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By the next morning the rain had stopped and the sky was as clear and blue as it can be in the rainforest. Sitting with Hackett and Zeb, Sister Chantal couldn't help but contrast the frantic buzz of activity coming from Torino's men with their own quiet despair. Last night's escape attempt had been disastrous in its futility. In their hurry they hadn't seen the trip-wire in the rain and the alarm had sounded before they could reach the pa.s.sage to the sulphur caves. The soldiers had rounded them up in minutes.When Torino and Bazin had told them Ross was dead she had seen her own shock and disbelief reflected in Zeb's and Hackett's eyes. Juarez's death had been terrible but no one had purposely killed him. Ross, however, had been shot. Not only had Bazin murdered him, but Torino the Superior General of the Society of Jesus had sanctioned it. It appeared there was nothing he would not do in the name of protecting his precious Church.Hackett looked exhausted. All his dreams had been dashed. He would never return to his lost city and reveal its treasures to the world. Zeb seemed equally subdued. She had come on a grand adventure to save her friend and discover the mythical place described in the Voynich. But things hadn't turned out as she'd hoped. As for Sister Chantal's long-cherished dream of fulfilling her vow, it took all her self-control not to bow her head and weep. She glanced at the mound of stones where Father Orlando was buried. Was this how she would end her long vigil, fruitlessly, without pa.s.sing on her burden?'I hope Lauren never wakes up,' said Zeb. Her unkempt red hair no longer made her look feisty and individual, just young and vulnerable. 'She'd hate to think Ross died trying to save her. Nigel, I bet you wish you were back in your lost city and had never set foot in this "miraculous garden".' She spat the last two words.He managed a rueful grin. 'Wouldn't have missed it for the world. My only regret is that I came to protect you and made a bit of a hash of it.'She reached across with her bound hands to pat his arm. 'You didn't do so bad. You saved me from the snake when we pa.s.sed that mound of bat s.h.i.t.''I suppose.' He shrugged and gazed out across the garden to where two soldiers were cleaning their guns and refuelling the flame-throwers. Torino, Bazin and Fleischer stood in a huddle by the tents. 'The question is, what's going to happen to us now?'Sister Chantal sighed. 'Whatever the Superior General has planned,' she said. 'We'll find out soon enough.'Torino paced outside the tents. 'I want everything in place before we go up again. Are the devices ready?'Feldwebel Fleischer nodded. 'Gerber has placed all the thermite and napalm to achieve the maximum effect you asked for.'Bazin frowned. 'You're not really going to use them, are you, Father General?'His half-brother was beginning to annoy Torino. He hoped Bazin wouldn't become a problem and interfere with his plans. 'Relax, Marco, it's just a contingency.' He rested a hand on Fleischer's shoulder. 'Feldwebel Fleischer understands. It's a scorched-earth policy to ensure no one can use this unusual garden and its creatures to harm the Church. Prevent its falling into enemy hands, so to speak.'Bazin nodded, apparently satisfied.Torino turned back to the sergeant. 'How do I activate them?'Fleischer handed him a matt-black box, no bigger than a radio. On one featureless face was a green light diode and a flip switch, which covered a red b.u.t.ton. 'Gerber has fitted the devices with wireless detonators. Flick the switch to arm the device and reveal the detonator b.u.t.ton. You can press it as soon as the green light comes on.''How about getting up the tunnel?''We're going to round up two of the nymphs now, Father General.''If they don't co-operate, shoot them and get two more. They'll soon learn. And when we go up this time I don't just want to get past the worms. I want to destroy as many of them as possible.''They'll be easier to kill when they're still,' said Fleischer. 'Shotguns worked best last time. And we'll load the Heckler & Kochs with armour-piercing rounds.''Good,' said Torino. 'Come and tell me once you've got everything ready, Feldwebel.'When Fleischer left to talk to his men, Torino pulled Bazin closer and lowered his voice. 'The new Vatican will be built around whatever's up that tunnel, and its miracles used for the good of the Church. To do the most good, however, we must keep it secret. No one must know about the source of these miracles, except the Holy Mother Church. This is holy work, Marco, and you are privileged to be part of it.'Bazin indicated the three prisoners. 'What about them? How can we be sure they won't talk when we leave?'Torino narrowed his eyes. 'No one will leave.''Is it necessary to kill them?'It amused Torino that his half-brother, a remorseless a.s.sa.s.sin when he had killed for money, should worry now about killing for a righteous cause. 'No one will leave,' he said again.'The soldiers?''They have a purpose for now. But once their job is done, only you and I will leave here. You understand? Only you and I can be trusted to protect the purity of this place. If you do this, Marco, if you fulfil this sacred task, your sins will be wiped out and the Holy Father himself will bless you for your work in claiming this shrine for the Holy Mother Church.' He paused. 'You still need redemption, don't you, Marco?'Bazin nodded again. This time more slowly. 'Yes,' he said.

69

Two hours laterSister Chantal entered the tunnel of blood shackled like a slave to Hackett, Zeb and the two nymphs in front of them. Their hands were bound and a connecting rope looped round their necks. Behind them marched Petersen, Gerber and Bazin, with the rope secured round his waist. Fleischer and Torino took up the rear. Torino evidently hoped that the nymphs would pacify the creatures that had devoured Weber, Ross and the conquistadors. If they failed, she, Zeb and Hackett would act as human shields.Sister Chantal had always suspected that Torino wouldn't let them leave the garden alive but she hadn't expected to die like this. When the Inquisition had handed Father Orlando to the secular authorities to be burnt at the stake it had been a case of ecclesia ecclesia abhorret a sanguine abhorret a sanguine, the Church shrinks from blood. This time, however, the Superior General would simply distance himself from her death allow it to happen. This time there would be plenty of blood.Her fear and anger that her long life of sacrifice should end so pointlessly was only tempered by the hope that the nymphs would perform their task and she might see what lay at the end of the tunnel.The nymphs stopped abruptly by the waterfall.'They're up there,' said Bazin, pushing her aside.'Where?' said Zeb. She held Hackett's hand, squeezing it.'Top of the waterfall,' Hackett said. 