The Sacred Vault_ A Novel - Andy McDermott [23]
Now it was Nina who bristled. ‘There’s more to archaeology than just assembling data,’ she said scathingly. ‘You need a broad base of knowledge in areas that might seem unrelated. When I worked out Atlantis’s location, I didn’t have all the facts, so I had to fill in the gaps based on my own experience - and intuition. A computer can’t do that.’
‘We’ll have to agree to disagree, then,’ said Vanita, joining Khoil. ‘I know the power of Pramesh’s software. It will change the world.’
‘So you are definitely not interested in my offer, Dr Wilde?’ Khoil asked.
‘I’m afraid not,’ said Nina. ‘If nothing else, it’d take all the fun out of the work.’
He shrugged. ‘As you wish. But I am sure the Codex will—’ He broke off at the approach of a woman holding a cell phone. She was Indian, dressed in a formal and slightly staid business suit, an employee rather than an executive. Her long dark hair was styled to cover, but couldn’t fully conceal, a scar slicing down her forehead over her right eye. ‘Yes, Madirakshi?’
‘The call you were waiting for, Mr Khoil,’ said the woman.
‘My apologies, but I must take this,’ Khoil told Nina. He stepped away, Vanita and Madirakshi following as he answered the call. ‘Yes? No, no change. As we discussed, yes.’
‘Bloody hell, I didn’t have any trouble hearing her voice,’ muttered Eddie, regarding Vanita. ‘And Christ, he sounds like he learned English from a Speak & Spell.’
‘Is everything all right, Dr Wilde?’ asked Boyce, with a hint of anxiety.
‘Fine. Just a minor misunderstanding.’
‘Happy to hear it!’
Another VIP asked Nina a question about Atlantis as Khoil ended his call and he and Vanita returned to the group, their assistant briskly departing. Eddie watched her go, noticing that now the presidential entourage and the Secret Service agents had left, the exhibition hall was noticeably less crowded. A clear social hierarchy was visible as a result: Boyce’s bodyguards and the building’s own security staff at the very edges of the room, with groups of PAs and secretaries and business underlings orbiting the centre where their bosses schmoozed and networked. The woman, Madirakshi, joined three Indian men in a far corner, one of them a bearded giant standing head and shoulders above the others.
He looked towards the high windows as Nina continued talking. There was a plaza outside, headlights dimly visible on the foggy street beyond. He hoped conditions would improve tomorrow; there wouldn’t be much point touring the city if they couldn’t see it . . .
He stiffened, suddenly alert as he registered that something wasn’t quite right. It was the headlights. They were pointing directly at the windows.
But the street ran past the exhibition hall, not towards it—
The headlights moved.
Coming at him.
‘Mr Mayor!’ he barked to Boyce. ‘Get security, there’s—’
The windows exploded under blasts of gunfire.
4
‘Everyone down!’ Eddie yelled, covering Nina with his body. Shattered glass spilled across the polished floor. The hall filled with panicked screams - which were quickly drowned by the roar of engines.
Several motorcycles charged into the room, their riders sheathed in black leather, faces hidden behind mirrored visors. More gunshots crackled as the riders spread out across the hall, firing MP5Ks in sweeps just above the guests’ heads to force them to the floor - then aiming lower to pick off specific targets. Blood-spattered bodies tumbled, the hall’s security personnel and the mayor’s bodyguards cut down.
Another engine, louder, a vicious snarl. A vehicle smashed through the remains of the windows and made a sweeping