Tomb of Zeus (Atlantis) (31 page)

“I’m betting it had something to do with security. The pyramids of Egypt were all looted because it was easy to remove the material to get at the burial chambers, but with water, you can’t just tunnel through it. You have to remove nearly the entire basin before you can access whatever treasure lies below. Creating an inverted pyramid, then filling it with water was pure genius,” Jack responded.

Javi nodded, then added, “The only flaw I can see is their failure to predict climate change, but who could’ve predicted that? Even with the water turning to ice, it took so long to do so, the pyramid had long since been forgotten.”

While they stood and admired the architecture, a stiff breeze blew in and nipped at their exposed skin. Javi shivered.

“Brrrr…. What do you say we get down there and out of this damn wind,” he said, then added jokingly, “Besides, ole iron pants is probably wondering why we aren’t working.

“You’re right,” Jack responded. “If Helena catches us up here just lollygagging around, she’s bound to stick a shovel in our hands and put us to work.”

“I hate manual labor,” Duni joked.

Down inside the pyramid, as the excavation took place around them, Javi, Jack and Duni took radar surveys of the site. Over the previous week, the deeper inside the pyramid they descended, the more it became apparent a large square structure stood at the very bottom. With Javi rolling their ground penetrating radar over the top of the ice, Duni sprayed markings on the surface to signify the boundaries of the structure, while Jack recorded the data. After nearly two hours of work, they discussed their findings.

“I think it’s pretty conclusive: the structure is thirty feet by thirty feet square and appears to be twenty feet tall,” Jack said, reviewing the data.

Looking at the painted lines in the ice, the three envisioned the golden room
that lay below.

“Zeus’ burial chamber,” Duni said, saying what the others were thinking.

“I just wish we could get some kind of reading on what’s inside. With all this gold, there’s just too much distortion,” Javi responded.

Jack glanced to Helena a short distance away, then back to Javi and Duni.

“As long as the drill sergeant keeps up the pace, we should know what’s inside pretty shortly.”

Standing at the pyramid’s center, the three men watched Helena once again as she directed the workers movements. Working nearly around the clock, she took only short naps to relieve her exhaustion. After three weeks, she began to look fatigued.

“I’m starting to worry about her,” Javi said.

“I know. I’m pretty concerned too. She’s becoming obsessed,” Jack concurred.

“I think we’re way beyond obsession. She’s crazed. It’s like the pyramid has her in its grasp and won’t let go,” Javi added.

“I mentioned it to her, but she nearly tore my head off. In fact, we barely speak now. It’s kind of getting a little weird,” Jack said with great concern.

“What do you think we should do?” Javi asked.

“I don’t know. We
could
fire her,” Jack joked.

Javi glared at him.

“I’m kidding… Javi, I’m just kidding,” he shot back jokingly, then continued, “But seriously, we need to find a way to slow her down. It seems she has one all-consuming passion: getting to that stupid scepter.”

Duni nodded
and said, “We’re almost there, just a few more days. Once this is all done and she finally gets to see Zeus and the chamber, maybe her obsession will  go away… sort of like winning a race: once you’ve crossed the finish line, you move onto the next race.”

“Or maybe she’ll develop a nervous twitch and chase us all around with an axe,” Jack joked.

“That would be most unfortunate,” Javi responded dryly, unimpressed by his humorous remark.

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

Two days later…

After two more days of excavation, the crews removed thirty feet of ice and now the floor of the pyramid measured sixty feet by sixty feet. With only twenty feet left of ice to clear away, the team estimated the final floor to be approximately fifty feet square. So close now to the walls of the pyramid and the walls of Zeus’ chamber, the final layer of ice would have to be removed by hand.

Helena paced the center of the pyramid, her mind consumed by purpose. Just beneath her feet, the
thirty foot square surface of Zeus’ burial chamber shined brilliantly up through the thin layer of ice. As she walked its perimeter, she tried to envision Zeus lying flat in his crystal coffin, holding his scepter.

She turned her focus back to the excavation. With a dozen men on each side of her, she watched as they swung their axes at the ice, breaking off large blocks each time. Other men rushed in to remove the material and place it in a large bucket where it was hoisted to the surface by an overhead crane. The wo
rk was tedious and time consuming.

Helena glanced at her watch, then back at the men. She shook her head in disgust.

“This is going to take forever,” she said to herself in anger.

Growing impatient, she called over the four teams of men. As they stood in front of her, she eyed them coldly and shouted new orders.

“New Plan: I want two teams to concentrate on the wall of the chamber in front of me, and the other two teams to work the wall to my left,” she said, pointing as she spoke. “Get as close to the chamber walls as you can, but don’t hit them,” she warned.

With a firm nod, she signaled the men to start. Instantly, they sprang in to action. Two hours later, her pulse rose and her stomach churned as the first glimpse of a doorway appeared several feet below the top of the chamber. With an entryway now detected, she shouted new orders for all four teams to direct their attention to the new find. Minutes later, dozens of men pounded at the ice and created a large void directly in front of the doorway.

With the men still working, Helena jumped into the pit and examined the chambers’ entryway. She ran her hand along its edges, then over the solid ice that blocked her way. She once again envisioned Zeus in side, just feet from her, holding his scepter. Her heart began to beat wildly with anticipation.

“I need some men to work on this entrance…
NOW!
” she barked.

Instantly, two men rushed to her side and began to chip away at the solid ice that filled the chambers’ interior.

