Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge

by Rob MacGregor

  So now they'd probably have to follow them to Ararat and ambush them on the mountain. Killing them there would be the easy part. No one would be too surprised that the expedition had disappeared. Kurdish warriors were a known hazard in the region, and the mountain itself presented a variety of dangers: wild dog packs, wolves, snakes, and bears; avalanches, rock falls, sudden fissures in the ice, and frequent earthquakes, to name a few. But first they needed to know exactly what was going on.

  "What are we going to do?" Alexander asked as Boris led the way to the gate.

  "Our duty, brother."

  "I want to get one thing straightened out between us," Zobolotsky said as they entered the hotel. "We're going to get to know each other a lot better in the coming days, so I want you to call me Vladimir from now on."

  Obviously, he had a new status now in Dr. Z's eyes, Shannon thought.

  "Dr. Zobolotsky," the desk clerk called out. "A message for you, sir."

  Shannon watched as Zobolotsky opened the note. "It's from the kidnappers." He read it and passed it to Shannon.

  You must leave the country immediately or your daughter and your friend will die. Be on the boat to Athens tomorrow morning. The hostages will be released there. Then go home. If you return to Turkey you will die. Your last warning.

  Shannon looked up. "What do you think?"

  "We've got to follow their orders. We can't take any chances with my daughter's life."

  Shannon thought a moment about the guidance he'd received from the Bible and about what Alfin had said. Just a minute ago, he'd been certain that they were supposed to go to Cappadocia. Now he didn't know. Then it occurred to him that Athens was also located to the south of Istanbul. "You're right, Vladimir. We've got to follow their instructions."

  Now that things were looking up and it appeared that Indy and Katrina were going to be released, Shannon wished he had been the one who was swept away with Katrina. Suddenly he envied Indy's situation. He just hoped that Katrina wasn't falling for him.

  An hour later, Boris and Alexander left through the gate of Galata Mevlevi Tekkesi. The old man had been very helpful. He'd been more than willing to answer their questions after Boris had threatened to kill his granddaughter.

  But when they knew everything, Boris decided it was best not to take any chances. He didn't want the girl rushing to Zobolotsky and warning him. So now there were three dead bodies in the garden. The old man and the old woman had died quickly from bullets in the back of their heads. But the young girl had run screaming for the gate, and it had taken three shots to kill her.

  A shame, Boris thought. So young and pretty. But their mission was to protect the revolution, and that was more important than any individual's life, be it a child or an old woman or an old man. And now he knew exactly what to do. The old man had told him about the meek scholars who lived in underground tunnels. They were knowledgeable about the Ark and were going to guide the expedition to the mountain. Jones and the girl had gone ahead to make arrangements while the other two had stayed behind to complete the paperwork.

  He and Alexander would leave for Cappadocia this evening and complete their assignment. He didn't know anything about the Janissaries other than what the old man had told him. But it was enough to know they were just a bunch of crazy Moslem hermits. He laughed at the image of the two of them rampaging through their sacred refuge. The Janissaries would probably bury their heads in their books, just like they'd buried their lives in the ground, and clean up the mess when it was over.

  15

  The Janissaries

  It sounded like breathing and it was coming from somewhere nearby. "Do you hear it?" Indy asked. He could see a wall a few feet in front of him and the outline of a doorway, but not much else.

  Katrina shifted positions, and Indy's whip, which was bound around them, tightened. "What is it?"

  "I'm not sure."

  He peered across the room in the direction from which he'd heard the noise. Gradually, as the hallucinations subsided and the drug wore off, his vision was coming back to him. He could make out a shape: a figure with his back against the wall slumped in the corner. A rifle lay across his lap. His head was nodding forward and he was starting to snore.

  "Company," he hissed. "A guard, and he's sound asleep."

  "He must have been here all along. I didn't even know it. I can't see over there."

