All three looked at each other with ominous expressions. Each man knew his life was in danger. Each man knew he needed to depend on the other for survival.
“Ok, we need to stick together from here on out. Nothing can be taken for granted. Anything suspicious, unusual, or even confusing, needs to be examined thoroughly before we proceed, ok?” Burt asked.
“Absolutely,” Javier replied.
With a simple nod from Jack, the three turned and exited the chamber. Outside, the workers waited anxiously for details.
“Sir, what did you find?” asked a voice from the waiting crowd.
“Nothing. The chamber was empty,” Burt answered.
“What’s next?” another man pressed further.
“We’ll be searching for what’s behind door number two,” Jack responded as a joke.
“Door number two?” the voice asked in puzzled tone.
“The blank door at the front of the pyramid. We’re pretty sure we know how to get in, and now that we know what to expect once we’re in there, it should be safer than this first chamber,” Burt said, downplaying the dangers so as not to scare off any more workers.
A low hush spread through the crowd as they thought about the last statement. Finally, one man spoke.
“We’ll help you on the outside, but you’ll be alone on the inside.”
“We understand.” Burt replied in simple acknowledgement.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
The men gathered in front of the pyramid, readying the sealed door for opening. Just like the booby trapped door on the southern side of the pyramid, the team located the hole in the ground just in front of the main door that would cause it to open. Anticipating a similar collapse of the ground and door, the team worked cautiously as they set up their equipment.
Standing on both sides of the doorway, Jack and Darrien held the ends of a long metal pipe, nearly three inches in diameter and measuring thirty feet long. Welded at its center was a shorter vertical pipe that hung below by three feet. Standing at a safe distance away, Javier and Burt shouted directions to locate the vertical pipe over the hole.
“Ok, that looks good. You’re centered up over the hole pretty well. When I say ‘go,’ drop that pipe into the hole and run like hell,” Javier shouted.
“Sir, are you sure this is safe?” Darrien asked Javier.
“We’re positive. You two are well away from the danger zone and as long as you let go of the pipe and move away quickly, there’s little chance of it hitting you,” Burt cut in.
“Don’t worry, buddy. I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought it was dangerous,” Jack added.
Burt turned to Javier and quietly said, “Comforting words from the man who climbs mountains and dives for artifacts alone.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Javier replied with a smile.
“Ok guys… you ready?” Javier asked.
The entire work crew assembled a short distance behind Javier and Burt, the excitement of the unknown energizing the atmosphere. As they watched with anticipation, the sound of breathing was the only sound that could be heard. Just beyond the crowd, two men dressed in dark suits slipped in from behind. Standing silently, they too watched with anticipation.
“Ok guys, on my mark: one, two, three,” Javier shouted loudly.
Even before he finished, Jack and Darrien lowered the pipe into the hole until it reached the bottom. They both leaned hard on the pipe and felt the hardened surface give way. Instantly, the ground collapsed and the large sealed door sprung outward and fell into the now gaping hole in the ground, throwing a heavy cloud of dust in the air.
Having moved a safe distance away, Jack and Darrien slowly moved back in for a closer look.
“Wow, that was scary,” Darrien shouted to no one in particular.
“I’d let you borrow my shorts but I think I soiled them,” Jack joked in return.
As the dust finally cleared, Javier and Burt rushed in to investigate.
“Not too close guys. It could still be booby trapped,” Burt warned.
Standing a few feet from the hole, the four men now focused their attention on the entrance to the pyramid. Just like the other chamber, this one too had sand and silt covering the floor. Although the sun was shining, only a few feet could be seen into the darkened chamber.
"So what's next, sirs?" Darrien asked.
"Well, first we'll have the door removed from this hole. It has great value, so we’ll need to make sure it's well preserved," Burt responded, pointing in front of them. "After we remove the door, we'll fill in the hole, and then the fun begins. We'll send in a remote-controlled probe. It has an articulating arm and a video camera, so we'll be able to investigate the chamber safely."
