Curse of Atlantis Read online

  "Well, that was still good thinking. Way to keep on your toes," Jack encouraged. "Now let's just get to the computer shop and go home."

  "I'll feel better when we're in Greece," she said, feeling a small amount of relief.

  "Me too."

  Five minutes up the road, Serena pulled into a parking spot on the main street in front of an old computer and electronics store.

  Grabbing the duffel bag, Jack said, "Ok, let's do this again... I'll go in and be out in minutes. Just keep a watchful eye out for anything suspicious."

  "Ok, hurry. I hate sitting here," Serena said.

  With a quick nod, Jack took off, up the steps and into the building.

  ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

  "Wow, that's perfect. I mean it... this is like a work of art," Jack said.

  "Molding the two halves was the easy part. Finding the electronics you spec'd out was the hard part, man. I have to say, your design is quite ingenious, bro," the owner said.

  "How fast can you assemble this?" Jack asked, nervously peering out the window to the street.

  "Less than five, man. All I need to do is attach the circuit board, bolt the two halves together, and plug in the wires and you'll be set to go," the owner said, proud of his work.

  "Do it in less than three minutes and I'll throw in another hundred," Jack said, his face now serious.

  "For another hundred, I'll have it done in less than two, mate," the owner replied enthusiastically.

  Jack put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. Slapping it down on the counter for effect, he said, "I'm timing you."

  The shop owner’s hands moved like lightening, attaching the pre-wired circuitry first, then used a pneumatic socket wrench to fasten the two halves of the bowls together with nuts and bolts. When he was done, he bolted on a handle and plugged in several wires. Placing his tools on the bench next to him, he said, "Done... what time you have?"

  "Just over two minutes. That's gotta be some kind of record. You earned every bit of that hundred," Jack said.

  "I have to say, mate... that's a sweet looking radar platform. Hope it works as planned," the shop owner said with a toothy smile.

  Picking up the unit by the handle, Jack inspected his new acquisition. With the two molded bowls bolted together, it formed a large, white plastic ball.

  "The ball is supposed to give me three hundred and sixty degrees of coverage," Jack announced proudly.

  "Yeah, whatever, mate. Just be careful with that, if you know what I mean," the shop owner ominously.

  "I hear ya," Jack replied simply.

  With a quick shake, Jack slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and carried the radar platform in his hand. He turned and walked toward the front of the building. Opening the door, he stepped outside and stopped in his tracks. Jack's heart skipped a beat.

  "No," he said to himself.

  "Yes, keep walking this way and no sudden moves. I have a gun on her and you," Dimitri said in a low, commanding voice.

  Jack saw the fear in Serena's face. He eyed the two dark-suited Russians with contempt. Slowly, deliberately, he walked toward them.

  "Is it still in the bag?" Dimitri asked. "Hurry up. Open it. Let me see the crystal."

  Jack placed the radar platform on the ground and took the duffel bag off his shoulder. Suddenly, the radar platform began to roll. Jack moved to grab it but Dimitri showed him his pistol.

  "Leave it," he ordered. "Show me the crystal...now."

  "Yes, sir," Jack said, obediently.

  Jack unzipped the bag half way and opened it. Dimitri stared at the crystal for a moment, then smiled. He reached out and grabbed the strap from Jack's shoulder.

  "No, Jack, don't let him have it," Serena yelled.

  "It's alright. It's not worth our lives," Jack shot back quickly.

  "Yes, young Jack is correct. It’s not worth your lives," Dimitri said, sternly.

  "You can't take it. That pyramid is ours," Serena spat out angrily.

  "Serena, don't worry about it. Let them have it. Trust me, it'll be ok," Jack pleaded.

  "Stupid foolish girl. I have the gun and now I have the crystal. I'd say that makes it ours," Dimitri responded.

  "You're the one who's stupid. You'll never find the pyramid. That crystal is useless without the scrolls," Serena said angrily.

  "Dammit, Serena, would you shut up," Jack shouted, now realizing the theft of the crystal was growing into something more.

