The Atlantis Stone

by Alex Lukeman

  "I have been skeptical all this talk of Atlantis would lead to much. It's obvious the Americans think it's important. You were right to bring this to me."

  Alexei waited.

  "Tell me," Orlov said, "how are you getting along with General Volkov these days?"

  The question caught Alexei off guard.

  "We have little to say to one another, Mister President. About this matter or any other. Routine exchanges of important information continue between our organizations."

  "But not between the two of you directly."

  "No."

  "Volkov is ambitious. Would you agree?"

  It was a question with consequences. Whatever Alexei said could be wrong. Orlov had always been good at spotting deception. Alexei decided on the truth.

  "Yes, Mister President, I would agree. He wants to bring back the KGB, with himself as director."

  "As do you, General."

  Alexei's heart thumped in his chest. "I do not deny it. I think it would be more efficient if our services were under one roof again. The difference between General Volkov and myself is that I serve the Motherland with my ambition. He serves only himself."

  Orlov nodded. "Had you denied it, you would now be on your way to Lefortovo."

  He rose and walked over to one of the tall windows looking out over the Kremlin Gardens. He stood with his back to Alexei and his hands clasped behind his back.

  Alexei rose from his chair. Where is this going? What does he want?

  "General Volkov's ambition may be as you say. But I require proof." He turned back to face Alexei. "This adventure in Egypt may provide an opportunity."

  Alexei had trouble believing what he was hearing. Orlov was giving him permission to take down Volkov, if he could.

  "What do you require, Mister President?"

  "I want you to form a joint operation. Assign someone from SVR to go to Egypt and report on what happens. I will instruct Volkov to do the same. Your agent should observe what Volkov's operative does. I think Volkov will make a mistake."

  "Who is in command?" Alexei asked.

  "You are, through your operative. I will make that clear to Volkov. Assign someone with rank."

  "I would like to send Captain Antipov. She is familiar with the situation. It's because of her that we know what the Americans are doing."

  "An excellent choice. Promote her to Major. That should give her enough authority."

  Orlov smiled. There was something predatory about it.

  Valentina, Alexei thought, you are moving into dangerous territory.

  CHAPTER 34

  Vysotsky returned to SVR Headquarters. Within an hour, Orlov's aide phoned him to tell him Volkov had assigned an agent to the operation. Alexei summoned Valentina to his office. He turned on the unofficial device that shielded the room from eavesdroppers.

  "Major Antipov. I am sending you back to Egypt."

  Surprise registered on Valentina's face.

  "Major?"

  "You have been promoted. Congratulations."

  "What's the catch?"

  "Valentina, you hurt my feelings. You deserve this promotion. President Orlov himself told me to give it to you."

  "You and I have known each other too long for foolish games. As I said, what's the catch?"

  "You will be working with one of General Volkov's operatives. This is a joint mission with FSB."

  "FSB agents are a pain in the ass. They are all idiots. Who is he?"

  "It's not a he. Volkov has assigned Major Rostov."

  "Her? Work with that bitch? I will not do it."

  Alexei sighed. "Sometimes you can be truly ridiculous. You have no choice in the matter. It's an order."

  "No one works with Rostov," Valentina said. "She thinks the sun shines out of her ass."

  "Please, Valentina, there's no need to be crude. You are in charge. Besides, your real mission isn't to work with her. It's to report on her actions."

  "You want me to spy on her? I admit, that appeals to me."

  "I thought it might. This is a tricky assignment for you. Orlov is watching closely. He is looking for something to use against Volkov."

  "All he has to do is make it up," Valentina said.

  "You are lucky no one can hear what is said in this office."

  "You know it's true."

  "That may be, but in this case proof is required. A conversation overheard. Perhaps an intercepted message. Proof that Volkov is disloyal and seeks his own advancement over the needs of the Motherland. Even better, something that criticizes the president in no uncertain terms."

