‘We have to reach those air tanks,’ Harker yelled over the sound of crumbling rock. With no need of further encouragement, Holtz jumped to her feet and this time pulled him along with her.
Together they clambered across the floor, navigating between splintered stonework from the fallen statue, each step proving a massive effort as the whole structure continued to shake violently.
‘We have to hurry,’ Harker yelled and Holtz, never letting up the pace, shot him a filthy glance.
‘You think?’
Oh, now you want to get out, Harker thought as they pressed forward, each now pushing the other onwards. On reaching the temple’s entrance, the sight that greeted them churned his stomach with dread. Water was welling out of the gap and beginning to flood the whole room, seeming to take on a life of its own as it bulged through the opening with the sole purpose of swallowing them whole. Whoever had set the explosions had counted on breaching the protective vacuum of air within the pyramid, and it was rapidly being forced out now, allowing fresh seawater to fill the newly unpressurised gap.
The sight of the two diving tanks just below the surface brought a moment of relief. But with no time to rejoice, Harker reached down and grabbed one of them as Holtz seized the other, and pulled on his mask and regulator just before the icy cold, rising water washed over them. The current was strong and Harker grasped the edge of a stone step with one hand to stop himself being swept backwards. He then felt a grip on his leg and looked behind to see Holtz clinging onto him for dear life. Thankfully she had also managed to get her mask on, but without fins it was near impossible for her to push forwards. He grabbed her wetsuit with his free hand even as the current tried to sweep them both back into the inner depths of the pyramid.
Harker felt his hand begin to slip due to the watery onslaught, so he let go of Holtz and managed to secure his other hand on the stone edge, feeling her grip tighten around his leg. She then clambered up to join him and they both hung there as if dangling from a cliff’s edge, though horizontally, and as the seconds passed, the current began to weaken. This change was all Harker needed and he now propelled himself forward and downwards into the long entrance chamber, with Holtz still clinging to him.
‘The water’s easing up,’ he said, and continued to drag himself forward, stone by stone. Then, without warning, the current pushing against him ceased and the water grew calm.
‘The temple must be filled up now,’ he said, looking back at Holtz who had finally released her grasp and now began to float backwards.
‘Barbara!’ he called after her, but there was no response, so he turned back, grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her towards him. Holtz’s mask was scratched but still intact, and he could see the fog of her breath, although it was apparent from a deep cut on her forehead that she had been hit by passing debris.
‘Barbara, can you hear me?’ he said again, but with no response. ‘Shit,’ he said. The water was murky and dark up ahead but he could make out some dim vacuum lights that had not been destroyed in the explosion.
It was a miracle the entrance passage had not collapsed. Tugging Holtz along by the scruff of the neck, Harker began to navigate his way from one surviving light to the next. Although he knew where he was heading, he nonetheless felt unsettled. There was something about this enclosed, murky darkness that jabbed at his senses and he wanted to get out of there as soon as he could.
With Holtz still in tow, he slowly made his way along the string of lights, while his mind began to unleash a completely irrational series of thoughts and images. Like the jaws of a great white shark appearing through the muddy water, or some unknown sea beast released from the depths by the explosions and about to gobble him up with its razor-sharp teeth.
Of course this was absolutely ridiculous and sheer mind play, but as he pushed onwards, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched… by someone or something. Don’t let your imagination get the better of you, Alex. He felt a sliver of comfort in knowing that if some sea monster did come up behind him, at least it might take a chomp out of Barbara Holtz first.
Harker shook this shameful if understandable thought from his mind and instead focused his full attention on the dark passageway extending before him. Before long they had reached the entrance. The cut-out access to the sunken ship was still intact, for which he thanked his lucky stars. He grasped the metal edge and pulled himself and then Holtz through the gap, so they were back in the far clearer water of the bow section.
Given the force of the explosions, it was a wonder that the ship had suffered so little damage. This suggested the charges had been placed somewhere outside, but exactly where, and why, Harker was happy to leave a mystery until they got back topside.
