by Ryan Hartung
“Hey, I see our ride,” Dominic yelled. Hillary and Cliff turned to view the white van, but it wasn’t what he had meant. “Not there, look toward the other end of the crater. It’s our little Bobcat.”
Sure enough, begging to be used, the Bobcat and its parachute were off to the far side of the crater, exactly where they were supposed to be. Cliff undid his pack and dug inside for the map and satellite images his office had prepared for the team.
“Alright, so we’re here,” he said pointing to the upper left corner of the map. “And the wall, or whatever it is, is buried over here.” He pulled his finger across the map and to the upper left corner. Nobody said a word, but the excitement was palpable.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s see what’s down there,” Dominic exclaimed letting his emotions get the better of him. He swung his backpack back over his shoulder and started racing down the inside of the cone.
“I thought he was still tired,” Hillary commented.
“That nap in the back of the van must have been exactly what he needed,” Colt returned with a smile.
The rest of the team also repositioned their packs and began steadily trekking down the volcano’s edge. While Leonardo and Colt headed directly to where the buried wall was supposed to be, Cliff and Hillary followed Dominic to the waiting Bobcat.
“Who would have ever thought to look for something buried in the middle of a volcanic crater,” Colt wondered aloud.
“An excellent question,” Leonardo returned. “I was wondering the same thing. It’s like innovations leading to better technology. The instant you stop thinking outside of the box you become obsolete. Our profession has been so focused on where we know ancient civilizations used to live I think we sometimes forget to look elsewhere.”
“True, but there’s no reason to start searching random corners of the globe if there isn’t any evidence or clues to suggest something is there in the first place,” Colt argued back.
“Oh, I couldn’t agree more. Just a casual observation, that’s all,” Leonardo conceded. Colt was about to add another thought to the conversation when Dominic’s whooping and hollering diverted his attention. In the distance, Dominic was bouncing the Bobcat over rocks and tiny hills, with Cliff and Hillary following not far behind.
“This thing’s awesome,” Dominic cried. “They even parachuted us a box of dynamite and C4 explosives!”
“Which are only to be used by me,” Cliff butted in. “I’m the only one of us who’s actually been properly trained to use them.” Dominic glared at the rebuke but overall was content to be driving the mini bulldozer. Cliff could keep his stupid explosives.
“Well, I guess it’s time to start digging then,” Colt announced. Now the fun is really about to begin, he thought to himself.
Chapter
5
Staring out of the penthouse window in one of the tallest skyscrapers in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates President and Prime Minister sipped their tall glasses of French wine while taking in the view of their city below. Down below, cars littered the busy streets, resembling small ants scurrying about. On the horizon, a small dust storm was brewing. Even in the penthouse, atop the building’s magnificent structure, the incoming floating particles of dust were already beginning to partially obscure the sun’s rays.
Both the President and Prime Minister saw the oncoming dust storm as a microcosm of their world’s eventual change. Most of the other OPEC countries had already decided war was unfortunately in their best interest, leaving the UAE alone in its decision to abstain.
Although their country’s Supreme Council elected the president and prime minister’s positions, their posts were in fact hereditary. Each of them was currently holding the office previously held by their brothers, fathers, or grandfathers. With the hereditary positions of leadership, came the heavy burden of responsibility, as any decision they made for their country reflected on not only them, but their houses as well.
“If war does come to pass our decision to remain neutral could actually be quite advantageous,” the President, who was also the Emir of Abu Dhabi, said aloud. “Just think of it, every single one of our closest neighbors will not be able to trade with the West. They will need large amounts of lending. Who will they turn to, each other? No. They will come to us asking for loans for their governments and for weapons for the war. If we play our cards right as a neutral nation, we could become very rich indeed.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” replied the Prime Minister, who like the President was also an Emir. He was the Emir of Dubai as his father had been before him. “However, there is always the chance that the West, regardless if we are not part of the warring East, will still count our country among the aggressors.”
“Of course that is a possibility, but I think not. The West will need our country’s support in freezing the assets of the Middle East and the Northern African countries, which of course we will help with; all the while secretly lending money under the table to the very countries whose assets we freeze.”
“It is a brilliant plan,” the Prime Minister concurred. “We will have to pray that it works, otherwise we will be in no better position than any of the other nations going to war.”
“Unfortunately that is the game we are playing; it’s all or nothing,” the President responded. He strolled to the room’s open bar and refilled each of their glasses with the dark red liquid. Again, they returned to the massive plate glass window to watch the incoming storm. The tempest was moving fast.
***
“We cannot let the United State go unchallenged on their quest to obtain more of these curious treasures,” Chinese President Chen Wang announced to the assembly. “Our intelligence has just informed me the same party that discovered the staff of Zeus is now in Italy searching Mount Vesuvius for the treasure of Hades. I shouldn’t have to explain to any of you that, if the United States finds another treasure, it will only increase their egos and make them even harder to deal with.”
“We cannot allow this to happen!” one of the president’s lackeys shouted from the rear, garnering mumbles of approval.
