Curse of Atlantis

by Petersen, Christopher David

  “Sorry, I guess I’m a little nervous,” Javier said.

  “No need to apologize, Javi. If my daughter’s life was on the line, I’d be a nervous wreck too,” Burt sympathized.

  As the workers carried on with their daily routine, off in the distance, a lone dark sedan drove up the dirt and gravel road toward the pyramid. Even before they heard the car’s engine, the tires threw a cloud of dust in the air, telegraphing its arrival.

  “This is it. Stay sharp,” Jack said softly.

  As the car traversed the winding road, the engine sound became noticeable. A minute later, the black sedan pulled up near the front of the pyramid. Javier strained his eyes to locate Serena through the darkened windows.

  The four men stood nervously as the driver’s door opened. The driver stepped from the vehicle and closed the door. Almost immediately, the other three doors opened and three men stood menacingly by the car.

  “I couldn’t see Serena. Did any of you see her?” Javier asked in a frantic, yet hushed voiced.

  “They got out too quickly. I didn’t get a chance to see,” Jack responded.

  “Yeah, same here,” Burt replied.

  “I don’t think there’s anyone else in that car,” Darrien said, still squinting toward the vehicle.

  With a simple nod from the driver, the four men walked slowly toward the pyramid. All eyes were glued to the Russians. Nearly all the same size and build, none of them looked familiar.

  “I haven’t seen any of these guys before,” Jack said suspiciously.

  “Maybe they aren’t the Russians. Maybe they’re just four guys interested in the pyramid,” Darrien offered.

  “No way. They’re definitely the Russians, just not the one’s we’ve met before,” Jack responded.

  As the four dark suited men walked closer, the driver took the lead. Nearing Javier and Burt, he called out, “Which one of you is Arista?”

  “I’m Javier Arista.”

  “I believe you have something for us,” the Russian said in heavy broken English.

  They stopped several feet from Javier and conducted their business.

  “Where’s my daughter?” Javier asked, trying not to sound intimidated. “First my daughter, then the treasure.”

  “What do you mean, ‘first your daughter’? I know nothing of your daughter. We are here to collect the artifacts,” the lead Russian countered.

  Stepping forward, Jack cut in, “Are you telling us you don’t have Serena Arista in your car?”

  “We know nothing of a Serena Arista. Our orders are simple: pick up the artifacts from the pyramid,” the lead Russian said, now growing agitated. Taking a step closer, he demanded, “Where are the artifacts?”

  A moment of silence transpired between them as each group of men tried to sort out the dilemma mentally.

  “There must have been some kind of miscommunication here. We’re supposed to make a trade: Serena for the artifacts. Is it possible for you to contact your employer and straighten this out over the phone?” Javier asked, now desperate to work out the problem.

  “We were warned of your American tricks. Who do you think we are? Do you think we’re not smart enough to see through your games?” the lead Russian spat.

  “First of all, I’m not an American. I’m a Caicos native. And second, we’re not playing games here. I haven’t asked you for any money,” Javier shot back. “In case you weren’t informed, your boss kidnapped Serena and stole the crystal key that opens the burial chamber. He’s been holding her until we located the Atlantean artifacts. We were supposed to make a trade like I said before: the contents of the burial chamber for my daughter, Serena.”

  A confused expression spread across the faces of the four Russian men. Javier’s story sounded reasonable. They also had their orders.

  “Your story is of no concern to me. I have my orders. Where are the artifacts?” the lead Russian demanded, now unbuttoning his jacket.

  “Even if wanted to give you the artifacts, I couldn’t. You guys have the key into the chamber… remember? Your boss stole the crystal key.”

  The Russian reached into his jacket, pulled out a handgun and stuck it in Javier’s face.

  “Lead me to the artifacts or die,” the Russian growled angrily.

  As the other three Russians began to unbutton their own jackets, Jack cut in.

  “Whoa guys! Hold on. We can work this out. No need for violence.”

  “FREEZE, POLICE!”

