Page 19 of The Presidents Shadow

“Molten rock that lies within the Earth. The heat is wildly intense. And the rupture here is the same as the rupture of the ocean floor in Europe. Ah, the power of magma! No wonder the Charles River is boiling!”

“But why? How?” I ask.

“The ultimate cause, I believe, is an attack of gamma rays hitting the Earth. When the extraordinary heat cracks the ocean floor, magma is released.”

“And the gamma rays are coming from where?” I ask. Frankly, I am not merely confused and ignorant. I’m also starting to panic.

With a bizarre touch of mischief in his face, the professor adds, “It will be up to you and your merry band of helpers to figure out where the gamma rays are coming from. Is it the sun? Another planet? Another galaxy? Or are they being created by some malevolent fiend here on Earth?”

“Doctor, the best thing for you and me to do right now is to get out of Cambridge and move farther inland,” I say.

He looks at me with a small smile, as if I am a child playing a game I don’t understand.

I move to one of the windows and look out. The crowd of people I encountered on my short walk to the science building has thinned a little. It’s fairly orderly but movingfast. From what I can see on their faces from the tenth floor, everyone seems anxious and scared.

“Dr. Henry, let’s get out of here. Away from the river, away from the crowds,” I say.

It’s as if he doesn’t hear me or doesn’t care.

The older man saunters over to me at the window.

“Let me have a look,” he says.

“It’s hard to see with all the moisture from the steam on the window,” I say.

“Yes, they have these windows hermetically sealed, but I have a self-invented contraption that can get them open,” he says. He snaps a short steel piece into the side of the window, turning it. The gadget looks like a crude bottle opener. He stands at the open window and takes a deep breath.

“Ah,” says the professor. “Good clean air. Enjoy it while it’s still here, Mr. Cranston.”

“I’d enjoy it more if we were outside, moving away from whatever that fog is.”

He smiles broadly. Again, it’s a facial expression filled with both pity and amusement. He looks out the window, from right to left, then back again.

I am going to make one more strong request for Dr. Henry to leave the building. If he refuses, I’m leaving anyway.

“Doctor, we’ve got to go now. We’ve got to save ourselves if we’re ever going to have a chance to solve this!”

“Mr. Cranston, there is absolutely no way that thishorror can be ended. By you or anybody else. I’m a scientist. I’m sure we’re all doomed.”

Then, before I even realize what’s happening, Dr. Henry lifts his right leg to the ledge of the open window. He pulls his body upright on the ledge.

Then he jumps.

CHAPTER 25

THE BOILING RIVER in Cambridge is huge news across the globe. Every country with a coastline or a river tries to organize some sort of protection against the possibility of more horror. But there are not enough sandbags or cement walls on the planet to protect against the Earth’s waters.

And what about the other forces of nature, exploding mountains and billions of acres of land ready to split open? People everywhere are talking endlessly about the natural phenomena that might destroy humankind at any moment. It’s as if the fabric of our planet has decided to move against us.

Thankfully, Hawkeye and Tapper made it out of Cambridge safely, but I don’t know if anywhere on earth can truly be considered safe now.

Margo, Jessica, and Maddy keep pumping me for information and speculation. Unfortunately, the three people I live with are way, way too smart to fool. Expressions like“Don’t worry” or “Just stay calm” or “We’ll figure it out” will not work with them.

And, yes, Maddy is one of those people, but because she’s an emotional multitasker (God bless the training Dache has given her) she is able to fixate on the other challenge in her life.

CHAPTER 26

MADDY TURNS HER attention to Belinda and the girls she works with. She’s determined to unravel the situation beneath the 59th Street Bridge, determined to help Belinda, determined to find Chloe.

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