“How could you?â€� She said to Anthony. “I don’t know why you’re helping this man, but believe me you will regret it.â€�
“I already do,â€� Anthony told her. “I am like you, I don’t have a choice.â€�
“Shut up, Sutherland, and drive. You will come out of this better than she will,� Marcus told him. Marcus had already decided to get rid of Jessica, to get even with Xerxes, as he had Andros, by killing the woman he loved. Marcus just had not decided how, yet.
“What does that mean?â€� Anthony questioned. “Marcus I will not let you hurt Jessica. You can get the information you need from her and that’s it.â€�
Jessica didn’t know what Marcus and Skip were doing together. She knew what Xerxes told her about Marcus and that scared her. She was less concerned since the Aztecs didn’t come with them but the two huge Atlantians were intimidating enough. She sat between the two in the back seat of Skip’s Excursion as they drove west on Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach away from the airport. Traffic was heavy and Jessica hoped to attract the attention of a policeman or a sheriff but she didn’t have a chance. What made it worse was the sun coming through the windshield as they drove west into the setting sun. Her head was splitting from the glare.
“Skip, do you have any Tylenol?� Jessica asked her old family friend.
“No.� Skip answered.
“Stop and get me some?â€� Jessica knew he would. “Please.”
Before Marcus could say no, Skip swung into a gas station with a mini store. While he was gone, Marcus went with Skip to ensure he didn’t do anything he shouldn’t. Jessica appraised the two who had stayed.
“Doesn’t the bright sun hurt your eyes?â€� Jessica asked the two young Atlantians.
“Yes,� one answered after a minute.
“Why would you come up here?â€� Jessica asked just as Marcus and Skip returned. They didn’t answer.
Skip handed Jessica the bottle of Tylenol and a bottle of water.
“Thanks!� Jessica opened it and gave both Atlantians two of the yellow and red capsules then took two for herself and shared the bottled water with them, drinking after they did. “Skip, you need any?�
“No, I’m okay.â€� She didn’t ask Marcus. He could suffer, Jessica thought.
What could they possibly want? Jessica asked herself, she had no proof of Atlantis’ existence or its location. They continued west toward Pahokee, a small farming town on the south side of Lake Okeechobee but stopped miles east of the town turning down a dirt road that stopped at an old abandoned trailer.
Seeing the location did not fill Jessica with hope. Marcus forced her out of the S.U.V. and inside the trailer where he tied Jessica to a chair. Jessica wasn’t one to be ordered about even with the presence of the two Atlantians but Marcus produced a gun. She saw the shock on Skip’s face at the weapon’s appearance, he protested it, and the fact Marcus was threatening Jessica with it. The two Atlantians didn’t seem very pleased with their uncle either, Jessica noted. Jessica caught them looking at her wedding band, and quietly pointing it out to the other. This sparked a quiet conversation between the two while Marcus was outside rummaging through Skip’s Excursion.
“Okay Marcus,â€� Jessica said in a bored manner when he returned. “You’ve got me here.â€� She looked around in disgust at the dirty and rotting trailer. “What do you want?â€�
“I want Atlantis,� Marcus said with an arrogant laugh.
“You certainly have a poor sense of direction; you are going the wrong way the Atlantic Ocean is east.â€� She saw it coming, but tied though she couldn’t do much to avoid his blow. He struck her, knocking her and the chair over. Jessica heard Skip yell in alarm, the two Atlantians immediately scrambled, gently setting her back up. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
“Marcus,â€� Anthony said, “Don’t do that again.â€�
“Or you’ll do what?â€� he laughed, and it was the laugh of an unstable individual.
“Marcus, I can’t give you Atlantis. I don’t know where it is. If I did I’d go back there myself,â€� Jessica told him, her lip beginning to swell.
“You know, how did you get there the first time?� Marcus smirked.