  "Whatever else Rostov is, she's experienced and careful," Valentina said. "It will be difficult to catch her out in anything as obvious as what you suggest."

  "That is why I've assigned you to this operation. Because of its difficulty. Harker's team has returned to Egypt."

  My sister.

  "They are on their way to an underwater site to search for the remains of Atlantis."

  Valentina looked at him.

  "You're joking."

  "I am not. The R/V Tolstoy is waiting for you near Cairo. She will take you and Major Rostov to the site."

  "Why would they look for Atlantis?"

  "They're looking for an artifact."

  "What kind of artifact?"

  "One that can be of use to us. That is all you need to know."

  Valentina knew better than to push further.

  "What are your instructions?"

  "Observe the Americans. You are not to interfere unless the situation deteriorates and you have no other choice."

  "Understood."

  "You and Rostov leave tonight. Military transport has been arranged for you. You have proved efficient in the past, Valentina. I expect no less from you now. Orlov wants a result and he's taking a personal interest in you."

  "When he pinned that medal on me, he fondled my breast. I don't like him."

  "He has marked you for his inner circle," Alexei said. "It's a pool full of sharks. Find what he needs in Egypt. What protects you is your success."

  "And if Rostov creates trouble?"

  Alexei steepled the ends of his fingers together.

  "There are also sharks in the Mediterranean," he said.

  Valentina suppressed a smile.

  A few miles away in FSB Headquarters, General Volkov was briefing Katerina Rostov.

  "You are leaving for Egypt at 2100 hours," he said. "Orlov is playing games. He's placed an SVR operative in charge of this mission. You will be under her orders."

  "Who is it?"

  "Valentina Antipov. The one who got the medal after Orlov called off the Baltic invasion."

  "I know who she is. She's an annoying woman and she's only a captain. How can she be in charge?"

  "Orlov has promoted her to Major."

  "I don't like her."

  "I'm sure the feeling is mutual. However, that is the situation. You do not have a choice."

  "What is it you want me to do?"

  "You will stop the Americans from recovering any useful information."

  "They will be working underwater. I'm no diver."

  "You'll have a Spetsnaz team with you. Their job is to take care of whatever is in the water. Yours is to keep the Americans from succeeding."

  "It will require a violent solution," Katerina said. "Are you prepared for whatever fallout comes from that?"

  "If you do your job properly, there will not be any fallout. Unfortunate accidents happen at sea all the time."

  CHAPTER 35

  The Sexton's Dream passed through the Straits of Gibraltar. The smooth surface of the Mediterranean gave way to the endless rolling motion of the Atlantic. Selena and Nick stood at the bow. To starboard lay the massive landmark of the rock of Gibraltar. On the port side, Jebel Musa rose in the hazy distance. Ahead lay the vast expanse of the ocean, sparkling with sunlight.

  "This is what Plato wrote about in his dialog," Selena said.

  "What is?"

  She p
ointed at the rock of Gibraltar and the mountain to the left. "We're passing through the Pillars of Hercules. Gibraltar is one pillar. That mountain over there in Morocco is the other. When Plato wrote about Atlantis he said it was beyond the Pillars of Hercules. It looks like he was right."

  "I've never been to the Azores," Nick said.

  "It's a beautiful place to visit." Selena brushed away a strand of hair. "There are nine islands, all part of the mid-Atlantic Mountain Range."

  "There's a mountain range in the Atlantic?"

  "It was formed by tectonic plates moving apart. The Azores are volcanic peaks of the ridge."

  "That might explain what happened to Atlantis," Nick said. "What if something they did triggered a volcanic eruption?"

  "A volcanic eruption? It would have to be awfully big."

  "It's happened before. Like the Minoan civilization."

  "Yes, but that's different. There are still plenty of Minoan artifacts to study. Ruins, everyday items, the language. Lots of things."

  "Okay, an undersea earthquake then. Big enough to sink the whole civilization. We don't know how big Atlantis was. Maybe it was just an island. Don't the legends mention an island?"

