by David Wood
“It’ll do.” Heart racing, stomach churning, Matt took aim. He had to make this shot perfect. Gently, he squeezed the trigger and felt the rifle buck against his shoulder. The shot boomed like thunder in the quiet night, the muzzle flash like lightning, and the men on the raft cried out in fear.
“You missed.” Bill sounded disappointed.
“Look again. I hit what I was aiming at.””
Bill leaned across the rail and squinted. “You were trying to hit the inner tube? What for?”
“Just watch.” Matt took aim again, taking as much time as he dared, and fired again. Another inner tube exploded. By the time he’d taken out three of the inner tubes, both Bill and the refugees understood his plan. The men were now desperately trying to paddle their raft away.
Bill, for his part, laughed and cheered Matt on. “Listen to them squeal!”
The sounds, both the laughter and the cries, sickened Matt. He bit down on the inside of his cheek, letting the pain distract him. A few more shots and the refugees would be in the water, either to drown or be finished off by Bill or Matt.
Another shot, and now the men clung to the few inner tubes that remained inflated. Matt understood enough Spanish to understand they were now begging for their lives.
“That’s what you get!” Bill shouted. “This ain’t your country!”
Matt considered turning the rifle on Bill, knowing that doing so would ruin everything, but he would not kill these helpless men.
“Someone’s coming!” Joel barked, tapping on the radar screen. Sure enough, a boat was approaching. Joel’s call had gotten through.
“Damn! Could be the Coast Guard.” Bill took the wheel and turned Domino toward shore. “Sorry you didn’t get to finish the job,” he said to Matt. “But it was a good time.”
“How’d you do it?” Matt whispered.
“Texted Tam and Corey. One of them must have pulled the right strings.”
“Good work.” Matt replaced his rifle in the locker, grabbed another beer, and took a seat. He took a drink and tried to relax, but couldn’t. They’d avoided the close call with the refugees, but what might they encounter on the so-called retreat? Right then, he keenly felt Maddock’s absence. Matt hadn’t realized just how much he relied on his friend’s leadership and calming presence. Now he was on his own. He supposed he’d better be prepared for anything.
Chapter 21
“Maddock and Bones! Long time, no see!” The tall, lean man stepped out of the crowd at baggage claim in the Yonaguni Airport and approached Maddock and Bones.
“Professor?” Maddock couldn’t believe it. Pete “Professor” Chapman was an old Navy buddy with whom he and Bones had shared a few adventures during their days in the SEALs. “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been sent to pick you up.” Professor glanced down at the ground. “I work with Jade Ihara. Well, I work for her.”
“Now that’s one heck of a coincidence.” Bones shook hands with Professor.
“I don’t know about that. She looked me up a few months ago and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. She said the two of you spoke highly of me. And I needed the money.” Professor shrugged.
“Okay, so not a coincidence, but I’m glad to see you all the same.” Maddock slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and he and Bones followed Professor to their waiting car.
They spent the drive catching up with their old friend, though they avoided the subject of Jade. Professor had lived up to his nickname, earning his PhD after leaving the SEALs and working at the university level. “I never managed to secure tenure. They always blamed it on budget constraints, but I suspect it’s my demeanor.”
“What? You were the mellowest guy in our platoon,” Maddock said.
“I was mellow by SEAL standards. The average college kid doesn’t respond well to my… need for structure.” Professor grimaced. “You should have read my end-of-course evaluations. Intimidates students. We don’t feel free to express ourselves. What a bunch of crap. Every one of my students was free to express him or herself, provided the opinions expressed weren’t stupid.”
“There’s the Professor we know and love,” Bones said from the back seat.
They made small talk for the remainder of the drive, lapsing into silence when Professor parked the car in front of a small cottage.
“Home, sweet home.” Professor cut the engine. “There are just the two bedrooms, so I’m afraid you two will be bunking on the floor.”
Maddock’s reply froze on his lips. Jade stood in the doorway, hands on hips, her expression hard.
She was as beautiful as ever. She wore her lustrous black hair in a thick braid slung over one shoulder, and her shorts and tank top accentuated her trim, athletic figure. She was half Japanese, but in this setting, she looked like a native.
Jade maintained her blank stare a few seconds longer, then smiled and hurried forward, arms extended. Maddock stepped forward to meet her, but she brushed past him as if he weren’t there.
“Bones!” she cried. “It’s so good to see you again.” She caught the big Cherokee in a tight embrace which Bones, surprised but clearly pleased, returned. “Come on inside. I need to bring you up to speed so we can get started. You aren’t too tired from your flight to do a little diving, are you?”
“Never,” Bones assured her.
She led the way inside, once again pretending Maddock wasn’t there.
“Brrr!” Bones shivered and rubbed his arms. “Good thing I brought my jacket.”
Professor whistled between his teeth. “Not fun when she gets like this. She’ll warm up. Just give her a few minutes to get used to seeing Maddock again.”
“A few minutes?” Maddock smirked. “You don’t know Jade like I do.” For all her good qualities, and there were many, Jade had always been short-tempered and could hold a grudge like few people Maddock had ever known.