  Dimitri thought about Serena's words. He looked at the crystal in the bag, then back at Serena.

  "You... your father is the famous archeologist, Arista, is he not?" Dimitri asked, his voice now cold and calculating.

  "Yeah, so what?" Serena said, acidly.

  "He is translates the scrolls and the crystal?" Dimitri asked, again cold and calculating.

  "NO!" Jack blurted out. "The man you're looking for is Dr Burt Samuelson. He's the one you want. Javier Arista didn't translate the scrolls, Burt did."

  Too late, Dimitri had made up his mind. In Russian, he spoke a few words to other man.

  "Well, well, it appears we'll be taking more than just the crystal," Dimitri said, now speaking directly to Jack. "I could easily just trade the girl for the scrolls, a trade I'm sure her father would be most eager to make, but then we would be stuck with a bunch of artifacts we couldn’t translate... and what good would that be to us? No, I think the better solution would be for us to hold the girl until her father finds us the pyramid. What do you say Jack? Does this arrangement sound agreeable?"

  "No, you bastards. I'm not going anywhere. Jack, call the police," Serena shouted.

  Dimitri laughed and said, "A call to the police would end her life abruptly. Do we have an understanding?"

  Jack nodded reluctantly. It was all he could do.

  "Good. We know where you live. We'll be in touch shortly," Dimitri said, now giving Jack a cordial smile.

  With a few more words in Russian, the two backed away with Serena. Struggling against her kidnappers, Dimitri whispered something in her ear. Seconds later, she turned and walked back to their car and got in the back seat. Dimitri came around to the driver’s door, then stopped.

  "Tell archeologist Arista to stay by the phone," he shouted.

  He opened the door, got in and drove off. Jack watched helplessly as Serena returned his stare.

  "It'll be ok!" Jack shouted loudly, hoping she could hear as the car sped off.

  Standing alone on the sidewalk, his heart and soul were in the depths of despair. He could still see Serena's tormented eyes just before she got into the car. With his mind spinning, he tried to make sense of it all. Forcing himself to think, he knew only one thing mattered now.

  "I need to find that pyramid," Jack said resolutely.

  Grabbing his radar platform off the street, he jumped into Serena's car and made his way to Javier's.

  Chapter 6

  Office of Javier Arista:

  Jack roared into the parking lot and slammed on the brakes, the car coming to a screeching stop in front of Javier’s office. Running into the building, he burst through the front door and shouted frantically for Javier. Without an answer, he ran down the hallway to the laboratory and flung open the door.

  “Javi, they got her!” Jack yelled loudly.

  Javier spun around from the desk he was working at, nearly falling off his chair from Jack’s abrupt entrance.

  “What do you mean, they got her? Who’s got her?” Javier shot back, immediately understanding Jack’s vague announcement.

  “The freaking Russians. They took her… and the crystal. They said if we don’t find the pyramid, they’ll kill her,” Jack blurted out in quick succession.

  “Noo… my baby,” Javier cried out, stumbling backward in shock.

  “I picked up the crystal from the bank and when I stopped at the electronics store, they grabbed her and took the crystal. They told me they’d call here with more details,” Jack said, frantically conveying the details
.

  “Did they say when?” Javier asked, now on the edge of hysteria.

  “I’m sorry Javi, they only said that they would call. I’m sure we’ll hear from them shortly,” Jack replied.

  Javier glanced at the phone on his deck. Reaching for it, he said, “I’m calling the police.”

  “Hold on, Javi. They said 'no police.' If you call, they said they’d kill her,” Jack warned.

  Javier sat back down in his chair. He thought about the previous exchange. Shaking his head, he blurted out, “So what… we just sit here and wait? Kidnappers always tell you not to call the police. It’s an old cliché. The fact is they may never call.”

  He stood up from his chair and paced the floor. Turning back to Jack, he said, “I’m sure they’re still on the island. If I call the police now, we’ll have a chance to catch them.”

