"Think of Katrina," Zobolotsky said.
If Zobolotsky knew just how much he thought about her, he wouldn't say that. Katrina was a soft, persistent ache in chest, and yes, of course, he was committed to Indy. But he was hesitant to follow them to a similar fate. Maybe there was another way. But if Indy and Katrina were underground, how was he going to help them up here? He knew that Indy would help him if their positions were switched, and what good was it to love Katrina if he never saw her again? It was all about loyalty and friendship, love... and faith. That was it. He had to remember that he was guided, and there was no reason for fear.
They lit their lanterns and crawled into the hole. Omar took the lead, followed by Shannon, Zobolotsky, and Ahmet. Shannon held his lantern in one hand and felt his way with the other. The ceiling was low, and he was already claustrophic. He'd barely gone five feet when he felt animal droppings on his hand. He wiped his palm on his pant leg, then duck-walked several more feet until he could stand in a crouch. The floor of the cave descended gradually, and soon the walls were wide enough to stretch out both hands and the ceiling rose to nearly seven feet.
"How far do we go, Omar?" Shannon asked.
"One city is right below us now. The one where we are going is maybe two miles."
"Two miles? Are you sure you remember the way?"
"It's very easy. Take a look. You see, the cave branches here. To the left, it goes down to the city, and to the right is our underground road to the other city."
"I'll take your word for it," Shannon said as they moved on.
A couple of minutes later, they came to a stairway. "Do you remember these steps?" Zobolotsky asked as they started the descent.
"Yes, I think so. They must have been here." Omar sounded uncertain.
"When were you last here, Omar?" Shannon asked.
"When I was ten or eleven."
"That's a long time ago."
"I'm only twenty-seven."
"So am I, but I can't remember much of what I did when I was ten," Shannon said.
"If you would've explored these cities, you probably would remember very well," Ahmet said.
Shannon squinted through the dusky air. "I hope so."
A short distance after they reached the bottom of the steps, the passageway split again. This time Omar stopped. "I don't remember any other forks, but I think we should stick to the right."
Great. Just great. At this rate not only would he never see Indy again, he'd never see the sun or breathe fresh air. "I'm placing my life in your hands, Lord," he muttered, but the words came out louder than he expected.
"God is good," Ahmet said.
A doorway appeared on their left, and when they held up their lanterns, they saw another passageway that appeared to run parallel to them. Omar shook his head and they continued walking. No one said a word, but they were all thinking the same thing. Something was wrong. Just ahead of them another stairway descended sharply and curved left and out of sight.
"No, this can't be right," Omar said. "Let's take a look at that other corridor we just saw and find out where it goes."
Shannon was feeling more uneasy than ever, but he didn't say anything. They'd barely gone ten yards on the adjacent corridor when they reached a series of interconnected rooms. Some of the rooms had windows looking into adjacent rooms or passageways, and there were holes in the wall revealing stairways leading to other levels or other parallel paths.
"This is madness," Zobolotsky said as he held his lantern up and the beam illuminated a ceiling that looked like an upside-down staircase. "I think we should go back to the first junction and take the other path."
"I agree," Omar said. "We must be in the wrong city now. Let's go back."
They retraced their steps out of the rooms, but now they were confronted with a corridor that split into three arms. "I think we were in this one," Zobolotsky said.
"No," Shannon said. "I'm sure it was the center one."
Shannon dropped down on one knee and tried to find their footprints, but the stone floor revealed nothing. "I had the feeling this might happen."
"Have faith," Zobolotsky said. "The weak of heart always perish first."
Shannon had faith, all right, but it wasn't in Zobolotsky's sense of direction.
"I didn't see all these different routes when we came by here," Ahmet said, shaking his head.
"These cities are deceptive," Omar said. "I think you are both turned around. "Jack's way is right, but the direction is wrong."
"Good God," Shannon moaned.
"God is good," Ahmet replied.