Inside, Jade had hooked her laptop to an HD television set. The screen now displayed a three-dimensional rendering of what looked like a series of staircases, terraces, and block-shaped structures atop a rectangular mound. When everyone was seated, she launched into a description of the Yonaguni site.
“The Yonaguni Monument was discovered in 1986. It lies about five meters below the surface. As you can see, it has several distinctive features, including steps, terraces, roads, and odd-shaped stones. Theories abound in regard to its nature. Some connect it with Lemuria, others say it’s a civilization destroyed by Noah’s flood. There’s never been a serious scientific study, but it’s a fascinating place.”
“I did a bit of reading about it on the way here. Some say it’s nothing more than fractured sandstone, sections of which just happen to look man-made,” Maddock said.
Jade didn’t even look at him, but instead glanced at Professor.
“That’s certainly at play here, but we believe human hands have worked many spots here. Check out this staircase.” He tapped the touch pad and an image of a narrow staircase, with walls on either side, filled the screen. “What are the odds that this happened due to fracturing?”
“It’s too perfect.” Bones rested his chin on his fist and stared thoughtfully at the screen. “I’ve seen fracture patterns that sort of looked like steps, but for a staircase-shaped section to pop out of the middle of a huge block of stone, with the sides still intact? That’s a heck of a coincidence.”
“We think so too.” Jade took up the discussion again. “There are also engravings that seem to be wrought by human hands. These glyphs, for example.” She clicked over to a close-up picture of a wall covered in what looked like writing. “The photos available online leave much to be desired, so we’ll want to try and get some high-resolution images while we’re down. Professor will take care of that.”
Maddock tried again to engage her in conversation. “Do you think there’s a connection between these glyphs and the Atlantean writing Sofia Perez is working on translating?”
Again, Jade ignored him. After an uncomfor
table pause, Professor jumped in.
“Possibly. Some of the images are similar to Kaida script, an old writing system found only in this part of the world, but others resemble Atlantean.”
“If Yonaguni were an Atlantean city, the writing could have evolved over time,” Bones said.
“That’s what we’re thinking.” Pete glanced at Jade.
“This place looks like it’s made of solid rock,” Bones said, “but we’re searching for something that could hide a weapon—an underground chamber or something. Has anyone ever found something like that?”
“No one’s ever looked for it. Very few people take Yonaguni seriously as a site of historical interest. We’re hoping the clues from the codex will lead us to just such a place.”
Maddock struggled to keep his annoyance in check. Jade couldn’t ignore him forever. They had to work together. “Even if the Dominion hasn’t deciphered this section of the codex, we have to assume they’re keeping an eye on any site that’s reportedly Atlantis-related.”
Jade turned to Professor. “You finish up with Bones. I need to get some things ready. We leave in an hour.” Still refusing to meet Maddock’s eye, she stalked out of the room.
Maddock rose from his seat and made to follow her.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Bones asked.
“Definitely.” He strode out into the warm sun to find Jade standing alone, staring out toward the sea.
“You’re going to have to talk to me sooner or later. You know that, don’t you?”
“I don’t have to do anything.” Jade’s cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink, clearly annoyed that Maddock had gotten her to break her silence.
“So you do know how to talk. I mean, to someone other than Bones.”
Jade turned her back on him, fists clenched.
“You knew when you agreed to this job that you’d be working with me. Why don’t you stop being a child and…”
Jade’s full-armed slap cut him off in mid-sentence. She’d caught him right across the ear, the loud pop setting off a clanging in his head that nearly drowned out all other sound.
Jade’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“You’re right. Of course, it didn’t feel as good as I’d hoped it would.”
“I’m just glad you went with the open hand.”
“I’d planned on a roundhouse, but I was afraid I’d fracture a toe on your thick skull.” Amusement flickered in her eyes, but died again just as quickly. “I never wanted to see you again, Maddock.”
“Then why did you take the job?”
“Because I hate the Dominion even more than I hate you.”
That stung. He knew she was angry with him, even furious, but what had he done to earn her hate?
“Jade, I never cheated on you. You and I weren’t even seeing each other when Angel and I got together.” Jade didn’t say anything, so he went on. “Let’s face it. It seemed like you and I could never keep things going for more than a few months at a time. You started working in China, and then Japan, and we never saw each other.”
“Why do you think I went to China in the first place?” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I wanted you to come and get me.”
“What?” This was the last thing he’d expected her to say. If there had been one thing in their relationship he thought he could count on, it was that Jade didn’t play games. Yes, she was jealous and short-tempered, but she also told him exactly what was on her mind.
“I thought if I was on the other side of the world, you’d realize you needed me and would ask me to come back.” Jade forced a laugh. “The first and last time I played a head game like that.”
“I didn’t know,” Maddock said. “I didn’t want to be one of those boyfriends who tried to hold you back. After a while, I just figured I wasn’t that important to you.”
Now Jade looked him in the eye for the first time since he’d arrived. “Listen to us talking like a couple of lovesick teenagers. This is stupid. I’m not going to waste my time with someone who didn’t feel for me what I felt for him.” She glanced at her watch. “Let’s go. We’ve got work to do.”