  “Javi, these aren’t your stereotypical thugs looking for cash. These guys are professional: they’re calculating. Think about it. They could have muscled us out of the crystal a week ago, but they didn’t. They patiently waited a week for us to expose the crystal, then they made their move… without violence. When they found out that they also needed the scrolls to find the pyramid, they could have just used Serena and me as hostages in exchanged for the scrolls, but they didn’t do that either. They simply grabbed her and told 'us' to find the pyramid for them. I’m sure as long as we cooperate, Serena will live.”

  “That’s assuming we even find the pyramid. It might not even exist. What happens then? And what do you think will happen if we do find it? Surely once they have no more use for us or her, they kill her. In fact, they’ll probably kill all of us,” Javi said, his own words sending a shiver through his body.

  “I won’t deny there’s a huge risk in not contacting the police, but I really think that if they feel threatened, they’ll just kill Serena, split up, and find their way back to Russia,” Jack stated bluntly. “And let’s face it, when they grabbed her, they knew they weren’t going to just stick her on a commercial flight. When they took her, they must have known how to get her off the island without being caught.”

  Javier’s emotions roiled inside of him. He visualized his daughter’s death and its image burned in his mind. Although Jack’s argument sounded logical, the intensity of his fears pushed Jack’s words far from his thoughts. In an instant, he made up his mind to call the police.

  Suddenly, the phone rang and broke the eerie silence between them.

  Javier quickly reached for the phone and answered.

  “Hello, this is Javier Arista,” he said, trying to sound in control.

  “Dr. Arista, by now, you must be well aware that we have your daughter, Serena. I will give you my word, if you cooperate with us, no harm will come to her. Shall I continue?” the Russian voice began.

  “Of course, just don’t hurt her. I’ll do whatever you want,” Javier responded desperately.

  “Very well… the plan is simple. We will hold your daughter until you find the pyramid. Once the entrance is located, we will quickly move in and extract the antiquities that my employer determines to be the rarest and of most interest to him. What is left will be yours, including your daughter. Do we have an arrangement?” the Russian voice asked.

  “What choice do I have?” Javier replied, his voice filled with resignation.

  “None. If you choose to complicate our arrangement with a call to the police, you will leave us with little choice but to withdraw our offer. Without a need for your daughter, her life could be in jeopardy. Is this unclear in any way?” the Russian voice asked, sternly.

  “Yes, it’s very clear. I promise I’ll cooperate. Just don’t hurt my daughter,” Javier replied. “Where do we go from here?”

  “Fly to Greece. We’ll contact you after you arrive. Once there, we’ll require status reports of your progress. This is all for now. Further instruction will follow. Is this unclear in any way?” the Russian voice asked once more.

  “No, I understand perfectly. We fly to Greece and someone will contact us. I keep you guys informed of our progress,” Javi paraphrased.

  “Yes, very good. Any questions?” the Russian voice asked.

  “Yes, can I speak with her? I need to hear her voice,” Javier pleaded.

  “Of course, we are not barbarians,” the voice replied.

  A moment later, Javier heard Serena’s voice.

  “Dad? You there?”

  “Honey, are you alright?” Javier asked, feeling some relief with the sound of her voice.

  “I’m scared, Dad.”

  “It’ll be ok,” Javier replied, struggling to keep his emotions in check. “Jack and I will find that pyramid. Have faith… be strong.”

  “I love you, Dad,” Serena said, her voice fading as the kidnappers pulled the phone from her mouth.

  “I love you too, honey,” Javier said, his voice cracking as he held back his tears.

  “Dr Arista, fly to Greece. We’ll be in touch,” the voice said simply and hung up.

  With the sickening sound of the silence from the phone, Javier placed the handset back on the receiver. Placing his hands to his eyes, he wept, unable to hold back his emotions any longer. Jack reached his hand out and gently placed it on Javier’s shoulder.

  “Javi, don’t worry. We’ll find that pyramid. What’s more, we’ll find a way to get Serena back. Nothing else matters,” Jack said delicately, hoping to sooth Javier’s pain.

  Nodding his head through his tears, he repeated Jack’s words.“Nothing else matters.”