  "Let's see what we can do to get loose." Indy drew his feet beneath him and pushed off the floor as he pressed against Katrina's back. Neither spoke as they squirmed up and down and sideways. The whip cut into his chest and arms and seemed to be tightening.

  "Ouch!" he said in a raspy whisper. "What are you doing?"

  "Trying ... to ... to turn... around," she answered. "Pull in your stomach."

  "I don't think it goes in any further." He twisted toward her until their hips were attached like Siamese twins, then Katrina was facing his back, her chin touching his shoulder. But the ropes weren't any looser.

  "I think I can do that, too." Indy wiggled his arms and twisted around. But he stuck fast halfway around.

  "What are you doing?" Katrina hissed. "I'm stuck now. I can't move."

  "Not so loud."

  Indy glanced over his shoulder; the guard was still asleep. He tightened his buttocks, then deftly rotated his hips, and suddenly he and Katrina were face-to-face, their chests and hips pressed against one another. It was an entirely different sensation from being tied back-to-back and not exactly an unpleasant one.

  "I don't think this is working," Katrina said as she adjusted her shoulders.

  "It's a tough situation," Indy agreed as he wiggled his hands and rolled his hips as he tried to get hold of the whip, "but it's got certain compensations."

  "What are you doing down there?"

  "Down where?" They were nose to nose now.

  "You know."

  He moved his hips again.

  "There!"

  "I'm trying to reach for the whip."

  "But do you need to do that?"

  "What?"

  His thumb touched the lower strand of the whip, but he couldn't quite hook it. He thrust his hips forward and arched his back as he reached again.

  "Ah... You're doing it again."

  "I almost..." He took a step forward and tripped over Katrina's foot. They tottered a moment, then toppled into the straw bedding. "You okay?"

  Katrina's breath came fast, a whisper of air against his ear. "You're lying on top of me, you know."

  "Yeah. Just wait. I think I can get it." As his thumbs flicked at the whip he couldn't help nuzzling Katrina's neck. Her closeness was overpowering; it aroused him. Their lips met and his thumbs stopped working. The softness of her body snuggled against him and he was pressed so firmly against her that the whip slackened and slid on its own over his thumb.

  "Katrina, I..."

  "You don't have to tell me. But I want to tell you something."

  Katrina's words surrounded him in the darkness like a thick, comforting blanket. He could listen to her talk like that forever. He was still moving his hips against her, slower now, as he worked the whip over hips and thighs. He looked into her eyes. "Tell me."

  "Do you know that piece of wood from the ark?" she breathed.

  He stopped moving. It was the last thing he'd expected to hear from her. She was probably going to tell him it was a fake.

  "What about it?"

  "When I hold it, strange things sometimes happen to me. I mean, I see things happening that haven't happened yet. I knew you would come here to Turkey with us, that you were the right archaeologist."

  "That's nice. I think."

  "That's not all, though."

  The guard suddenly seemed to gasp for breath; then he coughed. He shifted positions and Indy saw that he was a sow of a man, well over three hundred pounds. Indy waited to see if he would wake up. When he heard the guard return to the slow, measured breathing of sleep, he whispered in Katrina's ear.

  "Don't tell me
you saw us getting kidnapped and put in some hole or wherever we are."

  "Not exactly. But I saw us like this. You know, together."

  "Tied up?"

  "No. Just together. But... oh, never mind. Maybe it was just my imagination. Besides, it wasn't you. It was Jack."

  "What? You said it was me."

  "Well, it was... later."

  "Later? Maybe we should continue this conversation later." The whip was loose now and they pulled it over their legs as best they could.

  "What are we going to do about our hands?" Katrina asked.

  "I'm working on that." Indy used his right foot to slip off his left boot. He turned around and took the heel in his hand, twisted it, and caught the blade as it popped out. He shifted positions until he was back-to-back with Katrina again and sliced at the cloth binding.

  "Careful," she whispered. "That's my wrist."

