The Last Chamber (18 page)

Turkish/Armenian Border

The helicopters cruised over the border separating the two
countries.
 
Patches of snow dotted
the plains in a few places. It had been a warmer season than the region was
accustomed to. Even so, there had been a few snowstorms that had come through a
little earlier than usual leaving traces of white in spots where the sun didn’t
shine as long.

It hadn’t taken long to fly from the dramatic slopes of Ararat
Mountain to the rolling plains of Armenia. The silhouette of the strange
monastery rose up in the distance, almost as if it had been carved out of the
hill on which it sat.

Lindsey had ordered the two pilots to swoop around and approach Khor
Virap from the south. As the helicopters passed by the ancient site to the
west, it seemed the lonely monastery was fairly empty. Seeing any vehicles was
fairly difficult from the safe distance they maintained, but Lindsey had
insisted they approach with caution. In the back of his mind, he continued
thinking that it was still possible someone else might be on the same trail.
And he didn’t want to spook anyone.

The pilots steered the flying machines around and landed them in a
field near a small parking lot at the base of the hill. The occupants noticed a
small guard shack at the foot of a narrow driveway that wound its way up to the
top where a thick, rock wall wrapped around the premises. Engines began to shut
down as the group exited the cabins and headed towards the flimsy gate.

A smiling monk appeared in the doorway of the shack, wearing dark
robes and matching shoes. The priest welcomed the group in his native Armenia.
There were a few other words he fired off, but no one in the group understood.

“Do you speak English?” Lndsey asked gruffly.

The monk ignored the older man’s rude demeanor, continuing to speak
with a smile. “Of course,” he said in a strained accent. “Welcome to Khor
Virap. Are you here to worship or just see the site? We will be having a
service in a few hours.”

“We just want to take a look around,” Will answered for his employer.

“Very well,” the monk kept smiling. “It is rare that we get many
visitors this time of year. Your group is the second in the last few hours.
This must be a first.” He beamed at Lindsey with an overly-eager grin.

The young priest turned to open the gate, but Lindsey grabbed his arm,
stopping him in his tracks. The gesture was the first thing that had taken the
stupid smile off the monk’s face since Lindsey had laid eyes on him.

“Wait. You’ve had other visitors today?” the old man demanded.

The monk nodded, shaking the thin layer of brown hair that rimmed a
shiny, pale head. “Yes,” the smile returned. “I believe they are Americans like
you. You are American, yes?” He raised an expectant eyebrow.

Will’s eyes narrowed. “These visitors…did they have a woman with them,
and an older man?”

“Yes,” the monk confirmed emphatically. “Do you know them? I can take
you to where they are if you like. I believe they are viewing the—”

“No,” Lindsey cut him off before the monk could finish. “I think we
may have to come back later.”

The monk seemed confused, momentarily. “So, you do not wish to see the
chapel?”

Again Lindsey insisted. “We will return at a later time. Thank you.”
He turned around and started walking towards where the helicopters were
sitting.

DeGard was just as confused as the priest, unsure of why they were
leaving. “You have them right where you want them. What is it you plan to do?
Are you going to force them to give you whatever they have found?” he
questioned insistently.

Lindsey ignored the query and motioned for Will and Kaba to come close
as they walked away from the still gawking monk. The two sped up and leaned in
close, listening carefully to his employer’s instructions.

“Get rid of the monk. Tell the men to grab their weapons. We will
surround the chapel, and when Wyatt and his friends leave, kill them. Kill them
all.”

Will nodded and turned around, heading back towards where the young
monk was standing while Kaba sprinted in the direction of the helicopters.

As he neared the young monk, Will put his arm around him and ushered
the young man towards the little guard shack. To the naïve witness, it would
have appeared Will was sharing a secret or maybe a request with the priest. As
soon as the two disappeared from sight into the confines of shack, there were a
few faint pops. A moment later, Will reappeared in the doorway, concealing his
pistol within his wool pea coat.

The other mercenaries were already following Kaba back from the
helicopters, trailed by Lindsey who had added a black trench coat over the top
of his other layers. A cold breeze rolled across the plains, cutting through to
the bone. Will imagined the old man must have been affected by it more than
anyone in the group. But Lindsey was driven, and would not accept failure, even
if that meant personally overseeing the mission through to the end.

