The Mayan Resurrection (73 page)

Ken Mulder locks eyes with Lilith. ‘We have Dave Mohr.’

For the briefest of moments, the female Hunahpu’s eyes radiate a burnt orange.

Ben Merchant, reclining on one of the sofas, sits up. ‘Dave Mohr? Now there’s a name I haven’t heard for quite some time. Wasn’t he the head of that defunct MJ-12 project?’

‘Golden Fleece.’ Mulder strains to remain on his toes. ‘His wife was aboard the cruise ship that sank last week. We intercepted their communication just before the vessel went down with all hands aboard. Dr. Mohr’s in custody, off the grid. He’s been … talkative.’

Lilith circles behind the chief of staff. ‘I’m listening.’

‘Mohr told us all about this Hunahpu gene. The Gabriel twins had it, you have it, too. And your son.’

‘Tell me something I don’t know.’

‘Jacob’s long gone, off to rescue his father. Turns out his twin never made the trip.’

‘Liar!’ The Hunahpu seductress yanks Mulder’s rope tighter from behind. ‘The
Popol Vuh
foretold of the twins’ journey. The sons of Gabriel now inhabit
Xibalba!
’

Mulder rasps, his body swaying beneath the noose. ‘Manny refused to go. Mohr says his powers manifested the day Jacob left. He told us Manny is Jake’s genetic equal … that he’s growing stronger.’

Lilith turns toward her son, her thoughts telepathic.
How could you have allowed Immanuel to remain undetected all these years?

The only way for me to track another Hunahpu is when they enter the Nexus. Immanuel never engaged the Upper Worlds. At least, not during my life span.

Your blade. Give it to me.

In one rapid motion, Devlin withdraws an eight-inch obsidian knife from his belt, throwing it at his mother—

—who plucks it out of midair by its hilt, and in one motion jams its lethal end into Donald Engle’s heart. The stunned national security advisor slumps forward, hanging himself in the process.

‘Ben, Mr. Engle has decided to remain with us on an extended stay.’

‘I’ll prepare a guest room right after I clean up his remains. What about our purple-faced friend?”

Lilith withdraws the blade from Engle’s chest, using it to slash Mulder’s rope.

The chief of staff collapses to his knees, each gasped breath restoring color to his face. He stares at his dead companions, his body trembling. ‘You really think you can get away with this?’

‘That depends upon you. Secrecy and Dr. Mohr buy you passage for two; if I were you, I would choose carefully between your wife and Italian mistress.’

She wipes the blade clean on Donald Engle’s corpse, then whips it at Devlin, who snags it, his limb moving so fast it is undetected by Mulder’s eyes.

‘Find Immanuel Gabriel and bring him to me, and you can add your two children to the voyage. Those are my terms, Mr. Mulder. Accept it, or join Mr. Engle on his unscheduled three-week holiday.’

*
Footnote:

Professor Gabriel suffered a fatal heart attack moments after delivering his speech.

All grants supporting archaeological investigations into the Mayan calendar were suspended three weeks later following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.