Joe Hawke Series Boxsets 4

by Rob Jones

  Scarlet broke the silence with the flick of her lighter. “Well, that went well,” she said.

  “We need to get after them,” Zeke said.

  Lea shook her head. “No, they’re miles away and can still outgun us.”

  “Like Cairo says, we still have the photos,” Ryan said. “It’s not as good as having the original in case there was some hidden information below the text that I didn’t notice, but it’s better than nothing.”

  “He’s right,” Lea said. “We need to get back to town, get Kolya’s wound treated and regroup in a hotel. Ryan and Jazmin can study the pictures overnight before getting the first flight out of here.”

  Hawke considered what she said. “I like it, but remember it’s fake names at the hospital and slip away before the cops turn up, which they surely will with a gunshot wound like that.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Now, can I offer anyone a lift down to the trucks?” He tapped the Skyrunner’s steering wheel. “It’s downhill after all, so no fuel required.”

  Jazmin and Kamala took one look at the shot-up vehicle and declined. “We’ll walk.”

  Zeke said he’d join them, but the others climbed aboard the groaning, shot-up Skyrunner and Hawke turned it back onto the track. “Let’s hope you read Orpheus’s map right, mate.”

  “I did,” he said. “At least I think I did.”

  “You’re not filling me with confidence,” Lea said.

  “Relax,” the young man said. “It’ll be fine. When have I ever let anyone down?”

  Scarlet sighed. “I’ll give you a list by next weekend.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  The mood in the hotel room was not good. After the adrenaline rush of battle had worn off and Nikolai had returned with his arm in a sling, the team began to realize just how far behind they were in the race to Hades.

  In the tense silence, Hawke sipped his coffee and turned to Ryan. Even with Jazmin’s knowledge, the young man was still struggling to interpret everything in the poor quality pictures of the codex.

  “Any ideas?”

  Ryan looked back down at the photos. “It looks like he’s saying his journey to the Underworld was made thanks to the most beautiful one.”

  “A goddess?” Hawke asked.

  A bruised and shocked Jazmin gave a shrug. “Maybe.”

  Lea bit her lip as she thought. “What about Eurydice? She and Orpheus have one of the most famous love stories of all time. He’d refer to her as the most beautiful one, right?”

  Ryan frowned. “Again, maybe. The problem is, what then? If that was the correct translation, then he’s telling us that he visited Hades thanks to Eurydice.”

  “Which he did,” Lea said. “You told us he went there to rescue her, right? So now it all makes sense.”

  “I don’t think so,” Ryan said. “I’m not sure he’d put it like that. Besides, here he refers to her by name. Why would he say my journey to the Underworld was made thanks to the most beautiful one, and there I rescued Eurydice? He would say and there I rescued her. I think we can rule out Eurydice.”

  Scarlet sighed. “So we’re back to goddess then.”

  “I’m not so certain about that either.”

  Hawke said, “If it’s not Eurydice and it’s not a goddess, then what is it?”

  “It has to be a location,” Ryan said at last. Tapping the text with his finger, his eyes widened. “I’ve got it – Καλλίστη!”

  “Kallisti?” Lea asked.

  “Wait a minute,” Camacho asked. “Isn’t that a goddess?”

  Ryan glanced at him and then back to the text. “No.”

  Camacho made a face. “Well, that clears that up then.”

  “Maybe you’re thinking of Calliope or Callisto or something.” Ryan’s eyes were still dancing all over the text as he double-checked his work. “Both ancient Greek – the former was a muse and the latter was a nymph.”

  “I guess I was thinking that,” Camacho said with an innocent shrug.

  “Is all this bollocks actually going somewhere, darling?”

  “It’s Santorini,” he said at last. “Orpheus entered the Underworld from Santorini.”

  “You mean the restaurant in New York?” Scarlet said. “How the hell did he manage that?”

  Ryan gave the phone to Jazmin, hoping a second pair of eyes might help. Turning back to Scarlet he said, “Really?”

