The real dome cover of the temple of Poseidon came into view, and for a moment, Billie found herself holding her breath. Like the replica which the pygmies had constructed many years ago, the dome of this one was covered in orichalcum, and stood at the center of several deep indentations, each one progressively getting deeper.
Somewhere inside there would be an open doorway to the answers they needed. She forced herself to breathe out and consciously remember to breathe in. Looking around the room, she noticed that the temple had a similar effect on everyone else in the room.
Only Edward, who was so focused on the need of their mission, appeared immune to its glory. “Okay, Zanzibe, do you have any suggestions where our door is going to be?”
“I’ve never seen it, but if it’s anything like ours, then the door should be down there, at the end.”
The ROV moved quickly toward the end of the deepest moat, where the large stone opening stood without its door.
Edward looked at Zanzibe. “Thanks.”
There it moved through the first tunnel and into the challenge of strength. With the mechanisms of each of the challenges long since corroded or rotted away, Edward was able easily navigate through to the next room. The memory of trying to beat the challenges the pygmies had set out in their replica appeared fresh in his mind as he navigated the ROV through the temple’s entrance. Its eerie light scattered in the dark rooms, and Billie watched as Edward’s hands began to shake at the recent memory they stirred.
Propelling itself over the chasm that had long ago lost its bridge and then finally past the pendulum of sacrifice, the ROV quickly made its way toward the temple of Poseidon. Billie placed her hand on Edward’s shoulder. She didn’t say anything. Nor did she have to. They were both there. The sight instantly brought back the memory of him preparing to sacrifice his life for hers. In the end, the test had been merely to see if one person would willingly sacrifice themselves so the other person could live, and consequently, he had not been killed in the process. It was still one hell of an offering.
The ROV turned the last corner and entered the ancient temple dedicated to Poseidon – the God of the Sea.
And there it stopped.
“What the hell happened?” Billie asked.
Edward reversed and then plugged in a separate controller. “I was worried this might be the case.”
“What is it?”
“The dome’s dry. Don’t you remember in the pygmy replica, the temple of Poseidon remained dry?”
“Of course, why didn’t we think of that? I don’t suppose your ROV has a pair of wheels?”
Edward grinned. “No, but it’s got a killer set of tank tracks!”
A new sound could be heard coming from the ROV’s audio – it was the grating noise of its tank tracks turning. A moment later, the ROV punched through the water and entered the dry world of Poseidon’s temple.
It was larger than what the pygmies had recreated. Nearly twice as long and more than that high. As the ROV shined its exterior lights on the temple, the gold reflected everywhere.
“My God, there’s enough gold there to make St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican appear poor,” Edward said in awe.
Spotting the golden statue of Poseidon himself, still standing on top of his chariot and drawn by the massive six winged horse, Edward drove the ROV toward what they had come for. Edward then changed the view to one of the cameras mounted above and designed to look up.
The entire roof was covered in intricately carved ivory, depicting a battle of the Gods so great it would have terrified the strongest of mere mortals. Protected by eleven thousand years of isolation within the vault, the carvings appeared perfectly intact. They were curiously wrought with gold, silver and orichalcum. Next to the monstrous horse’s head, which nearly struck the ceiling, was a placard made of pure orichalcum.
Edward pressed the zoom button, and it came into focus.
“There it is gentlemen – and my dear Dr. Swan – the code to Atlantis.”
Chapter Seventy-One
After making several copies, Billie superimposed it on the second half of the code to Atlantis, completing the image.
“This is it! We have it. This is the missing link for the code to Atlantis!”
Edward embraced her. “I knew you were the right person for the job Dr. Swan! Thank you!”
Jason, the skipper, burst through the door. “We’ve got company.”
Billie and Edward moved to the window. Grabbing a pair of binoculars, Billie zoomed in on the boats moving toward them. There were two of them. Both inflatable military watercraft – most likely Zodiacs – and closing in on a quarter of a mile up river.
Aboard were several men carrying AK47s.
Edward swore. “It’s probably someone from any number of Congo’s rebel armies.” Placing his binoculars back on their holder, he said, “Jason, get us out of here. The Andre Sephora will outrun these petty war criminals.”
“I’m already on it,” Jason replied, kicking the sports craft’s engine into gear.
Edward looked at Mark. “Ready the team. Make certain they’re ready to repel boarders if they do reach us.”
“Understood,” Mark replied, leaving the room.
Billie felt reassured as the Rolls Royce water jets kicked into life and the Andre Sephora stood up on her bow wave. It would be impossible for the rebels to keep up with them once they reached their cruising speed.
“I told you we’d be all right,” Edward said.
Billie went to acknowledge him, but right then, the engines cut out and the Andre Sephora sunk its bow back into the river.
Chapter Seventy-Two
A helicopter flew toward them from the opposite direction. It was covered in military camouflage, but showed no sign of country of origin. Edward was reassured by the knowledge that none of the rebels in the area possessed such machinery.
“Mark! It looks like we’re going to need our plan B! I want the Gatling guns ready to fire, and I want someone to prepare the antiaircraft rockets to fire when that thing gets closer!”
