Curse of Atlantis Read online

  “Are your eyes ok? Do you need more time?” Darrien asked, sympathetically.

  “I think I might have scratched corneas. I know I flushed all the sand out of my eyes, but it still feels like I have a few grains left in there. I think we’ll both need to see the doctor when we get to the hospital.”

  Darrien reached up and lightly touched the gash on his forehead. Dried blood and sand had now formed a large scab that looked worse than the wound actually was.

  “I think it’s nothing. Probably just needs a good cleaning,” he replied.

  “And a couple of stitches, I’m guessing.”

  “I sure hope Mr. Arista is Ok. He was under that sand for a long time,” Darrien said, his face still carrying a worried expression.

  “I can’t be sure, but I think I heard him speaking as they left.”

  “You did a great thing, Jack. You saved his life,” Darrien responded with admiration. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. You’re a hero.”

  “Are you kidding me? Darrien, if it wasn’t for you, Javi and I would both be dead. I think you’re the real hero here,” he replied modestly.

  Darrien thought about Jack's words and smiled.

  “My mother will be so proud,” he said, now beaming with pride.

  “And you thought this was going to be a boring job,” Jack teased.

  As he started to stand, Darrien reached over and helped him to his feet.

  “After today, boring sounds really good,” Darrien joked.

  “Amen, brother, Amen,” Jack said with a smile.

  Jack and Darrien slowly worked their way through the narrow corridors. As they approached the exit, the bright lights shined in, guiding them safely out of the pyramid. Standing in the sunlight, Jack breathed in a great breath of air.

  “Phew, sunshine never felt so good,” he said, matter-of-factly.

  “Good to hear everything’s ok,” a deep voice called out.

  Jack stiffened at the sound of the familiar voice. Turing to his left, two dark suited men stood stoically just off to the side of the entrance.

  “Man, don’t you guys ever take a rest?” Jack spat out in frustration. “A couple guys almost died in there… including me.”

  “We’re delighted to hear you’re alive,” Dimitri replied, in an unsympathetic tone. “Can we have word with you… alone?”

  Jack shot Darrien a knowing stare and said, “Take five. I’ll be back shortly.”

  “I’ll get the car,” Darrien responded, flashing the two dark suited men a foul sneer.

  Dimitri waited momentarily for Darrien to leave, then asked, “We appreciate you locating the traps.”

  “All for you,” Jack replied sarcastically.

  “How close are you to the burial chamber?” Dimitri asked, ignoring Jack’s negative comment.

  “We’ve reached it by probe this morning, but there’s a door blocking it. We were about halfway there when Javi got caught in the trap.”

  “This door you speak of. Can you open it?” Dimitri now asked, callously ignoring Javier’s welfare.

  “Burt and Javier both believe the crystal will open the door.”

  Dimitri laughed sardonically to himself and replied, “Then it is most fortunate that we are in possession of the crystal, isn’t it?”

  “Sure,” Jack responded simply.

  Dimitri eyed Jack with suspicion, then turned to his partner. Speaking Russian briefly, they turned to Jack, then back to themselves and laughed.

  Turning to Jack, Dimitri became serious and said, “Tomorrow… the boss will be here tomorrow. You will have the pyramid cleared of all traps by then.”

  “Dude, Javier’s in the hospital. I can barely see. We’re going to need more time,” Jack said, acidly.

  “Mr. Arista was talking when he left a short time ago. The hospital is just a formality. You can walk and talk too. Everyone is fine,” Dimitri shot back, angrily, then added, “Tomorrow night, when all have gone home, we will all enter the pyramid. Is that clear?”

  Opening his jacket, he lightly tapped his holstered weapon. With a simple nod, his threat was delivered.

  “What about Serena?” Jack asked, defiantly.

  “As I said, we will all enter the pyramid,” Dimitri replied, now visibly seething.

  “This is such bullshit,” Jack said under his breath, but loud enough for the Russians to hear him.

