Curse of Atlantis Read online

  “From way up here, the only sounds you’d hear would probably be the sounds of hammers chiseling stone,” Javier responded. “Without any mechanized machinery, it’d be pretty quiet.”

  He looked up at the sky and heard a plane in the distance.

  “It’s amazing that we take the sound of planes for granted, never really paying them much attention, but they really do affect our peaceful environment. Seven thousand years ago, aside from the sounds of voices and crude tools, it must have been a fairly quiet society to live in compared to ours.”

  “Quiet and beautiful,” Jack added. “If it truly was the most opulent city in the world at that time, just imagine all the architecture that we’d be seeing right now. The Romans had the Coliseum and the Greeks had the Parthenon. I wonder what the Atlanteans had.”

  The four men stood quietly and thought about Jack’s statement. As they gazed out upon the city a mile away, each man envisioned their own version of Atlantis. A moment later, the silence was broken.

  “I know exactly what they would’ve had,” Javier said, now feeling the rush of discovery. “Standing down there and looking in this direction, they would have seen a magnificent pyramid.”

  For a brief moment, the four scanned the mountains and hills around them, each man imagining a grand pyramid standing watch over the city.

  “What a sight that must have been,” Burt said.

  “What a sight that WILL be,” Jack corrected, staying positive for Javier’s sake.

  Jack’s intentions were realized. Feeling the power of hope, Javier’s demeanor turned positive once more. Reaching for his pack, he shouldered it and said, “Somewhere out here is our pyramid. Let’s go home and get some rest.”

  “Maybe we’ll get lucky tomorrow,” Darrien added.

  “If not tomorrow, very soon,” Jack replied, “It’s just a matter of time.”

  ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

  The following day, the four men continued their search. From dawn to dusk, their pursuit proved fruitless and the failure slowly ate away at their spirits. The next day resulted in the same, as did the days that succeeded it, continuing in a long string of failed searches.

  As the days turned into weeks and their efforts went unrewarded, morale began to degrade and any attempt to turn their hopes became ineffective. The desperation that followed cast a pall over the four that hung heavy as they worked. Each man knew the consequences of defeat and the pressure of it further hindered their ability to work.

  Bringing further complication to the difficult task, Nicolae Sokolov’s men increased the frequency of their visits. With each meeting, their demands became more ominous and threatening as Nicolae’s patience was running out. He wanted more and to him, they seemed to be delivering less.

  After another long day toiling in the sun, the four pulled up into the shortened driveway at their rented villa. Stepping from the car, Jack immediately spotted the break he’d been waiting for. Sitting on a patio table in front of the house, sat a delivered package.

  He turned to Javier and said in a confident tone, “I think we’ve just bought ourselves some time.”

  Seeing the package, he cried out, “Halleluiah! I didn’t think it was ever going to get here in time.”

  Rushing to the patio, Javier immediately grabbed the package and tore it open. With a relieved smile, he said, “Well done, Jack. I think you’ve just saved Serena’s life.”

  Jack reached in and pulled out a delicately wrapped urn. Unraveling the bubble-packing that protected it, he stared at the intricately crafted pottery and smiled in satisfaction.

  “This looks great, Javi,” he remarked. “What do you think? You think it’ll fool them?”

  “I think it would fool me. Damn, that guy’s good!” Javier exclaimed.

  As Darrien unloaded the packs, Burt made his way to the patio. Seeing the small urn in Jack’s hands he asked, “Where’d you get that?”

  “You like it? It’s Atlantean,” he said, his smile turning wily.

  “Atlantean? What’s going on here? The only artifacts we have are the scrolls, the crystal globe and the urn, and I know no one’s been diving on the old site as of late.” Burt said, now confused.

  Javier shot Burt a condescending look and mocked, “Don’t you know? We found this today on that last mountain. Where have you been?”

  “Javi, unless I slept all day, which I know I didn’t, I KNOW you didn’t find that today. You're going to have to let me in on your little secret,” Burt responded, still confused.

