“What do I care about the chamber?” she responded with indifference.
“Then you must care about the scepter. Before those guys realize, one of them is going to take a good whack at it and break it.”
Ron glanced over to Helena, then back to Jack.
“What do you suggest?” Ron asked, now concerned.
“First, stop them now, before they do any more damage, then you cover the chamber with plastic. You can then bring down a couple of those propane heaters. After there’re in place, you can pump a tremendous amount of heat inside and melt the ice in less than a day.”
Ron looked up and shouted into the chamber, “Ok guys, you can stop now.”
As the three men exited the chamber, Helena shouted, “Get back in there and keep digging.” She turned to Ron and said, “I’m running this show, remember?”
“Your father has instructed me to bring him back the scepter… unbroken. That’s what I intend to do. If you have a problem with that, feel free to give him a call,” Ron responded calmly.
“This is bullshit! When I’m in charge, you’re all dead,” Helena shouted.
Without another word, she pushed her way past several workers, stepped out of the cavity and headed for the top.
“Holy Shit! She’s absolutely nuts!” Jack blurted in shock. He turned toward Ron and said, “So what’s next?”
“Confinement,” he said cryptically
Chapter: 14
Ron Cotterman stood under the canopy of insulated plastic and watched the flame from the propane heater as it blew hot air into the chamber. He smiled as he basked in the warmth of his now exposed face and hands. As the heat contacted the wall of ice, slowly it melted, then gathered in pools of water just outside the entrance where it was pumped to the surface.
After an hour, he stood in amazement at how quickly the inside chamber became exposed from the melting ice. Satisfied, he turned away and exited out from under the plastic and moved up onto the roof of the chamber. Standing next to Adam, he looked around and monitored the progress of the men with axes and shovels as they continued to work at excavating the ice. He nodded to Adam while he guarded the entrance to the ever-widening cavity.
“I have to say, Helena really did do a great job. By the time Sita gets here, all the ice will be gone,” he said.
“Yeah, she probably won’t even get credit for it,” Adam replied. “Kind of a shame, really.”
“Yup, but that’s the price you pay for losing control,” he responded matter-of-factly.
“What do you think Sita will do when he finds out? He’s not the forgiving type, even with family,” Adam asked.
“If I had to guess, he’ll probably tell her she’s worthless again and force her into some other kind degrading task,” he responded.
“It’s interesting that she keeps taking it. If I were her, I’d tell the old man to ‘go to hell’ and go off on my own,” Adam said.
“Yeah, me too. I guess the lure of power keeps her coming back for more.”
“All I have to say is, one day that girl is going to snap,” Adam commented, gesturing with his hands.
“Like today?” Ron replied jokingly.
“No, I mean really snap… as in grabbing a weapon and wasting people,” Adam warned.
Ron glanced to Adam and nodded, silently agreeing with him.
For a moment, the two stood and thought about Helena’s instability, as they watched the teams of workers chop away at the ice around the chamber. Like well-trained soldiers, the two disconnected from their feelings on the previous topic and focused on their job.
“Well, I’m off. Sita’s waiting on the mission status. I’ll be back later. Keep an eye on the propane levels and the pumps,” he instructed, his voice sounding almost routine.
Adam nodded and replied simply, “Will do, Sir.”
----- ----- ----- -----
Karl Sita sat in his New York City penthouse office and listened to soft music as he sipped a tumbler of Scotch. The day had been particularly stressful as the stock market had taken a beating earlier that day due to a negative report on the economy. As he sat and closed his eyes, he allowed his mind to finally relax.
Suddenly, his cell phone rang, interrupting his moment of peace. His face grimaced at the disturbance. He reached for his phone and checked the number. A slight smile crossed his face. He pressed a button and answered the call.
“Yes, go ahead,” he said, his tone firm and efficient.
“Sir, we’ve just broken into the chamber. It’s filled with ice, but we’re using heaters to melt it. Should be cleared by tomorrow,” Ron Cotterman announced.
Karl sat up at attention. His heart raced with excitement.
“You’re in? Have you found anything yet?” he demanded.
“No Sir, just a bunch of hieroglyphics. It’s still too early. We’re barely six feet into the chamber. I suspect we should see something anytime now, though,” he responded in encouraging tone.
Karl nodded in great satisfaction. Then, his face became dark and hostile.
“And what of Helena? I expected a report from her yesterday. She still hasn’t called,” he said, his voice growing frustrated and angry.
“Sir, I’m afraid I had to remove her from the site… temporarily,” Ron responded in grim tone.
“Remove? What the hell has she done this time?” he bellowed angrily.
“I’m afraid her obsession over the scepter became too great. She became irrational and unstable and threatened the scepter’s safe delivery,” Ron informed.
“Threatened? How, specifically?” he demanded.
“Sir, the chamber is filled with ice, and as a result, anything inside is incased in it. She elected a destructive means for its removal, jeopardizing the scepter’s safety. When a more appropriate solution was offered, she refused to listen, instead becoming more aggressive, instructing the workers to take even greater risks. Her logic became so crazed, so irrational, I realized the scepter was in the gravest of danger. Following your orders in protecting it at all cost, I removed her from the site and proceeded with the less invasive plan.”
