The Cult of Osiris (52 page)

He shook his foot free of the seat belt, then hauled himself on top of the skid. A look through the window revealed the pilot, groggily sitting upright, and Macy behind him. Her face was contorted in pain as she clutched one shoulder.

Shaban was bent over beside her, reaching for something in the footwell. At first Eddie thought he was trying to retrieve the spore canister - then he spotted the steel cylinder on the empty seat next to the Egyptian.

He realised what Shaban was after just as the other man found it and snapped upright, pointing the gun at Eddie—

Macy hit his arm as he pulled the trigger.

The side windows were obscured by a burst of gore as the bullet hit the pilot's head at point-blank range, blowing out half his skull. His body spasmed, kicking down hard on one rudder pedak The helicopter went into a violent spin.

The pilot's door swung open. Eddie dragged himself inside, climbing over the corpse. Shaban had been thrown over to the cabin's opposite side. Gun still in one hand, he clawed for a handhold with the other.

A blinding light filled the cockpit as the helicopter whirled through the pyramid's beam. Eddie screwed up his eyes, dazzled for the briefest moment.

The flash faded - to reveal Shaban's gun pointing right at his face—

Below, the Mitsubishi crashed through the pyramid's glass side - and the cable snagged on the structure's steel frame. The impact tossed Eddie into the empty front seat and flung Shaban against the door.

It burst open.

The fury in his eyes replaced by fear, Shaban clawed at the door frame. The gun went off in his hand, the shot punching a hole in the rear bulkhead. He dropped the weapon to get a firmer handhold. It spun down to the pyramid below.

Warning buzzers rasped urgently from the console, red lights flashing. Eddie's gaze flicked to them to see one gauge dropping rapidly. Oil pressure. The bullet had damaged the engine.

The EC 130 jolted again, straining against the cable. The canister rolled across the rear seats. Eddie and Shaban both looked at it, then each other.

Save it, or destroy it—

Eddie scrambled over the seat as Shaban dragged himself back inside. The cult leader reached the canister first, whipping it up by its handle and catching Eddie a vicious blow on his temple. Another silent explosion of light filled the cabin as the helicopter whirled back through the beam, unable to tear free of its vehicular anchor.

Shaban clutched the cylinder to his chest, kicking at Eddie. 'You are
nothing
¹
.'
he screamed. You can't beat me! I'm a
god\

If you're a god,' Eddie snarled, seeing the other man gripping the door frame, knuckles white, 'let's see if you can fly!'

He punched Shaban's hand with all his might.

Pain erupted in Eddie's fingers, skin splitting and joints crunching - but it was nothing to what Shaban felt as his hand was crushed against the hard-edged metal. The longest bone of his middle finger snapped. With a scream, he let go - and Eddie drove his bloodied fist into the Egyptian's scarred face.

The Eurocopter swayed back into the dazzling beam . . . and Shaban fell.

Still clutching the canister, he plunged almost seventy feet down the blinding shaft of light -and hit the pyramid's peak with a spine-splintering crack.

Eddie stared down at the splayed figure now blocking the beam, the tip of the summit poking up through his stomach. 'Get the point?' he yelled.

But Shaban wasn't quite dead.

Blood streaming from the massive wound where he was impaled, he still had just enough strength to raise one hand as he tried to open the container - and scatter its deadly contents into the wind.

Eddie was no longer watching - the increasingly noisy warnings from the console had captured his attention. The oil pressure gauge was in the red, dropping rapidly. The engine was about to fail.

Wincing at the pain in his hand, he slid back across the cabin. 'Macy! You okay?'

He - pulled my damn shoulder out,' she said through clenched teeth. Can you land this thing?'

Nope.'

What? But - but I thought you were some kick-ass super soldierf You mean you can't fly a helicopter?

I keep meaning to learn,' he replied, releasing her harness, then reaching over her to open the door.

She gaped at him. 'What're you doing?' 'We'll have to jump/ 'But we're miles up!'

Not for long.' The klaxons were overpowered by a grinding from the engine compartment. When I tell you to—'

The driveshaft sheared apart. Broken metal clanged against the bulkhead like hailstones. The helicopter fell.

