by David Wood
Maddock and Professor followed him through the door and froze. They were inside a small cave. The walls and ceiling showed signs of past habitation. Soot stained the ceiling, storage niches were carved in the walls, and an array of broken tools and household items lay scattered across the floor. But it was the thing in the center of the room that rendered them speechless.
Their triple beams of light shone on what could only be an Atlantean device.
“What the hell is it?” Bones finally asked.
“It definitely looks like a weapon of some sort,” Professor said.
Maddock had to agree. Standing on a makeshift bamboo tripod, the device looked to him like an oversized titanium telescope. On one end, he saw a trigger and what looked like an eyepiece, perhaps for sighting in a target. On the other end, four crystals came together in a point. He reached out and ran his hand along its perfect surface. Even after seeing the other device, it amazed him that the Atlanteans could have done such precise metalwork so many millennia ago.
“What kind of metal is this?” Professor ran the beam of his Maglite up and down its length. “Titanium?”
“They’re still running tests on the device we recovered,” Maddock said, “but my money is on something previously unknown.”
“A previously unknown metal? What are the odds?”
Maddock and Bones exchanged looks. Once before, they had encountered such a metal. What if there was a connection? It was too much to consider at the moment.
“What are these things?” Bones pointed to a row of depressions running along the top of the cylinder near the eyepiece. They were of varying shapes and sizes. Clearly they served a purpose.
“Maybe it’s where they put the crystals that powered it.”
“But if this thing runs on crystal power, how did Daisuke use it?” Bones mused.
Maddock looked around and found the answer almost immediately. Nearby lay an old dive bag, and when he opened it and shone his light inside, he found what he was looking for.
“This is how.” He reached inside and scooped out a handful of crystals. The shapes, sizes, and colors were varied, as were the quality. Some were finely shaped gems, while others were raw stones in smoky hues of blue and green.
Bones took one and held it up, shining his Maglite so that the beam refracted in tiny slivers of red all over the cave. “This one looks like it was made to go into this first slot. Should I try it?”
“No!” Maddock and Professor exclaimed in unison.
“Just kidding.” Bones tossed the crystal back into the bag. “Where do you think he got all these?”
“I’ll bet he found them in the temple. He was probably the first person to discover it, so I imagine he cleaned the place out.”
“And then he used it as his own high-tech, Keep Out sign.” Bones shook his head. “I’d love to see his face when he comes down here and finds it gone.”
Maddock put his arms underneath the device and checked its weight. It was astonishingly light. They would have no problem getting it out of here. He replaced it on the tripod.
“Let’s call Jade and let her know we found it. Then, we need to touch base with Tam and have her make arrangements to get this thing home. I don’t think we can put it in our checked luggage, and I’m not sure it will fit in the overhead bin.”
“Wait a minute.” Professor frowned. “Shouldn’t we notify the authorities? If he’s been using this thing to cause ship wrecks, and who knows what else, he should be made to pay.”
“Good idea,” Bones said. “As soon as we get back to the house, you can call the police and let them know that a local drunk found a weapon from Atlantis, and used it to turn the Dragon Sea into the Bermuda Triangle.”
Professor’s jaw went slack as he considered Bones’ words. Finally he laughed. “Okay. I’ll defer to your judgment. I don’t have as much experience as you with this sort of thing.”
“Stick with us.” Maddock clapped his friend on the shoulder. “You’ll have all you can stand.”
Chapter 26
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Sofia looked doubtfully at the bookstore facade. Perched in front of a four-lane highway, the big, square building with large glass panes across the front looked like an old grocery store.
“Jimmy says his debit card is swiped in the coffee shop here every weekday around this time,” Avery said. Jimmy Letson was an accomplished hacker and an old friend of Maddock’s. He’d done a little searching on their behalf, and discovered that Kirk Krueger was living in Rachel, Nevada under the name James Ronald. Tam had sent Avery, Sofia, and Willis to search for him.