  "They do."

  "It could've been like the eruption of Krakatoa back in the 1800s. That wiped out a large island and killed thousands of people. Or there could have been an undersea quake. Sexton said the whole area is seismically active. Unstable."

  "If we find ruins, there might be something that tells us what happened," Selena said.

  Two days later they reached the area pinpointed on the scans. The team crowded onto the bridge. One of Sexton's crew sat at an electronic console watching a large monitor. As the ship moved through the water, changing images in brown and yellow passed across the screen. A scale on the side of the monitor displayed ocean depth in meters. Sexton stood behind him.

  "What's your plan?" Nick asked.

  Sexton pointed. "You're looking at images from the side-scan sonar system. I've laid out a grid to search, based on the satellite intel you gave me. We'll work our way back and forth across the grid."

  He gestured at the screen.

  "You can see the variations on the ocean floor. It looks fairly smooth here. If those ruins are down there, we'll find them. There's not much to confuse the image."

  "How does it work?" Ronnie asked.

  "The scanner trails behind the ship," Sexton said. "The sonar sends down pulses in a fan shape. They bounce back as an acoustic reflection, recorded in slices. The computers piece the slices together and get an image."

  An object shaped like a boat's hull appeared, slice by slice, five hundred meters down. It passed out of sight as the ship continued on.

  "Probably a fishing boat," Sexton said. "There are a lot of wrecks out here. People have been sailing these waters for a long time."

  "How long will it take us to search the grid?" Selena asked.

  "The whole thing? A few days, maybe longer. But I don't think we'll have to do that. We're at the edge of the area you identified on those scans, so it might not take long."

  "I'm going to check over the diving gear," Lamont said.

  "I'll go with you," Selena said.

  "I'll help you unpack." Ronnie followed them out as they left the bridge.

  Nick stood next to Sexton, looking out through the bridge windows. There was nothing to see except the constant motion of the water. A few white clouds drifted overhead in a clear blue sky.

  "How did you hook up with Selena?" Sexton asked Nick.

  "It's a long story. Her uncle was murdered. We were asked to look into it."

  "We've been friends a long time."

  "Selena told me about it."

  An image of Selena in bed with Sexton flashed unbidden in Nick's mind. It made him angry. Even though it had been long before Selena came into his life.

  "She's special," Sexton said. "You're a lucky man. Me, I've never been able to settle on one woman."

  Asshole, Nick thought.

  The sonar operator called out.

  "I've got images, Skipper."

  The two men walked over and looked at the monitor. It showed a long shape on the ocean floor at a depth of eight hundred meters. As the ship moved over the surface regular shapes appeared, far below.

  "That's got to be it," Nick said.

  "Do you want me to keep searching the grid?"

  "No, we'll start here. Get us stopped over what's down there."

  As Sexton gave orders to his crew, Nick stepped outside to where the others had laid out the diving gear on the deck. The steady vibration of the engines changed as the boat slowed and stopped.

  "Why are we stopping?" Selena asked.

  "Sonar shows the ruins of a city below us. Or at least what looks like ruins."

  "How far down?" Lamont asked.

  "Eight hundred meters, give or take a few."

  "We can't dive that," Lamont said. "The deepest anyone has ever gone using gas mixtures is a little over five hundred meters. Even an atmospheric diving suit can't go that far down."

  Selena said, "We'll use an ROV to survey the site. If we find something we need to examine, Jeff has a DSV that can reach two thousand meters."

  "A Deep Submergence Vehicle? This guy must be rolling in dough."

  "I told you he was wealthy," Selena said. "It's a Pisces class, built in British Columbia. The NOAA has two of them."

  "Those ruins are twenty-four hundred feet down," Nick said. "I don't like the idea of you going down there. What if something happens?"

  "We won't be going deep enough to test the limit."

  "Unless something happens."

