The Cup

CHAPTER 62

The man-made tsunami from Jaffari's bomb had been forty feet high when it reached shore. The port of Savannah was heavily damaged, most of the city's facilities destroyed. Thousands were homeless, hundreds were dead, thousands more were injured.

Then came what many were calling the Miracle of the Wind. The cloud of radioactive fallout was blown out to sea by a storm front that suddenly appeared out of nowhere and moved in from the west. No one knew what the long-term effects on the ocean would be.

Savannah was deeply injured, but she would survive.

The days after the bomb were filled with half-truths, rumors and rage. Everyone wanted an explanation. With few facts to work with, the media turned to speculation and accusation.

Blame was assigned to any convenient enemy. Russia and Iran topped the list. The White House fended off questions with standard responses that did nothing to ease the tension. If Rice admitted it had been an ISIS plot, the country would be forced into all out war against the Islamic State. That was guaranteed to lead to a broader conflict.

The story was put out that the explosion was an accident, caused by a failed attempt to defuse a nuclear mine that had drifted from its mooring. Where the mine had come from or who it belonged to was never quite clear. The media turned its attention to questions about why there were nuclear mines in the first place. Protesters appeared on Pennsylvania Avenue by the thousands.

Two days after the bomb Nick and the others were in a lab at Langley with Clarence Hood. The lab had a scanner and a CIA technician named Edwards to run it. Nick gave the box to the tech to put in the device. Everyone wanted to know what was inside. No one had been able to open it.

"All set, Director," the tech said

"Turn it on."

Edwards turned on the machine. The interior of the box appeared in blacks and grays and shadows on a wall monitor. The shape inside the box was distinctive, darker than the rest of the image, about nine or ten inches long.

"It's a cup," Selena said, "like a big egg cup. I really didn't believe it until now."

"You can see the locking mechanism for the box," Nick said, "all those sliding pieces and gears. I was hoping we'd be able to figure it out when we saw how it worked, but that looks hopeless."

"We could cut into it with a laser," the tech said. "I can set one up if you like."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Nick said.

"Why not?" Hood asked.

"I can't explain it, but I have a strong feeling that's the wrong thing to do. We should wait before we do anything else."

"You think it's booby-trapped? Rice wants to know if it's the Grail."

"He's waited this long, he can wait a little longer. Tell him it's a cup. Tell him we're concerned it might be destroyed if we force the box open."

"I don't see anything that looks like a trap," Edwards said.

Hood held up his hand. "Actually, you haven't seen anything. Not the box, not anything that might be in it. Remember the papers you signed when you began working here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He turned to Nick. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to take it with me and think about it."

"I can stall Rice for another day or two, but after that he's going to want that box on his desk, not yours."

"I understand. Just give me a little time. There's something about this, I can feel it."

"Intuition? Elizabeth has always relied on her intuition and it usually works out. I suppose I can cut you the same leeway."

"If I can't come up with something in the next two days, I'll hand it over to you and you can take it from there."

"Fair enough."

Outside Langley, the team stood together in the parking lot. Nick took a deep breath. It was the first day of November. His birthday was coming soon. He wasn't looking forward to being another year older.

"There aren't any fires to put out at the moment," he said. "We all need a break. It's Thursday today. Come in Monday and we'll talk about how things will work with Harker out of the picture."

"Sure thing, Kemo Sabe," Ronnie said.

"How about we get together for pizza on Saturday night?" Lamont said.

Ronnie shook his head and sighed.

"Do you ever think about anything except food?"

"Man's got to eat," Lamont said.