‘Barbara, can you hear me?’ As he held her up to face him, he noticed her head tilt from one side to the other, the condensation of her breath still building inside the mask. This weak acknowledgement came as a huge relief and he now held her closer to him. ‘You’re fine, Barbara. We got out safely. Just a slow ascent to the surface now and it’s over.’
Holtz managed a relieved groan, though her eyes remained shut, and satisfied that she was as stable as could be expected, Harker now cast his gaze around the dark interior of the ship’s bow, simply getting his bearings, until he fixed upon the jagged rip in one side, which was the only exit he knew about.
With Holtz still held tightly in his grip, and renewed zeal, he began to swim towards the opening, but then stopped just short of it, feeling a strong need to look behind him. He detected no movement, but for some reason there was a tightening in his gut that left him feeling nervous. He scanned the bow space further, and where a few of the lights had cut out he spotted something that made him shudder.
It was only a kind of shadow, a movement of light at the darkened limits of his vision, but as he continued to watch, the movement became more visible. Then something glinting sent a scattering of reflected light across his chest. He stiffened as whatever was stirring back there came into sight and launched itself towards them.
Harker’s earlier vision of a giant pair of jaws resolved itself into the form of a scuba diver wearing a black wetsuit. Harker’s tensed muscles relaxed – until he spotted the source of the glinting: a long, serrated diving knife pointing directly at them.
He instinctively offered the universal OK sign, forming a circle with his thumb and forefinger, but the diver offered no response. Now he was just ten metres away, with the knife still aimed towards them, and Harker went into action. They were still within reach of the rip through the hull’s side, so he thrust Holtz forward and pushed her through the gap into the blue ocean outside. He then grabbed the edge of the opening and began to pull himself through, glancing back in time to see the diver’s blade moving towards him. Harker quickly grabbed the man’s wrist and the two of them began grappling with each other in the confined surroundings of the ship’s bow. The scuba diver was strong and with his fins had covered the distance between them in no time, but being barefoot for Harker had its own strengths. The two men stirred up a sphere of swirling bubbles, as each fought for an advantage, with all their focus on the knife. Harker raised one foot and jammed it into the diver’s groin, and although there was not much weight behind it, he used the move to push off with his legs as hard as possible, shooting back through the hull’s opening while leaving the diver curled up in a ball as he cupped his groin. Harker’s foot had hit its intended target but that would be temporary, so once through the gap he swam to one side of the torn steel and waited.
Within seconds the diver reappeared, knife hand first, and Harker went for the wrist and tugged with just the right timing so that the diver’s hand was wrenched back against the jagged metal of the hull, sending the knife drifting down to the ocean floor.
The diver grasped at his hand, momentarily in pain, but that was all the time Harker needed. He slipped his fingers underneath the man’s mask and ripped it off, allowing it to fall back inside the ship as the diver n
ow panicked. Trying to get his bearings amidst a flurry of bubbles, Harker grasped hold of Holtz, and then the nylon shot line, guiding them both upwards towards the surface.
Harker had barely gone a metre before he felt a hand grab his ankle, and he looked down to see the diver clutching at his foot. The man’s mask now off, his long black hair waved back and forth in the current as he desperately tried to see through squinting eyes.
Harker kicked away frantically, but it made little difference as the half-blind diver began clawing his way up Harker’s legs, then his torso, before reaching behind his own waist and producing a small pouch with a clip on it. He then thrust this forward and clipped it onto Holtz’s belt. Then he yanked the small cord hanging from the pouch and with it came a popping sound.
Before Harker had time to figure out what was going on the pouch inflated to an oversized plastic balloon and immediately shot upwards, dragging Holtz with it.
As Harker watched her disappear from view, he felt the diver’s hands now slip around his throat, but instead of fighting the grasp, he reached down and ripped the breathing regulator from the man’s mouth, sending him once again into a panic. He gave a tug on the shot line, raised himself upwards and unleashed one final kick to his attacker’s head, using it simultaneously as a launch pad to begin his ascent towards the surface.
