by K. T. Tomb
It was true that when she left Istanbul to go on the assignment she hadn’t been impressed by the dossier; it just wasn’t in her to pass up the chance to see Babylon, even as ruinous as it currently was. It had been declared a World Heritage Site in 2003 and ever since there had been a resurgence of interest in excavating the site. Of course, with the occupation by U.S. and coalition troops after the Persian Gulf War, that was not an easy task. When things improved slightly, UNESCO was sure that they were the first to get in there and for the following ten years, they had successfully bullied any other organization or government from gaining access to the site.
Lana chuckled to herself at the thought. They had been so greedy about the site and just as the lion’s share of the work was complete and ready to be shipped off, someone just swooped in and scooped it all up. A laugh escaped her lips before she could stifled it. It gained her some strange looks from the others. Too bad those ‘someones’ had decided to scoop them up along with the pieces. She had admitted to Chyna within her first week there that the artifacts she was cataloging were a whole lot more impressive than she had originally anticipated. One particular piece had been of specific interest; the dig team found it almost completely intact when they had excavated what they thought might be the great temple of Ninurta. The altar had been uncovered with hardly any damage to the beautiful idols and the mosaic that decorated the wall behind them. There was a life-size statue of Ninurta with his legs in stride, his four wings were splayed as if ready for flight and in his hand he held two large-pronged spears. The depiction was of the god attacking a giant cockatrice-type monster that had a skeletal head, the body of a lion, and the flank of a bird of prey. But it didn’t seem in any way connected to the smaller idol that had caught Lana’s interest. It was in the form of a serpent and made from one solid piece of perfect black hematite; large enough to be in scale with the giants’ foot but still of a size that was easy for one person to carry.
The serpent resembled a cobra with its hood spread but the fangs and scales were far more sinister. As Lana assessed it and made her notes the word that came to her to describe the creature before her with the large, red garnet eyes was: The Babylonian Basilisk.
***
Chyna’s head swam as she absorbed the information Ilea had given them over the phone. Lana was missing and no one knew who had taken her and the other scientists or where they were. The only thing they knew to some level of certainty was that they had not left Iraq; at least not by way of the Baghdad airport. It was becoming clear that they’d found something in the ruined city that had provoked somebody, or at least sparked an interest. She wished she had followed up with Lana’s findings and progress there more carefully.
“Siri, could you bring me Lana’s last report from the site, please?”
“Yes, Chyna,” she replied, hurrying away to her desk to retrieve the files.
Rashid stood and was about to excuse himself when Chyna looked up from her desk and gave him a questioning look.
“Have you no ‘Watchers’ in Persia or colleagues who might be able to assist us there?”
“No ‘Watchers’ are stationed that far east but I think the Eastman might have a contact or two there. I could give him a call to find out,” he replied.
“I would really appreciate that,” Chyna said, as Sirita reentered the office.
“Here are the files.”
“Well, Siri, you wanted to be an office manager at Found History, did you think that in your third week on the job you’d get your first opportunity to train as an investigator?”
Sirita’s eyes grew large in her head. She could hardly believe what she was hearing.
“Are you serious?” she asked, disbelievingly.
“Of course, I can’t take a bunch of strangers with me and Oscar won’t be here until eight o’ clock tomorrow morning and that’s only if he catches the flight Sandra booked for him. Mina can manage here if Rashid checks in periodically but I can’t go into the field by myself.”
“Fair enough, Chyna. It’s really an exciting proposition.”
Rashid smiled at her and said, “Aren’t you glad you spent those extra hours with me at the firing range? You didn’t know you’d get the chance to see action so soon, did you?”
Sirita laughed and left the office. She returned a few minutes later with a stack of paper from the fax machine.
“Ilea sent the names and other information on the missing teams, both the American scientists and the archaeologists that Lana was with. What do you want me to do with these?”
“Put them here on the desk, Siri, and get a notepad; there’s several things I need you and Mina to handle immediately if we are to be in Baghdad by nightfall tomorrow,” Chyna instructed. She looked up to see her friend standing and placing the tea things neatly on the tea tray. “Are you leaving Rashid?”
“I must get back to the museum, Chyna, but I will call you and let you know what the Eastman said.”
“Thank you.”
Chyna paused for a moment to gather her thoughts while Sirita stood poised in front of her with pen and paper. When she looked up again, there was surety in her eyes and she immediately started reeling off instructions to an instantly intimidated Sirita.
“Okay!” she started. “I need you to book us three seats on a midafternoon flight straight into Baghdad; no connections. I find it’s always too difficult with the extra security checks and we will all be carrying firearms, as well as Oscar will have some of our most sensitive equipment with him. I certainly don’t want a repeat of the ‘Great Istanbul Hacking,” she commented.
They both laughed at Chyna’s quip before she continued.
“Make sure that copies of our licenses for the guns and such are all sent ahead to the airlines and Iraqi customs along with any credentials Ilea sent over from UNESCO. We’re going to need a double executive suite booked at the Palestine International Hotel; you can speak to Ihram Ibrahim, he will know what to do. The next thing is security. Could you get in touch with Thorin and Demetri? If they’re in the region and not on assignment I need them to meet us there. You’ll need to make their flight arrangements if that’s the case.”
