by Tom Hunter
“Well, we have a better idea of where Ramon is now than we did a few minutes ago,” Thomas surmised. “And I’m glad of that. It fits well with the plan I have in mind.”
Abby gasped, “Plan! Thomas you – “
He held up a hand and motioned for Abby to listen. “I’ve already had this tete-a-tete with Dr. Cunningham. Unfortunately, time it seems, once again, is of the essence. No rest for the weary.”
Abby shrugged and threw up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I give up,” she said with a sigh. “Okay, kid. What’s your plan?”
Thomas smiled. Though he’d go through the motions of asking if she was on board, he knew from the look in her eyes and her body language what her answer would be.
“Now, as I was saying. I do have a plan, but it’s dangerous and will be treacherous. The first step is to enter the lion’s den. Or in this case, Ramon’s mercenary base camp. Who’s with me?”
They stared at him.
“You want us to go to Ramon’s highly trained, mercenary basecamp,” repeated Robbie, shell-shocked. “And do what?”
“Steal the drum back,” Thomas answered, matter-of-factly. At the looks of consternation on their faces, Thomas held up a hand. “Wait. Let me back up. Sorry, you guys should know this by now. Sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain.
“We’re still going to Mexico, or rather I’m going to Mexico. You can opt out now or when I’ve finished explaining the plan. I’m cool either way, but once you’re committed to the plan and it’s in play there’s no going back. Does everyone understand?” The team nodded. Thomas continued, “Good. Then, at this point, if you wish to back out, speak now, or forever hold your peace.”
No one moved.
Pediah spoke for the group. “We’ll hear you out, before we make a decision.”
“Fair enough. The plan is this. As I said, I want to infiltrate Ramon’s camp and ask Ramon to see if he can shed any light on where Noah is.”
Pediah tilted his head and gave him a confused look. “So…you want to ask Ramon for help. The man who stole the journal from your hands after you – we – saved him. The man who stood by as Howard was shot. The man who has tried to kill you, and us, on more than one occasion….and the list goes on, Thom.” Not only did Thomas want to go into the lion’s den, he wanted to offer himself up for dinner.
“Yes,” Thomas deadpanned. “There’s no love lost between Ramon and Noah. I have a sneaking suspicion he knows we’re coming. So, if he knows or has any idea where Noah might be, I believe he’ll share.” Thomas paused. “Besides, Noah’s drumming and thorn-in-the-side antics hasn’t just hurt our crew. Ramon’s lost people, too. He’ll want payback and money won’t be enough.”
“Okay…then, what?” Pediah asked. As Thomas Knight’s closest confidante in the field, Pediah had learned how to read between the lines and understand what Thomas wasn’t saying. He looked for those nuances now, and realized with a start there was something different about Thomas. He knew the man hadn’t felt right since their rescue by his spelunking team, then with all the trials that came after, Thomas had changed. He couldn’t put his finger on it yet, but as long as the man still made sense, he knew he’d follow him into the depths of hell. And he had. More than once.
“If we can track down Noah and steal the drum back, then we can get it back underground and figure out a way to stop the Kisgar,” Thomas said. A flicker of sadness flitted over his face as he remembered Lt. Whipkey and the Woidnuk they’d known, who were now dead. “We’ve just discovered a lost civilization. Not bones and skeletons, but living, breathing beings. We can’t let the Kisgar ruin our latest discovery and the Woidnuk’s lives as they rampage and sink the land we’re standing on,” pleaded Thomas, in a voice not his own.
“Now,” Thomas concluded. “As I mentioned before, now that you know the full extent of the plan and its clear and present dangers, if you want to back out, now is the time. No questions asked.” Thomas Knight leveled his gaze at each of them in turn, equally, and he waited. For a long while, no one moved or spoke.
Robbie stepped forward first. His hands were clasped behind his back and with his head lowered, he began to speak. Thomas was sure he’d be the first to go and, with a twinge of sadness, he realized he liked having the kid around.
His mouth began to twitch into a small smile and his eyes twinkled. He did so love to razz Thomas Knight. It was just fun, but his reason for staying went so much deeper. “Well,” he began. “I’m in.” He looked up at Thomas then and smiled broadly. “I mean, what kind of a tough guy would I be if I didn’t see the adventure through to the end.?” Then, scraping a toe against the floor, he added with a sly grin, “You don’t get the T-shirt till you finish a quest, and I’ll be able to sell a lot of T-shirts. After all, who wouldn’t pay to see this?” Robbie asked as he tugged at the T-shirt he wore. “Time to get down and dirty in epic hero mode.”
Thomas put out a hand. “Glad to have you aboard.”
Robbie accepted it. “So, once more unto the breach, Captain?”
Thomas nodded.
“Good,” said Robbie, turning almost shy as he finished, “You save my butt, I save yours – quid pro quo.” At that, Thomas reached out and tousled Robbie’s hair, “You are a pain in the butt. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Pediah stepped forward next, with his thumbs hooked behind his suspenders. Thomas Knight’s eyes lit up as Pediah spoke. He’d be glad to have his old friend at his side. “Well, I didn’t give up the Amish life for nothing. I felt a calling to spelunking, like others do to the priesthood or medicine. I found a life outside my world I could be proud of. I know in my heart, this calling came from Gott.” His German accent thickened as he spoke and he remembered why and how he’d come to be here now. In this place.
Thomas nodded about to move forward and shake his hand to welcome him to the next chapter of their adventures together, when Pediah continued. “I believe,” he said with a sideways glance toward Robbie to still the joke he knew might come, “that He wants me to stick around and lend a hand. I am needed here to serve Him through our adventures, and if there are caves to explore, you’ll need my expertise,” he finished with a sly smile and snap of his suspenders.
