Curse of Atlantis Read online

  Suddenly, Jack stood up and ran for the old car. Leaping off the elevated porch, he took a few steps, reached into the car for Darrien’s binoculars, then raced back up to his table. As the eyes of the patrons glared at his commotion, he quickly sat and braced his arms on the tabletop for better support. Placing the field glasses to his eyes, he carefully adjusted the lens. Staring intently through them, he watched the sun’s setting rays glance off the lower hilltop just above the ridgelines, casting a shadow below.

  “What the…” Jack said, his puzzled stare stopping him in mid-sentence.

  As the sun set lower in the sky, the shadow between the ridgelines moved lower as well. Jack continued his stare, unsure of what he was looking at. Suddenly, he stood up. Looking around at the patrons casually dining, he found their indifference intriguing. Looking through the glasses once more, his heart began to race.

  “No way,” he said loudly, calling attention to himself once more.

  As quickly as he could, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and snapped some photos. From behind him, he heard a voice call to him.

  “Sir, your order is almost ready. Would you like to pay now?”

  Jack turned to see the smiling hostess standing behind him. He smiled back, then rushed past her.

  “Keep it warm, I’ll be back shortly,” he said, as he leaped from the porch once more.

  Jack drove like a man on fire. Every turn squealed the tires. Every shift of the gears wound the engine into redline. As he struggled to keep the car on the road, he speed dialed Javier’s cell phone. Moments later, he heard the sound of a tired voice answer.

  “Jack? That you?” Javier asked, his voice sounding wary and weak.

  “Javi, drop everything where it is and race down the mountain. Do it now,” Jack blurted out over the rush of wind. “I think I found it.”

  “Jack, what’s going on? What do you mean 'race down the mountain'?” he shot back confused, then added, “We can’t leave the equipment here. It cost thousands of dollars.”

  “Javi, you’ve got to trust me. Leave the equipment now and run down that mountain. I’ll pick you up at the bottom,” Jack shouted once more.

  “I don’t understand?” he replied, now growing agitated.

  “Javi, I found it. I found the freaking pyramid. You gotta move, NOW!” Jack shouted excitedly. “Time’s running out. If you hurry, we can still catch it.”

  “Catch it?” Javier shouted back. “Never mind, we’re on our way down.”

  “Good man. I’ll be at the base in ten minutes,” Jack said, relieved.

  Jack entered the dirt road that led to the base of the mountain. Driving as fast as he dared, he slid the old car around corners and sped off bumps on the path, sending the car momentarily airborne. Speeding around the final corner, he saw movement up ahead.

  “I’ll be damned. That guy can move when he needs to,” Jack laughed to himself.

  In seconds, he slammed on the brakes, throwing a cloud of dust in the air.

  “Hurry guys, jump in,” he shouted.

  “Jack, did we hear right, you found the pyramid?” Burt said, leaping into the back seat.

  “Seatbelts guys. This is going to be a ride from hell,” Jack announced.

  He stomped on the gas, popped the clutch, and spun the rear end of the car around in one quick movement. Speeding back down the dirt road, the occupants held on tightly as Jack negotiated the twists and bumps. In minutes, he screeched the tires onto the paved street and headed toward the coast. With the daylight hours fading fast, Jack never slowed his pace. Finding the main road once more, he ignored the stop sign and sped up the coast.

  Checking over his shoulder, he watched as the large mountain in question came into view. He drove for another mile until he found the first available viewing site. Slamming on his brakes, he pulled off the road and leaped from the car.

  “Hurry, follow me!” he yelled, heading for an elevated pile of rocks on the other side the road.

  Carrying his binoculars, he looked over his shoulder, ensuring his passengers were close behind. As he hurried to the top of the boulders, he waited for the three to catch up. In seconds, all four men stood and stared toward the west.

  “Ok, Jack, what are we looking at?” Javier asked anxiously.

  “See that mountain there in the distance. It’s the one I pointed out on the boat ride,” Jack said.

  “Yeah, we excluded it due to its height. The tsunami could never have reached that high,” Burt responded.

