by Tom Hunter
Hands shaking, she stabbed at the button that would unlock the doors when a hand landed on her shoulder.
She screamed, as her pursuer yanked her away from the car, causing her to fall to the ground. Seeing the glint of a knife coming towards her, Shafira yanked the pepper spray from her pocket, and sprayed a cloud of pain into the face of her assailant. As he clawed at his eyes, Shafira aimed a powerful kick at his groin. He uttered a guttural growl of agony, as he crumpled to the ground.
Scrambling to her car, Shafira pulled the door open and threw herself into the driver’s seat. Slamming down the button to lock the doors, she gunned the engine, tires screaming in protest as she put her foot down.
There was a loud bang. Her rear windshield shattered. Shafira screamed, ducking down instinctively.
Reaching into her bag, the other hand trying to keep the steering wheel under control, Shafira took out her cell and scrolled through her contacts to find Josh’s number, babbling incoherent prayers, while trying not to crash.
“Pick up, Josh, please pick up,” she whimpered, as his phone rang and rang and rang.
Twenty-Eight
Flying was one of life’s very few true pleasures, and a little smile played on Pin’s lips as he switched off the autopilot in readiness to land. One day, when his masters had gained their rightful position ruling the world, he would retire and spend his days flying to remote destinations. Until that day, he would savor moments like these, brief glimpses of pure joy as he experienced the freedom of movement high above the earth.
Behind him came the familiar clicking of weapons as his team checked that their guns were loaded, and ready to fire when he gave the command. Now that the pilot had been disposed of, their archaeologist disguises had been replaced by military uniforms, Gord straightening his beret to ensure that his insignia was facing the correct direction as he came to join his boss in the cockpit.
Pin hovered over the makeshift landing strip. “Keep your mouth shut when we get there,” he instructed. “Tell everyone to follow my lead until I’ve had a chance to gauge the situation. At the moment, as far as the archaeologists are concerned, the soldiers are simply accompanying the Director in case of smugglers at the cave. We don’t want to blow our cover unless we don’t have any choice. I’d rather not have to cover up another dig site massacre. It’s so inconvenient.”
“Yes, sir,” nodded Gord, returning to his seat to inform the rest of the team of Pin’s instructions.
The engines strained as Pin expertly brought the VTOL in to land, touching down with barely a bump. Two men rushed to open the door, dropping a makeshift ladder so they could exit the VTOL. Climbing down, they stood to attention on either side of the ladder, saluting smartly as Pin climbed out of the plane.
As he took in his first sight of the excavation, he noticed a man coming towards them. Tall, with light brown hair, the kind of man who women would find attractive for some inexplicable reason, Pin suppressed a sneer of disgust as he observed that the man’s shirt was hanging out of his pants, a smear of sauce staining the front of his shirt. Some people had no self-respect.
“I’m Samuel McCarthy,” said the man, reaching out a hand to introduce himself. “Are you the director I’ve been told to expect?”
“I am.” Pin gritted his teeth as he took McCarthy’s hand before reaching into his jacket pocket for his credentials. “Director Haisam. It is an honor to meet you.”
“The pleasure’s all mine,” replied Samuel, barely glancing at the Director’s ID, his attention caught by the group of soldiers disembarking.
“Ah.” Pin followed Samuel’s gaze. “Yes, I have brought some support with me. Your recording had some of my superiors concerned about the possibility of smugglers in the area. I’ve been granted a small platoon of solders, just as a precaution. I’m sure this will be just another boring assignment for them, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, don’t you think?”
“Sure,” agreed the American. “Something strange is going on here, that’s for sure.”
“Why don’t you go over your research so far as we walk back to the dig site,” Pin suggested. “I’ve read the reports, but there’s nothing like hearing your first-hand account.”
“Of course,” Samuel nodded. “It started when we uncovered a map among some scrolls in what appeared to be a storage area in the palace we’ve been excavating. At first, it seemed to be just a map of a pretty featureless area of desert until I started translating the inscriptions, which suggested that there was cave in the vicinity, a cave that held treasures too important and precious to be stored in the palace. They had been taken to a secure location to be safe from the unworthy.”
“Interesting,” mused Pin. “One would think that the palace treasure room would be the safest place for whatever these artifacts are.”
“Exactly,” said Samuel. “Which is why I wanted to see if I could find the cave. I haven’t been able to determine what the nature of whatever it is we’ll find there, which has made me doubly curious. The scrolls are written in riddles and ciphers, plus they’re in a rather archaic form of Sanskrit. It’s taking me a while to decipher them.
“I took a helicopter out to search the area and after a few false leads, we uncovered the cave. In fact, we almost flew the helicopter into the rocks because it was so well camouflaged. I’ve never seen such effective technology, which is confusing. If this technology is ancient, it calls into question everything we think we know about ancient civilization. On the other hand, it could just be that modern smugglers or even the Bruard found the cave, stripped it of whatever was inside and have repurposed it for their own uses, setting up some kind of holo-tech in addition to the existing security measures.”
