Jackson King's eyes slowly rose and he took in the sight of Elisa kneeling before him. “Hill...”
“Are you okay?”
“Didn't I tell you...you were gonna get someone killed?”
Elisa smiled slightly. “Thank god. If you didn't berate me, I'd think you were dying.”
“Glad to...be of service...” he muttered before he passed out again.
“He's been doing that a lot lately.” Seth moved into the driver's seat. “Davalos, make yourself useful and untie the boat. Hill, I've got the diving equipment there at the back, mind setting it up?”
“Where's the Keystone?” asked Lucas.
“Around.”
Davalos grumbled to himself as he untied the ropes. Seth started the boat and pulled it away from the pier. They rode a little further out to sea before Seth brought the boat to a stop.
“We drop anchor here,” he said.
“We've got a problem,” said Elisa. “There are only two sets of equipment, where's the third?”
“Only two?” Seth smirked. “Why, my mistake, I thought I brought three.”
“You sonnuva...” Lucas drew his coat back, drawing the Serbu. He pumped it, preparing the shell for fire but before he could, Seth had his katana drawn and pointed right at him, edging past the barrel.
“If you miss, your head will be feeding the sharks before you have a chance to reload.”
“What makes you think I'll miss?” asked Lucas.
Seth grinned. “The odds aren't in your favor, friend.”
Elisa had her khopesh drawn, the sickle-like sword catching both the katana and shotgun and slowly she forced them both to lower their weapons.
“Enough with the pissing contest. We've got a job to do so let's do it.”
Seth nodded. “Suit up. There's a small cabin below.”
“You go first,” said Elisa. “I'm going to have a word with my partner.”
Seth gathered his set of equipment and proceeded down to the cabin. Once the door closed, Lucas raised the shotgun and moved towards the door. Elisa blocked his path with the khopesh.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think, I'm going to blow his damn head off.”
“No, you're not,” said Elisa.
“Don't you see what's going on here?” asked Lucas. “He's trying to get you alone so he can take you out.”
“Think I don't know that?” It's a risk, yes, but we don't have a choice. Besides, someone has to look over King.”
“Oh to hell with King, he's passed out, he'll be fine,” said Lucas. “Who's going to watch your back down there?”
“And if Seth tries anything while we're in the water, what are you going to do, exactly?” asked Elisa. “If it comes down to a one-on-one fight between you two...well...”
“Well what?” asked Lucas. “You think you're a better fighter than me, Elsie?”
“I know it,” said Elisa. “Leave this to me.”
“King was right, you are going to get someone killed—yourself.”
“Lucas, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself,” she said.
The cabin door opened and Seth stepped out onto the deck, dressed in a wetsuit with a diving tank affixed to his back and his sword sheathed by his side. “Have a nice chat?”
“I take it you were listening,” said Elisa.
He nodded. “And it was very amusing, let me tell you.” He gestured towards the remaining set of equipment. “Your turn, Ms. Hill.”
CHAPTER 17
The warehouse the Order had set themselves up in was surrounded by a barbed wire fence. Two guards armed with scimitars stood at each entrance. Asami crouched outside the grounds, her copper eyes following the guards, perceiving and tracing their movements.
When she saw a moment with both guards having their backs turned, she ran for the fence, crouching at the last second before springing over it, her shadow cast in the shape of a fox as she soared over the barbed wire. Asami rolled on the ground and moved into the shadows once more, never making a single sound.
She looked up the wall and figured the roof was the best way to get inside. Asami examined both her hands, watching as they grew a fine coat of reddish fur and sprouted claws. She used them to scramble up the wall as fast as she could. Once on the roof, Asami pulled off a wall grating and began to shimmy into the air ducts. By the time she was inside, she had transformed fully into her fox form.
She scurried through the air ducts, relying on her senses to lead her in the proper direction. When she came to a vent a few feet ahead, she peered down from it. In the room, she saw two guards with scimitars watching over Max, who sat quietly leafing through an old, leather-bound book.
Asami burst through the vent and transformed mid-fall into a state somewhere between fox and human. One of the guards was on top of his game, blocking her claws with his scimitar. He stepped back and swung the scimitar in several arcs, which Asami flipped through.
She fell to the ground and her tail swept past, wrapping around the guard's leg and flipping him against the wall. The second guard jumped towards her, bringing down his scimitar in a stabbing motion. Asami flipped up to her feet and jumped to meet him in midair. Her body just barely twisted out of the path of his blade and she used her claws to slice open his chest.
The first guard came back at her and Asami pounced, bouncing off his head and landing behind him. She touched ground for only an instant before lunging at his back and driving her claws into it as she bit down on his shoulder with her powerful jaws.
Max ignored the entire scene as if it never even occurred, still concentrating on his book. By the time Asami came up to him, she had transformed back into human form and took the book from his hands.
“Time to go,” she said.
“Asami, I presume.” Max looked down at his watch. “Thought you'd be here sooner.”
She smirked. “I like you, old man.”
“Maxwell Finch, but you can call me Max,” he said.
“Ready to get out of here?” she asked.