  “Correct, it is too high, but check out the two ridgelines below it. It’s not as pronounced as it was a half hour ago, but look at the shadow. What do you see?” Jack asked, now taking his cell phone from his pocket.

  “I don’t see anything,” Darrien called out immediately. “Looks like a hill.”

  “Yeah, Jack, if that’s supposed to be pyramid, I’m not seeing it,” Javier said.

  “As I said, the shadow is almost covering the whole face of the hill but if you were here a half hour ago, this is what you would have seen,” Jack said.

  Lifting his cell phone in front of the three, they took a moment to examine the picture. As their eyes focused on the photo, the reality of the image took time to register. Scanning back and forth between camera and hill, their disbelief quickly became truth.

  “No way!” Darrien blurted out in shock.

  “Are you sure?” Javier asked excitedly.

  “Look at that shadow. It’s nearly a perfect pyramid,” Jack replied. “And look at those ridgelines. They’re too damned straight to be natural.”

  “Oh my God, Jack. I think you found it,” Javier shouted, hardly able to contain himself. “This is unbelievable.”

  “Great work, Jack,” Burt joined in, slapping him on the back. “I don’t think we ever would have found that.”

  “Well, to be honest, if I hadn’t been sitting at the right place at the right time, I probably wouldn’t have ever found either,” Jack responded modestly.

  “Oh, come on, Jack. You spotted that thing back when we were on the boat. You’ve got an impressive eye,” Burt complimented.

  “So what’s next?” Jack asked, now equally excited.

  A disturbing quiet suddenly came over Javier and Burt as the two looked knowingly at each other.

  “Guys? What do we do next? The Greek government has to give us the permits now that we’ve found the pyramid. They’d be silly not to, right?” Jack questioned.

  “It doesn’t work that way, Jack,” Burt answered.

  “This is exactly what I was afraid of,” Javier said.

  “Don’t worry, Javi. I’m on the next plane in the morning. If I have to use a little unfriendly persuasion, I’ll get those permits sign and sealed. It wouldn’t be the first time,” Burt responded resolutely.

  “Really? You’ve strong-armed people before?” Jack asked, incredulously.

  “Strong-arm is such an ugly word. I like to call it 'blackmail,'” Burt said in a serious tone.

  “Oh yeah, that sound SO much better,” Darrien responded.

  After a moment’s chuckle, the seriousness of their situation still weighed heavily on their minds. They headed back to the car, planning their next move along the way.

  Chapter 16

  Too excited to sleep, Jack woke even before his alarm went off. He hopped out of bed, showered quickly and headed out to the main room of the tiny villa. To his surprise, Javier and Burt were already awake and reviewing a copy of the ancient scrolls. Spread out on the floor, the photo-copied ancient texts were laid side by side for easier viewing.

  “And I thought I was excited,” Jack said as he entered the room.

  “Good morning, Jack. Sleep well?” Javier asked.

  “All three hours of it. How about you guys? Did you get any sleep at all?”

  “Some,” Burt said, simply.

  “So what’s the plan for today?” Jack asked, excitedly.

  “We’re going to confirm that that hill is indeed the pyramid
and Burt is going back to work his connections. Other than that, we wait,” Javier responded, his voice now becoming serious.

  Jack shook his head in disgust. “I’m sure the Russians will be paying us a visit shortly. Telling them we ‘think’ we’ve found the pyramid probably isn’t going to be good enough for them.”

  “I know, but as I said before, finding the pyramid is only half the battle. Obtaining permits and excavating is the other half of the battle,” Javier said. Turning to Burt, he spoke directly to him, “All our hopes now rest directly on your shoulders. With only days left, we need a break.”

  “I know, Javi. I’ve been holding onto a piece of information that I’m sure will speed things up,” Burt said, cryptically.

  “I don’t want know about it,” Javier said.

  “I do. You were serious about this blackmail tactic? I thought you were kidding,” Jack responded, incredulously.

  “Welcome to the seedy world of archeology,” Burt replied, sarcastically.

