34

Garin looked at her. “I’m listening.”

“It’s the nuclear generator,” Annja said. “That’s what they’re after.”

“Who?”

Annja shook her head. “I don’t know that yet.”

“Well, according to what Thomson said, the generator is cutting-edge technology. I suppose it might be of some value,” Garin said.

“It’s definitely valuable,” Annja said. “Think of what emerging nations would pay to get their hands on something like that. Nuclear power, portable, and they could probably copy it so they could then produce others. It would solve their energy needs, and at the same time put them at the table of the other nuclear powers.”

Garin stroked his chin. “Interesting. And not exactly comforting since my shelter actually backs up to it.” He reached into his parka and withdrew a large-caliber pistol. “Guess I’ll be keeping this handy for the next couple of days.” He smiled at Annja. “So this entire thing was designed to get the Americans to bring one of their new supersecret nuke generators here?”

Annja sat down in a chair. “I think it’s the only thing that makes sense. The relics are fake. The mountain, while it might contain plenty of minerals and deposits, wouldn’t be something that someone would be able to swoop in and make a quick buck off. That leaves the generator.”

“Unless, of course, we’re still not seeing something else that’s right here,” Garin said. “But I don’t know what that could be.”

“Neither do I,” Annja said. “I really think this is it. And it’s a big one.”

Garin frowned. “I wonder what the plan is. I mean, are they simply going to drive it out of here? It’s not exactly the kind of thing you could just up and take. The effects would be too immediate. Everyone would know the instant we lost power. Obviously, it’s protecting us. Lose that protection and people will die.”

Annja looked around. Garin must have been lying on his bed when she knocked because the blanket was ruffled. “And where would they take it? McMurdo’s still a long haul,” she said.

“Worse, the weather is dire. The generator is portable, yes, but it’s not something you wouldn’t need a plane or a ship to ferry out of here.” Garin frowned. “Still too many questions left unanswered.”

“But at least we know.”

Garin nodded. “True, but in this case, that might harm us more than protect us.”

“How do you figure that?”

“If the people plotting this find out that we know, then we’ll naturally be the first ones they seek to eliminate. Someone’s wanted you dead from the start. And now it looks like they have an even better reason to want it so.”

Annja sighed. “Your suggestion about sleeping with my sword? I just might do that. I don’t care what my roommates think.”

Garin smiled. “Well, at least you always have that weapon. It’s not as though it ever leaves you. Does it?”

“Not so far. I’ve had trouble using it in cramped places, but otherwise, it’s always there when I need it.”

“Good,” Garin said. “At least I don’t need to give you a weapon now. I tend to think people might mutiny if they saw that.”

Annja nodded. “You should have seen everyone at dinner after you left. They hate me here.”

“They think you killed their commanding officer. A man who was well liked by his troops. Of course they hate you.”

“Speaking of which,” Annja said, “did the satellite phone that you took from Dave’s pack survive the explosion in Thomson’s shelter? I think he’s pretty steamed that I used it to make contact with my hacker friend.”

Garin shook his head. “It was pretty mangled. I don’t think you’ll be using that to call for help, if that’s what you’re after.”

“I just wanted to return it to him. But if it’s gone, then I guess he’ll have to manage without it.”

Garin got up and walked over to his bed. “All right, then. If that’s all you’ve got, I should get some sleep. Unless, of course, you’d like to spend the night with me?”

Annja smiled. “I don’t think we’re at the point where we need to keep watch over each other by sleeping in the same bed.”

Garin lay on his back. “Perhaps not, but it would certainly make for some entertaining times. We might both wake up tomorrow dead. Did you ever think about that?”

“You’re going to use end-of-the-world lines on me now? Garin, you must be losing your touch if you think that will work on me. Besides, it’s not like you can die. Even if I do, I imagine you’ll still be around kicking.”

Garin sighed. “Most likely.”

Annja moved to the door. “Good night, then.”

“Be careful, Annja. Someone is obviously gunning for you.”

She pushed the door open and walked back out into the cold. The winds howled through the camp, sliding snow all over the place. Bits of it pelted her parka and face, and she blinked, trying to get her goggles and mask back in place before her exposed skin froze. In conditions like this, it was no wonder people lost skin after only a minute of exposure.

She moved through the night and headed back to her shelter. Sleep would be a welcome relief for her. She dreaded telling Dave about his satellite phone, however. If she got out of this alive, she’d buy him a replacement as soon as they managed to get home.

If she got home.

