But first they'd deal with the Zobolotsky bunch. They laid Katrina in the corner of the room, crouched on either side of the doorway, and waited. Their disadvantage, Boris knew, was that they weren't armed. That wouldn't have been any problem if they'd just faced Jones and the woman. But now they had to rely on surprise, because the others were armed.
"I'll grab the one with the gun first, and you get Zobolotsky. Then we'll take care of the other two."
"I hear them," Alexander said.
The sound of footfalls in the passageway grew louder. They were less than a hundred feet away, but Boris didn't dare peek around the corner. He tensed, readied himself to pounce as soon as the men came into view.
"Father, watch out," Katrina shouted.
Boris cursed in Russian as he turned to see Katrina sitting up. Then Alexander stepped into the hallway. The fool, he thought. Boris grabbed his arm, pulled him back into the room. "This way."
There was a window on the opposite wall that led out into another passageway. Boris dived through it, rolled over. "Hurry," he snarled.
"What about her?"
"Leave her."
Alexander flopped through the window and Boris roughly pulled him through.
"Ah, my back!" Alexander said.
"Forget about your back. Think about your life."
Now they would have to find another way to catch them.
"Jack, we've got to find Katrina," Indy said.
"What do you think we're doing? Where've you been, anyhow?"
"In the toilet."
"What?"
"Where's Zobolotsky?"
"Didn't you see him go by here? He was just ahead of me."
"I just heard someone speaking Turkish."
"That was Ahmet and his cousin. They're with us," Shannon explained.
"Tell me about it later. Let's go."
With Indy in the lead, they raced down the corridor. But they hadn't gone far before they heard voices coming from one of the rooms. They stopped, pressed up against the wall, melted into the shadows.
"Oh, Papa, you're here. You're here."
"It's Katrina," Shannon said, and bounded toward the roomi
Zobolotsky was hugging her, and when she saw Indy and Shannon, she looked as if she were going to fall over. "Indy, I can't believe it. You're alive." She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm like a cat. I've got a few extra lives."
"Yeah and you may need another one in a minute," Shannon grumbled.
"Jack. You're here, too," Katrina said, and embraced him. "I'm so glad to see you."
"You are? I mean..."
"It's no time to stand around," Zobolotsky barked. "We've got to get out of here."
"Papa, they took the Ark wood and threw it in the lake."
"No, they didn't," Zobolotsky said. "I've still got it. I fixed a fake one for you to carry just in case something like this happened."
Katrina looked startled. "That's wonderful, Father."
"Yeah, she almost killed herself going after the other one," Indy said. He headed to the door, but stopped and turned to Shannon. "Do you know the way out of here?"
"I don't know. We came from another underground city," Shannon explained. "Omar, you can take us back the same way, can't you?"
The Turk nodded. "Yes. But only if we can find our way to the lake. Right now I'm lost, too."
"The problem with going back to the lake is that's where the Janissaries are," Indy said.
"Don't forget about our Russian friends," Shannon added. "They're around here, too."
"So you've seen them, too," Indy said.
Zobolotsky moved into the corridor. "We've got to make up our minds."
"Indy's got a good sense of direction," Shannon said. "I say we follow him back to the lake."
"My good sense of direction says we go up to get the hell out of here. If we find the lake and your route to the other city on the way, then we'll take it."
Zobolotsky took his daughter by the hand. "Let's go."
Hasan knew the maze as well as anyone, and it didn't take him long to figure out how Zobolotsky had entered. He told one of his men to make sure that the path to the adjoining underground city was guarded. None of them was going to escape.
The maze was a network of pathways, most of which went nowhere. When the brotherhood had first descended into the city two years ago, Hasan had been angered and annoyed by the lack of order. But as he gradually learned his way around, he realized that the maze had been built that way intentionally, to foil any intruders who managed to enter the city. Knowing one's way around was a powerful advantage, which the members of the Zobolotsky expedition and the two Bolsheviks would soon realize, if they didn't already.
Hasan stepped into a narrow room with a long, rectangular window at head level. There were at least a dozen rooms in different parts of the city that were identical to this one, and months had passed before he'd realized their purpose. They were specially built for observation, and through this particular window he could see five or six levels above him and at least a dozen paths.
He scanned the area and after a few seconds spotted the Zobolotsky party. They were carrying torches now, which made it a simple matter to find them. But when he raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes and studied them, he counted two extra members. The Zobolotsky girl was with them and, to his surprise, so was Jones. Somehow, the archaeologist had survived and escaped undetected, and the girl must have been rescued from the Russian twins.
He was disappointed in the Russians, but mildly amused by the others. They were nothing compared to the challenge presented by the government, which was intent on abolishing the Sufi brotherhoods, especially the ones linked to the Bektasis order and the Janissary Corps. This game was going to be enjoyable, even though it would be one-sided.
He could see the group was attempting to climb the maze to the surface, but they'd embarked on a dead-end path. When they backtracked, as they would be forced to do, they would try again and then again, and each time they would find themselves either facing a blank wall or circling back on paths they'd already trod.
