Vanished

by S. L. Menear

  “That’s what you get for the love tap.” Banger touched his index finger to his cheek. “Next time you feel the urge, try a pain-free kiss right here instead.”

  Lance grinned at us. “You two have developed an interesting relationship.”

  “A result of cheating death too many times with little Miss Danger Magnet.” Banger patted my head.

  Lance nodded. “Been there, done that.”

  “If you boys are done busting my chops, let’s go find that giant diamond.” I pushed past them, the hint of a grin on my lips. Their teasing, however annoying, helped distract me from worrying about Ross.

  “Better bring some spelunking gear.” Mike opened the inside door between the cabin and the baggage compartment.

  “And plenty of bottled water.” Bryce followed him. “It’s like an oven here.”

  We loaded our backpacks with whatever we thought might be useful and headed for the airport terminal.

  “We’ll rent a vehicle and stop for some food before we start searching.” Mike led us to the rental counter.

  Thirty minutes later, we parked in front of a restaurant near the airport, and our meals were ready before we finished our first cups of coffee.

  Mike took a bite of his omelet. “I hope it won’t take long to find that lone oak tree.”

  “Can’t be many trees in a desert.” Banger sipped his coffee. “We’ll stop in Hadar and ask a local.”

  After filling up on breakfast, Bryce drove us to Ethiopia’s Cradle of Humankind, which was two hours from the airport.

  When we arrived in Hadar, we asked a villager where we could find a large oak tree beside a river. That turned out to be easier than we’d expected.

  “Only one tree beside the river, and that one survived because a law protects it. Take that road,” he said, pointing to his left.

  We drove to the shallow river, and the oak tree was easy to spot in the sparse landscape.

  I tapped Bryce’s shoulder. “There it is, just like in the hologram.”

  Heat radiated over the barren land as he parked above the isolated riverbank.

  “Alrighty, fingers crossed we find it this time.” I jumped out of the SUV and pretended I was fine with entering another cave as I slipped on my spelunking harness and snugged it tight.

  Mike tied a rope around the tree and clipped his harness to it. “We’ll use this as a safety line, and Bryce will stay up here to cover our six.” He backed down the ten-foot vertical bank.

  Bryce leaned against the car, while the rest of us clipped ourselves to the line before dropping down.

  I stopped next to my brother, wiped sweat from my forehead, and shined a light into the cave. “Looks like it slants down and goes deep underground.” Crap.

  “I’m right behind you.” Banger tapped my shoulder. “Try not to disturb the bats.”

  My voice rose an octave. “What bats?”

  “Geez, sis, when will you learn not to take his bait?” Mike shined his light on the earthen and rock ceiling. “See? No winged rodents.”

  I turned and glared at Banger.

  “Don’t give me the evil eye. They like to perch deep inside caves.” He spun me around. “You’ll see.”

  I walked slowly, scanning the walls and ceiling with my light, searching for anything that might indicate a hidden artifact.

  And looking for creepy little winged creatures.

  The deeper we went, the higher my heart rate climbed.

  “What was that noise?” Lisa poked me and tilted her head.

  “Probably the occasional flutter of wings.” Banger chuckled and nudged us forward.

  I turned and glared at him. “I don’t like bats.”

  “Why not?” He looked at me as if I’d said I hated puppies.

  “Because the little buggers like to dive at my blond hair.” I smoothed my long ponytail.

  Lance handed me his ballcap. “Here, wear this.”

  “Thank you.” I kissed his cheek.

  Fluttering sounds filtered through the passage as I stuffed my hair into the ballcap.

  About sixty yards into the cave, it widened into a broad cavern. At least five hundred bats covered the high ceiling, sending my heart rate into the danger zone.

  Banger nudged me. “Keep your voice low and maybe they won’t swarm us.”

  Lance moved up beside me. “If they dive at us, stand close to a wall, and I’ll get in front of you and block them.”

  “Thank you, Lance. Good to know there’s at least one gentleman in the group.” I lifted a brow at Banger, and he smirked at me.

