The professor moved closer to the opened drawer and withdrew a plate. He put it back and repeated with the next one in the line, and again.
He turned back to the other three. “This is it,” he said, astonished. “I can’t believe it.”
“Professor,” Sean pleaded. “What is it?”
Firth’s eyes were staring off beyond his three companions for a moment before coming back to the present.
“Don’t you see? This is a genetic storage facility.” He took a few steps over to another drawer and pulled on the shiny metal handle. The cabinet’s contents were similar to the first’s. “They must have taken a sample from every animal on the planet and stored it here.”
“Why would they do that?” Adriana wondered.
“They made a backup,” Sean realized. “Just like backing up a hard drive. To ensure the survival of every species, they must have taken these specimens and stored them here.”
“It is magnificent,” Jabez said as he stared in wonder at the ancient facility. “But how is it powered? And how did they have the technology to do something like this?”
Sean smiled. “I don’t know. I’ll leave that up to the scientists.”
Despite reveling in what would surely be the greatest archaeological discovery in history, Firth still found a way to appear disappointed.
Sean noticed his demeanor. “What’s the matter, Doc? You should be thrilled right now. You’ve just helped make the discovery of a lifetime.”
“I guess the tree of life isn’t here,” he said solemnly.
Sean put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s probably just as well, Doc. I don’t know anyone on this planet that should live forever.” As soon as the words passed his lips, he remembered that Biosure was still in possession of the super virus.
“We need to get back to the surface,” he said urgently.
Chapter 55
Armenian Mountains
“The situation has been neutralized,” Emily said through the speaker on Sean’s satellite phone. “I called in a favor with the director of the CIA, explained to him what Jenny had discovered, and he called in the cavalry. Every Biosure facility in the country is locked down, and research teams are going in to extract samples.”
“Nice,” Sean was impressed.
“Well, the guy owed me one for saving his boy when no one else would.”
“Yeah. I’m starting to think I owe you a few myself.”
There was a momentary pause before Emily spoke up again. “Well, you could erase that debt by coming back to work for Axis.”
She was so predictable. He knew that request was coming.
“I don’t know, Em. I kinda got the crap beat out of me earlier. I think I’m losing a step or two.”
She laughed. “Nothing a little re-training couldn’t fix.”
He refocused the conversation. Both of them knew he wasn’t going back to work for the government.
“Are Joe and Helen okay?”
Another laugh came through the line. “Oh, those two are fine. In fact, if you won’t come back to work for me, I may just have to persuade the two of them to sign up.” He didn’t know what exactly she meant by that, but he had a feeling he would be hearing all about it when they arrived back in Atlanta.
“Thanks again, Em. You realize you saved the world today?”
She let out a deep sigh on the other end of the line. “It’s why we’re here, buddy. I’ll catch you when you come back stateside.”
“See you then.”
He ended the call turned around, surprised to find Adriana standing right behind him. She gazed up into his gray eyes with her chocolate brown ones. The sky was perfectly clear, a warm sun beating down on them from high above. She drew closer, putting her hands on his arms.
“Are you sure there is nothing going on with you and your friend, Emily?” she asked playfully. A sly grin swept across her full lips.
“Positive,” he replied, putting his hands on her shoulders.
Inside his head, he heard the voice again. He’d been ignoring it for too long. He remembered the pool in high school, and every other chance he’d never taken in life. As he leaned forward and pressed his lips into hers, he could still hear Tommy yelling at him.
“Jump.”
Chapter 56
Atlanta, Georgia
Sean had been packing up things in his office for the last hour. He tried not to be sentimental about it, but the years working for IAA had given him a lot of great memories. He picked up a picture of him and Tommy on a boat off the coast of Italy. They’d been there a few years prior, investigating a sunken ship speculated to date back to the time of the Trojan War. He smiled as he gazed at the image.
“You sure you want to leave, buddy,” a familiar voice asked through the doorway.
Sean turned around and found Tommy standing there. His arm was in a sling, and he had several little bandages on his face.
“I’m sure, pal. I’ve seen too much action for five lifetimes.”
Tommy stepped into the room and helped himself to a seat. “Well, now I know how Emily feels,” he joked. Both of them shared a quick laugh at the comment. “But I understand.”
Sean placed the picture frame in one of the boxes and leaned against his desk, crossing his arms as he did.
“So, you’re off to Destin, huh?” Tommy asked.
“For now,” Sean nodded. “I plan on spending a little time there first while my cabin is being built over in Blue Ridge. Don’t get all sentimental on me. I’ll be back plenty. And I expect you to come visit me at the beach. We can do a little ocean kayaking together.”