Jump! Jump!
Jump!'
Eddie roared. The rotor was still turning, slowing the fall - but with no power and no pilot, the EC130's death plunge would only last a few seconds. He shoved the shrieking Macy out and leapt after her.

They dropped, ten feet, twenty—

And hit the pyramid's sloping side.

The toughened glass cracked - but didn't break. Every nerve on fire from the hard landing, Eddie slithered down the structure, Macy tumbling alongside him.

Shaban turned the lid, needing only one more small movement to open the container . . .

And froze as his pain-dulled eyes saw the helicopter plunging at him.

He screamed—

The EC130 slammed down on top of the pyramid - and continued through it, falling into the laboratory amidst pulverised glass and shredded metal. It hit the floor and exploded, a searing shockwave pounding through the chamber.

Reaching the hidden C-4.

The explosive detonated, ripping apart the gas tank. The lab was consumed by a colossal wave of fire, the entire top third of the pyramid blowing apart like the eruption of a glass volcano.

Eddie and Macy were already over halfway down. Below, Eddie saw Nina running from the blast, the Mitsubishi half buried in the wall—

Jump!'
he cried.

Despite her pain, Macy managed to slam her heels against the glass as Eddie did the same. He went left, she went right, passing on each side of the Shogun—

They hit the ground.

More pain exploded in Eddie's legs as he rolled and bounced across the courtyard. He heard Macy scream again and threw himself at her, shielding her against the rain of glass with his body. More windows shattered as flying debris arced down.

The noise faded.

Bruised and bleeding, Eddie raised his head, wincing at the pain throughout his body. The pyramid's top had gone, swallowed by boiling flames. The deadly spores were destroyed.

Eddie!' More pain as he looked round, but it was slightly soothed by the sight of Nina running towards him. 'Jesus! Are you okay?'

I'll tell you when I work out if my legs are still attached,' he rasped. 'Macy, you all right?'

No,' she said, very quietly. Nina and Eddie shared a worried look. 'But ... I think I will be. Eventually.'

Eddie tried to laugh, but it turned into a cough. 'Another fucking exploding helicopter. Feels like I'm in one of Grant's movies. Is he okay?'

Looks like it,' said Nina, seeing the actor rounding the pyramid with Assad and one of the ASPS. She waved, then looked up at the building's burning summit. 'That's one way to take care of a yeast infection. Kind of overkill, but looks like it worked.'

Bloody well better have,' Eddie grumbled, lifting himself off Macy. A pack of C-4 and a chopper blowing up? Anything in there ought to be toast.

Nina raised her eyebrows. Oh . . .'

What?'

I just realised. You took out Shaban's spores . . . but you also toasted the bread of Osiris. The source of eternal life.' She pondered that for a moment. Still, who wants to live for ever?'

Eddie staggered upright and put his arm round her. 'Depends who you're living with.'

Epilogue

339

New York City: Three Weeks Later

Nina gazed up at the dark glass slab of the UN's Secretariat Building as she stepped from the limo. Unlike her last visit, she had no feelings of trepidation. Quite the opposite. This time, she and Eddie were there to be honoured.

The ceremony had come about thanks to the Egyptian government. The discovery of a pyramid in the Western Desert - and the revelation that it contained the tomb of Osiris himself, turning studies of the country 's ancient mythology on their head - meant that Egyptology would become the hottest field of archaeology for the next several years. At the very least, the tourist trade was about to see a huge boom

So the Egyptians had petitioned the UN to recognise Nina and Eddie's achievement in uncovering the Pyramid of Osiris ... as well as their role in stopping Shaban.

There was a distinct irony, Nina thought, to the fact that her interactions with the IHA had come full circle. The agency had been established in large part to keep the truth about attempted murder on an unimaginable scale from the public; now, the same organisation that had summarily dismissed her eight months earlier was forced to grovel for her co-operation in the investigation of another genocidal scheme.

Despite this, she still hesitated at the entrance. 'You okay?' Eddie asked.

'Yeah. It's just ... the last two times I came to the UN, I got torn a new one by Maureen Rothschild.'

'The only thing she'll be doing to your arse today is kissing it,' he assured her. 'Good point,' said Nina, grinning. 'Would it be bad manners if I really rubbed it in that I was right and she was wrong?'

