“There are some things, Monsieur DeGard, that are far more valuable than money.”
“Ahhh,” the realization hit DeGard. “So, you believe the fairy tales after all, Monsieur Lindsey.” The old man ignored the comment so DeGard continued. “I supposed it is what every man seeks when he is near his end: the fountain of youth, the cup of Christ, or in your case, the tree of life.” His last sentence was lathered in derision, emphasized even more by his accent.
“I see you are the right man for this job, Monsieur DeGard. But you are obviously not a believer. The tree of life was never mentioned after the great flood in the Bible. No one ever uttered a word of its existence until thousands of years later. Now, I believe are on the trail.”
“The trail? The trail to what? Another chamber full of gold? I am certain you will find the chamber, but searching for immortality is folly, Monsieur. Death is the only certainty in this world.”
“Perhaps. What do you care, though? As long as you get your money, correct?” It was Lindsey’s turn to be contemptuous.
DeGard smiled broadly, revealing his crooked, stained teeth. “Something like that. And I’m sure I will.” He laughed heartily as the car entered into the darkness of a tunnel.
Chapter 9
Nile Valley, Egypt
Sean sat next to Adriana, across from Dr. Firth in a first class cabin of the train. He watched the shadows and outlines of the landscape pass by, deep in thought. The professor was asleep, and Adriana was nodding in and out of slumber as well.
He hadn’t been able to sleep much, despite the monotonous click-clack of the train tracks beneath. Tommy was in a hospital in Athens and it was all Sean could think about. He’d wished he had gone to the museum early to check things out, make sure everything was clear. Even if he had, there would have been no way to know there would be a car bombing. He forced himself to let go of the blame.
He turned his head away from the window and glanced over at Adriana. She’d fallen asleep again. Her head was cocked to one side and her dark brown hair draped over part of her face, reaching down to the nape of her neck.
They’d returned to their hotel with the professor in tow, and had changed out of their dirty, singed clothes, and hurried to the train station. Fortunately, they had caught the last train of the night out of Cairo.
Sean looked down at his watch. The local time was just passed midnight. They’d been on the train a few hours. The bar car would still be open. Maybe a drink would help to get a little rest.
He slipped out of his seat, careful not to disturb his travelling companions, and headed toward the rear of the train. He passed from one car to the next, unnoticed by anyone. From what he remembered, the bar car was one more over.
Halfway down the aisle of sleepy travelers, he looked through the door window that led to his destination. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck, and for a moment, Sean thought he’d seen a ghost. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing correctly. On the other side of the window stood a man he thought was dead. Will Hastings.
Sean’s eyebrows lowered, still trying to comprehend the situation. It couldn’t be him. He’d watched as the young man posing as a police officer, gunned down inside a cave in Ecuador. Yet there he was, alive and well. But if he was alive, why had he not contacted Sean or the others? Will stood in the intersecting area between the passenger car and the bar area, looking down at his phone.
Sean noticed a gun, dangling loosely in a holster on the inside of Will’s jacket. He still couldn’t believe it was him, and that he was in Egypt. It couldn’t be coincidence.
Suddenly, the apparition looked up and through the window. His eyes locked with Sean’s and, for a moment, there was a strange pause as if the world around him had stopped. Before he could do anything, Will pulled the gun from his jacket and squeezed off three muffled shots. All Sean heard was the bullets thudding into the wall behind him.
Six years of fieldwork for the United States government couldn’t have prepared him for the odd turn of events. But when the gun was drawn, Sean’s instincts to drop and find cover kicked in instantly. After rolling to a stop, he removed his own weapon from his jacket and ducked behind an empty seat to his right. When no more shots came, he risked a peek around the corner of the seat.
There were three bullet holes in the glass window but Will was gone.
Sean tried to piece everything together in his groggy mind. Will was alive? But how? Nothing made any sense. Sean remembered that dossier he’d seen on the man, how he was actually a mercenary working for the mysterious group known as Golden Dawn. Sean looked around to make sure none of the other passengers had been hit. Everyone was asleep and hadn’t even noticed the entire altercation. Thankfully, the sounds of the train rolling along had covered up the low pops from Will’s weapon.
Cautiously, Sean made his way down the aisle toward the rear of the car. When he reached the door, he pressed his back against the corner wall. Standard procedure from his days with Axis. He held his weapon close to his chin before stepping out from his cover, leading with the barrel. A quick look through the window revealed that the apparition was gone.
He slowly turned the handle on the door and pushed it open. The sounds from outside grew instantly louder as he stepped through into the intercessory area between cars. A sliding door to his left was open, filling the area with cool desert air. Sean had a bad feeling, like he was being led into an ambush.
But he needed answers. He stuck his head out the door and looked down the length of the train in both directions, but couldn’t see anything. A train stop whooshed by with red lights flashing, causing Sean to jerk his head back inside. At the same moment, a bullet sent sparks flying off the corner where he’d just been standing.
Will was on top of the train. What was he doing? Sean moved over to the door on the opposite side of the little room and eased it open. He pushed his weapon out through the opening and checked above to make sure the area was clear.
