The God Extinction

by Kevin Tumlinson

  “No,” Ludlum agreed. She stood and squared off with Agent Brown. “So it’s up to us to make sure this doesn’t turn into an incident. We find them. We help them in whatever way we can. And we get everyone back alive.”

  Brown studied her, then nodded. “I’ll do my part. I can’t promise we’ll be able to skirt any trouble that might fall from this tree, but I’ll see what I can do. If you can get us a contact in that camp, do it.”

  Ludlum nodded, and Brown turned and left the room.

  Turning back to her laptop, Ludlum let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She dropped into her chair and got to work.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Egypt

  Kotler awoke to someone standing next to his cot.

  Dr. Nesahor—the man who had picked them up from town upon their arrival—was bent slightly, looking at Kotler’s face.

  “I apologize if I woke you,” he said quietly.

  Kotler tried to speak but found his throat dry, his voice no more than a croak.

  Nesahor picked up a water bottle from beside the bed and put a straw to Kotler’s lips.

  Kotler sipped, and then sputtered a bit. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he’d been. He tried to sit up, and Nesahor assisted him.

  “You must take things slow,” Nesahor said. “You were quite dehydrated. We have two trained medical doctors as part of our team, and they have both examined and treated you. Both say you were close to dying. It is a very stressful thing for the body.”

  Kotler heard this, and as his brain processed everything in slow motion, he chuckled. Even to him, it sounded like a small, raspy cough. Nesahor patted his back gently, attempting to help.

  Kotler shook his head and held up a hand. He was relieved to see they had removed the shackles and bandaged his wounds. His arms felt light, as if he might fling them over his head with just the slightest effort.

  “Agent Denzel …” Kotler started. He cleared his throat and sipped more water. “Denzel and Maalyck ...”

  Nesahor shook his head sadly. “Dr. Maalyck is missing. No one knows where he went, and we fear he may have been abducted as well. The security force here has put the camp in lockdown while they investigate.”

  Kotler shook his head. “He’s with Denzel. Sarraf took him. Sarraf and Ammon are working together.”

  “Ammon?” Nesahor frowned. “Dr. ELsayed?”

  “He and Sarraf both belong to … belong to …” Kotler struggled, trying to remember.

  Arabic. New Gods.

  “Alihat Iadida,” Kolter rasped as it finally came to him.

  Nesahor’s eyes widened. “Where did you hear this name?” he asked, glancing around and speaking quietly.

  Kotler also looked around. They were in a tent, and other beds were present.

  He thought back to the briefing that Maalyck had sent him, the resources and layout of the camp. This was the infirmary—a medical tent. Meant to take care of minor medical issues, but fully stocked in case of an emergency.

  Kotler shifted his position, dropping his feet to the floor. Nesahor protested, trying to gently push Kotler back to a prone position, but Kotler shook him off. “I need to make a call. I need to reach my people back in the US. The FBI.” He looked up to Nesahor. “Help me get to my tent. Is my laptop still there?”

  Nesahor nodded. "Agent Denzel was using your tent as a base of operations while searching for you. Everything you brought with you is still there.”

  Kotler stood, a bit shaky, and steadied himself using Nesahor’s shoulder. He pulled an IV from his arm and looked down at himself. “Where are my pants?” He was wearing a flimsy hospital gown that ended around mid-thigh.

  “We disposed of your clothing,” Nesahor replied.

  Kotler sighed but nodded. “Get me to my tent.”

  Once back at the tent, Kotler paused long enough to pull on clothes. He didn’t want to make this call wearing a hospital gown. He needed to assuage any concern about his own health and safety as quickly as possible. Denzel and Maalyck were out there and in trouble, and they needed to be the priority.

  He sat at the table. Denzel’s laptop was there, and Kotler didn’t have the password.

  As if anticipating his need, Nesahor placed Kotler's laptop on the table's surface and moved Denzel's out of the way. Kotler nodded, thanking him, and opened the video call app.

  It rang only once before Liz Ludlum answered.

  “Dan?” She looked confused, and then relieved. “You’re alive!”