Jessica told him, he didn’t believe her until Skip backed her up. “She is right, she didn’t have the location and the military had all the artifacts stolen.â€�
“The artifacts were taken by an agent of Lord Xerxes, her husband,� Marcus sneered, “and how did you get back here?�
“You know that story too. I was rescued at sea. The only part I omitted was I escaped in two of the recreational subs and ditched them. I had a G.P.S. on my dive vest. I thought I was much closer than I was. I do not know where Atlantis is. You know where it is. Why don’t you do your own dirty work and leave me alone. I have enough grief of my own now. At least I don’t betray those who care for me. Traitor!â€� Jessica knew he was going to strike her again. Marcus found his hand stayed by one of his nephews. Marcus glared at him.
“I want you to expose the location of Atlantis,� Marcus said. “I tried, but because you left just after I took the Stones, your loving husband quickly discovered you were missing and my little larceny was discovered much quicker than I had planned. So you see Missy, you ruined my plan. Now you will be the one to fix it.�
“How did my leaving hurt your plans?� Jessica asked Marcus curtly.
“Because you’re leaving caused my theft of the Vortex Stones to be discovered sooner than I had planed and your husband managed to cover Atlantis with an old back-up. When Anthony here gave his friend at NASA the coordinates he should have taken satellite pictures of Atlantis, instead he got pictures of the seabed. When the time runs out on the back-up system Xerxes managed to cover Atlantis with, I want you to release the location. I will give you the coordinates since you have memory fade,â€� Marcus said snidely.
Jessica laughed at him until he backhanded her again, managing to strike her before his quick nephew could stop him. She spat the blood in his face. “Go to hell!â€� she told him. “Who would believe me? Fool! Tell them yourself, you’re the traitor here. I was just rescued from a week adrift at sea. I still have some amnesia, you have no physical proof and my dig is gone. Let me go! Already I have missed my flight. There is another in a few hours.â€�
“Marcus!â€� Anthony said, “I told you those coordinates don’t show anything.â€�
“In a few hours they will Sutherland, wait and you will see.â€� Marcus held up two large sapphires. Jessica knew were they were from, though she had not seen them before. Xerxes had promised to show her the structures close up the day after the returned from Pacifica, she hadn’t waited to see them. The sapphires were two of the legendary Vortex Stones that made up the protective shield grid that guarded Atlantis from detection. On their tours of the underwater realm, she had seen the Pedestals from a distance glowing blue-white as the laser passed through them.
“Why do you need me? You have those, you can do the dirty work yourself, traitor.â€� Jessica’s eyes were pure fire. She hated people like Marcus. “You would destroy the peace of that wonderful place for your own gain, do not expect me to help you. I gave Xerxes my word I would never harm that place or him and I will not do it.â€�
“Why would you leave?� Marcus sneered. “He is your husband.�
“That is none of your concern, and I doubt he would recognize me as his wife now and risk Atlantis.�
“Hope he does, my dear, for your life will depend on it,â€� Marcus told her. “I need your credentials to release these to the Military and the press. Who am I? An unknown. You they will believe and Sutherland will back you up. Won’t you, Anthony?â€�
<
br /> “Hold on, Marcus, back you up, yes. You haven’t given me any other choice but,â€� Anthony said and the two Atlantians moved forward, “I won’t let you harm her.â€�
“Don’t be stupid, Anthony, the girl will do as she’s told,â€� Marcus laughed. “And do you think you could stand against them?â€� he referred to his nephews.
“Your General Grill will be glad to get her and these after Xerxes stole all the artifacts back,� Marcus said.
“I will not do it, Marcus. Besides I don’t know the location, when I was with Bruce on the dive and Xerxes kidnapped me it was well away from Atlantis and I found that out the hard way when I escaped as I have already told you.â€�
Marcus smiled his insane smile “It doesn’t really matter that you say you don’t know the location because you are correct. I do. However, no one would believe me. They will believe you and Anthony. So with these two Stones for proof you will disclose the location that I give you and Anthony will back you up.â€�
“Why Marcus? Why would you do such a horrible thing?� Jessica asked him.