"Maybe it was a mistake to try to escape." Katrina was huddled next to Indy in their cell; two guards stood at the door. "Hasan said he was going to let us go if Papa left the country."
"He'll probably still do it." Indy sounded more optimistic than he felt.
"But I killed that guard."
Indy heard footsteps in the corridor. "I think we're going to find out really soon."
Hasan appeared in the doorway and said something to the guards, who grabbed them by their arms and yanked them out of the cell. Indy's right foot was tied to Katrina's left one and he stumbled as they were dragged into the corridor.
"Where are you taking us?" Indy demanded.
"To larger quarters," Hasan replied. "Much larger quarters." Without any further explanation, he accompanied them along the passageway and down a set of stairs. They hobbled through a series of corridors and rooms, down another set of stairs, and then they were in the expansive cavern with a pool in the center.
Katrina paled. "Indy, I can't swim. Don't let them throw us in there. I'll drown."
Hasan snapped another order; the guards pulled out knives, and the blades flashed in the torch light. Indy and Katrina backed away, but the guards grabbed them, spun them around, and cut the bonds on their hands and ankles.
Hasan gestured impatiently. "Okay, go on. You're free to find your way out."
Indy looked warily around. "What's going on?"
"There are at least six doors leading from this room and you can take any of them. You may find a way out; you may not. There are many hidden passageways, some that we've never explored. Who knows where they go?"
"Why are you doing this, Hasan?" Katrina asked.
"To give you a fair chance. It's a game we play with our children. Only the smartest ones can find their way out of the labyrinth."
"Oh, hey, it's just a game." Indy laughed nervously. "Maybe we don't want to play."
"You have no choice. Our game is a deadly one, as you'll see."
The pair didn't wait any longer. They hurried along the shore of the lake, away from where Hasan and guards stood.
"What do you think's going on?" Indy asked.
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
Then Indy saw the answer to his question standing twenty yards away under the light of a torch. "Look over there."
The hulking Russians watched them like hawks ready to dive for their quarry.
"This is the right passageway; I'm sure of it," Omar said triumphantly.
Shannon just nodded; neither Zobolotsky nor Ahmet said a word, either. They'd tried several routes and now Shannon felt thoroughly lost. He no longer had any sense of where they were or which way they had come from. They could spend days wandering around here and never get out, much less to another underground city. But as they continued along the corridor and didn't reach any forks or stairs or rooms, Shannon's hopes rose.
Then Omar stopped and looked up at something.
"What is it?" Zobolotsky asked wearily.
"Yes, I am certain. This is the way." Omar pointed to the wall. "You see those three connected circles. They represent the Trinity of God. I remember this very clearly."
"It's hard to believe that Christians lived in the ground like this," Zobolotsky said.
"They were safe here and free to tend to God's work without interruption from the everyday world," Omar said.
"Like a monastery,
" Shannon said.
"Exactly," Omar answered.
"My cousin, you have found the way, but we must hurry now," Ahmet said.
They moved quickly along the narrow path, covering a mile in fifteen minutes. After another ten minutes of steady walking they stopped to rest. "This place makes me claustrophobic. I can barely stand up," Shannon said. "There must have been one helluva threat above the ground if they took this route rather than walking in the sunshine and fresh air."
"Maybe it was only used in emergencies," Ahmet suggested.
"Like now," Shannon said. "We better get going."
"Wait a minute." Zobolotsky held up his hand. "Omar, what's going to happen when we get to the other city? Do you know where the Janissaries are?"
"I think I can remember how to find the lake. They're probably close by."
"The underground city has a lake?" Ahmet asked in amazement.
"It's a spring, their water source."
"Then let's go," Shannon said.
The Russians were not attractive men, and now, with blood covering their upper torsos, they looked monstrous. But ironically, all Indy could think of as he stared at them was that the pair would never make it through the door of the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago.
