“There it is!” Quinn pointed at the corner of the front screen, where the feed from one of the surface video surveillance cameras had picked up the small dark dot of the deployed parachute directly overhead. “Any second now.” Quinn’s voice had dropped to a whisper and all activity in the Cube had ceased.
Breaths were held as the parachute grew larger, and now a small black object could be detected hanging below.
“How high?” Quinn asked.
“Passing through four thousand feet,” Kincaid replied.
The ring of Quinn’s SATPhone caused everyone to jump. For the first time, Quinn didn’t jump to answer. His gaze was fixed on the screen.
“Three thousand, five hundred,” Kincaid announced.
The phone continued to ring.
“Three thousand.”
“Damn it!” Quinn snatched the phone. The bomb could clearly be seen now. “Quinn!” he yelled into the phone.
“Do you believe me now?” Lexina’s genderless voice was barely audible. “Can you stop it?” Quinn felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck. Kincaid’s voice echoed through the Cube. “Two thousand, five hundred.”
“Give me the key,” Lexina said. “In a little over three hours, Stratzyda will be over the center of your country, the warheads able to blanket it completely.”
“Two thousand!” The strain was getting to Kincaid, his voice rising.
“When you are ready to be serious,” Lexina said, “you can contact me… SAT Code two-four-bravo-six-nine-eight.”
“Wait!” Quinn yelled into the phone. “Can you stop the warhead?”
“One thousand.”
Quinn looked up at the screen. The camera was panning from the vertical as the bomb rapidly descended. It followed as the black orb slammed into the desert floor less than a hundred meters from the control tower on the edge of the runway.
“The warhead is one of six that are nonfunctional,” Lexina said. “Rest assured, though, that the other twenty-six will work quite well.” The SATPhone went dead.
CHAPTER 26
Duncan had to grab Mualama twice to keep him from falling off the stairs that led to the floor of the cavern. The African archaeologist’s legs moved numbly, his eyes focused on the Black Sphinx. They followed Kaji and finally ended up standing just in front of the large, dark face with glinting red eyes. The statue between the paws loomed above them, mounted on a six-foot-high black pedestal.
Duncan stared up, even more impressed with this than she had been the first time into Hangar Two and seeing the mothership. The stone copy on the surface was majestic, but this held an overwhelming sense of power.
“The key.” Kaji had his hand out.
Mualama pulled the scepter out of his pack.
“Hold on a second… ” Duncan protested, but Mualama didn’t appear to hear her as he handed the artifact to Kaji.
The Egyptian held it in his hands reverently. “Generations of my family beyond the horizon of known history have watched the Highland of Aker and guarded the way to the Hall of Records.”
“When was the key taken away?” Duncan asked.
Kaji seemed surprised that she spoke. “I do not know.”
Duncan was tired of mumbo-jumbo talk and bowing before Airlia artifacts. The Watchers had known of this hidden Sphinx and the Hall of Records since before recorded history… at least according to Kaji… yet they had kept it hidden, which she had a feeling was the way the Airlia and their lackeys… both sides… would have preferred it.
“You don’t even know what’s inside, do you?” Duncan pressed.
“It is the Hall of Records,” Kaji said.
Duncan shook her head in disgust. “That’s a name for something when you don’t have a clue what it exactly is.”
“The Ark of the Covenant.” Mualama intruded on the conversation, stirring out of his Sphinx fog. “That is what is inside the Hall of Records.”
“And what is the Ark?” Duncan’s voice was sharp.
Mualama’s eyes came off the Sphinx, and Kaji looked up from the scepter. Duncan finally had their attention. She pointed at the Sphinx. “Forget your preconceptions. Forget your legends. Neither of you knows a damn thing about what is really going on. I don’t either.” She jabbed a finger into Kaji’s chest. “You’re setting us up. I know that. He knows that.” She nodded at Mualama. “He’s just too caught up in his search to let that stop him. You’ll leave us down here to die once you have the key and open the Hall.
“You don’t think The Mission isn’t on our trail?” Duncan asked. She didn’t wait for an answer. “You Watchers are out-of-date. Humans can’t sit back and simply observe anymore, because the truce between Aspasia and Artad is over. Your man knew that deep in the Amazon when he alerted us to the Black Death.” With her free hand Duncan pulled a ring out of her pocket and showed it to Kaji. “This is his ring. He was a Watcher, and he died taking a stand. It’s time for you to take a stand. To make the sacrifices the generations of your family who have guarded this place have made worth something.”
She pulled the 9mm pistol that Turcotte had given her out and held it at her side. “I’m tired of people playing games with hidden agendas. My agenda is I want what is in there, whatever it is.” She gestured with the gun. “So let’s open it up.”
Kaji reached out and took the ring from her. He turned it in the light of the false sun, noting the eye design on the face. “It is the sign of the wedjat,” he agreed.
“Open the Hall,” Duncan pressed.
“We will see…” Kaji paused and cocked his head. “Someone has entered the Roads of Rastau.”
“How do you know?” Mualama asked.
“I can sense it.” The first display of emotion that Duncan had seen played across Kaji’s face for the briefest of moments. “They have my son.”
“The Mission is coming,” Duncan said. “You can let us in the Hall or let them in. Your choice. You know you will not be able to save your son, and that the line of Kaji the wedjat on the Highland of Aker will end today.”
Kaji quickly turned and walked forward between the paws of the Black Sphinx.
“What does the stela say?” Mualama asked, referring to the six-foot-high, polished black stone that rested against the chest of the Sphinx at the end of the open space between the paws and upon which rested the statue. High runes were carved all along the face of the stone.
“I do not know,” Kaji said.
Duncan had a feeling he was lying, but the stone could be examined later. She had no idea how far away The Mission’s people were. Mualama pulled out a small camera and took a picture of it. In the very center of the stela was a proportional drawing of the scepter.
Kaji held up the scepter and placed it on the image. He pressed it against the stone for several seconds. Duncan was startled as the glowing orb overhead blinked out for a second, then came back on. The surface of the stone shimmered and the scepter began sinking into it, absorbed into its own image. Kaji let go of it and stepped back next to Duncan and Mualama.
“What now?” Duncan asked as the scepter completely disappeared into the stone. “I do not know,” Kaji said.
“I would think that… ” Mualama began, but he shut up as the stone smoothly slid down, revealing a six-foot-high opening into the body of the Black Sphinx. The passageway beyond had several steps down into it, was eight feet high with curved and straight walls of the same black metal. A thin line of blue lights along the center of the ceiling illuminated the way.