by carl ashmore
‘Right,’ Joe said eagerly to Uncle Percy, who had placed the Gadeirus Tablet beside a computer and was busy typing something onto its keyboard. ‘Why don’t you call Barbie, and we can get crackin’ with this research.’
‘First things first, Joe … there’s no immediate rush. We have the Gadeirus Tablet, and unless I’m very much mistaken that means we’re well ahead of Emerson Drake. Now, so I don’t forget, can I have your transvocalisors, please?’
Becky and Joe took them off and gave them to Uncle Percy.
‘Thank you,’ Uncle Percy said.
Joe approached the Gadeirus Tablet. ‘So what’s going on with this weird metal then? It’s a bit freaky that Edgar’s gramps used the same material to make stuff, don’t you reckon?’
Uncle Percy nodded his agreement. ‘It is, as you rightly say somewhat ‘freaky’, but I do have a theory as to why that might be the case.’
Becky felt certain she knew what it was. ‘You think Edgar’s from Atlantis, don’t you? I don’t mean literally, but you think his ancestors came from there.’
Joe looked taken aback.
Uncle Percy hesitated for a moment before speaking. ‘That’s precisely what I think, Becky.’
‘What makes you think that?’ Joe asked eagerly.
Uncle Percy’s fingers drummed at his chin. ‘Although I didn’t see any significance at the time, do you remember when Edgar first told us about the Theseus Disc, how he claimed it was made from the ‘metal of his motherland?’ Well, it just so happens that the first recorded reference to Atlantis was in Plato's dialogues, Timaeus and Critias.’
‘Plato’s dialogues?’ Becky asked. ‘What’s that?’
‘Plato was one of the greatest philosophers of Ancient Greece. His areas of expertise included art, mathematics, science, politics and even poetry. Anyway, he assembled his thoughts in a series of ‘dialogues’ he hoped would instigate discussion for the good of mankind. Within the ‘Critias’ dialogue he wrote that a number of Atlantean buildings, most notably Poseidon’s Temple, were at least part crafted from Orichalcum, the distinctive orange metal of Atlantis. If Edgar were indeed of Atlantean origin, then Orichalcum would certainly be the ‘metal of his motherland.’
Joe was bursting with excitement now. ‘This is so cool.’
Uncle Percy was about to continue when three piercing beeps ripped the air. His expression altered from one of boyish excitement to one of deep surprise.
Becky noticed. ‘What is it, Uncle Percy?’
‘Erm, it appears we have visitors …’
At the same instant, a terminal on the far wall switched itself on, lines of numerical data flooding the screen white. The temperature tumbled quickly as a stiff, chilling breeze swept the room. Becky’s eyes fell on a shimmering orb that had materialized on Betty’s right. Knowing full well what was to come, she shielded her eyes with the crook of her palm.
Ballooning in size, the light crackled in mid-air like a Catherine wheel, before - BOOM – it shot all around, penetrating, licking every surface, before disappearing, pitching the room into dimness once more.
Lowering her hand, Becky saw a solitary male figure; crouched down, the man’s hand was wrapped firmly around the branch of what appeared at first glance to be a huge tree laid flat on the floor.
Her heart soared with joy.
Will Shakelock was staring up at her, his face bruised, sweaty, stained black with dirt and blood. But he was alive. That was all that mattered. In that instant, she felt overwhelmed with joy. That was until she looked into his eyes, and any feeling of happiness abandoned her, replaced quickly by a wave of panic.
For the first time since she had met him, Will looked helpless, defeated, lost, a broken man. And as her gaze drifted downwards, she could see why. He wasn’t holding a branch, at all. He was holding an arm - a huge, muscular arm. She felt an ache swell inside.
Edgar, the Minotaur, was lying there, immobile, his body as pale as concrete, his saucer-sized nostrils barely clawing the slightest of breaths.
Will looked desperately to a dumbstruck Uncle Percy. ‘I fear he’s dying…’
Chapter 15
Where there’s a Will …
Time stopped. A cloud of disbelief descended upon them all.
Becky began to tremble, unable to tear her eyes from the sickening sight before her. She wanted to scream but no sound came out.