“So this road is seriously called the Extraterrestrial Highway?” Willis asked.
“It’s the town closest to Area 51,” Avery said. “It’s small, but it draws a fair number of tourists.”
“Kind of weird, a conspiracy theory nut living this close to Area 51, of all places, don’t you think?” Willis ran a hand across his shaved scalp.
“Perhaps he’s hiding in plain sight?” Sofia offered. “I guess we can ask him when we find him.”
“How about we get going?” Avery said. “We’ll go in separately and do some browsing. If one of us spots him, text the others.”
“Look at the little girl taking charge.” Willis smiled indulgently.
“You have a problem with that?”
“No, girl. It’s just the Maddock in you coming out.”
“Whatever. Remember, I don’t want you approaching him,” she said to Willis. “Sofia and I are a bit less intimidating. You just hang back in case we need you.”
Willis nodded.
“Okay, let’s do it.” Avery waited until first Willis, then Sofia, entered the store, then followed a minute later. The bookstore was packed with rows of overstuffed shelves teeming with books, DVDs and CDs. New and used items were shelved together. She inhaled the aroma of slightly scorched coffee beans and smiled. This was her kind of place.
She spotted Willis’ head bobbing along above the shelves in the movie section. Sofia was nowhere to be seen. Avery thought for a moment. Where might an expert on the lost library browse? She approached the register and asked the sleepy-looking cashier to direct her to the section on ancient mysteries. He waved her toward the back corner of the store and slumped back onto his stool, a defeated look on his face.
The ancient mysteries aisle was empty of customers, so she selected a book at random and wandered toward the coffee shop. Krueger wasn’t there. She bought a cup of house blend, one sugar, no cream, in a to-go cup, and resumed her wanderings. She hadn’t gone ten steps when her cell phone vibrated. It was a text from Sofia.
Seating area beside the magazines.
Avery rounded the magazine display and found a circle of sofas, chairs, ottomans, and side tables. Sofia was curled up in an overstuffed armchair reading a magazine. Avery couldn’t help but notice, and envy, the way Sofia did everything, even sit in a chair, with such natural grace. She wondered, with a touch of resentment, how long it would be before Bones got his hooks into the beautiful archaeologist. Pushing the juvenile thoughts aside, she refocused.
You’re here to find someone, she thought. Where is he?
And then she spotted him. Directly across from Sofia sat a slender, fair-skinned man with blue eyes. He wore his shockingly blond hair in a flat top cut, and he was clad in jeans and an Oxford cloth shirt. He was flipping through the sports section of the Roswell Daily Register, his coffee untouched on the table beside him.
His eyes barely flitted in her direction as she sat down in the chair next to his. She smiled and he made the faintest of nods before returning to his paper. She took a sip of coffee, opened her book, and pretended to read. She’d inadvertently grabbed a book titled Mysteries of the Ancient World, and now wondered if Krueger would notice and fear something was amiss. Way to be heavy-handed, Avery.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Willis loitering in front of the magazines—the Playboys, to be exact. The g
uy had spent too much time with Bones. She glanced at Sofia, who looked meaningfully at Krueger and nodded once. Avery took a deep breath.
“Excuse me, could I borrow the front page?”
Krueger looked up at her, surprised, and then held out the front page section. As Avery accepted it, she leaned in close and whispered, “We need to speak to you, Mister Krueger.”
Krueger sat up straight. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “You have the wrong person.”
“Please,” Sofia said, unfolding her legs and leaning toward him, urgency in her eyes. “We need your help.”
“There’s nothing I can help you with.” He folded his paper and made to rise, but Avery stood and blocked his way.
“Too many people have already died. We need your help to stop it.”
“People you’ve killed,” Krueger retorted. “I don’t know how you found me, but I promise you, I won’t go down without a fight.” He reached down and grabbed the cuff of his jeans.
