Evil Star

businesses on the whole damned continent,"
    Natalie Johnson explained. "And the man who fronts it, Diego Salamanda, is one of the richest. I've had dealings with him in the past, but I've never met him. I've heard he's disabled in some way and he keeps himself very much to himself. He runs newspapers, TV
    and satellite sta-tions, publishing houses, and hotels. He does it out of an office in Lima."
    "Was he the one trying to buy the diary?"
    "Perhaps. We can't know for sure. But not much hap-pens within his organization without him knowing it, so it probably comes down to the same thing. If it's Salamanda we're up against, that's bad news.

    Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star He's powerful. But on the other hand, maybe it's good that we know who the enemy is. At least it tells us where to start."
    "Okay." Richard nodded. "So you send Matt to Lima. Then what does he do?"
    "He stays with me as my guest," Fabian replied. "You will both be welcome in my home. I told you already that I have a house in Barranco. It is a quiet part of the city where many artists and writers live. I'm not far from the beach. You will be safe there."
    "William Morton thought he was safe," Richard pointed out. "And look what happened to him!"
    "We don't know what went wrong," Ashwood admitted. "None of us knew the meeting place until the day before, and of course we didn't tell anyone. We can only assume he must have been followed.
    However, I agree with you. Your safety is of paramount importance
    — which is why we've decided to take extra precautions. Nobody must even know you've left England."
    "What about passport control?" Richard asked.
    "I'm seeing to that." Tarrant took over. "I'm going to arrange false passports for you. This man — Salamanda — may not have any agents at Heathrow Airport, but he's sure to have people on the lookout when you arrive in Lima. So you'll both travel under assumed names. Nobody outside this room will know who you are."
    "It still sounds crazy," Richard said. “Your plan is that you don't have a plan. Go to Peru! Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred pounds!"
    "No," Matt interrupted. It was almost the first time he had spoken, and the thirteen adults in the room all turned to look at him. "I think Miss Ashwood is right. We can'tjust walk away. Not after all that's Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star happened. The second gate is in Peru. It's going to open. We have to be there."
    Now, hours later on the plane to Peru, Matt wondered why he had been so decisive.
    Maybe the twelve members of the Nexus had been right. His life was completely tangled up with the second gate, and there seemed to be no escaping it. Or was there part of him that genuinely wanted to help, to fight back at an ancient enemy? Matt wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was sweating and felt sick. As the engines began to roar in the buildup before takeoff, he was certain they would fall off the wings. And how could this huge machine with its six hundred passengers, suitcases, meal carts, and all the rest of it possibly stay up in the air? Matt had only ever flown twice in his entire life and those had been short hops to Marseilles and Malaga with his parents, when he was very young. This flight was going to last seventeen hours! He wasn't afraid of what he might find in Peru.
    But he was certainly afraid of flying there.
    Twenty minutes later, the 747 was well above cloud level, already leaving the west coast of England behind. A flight attendant came up to them with a menu.
    "Would you like a drink, Mr. Carter?" she asked.
    It took Matt a moment to realize that she was talking to them. Paul and Robert Carter. Two brothers traveling together. Those were the names on the false passports they had been given.
    "I'll have a beer, thanks," Richard said.
    "Just some water for me," Matt added.
    They were traveling in business class, close to the front of the plane.
    The tickets had cost thousands of pounds, but the Nexus had been Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star ready to pay millions for the diary. They obviously weren't short of cash. Matt settled back in his seat. He had a personal television set with a choice of about ten films as well as a selection of computer games. Richard had also bought him books and magazines. But he didn't feel like doing anything. Sitting there, suspended in the air somewhere above the Irish Sea, he felt empty, dis-connected.
    "So do you want to talk about it?"