  Lisa stared at the critters hanging on the ceiling and whispered, “What makes you think we’ll find something the locals missed?”

  The men looked at her and laughed.

  Mike shook his head. “Where have you been since we started this quest in Mogadishu?”

  “Right, I’m forgetting the Sam factor. Of course, we’ll find something.” Lisa eased behind Banger.

  “Alrighty, here we go.” I ran my hands over the rock walls while my teammates searched the cave with their flashlights. And I kept glancing up at the winged rodents—couldn’t help it.

  No energy spikes were evident, and no symbols were carved into the rock.

  Crap.

  Crawling on my hands and knees, I checked the floor.

  Nothing but dirt and bat dung. I didn’t like getting it on my bare skin, but I couldn’t wear gloves and still feel an energy spike.

  “I hate this,” I said, wiping my dirty hands on my jeans.

  “What?” Mike looked at me. “Nothing here?”

  I shined my light on the creepy critters. “Might be something in the ceiling, but they’re blocking my view.”

  “Time to wake up the little dudes.” Banger lifted his hands. “Start clapping.”

  Our claps echoed in the cavern, and bats scattered, confused by the noise. Their fluttering wings filled the air around me.

  Ducking the diving demons, I stepped behind Lance. “Is there a way to shoo them outside?”

  Banger waved his arms. “Go! Fly away and stop bothering our queen.”

  “Funny.” Scanning the ceiling with my light, I spotted a glint of something gold, partially obscured by dirt.

  “Banger, can you lift me up there?” Ignoring the circling creatures, I pointed at the place I needed to reach.

  “Easy peasy.” He squatted down and grasped my ankles.

  With his long reach, I was able to get within inches of my goal. “A little higher?”

  I ducked flapping wings and almost lost my balance.

  “Keep your legs stiff.” He tossed me up just enough to get his hands under my feet.

  That was all it took to close the gap. “Got it. Hold fast.” Brushing away packed dirt, I uncovered a small gold trident.

  When I grasped it, an energy spike shot through me, and I lost my grip. Banger must’ve felt it too because he let go of my feet, and I fell backward.

  “Help!”

  A second later, he caught me. “What happened, Sam?”

  “A jolt of energy startled me, and I lost my balance.” I hugged him. “Thanks for catching me.”

  “You’re looking at the touchdown king for the Crimson Tide. I never dropped the ball.” Banger set me down. “Sorry about letting go. That surge of energy surprised me. Ready for another lift?”

  “Not until my heart calms down.” I glanced at my brother. “Mike should lift me first so you can easily get your hands under my feet and raise me the rest of the way.”

  He stepped back as Mike grabbed my ankles and lifted. Then Banger’s hands closed around my feet and raised me back up to the trident.

  I looked down at my big friend. “Get ready for another jolt.”

  Bracing for the energy spike as I grabbed it, I squeezed hard and turned it ninety degrees. Vibrations in the ceiling indicated something was trying to move.

  Dirt sprinkled onto my ballcap, and it took all my concentration not to jerk away.

&n
bsp; Finally, a small slab of rock slid back, and a foot-long metal canister dropped on my head from two feet above me.

  “Ow.” I grabbed it with one hand as it dropped onto my shoulder to stop it from falling to the floor.

  Nothing happened when I held it—just a hint of energy.

  “It looks like the same type of metal as the sphere. I need somebody to catch this so I can shine my light into the hole.” I glanced down and dropped it into Mike’s waiting hands.

  My light revealed a glint of gold.

  I hope there aren’t any spiders in there.

  I hesitated, reached in, and pulled out a gold ring with tridents curving around the band. It was set with a single diamond shaped like a pyramid. The stone had to be twenty carats and was set with the tip pointing up out of the ring.

  I slipped it onto my right ring finger and shined my light into the hole for a final look. Nothing gleamed.

  A careful examination of the ceiling convinced me I’d found everything meant to be found.

  Or had I?

