Jayden.
He was still hunkered down on the far side of the tent, but one of the treasure, Inc. henchmen approached his position now. Hunt silently willed his associate not to do anything rash, especially not to fire his appropriated automatic weapon. Site-wide, they were far out-gunned. But just as the man was about to reach Jayden, and doubtless discover him, Daedalus issued another command.
“We’ve wasted enough time here. Riaz, Binra, both of you: grab the girl. Now!”
Chapter 8
On the ground in the tent, Maddy turned her head to look toward Daedalus, but her view of him was blocked by a pair of boots coming her way.
“Daedalus, what are you doing?” Hunt demanded.
“A little insurance policy,” Daedalus answered, raising his voice above the scuffle that ensued when first Riaz, and then Binra, grabbed Maddy and hauled her roughly to her feet. “Perhaps Dr. Chambers can lead us to what we seek, even without the bronze artifact.”
“What do you seek?” Hunt shouted. He forced himself not to lose his temper. If Daedalus was to lose his, he could gun them all down in a fit of rage. He’d seen despicable behavior from the man and his employees before. Hunt pushed aside flashbacks from Iraq, almost smelling the scent of burning museums and treasures lost forever because if Treasure, Inc. couldn’t have them, no one could.
Daedalus took on a look of amusement as he answered Hunt. “Why, you don’t know? I suppose I should leave you to stew in your ignorance, then. You have no idea what the bronze head you found means, do you?”
“Why don’t you tell me? Maybe we can help you find what you’re looking for without all the violence.”
Daedalus glared for a moment while staring at Hunt. “Ah yes, you are a student of history, are you not Mr. Hunt? Very well…” He paused to watch his two henchmen drag Maddy toward the tent entrance, on the side away from where Jayden still lay in hiding.
“I think that all of us in this room — including your assistant on the floor over there with one of my submachine guns, who won’t dare use it because if he does the girl dies — know that we’re looking for the lost city of Atlantis.”
Hunt felt the wind empty out of him as he processed the double bombshell. They had lost their element of surprise, and the bronze head he and Jayden had risked their lives to obtain was connected to Atlantis after all. It took everything Hunt had not to let the defeatism creep into his voice. “Jayden, don’t try anything. Stand up slow, hands in the air.”
Daedalus beamed. “Sounds like you’re already working for me! Maybe you have a future with Treasure, Inc. after all.”
Hunt’s eyes brimmed with fire. “The only future I have with your company is to put it out of business for good. If I have to make that my life’s work, Daedalus, that’s what I’m going to do. Mark my words.”
Daedalus stiffened but had no reply for Hunt. Instead, he turned to watch Jayden rise to his feet, empty hands in the air. “Now, step over here…Jayden, is it? Surely your ancestors would not approve of that name,” he added, attempting to insult Jayden’s Asian-American heritage.
Jayden wisely said nothing but complied with the order, shuffling slowly over to the center of the tent, eyes downcast, hands up. Meanwhile, Maddy was screaming.
“You can’t do this! You don’t even have permission to be on this site. Are you crazy? Police will be here. This is a state-sponsored archaeological dig site!”
The smug grin on Daedalus’ face made Hunt want to knock his teeth out, but he restrained himself while his nemesis replied. “I have several close friends in the Cairo Police Department. I can assure you that my presence here would not be taken negatively.” Then to his associates he said, “Take her to the compound without delay. No stops on the way. I will meet you there.”
The Treasure, Inc. workers nodded and began dragging Maddy kicking and screaming out of the tent.
“What’s going on, Daedalus?” Hunt said. “All the artifacts she collected are here on site. Why do you need her?”
“All the artifacts minus one. The bronze head,” Daedalus said. “So she’s our little insurance policy. If you have the head but are lying about it, you can feel free to change your mind at any time — including right now — and you will get your friend back. No doubt you will miss her,” he said with a sneer while gawking at her lithe form being manhandled through the tent door. She pleaded with Hunt using only her eyes.
“But on the other hand,” Daedalus continued, “if you truly don’t know where the bronze head is, then Dr. Chambers will no doubt prove most valuable in our search.”
“Don’t worry, Maddy, we’ll find you!” Hunt called as she was led from the tent by Daedalus’ two goons. But deep inside he had no idea how he would find her. Daedalus was from Egypt, No doubt it was where his affliction for historical artifacts had been nurtured. He knew this country infinitely better than did he and Jayden combined. What to do?
But Daedalus had one last question for him. The Treasure, Inc. leader held his hands up in a mock what-now gesture. “As they say in your laughable country, the ball is in your court, Mr. Hunt. My team will continue to research this site and comb it for the bronze artifact I believe you salvaged from the flooded chamber today. Meanwhile, we will, ahem…work with…Dr. Chambers toward that end. Good day, sir. If we meet again, hopefully it will be because you have something for us. Because otherwise, you will not like the outcome, I can assure you of that.”
Daedalus calmly walked over and picked up the assault rifle Jayden had left behind. Leveling it at Hunt and Jayden, Daedalus then proceeded to stroll out of the research tent.
Hunt and Jayden stared at each other, alone in the research tent. “Maybe we should call the police,” Jayden suggested.
“Maddy’s team saw her get carried off, not to mention all their artifacts were robbed at gunpoint. They’ll handle that.”
“So what’s our plan?”
Hunt pondered the question while he looked around at the ransacked research tent. Equipment that had been procured and setup at great expense to uncover the lost lessons of history now lay in ruin. He couldn’t stand it, it made him so angry, and yet he knew it was the modus operandi of his foes.
At length, he replied, “Treasure, Inc. is looking for Atlantis.” He paused, as if to consider this.
“Yes, Daedalus said as much,” Jayden pointed out.
Hunt went on. “The way I see it, we have two options: One, we try and act locally to first locate where Maddy is being held, and then conduct a raid to bust her out alive.”
Jayden slowly shook his head. “I don’t much like the sound of that.”
“Me neither. Or…” Hunt held up a finger. “We find what Treasure, Inc. is after before they do. Then we offer it to them in exchange for Maddy.”
“What, Atlantis? You’re saying we find the lost city of Atlantis and then give it to the very people we despise?”
“We don’t have to give them the actual city, which may not even exist. But we have the bronze head. We could give them that.”
Again, Jayden shook his head, but faster this time. “I still don’t like it. Once they have what they want, we’ll have zero leverage on them. What’s to stop them from killing Maddy at that point?”
Hunt shrugged. “You’re right, There’s nothing to stop them from doing that, and in fact, their past actions suggest that there’s a distinct possibility they will do that.”