“That much is clear,” President Wang replied. “The United States is already pushing for tariffs on our solar panels and on anything else this government subsidizes to keep our economy growing.
“I have heard rumblings from many of you, both for and against waging an economic war or even escalating to a military war against the United States of America. But let me remind you, that although America obviously does not respect China as its equal, war between our two nations is not on the table. As you know, we are constantly trying to diversify our economy, but as of now America and Europe by at least two-thirds of the products produced in each of our manufacturing sectors.
“We cannot ignore the fact that over the last few decades, we have become fully integrated into the world economy. This has been good and bad. The standard of living for the average Chinese citizen and China’s wealth have greatly increased due to our burgeoning economy. However, in this process we have traded some of our ability to be an island unto ourselves and are now dependent on the rest of the world’s economies. America and Europe’s economic wellbeing must not be threatened, or we will not be able to continue our new found way of life,” the President said finishing his speech, hoping it would quell the talk of war.
There was no rational reason for war. President Wang could understand the African and South American nations feeling they had nothing to lose, many of them didn’t. However, China was a manufacturing giant, not an oil selling one trick pony. Africa and South America’s problems were not China’s problems.
“As for the possible treasure buried in Italy, I have just sent a team of experts to report on the activities of the Americans. Our team will watch them, and if we are given the chance, we will retrieve any discovered treasure and bring it back to China. That is all.”
The Chinese President rose, as did the rest of the officials in unison, bowing to him as he left. The
re would be no additional discussions today. The President left the large wooden walled chamber, leaving the rest of the government’s higher ups to debate his words without him. He would not go to war over petty squabbles, and he would not waste his time arguing with those who couldn’t understand why. In Chen Wang’s mind, war was a non-topic. Right now, he only cared about reviving his country’s slowing economy and keeping the Americans’ hands off another one of those magical treasures.
Chapter
6
“The Americans have left the hotel with their Italian escort,” Vladimir phoned to Dmitry and Pavel. “Get our gear ready to go to the site.”
“Everything will be packed and ready to go when you arrive,” Pavel dutifully replied before hanging up the phone.
Vladimir shoved the phone back into his pocket and turned to Natalya. Their stakeout so far had been an uncomfortable nightmare for Vladimir. He desperately wanted to talk to her, but her beauty and social affluence caused him to be abnormally at a loss for words. Not only did her status seem daunting, but he was also her military leader. His personal code of ethics prevented him from anything more than a professional relationship, no matter what his feelings might be.
“Are you ready to find some treasure?” he asked, trying to drum up some casual conversation. Vladimir figured their ride back to the hotel to pick up Pavel and Dmitry might be his last opportunity to have a chance to be alone with the Russian beauty. But that was the problem; she was so beautiful. Interacting with soldiers was easy for Vladimir. Soldiers listened to his orders and followed them to the letter. However, Natalya was anything but a soldier. She was smart, beautiful, and highly connected within the Russian Communist Party, and that combination scared Vladimir to death.
“Always,” she replied straight faced, but with a hint of enthusiasm. Natalya sized up their mission’s leader. Yes, his face was rugged, but there were glimmers of handsomeness that were peeking through. She could tell he was uncomfortable being alone with her. Although as of now she only thought of Vladimir as her boss, time had a way of changing opinions. Maybe sometime in the future she would have a drink with him, if he would ever have the courage to ask.
“I’m sure your father would be very proud if we brought back a treasure like the one the Americans found,” Vladimir added a few moments later.
“Yes, I think he would like that. Of course, I’m not a boy, so there’s only so much I can do to win his respect,” Natalya replied, letting her guard down for the moment. Vladimir understood her position. He had a niece who he loved more than anything in the world, but he knew certain avenues in Russian society would be all but closed to her based solely on her gender.
Vladimir wanted to continue their light discussion, as it finally seemed to be heading somewhere, but they arrived back at their hotel before he had the chance to ask anything else. As Pavel had stated, he and Dmitry were out in front of the hotel with their remaining bags packed and ready to go.
Vladimir pulled the car in front of the hotel and left the engine running. He and Natalya remained in the front two seats, while Pavel and Dmitry quickly stowed their gear.
“Where are we going to drop off the car Vlad?” Pavel asked from the rear. Like Dmitry and Vladimir, Pavel knew more than likely the Italians were hard at work keeping the volcano’s crater secure from the rush of treasure hunters arriving from around the globe. After the Italian authorities had told them their team was not to be allowed inside the cone, they had no other choice but to sneak in.
A mile from the Italian checkpoint Vladimir pulled the car into an open lot and killed the engine. “We’re on foot the rest of the way,” he announced. After retrieving their loaded packs, Vladimir and his team of three started hiking through the national park, and then up the lesser visited side of Mount Vesuvius where no trails had been blazed for better seclusion. Like their American counterparts, each member of the Russian unit carried a backpack full of any supplies they might need. Unlike the American party however, Vladimir’s team of soldiers were also packing plenty of heat they had deftly snuck into the country.
