“I’m telling you, there isn’t time. There are some things I haven’t filled you in on yet. Something is going down tonight.”
“Yes, Connor and I had pretty much come to that same conclusion,” Carmen said. She leaned forward into the front seat. “Look, I realize you can pull rank on me. I get that. But in this situation, where your very life could be at risk, I’ll have to bring Ross in if necessary. I’m not sure you or Connor will survive out there if your bodies don’t have time to warm up. Cleavon knows what he’s doing and can brief us on everything once he gets out there.”
“Here is the problem,” replied Zane. “It’s not just about us. They’ve taken someone else.”
“We’re aware of that as well,” Carmen said. “He’s a Dutch physicist named Markus Van…”
“VanGelder,” said Reid.
“Yes, thanks. VanGelder.” She looked at Zane. “Think of it this way — as far as we know, that man is still alive. If this had been a hit, an assassination, then he’d already be dead. They obviously need him for something.”
Brett looked over at the senior operative. “She’s right. And remember we know nothing about CERN’s layout at this point. From what I understand, there are large complexes in several different locations, both aboveground and underground. It’d be the height of foolishness for us to just show up, with both you and Reid soaking wet, hoping that you’ll somehow be able to avoid hypothermia and save the day. Now is not the time to play tough guy.”
Zane sat silently for a few moments and then began to nod. “Okay. But we don’t stay long.”
Carmen squeezed his shoulder and sat back in her seat.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
“Have you heard from Skinner?” Zane asked Brett from the front passenger seat.
The group was back in the Peugeot, traveling west through the streets of Geneva. Brett had waited in the car in front of the hotel while Zane, Carmen, and Reid ran up to change. Zane had also decided to heed Carmen’s advice and take a quick shower. The hot water splashing over his body improved his condition considerably; his skin was no longer deathly white, and he felt more alert.
“I sent him a text earlier letting him know that we were running by the hotel,” Brett replied.
“Any sign of Mironov?” Zane asked.
“He wasn’t at CERN at the time, but my guess is that he’s there now.”
“And Ross?”
“I sent him a quick message and will give him a more detailed update once I get all of you out to CERN. His only response was that we make getting VanGelder back our number-one priority.”
“Of course,” said Zane, running a hand through his still-wet hair. “But back to Skinner — what is he going to do when he gets there?”
“General recon,” Brett said. “He was still trying to figure out which one of the CERN facilities to hit first. My guess is that they will beat Cleavon to CERN. They got a huge jump on all of us.”
Carmen leaned forward. “They’ll probably use VanGelder to get through any gates and into the building.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Brett said, “although I’m sure that’s not the only reason. You don’t need to kidnap one of the world’s foremost physicists just to get through a gate. Grabbing one of the low-level security personnel would’ve worked just as well and wouldn’t have drawn half the attention this will.”
“I agree,” Carmen said. “Heck, I’m sure Mironov has a sophisticated tech team that could get them through the front gate, if that was the only hurdle.”
“Which reminds me,” Brett said. “Earlier you said you wanted to tell me about your theory as to why they’re trying to get in there. Now is probably a good time for us to talk about that.”
“Well, I’ll start, but maybe Zane knows more than I do.” Carmen settled back into her seat. Zane stared straight ahead without saying anything, so she continued. “Now keep in mind, this is only a theory, and it’s a theory that Reid and I put together based on the topic of VanGelder’s speech, the one he’s not going to give.”
Brett nodded.
“It’s a stretch, but it’s all we have. VanGelder’s planned speech was called, ‘We Are Not Alone.’ I know, an odd title for a particle physics event. That is, until you understand what it’s referring to. Underneath the title was a brief description. The content of the speech was that our universe is not the only universe out there. There are more of them, perhaps even an infinite number.”
“Or at the very least, another dimension to the universe we live in,” Reid added.
Brett looked at Carmen in the rear-view mirror. “I’m not an astronomer, nor am I a physicist, but I think that theory of a parallel universe is not new. Nor is the theory that there are other dimensions that we haven’t identified yet.”
“Agreed,” Carmen said. “But here is the kicker. VanGelder also believes that the LHC—”
“Wait. Wait… LHC?” Brett asked.
“Sorry, Large Hadron Collider. VanGelder believes it can be used to find another universe, or at least find another dimension.”
Brett shrugged. “That’s all interesting, but what’s the big deal? If Mironov has an interest in that kind of research, why wouldn’t he just let the man continue to do his work? I don’t get the kidnapping angle.”
“That’s what has me confused as well. To be honest, I don’t have a clue.”
“I think I can help you with that,” Zane said, breaking his silence. “I believe I know why they took VanGelder, and I also believe I know what they plan on doing.”
“What?” Carmen asked. “Why didn’t you say something when I asked if you knew what was going on?”
“Because I wanted to hear what you had to say. I wanted to see if you could fill in any of the blanks first. And you did. Before you spoke, I knew what they wanted to do. And now I think I know how they’re going to do it.”
Brett looked down at his smartphone. “Well, you’d better hurry. According to the GPS, we’re only about ten minutes out.”
“Let me start by saying that Alexander Mironov has gone mad,” Zane said. “So take everything I’m about to say with that in mind. The other thing I need you to know is that most of this I had to piece together by reading between the lines. For some reason, he was a little reluctant to speak too bluntly.
“Anyway, since we’re running out of time, I’ll just lay it out there: Alexander Mironov believes that the pyramids and other ancient megalithic structures could not have been built by the people of that time. He believes that they were built by aliens.”
“Isn’t that the same theory proposed by several other people over the years, including Erich Von Däniken?” Reid asked.
“Von Däniken,” Carmen replied, her voice trailing off as she pondered the name. “Didn’t he write Chariots of the Gods?”
“That’s the guy and that’s the theory,” Zane said. “Basically they believe that ancient structures were too complex and too sophisticated to have been designed and built solely by ancient cultures. They postulate that aliens visited our planet and passed along technology that was centuries ahead of its time, which explains the mind-boggling precision and alignment within the structures themselves.
“And to be honest, they are right about one thing. From what little reading I’ve done, I do know that historians and archaeologists still can’t explain how those ancient cultures were able to do it. The technology seemed to be thousands of years ahead of its time.”
“So, let me guess,” Brett said. “Mironov thinks that if they can somehow find that other dimension Carmen referred to earlier, they’ll also gain access to some special knowledge?”