Operation Rubicon

by Preston William Child

  That actually made Elijah smile and stop his endless criticism. Santino reached into his pocket and unfolded a piece of paper before handing it over for Elijah to read. Nina, August, and Riley gathered around, all of them wanting to hear just what these thieves had to say.

  Santino looked excited for them to read it. “As you’ll see, they're far from boring thieves. They’ve quite a way with words for a bunch of desperate imbeciles.”

  Elijah cleared his throat, held his glasses in front of his eyes, and started reading the letter. “We represent the Third Triumvirate. Like the first and like the second, we are here to shape the future of Rome and the future of the rest of the waiting world. For two millennia, Rome has crumbled and fallen from the great expansive nation it once was. Rome was once the center of the known world and it could have been the entire world in due time. We will restore Rome to greatness. First, we will reclaim the history that has been stolen by weak leaders who are satisfied with leaving our greatness in the past. They do not want to bring us back to glory. They take what came before and put them on display, making traditions into tourism.”

  Elijah paused his reading and glanced at everyone.

  “I don't entirely disagree with them on that point.”

  “Keep reading,” Nina said, making sure he saw how hard her eyes rolled.

  Elijah pushed his glasses up and carried on reading the letter.

  “The time of accepting weakness ends now. The time of being just another country ends now. Rome will be as powerful as it once was. We will take back the history of strength and then return Rome to power. Prepare yourselves. The great Empire will rise from the ashes it was reduced to. Signed...the Third Triumvirate, the saviors of Rome. Mr. Nero, Mr. Commodus, and Miss Caligula.”

  Elijah threw the letter down, shaking his head.

  The letter was just as obnoxiously self-indulgent as the group's name was. It sounded like a bunch of delusional children whining that they weren't getting enough attention—which was probably exactly what they were. Naming themselves with monikers based on some of Rome's worst rulers was just asinine as well and just screamed of desperation, a desire to be seen as more important than they were. They weren't important. They were just burglars and it was ridiculous that they thought thievery would somehow inspire all of Rome to become an empire again.

  The whole thing felt like a poorly planned terrorist threat. This manifesto they left behind was just all over the place, hoping to hide their childish thrill-seeking behind a nonsensical political message. They wanted to feel revolutionary. They weren't. They were just like all of the other criminals that pretended to have some deep motivation that excused their poor behavior.

  If they did bump into them during their search for the sword, Nina would do her best to make sure that this Third Triumvirate got their asses kicked. They deserved it just for that terrible letter alone.

  Elijah put the letter down and shook his head. “What a nuisance...”

  They were just that---but also clearly a legitimate threat despite how childish they seemed.

  Santino might have been acting like they were just vandals but she could see the stress that this theft had caused him. He was putting on a happy face and a good show but Nina could see that Santino was really worried about this. They may have just been deranged ravings from crazy people, but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous.

  This Third Triumvirate had all apparently taken the names of who most people believed to be the three worst emperors of Rome. It was debatable of course, but those three were almost undeniably the worst of the worst. It was odd that people boasting about making Rome a wonderful empire again would take the epithets of rulers that didn't help Ancient Rome very much. In fact, they were part of a long line of deranged leaders that contributed to weakening Rome until its eventual collapse.

  Nero was infamous for supposedly standing by and letting Rome burn. Most historians agreed that he suffered from some kind of a paranoid psychosis and performed sadistic acts on his subjects, and even his closest family members as well.

  Commodus was known as an emperor that was much more concerned with the entertainment in the famous Roman Colosseum than he was in actually performing his duties. He cared more about the arranged battles between gladiators than the actual battles that the empire was partaking in. It was like he thought that the domain he ruled over didn't stretch any further than the Colosseum walls. Commodus often participated in some of the gladiatorial matches himself, though the outcome of his fights was often rigged in his favor. He played out all kinds of sick scenarios to fulfill his fantasies. Nina had even heard the story that Commodus tied a number of dwarves together in the Colosseum arena, claiming that they were a giant, and then proceeded to brutally murder all of them in front of his adoring crowd.

