The Eye of God (52 page)

Authors: James Rollins

Tags: #Mystery, #Science Fiction, #Suspense, #Adventure, #Historical, #Thriller

BOOK: The Eye of God

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Lake Baikal.
First, yes, the nerpa is the world’s only freshwater seal and is native to Baikal, but it is only
one
of many unique features of the planet’s oldest and deepest lake. Scientists have even coined the term
baikalology,
for the study of the lake’s unusual biosphere. In regard to some specifics featured in the novel, the lake does indeed freeze over solid. And in winter, one of the main ways of reaching Olkhon Island is by bus over an ice road. On the island itself, Burkhan Cape is real and considered to be one of Asia’s most sacred places. The island also does have many ties to Genghis Khan, including being the birthplace of his mother and where many still believe he might be buried.

The science in this novel is again mostly based on proven facts or accepted theories, with some speculation and extrapolation (but not as much as you might imagine). Welcome to the weird world of dark energy, quantum physics, and things that go bump in the night.

Comets.
I based Comet IKON on a real-life ice boulder passing by the earth in November 2013 (named Comet ISON). That comet is set to blaze in our skies, hopefully without as much mishap and death. Similar to the comet in this book, ISON is expected to be one of the brightest comets in history, even visible during the day.

As to the study of comets, the
IoG
endeavor was based on the voyage of the
ICE
satellite that NASA sailed through the tail of Halley’s Comet back in 1986. In regard to comets causing problems, a comet did indeed slam into Jupiter in 1994, and another is set to hit Mars in 2014.

Throughout history, comets have frequently been the harbingers of doom, said to predict the bubonic plague of Europe, the Battle of Hastings, even the death of Mark Twain. And it is believed the appearance of Halley’s Comet in 1222 was a major inspiration for Genghis Khan’s decision to head west and conquer much of the known world.

Asteroids.
The explosion of the Chelyabinsk meteor over Russia in February 2013 can be seen on many news sites. It’s a prime example of the unpredictability of near-Earth objects (or NEOs). NASA has currently identified over ten thousand NEOs, but that number is only the tiniest fraction of what’s out there, including what exploded over Russia. That asteroid had the potential kinetic energy of about thirty atomic bombs, but as it exploded in the upper atmosphere, it lost most of that energy before the pieces struck the ground. Still, the shock wave from that midair blast blew out windows and injured over fifteen hundred people.

The asteroid Apophis (designated 99942) featured in this novel is real and does pose a significant risk of hitting the earth, but not until 2029 or later. Still, as seen in Russia, there are many other unclassified planet-killers lurking out there.

The Eye of God.
It’s real. Or rather
they
are real. Scientists have created four flawless spheres of fused quartz, each so perfect that any defects are no larger than forty atoms. They are the gyroscopic hearts of NASA’s Gravity Probe B satellite, where they will be testing the curvature of space-time around the earth. And hopefully not to explore Comet ISON, because as we all now know, that’s not a very good idea.

Dark Energy.
I could spend pages writing about the speculations concerning an energy that makes up 70 percent of the universe—yet no one really knows what it is. So it’s difficult to say anything about this subject that could be considered a hard fact. One of the greatest descriptions I read is included in this book as Dr. Shaw’s theory:
Dark energy is the result of the annihilation of virtual particles in the quantum foam
. But there are many other theories, too.

In preparing for this book, I was able to visit the Fermi National Accelerator Lab (Fermilab) outside of Chicago where I was fortunate to view its scientists’ work on the new Dark Energy Camera, a 570-megapixel array engineered there and installed on a mountaintop telescope in Chile. Dr. Shaw uses some of the data collected by the DECam for her research in this book. This camera is so strong that it can peer three-quarters of the way back to the big bang. I hope they include this camera with the next generation iPhone.

Quantum Entanglement.
It’s a real phenomenon where particles interact, then depart, each flying away with the same quantum signatures—where a change in one will result in an instantaneous change in the other. It was initially thought to be limited to subatomic particles, but it has now been shown to happen in larger objects, including a pair of diamonds, visible to the naked eye, created by scientists in 2011.

Holograms and the Multiverse.
Again, courtesy of Fermilab, I learned that the entire universe might be a hologram, a three-dimensional construct based on equations written on the inner shell of the universe. Researchers at the lab are currently constructing a
holometer,
the world’s most sensitive laser interferometer to prove this is true. I find that very disturbing (or at least the equation that defines my hologram is disturbed).

Likewise, theories of multiple universes abound, with many different conjectures about how those other universes function, interact, and relate to one another. But the most common consensus among theoretical physicists is that
they exist.