“If someone can get me a flashlight, I'll climb over the hole and check out the entrance right now," Jack offered.
"I admire your courage, Jack, but why don't we just stick to the plan," Javier said.
"Kill joy," Jack teased.
Within two hours, the door was extracted and the hole filled in with nearby soil. Javier and Burt set up the robotic probe at the entrance and monitored its progress as it slowly rolled into the chamber.
Watching from a computer screen several feet from the pyramid, Jack and Darrien peered over Javier’s and Burt’s shoulders at they worked the equipment. As Javier worked a tiny joystick that maneuvered the four-wheeled probe, Burt monitored the sensors that reported back data and video of the chamber.
“Just like a video game, huh, sirs?” Darrien asked.
“Same thing, only this video game cost twenty thousand dollars to play,” Jack replied humorously.
“Wow, isn’t that a lot of money to be risking? What happens if a wall falls on it and squashes it?” Darrien asked.
“There’s no doubt we’re taking risks here, Darrien, but at least it’s only with a piece of machinery. We can replace it. We can’t replace a human life,” Javier explained. “I’m just hoping we can spot the booby traps before we go in.”
“Me too,” he replied in ominous tone.
Nervous excitement spread through the crowd as all watched and waited for the first images to appear. Working cautiously, Javier moved the joystick forward slowly, causing the three-foot by two-foot by one-foot high box on wheels to roll a few feet into the chamber. Burt used his own joystick to actuate the video camera, rotating it around nearly three-hundred-sixty degrees to view the now-visible walls.
“Wow, look at those hieroglyphics,” Burt said in awe.
“And those images of guards. Talk about menacing,” Javier added.
“Yeah, they sure don’t look like they’re inviting us in for tea,” Jack joked.
As the probe continued to roll into the chamber, something caught Burt’s attention.
“Javi, hold up a moment,” Burt said, his voice sounding strained.
“What is it, Burt? What do you see?” Javier asked, now looking over at Burt’s computer screen.
Burt stared at his screen and adjusted the focus slightly, bringing the image in more sharply. In his other hand, he held his booklet of translated hieroglyphics. Scanning between book and computer, he tried to decipher the meaning behind a larger grouping of hieroglyphics that were conspicuously etched into the wall.
“Hmm, this is a bit disturbing,” he said aloud, yet to no one in particular.
“What’s it say, Burt?” Javier pressed.
“Well, as far as I can tell, it says: ‘Cursed is he for all eternity,’” he replied.
For a moment, all were quiet as they thought about the message.
“Hmm, so the pyramid is cursed,” Javier said. “Great, just what I was hoping for,” he added sarcastically.
“Hopefully they’re just playing a bluff… trying to scare intruders away,” Jack responded.
“I wouldn’t count on it, Jack. So far, they’ve been good to their promises,” Javier responded.
“I was afraid someone was going to state the obvious,” Jack joked.
As Burt moved his own joystick, he shifted his camera to an object on the wall just ahead. He clicked a few buttons on his keyboard and the focus sharpened.
"Ah ha, sconces. One on each side of the chamber," he said aloud.
Javier shifted his focus to Burt's screen and concurred.
"I wonder if there's any oil in them after seven thousand years," Javier wondered.
"I'm sure it was all washed away with the tsunami," Jack replied.
"I'm sure you're right," Javier responded.
Javier pushed the control stick forward and the probe was on the move once more. Seated thirty feet from the entrance to the chamber, all eyes watched as the probe's spotlights faded in the darkness. Several more feet in, the probe’s camera picked up two large statues just up ahead, standing on each side of the corridor.
“Wow, those are amazing. They look perfectly intact,” Burt said.
“Exquisite,” Javier responded simply.
Moving in closer, Burt viewed the statues head to toe.
“Warriors guarding the chamber, obviously,” Javier said. “Interesting… one’s a bowman, the other is a spearman.”