'Right side of the chamber. The holes in the wall.'Sister Chantal peered up and thought she saw movement but couldn't be sure. She heard a click, then a jet of flame shot past her at the nymphs. As they ascended the steps by the waterfall they began to chant. The rope tautened and Sister Chantal followed. Torino and the soldiers waited until the nymphs walked past the dark chamber. As Sister Chantal followed, she glanced at the deep recesses in the rock to her right and saw countless red eyes staring balefully at her. Besides the holes the walls were riven with dark pa.s.sageways that led to places she didn't even want to imagine.'The chanting's working,' Bazin hissed behind her.Torino and the others moved quickly, pa.s.sing her and the nymphs, until they were beyond the holes safe. Then, just as she thought she, too, would reach safety, she felt the rope slacken. Bazin had blocked the nymphs' path, leaving them standing directly in front of the hole-riddled chamber. Then he and the three soldiers approached the holes. One stood back with a flame-thrower, while the other three advanced, laden with guns, and opened fire. Immediately one weapon was spent they switched to another. The noise was deafening and the carnage devastating. For many moments the creatures remained motionless, as though their instinct to obey the barely audible chant of the nymphs was more powerful than their instinct to survive. By the time any reacted the holes were oozing with viscous, black-red blood, and the few that attacked were easily repelled. Through the gunfire she heard an inhuman scream well up from deep within the bowels of the caves, building in volume and intensity. The tunnel shook and trembled, dislodging shards of encrusted crystal. When the soldiers eventually ceased firing at the gaping, bleeding holes in the wall, she heard a loud whispering: the rustle of worms moving through the rock around her. Escaping.Although the carnage sickened her, her legs trembled with relief. She was prepared for death but this was not how she wanted to end her life. Moreover, she wanted desperately to see the Source before she died. Torino and the others turned to continue the ascent and she moved to follow. But Bazin blocked the way, and for a chilling moment she thought he was going to leave them there. Then he took her arm and helped her up the path. As he did so, the Superior General turned to her and smiled, but she couldn't read his dark eyes.As they rounded the final corner of the tunnel Torino saw a portal ahead, leading to a chamber of breathtaking brilliance. An overwhelming sense of antic.i.p.ation, privilege and responsibility descended on him. He had always known the Church had singled him out for greatness, ever since the Jesuits had plucked him from the gutters of Naples, nurtured his talent and pushed him to become the best he could be. He had repaid their faith by eschewing all worldly pleasures, becoming the Society's youngest ever Superior General and the Holy Mother Church's most dedicated and committed servant. However, even his sense of destiny hadn't prepared him for this. He sensed he was about to glimpse the face of G.o.d, and the notion humbled him. G.o.d had chosen him not only to witness whatever lay ahead but also to be its guardian.He turned to Bazin and the others. 'Wait here.'Not waiting for their response, he walked into the chamber.He took only four steps inside before he gasped and clasped his hands in prayer. The chamber was nothing less than a temple to G.o.d's miracle of life. The air itself fizzed with it. He could feel feel its power in his hair and fingertips. A pool in the centre glowed as if lit from beneath, and the crystal rock formations that encrusted the entire chamber were host to countless phosph.o.r.escent life forms, which added to the ambient radiance. But they were as nothing compared to the twelve-foot-high ma.s.s that loomed over the pool and dominated the chamber. In this temple to life this towering object, this its power in his hair and fingertips. A pool in the centre glowed as if lit from beneath, and the crystal rock formations that encrusted the entire chamber were host to countless phosph.o.r.escent life forms, which added to the ambient radiance. But they were as nothing compared to the twelve-foot-high ma.s.s that loomed over the pool and dominated the chamber. In this temple to life this towering object, this presence presence, was its altar.Torino knelt in worship, careful not to get too close to the multifaceted, crystalline monolith before him, which radiated intense heat and light. One facet had a gold metallic crust, another was pearlescent, a third a clear prism, with veins of silver and gold that reflected all the colours of the rainbow. Protruding from one facet was a huge, hydra-like growth, whose trunk rose to the crystalline ceiling and spread out into countless tubular branches or tentacles, which burrowed into the walls and across the chamber. They appeared to possess both plant and animal features: stems and leaves, flesh and pulsing veins. Yet the section of trunk nearest the monolith appeared metallic and crystalline, as though it had taken on the properties of the object from which it grew. The combined ent.i.ty formed a unique hybrid of flora, fauna and mineral, fused so seamlessly that it was impossible to discern where one ended and another began. From one angle the hydra's iridescent roots were visible deep within the monolith's crystal heart, which shimmered and pulsed with life. Though the water falling from the ceiling formed a clear channel in its crust, exposing clear, crystalline rock, there was no apparent erosion in the crystal. The monolith appeared to be constantly renewing itself, forever changing and forever the same.No doubt Dr Ross Kelly would have explained the phenomenon as the result of some alien rock falling from the heavens, and he might have been right. Torino, however, knew that G.o.d had sent it. He couldn't help but smile when he considered the small black meteorite that formed one of the cornerstones of the Kaaba, the cubic building within the Sacred Mosque at Mecca, believed by Muslims to have been built by Abraham. Some regarded the black stone as sacred, believing it had fallen from the sky during the time of Adam and Eve and that it had the power to cleanse worshippers of their sins by absorbing them into itself. They claimed that the stone was once pure and dazzling white and had turned black because of the sins it had taken into itself.This beautiful stone, however, really was was sacred. Its sacred. Its demonstrable demonstrable miraculous powers would become the brilliant cornerstone of the Holy Mother Church, underpinning its power, eclipsing all other religions. He felt giddy at the prospect of what the future held and had to suppress a nervous impulse to laugh. Whatever the pope and Vasari had felt about his coming here, Torino knew that after seeing this the Holy Father would forgive and give him anything. He got to his feet, stepped closer and studied the hydra growing out of the fertile crystal. miraculous powers would become the brilliant cornerstone of the Holy Mother Church, underpinning its power, eclipsing all other religions. He felt giddy at the prospect of what the future held and had to suppress a nervous impulse to laugh. Whatever the pope and Vasari had felt about his coming here, Torino knew that after seeing this the Holy Father would forgive and give him anything. He got to his feet, stepped closer and studied the hydra growing out of the fertile crystal. Radix Radix, meaning 'root' as well as 'source', took on a fresh significance. This must be what Orlando Falcon had meant by vita quod mors arbor vita quod mors arbor, the Tree of Life and Death.But why death?He walked round the chamber. As well as the entrance from the glowing tunnel and the opening in the ceiling, through which the water flowed on to the monolith, there was a darker exit, which appeared to lead down into a warren of black pa.s.sageways. He thought of the rock worms and shuddered.There was a sharp intake of breath behind him. Bazin was standing in the doorway to the chamber, his face illuminated by the monolith's rainbow hues. 'It's so beautiful.'Torino smiled. 'Now who can doubt that G.o.d exists?' Suddenly he felt magnanimous. 'Let Sister Chantal and the others come in. Everyone should see this once before they die.'

