IT BEGAN WITH SIX STONES . . .From the deserts of Israel to the tsunami-lashed coasts of Japan, from the steppes of Mongolia to the most mysterious island on Earth—this is what we have come to expect from Matthew Reilly: stupendous action, white-knuckle suspense, heroes to cheer for, and an adventure beyond imagination. Strap yourself in and hold on tight as he unleashes his biggest and fastest adventure yet,The 5 Greatest Warriors.
When we last left Jack West Jr., he was plummeting into a fathomless abyss and his quest to save the world from impending Armageddon appeared doomed.
But all hope is not lost.
After an astonishing escape, Jack regroups with his trusty team. Racing to rebuild the final pieces of the fabled “Machine,” they discover an ancient inscription containing a rhyme about five mysterious unnamed warriors—great historical figures whose knowledge will be vital to unlocking the secrets of the Machine and its long-lost “pillars.” But the ancients have hidden their secrets well, and with each pillar bestowing an incredible power upon its holder, their pursuit has attracted the attention of other forces from around the world—some who want to rule it and others who want to see it destroyed.
With enemies coming at him from every side and the countdown to doomsday rapidly approaching, Jack and his team had better move fast. Because they are about to find out what the end of the world looks like . . .The Second Vertex
Beneath the Cape of Good Hope
South Africa
December 17, 2007, 0325 hours
Jack West fell.
Fast.
Down into the black abyss beneath the inverted pyramid that was the Second Vertex.
As he plummeted into the darkness, Jack looked up to see the gigantic pyramid receding into the distance, getting smaller and smaller, the jagged walls of the abyss crowding in around it.
Falling through the air beside him was Switchblade, the Japanese-American US Marine who moments earlier had betrayed Wolf and almost derailed his plan to insert the Second Pillar in its rightful place at the peak of the pyramid. It turned out that Switchblade's Japanese blood was more important to him than his American upbringing.
But after a last-ditch swing from Jack and a desperate struggle above the abyss, Jack had jammed the Pillar in place just as the two of them had dropped from the upside-down peak and commenced their fall into the bottomless darkness.
The rocky walls of the abyss rushed past Jack in a blur of speed. He fell with Switchblade in a tumbling ungainly way, their limbs still awkwardly entwined.
As they plummeted, Switchblade punched and scratched and lashed out at Jack, before grabbing his shirt and glaring at him with baleful eyes, screaming above the wind, "You!You did this! At least I know you'll die with me!"
Jack parried away the crazed Marine's blows as they fell.
"No, I won't..." he said grimly as he suddenly kicked Switchblade square in the chest, pushing himself away from the suicidal Marine -- at the same time, grabbing something from a holster on Switchblade's back, something that every Force Recon Marine carried.
His Maghook.
Switchblade saw the device in Jack's hands, and his eyes widened in horror. He tried to grab it, but now Jack was out of his reach.
"No!No!!"
Still falling, Jack pivoted in the air, turning his back on Switchblade to face the wall of the abyss.
He fired the Maghook.
Whump!
The high-tech grappling hook flew out from its gunlike launcher, its metal claws snapping outward as it did so, its 150-foot-long reinforced-nylon cable wobbling like a tail behind it.
The grappling hook's claws hit the wall of the abyss, scraped against it, searching for a purchase before --whack!-- they found an uneven section of rock and caught -- and instantly Jack's cable went taut -- and his fall was abruptly and violently arrested, and it took all his might
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