“They appear to be carved out of a single piece of stone. Such craftsmanship,” Burt added.
Moving closer, they began to see build-up of silt behind the legs of the two statues.
“Javi, do you see that?” Burt asked, now pointing to the computer screen.
“Sure do. Looks like the tsunami filled this chamber with water, but not a lot of debris was able to get in,” Javier responded.
“You’d think that a tsunami with enough force to cover this entire pyramid would have pushed a lot more material into this chamber,” Jack said.
“Those doors must have an extremely tight fit… barely anything gets past them,” Burt speculated.
“That’s good news. The king’s tomb might still be fairly intact,” Javier said, trying to stay positive.
The further in the probe moved, the higher in elevation it climbed as the level floor became a slight incline. Several minutes later, the silt on the floor began to disappear.
“I think I can see the floor,” Javier announced. “Looks like the dirt must have been swept lower by the rush of draining water.”
As the floor became level again, the corridor made an abrupt turn to the left and more statues could be seen standing guard. All eyes watched nervously as they anticipated a trap being sprung around the corner. Slowly, methodically, Javier worked the small probe through the next darkened corridor.
Along the walls, more of the same hieroglyphs could be seen, warning against further travel. Every twenty feet, a pair of sconces appeared. Triangular in shape and measuring a foot high, they appeared as an upside down pyramid attached to the wall, five feet from the ground.
An hour later and another slight change in elevation, the corridor shifted back to the right again. The silt on the floor was mostly gone and now intricate etchings could be seen describing methods of horrific death.
“Boy, they sure are covering all the bases. I’ve counted four different ways to die so far,” Jack said.
“Imagine all that we missed in those areas covered with silt,” Javier responded.
“Maybe there aren’t any traps. Maybe they figured the hieroglyphics would be enough to scare people away,” Darrien speculated.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Jack said.
“Yeah, I have this sick feeling we’re missing something,” Burt responded.
“With all these warnings we’re seeing, I’m sure we’re missing something,” Javier added.
Another hour passed and the probe began to level out once more. Rolling along the flattened corridor, the walls in front of the probe suddenly disappeared.
“Whoa, go back!” Burt shouted. “It’s a trap.”
“Got it!” Javier shouted back in fearful tone.
Instantly, he reversed the probes wheel direction and began to back up. Burt frantically spun the camera around and searched the area for hazards.
“I don’t see anything,” Jack offered, nervously. “Maybe it’s nothing.”
“Can’t take that chance,” Javier said as he continued to back up.
Seconds later, the walls popped into view. Beyond the walls, down the corridor was safety. Pushing the speed of the probe as fast as he could, Javier expertly negotiated the narrow corridor. While Javier’s camera viewed the area in front of their travel, Burt’s camera viewed the area behind them. All eyes scanned both computer screens as they waited for doom to appear.
Heading back down the incline, Javier suddenly stopped. Looking over at Burt’s camera, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“I don’t know what that was, but I’m sure we’re safe for now,” he said.
Burt scanned both screens and concurred.
“Ok, what do we do now?” he asked.
“Go back. Now that we know what to look for, we can move into the area more cautiously. Maybe it was nothing,” Jack responded.
“I agree, besides, I don’t think we have much choice,” Javier said.
“Ok, let’s go back. Stay sharp, everyone. Shout out if you see something suspicious,” Burt agreed.
With quiet nods, intense focus was trained on both computer screens. Javier shook out his sweaty hands, then switched directions of the probe and slowly moved it along the corridor, back to the area in question.
Jack’s heart pounded as he watched the screen. Anxiety raced through him as he envisioned the probe being crushed by falling walls.
Scanning the corridor ahead, Burt pulled a small cloth from his pocket and wiped his brow. Without taking his eyes from the screen, he nervously stowed the cloth in his upper shirt pocket.
“Ok, there it is. The walls end just ahead. Stay focused,” Javier called out.
