Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis) (13 page)

Javi glanced at Jack and shrugged.

“Hey, when you’re right, you’re right. It’s back to the dungeon, I guess,” he joked.

----- ----- ----- -----

Two hours later…

Back inside the pyramid, Javi, Jack and Helena picked up where they left off two days before. The slow tedious process of clearing the corridors of obstacles and traps continued. Although Helena’s passion to reach Zeus’ tomb, at times, seemed irrational, the near-death of Duni tempered her inner expectations and desires. For now, she accepted the slow pace of the search.

“Ok Jack, coming up
on the far wall,” Javi informed matter-of-factly.

“Got it,” Jack responded
as he worked the joy stick, piloting the ROV.

“Bill’s picking up a darker shadow on the right hand side of the wall.”

“Bill’s got a keen eye, doesn’t he?” Jack joked.

“Yes… he does,” Javi replied
in a slow and sarcastic tone.

Twenty-five feet from the distant wall, the right side shadow now became more defined.

“Jack, that’s not just a shadow. That’s a beginning of another corridor heading right,” Javi announced.

“I see it. What a relief. The thought of breaking down another door wasn’t on my list of fun things to do today.”

Javi nodded, then drew a line-diagram of the pyramid indicating the path they’ve already crossed. As the ROV continued to descend deep into the mammoth structure, he started to make guesses as to the final routing.

“Jack, the corridors are skirting the inside walls of the pyramid as they descends. Zeus’ chamber is in the center of the pyramid, about fifty feet below the main level. By my calculations, once we reach that far wall, we should be descending right for another fifty feet, then make another right hand turn, descending deeper toward the pyramid’s center, heading directly into the Zeus’ chamber.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured the same thing. The path forms a standard rectangle, unlike the crazy twisting path, that led up to Poseidon’s antechamber. It’s really interesting that Zeus’ routing is so predictable, but Poseidon’s is anything but,” Jack commented.

“Like I said before, Poseidon died after Zeus. He presumed himself to be of higher importance and therefore made his chamber far more elaborate and complex,” Helena responded.

“Tossed ole Zeusie in the basement while he saved the prime ocean-view real estate for himself, eh?” Jack joked.

“Yeah, somethi
ng like that,” she replied back dryly, hiding her feeling of insult from him.

After nearly twelve hours, the process of
: inching forward; scanning images; analyzing them for detail; inching forward again; then repeating the routine, was both mentally and physically draining. Jack checked his watched and noted the time:

“Well, it’s after 8pm. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think I could use a break. Some food and some sleep wouldn’t be bad either. Any takers?”

“Count me in. I’m done for the day,” Javi responded.

“Done? But we’re so close to the wall. You can’t give up now?” Helena pleaded.

Jack and Javi grinned to each other, then stared back at Helena. Realizing her weak position, she relented.

“Well, I guess a little food wouldn’t be
a bad idea,” she said, her expression changing from intense protest to acceptance.

“Shall we meet back here at 8am tomorrow morning?”
Javi suggested.

“That sounds like a plan,” Jack concurred.

Helena only nodded.

A half hour later, as Javi drove off in his jeep, Jack stared at Helena outside the utility trailer. A slow smile crossed his face.

“What?” she blurted out, unsure how to read Jack’s expression.

“Same thing as last night?” he responded, his eyebrows raising and lowering suggestively.

Helena smiled.

“Ah ha. So that’s why you waited for Javi to leave. I guess it would’ve been a bit awkward asking me to sleep with you again in front of him, wouldn’t it?”

“Well, I
am
sort of a proper kind of guy. I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself or Javi, for that matter,” Jack teased.

“There was nothing proper about what you did last night,” Helena chided.

“So is that a no?”

She smiled seductively.

“That would be a yes…”

----- ----- ----- -----

For the next few days, the routine slowed as anomalies in the walls, ceilings and floors were examined. Each void that registered on the radar and ultrasound images, had to be analyzed. Each word of hieroglyphics that were engraved in the walls, needed to be translated. With each twenty foot section of corridor they cleared by computer, they reentered the pyramid and did the same with sight and touch.

Into the second week, Duni returned to work and resumed his duties. Although he was excited to be back, he was now more cautious and less impulsive with his actions. For the other three, as they now started down the final leg to Zeus’ burial chamber, the excitement of being so close to the end, mellowed their sense of caution.

For the next two days, they worked faster, taking less time to study the readouts. Nearing the midway point of the corridor, they could now see a distant doorway that marked the entrance to the long awaited chamber. Although the ROV’s lighting was intense, whatever laid beyond the doorway, remained elusive and served as even greater incentive to expose the mystery inside the darkness.

“Can you see anything… anything at all,” Helena asked in near frantic tone.

“Nothing, nada… it’s just too far away,” Duni responded.

“We’re so close. Can’t we just zoom on into the room and see what’s there? We don’t have to stay. Once we satisfy our curiosity, we can simply turn back around and resume the chore of clearing away the traps,” she reasoned.

“She’s got a point,” Jack said. “I have to tell you. The suspense is killing me too. I’m betting if we had brighter lights, we’d be able to see what’s in there.”

“We could run extension cords in and install some high intensity lighting. That might do the trick,” Javi offered.

“No way. By the time you do that, we could be in and out of there and still have plenty of time left over for lunch. I say we just make a run for it now and be done with it,” Helena persisted.

“Actually, we could simply toss a few glow sticks in the room, then run some video with infrared sensing to get a sense of what’s hidden,”
Jack suggested.

Duni turned from his computer and stared menacingly at the three. Disbelief and frustration welled in his eyes.