  “Mostly,” Kotler replied, trying to smile. It was good to see her. He had a rush of feelings, somewhat mixed, but they all led him back to the right place. He hadn’t realized how much he’d wanted to see her face.

  He’d think about that later.

  “Roland is in trouble. He and Dr. Maalyck have been abducted by Medo Sarraf, the head of security here.”

  “Sarraf?” Ludlum said, frowning. “Are you … are you sure?”

  Kotler nodded and told her the whole story. “I couldn’t do anything to help them, Liz. I wanted to. I just …”

  “It’s ok,” she said, her tone soothing and consolatory. “You survived, Dan. That’s what you had to do, in the moment. And we have a lead on where they’ve taken them.” She looked up from the camera.

  “A lead?” Kotler asked, confused.

  There was a sound from offscreen, the camera moved slightly, and in a moment Agent Danielle Brown was leaning in beside Liz. “Dr. Kotler, it’s good to see you’re alive and … well, mostly well.”

  “Agent Brown,” Kotler nodded.

  “We have a trace on Dr. Maalyck’s satellite phone. It was planted in the bag he used to deliver the bronze sword. We’re seeing them in the local area, but they seem to be heading back your way.”

  “Our way?” Nesahor said. His tone was worried.

  Kotler thought for a moment. “The chamber of Credne,” he said.

  “Come again?” Brown asked.

  “They’re coming here because they need access to that chamber, to open the door to the Otherworld.”

  Brown and Ludlum exchanged glances. “Dr. Kotler,” Brown said, “maybe you need to get a little more rest. You’re …”

  “I’m fine,” Kotler said. “There are a lot of threads here. But the Ra’id, Medo Sarraf—he and Ammon are both members of a cult. The Alihat Iadida. They’re coming here because they have the sword. They’re going to use it to try to open Credne’s door, in that chamber. The camp is in lockdown, probably under Sarraf’s orders.”

  “You’re telling me that an officer in the Egyptian military is behind all this?” Brown asked. He could see the skepticism in her expression.

  Kotler shook his head. “I’m telling you he’s a member of Alihat Iadida. And he may not be the only one. Whatever this organization is, it’s calling the shots here.”

  “What can we do?” Ludlum asked.

  Kotler considered for a moment. “I’m not sure. We need help. Someone we can trust.”

  “I’ve made inroads with the State Department,” Brown said. “I can request a military contingent. If Sarraf has gone rogue, they’ll likely send people to retrieve him.”

  “Do that,” Kotler said. “But Sarraf was heading the military presence in his area. We’re a few hours away from the next closest military base. We’re going to have to figure a way to keep Sarraf and any of his supporters from doing damage here.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Brown asked.

  Kotler shook his head. “I’m making this up as I go. But I do have one ace up my sleeve.”

  “What’s that?” Ludlum asked.

  “The pommel,” Kotler replied. “They'll need it if they want to open that door."

  Brown huffed. “Let me make sure I have this straight. One of our people handed over one Egyptian artifact to the bad guys, and now you’re proposing we give them another one?”

  “No,” Kotler said. “I’m proposing that I use both artifacts to save the lives of Roland and Mar
took, as well as everyone here. Because I suspect that Sarraf’s men are a lot more loyal to him than to the Egyptian military. And I think the plan all along was to use this camp as a smokescreen. They’re going to eliminate everyone when they have what they want."

  “What makes you think that?” Brown asked, quietly.

  Kotler shook his head. “It’s coming to me slowly. But it’s that name, Alihat Iadida. It means ‘New Gods’ in Arabic. It’s been bugging me since I heard it, and now I know why. This isn’t a new cult, just a new name. I originally encountered these people a few years ago, under the name Diathan Ùra. Gaelic, for ‘New Gods.’ Their members were stealing artifacts, mostly for rituals meant to bring them power. They’re obsessed with the various pantheons. And they weren’t above killing nearly an entire town to further their agenda.”

  “And you think they’ll do the same at that camp?” Brown asked.

  “I do,” Kotler said. “Unless we stop them.”