  "It's the only way if something has to be studied."

  "I still don't like it," Nick said.

  "It might not be necessary. It depends on what we find with the ROV."

  "Those ruins are pretty spread out. It's going to take time to search through them."

  Lamont looked at his watch. "It's 1600. We're not going to get down there today."

  "Let's get the gear squared away," Ronnie said.

  "While you do that, I'll go talk to Sexton," Nick said.

  He headed back up to the bridge and found Sexton studying the sonar scans.

  "Look at this."

  Sexton pointed at a progression of shapes on the ocean floor below. The shapes ended in a ragged line. After that there was only blackness.

  "Whatever's down there is right on the edge of the abyssal plain," Sexton said. "The depth of the ruins is consistent at about eight hundred meters up to that point. At the edge there's a sharp drop off. After that, it's a long way down."

  "Selena says you have a DSV that can go deep."

  "That's right. We have a Pisces class two-man submersible that can reach two thousand meters. Are you thinking of going down there?"

  "I don't know yet. It depends on what we find tomorrow. I'd like you to send down an ROV so we could take a look. We'll decide what to do after that."

  "I've got the perfect unit for the job. Camera, lights and small enough to get into some tight places."

  Nick smiled in spite of himself. Sexton's enthusiasm was infectious. Nick saw why Selena had been attracted to him. He was hard not to like.

  The thought didn't help much.

  CHAPTER 36

  The windows of the R/V Tolstoy's bridge looked out from five stories above the main deck. The view would have been spectacular, if there had been anything to see except the sun reflecting off an empty ocean. Valentina watched water foam past the bow and wished she were someplace where she didn't have to deal with Katerina Rostov. The two women stood on the bridge, waiting for the captain to complete a calculation.

  "At our present rate of speed we will reach the coordinates you specified about 0300 tomorrow," he said.

  "We should have gotten there sooner," Katerina said. "If you had left when ordered, we would be there now."

  Captain Vorochenko controlled his temper. It was necessary to be careful
around the security services, even though his word was law on the Tolstoy. Once they returned to port, he was just another civilian.

  "We're making the highest speed possible, Major. I can't change the laws of physics."

  "We lost needless time leaving Egypt."

  "This isn't a pleasure craft. We had to complete refueling and transfer some personnel off the ship because of your security concerns. If we were slow leaving port, it was a result of the demands you placed upon me."

  "Your attitude will be noted, Captain."

  Rostov's voice said there would be consequences from Vorochenko's attitude, none of them good. She turned and stalked out of the bridge.

  In a conversational tone Valentina said, "She walks like she has a stick up her ass, doesn't she?" Vorochenko looked at her with surprise.

  "Do not worry, Captain. I am in charge of this expedition, not her. Whatever she reports will be countermanded. You are doing your best. That is all that is needed."

  "What is her problem?"

  "What is always the problem with people like her? She thinks the world should bend to her will. Even laws of physics."

  "Can you tell me why I'm burning up my engines to get to an empty spot in the ocean?"

  "Not an empty spot, not below the surface. All you need to know right now is that the Americans are there ahead of us and that there's something on the ocean floor that may be vital to our national security."

  "Please excuse my curiosity."

  Valentina wanted the captain on her side if an accident happened to Rostov. It wouldn't be that difficult. The FSB major had started criticizing Vorochenko the moment she'd boarded his ship.

  "As I said, Captain, do not worry. I suggest you make sure your submersibles are ready to go at short notice."

  "As you wish, Major."

  Valentina left the bridge and walked aft until she reached the stairs leading down to the lower decks. She saw Rostov two decks down, talking with one of the Spetsnaz divers who'd come on board with her, a sergeant named Nikita Spassky. Valentina had known a man named Nikita once. He'd made the mistake of thinking she was another woman he could force to have sex with him and ended up in an emergency room. Valentina had decided that anyone named Nikita was to be avoided. The muscular diver was no exception.