Max looked around the room. “Seems like as good a time as any, although I don't think I can fit through that vent.”
“Don't expect you to,” she said.
“Then how are we getting out of here?”
“Through the front door, of course.” Asami went to the door and transformed again, ramming into it and breaking it down. Three more guards came at her, two of them side by side with the third coming up the middle a little behind them. She jumped forward, claws slashing through the throats of the two as she passed by them. She landed on the third and bit down into his neck.
With her tail, she gestured for Max to follow and then she moved to all fours, running down the corridor. Another came towards her and Asami ran up the wall, bouncing off to the other side, then spring from that and hitting the guard with her feet, bouncing off him and continuing until they came to a corner.
Asami stood behind the corner and peered around, then turned and faced Max who calmly walked to her side.
“How many?” he asked.
“Five.”
“Think you can take them all?”
“Yes, but then I've got another five scents further down.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Something that will give me a headache tomorrow.”
“What?”
Asami peered over the corner and her copper eyes changed to red. A controlled explosion burst out between the two sets of guards, causing them to scatter as well as blowing a hole in the wall leading outside. She grabbed Max and threw him onto her back as she ran on all fours again.
Max clung tightly to her fur as the two of them ran past the hole with the Order's guards trying to chase after them. Asami kept moving at a breakneck pace, speeding up as she came towards the barbed wire fence. Once she was close enough, she sprung into the air and flew over the edge, her legs barely missing the wire. She landed on all fours, skidding to a stop and then Max climbed off her.
>
“What now?” he asked.
A horn honked as lights pierced the darkness, a car screeching to a halt in front of them. Laki peered through the lowered window. “Hurry up!”
Max climbed into the backseat with Asami following. Once inside, Asami shouted for Laki to drive. The car sped off, kicking up dust in the wake as Asami closed the door.
“I have to say, I'm impressed,” said Max.
“All part of the plan,” said Laki, slamming her foot on the accelerator and racing into the distance.
Back at the warehouse, Wade calmly walked out of the hole Asami made and shook his head as the lights vanished over the horizon. He turned to one of the guards who came up to his side. In an instant, Wade grabbed the guard's head and twisted in one fluid motion, snapping the assassin's neck.
“You're all pathetic,” he said.
CHAPTER 18
Elisa swam beneath the waves of the Pacific Ocean, Seth swimming a few paces ahead of her. The water was dark, necessitating the use of their lights to guide their way. But it seemed as if Seth could navigate the area without any illumination.
They approached the Yonaguni Monument. The main portion consisted of a rectangular formation and a complex series of terraces and steps bordered by near vertical walls. Two closely spaced pillars stood at the top of the formation, which Seth swam directly through and Elisa followed suit.
On a low platform stood an isolated boulder called the Gosintai. Seth came to a stop at it, treading right above it and motioned for Elisa to follow. Once she reached his location, he placed his hand on an indentation which Elisa could tell was for. Seth reached for the sack held at his side and opened it up, drawing out the Keystone. Elisa watched carefully; she hadn't seen this object since Lucas stole it from her in the Caribbean.
He took the Keystone in hand and set it into the crevice. It fit perfectly and the symbols on it began to glow brightly. The water around the Gosintai began to bubble and a low rumble almost like an earthquake echoed through the water. Elisa's crystal eyes were fixed on the scene behind the lens of her mask and the light that began emitting eliminated the need for their lanterns. The light flashed brighter and brighter and finally, it was so extreme that Elisa and Seth found themselves temporarily blinded.
Once the light faded, the Gosintai was still there except everything else was different. Light poured in from the surface and the area was completely shallow. Elisa peered around and saw that they were now in a cove of some kind.
Seth removed the Keystone and the two swam to the surface. A series of steps met them and the pair walked up them slowly, removing their masks and tanks and setting them on the ground.
“Look.” Seth pointed off into the distance. Elisa came up by his side and bear witness to what was once a massive city but had been devastated by a series of natural disasters. The architecture possessed a mixture of elements from various ancient cultures, including but not limited to Aztec, Mayan, Egyptian, Greek and Indian.
“It's incredible,” said Seth, his emerald eyes wide with wonder. “Imagine Hill, we're the first people to set foot in this city in thousands of years.”
“Lemuria,” said Elisa as she reached inside her own pouch and drew her digital camera. She started to snap photos of everything in sight.
From the top of the steps, there was a long road leading down into the center of the city, past the front gates. Once through there, the path split off in a web-like series of roads. Buildings of all shapes and sizes stood, still magnificent even in such a state of decay and desolation. It made Elisa wonder just how incredible this city had looked when at its pinnacle.
“The legends say that at the height of the Naa'cal's empire, Lemuria housed sixty-four million people,” said Elisa. “Their colonies spread all over the world and in one night, Lemuria supposedly rose into the air and was devastated by a series of earthquakes and volcanic explosions, leaving nothing left, suffering the wrath of the gods.”
“Nothing left on our plane of existence anyway,” said Seth. “But here we see that their city indeed did survive, transported to another world.”
“But what world?”
“Perhaps that's what the secrets will tell us.”