70

When Sister Chantal saw the monolith she did exactly as Torino had done: she fell to her knees and prayed. After waiting centuries to see it she had no doubt in her mind that it was G.o.d's work it was too beautiful and awe-inspiring to have been anything else. She noticed Torino watching her.'Surely now you understand why the Holy Mother Church must claim it,' he said.'No religion may claim it. It's far greater than any church. Whoever sees this glorious jewel of creation whether Christian, Jew or Muslim will see their G.o.d reflected in it, and that's how it should be.' It dawned on her then that religion was merely a language. How we spoke with G.o.d depended on which culture we were born into. Nothing more. Nothing less.As Zeb Quinn stared wordlessly at the monolith she knew, with utter certainty, that the object before her had nothing to do with any abstract G.o.d but with Gaia. When people talked about climate change, global warming, acid rain and every other ecological concern it all boiled down to one thing: keeping Mother Earth alive, keeping her heart beating. This pulsing crystalline rock, with its tree-like growth, was nothing less than Gaia's beating heart, the engine of life that drove all that was good on Mother Earth.She considered mankind's unique and contradictory position as the one species capable of both protecting and destroying Mother Earth. This pulsing rock epitomized humanity's stark choice: either to nurture the mother that had given it life, or to exploit her.As a doctor, Nigel Hackett saw nothing remotely religious or spiritual in the monolith, but he was no less awestruck by it. The monolith's significance was so immense that he felt no need to overlay it with G.o.d or Gaia. To him, this was simply the point of origin for all life on the planet, the first genotype, containing the original building blocks and base genetic instructions that had led ultimately to humanity's current genetic programming: DNA. He could feel the radioactive charge in the air and wondered what level a Geiger counter would show. He knew that radioactivity had the power to affect DNA; it was infamous for causing cancers. So it wasn't a great leap to see how this incredible rock might positively affect the human genome repair it, create it.As he watched the water rushing over the monolith's surface, washing microscopic elements of its essence into the pool beneath it, then down the stream in the tunnel to the lake in the garden, he could only marvel at its power. If just this dilute contact with water was enough to create the miraculous garden and all its creatures, and engender the crystals that encrusted the tunnel to the antechamber, it was no surprise that it had once seeded a whole planet. And when he looked at the hydra-like growth he wondered how long it had been growing from the crystal its branches or arms probably extended throughout the cave system. A sudden insight came to him then, heaping wonder upon wonder: the hydra might be the oldest living organism on the planet, as old as life itself, a multicellular creature that continued to evolve within its own lifetime and need never die.Anger intruded on Hackett's awe. How could Torino use something as wonderful as this to bolster his superst.i.tious belief in an invisible G.o.d? Far from proving G.o.d's existence, Hackett believed this amazing ent.i.ty proved that nature was miraculous. However, as he absorbed its shimmering beauty, he said none of this. His words would be wasted on Torino. Instead he told himself to feel grateful that he had at least seen this wonder.Torino turned to Bazin and the soldiers. 'We'll go back now and finalize plans for when we leave this place. And I need a rock hammer.' He indicated the monolith the Source. 'I want a sample.''We didn't bring one,' said Fleischer.'Dr Kelly was a geologist. Look in his backpack. He may have something.'Bazin glanced at Hackett and the others. 'What about them?''You know what to do.'

71

Twenty minutes laterf.u.c.k, f.u.c.k, f.u.c.k.Zeb was amazed by how quickly the most intense sense of wonder could evaporate in the face of imminent danger. From being transfixed by the Source, she was now too busy panicking to give it a second thought. She still couldn't believe that Torino, Bazin and the soldiers had left them tethered to a rock near the blood-and-viscera-splattered worm holes, then continued down the tunnel with the nymphs.'What if those things come back?' she had shouted after them. 'What if others come?' As she'd watched their backs disappear down the tunnel she had known the answer and, sure enough, ten minutes later, she could hear the rock around her whispering.f.u.c.k. f.u.c.k. f.u.c.k.'Hurry, Nigel, hurry. They're coming back.' The place was like a charnel house from the earlier slaughter but Hackett seemed oblivious of the mess as he knelt between them, holding the rope in his bound hands, sawing it against the sharpest edge of the rock.'Hurry, Nigel! Hurry!' Sister Chantal pressed.'What a good idea,' Hackett said drily, through gritted teeth, fingers working furiously. 'That had never occurred to me.' He had already tried to untangle the knot but with bound hands it had been impossible. Zeb could see that some of the fraying rope strands had parted but plenty more were still intact.'We're running out of time,' she said. 'They're coming.''I know,' said Hackett. 'I can hear them. What exactly exactly do you suggest I do that I'm not doing now?' do you suggest I do that I'm not doing now?''Bite it!' snapped Sister Chantal.Hackett kept sawing the rope against the rock. More strands parted, but the whispering was harsher and louder. Zeb's knees turned to jelly as she imagined the worms' rough carapaces rasping against the rock. All she could think about was whether it would be better to be devoured first, or watch Nigel and Sister Chantal torn to pieces before her. The noise increased and the surrounding rock shook.Zeb had a sudden desire to fill these precious moments with human warmth before pain and death claimed her: to pull Nigel away from his futile task and kiss him on the lips, then hug Sister Chantal close. She wanted to tell them how important they had become to her especially the Englishman.'Almost there,' said Hackett, stubbornly refusing to give in.She could smell the creatures now as they rushed through the warm, confined s.p.a.ce: rancid and fetid. She glanced down at the rope. Hackett had made good progress but when he pulled at the remaining strands they held firm.'b.u.g.g.e.r,' he said, then continued to saw.She spied movement in three of the deepest holes, all at head height. Mesmerized, she watched three pairs of red eyes racing towards her one straight at her face. Such was her terror that she didn't even try to move out of the way there was no point. All she could do was rasp, 'I can see them. They're here.'For the first time, Hackett looked up from his task. Despite her shock, she marvelled at his expression when he saw the creatures. He didn't exhibit the terror she felt or the horror she saw on Sister Chantal's face. He looked annoyed, as if the worms weren't playing fair. Then he went back to his task.'Break, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Break.'Even if Hackett cut the rope now the creatures were too close. She saw Sister Chantal start to pray. Zeb wanted to look away, but couldn't. She felt compelled to see what was about to kill her.'Done it,' said Hackett, pulling the rope apart. Zeb detected a note of satisfaction in his voice, even though it was too late and they were seconds from death. She felt his hand take hers and squeeze. 'It's okay,' he said. 'We're all in this together.' He spoke with such composure that he almost calmed her.When the first worm rifled out of the hole she closed her eyes and braced herself. Her antic.i.p.ation was so intense that she didn't hear the sound at first. It was only when the attack didn't materialize that she became aware of the chanting. She opened her eyes. The worms had retreated into their holes and were now motionless.The nymphs have returned, she thought, and looked down the tunnel, expecting to see Torino and the soldiers coming back. Sister Chantal raised her bound hands and pointed frantically towards one of the dark pa.s.sages by the holes. Zeb saw an indistinct figure chanting the calming incantation and beckoning to them. She registered the staring rock worms and shuddered at the prospect of seeking refuge in their black, infested warren. No one wanted to enter the dragons' lair.Then she heard more chanting coming from the tunnel of blood. Torino was returning with his nymphs in harness. 'The others are coming back,' said Hackett. 'We can't let them find us.'They had no choice now. Zeb and the others ran into the dark pa.s.sage. In the gloom, the shadowy figure stopped chanting, reached out and cut their wrist ties. 'Come with me,' a voice said, and led them into the darkness. 'I know another way down.'Zeb gasped. It was impossible. Bazin had shot him and the worms had devoured him. Torino had told them as much. And yet, as his strong hand gripped hers and pulled her deeper into the pa.s.sage, Ross Kelly didn't sound dead. On the contrary, he sounded and felt very much alive.