Tommy smiled, letting out a deep sigh. “Sounds good, brother.” He paused for a few seconds before speaking up again. “Sean, I just wanted to say thank you...for everything. You’ve been just like a brother to me...ever since mom and dad died. And if you ever need anything—”
“I told you not to get sentimental,” Sean stopped him. “But thanks. I will call you if the need arises.” He waited for a few seconds before speaking again. “I thought you were going to die.”
Tommy nodded and stood up. “I know. I would have thought the same thing. But we’re okay, buddy. And I can’t thank you enough for watching out for me. If you hadn’t been there, I might have died.” The two stepped toward each other and embraced for a few seconds in firm hug. When they let go, both had watery eyes.
“You be good to that Spanish girl,” Tommy ordered as he headed out of the room. “She’s definitely a keeper.”
Sean snorted a laugh. “Yeah, I know. And I will.”
Chapter 57
Destin, Florida
The clear blue waves splashed gently up onto the perfect white sand. During the winter months, there weren’t many tourists in the panhandle region of Florida, so the beaches were almost completely empty.
Sean stared into the blue sky at a few streaks of white clouds hovering overhead from behind his trademark pair of black Oakleys. The constant sea breeze blew his dirty blonde hair around like cattails in a summer storm.
He turned his head to the left, taking in the vision of the Spanish woman next to him. Her dark hair cascaded down to her shoulders where the black strings of her bikini top met her neckline. She was reading through the same book she had been reading a few weeks before in Armenia.
“Still investigating that Greek mechanism?” he asked with a smile.
They’d spent the last few days setting up Sean’s new bungalow on the beach, moving furniture and other belongings. It was the first day they had taken some time to relax since arriving in the sunshine state.
She returned the smile and nodded. “Yes,” she answered in her seductive accent. “There is just something I cannot figure out about this device.”
“Oh?”
“It seems the Greeks had several of them. And while the accepted theory is that they were used for navigating the seas, something just doesn’t add up.”
He scooted his beach chair closer to hear what sh
e had to say.
“While the devices seem to account for celestial bodies, this book says they served another purpose.”
“And what would that be?”
He was close to her now. The wind picked up and blew a strand of her hair across his face. She unconsciously set the book down in her beach bag, pulling closer to him.
“It can wait.”
Catch Sean Wyatt in his next thrilling adventure in The Grecian Manifesto. Click HERE to grab a copy now.
OTHER BOOKS BY ERNEST DEMPSEY
The Secret of the Stones: Book One of The Lost Chambers Trilogy
The Cleric’s Vault: Book Two of The Lost Chambers Trilogy
The Grecian Manifesto
The Norse Directive
Game of Shadows
The Lost Canvas (short novel)
Red Gold (short novel)
The Dream Rider (Science Fiction Adventure)
The Dream Rider 2: Retribution
Chasing Comets (A story about finding happiness)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ERNEST DEMPSEY is the author of up-tempo action/adventure thrillers and edgy science fiction adventure stories that have entertained tens of thousands of readers all over the world. His novels reveal to the world historical secrets, scientific mysteries, and new theories, all at a pace that keeps readers turning pages faster than they ever thought possible.
Dempsey is also a blogger, writing about life observations and self-improvement. His blog posts have inspired people all over the planet. Check them out at ernestdempsey.net.
COPYRIGHT
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, Places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE LAST CHAMBER. Copyright ©2013 by Ernest Walter Dempsey III. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Ernest Walter Dempsey III.
First Edition
ISBN: 978-0-9887072-7-6
MORE BOOKS BY ERNEST DEMPSEY
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Photo of Sunrise Over Piedmont by Jesse Lee Tucker
THE LOST CANVAS
ERNEST DEMPSEY
Copyright ©2012 ernestdempsey.net
The Lost Canvas copyright 2012 Ernest Dempsey
All rights reserved.
Enclave Publishing
For my mom and dad.
Wernigerode, Germany
Adriana Villa sprinted down the sidewalk along the main street. It was dark and, what had been a vibrant city earlier, had all but turned in for the night. Banners and draped flags hung loosely around the buildings and over the streets. A few random revelers strolled along, drunkenly, down a side street.
She’d noticed the man watching her as she’d exited the building several blocks back. He was medium height and build, fairly slender. His head sported a black fedora, a stark contrast to the gray leather jacket he wore. Adriana had been suspicious that she was being followed. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for her particular line of work. She gave another quick glance back and saw that the man was no longer behind her. Villa didn’t lessen her pace, though. She kept running until she saw another side street at the next intersection and veered onto it quickly.
The run had been a short one but it had been mostly uphill. The late October air in the foothills of central Germany was cold and burned as she inhaled. She pressed up against the wall at the corner and risked a peek around to see if the man was still following her. The street was empty save for a few cars that were parked along the sidewalks.