He scanned the rest of the maze that was visible, searching for the Russians. It took a while longer to locate them. They weren't carrying torches, which was smart of them, but it also made the going more difficult, since many of the passages weren't lit by wall torches. He spotted the pair moving along the same passageway as the expedition. They were several levels higher and near the end of the route. They weren't looking for Zobolotsky and the others. They were searching for a way out.
But they'd soon turn back, and in a matter of minutes the two parties would encounter one another, and that was another count against the expedition. Their chances of surviving to see another day were virtually nil; their chance of making it to Ararat nonexistent.
They were coming down a flight of steps after striking a dead end when the two Russians were caught by surprise. A double surprise, it turned out. "I hear them coming," Boris hissed. "Get over here fast."
They crouched in the darkened alcove next to the stairway as the expedition marched their way. They weren't ready to attack; they could only defend themselves if they were discovered. They'd both agreed that finding a way out was their top priority, and if they came upon Zobolotsky and the others, so be it. They'd take care of them as best they could, then continue their search for an exit.
Coming here had been so easy. The peasant had been more than willing to help them after he'd understood that his life was in danger. He'd led them into the city, and when they'd reached the first burning torches on the wall, Alexander had crushed his skull against the rock wall. That had angered Boris, not for any moral reason, but because the body could attract attention. Now that didn't matter; finding the original path did, though.
The expedition moved into view and with it another surprise. Leading the way was Jones. The bastard was still alive, and somehow he even had his whip again. That damned whip. He'd like to strangle Jones wi
th it, and maybe he would.
The archaeologist was followed by the gangly redhead with the gun, Zobolotsky and Katrina, who both carried torches, and two others who looked like Turks. Each one's attention was on the steps and none saw them crouched just a few feet away.
"Six now, Boris. We were only supposed to get two of them. We should've never come here."
Boris didn't know whether he meant the underground city or Turkey itself. But knowing Alexander, he probably meant both. "Listen, we're not the only ones who are surprised. The Turks weren't expecting these other guys, either."
"So what's that mean to us?"
"It means we kill them all, and hope the Turks let us out of here for doing their dirty work." Boris noticed a hole in the wall above their heads. "Boost me up so I can see what's up in that hole."
Alexander bent over. "But they'll be coming back as soon as they see it doesn't go anywhere."
"That's what I'm counting on." Boris stepped on his brother's shoulders and Alexander stood up. It was too dark to tell whether it was a room or another corridor, but it didn't matter. He had another idea. "Okay, you get back by the steps, and when they come down, I'm going to jump on the one with the gun. You take Jones. The others will be easy, and we'll have the gun. Just don't let any of them get past you."
Indy ran his hands over the wall, searching for a lever or at least a crease in the wall to indicate that it was a door. But the longer he searched, the more he became convinced that the wall was just that—a wall that was not going to magically open and lead to the great outdoors.
"No, the damn thing just ends," he said. "We've got to go back."
"Oh, no," Katrina moaned. "How far back down do we have to go?"
"Five levels if we want to stay on the main route," Omar said. "But there are other paths we could try, too."
"Maybe we should break up into groups of two and look for a way out," Ahmet suggested.
Indy shook his head. "That'll make it too easy for the Russians. They'll pick us off one at a time. But I don't think the Russians are stupid enough to attack this many of us."
"I bet ole Hasan is just sitting back waiting for us to give up," Shannon said as he gazed wistfully at Katrina, who stood next to him.
"The Janissaries are just playing with us," she said. "It's like a game for them. They're waiting to see what the twins do."
"I have an idea," Zobolotsky said. "Katrina, I'm going to take out the Ark wood. I want you to ask the Lord for guidance."
"Amen," Shannon said. "We need guidance, but what's that got to do with the piece of wood?"
"You'll see," Zobolotsky said.
Anything was worth a try, Indy thought, remembering what Katrina had told him about the Ark wood and its effect on her.
She sat on the floor and carefully unwrapped the cloth from around the piece of wood. Shannon was looking around uneasily. "We're cornered here if anyone comes after us."
"Have faith," Zobolotsky said. "I can see that you have not been a Christian for long."
Shannon scowled and looked like he was about to start an argument when Indy drew him back from the others and asked in a quiet voice what had happened to them in Istanbul. Shannon told him about the murders and their escape. "Now I realize that it must have been the Russians who killed them, not the Janissaries."
"That poor girl," Indy said.
"Shh!" Zobolotsky raised a hand. "Please."
Katrina's eyes were closed, and she held the Ark wood to her chest.
The image Katrina saw was that of a woman surrounded by light. At first, she couldn't make out the woman's features, but even before they became clear, she knew it was her mother. At the moment of her realization, the light seemed to brighten. Her mother smiled at her, then the light descended until it surrounded Katrina. She thought it would blind her, but she was overwhelmed by a feeling of peace and tranquillity.
