The Last Chamber (33 page)

Sean’s face grew grim as he realized they’d just walked right into
checkmate. “Lindsey.”

Armenian Mountains

The air was almost sucked out of the room. Sean cursed himself under
his breath for not being more careful. It was starting to become a bad habit.
All those years of government work and training were apparently wearing off.
The old man stepped towards him as Jabez’s men were forced to lower their
weapons slowly to the ground. Lindsey’s men watched them all carefully, making
sure no one made any sudden moves. Sean elected not to raise his hands like
Firth, a few feet away, choosing instead to keep them at his side.

“How’d you find us?” Sean asked coolly.

“We followed you, of course. Seemingly, as we have been doing for the
past few months.” Lindsey’s voice sounded harsh like he’d caught a cold. The
cool, damp air of the cavern probably wasn’t helping with that.

“Yeah, you’re pretty good at that,” Sean replied. “And I know a little
something about following people.”

Lindsey stopped a few feet short of Sean. The older man was a few
inches shorter, and looked up as if assessing his nemesis. “Yes, Mr. Wyatt. I
know all about your exploits with Axis. You were quite the little soldier,
weren’t you?”

“I was okay at my job.”

Lindsey snorted a quick laugh, which began short fit of coughing. Sean
noticed Will Hastings start to move towards the older man, but Lindsey held up
a dismissive hand, keeping Will where he was near the door.

“I wonder, how you feel about all the lives you have taken, Sean? Do
you have nightmares? Do you feel remorseful about the killing?”

Sean shook his head. “Every life I took was to save another. The
people I killed were evil, pure and simple.”

A sinister smile eased across Lindsey’s wrinkled face. He took a step
towards the steps leading up to the three doorways then turned around. “It
seems you and I aren’t so different after all.”

Sean’s eyebrows lowered, curious as to what the mad man meant.

“You see,” Lindsey went on, “I too, believe that the wicked people of
the world should die. It is the work of God to eliminate evil to give the world
a chance at redemption, at salvation.”

“Oh, I see,” Sean took a slow step to the side. “You’re talking about
your little plan, the one where you send out that super virus all over the
globe and kill off ninety percent of the world’s population. That plan?”

Lindsey remained stoic. Sean wasn’t sure if that fact he knew about
the virus affected the guy or not.

He pressed the issue further. “Yeah, that plan…not so good, actually.”

“And why is that? You think that I will be infected?” Lindsey shook
his head. “I have a plan for that.”

Sean laughed, causing Firth to jerk his head sideways to look at him.
The Englishman’s face showed he couldn’t believe Wyatt was actually toying with
the guy, despite having six guns trained on him. While the two continued
talking, Adriana stood perfectly still. She noticed DeGard moving slowly, as if
in a trance, up the steps towards the doorway in the middle.

“No,” Sean answered. “Right now there is a team of Axis agents
surrounding your Biosure facility in Atlanta. There’s no way they are going to
let that virus leave the building. So, you’re little plan is shut down. It’s
over, Prophet. You can kill all of us, but the world will be okay.”

For a moment, Lindsey’s face trembled. Sean figured he’d finally
gotten to him. An odd laugh began coming from the man’s face, causing the loose
neck skin to jiggle slightly.

“That’s it? You set up a little blockade around my Atlanta facility?”
The old man’s tone became mocking, and he raised his hands to add insult. “You
do realize that we have warehouses all over the world. I have already given the
order for them to ship out the virus immediately. Within twelve hours, planes,
trucks, and trains will be delivering those vaccinations all over the world.
Atlanta only represented a small fraction of our supply. Sure, if we were able
to use it, the virus would spread faster, but you have done nothing but bought
a few extra days for a world that will be cleansed of all unrighteousness.”

Sean fought to keep his poker face. He’d known about the other
facilities, but assumed either Atlanta had the only supply of the virus, or
that if they could shut that building down, the others would follow quickly. It
seems the old man had thought of that. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw
DeGard at the top of the steps, creeping towards the center door. He was
staring at an inscription in the stone just over the top of the opening.

The thin man wasn’t listening to the banter between Wyatt and Lindsey,
instead mesmerized by the words in the rock.