  Instantly, Dimitri pulled his handgun and hit Jack across the side of his head. Jack fell to the ground, stunned. With little recourse, he feigned unconsciousness. Lying still, he heard the sound of the hammer cock on the Dimitri’s gun, but held his bluff.

  “Dimitri, no!” the other Russian said.

  Trying not to flinch, Jack held his face and body perfectly still.

  “You’re right. It would be a waste. I want him to see me pull the trigger,” Dimitri shot back. He laughed momentarily, then added, “Tomorrow, they’ll all see me pull the trigger… maybe even that stupid girl.”

  “You can’t shoot the girl too. Nicolae has her sold already,” the shorter Russian warned.

  “Accidents happen,” Dimitri replied, cryptically.

  The two laughed sadistically, turned, and headed back to their black sedan.

  As the car drove out of sight, Jack staggered to his feet. Rubbing the throbbing bump on the side of his head, he looked at his bloody fingers. Rage welled inside him.

  “Enough of this bullshit!” he spat out angrily. “Two can play this game.”

  ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

  Argos General Hospital, Argos Greece:

  Jack and Darrien entered Javier’s room in the emergency ward of Argos General Hospital. As they rounded the corner, Javier instantly shot the pair an ear-to-ear grin.

  “Well, well, looked what the cat dragged in. If you come to pay your last respects, you’re a bit early,” Javier joked.

  “How’re you feeling?” Jack asked, his face nearly devoid of all expression.

  “Jack, I know that look. What’s wrong?” Burt asked, now visibly concerned.

  “We’ve got problems. We’ve got big problems,” Jack responded.

  “Problems? Not another trap?” Javier asked, his face now turned serious.

  “You might call it that,” Jack responded cryptically. “The Russians paid me a visit after you left. They told me in no uncertain terms that we have to have the pyramid cleared of all booby traps by tomorrow night.”

  “Tomorrow night?” Javier blurted out. “Don’t they know I had to go to the hospital?”

  “They know… they just don’t care. The big Russian was very explicit about the orders,” Jack said, now rubbing the bruise on the side of his head.

  “What orders?” Burt asked.

  “We’re all supposed to meet tomorrow night. We’re supposed to lead them into the pyramid and when they have what they want, they’ll make the ‘exchange,’” Jack said, using his fingers to bracket the word.

  “You think they’re planning funny business?” Javier asked.

  “Yes… I do. The big Russian pulled his gun and gave me this bruise on my head. As I pretended to be knocked out, I heard his partner persuade him not to shoot me. The big Russian responded with ‘I want him to see me pull the trigger.’”

  “Oh my God, do you think he was really going to shoot you?” Burt blurted out in shock.

  “Absolutely. If I hadn’t faked being knocked out, I’d be dead right now.”

  “Wow, that’s awful. Sorry you had to go through that,” Javier said.

  “There’s more,” Jack continued. “As they were leaving, I overheard them both talking. The big Russian plans to shoot everyone tomorrow after they have what they want.”

  A gasp came from Burt as the reality of Jack’s words immediately struck him.

  “No! We’ve got to do something,” Javier responded in both anger and fear.

  “There’s one more thing. I overheard them talking about Serena. I’m pretty sure they plan to sell her into slavery.”
>
  “Oh no… human trafficking. That’s worse than a death sentence I’ve heard,” Burt said, his voice filled with anguish.

  Javier sat motionless as his mind visualized the atrocities in store for his daughter. His eyes welled and a tear rolled off his cheek. As the rage built inside him, his face turned a deep red and his fists clenched.

  Grabbing the sheet that covered him, he threw it off to the side and stood up.

  “Javier, what are you doing?” Burt protested. “Your results haven’t come back yet.”

  “To hell with the results. I need to save my daughter,” Javier said in a low determined voice. “I’m calling the police.”

  “One step ahead of you,” Jack cut in.

  “You called them?” Javier asked, his eyes nearly piercing Jack’s.

