Codex

by Bill Craig

  New York City.

  Once their meal was finished, Jacobs led Saleem outside, keeping a wary eye on the man that had been following them. It was raining in the city and Jacobs flagged down a Yellow Cab. The cabbie had a Brooklyn accent thick enough to cut with a knife. Jacobs simply said, “The Plaza” and the cab fairly leapt away from the curb, as the rain poured down on them.

  Jacobs kept looking over his shoulder, searching for anybody that might be tailing them. He didn’t see anyone being obvious about it. Saleem was looking at him nervously wondering what was going on. “Mr. Jacobs?” he asked anxiously.

  “Yes, Saleem?”

  “What the hell is going on?”

  “I wish I knew, Pal. I wish I knew,” Jacobs told him.

  The Yucatán.

  They were three quarters across the bridge when disaster struck! A ball of flaming lava struck the bridge in the middle, splattering onto the vines as well as burning through the boards. “Grab hold!” Jake shouted, as he felt the bridge start to go. He grabbed the vines, wrapping one hand into them as the bridge collapsed and started to fall. He saw Glory do the same, as the shattered bridge began to fall. Chac scrambled off the bridge, as it began its downward swing. He looked over the chasm with terror-filled eyes.

  “My God!” Glory screamed, as the bridge swung loosely towards the cliff wall. It hit with a shuddering impact against the wall of the deep abyss of the gorge.

  “Climb!” Fortune yelled at her, as he began to do exactly that. Glory scurried ahead, using the wooden slat rungs of the ladder. Fortune did the same, moving rapidly up what was now a swinging ladder. Finally, they reached the top and climbed over the ledge. The cloud-filled sky reflecting the bright orange glow of the erupting volcano cut loose with a driving rain. Chac and the king’s guard led them to shelter in a cave that didn’t shake like the world outside. Jake and Glory collapsed to the ground.

  “I am so sorry, my friends,” Mona told them.

  “For what?” Jake asked.

  “For nearly getting you killed,” Mona said, softly.

  “How did you do that?” Jake asked, puzzled.

  “I should have warned you about what would happen when you entered the temple. The god recognizes those of our blood, but sees outsiders as prey.”

  “Lava flooded the temple, Mona. The statue is gone,” Fortune told her.

  “No, Kukulkan still lives. It was he who ordered the Xiuhtecuhtli to flood the valley with hot molten rock, to sacrifice this city and save our people,” Mona explained. Jake Fortune didn’t know what to say to that, so he kept his mouth shut.

  “So, what do we do now?” Glory asked, tiredly. She was worn out from both the heat and the exertion.

  “For now, we rest. After we’ve gotten some rest, then we’ll try to find the others,” Jake told her.

  “I will take you to them after the sun rises,” Mona told them. “Our people have a place to meet should disaster ever befall our village.”

  “Is it far?”

  “Less than half a day’s march.”

  “Then, I suggest everyone pick a spot and settle in for the night. We all need some rest, and I’m pretty sure tomorrow is going to be a very rough day for us all,” Jake said.

  Mike Rogers glanced back at the valley where the Mayan city had stood. It was now a flaming lake of molten lava. He wondered if the Captain and Professor Newkirk had made it out alive. He looked around and did a quick head count of the surviving expedition members. They had all made it out. The only ones he wasn’t sure about were Captain Fortune and Glory Newkirk.

  “Your friends should be alive,” King Tikal said, in halting English.

  “How do you know?” Mike asked him.

  “My daughter was with them and she knows the hidden ways in and out of the valley. There is a place for our people to meet in the event of a catastrophic disaster. It is half a day’s march from here.”

  “If they aren’t there, I’m going to search for them.”

  “Do what you must. I must prepare my people to move farther inland to the Valley of the Vanished. It will take us many comings and goings of the moon to get there, but my cousin will welcome us,” King Tikal replied.

  “Then, what do we do now?” Mike asked.

