Temple of the Gods - Andy McDermott [109]
‘That’s kind of a grand plan,’ said Nina, deliberately challenging. ‘Everyone from Alexander the Great through Genghis Khan up to Hitler has had their own ideas on how to do it. And they’ve all failed. What makes yours any different?’
His answer shocked her. ‘You, Dr Wilde. You make our plan different. You make it possible.’
‘This is all coming back to those bloody statues, isn’t it?’ Eddie rumbled.
Warden ignored him, fixing his stern blue eyes on Nina. ‘Competition over resources is the cause of most conflict in the world. Specifically, energy resources. Wars are fought, lives destroyed, tyrants propped up just so that we can literally burn a mineral sludge – and the system of global politics and economics has become so warped by this fact that it’s now dependent on it. Governments can’t imagine things being any other way . . . but just as the recent economic crash was bound to happen, a total collapse is inevitable if things continue as they are.’
‘I know we have booms and busts,’ said Nina, ‘but a complete collapse? Really?’
Warden’s tone became more lecturing. ‘All the economic models that shape the world are based on the conceit that growth can be – must be – infinite. A child could point out the flaw in that idea, since we live in a finite world, but just as nobody wanted to believe that the debt bubble would burst while they were living the high life on the back of it, so no one wants to play the role of Cassandra now.’
‘Not even the Group? You seem to have a lot of influence, to put it mildly.’
‘We do, but not even we’re powerful enough to overturn the system. Until now, the most we’ve been able to do is guide it.’
‘Until now,’ Nina echoed. ‘By which you mean, you’ve got me.’
‘You make it sound as though you’re my prisoner,’ Warden said. The downturned corners of his mouth strained slightly upwards, which seemed to be as close as he ever came to an actual smile. ‘If you want to get out of the limo, just say so.’
‘We want to get out of the limo,’ Eddie immediately responded.
The tic returned. ‘After you’ve heard what I have to say.’
‘Thought there’d be a catch.’
The elderly man looked back at Nina. ‘The Group has been planning for this eventuality for a long time. But sometimes wild cards – Wilde cards, even, if you’ll excuse the pun – mean that major changes can happen very quickly. Earth energy is one of those cards, and you, Dr Wilde, are the one who holds it.’
‘How much do you know about earth energy?’ she asked.
‘As much as anyone. We have access to the IHA’s files, everything that Jack Mitchell did at DARPA, Leonid Vaskovich’s work, the repository at Silent Peak and more besides. The most important things we know about it, though, are firstly that a very particular kind of superconducting material is needed to channel it. And secondly, that a living organism is also needed for the process to work.’
‘You mean a person.’
He shook his head. ‘In theory, any kind of organism can generate the effect, as long as its DNA contains the specific genome sequence that makes its bioelectrical field compatible. In practice, though . . .’
‘There’s only me,’ Nina said grimly.
‘You’re the only known example. There must be thousands, even tens of thousands of people in the world who can also activate the earth energy effect. King Arthur and the Atlantean priestess Nantalas are two people from history who could, so it’s likely that their ancestors – and descendants – also had the gene. But nobody knows who they are.’
‘And it’s not exactly easy to test for ’em,’ said Eddie. ‘“Hey, would you mind holding these statues to see if they levitate and you have visions?” Might raise a few questions.’
‘Exactly. Which is why you, Dr Wilde, are so important to the Group’s plans – and why Harald Glas is determined to kill you to stop them.’
The reminder that she was still a target