72

As they descended the dark pa.s.sageway, Sister Chantal heard more shooting behind them. But she didn't care. Ross was alive. All was not lost.'Must be killing more of the worms,' Hackett hissed. 'The b.a.s.t.a.r.ds probably think they've eaten us.' He reached out for Ross. 'Torino said they'd eaten you you. I can't believe you're alive. What happened?''Yes,' said Zeb. 'I thought-'Ross put his fingers to his lips and resumed chanting. Then he pointed into the gloom. On each side of the dark pa.s.sageway there were even darker fissures and side pa.s.sages. Red eyes watched as they pa.s.sed and Sister Chantal could almost hear the creatures breathing. The others might be desperate to know what had happened to him, but she felt no need for questions. Somehow the Source had saved him and that was enough for her.His miraculous resurrection was a sign from G.o.d that she could still fulfil her sacred oath. She clutched the crucifix Father Orlando had given her and smiled at the demons in the dark.Do the dead dream? Do they have thoughts and feel emotion? mused Ross, as he continued to chant and led the others down the dark pa.s.sages to the antechamber. mused Ross, as he continued to chant and led the others down the dark pa.s.sages to the antechamber.They must, he concluded, as his mind drifted back to the Source, to when he had died and looked down upon his body . . .He feels no pain or grief as, from above, he watches the nymphs strip off his clothes and lower his naked body into the small pool beneath the off his clothes and lower his naked body into the small pool beneath the monolith and the hydra. He floats in the mineral-rich water, like a monolith and the hydra. He floats in the mineral-rich water, like a bather in the Dead Sea, as the bullet wound on his chest and the larger bather in the Dead Sea, as the bullet wound on his chest and the larger exit wound on his back bloom rose-red in the milky water. exit wound on his back bloom rose-red in the milky water.The nymphs, at least twenty, form a semicircle round the monolith, as though in worship. Some of its facets remind Ross of the metallic, as though in worship. Some of its facets remind Ross of the metallic, phosphorous-rich Schreibersite meteor-stone he gave Lauren after his phosphorous-rich Schreibersite meteor-stone he gave Lauren after his last trip to Uzbekistan but every other aspect of it is unique, unlike last trip to Uzbekistan but every other aspect of it is unique, unlike anything he has seen in all his years of geology. anything he has seen in all his years of geology.The nymphs begin a new chant, high and pure, which makes the monolith vibrate. Then a small section of its crust cracks and shears off monolith vibrate. Then a small section of its crust cracks and shears off to reveal clear crystal, which quickly clouds, like metal oxidizing. As the to reveal clear crystal, which quickly clouds, like metal oxidizing. As the segment falls into the pool and breaks into perfectly regular shapes the segment falls into the pool and breaks into perfectly regular shapes the nymphs step back. The water fizzes and bubbles like a witch's potion nymphs step back. The water fizzes and bubbles like a witch's potion and, as Ross's head sinks below the surface, his perspective changes. He and, as Ross's head sinks below the surface, his perspective changes. He is no longer in the chamber looking down on himself: he is staring out is no longer in the chamber looking down on himself: he is staring out at an endless horizon, unlimited by s.p.a.ce or time. He had read once at an endless horizon, unlimited by s.p.a.ce or time. He had read once that a dying man's life flashes before him in his last moments, but in that a dying man's life flashes before him in his last moments, but in this instance the curtain of time draws back and the history of all life this instance the curtain of time draws back and the history of all life flashes before him. He sees everything from the birth of the planet 4.5 flashes before him. He sees everything from the birth of the planet 4.5 billion years ago to the present with G.o.dlike intuition. billion years ago to the present with G.o.dlike intuition.He can see hundreds and thousands of meteorites raining down from the heavens, scarring and deforming the Earth's barren crust. Until one the heavens, scarring and deforming the Earth's barren crust. Until one seminal meteorite with exactly the right amalgam of amino acids. .h.i.ts seminal meteorite with exactly the right amalgam of amino acids. .h.i.ts a section of crust containing the a section of crust containing the perfect perfect complementary mix of chemicals, complementary mix of chemicals, heat and water. The ma.s.sive energy generated by this unique heat and water. The ma.s.sive energy generated by this unique marriage of amino-acid-rich meteorite and receptive Mother Earth marriage of amino-acid-rich meteorite and receptive Mother Earth fuses the donor amino acids into peptides only a step away from lifegiving fuses the donor amino acids into peptides only a step away from lifegiving proteins and creates a miraculous progeny: the monolith. proteins and creates a miraculous progeny: the monolith.They say that water plus chemistry equals biology. In this instance, water catalyses the monolith's life-giving properties, seeding bacteria, water catalyses the monolith's life-giving properties, seeding bacteria, germinating the hydra, and helping spread the spores of life across the germinating the hydra, and helping spread the spores of life across the globe. He sees the hydra begin as a single-cell bacterium then evolve to globe. He sees the hydra begin as a single-cell bacterium then evolve to encompa.s.s all life forms fauna, flora and mineral in one organism, encompa.s.s all life forms fauna, flora and mineral in one organism, in one epic lifetime. He now understands why Father Orlando called in one epic lifetime. He now understands why Father Orlando called it the Tree of Life and Death: it embodies every facet of existence. it the Tree of Life and Death: it embodies every facet of existence.He witnesses the moment, millions of years ago, when the Source and its garden are eventually cordoned off by lava and sealed in volcanic its garden are eventually cordoned off by lava and sealed in volcanic rock. By then, however, the genie has escaped from the bottle. The last rock. By then, however, the genie has escaped from the bottle. The last outpost to benefit directly from and need the Source's miraculous outpost to benefit directly from and need the Source's miraculous power is the fountain in the doomed lost city. All other life on earth has power is the fountain in the doomed lost city. All other life on earth has long since learnt to adapt outside its...o...b..t, upgrading its original long since learnt to adapt outside its...o...b..t, upgrading its original genetic instructions to the more self-sufficient DNA. Only the garden genetic instructions to the more self-sufficient DNA. Only the garden and its inhabitants now depend on the Source's concentrated life force and its inhabitants now depend on the Source's concentrated life force to survive. to survive.Time rushes forward to Pizarro's conquest of Peru half a millennium ago. Ross sees the conquistadors and the Church lay claim and waste to ago. Ross sees the conquistadors and the Church lay claim and waste to the jungle and its inhabitants, exploiting what they can. Then he the jungle and its inhabitants, exploiting what they can. Then he witnesses the loggers and the oil companies follow in their destructive witnesses the loggers and the oil companies follow in their destructive footsteps. When Ross considers how he has served the oil companies, footsteps. When Ross considers how he has served the oil companies, without thinking or caring about the consequences to the planet, overwhelming without thinking or caring about the consequences to the planet, overwhelming shame washes through him. shame washes through him.So this is what happens when you die, he thinks. There's no G.o.d or Devil, no Heaven or h.e.l.l, only a final reckoning with your conscience, Devil, no Heaven or h.e.l.l, only a final reckoning with your conscience, when all lies are stripped away and you feel the collective pain of all when all lies are stripped away and you feel the collective pain of all those you've wronged and the collective joy of those you've helped. those you've wronged and the collective joy of those you've helped.Suddenly the nymph with red flowers in its hair appears before him, stroking its distended abdomen. It begins to speak in a disconcertingly stroking its distended abdomen. It begins to speak in a disconcertingly familiar voice, listing Ross's actions, good and bad, as if it knows his familiar voice, listing Ross's actions, good and bad, as if it knows his innermost thoughts and motives. As it recounts his balance sheet of innermost thoughts and motives. As it recounts his balance sheet of deeds, the nymph morphs into his wife. Lauren stands before him, deeds, the nymph morphs into his wife. Lauren stands before him, naked, beautiful, stroking her pregnant belly. naked, beautiful, stroking her pregnant belly.'Are we dead?' he asks.With a heartbreaking smile, she tells him that deeds are everything and that he can still make amends for any wrongdoing. and that he can still make amends for any wrongdoing.'How? What do you want me to do?''I love you, Ross, and I know you love me, but there's something you must promise me you'll do.' must promise me you'll do.'When she tells him he begins to cry. 