Solomon Adashek shakes the cobwebs from his brain. He rolls over on the kitchen floor—

—gazing up at Dominique Gabriel, who stands over him, her eyes breathing fire.

Raising the Katana high above her head, she rasps out a command, ‘Jacob, look away. Mommy doesn’t want you to see this.’

Jacob stares, his azure-blue eyes widening in glee as his mother’s Katana loops downward in one magnificent slash, separating Solomon Adashek’s head from his body.

PART 5
ADOLESCENCE

Nothing in life is to be feared, only understood.

—MADAME MARIE CURIE

Discipline is the highest form of intelligence.

—ENNIS CHANEY

13
SEVEN YEARS LATER

OCTOBER 23, 2027: GABRIEL COMPOUND, LONGBOAT KEY, FLORIDA

The government-appointed psychiatrist continues jotting down notes on a smart-pad, his presence in Dominique’s living room more than a bit unnerving. ‘Go on, Mrs. Gabriel.’

Dominique’s hand quivers as she tucks her hair behind her ears. ‘Jacob thinks he’s Superman, and a few of his trainers—you know, all the Smith and Jones CIA guys, I think they encourage it. Jake’s ego’s out of hand, and God help you if you try to argue with him, unless you want an earful about Mayan Under Lords and Death Gods. He quotes endless passages from the goddam Popol Vuh. Xibalba this and Xibalba that—’

‘Xibalba?’ Dr. Shyam Tanna looks up from his smart-pad. ‘Please, what is Xibalba?’

‘The Mayan Underworld, a place he’s convinced his father was exiled to. This is all my fault. I was so stupid, letting his Aunt Evelyn brainwash me. I never should have given Jake his grandfather’s journal or let him read all that Mayan mumbo jumbo. I created a … a Mayan monster.’

‘Mrs. Gabriel, while Jacob’s fantasies concern me, my primary reason in seeing you today was to talk to you about your son’s I.Q. To say it’s way off the scale is almost an insult to Jacob.’

‘I know. His brain’s like a sponge, it absorbs everything.’

‘Of that I have no doubt. However, it is this Hunahpu gene that causes us the greatest concern. Extensive analysis of the chromosomes affected by the gene indicate that Jacob’s condition lends itself to an extreme form of schizophrenia. Now, I’ve taken the time to review his father’s medical records and—’

‘Mick wasn’t schizophrenic!’

‘He was diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic by two major institutions.’

‘It was all a setup. Pierre Borgia wanted him put away permanently.’

‘Perhaps. But consider the possibility that Michael Gabriel showed signs of oncoming dementia—signs that, emotionally, your heart refused to allow you to see. And with Jacob, the Hunahpu gene appears much more dominant.’

‘What are you telling me? That I should institutionalize my son?’

‘If not now, then at the first sign of dementia.’

‘Forget it, I won’t do it, and he’d never stand for it anyway.’