An intense electrostatic field was present in the Mexican cave, the deviation originating from the remains of the object that had struck the seafloor of the Gulf of Mexico 65 million years earlier. Unbeknownst to Lilith, her loud, reverberating chants had disturbed stored electrical energy from within the chamber’s quartz crystal walls, amplifying its electrostatic intensity. The effect scrambled the electrical impulses in Lilith’s brain, altering her theta wave state.

As she bellowed in the subterranean darkness, Lilith’s brain waves suddenly dropped below 6 Hz. Electricity crackled in her ears. Acid rose in her belly, smoldering in her nostrils like fumes from a funeral pyre.

Against this backdrop, she imagined a voice whispering into her mind:

I am all that you are. I am all that you shall be. Together we shall destroy our enemies and dethrone the tyrannical Yahweh.

‘Instruct me … Father.’

An icy presence caused her to open her eyes. In her schizophrenic delirium, she saw a mud brown mist envelop her, dwarfing her as it took shape.

Crimson red eyes.

Demonic ears, tapered back like a bat.

A muscular four-limbed torso, its bulk gyrating around her within the haze.

The devilish beast seemed to be inhaling her scent, its cold tongue lashing out to taste her flesh.

Delta waves took over, tugging Lilith toward unconsciousness as the demon’s rancid breath exhaled excrement into her feverish dementia.

I will guide you, Lilith.

I will lead you to Xibalba …

26

The Space Shuttle is the most effective device known
for destroying dollar bills.

—CONGRESSMAN DANA ROHRABACHER

NOVEMBER 22, 2033: UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI MAIN
CAMPUS, CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA

8:56 a.m.

The black stretch limousine is waiting for him outside the practice facility.

Samuel Agler takes a quick look around. Seeing no members of the media, he tosses his bag over his shoulder and jogs across the street, climbing in the backseat of the vehicle—

—failing to notice the maroon Chevy Corvette L-9 coupe parked at the end of the block.

Lauren Beckmeyer is in the cockpit of the slick roadster, watching as the limousine pulls into traffic. ‘Family emergency, my ass. Let’s see where you’re really going … and with whom!’

She activates the power switch, sending the sports car’s massive hydrogen fuel cells growling to life.

‘So, where are we headed?’ Sam glances at his mother, who is wearing a loose-fitting cream-colored bodysuit, made of the latest breathable fabric.

‘Cape Canaveral.’

‘GOLDEN FLEECE?’ A chill races down his spine. ‘Is this really necessary?’

‘For security purposes, yes.’

Up front, Mitchell Kurtz finishes programming the limo’s onboard navigation system, then adjusts his seat to a reclined position and closes his eyes. Ryan Beck is in the passenger seat beside him, engrossed in a game of Situational Combat Training—Level 4.

Kurtz opens his eyes. ‘Hey, Pep, I need my beauty sleep.’

‘Nag, nag.’ Without missing a beat, Beck reaches out a muscular arm, activating a soundproof barrier that sections off the front cab of the limo.