They walked through the gate, marching up the hill towards the
entrance to the fortress. The wind picked up the farther they went up the hill.
When they reached the top, Lindsey and DeGard were holding their coats tight
against their torsos to keep warm.

“I wonder where their transportation is,” Will wondered in a low voice
through clenched teeth. He pressed his hand against the gun in his coat,
anticipating that his revenge was close at hand. It was time to end this little
game once, and for all. Wyatt had been lucky before, but his luck was about to
run out.

Kaba scanned the area, searching for movement. “No sign of their cars.
Maybe they left.”

“That priest said they were still here,” he disagreed. “There’s only
one way in and one way out. If they had left, that monk would have seen it.”

As they neared the entrance to the monastery, another monk greeted
them with a hearty smile. Lindsey nodded at Will who stepped in front and put
his arm around the shoulders of the monk, much the same way he had the young
man at the gate. Repeating what he had done before ascending the hill, Will
took the priest into a doorway just on the inside of the wall. He re-emerged a
few moments later, alone.

He gave a quick look at Lindsey then motioned for the other men to
follow his lead. Will kept his gun concealed within the folds of his jacket as
he ducked into a corner of the entryway into the courtyard of the fortress.
Across the way, the entrance to the chapel stood quietly. A quick scan of the
area revealed no other visitors. He assessed that the monks must have been
somewhere else on the premises. The bitter wind picked up again and funneled
through the archway where he and the other men were standing. Kaba looked at
him from the other side of the portal, waiting for an order.

Lindsey and DeGard watched from a short distance as their team moved
swiftly through the archway and into the courtyard, checking every corner
before taking up positions surrounding the entrance to the church.

Will sprinted back to the archway where his employer and the Frenchman
now stood, safely concealed behind the corners of stone.

“There is no other way out of the chapel, Sir. We have the entrance
surrounded. When they come out it will be like shooting fish in a barrel.”

Lindsey’s eyes narrowed. “Good. Make sure there are no survivors.”

Khor Virap

Armenia

Sean and his companions had scoured the entire pit for over an hour,
searching for a clue to the whereabouts of the lost ark of Noah. The rough
walls and dusty floors had not given up their secrets, if there were any. Firth
sat down on a small, semi-circular platform near the painting of Saint Gregory.
He’d grown tired of the search and had, once again,S become his grumpy self.

It was a battle Sean was growing tired of fighting with the professor.
He understood the frustration, though. There wasn’t anything to be found in the
depths of the pit. At least nothing of profound clarity. Sean would have given
almost anything for a simple x that marked the spot.

Adriana stood close by. Her hair had been pulled back in a ponytail,
revealing her smooth, thin neck. For a moment, Sean was distracted by her
natural beauty and caught himself staring. When she turned her head, he quickly
diverted his gaze to the wall just behind her.

“What are you thinking?” Jabez interrupted from across the room. “Have
you seen anything that might resemble a map?”

“No,” Sean shook his head, disappointed. “Maybe we are thinking about
this the wrong way.” He stepped into the center of the room and slowly spun
around in circles, eyeing the walls carefully. “If you were Gregory, and you
wanted to make sure you left a clue for someone in the distant future to find
the ark, you wouldn’t want just anyone to find it. Right?”

Jabez and Adriana nodded. Firth had his hands on his knees, listening
with vague interest.

“So, who would you want to find it?” he asked in his most cynical,
English accent.

“What is the recurring theme we keep running into?” he asked, but got
no response other than blank stares. “Righteous. Immortality is for the righteous.
Who are the righteous?”

“Priests?” Adriana offered.

“Followers of God,” Jabez included with only slight confidence.

Both of their answers made sense, but didn’t help with the question as
to where the clue might be, if Saint Gregory had even left one at all. For a
minute, silence returned to the dimly lit chamber as the four occupants
considered the question.

Sean stared at the ground near Firth’s feet while he tried to think of
an answer. It came to him suddenly as he observed the strange undulations in
the floor. Near the Professor’s feet, it wasn’t as flat as the rest of the rest
floor. There were small ridges and dips, as if the stone tiles had been carved
away by miniscule rivers of water.

Firth noticed his curiosity and wondered what Sean was looking at.
“What is it?”

“Move your feet, Professor,” he ordered. Firth did as requested and
stood back up, moving off to the side.

Sean got down on one knee and ran his hand along the dirty floor then
felt along the stone nearby. There was definitely a difference. He could see it
more clearly now that he was down on his knees.

