Chapter Seventy-Three
The tunnel led down much lower than anywhere they’d been inside Atlantis. After nearly an hour, the ancient escape route turned and they began the long journey in an upwards direction. Sam looked at his survival time in his ADS machine – they were down to six hours. They would need to begin the process of surfacing soon, if they were to make it in time. Sam swam around the next bend in the tunnel, revealing the opening inside a small cave overlooking the outside of Poseidon’s temple.
“What do you think? Are Andrew’s men taking chances that we’re dead or will they be waiting for us on the surface?” Tom asked.
Sam was about to answer, and then noticed that next to the extensive outer dome, a sad-looking Snow Cat stood looking very out of place, nearly 500 feet below the surface.
“Oh yeah, they weren’t taking any chances. Now we’re stuck about three hundred miles from anywhere, in the Siberian winter without a vehicle!”
“All right, let’s go face the elements.” Tom began the systematic process of ascending.
The massive facemask of Sam’s ADS machine broached the surface of Lake Cheko. Tentative that a second attack might be imminent, he decided not to return through the hole they’d originally created. Instead, he built a new one as close to the shore as possible.
He scanned the area quickly, seeing nothing but white. Then, switching on his helmet-mounted infrared monitor, he scanned the area above. Reassured nothing except snow surrounded them, Sam climbed out and made his way to the edge of the lake.
“Okay Tom, I think we’re clear. Your turn.”
“Coming right up.”
Sam dug a makeshift snow cave with the remaining power of his ADS machine. And then carefully began exiting the awesome machine. Opening the exit below him, he climbed down. After opening the antennae to his satellite phone, he pressed the call button.
“Did you find out where Atlantis is?” The Secretary of Defense was quick to answer.
“Yes, Manhattan!” Sam replied. “But there’s more that we learnt, too.”
“It’s going to activate in the next 48 hours.” She said the words slowly, with her usual air of superiority.
“You knew?” Sam asked accusingly.
“Of course I bloody well know what the Atlantis device does. We were there in 1908! We knew it’s due to be triggered again, but we just prayed like hell that the second damn temple wasn’t on our side of the Atlantic!”
“We still have to work out precisely where, and we don’t have long to do so.”
“Yes, leave that to me, I’ll put all our manpower into it,” she said. “But do you have the code to Atlantis?”
“No.”
“Then it’s all over, anyway,” the Secretary of Defense said.
“No it’s not. Because I think Billie might have found it.”
“I thought you said that awful woman had been kidnapped?”
“She has been. Most likely by a man named Andrew Brandt. From what information I’ve gotten on him. He’s a Rhodes Scholar. He was exceptional at math, and appeared to be in the process of being groomed for a position with NASA.”
“So, what happened to him? Why didn’t we get him?”
“Altruism or science for the betterment of mankind wasn’t part of his plan. Instead, he took the fortune his father had left him and opened up a merchant bank – The Phoenix Associates. From what we’ve learned about him, he specializes in unique and often highly illegal acquisitions. His problems started well before he was born. His father, and grandfather, were part of a secret organization known as the Phoenix Resistance for thousands of years. They swore to protect the Secret of Atlantis – I can only imagine this would be the code we’re after. Perhaps through the ages they’ve lost it, or they never had it to begin with. Ultimately, I think they kidnapped Billie because they thought she could find it for them.”
“And you think they’ll bring Billie to Atlantis?”
“I’m certain of it. In fact, I doubt they even know where Atlantis is themselves. All we need to do is beat them to Atlantis. Find Atlantis, we find Billie, and if we can get her back alive, we’ll have the code.”
Up ahead, Sam heard the familiar whir of a couple of Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawks.
He looked at Tom. “We’ve got company.”
Tom nodded his head and prepared the remaining RPG to be fired.
“What is it?” the Secretary of Defense asked.
“We’ve got to go. We’ve got incoming. Sounds like a couple Sikorsky.”
The Secretary of Defense said, “Those are my birds on an extraction mission for you. Don’t you dare damage my hardware, or it will come out of your bank.”
“That’s the first bit of good news I think you’ve ever told me,” he said, while motioning to Tom to put the RPG down.
“I have a jet waiting to take you to JFK airport. I personally will meet you on the ground. We don’t have much time to pull this off!”
“Understood.” Sam thought about that celestial ceiling within Poseidon’s temple. Its purpose suddenly struck something in his mind. “Madam Secretary, there’s one more thing.”
“What?” her reply was curt.
“Contact the head of NASA’s Near Earth Object Program. It’s just a hunch, but I need to know if there’s anything large heading toward earth.”
Chapter Seventy-Four
Billie sat still. There was little of any use that she could do in her current position. She tried to force herself to relax long enough to sleep. She would need all her wits about her if she was going to beat Andrew when the opportunity arose. For nearly twenty-four hours he had kept moving her. Someone had bound her eyes tight with an impenetrable piece of leather, almost immediately afterward handcuffing her to a steel brace bar inside the helicopter. From the helicopter Billie was moved to a jet, most likely privately owned she guessed, because she heard no one else on it with the exception of the man who had taken her.
