Lying on his back, he watched the swirling clouds. Suddenly, he spotted another bolt of lightning in the distance and began to count aloud:
“One one-thousand; two one-thousand; three one-thousand.”
He continued counting till he reached ten.
Moments later, he heard the sound of thunder. From his years in college, he had learned that sound travels one mile every five seconds. With that simple calculation, he roughly determined the storm to be two miles away. Being so close, he knew it would be on top of him in less than five minutes.
Laying and waiting, he felt the storms winds strengthen as it neared. As they dramatically increased, so too, did the size of the wave. He tried to float on his back, but the waves grew too high. One crashed over him, causing him to choke. He coughed the water from his throat as he came to an upright position. With his hands now extended, and his flippers lightly kicking, he steadied himself in the water.
Seconds later, a large wave rolled under him. He kicked hard and moved with the flow, ascending and descending with the wave. Again, another wave rolled in, this time, it size was nearly eight feet. Even before he reached the top, the crest broke and crashed down onto him. He held his breath and ducked into the advancing wave. Popping out the other side, he now descended down into the trough between two waves. As the next wave rolled in, it lifted him higher. Suddenly, it broke and crashed over him, knocking him backward. He held his breath, then quickly righted himself.
He felt his fears beginning to take hold, stripping him of his confidence.
“I can do this. Just keep fighting,” he shouted to himself.
Off in the distance, a massive wave approached. Standing fifteen feet high, he knew the raging wall of water would be nearly impossible to negotiate. In his mind, he quickly formed a plan of attack. As he watched it roll in, he took several large breaths. A second later, as the enormous wave drew him in, he dove into it and forced himself to swim downward. He felt the flow of the water caused by the wave’s sheer size, draw him higher. He pumped his arms and legs harder, and swam against the current. Suddenly, he popped out of the water at the trough of the next wave. He had swum directly under it.
Jack gasped for air. As he breathed in, he pumped his leg and propelled himself higher. The next wave struck him in the chest, knocking him head over heels. He rolled to his stomach and lifted his head. He gasped in another breath and felt the next wave crash over him.
He swam deeper, then angled back. Nearly out of breath once more, he charged for the surface. Kicking his legs hard, he broke free and gulp in large breaths of air.
Suddenly the sky lit up above him. The thunder was instantaneous. He could feel his strength waning. He felt out of breath and scared.
Knowing he was defeating himself, he forced his mind to believe he would live. As he drifted higher on the next large wave, he relaxed his muscles and rested momentarily. It was all the advantage he needed. Seconds before the wave broke, he plunge straight down, stopped, then surged straight up. As he broke through the surface, he realized he was now riding down the backside of the wave. The maneuver bought him two more seconds of time. He breathed in the fresh air and relaxed. The next wave drove him higher, and he was ready. He repeated his previous move, breaking out once more on the backside of the wave.
For the next hour, Jack fought for his life. The waves continued to grow, and he began to doubt his survival once more. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. This time, it was behind him. He counted the seconds as he struggled to stay above the raging waves and the ever increasing gusts of wind. As the thunder sounded, he calculated it to be more than two miles away. The worst of the storm was passed him. It was a small victory in his mind and exactly what he needed to rebuild his confidence.
With the next wave rolling in, he took two more breaths and dove deep.
For the next hour, the strength of the storm greatly diminished. The waves had reduced from fifteen feet, back down to three. Only the winds seemed to continue in their intensity. Exhausted, he now floated on his back and rested. He had made it through the worst.
Half an hour later, with his strength nearly returned, he slowly began to kick his fins. He stared up at the clouds and determined the direction of the current. Like before, he angled his body in the direction of the flow and now began to swim with purpose. Over the next few hours, he swam till he tired, then rested, repeating the routine over and over.
As nighttime fell, the seas were nearly calm and he used the stars to keep track of his course. Every so often, he lifted his head, searching for land. Although he saw none, he knew somewhere ahead of him lay Caicos Island. If he could only keep up his pace, he knew he’d eventually run straight into it… and probably soon.
The hours ticked by and Jack began to see a welcome sight on the distant horizon: dawn. He had made it through the night. He felt elated and now worked his swim even harder.
Five hours later, he spotted another welcome sight. As his body moved swiftly through the water, he passed a small palm branch that floated nearby.
“Land!” he shouted excitedly.
He spun around and floated upright. He saw nothing. He dove under the water, reversed his course and charged for the surface. As he thrust up through it, he launched his body three feet into the air. The height above water allowed him to see for miles. In the second he was able to look, he spotted something. His heart now surged with excitement. He dove once again, then charged for the surface. As he broke through, he continued to pump his fins, forcing himself to remain in the air longer. As he sunk back into the water, he floated on his back. A smile came to his face. He found it: land.
“YES!” he shouted aloud.
Although he estimated the land to be at least five miles away, he now had a newfound sense of energy. Knowing he was going to live, he refocused his objective. There was no doubt that Javi and Helena were in trouble. If he hurried, he knew he might have a chance to save them with the only card he had left to play.
“They think I’m dead,” he said with a wily grin.
