by Alton Gansky
“It seems you have me at a disadvantage, Mr. Sachs,” Enkian said calmly, but there were rough edges to his voice. “May I rise?”
“You may sit,” Perry said. Enkian did. “Tell your mascot to sit.”
Enkian did so, and Tia lowered herself to the ice. All around Perry were men with guns pointed at him. His mind was racing. What part of this seemed like a good idea? he asked himself. He took a few deep breaths.
“Tell me why I should not have you shot,” Enkian said.
Perry pretended to drop the cylinder.
“No!”
“That’s why,” Perry said.
“You have my attention.”
“Here’s how this is going to work,” Perry said. “My friends get the twin-engine plane. They get in and fly off safely. If that happens, I give you the cylinder, and you get to keep me as a bonus.”
Enkian smiled. “You don’t have a pilot.”
“Griffin can fly the plane.”
Looking at Griffin, Enkian smiled. “Right now I don’t think he could walk to the plane by himself.”
Perry threw a glance at the scientist, who looked as if he was about to faint. “He’ll make it.”
“You have more faith than I do,” Enkian said.
“You’re right. You had better not think about it too long. It’s been a rough few days, and my strength isn’t what it normally is.”
“You know, if you drop that, I’ll kill you on the spot. Maybe I’ll just start killing your friends until you come to your senses.”
“For what? So we can march out onto the ice to die? We’re dead if we stay; we’re dead if we walk out. This is the only way. And if I see a gun raised in their direction, I may let go. I’m ready to meet my Maker.”
“That would be the God who worked your ancestors so many years ago,” Jack said.
Perry saw Enkian begin to break down. The man’s eyes darted around, and his lips moved as if they had a life of their own.
“I let your friends fly away, and you return the cylinder to me, is that it?”
“That’s it.”
“How do I know you won’t drop it the moment they take to the air?”
“You don’t, but I am a man of honor,” Perry said. “You have my word.”
“And if that’s not enough?”
“Then you can kiss this thing good-bye.”
Enkian muttered, then he swore, then he screamed. “All right! All right! Tia, take them to the plane.”
“No,” Perry said. “They go by themselves. After they’ve checked for fuel, and I get a word that everything is good, and I hear the plane leave, then you get this back, and you can do whatever you want to me.”
“It won’t be pleasant, you know.”
“I can live with that,” Perry said.
“Or die with it,” Enkian countered.
“Perry,” Jack said, “why not order them all into the Dome? We can lock them in and all of us can fly out.”
The thought had crossed Perry’s mind, but he had doubts he could push Enkian that far.
“That won’t happen, Mr. Dyson,” Enkian said. “I’m willing to risk letting you and the others go, but I will not give up the base.”
“Even if it means losing the prophecy.”
“I know where the ziggurat is. I have more men coming, more equipment, more buildings. The plan is underway. It would be the second greatest tragedy of my life to lose the cylinder, but the greatest would be to lose the tower. We’re in a bit of a stalemate, aren’t we?”
“Jack, take the others and get out of here,” Perry ordered.
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You have to do this. They need you. Now get out of here. If this thing slips, then we’re all dead.”
There was a pause. “Perry . . .”
“I know, buddy, I know.”
Chapter 34
Perry had shifted his position from kneeling to prone, his arm extended before him, his forearm cantilevered over the abyss. De-spite the warm clothing, the cold was seeping in. He shuddered.
He heard a soft crunch behind him. “Enkian, you had better tell the munchkin behind me that I can drop this faster than he can catch it.” Perry turned his hand over so the cylinder dangled from his palm and fingers.
Enkian gave a wave, and Perry heard retreating footsteps. Jack had led the others out what seemed like an hour ago. It had only been a few minutes—fifteen tops—but it felt longer. His arm was hurting, and the cold was bringing back horrible memories of being trapped in the dive suit beneath the ice. For some reason, he thought of the fish with multicolored lights. He was a stranger down there; the fish would be one up here. God made us to excel where we are.
“You know, Mr. Sachs, I’m having a little debate with myself. A part of me doesn’t think the cylinder is worth all this trouble.”
“Would that be the cylinder you said predates the Bible? The one entrusted to you by ancestors that stretch back a few hundred generations? I’m betting you took some kind of oath to protect all of these and this one in particular. You are a tradition-bound man, Enkian. You won’t betray that.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Enkian said, but the words lacked conviction.
A roar rushed into the open loading door—the sound of twin engines coming to life. It was music, sweet in timbre and tone.
“Sounds like Dr. James got the engines going,” Enkian said. “I wouldn’t have put money on that.”
Perry chose not to respond. Minutes passed without change. The engines had to warm slowly since they had been shut down for several days. The cold was a constant danger to the mechanical equipment. A short eternity later the pitch of the engines changed as more power was applied to them. The engines roared then died away as the aircraft taxied from the buildings.
“Godspeed,” Perry said. Although he couldn’t see the craft, he could imagine it lifting from the ice to cut through the thin air. On board were Gwen, Griffin, Sarah, Dr. Curtis, Gleason, and Jack. Relief washed over him.
