“And then what?”
“Then Heracles took the apples and ran away, of course.”
“This is riveting — it really is, boy — but is it going anywhere?”
“Maybe — some of these symbols seem to refer to the golden apples.”
“So we’re looking for more golden apples?”
“Not at all,” Khatibi said. “Golden apples are a metaphor for immortality throughout European folklore.”
“So we’re searching for more sodding eternity?” Scarlet said.
“We’re searching for Atlantis, Cairo,” Lea said. “I thought we were all on that page by now.”
“And this mysterious temple is down there somewhere?” Maria said.
“Heads up,” Hawke said. “We’re here and we’re not the first ones.”
Peering down on the mountain’s amazing twin peaks with their night vision they were able to see Dirk Kruger’s expedition already set up and a dozen men milling around some pickup trucks.
“Bastard worked it out first,” Hawke said.
“He had more to go on,” Lea said, trying to soften his frustration and disappointment.
“Not fun being late to the party, though,” Camacho said.
Scarlet looked at him, lingering a second too long at his biceps. “You’re very good at stating the obvious, darling.”
“That’s not all I’m good at, babe.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “I’d say get a room but first, I’m not sure there’s a hotel room big enough to accommodate your two egos and second, we are somewhat busy at the moment.”
Scarlet tickled Ryan’s chin with her finger. “Aww — is Baby Ryan jealous?”
“Jealous?” Ryan and Camacho said in unison.
“Oh please,” Scarlet said, leaning forward to kiss the American.
“Guys,” Lea said. “Ry’s right. Can we leave the mating ritual till later?”
Scarlet agreed with Lea, but squeezed Camacho’s bicep and gave him a wink before pulling her gun out and sliding a round into the chamber. The chopper was descending now.
Camacho smiled back. “This really could be the start of a beautiful relationship.”
“Don’t count on it,” Ryan mumbled. “Scarlet doesn’t do beautiful relationships, but she does have a good line in rough shags. Just ask the Royal Navy.”
“Hey, you little nerdgasm,” Scarlet said. “I’ll give you a good line in rough shags, all right.”
“No thanks, I’m in love with Maria and I couldn’t afford the pharmacy bills anyway.”
Before Scarlet could respond, Lea pointed to a column of smoke that was now pouring out of a crack in the mountain’s southern slope. “Looks like they might have found what they’re looking for, guys.”
“At least it saves us fucking about in the dark,” Scarlet said.
Hawke raised the night vision binoculars to his eyes again and leaned forward. “Hang on a second — what the hell’s he got down there?”
“What is it?” Lea asked.
He took a second look and shook his head in disbelief. “He’s got a sodding Kaman down there.”
Ryan looked over at him in the darkness of the Eurocopter. “Sorry, Dirk Kruger has an alligatorid crocodilian down there?”
Scarlet rolled her eyes. “A what?”
“Caiman,” Lea said. “That’s how Ryan says caiman.”
“Why the hell would Kruger have a caiman down there?” Camacho asked.
“Kaman,” Hawke said, spelling it out. “Not sodding caiman.”
“I thought that was odd,” Ryan said.
“What the hell is a Kaman?” Lea asked.
“The Kaman K-MAX is a synchropter. Lockheed Martin’s finest autonomous flying technology, right here, right now for your pleasure.”
“Sorry — so it’s a helicopter?” Ryan said, taking the binoculars and having a look.
“Yes and no,” Hawke said. “It’s a synchropter, like I just said. It has two intermeshing rotors that give it tremendous lift. It can carry things heavier than itself.”
“Why the hell has Kruger got one of these out here?”
Ryan answered. “My guess is he was one step ahead and knew about those rocks blocking the entrance to the vault.”
“Eh?”
Ryan passed the binoculars back to Hawke and he saw the Kaman rising into the air down on the side of the mountain. Attached to the four-hook carousel beneath it was an enormous boulder which the Kaman was now lifting away from the rocky slope to reveal an entrance.
“Let’s get down there,” Hawke said. “By the looks of things we’ve no time to waste.”
They landed and hiked along a goat track until they reached Kruger’s camp where they took cover behind some boulders. From here they watched the last of the South African archaeologist’s crew disappear inside the mountain.
“Looks like we’re on,” Hawke said.
They reached the entrance and saw Kruger had rigged up a small generator for light and drills and was already long gone inside the depths of Jebel Musa. They followed the path, reassured by how much they had reduced Kruger’s forces but still aware they would be dangerous.
The tunnel took a sharp dive down and they held on to the roughly hewn sides to stop themselves sliding, but then they reached their destination.
The Temple of Hercules.
It was smaller than any of them had expected, and they could easily see Dirk Kruger, Van Zyl, Luk, Kamchatka and Korać at the far end. It looked like the Serbian warlord had replenished his force of goons as well.
“Take a look here,” Ryan said, indicating the sides of the tunnel. Either side of them they saw thick stone walls that had retracted back into the sides of the rock and on the floor at their feet they saw the stone column Kruger had taken from the Tomb of Tanit. “This is what he needed the stone key for — to pull back these massive stone walls.”
They moved closer to the temple and saw the walls in here were roughly carved out of the mountain’s granite, but the floor had been worn smooth over countless centuries of use. Piles of treasure were stacked here and there. Looking closer, Hawke saw that the walls were lined with alcoves each one blocked with a door, and whatever Kruger wanted with them he’d done it, because now he was preparing move out and he had a large smile on his face.
“All right” Kruger barked. “Prepare to move everyone out!”
Across the room Luk and Kamchatka were hauling a trunk out of one of the alcoves and moving it toward the entrance. The South African’s eyes glazed with rage when he saw them.
“What are you fools doing?” As he asked, Van Zyl swung his gun over his shoulder and moved out of sight.
“What do you think they’re doing?” Korać said, his voice dripping with contempt. “They want to get paid for their trouble. We all do… and maybe there is no Atlantis!”
Kruger was staggered. “No Atlantis? Don’t you see it? This temple is where people would stop and pray before travelling across the sea to Atlantis. These symbols are coordinates to Atlantis, you fool! This place proves there was an Atlantis. What do you think I’ve been doing for the last ten minutes?”
Khatibi and Ryan shared a glance.
“Now!’ Kruger said sharply. “Get the bomb rigged and then destroy this whole place!”
“What about the bags of treasure?” Korać said.
“Yes what about that?” said Luk. “Like we said, we still want to get paid for our trouble.”
Kruger got up in his face and grabbed him by the collar. “Don’t give me any of that crap, domkop! I’m not frightened of you and your little knife. You’ll get paid when the job is done.”
Kruger released him and pushed him back against the rocky wall and then turned to the others. “Forget the fucking treasure. It’s nothing compared with what we’ll find at Atlantis.”