  “Tonight, we rest. My warriors will stand guard,” King Tikal replied. Mike Rogers nodded his agreement. He went around and checked on the others, checking them to make sure that they were all in good health. There were a couple of minor wounds among the surviving security people, as well as the warriors that had fought beside them against the Nazis. Then Mike Rogers settled down to get as much sleep as he could with the volcano still rumbling in the background . . .

  Rupert Meijer frowned, as he watched the volcano continue to vent its fury into the night sky. The volcano made him nervous, but the storm above made him even more nervous. He was sitting in a gondola suspended beneath four large bags of hydrogen covered by an aluminum saturated cloth cover. Should lightning strike the ship, it would explode, probably flattening the jungle for a couple of miles in every direction. He made a decision. Meijer went to the loudspeaker and turned it on. “All hands, prepare to evacuate the ship. We will be safer on the ground!” he ordered.

  Soon, the crew members were quickly evacuating the ship, climbing down the rope ladders to shelter in the jungle below. The rain was driven on the wind. Thunder and lightning crashed overhead, forcing them to huddle together wherever they could find anything to shelter them.

  It was still raining; the sky was still darkened with clouds. The storm was still crashing around them, but the volcano had at last settled down, the rumblings were now very faint. Jake Fortune stepped to the mouth of the cave and looked outside into the storm. The rain was falling harder and it appeared to be turning the powdery ash into a thick and gooey mud that was clinging to everything. Lightning flashed across the sky above him, the winds were howling. Their march would be both wet and messy. But that was okay, as long as the others had survived. He went back into the cave and awakened his companions. It was time to get this show on the road!

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  New York City.

  Jacobs stood up and yawned. They had made it back to their suite of rooms without further incident. Saleem was still asleep and Jacobs was quiet so as not to disturb the Egyptian man. He moved to the main room of their suite and picked up the telephone and had the operator dial a number down in Washington, D.C.

  “Hello?” asked a voice on the other end.

  “It’s Jacob’s, Sir. The President and Mr. Griffin are both in. Mr. Griffin has a team currently in Mexico that he expects word from soon that would be perfect for the job.”

  “Good news, Mr. Jacobs. We have been keeping a close eye on what’s going on in Europe, despite Congress’s refusal to get involved. We need to be ready to act and have been in contact with governments over there and are already starting to set up intelligence networks to fight Hitler and his Nazi regime.”

  “I’m glad to hear it, Sir. Not everyone understands how deadly Adolph Hitler and his party actually are!” Jacobs replied.

  “Some of us do, Son. That’s why we sent you to Egypt to begin with.”

  “Somebody was following us last night, and I’m worried, Sir. I’ll do my best to keep Saleem safe, but I can’t make any promises.”

  “Just do your best, Son,” the voice on the other end said and then the connection was broken. Jacobs hung up the telephone and headed to the large kitchenette to make coffee.

  The Yucatán.

  The rain had eased up before they left the cave to head for the Mayan rally point. Despite the lighter rain, the journey would not be an easy one. The volcanic ash had turned into a sticky, clinging mud that dragged each step and weighed down their boots and sandals as they walked. The path moved down and into another valley across another mountain from where their former city had stood.

  Fortune had decided to stay near the front of the march. He wanted to see where they were going.
Soon, they entered the jungle and were out of the thick gooey mud-like ash. Once under the jungle canopy, they were able to move much faster.

  Glory stayed close to Jake as humanly possible. She didn’t want to let the man whose life she had saved, and who had saved her life, out of her sight. She felt like they had been set up somehow. She wondered by who? Had it been her uncle? Or Hiram King? At the moment, she had no way to find out. But once they were back in the States, she was bound and determined to learn the truth!

  At different points along the trail, they came upon large carved stone steles. Some of the carvings were frightening looking, and Chac explained that they had been put there to keep some of the local native tribes away from the Mayan city.

  “Will there be dangers from those other natives, now that the city is gone?” Glory asked.

