“I want you to promise me that you’ll never give up, that you’ll always struggle to survive, no matter what.”
An ear-splitting detonation shook the cavern. The lights flickered, dust spilling onto them from the cavern walls. Jess held her breath. The shaking subsided. “Why are you saying it like that?” she asked her father. “Of course, we’ll be together.”
“I need you to live, to want to live. For us. For Billy. For Giovanni and Hector.” Ben took Jess’s and Celeste’s hands in his and squeezed hard. He looked her in the eye. “Promise me.”
Jess stared into his eyes. “I promise.”
His grip eased, but just a little. “And don’t lose your humanity. Never give up, but not at the expenses of sacrificing your humanity.”
Jess stared deep into his eyes. She hadn’t told me about the Aberto, the boy she killed at the villa, or Enzo. One thing at a time, and now definitely wasn’t the time. “I promise.”
Ben smiled. “Good.”
He let go of her hands, and put then down to push away from Jess and Celeste. He sat cross-legged in front of them. “What they said about me. That research paper, the one they said I hid—”
“I know you didn’t,” Jess said. “Why would you?”
“But somebody leaked that,” Ben said grimly. It was a short list of suspects. But why? “As soon as this is over, we need to try and get in touch with a man called Ufuk Erdogmus. Use the shortwave, try and track him down.”
Jess frowned. “You mean the famous entrepreneur? The Mars First mission guy? You knew him?”
“Not really. I mean, a little. He was at the hotel in Rome when Dr. Muller discussed Nomad. And he was in ESOC, at Darmstadt. He said he needed to talk with me, no matter what, but I left to come here.”
“What did he want?”
“He said something about sanctuary. Maybe he has a bunker? If anyone could survive this, he’d be the one to do it.”
“We’ll do it together.”
“Yes.” Ben pressed his hands against the rock floor. “But just in case, remember that name.”
It wasn’t a difficult name to remember. Erdogmus was famous. “Okay,” Jess replied.
Ben looked left and right. “I have a question.”
“What?”
“When you were with Roger, back in New York…”
Jess looked away and exhaled. “I was going to tell you about that.”
“No, no, that doesn’t matter.” Ben inched closer to his daughter. “Was Roger…ah, how do I put this…was he religious? I mean, not Catholic, but Taoist? Did he have yin-yang symbols on stuff, maybe tattoos?”
The question took Jess completely off guard. “Huh?”
“Like a special cellphone, I saw a yin-yang symbol on it. Not a sticker, but engraved. Ring any bells?”
Shaking her head, Jess shrugged. “No. I mean, no, he wasn’t the least bit spiritual.”
Ben held her gaze for a long moment. “Okay.”
“What’s this about?” Jess asked.
“I’m not sure…” Ben looked up, over her shoulder. “Speak of the devil.”
Jess swiveled her head around. Roger walked toward them, coming from the other cavern. He glanced at them, but avoided looking at Jess.
“Roger,” Ben called out, “why don’t you come and sit with us?” He pushed down with both hands and got to his feet.
“I think I’m going to check on Giovanni.” Jess got to her feet as well. She flashed a tight-lipped smile at Roger and walked past him.
Ben watched his daughter walk away while Roger tried not to watch her go. Even entombed in the heart of a mountain, the world around them disintegrating, jealousy and pride reared their ugly heads.
“Lucca and Raffael finished assembling the table,” Ben said to Roger. He strode over and clicked on a butane kettle he’d filled a few minutes earlier. “How about a cup of tea?”
Nodding grimly, Roger picked his way through the bags and boxes. “Tea? Like we’re in a London tube station during the Blitz.”
On cue, the ceiling trembled again, a distant roar echoing.
Ben nodded. “And we’re lucky to be here. This place is a goddamn fortress, dug into the granite heart of a mountain a thousand feet above sea level. Could withstand a nuclear strike.”
“I think it just about is.”
The walls shook, glasses inside the crates rattling.
Ben, Celeste, and Roger sat together at the table. To Ben, it felt like they were kids, hiding in a fort, the fear and terror subdued by the joy of being together with Jess and Celeste. Only hours ago, all had seemed lost—he never thought they’d survive this long, never imagined he’d be reunited with his family. Now there was a chance, one he hadn’t allowed himself to even consider. Despite the eruptions, the massive earthquakes, and the flooding oceans, the Earth hadn’t opened up and swallowed them. Not yet.
The kettle pinged and turned itself off.
“This is the worst of it.” Ben poured hot water from the kettle to plastic cups, then dropped tea bags into them. He looked at his watch. “We’re past Nomad’s closest approach.” He put the kettle down and looked at Roger. “Do you feel lighter?”