  I sucked in a deep breath and reached back in. My fingers traced the dirt, searching for something with a firm, distinctive shape. A loose stone pulled free and bounced off my head on its way to the ground. Something light crawled across my hand and dropped onto my shoulder.

  I glanced down and spotted a big spider crawling down my chest.

  Arachnophobia took over, and I forgot about everything except getting the horrid beastie off me. I shrieked, swatted the spider, lost my balance, and fell.

  Again.

  Banger caught me and set me lightly on the ground. “What the hell, Sam?”

  I stomped my eight-legged nemesis, then stood on tiptoe and kissed Banger’s cheek. “Huge spider. Thanks for the save.”

  He looked at me and busted out laughing.

  “Really, sis, a spider?” Mike handed me the silvery-blue canister. “Can you open it?”

  “I’d rather wait until we get outside.” I turned around, my heart still pounding. “Put it in my backpack, and I’ll open it in the sunlight.”

  Mike zipped it inside, and we followed the team out of the dark cave.

  The moment I stepped into the hot sun I felt the tension leave me.

  That didn’t last long.

  We climbed up to the road, and Mike untied the line from the tree.

  Bryce searched our faces. “Find anything?”

  Before we could answer, two police vehicles roared up and slid to a stop. Four local cops jumped out.

  “What you people doing?” one of them said in broken English. “This site protected.”

  Mike held the rope. “We didn’t hurt the tree. Just took a brief tour of the cave. Lots of bats in there.”

  The policemen drew their weapons.

  “Give backpacks.” The lead officer held out his hand.

  “Forget it. We don’t have to give you anything.” Bryce flashed his special passport. “We have diplomatic immunity.”

  “Not here.” He waved his gun. “Give wallets, everything.”

  Bryce shoved his passport into a pocket. “What is this, a robbery? You’re police officers.”

  The cop nodded. “Give us everything now or we shoot you.”

  Bryce slipped off his backpack and reached inside it for his weapon. One of the officers saw him do it and shot Bryce in his left shoulder. He dropped his backpack, fell backward off the steep bank, and rolled down to the river.

  “No more shooting,” I shouted. “I’ll give you my treasure.” I pulled out the silvery-blue globe and whispered instructions in Atlantean.

  My little buddy flew up and lasered the weapons out of the cops’ hands.

  I glared at them. “You shot my friend. If you move, that thing will burn holes through you.”

  As the sphere hovered in front of them, the cops froze, their eyes radiating terror.

  Mike took charge. “Banger and Lance, cuff them to their cars and toss their keys in the river while I help the women take care of Bryce.”

  As soon as the cops were cuffed, I put the sphere back in my belly bag and rushed down to Bryce.

  Mike rigged the rope to the tree again and grabbed an extra harness. Lisa pulled a first aid kit from our SUV and followed us down to where our friend lay at the water’s edge.

  I ripped off my shirttail and pressed it over his wound with my right hand to stem the blood flow. The diamond in my bracelet illuminated, and I felt energy flow into my hand.

  “Whoa, what’s happening?” I lifted the fabric and checked his wound. The bleeding had stopped even though his wound was still open.

  The diamond in my bracelet blazed with brilliant light as I placed my bare palm over his wound. In seconds, the bullet in his shoulder slid into my hand.

  “Wow, look at this!” I showed the bullet to Bryce, Mike, and Lisa.

  “The bracelet must be doing it,” Mike said. “Let’s see if it heals him now.”

  I dropped the bullet into Bryce’s chest pocket and placed my palm over his wound again.

  Bryce murmured, “Every time you touch me with your right hand, the pain stops.”

  As my hand buzzed with energy, his flesh mended in less than a minute, leaving no scar.

  “Thanks, Sam, you fixed it.” Bryce looked at his shoulder. “Good as new and no pain.”

  Mike slipped a harness over him. “Are you okay to go up?”

  “Fine.” Bryce sat up. “Well, maybe a little woozy from the blood loss.”

  “Let’s get you up to the SUV.” Mike clipped Bryce’s harness to the rope and hauled him up the cliff. Banger met him at the top and helped him into the car.

