by Erinn Price
I began making my suit and the weasels immediately. I thought about it and then made a suit for Matthew as well. I would not activate the link to his suit, unless it became necessary. That meant I would have four active INSLs and one inactive.
Unknown to Morgan and the others, their activities at Amarna had not gone unnoticed. Two men hiding far away, from an elevated position, had been watching Amarna through telescopes and had witnessed everything. The flat site that was the ruins of Amarna, had given them an unimpeded view. They had seen the underground passageway form and then disappear. Amarna was a true ruin, no tall buildings or high walls had been between them, to interfere with their line of sight. The men had also been told, not to use any communications devices or to have any electronic devices active. If anything happened, one of them had to leave and inform the Organisation from further away, while the second continued to watch and if necessary trail them. Groups of two, like this, had been posted at all Egyptian archaeological sites, tombs and museums. The Shadow Organisation had realised that Morgan was able to track them this way and had adjusted accordingly.
Chapter 14
In a virtual boardroom, a heated discussion was taking part. All of the figures were but shadows, to protect their identities. Only the person sitting at the head of the table, the chairman, knew who all the other people were. Any contact with operatives, was made through this secure, online virtual world. It was their shadowy representatives, that had earned them the nickname, The Shadow Organisation. They had had many other names in the past, but for the last hundred and thirty or so years, it had been The Shadow Organisation. Ever since they first began using the internet to conduct business.
As the eight other figures around the table, argued back and forth, the chairman just sat back and waited. He was still undecided about their best next move and was considering all the options, as the others argued.
“Sir, they have been found.” A voice informed those in the room.
At this everyone became quiet, no one had to ask who the person was talking about.
“Where?” The chairman asked, sitting forward.
“Amarna, Sir. The operative stationed there, just contacted us and said they were there with two other people.” There was a pause, before the voice continued. “Sir, the operatives reported that they uncovered a stairway leading underground.”
“Uncovered? How?” The chairman had heard the hesitancy in the person’s voice.
“They reported that the opening just suddenly appeared and then disappeared again, when the four people moved away.”
“They let them get away, they did not follow them underground?” The chairman asked, and everyone listening could hear the anger and threat of death in his voice.
“No, Sir.” The person stumbled over his words. “I mean, yes Sir. I mean Sir, the group never went underground. They left, making plans to return tomorrow. Unfortunately, the operatives were unable to learn more from lip-reading. One did follow the group back to where they were staying, before contacting us. Morgan and Matthew are staying with a Kharim and Sara Taher.”
“Excellent!” the chairman said. “I commend you and your team, on your excellent work. I will get back to you with further instruction.”
“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”
“This changes everything. I want four teams sent to gather blood and tissue samples from Morgan, they will follow the group underground and after getting the samples, kill them. I then want the entrance blocked, till we are ready to send a team down. Any people outside, who see the entrance, that are not one of us, must be eliminated. I want three teams outside ensuring this.” The chairman said. “Understand one thing, Morgan and Matthew can not get out alive. Even if it means blowing up the entire area. We will then know the location we need to look and have Morgan’s blood. We can then also go forward with claiming patent rights on the nanos we recovered from the train.”
“We are sure, that there are no claims on them already?” One of those seated at the table asked.
“Yes, it seems she did not want ArcCorp to have knowledge of her technology.” The chairman said.
“What about the Tahers?” Another person asked.
“If they are with the other two, kill them. If not, arrange for them to be picked up, they may have valuable information. Make sure this is done after the attack on Morgan commences. I do not want the Tahers spooked and maybe giving Morgan and Matthew a warning.” The chairman replied.
“Would it not be better to detain Matthew and Morgan and get the information from them?”
“I can assure you, if we tried to detain Matthew or Morgan, not only would we end up with no information, but we would likely lose all the operatives who took them and came in contact with them.” The chairman said.
“You think the girl is that dangerous?”
“I think the girl is the most dangerous of all.” The chairman said. Considering what they knew about Matthew and how efficient he was at killing, the Chairman’s words gave the others pause.
Once the meeting had concluded, with the others knowing exactly what was expected of them, the chairman logged off and stood up. Things were beginning to fall into place and soon he would have all the power that had been promised to him and the others. There were in actual fact, three chairmen, but only the other two chairmen and the one who gave them orders, knew that. Unlike those below him, he did not work for money or even power. He worked for the promise of immortality. When he first joined the board of the organisation, the true leader had contacted him. The leader had asked him, what he would do for immortality. The leader had then shown him a vision of the future. In it, he ruled over worlds for centuries, the universe was his playground. He had not doubted this vision or questioned it. He himself had an ability, the ability to know if someone was lying or telling the truth. The leader’s vision and talk of immortality had been the truth. He accepted that the leader had the ability to foretell the future. From that day, he had followed and done everything the leader said, without question. The leader did not contact him often, just a few times to lead him in a certain direction or to tell him of something that would help the Organisation. Over the years, the Organisation had found and hired many people with various abilities, abilities that helped the Organisation grow. Due to this, the organisation was extremely wealthy and powerful. They had operatives all across the world and operated freely in many countries. Countries they controlled in all but name.
