“What the hell?” he muttered angrily.
Just then, a slow smile curled around the air regulator in his mouth. His memory recalled a similar fall. It was the same kind of fall he experienced three years before… when his foot slipped on a crystal surface.
Still on his hands and knees, he crawled to the sandy area. He wiped his hand across it. It wasn’t stone. The surface was smooth. The surface was crystal.
Jack’s heart pounded. He could barely contain his excitement. He dug around the outside surface and exposed the edge of the crystal ball. Working his fingers deep into the sand, he was able to wedge his fingers under it. He began to rock the object back and forth. Slowly, he inched it out of its hiding place. As he raised it up in front of him, excess sand fell off its sides. The crystal ball gleamed. He smiled once more. The gleam was the brilliance of a golden pyramid buried deep inside the crystal.
“Roberts! What the hell are you doing over there?” Franks voice roared over everyone’s headset.
Instantly, Jack shook with a jolt, almost dropping the crystal ball. He caught himself and the ancient artifact.
“I can’t believe you’re disobeyed my direct order. What do you have, shit for brains?” he continued. “Get your ass over here, now!
“I’ll tell you who has shit for brains, ASSHOLE! You do!” Jack roared back, unwilling and unable to stand Frank’s abuse any longer. “I found the freakin’ crystal… and guess where I found it? Exactly where I said it would be… at the same location as the other one.” Jack paused only for a moment, his rage nearly taking his breath away. “I can’t believe I let you direct this operation. I’m paying for this. You work for me.... but not anymore: you’re fired! Collect your check on the way out.”
A long eerie silence quieted the headsets. Not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Seconds later, Frank spoke. His voice was calm and controlled.
“Ok boys, phase one is complete. Moving to phase two. Johnson, alert Laikos. Let him know the object is secure.”
Jack stood motionless. He stared at the crystal for a moment trying to understand what just happened.
Frank spoke once more:
“Ok Jack, follow us topside.”
Jack’s mind raced. All the clues now melding into one unescapable truth: This wasn’t an expedition. This was a military operation… and he was the enemy.
He clutched the crystal ball and watched the men that now moved in his direction. His heart pounded and his mind raced with fear.
Once again, Frank spoke:
“Jack, let’s go… topside.”
Suddenly, the men turned and began to swim higher. As he watched them ascend, he realized he had no other choice. Reluctantly, he followed.
Ten minutes later, the four men hooked themselves to the anchor-line. Jack ascended to their level, but kept his distance. Monitoring his buoyancy, he maintained his level without clipping into the anchor. As the four men stared at Jack, not a word was spoken. He clung to the crystal, holding it like a football under his arm.
A half hour later, Frank spoke again:
“Ok, times up. Let’s go… you too Jack.”
The four men swam to the surface. Jack stared at them as they climbed into the boat. This was it. He tried to think of a plan, but fear blocked his thoughts. Slowly, reluctantly, he drifted higher.
As he broke through the surface, a large wave crashed over the top of him. As he fought to keep his head above the rough seas, eight men crowded at the rear of the boat and stared down at him menacingly. One man stood on the rear diver’s platform and waited: Frank.
Holding a handgun, he pointed it directly at Jack.
“We’ll take that crystal now, Jack,” he said.
All eyes were now on the crystal as he held it up slightly above the water. With their attention momentarily distracted, he moved his free hand down to his buoyancy vest and slowly unzipped it. Still fighting the waves, he then unclipped a buckle, freeing him from his tank. With the vest and tank now loosely hanging off his shoulders, he breathed in a large breath of air. As if shooting a basketball toward a hoop, he tossed the crystal into the air at Frank.
Jack dove forward as the tank and vest slid off his arms. Instantly he was under the boat.
The crystal hit Frank’s chest. For a split second, he grappled with the slippery object, then secured it against his body. He pointed the gun and shot it as Jack’s legs disappeared under the boat.
“Get to your gear,” a man shouted.