“And if they’re engaged?”
“They’ll give you the names and locations of the men they’ll send, but it’s more than likely true that they will call in replacements on their current job and come themselves.”
“I see,” Sirita said.
“We’re going to need armored cars in Iraq, preferably Land Rovers,” Chyna added, as she flipped through the giant old fashioned Rolodex in front of her.
She stopped at a business card and said, “You can call Masoud Limos for those; two of them. Black, armored and tinted and we won’t be needing drivers, just an airport pickup. We’ll drop them back at the dealership and sign the papers. I think that’s it.”
“Let’s see,” Sirita said, “We’ve got flights, accommodation, security and transportation. That sound about right, Chyna?”
“It sure does,” she agreed. “All I have to do is put our ‘Plan B’ into place and we’re all set.”
“‘Plan B’?” Sirita asked.
“Yes, Siri, ‘Plan B’,” Chyna confirmed. “That’s your first lesson as a would be investigator at Found History; we never go into hostile territory or take on a major investigation without a ‘Plan B’. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just be getting started on it. Thank you.”
Sirita nodded and left the room, closing the office door behind her. Chyna took her cell phone out of her jacket pocket and dialed Tony’s number.
“Hey, Babe,” came his voice on the other end.
“Hi there,” she replied smiling, “how are you doing?”
“It’s going good, Chyna,” he said. “Missing you is all. I can’t wait to see you next weekend.”
“Oh dear!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Ummm, nothing. It’s just I forgot about that, Tony. Something serious has just come up at the office.”
She could hear him exhale deeply on the other end. He was worried.
“Tell me,” he finally managed to say.
“Ilea Le Gal called from UNESCO headquarters this afternoon. Her entire team has gone A.W.O.L. One group of Americans disappeared in Baghdad on their way to leave the country and they lost contact with the others yesterday.”
“UNESCO? Why does that sound familiar?”
“Because that’s the assignment Lana went on two weeks ago in Hillah; the Babylonian excavation. She was supposed to help them get the pieces ready for transportation.”
“Oh yes! Don’t tell me she’s among the missing!”
“She is, Tony! And I don’t know what to do.”
“Well first of all, don’t panic. She’s a really skilled girl. She’s well trained and she has good instincts. She may not be able to get them out of there, but she will certainly be able to keep everyone alive until you can find them and rescue them from whoever’s kidnapped them.”
“I’m sure you’re right, Babe. I just feel like I’m about to lose it.”
“Relax. You’ve got this, remember?”
“I do got this!”
“What can I do to help?”
“I’m going to need an evacuation route ready just in case we need to haul ass out of Iraq; and the likelihood of that, depending on who we’re dealing with, is quite high.”
“I’ll make all the arrangements for you. How many people were in the UNESCO team?”
“Let’s see,” Chyna said, as she rummaged through the paperwork that Sirita had brought in from the fax machine. “We’ve got sixteen; nine Americans, four Italian and three Brits.”
“How many of your personnel?”
“Including Lana, we’ll be six.”
“Did you get Demetri and Thorin?”
“Sirita’s working on that but we’ll have two stand-ins if they aren’t able to come.”
“Okay, so that’s twenty-two in total,” he said, whistling. “I’m going to have to call in a whole lot of favors but at least there’s still a huge amount of U.S. Air Force in the area.”
“I appreciate your help, Tony. We leave for Baghdad tomorrow afternoon. I’ll call you as soon as we get there.”
“Sure thing, Babe. You can ask for Agent Hamilton at the U.S. Embassy.”
“Awesome! I’ll stay in touch, Babe.”
“You just be careful.”
They ended the call on that note and somehow Chyna felt a little bit better. She was in sheer turmoil with the loss of Lana. There wasn’t a clear way that she thought she could handle it. The worst part was that they were going into Baghdad blind; they didn’t have a clue where to start, they didn’t know who they could trust.
Suddenly, Chyna stopped dead in her tracks.
“Sirita! Get in here right away.”
Sirita came running through the doors a minute later; she was obviously in a state of surprise.
“What is it Chyna?”
“I think its official; I must be the stupidest person in the world!”
“Why would you say that?”
“Shut the door and come closer,” Chyna instructed. “When we’re in the field, every Found History employee and every piece of our luggage wears a tracking device. It’s a little distress signal unit that can be activated either by the wearer or remotely through our server. Lana’s is sewn into the lining of her boot. We haven’t gotten an S.O.S. signal from Lana’s so I would assume either it’s been taken away from her or she hasn’t had the chance to safely activate it as yet.”
“Hmm, I’ll get Oscar on the line,” Sirita said, picking up the telephone.
“Hello!” Nigel said, loudly into the phone.
“Hi Nigel, how are you?” Chyna said cordially. “We need to talk to Oscar.”
“I’m fine; Miss Stone, but you just missed him. I just got back from taking him to the airport.”
“Oh that’s fine, Nigel. I’m sure you can help us.”