With Morgan out of the way, and ArcCorp having no way to prove the nanos were theirs, the Organisation would be able to claim them outright. With those nanos, they would be leaders in the market and they would be able to use them to control others. The leader had contacted him just over three weeks ago and told him that the beginning was near, that technology would mean the difference between life and death. With the technology, he would have the power to decide who lived and who died. He did not yet fully understand how this would work, but his trust in the leader was complete. He knew that Morgan’s nanos were important, and that even without her help, they would find the object referred to as The Book of Thoth. He did not know if it was a book in truth, but the Leader had told him, that it was the key to ensuring he lived.
When he had gotten the word that his scientists had been able to recode Morgan’s nanos from the train, he had known that this was what he had been waiting for. They still had not been able to make more nanos like those, but that was just a matter of time. He also knew there was more, his operatives’ experiences and the changes Morgan herself was able to make, showed that she had even more powerful nanos. He had speculated that they were in her blood, which was the reason he ordered a blood and tissue sample to be gathered from her. They had a specialised nano bullet, which could gather samples from bodies. The bullet was larger than normal bullets, but it had a storage compartment, with a synthesized culture medium which would keep the blood alive. It also had a layer of nanos which would tune their frequency to match Morgan’s as the bullet tore throu
gh her body. This layer would trick the nanos in the blood sample and prevent them from breaking down. They had not tested the bullet, but his scientists had ensured him it would work. The bullet would return to the gun from which it was shot, thanks to nano programming.
Killing Morgan and claiming her nanos, was the best way forward. The Organisation could then, at their leisure examine the hidden tomb that Morgan uncovered. He would lead the Shadow Organisation into the future and he would be the one they hail as their King. The other two chairmen would have to prove their usefulness to him, if they wanted immortality as well. With a chilling smile on his face, the chairman stared at the stunning view before him. He did not see its beauty, he had long ago stopped appreciating such things. The status of having this place is why he had it, the envy of those who knew him. He might be doing all this for immortality now, but he had first rose to sit on the board, due to his greed and drive for power.
Chapter 15
I had left Matthew’s suit for him on his bed, when I went to sleep last night. I never heard him enter or leave the room, but he must have, as the suit was gone. I got up and quickly showered, then put on my suit. I had also made a top and pants to wear over my suit, hiding it as much as possible, which I put on. Till we got to the site, I would keep my head covering and gloves retracted. I had the three weasels hide in my bag, they were already formed to save time. I could send them down the stairway as soon as we got there.
Matthew was waiting in the lounge. He gave me a smile and a nod when he saw me. “Thank you, for the suit.”
I looked him over, but like me he had hidden the suit under casual clothing. “You are welcome.”
“Sara made us food for the trip, enough for three days. All is easy and quick to eat, and we have enough water. Kharim arranged to get a car for us. It seemed the best, as we do not know how long we will be, or where we may need to go afterwards.
“Good. You have everything we need?” I said.
“Ropes, lanterns, flashlights, glowsticks, emergency beacons, sleeping bags, sensor alarms, traps and weapons.” Matthew said. “I am hoping it is like the other two and we can get in and out quickly.”
I nodded in agreement. I was trying not to think about being trapped underground. Nodding at the smaller backpack next to him, I said, “That one for me?”
“Yes.” He answered, looking at my own bag. I opened it and the three weasels ran out of my backpack. Two squeezed into Matthew’s and one squeezed into my new one.
“Ah. Wally and friends.” Matthew said, and I could see him smiling. “It will be good to have them for scouting. Shall we go?”
I nodded and went to get my backpack, my bag reforming around it. I did not think having extra nanos could hurt and had the nanos begin to reconfigure the backpack as well.
The car was an old, plain car, that nobody would look twice at. With it, we should be able to make it to Amarna without drawing any attention. The journey should take a few hours, so I closed my eyes and searched the internet for any more information on Amarna, while Matthew drove. I wanted to find a map of the city and maybe use it to give me an idea of what to expect underground. I also wanted to check if there was any chatter, sometimes you learnt crucial information from everyday chatter. If any strange people or any unusual groups were spotted, it likely would be mentioned online, as people discussed it.
We quickly made our way to the site, once again, there were no people around. Again, I was amazed at how little attention this site got. The story of Akhenaten and Amarna had truly been lost in history. As soon as we approached, the entrance revealed itself and this time Matthew and I went down. At the bottom of the stairs, I let the weasels out and the three of them scurried ahead. Matthew removed the clothing he was wearing over his suit, while I just had mine absorb into my suit. Matthew then got out two helmet lights, I took the one and pulled the elastic over my head, securing it. The lights were flat and fitted comfortably, they would give light for about four hours.
