“That’s right. Another possible location, but this one is underwater.” Langford watched as Borger remained frozen, thinking.
There were three things going through Borger’s head, each as earth-shattering as the next. And if it weren't automatic, he probably would have forgotten to breathe.
The possibility of a second location was stunning in and of itself. Another source producing what could only be described as an evolutionary miracle. A mutation capable of changing the genetic structure of a living organism, resulting in something mankind had never seen before. But there was a reason. A reason that was both logical, and at the same time, utterly jaw-dropping. The secret which both Alison and Borger already knew.
The Chinese had made the find of the century. A find that had culminated in the attack on a U.S. naval ship by the Chinese in an attempt to flee with every piece of plant they had managed to gather. The rest they’d burned.
But that was only the tip of the iceberg. The Chinese had fled with what they thought was the entire find. But what they didn’t know was that the source wasn’t the plants at all –– the source was in the water. Water, highly enriched by something hidden at the top of the mountain. Something extraordinary.
A vault. A vault hidden within the mountain, housing thousands, maybe millions, of perfectly preserved samples from an alien biosphere. And what appeared to be the total sum of another planet’s genetic and cellular history encoded in countless protected seeds…and embryos.
It was an amazing discovery that was nearly beyond words. But now the idea of Alison discovering a second site left Wil Borger completely speechless. Because a second site could answer a pressing question that Borger had been losing sleep over ever since they discovered the vault.
With the sheer amount of materials needed to construct what was hidden in that cliff, Borger was convinced a ship had been used to transport it. From very far away. But the distance involved, along with the speed needed to reach Earth, would have required a level of energy that was formidable on any scale. To Borger, it meant only one thing: a one-way trip. And if he was right, it presented the big question that Wil Borger couldn’t answer. Where was the ship?
But maybe Alison’s discovery was the answer to his question…maybe she had found the ship! By matter of simple deduction, the ship would have had to be destroyed or hidden. Perhaps dumped somewhere that no one would find.
How Alison had managed to find it, he couldn’t begin to imagine. But the ramifications of what she may have discovered was far more important in Borger’s opinion than how.
“Mr. Borger,” Langford said, breaking the silence. “You look like you have something on your mind.”
He slowly nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Well?” Langford said, his hands still pressed together in front of him.
Borger wanted to tell him. He’d wanted to since they’d first found it. But together, he, Clay, Caesare, and Alison were afraid to. They knew what unleashing such a discovery could do. To the world.
The power contained in whatever liquid those embryos were floating in was almost beyond comprehension. Especially in a world that fought wars over far less, and in many cases, on lies alone.
They had kept the secret from Langford and everyone else out of the fear of what would be unleashed onto the world.
And that was the third thing which had caused Borger to freeze in his chair. It was the realization that only the threat of someone else finding out would make John Clay send Borger the message that he did.
Nine characters. A single message before his satellite phone lost signal permanently.
TELLNGFRD.
74
M0ngol didn’t like to be bothered. Not by his colleagues, not by his boss, not even by his friends. As far as he was concerned, his work was too important to be interrupted, which made the surprise visit by two Ministry of State Security agents all that more irritating.
To him, MSS agents were simply thugs, with Qin being a rare exception. He was one of the few who truly understood what someone like M0ngol was capable of and respected his abilities. Others, like the two now escorting the young hacker down an empty hallway, just had no idea. Together, they were taking him through a section of the building he’d never seen before. He had only heard of it.
However, unlike most others, M0ngol was only mildly interested to see the place in person. He had more important things to do than to explain yet again how cyber espionage worked to someone who would never possess the capacity to understand it.
The two thugs on either side of him hadn’t said anything since pulling M0ngol out of his chair downstairs. Together they walked briskly to the end of the hall and turned right, following another long section which ended at two faceless double doors. Outside stood two more agents, waiting for them.