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Gray nodded. “There is a chain of islands that borders the length of the Tonga. The Kermadec Islands. I checked each one and compared their shape to Crawfurd’s drawing and found this.”
Gray swiped the screen to reveal a satellite photo of an anvil-shaped island.
Xue studied the photo, then looked up. “How far is this island from where the quakes were clustering?”
Gray lifted a brow. “Less than ten miles.”
“Then thatmustbe the island,” Xue concurred. “The home of the Rainbow Serpents.”
Gray prayed it was. “If we could transmit the sound of the bullroarer at that location, it might shut everything down at its source.”
“But how do we get there?” Heng asked. “It’s thousands of miles away.”
“More than four thousand. And with all the ash in the skies, getting there by air would be impossible. We barely made it from Jakarta to Bali.”
Xue frowned. “We must do something. Our geologists predicted the tipping point for this region is less than half a day away, possibly far less.”
“Then what do we do?” Heng asked.
Gray looked up. “We need to reach clear air, away from the static energy of these heavy ash clouds. I’ve tried using my sat-phone for the past half hour. I managed a connection, but it lasted only seconds.”
Xue stared toward Mount Tambora. “Some of the interference may be from the electromagnetic effects of the volcanic eruptions. Now that they’ve subsided, transmissions may open up again.”
“Even so,” Heng said, “who do you plan on calling? Who could get there in time?”
Gray faced the others. “There’s a research ship in the area. If we could send them the bullroarer’s recording, get them to broadcast it, maybe the gods will listen.”
Xue looked at his toes.
“What?” Gray asked, sensing his consternation.
He looked up. “We have forces there, too. Or at least they were on the way before we lost communication. They were supposed to lock down the area.”
Gray scowled at the man for not sharing this before. He pictured the huge research yacht—and who was out there.
Monk.
He pointed at Xue. “Then webothtry. No matter who is in control, someone must do what we cannot.”
Xue nodded, but he still looked worried.
“What else?” Gray asked.
“My father,” Xue said. “Once the area was secured, he had been planning on sending out the ELF signal again. To confirm that it can indeed trigger earthquakes. He’s waiting to hear from the commander of that mission.”
Gray closed his eyes. “If he does, it will bring down the world.”
“We know that now.”
Gray turned to Xue. “You must stop your father, convince him of the threat. Or pray that the mission commander never makes that call.”
Xue swallowed, looking sickened, as if he knew the commander.
Heng swore under his breath, indicating he did, too. “Then we’re surely doomed.”
41
January 24, 4:17P.M.NZDT
