The Prophecy - 24. Chapter 24

"Another intrusion at seven o’clock our time. The intrusion was instantly blocked," Geraldine reported to her father at ten past seven. "Our computer experts are trying to locate them. They have left a trace."

Alexandre Lefèvre nodded absently. He did not respond. Geraldine shifted in her chair.

"Operation Abbadon is under way. Jason Bolding can’t stop it. Time is getting short," she said. "They have probably copied the files, but what can they do? They have just learned of a secret operation. The information is entirely useless to them."

"The documents will inform them of our plan," her father said.

"So what?" Geraldine said in an angry voice. "Nobody can stop us now, even if they pass on the documents to the authorities. The mills grind slowly. The couriers will leave Ahmedabad soon. Jason Bolding is not the dangerous man who our order has feared for a thousand years. He’s an amateur, a wannabe superman."

"But he’s apparently into the secret," Alexandre Lefèvre said calmly. "And he apparently considers himself the chosen one, the antagonist the prophecy announced."

"Well, so what!" Geraldine hissed. "He’s hopelessly inferior to us. He can’t stand a chance. His attempts are downright ridiculous. Yes, he and his henchmen gained access to our server, but we blocked them, and we will track them down. And, more important, they have not gained access to the automatic programme." Geraldine paused. "Even if they gained access, they would not be able to stop the programme since only one man knows the code. You."

She exchanged a look with her father.

"Yes," he said. "And it will never slip my mouth."

He measured Geraldine’s face. Geraldine bit her lip. The red telephone rang. Alexandre Lefèvre seized the receiver instantly.

"Oui," he said. He listened and put the receiver down.

"Birmingham," he said. "They have located the place where the intrusion came from. An internet café in Birmingham."

Geraldine rose to her feet. "I’ll speak to the computer experts. I need more details," she said.

"Wait," Alexandre Lefèvre said.

Geraldine stopped short and gave him a questioning look.

"It’s a trap," her father said. He looked at Geraldine, his eyes dark and narrowed. "An internet café in Birmingham. No, Geraldine, Jason Bolding and his companions did not leave London in the dead of the night. They didn’t drive to Birmingham. Can you imagine them in an internet café at six o’clock in the morning? No, Geraldine, it’s a trap, thought out in the briefest of time in order to keep us occupied for a while. In order to distract us from their true whereabouts."

Alexandre Lefèvre leaned back in his chair and looked at Geraldine thoughtfully. Geraldine just looked back.

"Where, Geraldine, would you least expect them to hide?" he asked.

Geraldine narrowed her eyes. She was thinking.

"In a place that is entirely unsafe," she said.

"And that is?" Alexandre Lefèvre asked.

"Jason Bolding’s apartment," Geraldine replied.

Alexandre Lefèvre gave her a barely visible nod. "Go and get them," he said.

They exchanged another look, and then Geraldine turned around and left her father’s office room. The men who were observing Jason Bolding's apartment house had not reported back to her, but perhaps they had missed Bolding and his team of amateurs. Geraldine bit her lip and clenched her hands. Perhaps she had underestimated Jason Bolding and his team.

Alexandre Lefèvre folded his hands on his belly and looked into the room. A smile appeared on his lips and the smile broadened.

Geraldine hurried to her office room. She made a few calls and then she put on her jacket and hastened to the elevator. It took her to the ground floor where she met two grim looking men. Geraldine spoke to them briefly, and then the three of them hurried out of the entrance hall. They ran into Antoine Lambert who had left the office late at night, yet came back in the morning. Geraldine ignored him, but stopped short when Lambert addressed her.

"What’s going on? You look distressed, Geraldine," Lambert said.

"No time for small talk," Geraldine hissed. "I’m flying to London."

"London?" Antoine Lambert asked.

"London," Geraldine said harshly. "In my father’s private jet."

She turned to the two men who had accompanied her and now stood at some distance. Geraldine made an impatient gesture with her hand, and then hurried on. The two men followed her. Antoine Lambert looked after them. He stood paralysed. It was too late. Jason Bolding was defeated. Alexandre Lefèvre had found him.

Lambert turned away and entered the building. The watchman gave him a nod. Lambert stopped for an instant and looked into the hall. Then he crossed it slowly and entered the elevator that took him to the fifth floor. Lambert went into his office room and locked it. He didn’t switch on the light, but sought the way to his desk in the dark. He sat down and started his computer, asking himself what he was doing and why.

