One problem solved.
Now he just needed to figure out where to steal one from.
57 |
Mine Site, Eastern Mongolia
Arban gently scooped away shovelful after shovelful, dumping each load into a sifter that Elbegdor worked, searching for anything of interest. Lights had been set up to allow them to work through the night, those in charge clearly eager to have everything done before the dayshift arrived.
They were working as fast as they could without compromising the site, but both paused as a helicopter approaching had all those gathered turning. It landed nearby and out of sight from their deep hole, though as the rotors beat at the ground, Arban cursed at the debris blowing into their area. He couldn’t discern anything beyond the engines, but as they powered down, he heard something overhead and looked to see the head of security, Stander, staring down into the pit.
“Have they found anything yet?”
Conrad shook his head. “No.”
“Why are you humoring them?”
“Why not? If it turns out to be nothing, then we can announce that and continue.”
“If not?”
Conrad shrugged. “Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Stander shook his head. “I think you’re taking a big risk.” He pointed at Arban. “Especially with that one.”
Conrad stared down at Arban, sending a wave of goosebumps over his body. “Actually, he’s proving quite cooperative. I think Elbegdor has converted him to our side.”
Stander’s eyes probed Arban, who turned away, not trusting he might reveal the truth, instead returning to his work. “You’re more trusting than I am.”
“Not to worry. If he betrays us again, you have my permission to kill him. Happy?”
“No, but it will have to do. I understand our military contacts have come through for us?” Stander and the others stepped away, out of earshot, leaving Arban to wonder what they were talking about.
Then his shovel hit something, and all that was happening above him was forgotten. He tossed the shovel aside and dug with his spade, gently moving away the dirt and rocks, then gasped as a bone was revealed. He exchanged an excited look with Elbegdor.
“We’ve found it!” exclaimed his corrupt boss.
“Yes, but what is it we’ve found?”
58 |
Khentii Region, Mongol Empire 1227 AD
It was the deepest hole Mutukan had ever seen. Hundreds had dug it day and night until the scholars among them confirmed it was deep enough to withstand what it would be put through over the years that lay ahead.
The undertaking was ambitious, planned out over days from the moment the spot had been chosen by divine intervention, and as he watched the hand-carved burial bed carrying his beloved master lowered into the hole, to rest upon the stone platform laid at the bottom, his mind turned to the years of service at the man’s side. He found his eyes closing as he swayed on his feet, the incantations sung by the monks rhythmic and mesmerizing, enough to put someone to sleep and their ultimate doom should they not be careful.
For the hole was deep, a fall deadly.
A tear rolled down Mutukan’s cheek as the ropes slackened, indicating the greatest warrior to have ever lived had reached his final resting place, deep below the surface of the earth, never to be disturbed by anyone again, his peaceful passage into the next life assured.
The monks, finished with their ritual, stepped back, and all those gathered turned, walking away slowly, many sobbing in renewed sorrow.
Mutukan pulled the flat stone he had discovered the day they arrived, now hidden in his robes, and gripped it in his hand, reading the words he had carefully inscribed on it over the many days they had been here. He stepped to the very edge of the hole then held out his arms, the stone gripped in both hands.
And let go.
Breaking his final promise to his master.
In the hope it would ensure his peaceful slumber should something one day go wrong.
59 |
Incheon International Airport Incheon, South Korea Present Day
Tommy breathed a sigh of relief the moment they stepped into the terminal in South Korea. He hugged Mai. “It’s over.”
“For us, but not for the professors.”
He frowned, guilt washing over him at his selfish thought. “You’re right.” He looked about. “We need to figure out who to talk to. Jack said to call our parents, but maybe we should call the embassy.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
Two men in business suits suddenly blocked their path. “Mr. Thomas Granger and Miss Mai Trinh?”
Tommy gulped. “Umm, yes?”
IDs were flashed. “US Federal Agents. I need you to come with us.”
“Umm, okay. We were, ahh, actually going to call the embassy.”
“Come quickly, there’s little time.” The man took him by the arm, the other doing the same to Mai, and they were swiftly guided through the crowded terminal, then through a door where they found a small conference room. Four men were sitting on one side of the table. Mai’s eyes brightened as she recognized them, and Tommy’s heart hammered with excitement, for they were finally, truly, safe.
They were with four members of Bravo Team.
“It’s so good to see you all again,” gushed Mai as handshakes were exchanged, a bond created during their time together in Vietnam where she had helped save Niner’s life and that of the rest of the team. And a heavy price paid by never being able to go home. “Why are you here?” she asked as they all sat back down.
Dawson took the lead. “This will be a very quick meeting, I’m afraid. We’re heading to Mongolia to retrieve the professors, so we need to know everything you know.”
Tommy’s stomach flipped. “Does that mean they’ve been captured?”
“Yes. As far as we can tell, they’ve been taken into custody by corrupt Mongolian military, and are being taken to a mine site located at the GPS coordinates you found.”
