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Chapters (95)
  1. Title Page
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. 85
  87. 86
  88. 87
  89. 88
  90. 89
  91. 90
  92. 91
  93. 92
  94. Also by DAVID KLASS
  95. Copyright Page

“Your father and Kidah are trying to awaken and enlist that consciousness in their cause—to create a partnership in order to defeat me. I won’t let that happen. Sure, the damage I’m inflicting on the Amazon will have detrimental effects a thousand years from now, but it’s also a blow aimed squarely at the meddling consciousness of nature itself. I’m making it back off, so that we humans can fashion our own destiny. None of which will affect your world in the slightest. In your lifetime, the climate changes won’t kill you. The dearth of fresh water won’t hurt the richest countries. Nor will you miss the variety of frogs and snakes and beetles in this wilderness. So even if I win, you personally have nothing to lose. Which brings us to the question at hand. What shall I do with you?” He lets the question hang in the tangy air.

“I’m sure you’ve already decided.”

“Not completely,” he admits. “To work things out, we need to come closer, metaphorically and literally. So, young Jack, why don’t you take a few steps onto that footbridge?”

“Not till you tell me what’s in the water.”

“I thought you might hesitate. Perhaps this will change your mind,” he says, and pulls the black hood off the man standing behind him.

48

48

It’s not a torturer. Nor an executioner.

As the dark cowl comes off the immobile figure, long auburn hair cascades down. A pretty face looks back at me expressionlessly. Pale lips part but cannot speak. Two frightened hazel eyes plead for help. It’s P.J.—he’s hypnotized her or drugged her so that she can’t move, but I can tell she knows I’m there.

“P.J.!” I cry out. “Are you okay?”

“She’s fine,” the colonel assures me. “She struggled a bit, which made bringing her safely into this room rather difficult, so I restrained her for her own protection.”

For a second I lose control and nearly try to jump across the pool at him. “Let her go, you spidery bastard, or I’ll rip your heart out, if you even have a heart.”

He looks back at me, and places one hand behind P.J. “As a matter of fact, I do have a heart,” he informs me, “and it beats in pretty much the same rhythm as yours. The blood that flows through my veins is every bit as warm and red as your own. And there was a woman a thousand years from now whom I loved as much as you love this bright-eyed gamine, but she was taken away from me forever by your father and his so-called noble warriors.”