Not wasting a moment, Uncle Percy dashed over to Edgar, raising his keys to his mouth. ‘Barbie… to the Time Room, please.’ He fell to his knees and lifted Edgar’s wrist, his fingers probing for the pulse. ‘Will, would you be so kind as to bring me the medi-box please?’
Will jumped up, rushed to a drawer, and pulled out a small bright green box, as a loud pop heralded Barbie’s arrival. ‘At your service, sir.’
Uncle Percy looked up at her. ‘My dear, I need you to bring Doctor Aziz, Terence Brown and Emily Appleby here.’ He spoke quickly but clearly. ‘The relevant time coordinates are in your database. I also need you to sterilize Medi-room 1 on floor minus 2. You may need to do a short trip to enable you to do it in time. I’d also be grateful if you could prepare the oxygenesic refribulator, the Revescopy equipment and the autotrace sterilizers.’
‘Indeed, sir,’ Barbie nodded. In a flash, she had disappeared.
Opening the medi-box, Uncle Percy pulled out a syringe filled with a blue liquid and injected it into Edgar’s arm. He turned to Will. ‘Can you give me any clue as to what we’re dealing with here? What happened to him?’
Will face darkened. ‘He has seen hell…’
Before Will could continue, three balls of light materialized to their left, ballooning in size until a shattering BANG revealed four figures: Barbie; a tall Asian man with a goatee beard and a long neck that made him resemble a giraffe; a stern-faced woman wearing a nurse’s uniform and carrying a leather handbag; and a short, middle-aged man with blonde hair, a sloping forehead and a rose-red nose.
‘The medi-room is prepared, sir,’ Barbie said.
‘Thank you, Barbie,’ Uncle Percy replied.
At the same time, the Asian man sped to Uncle Percy’s side. ‘Good afternoon, Percy.’
‘Doctor Aziz, thanks for coming.’
‘Not at all, Percy,’ Doctor Aziz said. ‘You’re keeping me busy today.’ He glanced at Edgar’s lifeless body. For a moment shock lined his face, but this was swiftly replaced by a look of calm, unruffled professionalism. ‘A Minotaur, eh? Now that is something you don’t see every day.’
‘Indeed, it isn’t,’ the woman said, running over. ‘But a patient is a patient.’ She looked back at the shorter man. ‘C’mon, Terence. This may be more up your street than ours.’
The short man’s eyes fixed nervously on Edgar. ‘I –’ Then his eyes swirled white and he fell backwards. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.
‘Trust the vet not to be able to handle it,’ the nurse frowned.
‘Barbie,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘Would you make sure Terry is okay?’
Barbie nodded and stomped over to the unconscious man.
Uncle Percy smiled at the nurse. ‘Thanks for coming, Emily.’
‘Anything for you, Percy,’ the nurse replied. ‘And I have to admit I was more than a little intrigued to meet this Minotaur you’ve told us so much about. Now, is there somewhere we can take the patient?’
‘The Medi-room is set up and ready,’ Uncle Percy replied. ‘May I use your portravella, Emily?’
The woman passed over her handbag. ‘Of course.’
Uncle Percy turned to Becky and Joe. ‘I’m going to take Doctor Aziz, Nurse Collins and Edgar to the Medi-room.’
‘What can we do?’ Becky asked.
‘Just pray,’ Uncle Percy said quietly. ‘I’ll make sure you’re kept in the loop. These are three of the very best medical practitioners in their fields and I have state of the art equipment in the Medi-room. I’m sure Edgar will be fine.’ He looked at Will. ‘And, Will, thank you for bringing him here.’
‘He is a true friend,’ Will replied. ‘I would do nothing less.’ His voice grew dark. ‘But there is more to discuss when the occasion is right.’
‘I’m sure,’ Uncle Percy said, keying digits onto the time-pad fitted to the bag’s strap. ‘For now, let’s see how Edgar responds to treatment and I’ll come and find you.’
Will nodded.
‘Barbie, if you could ask Terry to join us when he regains consciousness?’ Uncle Percy watched as the handbag became enveloped in light. His fingers wrapped lightly around Edgar’s hand. ‘Hold on, Ahmed, Emily.’ The doctor and nurse seized his arm as, with a loud SNAP, the four of them vanished.
Becky’s mind was struggling to catch up. It had all happened so quickly. Without thinking, she rushed into Will’s arms and buried herself into his shoulder. It was then she noticed his clothes were speckled red. ‘Are you hurt? You’re covered in blood.’