“The treasures of the kingdom of God lie within,” he mumbled, just
loud enough for his voice to echo off the walls and reach everyone else’s ears.
He turned around and pointed at the top of the portal. “I can’t believe it is
true,” his thick accent grew more pronounced. “I was wrong not to believe you.
We have found the tree of life. This will be the greatest discovery in the
history of the world.” He continued moving, almost involuntarily as he spoke,
stepping closer and closer to the darkness within the doorway.

“Are you sure?” Lindsey asked, distracted for a moment from the
conversation with Wyatt.

“Oui,” he answered and pointed at the strange engravings over the
opening.

The marks were nothing but a series of indentions: vertical,
horizontal, and diagonal. Sean knew what they were. He’d seen cuneiform before,
though he couldn’t read it. It was the oldest known form of writing in the
world, and was extremely difficult to interpret. The fact that the Frenchman
knew how was somewhat impressive.

DeGard neared the threshold of the door, only a step away from it now.
He shone his flashlight into it, trying to get a better view inside.

“I see a path,” he turned his head back towards the group again. “I
think this is the way.” He took another step, this one across the threshold of
the doorway.

“DeGard, wait!” Lindsey shouted.

A grinding rumble filled the room for a second followed by a quick
thud. The Frenchman’s body flew thirty feet across the room. They all stepped
out of the way quickly as the man rolled to a stop in the middle of the dusty
floor. His face and torso had been caved in, making him an almost
unrecognizable, bloody mess.

Lindsey moved away from Wyatt, inspecting the corpse from a few feet
away. Something of incredible force had struck DeGard, killing him instantly.
The shock on the old man’s face washed away quickly.

“You just saved me a bullet, Monsieur. Thank you for your service,” he
mocked the dead man before turning his attention to the group of Jabez’s men.

“Will,” he called out. “Could you encourage one of these men to test
another door?”

Will stepped over to Jabez’s group, and pressed his gun to the head of
the first man he came to. “Move,” he ordered.

The young Arab looked to be in his upper twenties. But he showed no
fear. His face was resolute as he slowly turned and began walking towards the
steps. Will followed him closely, keeping the pistol aimed at the man’s back.
When they reached the steps, Will seemed reluctant to follow any further.

The man slowed his pace as he veered to the left, staring into the
doorway on that side of the wall. His feet shuffled along the floor as he drew
closer to the portal. Everyone in the cavernous room watched closely, holding
their breath to see what would happen. Jabez’s lips moved quickly, whispering a
silent prayer for his young friend. His eyes were closed as he did, but there
was no worry on his face. Sean knew those men had prepared themselves for just
such a moment. But he had a sneaking suspicion the young Arab had no idea what
he was doing.

The man stopped short of the portal’s threshold and looked up at the
Cuneiform inscription. He stared for a few seconds at the confusing engraving.
Sean wasn’t sure whether the guy was able to translate the symbols or not.
Then, the man took another step forward, crossing a broad line of stone marking
the edge of the door. Nothing happened, so he took another step, disappearing
into the darkness beyond. Sean let out a relieved breath until a blood-curdling
scream stopped it short. The young Arab’s voice trailed off as if he were
falling into a deep pit. After a few seconds, the voice was gone completely.

Sean, Adriana, and Dr. Firth all glanced over at Jabez. The man’s eyes
had opened wide at the terrifying sound of one of his own screaming. For a few
moments, he stood waiting, as if the man would somehow appear back through the
doorway. When it didn’t happen, the Arab’s head dropped for a second. His
breath came in deep, slow heaves.

Will came back to the group and pointed his gun at another of Jabez’s
men. “You’re next. Move!”

“Wait,” Jabez begged.

His request halted Will and caused everyone in the room to look over
at him.

“Take me.”

Will hesitated for a moment and stole a quick glance over at Lindsey,
asking for permission. When the old man nodded his approval, Will grabbed Jabez
by the arm and shoved him towards the steps in the front of the room, sticking
his gun out at arm’s length.

Jabez stumbled for a second then caught himself. He looked back at his
remaining men then over at Sean and the others. He didn’t say anything, instead
offering a slow nod of the head, as if to say goodbye. Then, he turned towards
the darkened doorway on the right and began walking towards it again.

As he reached the top step, he stopped for a moment, staring up at the
inscription above the cavity. Sean couldn’t hold back any longer. He’d been
standing there, watching the man they had only just met, wondering if there was
anything he could do to save Jabez.

“Stop,” Sean shouted across the room.

Will turned back to see what the problem was. Lindsey’s other men
started for a second, quickly training their weapons on the person who had
interrupted.

