FORTY-ONE

 

Pierce recognized the voice. “Fallon?”

“We meet at last,” Fallon said with a chuckle, sounding a little like a cartoon villain. Pierce wondered if that was intentional. He started forward, into the chamber, while the two gunmen remained at the mouth of the passage like a pair of sentries. “I’m sorry, I feel as if I already know you, but we haven’t been properly introduced. Yes, I’m Marcus Fallon. And you are Drs. Pierce and Gallo. I’ve learned so much about you.” He paused, looking at Fiona. “I don’t know who you are, but you seem very intelligent and in such good company, too.”

Fiona glanced at Pierce, as if looking for guidance. Pierce gave an almost imperceptible shake of the head. The less Fallon knew about her, the better. Fiona, got the message. She nodded her head at the two gunmen. “Sorry, guns make me nervous.”

Fallon laughed. “Don’t worry about my friends. They’re just here for logistical support. This is a dangerous place, you know. Terrorists and extremists lurking around every corner. By the way, you have got to tell me about that trick with the entrance. Is that an optical illusion of some kind?”

“Something like that,” Pierce tried to make it sound like a joke, but he felt no humor. Fallon had tracked them here. Spied on them. Watched them enter the tunnel. Followed them with a pair of gunslingers to provide back-up. “So, you just happened to be in the neighborhood?”

“Something like that.” Fallon advanced into the center of the chamber until he was face to face with Pierce. He looked down at the carved cross. “Templars. I’ve tangled with them many times.” He looked up and grinned. “Assassin’s Creed.”

“It’s a video game,” Fiona murmured, noting Pierce’s blank look.

“So,” Fallon went on, “where did they take it?”

“Why are you here, Fallon? I told you, we’ll take care of this. This is what we do.”

“Oh, I heard you. You made your intentions crystal clear. Find the Ark, and shut the Black Knight down for good.” He shook his head. “Have you stopped to consider the awesome opportunity here? I know, I know, mistakes were made. Tanaka… Don’t get me started on him. But to turn our backs on this now is just criminal. We can harness the full power of the sun. Do you even realize what that means? Unlimited clean energy. This is the solution to all our problems.”

“Isn’t that what they said about atomic energy?” Gallo remarked. Her tone was sarcastic, but Pierce detected the undercurrent of fear.

“She’s right,” Pierce said. “As great as it all sounds, I just don’t think we’re ready for that much power.”

Fallon did not appear surprised by the objection. “We could be you, Dr. Pierce. We—you and I—would control this for the good of all mankind. The Black Knight isn’t anyone’s property. The sun’s energy belongs to everyone. Think of the good we could accomplish.”

Pierce heard a note of insincerity in the other man’s voice. Fallon wasn’t interested in being the savior of the world. He wanted to be the man who owned the sun.

“We’ll take it slow, of course,” Fallon continued. “Establish protocols to ensure that we don’t trigger more tidal earthquakes. That shouldn’t be a problem. Set graduated goals, and once we’ve demonstrated that we’ve got it under control, we’ll begin developing infrastructure to—”

“Stop!” Pierce’s shout reverberated through the confines of the chamber. In a more subdued voice, he continued. “Just stop. This isn’t going to happen. The Black Knight isn’t some gift from the gods. It’s a Pandora’s Box. It’s a land mine, left behind by an alien species, and if we mess with it, it’s going to blow up in our faces. I’m not going to let Tanaka do that on purpose, and I’m sure as hell not going to help you do it by accident.”

Fallon smiled. “Good. That’s why you’re the best person to help me with this. Your caution will keep my enthusiasm in check. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Right now at least, we don’t have the means to do any of this.” He paused, maintaining eye contact with Pierce. “First things first. The Ark. Where is it? What did they do with it?”

“We are not working together.” Pierce spoke, enunciating each word for emphasis.

“You’re sure?” Fallon bobbed his head over one shoulder, to the pair of gunmen lingering near the passage.

“If you’re the man I think you are,” Pierce said, “you aren’t going to use threats of violence to get your way. And if I’m wrong about you…well, then I definitely don’t want you getting your hands on that much power.”

The other man burst out laughing, the sound harsh as it reverberated in the chamber. After a few seconds, he brought himself under control. “Well played. You’re right, of course. I’m not a bully. I despise bullies.” He sighed. “But I’m not going to give up, either. It’s a race, now, and I’m afraid I need to handicap you a bit.”

He gave Pierce a hard stare for several seconds, then turned to Gallo. “You’re a very intelligent woman, Dr. Gallo. I heard you talking when we came in. I suspect you know as much about the Templars, if not more, than Dr. Pierce here.”

“Fallon, don’t.” Pierce tried to inject a tone of menace into his voice, but it sounded more like pleading in his own ears.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. My friends and I are going to leave with Dr. Gallo. Pierce, you and your…” He stared at Fiona for a moment. “Whatever you are. You two are going to stay put a little while, to give me a head start.”

“You’ve made your point,” Pierce said.

“Oh, no. That ship has sailed. You two are staying here.” He turned to one of this hired gunmen. “When we get back to the entrance, I want you to stay behind for…let’s say three hours?” He looked back at Pierce. “Is that enough? Three hours. He’s going to watch the entrance, and if either of you pokes your head out, he’s going to shoot it off.”

He flashed a mock-helpless grin. “That’s why I brought them along. I could never do something like that, but believe me, they can and will.”

Gallo let out a plaintive wail and shrank into Pierce’s arms, hugging him, but when she whispered into his ear, her voice was steady. “George, what should I do?”

“It’s going to be okay,” he promised, but it sounded empty in his ears. “Just go along with him. Do what he says. We’ll be fine. One way or another, we’re going to find the Ark and stop Tanaka and his death cult. We can figure the rest of it out later on.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she whispered. “I don’t suppose you’ve got an idea about where to look next.”

“Ask the Templars.”

“This is very touching,” Fallon said, “but it’s time to go.”

Pierce gave Gallo another reassuring squeeze before releasing her. “Fallon, listen to me. The Ark is dangerous. If you do find it, don’t touch it. Don’t try to do anything with it. You’ll just get yourself killed.”

It seemed like the right thing to say.

The other man regarded him with a cool, skeptical look. “Thanks for the warning. For your sake, I hope you’re wrong.” He turned to Gallo. “Shall we?”