“Join the club. Heard enough?”
“Tell me everything.”
“Okay, after the second death of David Vale, I of course woke up in a mysterious Atlantean structure, which, you know, makes total sense. There was only one way out, like a rat in a maze. Said maze dumped me out in the hills above Ceuta.” He stared, as if remembering it. “It was horrifying. It was a burned-out wasteland. The sum of all my fears, everything I had fought to stop: the Immari, Toba Protocol, right there in front of me, in all its horror. My total failure. Seeing it was surreal. The Immari patrols captured me, took me inside the base. Then I saw what it was, what they were doing there.”
Kate nodded. “And you decided to fight them.”
“No. Not at first, and I’m ashamed of that. Very ashamed of that. My first impulse was to escape the camp and find you.” He looked at her, and in that fraction of a second, she saw the man she had fallen in love with. He was strong and vulnerable, and… David.
He glanced away from her. “But I had no idea where you were, no clue where to start. That’s when I decided to fight, to take the base.”
“David, it’s changed you somehow.”
“Before today, I had killed hundreds of people—hell, I don’t even know how many. Most were bad guys trying to kill me or my team at the time—well, except the ones I shot with a sniper rifle, but same general principle. Ceuta was different. Different than following orders. I drew up the plan, sold some men on my plan, and when the hour came, I pushed the button that killed thousands of soldiers and plunged that place into war. It was my carnage, and I thought it was just, that they deserved it. And I want to finish the fight. I feel the impulse burning inside me like a fire, like an itch I can’t scratch, like a thirst I can’t quench. I want more. I want to wipe them all out, now, while we can.”
Kate understood. Her leaving him in Gibraltar, his decision to fight in Ceuta. His wounds wouldn’t heal overnight, and his rage wouldn’t fade fast. But there was an opening, a window she could slip through to get to him. David fidgeted on the bed. He was vulnerable now, and she sensed that her next words would determine what happened to “them” and perhaps the fate of many others. She spoke quietly. “I need your help, David.”
He turned his head, but said nothing.
“In the next forty-eight hours, ninety percent of the world’s population is going to die.”
“What?”
“The plague, it has mutated. There was an explosion in Germany—”
“Sloane. He carried a case out of the structure in Antarctica.”
“Whatever that case was, it emitted a radiation signature that swept the world at the speed of light. The radiation changed the plague. There’s no defense against it now. Orchid has failed. The Americans and British, every nation on earth, they’re facing widespread infection and death. They’re collapsing. But I think I can find a cure. Martin was working with an underground consortium, Continuity. It includes the people at the CDC. I think he was close to finding a cure. I have his notes, but I need your help.”
“You think—”
“There’s something else. Something I have to say. I’m in love with you, David, and I’m sorry I hurt you by leaving in Gibraltar. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Keegan. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. It won’t happen again. No matter what happens, from here on out, you and I will finish this together. No matter what. And for the record, I don’t give a damn how many times you’ve died or what scars you do or don’t have.”
He kissed her on the mouth, and it was like the kiss in Gibraltar. She seemed to feel the rage draining out of him, as if the kiss were releasing some pressure valve that had been about to blow.
When they separated, he stared at her, the softness back in his eyes.
“And one more thing: I will follow your orders.”
“Actually… I think maybe you should give the orders for a while. I’m just kind of… zooming out here, getting a little perspective, remembering some of the things I just said.” David shook his head. “Not the sanest stuff that’s ever come out of my mouth, or entirely rational for that matter. And you seem to know what’s going on. You do the thinking, I’ll do the shooting.”
“I can do that.”
David stood and glanced around the stateroom. “Murder mystery cruise and a countdown to a global apocalypse. Hell of a second date.”
“You’re certainly not boring.”
“Just trying to keep you interested. Now where do you want to start: with the plague or Martin’s murderer?”
“I think—”
The boat suddenly lost speed. Kate felt as though it was coming to a stop in the water. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” David put his arm around her, and guided her across the room. He pointed at the hallway that led to a short flight of stairs and, at the bottom, an elaborate master bathroom. He handed her a gun. “Stay in there. Lock the door. I—”
She kissed him again. “Be careful. That’s your first order.”
CHAPTER 61
Immari Advance Fleet Alpha
Near Tangier, Morocco
Dorian strode onto the ship’s bridge. The men turned quickly and stood rigidly. “Attention on deck!”
“You have a message for me,” Dorian said to the captain.
The captain held out a slip of paper, and Dorian unfolded it.
I have Warner.
She has code.
Request exfil.
She is well guarded.
On yacht near Ceuta.
Destination unknown.
Be ready.
Dorian considered his options. If those damn British hadn’t mined the straits… his fleet could reach them. The Berber control of Ceuta and northern Morocco also further limited his options.
“We’ve sent ships from Fuengirola after them,” the captain said.
“Estimated intercept time?” Dorian asked.
“Unknown.”
“What do you mean, unknown?”
“They’re moving at almost thirty knots. We don’t have a ship fast enough to catch them.”
Dorian shook his head.
“But if they slow down or stop, we’ll be on them. Or— if they enter port somewhere, we can corner them.”
“Notify our source. And get me a map of Ceuta’s firing radius. I need to know how to fly around their guns.”
CHAPTER 62
Somewhere off the coast of Ceuta