“Keep going,” Lindsey turned and yelled out the order. Jabez had
twisted around, now wearing a confused look on his face.

“No, wait!” Sean insisted. “I’ll do it. I think I can get us through.”

Lindsey’s head swiveled around. He looked skeptical. But he was
considering the idea. A silent moment of thought passed before he answered.

“Very well, Sean Wyatt. You may as well die now rather than later.”

Sean raised one hand slowly, pointing at Firth. “I need the professor,
just to help me read the inscription over the doorway.”

A look of fear doused the professor’s face. He clearly didn’t want to
be brought into this little ruse. He shook his head quickly, desperate not to
be involved.

“Fine,” Lindsey said gruffly. “Take him, too. We were going to have to
kill him anyway.

“No,” Firth begged, moving back a few steps towards the wall behind
him. “This is your mess, Sean Wyatt. Don’t try to drag me down with you.”

Lindsey’s head drooped to the side, tired of the theatrics. “Kaba, if
you would?” he pointed a hand at the professor.

The mocha-skinned woman took a few long strides over to Firth then
grabbed him by the arm and jabbed the gun into his back. He let out a short
howl as he tripped forward.

Sean caught him before the professor could fall over. “It’s going to
be fine, Doc,” he whispered in Firth’s ear.

The archaeology professor was still leaning over from his near fall.
He looked up into Sean’s eyes, trying desperately to find any reason he should
believe the younger man. What he saw was conviction to the point where he
realized Sean didn’t care whether he died or not. But he also saw belief.

“I just need you to interpret the Cuneiform for me. You’re one of the
few people on this planet that can do it. Just be sure to stand clear of the
opening.”

He looked back at Adriana. For the first time he saw a pained expression
on her face, one that told him not to go. But he had to. Deep down he knew he
had the best chance of getting through the ancient traps.
 

Firth straightened up. His expression had changed to one of resolve as
he nodded slowly. “Alright, Sean.”

Armenian Mountains

Sean and the professor slowly made their way past where Lindsey stood.
The man scowled at them as they went by. He was hunched over slightly. Sean
figured years of some spinal problem were likely taking their toll. The two men
made their way up the steps as Jabez descended them. The Arab didn’t look
ungrateful. Rather, he seemed awed that Sean would make such a sacrifice for
someone he’d just met.

Sean had stared death in the face on more than one occasion. One more
wouldn’t kill him. He snorted a short laugh at the thought. That’s exactly what
it could do. When they reached the top of the steps, they stopped in front of
the door on the right.

“What does it say?” Sean asked as they stared up at the symbols etched
in stone.

Firth pushed his glasses a little further up his nose while squinting
to view the inscriptions. His lips moved silently as he translated the ancient
language in his mind. After a minute, he turned to Sean.

“The righteous stand for the right.”

“That’s what it says?” Sean was clearly hoping for more than that.

The professor nodded. “Yes. It would seem there is some sort of riddle
at play here. Do you have any idea what it means?”

Sean crossed his arms and lowered his head. The gears in his mind were
running at a million miles a second. He thought about humility and what it
meant. People who were humble were usually quiet, reserved types. They didn’t
get out of line much.

None of those facts seemed to help with his current situation.

“What are you waiting for?” Lindsey shouted. “Go.” He turned back to
Kaba and jerked a finger at Adriana. Kaba immediately snagged Adriana’s arm and
put her pistol’s barrel to the back of Spaniard’s head.

Will followed suit, taking a few threatening steps towards the stairs
to make sure Sean saw his weapon was aimed right at the IAA agent. Will also
flashed a menacing grin that begged Sean to make him pull the trigger.

“Either move or get down on your knees and let me put a bullet through
the back of your skull,” Will said through clenched teeth. “I want to do it.
And I want her to kill your pretty, little girlfriend over there.”

Sean’s eyes drifted to the side of the corridor. They widened
slightly. There was a black line of stone running along the edge of the wall on
the right side. “The righteous stand on the right, not for the right,” he
whispered to himself. Sean hoped he was right. If he pressed against the wall,
there might be just enough room to get by the huge pendulum.

Sean shoved the anger he was feeling deep into the back of his mind,
and stepped quickly over in front of the doorway. At the threshold, he took a
long, deep breath. He stared ahead into the darkness. His hand unconsciously
put the flashlight back in his coat pocket as his eyes peered forward. A slight
draft blew from the mysterious passageway, tossing a few loose blonde hairs
around. He stepped over to the right corner of the passage and pressed his body
against the stone wall. He scooted his left foot sideways and shuffled forward
with the right.