  “No, not really. You mean the island, don’t you?”

  “I’m surprised you’ve heard of it.”

  “Being honest, you are easily surprised though.”

  “All right, break it up.” Hawke pushed them apart and set down his coffee cup. “You’re sure about Santorini?”

  “I am,” Ryan said. “The ancient name for the island was Kallisti which means the most beautiful one. It’s perfectly obvious when you think about it.”

  Hawke gave him a smile. “Good work, mate. Any idea where on the island?”

  “That remains to be seen, but there’s quite a bit more text here which I still need to go through. He might get more specific as he goes on. Not a great surprise really.”

  “Why not?” Lea asked.

  Ryan looked at her like she was stupid. “Because Santorini was the site of the most devastating volcano eruption in all of human history. If there’s an entrance to Hades anywhere on this planet, then it’s going to be in a place like that, the only question is what old Dimitrov wants down there.”

  “I’m still plumping for a weapon,” Zeke said.

  “I keep hearing you talk about some kind of weapon,” Jazmin said. “What exactly do you mean by this?”

  “We don’t know exactly,” Lea said. “All we know is a man like Dimitrov isn’t interested in volcanology or geology or anything like that. If he’s spending millions of dollars hiring archaeologists and mercenaries and weapons and transport, then he must have a damned good reason for doing it, and that has to mean either some kind of weapon or a hell of a lot of treasure.”

  “And I think we can rule out the treasure when you consider he’s one of the richest men in the world,” Hawke said.

  “And an egomaniac,” added Lexi.

  “Right,” Lea said. “It all adds up to a weapon, at least that’s my reading of it.”

  Jazmin looked confused as she considered their explanation. “But what sort of weapon could be buried underneath a volcano? Anything that far down would be beyond primitive and no threat to the world at all.”

  Hawke and the others exchanged a knowing glance. “You’d be surprised what you can find when you dig down deep enough.”

  “I am an archaeologist, Mr Hawke,” she said crisply. “I know what you find when you dig deep enough.”

  Hawke left it there. Inducting another unsuspecting newbie into the Hall of Madness, as Scarlet had once called it, would take too long and maybe frighten her off. “At least we know where we’re headed now – Santorini.”

  Across the room, Lexi drummed her steel fingernails on the table. “You mean hell, and aren’t we kind of glossing over the fact we’re about to go there?”

  The atmosphere in the room changed again. The normal tension of unfinished work had quickly given way to a terrible fear of the unknown.

  “You know, that sort of thing scares the shit out of me,” Camacho said quietly. “I was raised in a strict Catholic family and matters of heaven and hell were no joke.” He shook his head and gave a gentle, cautious chuckle. “What would they all make of me now, busting my ass to find a way to go to Hades?”

  “I’m sure your parents would be very proud, Jackie boy,” Scarlet said, kissing him on the temple and running her hands through his hair. “I know I am.”

  “Maybe it’s not real,” Kamala said. “I hope it isn’t.”

  “It’s real all right,” Ryan returned. “If I’m understanding the photos of these papyri correctly, then the legends are…”

  “Woah there, chief!” Zeke said. “If you’re understanding what correctl
y?”

  “Papyri,” Lea said. “That’s how Ryan says papers.”

  “A Cuban cigar and a dozen red roses to Lea Donovan,” Ryan said. “Except for the fact it’s the plural of papyrus, not papers. In this case, we’re referring to Orpheus’s specific collection of papyri, so papers simply wouldn’t do it justice.”

  Zeke had lost the trail of the conversation. “What are you talking about, man?”

  Scarlet rubbed her temples. “Try not to ask it questions. You will only succeed in encouraging it and making it say more shit like that.”

  “While we’re on the subject,” Hawke asked. “Does Orpheus mention anything about a weapon? That’s the meat and potatoes of this thing, mate. Like Lea says, Dimitrov didn’t hire Kashala to steal the lyre from Francken just because he has an enduring interest in the musical instruments of ancient Greece. He knew the lyre could lead him to Hades, but why does he want to get there?”

