The Descent

Walker  flushed.  Ike  turned  to  the  rest  of  them.  'You  can't  stay  here  anymore,'  he said. 'The others will come looking now. We need to keep  going.'

'Ike,' said Ali, as the group dispersed. He faced her, and she slapped him.

Thus is the Devil ever God's ape.

– MARTIN LUTHER, Table Talke (1569)

13

THE SHROUD

Venice, Italy

'Ali  has  gone  deeper,'  January  reported  gravely,  while  the  group  waited  in  the  vault. She had lost  a  great  deal  of  weight,  and  her  neck  veins  were  taut,  like  strings  holding her  head  to  her  bones.  She  sat  on  a  chair,  drinking  mineral  water.  Branch  crouched beside her, quietly thumbing through a Baedeker's  guide to Venice.

This  was  the  Beowulf  Circle's  first  meeting  in  months.  Some  had  been  busy  in libraries   or  museums;   others   had  been   hard   at   work   in   the   field,   interviewing journalists,  soldiers,  missionaries,  anyone  with  experience  of  the  depths.  The  quest had engaged them.

They  were  delighted  to  be  in  this  city.  Venice's  winding  canals  led  to  a  thousand secret  places. The  Renaissance spirit pleasantly haunted these  sun-gorged plazas.  The irony  was  that  on  a  Sunday  spilling  over  with  light  and  church  bells,  they  had  come together  in a bank vault.

Most  of  them  looked  younger,  tanned,  more  limber.  The  spark  was  back  in  their eyes  again.  They  were  eager  to  share  their  findings  with  one  another.  January  made hers first.

She had received  Ali's letter  only yesterday,  delivered  by  one  of  the  seven  scientists who  had  quit  the  expedition  and  finally  gotten  free  of  Point  Z-3.  The  scientist's  tale, and  Ali's  dispatch,  were  disturbing.  After  Shoat  and  his  expedition  had  departed,  the dissidents  had  sulked  for  weeks,  stranded  among  violent  misfits.  Male  and  female alike had been beaten and raped and robbed. At last a train had brought  them  back  to Nazca   City.   Now   aboveground,   they   were   undergoing   treatment   for   an   exotic lithospheric   fungus   and   various   venereal   diseases,   plus   the   usual   compression problems.  But  their  misadventures  paled  next  to  the  larger  news  they  had  brought out.

January   summarized   the   Helios  stratagem.   Reading  excerpts   from  Ali's  letter, written right up to the  hour  of  her  descent  from  Point  Z-3,  she  sketched  out  the  plan to traverse  beneath the Pacific  floor  and  exit  somewhere  near  Asia.  'And  Ali  has  gone with them,' she groaned. 'For me. What have  I done?'

'Can't  blame  yourself.'  Desmond  Lynch  popped  his  briarwood  cane  against  the  tile floor. 'She got herself into it. We all did.'

'Thank you for the consolation, Desmond.'

'What  can  be  the  meaning  of  this?'  someone  asked.  'The  cost  must  be  prodigious, even  for Helios.'

'I know C.C. Cooper,' January  said,  'and  so  I  fear  the  worst.  He  seems  to  be  carving out a nation-state  all his own.' She paused.  'I've  had  my  staff  investigating,  and  Helios is definitely preparing for a full-scale occupation of the area.'

'But his own country?' said Thomas.

'Don't  forget,'  January  said,  'this  is  a  man  who  believes  the  presidency  was  stolen from  him  by  a  conspiracy.  He  seems  to  have  decided  a  fresh  start  is  best.  In  a  place where  he can write  all the rules.'

'A tyranny.  A plutocracy,' said one of the scholars.

'He  won't  call  it  that,  of  course.'  'But  he  can't  do  this.  It  violates  international  laws.

Surely  –'

'Possession  is  everything,'  January   said.  'Recall  the   conquistadores   in  the   New World.  Once  they  got  an  ocean  between  them  and  their  king,  they  decided  to  set themselves  up in their own little kingdoms. It  threatened  the entire balance of power.' Thomas  was  grim.  'Major  Branch,  surely  you  can  intercept  the  expedition.  Take your soldiers. Turn  these  invaders back before they  spark  more war.'

Branch closed his book. 'I'm afraid I have  no authority  to do that, Father.'

Thomas appealed to January. 'He's your  soldier. Order  him. Give  him the authority.'

'It  doesn't  work  that  way,  Thomas.  Elias  is  not  my  soldier.  He's  a  friend.  As  for authority,  I've  already  spoken  with  the  commander  in  charge  of  operational  affairs, General  Sandwell.  But  the  expedition's  crossed  beyond  the  military  frontier.  And,  as you pointed out, he doesn't want to provoke  the war all over  again.'

'What  are   all  your   commandos  and  specialists   good  for?   Helios  can  slip   some mercenaries into the wilderness, but not the US Army?'

Branch  nodded.  'You're  sounding  like  some  of  the  officers  I  know.  The  corporations are running amok down there.  We have  to play by  the rules. They  don't.'

'We must stop them,' Thomas said. 'The repercussions could be devastating.'