With both cameras now trained to the region in front of them, the four men searched for a trap.
Moments later, the lights from Burt’s camera picked it up.
“What’s that?” Burt shouted. “Stop the probe.”
Instantly, Javier stopped and threw the controls in reverse in preparation to run once more.
“I see it too,” Jack shouted.
“Got it,” Darrien concurred.
As Burt turned the camera for better clarity, a large rectangular block came into focus.
“Watch the block, Javi,” Jack blurted out.
“Got it,” Javier replied simply.
The probe moved back slightly then stopped. Javier shifted its direction from the right to the left, as Burt used the other camera to identify the danger.
“Burt, hang on a moment. That block’s not moving. Look over here to the left,” Javier said. “I think I see the other side of the wall.”
“Yeah! Me too!” Jack shouted.
Burt instantly directed his camera to his left. With both camera lights now illuminating the area in question, sharp detail came into view.
“Oh my God! The walls didn’t drop away. They just stopped… and opened up into a huge CHAMBER!” Jack shouted. “This could be it guys. This could be the king’s tomb.”
“Hold on, Jack. Let’s not jump to conclusions. This could be the trap we’ve been looking for,” Javier cut in.
“Agreed. Let’s take it slow. Examine everything carefully,” Burt added.
“Ok, but let’s check out that huge rectangular block first,” Jack said.
“I don’t think that’s just a big hunk of stone. That looks like an altar to me,” Javier responded. “What do you think, Burt?”
“Absolutely. There’s no mistaking it. Can we move in for a closer look?”
With a flick of a switch, Javier changed direction of the probe’s wheels and inched his way along the wall, heading for the block. As he moved closer, Burt began to scan the area for dangers.
“Whoa, there’s an enormous door over here, guys. Check it out,” Burt exclaimed excitedly.
“It’s got a couple more sentinels standing guard at its entrance…
so cool,” Jack added.
Continuing to search the room, Burt finished a full three-hundred-sixty degree scan. Coming back around, the light shone on the etchings and hieroglyphic on the walls.
“Absolutely amazing. This is even more impressive than the Egyptian pyramids,” Burt commented.
As Javier carefully followed the perimeter of the room, he made an interesting discovery.
“I’m not positive, but I think this room is pentagonal.”
“I think you’re right, Javi,” Burt said. Scanning the room once more, he continued, “You are right. I counted five walls. This is unbelievable. How’d they carve this all out? Just amazing!”
“I hate to speak prematurely on this, but I’m thinking there’s no trap in here. Aside from the statues and the altar, I really don’t see anything suspicious,” Jack said.
“I think you’re right, Jack,” Burt replied. Pointing to the enormous door between the statues, he continued, “But I wouldn’t want to make any assumption on the other side of that door.”
Jack nodded grimly, then focused on the screen once more.
Javier moved along the narrow side of the altar. Engraved on its surface were intricate burial scenes. Accepting more risk, he decided to move around to the front to examine it further.
“Oh my God! Jack, are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Javier blurted out.
They all stared at the engraving on the front of the stone. In its center, a similar image of the pentagon shaped room was carved with the altar on one side of the room and the large doorway to the king’s tomb on the other. Sitting on top of the altar was a pyramid with the "all-seeing eye" suspended just above it. Like beams of light shining through the "eye," lines were drawn that connected the "eye" to the door on the opposite side of the room.
“It’s a pyramid with the ‘all-seeing eye’ on top of it,” Jack responded excitedly.
“Not the ‘all-seeing eye’, Jack. That’s your crystal on top of it,” Burt cut in. “…and I’m almost certain it’s the key into that room.”
“Not Jack’s crystal, Burt. It’s the Russian’s crystal now,” Javier spat, acidly.
Javier’s remark brought the intent of their mission squarely into focus. For a moment, all were silent as they contemplated the magnitude of his words. All felt the pressure to succeed even more than ever.
Curse of Atlantis Page 20