The Atlantis Gene

Keegan wakes Vale at 2am and hands him a note supposedly from Warner. In the note, she claims she’s left to “make a trade for the children” (364), but Vale suspects something is amiss. He tells Keegan about the journal reference to the secret chamber; he believes that is where Warner has gone. They delay the assault on Immari headquarters, and Vale leads Keegan and the entire company of surviving Clocktower agents through the tunnels below the rock in search of Warner. The tunnels branch off in so many different directions that Vale divides his men until only he and Keegan are left together. They hear gunfire echoing in the distance but keep going until they reach the chamber containing the structure. Keegan leads the way up the steps, but Vale, remembering Pierce’s ambush in this very spot, becomes wary. Having memorized Pierce’s map, Vale now takes the lead, navigating the strange corridors until he reaches the room with the false wall. He calls for Warner, hoping she is inside. When they find the room—a “command center” of some kind—empty, Keegan shuts the door and reveals to Vale his true identity: Mallory Craig.