Frank stared at the water. Holding the crystal, he looked at it and smiled.
“Belay that order,” he shouted.
He turned to his men.
“Where do you think he’s going? His tank is gone and he has only a breath of air left.”
He stepped back up into the boat.
“Grab your weapons. Pick ‘im off when he surfaces,” he ordered confidently.
----- ----- ----- -----
With Jack’s one breath, he dove deep under the boat. Kicking hard, he swam with all his energy. As he descended, he could feel the pressure building in his ears. He looked up at the surface and guessed that the boat’s hull was twenty feet above him. He kicked his fins and headed in the direction of the front of the boat. With his breath nearly gone, he used his hands to continue his path.
Jack felt his lungs ready to burst. He wanted to breathe in but resisted. Pressing on, a faint image appeared in front of him. With his mask around his neck, he could only guess what it was. Several more feet and the image grew slightly more discernable. He extended his arms and felt his hands impact a solid object.
“Yesss,” he said to himself, bubbles escaping his mouth.
He felt the surface of the object and worked his way higher. With only seconds of air left, he found the object he was looking for: an air regulator mouthpiece. He had located the hanging air tanks.
He took an enormous breath, then exhaled. Quickly, he unsnapped his diver’s knife and cut the line to the tank. As it fell, he hung onto it and followed it lower.
----- ----- ----- -----
Even as the rough seas rocked the boat, the trained men held their weapons steady, ready to shoot anything that moved.
“Something’s wrong. He should be up by now,” Frank said aloud.
“Maybe you hit him,” one man shot back.
“No, I don’t think so. He was gone in a flash. I barely saw his feet as he went under the boat,” Frank responded.
With the twelve men spaced out evenly around the vessel, they all waited for any sign that would give away Jacks position.
Suddenly, Frank’s face lost all expression.
“The hanging tanks. All weapons concentrate on that position!” he shouted.
In seconds, twelve men darted to the front of the boat. Staring down at the water, they saw air bubbles pop on the ocean’s waves.
“Sir, I think I see bubbles,” one man shouted.
“Impossible! How could he have gotten there that fast?” Frank shouted in anger.
Staring down at the rolling seas, small bubbles appeared, then were covered over by the white water from the breaking waves.
“Sir, should be go after him?” a man shouted.
Frank looked out at the sea and sky. Bad weather was approaching.
“How much air is in those tanks?” he shouted.
“Two hours, Sir. Maybe less,” another man shouted back.
He stared into the water and smiled once more.
“The hell with him. Sooner or later, he’s going to run out of air and then the storm will kill ‘im,” he speculated. “Pull the remaining tanks. Let’s get out of here.”
----- ----- ----- -----
With one hand clutching the air tank and another on the anchor-line, Jack continued to descend. As he touched the ocean floor, he felt the anchor-line shift, then tighten. He leaped back as the anchor broke free of its grasp and ascended higher, barely missing him in the process. Relief swept over him at the reality that he wasn’t being
pursued. Seconds later, his relief was replaced by fear. He was now alone in the middle of the ocean, with a storm on the way.
He waited at the bottom for another ten minutes, then slowly began to ascend. Taking his time, he angled his ascent so that he would surface far away if they decided to linger.
Fifteen minutes later, he resurfaced. Instantly, a large wave crashed over him. He looked up at the skies and felt enormous dread. A savage storm was on the way. Clutching the tank with one hand, he donned his face mask, then drained it of all water. He then lay on his back and kicked his fins. He slowed his mind down and tried to think through the problem.
In seconds, he made his decision. He pulled the regulator from his mouth and let the tank drop to the ocean floor. With both hands free, he could now swim unencumbered. Laying out flat on his back and rolling with the waves, he watched the clouds intently. A minute later, he could tell the direction the current was flowing. He spun around and angled his body to swim with the current.
With his wetsuit to keep him afloat and his fins to propel him efficiently, he worked to conserve his strength.