His left foot crossed the dark, stone line marking the doorway, his
right followed slowly. There was a sudden rumbling accompanied by a gust of
wind. Sean pressed his chest harder into the wall, keeping it as flush as he
could. Suddenly, the huge pendulum swung by, nearly scraping his back. The
thing shook the floor and walls, whooshing past him at an incredible velocity.
He forced himself to stay close to the wall as the object swung back through
again in the other direction.

After what seemed like an eternity shuffling sideways, Sean found
himself clear of the ancient pendulum’s reach, and was able to stand in the
clear on the other side. He pulled out his flashlight and shone it on the wall.
A few feet away, a lever made from stone stuck out through a narrow slit in the
wall. He reached over and tugged on the device as hard as he could. Slowly, the
lever gave way and slowly descended to the bottom of the slit. A loud clicking
resonated through the corridor, followed by a grinding noise. The pendulum
began to slow until it finally reached a complete stop. It was designed in the
shape of a double-sided war hammer, with conical points sticking out of the
hammer’s head.

He took a relieved breath, and looked back through the slim space
between the wall and the hammer’s side. “I’m through,” he yelled.

In the atrium, Lindsey seemed surprised, while Will was clearly
disappointed.

“He made it,” Lindsey sounded astonished.

Beyond the enormous swinging hammer, Sean had turned his attention
back to the passage in front of him. He took a cautious step forward and
immediately realized there was a new problem. A black abyss opened up in the
floor in front of his feet. The ceiling loomed high above the deep pit. On the
other side of the gap, a long, narrow stone stood at the edge of where he
needed to be. The plinth reached about twenty feet into the air. It was
difficult for him to gauge the distance. He figured it to be about twelve to
fifteen feet. With a running start, and just the right push, he might have been
able to clear it. But there wasn’t enough room to get up the momentum it would
require. And therein was the problem with the riddle of the second trap.

He flashed his light on the wall to his left, but found nothing of
value. When he shined it to the right, it was a different story altogether.
More Cuneiform script had been engraved into the side of the passageway. He
took a step closer and felt the cuts of the symbols cut into the smooth stone.

“Professor,” he shouted back. “I’m going to need you to come through.
There’s another message you’ll have to interpret.”

In the first room, Firth looked back at Lindsey with a face full of
apprehension. Will also seemed leery of the notion.

“Follow him through,” Lindsey ordered his apprentice. “If they try
anything, shoot them both.” Will acknowledged the order with a nod, waving his
gun at Firth in a motion to move forward.

The professor hesitated for a second until Will stepped closer and
stuck the barrel into his chest. “After you, Professor.”

Firth obeyed and moved towards the deactivated mechanism. He still
looked at it with a certain degree of fear, as if it might somehow come to life
again. Slowly, he wedged himself between the giant hammer and the wall and
wormed his way along the floor. Will followed closely behind, mimicking Firth’s
movements and keeping the gun forward as he progressed.

“Will and your friend are coming through, Wyatt,” Lindsey shouted,
making sure Sean heard him. “If you try anything stupid, I will execute the
girl and the rest of this rabble.”

Sean heard the threat as the professor appeared on the other side. He
stepped over and reached a hand out to help the older man through. The next
thing he saw was Will’s hand, the one holding a black pistol. Sean stepped back
to make sure Will didn’t perceive him as a threat, instead turning his
attention to the inscription on the wall.

“What can you make of this, Doc?” he asked and shone his light on the
message.

Firth stared at the strange language while Will pulled himself up off
the ground and stayed at a safe distance on the other side of the corridor.

“Give me a moment,” Firth requested. After a minute of running his
finger along the lines he believed he had the translation. “This one says that
only the strong shall pass through to taste of eternal life.”

Sean frowned at the answer, and then looked back at the wide pit. He
flashed his light down into the dark cavity; the bottom didn’t appear.

“Only the strong?” he wanted to clarify. “That’s it?”

“That’s what it says.”

Behind them, Will said nothing, keeping a wary eye on both men.