  “I didn’t know archeology had a seedy side to it. It’s almost comical,” Jack responded.

  “Nothing comical about it... it exists and it’s an area that includes backroom deals, looting, and the gravest criminal activities to name just a few of the sordid details. I suspect our Russian friends are involved in it at some level,” Burt explained.

  “Almost like an Indiana Jones movie,” Jack related.

  “Not as much drama as being chased by a group of natives carrying blow guns and shrunken heads, but certainly the end effect is the same… someone wants the ancient treasure and will pay or kill to get it,” Javier cut in.

  “You have to understand, Jack. Ancient artifacts are priceless and therefore carry enormous value. We’re not talking about bubble gum here,” Burt added.

  “I’ll bet that’s something they don’t teach in college,” Jack responded.

  Burt smiled dryly, then suddenly his eyes drifted toward the front door.

  “That must be Darrien. He’s awfully early though. It’s still dark,” Burt remarked.

  Listening to the sound of the car pulling into the driveway, Javier and Jack looked suspiciously at each other, then back to Burt.

  “I’m guessing that’s not Darrien,” Jack said, now moving to the front door.

  “The Russians?” Burt asked, surprised.

  Javier nodded grimly.

  “Yup, it’s the rooskies,” Jack said sarcastically. “Wonder if you should invite them for breakfast.”

  “Steady, Jack, we need to appear accommodating until we get Serena back,” Javier said, his voice low and serious.

  Jack nodded simply, then opened the door for the two dark-suited men.

  “We were hoping you would be up early. May we come in?” Dimitri asked.

  “Certainly. We were actually hoping you’d stop by. We have some great news for you,” Jack said.

  “Oh, did you find the pyramid?” Dimitri asked, now stepping through the door and walking toward the living room.

  “We believe we have,” Javier cut in. “Jack spotted it last night. We’ll confirm it today while Burt secures the required permits for excavation.”

  “Excellent,” Dimitri said, now smiling for the first time since they met. “The Boss will be very pleased.”

  “So you think it’ll buy us more time?” Jack asked.

  “If it is indeed the pyramid, I would say yes,” Dimitri answered.

  Javier felt a wave of relief. They had bought Serena some time.

  “How much time do you estimate before we can enter the pyramid?” Dimitri asked.

  Javier thought quickly about his answer. Under normal circumstances, an excavation would be delicate and time consuming. In constant fear for Serena’s life, he no longer cared about the quality of the excavation. Finding the entrance was all that mattered.

  Factoring in an aggressive dig, he felt he might be able to find the entrance in three months. Knowing the Russians would cut his time in half, he doubled the number.

  “I’d have to say, it’ll probably take about six months to find the entrance. After that, it should be fairly easy to locate the tomb,” Javier said, confidently.

  Dimitri stared at Javier with suspicion. He thought about the answer and knew Nicolae could never wait that long without replacing them with another team. In his mind, he calculated what he felt his boss would accept.

  “The Boss would never sit for something of that length. I suggest you find the entrance and the tomb in less than two months,” Dimitri said, coldly.

  “Two Months? Impossible.” Javier blurted out, desperation now in his voice once more. “Can’t you talk to him and see if you can convince him to give us more time? I’d even give him personal tours of the pyramid if that would keep him interested.”

  Dimitri smirked at Javier’s answer. It seemed silly and desperate, something that Nicolae would never hear of.

  “No, that is the time he’ll accept and no amount of double-talk will affect that date. You must finish in two months or you’ll all be replaced by someone who can,” Dimitri said, sternly.

  “Out of the frying pan, into the fire,” Jack said under his breath, angrily.

  Hearing Jack's comment, Dimitri said sharply, “Such is life… find the tomb of Atlantis.”

  ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

  Javier, Jack, and Darrien hiked up the hill that contained the two ridgelines. Lugging their heavy equipment up through the rugged terrain, they were able to ascend the five hundred feet of elevation in just under two hours. Standing on the small mound that was the summit of the buried pyramid, they stared up at the higher mountain above them.

