Pulse

by Jeremy Robinson

  She picked up the piece of paper with a shaky hand and looked at the drawing. “It’s a very old symbol, but not yet well known. It represents several things, all connected, but different. Visually it represents the pillars of Gibraltar. It’s first true use was as a crest for Hercules.”

  “Like a logo or brand name or something?” Rook asked.

  “Something like that. But it later became the symbol for an organization formed thousands of years ago, the Herculean Society. Their edicts, George believes, is to protect the real legacy of the historical Hercules. To safeguard his secrets. His discoveries.”

  “They believe Hercules was real?” Queen asked.

  “Hercules was real. And he wasn’t the bastard son of Zeus. He was as human as us, but far more brilliant. George has long believed that Hercules gained his godlike strength through alchemies.”

  “Magic?” Rook asked, doing nothing to show his skepticism.

  “Science,” Gallo said. “Using plant extracts, known poisons in miniscule quantities—”

  “Homeopathy,” Queen said.

  “Yes.” Gallo looked at Queen, taking stock of the woman who was not only sexy and strong, but also smart. “Combining his knowledge of these things and conducting countless experiments, we believe Hercules was able to refine...serums, I suppose you’d call them. Perhaps he created ancient steroids. Or perhaps some kind of adrenaline booster for times when superhuman strength was called for. There are many stories of Hercules using poison to defeat his enemies, including the blood of Hydra. It’s all speculation at this point. George’s best evidence—a crew manifest—was stolen by the Herculean Society; at least that’s who George thinks they were. That’s the first attack I mentioned.”

  The three sat in silence, each processing the information. Rook sat upright. “Could he have used something against Hydra? Something to keep it from regenerating?”

  “The Hydra story mentions Hercules severing the immortal head with a sword, then cauterizing the wound. The only mention of poison is what he took from Hydra’s blood.”

  Rook looked disappointed, but Queen spoke up. “What if the story is wrong? Stories that old inevitably suffer the effect of verbal history. The poison could have been used against Hydra.”

  “I suppose.” She cocked an eyebrow at them. “What’s your interest in Hydra?”

  “It’s...complicated. Leave it at that for now,” Rook said and then pressed on. “This Herculean Society. You said they’ve been trying to protect the secrets of Hercules. Removing a poison used against Hydra from the Hydra story would have been a simple thing if they’ve been around for as long as you say they have. Right?”

  “Yes, but—Listen, these people will kill to protect their secrets. They nearly killed George last year to recover the crew manifest that mentioned Hercules by name, and that was simply evidence that the man wasn’t just a myth, never mind that he was a fully human alchemist.”

  Rook sat forward. “We can handle them.”

  “You’re sure?”

  Rook smiled. “It’s what we do, lady.”

  “Did Pierce tell you about the manifest before it was stolen?” Queen asked.

  “He called the moment he found it.”

  “And how long after that was it stolen?”

  “The following night,” Gallo said. “Why? Wait, you don’t think I—” Rook sighed and stood, walking to a small table where a portable phone sat. He cracked open the back of the phone, pulled out the batteries and then squeezed two of his thick fingers inside. He pinched down and pulled out a small device the size of a nickel. He tossed it onto the coffee table where it spun for a moment, then lay still in front of Gallo.

  She picked it up, knowing what she was looking at, though she’d never seen a listening device before. “They’re listening in on my phone calls?” She placed the bug down on the table and pushed it away.

  “Probably Pierce’s, too.” Rook said. He picked the bug up, gripped it tight and snapped it in half. “Did he call you before going to Nazca? Did he say anything specific about what he was doing there?”

  “Nothing over the phone. We met in person, at a cafe, before he left.” Gallo pointed to the broken bug in Rook’s hand. “How did you know you’d find that?”

  Rook took his seat. “Like I said, it’s what we do.”

  Gallo sat back in her chair, still clutching her chest.

  “Now let me preface this by saying I’m not being a pervert.” He pointed at Gallo’s chest. “Are you going to show us what you’re hiding in your shirt?”