“I have more.” Matthew told me. “If it starts flickering, let me know and I will replace it.”
I nodded, as I watched Matthew take out knives and strap them to his suit as well as a belt which had gun magazines. Matthew handed me a knife and I took it and formed a sheath for it, on my upper right leg. I saw Matthew give me a look of surprise as I accepted the knife without arguing, but I was not going to turn it down. Having it would not hurt and we had no idea what we might face. Lastly, he took out four guns, three he placed in holsters which he strapped to himself. He kept one in his hand. We both activated our hoods, mine just reformed around the head light, while Matthew only put his head light on now.
“Let’s go.” Matthew said. I activated my links to the weasels and then placed my hand over the suit’s goggles. We could have used the suit’s goggles to see in the dark, but then we would not have been able to link to the weasels as easily. Using the goggles like that, would not have allowed us to see as much detail as we would using the lights. I had converted my weasels’ eyes into lights. This would help us clearly see what the weasels did and help us map out the area.
“There are three weasel views to scroll through, as well as maps of what they uncover. To view them just think; view 1, view 2 or view 3, then map1, map 2 or map 3.” I informed Matthew, “Currently it is set to show over your left eye only, but you can change this as you wish. You can also change it to show as a ghost image over what you are seeing.”
Matthew nodded, and we entered the underground temple. The area that the weasels were mapping out, was huge and filled with all kinds of art, statues and items. Statues of Anubis were in each room and all of them seemed to hold spears. I could not help but keep a wary eye on them. None of the other statues were armed. I knew the religion of Aten only believed in one god, so I think the Anubis statues were more like guards, than showing worship to the God Anubis. It was very tempting to stop and explore, some of the side tunnels housed fascinating items, that just begged to be looked at and admired. I swore to myself once we had the Book of Thoth, I would come back and spend hours here, if not days. It was fascinating and there was so much to explore and discover. Amarna art was really detailed and stunning. At one stage the necklace went from hot to cold and even moving around, we found nothing.
“It has to be further underground.” Matthew said. “Let the weasels explore and find the stairs going down and we can wait here.”
Nodding, I let the weasels continue searching for the stairs to the lower floors. There were a lot of side passages and alcoves and we needed the weasels to search each of these. I even had them checking for any unnatural air movement or signs of hidden passages.
“We are not alone.” Matthew thought to me. I instinctively looked at the Anubis statues, none of them had moved.
“From behind us, a lot of people.” Matthew warned me. “Speed up the weasels’ search, we cannot afford to end up going down a dead end.” He pulled me with him, behind one of the pillars in the room. From it we could get to any of the three passages leading out of the room. We now just needed the weasels to show us which passages we needed to take.”
“There, the one to the right.” I thought back at Matthew. Sound travelled and talking would give those following us an idea where we were.
“Switch the lights off, move using your goggles and the map from the weasel.” Matthew replied, using thought.
I knew it was to make us invisible, without the lights and the heat they naturally gave off, we would become invisible. Those behind us, would need to search every room and behind every column, tomb and statue. I had the image from the weasel’s path show before me. It would allow me to move without having to worry about bumping into anything. The only problem would be, if something suddenly appeared in my path. I linked the image to Matthew, we basically would follow the weasel’s path exactly. Our eyes would see what it saw, when it went this way. This allowed us to move faster, even though we were careful not to make any noise.
The other weasels soo
n joined the other one, on the third floor and once again they set off. I had one head directly in the direction where the necklace had been its hottest, on the floor above. Hopefully, the item we were looking for would be on this level and we would not need to go down another level.
“One is faster than the others, a Hunter, he is close, move faster.” Matthew thought to me. I could sense that he was dying to turn and confront the Hunter behind us, but he stayed with me. “We may need to look for an area we can defend. A narrow side tunnel, with a narrow opening and something we can hide behind for cover.”
We made it to the stairs and rushed down them. Halfway down, Matthew suddenly pushed me sideways. “What the?” I said loudly, as I felt a fierce pain in my right leg. I could feel warmth flow down my leg and in shock realized I had been shot, again. This time though, I definitely knew I had been shot and the pain was sharp and hot. My nanos had immediately begun to repair the damage, but it still hurt and would take some time to heal completely. I had to slow down, I could not run on the leg and I leaned on Matthew. He led me behind a column.
“Let me see.” He thought. He knelt on the floor before me and grabbed his shirt from his bag, using it to wipe the blood from my leg. “Move the suit away, I need to see.” I was still shocked that the bullet had managed to pierce my suit, without any trouble and that the suit around the area seemed to be damaged. I needed to repair the suit by adding nanos to the area. I could not just regrow the nanos there, as they were not responding. I retracted the nanos around the area, absorbing the dead nanos.
