Helios

EPILOGUE

George Pierce stared at the Ark of the Covenant for a long time. Then, with a wistful sigh, he thumbed the button to put the tablet computer in stand-by mode. The picture, which he had taken on his cell before things went to hell, was all that remained of the Ark.

Gallo patted his arm. “Maybe you’ll find it again,” she said.

What he had noticed and Fallon had missed before being knocked unconscious, was that the Ark hadn’t been destroyed. It had vanished. For all they knew it could be in another dimension, resting in that same spot, or somewhere else on the planet. Fiona had given a brief account of her final vision, that had revealed how to use the Ark. She debunked Pierce’s Originators theory. While they had existed, it was still unclear where they had come from. Theories now included an advanced human civilization, like Atlanteans, or even the Nephilim, the race of giants first mentioned in the Bible — a book Piece was no longer so quick to dismiss — and appearing in the myths of most ancient cultures around the world. The only thing he knew for sure was that they would never understand how the Ark worked.

But Pierce felt certain it was out there, waiting to be discovered again. He smiled at the thought. The Ark was one mystery he was glad couldn’t be solved. Like Alexander the Great, who wept when he saw that there were no more worlds left to conquer, claiming and understanding the Ark would have dulled the spell history held over him. Though he would have preferred a few more solid answers. Perhaps a vision of his own. He wasn’t sure Fiona had seen what she thought she saw, or perhaps she had not fully understood it. The idea of God was somehow still stranger to him than aliens, but most of the team had accepted Fiona’s story and the Ark’s origin at face value.

His smile widened at the realization that, if true, the vision meant the Cerberus Group had been prophesized about, and perhaps even ordained by a supreme being.

Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, he told himself. Not yet, at least.

Two days after coming closer to the apocalypse than anyone realized, the world was already moving on. A few — those given to a belief in secret conspiracies — had been quick to point out the coincidence of the timing of the solar event and a mysterious fire that had destroyed the HAARP array in Alaska. But most had been eager to accept the general scientific consensus that the event had been caused by an as-yet-unidentified electromagnetic anomaly. It was an undetected cosmic ray storm or a highly-charged iron dust cloud passing through the solar system, which had eclipsed the sun over Western Europe and the Atlantic ocean. The explanation had the ring of truth, and most people had other, more immediate concerns, like burying the victims and cleaning up the damage from the earthquakes. In a month or two, it would be old news, the fickle public already distracted by some new tragedy or scandal.

A ping from his tablet signaled the arrival of another text message. “Cintia’s found something.”

Gallo walked with him, hand-in-hand, to Dourado’s office. Fiona was already there, standing behind the computer expert. She looked up as they entered. “Cintia found him.”

“Found who?”

Fiona stepped aside, revealing a photo that required no further explanation.

With a shaking hand, Pierce dug his phone from his pocket. He scrolled through his contacts, tapped a four-letter name, and held the phone to his ear, biting his lip.

Then he said, “Jack, it’s George. We need to meet.”

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jeremy Robinson is the international bestselling author of sixty novels and novellas, including Apocalypse Machine, Island 731, and SecondWorld, as well as the Jack Sigler thriller series and Project Nemesis, the highest selling, original (non-licensed) kaiju novel of all time. He’s known for mixing elements of science, history and mythology, which has earned him the #1 spot in Science Fiction and Action-Adventure, and secured him as the top creature feature author. Many of his novels have been adapted into comic books, optioned for film and TV, and translated into thirteen languages. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three children. Visit him at www.bewareofmonsters.com.

Sean Ellis has authored and co-authored more than two dozen action-adventure novels, including the Nick Kismet adventures, the Jack Sigler/Chess Team series with Jeremy Robinson, and the Jade Ihara adventures with David Wood. He served with the Army National Guard in Afghanistan, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources Policy from Oregon State University. Sean is also a member of the International Thriller Writers organization. He currently resides in Arizona, where he divides his time between writing, adventure sports, and trying to figure out how to save the world.

Visit him on the web at: seanellisauthor.com

ALSO by JEREMY ROBINSON

The Didymus Contingency

Raising The Past

Beneath

Antarktos Rising

Kronos

Xom-B

Flood Rising

MirrorWorld

Apocalypse Machine

Unity

The Distance

Infinite

Island 731

Project Nemesis

Project Maigo

Project 731

Project Hyperion

Project Legion

SecondWorld

Nazi Hunter: Atlantis

(aka: I Am Cowboy)

The Last Hunter — Descent

The Last Hunter — Pursuit

The Last Hunter — Ascent

The Last Hunter — Lament

The Last Hunter — Onslaught

The Last Hunter — Collected Edition

The Last Valkyrie

Prime

Pulse

Instinct

Threshold

Ragnarok

Omega

Savage

Cannibal

Empire

Guardian

Patriot

Centurion

Herculean

Helios

Callsign: King

Callsign: Queen

Callsign: Rook

Callsign: King 2 — Underworld

Callsign: Bishop

Callsign: Knight

Callsign: Deep Blue

Callsign: King 3 — Blackout

Callsign: King — The Brainstorm Trilogy

Callsign — Tripleshot

Callsign — Doubleshot

Torment

The Sentinel

The Raven

Refuge

Hunger

Feast

Project Nemesis

Godzilla: Rage Across Time

Island 731

ALSO by SEAN ELLIS

Callsign: King

Callsign: King — Underworld

Callsign: King — Blackout

Prime

Savage

Cannibal

Empire

Ascendant

Descendent

In the Shadow of Falcon’s Wings

At the Outpost of Fate

On the High Road to Oblivion

Against the Fall of Eternal Night

Herculean

Helios

The Sea Wraiths

The Scar

Masterpiece of Vengeance

Magic Mirror

The Sorcerer’s Ghost

The Prisoner

Wargod

(with Steven Savile)

Flood Rising

(with Jeremy Robinson)

Camp Zero

The Shroud of Heaven

Into the Black

The Devil You Know

Fortune Favors

Hell Ship

Oracle

Destiny

Changeling

Mystic

Outpost

Arcanum