"Why don't we talk about this?" Indy said as he and Katrina backed away. His eyes darted around for the nearest door. "We all want to get out of here. If we work together, we can do it."
Hasan suddenly stepped out of a dark doorway that Indy had just spotted. "That wouldn't be fair, Jones. Not fair at all, and we would have to end the game very quickly."
"What do you want from us?" Katrina's voice quavered.
"I'm glad you asked. You can answer a question for me." Hasan stepped out into full view and held up the Ark wood.
"That belongs to my father."
"Yes, he says it's from the Ark."
"It is from the Ark."
"Then here is my question. Why does no one believe that he found the Ark?"
"Some people believe him. But many people want more evidence. That's why we came to Turkey."
Hasan held up the Ark wood. "I know the Ark is on Mount Ararat, but this piece of wood is not from the Ark. I whirled with it and saw that it was ordinary."
"Fine. Just give it to us and show us the way out of here," Katrina said.
Hasan laughed. "I'm afraid, Miss Zobolotsky, that will not be possible. Judgment Day is not upon us yet, and God's command to me is to protect the Ark from being revealed before that day."
"The Ark is about life, and a new beginning, not the end of everything. Finding it won't bring on the Judgment Day," Katrina said.
"Then you do not know the word of God." Hasan took a few steps toward them. "You will not climb the mountain, and you will not ever look at this piece of wood, either." He hurled the Ark wood into the lake.
"No!" Katrina raced toward the dark waters and dived toward the spot where the piece of wood had splashed.
"Hey, you can't swim," Indy said as Katrina disappeared beneath the water.
When she surfaced, she gasped for air and slapped the water.
"You weren't kidding, either." Indy dived after her, and the shock of the cold water nearly drove the air from his lungs. He surfaced next to her and crooked his arm around her neck. He was already shivering, but he only had a few strokes to reach the shore.
Katrina struggled frantically against him. "The wood," she gasped. "I've got to get it."
"Don't worry about it." Indy struggled to shore with her. They were both on their hands and knees in the shallows of the pond when Indy looked up and saw the twins standing in front of them. They grabbed his arms and jerked him to his feet.
Before he'd even caught his breath, both men pulled back their arms and simultaneously slammed their fists into either side of his face. The concussion of the double blow snapped his head back, and he fell to the ground, out cold. The Russians took him by the arms and legs and heaved him into the lake. He sank into the icy spring waters, a string of bubbles drifting from his mouth toward the surface.
Then the bubbles burst, and ceased.
17
Death Game
The first thing Shannon saw when they reached the cavern was the last thing he expected to see. The two Russians from Chicago were pulling someone from the lake. At first, he couldn't see who it was, then it became all too clear.
"It's Katrina," Zobolotsky said. "Stop them."
Shannon pulled his revolver from his shoulder holster and fired three rounds above their heads. He wasn't the greatest shot, and he didn't want to hit Katrina. The Russians looked up, then hurried away from the lake with Katrina. "You missed," Zobolotsky yelled. "Shoot them."
Shannon took aim, but the Russians were holding Katrina up so that her body blocked his shot. Then they ducked through a doorway and were gone.
"You let them go," Zobolotsky snapped.
"I could've hit Katrina."
"After them," Zobolotsky barked, and the four men raced across the chamber.
She's still alive, Shannon told himself. She's got to be. But he couldn't help thinking that the Russians might've been shielding themselves with a corpse.
High above the floor of the Spring House, Hasan watched as the intruders disappeared from sight in pursuit of the Russians. He stared a moment at the pool to make sure Jones hadn't surfaced, then moved away from the window.
"God is helping us carry out His will," he said to his two lieutenants. "The rest of the expedition has arrived. We couldn't have asked for anything better. All the players in the game are with us."
"What about the other one?" one of the men asked.
"Who, Jones?" Hasan walked out the doorway and down the passageway. "You can fish his body out later. Let's see about the living ones right now."