The computer had finally booted and Lambert gazed at the screen. He felt tempted for an instant to open the secret folder, yet refrained from trying it. Lambert had no doubt they had increased the security measures. They would detect his attempt instantly. Lambert opened his email programme instead and looked at the empty message window. He sat motionless and the minutes passed by. Why had he come back? Lambert straightened. If he had not come back, he would not have met Geraldine and he would not have learned the latest news. Jason Bolding was as good as dead.

"God moves in mysterious ways," Antoine Lambert said under his breath.

He looked at his watch. It was ten to eight in the morning, Paris time, which meant it was about seven o’ clock in London. Geraldine would arrive in London at nine o’clock London time at the latest.

"As good as dead, but there is yet time," Antoine Lambert said as he rose to his feet.

"Okay," Alec said. "How about I’ll print out the documents that I have copied from the company’s protected folder and you take a look at them while I try to gain access to their automatic programme."

Jason nodded. He rubbed his eyes. "I feel totally exhausted, but strangely I’m wide awake," he said.

Alec smiled. "That’s the rush of adrenaline. Illegal activities are somewhat exciting," he said.

Jason smiled briefly. He rose to his feet and fetched his printer. They connected Alec’s notebook to it and Alec started printing out the documents he had copied. Jason looked at the sheets of paper while Alec focused on the screen of his notebook again.

"Evidence," Jason exclaimed suddenly, holding up a piece of paper. "They manipulated the H1N1 virus, a virulent influenza virus. It caused a pandemic in 2009. The new virus is highly virulent and it’s lethal."

"Shit," Alec said. "And they want to set the viruses free and spread them all over the world?"

"I think so," Jason replied, turning back to the papers. "They have planned it all carefully. Do they really think they can outlive the day?"

"Provided they have developed a working vaccine," Alec said. "I’m certain they have." He turned back to the screen.

"Anything you found out?" Jason asked.

Alec shook his head. "I can’t gain access to the automatic programme. But I won’t give up. I’m having an idea..." He fell silent and focused on the screen again.

Jason carried the sheets of paper to Gary and Leonard who were sitting on the couch and watching them. He showed them the pile of papers.

"We'd better help you with this," Gary said at the sight of the pile.

"Yes," Leonard agreed. "We must not waste time." He seized a piece of paper and studied it.

"How are you doing, Alec?" Gary asked his grandson.

Alec looked up absently. "I’m close," he said and turned his head back to the screen.

Gary gave Jason a questioning look.

"He entered the company's security programme. Thus he has access to the server without being detected by the company," Jason explained. "Hopefully," he said. "Alec’s trying to gain access to that automatic programme. We think it plays an important role in their plot."

Gary nodded and then started to read. Jason went back to the desk and sat down next to Alec.

"Goodness," Gary exclaimed suddenly.

They all turned to him and even Alec looked up. Gary held up a sheet of paper.

"Couriers with the virus will leave Ahmedabad. They’ll travel to the major cities on the globe. Here’s a list. New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, many more US cities, London, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Bangkok, Tokyo, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Cairo, Johannesburg...Oh my god, this is an army," he said.

The list was long and covered all major cities of the world. They looked at the list in shock.

"A concerted action," Leonard said in a stifled voice. "It’s all over now. We cannot stop them."

"Ahmedabad is the place in India where Lefèvre’s lab is located," Jason said. "When will the men leave Ahmedabad?"

Gary turned back to his papers. He studied several of them and then stopped short. "A time schedule," he said. "The first men leave at two o’clock in the afternoon." He looked up. "Today."

"Indian time?" Leonard asked.

Gary had another look at the paper. "Two o’clock in the afternoon IST," he said.

"That’s half past nine our time," Alec said.

They turned to him.

"I checked the time difference on the internet," Alec explained.

"Oh my God," Leonard said. His voice was shaking. "It’s too late. It’s all over now."

"What time is it?" Jason asked in a pressed voice.

"Ten minutes to eight," Alec said.

"We must call the police. We must report it to the authorities," Gary said.

"Too late," Leonard replied. "Do you really think they would listen to us, Gary? And even if they did, they would not be able to stop the men. One and a half hour. Way too little time to do anything."

Silence fell. The men sat motionless. Only Alec was typing frantically on the keyboard. Suddenly, he stopped and snickered mockingly.

"Access granted," he said.

The others rose to their feet and stood behind him. The screen showed a programme with a time display in the upper right corner. Alec pointed at it.

"A countdown," he said. "Ninety more minutes."

"The first couriers will leave in ninety minutes," Jason said.

Alec nodded. "Yes. Now let’s find out what the programme has to do with it."

He leaned forward and resumed typing on his keyboard. The others watched him quietly.