Sean eased back over to the lip of the drop and scanned the walls
carefully. It didn’t make sense. Sure, if he were a little stronger, maybe the
jump would be possible. But he didn’t think even the most powerful Olympic
jumper could clear that without a running head start. In high school, he’d seen
a few of the track stars jumping pretty far from a standing position. But this
was too far.

He stared across at the other side. While the jump was long, the
distance was short in relation to how far they’d come over the previous few
months. He thought about how Tommy had discovered the clue in north Georgia
that had led them to the first chamber of gold. They had unraveled a mystery as
old as any in North America. And they’d gone beyond. Whether he died or not,
Sean had to finish the journey.

His eyes drifted to the wall on the right, catching a glimpse of
something he hadn’t seen before. About waist high, a notch had been cut out of
the wall, just large enough for someone to fit the tip of a shoe. He looked
further up the rock face and saw another notch, and another. It reminded him of
the rock climbing wall at his gym, except with less friendly hand holds, and
potentially much worse implications if he fell.

Sean moved over to the rock face and tested out the notch, shoving the
toe of his shoe into it. He put the small end of the flashlight into his mouth,
holding it with his teeth, and reached up to the next notch.

“What are you doing?” Firth wondered.

“To get to the other side, I’m going to have to scale this wall,” he
said through teeth still gripping the light.

Will moved closer to make sure his prisoner didn’t try anything.

Sean grabbed the slit above his head with his left hand and pulled up.
He shot his right hand upward, feeling for another grip. His fingers found it,
directly above his head. He pushed them into the groove as far as they would go
and pulled hard with his right hand, simultaneously moving his left foot up to
where the left hand had been. Sweat began to form on his fingers and palms. He
was glad the rock was dry in that part of the cave, though he wished for his
chalk bag he used to carry when he would go climbing on Saturdays in college.
He was thankful for that experience as a rock climber, as he continued to
replicate the movement, going higher and higher, moving out and over the deep
abyss.

One of the things he’d always told himself was never to look down.
Always look up. Never put the possibility of failing into the mind. Just look
at the wall, and the next place to put your hand and foot.

He had nearly reached the top of the wall, halfway across the gap,
when his left foot slipped in one of the edges. The movement caused his body to
drop slightly, putting all his weight on the fingertips barely clinging to the
highest cut in the wall. The jarring motion loosened his jaw’s grip on the
flashlight, and he dropped it, sending beam tumbling down the shaft,
disappearing into the darkness below.

Firth was still shining his light on Sean’s location when he slipped
and nearly fell. The professor watched Sean’s light drop into the cavity,
forgetting for a moment that his own light drifted off of Sean’s location.

“Doc?” Sean yelled in a strained voice. “I need that light up here.”

“Sorry!” Firth sounded genuinely apologetic as he turned the beam back
on Sean’s position.

Sean struggled, but found the foothold again with his feet and was
able to take the weight off his hands for a second.

Descending was another animal altogether. Going down could be tricky,
possibly more difficult than climbing up. That was one reason they had always
just repelled back to the bottom of a climb when he’d done it in college. At
this point Sean would have gladly accepted the luxury of a rope with an easy descent.

He maneuvered his left foot over and jammed it back into a notch then
cautiously lowered his left hand to the next grip. The going was precipitous.
And at this stage, he had to look down to find the next place to put his feet
and hands, bringing into view the terrifying drop below. Sean’s only true fear
in life had always been heights. Over the course of the last few months, he’d
found himself hanging over a number of high places. He’d not gotten accustomed
to it.

After several minutes of careful movement, Sean’s feet landed safely
on the other side of the gap. He squatted down for a moment, taking in rapid
breaths. Staring down gunmen didn’t seem to bother him. But the possibility of
falling unnerved him. He knew it didn’t make sense. He just figured it was his
thing, and everybody had a thing.

“Well done, old boy,” Firth shouted across the pit.

Sean eyeballed the narrow column in front of him. The piece of stone
appeared as though it would stretch across to the other side and was wide
enough to walk on. It was already leaning slightly towards where Will and the
professor were standing, requiring only a little more energy to tip it over.

“Stand back,” Sean shouted across the pit. “I think this thing is a
bridge.”

The other two moved back towards the huge hammer as Sean stepped
around behind the stone column and leaned against it. He bent his knees and
pushed his back into the stone, and was surprised to feel it give a little. The
movement encouraged him, and he shoved harder, feeling the quads in his legs
begin swell. He let out a grunt as the heavy object reached the tipping point
and began to topple over.