“Idiot!” he raged. “I can’t trust her to get anything right!”
Ron sat quietly and waited for Karl’s breathing to slow.
“Ok, good work, Ron. Keep up your guard. I’m on my way now. I should be there by tomorrow morning,” he said, becoming excited once more.
As he hung up the phone, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook. Listed inside were dozens of names and their contact information. For the next hour, he made calls. When he was finished, he sat back in his chair and smiled. He raised his tumbler of Scotch in solute.
“Tomorrow, the world will be mine,” he said aloud.
He downed his drink, then enjoyed his moment of triumph.
Minutes later, his phone rang again. Startled by the interruption, he gruffly reached for it and scanned the display. A dark scowl crossed his face. He answered it.
“I’ve been expecting your call,” he spat with disgust.
“Sir, whatever they said about me isn’t true. Ron Cotterman is a liar,” Helena voice blurted.
“A liar? Really? The man who’s been loyal and trusted for years, has suddenly become a liar?” he countered. “No Helena, it’s you who’s the liar. Once again, you’ve proven you’re a failure. You’re virtually useless to the Society of Arae. Pack your things. You’ll be flying home with me after tomorrow,” he said bluntly.
“But Sir, you have to listen to me. It’s not what it sounds like…”
“I don’t have listen to anything!” he shouted, cutting her off in mid-sentence. “Have your shit packed and ready by the time I get there… and be thankful you’re family. Anyone else would’ve been dead by now.”
“Yes Sir,” she responded, broken and dejected.
As he ended the call, he took a deep breath and exhaled his anger. For a moment, he forced the negativity out of his mind and concentrated on his new kingdom.
A smiled crossed his face and he nodded approvingly.
Back in Greenland, Camp Zeus…
Helena closed her phone as the call became disconnected. She sat in silence inside her personal utility trailer and considered her future. It would be a very long time before she would be trusted with power again. She felt defeated and depressed. Rage built inside her at the injustice of it all.
“That’s it. I’m finished,” she said in dejected tone.
The reality seemed intolerable. She felt destined for greatness and he was stealing her future.
“He can’t do this to me. Who the hell does he think he is?” she shouted in anger.
Slowly, a wry smile crossed her face. Her eyes narrowed and she nodded with conviction.
“I’m not out of the game just yet,” she said, defiantly.
Grabbing a clipboard, a stack of computer printouts and several photos, she donned her arctic parka, and hurried outside.
----- ----- ----- -----
Outside the main utility trailer, a guard stood watch over Javi, Jack and Duni. As Helena approached in a hurry, he stiffened in his stance, and held his weapon across his body.
Helena stopped in front and demanded him to stand aside.
“Sorry ma’am, I have my orders,” the guard responded.
Helena glared at him sternly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone.
“You know who my father is right?” she asked.
The guard nodded simply. She pointed to the recent call between her and her father, then pointed to the photos taken by Javi showing recent hieroglyphics from the pyramid.
“See that call? It came from him directly. He needs these hieroglyphics translated before he arrives tomorrow. Guess who he’ll come and see if the job isn’t done?” she warned in ominous tone.
The guard swallowed hard. He nodded in acquiescence, then stepped aside.
“Sorry ma’am, I didn’t realize,” he said simply.
She shrugged off his apology and headed into the trailer. As she entered, seated around a small table, Javi, Jack and Duni stared in surprise at her appearance.
“Are you here to kill us now?” Jack spat sarcastically.
“Sorry about that. I guess I lost my mind out there. Obviously I’m not going to kill anyone. I’m not a murderer for God sakes,” she defended.
“No, not a murderer, just a traitor,” he shot back.
Helena felt irritated by the accusation, but knew she could say nothing if she wanted her plan to succeed. Politely, she sat down in an empty seat and placed her clipboard and phone on the table.
“I guess I deserve that,” she responded, then continued, “After cooling down a bit, I realized I behaved badly and I’m sorry. I hope we can move past that.”
The three sat unimpressed, but listened anyway.
“I know you guys don’t trust me now, but the reason I’m here is much bigger than your issue over me. My father will arrive tomorrow with some of the top leaders of the Society of Arae. They’re all here for the scepter. They can’t be allowed to get their hands on it. If they do, the world as we know it will end and a new order will rise up, run by these men. They’ve been waiting for a catalyst to make their move. The scepter is that catalyst.” She paused a moment, letting her words sink in, then continued, “They are as evil as anyone you’ve ever heard of. They are murderers, thieves, kidnapers, extortionist, as well as a long laundry list of other offences.”
“Helena, do you have any idea just how crazy that sounds?” Javi said.
“I know it sounds crazy, but have you ever heard of the Society of Arae?”
“Admittedly, no,” he confessed.
“If a society of people have been able to remain secret for thousands of years, all the while rising to some of the world’s highest positions of power, don’t you think they might have the resources to pull off what they’re planning? And even if they can’t pull it off, can you imagine the world havoc they’ll wreak while trying?”