Things started to come together in Sean’s mind. Will had been with them every step of the way during their search for the lost chamber in Ecuador. He’d thought it odd that the policeman had taken such a keen interest in their adventure. But who was he to tell Will he couldn’t tag along? After seeing the report, things make sense. Will had never been on their side. He wasn’t a real cop. Did that mean the other Atlanta police were in on it too? Sean shook his head at the thought.
He remembered what he’d heard a few weeks before. Golden Dawn has people everywhere, in every form of government. They’ve infiltrated so many organizations; it is hard to know how many operatives they have. So, that was it, he realized. Will was working for Golden Dawn.
Sean cursed under his breath. He wondered who Will really was other than just some mercenary. At the moment, that was a question that would have to wait. In the back of his mind, he hoped Emily still had that dossier so he could give it another look, assuming he made it out of the current predicament. His eyes narrowed as he reached a hand out and grabbed hold of a ladder rung on the side of the train.
SSSSS
Will had been sending Lindsey a text message when he looked up and saw Sean Wyatt standing thirty feet away in the next car. The shock on Wyatt’s face had told Will he had the element of surprise. He’d pulled out his weapon quickly and managed to get off three shots, but he assumed the rounds missed. The sound suppressor on his barrel was bulky and made accuracy less than reliable from that distance.
Sean had hit the floor and rolled out of sight before he could fire any more shots. Will’s initial thought was to pursue, but he knew Sean would do the chasing, if for no other reason, out of curiosity. The IAA agent had thought him dead, so, there was no doubt he was trying to figure out what was going on.
Still, Will knew that Sean would come after him. He’d opened the side door of the car and climbed out into the cool, windy night air and onto the roof. As he expected, a few moments later, Wyatt’s head had poked out through the door.
He’d fired another shot, but his target had been startled by a railroad crossing and jerked back inside the train, causing the bullet to narrowly miss the head.
He wondered what Sean’s move would be. Whatever it was, staying out in the open on the roof was probably not a good idea. Quickly, he turned and started moving toward the back of the train.
SSSSS
Sean reached the top of the ladder and, hanging on with one hand, raised his weapon above the line of site on the roof. Will was moving quickly toward the rear of the car. Sean pulled himself up onto the top and started jogging in the same direction, careful to keep his balance on the constantly shifting train car.
Will had almost reached his destination when Sean knelt down and took aim. He trained his sights on the small of his target’s back and was about to squeeze when he heard the engine’s horn blast.
Sean turned to see the front of the train disappear into a mountain tunnel. He dropped down flat against the roof, pressing his body against the ridged metal, just as the train car entered the tunnel.
The roof of the burrow rushed by, mere inches above him. He forced himself to lie perfectly still in the darkness amid the pungent smell of diesel exhaust. The short time the train was in the tunnel seemed to last forever. Suddenly, the night sky opened up above him and the air became clean again. He stole a quick look toward the front of the train to make sure there wasn’t another tunnel up ahead.
Returning his focus to the back of the train car, he saw that Will was gone. He stood up again and started making his way in the direction Will had gone.
A silhouette popped into view at the end of the roof. Sean raised his weapon as the other figure fired off three shots. He dove to the right and rolled to the edge of the roof, nearly falling over the edge.
He managed to stop himself with his left hand and extended his gun out in front of his face. He fired off a quick succession of shots, sending his target ducking for cover. Two rounds sparked off the upper edge of the next train car.
Sean rolled over and pushed himself up. He sprinted down the rooftop in Will’s direction, his gun in the lead. He closed the gap quickly and jabbed his weapon over the edge where his quarry had just been.
Will had disappeared into the car’s side door. Sean deftly descended the rungs and swung into the open door, catching Will off guard with two boots squarely in the back.
The force of the blow sent Will sprawling forward toward the other door. Sean had landed on his tailbone, momentarily shocking his system. Will spun around and extended his gun at arm’s length. Sean simultaneously did the same.
“What are we going to do, Sean? Kill each other?” Will sneered.
“I thought you were dead,” Sean replied. “I also thought you were one of the good guys. Guess I’ve been wrong a lot lately.”
Will shrugged, “What can I say? I’m a hard man to figure out.” He’d torn his jeans in the fray and his leg was bleeding, slightly. His dark, emotionless eyes stared fearlessly at Sean.
“So, you’re working for the Order,” Sean shouted above the wind. “How much did they pay you?”
Will laughed. “More than you’d make in two lifetimes. But I enjoy the work,” he smirked.
Sean kept up the poker face, his voice and nerves remaining calm. He’d been in that situation before. Losing his cool would only make things worse.
“They gave you a policeman’s funeral. It was a beautiful service,” he said sarcastically.
Will cocked his head to the side. “How sentimental. Let’s stay on task, though, shall we? I pull my trigger and you pull yours, neither of us gets what we want.”
Sean nodded. “True.”
Will’s head turned slightly as if he saw something out of the corner of his eye. As he did, he squeezed his trigger. The weapon clicked. Wyatt’s didn’t.
He reacted instinctively and fired his weapon when he saw Will’s finger move. The shot rang out in the tiny space, instantly causing both of his ears to ring loudly.