'Probably. But I say bollocks to manners'' Nina kissed him, and then they went inside.

As it turned out, she didn't get the opportunity to say anything to Rothschild, bad-mannered or otherwise. Although Nina recognised several senior IHA staff among the UN representatives and officials in the invited audience, along with Professor Hogarth, the agency's director was conspicuous by her absence.

But she quickly forgot the snub as the Egyptian ambassador to the United Nations, accompanied by Dr Ismail Assad, sang her praises. 'And thanks to Dr Wilde and her husband,' he concluded, 'the most incredible archaeological find in Egypt in a hundred years was not only discovered, but protected.' He nodded at some large photo blow-ups of the tomb's interior; the mummy had been returned to its rightful resting place inside the sarcophagus, and Osir's crushed body removed. 'The tomb of Osiris unfortunately sustained some damage, but its contents remained unlooted. In time, the entire world will be able to see these incredible national treasures. So again, Dr Wilde, Mr Chase - on behalf of the people of Egypt, I thank you.'

Applause rippled through the room as the ambassador shook Nina's and Eddie's hands. Thank you,' said Nina as she stood at the microphone. 'Thank you, Mr Ambassador, Dr Assad - and the people of Egypt, of course!' The audience chuckled politely. There's somebody else who should be thanked, because without her bravery and determination we would never even have known the Pyramid of Osiris existed. So, Macy,' she said, pointing her out, 'Macy Sharif, can you stand up, please?

Macy was in the second row, flanked by her parents; the normally shameless young woman blushed at the applause.

If the IHA's Egyptology department is hiring when she graduates,' Nina went on, then she'd certainly get my recommendation, for what that's worth!' As the clapping subsided, Macy sat down with relief. Nina addressed the audience again. 'But what this whole affair shows is how careful we have to be as archaeologists and historians. When we make these amazing discoveries, it's very easy to be affected by the prospect of fame and fortune - and yes,
I
'll admit to having gone down that road myself. But what happened here was because it became all about money . . . no, not money, about the
prize.
Somebody wanted something so badly, they cut corners to get it. And that nearly led to disaster. So I hope it will act as a warning about what happens when you put money ahead of science.'

The applause was rather more subdued this time, some faces distinctly uncomfortable. Nina hadn't intended to deliver a finger-wagging lecture, but decided what the hell: it needed to be said. She turned to her husband. 'Anything you want to add, Eddie?

I'm not much of one for speeches,' he said, shrugging. Just glad to have helped - oh, and if someone could pay our travel expenses, that'd be great!' The audience laughed.

There is one more thing,' said Assad. An assistant handed him a polished wooden box. In recognition of the discovery of the Pyramid of Osiris, the Supreme Council of Antiquities has decided to present something to the IHA. A loan, shall we say.

He opened the box to reveal a small statuette: a crude human figure carved from an unusual purple stone. Nina didn't recognise it, and it took Eddie a moment to realise he'd seen it before - in Osiris's tomb. It's a slight embarrassment to admit this, considering my position,' Assad joked, but so far we have been unable to identify it - it doesn't match any of the other artefacts in the Pyramid of Osiris, or anywhere else for that matter. Perhaps the IHA will have better luck!' He handed the box to the bemused Nina as the audience applauded again.

Ah, you do remember I'm not actually with the IHA any more?' she said from the corner of her mouth.

But they—Oh.

The ambassador realised that his compatriot had made a
faux pas
and quickly took the mike to thank everyone for attending, leaving Nina wondering what Assad had been about to say. One of the senior UN officials, an Englishman called Sebastian Penrose, whom Nina had met a few times during the IHA's formation, left his seat and gestured for Nina and Eddie to join him. They did so, and she looked at him suspiciously. Okay, what's going on?'

A slight case of gun-jumping, I'm afraid,' Penrose replied. He signalled to an IHA official, who took the box. 'We meant to discuss this with you after the ceremony.'

Discuss what?' said Eddie.

Your returning to the IHA.'

What?' Nina said in sarcastic disbelief. After we got
fired?

Technically, it was a suspension, pending an official inquiry,' Penrose said smoothly. Tin, ah, quite confident the final findings will result in reinstatement with full backdated pay and benefits, as well as a compensation package.