“Adriana, could you hand me the brush out of my backpack?”

She nodded and stepped over to his black bag that he had set on the
floor against the wall. A moment later, she fished out what looked like a small
broom, typically used on excavations or archaeological digs. She passed him the
tool, and he immediately got down on his one hand, and with the other began
sweeping away the ancient dust.

“What is it?” Jabez reinforced the professor’s question. “What do you
see?”

Sean never stopped brushing vigorously at the floor, increasing a
small pile of dirt with each stroke. “The righteous are penitent, Jabez. The
penitent kneel before God. So, the righteous kneel to find their way to
immortality. Saint Gregory left his clue here in the floor where only the most
humble, penitent person would find it. The years of dust have covered it up,
but not entirely.”

He continued sweeping away the dirt and debris until a strange mark
appeared in the floor a foot or so away from ripples in the stone. Sean worked
faster after seeing what his efforts had produced, and a few minutes later, he
stood back up and stepped away.

The other three crowded around and stared down at the cleaned space on
the floor, mouths dropped to their chest, eyes wide with wonder.

An X had been carved out of the dark stone near the platform. A line
was also gouged out that led from the center of the X to a place in the middle
of the miniature ridges and valleys.

Sean smiled broadly, but was still a little astounded. “Well, that is
interesting.”

“Incredible,” Firth got down close to the floor and examined the
oddity. “It would appear that Saint Gregory left us a clue after all?”

“Yeah, but what does it mean?” Sean asked. “Those look like mountains.
Is that Ararat? I mean…we are pretty close to it.”

Jabez shook his head. “No. Ararat Mountain only features two main
peaks. And the area surrounding it is flat. This is a range of mountains.” He
waved his hand around the area of hills and valleys. “There is another
possibility I had not considered.”

All eyes in the room went to Jabez as he thought about the idea.
“Ararat Mountain is not the only Ararat in the region.” The others stared at
him, begging with their gazes. “There is a small city to the northeast of here
by the name of Ararat. For as long as history goes, there has been a settlement
there. Some people have claimed that it was established by Noah’s ancestors.”
His voice lowered slightly as if he were concealing a secret. “That town is on
the edge of a mountain range much like this one designed by Saint Gregory. It
would appear that he has left us a direct path to the ark of Noah, somewhere in
those mountains.”

“Good enough for me,” Sean stated, pulling his phone out of his
pocket.

He snapped a few pictures of the map Gregory had left inlaid in the
stone floor.

Firth stood up. A scowl crossed his face once again. “Wait just a
minute. That is hardly a definitive map. Even if it is correct, we could find
ourselves wandering through those mountains for weeks or months without finding
something. We need a reference point.”

“This is it,” Sean pointed at the X carved into the stone floor. “This
is our reference point.”

“That could be anywhere,” Firth argued. “It could be this prison cell,
or a town to the northeast, or it could be in the Himalayas.”

The room fell silent again after the professor made his point. Jabez
stared hard at the ground.

When he spoke, it was full of conviction. “This is definitely that
mountain range, Professor. It is not far from here. We can take the town as the
center point of the X and use that to figure out which way to go into the
mountains.”

Sean was still sold on the idea. “Those mountains accessible by SUV?”

“In many areas, yes. There are lots of old roads that go through them,
all the way up to the north part of the country.”

“Gentlemen,” Firth interrupted. “This could be nothing. What if we get
out there into those mountains and get stuck or don’t find what we are looking
for?”

Sean turned to the professor. “Doc, you’re a man of science. Right?”
Firth nodded. “Well, sometimes, even scientists have to take things on faith.
That’s just the way it is. And right now is one of those times. Now, if you
would prefer, we can drop you off in the next village and leave you there until
we come back. Or you can find your own way home. But if I were you, I would be
extremely interested in taking a chance on this. Because if we are right, this
will be the most incredible archaeological discovery in the history of
mankind.” He watched as his speech sunk in to the professor’s head.

The older man was stunned at first. But as he considered the
possibility, ambition reared its head in the back of his thoughts. Sean made a
good point. If the ark of Noah was real, and there were evidence, he would be
one of the most renowned archaeologists in history. He would be famous the
world over, able to write his own ticket no matter where he went. Speaking
engagements, book deals, and anything he wanted would be there for the taking.
Firth wasn’t a greedy man. He simply enjoyed the good things in life: nice
cars, single malt scotch, and homes that catered to his particular tastes.

