Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis)

by Christopher David Petersen

  “Please, call me Javi,” he shot back.

  “Yes sir, Javi,” Adam replied politely. Pointing to the coffee, he added, “There’s real cream and sugar, if you’re interested.”

  “I’m all over that,” Jack joked.

  For a moment, Javi, Jack, Duni and Helena enjoyed their warm drink, while Ron and Adam conferred on the camp’s arrangements by his computer. Curious about the following day’s flight schedules, Jack wandered over to discuss it with them. As he approached, Adam quickly clicked his mouse, closing the screen. Jack smiled at the action, then moved onto his question.

  “Hey guys, do you know what time the helicopters will be here tomorrow?”

  “Hang on one moment,” Adam said, only too happy to help.

  He rolled to a computer behind him and brought up a spreadsheet. Scrolling down, he nodded, then turned to Jack.

  “They’ll be here at 8am, Sir,” he said pleasantly.

  Jack looked back at the blank computer screen Adam just moved from. He then glanced at the computer Adam was using. A puzzled expression crossed his face.

  “Sir, is there a problem with the time?” Adam asked.

  Jack shrugged off his curiosity and merely smiled.

  “No, everything’s fine. 8am it is, thanks,” he replied.

  Glancing at his watch, he realized the time.

  “No wonder I’m so hungry. It’s almost nine o’clock. These longer days are going to take some getting used to,” he said to the two men.

  “Yes Sir. It doesn’t start getting dark around here until about 1am right now, but wait a couple of months. You’ll see nearly twenty-two hours of sunlight. That’s when things will really get confusing,” Adam responded.

  “I think we’re going to get some dinner. You guys interested?” Jack asked.

  “Adam and I still have some prep work to do for tomorrow. We’ll catch you the next time,” Ron replied.

  Jack nodded understandably. As he turned to walk away, he glanced back at the blank computer screen behind Adam. Still minimized in the lower left corner, he could see Adam’s program still running. He wondered about it again, then pushed it out of his mind.

  ----- ----- ----- -----

  The following morning…

  The two Sikorsky S-61 helicopters hovered momentarily, then set down two hundred feet from Camp Zeus. As Javi, Jack, Duni and Helena watched, their stomachs churned with excitement. With a wave from the copilot, Ron and Adam escorted the four toward the two waiting aircraft.

  “Sir, as you requested, you and Miss Galanos will be flying in Zeus One. Mr. Arista and Mr. Kanelos will be flying in Zeus Two,” Ron said to Jack.

  “Zeus One and Two: I like it,” he said, smiling.

  “Yes Sir, we felt the designations appropriate,” Ron responded.

  Jack turned toward Helena. She shivered in the minus five degree temperatures. He pulled her close and hugged her, warming her body with his. For a moment, she absorbed the heat and returned his affection.

  “You’ll feel a lot warmer once we’re in the helicopter. It’ll feel downright balmy while were working. In fact, we probably won’t even need our jackets,” he said, easing her mind.

  “I’m all for that. I’m not used to all these layers of clothes. I feel like I’m in a strait jacket,” she responded.

  “Well, in that case, don’t stop with the jacket. I feel strongly you should consider shedding all your clothes.”

  Helena stared up at him and smiled seductively.

  “If you play your cards right…” she whispered, stopping just short of a promise.

  As the copilot of each helicopter opened the rear cargo door, he waved his hand for the four to proceed.

  “They’re ready,” Ron shouted.

  While Adam escorted Javi and Duni to the Zeus Two, Ron did the same with Jack and Helena for Zeus One.

  Inside the craft, Jack buckled himself in. He watched Ron shut the door and lock it. Ron backed away from the aircraft, then saluted the copilot in military fashion. Jack stared for a moment, slightly puzzled by the gesture.

  “Man, that Ron guy really takes his job seriously, doesn’t he?” he said aloud.

  “Why do you say that?” Helena asked suspiciously.