  “No mention of any weapon,” Ryan said. “At least not so far. Orpheus was one of only a handful of people who visited the Underworld and also returned. Just about anyone who ever went there, according to all the written sources we have, was simply trapped there for eternity. The fact Orpheus returned means he was able to note its location for anyone brave enough…”

  “Stupid enough,” Nikolai said.

  “Brave enough to go there.” Ryan gave the Russian a knowing smirk. “Problem is, he wrote very little about it, and there’s certainly no mention of any weapons of any kind in these papyri.” He looked at Lea and emphasised the last word.

  “Which means we’re still all at sea,” Lexi said.

  Hawke quietly accepted the point made by his old flame, but felt the urge to keep the team motivated. “It just means we don’t know what Dimitrov hopes to find down there, that’s all.”

  “So it’s time to let our imaginations run wild!” Scarlet said, turning to Zeke. “Say, Tex, what do you hope to find in hell when we finally get there?”

  Returning her mock-serious tone, the Texan tank commander replied deadpan. “I hope not to find fire and brimstone, but maybe get me a quiet little corner and chillax with some sexy lil’ devils.”

  “I think we’ll leave talk of the devil for another day,” Hawke said. “Right now, we need to stay focussed on the basics. Ryan, we’re going to need a briefing on Santorini, and fast.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Twenty minutes later, Ryan closed his laptop and sipped his water. “Turns out Santorini is actually the biggest island of a small archipelago, all of which are basically all that remains of the large volcanic caldera to which I previously alluded.”

  “Sounds like we’re getting hotter,” Kamala said.

  “Exactly,” he continued. “It’s part of the Cyclades islands and, as I said, has the notable distinction of being the site of one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in the entire history of the world. It sent massive tsunamis racing all across the eastern Mediterranean and some hypothesize that it was so destructive it led to the end of the Minoan civilization.”

  “Yikes,” Kamala said. “Any chance of that happening when we’re there?”

  “Not much, but it’s still the most active volcanic region in what’s known as the South Aegean Volcanic Arc.”

  “Surprised they don’t put that on the tourist posters,” Scarlet said. “Spend two weeks in the most active volcanic region in the Med.”

  Reaper chuckled. “I think I know why they don’t do that…”

  “Precisely,” Ryan said. “But the Minoans kept reliable records and we know that prior to the eruption there were settlements in the area, including the town of Akrotiri. We also know that at the start of the eruption, a massive cloud of ash was blasted high up in the sky and probably would have blocked sunlight for some time. Archaeologists to date have never found any bodies in their excavations, so it’s likely the residents had enough time to flee to safety.”

  Kamala frowned. “What do you mean there’s not much chance of this happening when we’re there?”

  “What, burning ash raining from the sky like a summer storm?” Ryan said.

  The frown grew deeper. “Something like that, yeah.”

  “It’s possible to use statistical data to extrapolate future eruptions from past ones, but the relatively small number of data points limits how accurate we can be. There have been nine eruptions in the last two thousand years with the most recent happening in 1950. Modern volcanologists have used Bayesian probability interpretation to infer a more accurate model of prediction.”

  Kamala looked at Lea. “What the hell?”

  “He means they’re getting better at guessing.”

  “Got it,” she said with a smile. “So what’s the best guess then, Einstein?”

  “It’s generally accepted that the volcano is ready to blow at any minute.”

  She turned to him, wide-eyed and put her coffee down. “You said there wasn’t much chance of it erupting!”

  “Here it comes,” Scarlet muttered.

  Ryan ignored her. “Statistically, that’s true because we’re only going to be there a few hours. The chances of it blowing in that time are next to none, but over the past few years there has been a small inflation recorded beneath the volcano and an increase in the temperature taken in surrounding fumaroles and springs.”

  “Maybe I’ll stay on the plane.”

