Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis) (21 page)

Frank thought about Javi’s words. They did make sense. Giving up now would result in nothing. Guarding Javi and Helena for a week would be risky, but could prove successful. He stared at Zeus’ golden statue for moment. It was
a brilliant work of art. That alone was priceless and well worth his time.

Turning back to Javi he nodded.

“Ok, you got a week,” he said, his tone now calm and controlled. “Let’s go.”

“Go? Where? I thought we’re supposed to start deciphering these inscriptions,” Javi responded, delicately protesting.

Frank smiled in condescension.

“You didn’t just thi
nk we were going to leave you here… unguarded, did you?” he shot back in mocking tone. “No, you’ll be staying with us until we can work out the details. Now move.”

He pointed toward the exit. Javi nodded grimly. With two men leading, Javi and Helena followed. Frank and the last man moved in behind them, insuring they were guard
ed both from the front and rear.

As the
six exited the pyramid, moving from dark to light, their eyes began to adjust to the bright sunshine. Suddenly, shots rang out. As the two front men dropped to the ground, Javi and Helena stood exposed. Javi instinctively dove onto Helena, knocking her to the ground and covering her with his body.

Although Frank and the remaining man were caught by surprise, their training and instincts quickly took over. Both men dropped to the ground and rolled back into the entrance. Instantl
y, they pulled their weapons: Colt M1911 .45 caliber handguns. As they scanned the trees beyond the open park area, they searched for anything that would expose their attackers.

Frank looked down at his two men lying dead on the ground. He felt rage at the sight. Looking at Javi and Helena huddled nearby, he considered shooting them, but reconsidered. Quickly, he formulated a plan.

“You two,” he yelled to Javi and Helena. “Listen to me very closely. I want you two to crawl back into the pyramid. Do it now or I’ll shoot the both of you.”

“We can’t,” Javi yelled back. “We’ve both been hit. We’re bleeding and can’t move.”

Frank shook his head in frustration.

“Great. What a bunch a morons. Can’t even shoot straight without hitting a couple of hostages,” he growled in anger.

Suddenly, a shout from a bullhorn blared from the far end of the parking lot.

“You inside the pyramid. We have you completely surrounded. We have a dozen sharpshooters trained on your location. Lay down your weapons and exit the pyramid with your hands held high.”

Frank heard their demands and laughed. Looking over at his partner, he said, “Standard police drivel.”

“Who are you?” Frank shouted loudly
to the unseen foe.

There was
a moment’s pause, then: “This is Inspector DiApopolus of the Hellenic Police force. My sharpshooters are highly trained. Come out with your hands held high.”

Frank chuckled again, then said to his remaining man, “Highly trained and
still
incompetent.”

The man only nodded.

“Inspector DiApopolus, we’re also highly trained and highly disciplined. If you make any moves toward us, we’ll shoot those two lying on the ground. Do we have an understanding?”

There was quiet amongst the trees, then: “There’s no need to harm the hostages. We can work this out. Just stay calm. I’ve ordered my men to hold their fire. Let me send in someone to talk to you.”
Inspector DiApopolus shouted into his bullhorn.

“If anyone steps near that entrance before our demands are met, we’ll shoot those two hostages,” Frank
shouted.

“What are your demands?”
Inspector DiApopolus shouted once more.

“We want five million dollars and an airplane out of here,” Frank shot back instantly.

He grinned to his partner and said, “I know it’s a cliché, but we need to buy ourselves some time.”

“Give us a moment to consider your demands,”
Inspector DiApopolus responded.

“Sir, what’s
our plan,” the man asked Frank.

“We don’t have much choice right now. Without a back door to this place, and all their guns pointed on the entrance, we’re going to have to sit and wait f
or them to come to us. With a little luck, they’ll make a mistake that’ll buy us a way out of here,” he replied.

“And what if they don’t make a mistake?”

“They will. They always do,” he replied confidently.

Across the parking lot, watching from a bank inside the tree line,
Inspector DiApopolus discussed their next move.

“Sir, should I get the Inspector General on the phone?” Officer Ramous asked.

“No, he won’t be necessary,” Inspector DiApopolus replied.

“What about their demands?” Officer Ramous responded.

“They’re fake, a decoy, a ploy to distract us while they plot their next move,” he answered. “This is basically a game of chess we’re playing right now. My guess is they’re waiting on us to make our next move. They probably know we’re going to have to make a play for the hostages. It’s at that time I’m sure they’ll act out a desperation move and kill one of them, at which point they would then try to escape in the chaos.”

“That’s not acceptable,” a voice shouted from behind the uniformed men.

“I agree Mr. Roberts,” Inspector DiApopolus responded.

Jack pushed his way through two men standing in his way.

“I know these guys. They’re military trained: cold and calculating. They’ll kill my friends without conscience.”

“I fully agree with you Jack, that’s why I’m considering creating a distraction to get them out.”

“What kind of distraction?” Jack asked suspiciously.

“Well, seeing that they have line of sight on your friends, the best we can hope for is to sneak up on the entrance, then rush out and block them with a riot shield. At that point, while the criminals are firing, we can pull them out of harm’s way. After that, it’ll be a simple matter of us going in after them,”
Inspector DiApopolus explained.

“I want to hold the shield,” Jack announced.

Inspector DiApopolus chuckled, then said, “Jack, I can appreciate your concern and enthusiasm, but this is a police matter. We can take it from here.”