  “It was Jack’s idea. Remember all those fakes in my home? The same guy that made all of those, made this one too. I’m hoping it buys us more time with the Russians,” Javier replied.

  Taking the small urn, Burt carefully rotated it in his hands. Examining the details, he nodded his head approvingly.

  “This is nice work, guys. I love the hieroglyphics at the base,” Burt said.

  “Jack’s idea… kind of matches the original urn we found,” Javier said, smiling to Jack.

  “I think it lends an extra element of credibility,” Jack replied.

  “I think it’s missing something though,” Burt said. Motioning to Jack and Javier, he continued, “Follow me.”

  The three walked around the side of the old home. With the heel of his boot, Burt began to break up the soil in small area. Looking up to his two friends, he flashed them a sly smile.

  “This looks old, but I think we can make it look seven thousand years old, with a little more elbow grease,” he laughed.

  Bending over, he placed the urn in the loosened dirt and rubbed its surface roughly over the ground. Scooping up a handful of dirt, he threw some inside and rolled his hand around, spreading it evenly throughout. For several minutes, he continued his work until the urn looked scratched and dirty.

  Standing, he presented the filthy pot to Javier and said, “Yes, I believe I do remember this now. We found it with the GPR, several feet below the surface near that outcropping we rested near today.”

  Javier smiled. “Yup, that was right about the time we ran out of water.”

  “And let’s not forget that there were other targets we weren’t able to locate due to time,” Jack added, playing along with the game.

  Walking back to the front of the house, the three men fabricated the rest of their story, ensuring their details were consistent.

  Stepping onto the patio, Jack asked, “Do you think they’ll buy it?”

  Javier looked over to Jack. His face turning grim and said, “We’re about to find out.”

  Both Jack and Burt turned and watched the Russians slow to a stop behind Darrien’s old Range Rover. Stepping from the car, the taller of the two dark-suited men led the way toward the house.

  Nonchalantly, Burt stood next to Javier and blocked the view of the front door. Barely moving his lips, he quietly said, “Jack, the box it came in. Bring it inside… quickly!”

  Jack moved quickly and smoothly, taking the empty box inside without suspicion. As he broke it down and threw it in the trash, he listened intently to the dangerous men just outside the front door.

  “What is that in your hands?” the taller man asked, directly to Javier.

  “We’ve found an ancient artifact while searching today. It’s an urn from Atlantis. We’re close to finding the pyramid. We’re real close,” Javier responded, giving his best effort to sound believable.

  “Hmm, may I see this artifact?” the taller man requested.

  Javier handed the fake urn to the Russian and watched apprehensively for his initial reaction. As he spun it around in his hands, a smile crossed his face. Handing the urn back to Javier, he wiped the dirt from his hand in midair.

  “You, of course, will package this for us before we leave, won’t you?” he asked, his demand subtle but certain.

  “Of course. Do you think your boss will be pleased?” Javier asked.

  “His mood has been… shall we say, intolerant lately, but I am certain this will bring a smile to his
face.” Pointing to the front door, he added, “You must give me the details of your discovery.”

  Chapter 15

  It had been two days since Nicolae’s men had left with the urn. Having traded the fake for extra time, Javier breathed easier as he prepared for the day’s search. Gathering his data, he filled his backpack and waited for Jack to ready himself.

  “Hey, Jack, I think Darrien’s here. Shake a leg,” he said, adding a bit of humor to lighten his serious request.

  “Be right out. Just brushing my teeth,” Jack called from the bathroom.

  Javier paced the floor as he waited. Thinking about Serena, he wondered how she was fairing and hoped the revelation of the new artifact would provide for better treatment. The more he visualized her, the more his thoughts turned negative, until once again, sadness enveloped him like a wave. Jack entered the living room and saw the sad look on Javier’s face. He tried to give words of comfort.