In his mind, he made some rough calculations: ‘Fifty miles to Caicos and the ocean current is two miles an hour. If I do nothing but float, I could pass by Caicos this time tomorrow. If I swim, I can cut that time in half.’
A moment later, a large bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
He stared at the roiling clouds and uttered one-word sarcasm: “Perfect.”
Chapter: 6
Javi and Helena sat on an old weather-beaten bench and stared out on the horizon watching for the fifty-foot dive boat they hoped would return with a crystal globe. Almost imperceptible, a white craft appeared as a faint dot, nearly hidden from view in the endless stretch of waves and white caps. As it neared, its distinct shape left little doubt to the boat’s identity.
Javi looked down at his watch. His face held a puzzled expression, then quickly changed to excited.
“They’re early… as in almost three hours early,” he said, with guarded enthusiasm. “I don’t want to jinx my words with too much optimism, but I think they might have found the crystal.”
Both leaped to their feet in anticipation.
“You know, it could just be mechanical trouble too,” Helena said, trying not to raise their hopes too high. “The seas are pretty rough. Could be something broke loose and they needed to come back for repairs.”
“Could be,” Javi replied simply.
As the boat rolled into the harbor, they watched several men moving around the deck, preparing for tie down. Javi’s scan grew more intense.
“Where the heck is Jack?” he said in disappointed tone. “Dammit, if they had found the crystal, he’d be standing at the front of the ship, cheering at the top of his lungs.” Turning to Helena, he continued, “I’m betting you’re right. Probably a mechanical failure. Jack being the consummate engineer, he’s probably below deck trying to fix it as we speak.”
The boat slowly drifted dockside and the men leaped from it with ropes, securing it to the pylons. As Frank stepped from the wheelhouse, he looked to Helena and nodded cryptically. Instantly, her heart beat faster. Her mind raced with excitement. But something about Frank’s gesture nagged at her logic. As she thought about the clues before her, her face lost all expression.
“Oh no,” she muttered to herself.
“What’s that?” Javi asked, unsure what he heard.
“Nothing,” Helena shot back quickly. “I was just clearing my throat.”
Although the day was dark and overcast, foretelling of a storm that was on its way, the temperatures were balmy: seventy-five to eighty degrees. As Frank and several of his men stepped off the boat, all were wearing windbreaker jackets. Javi noticed the strange sight.
“Is it just me or is it really that cold out,” he commented.
Helena ignored the statement. She already knew the answer.
Walking purposefully toward Javi and Helena, Frank’s face was cold and callous. He stared at Javi menacingly as he approached. Mere feet from the two, he stopped. Six men surrounded them.
“Mr. Arista, I trust you’re a reasonable man,” Frank started, his voice low and controlled. “These men are all armed. I want to be perfectly clear with my next statement: any sudden moves, any shouts, any signals to passerby’s and you’ll suffer grave consequences. Do you understand my words?”
Javi stared back in confusion. Frank opened his jacket and flashed a quick view of his handgun strapped to his shoulder.
“Mr. Arista, do you understand my words?” he repeated.
Reality quickly set in. He glanced around, surveying the icy stares that focused on him. Slowly, he nodded.
“Where’s Jack?” he asked apprehensively.
Frank ignored the question and continued to speak:
“I’ve been instructed to take both of you back to Greece. I can’t stress strongly enough that we need both of you to cooperate in this matter. Am I making myself clear?”
Javi felt the blood drain from his body. He felt weak.
“Mr. Arista, I’m just not getting a warm feeling about your future cooperation. Please allow me to be very explicit: We’re bringing you both to the airport. There’s a private jet waiting as I speak. You two will board the plane and fly to Greece. From there, you’ll take us to the Atlantean pyramid where you’ll open Zeus’ chamber.” He paused a moment, allowing the information to register in Javi’s mind, then continued. “If at any time you resist, we’ll kill the girl.”
Helena instantly shot Frank a worried look. She didn’t know what to make of his statement.