'But I can't do that.''You can, Ross, and you must. This is important. Promise me.'He tries to argue with her but it makes no difference. Deep down, after self-interest and self-delusion have been stripped away, he knows after self-interest and self-delusion have been stripped away, he knows he has no choice. 'I promise,' he says. he has no choice. 'I promise,' he says.Suddenly he's choking. He can't breathe. A wave of panic rushes through him. He tries to open his eyes but they sting as though bathed through him. He tries to open his eyes but they sting as though bathed in acid. A reflex makes him swallow. He retches and sits upright, gasping in acid. A reflex makes him swallow. He retches and sits upright, gasping for air. He opens his eyes again and the stinging is gone. He is for air. He opens his eyes again and the stinging is gone. He is sitting in the pool in the middle of the chamber. And he is alone. sitting in the pool in the middle of the chamber. And he is alone.He looks up at the looming hydra and crystalline monolith, then down at the pool. There is a strong mineral taste in his mouth. The down at the pool. There is a strong mineral taste in his mouth. The water is less cloudy than before, almost clear, and it is no longer water is less cloudy than before, almost clear, and it is no longer bubbling. He has no idea how long he has been lying there but as he bubbling. He has no idea how long he has been lying there but as he looks down at his chest he knows one thing with cold certainty: he is no looks down at his chest he knows one thing with cold certainty: he is no longer dead. Or dying. longer dead. Or dying.He feels his chest, unable to find any trace of where the bullet entered his body, pierced his heart and exited his back. Sister Chantal claims to his body, pierced his heart and exited his back. Sister Chantal claims to have subsisted for centuries by visiting the garden's lake, and taking have subsisted for centuries by visiting the garden's lake, and taking away crystals from the tunnel. These by-products of the Source have away crystals from the tunnel. These by-products of the Source have limits, though: Weber died, even though he was immersed in the lake. limits, though: Weber died, even though he was immersed in the lake. Ross, though, has supped directly from the source of life. It has brought Ross, though, has supped directly from the source of life. It has brought him back from death. He is sure of it. him back from death. He is sure of it.He stands up, as naked as the day he was born, and climbs out of the pool. Studying where the water flows into the chamber, his caving the pool. Studying where the water flows into the chamber, his caving experience tells him it will lead eventually to the surface. His clothes lie experience tells him it will lead eventually to the surface. His clothes lie beside the pool and he can see samples of healing crystals everywhere. beside the pool and he can see samples of healing crystals everywhere. Though inferior to the Source, they appear brighter than those in the Though inferior to the Source, they appear brighter than those in the tunnel, which Sister Chantal is confident can cure Lauren. He can tunnel, which Sister Chantal is confident can cure Lauren. He can easily take one, climb out and escape. Within weeks he will be at easily take one, climb out and escape. Within weeks he will be at Lauren's side with the means to save her and their child. He can have Lauren's side with the means to save her and their child. He can have everything he wants, everything he dreamed of when he embarked on everything he wants, everything he dreamed of when he embarked on this insane quest . . . this insane quest . . .Nevertheless, as Ross emerged with the others from the dark pa.s.sageway into the relative light of the caves behind the ante- chamber, he knew he had received the gift of life so that he could fulfil the vow he had made to Lauren when he had died if that was what had happened to him. Even if it had been only his conscience speaking, he knew that his vow reflected Lauren's thoughts and desires. He stopped chanting and Zeb touched him as if to check he was real. 'What happened to you?' she whispered. He heard the awe in her voice. 'The Superior General told us Marco shot you through the heart.''He did.''He said you were dead,' she said.'I was.''I don't understand,' said Hackett. 'They said the nymphs fed you to the worms.'Ross pointed to the white shapes flitting in the shadows. 'They took me to the Source.'Sister Chantal smiled. 'It brought you back.''Yes.' As Ross led them to the antechamber he explained all that had happened to him. 'When Torino entered the chamber I slipped out of the back exit into the dark pa.s.sageways, which eventually led to you.'There was a pause, then Hackett said, 'You could have escaped. You could have got out and saved your wife. Why didn't you?''Too much unfinished business here.''But you could have cured Lauren,' said Sister Chantal. She sounded angry. 'That was why I brought you here. So she could be the new Keeper.''The Keeper of what?' said Ross. 'By the time I got to Lauren's bedside, the Superior General would have killed all of you and gained control of the Source.' He turned in the gloom and put his face near the nun's. 'And he'd have destroyed the garden. Wiped it off the face of the Earth.''What?' said Sister Chantal, horrified. 'He wouldn't do that.''Why not? You yourself said it embarra.s.sed the Church, raised too many questions. The point is, Lauren would never forgive me for letting that happen. I led Torino here. I'm responsible. I must stop him.''You sure he's going to destroy the garden?' said Zeb.'Not just the garden. Every living thing, except the Source. Those yellow parcels the soldiers brought are incendiary devices firebombs. I've seen stuff like that used to clear ground for oil exploration.'Hackett frowned as they pa.s.sed the ledge by the magma pool and the broken bridge. 'I can see how he might napalm the garden and kill everything in it. But how's he going to kill the nymphs and rock worms and those?' He pointed at the tubular tentacles running along the walls.'His soldiers just need to place a few incendiary devices throughout the tunnels. Thermite generates huge temperatures over a thousand degrees and in these confined s.p.a.ces a fireball would destroy everything. Now they've thinned out the worms they could conceivably get close enough to do the same thing with them. The Source would be untouched but everything else would be purged.'Sister Chantal shuddered. 'So what do we do?' she said.He smiled at her. 'It's time to stop being the pa.s.sive Keeper of the Garden and waiting for the cavalry to come. We are are the cavalry. It's up to us to stop Torino abusing this place particularly the Source.' He turned to Hackett and Zeb. 'What about you guys? I know it's not really your fight-' the cavalry. It's up to us to stop Torino abusing this place particularly the Source.' He turned to Hackett and Zeb. 'What about you guys? I know it's not really your fight-''b.o.l.l.o.c.ks,' said Hackett. 'Of course it's my b.l.o.o.d.y fight. I'm not letting some arrogant priest control what I saw up there. Count me in.''Me too,' said Zeb. 'You're not having all the fun, Ross, just because you finally jumped on the conservation bandwagon. I've always always been on it.' been on it.'

