Chasing The Dawn (Luke Temple - Book 2) (Luke Temple Series) by James Flynn

Professor Brun. You must be Miss Chung Su?” She nodded, dazed. He handed her an identical yellow hard hat. “You had better pop this on.”
    Chung Su stood motionless. She understood English and Brun was kind enough to speak it slowly.
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Chung, you have joined us at a bit of a crazy time I am afraid but please do feel free to join me for the day, I have a lot of work to do.” He paused before saying the next sentence. “Truth be told, Miss Chung, I’m sure you are far more interested in seeing us working away.”
    The professor’s words sent a chill through Chung Su.
    Brun gave a beaming smile. “I understand this is your first time in Italy? Well you won’t see much of it down here, but what I can show you is far more interesting than life on the surface. Too many of us live on the surface, don’t you feel, Miss Chung?”
    Chung Su regained composure, and took a deep breath through her nose. “Yes.”
    “Well then, if you would care to accompany me, we shall crack on.”
    Brun scampered across the room, stopping abruptly halfway across the floor. He said nothing, nor did he make any gesture. He gauged quite rightly that the contraption in front of him needed no introduction, Chung Su followed his gaze and she felt the pang of familiarity and wonder.
    The Detector. She had seen so many pictures, examined so much data but to be stood next to the two supermodules gave her heart a flutter of pure excitement. This is where Professors Vittorio and Brun had made one of the most amazing scientific discoveries of the last century. She had been as amazed as the rest of the world when the discovery had been leaked to media outlets only a matter of weeks ago. If only they knew that in fact the breakthrough had been six years ago. Careful Chung Su . The squat military man flashed through her mind, reminding her to play her part. “It is amazing … beautiful.”
    Brun nodded and said something in a whisper which the buzz of people and machinery drowned out. Her eyes scanned over each brick; she knew the statistics inside out, the 200,000 bricks that made up the machine all working in harmony to capture their prey. The beast was instantly recognisable, the little details varied . Let it not be said, she thought, that scientists don’t have their individual creative flairs. Brun turned his head to sneak a look at Chung Su. She was aware of his eyes and intensified her look of awe. Her eyes roamed over the machinery running from the detector to all corners of the space.
    A red light flashed on followed by a siren. Brun smiled and rested his hand on her arm, shouting over the noise. “Don’t worry, it is just a test ... we are having a very exciting week.”
    Brun gently guided Chung Su by the arm as an army of technicians descended onto the floor. She glimpsed the reflection of the emulsion films interleaved with the lead sheets as they walked past. Brun led them both through a door in a corner of the hall marked with a lightning bolt and a red circle with a cross running through it. He opened the door and as it shut behind them the noise instantly ceased.
    “Apologies about that. As I say, this week is an exciting one.” He looked deep into her eyes, an intense stare that was unyielding. Suddenly he took a glance down to her shoes, seemingly weighing up a thought.
    They were stood in a small room; it was lit with a single bulb. The sound of Brun’s voice was dampened by the reams of thick electrical cable stuffed along every wall; it gave the pair of them barely any room to manoeuvre. Brun appeared to have made his decision, “I hope you enjoyed climbing trees as a child.”
    With that he pulled on an unassuming-looking handle, allowing a hidden door to open into an even smaller space; it was dark. “Follow me.” Brun walked into the small space and Chung Su saw him grasp hold of a ladder and begin to ascend. She followed him and felt an unexpected breeze of recycled air. As she