He paddled harder and increased his pace through the water
Chapter: 8
The following day…
Javi woke abruptly from his sleep as his bed shook with a violent jolt.
“Mr. Arista, it’s time. Get up,” the voice called to him in his sleep.
Javi’s eyes snapped open and he instantly recognized the face: Frank Chelmsford.
Staring down at him, Frank insured he was awake, then spoke once more: “We’ll be leaving in an hour. Please be ready,” he said, cordially but with authority.
Javi merely nodded his head. As Frank was leaving, his mind began to clear.
“How’s Helena. Is she alright? You haven’t hurt her, have you?” he asked in quick succession.
Frank stopped and turned. His face looked annoyed.
“Mr. Arista, I told you before… we’re not animals. She’s fine. We only plan on hurting her if you don’t cooperate,” he responded coldly.
Without waiting for a reply from Javi, he turned and exited the room.
Javi breathed a momentary sigh of relief, then apprehension of the unknown begun to plague his thoughts. He looked at his watch and once again, wondered about his fate.
An hour later, Javi and Helena sat nervously on a couch and avoided eye contact with their captors. In the modestly furnished home in the mountainous region ten miles west of Atlantis, three men sat stationed around the room and waited on their signal. As Frank entered the room, he closed up his cell phone and called to his men:
“Ok, that’s it. Let’s move,” he ordered, his tone lacking emotion.
Anticipating their next request, Javi and Helena stood and waited for the three men to approach. One man grabbed Helena’s arm, the other, Javi’s. The remaining man stood behind the four and guarded from the rear. As Frank led them out, not a sound was made.
Outside the large concrete home, the five headed to a passenger van. They assemble
d into it, with Javi and Helena being guarded on all sides. The ride to the pyramid was quiet. As three men sat stoically and watched their progress along the road, Frank drove and monitored his captives from the rearview mirror.
A half hour later, the van turned the last corner into the park area of the great pyramid. Javi’s pulse began to rise. He guessed he had only an hour to live. He felt the terrified eyes of Helena as she stared at him momentarily. He glanced at her and flashed a reassuring smile. The corner of her mouth curled slightly in gratitude, then returned to its previously saddened state.
Pulling up in front of the pyramid, they all exited the vehicle and immediately headed for the entrance. Before entering, Frank paused just outside and readjusted the small backpack slung over his shoulder. As he waited, his cell phone rang. He answered it, listened, then nodded. He glanced out across the parking area to an unseen object of interest, then turned and headed inside.
“Ok Mr. Arista, lead the way… and no tricks. I’ve been instructed to shoot the girl if I determine you’re threatening the success of this mission,” he instructed.
Javi nodded nervously, then proceeded forward, his heart pounding to distraction. As they descended deeper through the corridors, the men barely glanced at the ancient hieroglyphics that warned of impending doom. Focused intently on their mission, they paid little notice of the tar-filled pitfall that nearly claimed Javi’s life.
The four men, with Javi and Helena, crossed through the open doorway into the pentagonal room that held the altar. Dimly lit from a single spotlight positioned at the entrance, the four men now scanned the room, clearing it of any potential problems.
“Sir, the room’s clean,” one man announced respectfully.
Frank nodded, then turned to Javi. As he unslung his small backpack, he handed it over and said, “Ok, Mr. Arista, it’s your show. Now open the chamber… and remember, Helena’s life is in your hands.”
Javi nodded nervously once again, and accepted the backpack. He walked behind the altar and set it to the right of the center pedestal. Unzipping the top, he reached in, pulled out the crystal ball and stared at its magnificence.
Seeing it for the first time, he was in awe. He momentarily lost himself in its beauty as he gently rubbed the exterior. Looking close, he could see a map of various continents inscribed on the outside. Just like the first crystal, this one too represented a globe of the world as it existed seven thousand years ago. At its center, an exquisitely carved golden pyramid shined brilliantly in the dim light of the room.
“Mr. Arista…” Frank said, urging Javi to move along.
He nodded simply, then positioned the crystal over the pedestal. With the internal golden pyramid pointing directly upward and facing the great stone door at the opposite side of the room, he lowered the crystal down onto the pedestal. The fit was perfect.
Instantly the pedestal began to lower and the hissing of sand sounded inside the walls. Moments later, the door opened with a great rumble.
Javi pointed his flashlight behind the now stationary crystal and watched a small beam of light shine on the wall beside the open door. He rushed over to the location and searched for the round tile that acted as a lock mechanism. Using his flashlight, he focused the beam on the wall. His faced turned puzzled. The tile wasn’t there. He ran his hand over the area, pushing as he searched.
“Impossible!” he shouted in frustration. “How can this be? It’s got to be here?”
“What’s got to be there?” Frank asked, now deeply concerned.
“There’s a round tile somewhere over here that’s acts as a locking mechanism. The beam of light from the pyramid is used to locate its exact position. Until we find it, no one can enter the chamber,” Javi said.
“Is this some kind of trick? I told you what we’d do if you didn’t cooperate. Are you trying to test my patience?” Frank shot back angrily.