73

As they headed for the glow of the antechamber, a throng of nymphs appeared, silhouetted against the light. Ross heard an electronic crackle and a man's voice. He gestured for the others to be quiet and pushed them into a recess. Although they were together again, united behind a single purpose, he still wasn't sure how they could stop four trained, armed killers and a fanatical priest convinced he was on a mission from G.o.d. Peering out, past the nymphs, he saw a soldier talking into his short-wave radio. He was alone, laden with a flame-thrower and a bulging backpack. 'There are about ten of them,' the soldier was saying. 'Probably more in the tunnels behind them. Over.''Disperse them with the flame-thrower, Gerber, then place the charges,' said a crackly voice. 'Don't worry. So long as you have the flame-thrower, you're safe.''I can handle them,' said the soldier, curtly. 'Over.''Then handle it. Out.'There was a click, then a roar of flame. The man laughed as the nymphs turned and ran. The one with the red flowers tore past Ross in a blind panic, heading for the dark tunnels. The soldier followed, throwing out bursts of flame. 'Run, you f.u.c.kers,' he shouted. 'Pest Control's here. You can run but you can't hide.'Ross and the others pressed themselves deeper into the recess. As the soldier pa.s.sed, Ross held his breath. He didn't allow himself to think about what he was going to do next. He just acted. He leapt on the soldier's backpack and pulled back with all his weight and strength. The other man was strong and for a few seconds he supported Ross's weight as well as the c.u.mbersome backpack and the flame-thrower fuel canisters.Then he grunted and fell on to his back.Hackett leapt on him and wrestled the flame-thrower nozzle from his hands. Zeb grabbed for his radio and pulled it from his fingers. Even Sister Chantal held down one of his legs. Between them they peeled off the backpack and flame-thrower. The soldier struggled and cried out but when he saw Ross take his gun he froze. 'You're dead.'Ross levelled the pistol at the man's head. 'Apparently not.''But the Superior General saw you die. He said the nymphs took you to the worms.''You can't trust everything he says. By the way, where is the Superior General, Gerber? And where's Marco Bazin and the other soldiers?'Gerber spat at him. 'You're all going to die.'Zeb kicked him hard in the genitals. He doubled up and she c.o.c.ked her leg ready to kick him again. He pointed to the tunnel.'They're up there?'A nod.'All of them?'Another nod.Ross saw the nymphs closing in. There were more than before. Many more. His friend with the red flowers was in the vanguard. 'Can you defuse the incendiaries in the garden, Nigel?''If you tell me how.'Ross took a yellow parcel from Gerber's backpack and pointed at two pegs sticking out of it. 'Just remove these detonators. It takes an incredibly high temperature to activate this mixture and without the detonators the stuff 's pretty inert. But you'll need to remove them from every parcel in each stack. Only one needs to go off to generate the necessary heat to ignite the others.''I'll come with you,' said Zeb.The nymphs were pressing closer and Ross felt something touch his arm. The nymph with the red flowers pulled at him and pointed away. Nymphs were shepherding the others away too. When he and Hackett grabbed Gerber the nymphs reacted angrily, exposing their razor-sharp teeth the same powerful teeth Ross had seen chewing through crystal rock.'I think they want us to leave him to their tender mercies,' said Zeb, as two nymphs pushed her and Sister Chantal away.'We can't do that,' said Ross.'I don't think we've got much choice, unless you want to start firing at them,' said Hackett. 'And considering they saved your life I wouldn't recommend it.' The nymphs reached for the terrified soldier and began to drag him away.'Help me!' Gerber begged. 'I was only doing what the Superior General told me to.''Just obeying orders, eh?' said Hackett, gathering up Gerber's backpack and the flame-thrower. 'Where have I heard that before?'Ross held on for a moment longer but the red-flower nymph and others kept pushing him until he had to release his grip. He weighed the pistol in his hand but knew he wouldn't use it against them. For a long while, he stared into the dark, listening to Gerber's screams echoing in the tunnels.Hackett was the first to speak. His face was pale. 'Ross, what are you going to do while Zeb and I defuse the incendiaries?'Ross pointed back to where they had come from. 'I'm going to stop the Superior General carving up the Source.''I'll come with you,' said Sister Chantal.Ross was about to protest until he saw the look in her eyes. She had as great a stake in this as he did if not greater. 'You sure?''I'm sure.'As they wished each other good luck and prepared to go their separate ways, Zeb gripped Ross's hand and kissed his cheek. 'Lauren would be proud of you,' she said.'I hope so,' he said.As Hackett and Zeb set off for the garden, Ross and Sister Chantal retraced their steps into the dark recesses of the antechamber, grateful that Gerber's screams had finally stopped.