While the three regarded her first claim of ‘world takeover’ as fantasy and nonsense, the last claim of ‘world havoc’ created deep worry within them. They knew that bad men with money and power had the ability to disrupt whole societies if they chose to do so. It was already happening with the drug cartels of Latin America. They realized this new society could do the same.
Jack shook his head in shock and stared at the table. He stood up and took off his jacket, then laid it on the table, casually covering Helena’s items.
Sitting back down again, he said, “This is bad, this is really bad. You need to do something.
“No Jack, we need to do something. We need to get to that scepter before they do,” she stated adamantly.
“We?” Duni responded mockingly.
“Yes Duni, we,” she shot back confidently. “I can’t get into that chamber after what happened earlier, but I am allowed to move about freely. Because of that, I might be able to distract one of the guards and sneak one of you in,” she said, now staring directly at Jack.
All eyes focused on him.
“Why me?” he asked in feeble tone, already knowing the answer.
“Javi’s too old, Duni’s to weak and you’ve demonstrated you’re resourcefulness by surviving at sea,” she responded bluntly.
“Well hell, Helena, don’t sugar coat it. Please tell us what you’re really thinking,” Duni shot back, now insulted.
“Sorry, but I don’t have time for niceties and games. I have to state my case quickly and convincingly,” she responded.
“I’m convinced. I’ll do it,” Jack said resolutely.
Javi and Duni sat stunned. Jack’s response seemed too impulsive for logic.
“What’re you thinking? You’re actually going to trust her? Don’t you want to hear more of the story before you walk into the lion’s den?” Duni asked incredulously.
“I have to agree with Dunixi. I’m not comfortable with the little information we just received. I think you should hear more before accepting the task, Jack. This could be a life or death situation,” Javi reasoned.
Jack stood up and grabbed his jacket. He walked over to a small refrigerator and took out a bottled water. He took a long drink, then replaced the top. Leaning casually against a desktop, he stared back at Javi and Duni.
“I appreciate your concern guys, but my mind is made up. I’m doing it,” he said, decisively.
Javi and Duni both exhaled a sigh of exasperation and shook their heads in disapproval.
“Thank you, Jack,” Helena responded. “You won’t regret this.”
“I might regret it, but I don’t have much choice,” he responded. “So when do you want to do this?”
“Around six this evening, that’s when the changing of the guard occurs. I’ll distract the guard at the entrance and you can sneak in during the confusion. Ron Cotterman’s goons all dress the same, so I’ll get you a change of clothes. If anyone sees you, they’ll think you’re one of them. At that point, you rush in, grab the scepter and rush back out again. Once the scepter is in our hands, we can simply hide it. When they enter tomorrow for the first time and find only Zeus, they’ll think the scepter never existed. After that, the society will simply continue on with their lives as if the event never happened.”
“Ridiculous! Do you really think…” Javi started.
“Javi, it’s ok. I’m doing it and that’s the final word on this,” Jack blurted loudly, cutting him off in mid-sentence.
Jack turned to Helena. He softy rubbed her shoulder and smiled flirtatiously.
“I think you better go now,” he said softly.
Helena smiled back, seductively. As she stood up, Jack stepped closer and stared deeply into her eyes. He reached behind him, grabbed the clipboard from the table and handed it to her.
“Hurry back,” he said, once again in flirtatious tone.
She smiled, then turned and headed out the door.
“You can’t still like her after what she just did to us, c
an you?” Duni shouted, in disbelief.
Jack turned and rushed over to the desk by the refrigerator, then lifted his jacket. Holding up Helena’s satellite phone, he smiled coyly. His face then became serious.
“We don’t have much time. Javi, start your computer and bring up Inspector DiApopolus’ email address. Duni, stand by the window and shout out if anyone’s coming,” he said in grave tone.
Duni rushed by them as Javi sat down at his computer. Jack opened the phone and searched through its data base. Two minutes later, with his computer finally running, Javi opened his contacts and searched through the list of names.
“Got it, Jack,” he shouted.
“Great, now open and email browser and add his name,” Jack said, still fumbling with the phone’s confusing file management system.
“Come on!” he growl in frustration, still unable to find the files he needed.
Suddenly Duni called to them.
“Guys, she’s coming back. Whatever you’re doing, you better hurry,” he said, his voice now growing worried.
“Shit! We’re not even close,” Jack said in surprise. “Lock the door and hold the handle. When she tries to get in, tell her the handle’s frozen.”
“Frozen? Jack, she’ll never buy it,” Duni shot back in disbelief.
“Dude, just do it,” he ordered forcefully.
Turning back to Javi, he said, “As quick as you can, write an email to the Inspector. Tell him we’re being held hostage. Tell him to send help by tomorrow or we’re all dead.”
“Way ahead of you. Almost done,” he replied, typing frantically.
A loud knock sounded from the door.
“Hey guys. Let me in. I forgot something,” Helena shouted from outside.
Duni held the doorknob tightly. Looking back toward Jack, his face was consumed by fear.
Jack rushed behind the computer, he ripped a USB cord from a nearby accessory, then plugged one end into the phone and the other into the computer. Racing around to the front, he grabbed the mouse from Javi and hurried through several layers of menus.
“Come on… where the hell is it?” he said, now frantic.
Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis) Page 23