“I think it highly unlikely the Bruard are involved,” Pin sniffed. “There have been no reports of Bruard activity in the region and I can’t imagine that they would requisition a cave in the middle of nowhere if it wasn’t going to benefit them militarily. There aren’t any important targets within the vicinity. I think it far more likely that we’re dealing with smugglers here, assuming any relics have already been looted. What did you see inside the cave?”
“At first, nothing,” Samuel replied. “It took a while for me to figure out that a ritual needed to be performed that revealed a set of double doors. Superstitious ancients would have thought that their gods were opening the doors, although the reality is that it’s simply a clever mechanism that relies on a combination of sound and weight distribution to trigger the opening.
“The double doors were intricately carved with two goddesses, one Egyptian, one Roman. The symbolism on the doors alone contain a wealth of information as to what might be contained within the inner sanctum.”
“And what did you find in there?”
“I didn’t explore any further,” Samuel told him. “I wanted to wait for approval to send a team in. It was too potentially dangerous. There could have been lethal traps, and there were only three of us in the initial investigative team. Given the level of sophistication used to conceal the cave and the entrance, I wouldn’t assume that that was the only defense built into the cave system. And, of course, we can’t rule out the possibility of armed men inside. I must admit that I’m relieved to see soldiers with you. They’ll be able to secure the area so that my archaeologists can work safely.”
“And these two goddesses,” Pin continued. “What do you suppose they might mean?”
“Like many Egyptian and Roman deities, they both have multiple associations with complex meanings,” Samuel replied. “However, my preliminary theory is that the cave system contain something associated with dream recordings. Given the sophistication of what we’ve uncovered so far, this really could be the most exciting discovery anyone’s ever seen.”
“Fascinating,” murmured Pin. “How soon can we get to the caves and start work?”
“Now that you’re here, we just need to finalize a few details and we’re good to go,” smiled Samuel. “Let’s get back to the ca
mp and I can introduce you to some of my key team members.”
As they approached the camp, Samuel spotted Basile. “Basile! Over here!” he beckoned.
Basile came over to join Samuel and the Director, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the newcomer.
“Basile, this is Director Haisam,” Samuel introduced. “He’s here from the Ministry to oversee the cave investigation.”
“Is he?” Basile looked the Director up and down. “Let’s see some ID. We’ve had a few problems recently with thieves. I need to be certain of who I’m dealing with.”
“Are you kidding me?” hissed Samuel, pulling Basile to one side. “Do you see the soldiers he’s brought with him? Do you really think that a con artist is going to pay for a frigging Cessna, fill it with soldiers and come all the way out here just in case they happen to bump into an important archaeological investigation?”
“A lot of strange things have been happening ever since you came back from that cave,” Basile pointed out. “How can you be sure that this man is who he says he is? I’m not telling him anything until I’m satisfied that he’s really from the Ministry.”
Samuel sighed and shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Director Haisam,” he said, turning back to the Ministry official. “My colleague is a cautious man who takes site safety very seriously. Would you mind showing him your proof of identity?”
“Not at all.” Pin’s voice was cold, despite his politeness, as he took out his wallet to show Basile his Ministry ID. “I also have a copy of the letter you sent with your recording, just to show that we weren’t randomly wandering the desert in the hope of ‘bumping into an important archaeological investigation.’”
Basile took the documents the Director offered him, inspecting them carefully to satisfy himself that they were genuine.
At last, he handed them back. “Sorry about that,” he told the Director. “I’m sure you can appreciate that we’re all a little jumpy around here ever since we discovered the caves and thought they might be associated with the Bruard.”
Pin laughed. “I think your men have overactive imaginations. We may find some smugglers, but my team can deal with them. You have nothing to worry about. Now, why don’t we go to your Mr. McCarthy’s quarters to discuss things further? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting more than a little uncomfortable in this sun.”
“Of course, of course.”
Pin gestured to Gord to keep their men by the plane before following Samuel and Basile into the camp. The sooner they told him everything they knew about the cave, the sooner the real work could begin.
Twenty-Nine
Shafira anxiously looked around, trying to see if she was being followed by mysterious black cars as she drove through central Cairo. Every building seemed to hide a sniper, every alley contained a car waiting to ram her off the road. She’d almost had a heart attack when a vehicle cut her off as she was driving down the freeway. Every blast of a horn sent her heart racing.
By the time she pulled up outside the entrance to Josh’s house, she was a nervous wreck. She sat in the car gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white as she tried to gather up the courage to get out and run the few meters to his door.
After a few deep breaths, she opened the car door and scurried to the house, knowing that it couldn’t protect her from a bullet. Banging on the door, her head remained on a swivel as she scanned the street for pursuers. When Josh opened the front door, she practically fell into his arms.
“Woah!” He helped her stand up. “Where’s the fire?”
“Josh! Thank goodness you’re all right.” Shafira practically cried with relief. “Can we talk?”
“Of course.” Josh stepped aside to let Shafira in, shaking his head in bemusement as she hurried through to the living room.
Normally, Shafira loved coming to Josh’s home. An old family friend, it had been a source of endless fascination whenever she visited him with her parents.
