Page 38 of Clive Cussler's Quantum Tempest

“Thanks, Chairman.”

Juan clapped a hand on Murph’s shoulder.

“I hope it works out for you.”

“Me too.”

“But one thing I know from bitter experience. Nothing burns hotter than an old flame on a tender heart.”

21

The Pacific Ocean

Dr.Anima Bose shot a supervisory glance through the thick picture window of her office overlooking the laboratory floor. Her handpicked team was a well-oiled but highly stressed machine at the moment, feverishly working toward the unbreakable deadline she had set. Speed was of the essence, but mistakes were intolerable at this juncture.

Bose’s dark hair was dyed against the encroaching gray and pulled back with precision into a neat bun. Her fierce eyes matched her strong jawline, detracting from her otherwise lovely countenance. She made no attempt to adorn herself beyond the social norms of good grooming. She suffered no fools and believed that both a husband and children would only have been unnecessary distractions from her life’s primary purpose.

She had neither the time nor inclination for video calls.

Bose turned back to her computer monitor and her conversation with her employer, Amador Fierro, who was on the screen and transmitting in an encrypted video. He wore a loose, collarless dark blue cotton shirt that appeared more utilitarian than stylish. His roguishly handsome face was framed with his characteristically charming smile, but his probing eyes betrayed his concern.

“Dr.Bose, how are you?”

“Under the gun, so to speak,” she replied, “but I am happy to report good news.”

“Excellent,” Fierro said, visibly relaxing.

“According to our latest benchmarks, we’ve passed the final milestone. Project Q will be ready to launch in ten days, right on schedule.”

“Gracias a Dios!” Fierro said. “That’s fantastic news.” He leaned back in his chair. “My dream will soon be a reality.”

My dream?Dr.Bose thought to herself. Surely it was Fierro’s vision, Fierro’s money, and Fierro’s determination to make Project Q a reality. But she was its inventor. She was the agency that enabled this to happen.

Dr.Bose was one of the most brilliant scientists on the planet in a field overwhelmingly dominated by men. Her long family history of glorious scientific achievement peaked when a distant relative, Satyendra Nath Bose, collaborated with Einstein. The subatomic “boson” particle was named after him—such was his contribution to the field of physics. Every Indian scientist lived in his shadow, but every Bose labored beneath it, heavy laden with the burden of unfulfilled expectations. None ever rose to his stature, failing in their attempts to reach a summit that she had been forbidden to climb at all because of her gender.

She was privately ashamed of her affiliation with the Colombian drug lord, but no lab in the world would give her control of a project of this size and scale. Project Q’s organoid computer would produce the world’s first AGI program, and it would be her genius that would benefit all of humanity, ushering in a golden era of universal knowledge and prosperity.

As soon as Project Q was launched, she would be known as the greatest scientist of the twenty-first century and enter the pantheon of the world’s greatest minds of all time.

So what if that invention was born on the back of a crime lord’s ambition? A crime lord who would likely be swept away by the very invention he was paying for? A delicious irony, no doubt.

Bose was completely aware she was handing Fierro a weapon that could cause unimaginable harm to his American persecutors. Under his control, her AGI could hack into every U.S. hydroelectric dam and open up the floodgates simultaneously, unleashing billions of gallons of raging water to pulverize cities, wash away precious farmlands, anddrown countless thousands of people beneath torrents of concrete, steel, and debris. Fierro could also crash every commercial airliner, killing thousands and wrecking that industry forever. Worse, he could turn every fast-flying, fuel-laden airplane into guided missiles with targets of his own choosing, dwarfing the 9/11 attack by orders of magnitude.

“My apologies for the imprecision of my language,” Fierro said. “Judging by your silence, I have no doubt offended you. I have certainly dreamed of this, but you are the primary force behind it.”

Bose startled at his words. How long had she been lost in her thoughts? “Will anyone ever know?” Bose asked.

“In due time, of course. You have my word on that. It was part of our agreement. But we have a deadline that must be met first, and I can’t allow a premature press release to jeopardize that, no matter how well deserved.”

“I understand your concern,” Dr.Bose said, swallowing her anger.

“You are standing on the edge of the map of human knowledge, Dr.Bose. A true pioneer, venturing where none has yet traveled.”

Bose softened with Fierro’s compliment.

“Thank you for appreciating that.”

“But a lot can go wrong in ten days,” Fierro said, leaning forward, his eyes flashing. “ ‘Cave! Hic dragones!’ ”