Harker looked down at the man still scrambling around to find the regulator, now hanging at his side, and he continued to slowly make his way back up the nylon rope.
To ascend so quickly from this depth could have the gravest consequences by causing decompression sickness, also known as ‘the bends’. Nitrogen taken into the blood and tissues needed time be released while the diver was rising to the surface, and coming up too fast could kill if the shock was severe enough. At the speed Holtz had been travelling, together with her semi-conscious state, she would need emergency treatment at the very least. As Harker continued his steady rise upwards, he hoped for the best.
He glanced back down, expecting to see the mystery diver preparing to make another attempt on him, but to his surprise the man was nowhere to be seen. If he had drowned, his body would surely have been visible, the currents not being that strong.
Who the man was he had no idea, but whatever those explosions were all about, it was a sure bet that the diver had been involved. It was a strange occurrence because, if he had been attacked on land by a man wielding a knife, it would have made more of an impact. But the sluggishness of movements underwater had numbed the whole experience and, even though Harker was still panting and stunned by the attempt on his life, nevertheless he felt… OK. Certainly not as adrenalin-charged as one should feel when one’s life was under threat.
Harker continued slowly ascending, surrounded by the hazy expanse of peaceful blue ocean, and it seemed his mind was the only thing racing. The bizarre discovery of a pyramid was astonishing here at the tip of Gibraltar, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. This ancient construction had lain there beneath the water as if waiting to be discovered, only then to be destroyed in one fell swoop.
Others would surely go back and re-excavate the site, but how much of it would now be left was impossible to say. What Harker had seen there provoked more questions than answers, for the place appeared to be from a time before records began, and far outside the recognised timeline of human history. Had an entire era of civilisation become lost in time? And more importantly, how did it come about? The notion of ancient gods and – dare he think it – extraterrestrials was not something he was ready to seriously contemplate. Either way, whatever the Mithras cult had become embroiled in here was something too important to ignore.
Harker paused for a moment and fingered the edge of the gold coin in his wetsuit pocket, relieved to find it had not dropped out on his escape from the depths. Content it was secure, he continued towards the surface, grateful to be leaving the murky depths of the Strait of Gibraltar behind him.
Chapter 10
It was early evening as the grey Transit van slowly rattled along the narrow country lane, scraping its way past an overflow of lush, green hedges before turning into a pillared entrance to the left. The driveway was a loose gravel path, crackling and popping under the van’s weight as it headed towards a small cottage situated on the far side of the grounds. With a well kept lawn, the entire property was surrounded by a row of lofty fir trees, allowing only the main entrance to offer any meaningful access and providing near total privacy for its occupants.
The van came to a stop, and a woman wearing a green Barbour jacket with jeans and black Hunter wellington boots climbed down from the driver’s side. She paused to scan the open area for any sign of activity and, once satisfied she was alone, made her way up to the porch and knocked on the sturdy oak door.
There was nothing unusual about the cottage apart from maybe the black security bars at the windows, for with its red brickwork it looked like any other traditional residence around the small town of Devizes in Wiltshire.
The woman waited for a few seconds and was about to deliver a second knock when the sound of the latch releasing caused her to retrieve her fisted hand.
The door slowly swung open and a man poked his head out. ‘Get lost, did you, Ms Kent?’ James Willits asked with a smile, then he stood back and waved her inside. ‘Xavier Botha is out on call. He’s the one who summoned you, but he should be back soon. Come on, then.’
‘Considering your last minute request, consider yourself lucky I got here so quickly.’ Ms Kent’s response was firm yet polite. Once she was inside, the oak door was closed behind her and relatched. ‘Has she said anything yet?’
Willits simply shook his head and began to make his way down a small lavender-coloured hallway lacking any pictures or decorations, with his visitor following closely behind. ‘Apart from insults, racial slurs and death threats, she’s not giving us much.’
