Free The Doomsday Key by James Rollins Page B

used today.”
    Adam tapped a new image onto the screen, extending the vertical line of the pagan symbol to form a Christian cross.

    “Likewise,” Adam continued, “the spiral came to represent Christ, symbolizing his passage from life to death and finally his rebirth.”
    “And the significance of this?” Kat asked, impatient, plainly anxious to follow the bread crumbs left by Georgina’s words.
    But Painter recognized where Adam might be heading with this last assessment. He asked the cryptologist, “So you don’t think this ecoterrorist group is based in Africa?”
    He shook his head. “The quartered circle, while it can be found in some African cultures, mostly represents a sun symbol rather than the earth. I think we should be directing any inquiries toward northern Europe. Especially since the Viatus Corporation’s headquarters are in Oslo, Norway.”
    Georgina smiled. “So in other words, we’re looking for a bunch of pissed-off Druids.”
    Adam didn’t return her smile, only shrugged. “There is a strong neo-pagan revival throughout Europe. And in fact, many of these groups are quite old. The Druid Circle of the Universal Bond. The Ancient Order of Druids. Both trace their organization back to the 1700s, while other groups claim an even longer heritage. Either way, the movement has been growing steadily of late, and a few sects are definitely militant in theirbeliefs and very anticorporation. I think that’s where any investigation should concentrate. In northern Europe.”
    Kat nodded, if a bit stiffly, already planning in her head.
    Painter circled back to the front of the conference room. “I think that gives us a good jumping-off point. If you’ll all—”
    His cell phone rang in his pocket, cutting him off. Painter lifted a hand, asking for a moment, took out his BlackBerry, and checked the ID. It was his assistant. Painter felt a twinge of misgiving. He had asked not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency.
    “What is it, Brant?”
    “Sir, operations just phoned in. There’s been a flurry of 911 emergency calls coming out of Princeton. It seems a firefight has broken out at the Carl Icahn Laboratory.”
    Painter kept his face passive. The lab was where Monk Kokkalis and John Creed had been headed. The pair should’ve reached Princeton an hour or so ago. Painter deliberately kept his gaze away from Kat, Monk’s wife.
    “Get local authorities on the line and satellite feed up,” Painter said, feigning more irritation than alarm. “I’ll be right up there.”
    He lowered the phone and faced the room. “Okay, you all know your duties. Let’s get to it.”
    Painter turned on his heel and headed toward the exit.
    He sensed Kat’s gaze fixed on his back. She was suspicious, but until he knew more about the situation, there was no need to alarm her.
    Especially since she was pregnant again.
    6:45 P.M.
    Monk led the others through the basement, keeping his pistol pointed forward. He only had ten rounds … and at least three assailants. Not good odds, especially with the others carrying snub-nosed machine guns. He dared not waste a single shot. He’d left a second magazine back in his briefcase, but he’d dropped the case outside Malloy’s lab.
    “Is there another way out of here?” he asked Andrea.
    “No … but …” She searched up and down the hall. John Creed kept a hold on her elbow to keep her moving.
    “But what?” Monk pressed.
    “The lab building was constructed to be modular. To make it easier to change room configurations,” she said in a rush, then pointed up. “There’s a large maintenance level between floors. With catwalks for work crews.”
    Monk glanced at the ceiling. That might work. “Where’s the closest access point?”
    She shook her head, still struggling with shock. “I don’t know …”
    Monk stopped and grabbed her shoulder with his prosthetic hand. “Andrea, take a breath, steady your—”
    Machine-gun fire blasted. A figure rounded the far