Avery’s stomach lurched as she caught a glimpse of a small revolver, and then Willis was there. He seized Krueger’s wrists from behind and held him still.
“No need for that. Whoever you’re running from, we ain’t them.”
Alarmed, Krueger looked back at Willis and then, strangely, relaxed.
“You’re right. You aren’t.”
Willis released Krueger and sat down on the arm of the chair on the side of Krueger opposite Avery. From there, he could be on the man in an instant should he make another try for his weapon.
“I’m glad you can see that,” she said. “Do you know who’s after you?”
“I don’t know who, exactly, they are, but I know what they want and why. Best I can tell, they’re no better than Nazis. They probably saw my surname, saw a picture of me, and figured I’d be a sympathizer.” He smirked at Avery. “I could believe you were one of them, but a Latina and a black man? Not a chance. Tell your friend to relax.” He tilted his head toward Willis. “I’m not going to run, and I definitely won’t try for my gun again.”
“Glad to hear it.” Avery waved at Willis, and he slid down into his chair, though he still appeared as tense as a runner waiting for the starting pistol.
“So, who are you and what do you want?” Krueger asked.
“We’re part of a team dedicated to rooting out the people who are after you,” Sofia said.
“Who are they, exactly?”
“We’re not supposed to talk about that.” Avery bit her lip, wondering how he would respond.
“If you want my help, you’re going to have to trust me, at least a little bit.” Krueger’s gaze was rock hard.
“Fine. They’re called the Dominion. They claim to be a Christian group, and they have roots in many churches, but they’ve also infiltrated branches of government. We’re new to the team and aren’t privy to all the information our director has, but their leanings definitely tend toward Nazi beliefs.” Avery paused while Krueger mulled this over.
“What are their aims? Overthrow the government?”
“More like take it over organically,” Avery said. “For some time now, they’ve been building their power in the shadows, both in the religious and secular spheres. But something they did very recently leads us to believe they’re either changing their strategy or, more likely, expanding it.”
Krueger frowned at her.
“Did you hear about the tsunami that struck Key West?” Kruger said he had, and Avery filled him in on what they knew, and what they thought they knew, about the disaster.
Krueger stared at her for a full ten seconds, and then he laughed.
“Atlantis? Right. Tell you what, I’ll let you get back to your book,” he tapped the book on ancient mysteries, “and your whacked-out ideas. I need to find a new town and create a new identity.”
“Would you like to see some pictures of the weapon?” Sofia asked softly.
Krueger froze, half in, half out of his chair.
Sofia took out her iPad and flipped through a series of images, all showing the Atlantean device they had recovered off the coast of Cuba. Next, she showed him several images of the temple, all screenshots taken from the submarine’s video feed. Finally, she showed him the pictures she had taken of the temple in Spain before its destruction.
“Mister Krueger,” she began, “I’m not a crackpot conspiracy theorist. I don’t believe in Bigfoot or Nessie.”
“Don’t let Bones hear you say that,” Willis interjected.
Sofia rolled her eyes and continued. “I’ve already found two cities that we believe were part of the Atlantean civilization. We’ve seen the devastation wrought by a single Atlantean weapon, and the codex hints that the mother city holds an even deadlier weapon. We must get there before the Dominion.”
“Why do you need me?” Krueger asked weakly.
“You know why.” Avery looked him hard in the eye and he seemed to melt under her gaze.
“I suppose I do. If Atlantis was real, and it seems that it is,” he glanced at Sofia’s iPad, “that means it’s likely that the Great Library contained information about it.”
“Can you help us find it?” Avery held her breath while Kruger looked at the three of them in turn, a lingering look of disbelief in his eyes. Finally, the last remnants of skepticism appeared to fall away.
“I think I can.”
Chapter 27
“Mexico.” Matt looked down at the fresh stamp on the fake passport Tam had provided for him. “This wasn’t what I expected when they invited us on a camping trip.”