Maddock watched her as she returned to the cottage. All the anger had melted from her stride, and she moved with her usual, catlike grace, her braid swinging and her hips…
Maddock closed his eyes and gave his head a shake. “Get a grip,” he muttered to himself. “You already have enough problems with women. Don’t go creating another one.” Cursing inwardly, he followed Jade inside, wondering how he could avoid screwing things up.
Chapter 22
"Who's first?" Bones sat perched on the rail, ready to take the plunge into the sparkling, blue water.
"You two lead the way. I'll bring up the rear." Maddock knew his friend was eager to dive, having missed out on the Cuban excursion.
"Excuse me. My boat, my expedition." Jade threw a challenging look in his direction. At least she was finally speaking to him. "Bones first. Me second. Maddock third." Spotting Maddock's perplexed smile, she added, "I know sense when I hear it. Now, let's go."
"Wish I was coming with you." Professor had a wistful look in his eyes.
"Do you usually dive alone?" Maddock asked Jade.
"We haven't dived since I brought Professor in." She adjusted her SCUBA tank. "I have grad students who could have held down the fort, but I didn't want to bring more people into the circle than necessary."
Maddock nodded. He doubted any of the students was a Dominion plant, but word of this mission didn't need to get out.
"Speaking of Professor, how'd you come to hire him?"
"He had the qualifications I was looking for and his name rang a bell. You two always spoke well of him."
"I'm surprised my recommendation carries any weight with you," Maddock said.
"It does in some areas. I wouldn't take relationship advice from you." Jade paused, cocked her head to the side, and smiled. "Are you jealous, Maddock? Or maybe you thought I hired him to get back at you in some twisted way?"
"The thought never occurred to me," he lied. "Just wondered. I haven't kept in touch with him, so I was surprised to see him, that's all."
"You have a habit of discarding the people you used to care about." Jade turned her back on him and clapped her hands twice. "Let's do this."
"As you wish." Bones checked his mask one last time, winked, and flipped backward into the water, Jade a few moments behind.
A feeling of comfort enveloped Maddock the moment he plunged into the water. He’d loved diving for as long as he could remember, and the prospect of adventure was icing on the cake.
Maddock knew the monument lay just below the surface, but he was unprepared for it to fill his vision the moment he hit the water. He gazed at a pair of columns that almost reached the surface and marveled that so remarkable a place had lain forgotten until modern times. The staircases, passages, and multiple levels put him in mind of a step pyramid.
“Dude, this place is wicked.” Bones’ voice sounded in Maddock’s ear. “Too bad we can’t stay all day.”
“Maybe we’ll come back some day and bring the crew,” Maddock said.
“I’ll bring the beer.”
“If you two can focus, we need to look for the first clue.” Jade’s voice cracked like a whip.
“Remind me what it is again?” Bones asked.
“Behind the watcher’s starry eye. There’s a sphinx-like sculpture, called the totem, somewhere in the complex, but I couldn’t find anything online that pinpoints its location.”
“Do we want to spread out?” Bones asked.
“We’ll stay together for now. Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up.” Jade pointed to the base of a steep staircase.
They circled the base of the monument, inspecting its smooth walls and sharp angles. They made three circuits, rising as they went. The stairs and terraces were bare, and they reached the top without spotting anythin
g that could be called a watcher. At the top, they swam through narrow passageways, past walls constructed at perfect right angles, and around octagonal stone pillars, but still no watcher.
“No way this place is a natural formation,” Bones said. “It reminds me of ruins I’ve seen in South America. Saksaywaman?”
“It definitely reminds me of the sunken city in Cuba, but there’s one big difference. There aren’t any ruins here. It looks like it was all carved out of one solid block.”
“It’s assumed that what we see here is the foundation upon which temples and the like were constructed. Look there.” Jade indicated a row of perfectly round holes bored in the stone.
“Postholes,” Bones said.
“That’s the assumption. Whatever was here must have been washed away in whatever deluge submerged this place.”
Something moved in the corner of Maddock’s vision and his hand went to the small spear gun he wore at his hip. “What’s that?”
The three divers stared as a half-dozen shadows approached. Maddock tensed, on the verge of sending Jade back to the boat while he and Bones attacked. The shapes grew larger and more alien as they drew closer. Long, thick bodies, wide flat heads with bulbous eyes on the sides, emerged from the distance.
“Hammerheads,” Maddock breathed.
“I forgot to tell you,” Jade said, “this place is teeming with them.”
Maddock relaxed. Like most creatures, the hammerhead was more than happy to leave you alone provided you extended it the same courtesy. In fact, they were his favorite sharks. While some people found their appearance frightening, he considered them ugly ducklings, and always looked upon them with a degree of affection and something like sympathy.
“They are awesome,” Bones said, reaching out to almost touch one as it passed him by. “Weird that people are so afraid of them.”
“That could work to our advantage,” Maddock said. “If the Dominion sends divers in, maybe the sharks will put a scare into them.”
“We can hope. Let’s keep looking.” Jade didn’t wait for them, but kicked hard and swam over the edge of the monument and down toward the smaller structures.