  “He just saluted the copilot, like he would in the military,” he responded casually.

  “I’m sure he’s just being respectful, Jack,” she countered.

  “Probably,” he replied simply.

  He watched Ron and Adam pair up, then walk quickly out of range of the rotor blades. As the pilots of each craft started their engines, he noticed Adam pause in his stride, then follow behind Ron. Jack stared for a moment, then shook his head, dismissing his suspicious thoughts.

  Helena watched Jack’s eyes, then placed her hand on his. He turned to see her smiling seductively once more.

  “You don’t know what you do to me,” he mouthed to her.

  She ran her hand down between his legs and grinned.

  “Yes I do,” she mouthed back.

  As the aircraft lifted off, he leaned over and kissed her.

  “Sir, we’ll be starting at the north east corner of the grid. Let us know when you’re ready to start recording,” the copilot said into his mic, interrupting Jack’s and Helena’s interlude.

  Hearing the voice in his headset, he quickly broke off his advance. He reviewed the electronics in front of him, sliding a built-in shelf closer. Two laptop computers sat on top of the shelf, as well as two small metal boxes used to control the radar and metal detection platforms. As the helicopter climbed higher, Jack watched each laptop, insuring the radar sensors outside the aircraft were functioning properly.

  “All systems look good. I’m getting great definition from both radar platforms,” he responded.

  “Ok Sir, we’re heading to the first check point,” the copilot stated.

  Jack opened a topographical map of the search region and laid it on his and Helena’s lap.

  “Here’s our first point of interest. It’s an elevated point about five miles from here,” Jack said.

  Helena nodded. “Definitely a possibility. There’s a valley that runs underneath the ice sheet at that point,” she said, pointing. “If the ice filled in that valley, it makes you wonder what caused it to continue to build to the higher elevation.”

  Jack smiled.

  “Especially when no other location surrounding it was built up. Wouldn’t it be great if just below the surface is the pyramid’s peak,” he said with restrained optimism.

  “We’re about to find out,” Helena responded, now watching her computer screen.

  She pointed to a small ‘X’ on her monitor, marking the location. As the pilot flew to the coordinates programed into his GPS receivers, both Jack and Helena monitored their position.

  “About a mile away,” Jack said.

  Helena only nodded. Focused intently now, she watched the shadowy whites and grays of the terrain move in and out of focus as the helicopter slowed its approach to the first destination.

  “You see anything?” Jack asked excitedly.

  “Nothing yet. Looks like your garden variety valley filled with ice,” she responded dryly.

  Jack watched his monitor for anything that could be regarded at metallic. Except for tiny shadows that were caused by simple anomalies with the sensors, he began to realize that the elevated mound contained nothing more than ice.

  Seconds later, the copilot announced their first checkpoint.

  “We’re over the target. Moving to the second location,” he said.

  Jack looked over to Helena with a disappointed expression.

  “You didn’t really expect to hit it on the first pass, did you?” she asked.

  “I had hoped,” he responded truthfully.

  She smiled sympathetically, then refocused on her screen. Zooming the display out slightly, she was able to pick out the next location two miles away, heading north. Immediately, Jack did the same.

  Watching the next targ
et approach, he adjusted a dial on the radar control panel, increasing the fidelity of the readout. Slightly sharper now, he watched as the helicopter began to make its pass over the next ice-covered valley.

  Helena zoomed in at the ‘X’ on her computer screen. Watching the shadows of gray and white once again, she saw nearly the same readout as the first check point.

  “Crossing the second target zone,” the copilot announced.

  Seconds later, the pilot rolled a button on his GPS and steered toward their next target.

  Like the previous two targets, Helena and Jack readjusted their computer screens to pick up on the new location. For the next fifteen minutes, they sat and watched with nervous excitement, wondering if maybe the next target would be the one. As the pilot flew directly over the next spot, it soon became apparent that this one too, was devoid of anything manmade.