  “There is no way to tell,” Chac shrugged, as they walked.

  “We may as well prepare for the fact that there will be. We will prepare for what might happen and maybe we’ll survive what does,” Fortune said, softly. Chac nodded in agreement.

  “Wise words,” Chac said.

  “His usually are,” Glory admitted grudgingly, but she was smiling at him when she said it. Jake winked at her and she winked back. She slipped her hand into his and they walked together, side by side along the path.

  Mary Beth let out a scream as she walked along the trail. A hideous stone face had appeared out of the jungle foliage beside her, startling her. It took several seconds for her to realize that it was nothing more than a stone carving like many they had seen in the Mayan city that had been destroyed by the volcano. Mike Rogers was at her side before the sound of her scream died in the thick jungle air.

  “Mary Beth, what’s wrong?” he asked, concerned. She pointed at the stone carving. Walter Bosley was right behind him. He looked the horrific stone carving over.

  “It’s called a stele. The Maya used them to warn off outsiders. I suspect we will find others along this pathway as well,” Bosley said, taking off his round-rimmed glasses and polishing the lenses with his handkerchief. King Tikal had walked back to see what the commotion was about.

  “Those are warnings to the local native tribes to stay out of our territory,” he explained in halting English.

  “Should we be worried about them? Now that your city is gone?” Mike asked.

  “Yes. Because now, though we have many people, not all of them are warriors who will know how to fight back if they were attacked.”

  “Then I guess my folks will have to be ready,” Mike replied. He reached over and squeezed Mary Beth’s arm in a reassuring manner. She smiled at him. For the first time, Mike realized how attractive she really was.

  “We should continue,” King Tikal said.

  “Agreed, Sir. I’ll go back and have my people keep an eye out for anything indicating trouble,” Mike told the King.

  They could hear the rain hitting the canopy of leaves above, but not a lot of it was making its way down to them. Jake sighed, his shirt was soaked through from sweat. He pulled out his bottle of salt tabs and shook two out. He handed one to Glory and then swallowed the second one himself. He watched to make sure that she took hers and then offered her a drink from his canteen. He was trying to conserve her water just in case. After she took a swallow, he took one as well and recapped his canteen. He put it back into the holder on his belt.

  The birds and monkeys had grown used to them and they were keeping a constant background of noise, as the group trekked along the path. They had been walking for three hours, so far. Jake was starting to wonder if their half day’s march was a twelve hour one instead of eight hours.

  Then, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. Jake dived to the ground, pulling Glory with him as the air above them was suddenly alive with arrows. Several of the king’s guard went down wounded, but not all. Those remaining formed a circle around the princess and returned fire with deadly accurate precision. Jake aimed his rife and fired off several shots, cutting down many attackers before the rifle clicked on an empty chamber. Jake flipped the rifle around and clutching it by the hot barrel used it as a club, knocking down several attackers. He heard Glory shooting behind him and finally dropped the rifle, dragging out his Colt revolver and his Colt semi-automatic.

  The attack was over, as suddenly as it had begun. Jake climbed back to his feet, checking on Glory first and then, the princess. Both were safe. Jake breathed a sigh of relief. He was suddenly tired. The momentary rush of adrenaline was fading and the fatigue was setting in.

  Jake wondered how many more hours they had ahead of them before they reached the rally point for the Mayan people. He was getting tired, probably due to the lack of rest from the last few days. Still, until they were safely on their way home, there was little that he could do about it. If nothing else, he would rest when he was dead.

  He paused to wipe the combination of rain and sweat from his brow. The attack had come out of nowhere and it had ended just as quickly. He needed to be ready if it happened again. Fortune reloaded his pistols and put them back in the holsters. The rifle had a busted stock where he had broken it across one of their attacker’s faces.

  “Jake, are you okay?” Glory reached up and touched his face, drawing him back to the present.

  “Wha . . .? Oh, yes. I’m fine, Kid.” Fortune replied.