“Sorry for the delay, pal,” a familiar voice said, “but we had to top off the tanks.”
“Jack!” Perry cranked his neck to see his friend approaching. “I told you to fly out with them.”
“I was going to, but I had already seen the in-flight movie.”
“Unbelievable,” Perry said.
“Yeah, that’s me,” Jack quipped. “It’s things like this that keep me the lovable international man of mystery that I am. Besides, I don’t think you would have left me behind.”
“How far is the plane?”
“It’s out of gun range if that’s what you mean,” Jack answered.
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
Enkian rose from his seat on the ice. “I’ve kept my end of the bargain. Now let’s see you keep yours.”
“Jack was supposed to be on that plane—”
“I don’t care!” Enkian screamed. “He made his choice. Give me the cylinder.”
Perry was about to relent when he heard another sound, the sound of big engines. From the way Enkian snapped his head around, Perry was sure it was unexpected company.
“See what that is,” he ordered Tia. She sprinted to the door.
“Tell me that’s what I’ve been praying for,” Perry said.
Jack moved to the door and returned a moment later. “We’re having guests for dinner,” he said. “Four aircraft are on approach. C-2A Greyhounds if I don’t miss my guess.”
Tia approached Enkian. “Military airplanes. Four of them, the kind that carry troops.”
“Four?” Enkian said. “How far out?”
“Not far,” she said.
Enkian looked at Perry, who still held the precious container over the open expanse. “Give me the cylinder.”
“You know what’s going to happen,” Perry said. “Each of those planes carries enough men to handle you, and there are four of them. If they charge in here with guns blazing, not only are a great many people going to die, but this cy
linder and all the others are in danger. Bullets from automatic weapons are going to shred a lot of them. Can you stand that kind of loss?”
“We can hold them off,” Enkian said.
“Really?” Jack shot back. “You really think you can?”
“We have you for hostages. They’ll be outside in the cold.”
“They’ll wait,” Perry said. “More will come. It’s over, Enkian. Give up and save your prophecies, your heritage.”
Enkian raised his hands to his head and pulled at his hair.
“Look at your troops,” Jack said. “They don’t seem to have the confidence you do.”
“These men will die for me.”
“Some might,” Perry said. “Then again, some might be smart enough to know when they’re outnumbered.”
“Tia?”
“The plane,” she said. “It’s fight or flight.”
Enkian looked at the sixty-five cylinders set on the stone pillars, his arrogance dripping away. He closed his eyes and swore softly. When he opened his eyes, he was staring at Perry. He turned to Tia. “Clear out. Make sure every cylinder is loaded on the aircraft. We leave right away.”
Tia screamed her orders and men began to move, each taking one or more of the cylinders. In minutes the Chamber was empty except for Perry, Jack, and Enkian.
“Will you give me the last cylinder?” Enkian asked.
“It’s the only thing keeping Jack and me alive.”
“I will have it again, Mr. Sachs. I don’t care who I have to kill.”
“Just leave us your address, and we’ll FedEx it to you.”
Outside, jet engines began to whine. “You’re a brave and dedicated man, Mr. Sachs. I hate that in an enemy.”
“Don’t you have a plane to catch?”
Enkian straightened and walked to the loading door. Outside the wind whistled around the opening. He paused for a moment, looked at Perry, then at the cylinder. Two steps later, he was outside.
“Give me that,” Jack said, taking the object from Perry’s ex-tended arm.
“I can’t tell you how close I came to dropping that.”
“In some ways, I wish you had.”
Men in heavy white parkas swarmed through the opening like ants out of a hill. Each wore goggles and a black knit mask, and each pointed an M16A2 in every direction. They filled the Chamber with amazing speed.
“On the ground! On the ground!” a tense voice ordered.
Perry looked at Jack and shrugged. Both men went to the ice. A half second later the barrels of two automatic weapons were pointed at their heads.
“A guy could develop a complex like this,” Jack said. “Personally, I’m getting tired of looking down the nasty end of a gun.”
“It will all be cleared up in a minute,” Perry said. “I hope.”
The sound of boots pounding ice continued for long moments. Occasionally, a “Clear” would echo through the area. Perry could imagine them searching the air lock, moving into the Dome, checking each room.
“Let ’em up, boys,” a deep voice said. The gun barrels disappeared. Perry and Jack pushed off the ice and rose to their feet. In front of Perry was a middle-aged man with a serious expression. He pushed back his hood, revealing close-cropped sandy hair and sun-darkened skin. He removed his goggles, and Perry found himself staring into blue eyes that narrowed as the man studied him. “I’m hoping you’re Perry Sachs.”
“I am,” Perry said. “This is my partner, Jack Dyson.”
The man studied Jack for a moment. “You play any college ball?”
Jack shook his head. “It interfered with my cooking classes.”
The man looked at Perry.
Perry smiled. “He gets asked that a lot.”
“I see. I’m Captain Thomas Mahoney, United States Coast Guard, at your service.” He gave a small bow.
Perry held out a hand. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you.” He started to say something else when one of the troops approached. Like the captain, he wore a white parka.