  He slowed his slicing motions, but finally the cloth fell apart. Katrina took the blade from his hands and quickly cut him free.

  Indy immediately crept over to the guard and patted his cheeks. "Hey, you're not supposed to sleep on the job." The guard came awake with a start, and Indy slammed his head into the wall. The man slumped to the floor, and Indy snatched his rifle. "If you're a Janissary warrior, I can see why the empire collapsed."

  "Indy, there's no door. It just leads out into a stairway, and light is coming down from above."

  "Let's see if we can find our way out."

  Just as Indy took a step toward the door the guard grabbed his ankle and jerked him to the floor. Indy was caught by surprise and dropped the rifle. He reached for it, but the guard pulled him away like a spider overcoming its trapped prey. Indy kicked at him, but the guard quickly pinned his legs beneath him. The guy might be a slob, but he was strong.

  Indy pulled back his arm and slammed his fist into the man's jaw. He connected solidly, but his hand just bounced harmlessly away.

  He punched him again with the same lack of effect.

  The guard grinned, spread his fingers, and lunged for his captive's throat. Indy butted his forehead into the man's nose. It stunned him, but for only an instant. The guard's forearm landed under his jaw, and Indy gagged as the man's hands tightened around his throat, his thumbs pressing hard against his Adam's apple. His face turned red, then blue, and he was on the verge of passing out when the guard's grip suddenly relaxed and he flopped over like a beached whale. Indy gasped for breath and squinted up at Katrina, who stood over the guard holding the rifle by the barrel.

  "I think I might have killed him," she said.

  Indy rolled over and struggled to his feet. Blood poured from a deep gash in the guard's temple. "We all gotta go sometime." Indy rubbed his raw, bruised throat. "And he left just in time as far as I'm concerned."

  They moved out of the room and down a corridor. "Indy, wait."

  "What is it?"

  "I can't leave without the Ark wood."

  "Sure you can."

  "But it's an incredibly important relic. Papa is going to be really mad if I've lost it. It's priceless. It's more than that. It's—"

  "Yeah, I'm sure it is. But our lives are even more valuable, and I'm sure your father would agree." When he saw the look of disappointment on her face, he added: "But let's play it by ear."

  The quickest way to get to Athens was by train, so early the next morning Shannon and Zobolotsky left the hotel and took a taxi to the station. But as they neared their destination the road clogged with cars, horses and wagons, and pedestrians.

  "What is going on?" Zobolotsky asked. "Our train leaves in twenty minutes."

  "We'd better walk from here," Shannon said. Then he noticed a swarm of police blocking the entrance to the station. They were stopping everyone who approached. "Why don't you wait. I'll go see what's going on."

  As he neared the crowd Shannon saw a British-looking man in a bowler. The man walked over to a well-dressed woman surrounded by luggage and porters. Shannon moved closer to hear what he had to say.

  "What is it, dear?" the woman asked.

  "It seems they're looking for two murderers. Foreigners, they say from America."

  "You don't say."

  "They killed a little girl, and an old blind man and his nurse, if you can believe that."

  "How dreadful. But how long are we going to wait? Our train leaves on the hour."

  "Oh, no," Shannon said as he backed away.

  He hurried down the street to the taxi. Not only was he a suspect in a triple murder, but he was carrying a gun under his arm. "I think we better take the boat to Athens. The police are looking for a murderer."

  "Who got killed?" Zobolotsky asked.

  Shannon repeated what he'd heard, but kept the explanation brief and impersonal when he saw that the driver, who spoke some English, seemed to be listening intently.

  Zobolotsky glanced at the driver, then back to Shannon. "That's horrible. I think you're right. The boat might be a better way to travel today."

  As the taxi crawled through the traffic amid honking and shouting Shannon and Zobolotsky quietly discussed the situation. "I can't believe this," Zobolotsky said. "Who would do such a terrible thing?"

  "I don't know, but that poor innocent girl. I'm ready to get out of this country. It's as bad as Chicago."