Thomas laughed, and then wrapped Pediah up in a hug. “Glad to have you brother. Thank you.”
Abby smiled as she watched the two men embrace. “Good,” she began. “Someone with sense will be great to help me keep you kids in line,” she teased. “Besides, Thomas,” she added, “Robbie looks up to you…“ She glanced sideways at Robbie, who had started to protest. She shrugged. “What? Well, you do.”
She turned back to Thomas then, “And because he looks up to you, he’s that much more likely to get himself killed trying to impress you.” She paused and smiled as she remembered her own reasons for getting involved in archeology. Then her face turned serious. “There’s been too much death surrounding digs of late, but I fell in love with it a long time ago. And I won’t be party nor will I abandon my archeological family to the likes of Noah Ashbridge, nor ancient civilizations with giant out-of-control creatures. So, I’m in,” Abby Hogan finished, her eyes blazing as she dared anyone to try change her mind.
Alexia reached out a hand to Abby, and squeezed it in support. She was glad Abby was staying. Thomas came forward and grabbed Abby up in a big bear hug. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear you’ve decided to stay on. It means a lot to me.” He looked to the others who nodded. “To us,” he added with a broad smile.
“I know what you mean,” Robbie said. They shared a private shared moment of love and loss that had bonded the two like blood. “And though I can take care of myself, I’m glad you’ll be with us,” he finished with a smile and a quick hug.
Mochni had watched the hugs and smiles. He understood some of the words: family, hero, mother. He felt the shared loss between Robbie and Abby. He knew this small band was a community much like his now-destroyed village.
As everyone releas
ed Abby from hugs and handshakes, Mochni turned first to Alexia, wondering if she’d step forward next. When she didn’t, Mochni stepped forward and tried to form the words to make himself understood.
“My fah-ter and muh-ter died,” he began slowly. “They trust-ed you,” he said pointing at Thomas. “Much faith,” he added as he pointed to Pediah. “I…trust…you,” Mochni waved his hand at the group of them. “I no trust…bad men. They fault dead.” He shook his head, “Everywhere. Death.” He bowed his head. Tears brimmed in his eyes. He didn’t know the word, but he knew he wanted to make the bad men pay for what they had done.
Mochni was surprised when Robbie stepped forward. “Mochni,” began Robbie. “I think I understand. You want revenge?”
“Ree-veng-uh?”
Everyone nodded as Robbie answered, “Yes. It means making bad people have bad things happen to them. Like the bad things that happened to you and your parents. Do you understand?”
The giant youth nodded slowly. “Yes. I stay for…” he searched for the new sounds Robbie had introduced. “Ree-veng-uh.” Abby and Robbie flanked Mochni then and took his hands in theirs. Three puffed up chests as Thomas moved forward to welcome the lad officially to his team.
“Thank you, Mochni. I – we – are very glad to have you stay,” Thomas smiled and put forth his hand. Mochni looked at Abby, who showed him how to extend his own hand. He and Thomas shook.
Alexia had watched and listened to everyone. She knew she would stay and had assumed everyone must have guessed the same. But, when Thomas stood in front of her and asked, “And you, Alexia?” she understood. He needed to hear it from her own lips.
In her mind, she ran through all the reasons she wanted to stay. She was needed here for her tech and maintenance skills. She needed the money to stay in school. She wanted to prove herself and to her father and brothers that she could make it in the world of academia as a Latina from the other side of the tracks. She loved the adventure: the life and death situations, the discoveries they’d made, the new friends she’d gained from Thomas’s team and the Woidnuk civilization. But, most of all, she’d stay for him. For Thomas.
After a long pause, Alexia spoke. “I’ll stand by you no matter what happens. I’m in, of course,” she said matter-of-factly. Her mouth worked itself into a nearly imperceptible smile, but her eyes revealed her reasons. Thomas saw this and smiled. He felt the same way. He also understood her desire for caution, so he took her hand in his and shook it.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said. Then, “Never a dull moment with this crew is there?” he asked. Nervous laughs echoed each other as everyone wondered how he planned to execute this latest adventure.
Taking her cue, Alexia repeated, “Nope, never a dull moment.” Then, as she looked around at the others, she posited, “So, let’s figure out how we’re going to – in Robbie speak – ‘get this party started.’” She smiled as everyone laughed.
“Before you get your first word in Robbie, I’m going to see what I dig up on the old interwebs. Hopefully, I can find a more precise location for Ramon and his mercenary basecamp so we can track them down. Maybe some custom image recognition software that scans Google Maps for what looks like a camp…”
Thomas nodded, as he took in the men and women before him. “We’ve made it this far. We’ve been dropped into a situation that none of us could even imagine. It’s straight out of a dream. Or maybe a nightmare. But, through it all we’ve been bonded and forged into one unit. You’re not the disciples of Thomas Knight. Indeed, I look up to every one of you.
“We’ve crossed paths with the evil of Noah Ashbridge. And he has the most powerful artifact ever found. Everyone in the western United States is depending on us to get the drum back, before he can use it again. So, there’s barely even time to pack. We have to go to Mexico. Now.”
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It’s a tomb for six million people…
The catacombs beneath Paris aren't somewhere that Mitchell, a desperate gambler, ever saw himself going...
He's in debt to Jimmy "the Ratchet" for $600,000. Mitchell knows Jimmy's debtors don't have a prayer… until Jimmy gives him a mission that will erase most of his debt if completed.
He must go deep into the deathly blackness of the catacombs to retrieve something.
Will Mitchell make it out alive, or will his bones join the groaning masses already entombed there?
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