“The place is empty, Captain,” he said struggling to catch his breath in the thin air. “These are the only two on the premises. We found two bodies outside.”
“Enemy,” Perry said.
Mahoney nodded. “This is my XO, Ray Seager.”
“They went thataway,” Jack said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.
“The big plane? The Boeing?” Mahoney asked.
“Yes,” Perry said. “Another plane left a short time before that.”
“We saw the Boeing leave. One of our aircraft followed, but the Boeing is much faster. Ultimately we’ll lose him, but we’ll pick him up in other ways.” Mahoney looked at Jack again. “Pardon me for saying so, but you two look just a step above roadkill. I’m going to have a medic look at you.”
“We’ll be fine,” Perry said. “The smaller plane is being flown by an inexperienced pilot.”
Mahoney nodded then turned to Seager. “Get on the horn. Get an experienced pilot to talk him into McMurdo.”
“Well, gentlemen, my orders are to bring you safely home, and since I’m only a few years away from retirement, I don’t plan on messing that up.” He paused and looked around. Perry watched him take in the scene of sixty-six stone pillars circling a bloody stone altar. Next his eyes drifted to the gantry and the wide hole beneath it. He walked over.
“Careful,” Jack warned. “It’s a long way down and no way up.”
Perry thought of Larimore, and sadness reached deeper into his soul than the cold ever could.
“What now?” Perry asked.
“As I said,” Mahoney replied, “my job was to find you and bring you home. The major portion of the team will stay behind to secure the premises and await further orders. We, on the other hand, have a long flight back. That will give you plenty of time to tell me your story.”
“I don’t think you’ll believe what I have to say,” Perry replied.
Mahoney laughed. “I don’t think you’ll believe what I have to say. By the way, we’ll be flying courtesy of the navy. Be careful what you say; they’re not real happy that a Coast Guard captain is calling the shots.”
“Before we go, I need to tell you something, Captain.” Perry looked at the ice shaft, took a deep breath, and told of Trent Larimore. “I don’t know if he was part of the problem or a hero, but he deserved better.”
Mahoney stepped back to the hole and, to Perry’s surprise, bowed his head. He raised it a moment later and commanded Seager to bring the men in the Chamber to attention. Perry watched the Coast Guard captain stiffen his spine. “Commander Trent Larimore, United States Navy, died serving his country. We commend his soul to God and his body to the sea. Present arms!”
Unlike any traditional salute, Mahoney raised his right arm, fingers straight, in a slow tribute, held the position for several long seconds, then slowly lowered his arm.
“As you were,” he ordered. Then he turned to Perry and Jack.
“Can I give you a lift?”
EPILOGUE
“Have some more pie, Jack,” President Calvert said.
“I’m on a diet.”
Perry smiled as Calvert looked at Jack. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Yes, Mr. President. It’s a fault in my character. And I would love more pie.”
“Try the cherry,” Calvert said. “It doesn’t matter how bad things are in life, cherry pie makes it better.”
Perry took a bite of pumpkin pie, one of the six kinds on the large table. He, his parents, Jack, Gleason, Sarah, Griffin, and Gwen were all jammed into the White House kitchen at the president’s request. Dr. Curtis was eating his third piece of pecan.
“Offices are for diplomats and politicos,” the president had said. “The kitchen is for friends.”
It had been two weeks since Captain Mahoney had snatched Jack and Perry from the ice. Two weeks of relaxation and reflection. Perry had gone home to Seattle, which by comparison to Antarctica seemed balmy.
/> “I’m glad you all could make it. I’ve wanted to meet you. You have done a wonderful service for your country. Unfortunately, I can’t give out any medals. This remains top secret.”
“I don’t understand that,” Dr. Curtis said. “The discovery is monumental.”
“It is,” the president agreed. “And the last word hasn’t been heard on that. It’s just that we’re in a dicey situation. You were rescued by a team that flew in on navy transports and included a Special Forces unit. That in itself isn’t bad, but they flew out of an area we’d just as soon the world didn’t know about. The Antarctic Treaty doesn’t allow for military bases on the continent.”
“So we’re in defiance of the treaty?” Griffin said.
“Yes, we are,” the president answered. “So are six other countries. And that, my friends, is the end of that conversation.”
“May I ask about your situation here?” Perry said. “I understand that Enkian had men entrenched in the government.”
“He still does,” Calvert said. “And not just our government. I’ve received reports from most European and Middle Eastern governments that Enkian had made inroads there. Even China, of all places.”
“How could he achieve that?” Sarah asked. “It seems impossible.”
“All things are possible, given enough time and patience,” the president said. “This wasn’t an overnight plan. It spans generations.”
“And to think he got away,” Jack said. The president didn’t respond. “He did get away, didn’t he?”
“Have some more coffee, Jack,” Calvert said. “It goes great with the pie.” Then he winked. “Life is like pie. Anyone can open a can of cherries and pour it into a store-bought crust, but the best pies have a little something added by the baker, something only the baker knows. Secrets can be tasty.”
“I think we get your drift, Mr. President,” Perry said.
