“Ares, Artemis, grab the first. Chain them up. I want to get started right away.”
Bodie saw them lunging for Jemma.
“Now,” Zeus said. “Where are my tools?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Jemma lay prone on the hard slab of rock, staring up at the ceiling. Artemis pulled her boots and socks off, then sat her upright. Bodie saw what they were going to do — torture each one in front of the rest and not even pretend that the right information would get them released.
Quite the opposite. The SEALs lay where they had fallen. Bodie watched as Jemma was positioned so that her bare feet were over a shallow bowl of water.
Zeus reappeared, a yellow box in one hand, some coiled wire attached to metal plates in the other. “Right,” he said without emotion. “The drill is very simple. Tell me everything you know about Atlantis. The research, the findings, the people you came across. Leave nothing out and this will soon be over.”
Bodie tried to save Jemma and the situation. “Why can’t you just walk away? You’re billionaires, right? Are you so privileged that you can’t see when you are wrong?”
Zeus regarded him. “Protecting Atlantis is our life’s calling. Our resources allow us to monitor every snippet of information, and to know if anything threatens the secrets we keep. My father did it, and my grandfather before him. We revel in our mission. It nourishes us, provides purpose in a world that has grown cold and indifferent. I have seen many changes in my life, but nothing I see tells me that the world deserves to find Atlantis and its secrets.”
“But should that be up to you?” Bodie asked.
“As I said, I am part of the Evzones. It is up to the five of us. This world, the state it is in right now, would take Atlantis’s technology, its advancements, and then destroy itself. Our mission is to prevent that from happening.”
Bodie disagreed. “Five men? Five oligarchs deciding the world’s future. How do you know we wouldn’t benefit from new innovations?”
“Because of terrorism, and why it happens. Because of oil. Because of nuclear weapons and the greed of politicians. Because of global warming. Because of the world water crisis. And because of a small group of fighters called ISIS who, from a standing start, overran the sovereignty of nation-states.”
“You’re saying we could self-destruct at any moment.” Bodie understood the man.
“Yes, and if the secrets of Atlantis added fuel to that already raging fire…” Zeus let it hang because he didn’t need to go on.
Artemis lit a torch and placed it firmly inside a hole in the wall. Then he crossed to the other sides of the cave and repeated the act, illuminating their surroundings and their faces in an eerie, flickering orange light. Bodie half expected him to pull on a mask, but then remembered this was no Illuminati ritual. This wasn’t a cult. Just a privileged few, selected by an odd birthright to join the world’s most secret private club.
Zeus rattled the yellow box in Jemma’s face. “Defib,” he said. “We can tune it up to five hundred volts, but we’ll start lower just to give you a taste. We don’t want your heart giving out too soon.”
Jemma’s eyes went wide, a tear forced out of one. Zeus saw it and smiled. “Good, good. We have an understanding. And yes, I’m aware the cave doesn’t have electricity, but my toy is fully charged and will last through three of you, maybe four. After that we’ll have to improvise.”
Jemma opened her mouth, but no words came out. Bodie spoke for her. “You don’t have to hurt her. We’ll talk.”
“Of course you will. But how can I be sure it’s the truth. Pain will reveal the truth. Pain is the great leveler. Now, put your feet here. Hermes, shoot her if she does not comply.”
Jemma complied, placing her feet in the bowl. Zeus turned on the defib, placed it carefully on the ground, and unwound the paddles.
“Start talking.” He held the paddles apart threateningly.
Bodie couldn’t help himself, and rose to her aid. A gunshot rang out, the bullet skidding off the rock floor to his side, making him pause. There was a chance, then; these men wanted answers first, not to kill them outright. If they rushed in, some of them might live. But several would die.
Better some than all.
The same dilemma he’d faced during the hunt for the Statue of Zeus.
Jemma spoke rapidly, telling everything she knew. By the time she was finished, she was breathing heavily, mostly from stress, but it was then that Zeus hit her with the first electrical charge. Jemma screamed, stiffened, and whipped her head to the side. Zeus held the paddles to her chest for a few seconds and then pulled them away. Jemma went limp. Bodie felt pain in his own heart.
She looked up, her face twisted. Zeus smiled as he hit her again, this time for longer. Jemma thrashed and grunted in agony. Zeus signaled Artemis to ready the next person.
“Her.” He pointed at Heidi.
“She told you everything,” Bodie said. “Please.”
Zeus didn’t let Jemma rest, just jammed the paddle over her chest for a third time. Once that was done, he leaned in close to her right ear.
“Anything else you want to tell me?”
Jemma could barely move, let alone talk. Spittle flew from her mouth. Artemis hooked his arms under her shoulders and dragged her off the rocky perch, throwing her untidily in a corner of the cave. Zeus gave her a cursory glance.
“Weak.”
Something occurred to Bodie right then. They were so far out of their depth here that he couldn’t even see the surface anymore. They were thieves, used to clandestine planning and furtive operations. Human contact was generally considered bad form, and remained at a minimum. Even so, he knew what he should be doing to salvage their situation: Gauging the distance to the corner where Artemis had stashed their weapons. Slowing this whole session down. Attempting to galvanize the others into a concerted effort. And much more.
“So, what do you do exactly?” he tried.
Zeus loved to talk. He switched off the defib to save the battery and watched Artemis pluck Heidi out of the lineup. “The Evzones,” he said, “are tasked with using any and all methods to keep outsiders at bay. We will totally eradicate any line of enquiry that may lead to the truth about Atlantis.” He shrugged. “In any way. The options are endless.”
Bodie saw the glee on his face and knew these men were more than guardians. They enjoyed every second of what they did to safeguard Atlantis. He saw Heidi struggling against Artemis and tried in vain to quell a sudden upwelling of fear for her safety. He didn’t like to think where it was coming from.
Heidi fought, hampered by the ropes that bound her. The suited man dragged her to the center of the room and removed a cattle prod from Zeus’s bag. Heidi focused on the tip and moved away. Artemis waved the prod in the direction of the stone plinth.
“And what is the truth?” Bodie prolonged it.
“Atlantis,” Zeus said simply. “And all its varied wonders. That is the only truth that matters.”
Heidi sat heavily. Artemis knelt to take her boots off and received a full-on kick to the face. The man reeled, holding his nose. Zeus darted in, picking up the cattle prod before Heidi could lever herself off the perch. The remaining two men didn’t move, never once letting their aim waver. Bodie cursed inwardly, knowing their lives depended on distracting them.
Zeus jammed the prod into Heidi’s stomach. The CIA agent folded, wailed. He kept it there until Artemis returned and wrenched off her boots as she tried to recover.
“Tell us what you know,” Zeus said.
“What she said.” Heidi nodded at the still face-down Jemma. “We’ve been together the whole time.”