  Three hours later, having refueled at Nord Station, they continued on with their routine.

  As boredom began to set in, Jack’s eyes slowly closed. He fought to keep them open, but it was no use. Watching the grays and whites of his laptop screen, he slowly nodded off.

  “We’re over the target,” the copilot voice roared over Jack’s headphones, waking him with a jolt.

  His eyes snapped open. As they began to focus, he noted a bright spot at the edge of his computer screen. One second it was there, the next it was gone. For a moment, his mind questioned his judgment. He then realized the significance of the event.

  “Hold the phone, guys. I think I just spotted something metallic down there,” he roared over his mic, excitedly.

  “Over the previous target?” the pilot asked, now with growing enthusiasm.

  “Yup. It was there a moment, then it was gone. I didn’t get a good look at it, but I’m sure I saw something,” he responded.

  “Good catch, Jack. I must have missed it on my screen,” Helena said, now equally excited.

  “Coming back around,” the pilot announced.

  In seconds, the aircraft made a quick one-eighty and headed back to the previous location. As they lined up on course, both Jack and Helena readjusted their equipment for maximum intensity.

  “Thirty seconds,” the copilot reported.

  Jack’s and Helena’s eyes glued to their computer. Suddenly, Jack saw the bright spot again. His pulse instantly raced as he watched it materialize back on screen.

  “There it is!” he shouted. “Just ahead, maybe a couple hundred feet.”

  All eyes strained to see out the front windshield of the helicopter.

  Helena looked back down to her computer, then shifted to Jack’s screen.

  “I’m still picking up nothing,” she said.

  Moments later, Jack directed the pilot to stop and hover.

  “We’re on top of it,” he shouted, barely able to contain himself.

  All eyes now looked down toward the ground. Seeing the flat and featureless land seemed out of place with their vision of a great golden pyramid.

  Helena checked the topographical map for the depth of the land beneath the ice. A thin wavy line wrapped its way around the hidden valley and indicated his elevation as a hundred feet below the surface of the ice.

  “Something’s not right about this, Jack. Either that pyramid is less than a hundred feet tall or there’s simply a small deposit of ore down there,” she said.

  “Can you guys move the helicopter from side to side several feet?” Jack asked. “I want to see if I can get a better reading.”

  “Roger that,” the pilot confirmed.

  For the next few minutes, the aircraft moved back and forth over the target location. Both Jack and Helena studied his computer screen to determine the importance of the find. After many passes, it became clear Helena’s second speculation was correct. Whatever was down there was definitely not the pyramid.

  Helena glanced at Jack. He could see deep disappointment registering on her face. He rubbed her hand lightly in sympathy.

  “Sorry,” he said softly. “I really did think we had something, though.”

  Helena smiled.

  “It’s Ok, Jack. I guess we can just chalk it up to experience. Now we know what not to look for,” she said with a grin.

  Jack only nodded.

  Looking back up toward the pilot, he said, “Sorry guys, false alarm. It’s probably just a small ore deposit or something. We can head to our next location.”

  “Roger that,” the pilot shot back.

  ----- ----- ----- -----

  By the end of their fourteen hour shift, and with no more obvious targets left to inspect, aircraft One headed back to camp.

  As they flew in quiet disappointment, Jack tapped Helena’s hand and pointed out her window. Far in the distance, the second helicopter was paralleling their course.

  “I had hoped they would’ve had better luck than we did,” he said with slight sadness to his tone.

  “I had hoped they would’ve found something by now too. I guess we’ll move onto the standard grid-patterned search tomorrow,” Helena sympathized.

  “Man, if you thought this was boring, wait until you spend days watching nothing but featureless land, waiting for that one promising blip to show up on the radar screen,” he said.

  “You sure know how to encourage the troops, Jack,” she teased. “To be honest, I’d easily spend a whole month’s worth of boredom for that one moment of excitement.”