“Jack… oh my God, where’s Jack?” Javi asked in near frantic tone, already knowing the answer.
“Jack met his unfortunate demise at sea,” Frank replied coldly.
“You killed him?” Javi asked in horror.
Frank shook his head.
“Didn’t need to. The storm will take care of ‘im,” he said cryptically, glancing up at the menacing skies.
“You bastards!” Javi shouted in angst. “You left him out there to die?”
Javi’s spontaneous rage exploded. He lunged at Frank, grabbing at his windbreaker. In reflex, Frank blocked the advance. Instantly, he slid his hand along Javi’s arm and grabbed his thumb. He wrenched Javi’s hand backward, applying force to the pressure point. Javi’s knees buckled from the extreme pain. Quickly, two men stepped on each side of him and forced him to stand while Frank maintained pressure.
“That was a very stupid move, Mr. Arista. I have my orders to bring you back alive. No instruction was given to your condition. You can make this very easy for yourself… or very painful,” he said.
Seeing the intent in Frank’s eyes, Helena quickly wrapped her arms around Javi in a defensive posture.
“Javi, don’t do it. Don’t fight ‘im. He’ll hurt you. He’ll hurt the both of us,” she blurted in panicked tone. “Just do what he says.”
Frank smiled to Helena, then stared back into Javi’s eyes.
“Yes, Mr. Arista, do exactly what he says,” he stated once more.
Javi looked toward Helena. He saw the fear in her eyes. For a moment, she reminded him of his daughter Selena and his parental instant flowed inside him. Fearing for her safety, he relaxed his muscles, signaling to the men he wasn’t resisting.
“Look, I’ll do what you want, just don’t hurt her,” he pleaded.
Frank released his hand and the two men stepped away.
“Mr. Arista, we’re not monsters. We don’t enjoy killing people. It’s just part of our work,” he explained. “Sometimes our work is unpleasant.”
He nodded to his men and said, “Move ‘em out.” He paused, then stared at Javi and added, “Quietly.”
----- ----- ----- -----
The following morning…
The Gulfstream G650 aircraft departed Caicos Island and headed east across the Atlantic Ocean. Flying at nearly six hundred miles an hour, it would make the fifty
-five hundred mile journey to Kythera, Greece in just under ten hours. As they cruised along at forty thousand feet, Javi and Helena mourned the death of their friend.
“I can’t believe it. Jack’s dead,” Helena muttered softly.
She glanced to Javi, then began to cry. As she sobbed openly, Javi put his arm around her to console her.
“I know, I can’t believe it either,” he responded sympathetically.
“I loved him,” she added, becoming more vocal with her grief.
“I’m so sorry, Helena,” he said, holding her tighter, his own heart breaking inside.
She turned and stared into his eyes. He could see her torment in them.
“I’m so scared, Javi. If you don’t do what they say, they’re going to kill me. I just know it,” she said, now crying even harder.
He hugged her, hoping his warm touch would help to soothe her fear.
“Don’t worry. I plan on doing exactly as they ask,” he reassured.
Helena slowed her tears. She looked up at Javi and smiled in gratitude.
“Thank you. You have no idea how comforting your words are,” she responded.
----- ----- ----- -----
Ten hours after leaving Caicos Island, the Gulfstream aircraft lined up on final approach to Kithira National Airport on Kythera Island, Greece. Five miles from touch down, Javi could see the great white limestone Atlantean pyramid brilliantly lit in the evening darkness. Landing so late at night, he knew the likelihood that they’d visit the pyramid that evening was slim. He glanced at his watch and wondered if he’d be alive at that same hour the following day.
Chapter: 7
Jack mentally prepared himself for what he knew was coming. Three years before, he had been stranded at sea and forced to fight for his life. His greatest hurdle at that time was not so much the weather, but his own self-doubt. Now, years later, there was no question in his mind about his abilities to survive. He knew if he forced defeat from his mind, he stood a strong chance at making it through.
Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis) Page 13