  Hawke laughed. “Welcome to ECHO. And no one’s staying on the plane. Kashala and his men are already well ahead of us and we’re going to need all hands to the pump if we’re to stand a chance of taking him and Dimitrov down.”

  “I for one,” Reaper grumbled, “cannot wait to take the bastards out – volcano or not.”

  “It sounds like hell,” Nikolai said.

  His words brought a stop to the conversation, then Hawke said, “I think that’s kind of the point. If the ancient Greeks really went to such a place, you can see why they might have decided to call it hell.”

  Kamala shifted in her seat. “Whatever it’s called, I’m not sure we’ve got any business going there.”

  “Are you saying we should just give up?” Zeke asked.

  “No,” she said flatly. “Absolutely not.”

  “Then what?”

  Hawke stepped in. “We don’t give up, ever. It’s just not what we do. We could have rolled over a hundred times in the last few years – God knows we’ve been up against it. And just about everything we’ve been fighting has been bigger and more powerful than us – better funded, more contacts and more reach. It’s David and Goliath on steroids, but not once has any of us ever just walked away.”

  “And that’s because we’re a family,” Ryan said. “And families are usually small, and what they end up fighting is usually much bigger than they are, but their strength is in here.” He raised his hand and pounded his chest.

  “You spilt some pizza sauce on your t-shirt, Ry,” Lea said.

  Lexi nodded sagely. “Sort of ruined the end of your speech.”

  “I thought it was very moving,” Zeke said.

  Scarlet groaned. “I need a sick bucket.”

  “But he’s right.” Hawke sensed a shade of despair in the air. “We are a family and families stick together. Alex is part of that family, and we’re not walking away from her, either. Anyone who walks away from this mission walks away from the family forever. Anyone?”

  Eyes fixed on each other around the room, no one moved.

  Lexi broke the tension. “I’m still worried about the sniper.”

  “Aren’t we all?” Lea said.

  Hawke nodded. “And worse, that little problem has gone quiet. I don’t like it. If it really is Lazaro, I still don’t see how he could know our whereabouts. We’re just moving too fast at the moment to be tracked by anyone… too spontaneous.”

  “I agree,” Camacho said. “Just a few hours ago, not even we knew we’re about to be on a plane to Santorini. How the hell could Lazaro be there waiting for us? I think we need to chill
out on the sniper thing for a while. Try and focus on the mission and Francken’s paycheck.”

  “I’m still not convinced it’s Lazaro,” Hawke said.

  Reaper looked over at him. “What makes you say that?”

  “I know Lazaro. Bastard killed my wife. I looked into him a lot after that. I researched his life story and I know what he’s capable of. Lazaro is good – very good. He’s one of the best assassins on the black market and he’s as ruthless as a great white shark, but he’s not this good.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Really. I don’t know who this is, but I’m really not sure I believe it’s the Spider. Whoever’s behind these shootings is something else altogether,” his words began to trail away as he thought about the deaths of Devlin, Lund and Kim. “Whoever’s doing this is better than Lazaro.”

  “That’s a comforting thought,” Lexi said. “But if he gets too close to me, he’d better say his prayers.”

  “Get in line, sister,” Scarlet said.

  “But that’s just it, Lex,” Hawke said. “He’s not going to get close to you, is he? He kills from miles way and is long gone before anyone can work out where he ever was.”

  A deep silence filled the room. They all knew he was right. They were vulnerable and it wasn’t a feeling they were used to.

  “Anyway, we’re fugitives now,” Hawke said. “This is how we run. We take what we can get, and we get what we can take. Besides, things will be fine when Francken pays up.”

  “I still have my doubts about that,” Lea said.

  “Relax,” Ryan said. “Maybe our luck will change and we’ll get a break.”

  Scarlet laughed. “Now you’re talking my language.”

  Lea leaned back in her chair. “I’ll relax when I see the money in the bank and we’re on our way to rescue Alex and Jack Brooke. In the meantime, I’d rather keep things cynical.”

  “With luck,” Nikolai said, “our failure at the cave might have lulled them into a false sense of security.”