Amos said, “I don’t know if he’s dead. I have medical training, but I’m afraid to go in alone. She and Ajax might kill me, too.”
They watched another man come in, saw that Cassandra was yelling, and then Ajax stuck his stiletto into the man’s chest. They saw him collapse over Kohath. Then Kitsune crashed through the ceiling vent, and they saw the vent hit Cassandra. They saw the fight, then the two guards marched in dragging Grant Thornton.
“After fifteen years without sound, I’ve learned to lip read. I didn’t understand everything, but Cassandra wants the other woman to open the vault, and she said something about the Ark being inside, which is foolishness. The Ark of the Covenant isn’t here, never was.”
“Then what’s in the vault?” Mike asked.
Amos said simply, “Secrets, but only Jason can tell you what they are. I cannot. We must hurry. If you come with me, I’ll take you to the control room. I can see how badly Jason is injured.”
Nicholas hesitated. It was simply too easy. “You could lead us right to Cassandra and Ajax.”
“I could have let you blow yourself up, but I didn’t. Listen, Captain Snelling alerted me, told me you were here to shut things down and rescue that man and woman.
“I know what those kids are—they’d dance in the world’s ashes after they blew it up. And it’s very possible they’ve killed a man I greatly respect. Please. I’ll take you there. I’ve got to help him.”
Mike raised her Glock when Amos reached beneath a counter. “What are you doing?”
He straightened quickly. “I have to get my medical kit.”
Nicholas opened the bag. Medical supplies, and handed it back.
Amos closed the bag and threw it on his shoulder. “I know I don’t need to tell you this, but be careful if you come face-to-face with those two. As for the guards, they’re well trained and will shoot first.”
They followed Amos into the heart of the volcano. It was quiet, eerily so. It took only a minute or two before they stepped into a large room, its walls covered with computerized screens. Amos hurried away to the man they saw lying on his back beside a huge desk.
Nicholas said, “Would you look at this, Mike, three hundred and sixty degrees of screens. Computer programs running, and there’s a satellite in space.” He cursed. “Mike, see the hurricane spinning toward Washington? And all that data running down the side? And on the next screen it shows an earthquake and tsunami warning.”
“There’s our earthquake,” Mike said, pointing. “Says here it measured six point six on the Richter scale, and was centered around five hundred miles northwest of here. There’s a tsunami warning for the Eastern Caribbean.”
“We’ve got to warn them.”
“Nicholas,” she said, pointing at the screen, where the warnings were running lightning quick. “They already know. Can you shut down the hurricane? Maybe disperse the tsunami?”
He gave her a crooked grin. “Why not?”
“Then we’ll find Kitsune and Grant and get out of here.”
Amos said, “Sir, I don’t know how you possibly think you can stop the hurricane and the tsunami but—” He shook his head, said to Mike, “Could you help me here?”
Mike went down on her knees beside Amos. He was holding Jason Kohath’s head in his lap, rocking him. “It’s really bad. I can’t do anything for him. Ajax hit him hard, most likely a bad bleed going on. We need to get him out of here, to a hospital. Poor Burnley is dead, God rest his soul.”
Nicholas was bent over the keyboard of the main computer. He yelled, “I’m sorry, Amos, you’ve got to hold tight.”
“Please, hurry.”
“Try to stabilize him, Amos. Mike, come here.”
Nicholas pointed to another computer screen. “Look, it’s the security feed. There’s Kitsune trying to open the vault.”
“But where are the twins?”
“Right behind you.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
Ajax Kohath stood in the entrance to the control center, aiming the ancient Colt revolver at them. “What do you think you’re doing? Get away from there, now.”
Nicholas said, “I’m undoing your work, mate. No hurricane for Washington today.”