74

Torino was convinced he was about to touch the face of G.o.d. As he stood in the crystal chamber and reached for the Source his hands trembled. The fizzing static round the monolith was so strong that the air had acquired a palpable texture. He pushed harder and encountered more resistance until, six inches from its surface, his fingers seemed to meet an invisible barrier. The harder he pushed, the stronger the resistance. When he pulled his hand back and thrust it at the rock, it was deflected with such force that the air seemed to ripple outwards. The hydra shook and the ground trembled.He studied the falling water. It made direct contact with the Source so why couldn't he? It was as if his body shared the same polarity as the magnetic rock. He tried again but this time he moved his hand slowly towards it. He still sensed resistance but the less he pushed the weaker it became until, finally, he felt the rock beneath his fingertips. He pulled his hand away: the smooth surface was hot and live with electricity. The feeling of power was overwhelming. His whole body shook and his fingertips were inflamed.'Is everything okay, Father General?'Fleischer and Petersen were waiting at the entrance with the two bound nymphs. 'Everything's fine, Feldwebel. Please hand me the rock hammer.''You need any help?''No.' Suddenly he felt self-conscious. 'Wait outside in the tunnel. I'll call if I need you.'He waited till he was alone, then slowly pressed the sharp end of the hammer to the stone. The contact point sparked and again he noticed the disturbance beneath his feet. He raised the hammer and gently tapped the surface. The monolith pulsed, the hydra writhed like an angry serpent and a shock went up his arm. The two nymphs outside screamed at a pitch so high it hurt his ears.'Shut them up!' he shouted to Fleischer.He studied the surface of the monolith, found a raised slab of crust where the hydra grew out of the rock and angled the tip of the hammer against it. A few firm taps should chip it off. He took a deep breath, spread his legs for balance, then raised the hammer.'I wouldn't do that if I were you.' The stern, familiar voice stopped him mid-blow.He turned slowly to the far end of the cave, to the dark exit. Sister Chantal stood in the shadows watching him, but the voice that had raised the hairs on the back of his neck belonged to the ghost in front of her.'You're dead,' Torino stuttered, throat dry. 'I saw the blood. I saw the bullet hit you.'Kelly pointed to the hole in his bloodstained shirt directly over his heart. His eyes burnt with anger. 'It did hit me. I was was dead.' He gestured at the Source. 'But that brought me back.' Torino didn't move as Kelly walked over to him, reached for his right hand and placed it on his chest. 'If you doubt me, feel my wound.' He turned to reveal an even bigger hole in the back of his shirt. dead.' He gestured at the Source. 'But that brought me back.' Torino didn't move as Kelly walked over to him, reached for his right hand and placed it on his chest. 'If you doubt me, feel my wound.' He turned to reveal an even bigger hole in the back of his shirt.Torino dropped the hammer and put his finger through the holes in Kelly's shirt. There was no wound in his chest or back. Not even a scar. It was as if he had never been shot. Yet Torino had seen seen the high-velocity bullet pierce his chest and Bazin, the professional killer, had sworn it was a death-shot. 'I saw the nymphs take you-' the high-velocity bullet pierce his chest and Bazin, the professional killer, had sworn it was a death-shot. 'I saw the nymphs take you-''They brought me here.' Kelly pointed to the pool at the foot of the monolith. 'They immersed my body in there and fed me from the Source.''You drank directly from it?' For all the miracles he had seen in the garden this was something infinitely more significant. Kelly hadn't merely been cured of some fracture or illness. He had been resurrected. Despite his shock, Kelly's appearance excited him: it confirmed the ultimate power of the Source. 'G.o.d is merciful, Dr Kelly. He gave you a second chance. You must must appreciate His power now, and understand there's more to life than science.' appreciate His power now, and understand there's more to life than science.'Kelly expressed a small, humourless laugh. 'You must understand there's more to life than religion. This rock the Source is far more important than any church.' must understand there's more to life than religion. This rock the Source is far more important than any church.'Torino was appalled by the man's arrogance. 'More important than the Holy Mother Church?'Kelly stepped forward. He held a pistol in his right hand. 'Of course it's more important. About four billion years ago the biggest miracle on Earth, perhaps in the entire universe, happened here. This monolith, the Source, was born of a unique life-sparking impact. Before that seminal moment, this planet was an unremarkable, charred rock bombarded by meteorites in a remote backwater of s.p.a.ce. The seeds of life were sown on this exact spot. This is as close to sacred ground as it gets. But it's got nothing to do with religion or G.o.d. For most of the last four billion years, life evolved quite happily without religion or us. Then, in the last hundred thousand years or so, we arrived and our consciousness hungered to explain the things we couldn't understand, including our own existence. So we created religion. We created G.o.d.'First, we worshipped the sun and the moon. Then we made our G.o.ds up. The Greeks and Romans had one for everything. Finally, a few thousand years ago, Abraham had a revelation: there was only one one G.o.d. But even this single G.o.d seeded G.o.d. But even this single G.o.d seeded three three distinct religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Each divided again, with each subdivision claiming that they, and they alone, worshipped the one true G.o.d. If that doesn't sound man-made then I don't know what does. distinct religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Each divided again, with each subdivision claiming that they, and they alone, worshipped the one true G.o.d. If that doesn't sound man-made then I don't know what does.'Father General, your Christ appeared on the timeline a mere two thousand years ago, less than a microsecond in the context of the history of life on this planet.' He pointed at the monolith. 'Yet you put your religion before something that's not only been here since the dawn of life, but was its genesis. Its powers are greater than any invisible G.o.d's. If anything's worth worshipping, this is it. So don't tamper with it or exploit it. Respect it. Protect it.'Torino was incensed by the scientist's blinkered arrogance. 'How can you you understand the power of faith and the need for religion?' understand the power of faith and the need for religion?''I do do understand. My religion was Big Oil. I had total faith in its power: without it there'd be no fuel, no plastics, computers, paints, golf b.a.l.l.s everything vital for the prosperity of modern civilization. My dogma was simple. Find more oil at any cost. Nothing was more important. I didn't care about the consequences even though my wife continually challenged me. I didn't care that oil, which had taken millions of years to create, would be consumed within a few hundred years of man's discovering it. After all, man had total dominion over the world. Our G.o.d gave it to us to do with it as we wished. Isn't that what all religions claim?' understand. My religion was Big Oil. I had total faith in its power: without it there'd be no fuel, no plastics, computers, paints, golf b.a.l.l.s everything vital for the prosperity of modern civilization. My dogma was simple. Find more oil at any cost. Nothing was more important. I didn't care about the consequences even though my wife continually challenged me. I didn't care that oil, which had taken millions of years to create, would be consumed within a few hundred years of man's discovering it. After all, man had total dominion over the world. Our G.o.d gave it to us to do with it as we wished. Isn't that what all religions claim?'Torino was growing weary of this. 'You're a hypocrite. You talk about protecting the Source, Dr Kelly, yet you're happy to exploit it to save your wife.' He glanced at the tunnel and shouted, 'Feldwebel, I need your help.'When Fleischer appeared and saw Kelly he did a double-take and raised his submachine-gun. Kelly, however, had already levelled his pistol at Torino's head. 'Perhaps I was a hypocrite,' he said evenly. 'But I have a proposal for you.'