The bullet’s impact sent Will staggering backwards, his gun clanked to the floor. A dark, wet stain formed around a hole in the right side of his North Face jacket. He leaned up against the door for a moment, looking down at the bleeding wound.
“You should have killed me,” he said, his voice trembling slightly.
Sean said nothing. His ears were still ringing from the shot. But kept his weapon raised, and stayed a safe distance from Will.
“You’re going to be apprehended as soon as we arrive at Luxor,” he said.
“By who?” Will laughed, sickly. “You? You don’t work for the government anymore. The Egyptians don’t know you. If anything, they’ll arrest you!” He clutched the wound in his upper abdomen, wetting his fingers with blood.
“I’m not giving you to the Egyptians,” Sean said, in a scathing tone.
Will’s face had become ashen, and he coughed a few times. He knew there was no escape. Then again, there was always one option. His hand slipped onto the handle of the door and jerked it open. Sean lunged forward to grab him but it was too late. Will’s legs pushed hard and he jumped out of the room and disappeared into the desert night.
Sean rushed over to the opening stuck his head out. In the pale light of the moon, he could see Will roll to a stop in the dust far behind the train. He wasn’t sure whether the bullet wound was fatal or not, but without medical attention, he would bleed out within the hour.
Sean reached over to the handle and pulled the door closed. He stuffed the gun back in his jacket then knelt down and grabbed the one Will had dropped. He reopened the door for a moment before tossing Will’s gun out into the darkness. After reclosing the door, he headed back toward his car.
No way I’m going to sleep now, he thought.
Chapter 10
Nekhen, Egypt
“We’re here, Sir,” the voice of the driver woke Lindsey from his slumber. He wondered how long he’d been asleep. Sleeping in cars wasn’t something he could normally do. However, travelling so much lately had finally taken its toll. He yawned and stretched out his arms. Apparently, his French companion had also fallen asleep and was rubbing his face in an attempt to wake up.
One of the security team members from the other vehicle opened the door for Lindsey, and the older man stepped outside into the cool, early morning. He gazed up at the sky for a moment, taking in the view of billions of stars. He’d heard the desert provided an amazing panorama of space. But seeing it was a whole other thing.
“Always darkest before dawn, eh Monsieur?” DeGard also looked up into the dark canvas above before returning his attention to the matters at hand. Nearby, ancient ruins of some of the earliest temples known to man sat quietly among the rocks and hills. The details of the formations were hard to make out in the darkness, but Degard had seen all of that before. What interested him was something that he doubted many others had taken note of.
“Lights over there, if you please,” he ordered the men who were gathering equipment from the other vehicles. “Around the base of that rock formation. Two flood lights outside and then take the rest inside the cave.” He was in his element, back in the field, where he belonged.
Off to the right, about a hundred feet away, a light breeze played with a canvas tent. Just outside the shelter were several tables and an old Range Rover.
“Should we dispose of them?” one of the men asked Lindsey, pointing with a sub-machine gun in the direction of the excavation camp.
“Not yet,” the older man answered. “They should leave us alone. Just set up a perimeter in case they wake up and get nosey.”
The muscular man nodded and trotted away to help the others.
Half an hour later, small generators quietly hummed, and the ruin’s formation began to take shape in the glow of the floodlights. A rocky hill rose up about sixty feet, to a sharp point. A cave entrance had been adorned with stone sculptures, cut out of the rock face itself. Time and weather had made it difficult to tell to which gods the giant beasts paid
homage.
Lindsey followed DeGard over to the sand-colored stone. The Frenchman gazed at it with narrowed eyes. “It has been a long time since I have been here,” he said distantly. “The place has not changed a bit in all these years. Let us hope the inside is just as equally intact.”
DeGard strolled toward the cave entrance as more lights began to come on inside. When they entered, the two men were greeted with walls painted in pale colors from blue and red to black and gold highlights. The atrium of the cave was a rectangular room, around thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide. The place smelled of stale air and ancient dust. Any artifacts that had been discovered there had long been removed. Fortunately, what DeGard needed was still there, right where he had remembered it. He walked slowly to one wall and ran his finger along some of the hieroglyphics.
“These are some of the oldest writings we have ever discovered on the planet,” he said quietly. Lindsey looked on, clearly confused as to what any of the inscriptions meant. He didn’t need to know. That was why he had hired DeGard.
“What are we looking for?” Lindsey asked impatiently.
“Of course. You want to get on with it. Please forgive me for taking a moment to appreciate the enormity of where we are standing. What we are looking for is through there.” He pointed a slender finger toward a door at the other end of the room. He motioned for a one of the guards to hand over a flashlight. DeGard switched on the beam and led the way through the dark portal.
Along the narrow passage were more wall paintings and hieroglyphics, similar to what they had seen in the first area. DeGard paid them little attention, and kept walking steadily forward. He passed several other doors as he went.
“What are all these rooms?” Lindsey wondered, as he forced himself to keep up with the Frenchman. The guards behind Lindsey kept their flashlights on the floor as their employer continued walking.
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