  “I did,” Jack responded simply.

  “And?” Javier asked, now growing impatient.

  “I gave them all the details. They’re handling it.”

  “You don’t sound convincing, Jack.”

  “These Russians scare me: they’re unpredictable and I have my doubts about the police.”

  “What other recourse do we have?”

  “None at the moment, but that could change.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Javier asked, suspiciously.

  “Only that if we see an opportunity to resolve this ourselves, we shouldn’t overlook it just because the police are involved.”

  “Jack, I don’t want you doing anything unless you talk to us first… ok?” Javier demanded.

  A moment of silence and Javier repeated, “Jack?”

  “I understand,” he shot back, reluctantly.

  Chapter 19

  The Pyramid; The following morning:

  “Well, I didn’t see anything. We’ve been through the corridors and chambers twice now and I just don’t see anything from the probe that looks like a trigger for a trap,” Javier said, staring at his computer screen.

  “That’s what I’ve been saying now for the past four hours. I think it’s safe for us to go in, at least up to the last chamber with altar,” Jack responded, exasperation creeping into his voice.

  “Jack, just because you didn’t see another telltale etching on the floor, doesn’t mean there aren’t other methods to trigger a trap,” Burt added.

  “I understand that, but my gut feeling is there’re no hazards until after we open that huge door in the last chamber,” he argued.

  “We can’t go on gut feeling here, Jack. It’s just too dangerous. One miscalculation and someone will die, if not all of us,” Javier countered. “We need to take it slow, especially once we get beyond that last trap. I know we’ve all seen what it looks like from the probe’s cameras, but until I step foot in there, I consider it all uncharted territory.”

  Jack nodded simply, choosing not to argue the point further.

  “Ok, let’s get our equipment and get in there. We need to have this thing cleared in less than two hours,” Burt said, now looking at his watch.

  Javier checked his watch too and noted the time, “Right, it’s eleven-thirty. We need to be back at this entrance and waiting by one-thirty. I don’t want to give the Russians any reason to walk. I just hope it all goes as planned.”

  “Me too,” Jack said apprehensively.

  “I don’t see the police. When do you think they’ll show?” Darrien asked.

  “They’re here now. You just don’t see them. They need to blend in with the workers, otherwise the Russians will see them and run,” Jack responded.

  Darrien looked around and tried to locate the plain-clothes policemen.

  “Unless you know every worker here and can spot the strange faces in the crowd, you probably won’t find them,” Jack said.

  “I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when the police step out of the crowd and arrest them,” Darrien added.

  “Me too, Darrien, me too,” Javier jumped in.

  The four men stood just outside the entrance and checked their equipment. Fear and apprehension flowed freely through Javier, Burt, and Darrien as they contemplated their fates. Jack sat quietly off to the side and adjusted the controls of his radar platform.

  “Jack, what are you doing with that thing? I thought it was broken,” Javier asked.

  “I fixed it. I think it was just a loose wire. It could come in handy while we’re in there,” he replied.

  Javier nodded simply and donned his backpack. “Why don’t you use our GPR device, Jack? It’s probably more sophisticated than the one you made.”

  He thought about Javier’s suggestion, then said, “I would if the car wasn’t so far away.”

  “Well, either way, it doesn’t hurt to have one on hand just in case,” Javier said.

  Jack stood and donned his own pack. With a flashlight in one hand, and his radar device in the other, he stepped just inside the pyramid.

  “Coming?” he shouted to the others.

  “Right behind you,” Javier replied for all three.

  As Jack led a hurried pace, the others followed quickly behind him.

  Within minutes, he ascended the incline and disappeared around the first corner.

  “Jack, hold up a minute,” Javier shouted.

  Moments later, Jack’s light appeared around the corner and shined down the corridor as the three continued higher up towards his position.

  “Sorry guys. Guess I’m a little impatient,” he called down to them.

  “Your impatience is going to get you killed,” Javier shouted back.