Tommy frowned. “Well, it sounds like you know everything we do then.”
“Do you have the data you retrieved off Mr. Arban Namjiliin’s computer?”
Tommy shook his head. “No, it was all on my laptop. The Internet connection was so slow, I never had time to upload anything into the cloud.”
“Where’s your laptop?”
“In my hotel room, I think.” He shook his head. “Actually, that guy who tried to kidnap us put it in a bag. They had it with them when Jack rescued us.” He cursed. “They probably have his home computer too. That means nobody has a copy of those photos anymore.”
Dawson leaned forward. “What exactly do the photos show?”
“A skeletal hand, some carved wood. Nothing much, but it was enough to get her excited.” He jerked a thumb toward Mai.
Mai smiled. “I’m an archaeologist by training. Of course I’m going to get excited by something found deep underground in the middle of nowhere.”
Dawson waved a hand, cutting off what Tommy was certain would be a detailed explanation. “Okay, we’ll let the scientists worry about the science. Our job is to rescue the hostages if we can reach them in time. Is there anything helpful you can tell us that might achieve that?”
Tommy shrugged. “I’m sorry, I can’t think of anything. We were in our hotel room almost the entire time. Beyond the GPS coordinates—oh, wait! Before I forget! The Mongolians arrested two innocent people at the airport, thinking they were us. Is there anything you can do to help them?”
Dawson frowned. “I’ll let Control know, and they’ll see what they can do.” He rose, followed by the rest of the room. “There’s a flight waiting to take you stateside. The men outside will see that you’re on it.”
Tommy took Mai’s hand. “We’d rather wait to make sure the professors are okay.”
Dawson regarded them. “Can you think of any way that you’d be able to help us by being here?”
Tommy stared at him blankly as he struggled
to think of something, anything, that wouldn’t make his statement sound as stupid as it was. “Umm, no? But just because I can’t think of anything now, doesn’t mean I won’t later.”
Dawson chuckled. “I like you, kid. Get on the plane. If you’re needed, or you think of anything, call Control. You’ve dealt with him before. Chris Leroux.”
Tommy nodded. “Yeah, I know him.”
“Good. Then you know anything you say he’ll take seriously. Get on the flight, get home, so that when we do rescue the professors, they have one less thing to worry about, okay?”
Mai looked up at Tommy. “He’s right. Let’s just get home and out of the way.”
Tommy agreed. “Fine, but try to do something about those people who were arrested. They don’t deserve to be in a jail cell because of us.”
Dawson ushered them out the door. “I will.”
60 |
Mine Site, Eastern Mongolia
Acton stared out one of the small windows of the Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopter as it banked to land at what was obviously a strip mine, the massive open pit lost in the darkness, one area intensely lit, and if he didn’t know better, a portion of it staked off as if there was an archaeological dig underway.
They landed, the massive rotors powering down as the doors were thrown open and the soldiers poured out, two of them hauling him and Laura to their feet and shoving them outside. Acton hit the ground hard, cursing at the men as he turned his attention to Laura who had managed to maintain her footing. He struggled to his feet, his hands still cuffed behind him, then surveyed their new surroundings.
It was definitely a mine, massive equipment everywhere, though beyond this small area, the active mine itself didn’t appear to be running, which he found sort of surprising, as he would have thought the operation would run in shifts, 24 hours a day. He stared toward the staked site but couldn’t see it, a large hole, freshly dug if the dirt piled beside it was any indication, all that was visible. The soldiers had spread out, creating a perimeter, the major in charge already talking to several civilians, all but one Caucasian.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded at Laura. “You?”
“Yeah. What do you think is going on?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. This is obviously where they were taking the core samples, so that means they’re looking to expand the operation.”
She stared at the massive open pit in the distance. “Looks pretty big to me already.”
“Me too. Did you see that staked out area when we flew by?”
“Yes. But it can’t be because of what was in that photo, could it? I mean, if they were going to properly excavate, why all the shooting?”
He shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.” He noticed the group of civilians walk toward them. “Okay, maybe we’re about to find out what’s going on.”
“Or we’re about to get shot.”
Acton grunted. “Well, let’s ask lots of questions before they do that. If I die, I want to know why.”
She pressed against him, staring up at him. “If we die, I just want you to know that I love you.”
“Only if?”
She smiled, whacking him gently with a twist of her shoulders. “You know what I mean.”
“I love you too.” He leaned down and gave her a kiss.
“Aww, isn’t that touching.”
Acton glared at the man with a South African accent, a man he recognized as part of the second group to have arrived at Arban’s house. “It’s called love. You should try it sometime. Maybe you wouldn’t be such a prick.”
The man chuckled. “You know, Professor Acton, in another life, you and I might have been friends.”
Acton grunted. “I doubt it.” He looked at the group. “Now, who’s in charge here. Surely it can’t be this hired gun.”
A man stepped forward. Caucasian, mid-forties, tidy haircut and expensive though business-casual clothes. “I am.”
“And you are?”