She saw herself rising on the light beam, moving straight up through a tunnel until the night sky was above her. She was standing on ground in the white valley with the strange houses, but now she knew where it was. It was no longer an imaginary landscape, but a real one that existed above the underground city. She also knew why it was dark and light at the same time. The sun was down, but a bright moonlight flooded the valley.
Then the valley was gone. She still saw the light, and in it, blocking her way, stood the silhouette of one of the Russians. The light faded and she was aware of herself again sitting on the floor of the passageway. She looked up and saw the others staring down at her.
"Did you see a way out?" her father asked. When she didn't answer immediately, he spoke again. "Did the Lord show you the way?"
She didn't want to tell him that she had seen her mother. That would cause only confusion and denials. "I saw a way, I think, but I'm not sure where it is."
"We'd better get moving," Indy said.
He sounded impatient; he wanted more. She rolled up the Ark wood, feeling angry and foolish at the same time. "Actually, I do know where the way out is."
They waited for her to continue, and she drew out the moment. Maybe she'd seen her own death. Maybe that was the only way out. But there had been something else.
"Well?" her father asked.
"We'll find it when we find the twins."
18
The Shaft
"Do you know it's almost two in the morning?" Shannon asked as they walked along the corridor. "No wonder I'm exhausted."
As far as Indy was concerned, there was no time down here. No day; no night. Only the dim, smoky light of the torches and the flickering shadows. "Yeah, I could use a cup of coffee, but I don't think we'll find a coffee shop on this route."
"How can you make jokes?" Zobolotsky said as they descended a stairway.
Indy stopped at the base of the step. He was fed up with Zobolotsky and his stern demeanor and was about to tell him what he thought when Shannon pulled his gun.
"What was that?"
"Where?" Indy whirled around.
"Over there, in the corner. I heard something."
"Don't shoot," someone said from the darkness. Indy had no sooner heard the plea than a massive figure dropped from above and knocked Shannon off his feet. The gun flew from Shannon's hand and vanished in the shadows.
Indy raised the sword he'd been carrying, but the man in the corner sprang at him like an animal, grabbed him by the neck, and tossed him against the wall. He snagged Indy's arm, twisted it, and the sword clattered to the floor. Shouts and screams and moans reverberated around him; arms flayed. One of the men picked up Omar and Ahmet by their throats and was strangling them. Indy glimpsed a bald head as he kicked out both legs and knocked over the attacker. The other Russian was applying a bear hug to both Shannon and Zobolotsky, who punched wildly at him.
Indy fumbled with his whip, but the twin he'd knocked down rolled over on top of him. He pulled the whip from his grasp and wrapped it around Indy's throat. He jerked it so tight that Indy knew his neck could snap at any moment. He was to about pass out when Katrina jammed a torch in the Russian's face. The whip slackened as the twin staggered around bellowing like a wounded bull.
Indy rolled over just in time to see Katrina jam the torch down the back of the other twin's pants. He let go of Shannon and Zobolotsky and roared in pain as he tried to pull out the torch.
By the time Indy got to his feet, the twins had hobbled off into the darkness, and the torch that had saved them was smoldering on the floor. Indy was wobbly, but managed to help the two Turks to their feet. Zobolotsky was crawling on the floor, muttering about the Ark wood, and Shannon was hugging Katrina.
"Hug her for me, too," Indy said. "Hug her for all of us. That torch trick saved us."
Indy spotted the Ark wood on the floor, illuminated by a faint, silvery light that had suddenly appeared. "There it is, Vladimir. Over here." As Zobolotsky snatched it Indy turned his head to see the source of the light. It was filtering through a hole high in the wall.
"The ligh
t. That's moonlight," Katrina said excitedly. "That's where one of the Russians was, blocking the light. That must be it, our way out."
Shannon boosted Indy, who crawled through the hole. He found himself inside a closet-sized room. A few feet in front of him was another wall with a similar round hole. But above him was what looked like a narrow elevator shaft that went up and up, and far above him a full moon spilled light down the shaft.
"It's an air shaft," Indy told the others. "It goes up at least a hundred feet."
"Maybe we can climb out," Katrina said.
Indy ran his hands over the smooth wall. No handholds. Nothing to grab onto. He ducked back down and saw that Shannon and Katrina had joined him in the tight quarters.
Shannon had picked up the sword from below and now he poked it at the wall. "I wonder how long it took to cut that shaft."
That gave Indy an idea. "You have a knife, Jack?"
"Yeah, but I didn't have any time to get it out. The Russians were all over us."
Indy sat down and twisted the heel of his boot, which was still soaked from the lake and his travels through the sewer system. He pulled out his blade. "You can use it now. We've got work to do."
Hasan had watched the Bolsheviks limp down a passage and head up another dead-end trail. He knew that there'd been a confrontation, and the Russians looked hurt. Twenty minutes had passed and the others still hadn't reappeared. What could they be doing up there? It was just another dead end. Maybe the Russians had finished them off.
"Do you think they're dead?"
Hasan looked over at his lieutenant with disdain. "How should I know?"
"Do you want me to go see?"
Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge Page 18