The Tomb of Hercules_A Novel

by Andy McDermott

  “I didn’t say that!”

  “You might as well have! And pardon bloody me for getting a word wrong that no bugger uses in normal conversation. Not all of us could go to the University of Poncy Vocabulary. Or afford a five-hundred-dollar haircut,” he added before he could stop himself.

  Nina’s eyes narrowed into angry slits. “You promised me you were going to stop going on about that! The one time, the one goddamn time I need to look good to impress these people, and all I get is you complaining how much it cost!”

  “It was five hundred fucking dollars!” Chase reminded her. “I can get a haircut for ten bucks!”

  “Yes! And it looks like it!” Nina snapped back, waving a hand at his close-cropped, receding hair. “Besides, I’ve got a high-level job with the United Nations now. I’m earning a hell of a lot more than I was at the university—it’s not like I can’t afford it.”

  “Yeah, there’s a lot of things you can afford now, aren’t there?”

  “Meaning what?”

  “If you can’t …” Chase trailed off as he saw two people descending the stairs from the upper decks. New arrivals, brought to the Ocean Emperor by the helicopter. One was a Chinese man, like Chase in his midthirties, surveying the crowd of wealthy guests with an arrogant smile that suggested he considered himself to be far more important than any of them—or all of them. The other…

  “‘Scuse me,” Chase said, his fight with Nina completely forgotten. He started for the doors. “I need to get some air.”

  Nina blocked his way, confused and still angry. “What? No you don’t! What did you mean, I can afford a lot of stuff?”

  “Forget it. I …” He looked at the stairs again.

  It was too late. She’d seen him.

  The Chinese man swaggered through the crowd towards Corvus, people moving out of his path as if he were sweeping them aside with an invisible force field. Following a couple of paces behind was a younger woman. Unlike him, she was Caucasian. Brunette, stunningly beautiful, expensively attired … and wearing an expression of quiet sadness.

  The only person she looked at as she crossed the room was Chase.

  “Shit,” he said under his breath. There was no way he could simply disappear now.

  “Yo, René!” said the man loudly, opening his arms wide as he came up to Corvus. His features may have been Chinese, but his accent was entirely American, upscale Californian.

  “Nice boat! I’ve got one like it on order myself. Bigger, of course. Senator Dalton!” He grabbed Dalton’s hand and pumped it exuberantly. “Or I guess I’m going to have to get used to calling you ‘Mr. President’ before long, huh?”

  “Well, I still have to win the primaries yet …” said Dalton with a sly smile.

  “Ah, you’ll ace it. You know you’ve got my vote, Vic. And my funding. Unless the other guy can offer me a better deal!” He laughed, Dalton joining in with rather less sincerity. “And Hector, hi! Good to see you again.”

  Amoros looked at Nina and Chase. “Nina! I’d like to introduce you to someone.”

  Nina and Chase both hurriedly adopted masks of bland sociability as they walked over. “Nina,” said Amoros, “this is the newest nonexecutive director of the IHA, Richard Yuen Xuan.”

  “Good to meet you, Mr. Xuan,” Nina said, holding out her hand. Amoros’s face froze, and Dalton held in another amused grunt.

  “Actually,” said Chase, cutting in before Amoros could correct her, “Chinese family names traditionally come first. Am I right, Mr. Yuen?”

  “You’re right,” said Yuen. He smiled at the mortified Nina. “Hey, don’t worry about it! I’m not gonna get your name wrong, though. I already know it.”

  Nina blinked. “You do?”

  “Dr. Nina Wilde, director of operations for the IHA. Historian, archaeologist, explorer…and discoverer,” he said, with meaning. “I’ve been reading all about you.” He shook her hand.

  “Uh, thanks,” she managed to reply, completely thrown. “So what do you do, Mr. Yuen?”

  Yuen smirked. “Call me Rich. ‘Cause I am!” He laughed loudly at his own joke. “I was in telecoms—still am, got satellites, phone companies, the biggest ISP in China—but I’ve been diversifying recently. Hell, why not, I can afford it! Got a microchip plant in Switzerland, and I even bought a diamond mine in Botswana off René here. Shoulda kept it, René, production’s gone through the roof! And here’s why I took an interest in diamonds.” He turned to the woman waiting silently behind him and took her left hand, raising it to reveal a huge diamond ring. “May I introduce my beautiful wife of the past six months, Sophia—Lady Blackwood.”