  Last but certainly not least was Caligula. He was most often considered the very worst of even the most tyrannical and demented of Rome's emperors. His reign was filled with nothing but utter madness. He committed all kinds of debauchery and sadistic acts while running the empire. Nina's personal favorite tale about him was that he declared war on the sea god, Neptune, even going so far as to send his legions to the coast to fight his new enemy. The soldiers slashed and hacked away at the breaking waves, and brought sea shells back to Rome as “trophies” for their great victory. Caligula even used his nearly limitless power to appoint his horse to a position of political power as one of his advisers.

  Now some woman had taken Caligula's name for herself. It was so strange.

  Those three emperors were prime examples of how far the leadership in Ancient Rome would sometimes fall. They were so far removed from its greatest and most influential leaders like Augustus, Marcus Aurelius, and of course, Julius Caesar himself. Those leaders would never have just given into their insanity, and especially not have subjected all of Rome to it.

  It wasn't just the individual names that bothered Nina.

  The Third Triumvirate...they were a lot different than the first two triumvirates.

  The first and second triumvirates weren't made up of simple, petty thieves. They comprised some of the most influential and powerful people that Ancient Rome had to offer at the time. It was an insult to claim to be a successor group of three, especially for a group of anarchist burglars to profess.

  The First Triumvirate was never an official club of any kind, though membership was rather exclusive. There was no public alliance or agreement between the three men that formed it. It was a much more secretive, clandestine alliance to help each other rise higher in their positions of power in Rome.

  The first of the three, Marcus Crassus, was a decorated general and powerful politician but also the richest man in Rome at the time. He had it all; wealth, political pull, and a very successful military career. He had made quite the name for himself when he helped snuff out the slave rebellion led by Spartacus. Anyone would have been lucky to become allies with him, let alone close enough that Crassus was willing to bolster their importance with his connections.

  The second member, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus—more commonly known as Pompey—was younger than Crassus and not quite as rich but had made a name for his military achievements. He was from a powerful family and was quickly being seen as someone who would be shaping where Rome was heading.

  The last of the three was Julius Caesar, long before he was the legendary figure that he’d one day become. However, he was already an up and coming figure who was popular with most of Rome.

  These three men combined their skill sets, their resources, and their knowledge to ascend to even more power. The secret alliance of theirs played a role in helping set Caesar and Pompey up to be the next leaders of Rome, with one of them getting absolute power. However, after Crassus' death, the First Triumvirate crumbled apart, with Caesar and Pompey clashing, becoming bitter rivals and eventually mortal enemies. Caesar ended up as the dictator and undisputed leader of Rome while Pompey was assassinated in Egypt.

  The Second Triumvira
te was a much more official conglomerate brought together after Caesar's death. Caesar's chosen successor, Octavian, joined together with Caesar's best friend, Mark Antony, and another close ally of Caesar, Marcus Lepidus to form the new alliance. Unlike the First Triumvirate, the Second Triumvirate was a recognized institution within Rome, existing for two terms of five years with the three men ruling Rome together, and dividing it among themselves.

  At first, the Second Triumvirate's goals focused on exacting vengeance on the senators and politicians that had betrayed Caesar and played a part in his assassination. The Second Triumvirate systematically vanquished those enemies and got the retribution that they wanted. However, things weren't going well for them for very long. Jealousy and feuds, especially between Octavian and Mark Antony, led to the implosion of the Second Triumvirate. Octavian and Antony fought each other in a vicious civil war, which led to the end of the Roman Republic, and Octavian becoming Augustus Caesar, the first official emperor of Rome.

  If the first two triumvirates were any indication, then this Third Triumvirate wouldn't last very long either. Hopefully, these buffoons stealing from museums would fall apart sooner rather than later. Each day that they called themselves a triumvirate, was a day that the importance of the first two triumvirates was dishonored.