Andrew, if it was even him, had sat opposite her on the jet drinking something that smelled like rich cognac. Then after a few hours, the smell of his dinner became painful. It was roast beef with vegetables. She could imagine the look of gravy poured over the peas, carrots, and potatoes as she heard the man savoring each bite.
She had waited for him to speak, not wanting to provide him with the upper hand. He wanted her to feel helpless, she gathered. Billie had no intention of giving him such pleasure, so despite her hunger and being deprived the ability to piss, she remained silent. It was a game he was playing with her, but for what purpose she had no idea. He had not spoken a word to her since kidnapping her, when he simply told her that she would die, but first there were a few things he wanted her to clear up.
She could almost feel him staring at her. Enjoying her discomfort – waiting for her to get herself really fired up with the anxiety that overcame most people in her situation. He was savoring the moment, and she imagined him wanting to do something to provoke her, but carefully restraining his carnal desires. Delaying immediate gratification for something much greater – her complete supplication.
Well, she wouldn’t be giving him that.
What’s the worst thing he can do to me? Kill me. Okay, so he’s already established that he’s going to do that. Based on that, any way I can alter the outcome will be in my advantage. If I only have a day to live, it will be worth it to ruin his.
But what does he really need from me?
The answer came immediately to her head – Power! She doubted it was sexual. Already, she’d begun to feel like she knew the man. Edward had told her all about his past. He was a rich kid, given money and power by his father. But he was also a Rhodes Scholar, which meant he was exceptionally astute. He was the head of an eleven-thousand-year old cult aimed at ensuring the secret of Atlantis reached its violent fruition. And that made him a fanatic. Even terrorists rarely carry on throughout multiple generations – but to maintain the desire to destroy humanity for eleven thousand years takes fanatical persistence. The
more she thought about it, the less she believed what he desired was at all sexual.
No, he craves power and by the sounds of things gets off over it, the sick fuck. But that’s not what he needs me for. I have something, or else he would have simply put two bullets in my head as he had the rest of the people on the ship.
Could he still need the code to Atlantis?
Edward! – Her thoughts quickly moved to the old man, and her heart slumped with the almost certain knowledge that he was now dead, his carcass most likely being eaten by crocodiles. They had all died. There was no reason why she should care more for him than anyone else. But he’d been kind to her. More than that – he had taken her under his wing as he would his own daughter. He never quite got around to explaining it to her, but she knew that the old man had a sad story with his own daughter.
She stopped herself having the luxury of self-pity, and returned quickly to the task of finding what Andrew was after.
So if Andrew already had the code to Atlantis, what did he want?
Could it be that he doesn’t actually know where Atlantis is?
She dismissed the idea almost immediately.
No, he knows where it is. Mark would have had that information. Otherwise he would have already tried to find out from her where it was, instead of flying there.
Billie had no doubt that they were flying directly toward New York.
He’s already been there! Which means – he’s seen the challenges. He can’t pass them! That’s what he needs me for.
And that meant there was time… if only she could get a message to Sam Reilly.
The flight continued. It made a brief landing. From what she could gather, it was only to refuel. Her ears, now highly attuned to the sounds around her, noticed that the man who was watching her had stood up to stretch his legs.
She waited for a few minutes and then stood up herself.
Instantly she was punched in the gut. The force knocked the wind out of her lungs, and as her diaphragm went into a spasm, she struggled to take the next breath. Slowly she curled up, back in her seat.
Then, slowly gaining the ability to breathe again, Billie said, “I was going to the bathroom, you fuckwit!”
“So go,” the man replied with a laugh.
She hated to let the man have his way, but even so, it was a long flight to the U.S. and there was no way that she was going to hold it all that way.
Without speaking, she simply pissed on the man’s jet.
“The fucking bitch just wet herself!” the man said.
“Good.” It was the voice she’d associated with Andrew. “That means we’re almost ready to begin.”
Chapter Seventy-Five
Edward reached the shore with Zanzibe, the pygmy king. It was a long swim, over a mile, and at 80 years of age, he was probably in the one percent of his age bracket who could possibly do it. The fact that he didn’t die of a heart attack during the swim only proved that the purpose that drove him was more valuable than his life. He could die soon, after he had performed his task, but not before.
“Thank you Zanzibe – I would not be here if you hadn’t entered when you had.”
“No. I know you’re not one of them. You’re not a god, but Dr. Swan is, isn’t she?”
Edward nodded his head.
“And you’re going to save her life!” the pygmy insisted.
“Me? How the hell do you expect me to do that? I’m in the middle of the Congo jungle, without anything, and they’re in a helicopter, probably already boarding a plane to Atlantis. I want Andrew dead as much as you do, and I want to save Dr. Swan too, but I don’t think it’s possible. Hell, I don’t even know how I’m going to get out of this jungle, let alone to New York.”
“I will help you.”
Edward laughed. “I hate to tell you this, but despite being the king of your little tribe, there is a really big world out here, and there’s little that any of us can do to change it.”
“I believe you’re right, but all the same. I need you to save Dr. Swan’s life – before the code to Atlantis is initiated, and your ‘really big world’ has a bad day.”