“I want to rule Atlantis. Xerxes isn’t fit to rule. He was less concerned with Atlantis’ security and more concerned with saving you. He should have executed you, but he wouldn’t do it. This will prove it. Without these, the Atlantis’ Councilors will know how poor a ruler he is. He’ll try to save you and in the meantime the world will learn of Atlantis because he was too busy rescuing his wife. Then the Councilors will put me in charge.â€� The smile of a lunatic lit his face.
Jessica saw the looks that passed between the two Atlantians and she knew they were only pawns. “You, my dear, may not know the location but you will tell the military and the press all you do know, I will give you the correct coordinates to tell them, and tell them you will, or you will die!�
“Marcus, what I say will not matter. No one will believe it, even if I would do it, which I will not. I have sworn an oath to Lord Xerxes not to betray the location or him and I will not do it. You’re the one putting Atlantis at risk.â€� Jessica tried to reason with him.
“Maybe we’ll just turn you over to the Aztec guards.â€� He saw fear briefly in her eyes, but she didn’t flinch.
“Then just kill me and be done with it.� Jessica gave him a stony glare. “Either way you are going to kill me.�
Anthony spoke up “No, we are not Jessica.�
“Skip,� Jessica smiled at him in sad sympathy “I told you, you are in way over your head. This man is a traitor to a secret that is over six thousand years old. A civilization that has lived in peace with others like them for that long and technologically more developed than you can possibly imagine. I would not betray it with my life. Nor would I betray Xerxes, I love him.�
“You mean it is true?� Anthony was incredulous, not really believing until now.
“Yes it is, and I have given my word and you know I will never break it,� Jessica affirmed.
“I have to go outside.” Anthony said with a sick look on his face. “I’ll be right back.â€� Anthony thought about their situation as he watched the last of the sunset turn to night. Jessica would not break her promise; if she did, there was no proof except those magnificent stones. Somehow, he had to save her. He knew she was correct, Marcus was a traitor and Anthony had unwittingly allied himself with him. No matter what bogus material Marcus had on him, he couldn’t allow him to do this. Anthony would have to go along with Marcus to a point, and find a way to free Jessica. He had to take control of the situation to save the young woman who was like his own daughter and possibly, he could find a way to save himself. A desperate plan formed in his mind and he went back inside.
“Well, Jessica,” Anthony said in a cold voice, “you will cooperate. I have a friend who works for NSA and he has ways of convincing reluctant subjects to be less reluctant.â€� Anthony turned to Marcus, “Marcus he has drug that will help her become more, cooperative.â€� Anthony said, doing his best villain impression.
“You can’t do this, Skip!â€� Jessica pleaded. “I can’t remember what I don’t know and even if Marcus gives me the location I will not reveal it.â€�
“Sorry Jessica, but I can and I will. Marcus, will she be safe with them?â€� Anthony nodded toward the two Atlantian guards, “They won’t do anything to hurt her?â€�
“No, they will only guard her, they are perfectly honorable.� Marcus assured Anthony.
“For traitors,� Jessica added, anger at her old friend turning her brown eyes slightly red.
“Let’s go, I’ll need to call my friend and he’ll need a little time to get the things he needs together.â€� Anthony drove Marcus back to West Palm Beach and the hotel where he was staying. He had now separated Marcus from Jessica and the guards. Now to free Jessica, perhaps he could call General Grill for help. Anthony went to his hotel and did just that. He wished there were some way to assure Jessica before he left her, he could feel her pain and panic but for now, he would have to do the best he could.
“General Grill, this is Anthony Sutherland with the Governor’s office of the State of Florida. General this is very awkward, but Jessica Carter has been kidnapped by a bad character who I’m afraid is possibly delusional and unfortunately this person has put me in a comprised situation also.â€�
“Mr. Sutherland, what can I do to get her out of this situation, seems like we should call the FBI in on this.�
“No, General, that would be a big mistake.� Anthony remembered Ms. Simon and her methods. “This man is definitely psychotic, he is an archeologist from South America and I think he may have connections to those Aztecs that abducted her during the hurricane. He may possibly be the one behind the theft of your artifacts.�
“Can you tell me where she is?� the General asked.