“Already on it boss!”
At the edge of the room, Dr. Swan typed rapidly on her laptop, downloading all the information she would need to reach the inner sanctum of Atlantis, including the now complete code to Atlantis.
Edward smiled at her resilience as he watched Dr. Swan hide the contents on a device no larger than a fingernail. She then prepared to destroy her entire workstation, including her laptop, if the worst were to happen.
Edward could only imagine what would happen if the code to Atlantis fell into the wrong hands. Behind them, he could see that the two zodiacs had slowed down and the men were preparing to board. He saw the men at the front, carrying AK47s, swing grappling hooks while yelling war cries in their native language. Others simply fired at his hull.
Surely they must know that a vessel like his would never enter the Congo without arming herself well enough to defend herself!
“Okay Mark, time to destroy them all!”
Edward brought up the automated defense system, and placed an asterisk over each of the zodiacs. The computer system then highlighted the perfect angle of firing, and a microcomputer fired.
The rattle of the four Gatling guns turning filled the room.
But no rounds were fired.
All four Gatling guns had had their rounds removed from their rollers.
For the first time, since the arrival of the rebel army, Edward felt genuine fear.
His heart pounded as he realized he had a traitor aboard.
“Quick Mark! Get the men on deck!”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that Mr. Worthington.” Edward looked up, only to see that Mark had unlatched the safety on his own weapon and pointed it directly at him.
Edward looked around the deck of his ship for his other men. Then it struck him – no one had come to his aid, because they couldn’t. They were locked below the deck. His most trusted bodyguard had betrayed him.
“I h
ave to know, Mark. Why?”
Mark grinned. “I’m sorry, but in my profession loyalty is only ever to the highest bidder.”
“But you set the price and I always happily paid for it!”
“Yes, and I was happy with that price. But then, along came Atlantis. And that, my friend, can offer me more than all the gold in the world. It can offer me unlimited power. Even if half the crap that you and Dr. Swan have discussed over the past few weeks ends up being correct, I’m going to be a very rich man.”
Edward looked at him and tried to speak. He faltered, unable to find words to make any sense of the betrayal, and then he didn’t have to.
Three shots fired in rapid succession.
Looking up, Edward was surprised to find he barely felt them. Then he saw the three clean bullet holes open up in a narrow grouping between Mark’s eyes – it wasn’t his own life that had just ended.
Behind him, Billie had already lowered her Glock.
“That was close. Again, Dr. Swan, I believe I owe you my life.”
Billie gritted her teeth. The boarders had already secured the Andre Sephora. “I’m not sure I’ve done you any more good than to prolong the inevitable.”
Several men came in and grabbed them. He noticed, thankfully, that Dr. Swan hadn’t felt the need to fight to the death. So long as she was alive, there was still hope.
The helicopter hovered just above the front deck of the Andre Sephora. A man stepped out of the aircraft. Edward recognized the man instantly. How could he not? After all, that man might just be the most dangerous man on earth.
“Andrew Brandt! I should have guessed you were behind this attack!”
“Mr. Edward Worthington.” Andrew looked at Billie, struggling to get free from the soldier who held her head in an arm lock capable of killing her in seconds. “And Dr. Swan. How nice to finally meet you. I cannot say how pleased I have been with your efforts. I could never have deciphered the code to Atlantis on my own.”
He then looked at Mark lying dead on the ground. “I see that you found the employment of my associate, Mr. Mark Armel, unsatisfactory.” Andrew laughed at his own joke. “No matter, he has served my purpose already.”
The commander of the soldiers who held them approached Andrew. “What do you want me to do with all of them?”
“I’ll keep the girl. You never know when she might be useful.” Andrew grinned lasciviously. “As for the rest of them, kill them.”
Billie swore at Andrew. “You’ll never work it out. I’ll die before helping you.”
“Don’t worry, my good Dr. Swan. Your death is certainly on the cards, but first there are a few things I’d like some help with.”
Several shots were fired before anyone knew where they’d come from. Zanzibe, the little pygmy king, had taken refuge in a fishing box, too small from any normal sized person to squeeze. He’d then, released three quick bursts from his Uzi. Edward then felt the man’s strong hands pull him free from his now dead captor.
In front of him, Andrew had already moved to take Dr. Swan.
The soldiers at the front of the boat quickly moved to take the back of the Andre Sephora. Machine gun fire pelted through the inner workings of the ship.
“We have to go,” Zanzibe said.
Edward followed him to the back of the ship. “What about the rest of my men? Those trapped below deck?”
“No one’s trapped. They all worked for Mark.”
“Then where can we go?”
Edward followed Zanzibe to the back of the ship. “I’ve laid explosives. The ship’s going to explode any moment now!”
The two dived into the water.
Before their heads resurfaced, the echo of a massive explosion, sent a shockwave ringing through their ears.