  “It’s intriguing that they didn’t build the pyramid on top of the larger mountain,” Javier said.

  “Maybe it was just too difficult to lug blocks up that high,” Jack replied.

  “That’s probably the reason. It was hard enough getting up this high. Imagine climbing a couple hundred feet higher carrying a nine ton block of stone?” he speculated.

  Shaking their heads in wonder, they then took a moment and stared out over the valley that was once the great city of Atlantis.

  “Amazing, isn’t it? Seven thousand years ago, this very spot was the crown jewel of the city. Very few people probably even stood up here,” Javier said.

  “Actually, I’m willing to bet that in seven thousand years, only a handful of people ever stood on this location. After being covered with mud and debris, it became just another nondescript hill. No one had any reason to come up here. I’m almost willing to bet that we are the first to stand here in seven thousand years,” Jack speculated.

  “Wow, that’s exciting,” Darrien said, feeling energized by the topic.

  Thinking about Serena and how she was missing this important moment, Javier became saddened by the experience. Seeing his change in mood, Jack quickly took action.

  “Ok, let get this show on the road, shall we? Javi, I believe you have the helm,” Jack said.

  “Quite right, Jack. We have no time to waste. Let’s set up the grid lines, take the rest of the soil samples, and get the equipment in place,” he replied. “After doing this for over a month, we should be able to finish by noon.”

  “What then? Can we start to dig?” Darrien asked, innocently.

  “Don’t I wish… no, Darrien, we have to wait until someone feels that excavating the pyramid of Atlantis is a worthwhile venture,” Jack replied sarcastically.

  “Jack, you know it’s not that simple,” Javier said.

  “In my mind it is. One of the greatest finds in the history of the world, and insignificant digs take precedence over it,” Jack reasoned. “I understand that you can’t just give out permits to only the most important finds, but one of this level of importance really should have special consideration. If I was running the show, I’d make an exception for this project on the spot... it’d be a no-brainer.”

  “Yeah, me too,” Darrien concurred.

  “Well, until we have approval, there’ll
be no digging,” Javier said, sternly.

  With a complying nod, both Jack and Darrien began their work.

  ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

  Within an hour of hiking to the top of the hill, the three had taken soil samples, set up grid lines along the ground and positioned both the GPR and the ECM device and for their first battery of tests. As Javier pushed the GPR along the ground, Darrien marked off the locations that were called out. Jack stood on the opposite side of the grid and slowly walked with the ECM unit, marking anything that created a distinctive reflection deep in the ground.

  Within a few steps, Javier stopped and read the display. Almost immediately, he discovered a strange void deep in the ground. As Darrien marked the location, he pushed the device forward only to stop again.

  Looking over to Jack, he called out, “Hey, Jack, you reading anything?”

  “Yeah, I’m not sure what they are but there are a lot of dissimilar materials down there,” Jack responded.

  “They? Are you getting a lot of fluctuations on the display?” Javi asked.

  “It’s like the display is malfunctioning,” Jack replied.

  “Did you reset the device?” Javier yelled over.

  “Yup, sure did… same thing,” Jack shouted. “By the way, I’m not seeing anything that looks like the blocks of the pyramid either. I’m not seeing the distinctive pattern you told me about.”

  “What are you seeing?” Javier asked. “Never mind, I’m coming over,” he said, growing tired of the shouting between them.

  Moments later, he stood next to Jack and watched the display as he started over at the beginning of the row. Within seconds, the display showed spikes and voids that represented materials of varying conductivity. As he watched the reading, his heart began to pound.

  “Jack, I’m getting the same thing. There’s definitely something down there,” Javier said, excitedly.

  “If you had to guess, what do you think it is?”

  “I hate to say anything, seeing we just started our analyses mere minutes ago, but I’ll tell you this much, those voids are big, really big, like a room in a house kind of big. And, it’s very distinctive,” Javier said. Pointing to the display, he continued. “Look at how the lines of reflection are consistent, then dramatically change within a couple of feet. I’m guessing there’s a wall down there, Jack and it looks like it’s about ten to fifteen feet tall.”