“What are you looking at?” The voice startled her and she nearly pulled one of her knives hidden within her black pea coat.
She turned and sighed at the sight of a friendly face. Martin Edert stood twenty feet away. His ruddy face had a curious smile on it. The receding hair on his head was gray with a few streaks of brown. He was short and slim except for his potbelly that came from years of drinking lots of beer and a steady diet of bratwurst.
“Someone was following me,” she answered as she walked towards him.
“My dear, in those pants, I’d be tempted to follow you too.” He pointed at her skin-tight jeans. Her brown hair dangled loosely around her ears.
“Don’t go getting any ideas,” she joked. Then she wrapped her arms around him in a big hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He accepted the Spanish gesture with a slight blush.
“I’m glad you’re on time,” she continued. “Let’s go somewhere warmer where we can talk.”
“My hotel is just up the street,” he replied. “Come.”
He motioned for her to follow him around the back corner of the side street that ended in an alley next to a large hillside. As they rounded the edge of the building, his car came into view. The silver Porsche Panamera revved to life as he turned on the engine with a remote start.
She raised her eyebrows. “Nice car. Turbo?”
“Turbo S,” he replied with a corrective grin.
She nodded, approvingly, and opened the door. Inside, the supple, gray leather surrounded her, filling her nostrils with an intoxicating scent.
“I like this,” she said.
“We Germans know a few things about making cars,” he stated as he shut his door and pulled out onto the quiet street.
Suspicious that she was being followed, Adriana had previously gone into a local bookstore. It was one of the few retail places that stayed open until after eight in the evening. At the moment, there was no sign of her follower. She hoped her little ploy worked. She assumed that if someone were tailing her, they would go into the store and ask what she had been looking for or purchasing.
Martin weaved his way through the tiny streets of Wernigerode. It was a difficult thing to drive quickly through such a tightly packed area but her friend always managed to find a way to drive fast. A few minutes later, they arrived at a four-story building on the high end of the city, near the outskirts.
The building appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it looked like many other buildings and inns she had seen in that part of Germany. A metal sign hung from wrought iron over the entrance. The wording identified the place as The Strutthassel Inn. Below the name was a shield with red and white checkers and a knight’s helmet over top of it. Beneath the shield the year 1787 was inscribed.
Martin guided the Porsche around to the back of the inn, only shutting off the engine when he found a parking space away from the other cars. “Don’t want some buffoon to scratch it,” he explained.
“Of course not,” she laughed slightly.
Upon entering the establishment, Adriana felt like she’d walked through a portal in time. Ornate, wooden beams and lattices were everywhere. The concierge desk was simple but made from hand carved oak. Off to the right, through some double doors, the inn’s tavern was rife with the revelry of travelers and locals.
Wooden tables and chairs surrounded a bar, giving the feel of what a pub must have been like in the 18th century.
Martin led the way to the tavern and found a table in a corner near the back of the room. Before they sat down, a young blonde, blue-eyed waitress made her way over to take their order. Her traditional white dress and brown apron fit her body a little tighter than was probably worn during the 18th century.
“Zwei bieren, bitte,” Martin said to the girl before she could ask.
She smiled and walked away towards the bar.<
br />
“So, what was it your friend wanted?” he asked as he got comfortable.
She looked confused. “My friend?”
He nodded with a clever smile. “Ja, your friend who was watching you back there. What did he want?”
Adriana glanced around the room, not fully trusting the tavern’s crowd. “I’m assuming that he’s tracking me until I find what I’m looking for.”
“Ah,” he replied and sat back in his chair.
The waitress returned with a few tall glasses of foamy, golden lager. “Danke,” he said to her and took a large gulp of the beer. Adriana was less aggressive and took a few sips from hers.
“So, you need my help,” he set his glass down as he spoke.
“Direct and to the point. That’s one of the reasons I love you, my friend.”
His pale face beamed. “I know,” he said and held out his hands.
“And you are correct,” she continued. “I do need your help. But not in getting away from that parasite. I am looking for something that I believe you can help me find.”
“Und what would that be, mein frauline?”
“It’s a painting.”
“Ah, artwork this time. One of the things I like about being your friend is that I never know what you are going to be chasing down next. One week it’s a painting another week it’s some kind of ancient artifact.” He took another swig from his glass. “It keeps me on my toes trying to keep up with you.”
“I do whatever interests me at that moment. Right now it’s a painting.” She smiled and raised an eyebrow then took two big gulps of beer, nearly finishing the glass.
He nodded. Martin understood her, which was rare for a man. Most men were captivated by her beauty but were threatened by her flightiness and seemingly random activities.
“And who is the architect of your latest fancy?” he asked as he leaned forward like a child sharing a secret.
Sean Wyatt Compilation Box Set Page 92