“Not much to see out here.” Despite the situation, Joel managed to sound bored.
Matt gazed out the window of the van in which they rode. The dull brown of the hilly landscape was speckled with a touch of green here and there, but there was no forest to be seen. Since they’d left the Villalobos Airport in Chihuahua, they’d seen little more than dust and dirt.
“I’m told the camping isn’t the best.” Bill glanced at them in the rear-view mirror. “But the caving is supposed to be out of this world.”
“Caving, huh? Sounds like fun.” Joel’s eyes widened and his voice held a tone of forced bravado.
“Claustrophobic?” Matt whispered, but his friend didn’t answer.
“I don’t care for it myself. I don’t fit too well into small places.” Bill barked a laugh and Matt and Joel joined in. “I’ll be staying back at the campground, running things.”
“What’s there to run?” Matt asked. He didn’t miss the glance Bill stole at Greer, another member of the men’s group, who was seated in the passenger seat. It was just the four of them, and a ton of equipment. The remaining seven members of their party rode in a second van.
“Just camping stuff,” Bill said. “Planning the meals and the Bible study and stuff.”
“Has your group done much caving?” Matt asked, more to alleviate boredom than out of any interest.
“This is the first time. The mother church is sending a man down from Utah to be our guide. He’ll have special equipment for us.”
Matt perked up at the mention of Utah. “What’s the name of the mother church?”
“The Kingdom Church.” Bill looked like he was about to say more, but Greer silenced him with a tiny shake of his head.
Matt considered this new information. According to Tam, the Kingdom Church, led by Bishop Hadel, was believed to be, if not the headquarters of the Dominion in America, one of its strongest outposts. She had been trying for some time to gain evidence of Hadel’s connection to the organization, and hinted that she was coming closer by the day.
They rode in silence through a small town called Naica, and stopped in the foothills to the west of the city. They climbed out and looked around. There was nothing to distinguish this flat patch of brown dirt from the rest of the landscape, but Bill called it a “campground,” and began unloading the van. By the time a forest green jeep bounced up the dirt road and parked alongside the van, they had set up camp. Matt and Joel, as the new guy
s, had been tasked to dig the latrine, and both were coated in dust and sweat by the time they finished.
The newcomer, who introduced himself as Robinson, had them pile back into their vans and follow him to a mining operation. While everyone milled around the vans, Robinson went to speak with someone. Pretending to look at the mountains, Matt wandered out of sight of the group and fired off a quick text to Tam.
Caving in Naica, Mexico. Man from Kingdom Church is here.
As soon as he’d sent the text, he deleted it from his Sent Messages folder, pocketed the phone, and returned to the group. Robinson emerged from a dilapidated-looking office building a few minutes later and led them into the worksite.
A man in a hardhat with a light on the front, who introduced himself as Rivera, led them down through the mine until they finally stopped in a hollowed-out chamber of gray stone. Conduit ran along the walls and down the middle of the ceiling above, where lights hung every twenty feet or so. When Bill had said they were going caving, Matt had expected cool, even chilly caverns, but it was hot in here. Uncomfortably hot.
Rivera stopped in front of a metal door and turned to face them. He was a tall, thin Latino man with a wispy mustache and a thin beard that didn’t quite cover his pockmarked face.
“On the other side of this door is the Crystal Cave of Giants,” he began in lightly accented English. “It was discovered by accident during mining operations in the year 2000. Inside, more than three hundred meters below the surface, you will find the largest crystals known to mankind. The largest are more than ten meters long and weigh up to fifty five tons.” He paused to let that sink in.
He went on to describe the makeup and formation of the crystals, and give them a brief description of the caverns, including the dangers.
“Footing can be treacherous inside, and many of the crystals are razor sharp. If you slip, you can find yourself impaled on a selenium spike. In fact, one of the chambers is called the Cave of Swords because the walls are coated with dagger-like crystals. But that is not the greatest danger the cavern poses.”