The thought that someone was so actively seeking to kill her made her feel awful. It couldn’t be the two guys back from Gallagher’s, could it? Why would they expose themselves so early on? The best way to kill someone was to not announce your intentions and then simply erase the target one day out of the blue. No one would ever see it coming.

Yet there’d been at least two very clear attempts made on her life.

She passed the entrance to the dig site and paused. I wonder if the research team really did wait to blow that wall.

She smiled. She would have heard the explosion, wouldn’t she?

Why not just peek down there and see if it was still wired and ready to go?

She looked around but could make out no one watching her in the darkness. The snow blew hard, blinding her as it flew in horizontally.

Annja ducked into the shelter.

The guards who had been stationed there were absent. Annja shook her head. Once the commanding officer is gone, discipline apparently starts to slip in this unit, she thought.

Poor Thomson would be disappointed.

Annja unzipped her hood and parka and walked down the long sloping tunnel toward the fork. The lights overhead seemed to move of their own accord, probably from the ambient breeze that Annja had let into the shelter when she entered.

The light was fair and she could make out more pockets of coal in the dirt and rock of the mountain base. She picked up a lump and smiled. Some day this might even turn into a diamond, she thought. If I could just crush these all up by hand, I’d be a rich girl.

Her boots skidded along the path as loose gravel plagued her steps. She stumbled once and had to caution herself to slow down or risk repeating the concussion she’d given herself the other day.

At the fork in the tunnel, Annja turned left and headed down into the darkness. There still weren’t any lights strung up in this part of the dig site and it bothered her. Why hadn’t the other team arranged for lights? Wouldn’t they want to be able to see as they made their way down to the cavern?

Like a lot of other things going on here, that didn’t make sense, either.

So what else is new? she thought.

Annja picked her way carefully down the path. Ahead of her, she could make out ambient light coming out of the second dig site cavern. She could start to make out the features of the tunnel and it helped her avoid a nasty depression in the ground.

That’s probably where I stumbled and fell yesterday, she thought.

Annja reached the entrance to the cavern and stopped.

Was someone there?

She waited, squinting to try to make out anyone who might be moving around. The cavern was large but not nearly large enough that she wouldn’t be able to see someone sneaking about.

And yet something felt weird.

In front of her, she could see the massive wall of granite. It would take a lot of explosive to blow that apart, she thought. And it was strange that she could only make out a few of the bored holes that she’d seen them putting explosives into yesterday.

Had they changed the wiring since then?

Annja stepped into the cavern, her feet grinding a bit of loose rock underfoot. The sound of it echoed throughout the chamber.

So much for staying quiet, she thought.

But did she need to? There was no one here in the cavern.

Annja took a quick glance around to reassure herself she was alone. Then she closed her eyes and saw the sword hovering, ready for use. Annja opened her eyes again, already feeling much better. Peace of mind was a precious commodity lately.

She walked around the cavern to the boxes of high explosives. Opening one of the crates, she was surprised to find it empty.

Where was the rest of it?

She glanced at the granite wall. It seemed utterly impenetrable. How in the world would they blow that in such a way that they could gain access to the other side? Wouldn’t they have to dig out all the rubble before they could do so?

Annja walked over to the granite and stared at it. Nooks and crannies of the tough rock stared back at her. Annja could feel the weightiness of the wall looming before her, a giant block in the way of progress.

She ran her hands over the cool rock.

She froze.

Annja felt the rock in other places. Her heart rate kicked up a notch.

She placed both her hands on it and what she felt on her skin didn’t feel like rock at all.

She pushed. Part of the granite wall gave in.

Annja pushed harder and the wall gave in more. It felt like a combination of papier mache and cardboard.

The granite wall was fake.

Annja moved closer to where the wall seemed to vanish into the side of the cavern. Find the edge, she told herself. Find the place where the wall meets the real rock and dirt of the mountain.

She ran her hands over the surface of the wall quickly. What was behind this? What was it that someone was trying so hard to hide from view?

And even more concerning, how many people were involved in this from the start? She’d seen at least four people in here yesterday. All of them were busy planting explosives.

Was the entire camp planning to steal the nuclear generator? Was it an entire team of traitors?

Annja thought she found the end point of the fake wall. She felt farther down toward the ground and found a little bit of purchase. She tried crushing the wall inward, but it held, so instead she pulled back on the bit she had and a large piece came away in her hands.

Annja got down on her hands and knees and looked through to the other side.

What she saw scared her.

Piles of explosives sat from the floor to the ceiling of the cavern.

Whoever had planted them wasn’t trying to take out a wall. They were trying to demolish an entire mountain.

And everything around it.