EVENT GROUP CENTER NELLIS AFB, NEVADA

Once again Niles was in a clean suit alongside Pete Golding in the clean room where the mainframe for the Cray supercomputer Europa was housed. They had been searching U.S. Army and Corps of Engineer databases for the past hour, hitting dead end after dead end.

“Gold—the army wouldn’t have been after gold with World War Two breaking out all over the globe; it just doesn’t add up. So what else would send a specialist team down there?” Pete asked, leaning back in his chair and stretching.

“I agree, to expend time and effort, and using the military and OSS to save gold prospectors—I just don’t buy it. Not with the way the war was going in 1942; we were still losing, remember?”

“Okay, so let’s try to go through the back door. The senator said he had no names for the people the OSS pulled out in 1942, right? But he did say where they were from: Chicago and Princeton. Let’s start there.”

Niles leaned forward. “Okay, Pete, go ahead.” “Europa, query. In the war years 1940 through 1942, was there any American university-sponsored expeditions to Brazil or the Amazon Basin?”

Formulating, said the female voice of Europa, then as quickly, During years 1940 to ’42, there was no American scholastic sponsorship of any South American excursions.

“Great start,” Pete said.

Niles shook his head but continued the line of questioning. “Europa, query. Were there any missing persons reports on University of Chicago or Princeton filed in those same years? Correction; expand search to 1945.”

Formulating, she said as she started to penetrate the security of not only university records but those of police departments and federal agencies throughout the nation.

Twenty-two records of missing persons reported from both universities during target years. Twenty-one were later reported as solved. One remained open, filed at Princeton, June 1945.

“Too late for filing,” Niles said.

Both men sat and thought. They were at a brick wall and they didn’t know how to penetrate it.

Europa has detected a pattern in your queries. Query: Do your current search parameters include accidental death of university personnel on foreign territory?

Niles looked at Pete. The Cray was designed to interact with its operators and advise if there might have been something overlooked in the search they were conducting.

“It does now, thanks to you, Europa. Continue please,” Pete said.

In calendar year 1942, a chartered aircraft leased by the University of Chicago was reported missing in the Brazilian rain forest south of the Amazon River. There were two University of Chicago survivors and one reported survivor from Princeton University.

“Wait a minute; didn’t you say there were no university-sponsored expeditions in Brazil during those years?” Pete asked.

The incident upon which the report was filed was not a university-sponsored action.

“Come on, who sponsored it?” Niles asked, losing patience.

Pete looked at Niles as if he had lost his mind. “Name the sponsor, Europa,” Pete commanded, still looking at Niles.

The aircraft in question was leased through the United States Army Air Corps and geographical survey sponsored by the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Corp ofEngineers.

“What in the hell is this?” Pete asked.

Europa does not understand the question.

“Not you. Niles?”

“Query. Can Europa identify the departments involved in this charter at the University of Chicago?” Niles asked.

Formulating, she said.

Niles stood as something distant and forgotten started to flirt with his memory.

The University of Chicago Department of Physics and Theoretical Sciences at Princeton University, Europa answered quickly.

Niles realized what picture was starting to form from the puzzle pieces being laid before him. And now the past came flooding back to him as Europa started putting the pieces of that puzzle together—something he did not want to think about. He rubbed his hands across his face in vexation but continued his line of questioning nonetheless.

“Query. Who were the heads of these departments at the two universities from UAO through 1942?”

Chairperson for the University of Chicago’s Department of Sciences and Physics for years in question was Professor Enrico Fermi. Director of Theoretical Sciences, Princeton University, and departmental chairperson for years in question was Professor Albert Einstein.”

“What have I done?” Niles asked.

“What are you saying here, Niles?” Pete asked while looking incredulously at the printed names.

“I may have killed everyone on that rescue mission, Pete.”

On the screen, spelled out in big blue letters, was Europa’s answer to the mystery of Padilla’s lost expedition: enrico fermi and albert einstein.