“Okay, so how do we get out of the jungle from here?”
“Leave that to me.”
The pygmy then started to call out in an ancient pygmy dialect sounding more like a bird’s mating ritual than anything human. Within minutes it was answered.
Great – he speaks with the animals!
And then all went quiet in the jungle.
“What did they say?”
“They said they’d help you. Because it is important, not because they like you.”
“Great. Which way do we walk?”
The pygmy pointed toward a small opening in the dense forest. “There.”
Five minutes later the quietness of the jungle was interrupted by the sound of chopper blades spinning.
Edward grinned at the little native. “You ordered a helicopter?”
“Of course. And now, I’m coming with you, to make sure you don’t screw it up.”
Chapter Seventy-Six
JFK Airport – 12 Hours Remaining
Sam Reilly stepped off the plane. The presidential motorcade met him at the tarmac. A U.S. Marine in dress uniform held the door open for him. Sam casually stooped to get into the car. His father had financed the President’s campaign. He wasn’t intimidated by the man. If anything, he was relieved. If he was here, it meant that the Secretary of Defense had taken him seriously.
“Hello, Mr. President.” Sam shuffled to the far side of the car, affectionately known as the Beast. Tom followed, and the door was shut immediately afterwards. They both shook the President’s hand. Next to him sat the Secretary of Defense. Her red hair was tied back in a perfect, military bun. Sam considered if she really did have a permanent scowl, or if it was just an act when she spent time with him. Somehow, despite the anger in her eyes and displeasure every time she spoke with him, she was possibly the sexiest woman he’d ever met. That being the case, he could think of no one he’d less like to spend the evening with.
“Mr. Reilly, one day I would really like to know what you were doing looking into our long buried secrets from last century in Siberia. But if you’re anything like your father I know I would be wasting my breath. For now, I need to know precisely how much time we have left?”
“On the Atlantis counter?”
“Yes, on the God damn Atlantis counter.”
“A little under twelve hours,” Sam replied. “Did you find what I asked for?”
“Yes. The original Costello map – we’ve just picked it up at the Smithsonian Institute. The oldest known map of Manhattan is now in your hands. Also, one of the curators there has found a series of engineering plans for the original water lots. We have more than a thousand of our people looking for that entrance now.”
“Good.” Sam picked up the delicate papers and began searching for what he needed. “Did the NASA’s Near Earth Object Program find anything?”
The President answered. “No, they’ve reassured me, there’s nothing that is in a direct collision course with us. Several that may come close, but if we were in danger, we’d have known about it by now.”
“Did you send them the images of the celestial cavern we found in Poseidon’s temple?” Sam asked.
The Secretary of Defense said, “Yes, and they had a look at the comet that appears to be on its way toward earth. A Dr. James Bradley from their Near Earth Object Program assures me that nothing short of earth changing its gravitational pull would cause that stone to fall from the sky.”
“Get him on the phone now!” Sam replied.
“Why?” The President asked, the slightest of alarm in his voice. “He already said it’s going to narrowly miss earth’s orbit.”
“Because, let me guess, it will pass over head in around 12 hours’ time.”
The President nodded his head, realization striking him hard.
“Here, have a look at this.” Sam handed him t
he images he’d printed on the flight. “They’re celestial markings found inside Poseidon’s temple. At first they didn’t make any sense, but I just worked out what they are. They’re charts of comets that pass earth close enough to be pulled into our gravitational field. Atlantis somehow affects that pull, changing the direction of the comet from its original path.”
“Any chance we can take out that comet before it reaches us?” Tom suggested.
“Impossible.” The President’s answer was firm. “We have systems in place to destroy an extraterrestrial collision of this sort, but they would take months to put into effect. No, I suggest we now utilize our resources to making certain that no one activates Atlantis.”
Sam skimmed the construction notes for the water lots that were built in 1653 – the first of a series of land reclamations within the island of Manhattan. When his eyes reached a series of names – mostly the owners or companies who were building he stopped. “Okay, here it is. This one! It says the owner was a Mr. Felix Brandt.”
“Are you certain?” the President asked.
“Yes. Andrew Brandt is the one who we believe kidnapped Dr. Swan. There must be a connection somewhere. He needs something that Billie has – my guess, she managed to find the code to Atlantis.” Sam thought about it for a few seconds. “Okay, let them know it must be hiding in relatively plain sight. Dr. Billie Swan was there just five weeks ago. If she reached it on her own, then it means she hasn’t been doing any serious excavation, or your people would already know about it. We’re looking for somewhere that descends below that building.”
“There’s only one problem…” the President looked seriously at him.
“What?”
“That building was torn down in 1930.”
“It has to be that building! Why was it torn down?”
“To make way for the construction of the Bank of America Financial Center on the corner of Wall Street and Water.”
Sam looked at the Costello map, comparing it to where the modern day Bank of America Building rested. “Okay, I have it. Get me to that building. I know where those tunnels are. And I think I just worked out how Billie managed to find it so easily in the first place.”
The Sam Reilly Collection Page 70