  “I miss her too, Javi. Her rescue is all I think about right now. In fact, I think it’s all any of us are thinking about right now. We’ve gone through most of the mountains on the list. There are only a handful of locations left to search. It’s got to be exciting knowing that one of those locations will save her life.”

  “We’ve already gone through nearly three quarters of the list. What if we go through the last quarter and we haven’t found it? What if it doesn’t exist at all? There is that possibility, Jack,” Javier said, now feeling the full extent of his desperation.

  “Javi, you can convince yourself into a paralyzing state of depression if you allow it. You have to fight it. You have to believe that we’re going to find that pyramid. You have to know that she’ll be ok. If you don’t, your negativity will weigh on your decision making, and jeopardize her safety.”

  Javier thought about Jack’s words and once again, felt motivated. Standing strong, he forced himself to push beyond his own negativity and do the job he set out to do.

  “Thanks, Jack. I needed that little pep talk,” Javier said, with a slight smile.

  “I’ll bill you later, now let’s go find that pyramid.”

  “Absolutely. I can hear Burt and Darrien outside talking. Let’s not keep them waiting, shall we?” he said, now motioning toward the door.

  The two walked to the front door and stepped outside. Burt and Darrien were indeed talking, but not to themselves. Standing near Darrien’s car, the two Russians were now in the depths of serious conversation.

  “Mr. Arista… Jack… how nice of you to show,” the taller of the two men in dark suits said.

  “Is everything ok?” Javier asked, suspiciously.

  “Have you found any further artifacts?” he asked directly.

  “I’m sorry, we haven’t,” Javier replied, staring at Jack for a moment, then turning back to the Russians.

  “Then the answer is no. Everything is not ok. The Boss is growing impatient,” Dimitri said, disappointed.

  “But we gave him the urn… surely that should have satisfied him for a while,” Javier reasoned.

  “The more you give him, the more he demands. It is just his nature,” Dimitri said. Stepping forward for effect, he continued, “As you already know, he is not in the business of kidnapping. It is a business that moves far too slow for his personality. If you want to see your daughter alive, you’ll find this pyramid by the week's end.”

  “THE WEEK'S END?!” Javier shouted loudly.

  “Do not raise your voice to me again,” Dimitri said coldly. “I am the only line between your daughter’s life and death. It would be a shame if I failed to report in time to save her.”

  Javier nodded nervously, then said, “My apology for the outburst… If we find another artifact, how much extra time will we have?”

  “I don’t know if it WILL buy you more time. To be blunt, if he doesn’t see results very soon, you all will be replaced. To say you are spending borrowed time is an oversimplification,” Dimitri warned.

  “Is there nothing we can do to extend our time?” Javier asked.

  “Finding the pyramid is all you can do at this point,” he replied coldly.

  Javier nodded in understanding.

  With a simple return nod, the two Russians turned and headed for their car. As they drove away, Javier felt a crushing weight upon his shoulders.

  “ONE WEEK?!” he blurted out loudly. “This is BULLSHIT!”

  Javier’s profanity was the first time any of the three had heard him use it. It was out of character for him, and they knew he was unraveling fast.

  “Javi, I promise you, we won’t sleep until we find it, but let’s not waste another minute discussing what could happen. Even more so now, we need to focus on that pyramid,” Burt said, his voice controlled and deliberate. “Anything short could spell disaster.”

  Javier nodded reluctantly. His anger and desperation still raged inside him. Picking his pack up off the ground, he walked to the car and got in. Turning to the others, he said simply, “Let’s go.”

  Without a word, the three filed into the car, determination registering on every face.

  ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

  The day finished off as a complete failure. The four men pushed through their desperation and exhaustion and managed to examine three mountains in one day. The Herculean feat went completely unrewarded. From the excessive use over rough terrain, the GPR malfunctioned and had to be repaired. With Jack’s knowledge of electronics, he was able to diagnose the problem: a contact had broken away from the printed-circuit-board, rending the device useless. Thinking quickly, Jack had seen a torch lighter in Darrien’s car and quickly retrieved it. Heating up a small piece of wire, he was able to use it to melt and ultimately solder the contact back in place.