And on a minor note, what about those . . .

Magnetic Fingertips.
First, I want them. . . . And, second, they are real and just as strange as I describe. In the world of biohacking, there are thousands of people with rare-earth magnets implanted near the nerve endings of their fingertips. It allows them to experience electrical fields in amazing ways. Those I’ve interviewed describe these fields as having texture, shape, rhythms, and even colors. It opens up an entirely new way of experiencing the world. And once accustomed to them, it’s apparently hard to go back. Many say they feel
blind
without them. It definitely is a new world.

Last, I posited a theory of my own in these pages. If human consciousness is indeed a quantum effect and could possibly be tangled across multiple universes, who is to say that when we die (say,
get hit by a bus
) our consciousness might not somehow survive, shifting into that timeline or universe where we looked both ways and didn’t get hit? In a life full of chance—where the flip of a coin so often decides your fate—it’s comforting to know that there are other paths possibly open to us.

So until next time, enjoy the journey—no matter which path you take.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I could spend countless pages trying to list all the ways that the people below have helped in the creation of this book. Each name deserves a trumpet of praise of its own—if not the blast of a full brass section. But here we go. First, I must thank my first readers, my first editors, and some of my best friends: Sally Barnes, Chris Crowe, Lee Garrett, Jane O’Riva, Denny Grayson, Leonard Little, Scott Smith, Judy Prey, Will Murray, Caroline Williams, John Keese, Christian Riley, and Amy Rogers. And as always, a special thanks to Steve Prey for the handsome maps (now and in the past) . . . and to Cherei McCarter for all the cool tidbits that pop in my e-mail box! To Carolyn McCray, who inspires as much as she is a firm taskmaster when it comes to details . . . and David Sylvian for accomplishing everything and anything asked of him and for making sure I put my best digital foot forward at all times! To Avery and Josie Lim for helping with all things linguistic. To Shawna Coronado and everyone at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab (Fermilab) for arranging and allowing me to tour your amazing facility, where I was inspired and allowed to ask stupid questions. To everyone at HarperCollins for always having my back: Michael Morrison, Liate Stehlik, Danielle Bartlett, Kaitlyn Kennedy, Josh Marwell, Lynn Grady, Richard Aquan, Tom Egner, Shawn Nicholls, and Ana Maria Allessi. Last, of course, a special acknowledgment to the people instrumental to all levels of production: my editor, Lyssa Keusch, and her colleague Amanda Bergeron; Laurie McGee for her sharp copyediting eye; and my agents, Russ Galen and Danny Baror (and his daughter Heather Baror). And as always, I must stress that any and all errors of fact or detail in this book fall squarely on my own shoulders, of which hopefully there are not too many.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JAMES ROLLINS
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of international thrillers, translated into more than forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the “top crowd pleasers” (
New York Times)
and one of the “hottest summer reads”
(People
magazine). In each novel, acclaimed for its originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets—and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight.

www.jamesrollins.com

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

ALSO BY JAMES ROLLINS

ALSO BY JAMES ROLLINS AND REBECCA CANTRELL

The Blood Gospel

PRAISE FOR JAMES ROLLINS AND THE SIGMA FORCE NOVELS

“Rollins does his job: thrills promised, then delivered.”

—TAMPA TRIBUNE

“James Rollins is a master of international action and intrigue.”

—RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH

“Rollins combines real-world science with high-octane action to create rousing stories of adventure that are as exciting as any movie.”

—CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

“This guy doesn’t write novels—he builds roller coasters. . . . Rollins excels at combining action and history with larger-than-life characters. . . . A must for pure action fans.”

—BOOKLIST

“Rollins effortlessly blends science and superstition in the grand tradition of Clive Cussler and David Morrell.”

—PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

CREDITS

Cover design by Richard L. Aquan

Cover photographs: Vatican City Satellite Imagery by Digitalglode/Sipa/Newscom; Wax seal by IStock Images

Author photograph by David Sylvian

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

THE
EYE
OF
GOD
. Copyright © 2013 by James Czajkowski. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST
EDITION

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rollins, James, 1961–

The eye of God : a Sigma Force novel / James Rollins.

p. cm.—(A Sigma Force novel)

ISBN 978-0-06-178480-4

1. Special operations (Military science)—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3568.O5398E94 2013

813’.54—dc23 2013016685

ISBN 978-0-06-226939-3 (international edition)

EPub Edition July 2013 ISBN 9780062194916

13 14 15 16 17
DIX
/
RRD
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1