The Omega Theory Read Online Free PDF Page A

like he was sliding, feetfirst, into a deep hole. Against the black of his eyelids he saw hundreds of red stars, all moving in unison from right to left. Then, for the second time that day, he saw the Einheitliche Feldtheorie, written by Albert Einstein, his great-great-grandfather. Michael had memorized the equations when he was thirteen, and they’d burrowed in his mind for the past six years. Their odd symbols glowed as they streamed through the darkness.
    After another fifteen minutes Michael felt a jolt and opened his eyes. He looked out the window and saw a flat, empty field crisscrossed with red and white lights. The plane was coasting down a runway, raising the flaps on its wings just like the B-17s did in Eighth Air Force. The sky was dark now, almost black. As the plane slowed he glimpsed a building on the far side of the field, a hangar with a curved roof and giant doors. But there were no other buildings in sight and no other aircraft. At the end of the runway the plane turned and came to a stop. Then the engines shut down and all the runway lights switched off and Michael couldn’t see anything outside.
    In the cockpit Tamara rose from the pilot’s seat. She’d taken off the jumpsuit she’d worn when she was pretending to be an ambulance attendant; now she wore camouflage pants and a brown T-shirt. Because the cabin’s ceiling wasn’t high enough for her to stand up straight, she hunched forward as she came down the aisle and squeezed into the space beside the gurney. Michael turned his head away, but a moment later he felt the scrape of her bandaged fingers on his chin. She pulled his face toward hers and bent down low. Her lips were wet and her teeth glistened. “How are you doing, Michael?” she asked. “Everything all right?”
    He strained his eyes to the left and right, frantically trying to look past her. He caught a glimpse of the cabin door and imagined David Swift bursting through it. Oh, where was David now? Why wasn’t he here?
    “Are you uncomfortable? I’m sorry about that. I wish I could let you get up and stretch your legs, but I can’t.” She reached into the pocket of her camouflage pants. “But I have something if you’re hungry. A little snack. I bought it this morning.” She pulled a candy bar out of her pocket, a Milky Way Midnight bar. “Here, I’ll unwrap it. I can hold it up to your mouth and you can take a bite.”
    Michael shook his head. He usually liked Milky Way bars, but this one was crooked and the wrapper was wrinkled. He wouldn’t have eaten it even if David had offered it to him.
    Tamara shrugged, then slipped the candy bar back into her pocket. “We’re just making a quick stop here. The longest part of our journey is still ahead. Angel is going to refuel the plane and pick up supplies.” She glanced at the cockpit, where the man with the scarred neck was pressing buttons and throwing switches. Michael took a deep breath, relieved that she’d turned away from him. He wanted to close his eyes and slide into the darkness again, but Tamara was too close. He was afraid she might bend a few inches lower and bite him.
    “And while we’re waiting here, we’re going to have a visitor. Brother Cyrus is coming to see you, Michael. He’ll be here any minute.” She let go of his chin and ran her fingers through his hair. The bandages made a crackling noise as they moved behind his ear. “Please be respectful in his presence. Don’t say anything unless he asks you a question first. He’s our leader and he deserves respect.”
    Smiling, she gripped Michael’s chin again and brushed the fingertips of her other hand against his cheek. “You’re going to help Brother Cyrus,” she said. “And he’s going to help you, too. No more pain, no more suffering.” She slid one of her fingers across his forehead, soft and slow. “Just peace. Everlasting peace.”
    He opened his mouth to scream, but at that moment the man with the scarred neck called out,