75

Ross tried to ignore the black barrel of Fleischer's Heckler & Koch and keep his own gun steady. He had forced himself to remain calm while trying to reason with the man who had done so much harm to his wife and friends. However, he needed to summon all his reserves to voice what he needed to say next.He kept thinking of when he had died, when everything had been stripped away and Lauren had appeared before him. 'Ross,' she had said, frowning in that intense way of hers, 'you must protect the garden and the Source, whatever the cost. Not for for mankind but mankind but from from mankind.' She had then told him exactly what he must do and made him promise to do it. mankind.' She had then told him exactly what he must do and made him promise to do it.'So what's your proposal?' Torino asked.'Before Marco shot me, you told me I couldn't take one of the crystals with me because this place was more important than saving my wife.''Yes.''Perhaps you were right. I'll accept that this place might be more important than what I love most in the world. But only if you're prepared to do the same.'Torino said nothing.Ross swallowed. 'I vow to leave this place, take nothing from it and never speak of it to anyone ever again even though it means my wife and child will die.' He heard Sister Chantal exhale sharply behind him. 'And you must vow to do the same even though it means you and the Church can never exploit its miracles.'Torino laughed. 'You're seriously comparing your wife's life to the Holy Mother Church? You really think they have the same value?''No,' said Ross. 'Lauren's life is infinitely more valuable than any church. But I know you intend to destroy everything here except the Source, and I know Lauren would value this place above everything. If we leave this garden untouched, undiscovered, it need pose no threat to your precious doctrine.'Torino frowned. 'You must understand something, Dr Kelly. Not only is it my legal right to shape this place so it brings glory only to the Church, it's my duty duty. This is G.o.d's gift to the world, and it can only be fully appreciated through the Holy Mother Church. Ever since Rome established the Inst.i.tute of Miracles to show the hand of G.o.d in the world, the Holy Mother Church has been waiting for a gift like this. This sacred stone will allow us not only to validate miracles but create create them. By controlling miracles we'll make the entire world believe in G.o.d. There'll be no reason not to. This will bring salvation to every single person unite them under the one true G.o.d. Don't you understand, Dr Kelly? This sacred stone may have given life to this planet. It may have given birth to every one of G.o.d's children. But now it'll do something even more important. It will save their souls.' them. By controlling miracles we'll make the entire world believe in G.o.d. There'll be no reason not to. This will bring salvation to every single person unite them under the one true G.o.d. Don't you understand, Dr Kelly? This sacred stone may have given life to this planet. It may have given birth to every one of G.o.d's children. But now it'll do something even more important. It will save their souls.'Torino's blinkered need to twist everything to suit the Church reminded Ross of Pizarro's arrogant chaplain who had helped subdue the last Inca emperor in Cajamarca by a.s.serting that his only hope of salvation was to surrender his empire, swear allegiance to Jesus Christ and acknowledge himself a subject of Charles V.'Haven't you heard a word I've been saying?' he said. 'You're going to destroy the garden, and kill every living creature here, simply because it contradicts your church and your infallible pope. Don't you see how irrational that is? How ludicrous?''It's not ludicrous to protect faith. Purging this place is a small price to pay for saving the souls of all humanity. This garden including its living creatures is an unfortunate aberration that encourages meddling scientists like you to make irrelevant and confusing p.r.o.nouncements on evolution and creation. It creates distracting white noise that can and must be removed. Nothing must be allowed to give succour to our enemies. Even if you don't agree with my mission, you must understand it.''All I understand is that your faith must be very weak if it can't handle the truth.''My faith isn't the issue. It's the faith of others I must protect.' faith isn't the issue. It's the faith of others I must protect.''When you say "others", you mean those who prefer to think for themselves and come to their own conclusions, based on evidence. h.e.l.l, if a person's faith is strong enough they're not going to let this put them off. They'll just interpret it differently. Sister Chantal's faith is intact because she doesn't believe in the rigid way that you do.' Ross could no longer control his anger. The man was beyond reason. 'But, of course, that's why you can't trust your flock to see this. Your G.o.dd.a.m.n doctrine isn't about nurturing faith. It's about controlling controlling exactly how and what people believe.' exactly how and what people believe.'Torino's two-way radio crackled in his backpack and as he reached in to retrieve it Ross saw a black box: the detonator control for the incendiaries. The priest put the radio to his ear.Bazin's voice: 'I can't reach Gerber. But I can see Hackett and Quinn in the garden. They've got Gerber's stuff and they're heading for the incendiaries. I think they're trying to sabotage your contingency plan.'Torino's eyes never left Ross's. 'Stop them, Marco. Shoot them if you have to. I'll be down soon.' He clicked off the radio.Ross kept his gun levelled at Torino's head. 'You've told Marco it's a contingency plan? He still doesn't know what you intend to do?'Torino shrugged. 'We've talked enough.' He reached for the hammer and levelled it at the monolith.'That's not a good idea,' said Ross. He remembered how the nymphs had kept their distance from the Source and used the pitch of their voices to break off a fragment. He dreaded to think what would happen if brute force was used on it. 'Don't do it.''Why?' Torino sneered. 'Are you going to shoot me? Do you honestly think G.o.d has led me here and entrusted me with this sacred rock only to let you kill me?' He turned to Fleischer. 'Shoot him and and Sister Chantal if he tries to stop me.' Then, in a fluid movement, he brought the hammer down on the monolith, chipping off a slab of crust by the trunk of the hydra. Sister Chantal if he tries to stop me.' Then, in a fluid movement, he brought the hammer down on the monolith, chipping off a slab of crust by the trunk of the hydra.As it broke away from the Source, it set in train a series of events so fast they seemed to happen at once. A violent tremor rippled from the hydra's trunk, through its branches and throughout the chamber. The nymphs screamed. Ross leapt at Torino and pushed him to the floor. Fleischer fired at Ross or where Ross had been standing and missed. Ross rolled off Torino and shot Fleischer.Suddenly everything slowed down. Ross watched Fleischer crumple, finger still on the trigger, the Heckler & Koch spraying bullets as his body fell twisting to the ground, pointing the gun at the monolith. When the first bullet hit the Source, all h.e.l.l broke loose.A high-pitched scream rose from deep inside the cave system, as if every creature within it had been wounded by the attack on the Source. Ross clutched his head in agony, blood pouring from his ears. The hydra's trunk rippled and its tentacles flexed, fracturing the latticework of crystal encrusting the walls, shaking the cavern. As the flailing tentacles broke free they prised off chunks of the crystal, exposing dark apertures in the rock walls and ceiling. The remaining soldier, Petersen, appeared in the entrance and pointed his gun at Ross. For a second, Ross thought he was going to shoot, but when the soldier saw the flailing hydra, he ran back to the tunnel, into a swarm of nymphs rushing up to protect the Source. Ross watched him fire into them, cutting them down like barley, then disappear into the tunnel.The floor began to shake and when Ross looked back at the Source he saw why the soldier had run: red-eyed worms protruded from the dark recesses. It took him a second to register that they were part of the hydra, which he suddenly realized was one ma.s.sive organism that extended throughout the whole cave system. Not only were the worms part of it, but so were the tubular growths that ran through the caves behind the antechamber. The pods that nurtured the nymphs and the worms that devoured them were merely different parts of the same ent.i.ty: Father Orlando's Tree of Life and Death, embodying life in all its diverse forms. The colossal creature, whose roots lay deep in the Source, was probably as old as life.A chunk of crystal fell beside Ross, then other rocks, which had been supported by the crystal lattice, tottered and fell. Amid the chaos, protected by the hydra, the monolith itself stood serene and inviolate but for the fragment on the floor by Torino. As Torino reached for it, Ross threw himself at the priest, knocking him down, and picked it up. It glowed and shimmered in his hand as he looked towards the exit. Despite his vow to Lauren, the temptation to take it with him was overwhelming.Torino struggled to his feet and lunged at him. 'Give it to me. It belongs to G.o.d and the Church.'As Ross wrestled with him, trying to prise his hands off the stone, he heard his name: 'Ross!' Sister Chantal lay on the ground, clutching her belly. Ross glanced from the fragment in his hand to the exit, then back to Sister Chantal. It took him only a second to decide.He surrendered the fragment to Torino and rushed to her. She had been shot in the stomach by one of Fleischer's stray bullets. Blood oozed through her clasped hands, and more trickled from the side of her mouth. Oblivious of the chaos and her pain she stared at the glowing monolith. 'It's so beautiful. It's so beautiful,' she kept saying.Crouching, he lifted her and carried her through the falling debris to the healing pool. She began to struggle. 'No. Take me to