  Then Mike reached down and pulled me up the final two feet. “Check if that metal thing you found is safe to bring aboard the airplane.” He reached for Lisa and helped her up. They waited in the SUV with our teammates.

  I removed the canister from my backpack and stood with it outside the car.

  Nothing happened.

  My hands didn’t tingle, and it didn’t open.

  The cops watched me. One must’ve felt brave again and yelled, “You not get away. We find you.”

  I turned my back to them and studied the metal container. It had a tiny triangular indentation in one end. The notch appeared to be the same size as the diamond in the ring I’d found in the cave. Without taking off the ring, I stuck the gem’s tip into the indent.

  It fit perfectly.

  The strange box sprang open, revealing a thick scroll secured to one side and several tiny vials strapped onto the other side.

  “Mike, there’s a scroll and some vials, but it’s not a weapon. I’ll figure it out on the airplane.”

  Lisa said, “Better stop on the way to the airport and buy Bryce a clean shirt. Airport officials will notice the blood.”

  “Good idea.” Mike waited while everyone climbed in, then drove into town and stopped at a T-shirt vendor near the Hadar caves.

  “I’ll call the pilots while Bryce buys a new shirt,” Mike said. He woke Bill and told him we were on our way back.

  We drove to the airport and turned in the rental. Bryce wore a clean new T-shirt as we breezed through customs and security with our diplomatic passports.

  Our pilots, Bill and Laura, weren’t on the jet.

  “Lance, will you do the walkaround while I do the interior preflight checks?” I dropped my backpack on a seat and slipped into the cockpit as he headed outside.

  After firing up the auxiliary power unit and getting the electrical power and air conditioning operational, I ran through the preflight checks and called for a clearance to Somalia.

  The pilots straggled in, looking exhausted.

  Bill tapped my shoulder. “Sorry, thought we’d get here before you. Where to now?”

  I turned to him. “Everything’s set. I got a clearance for Mogadishu, which you will change to Camp Baledogle after we’re airborne. Sorry we interrupted your rest, but you’ll get plenty of sleep once we return to the base.” I slipped out of his
seat and eased past him.

  He checked the panel. “Thanks for the setup. We’ll get going after Laura does a quick walkaround inspection.”

  Lance poked his head through the door. “I just did it. Everything looks good.”

  I added, “Lance is a pilot with Luxury International Airlines.”

  “Right, I remember.” Bill yawned. “Close the entry door and we’ll go.”

  Laura slid into the copilot seat, and they began the engine start sequence.

  I leaned in. “Uh, don’t let anyone stop you from taking off.”

  He glanced back at me. “Are we in trouble again?”

  “Maybe, but this time there won’t be any energy beams to dodge.”

  He met Laura’s eyes. “It’s your turn to fly, but I’ll take it if you’d rather not.”

  “No problem, boss, I’ve got this.” She looked over her shoulder and flashed me a smile.

  I nodded and left the cockpit.

  A few minutes later, we taxied to the runway. I glanced out a passenger window and spotted two police cruisers racing toward us.

  “Crap, I think it’s the same cops who tried to rob us back at the riverbank. They’re angling across to try and block us from taking off.” I jumped up and ran to the cockpit.

  Eighteen

  I burst into the cockpit. “Those cop cars are trying to intercept us. Don’t let them.” I pointed.

  “Looks like a replay of Cairo,” Bill said.

  “Except these cops probably aren’t smart enough to stop.” I stared at the speeding cars.

  Laura pushed up the throttles as we rounded the turn onto the runway. Our sleek jet’s rapid acceleration pinned me against the cockpit door as the police cars angled toward us.

  “It’s going to be close, but my money is on our Gulfstream. Better buckle up,” Laura said.

  I pulled down the jumpseat and strapped in.

  Laura waited until the last moment and hauled back on the yoke. “Gear up … flaps up.”

  We barely cleared the police cars, our main wheels almost brushing the vehicles’ roofs.

  Laura glanced back at me. “Flying you around is a lot more exciting than flying corporate executives.”