  "I don't understand," Zobolotsky said.

  "Maybe the Janissaries followed us from the hotel," Shannon suggested.

  "Why would they do it? We were leaving the country just like they wanted."

  "The note might have been there when we left the hotel," the rangy musician said. "We didn't stop at the desk. So maybe they followed us to the dervish house, thinking we already had the note. They probably know all about the old Sufi and thought he was crossing their plans."

  "Could be," Zobolotsky said. "But what does that mean for us and for my daughter?"

  "Nothing too good."

  "Look. More police," the driver said as they reached the docks. A crowd was gathered near the gangway of a ship, and police were holding them back, checking every passenger.

  Shannon suddenly realized the implications of what Zobolotsky had said. "If they would kill that easily, then we can't trust them to release Indy and Katrina, even if we do go to Athens."

  "But we must do what they say," Zobolotsky insisted.

  Neither had paid any attention to the driver, who now turned to them as he pulled to the curb. He was a wiry man with salt-and-pepper hair. "You know, I lived for ten years in the United States, but I came back when the last sultan was finally finished. I will tell you something about these Janissaries you are talking about. Their time is over, but some of them do not know that yet."

  Shannon was surprised at the taxi driver's interest and awareness of what was going on. He must have heard and understood everything they'd said. "What else do you know about them?"

  "They are still warriors, but now they are known for their gaming."

  "I don't understand," Shannon said.

  "I am telling you this: if the Janissaries killed those three, then they probably did it so the police would put you in jail. That is how their gaming works. They play one group off of another."

  "It would have been easier for them just to kill us," Shannon said.

  "These Janissaries must be smart," Zobolotsky said. "They must know that if the entire expedition was killed, it would be an international incident and the United States government would send its army to look for us and the Ark."

  He's dreaming, Shannon thought, but didn't argue. Instead he pointed to the police, who were now scouring the crowd on the dock, no doubt looking for two men fitting their descriptions. "So what do you think we should do? They're getting closer."

  Zobolotsky thought a moment. "As the leader of this expedition, I have decided we should go to Ankara, and from there to Cappadocia to look for the missing members of our team."

  "I will take you as far as Ankara," the driver volunteered. "I have a cousin there, and I have not seen him
for many years."

  "How much?" Shannon asked.

  The driver waved his hand. "Don't worry; I am honest and will give you a fair price, or my name is not Ahmet."

  "Done," Zobolotsky said.

  So they were finally heading south, Shannon thought, and couldn't help feeling a bit smug.

  Hasan sat cross-legged on the cushion in the corner of his room and turned over the piece of wood, examining it closely. He knew what it was from the moment he'd found it among Katrina's belongings. One of his brothers in America had sent him a copy of a newspaper article about Zobolotsky and his plans to search for the Ark. The article had alerted him to the expedition, and it had also mentioned the piece of wood that the explorer claimed he'd taken from the Ark.

  Lute music filtered into his room from Spring House. The ceremony was about to begin. He would take the wood with him and whirl with it until he learned its secrets.

  Indy's hope that the stairway from the cell would lead directly to a way out of their underground prison was quickly dashed. The light filtered from a torch at the top of a stairway; beyond the stairs was another room carved from porous rock.

  Katrina moved into the room and out a door on the other side. "Look, now the stairs go down."

  "Somehow I'm not surprised."

  There was no choice but to keep going and see where they ended up. For all Indy knew, they could be on their way to the center of the earth. Finally, they descended to a hallway illuminated by torches, with several doorways and windows on either side. They peered into one after another and finally walked into a room with two other doorways that each led to different corridors.

  "You take that one; I'll try the other. Maybe one of us will find a stairway going up," Indy said. "Let's meet back here in five minutes."

  Indy had no sooner gone a dozen yards than he was confronted with more choices. A short hallway to his left led past a couple of rooms, then divided into two branches. To his right, the passageway led directly to another doorway.