“I’m not trying to be a hero Inspector. My reasoning is based on logic. I know your guys are good, but these guys are professional killers, so anything you do, they’ll be expecting. When you step out into the open, they’ll see a uniform and instinct will take over. They’ll start shooting almost immediately. You may not get that shield up in front of my friends in time.”

“I’ve considered that risk already. I’ll be using my best officer for the shield. He’s fast. I can count on him to get the job done,” Inspector DiApopolus responded.

“I’m sure you have considered that, but what you haven’t considered is this: three days ago, those men thought they killed me
, just off the coast of Caicos Island. In their minds, they
know
I’m dead. If I stepped in front of them with that shield, I’ll guarantee their brains will take a moment to process the unbelievable. They’ll stare at me in disbelief as I taunt them with a gigantic smile. At that point, you’re guys could move in and drag my friends out of the way. Their surprise and delayed reaction is the edge we need to get them out safely.”

Inspector DiApopolus
stared at Jack with apprehension. He considered the details of the plan and the safety of all involved. Looking at Jack’s worn disheveled appearance, he spoke:

“You’ve barely slept in three days. Twenty-four hours at sea and then a ten hour flight here to Kythera. Are you sure you’re up to this?”

“I slept on the plane over here. Nice plane, by the way,” Jack responded sincerely.

“I’m glad you approve. I had to pull a few strings to get you here,”
Inspector DiApoplus replied.

Ten minutes later, Jack side stepped his way quietly along the edge of the pyramid. Clad in Kevlar protection and a full length riot shield poised in front of him, he could just make out the edge of the pyramid’s entrance. As he moved, six uniformed officers equally protected, followed behind and guided him as he moved. From across the parking area,
Inspector DiApopolus watched through his binoculars and quietly radioed the men, updating them every few seconds with the status of the situation.

As the men approached, Javi glanced back and
shot them a nervous smiled. Instantly, the six uniformed men signaled him to continue looking forward. He gave a slight nod of understanding, then turned his focus toward the front.

Five feet from the entrance, Jack stopped. He looked back at the six trailing men and looked for their approval. With a thumbs up signal, they quietly told him they were ready.

Jack took several deep breaths and exhaled his nervous tension. He looked across the parking lot toward Inspector DiApopolus and envisioned him with his binoculars.

“You’ll do fine, Jack,” the Inspector called over the radio, upon seeing his stare.

He smiled toward the Inspector, then counted to three.

One… he readied the shield in front of him.

Two… he positioned his feet for a quick start.

Three… he sprinted

Jack dashed toward the entrance. In a split second, he stood between the two men hiding inside and Javi and Helena lying just outside the entrance. His appearance happened so fast, the two men barely had time to react.

“Hey asshole
s, remember me? I’m back,” Jack shouted, purposely grinning ear to ear for effect.

Franks eyes widened in shock. His mind tried to register the sight, but for a split second, nothing computed.

“Mother…”

Before Frank could finish his curse, four uniformed men had rushed behind Jack, grabbed Javi’
s and Helena’s legs and dragged them nearly out of sight.

From inside the pyramid, both men open fired. With Jack bracing for impact, several bullets struck the clear shield and deflected elsewhere. He tried to side step away from the entrance, but the bullets came too fast. With his fears quickly raging out of control, he crouched low, instinctively creating a smaller target.

“Jack, move!” a uniformed man shouted.

After nearly a dozen shots, he realized h
e was safe behind the glass. Hoping to draw the two men out, he taunted them.

“Hey you incompetent morons! You missed me in the ocean and you’re missing me now. What happened… you two idiots flunk out of military school or something? You guys really suck.”

Although the two men were professionals, Jack words cut right through them. Enraged and incensed, Frank charged for the entrance firing as he ran. Right behind him, his partner followed his superior’s lead.

Jack eyes widened. He watched in shock as the two men charged him, firing with precision as they ran. Pinned down and without a weapon, he suddenly realized he might die.

“Oh shit!” he shouted in fear.

The
sight of Jack’s fear only incited the two men to greater blood lust. They both wanted him dead and their rage momentarily distorted their logic.

As Frank and his partner moved from darkness into the light, a dozen shots rang out from the far edge of the parking area. Instantly, the two men’s riddled bodies fell forward: dead.

Jack stared for a moment in shock. The sight of the two bloody bodies only feet away, sent a shiver up his spine.

“Jack, you alright? Jack!” Javi shouted in panicked tone.

Four uniformed men moved quickly to guard Jack. Upon seeing the two dead men, they grabbed him by his jacket and dragged him away from the entrance.

“Mr. Roberts, are you ok?” a uniformed man shouted.

“I’m ok,” he responded in relief, then blurted, “Damn, that was freakin’ scary.”

Javi rushed
to Jack’s side. He gave him an enormous hug.

“I thought you were dead. Those men said they left you out at sea. I can’t believe you made it through another storm,” he shouted excitedly. “And how the
hell
did you get here so fast?”

Jack shrugged his shoulders in wonder.

“As best I can tell, it was the storm. The heavy winds kept up for hours, pushing me closer to land. Once it passed, I just kept swimming with the strong top currents. It took me only about thirty hours to reach Caicos. Once I was there, I called Inspector DiApopolus of the Hellenic Police and warned him of your capture.”

“
Inspector DiApopolus? The same Inspector from two years ago?”

“One and the same, only
this
time, he did a remarkable job I’d say,” Jack responded.

“I should say he did. I’ll have to write a letter to his superior,” Javi joked.

Helena gave Jack a tremendous hug and kiss, then shook her head in disbelief.

“I’m so happy to see you. I really t
hought you were dead,” she said incredulously. “You must have nine lives.”