Edward and Zanzibe swam as long as their breaths would hold them before breaking the surface again. He looked back at the Andre Sephora. There was nothing left. Already three hundred feet away, Andrew’s helicopter departed. “There goes the code to Atlantis – and more important, the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”
Chapter Seventy-Three
The tunnel led down much lower than anywhere they’d been inside Atlantis. After nearly an hour, the ancient escape route turned and they began the long journey in an upwards direction. Sam looked at his survival time in his ADS machine – they were down to six hours. They would need to begin the process of surfacing soon, if they were to make it in time. Sam swam around the next bend in the tunnel, revealing the opening inside a small cave overlooking the outside of Poseidon’s temple.
“What do you think? Are Andrew’s men taking chances that we’re dead or will they be waiting for us on the surface?” Tom asked.
Sam was about to answer, and then noticed that next to the extensive outer dome, a sad-looking Snow Cat stood looking very out of place, nearly 500 feet below the surface.
“Oh yeah, they weren’t taking any chances. Now we’re stuck about three hundred miles from anywhere, in the Siberian winter without a vehicle!”
“All right, let’s go face the elements.” Tom began the systematic process of ascending.
The massive facemask of Sam’s ADS machine broached the surface of Lake Cheko. Tentative that a second attack might be imminent, he decided not to return through the hole they’d originally created. Instead, he built a new one as close to the shore as possible.
He scanned the area quickly, seeing nothing but white. Then, switching on his helmet-mounted infrared monitor, he scanned the area above. Reassured nothing except snow surrounded them, Sam climbed out and made his way to the edge of the lake.
“Okay Tom, I think we’re clear. Your turn.”
“Coming right up.”
Sam dug a makeshift snow cave with the remaining power of his ADS machine. And then carefully began exiting the awesome machine. Opening the exit below him, he climbed down. After opening the antennae to his satellite phone, he pressed the call button.
“Did you find out where Atlantis is?” The Secretary of Defense was quick to answer.
“Yes, Manhattan!” Sam replied. “But there’s more that we learnt, too.”
“It’s going to activate in the next 48 hours.” She said the words slowly, with her usual air of superiority.
“You knew?” Sam asked accusingly.
“Of course I bloody well know what the Atlantis device does. We were there in 1908! We knew it’s due to be triggered again, but we just prayed like hell that the second damn temple wasn’t on our side of the Atlantic!”
“We still have to work out precisely where, and we don’t have long to do so.”
“Yes, leave that to me, I’ll put all our manpower into it,” she said. “But do you have the code to Atlantis?”
“No.”
“Then it’s all over, anyway,” the Secretary Defense said.
“No it’s not. Because I think Billie might have found it.”
“I thought you said that awful woman had been kidnapped?”
“She has been. Most likely by a man named Andrew Brandt. From what information I’ve gotten on him. He’s a Rhodes Scholar. He was exceptional at math, and appeared to be in the process of being groomed for a position with NASA.”
“So, what happened to him? Why didn’t we get him?”
“Altruism or science for the betterment of mankind wasn’t part of his plan. Instead, he took the fortune his father had left him and opened up a merchant bank – The Phoenix Associates. From what we’ve learned about him, he specializes in unique and often highly illegal acquisitions. His problems started well before he was born. His father, and grandfather, were part of a secret organization known as the Phoenix Resistance for thousands of years. They swore to protect the Secret of Atlantis – I can only imagine this would be the code we’re after. Perhaps through the ages they’ve lost it, or they never had it to begin with. Ultimately, I think they kidnapped Billie because they thought she could find it for them.”
“And you think they’ll bring Billie to
Atlantis?”
“I’m certain of it. In fact, I doubt they even know where Atlantis is themselves. All we need to do is beat them to Atlantis. Find Atlantis, we find Billie, and if we can get her back alive, we’ll have the code.”
Up ahead, Sam heard the familiar whir of a couple Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk.
He looked at Tom. “We’ve got company.”
Tom nodded his head and prepared the remaining RPG to be fired.
“What is it?” the Secretary of Defense asked.
“We’ve got to go. We’ve got incoming. Sounds like a couple Sikorsky.”
The Secretary of Defense said, “Those are my birds on an extraction mission for you. Don’t you dare damage my hardware, or it will come out of your bank.”
“That’s the first bit of good news I think you’ve ever told me,” he said, while motioning to Tom to put the RPG down.
“I have a jet waiting to take you to JFK airport. I personally will meet you on the ground. We don’t have much time to pull this off!”
“Understood.” Sam thought about that celestial ceiling within Poseidon’s temple. Its purpose suddenly struck something in his mind. “Madam Secretary, there’s one more thing.”
“What?” her reply was curt.
“Contact the head of NASA’s Near Earth Object Program. It’s just a hunch, but I need to know if there’s anything large heading toward earth.”
Chapter Seventy-Four
Billie sat still. There was little of any use that she could do in her current position. She tried to force herself to relax long enough to sleep. She would need all her wits about her if she was going to beat Andrew when the opportunity arose. For nearly twenty-four hours he had kept moving her. Someone had bound her eyes tight with an impenetrable piece of leather, almost immediately afterward handcuffing her to a steel brace bar inside the helicopter. From the helicopter Billie was moved to a jet, most likely privately owned she guessed, because she heard no one else on it with the exception of the man who had taken her.
Atlantis Stolen (Sam Reilly Book 3) Page 21