  Chapter 7

  The flight from Turks and Caicos Island was long. Nearly twenty-two hours after leaving the small island in the Caribbean, the flight crew of the British Airways 747 announced they were now on approach to Athens International Airport in Athens, Greece. Anxious and exhausted, Javier stared out the window at the bustling metropolis and noticed the ancient ruins he had visited so many years ago. His memory of them was vivid. Nearly twenty-five years before, he had visited the ruins while on vacation with Berta and Serena. While walking through the Parthenon, he had snapped a photo of Serena standing innocently near a column. The sweet face of his little two-year-old was burned into his memory forever. Now, as he stared down at the ruins, his heart ached at the thought of that sweet little face in trouble. Bringing his hands to his face, he covered his eyes and quietly wept.

  Seated next to Javier, Jack witnessed his suffering and rested his hand on his shoulder.

  “We’re almost there. We start our search tomorrow. Don’t worry. We’ll save her,” he said in a consoling tone.

  Javier shook his head as he struggled to gain control.

  “I’m a mess, Jack. I can barely function right now. My baby is out there somewhere and I feel helpless to save her. The odds seem overwhelmingly against us,” Javier said tearfully, his desperation now evident in his voice.

  Jack thought for a moment, then spoke:

  “When the odds are against you, you have to dig deep… deeper than you thought was in your power. You have to find that inner strength and use it to focus on what matters. It’s only then that you’ll have clarity. Right now, your mind is racing. Find that inner strength and focus on what matters most: finding that pyramid. That’s all we can do to save her,” Jack said, his voice soft, yet determined.

  Javier wiped the tears from his cheeks. Staring out the window, he thought of Jack’s words. They made sense to him.

  Turning to Jack, he replied, “You’re right. Let’s focus and get this done. That pyramid IS all that matters.”

  Jack shot Javier an approving smile, then pointed out the window.

  “There’s the airport. We’ll be down in five. With any luck at all, we’ll be sleeping in less than an hour. I think we could use a good night's rest,” he said, hoping to take Javier’s mind off the obvious.

  With a simple nod of acknowledgment, Javier sat up straight, tightened his lap belt, and prepared for landing.

  ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

  W
ithin ten minutes of landing, they pulled their luggage from the baggage carousel and headed for the rental agency.

  “I hope the car’s ready. I’m wiped out from stress,” Jack said.

  “It’s all reserved and ready to go, so we should be out of here fairly quickly,” Javier responded.

  Suddenly, a voice called out for them.

  “Dr. Arista? Mr. Roberts?” the voice said from behind them.

  Quickly turning around, a tall man in a suit stood holding a small sign with their names hand written across it. With a limousine driver's cap tucked up under his arm, there was no mistaking what he was.

  “Sirs, your limo is waiting,” the tall young man said

  “Limo? We didn’t order a limo. We have a car waiting at the rental agency. Who sent you?” Javier asked, suspiciously.

  “A Dr. Burt Samuelson sent me to pick you up,” the young man replied.

  “Huh, Burt sent us a limo… nice,” Javier said, then added, “but what about our car?”

  “He’s made other arrangements, Dr. Arista,” the young man replied with a confirming nod.

  “Well, lead the way,” Javier said, shooting Jack an accepting smile.

  As they exited out the doors of the airport, they instantly felt the blast of hot air from the mid-summer evening temperatures. Registering nearly one hundred degrees, their bodies immediately broke out in a sweat from the shock of leaving the cool air-conditioned airport.

  “Phew, I forget it was going to be this hot,” Jack said.

  “It’s not normally this hot. It’s just a fluke,” Javier responded simply.

  “The limo is just up ahead. The A/C’s on and has cool beverages in the bar if you’re interested,” the young limo driver offered.

  “Ah, that must be it,” Jack said, pointing to the only limo in sight.

  “Yes, sir,” the man responded simply.

  Moments later, the young man popped the trunk and loaded Javier’s and Jack’s baggage. Coming around the side of the car, he pressed a button to unlock the rear door. With a cordial smile, he opened it and motioned for Javier to get in.

  “That’s very kind of you,” Javier paused, waiting for the young man to offer his name.