  Gallo looked down at her hand, which had been holding the object hidden beneath her blouse, the single piece of evidence George had to support his theories. He’d entrusted it to her care. Its heavy weight around her neck now felt like a burden, and with some relief she pulled the chain up and over her head, allowing the iron medallion to twist in the air. The dull gray metal, beaten and worn, spoke of its long history, but the symbol it formed—a circle cut through by two straight lines—the insignia for the Herculean Society, Hercules, and the Strait of Gibraltar meant so much more.

  She held it out and Queen took it. “Where did you get this?”

  “George found it. On a shipwreck. He was overseeing its excavation when he left. I’ve been in charge since then. He asked me to keep it safe.”

  “And he just happened to find this on a shipwreck,” Rook said. “Not just any shipwreck...”

  Queen held the medallion up, letting a ray of sunlight gleam from the few smooth areas polished by the seafloor. She let out a slight laugh and smiled. “The Argo.”

  “What is the Argo?” Rook asked.

  Surprised by Queen’s knowledge, Gallo paused before replying, “Designed by Athena, the Argo was this ship Jason and Argonauts used to track down the Golden Fleece. Perhaps the first Greek warship in history and manned by a famous crew that included Hercules. His name was on the manifest.”

  “Pierce actually found the Argo?” Queen asked.

  “He thinks so, but—”

  “We need to see it,” Queen said. “There must be something Pierce wanted us to find.”

  “That’s impossible,” Gallo said. “The wreck is fifty feet below the surface. Excavations are slow, surrounded by a gaggle of undergrads and security provided by the Greek government. Getting you past security would be hard enough, but searching the wreck for something meaningful. It could take months.”

  All three sat back, deflated by the dead end.

  “Maybe the Greek government will give us access? Blue can pull some strings,” Rook said to Queen.

  She shook her head. “They’d want to know what we’re up to.”

  “Blue can lie.”

  “It’d still take too long to find something. We can’t just—” Gallo sat up straight. “George would have known the excavation was off limits. He wouldn’t send us there.”

  “Then where?” Rook asked.

  “The university. Everything taken from the excavation is cataloged at the University of Athens. He must have found something before leaving.”

  “Can you get us in?” Queen asked.

  “I don’t have security clearance for the vault. I always go with George.” Gallo stood. “But I’ll try.”

  “Vault?” Rook said. “They keep the artifacts in a vault.”

  “Much of what we find is priceless,” Gallo said. “Believe me, people would kill for it...people would die to protect it.”

  Rook nodded. “People have.”

  After a five-minute walk out of the tight neighborhood, the three sat in Gallo’s cramped Volkswagen Fox, and rumbled off, over the cobbled streets, toward the University of Athens. If Gallo had thought to check the rearview mirror she might have noticed the two shadowy figures in pursuit, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. She might have noticed that the two figures avoided patches of bright light. And she might have seen them leap onto the roof of her vehicle, which would have been the only evidence that they now bore two additional passengers, because
no one heard a thing.

  42

  Greece

  After driving over a speed bump that felt more like a springboard, Gallo pulled up to the Ilissia Gate that lead to the heart of the university’s main campus. A streetlamp lit her face through the car’s windshield. Her lip quivered as she held her I.D. up to the armed guard. Despite passing through the gate, sometimes daily, she had never entered the campus for less than academic reasons and her gut reminded her of it every few seconds. The guard waved her through.

  After passing through the main gate successfully, she began talking about the history of the buildings as they passed. Like a nervous tour guide on her first day, Gallo gave a verbal dissertation on the Informatics building, the Energy Policy and Development Center, and the School of Theology building before pulling to a stop at the outer edge of the parking lot for the School of Philosophy, which housed the Archaeology Department and its vault. She put the car in park, and looked at Queen sitting next to her, and Rook, sitting hunched over in the rear of the small car. Both grinned at her.

  With a huff she said, “It’s not like I break into my own university every day, you know.”