  Brown stared for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. I’ll see if we can expedite some help. And you … you’re planning a distraction?”

  “Yes,” Kotler said. “I’ll keep them busy for as long as I can.”

  “Dan,” Ludlum said, and he could see the worry in her expression.

  “I’ll be fine,” he smiled, lying. He wasn’t fine now and wasn’t sure he’d be any better in a few hours. But he was doing this, and he could see Liz resolve herself to that.

  “Take care of yourself, Dr. Kotler,” Brown said. “Bring Agent Denzel back to us.”

  Kotler nodded and closed his laptop, then rose to his feet, a bit unsteady.

  Nesahor rushed to help him.

  “Do you truly believe Sarraf’s men will kill us all?” He asked.

  Kotler shook his head. “I’m not sure. But they know he has Agent Denzel. And I don't think it's a coincidence that this place is on lockdown. So we have to assume at least some of Sarraf’s men are involved with Alihat Iadida.”

  “What do we do?” Nesahor asked.

  "I need to retrieve that pommel, and then I need to arrange to meet with Sarraf and Ammon when they arrive."

  Nesahor nodded and helped Kotler get moving.

  Part III

  Chapter Twenty

  Egypt

  When the truck stopped again, Denzel prepared himself for the worst.

  After the outcry from their previous stop, they’d been left in the back of the truck for a long while, until finally they heard the driver and passenger doors open and slam, followed by the engine starting. Denzel knew that they’d come here—wherever here was—to retrieve Kotler, and that the likely outcome would have been for all three of them to be shot and left to rot in the mountains somewhere.

  But Kotler had escaped. Denzel would recognize a Kotler-fueled cry of rage and frustration anywhere, and he knew in his bones that Kotler had managed to give these men the slip.

  So now it was anyone’s guess what they intended to do with Denzel and Maalyck. The odds still favored shooting them. But if that was the plan, why not do it here?

  Whatever their reasoning, Denzel was grateful to have more time. He tried to put it to use, to think of some way out of this, but there seemed to be no options.

  It was daylight now, and enough light seeped through seams and gaps in the canvas covering the truck to make details visible. Denzel looked to Maalyck and saw that the researcher was drooping. The tourniquet had stopped the bleeding in his leg, but he’d still lost a lot of blood. His pants were soaked in it, as was the shirt tied around his thigh. He would need medical attention soon, or the best-case scenario would be losing the leg.

  They were jostled by the road, and Maalyck awoke with a start, wide-eyed and looking frantically around the truck’s interior.

  “You’re ok,” Denzel said calmly. “Dr. Maalyck, don’t panic. You’re ok.”

  Maalyck looked at him, and after a moment Denzel saw the flicker of recognition.

  “Agent Denzel,” Maalyck said quietly, as if to himself.

  “Yes,” Denzel said.

  “Where are we going?” Maalyck asked.

  Denzel shook his head. “No idea. It’s been over an hour, by my estimate.”

  As if in answer to the question, the truck slowed with the sound of the transmission downshifting. A moment later they stopped, and Denzel could hear voices speaking in Arabic, outside.

  “Sarraf’s men,” Maalyck said. “We are back at the Credne site.”

  “Back?” Denzel asked, confused. “Why would we …”

  He paused as the realization sunk in.

  “Kotler,” he said. “Kotler is here.”

  “How do you know this?” Maalyck asked.

  “Because we’re both alive,” Denzel said. “They’re planning to use us as leverage. They’re improvising. Sarraf’s men must have alerted him that Kotler was here.”

  “But why would they need leverage against Dr. Kotler?” Maalyck asked, confused.

  Denzel shook his head. “I don’t know. There’s a lot here that isn’t adding up yet.”

  The truck lurched forward again, and a moment later it stopped, and they heard the doors open once again. Men were talking, and Denzel heard Sarraf's voice giving orders.

  The back door of the truck opened, and Denzel and Maalyck blinked into the light of the morning sun.

  One of Sarraf’s men climbed inside the truck and removed the chains from Denzel and Maalyck, leaving the cuffs in place. He pushed them ahead of him. They were allowed to climb down to the ground, Sarraf’s men training rifles on the two of them.