‘Tis not my blood!’ Will replied in a way that suggested he wouldn’t expand further. ‘Nor is it Edgar’s.’
Joe joined in the embrace. ‘Then, whoever’s blood it is, I hope you put the smack down good and proper.’
Will looked confused. ‘Smack down?’
‘Doesn’t matter,’ Joe replied.
Becky hesitated before she asked her next question. ‘So what did happen? To Edgar, I mean.’
Will fell silent. ‘All I will say is that some men’s evil knows no bounds,’ he replied gravely.
‘Why d’you say that?’ Joe probed.
‘Was it Drake?’ Becky asked in a quiet voice.
‘No,’ Will replied tartly. ‘It seems Drake has enlisted another, as foul a man as I have ever heard of.’
‘What do you mean?’ Joe asked. ‘Who?’
‘I will not talk of it now,’ Will said decisively. ‘I need to eat, to bathe; I have been gone some time. Come to my tree house in one hour, and I shall tell you all that has been. But it is no tale for the faint of heart, of that I assure you.’
*
Becky went back to her room. Changing out of her heavy clothing, she found herself brimming with anger, desperate to get whoever did this to Edgar and make them suffer. She found herself pacing the room, brandishing Orff’s knife and sneering at the Christmas decorations, which just seemed trivial and foolish in light of all that had happened. Every now and again, she would flop down on her bed and stare longingly at the hologramophone receiver, hoping that Uncle Percy would call to let her know Edgar was fine … but no call came. To make matters worse, Will’s words revisited her time and time again: ‘Drake has enlisted another, as foul a man as I have ever heard of.’ She couldn’t help but recall the last villain Emerson Drake had recruited: George Chapman – Jack the Ripper.
‘Who could be more foul than Jack the Ripper?’ she mumbled, laying Orff’s knife on the dressing table and sighing heavily.
When the hour was up, she went to collect Joe and together they made their way to Bowen Forest.
Normally the very sight of Will’s tree house would delight Becky, but not today. Even as the wooden platform ascended, revealing the glittery white countryside before her, she felt nothing but a deep sense of emptiness. She looked at Joe and could tell he felt the same.
Will greeted them at the top with two goblets of hot blackberry juice and a platter of bread and cheeses. He ushered them into a room where a small log fire sputtered and popped, sending thick coils of smoke into a red stone chimney. Settling onto the large cushions, it was Joe who seemed most eager to talk. He told Will about the Spear of Fate, the Gadeirus Tablet and the astonishing revelation that Edgar’s ancestors may have descended from Atlantis. Will took it all in his stride, in fact most of it didn’t appear to shock him one bit.
‘Your words may indeed explain some of the vile things I’ve witnessed,’ Will said grimly.
‘What do you mean?’ Becky asked.
Will was about to continue, when a stale wind blew back Becky’s hair. A flickering orb appeared in the corner of the room, growing in size, before shooting twisting fingers of light all around. A moment later, there was a crack and the light vanished to reveal Uncle Percy, his face jaded and tired. He did, however, wear a look of satisfaction. ‘Ah, Becky, Joe, I’m glad you’re here.’
‘How’s Edgar?’ Becky asked immediately.
‘He’s not quite out of the woods yet, but there’s been a marked improvement. Indeed, I have every confidence he’ll be absolutely fine. The medical team are working hard to restore him to full health and he’s responding to treatment.’
‘But he looked so pale,’ Becky said softly.
‘I’m afraid he’s lost a lot of blood.’
‘It was his blood they sought,’ Will snarled.
‘I’m sorry, Will,’ Uncle Percy said. ‘What do you mean?’
Will’s eyes glowered with disgust. ‘We trusted Drake’s motive for the Minotaur slayings to be vengeance. And perchance it was. But from what I could judge it wasn’t Drake who carried out the slaughter. Another gave the commands.’
‘Another?’ Uncle Percy asked, surprised.
‘A doctor. As immoral, as dissolute a man as any to have lived.’
Uncle Percy looked shocked. ‘A doctor?’
‘Aye. He was the one who instructed Edgar be tortured. He was the one who coordinated the experiments.’
‘What kind of experiments?’ Uncle Percy asked. ‘How do you know all of this?’
