter 28 — Marduk’s Betrayal
Werner knew he was not allowed to leave the office while Schmidt was talking to the visitors, but he had to find out where Marlene was being kept. If he could get hold of Sam, the journalist could use his contacts to trace the call she’d made to Werner’s cell phone. He was especially impressed by the legal jargon flowing expertly from the mouth of the British journalist while she beguiled Schmidt with her impression of a lawyer from the W.U.O. head office.