“His name is none of your business,” interrupted the South African.
The man in charge glanced at him, shaking his head. “I hardly think it matters anymore, do you, Stander? I mean, if we’re killing them, then they take the names to their grave. And if we aren’t, then what the hell was the point of all this?”
Acton’s stomach churned at the words. Their lives were forfeit, but there was still hope. Jack was still out there. He knew where they were going, was almost definitely CIA, which meant Kane knew they were in trouble. That all added up to a hell of a lot of hope with the friends they had acquired over the years. Yet it wasn’t like they were exactly the next town over. They would need time to get here, and that meant he had to delay things.
“If you’re going to kill us, can you at least tell us why, Mister…?”
“Conrad. I’m the Vice President of Operations at FirstPrime Mining, here to oversee the expansion of this mine.”
“And just what is it you mine here?”
“The most important materials of the modern economy. Tell me, Professor, what do you think that is?”
Acton didn’t have to think hard. The man had said ‘modern,’ and they were willing to kill to keep it running. And he had heard of FirstPrime. They had operations back home. American companies didn’t kill over copper or nickel, even gold or diamonds. Not today. But with what was happening in the world today, there was something he could see causing greed to replace sense. “Rare earth elements.”
Conrad clapped as he laughed, exchanging jovial looks with the others who remained stone-faced. “Give the man a cigar! Exactly right, Professor.”
“But why kill?” asked Laura. “It’s just a mine.”
“Just a mine! Do you realize how important a resource this is? What we’ve found here is massive. This deposit could help shift the balance away from China. Do you realize they provide eighty percent of the entire global market? That means, on a whim, they can shut off our supplies, and cripple our hi-tech economy in a matter of months. That means no new cellphones, computers, medical equipment, televisions. And it’s not just consumer goods. Do you realize how dependent our military is on these materials?
“And look at the state of our relations with China right now. How long before they take that step? They could do it tomorrow if the wrong thing is said or done. But this mine, this ground we’re standing on right here, right now, can change all that. Once at full capacity, we could reduce the global dependence on Chinese supplied product dramatically, to the point that if they shut off their supplies, we could fill a significant chunk of the demand and minimize the risk to our economy.”
Acton hated when the villain was right, but in this case, Conrad was. He had read the articles. And with each passing year, as China’s economy grew stronger, as its technological capabilities improved, and as its military might grew, especially its blue water navy capabilities, they would overtake the United States and become the preeminent superpower on the planet. And with the grip it held on things such as rare earth elements, desperately needed by the modern way of life Western civilization demanded, they could shut off our access to it and there would be nothing we could do beyond complain to a dictator-dominated United Nations.
He stared at Conrad. “I agree with every word you just said.”
Conrad’s eyebrows shot up. “You do?”
“Of course. I’m an educated man, I’ve read the articles. This mine is essential to the future of our economy. I agree. And if our silence is what you need to keep this operation going, then you have my word that you’ll have it.”
Conrad chuckled. “Professor Acton, do you take me for a fool?”
Acton gave a wry smile. “I was hoping you were.”
Stander laughed, the others joining in. “I knew I liked him.”
Conrad stepped closer, the diminutive man staring up at Acton. “Professor, I obviously can’t take your word for it, and that is unfortunate.”
Acton had to agree. “Can you tell me something, t
hough?”
Conrad stepped back, shrugging. “Why not? The condemned man is entitled to a final request.”
“What did you do to Arban? Did you kill him?”
Conrad shook his head, extending his arm toward the pit where Acton had spotted the staked-out area. “No. Your friend Arban has joined our side. In fact, he’s over there, excavating our little unfortunate discovery.”
Acton’s eyes narrowed. “Why? If you’re willing to kill people, then why bother preserving the find?”
“Because if it turns out to be nothing, then we can continue operations, and if word managed to spread, we can claim we followed proper procedure, found it was nothing, and continued on.”
“And if it does prove to be something?” asked Laura.
“No problem. We move it somewhere else, then have it ‘discovered’ there, with no one the wiser.”
Acton resisted the urge to exchange what he was certain would have been an all too revealing glance with Laura. Unless these morons exactly matched the soil types, content, and much more, any archaeologist worth his salt would determine very quickly the discovery had been transplanted. Though they might have difficulty proving exactly where it had been moved from, as he doubted there were a lot of soil samples on record for this area to compare to, they wouldn’t fool anyone in the end.
But they would never have the discovery traced back to them.
Maybe they’re not morons.
A sudden thought occurred to him. “Can I make one more request?”
“What’s that?”
“Let us help with the excavation.”
Conrad’s eyes narrowed. “And why would I let you do that?”
“Because with two more sets of professional hands, the job will get done that much faster.”
Conrad regarded him for a moment. “Why do I think you’re up to something?”
Acton shrugged. “Your distrusting nature?” He gestured at the soldiers and private security. “It’s not exactly like we can go anywhere now, is it?”
The Tomb of Genghis Khan Page 14