“Are you freakin’ kidding me? Did you all just lose your minds or something? Don’t you remember what happened to me? You guys are unbelievable,” he shouted in quick succession. “I almost died in there a week ago and already you want to start taking chances. Don’t you think we should just exercise more patience and finish our work, that way we can enter the room knowing we’re all safe?”

The three listened to his impassioned plea. Only two accepted his logic.

“I know you caught a bad break, Duni, but I still don’t see a problem with running the ROV in for a quick check,” Helena countered.

“The problem with that ‘quick check’ is that while you’re rushing toward the chamber, you could easily trigger something and either destroy the ROV or possibly block the entrance to the room entirely. Who knows what clever traps could exist between the ROV and the chamber. If we find them now, before we stumble over them, we’d at least have the chance to dismantle or disarm them. It just makes good sense to be patient, doesn’t it?”

Helena scanned the look on Jack’s and Javi’s face. There was no mistaking their position: they would be cautious first. Reluctantly, she acquiesced her position.

The following day, cameras from the ROV sent back images of hieroglyphics that were distorted and unreadable. Javi’s interest was now piqued. With timing now coinciding with the need to confirm their data physically, the four elected to reenter the pyramid and perform their checks while Javi examined the writings on the walls.

Starting in early morning, they entered the pyramid and made their way to the farthest examined point along the route to the chamber. As they rounded the last corner and headed down the long corridor toward the darkened room, they slowed their inspection to mere feet per hour.

Not taking any chances, they donned gloves, face masks and eyewear to protect them from unseen dangers. With crude tools such as dus
t brooms and magnifying glasses; to advance technology, using various imaging equipment, they worked their way down the corridor.

As the three performed their analyses, Javi snapped photos and translated any hieroglyphics that could not be seen from the ROV’s cameras. Nearly eight hours into their work, Javi spotted the section of wall that had given him the most trouble. Located only a few feet ahead of the others, he inadvertently inched ahead of them and took several pictures. Engrossed in his work, he quickly became unaware of his position along the corridor.

Using a large magnifying glass and a bright light, Jack examined the wall on the opposite side of the corridor. He spotted an unusual crack. In his mind, it looked far too regular and consistent to be natural. He turned to Javi. Apprehension swept over him upon seeing his old friend further ahead of the group.

“Javi, what’re
you doing over there?” he asked with concern.

Javi stared down at his feet, then at the hieroglyphics on the wall. An embarrassed smile crossed his face as he turned toward Jack.

“I guess I got lost in my work,” he said.

He took a step toward Jack and suddenly disappeared.

“Oh my God!” Jack shouted in shock.

A loud crash sounded as the floor under Javi’s feet gave way. One second he was there, the next he was gone. Jack rushed to the edge of the pit that was once level floor. He stared down into it. Despair flooded his mind as he saw
his old friend embedded up to his neck in tar, nearly fifteen feet down inside the pit.

“Javi, are you hurt?” Jack shouted.

“I’m all right thankfully, but I’m sinking. Hurry Jack. I don’t have much time,” he shouted back in panicked tone.

Helena and Duni stood at the edge of the pit and watched helplessly.

“Watch him. I’ll be right back,” Jack shouted frantically.

In seconds, he sped off. Running at full speed, he raced up the length of corridor. As he round
ed the corner at the end, he angled his body and balanced himself with his hands on the walls, barely slowing as he entered the new direction. Charging up the next length of hall, his mind raced with fear. He felt panicked and consumed with grief. Realizing his deteriorating state, he forced himself to focus. Pushing the negative thoughts and emotions from his mind, he concentrated on formulating a plan once he had the rope.

In seconds, he rounded the next corner and now rushed up the incline toward Zeus’ golden statue. Pumping his arm and legs, he began to feel his breathing increase. He ignored his winded state and pressed on harder.

Rushing around the next corner, he used the massive statue as a means of balance. Body-checking the heavy object, he deflected off it and hurried higher up through the pyramid.

In his final push, he rounded the last corner and sprinted into daylight. As he exited the pyramid, he rushed to Javi’s jeep parked several feet from the entrance. Barely stopping, he grabbed the coiled rope and a jug of water and reversed his course. Now breathing heavily, he dug deep within him and pushed himself even harder.

As he descended down through the corridors, he could hear his breathing: loud and rapid. Seconds later, he rounded the corner by Zeus’ statue, and heard something else: the hysterical pleas for him to hurry. His mind now raced with terror. With each step he took, he could almost see Javi in his mind, sinking below the surface of the tar pit. The awful image was more than he could stand. He pushed himself to his breaking point, running on the edge of constant stumble, crashing into walls in a desperate attempt to run faster.

Rounding the last corner, Helena’s and Duni’s cries became even louder and more frightening.

“Jack, he’s under. His head is under. Hurry!” Duni shouted, his voice filled with panic.

Jack stopped himself abruptly. Seeing the ROV, he bent over it and secured one end of the rope around it. A long safety cable ran from the ROV from the other side, back up through the corridors to the surface. It was there in case the ROV ever became stuck and needed to be pulled out. It would now act as a firm brace for Jack to pull on. With the other two shouting for him to hurry, he uncoiled the rope and ran for the pit.

Without a thought for his own safety, he brushed past the horrified stares of Helena and Duni and leaped into the pit of tar. The drop felt like an eternity. A split second later, he was nearly up to his neck in tar. He tried to kick his feet, but the thick sludge prevented him from doing so. Quickly, he pulled on the rope and raised his arms above the surface.