  “You were someplace far away just now. I could see it in your eyes.”

  “Really, Kid, I’m fine,” Jake offered her a smile, but he could see that she could tell he wasn’t feeling it.

  “We need to get moving and quickly,” Princess Mona told them. Her voice held an uncharacteristic urgency that made Fortune jerk his head up and his neck tense. He suspected that there was more danger on the way. He urged Glory along behind her. They were down to half a dozen of the king’s guard for an escort. He had a feeling that if trouble came, the odds would weigh heavily against them.

  Mike Rogers spotted movement in the brush and spun towards it, firing his rifle. A loincloth wearing native crashed dead on the path. Then suddenly, there were shouts and screams from all around them, as they fell under attack. King Tikal’s warriors formed a circle around their king and made ready to defend him at all costs. Arrows flew out of the jungle, taking down several of the refugees.

  Mike grabbed Mary Beth and shoved her to the ground as he spun, working the lever of his rifle, spraying .44-40 rounds into the dense foliage. He fired until the rifle ran empty, then he dropped it and drew his twin Browning Hi-Power 9mm’s and thumbed back the hammers and started firing. As quickly as it had begun, the attack was over. Mike reloaded all his weapons and reached down to pull Mary Beth to her feet.

  Cliff Shaw had an arrow in his shoulder. Don Franklin was inspecting the wound when Rogers reached them. “I’m gonna have to break the shaft, Cliff, and then shove what’s left the rest of the way through,” Franklin was saying.

  “Give him some whiskey first, and once you have it out, pour it into the wound on both sides to disinfect it. Then, wrap it up tight. We can’t stick around here very long,” Rogers told them.

  “Sure thing, Boss,” Franklin said and Shaw nodded his understanding. Mary Beth and the Maya healers were looking after the remaining injured. Mike headed back to the front of the procession to talk to the King.

  Mexico City, Mexico.

  Tito Cabronne took the operator’s call from the United States. He had worked for Hiram P. King before. “Amigo, it has been a very long time,” he said.

  “Too long, Tito. I need some help on a business venture that is currently taking place in the Yucatán,” King explained.

  “Why am I only hearing of this now?” Cabronne asked, feeling slightly insulted at not having been approached first.

  “I didn’t think it would be as big a problem as it has turned into, Old Friend.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “An expedition went into the Yucatán a week ago. The original men I sent to stop it failed the miss
ion. I need you to go in and make sure that nobody from that expedition ever comes back,” King explained.

  “It might take a day or two for me to get men into place,” Cabronne said.

  “As long as they get there and stop the expedition from coming back, you and your people will be well paid,” King said before hanging up. Cabronne looked at the handset and smiled. Having King owe him a favor was a good thing. He opened a drawer and pulled out a book with names and numbers. He started dialing to put together a crew.

  The Yucatán.

  They were all moving at a mile-eating trot, not too fast and not too slow. But Jake Fortune was feeling it. Nobody was happier than him when the king’s guardsmen called a halt and pointed to a cave that was nearly concealed by foliage. The group entered the cave and everyone dropped to the floor, many of them gasping for breath. Two steles carved with gruesome carvings stood outside the cave. The princess assured them that the stone guardians would keep the war-like tribes at bay, playing on their superstitious fears.

  Personally, Fortune was glad for the breather. He leaned back against the cave wall and pulled out his canteen, taking a long pull from it. The water was tepid, but it still tasted good and it cooled his throat. He took off his hat and mopped the sweat from his brow.

  “You look like you need a rest,” Glory told him, as she took a seat beside him.

  “I could use one,” Fortune admitted.

  “I’m sorry, Jake. I had no idea that this would become as messy as it has gotten.”

  “That’s life, Kid. It gets messy, no matter how much we plan for it not to.”

  “That’s an interesting outlook on life.”

  “I don’t know how interesting it is, but it is mine,” Fortune shrugged.