  “Wife?” yelped Chase. Nina looked at him disapprovingly.

  “Delighted to meet you all,” said Sophia, a distinct flatness to her cut-glass English accent.

  Yuen introduced the others to her, stopping when he came to Chase. “I don’t think we’ve met before, Mr…”

  “Chase. Eddie Chase.”

  “Okay … Eddie. And this is my—”

  “We’ve met.”

  This time, it was Nina’s turn to let out a yelp. “What?”

  For the first time, Sophia’s expression changed, a hesitant smile blooming as she lifted her right hand. “Hello, Eddie. It’s …been awhile.”

  “Yes.” Chase didn’t return the smile, nor did he acknowledge her raised hand. After a moment she lowered it again, the smile withering to hurt disappointment. “Well, I see you’ve done all right for yourself.” He turned to Yuen. “Good luck with your marriage, Dick. Excuse me.” He turned for the door.

  Sophia stepped forward, reaching out to touch the side of his jacket. He stopped, but didn’t look around. “Eddie, I…”

  Chase remained still for a long moment, then strode away.

  “Eddie!” said Nina, not sure what had just happened. Something about Chase had changed—his voice, even his stance—but she couldn’t pin down exactly what. “Where are you going?”

  “For a piss,” he barked over his shoulder as he walked out.

  Nina stared after him, cheeks flushing pink with humiliation. “I—I’m very, very sorry about that,” she stammered, taking a mouthful of champagne to calm herself.

  Yuen shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, no harm done.” He turned to Sophia. Nina expected him to ask how she knew Chase, but instead he just said, “You okay?” She nodded. “Good. Anyway, Dr. Wilde—Nina?” Nina nodded. “I’m really glad to meet you. I’ve been fascinated by your work. I know there are some things you’ve found that the IHA wants to keep under wraps for now, but I’d love to know what ancient wonders you’re going to hunt for next!”

  Nina hesitated before answering. As one of the numerous nonexecutive directors the IHA had taken on around the world, primarily to facilitate connections and grease the political wheels in places where a U.N.-backed archaeological survey might otherwise be regarded with suspicion, Yuen ought not to have been told exactly why the IHA had been established. The full details of the discovery of Atlantis were restricted to a relatively small number of people. On the other hand, he had certainly hinted that he knew about it…

  She decided to play it safe and avoid any mention of Atlantis. Much as she wanted to unveil her discovery to the world, she knew she couldn’t until the IHA and the governments behind it were in agreement that the time was right. Revealing just how close over five billion people had come to being exterminated by a genetically engineered plague had the potential to cause a lot of problems.

  However, her current project was almost infinitely less controversial. And in this case, when she did discover the truth of the supposed myth, she would be able to take full credit for it right away …

  “Well, actually,” she said, “I’m looking for the Tomb of Hercules.”

  Dalton raised an eyebrow. “As in the Greek mythological hero?”

  “The same.”

  “Pardon me for stating the obvious,” Dalton said, a slight tinge of sarcasm to his voice, “but if he’s mythol
ogical, how can he have a tomb?”

  “As a matter of fact,” said Sophia, causing all the men to look at her almost as if surprised that she had a contribution to make, “many figures from Greek mythology have tombs. Whether there was ever anyone buried in them was immaterial to the Greeks—they were more like temples, places where they could pay tribute.”

  “That’s right,” Nina said, feeling slightly upstaged. “You’re very well informed, Lady …do I call you Lady Blackwood, or…?”

  “Just Sophia, please.”

  “‘Lady’ is what we call her when we want to impress the rubes,” Yuen added smarmily. “You’d be amazed how much value that old Brit aristocracy thing can add to a deal. Main reason I married her!” He laughed again, in a way that suggested to Nina that he wasn’t entirely joking.