An hour later after double timing it to the top of the volcano, Vladimir, Pavel, Dmitry, and Natalya found a small alcove consisting of multiple large boulders and angular slabs of rock. From under their secluded hiding place, they watched through four sets of binoculars as the Americans began their digging, waiting for the right moment to attack.
***
“We don’t know where to place the C4, and I can’t allow you to just start blowing up parts of our national park!” Leonardo complained, irate no one was listening to his opinion.
“I’ve already explained myself two times,” Colt replied, frustrated at the Italian’s lack of understanding. Colt glared at the obtuse Italian, who was glaring right back. Still happily sitting in the Bobcat’s driver’s seat, Dominic looked on as the two alpha males continued squabbling like schoolchildren and rolled his eyes.
“Maybe I can explain it better,” Hillary said. She placed a warm hand on Colt’s shoulder, gently pulling him backward, as she stepped forward to try to talk some sense into their non-American friend.
“Leo, look at the satellite images. There’s no doubt that there’s some sort of structure somewhere under what we’re standing on right now. And what are we standing on the top of, you ask? It’s cooled magma. What was once boiling red hot liquid rock is now a surface firm enough to walk and even drive that Bobcat on,” she said pointing toward Dominic and his perceived toy.
“We’re all assuming and probably correct in doing so, that this volcano’s two or three previous eruptions all occurred after whatever structure underneath us was built. If the lava and magma didn’t melt or even distort the structure, then I don’t think C4 will hurt it either. I agree with Colt on this one.”
“But you’re talking about two different types of forces,” Leonardo argued. “The builders could have chosen a type of stone that needs much higher temperatures to melt than the material magma is made of. However, if there’s an explosion, the wall could be damaged,” Leonardo said finishing his rebuttal and folded his arms in protest.
“Yeah, but when volcanoes erupt aren’t there usually reports of boulders and rocks being thrown into the air? Something like they have the erupting power of, oh, I don’t know thirty nuclear bombs?” Cliff interjected into the conversation.
“Good point Cliff,” Hillary agreed. “Many times the boulders and rocks you just mentioned are from the growing rim of the volcano, but there are some that are mixed in with the magma underneath the earth’s surface. Once the volcano erupts, those rocks underneath are shot out so fast it doesn’t matter what they made the wall out of; it would never stand a chance.”
“Fine, you Americans just do whatever you want,” Leonardo said, feeling defeated. “I disagree, but I guess if we don’t try this, then there’s nothing else to do but go home. And I would prefer leaving here with something shiny in my hands.”
“Great, now that we’re all on the same page, Cliff, why don’t you help me make sure we’re dynamiting the right spot,” Colt suggested.
“So, based on our GPS, we’re standing directly on top of the coordinates of where the underground wall is buried,” Cliff said, while pointing to their location on the map.
“What are you going to use, the C4, or the dynamite?” Colt wondered with genuine curiosity. Like most overgrown boys his age, nothing was more fun than watching someone blowing stuff to bits. Even Dominic had left his perch on the Bobcat to listen to the conversation.
“The C4 is a pliable, moldable explosive. It’s much better suited for intricate explosions, especially if there’s an exact spot you want to attach it. The dynamite on the other hand will explode in all directions and is much better for making a hole like what we’re after. Normally someone would drill a pilot hole to drop a stick of dynamite down, but there are enough deep cracks in this area I’d suggest dropping a stick into one of them and see what happens,” Cliff advised.
&nbs
p; “Let’s do it!” Dominic said with extreme eagerness.
The team of four Americans glanced over to Leonardo for one final confirmation from their Italian representative. He looked back at them, and with a sigh, shrugged his shoulders.
Twenty minutes later, their team along with the Bobcat moved to a safe enough distance away from the blasting area. Cliff dropped a stick of dynamite through a crack a little over three feet deep of his choosing. Attached to the dynamite was a thin wire able to carry an electrical charge to the detonator in Cliff’s rock steady hand.
“Is everybody ready?” he asked according to protocol. Hiding behind the Bobcat for additional safety, each of them responded they were, and he began counting down.
“On one. Three, two, one.” BAM!
The horrific detonation echoed against the volcano’s walls around them, magnifying the deafening sound of the explosion twofold. Bits of rock and debris shot high up into the air. As the tiny shards of rock fell back to earth, they clinked and clicked against the other rocks, while pelting the small band of intruders.
As the dust and raining rocks began to ebb, the team slowly lifted their heads to see if their efforts had been successful. Lo and behold, on the left side of the new large crater, the dynamite’s blast had formed, and the corner of the very wall shown in the satellite images was now protruding out of the rocky rubble.
“That’s impossible,” Leonardo exclaimed in disbelief.
“I would have thought so too last week,” Colt commented. He thought about telling Leonardo he had told him so, but the sheer unexpected beauty of the rising wall diverted his attention.
Leaving the refuge from behind the Bobcat, they trekked back to the newly formed hole and began studying the pale white wall. The wall appeared to be made of a white rock similar to marble and was silky smooth to the touch. Examining the few protruding bricks carefully, Colt could see the markings from the tools used to cut them to size centuries ago.