As she watched, she pulled her radio from her side and keyed the mic. In seconds, a man’s voice answered.

“Get down here now. I’m in,” she ordered, her tone stern and determined.

“On my way,” the voice replied.

Although her hands were cold inside her gloves, they now began to sweat. Her mind raced. She reached for her phone. Scanning her most recent contacts, she spotted her father’s name. Slowly, she moved her finger over the display, then pulled back. An icy expression crossed her face and she shook her head in anger. Stuffing the phone back in her jacket, she barked new orders:

“Swing those axes faster. I want that inside cleared out by the end of the day,” she shouted callously.

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

Camp Zeus

Inside the utility trailer…

Javi, Jack and Duni stu
died a set of computer monitors, scanning through radar images taken that morning. As they contemplated their analyses, they heard Ron Cotterman’s voice answer a call at the opposite end of the trailer.

“On my way,” he said, his tone sounding rushed and serious.

He turned to Adam and nodded.

“It’s time. Assemble the men,” he said to Adam.

Adam nodded in understanding. As the two pulled on their heavy arctic parkas, they rushed for the door. Instantly, the team of three became alarmed.

“Whoa
guys, where’s the fire? What’s going on?” Jack asked with concern.

“This doesn’t concern you,” Ron responded, heading out the door.

Before Jack could reply, both he and Adam were gone.

Jack stared at the door a moment, then turned back to the two.

“Doesn’t concern me?” he blurted in surprise and mild frustration. “What did he mean by that? We run this operation. Everything concerns me.”

“Maybe he’s just checking on an overflowing toilet or something like that,” Duni teased. “I know
that
wouldn’t concern me.”

Javi walked to a nearby window. He watched as both Ron and Adam rushed to their snowmobiles and sped off toward the pyramid.

“Guys, they’re heading to the pyramid. I wonder if there’s been an accident,” Javi said, his tone sounding grave.

“Helena!” Jack blurted in fear.

He leaped to his feet and grabbed his jacket. Immediately, the other two did the same. Seconds later, the three rushed out the door and headed for their snow machines.

“Jack, let’s not overreact. It could be nothing,” Javi shouted as they ran.

“I’m not overreacting. I’m just reacting,” he shouted back in serious tone.

With the sound of Ron
’s and Adam’s snowmobiles riding off in the distance, the three started theirs and hurried along after them.

Five minutes later…

As the three rode up to the edge of the pyramid and shut down their snowmobiles, they noticed Ron addressing two dozen men.

“…and protect the target. Move out,” Ron shouted with authority.

Instantly, Adam and a dozen men rushed to positions along the pyramid’s perimeter, as Ron took a dozen men and hurried down into inside.

“Protect the target?” Javi said
in confusion. “What target?”

“Looks like a military operation,” Duni said half joking.

Jack watched the two teams of men hurrying to various positions around the pyramid. His stomach churned and his intuition nagged him with worry.

“That’s because it
is
a military operation,” he blurted bluntly. He glanced back at the two, then down to Helena far below. “They want whatever’s in that chamber… and Helena is right in their way.”

Jack darted off, down into the pyramid. Without a word, Javi and Duni followed close behind.

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

Ron and his team rushed across the layer of ice and headed for the exposed chamber. As they approached, Helena waited for them at the newly excavated entryway.

“Post your men at the top and around the entrance to the chamber,” she shouted. “I’ll also need one for inside.”

Ron immediately pointed his men to their positions, then jumped down into the widened cavity in front of the doorway. Looking in, he coul
d see two men swinging their pickaxes nearly four feet inside the chamber.

“Once these guys open this up, we’ll be able to get more men inside and speed the process up,” Helena informed.

“Have you found anything yet?” he asked.

“Not yet, but I’m sure they’ll hit s
omething shortly,” Helena joked irreverently. “Once they do, I’m pretty sure that Zeus and the scepter won’t be too far behind.”

Ron nodded simply.

Moments later, Jack, Javi and Duni rushed to the edge of the cavity. Three men stood in front and blocked their view. As Duni moved to sidestep one, the man grabbed his arm and pinned him to the ground.

“What the hell! What’re you doing?” Jack shouted angrily.

Helena saw the scuffle above her. “It’s ok,” she shouted. “Let him up.”

As Duni rose to his feet, Jack moved forward
. Another man stepped in front of him, blocking his forward movement.

“What… you’re going to hit me too?” Jack growled.

“Let him by,” Helena shouted up to the guard.

The man stepped aside. Jack glared at him, then jumped down into the lower cavity.

Before he could say a word, Helena conferred with Ron.

“We can fit another man in there,” she said.

Ron leaned forward and peered inside. He nodded in agreement.

Turning to a worker, Helena shouted, “You, go inside and help.”

Instantly, the man darted past the two and stepped inside the chamber. As he began to swing his axe, Jack watched momentarily in horror.

“What the hell are you doing?” he shouted to both Helena and Ron.

Helena glanced at him, then back to the action inside the chamber.

“Not now, Jack. I’m a little busy,” she said, her tone filled with indifference.

“Not now?” he repeated, surprised.

Helena pointed
to a worker and shouted, “You, move closer to the other two. Concentrate your aim toward the center of the camber.”

Satisfied for the moment, she turned back toward Jack.
He glared at her in disbelief.

“You’re in on all this? Have you gone mad?”
he spat angrily. “So what happens now? You’re going to break in and steal Zeus’ scepter?”