  From behind the confrontation, a loud voice shouted loudly in broken English. Instantly, a dozen plain clothes men swarmed out from the construction crews disguised as common workers and surrounded the eight men, their weapons drawn and pointing menacingly at the four Russians.

  “Drop your weapons, NOW!” the lead officer shouted forcefully, his actions clearing away any misconception in his accented speech.

  For a moment, the four Russians stood motionless. Their minds raced with confusion as they tried to plot their way out of trouble. Their options were nil. They could surrender and face imprisonment or they could challenge the offices and hope they somehow escaped in the melee that was sure to follow.

  The lead officer watched the blood drain from the faces of the Russians. Their expressions changed from shock to desperation. Their eyes shifted from disorientation to determination.

  “Don’t even think about it,” the lead officer yelled as he re-gripped his handgun.

  Instantly, a shot rang out. A low guttural groan sounded from an officer behind the lead officer. A second shot sounded and another officer was down. With a quick turn of his head, the lead officer saw his men down and returned fire. Leaping to the ground, he pointed the gun and pulled the trigger. His bullet strayed and continued on unimpeded.

  The four Russians immediately scattered, spreading out to confuse the police. Those that had not already done so, pulled their weapons and began to fire.

  With two men down and shots fired, the remaining police acted on instinct. With little time to aim, they pointed their weapons and shot at anything that moved.

  In a flash, a hail of bullets tore through the air, some found their mark, others went wide.

  Upon hearing the first shots, Jack thrust his body into Javier’s and Burt’s, knocking them to the ground as bullets ricocheted off the stone pyramid behind them. Darrien stood motionless, his shock preventing him from action.

  Shooting quickly, the lead Russian stood his ground. A second later, he felt the air leave his chest. Still firing, his knees involuntarily collapsed and he fell to the ground. Grasping for air, he cough and tasted blood on his tongue. Staring out through blurry eyes, his world suddenly went black.

  Standing to the left of the leader, another Russian fired wildly. As his comrade fell, he momentarily turned to investigate. Shots rang out and suddenly, his eyes were blurred. He stumbled forward and fell. He never sensed the ground.

  The lead officer pulled his trigger and heard only a "click." Instantly, he reached for another clip. Pulling it from his rear pocket, he flinched. Slowly now, he dragged his heavy hand along the ground. Laying the clip in front of him, he watched a pool of blood grow and encircle the metal housing. Weak and disoriented, he laid his head on his arm and closed his eyes. The sounds of gunfire slowly disappeared.

  The bullet roared through the air and found its mark. Instantly, his chest exploded as blood and bone separated from tissue. Driving through his heart and lungs, he cried out in agony as the searing pain dominated all his other senses. He grasped at his chest involuntarily and dropped to his knees. Again, another bullet ripped through his neck, severing the carotid artery, blood erupting from the wound. Even before his dark suit touched the ground, he was dead.

  With one target left, the remaining police concentrated their fire on the sole Russian. In a blink of an eye, he was struck by several bullets and tumbled backward to his death.

  For a moment, there was only silence. As the reality of the event registered in their minds, those that surviv
ed without wounds breathed a sigh of relief. Those that were wounded barely breathed.

  “You guys alright?” Jack shouted, still panicked by the deadly exchange.

  “I’m Ok,” Javier responded immediately.

  “Me too,” Burt replied.

  Jack looked over and saw the lead police officer, lying in a pool of blood. His head lay on his arm and he appeared to be sleeping. He shook his head in sadness.

  “Awful,” Jack said aloud.

  Two men ran to the lead’s aide. One man rolled him on his side as the other checked his pulse.

  “He’s still alive!” he shouted anxiously. “Quick, call an ambulance.”

  Jack looked back over to the four fallen Russians. Several men now encircled them, searching their bodies for weapons and checking their vitals for signs of life. One by one, each man was pronounced dead.

  Javier jumped to his feet. His face was white and fearful.

  “I can’t believe this. What the hell just happened?” he cried out in anguish. “It was supposed to be a simple exchange.”