  “You may get your wish,” he joked.

  With the day’s mission over, the two helicopters now flew high and fast. Crossing over the ice sheet and heading for Camp Zeus on the lower plateau, Jack watched a tiny flash of light cross the very corner of his computer screen. He stared at it a moment, then called to Helena.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  She studied the passing blip as it moved quickly off screen.

  “Wrong area and too small for anything significant,” she replied. “Probably another deposit of ore.”

  Exhausted from the day’s activity, he accepted her answer without question.

  ----- ----- ----- -----

  Later that evening…

  Inside the utility trailer, the four sat around a small table and dined on fish and potatoes, prepared by the camp cook. Although the foods were either previously frozen or canned, the flavor and nutritional value were more than satisfactory.

  “What kind of fish is this?” Duni asked, eagerly taking another mouthful.

  “I think it’s halibut,” Jack responded.

  “I must say, if they continue to serve foods this good, I might consider staying a while,” Javi joked.

  Helena ignored the small talk and got straight to business.

  “So how’d you guys do today? We had a couple of hits on the metal detection radar, but they all turned out to be false alarms. I’m guessing by the size and depth of the images, the hits were probably just some kind of ore deposits down there,” she said.

  “We had the same results. Either we found nothing, or the radar activity turned out to be something other than an obvious golden pyramid. If I had to guess, I’d have to say you’re correct, Helena: just a bunch of ore down there in a couple of places,” Javi responded, his tone sounding disappointed.

  “I wonder what kind of ore it is,” Duni speculated. “Imagine if it was gold. Every man with a shovel and a dream would show here overnight, seeking his fortune,” he joked.

  “This is a national park. Greenland would never let that happen,” Javi responded, confidently.

  Duni nodded.

  “So tomorrow we start the grid search, right?” Helena asked more for the benefit of “those” listening, than out of her own curiosity.

  Seated on the opposite side of the room, Ron and Adam quietly huddled around a single computer and reviewed the status of various camp activities and requirement, ensuring the services were running efficiently. As Helena spoke, they quickly jotted down the information.

  “Yes Helena,” Javi responded. “Just like today, you a
nd Jack will by flying the northern region of the grid and Dunixi and I will be flying the southern region. If my guess is correct, it should take us an entire month.”

  For the next half hour, the four continued to discuss the details of their mission. As they finished their meal, they realized the late hour and headed off to bed.

  ----- ----- ----- -----

  The following morning…

  The four rose early and prepared for the day’s search. By 7:30am, they waited in the utility trailers as the two helicopters prepared to land. Within a half hour, they once again were strapped in and headed off to the upper ice sheet. Flying in Zeus One, Jack and Helena flew to the northern edge of the search grid, while Javi and Duni flew to the southern edge in Zeus Two.

  Minutes after departure, the pilot of Zeus One positioned the helicopter over the first grid line and announced their readiness.

  “Ok Sir, we’re in position. Ready to proceed,” he said in formal tone.

  “We’re all set here too,” Jack responded, far less formal.

  The aircraft began its slow easterly track over the ground. Flying at just fifty feet above the ice pack, the radar sensors began to send back images to the laptops. Helena watched closely, studying the gray and white tones of the readout. Jack did the same. Moving slowly along their path, both sets of eyes watched the stark, featureless land pass under them. Although there were variations in color tones on their computer screens, the reality of their search quickly became apparent: they’d be spending long hour staring at nothing.

  A half hour after they started, Zeus One had flown the first leg of the search grid. The pilot turned back around and entered the path of the second line in the pattern. As he called out their new position, Jack and Helena watched their laptops intently.

  Hour after hour, the same east-west searches continued. By the end of the day, nothing of consequence had been found. After nearly fourteen hours of tedium, the two teams headed back to Camp Zeus.

  Later that night, the four sat quietly and ate their food. Very few words were spoken as disappointment filled their minds.