“Very well, Mr. Wyatt,” he agreed. “You make an excellent case. I will
accompany you into the mountains. I hope the venture is not in vain.”

Sean shrugged, giving the professor a look of indignation. He wished
he could just leave Firth in the pit or at worst, the next town. But he had a
feeling that they might need the professor’s help again if they did find the
Ark. Just to be safe, Sean wanted him along for the ride.

“Only one way to find out, Doc,” he replied and slapped the man on the
shoulder. “Now, we should get going. If Lindsey is on his way to the ark, we
will need to hurry to catch up.”

One by one, the group ascended the steep stairs, back up to the alcove
on the side of the small chapel. Sarmen was waiting for them at the top with
the same welcoming smile on his face.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked in a hopeful voice.

Jabez nodded. “We think so, my friend. We will know soon enough.”

“Would you all like to stay for the afternoon meal?” the priest
invited as he stepped through the archway and back into the main sanctuary of
the chapel.

“Thank you,” Sean offered. “But we really have to get going. Maybe
another time.”

“Very well,” the monk replied in the same, kind tone. “Please, let me
know if I can be of any assistance in the future. And I would like to know what
you find wherever this journey takes you.”

“We will, brother,” Jabez assured.

Sarmen turned to lead the way back towards the entrance when a splash
of blood shot out of his upper back. He wavered for a moment before dropping to
the floor in a heap.

Jabez’s face changed instantly to one of shock as he crouched down to
check on his friend. Sean put his arms out wide, pressing the professor and
Adriana backwards into the safety of the alcove. Shards of stone exploded off
the wall just behind his head. For the moment, the Arab was protected by the
rows of church pews as he knelt beside the priest.

A wet spot was forming around a hole in his dark robes, just above the
right side of his chest. The smile that had seemed permanently on his face was
now gone, replaced by a look of horror as he gasped for breath.

Jabez tried to comfort him as he hovered over. His face had become
calm. “Relax, my old friend. Slow your breathing.” He placed his hand over the
wound, feeling just inside of the robes with his fingers.

Another bullet smashed into the wall near the front of the presbytery.
It was a few feet away from where Sean had taken cover at the edge of the
alcove.

“How did they find us?” Adriana asked from just behind him. She had
moved Firth back closer to the pit entrance in order to get a better view of
what was going on.

Sean didn’t have the answer. “It has to be Lindsey’s people, right?”

“Who else would it be?” she replied with a question of her own as she
removed a black, Springfield .40 caliber from the inside of her jacket.

Even under duress, the vision was somehow sexy to Sean. Seeing her
standing there next to him, ready to unleash hell on their attackers, was
strangely attractive. He shook off the thoughts and withdrew his own matching
weapon.

“I see you went with the XD,” he said coolly.

“XDM,” she corrected.

He flashed his eyebrows at her, impressed. “It’s going to be tough for
us to shoot through the door from here. One miss and we could send a bullet
bouncing around in this place. We need to get to a better firing position.”

She nodded in agreement. “It is unfortunate there is no other way to
get out of this place. If those are Lindsey’s men out there, they will have the
entire building surrounded. I am not sure we have enough bullets for that kind
of siege.”

Adriana brought up a good point. It was one he was already concerned
about. There was a reprieve from the shooting for a moment. Sean figured the
shooter didn’t have a clear target. Sarmen was coughing on the floor while
Jabez tried to comfort him. The Arab’s hands were covered in blood.

The monk gathered his composure for a few seconds, long enough to gasp
out a few short sentences. “There is a passageway, under the chapel. Under the
altar.” His body racked with another fit of gurgled coughs. “It leads to the
outside of the fortress walls.”

The priest’s eyes fixed onto the ceiling and never blinked again.
Jabez was holding the man’s head that suddenly became heavy. He gently laid the
monk’s head onto the floor and looked back at Sean, a fiercely angry expression
on his face.

“They will pay for this,” he said in a trembling voice.

Sean nodded. “They will. But for now, we have to get out of here.” His
eyes shot over to the altar in the center of the presbytery.

The object featured a cubed stone base that narrowed into a column,
stretching up to an angled podium. It would take both of the men to move the
thing, if they could move it at all. The bigger problem was that moving the
altar would put them right into the sniper’s line of sight. It would be like
shooting fish in a barrel in that position.