Will inhaled slowly. ‘Permit me to tell you of my recent journey. I travelled back to the Minotaur camp one last time to try and prevent the death of Gergo and Gergan. The Omega Effect, as before, barred my intervention. However, some time after the attackers had departed the camp, taking Edgar with them, I discovered a deceased Associate - it seems Edgar’s brothers fought valiantly before death took them. Anyhow, fortune smiled upon me for the corpse wore a travelling device. Studying this, it presented me the coordinates to their most recent base.’
Uncle Percy nodded appreciatively. ‘Very clever, Will.’
Will accepted the compliment with a half smile. ‘I journeyed back two years to when the base was sited and found myself at once familiar with its setting.’
‘Where was it?’ Becky asked.
‘Do you recall the decimated village on the path to the Red Caves on the Island of Kera?’
Becky nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Wasn’t that the site of a massacre?’ Joe offered.
‘Indeed,’ Will replied. ‘I believe it was this doctor that commanded that atrocity, too, after which he erected a medical camp on its site, a camp created to interrogate, study and brutalize Edgar. Again, the Omega Effect prevented my intervention. I had to watch powerlessly from a distance, knowing all the time Edgar was being subjected to such horrors I dare not imagine. Anyhow, as luck allowed, I captured an Associate and used certain means to make him talk.’
‘What kind of means?’ Joe asked.
‘That I will not say,’ Will replied darkly. ‘But I felt no guilt from it, and it did yield results. He told me they had journeyed from 1360BC, that they had been scouring the length and breadth of Egypt, gathering evidence of Atlantis and searching for somewhere called The Chamber of the Ancients, a place that could lead them to the Spear of Fate. They believed that Edgar may hold the secret to its location.’
‘The Chamber of the Ancients?’ Joe repeated.
‘Indeed.’
Becky turned to Uncle Percy. ‘Have you heard of it?’
‘No,’ Uncle Percy replied, shaking his head. ‘Please continue, Will.’
‘Opportunely, after three nights had passed the Omega Effect lifted and I battled my way into the camp. I could not locate this doctor or I would have surely had him meet my blade, but I did manage to seize Edgar and return him here.’
‘And thank God you did,’ Uncle Percy said.
‘So Drake’s made some connection between the Minotaurs and Atlantis?’ Becky said.
‘It appears so,’ Uncle Percy replied miserably.
‘It certainly requires further investigation,’ Uncle Percy said. He hesitated before turning back to Will and asking one final question. ‘About this doctor … did you find out his name?’
‘Aye,’ Will spat. ‘The Associate called him Heim.’
Uncle Percy gulped. ‘Aribert Heim?’
‘I heard no forename,’ Will replied.
Colour bled from Uncle Percy’s face.
Becky noticed. ‘So who’s this Aribert Heim?’
Uncle Percy hesitated before he spoke. ‘In my opinion, Aribert Heim is just about the vilest monster to have ever walked the earth…’
Chapter 16
Doctor Death
Seconds crawled by, until Joe’s voice, weaker than usual, breached the quiet. ‘He can’t be worse than Jack the Ripper though, can he?’
‘George Chapman was a psychopath,’ Uncle Percy replied, unable to make eye contact. ‘His pathology, although terrifying, was relatively straightforward; he was a fiend that remained in the shadows, hiding from the world, playing out his repulsive fantasies to no one but himself.’ Each syllable he uttered sounded as though it stabbed at his heart. ‘Aribert Heim, on the other hand, was quite different … a so-called doctor in the Nazi party during the Second World War, he was a visible figure, and used the pretext of scientific advancement to do unspeakable things.’
‘What kind of things?’ Becky asked quietly.
‘You really don’t need to know,’ Uncle Percy said frankly, his voice listless and hollow. ‘Listen, I have to return to Edgar and may be gone for some time.’ He took a heavy breath. ‘Sadly, whether I like it or not, I get the feeling you’re going to investigate Heim’s nefarious activities online. Am I wrong?’
‘Probably not,’ Joe replied honestly. ‘If he’s the bad guy, it makes sense to find out what we can about him. Know you’re enemies and all that. What d’you reckon, Becks?’
Becky didn’t reply. She knew agreeing with Joe would disappoint Uncle Percy, but he had made a very good point.