“Yes General Grill that I can do, but I fear for her life,â€� Anthony disclosed Jessica’s location. “I must go back out there shortly,â€� he explained, “This man is somewhat dependent on me as he isn’t highly proficient with our culture. I will also try to protect Jessica if I can until you can get to us. This Marcus is not easily controlled and I don’t dare leave him and his two men alone with her for long. Actually, General, the two with him are his nephews and they aren’t totally comfortable with him, they have on two occasions stopped his actions against her.â€�
“Do what you can, Mr. Sutherland, and I will get there as soon as possible,� General Grill told Anthony and hung up.
Anthony didn’t know what he was going to tell Marcus about his friend who was going to help get Jessica to cooperate with them. He would think of something. Somehow, he would stall. Marcus was crazy, Anthony knew it, and he knew too that he had to protect his friend. His phone rang.
“Hello?� Anthony knew it was either Marcus or his wife.
“Hi, honey, when are you coming home?� his wife asked. Her voice sounded wonderful. He loved her deeply, hearing her voice was as if the sun had come from behind a black cloud.
“As soon my business with the Chilean Archaeologist Professor is concluded, perhaps two more days and I will be home. Are you feeling okay?�
“Yes, I am fine. The doctor says the baby will be another month.â€� Anthony’s wife assured him. “Right on schedule as he predicted.”
“Good, I love you and will be home soon.� Anthony wished he could tell her what was going on, but he would not burden her then leave her to worry.
“Love you too. Bye.�
Anthony was worried about Cathy. This business could be bad for her as well. His phone rang again. He knew this time it was Marcus.
“Did you get in touch with your friend, Anthony?� Marcus asked.
“No Marcus, he is on
assignment and out of town. Marcus we should let her go. She can’t help us.â€� Anthony sounded convincing. “She will not go back on her word, I’ve known her all her life and I know she will not do it. Besides, those coordinates you gave me only show ocean floor.â€�
“Oh, she will do as she is told,â€� Marcus said over the phone. “I’ve found out where her parents are from my brother. When I get them, she will do what I tell her to. In a few more hours, the coordinates will show Atlantis when the back-up device runs out.â€�
“Marcus, this will not work, besides do you know how crazy it sounds?� Anthony said firmly. Now he knew he must stay with Jessica and try to help, not only her, but also his lifelong friends, her father was like his brother. This was all like a freakish nightmare, Atlantis really existed and this crazy man held the key to revealing that secret.
“Tell you what, Anthony, I’ll go get her myself. You stay here if you wish.â€� Marcus laughed. “But you will give me the keys to your vehicle.”
“No, I’ll go with you.â€� Anthony knew he had to go to protect Jessica. “I will pick you up in five minutes.â€� Anthony hoped that the General would intercept them.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ainu went to the Airport himself accompanied by an aid only to claim Jessica’s baggage. When they identified themselves and requested where Ms. Carter was, the FBI and security agents came out of the walls. Had Ainu not established, before he went to the airport, a cover story, he would have been in deep trouble. Thanks to the assistance of a local hotel owner who had lived in Pacifica at one time, and verified Ainu and his aid as employees assigned to pick-up Jessica were they able to avoid arrest.
“She wasn’t on the flight, Xerxes,” Ainu explained. “We claimed her luggage. When we did, airport security detained and questioned us. It seems four men who insisted she go with them abducted Jessica from the airport in West Palm Beach. From the description of the men, it was Marcus and his nephews and a man named Anthony Sutherland. It also seems a Marine General Grill is extremely anxious to find her and has military security trying to locate her. I had to do a pretty song and dance to get out of there. The gate agent at West Palm called security but they were not fast enough to stop them. They arrested four other men who were from Mexico; they fit the description of Aztecs. The men who took her did protect her from the Aztecs.â€�
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