  “It’s not every day I cram myself into a sardine can, either,” Rook said. “Can we go now?”

  They entered through the side door of the six-story, utilitarian building that looked more like a hospital than a place where works of art and history were studied. Gallo waved to students who recognized her and smiled nervously as they shot odd looks at Rook. They entered a stairwell and descended two levels. Gallo stopped in front of a door marked Basement Level 1: Archaeology, Anthropology, V.

  “Through this door is a long hallway. Pierce’s office is down here, too. The vault is at the end of an adjacent hallway. There will be one guard, Sebastian. He will recognize me, but only full-time staff are allowed unscheduled visits to the vault.” She took a deep breath, licked her lips, and added, “But I’ll try.”

  They entered the basement hallway, passing Pierce’s dark office on the way. The hallways, though underground, were well lit from above and accented by the occasional sconce hanging on the green walls. The red industrial rug lining the floor masked their approach, but Gallo stopped them well away from the corner that lead to the vault and motioned for them to stay put. After taking one more deep breath of the basement’s stale air, she rounded the corner and headed toward the vault. Despite the intimidating title, the vault was little more than a warehouse with one entrance—a thick steel door that required a keycard to enter. A keycard that hung from Sebastian’s neck.

  Sebastian smiled at Gallo as she walked toward him. He tipped his hat toward her and in his best English said, “How are you, Dr. Gallo?”

  She smiled. Sebastian had a reputation as being a ladies’ man. Given his smile and use of the English language whenever she spoke to him, she didn’t doubt it. The man was charming. But the gun at his waist also meant he could be deadly. “I’m fine, Sebastian, how are you?”

  “I was bored, but now...” He held his hands out toward her. “You have arrived. How can I help you?”

  Doing her best to hide her twisting stomach, she replied, “I was hoping I could look at a few items in the vault. I don’t need to remove anything, I just need to confirm—”

  Sebastian was shaking his head. It seemed he took his job more seriously than his flirting. “I’m afraid you’ll have to make an appointment or return with Dr. Pierce.”

  “You know he’s out of the country.”

  He shrugged. “I’m sorry, but I could lose my job. Were it in my power, I would take you anywhere you wanted to—”

  “There you are!” Queen’s voice echoed down the long hallway. Sebastian leaned over and looked around Gallo. Queen strode toward them, smiling wide. “A girl could get lost in this maze.”

  She stopped next to Gallo and extended a hand to Sebastian. He shook it, smiling wider. “And you are?”

  Queen mocked surprise. “What, you can’t see it? We’re cousins.”

  Sebastian glanced at Gallo, his expression fiendish. “Cousins. Perhaps I can show you—oof!”

  Queen yanked on the man’s arm. He fell toward her as her knee came up and met his gut. When he doubled over, Queen brought her entwined fists down on the back of his head. He collapsed to the floor.

  Gallo backed against the wall, hand to mouth.

  “He’ll live,” Queen said, then whistled down the hall.

  Rook walked quickly toward them as Queen wasted no time removing the keycard from Sebastian’s neck. They entered the vault a moment later, where Rook secured the guard with plastic zip-tie handcuffs.

  Despite her shock over Queen’s violence, Gallo maintained her composure and when Sebastian was secured, said, “Follow me.” She led them through rows of shelves containing an assortment of artifacts, labeled drawers, and unopened crates. Despite the age of the room’s contents, the tightly controlled atmosphere in the room smelled more of ozone thanks to the four air conditioners that kept the air dry and temperature even. During blackouts, this was one of the few locations on campus that had a dedicated generator.

  Gallo paused in front of an aisle. “This is it. Everything on both sides of this aisle represents what we have recovered from the shipwreck. My instinct says to ignore the drawers because they hold the smallest objects, usually potsherds or coins, but since we don’t know what we’re looking for...”

  “I’ll take the drawers,” Rook said.

  They set to work, inspecting every artifact, but most were clearly irrelevant—shards of rotted wood, ancient tools, bowls and cups. Nothing stood out as important.