  Jack immediately realized the magnitude of his words.

  “Oh my God, Serena,” he concurred.

  “Jack, what are we going to do? The Russians are dead. The deal is blown,” Javier said, tears now welling in his eyes.

  Jack tried to think of some words to console Javier, but nothing seemed appropriate.

  “I’m sorry, Javi,” he said simply, the sound of his own words now sickening him

  “Jack, my baby’s gone forever… forever… forever,” Javier said, repeating the word over and over.

  He laid his head in his hands and began to cry. As the tears dripped through his fingers, Jack and Burt tried to comfort their friend, but his was inconsolable. The loss of his child left him a broken man.

  “Over here. Here’s another one wounded,” a voice shouted from behind the three.

  Burt looked up and fear crossed his face. Jack spun around and stood motionless, his brain not ready to accept reality.

  “Oh my God, Darrien,” Burt blurted out.

  Javier lifted his head from his hands. There lay Darrien, his eyes closed, clutching his stomach.

  “Oh no,” Javier exclaimed.

  Instantly, he pushed his way around Jack and Burt and rushed to Darrien’s side. Two police were already attending him as he knelt down.

  “Is he going to make it?” Javier asked, his voice soft, yet intense.

  “I don’t know. I’m not a doctor,” the policeman said. “His pulse is strong though, so if we can get him to the hospital, I think he has a chance.”

  Jack and Burt joined Javier. They looked on in sadness at the young man who had given so much.

  “He didn’t even have to be here,” Javier said in disgust.

  “He wanted to be here, he told me. He didn’t want to abandon you,” Jack said solemnly.

  “Senseless. We should have forced him to stay home,” Burt added.

  Watching over him, they heard the distant sound of sirens. Within minutes, ambulances arrived on the scene. Instantly, they poured out of the vehicles and attended to the wounded.

  Jack, Javier and Burt, paced the area as they hoped for any signs of life. The EMT’s worked on Darrien briefly, then loaded him on a gurney.

  “Is he going to make it?” Jack asked, his voice anxious and fearful.

  “If we can get him there in time, yes,” came the reply.

  Moments later, the ambulance roared from the area, a cloud of dust trailing in its wake.

  “Javier Arista?” a deep voice called from behind the three men.

  The three men spun around and faced a tall man with graying hair. With his plain clothes, he had blended in with the other workers.

  “I’m Inspector DiApopolus. Do you have a minute?”

  “What the HELL happened here? You guys weren’t supposed to show until my daughter was released,” Javier shouted, now enraged. “You’ve killed my daughter, you son of a bitch.”

  “I’m very sorry, Mr Arista. We waited as long as we could, but as soon as that Russian pointed his gun in your face, it changed the game. We needed to act to save your lives,” Inspector DiApopolus responded.

  “Bullshit! We were negotiating with them. We could have worked it out,” Javier replied, his emotional state now unraveling.

  “Sir, please understand. This was a test by the Russians. They sent in some low-level men to test for a double cross. They must have suspected it all along.”

  “So what now?” Jack asked, cutting in before Javier did.

  “I’m sorry. Cases like these don’t end well. We’ll do our best to find them, but once kidnappers know the police are onto them, they usually disappear without a trace. I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry? Sorry? Sorry won’t bring my daughter back. She’s gone forever. What will I tell my wife?”

  Javier turned and headed toward the pyramid. Once again, he placed his head in his hands and wept for his lost child.

  “I’m sorry,” Inspector DiApopolus said, his voice solemn and sincere.

  Jack and Burt nodded simply, then ran to console their friend.

  ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

  With the dead removed and the wounded rushed to the hospital, the police gathered information and evidence, finally wrapping up their investigation later in the day. Jack, Javier and Burt remained on site at the request of the police until the investigation was complete. With the police now gone and all but a few workers finishing for the day, the three sat quietly and processed the tragedy.

  Suddenly, a loud ringing broke the silence.

  “Javi, I think that’s your phone,” Burt said.