  “Enough about these miscreants,” Santino said, clapping his hands together and trying to steer the conversation back to why he brought them there. “They can stir up as much trouble as they like. They won't be where you're going.”

  “So, we'll go to Egypt,” Nina said. “If that's where Mark Antony sent the sword back then, then that's where we need to go.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Santino said happily, thrilled that she was willing to help him. “I knew that you’d be the right person for this job. I’ll make it worth your while once the sword is brought back here to the museum.”

  Nina froze and she immediately looked at Elijah, who looked more angry than shocked.

  “What do you mean?” Nina asked.

  “I requested you to help me find the sword of Caesar...I want the sword to be displayed here at the museum with all of the other relics from that era. It's not my own personal gain and it's certainly not for you to keep. It's the whole reason I implored you to help me. I needed someone to find it for the Palazza Nuovo. Surely you didn't think you’d just get to hang onto the sword for that group you’ve concocted? The sword of Caesar belongs here in Rome, for all of its citizens to be able to see and admire. It deserves better than to be tossed into some hole for safekeeping.”

  “It's not just some hole,” Elijah said defensively. “Our deep vault is probably the safest place on the planet. As for artifacts being left out in the open...do you want to risk losing Caesar's sword if those thieves come back here? Does that really seem like the best thing for it? To be out where anyone can sneak in and snatch out from under you? It should be locked away safely, by people who understand its importance.”

  Santino was shaking his head firmly. “You’re wrong. Had I known you intended to keep the sword for yourselves, I never would've contacted you. Is that how you feel about it, Dr. Gould? You plan on taking it home with you rather than bringing it back here?”

  Nina stood in between the two men and each looked to her for validation. She understood why Elijah was being so defensive. She’d made the same assumptions that he did; that they would be finding the sword and bringing it back to the Black Sun for storage, just like the order did with any relics they found. But at the same time, she had to admit that Santino had a point. She wouldn't even know that finding the sword was even a possibility without Santino notifying them. He’d asked her to help find it, but he never said anything about giving it to her. Of course a man who ran a museum would want it on display. It’d attract new guests and visitors, but she also knew Santino well enough to know that he really wanted the sword to share with the rest of the world. He was all about putting on a good show...naturally, he wouldn't want the sword to be sealed away in the Order of the Black Sun's vaults. It was a stupid assumption to make, but at least she wasn't alone in inferring it.

  Nina relented and nodded to Santino. “You're right. We'll bring the sword back here once we've found it.”

  “I have your word on that, Dr. Gould?”

  She didn't take making deals lightly. She always did her best to follow through with whatever promises she made. Still, it was a hard decision, and she was more than a little torn in conceding. She had a responsibility to Santino after he’d sought her out specifically to help, but she also had an obligation to the Order of the Black Sun and to the safety of priceless relics like Caesar's sword.

  “You do,” she said, but wasn't so certain.

  Elijah threw his arms in the air. He only ever became so animated when he was furious so she knew that she had set him off. Elijah wrapped an arm behind Nina's back and led her a few steps away so they could speak privately. He was very clearly fuming, but he was just going to have to appease his anger aside for now...at least until she completely made up her mind.

  “This isn't your decision to make,” Elijah said. “What we collect and what goes into the deep vaults is far too important to just set aside so nonchalantly. If anything, this should be up to Purdue.”

  “It was up to Purdue,” Nina said forcefully. “When he put me in charge of this search, he trusted me to make the best decisions on this expedition, and right now, I'm making the best one that I can.”

  Elijah didn't look thrilled by her answer, but she wasn't trying to please him. This was her call to make and she was going to do it. Nina walked back to the group, making sure her shoulder clipped Elijah's as she went back. Santino was waiting, looking uneasy about the private conversation she had just had.