Ms Kent managed little more than a conciliatory smile. There was far more on her mind just now than whatever bile the Mithras killer might be dishing up. ‘Any news on the thing you found?’
Willits came to an abrupt halt, obviously surprised by how much his Templar counterpart already knew. As a rule there were no secrets amongst the Templars, but given the bizarre nature of the strange hostage they had found with Avi Legrundy and the close quarters in which the information had so far been held, he was surprised. ‘So you’ve heard then?’
A dry smile formed at the corners of Ms Kent’s mouth. ‘Assassins and killers are one thing, James, but a living being with two hearts and the look of something extraterrestrial is not something you can keep quiet for long.’
The mention of the word ‘extraterrestrial’ had Willits frowning. ‘We don’t know what it is yet, but it didn’t look human. The body is still at the hospital undergoing tests. Until we hear anything more, Avi Legrundy is all we have to proceed with. And as I said, she’s not talking.’
He continued deeper into the cottage with Ms Kent still in tow. ‘We tried sodium pentothal on her earlier this morning, but all she offered us was a step-by-step guide on how to skin a person alive without actually killing them. It seems she’s highly resilient to truth drugs.’
‘Charming’ – Ms Kent raised an eyebrow – ‘and clearly well trained. It’s a shame we can’t just use torture on her.’
This comment caught Willits off guard and he shot her a concerned look, but the mocking expression he received in response made him grunt. ‘Life would be a lot easier if we were as brutal as she is. But even if that were so, I doubt it would make her any more talkative. To her credit, she’s a tough one. I’m hoping an autopsy on the creature’s body will give us something to work with, but until then we’re basically on babysitting duty. I’ll feel better once we get her somewhere more secure.’
‘I’m not surprised.’ Kent nodded in agreement. ‘From what I’ve heard she’s a big fish – quite the catch. Do you think the Mithras will try to get her back?’
‘No doubt about it. Whateve
r she was up to was at the behest of her masters,’ Willits replied. ‘But there’s no way they can now know where she is… not yet anyway.’
There was an urgency in his tone and Ms Kent addressed it immediately. ‘I’ve managed to organise a more secure location for you,’ she said, getting down to the reason she was there, ‘but the van is limited as regards space, so be warned.’
‘I suppose that means there’s no additional prisoner box inside, then?’
‘You suppose right, James,’ she replied as they headed into a stone-flagged kitchen where a black Aga cooker was radiating heat, with a collection of shiny pots hanging from hooks above it. ‘I was able to acquire some waist shackles though. They should do the job.’
He appeared unconvinced as they proceeded into the adjoining back room, which had a stout metal door in the far corner. He clicked his tongue. ‘I’d rather you’d brought a straitjacket and a muzzle as well.’
The thought of such drastic restraints brought her to a halt with a disbelieving shrug of her shoulder. ‘Hey, it’s Big Daddy!’
‘Who’s Big Daddy?’ Willits asked, silently greeting the guard wearing a black flak jacket and holding a 9mm Beretta, who hovered at the side of the security door.
‘You know, that wrestler back in the eighties… size of a bull?’
‘Wrestling really isn’t my thing, Ms Kent. Be warned. She may be petite, but I’d wager she’s just as dangerous as this Big Daddy of yours.’
‘I’ll bear that in mind – and call me Dana.’
Willits nodded and smiled. He’d only known this woman for a few minutes and he already liked her. The Templar organisation was vast but its key members were a relatively small group, and only family members or those who had earned complete trust were awarded the status of associate. In practice, it meant that outside of the Templars’ inner circle many contacts could be relatively unknown. But all shared the same belief in a higher power, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, agnostic or any other religion – with the exception of Satanists, of course. The common belief in serving all of humanity for the greater good, whatever the price, was of utmost importance, and a conviction shared by all that served, even if they had never met before.
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