  As the three stopped at the landing guarded by the two stone warriors, Jack turned and continued around the corner. He ascended the next shallow incline, stopped at the point of the previous collapse, and waited. Several minutes later, the other three joined him.

  “Jack, you really need to slow it down from here on out. Beyond this point is uncharted territory. Let’s keep if safe, ok?” Javier voiced his concern.

  “Ok, I’ll be careful,” Jack replied.

  The four started off slowly. With Jack in the lead, he moved up a few feet and waited. As the others caught up, he moved up another few feet and waited again. Over and over, they repeated the pattern, as they watched for dangers. Moving steadily and efficiently, they were able to cover the next long section of corridor in a half hour. Arriving at the pentagon-shaped room, the four stood just outside and admired its beauty.

  “Magnificent,” Burt said.

  “Hard to believe this was all solid rock at one time,” Javier considered. “It’s such an achievement in engineering.”

  “I think what’s amazing is how well preserved it all is,” Jack said.

  “I’m just happy we didn’t run into anymore traps,” Darrien added.

  They all looked on for another minute, then Burt said, “We’ve made good time. We should be able to clear this room and get back outside with plenty of time to spare.”

  With a quick look around, Jack immediately started off toward the large rectangular altar.

  “Jack, hold up. We shouldn’t just charge in here without testing it first,” Javier said.

  “It’s ok, there’s nothing between me and the altar,” he replied, continuing on.

  Before Javier could protest further, Jack had already hurried across the room. He stepped around to the backside of the altar and set down his equipment.

  “There’s a pedestal on the altar, just like the one depicted on the front of this block,” he pointed out immediately.

  As he stood behind the altar, the three considered the area safe and moved in to investigate while he continued with his discovery.

  “The image on the front of this altar shows the crystal on the pedestal opening the door. I’m betting if we load some weight onto it, the door will open.”

  “Whoa Jack, we can’t just throw some weight on that pedestal and hope everything turns out ok,” Burt said. “We have to keep in mind that the crystal is in reality, a key.”

  “I agree. Without the crys
tal, that pedestal could be a trap itself. Any incorrect weight on it could set off a trap that could kill us all,” Burt added. “We really can’t do anything until the Russians bring us that crystal.”

  Javier checked his watch and mentally calculated the time.

  “We better secure this room and get out of here,” he said, now with nervous tension in his voice.

  “I hope they’re punctual,” Jack responded. “I’m a nervous wreck, waiting for them to make their move.”

  “Me too, Jack, me too,” Javier said grimly.

  ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

  Standing out in front of the pyramid’s entrance, the four men waited for contact by the Russians. Checking their watches repeatedly, they scanned the area for any signs of visitors.

  Darrien looked at the workers busying themselves around the pyramid. Further away, he scanned the surrounding hills and nearby roads.

  “I know they’re supposed to be here, but I don’t see any signs of police,” he said quietly.

  “I know what you mean. I’ve been looking for them too. If they’re there, they’re doing a great job at blending in,” Jack whispered back.

  “I’m more concerned the Russians aren’t here right now,” Javier said in a low hushed voice. “It’s after one-thirty and they haven’t shown yet.” Turing to Jack, he asked, “Are you sure they said one-thirty?”

  “Yup, positive. They called this morning and changed the time.”

  “Maybe they won’t show,” Burt wondered.

  “They’ll be here,” Jack responded.

  “What makes you so sure?” Burt asked.

  “They’ve invested a lot of time into this. They won’t just walk away,” Jack replied, confidently.

  “I sure hope you’re right,” Javier said, his voice now showing the strain. Looking over to Burt, he asked, “You all set?”

  “The signaling device is strapped to my ankle. All I have to do is push the button with my foot and they’ll be as good as caught,” Burt replied confidently.

  “Whatever you do, just make sure you don’t signal them until you see Serena,” Javier said.

  “I know, Javi. I remember the Chief Inspector’s instructions very clearly,” Burt replied, recalling their meeting with the police the night before.