  Nina offered a comforting smile to show him that everything was okay. “We'll go to Egypt. We'll figure out where the sword of Caesar is. Once we have it, I'll bring the sword back here.”

  NINA SPENT the flight to Egypt going over everything she knew about Mark Antony and Cleopatra and their connection to Caesar in her mind. Unfortunately, she wasn't given a lot of time to mull things over critically. Elijah took a seat beside her, and she could tell that he wasn't very happy.

  “You're not really going to give it to the museum. You can't.”

  “I haven't decided,” Nina said. “But I'm leading this expedition so I have every right to decide what happens to the artifacts, understand?”

  “We both know that the sword of Caesar is too valuable to just leave hanging out, with nothing but a pane of glass protecting it. It belongs in the deep vaults with all of the other things the Order of the Black Sun has found. That’s where it’d be most secure. It's where it belongs. We have far less valuable things in our vaults. If we can go through the trouble of making sure those aren't vulnerable, then we can certainly do the same for something like Caesar's sword.”

  “Like I said,” Nina said again, with more authority this time. “I'm in charge of this search, Elijah. I'm sorry you have a problem with that, but I don't need you in my ear trying to convince me of anything. I’ll contemplate my options on my own, and I’ll make my decision on my own. That's that.”

  Elijah adjusted his glasses and sat back in his seat, looking more than a little irritated. He folded his arms. “How well do you even know Santino? How do we know we can just hand the sword over to him? Because he's your friend?”

  “We're not friends,” Nina said. “We’ve never been pals. We just ran in the same circles and were always friendly enough to each other. That's all. He's a colleague. But he had a point. He brought this to our attention, gave us the clue to help find it, so shouldn't he have some say in where the sword goes? Without him, we would never even have been close to finding it.”

  “I don't like it,” Elijah said, as if she didn't know that already.

  “Listen, Santino Rossi is a good man and is one of the best minds in the world when it comes to Ancient Rome. I can't think of many pe
ople as deserving of having possession of that sword than he is, except maybe for Caesar himself...and that's not exactly going to happen anytime soon, is it? No one probably even cares about that sword more than he does. I know you’re so meticulous with all of your artifacts but how many of them do you actually care about once you're done with your curating? Santino will make sure it's safe, believe me.”

  “Like he made sure those other items were safe? The ones that Third Triumvirate stole?”

  “We all have our moments of weakness,” Nina said. “As I recall, you allowed Julian Corvus to abuse his access to the deep vaults and let him take whatever he wanted from under your protection.”

  “That was different.”

  “No, it wasn't,” Nina said. “And if you really must know, Santino Rossi was personally invited by Purdue when he took over leadership of the order. He was a potential recruit for the Black Sun, for us...but he declined our invitation.”

  Elijah pursed his lips in thought, and he looked questioningly at the seat in front of him. “Why did he do that? Why would anyone?”

  “Santino didn't want to leave his precious museum.”

  Elijah grew quiet and didn't bring it up again. Nina hoped that he finally understood that Santino could be trusted. He wasn't going to stab them in the back and he wasn't going to be careless with the sword. She hadn't made up her mind on if she was going to give it to the museum or the order—it was impossible to decide, when she wasn't even sure if she would find the sword.

  Right now, she had to get the sword first, and then she could actually worry about what to do with it.

  6

  THE DEAD END

  Alexandria was a city that was so rich with history, like the rest of Egypt. It had been founded by Alexander the Great and was meant to be a hub that connected Egypt with the outside world. For a long time, it served as just that. Many of its rulers were descendants of one of Alexander's best friends, Ptolomey, until that dynasty eventually ended. It wasn't all positive for Alexandria, either. Famously—and much to Nina's infinite sorrow—the city had once housed the largest and most expansive libraries the world had ever seen at the time. It was a collection of so much written knowledge. Unfortunately, it burned to the ground and all of that information it contained burned along with it. There were some things inside of that library that would forever be lost, secrets from all that time ago, that could never be recovered.