  After twenty minutes of searching Rook loudly closed the last of the drawers. “There’s nothing worthwhile here. It’s like looking through some ancient guy’s trash.”

  “There’s got to be something,” Gallo said.

  Queen shook her head and put down a sword hilt. “Maybe somewhere else?”

  Gallo stood up straight. “You’re right.” She looked at Queen. “When George found the amulet he didn’t catalog it. He hid it.”

  “Before he gave it to you?” Queen asked.

  Gallo nodded with wide eyes. “In his office.”

  They exited the vault, leaving the still unconscious Sebastian behind. Feeling a sense of urgency, they began running. After rounding the corner to the main hall, Queen stopped short, reached out, and stopped the other two.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” Gallo asked.

  Rook saw immediately. “Pierce’s office. The door is open.”

  “Look at the lights,” Queen said.

  All of the lights leading to Pierce’s office, both ceiling and sconce, had been broken.

  They crept to the door, unsure of who or what they’d find inside.

  “Maybe it’s a janitor?” Rook asked.

  Gallo shook her head. “They don’t break lights.”

  Glass shattered from within the room, followed by a heavy crash as something heavy fell over.

  “Stay back,” Queen told Gallo. She stood to the side of the door and whispered to Rook. “Whoever is in there, shouldn’t be. I’ll hit the lights, you go in swinging.”

  Rook nodded. Queen counted down from five on her fingers. With her last finger down, she slid into the room and flicked the light on just as Rook barreled in, fists clenched. But the sight inside the office locked him in place.

  Two figures, enormous and cloaked in black, leaped up and let out twin shrieks of agony. As one sprung onto the desk at the center of the room and lashed out and up with a wooden staff, Rook caught a glimpse of what looked like ash gray skin. Then the lights shattered and darkness returned. The shrieking was replaced by the sound of fast movement.

  “Oh sh—”

  Rook was struck head on and flung from the doorway. He sailed across the hall and into the wall, which dented inward beneath his girth.

  Gallo screamed as two shadows moved like liquid, out of the office and down the darkened hallway. But it wasn’t jus
t their cloaked appearance that frightened her, or that they moved on all fours, like animals, it was that they were running on the walls. They disappeared into the gloom, but could be heard exiting through the stairwell.

  Queen exited the office, ready for action, but found only Gallo hiding behind a potted plant and Rook struggling to stand. She helped Rook up. “You okay?”

  “Never better. What the hell were those things?”

  Queen shrugged and looked at Gallo. “I-I don’t know. They looked like... They looked like wraiths.”

  “Wraiths,” Rook said. “That’s just spectacular. So why were wraiths in Pierce’s office?”

  She shrugged, looking wild-eyed.

  “Agustina,” Queen said, “we’re almost done and they’ve gone. Does Pierce keep a flashlight in his office?”

  “You’re sure they’re gone?”

  Rook and Queen just waited. Gallo entered the office slowly. They could hear her inside, shuffling through paper, fumbling. There was a loud crash as something shattered, followed by a whispered expletive. Light filled the room a moment later, glowing from a small desk lamp. A broken jar of candy sat on the floor, but that was just the beginning of the mess. The office had been ransacked. Filing cabinets had not only been opened, they’d been destroyed. The desk drawers had all be torn out and upended. The couches had been slashed and gutted.

  “Hold on,” Rook said. He moved to the phone, one of the only items in the room that remained untouched. He hit the call button and said “Nice try assholes,” before popping open the back, tearing out the batteries and removing a bug, which he promptly smashed. “We’re good.”

  Rook moved behind the desk, where the two dark-clad figures had been hunched. A three-foot-square safe sat on the floor, beaten but secure. “This is what they were working on.” After wiping a finger along the edge of the safe where a line of plaster clung, he looked at Gallo. “Where is this safe typically?

  Moving slowly, Gallo stepped over a coatrack and took hold of a crooked painting. She lifted it to reveal an empty space in the wall.