  Staring off into space, inconsolable from his loss, Javier tuned out the world.

  “Javi, maybe you should answer that,” Jack suggested.

  Javier flinched, then snapped from his stare. Without a word, he reached in and pulled out his phone. Checking the number, his expression suddenly changed.

  “Berta?” Jack asked, sympathetically.

  With a quick look between his two friends, he toggled the speaker on his cell phone.

  “I don’t know if I can handle this alone,” he said quietly to the two, then said out loud, “This Javier Arista.”

  “We had an arrangement… no police. You broke the deal,” Nicolae said, calmly stating his fact.

  “We were afraid you’re going to double cross us… and we were right: you did. You sent in a few thugs to take the artifacts.”

  “You fool. Did you not think we’d come prepared? Those men were sent in as decoys only, to test for police. Had there been no police, they would have sent us a signal and our deal would have been completed with no harm to you or anyone else. As it is, four of my men are now dead… and for that, you shall never see your daughter again!” Nicolae growled.

  “Nooo!” Javier cried out in anguish. “We can work this out. There’s still time. Please don’t let it end this way,” he pleaded.

  “No, it’s too risky now. We’re cutting our losses.”

  Jack heard Nicolae’s words. He knew this was his final statement. Desperation raced through him as he searched for the right words to say.

  “Listen. Comrade, you run now and you’ll lose everything,” Jack blurted out angrily.

  “Jack, what are you doing?” Burt responded, leaning out of earshot of the speaker.

  “Trust me,” Jack replied confidently.

  Nicolae’s voice roared over the cell phone speaker.

  “Who is this? What do you mean 'lose everything'?”

  “This is Jack Roberts… and that crystal you love so much? It’s a fake!” Jack shouted into the receiver.

  “Preposterous,” Nicolae shot back simply, trying to buy himself time while he tried to gauge the truth of Jack’s statement.

  “Yeah, that’s right, comrade, it’s a fake. I had it made special after your goons tried to steal it from us that first time,” Jack said in antagonistic tone, hoping to keep Nicolae’s attention through d
efiance. “And those other artifacts you have? Those are fakes too. You possess no Atlantean artifacts at all. None. And if you walk now, you never will.”

  Javier and Burt shot Jack a surprised stare. They didn’t know whether he was bluffing or if his story was real.

  “If this is true, you will surely die for this insolence,” Nicolae spat angrily.

  “It is true and if I die, you’ll never see that crystal again,” Jack responded smugly, then added, “Look, we’re not looking for trouble. All we want is the girl. You give us Serena and you can have everything: the crystal and the artifacts in the tomb... hell, we’ll even load them into your car for you.”

  Silence from the phone speaker drew intense stares as the three men waited anxiously for Nicolae’s next reply.

  “YOU’RE DEAD, YOU’RE ALL DEAD,” Nicolae’s voice shouted from the speaker.

  A moment later, they listened to the dreadful sound of a dial tone. Jack’s bluff had failed and now all their lives were in jeopardy.

  Javier shot Jack a nervous glance, then looked around for signs of trouble.

  Seconds later, the cell phone rang out once more. All three glanced at the number. Jack gave Javier a simple nod.

  “This is Javier Arista.”

  “We make the trade now,” Nicolae said, his voice sounding softer over the speaker.

  “We’ll be waiting,” Jack responded resolutely.

  “You won’t be waiting long,” Nicolae said.

  As the phone disconnected, the three men scanned the area around them. Off in the distance, several workers put down their tools and began to walk toward the pyramid. As they neared, Jack began to recognize the tallest of the four men.

  “They’ve been here all along,” Burt said, in surprised tone.

  “But where’s Serena?” Javier said, now frantically searching.

  Jack scanned the tree line two hundred yards away.

  “THERE… there she is!” he shouted excitedly, pointing to the trees.

  Javier squinted and saw the silhouette of a woman being led by a taller man.

  “Oh my God! My baby,” he cried out, his heart now racing.

  “Steady guys, this isn’t over yet,” Burt warned.