Javi turned back and stared at Frank. His expression told the story. With great apprehension, he shook his head.
“I promise you, I have no idea what’s going on here. It’s obvious we have the right crystal. It’s just not working. That darn tile should be right here,” he responded, pointing.
Frank rushed over to Javi’s side and stared at the bare spot on the wall. Seeing nothing, he ran his hand over the area, feeling for a seam. The spot was smooth and featureless.
“Shine a light through the crystal,” he ordered.
A man hurried behind the altar and switched on his flashlight. Pointing it at the golden pyramid, a narrow beam of light shot across the room, lighting up a small area on the wall.
Frank studied the area again, then turned to Javi. His eyes were cold and menacing.
“What would happen if we entered that room right now?” he asked.
“The ceiling would collapse and everyone would be killed,” Javi said, his tone sounding grave.
Frank thought for a moment. He shook his head in frustration, then began to pace the floor as he worked through the problem.
“Is the crystal in the correct orientation?” he asked.
“As far as I know: yes. This chamber and the one above us are identical, so it stands to reason that they both use that same locking mechanism. Furthermore, it stands to reason that they both are located in the same location on the wall,” Javi reasoned.
“And if everything’s identical, the orientation of the crystals should also be identical,” Frank surmised.
Javi nodded.
Frank thought the problem over, then shook his head.
“This makes no sense… no sense at all,” he growled angrily.
Looking back to his men, he shouted new orders in desperation:
“That locking mechanism has to be here somewhere on one of these walls. Find it,” he shouted.
Without another word, the three men fanned out, each one picking one of the remaining six walls that were unsearched. Frank shot Javi a menacing look. Without another word, Javi hurried to a wall and began his search. Helena followed their cue and joined in as well.
Frank stared at the wall he had just searched. Something about it nagged at him. He thought about Javi’s explanation of the door’s operation. In his mind, he agreed that the locking mechanism should be located somewhere on that wall. It made sense and it frustrated him that it wasn’t there.
He moved back to the wall. Looking it up and down, he decided to search it once more. He angled his fingers and began to scratch away at the surface of the wall, looking for anything that would catch on his nails. Reaching as high as he could, he worked his way downward. With each tiny nick or edge his nails hung up on, he shined his flashlight on the spot, then applied pressure. With no results, he moved his search lower.
After nearly an hour, while kneeling low at the wall, his fingernails caught on something once more. Bringing the light close, he saw nothing. He ran his nails across the surface, and detected another edge slightly lower. Shining his flashlight again, there appeared to be nothing there, yet he knew there was.
He stared at the spot a moment. It seemed far away from where the lock should be. He was about to keep going but pushed on the spot anyway. It moved.
Franks heart began to pound. In one great effort, he shoved hard, driving the round tile deep into the wall. Instantly, he heard the hissing of sand and the rumble of stone beyond the chamber.
“I got it,” he shouted excitedly, leaping to his feet.
He turned back and smiled proudly to his men.
“Good work, Sir,” they shouted in relief.
Javi hurried over, knelt down and stared at the four-inch-in-diameter hole in the wall where the tile had moved into. He looked back at the crystal, then back at the wall.
“I don’t believe this,” he said in amazement.
“What? What don’t you believe?” Helena asked, anticipating bad news.
Javi rushed to the altar. Grabbing the crystal ball, he spun it around and now placed it back on the pedestal, this time with the top of the golden
pyramid pointing down towards the altar. He shined his flashlight behind the crystal and a beam of light shot out towards the wall.
“Huh… would you look at that?” he said in amazement. “The beam of light is indicating the exact location of the round tile.” He stared at Frank and shrugged his shoulder. “Guess I had it upside down,” he added, slightly embarrassed.
“Hmm, interesting. I wonder why they did that,” Frank pondered aloud.
“I’m guessing to prevent grave robbing,” Javi explained. “If they designed both locking systems the same, grave robbers could enter both chambers with just one crystal. Needing two crystals makes looting much more difficult.”
“So is it safe to go in?” Helena asked, excitedly, forgetting her act for a moment.
Javi stared at her with surprise. Helena realized her mistake and quickly covered.
“I don’t want them marching us into something that’s going to kill us,” she added.
Javi nodded in understanding.
Frank stood at the doorway to the open chamber. He called to Javi, “Ok Mr. Arista, you first. If it’s safe to enter, you have nothing to worry about.”
Although he felt fairly certain the lock would hold, he was apprehensive. After seven thousand years, he wasn’t positive everything would work. With little choice, he stepped to the doorway. He shot Frank an unpleasant stare, then took a step forward. Instantly, his heart began to pound. As he took another step, he stopped and listened. Nothing.
“I think it’s safe,” he said in a whispered tone.
Helena instantly moved in behind him, followed by Frank and his men. As they walked toward another doorway at the back of the chamber, he stared cautiously at a mosaic tile of the sun lying just before the entrance on the floor. His hands were now sweaty and he felt slightly overheated from the tension.
Taking a deep breath, he exhale and stepped on the tile. Nothing.
Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis) Page 14