The walls of every room were filled with photographs taken on countless flights around the world, shelves groaning under the weight of souvenirs and mementoes. Shafira always enjoyed hearing the stories behind each item. It seemed that it wouldn’t matter how many times she came, she would never learn all the details of Josh’s adventures.
The pilot was a gifted storyteller and listening to him tell her about his escapades was almost as good as being there with him. He’d worked for a commercial airline in Texas before moving on to the Ministry, and some of the tales he’d told her about the passengers he’d encountered would have her in gales of laughter.
There would be no laughter today. It was Shafira’s turn to tell a story.
“Do you want some sweet tea?” Josh offered. “You look like you could do with something to calm you down.”
“No, no, I don’t need any tea. This is too important.”
“You sounded stressed on the phone, but you hung up before I could ask what was going on. What’s up?”
“I couldn’t tell you anything because I didn’t know if my cell was being tapped, so I all I could do was confirm you were home and hang up before they could get a fix on my location.”
Josh raised an eyebrow at Shafira’s reply, but didn’t say anything, waiting for her to go on.
“Plus I didn’t want to say your name or mention your address in case they followed me,” she explained.
“They?” Josh shook his head. “Are you on something, Shafira? You’re acting really weird.”
“Believe me, I’m stone cold sober,” Shafira reassured him. “But you’d be acting weird if someone tried to shoot you.”
“Shoot you?” Josh grimaced. “What on earth are you talking about? What the hell is going on, Shafira?”
“I wish I knew. It’s all so messed up.”
“Start from the beginning,” Josh advised. “Whatever you’ve got yourself involved in, I’m sure we can work it out together.”
“I think I saw someone murdered.”
“You think? How can you not be sure if you saw someone die or not? The more you talk, the less I understand.”
Shafira sighed. “This is what happened. I swear I’m not making it up or imagining things. I was walking home and I decided to take a detour through the park. I heard a strange noise, so I went to investigate, when I saw a man punching and kicking someone else to death. It was dark, but I was able to catch a glimpse of his face as the body rolled towards me. It was my boss, Director Haisam.”
“Director Haisam?” Josh frowned. “Why haven’t I seen anything in the papers about this? The media would have been all over the murder of a prominent Ministry official.”
“Because he was at work the next day without a scratch on him,” Shafira explained.
Josh raised an eyebrow.
“I know, I know, it sounds crazy. I still don’t understand it myself. That’s why I followed him when he left the Ministry today. He’s supposed to be going to the dig site where your friend Samuel McCarthy is working, but instead of using Ministry transportation, he got into a car with a strange man who took him to the airport. That’s where I lost him. Then, when I went home after work, someone attacked me. I managed to get into my car, but they shot at me as I drove away. You can see my shattered back windshield if you don’t believe me. Someone tried to kill me, Josh, just as they killed that poor man in the park, whoever he was.”
“But why?” Josh paced up and down as he tried to make sense of Shafira’s story. “Why would someone try to kill you?”
“I can only assume that they know that I witnessed the murder and they’re trying to shut me up, permanently,” Shafira replied. “If I was wrong and the Director was fine, then why would they send an assassin after me if they weren’t trying to cover something up? I can’t help but think that it’s got something to do with Samuel’s dig and what he found there. I tried to send him a message, but I haven’t been able to contact him, which worries me. The only other thing I can think to do is warn him in person, which is wh
y I’m here, talking to the only pilot I know.”
She smiled hopefully at Josh, who shook his head.
“I don’t know, Shafira. This all sounds way above my paygrade. You need to call the police about this.”
“Don’t you think that was the first thing I tried?” she cried. “But I think that the Director or his imposter has connections on the force. They threatened to charge me with perjury unless I dropped it. I don’t think they’ll take me seriously unless I can get better proof that something terrible has happened.”
“Alright,” Josh decided. “Then we go to the Ministry.”
“And speak to who? Director Haisam?” Shafira glared at Josh. “Come on, Josh. You’ve got more intelligence than that. I don’t have the authority to go over his head and whatever’s happening, it’s obvious that the Director’s at the heart of it. Please, Josh. Can’t we take your helicopter and go to the dig site? It could save lives. Nobody at the Ministry is going to pay any attention to me. I know that I sound like a mad woman, but you’ve known me all my life. You’re my Uncle Josh, the man Yusuf could call when he got into trouble and didn’t want our parents to know. You’ve always helped my brother out of a tight spot. Can’t you do the same for me, just this once?”
“I don’t know.” Josh ran a hand through his hair, undecided. “I still think it would be best to go to the Ministry. If you told them what you’ve just told me, I’m sure we can persuade them to help us.”
“But what if the Director is involved in something big?” countered Shafira. “What if he’s involved with the Bruard? Assuming we can persuade someone at the Ministry to believe us and we don’t just go straight to another traitor, they’ll start an investigation and it’ll let the Director know that we’re on to him. Whatever it is he’s planning, don’t you think it’s better to warn your friend first?”
“I guess so,” Josh conceded. “But this seems too big for us to handle on our own.”