They moved past the city gates and into the center where a giant statue stood at the heart of Lemuria. The statue depicted a humanoid being but with reptilian features, dressed in regal clothing.
“Some legends state the Naa'cal weren't actually human, but creatures,” said Elisa. “Looking at this, it seems they were right.”
She knelt down by the statue and brushed her hand over the inscription, clearing it of dust. It was written in Naga-Mayan and although Elisa didn't clearly understand the language, she had studied enough to try and make out bits and pieces.
“Do you know what it says?” asked Seth.
“Not completely,” she said. “Something about secrets long buried, never to be discovered.”
“Yes well, we'll see about that. Let's keep moving.”
From the center of the city, they followed the path all the way to the rear. At the end of the path, they came to a large pyramid-like building, a mixture of Egyptian and Mayan. Slowly they ascended the stone steps and at the apex, they entered the darkened temple.
Once they set foot, just in the temple in India, the torches on the wall flared to light. The torches bordered statues, each one of the same type of species as the one in the center of the city.
“This place is a tomb,” said Elisa.
“Yes, but what a glorious place to lay your body to rest,” said Seth.
They followed the path until it came to a dead end. Seth looked around for some switch to open to another door when they heard a rumble and felt the ground shake. Slowly, the platform they were on began its descent into the lower levels.
“Down into the depths,” said Seth.
“Shut up.”
The descent quickened.
“Seth...”
“I know,” said Seth, very calmly as the speed increased. “We've been dropped.”
The platform plummeted down and further ahead, they could see light. Elisa prepared herself, as did Seth. Neither said a word to the other, both hoping the fall would kill one of them. Just before the platform struck the ground, when they had an opening, they leapt simultaneously and rolled away as the platform slammed down.
Elisa got to her feet and went back to the platform, examining it. The platform was undamaged from the fall. “At least we can get back up with it.”
“Forget that,” said Seth. “There.”
Up ahead was a statue holding a stone tablet with Naga-Mayan characters written over the front. Seth pivoted on his heel and with that motion, drew his sword and brought it down. Elisa countered it with the khopesh and twisted, trapping Seth's katana within its curve. Her free hand drew the kampilan and she thrust forward. Seth turned his body and the blade passed by him.
He ducked as he turned inward towards Elisa, and on his rise, his elbow struck her in the neck. Elisa stumbled back, the blow causing her to cough furiously. Seth knelt down and picked up his katana and slowly stepped closer to her, using the tip of the blade to gently raise her chin.
“You had a nice run and you're a good fighter,” he said. “Too bad it wasn't enough. And now, the secrets of the Naa'cal are mine.”
“Oh really?” Elisa slowly moved her hand and unleashed the latch for the sheng bao, allowing the rope to slip into her waiting grip. Her other hand reached for a kukri and in a swift motion, she jammed the kukri into Seth's thigh and rolled to the side. As she rolled, she threw the sheng bao forward, the meteor hammer leading the path right towards the tablets in the center. Seth turned but could only watch as the hammer struck it, shattering the tablet into bits.
Seth bent over and dislodged the kukri, throwing it to the ground. “Do you know what you've done?”
“Stopped both a madman and the Order from getting their hands on perhaps the most powerful knowledge in history,” said Elisa.
Seth picked up his sword again and prepared to charge her. Elisa sprung from her spot and as she fell back, she drew the hunga munga and threw. The African weapon cut through the air and the crescent-shaped blade connected with Seth's neck.
His body collapsed right after the head hit ground. Elisa gathered her weapons and went to the statue, kneeling down to examine the remains of the tablet. She gathered the tiny fragments and dust in her hand, allowing them to slowly flow through her fingers. Elisa balled up her fist and shut her eyes.
“I'm sorry...”
CHAPTER 19
Lucas held out his hand and helped Elisa back into the boat. He looked back into the water then glanced over at her. “What happened to Seth?”
“Lost his head.” Elisa began removing her gear and knelt down to check on Jackson. “How is he?”
“Mouthed off a bit, so I had to knock him out again,” said Lucas.
“What?”
Lucas chuckled. “You're so damn gullible.” His face shifted, his tone dropping lower as he became deathly serious. “Did you get it?”
“No, I had to destroy it.”
“You what?”
“It was either that or let Seth get his hands on the secrets,” she said. “It's over now, the secrets are lost and neither the Order nor Seth will get their hands on them.”
“Yeah, and what about us? What about Finch?” asked Lucas. “The Order's not just going to let you walk away from all this.”
“Max is safe,” said Elisa.
“Fine, but I'm not.”
Elisa's blood froze when she heard the sound of a gun cocking. She slowly turned and looked at Lucas, raising her arms. “Lucas, what are you doing?”
“Following orders,” said Lucas as he kept the Zastava fixed on her. “I didn't want it to be this way, Elsie. I was hoping with the secrets, I could barter with Wade, convince him to let you go free. But you had to do your own thing, you had to destroy the secrets. And without that—babe, I've got jack.”
“So what's this all about then?” asked Elisa.
The Lost Continent Page 10