  “Benefits of a classical education,” Sophia explained to Nina. Either she was untroubled by her husband’s boorishness, or she was well practiced at hiding her feelings. “But to be honest, my speciality is more in Latin than Greek. Please, you were saying about the Tomb of Hercules?”

  “Right, okay.” Nina polished off her champagne, then waved her glass at a nearby waiter. He smoothly swept in and refilled it. “As Sophia said, many Greek mythological figures have tombs dedicated to them. Hercules—or Heracles, the original Greek form of the name—is actually quite unusual in that he doesn’t have a tomb. At least,” she added theatrically, “not one that’s been discovered.”

  “And you think you’ve found it?” asked Yuen. The arrogant jokiness was suddenly gone, the question posed with intensity.

  “Well …much as I’d like to say yes, I’m afraid I haven’t. Not yet. I’ve been piecing together clues for several months, but so far haven’t managed to pin down a location. Hopefully that’s going to change soon, though!”

  “And where did you find these clues?”

  Even through the champagne, Nina reminded herself to be discreet. “There were references in some ancient Greek parchments in the archives of … a private collector.” That the parchments contained Hermocrates, Plato’s lost work concerning Atlantis, and the “private collector” was actually a secret society willing to kill to prevent anyone from rediscovering the ancient civilization, were facts to keep to herself. “The IHA made a deal to examine the collection last year. Well, photos of them, anyway. Although I’m actually meeting a guy tomorrow to arrange a viewing of the original parchments.”

  Yuen looked intrigued. “You think the originals will tell you something you can’t get from photos?”

  Nina took another drink before replying. “Yes, definitely! That’s what archaeology’s all about—actually seeing things for real, not just looking at pictures. Going to a real site or having a physical object to work with, something you can hold in your hands, makes all the difference. You get to see things in a whole new light.”

  Yuen nodded thoughtfully, and Corvus said, “But surely in your role as director of operations, you can’t have many opportunities for fieldwork?”

  “No, afraid not,” said Nina, shaking her head. “I spend most of my time at a desk or in meetings at the moment.” More so than ever following the loss in a storm of the rig exploring Atlantis; most of the IHA’s field projects were on hold pending the results of the ongoing investigation. “But on the other hand, there are compensations. Like this!” She indicated the opulence of the ship around them. “Thank you for hosting us.”

  “I thought it was time the IHA’s profile was raised,” Corvus said, smiling.

  Yuen gave her a smile as well, though his was rather more slippery. “Well, good luck with your tomb raiding!” He looked over one shoulder at another group of people nearby. “But anyway, gotta go circulate. René, thanks for the invite, and Vic, remember to invite me to the White House! Come on, Soph.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Sophia said to Nina, before Yuen took her hand and drew her away.

  “Little punk,” muttered Dalton after they had gone. “I don’t care how many billions he has, he’s still a jackass. But damn! He knows how to pick a wife.”

  “He’s a very fortunate man to have found somebody so perfect,” agreed Corvus. He turned to Nina. “And you, Nina. Are you and Eddie planning to marry?”

  Nina was caught off guard by the question, hurriedly gulping down another mouthful of champagne before answering. “Uh, well, I don’t know.” Although after Chase’s little display tonight, it certainly wasn’t on her immediate agenda.

  She glanced around, wondering whether, now that Sophia had gone, he was on his way back. There was no sign of him. She decided to find him and express her annoyance at his behavior.

  After she finished her drink.

  Chase wandered aimlessly through the Ocean Emperor. Coming to the function had definitely been a bad move, what with Nina’s new high-and-mighty attitude—and then meeting Sophia, of all people…

  He didn’t even want to think about her. She was a part of his past that he thought he’d successfully forgotten. Apparently not.

  He emerged onto the aft deck, noting with relief that there were fewer guests here. The cold wind was an encouragement to stay inside. Heading to the railing by the ship’s retracted swimming platform to look out over Manhattan again, he was surprised when somebody called his name. He looked around. “Matt?”

  “Hey, Eddie!” Matt Trulli padded over to him, the tubby, spike-haired Australian looking decidedly out of place among the other guests in his scruffy knee-length shorts and garish shirt. He pumped Chase’s hand with genuine enthusiasm. “Haven’t seen you for ages! How you doing, mate?”

