Read Online Day of Doom by David Baldacci - Free Book Online
Authors: David Baldacci
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been using us, essentially, to get what he needed to build the Doomsday device.”
“And he succeeded,” snapped Dan. “We got him everything he needed. He built it. He’s pulled the trigger on it. He doesn’t need us or the hostages anymore.”
“But now, right as he’s about to
perform the final act on his little worlddestruction plan, the only thing missing is
us . His opponents in all this. He needs us as part of the final act. So he can not only rub our noses in it but kill us at the same
time. It’s just what the Vespers do.”
“I still don’t think —” began Amy.
“He didn’t need to send us that link with the hostages, Amy,” interrupted Atticus. “He’d already won, or so he thinks. So why did he?”
“Just his way of, like you said, rubbing our noses in it.”
“It was a link, Amy. It wasn’t a realtime transmission. Which means that Vesper One had time to look at it before it went out to us. Now, I recognized pretty much right away that Ted was using his blinking as Morse code to convey
information to us. Do you really think Vesper One, as smart as he is, failed to see that, too? But he still let the link go out. So I’m thinking that the initial activation of the device was done to alert
us that time was running out. Of course Vesper One’s ego won’t let him even consider the possibility that if we do get there, we’ll be smart enough to beat him. But make no mistake, he wants us there.”
They all stood there looking stunned by this theory.
Atticus added, “And also keep in mind that no one alive has actually seen what the Doomsday device Archimedes designed can do. Vesper One thinks he’s figured it out, but even he will have to exercise some degree of caution. It will take him some time to test it.”
Dan said, “You know, Amy, what Atticus is saying actually makes sense.”
Amy slowly nodded. “I’m starting tothink the same thing. So if he’s waiting forus to appear —”
Jake finished for her, “— then thatmight give us the one chance we need tobeat him.”
“But how do we get to the West Coast?” said Amy.
Dan had continued working on hislaptop while they were discussing things. “The train,” he announced.
“The train?” exclaimed Amy. “Youcan take a train across the country?”
“Actually, it requires two trains. The Capitol Limited from right here in DC. Itgoes to Chicago. Leaves this afternoon atfive and gets into Chicago tomorrow
morning. Then we take a second train from Chicago to Seattle. That takes forty-six hours.”
“Forty-six hours!” cried out Amy.
“In the interest of full disclosure it’s
actually forty-six hours and ten minutes,”
amended Dan.
“I can fly around the world in fortysix hours and ten minutes,” barked Amy.
“The operative word being fly ,” said Atticus.
Dan looked at his sister. “What otheroption do we have?”
Her face took on a resolute look.
“Buy the tickets, Dan.” She looked at her watch. “We’ll have just enough time to catch this Capitol Limited train thingy.”
While Dan did that and Jake and
Atticus were getting their stuff ready, Amy
texted Evan. It bounced back. She tried to call him. It went to voice mail. She tried
to contact Jonah, Hamilton, and Ian. The same result. She wondered if the magnetic pole disruption also had affected wireless communications on the ground. As a test, she texted Dan. He looked up from his computer when the text landed in his mailbox and his phone chirped.
“Why are you texting me? I’m right here.”
Amy didn’t answer. Now she knew
something was very wrong.
It was a tight fit.
Jonah, Hamilton, Ian, Evan, and Phoenix were tied up in a small, darkenedroom. They were each trying to figure outwhere they were.
Evan had counted off the seconds inhis head on the drive, and gauging thespeed of the van he figured they wereabout two hours and a hundred miles awayfrom the motel.
“And he succeeded,” snapped Dan. “We got him everything he needed. He built it. He’s pulled the trigger on it. He doesn’t need us or the hostages anymore.”
“But now, right as he’s about to
perform the final act on his little worlddestruction plan, the only thing missing is
us . His opponents in all this. He needs us as part of the final act. So he can not only rub our noses in it but kill us at the same
time. It’s just what the Vespers do.”
“I still don’t think —” began Amy.
“He didn’t need to send us that link with the hostages, Amy,” interrupted Atticus. “He’d already won, or so he thinks. So why did he?”
“Just his way of, like you said, rubbing our noses in it.”
“It was a link, Amy. It wasn’t a realtime transmission. Which means that Vesper One had time to look at it before it went out to us. Now, I recognized pretty much right away that Ted was using his blinking as Morse code to convey
information to us. Do you really think Vesper One, as smart as he is, failed to see that, too? But he still let the link go out. So I’m thinking that the initial activation of the device was done to alert
us that time was running out. Of course Vesper One’s ego won’t let him even consider the possibility that if we do get there, we’ll be smart enough to beat him. But make no mistake, he wants us there.”
They all stood there looking stunned by this theory.
Atticus added, “And also keep in mind that no one alive has actually seen what the Doomsday device Archimedes designed can do. Vesper One thinks he’s figured it out, but even he will have to exercise some degree of caution. It will take him some time to test it.”
Dan said, “You know, Amy, what Atticus is saying actually makes sense.”
Amy slowly nodded. “I’m starting tothink the same thing. So if he’s waiting forus to appear —”
Jake finished for her, “— then thatmight give us the one chance we need tobeat him.”
“But how do we get to the West Coast?” said Amy.
Dan had continued working on hislaptop while they were discussing things. “The train,” he announced.
“The train?” exclaimed Amy. “Youcan take a train across the country?”
“Actually, it requires two trains. The Capitol Limited from right here in DC. Itgoes to Chicago. Leaves this afternoon atfive and gets into Chicago tomorrow
morning. Then we take a second train from Chicago to Seattle. That takes forty-six hours.”
“Forty-six hours!” cried out Amy.
“In the interest of full disclosure it’s
actually forty-six hours and ten minutes,”
amended Dan.
“I can fly around the world in fortysix hours and ten minutes,” barked Amy.
“The operative word being fly ,” said Atticus.
Dan looked at his sister. “What otheroption do we have?”
Her face took on a resolute look.
“Buy the tickets, Dan.” She looked at her watch. “We’ll have just enough time to catch this Capitol Limited train thingy.”
While Dan did that and Jake and
Atticus were getting their stuff ready, Amy
texted Evan. It bounced back. She tried to call him. It went to voice mail. She tried
to contact Jonah, Hamilton, and Ian. The same result. She wondered if the magnetic pole disruption also had affected wireless communications on the ground. As a test, she texted Dan. He looked up from his computer when the text landed in his mailbox and his phone chirped.
“Why are you texting me? I’m right here.”
Amy didn’t answer. Now she knew
something was very wrong.
It was a tight fit.
Jonah, Hamilton, Ian, Evan, and Phoenix were tied up in a small, darkenedroom. They were each trying to figure outwhere they were.
Evan had counted off the seconds inhis head on the drive, and gauging thespeed of the van he figured they wereabout two hours and a hundred miles awayfrom the motel.
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