  As it was, the time spent cost them dearly and they worked into the evening hours to finish their task. With nothing to show for their efforts, the four drove back to the tiny rented villa and prepared for the following day’s search: tired and broken.

  With late evening turning into early morning, the four finally made time for sleep. Trying to maximize his rest, Darrien slept on the floor while Burt took the couch. Three hours after they laid down, the alarms rang and they started the race back to the mountains.

  Working frantically, they barely took time to eat or drink. Racing to maximize the daylight hours, they shortened their tests and risked lower degrees of accuracy in order to achieve their goal of three mountains per day.

  After nearly fourteen hours of frenzied searching, they completed their final test for the day. Staring at the results, Javier shook his head in disgust.

  “Impossible. It’s got to be here. What are we doing wrong?” he shouted out in deep desperation.

  Burt looked at the data. Scanning through quickly, he confirmed Javier’s statement.

  “I’m sorry, Javi. We still have a few more days. All is not lost just yet. With the speed that we’re moving, we should be able to finish the list before the end of the week. I know it doesn’t feel like much, but the list we compiled contained the most likely locations for a pyramid to be buried. With only a few more mountains left, I’m certain we’ll find it in time,” Burt reasoned.

  “Javi, there’s still a little light left to the day. I’m sure you’re hungry and thirsty. Why don’t we go down into town and rest an hour or so. We can get a bite to eat and recharge batteries,” Jack suggested.

  “No… I won’t do that. As long as there’s light, I’ll keep going,” he said, resolutely.

  “Aren’t you getting hungry?” Darrien asked.

  “I’m starved, but it’s not like I’m going to waste away. I’ll eat after this is all over with,” he replied grimly.

  “Ok, here’s the plan. The next mountain is a short walk across the ridgeline. The three of us will move the equipment to the other side,” Burt said, pointing to Darrien and Javier. “Jack, take the car and go into town and get some food. We can continue on the next mountain while you’re gone.”

  “If that’s ok with
you, Darrien?” Jack asked.

  “I am honored to help out in any way,” he responded.

  Handing Jack the keys to his car, he said jokingly, “Please don’t scratch it.”

  “I’ll be back well before it’s dark,” Jack said.

  With a quick wave, he ran down the hill towards the beat up old Range Rover.

  ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

  Jack drove quickly through the old country roads, then onto a main road that paralleled the coastline. Heading north, he squinted hard and tried to see his companions at the top of the next hill. With the sun beginning to set, it silhouetted the profiles of the mountain tops, all but obscuring any detail that might be seen in daylight. Unable to find his friends, he stepped on the gas and concentrated his focus on driving faster.

  Ten minutes after finding the main road, Jack entered the town of Paliaopoli. Stopping at the first café he found, he roared into the parking lot and slammed on the brakes. Quickly, he leaped from the car and ran into the building. Placing an order of food to go, he walked back outside and waited at an outdoor patio.

  Checking his watch, he remarked at his timing.

  “Eight o’clock. At this rate, I’ll be back in time to eat and find that stupid pyramid,” he said to himself.

  Looking back up at the mountains, he searched again for the three. With the suns rays now beginning to set behind the western range, it cast its shadows off the eastern faces of the mountains. One by one, Jack mentally checked off all the peaks he had stood on. As his eyes scanned from north to south, he suddenly focused on the mountain he had spotted weeks before while riding in the boat. He had noticed a lower pair of ridgelines that ended abruptly, half way up the face of the larger mountain. The mountain had been ruled out by Javier due to its size, but now Jack began to see something in the shadows that he hadn’t seen in the bright sunshine.

  Squinting hard, he concentrated on the formations that rose up from the valley floor. Rubbing his eyes, he refocused again, this time using his imagination to see images in a place where there were none. The more he watched, more the sun's shadows played tricks on his mind.