  “Fine, thanks. What’re you doing here?”

  Trulli gestured up at the Ocean Emperor’s bridge. “I work for the boss now!”

  “Corvus?”

  Trulli nodded. “Normally work in the Bahamas, but I was in the States ‘cause I’m going up to MIT tomorrow for a seminar. I was kind of surprised to get an invite, but thought what the hell, free booze!” He held up his glass.

  Chase realized that he didn’t have a drink of his own, and couldn’t see any waiters nearby to give him a glass. Whatever; he didn’t want any more. Unlike Nina… “So, you still in the submarine business?”

  “Yeah. After Frost’s business went belly-up I started working for René, designing underwater hotels.”

  Chase gave him a skeptical look. “Underwater hotels?”

  “You laugh, mate, but they’re going to be the next big thing!” Trulli assured him. “They’re already big in Dubai, and the design I came up with? Modular, so you can bolt one together wherever you like. Wake up in the morning, look out the window and bam! Fish, right there. René’s actually been living in the prototype in the Bahamas. Pretty cool. Wouldn’t mind one myself, but it’s a bit more than I can afford for an apartment!”

  “I know what that’s like,” said Chase ruefully, looking across at Manhattan.

  “Anyway,” Trulli continued, “now I’ve got the hotel stuff all done and dusted, I’m working on something way cooler.” His face changed to a definite “oops” expression. “Only, well, I can’t really talk about it. Top secret, y’know?”

  Chase gave him a half-smile. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

  “Aw, cheers, mate. But I will say this much—it’s bloody awesome! You know how the subs I built for Frost were like bulldozers? This is more like a Ferrari. It’s going to be fantastic! When I get the bugger working properly, anyway.” He took another drink, then leaned back on the stern railing. “So, what about you, mate? How’d you swing an invite to this shindig?”

  “I’m here with Nina. She got the invite, not me.”

  Trulli reacted with curiosity at his cutting tone, but didn’t comment on it. Instead, he said, “So you and her are…?” Chase nodded. “Aw, great stuff!”

  “Don’t get too excited; we’re not married or anything. Not sure exactly what we are at the moment, to be honest.”

  “O-kay …So she works for the IHA, then?”

 
“Yeah. So do I.”

  “Gotcha. What do you do?”

  Chase puffed air from his cheeks before replying. “Well, most of the time I sit on my arse at a desk and do absolutely fuck all. My official job title’s ‘assistant to the director of operations,’ my actual job’s to look after Nina when she’s out in the field, but since she hasn’t been out in the field for over a year, there’s not really a fuck of a lot to do all day.” The words came out with rather more frustration in them than he’d intended.

  “So Nina’s your boss, then? That must make things interesting.”

  Chase shot him a dark, humorless smile. “You have no idea.”

  Trulli looked slightly awkward. “Right… Is she around? Wouldn’t mind saying hello.”

  “Speak of the devil,” said Chase at the sound of high heels clicking rapidly towards him. He turned to see Nina approaching with an irate expression, her dress fluttering in the wind.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you,” she snapped, before seeing Trulli next to him. “Matt! Oh my God, how are you? What are you doing here?”

  “Just telling Eddie that I work for René Corvus,” said Trulli. “Still building subs. I hear you’re big at the IHA now. Congrats!”

  “Thanks. Look, Matt, I’m sorry to interrupt but I need to talk to Eddie. In private.”

  Trulli gave Chase a concerned glance, then drained his glass. “Sure thing … I need to get a fill-up anyway. Maybe see you guys around later?”

  “Maybe,” Chase said. Trulli clapped him on the arm, then kissed Nina on the cheek before heading inside.

  Chase watched him go, then looked to find Nina glaring at him. He indicated her glass. “So, on red wine now? Is that your sixth or your seventh drink of the evening?”

  “Don’t try to change the subject.”

  “You haven’t told me the subject.”

  “You know exactly what the subject is.” She stepped closer. “I’ve never felt so humiliated in my life! I don’t care what your problem was with Sophia, you could at least have pretended to be civil. There are ten-year-olds who act with more maturity! For God’s sake, René and Sophia’s husband are directors of the IHA!”