“I’ll sure try my best!”
“Could you activate Lana’s distress signal? We need a location on her.”
Chapter Two
Nigel laughed cheekily as he sent the satellite imagery to Chyna’s projector screen. Chyna and Siri stood looking at the disjointed map eagerly as he frantically typed on his keyboard, trying to home in on the signal. In the background, they could hear an incessant beeping noise that was apparently the sound the computer made as the tracking software was trying to get a position on the activated homing device.
A few moments later, a red dot appeared on the map and Nigel continued typing furiously. The image blurred, doubled in size and became clear again as it was magnified.
“Hang on a minute,” they heard Nigel announce over the speaker phone.
There was more clicking and beeping in the background.
“Alright, here we go!”
The image blurred, enlarged and re-focused a few more times until streets, alleys, the tops of buildings and open spaces became well defined and in some cases even labeled with their names. Chyna and Siri watched intently as a little red dot appeared on the screen and pulsed gently over one of the buildings.
“That’s it, Chyna,” Nigel announced. “That’s where she is.”
“Or at least that’s where her boots are; let’s hope that Lana is still in them.”
“What do you mean by that?” Sirita asked.
“Unfortunately Siri, every scenario we get ourselves into in our line of work comes with the possibility that things may not always have a ‘Happy ever after’ ending. We always try to prepare ourselves for the worst case scenario.”
“You’re saying she may not still be in those boots, aren’t you?”
Chyna gave her a grave look and a little nod, and then returned her attention to the red dot on the screen and to Nigel over the phone.
“Nigel, could you put a watch on her, please? And get us the address of that building.”
“Sure thing, Miss Stone,” he replied.
“Thank you. I’ll let Oscar check in with you as soon as he arrives. You two will have to come up with a plan of how we can keep the track going until we actually get there.”
Chyna disconnected the call but kept on watching the screen on her office wall.
“We’re coming for you Lana. Just hang in there.”
***
Chyna met Siri at the office at around eight the next morning and went straight over to the Hagia Sofia museum to meet with Rashid. He had spoken to the Eastman the night before, just as he had promised Chyna he would, and they both wanted to meet with her before she left for Iraq that afternoon. She was looking forward to their meeting in the hopes that her friend would be able to put a secret weapon in her arsenal for the trip.
Nigel checked in to say that the signal had not moved. Somehow the news stirred mixed feelings in Chyna; there were more negatives associated with it not moving that if it had.
Zubeida, Rashid’s secretary, escorted them into his opulent office at the back of the museum. When the three women walked in, he was sitting on the edge of his large desk speaking animatedly in Arabic to the three other people in his office. Chyna thought that maybe they had interrupted him in a meeting and looked expectantly at Zubeida who extended her arm signaling for them to proceed. Rashid stood and walked towards them with his hand extended to Chyna for a handshake.
“Welcome friends,” he said, jovially. “Come in, I want you to meet some people.”
Chyna recognized the Eastman, but she didn’t know who the man and woman with him were.
“Eastman!” she said, happily. “I have not seen you in quite a while. How have you been doing?”
“Miss Stone,” he replied, “What a pleasure to see you again. I understand you are off on another adventure today.”
“Indeed, Eastman,” Chyna confirmed as the smile faded from her face. “And it certainly isn’t under the most ideal circumstances. I take it Rashid has brought you up to speed?”
“
He has. I am extremely sorry to hear about Miss Ambrose. How long have they been missing?”
“Well, the American team disappeared almost two weeks ago. Lana and the others have been gone for three days now.”
Rashid interrupted them at that point to introduce Sirita to the Eastman. Then he turned to the two people who were patiently waiting for the friends to finish their pleasantries.
“Chyna Stone,” he began, “I’d like you to meet Asha Khouri and Eli Bishara. These are two of our Watchers from Boğazkale. As I said yesterday, we don’t have anyone in the Foundation who operates that far to the east, but these two are originally from the Babil province. Their family has farmed those lands since the time of the Persian Empire so they know the territory inside and out.”
“I’m impressed,” Chyna said. “Your knowledge of the area will certainly be advantageous. Do either of you have any further connections in Iraq, particularly in Baghdad? I predict that the major portion of the operation will happen in that city since we have a location on Lana’s tracking device as being stationary in a building in the Baiyaa district.”
“I see,” Eli said, nodding his head. “My family has remained very rural, mostly working the family farm and taking jobs in tourism around the Babylon ruins, but Asha’s people have been living in Baghdad for decades.”
“It is true, but the amount of help available depends on what you think you will need, Miss Stone,” Asha said.
“Mostly information,” Chyna said, “But tactical support as well, about a dozen men, fully equipped for hostage retrieval. I’d rather not show up on the radar if I don’t have to.”
“I understand. I can do these things. Let me make a few calls.”
“Awesome,” Chyna summarized, as Rashid handed her a folder with some more background information on the two. “As Watchers, you have my utmost respect and trust. Rashid and Eastman think you are right for the assignment, I am satisfied with that. Can you be ready and at the airport at one o’ clock this afternoon?”