  Sarraf and Ammon walked away, leaving Denzel and Maalyck standing at the rear of the truck, under guard.

  It was then that Denzel remembered the damned phone.

  He had hidden it in his pocket, thinking that Sarraf and Ammon might open the back of the truck at any minute. But as they’d sat there, and Maalyck and his injuries had become the focus of Denzel’s attention, as had the knowledge that Kotler had escaped. Denzel had waited for the worst, and the phone had slipped his mind.

  A mistake that might cost their lives.

  No time to berate himself over that now. He had to assess their situation, start looking for ways out of this. The phone was still in his pocket. If he got the opportunity again, he’d use it.

  Denzel looked around the site. He’d seen this area when he’d spoken with Sarraf about Kotler’s abduction. Tents served as barracks for the men, and a small trailer sat at one end of the camp, used as an office for Sarraf. Denzel had been in that trailer earlier, meeting with Sarraf to give him details about Kotler’s abduction. There were resources in there that Denzel could use, but it was doubtful he’d ever get an opportunity to reach them.

  Beyond the trailer was a chain link fence that surrounded the site. Past this, Denzel could see the gates that barred entry to one of the chambers, higher in the mountain. There were more gates like these on half a dozen paths leading into these hills. Normally, they were bustling with activity, with researchers coming and going. At the moment, they were deserted.

  Denzel looked toward the research site, in the other direction. Sarraf’s men were moving in armed patrols around the perimeter of the camp. Denzel couldn’t see the entire perimeter, but he knew what he was looking at.

  This place had gone from a research site to a prison.

  Or a killing field.

  Denzel realized that Sarraf's improvisation was a sign. Grabbing Denzel hadn't been part of a plan, he had just reacted. The fact that he'd taken matters into his own hands, personally taking Denzel under the pretense of arrest, hinted at the man's desperation.

  Desperate men, in positions of power, did not like witnesses.

  Sarraf was running an end game, from his point of view, and he was willing to make sacrifices. Denzel knew, as sure as if he’d been told, that Sarraf was planning to raze this camp and leave no survivors, once he got what he was after.

  Sarraf and Ammon finally returned, and along with two armed guar
ds they escorted Denzel and Maalyck through a gate and up a stone path. After a while, they stopped at one of the gates leading up into the mountain. To Denzel’s surprise, two people were waiting for them.

  “Dr. Kotler,” Sarraf said. He turned to face the other man. “Dr. Nesahor,” he said.

  Kotler looked a little shaky, but he stepped forward and faced Sarraf. “Ra’id,” he said, diplomatically. Denzel could tell, though, that Kotler had his game face on. He looked terrible, but he was acting on a plan.

  “How did you escape the cave?” Ammon asked.

  “Not now, Ammon,” Sarraf said. The man never took his eyes from Kotler’s face.

  Denzel couldn’t quite read people as well as Kotler could, but he knew a power play when he saw one. Sarraf didn’t like anyone having an upper hand on him, especially in his own camp. Kotler’s escape had upset their plans and their timetable, and it had likely exposed Sarraf and his men. Kotler would surely have made contact with someone outside of the camp. Word would be out. Things were not going well for the Ra’id.

  “Tell me why I should not kill you,” Sarraf said.

  Kotler shook his head. “You’re not going to kill me,” he said. “I’m the only way that either of you gets what you want. If the Alihat Iadida want to get through Credne’s door, you need me to do it.”

  Ammon stepped forward. He had the bronze sword in his hand, holding it as if he was ready to thrust it into the heart of his enemy.

  “We do not need you to open Credne’s door,” Ammon said, his jaw tight. He raised the sword. “We have the true blade. The key.”

  Kotler smiled. “I’m afraid you’re working with incomplete information,” he said. “There’s more to unlocking that door than the sword. Even with the real thing, you’ll never get in.”

  Ammon tensed, and Sarraf put a hand on his shoulder. He turned to Kotler. “What will it take, for you to show us how to open the door?”