The instant Indy had struck the icy water, he regained consciousness, but his arms and legs wouldn't work. It was as if the connection between his mind and his muscles was out of order. He could move his feet, but his legs wouldn't kick. He held what air was left in his lungs and drifted with the spring's current.
To his surprise, he started picking up speed. But he was moving sideways, instead of upward. Then he felt a rocky surface below him. His shoulders bumped against walls and his head struck a ceiling. He was being hurtled through a water-filled cave, and his lungs were bursting. He couldn't last much longer.
The pounding on his body awakened something in him, and for all the good it did him, he'd regained control of his limbs. But he was out of air and desperate. He clawed at the ceiling. Drifted, drifted. It was almost over. Then his arm shot through a hole and his elbow hooked on a ledge.
With his remaining strength, he pulled his head up through the hole, but he was still underwater. His hand poked through the surface and touched something soft and spongy.
Above Indy, the cook for the Janissaries, an overweight man in his early sixties, leaped off the wooden toilet. He was so startled by the hand that had grabbed him that he ran into the wall in his rush to flee. He tottered, fell back, and struck his head on the edge of the toilet.
Indy burst through the surface of the water. He gasped for air, coughing and gagging. He was still in the water, but he was breathing. He would make it. His head was inside a wooden box with an oval hole. He kicked his legs and pulled himself up. He blinked against the assault of light, then saw that he was in a small room and a man was lying next to him with his pants down. A dead man. It dawned on him that he'd surfaced through a toilet and that the spongy object he'd felt had been flesh. He pushed the box off his shoulders, tossed it aside, and climbed out the hole.
"I'm glad you don't bolt your toilets to the floor," he said to the dead man as he stepped over him. He walked into the next room and found himself in a huge kitchen. In the center of it was a gigantic black iron caldron. He walked over to it and smelled soup. "These guys really do like soup," he muttered.
He heard someone coming, ducked behind the caldron, and peered around the side. A J
anissary with his sword drawn was skulking through the kitchen.
"Mustafa," the man called out. "Mustafa."
Indy crept around the pot on his hands and knees and saw the man as he lifted a ladle from the pot and tasted the soup. He grabbed the Janissary around the knees and lifted him into the air. The Turk's yell was cut short as Indy dumped him headfirst into the iron pot.
"I hope the soup's good."
He retrieved the Janissary's sword and darted out of the kitchen and down the corridor. He had no idea where he was, but he had to find Katrina. He heard footfalls ahead of him and slipped into the nearest room. On a table in the corner of the room was his whip. He scooped it up and hooked it on his belt.
The sounds of footsteps grew louder. He heard voices speaking Turkish. There were at least two in the party, probably more, he thought as he pressed up against the wall. When they passed by without pausing, Indy crept to the door. He was about to step into the passageway when he heard footsteps and breathing. One of the Janissaries was probably trying to catch up with the others who'd just gone by. This was his chance. He'd force the man to show him where Katrina was being held. He waited just inside the doorway until the man was within a few feet, then reached out, grabbed him by the throat, and shoved him against the wall. He raised the sword to within a hair's breadth of the man's nose.
Then he saw who it was. "Christ, Jack. What the hell are you doing here?"
"Having a heart attack."
"I could have killed you."
"Likewise." Shannon held up his revolver. "Another half second and I'd have blown your guts out."
Boris and Alexander pulled Katrina's limp body into a room. They'd been ready to toss her into the lake after Jones when they'd heard the shots. Boris instinctively lifted the body to shield himself, then they rushed toward the nearest door. Only after they were safe did he see who was following them. No wonder the girl hadn't been struck by a bullet.
She wasn't dead yet, but she wasn't his concern right now. They had to deal with Zobolotsky and his party, and they weren't the only problem he and his brother faced. The old blind bastard had lied about the Janissaries. It was obvious they were warriors, not scholars, and there were too many of them. They were probably hiding out in this maze because they were outlaws.
Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge Page 17