Andy McDermott - The Hunt For Atlantis

“How’re you doing?” asked Chase, through a crackle of static.

“Oh, superfine,” Nina grumbled. “Can’t wait to write this one up for the International Journal of Archaeology.”

A noise came through the headset that could have been muffled laughter. “You’re doing great. Can you see the end?”

She directed the beam ahead. “I think… yes! I can see it! And I can hear something as well.” She tried to pick out the noise. A kind of hissing rumble… like water coming down a pipe! “Oh, shit!”

She cringed and stifled a shriek as several gallons of cold water gushed down the pipe and splashed around her. “Oh God, oh! Disgusting!”

Chase’s jovial response didn’t improve her mood. “At least they remembered to flush.”

“Feeling better?” Hajjar asked mockingly as Kari was brought back into the circular room.

“The attendant’s manners leave something to be desired,” she sniffed. “I hope I didn’t miss Qobras.”

“No, but he will call any minute. So you’re just in time.” He gestured, and the guard shoved her onto a lounger. Volgan looked pleadingly at her, but said nothing.

“Remember my father’s offer,” she said. “Whatever Qobras offers, he can-”

The computer chimed. Hajjar snapped his fingers at Kari’s guard, who clapped a heavy hand on her shoulder. She stopped talking, watching as Hajjar turned to face the screen.

It was the first time she’d ever observed Qobras “live,” having previously only seen him in photographs. And those had been several years out of date. His black hair was now streaked with gray running back from his temples, his face more lined-but his eyes were as sharp as ever.

And as deadly.

“Mr. Hajjar,” said Qobras. His tone made it clear that he was displeased at having to deal with the Iranian.

“Mr. Qobras,” Hajjar replied, with ersatz good humor. “I am delighted to speak to you at last.”

“You have something for me,” Qobras stated impatiently.

“Two things, in fact! The first is this little trinket.” Hajjar displayed the Atlantean artifact to the camera. “I understand this was taken from your-”

“Destroy it,” Qobras interrupted. “Melt it down. I will pay you fifteen million U.S. dollars on receipt of a complete video recording of its destruction.”

“Destroy it?” Hajjar was stunned. “Yes, I can do that, I have all the necessary facilities to handle precious metals, but…” He shook his head in disbelief. “Are you sure?”

“Melt it down. Completely. You can keep the gold and any other metals you extract, but I want it destroyed. It has caused enough trouble.”

Shaken, Hajjar replaced the artifact on his desk. “Destroy it. Okay. For… fifteen million dollars, you said?” The oversized image of Qobras nodded.

Kari looked on, appalled. If the artifact was destroyed, then the only link to finding Atlantis would be lost forever…

With enormous relief, Nina pulled herself out of the pipe.

The chamber she found herself in was rectangular, some six feet by eight, with numerous pipes running into it from above. The floor was awash in rancid water. “I’m in,” she said into the headset, turning her light onto the walls. A dirty ladder led upwards.

“Good,” said Chase, voice distorted by interference. “Now go up the ladder. And whatever you do…”

“Yes?”

“Don’t slip.”

“Thanks for the advice.” Water and sludge dripping off her wet suit, Nina ascended the ladder. She cautiously pushed at the metal cover at the top, and to her immense relief, it moved. She slid it aside, then climbed up. “I’m at the top.”

“Okay, you should be in a room with one door.”

She swept the beam around. “Yes.”

“Check at the door to make sure there’s nobody outside, then go left. There’s another door at the end of the corridor. Go through it.”

Heart suddenly pounding, Nina opened the door a crack and peered through. The stone-walled corridor outside was dimly lit and, except for a faint humming noise, silent. She looked in the other direction. A narrow flight of stairs led upwards. “It’s clear,” she whispered.

“Okay, go.”

She kicked off the sodden sneakers so as not to leave wet footprints, then padded lightly down the corridor. “Oh. Problem.”

Even through the hiss of static, she could hear the concern in Chase’s voice. “What?”

“There are two doors. Which one do I go through?”

“There’s only one on the plan, they must have added something. But one of them has to be the generator room. Try them both.”

Both doors bore a high-voltage warning symbol, so that didn’t help. Bracing herself, Nina tried the nearest one first.

It wasn’t a room full of technicians or a security station, thankfully. In fact, it looked more like the IT department at the university. She recognized one rack of equipment as a computer server-maybe Hajjar ran his own secure Internet link. Various black boxes were connected to it, as was a PC, a screensaver swirling on its monitor.

Out of curiosity-the room was small, the computer within arm’s reach of the door-she moved the mouse. The screen lit up with various windows. Most of them were incomprehensible status displays, but her eyes instantly went to one in particular. It was split in two, each part showing what was apparently a videoconference call.

She didn’t recognize the stern-faced man in one of them, but the other…

Hajjar.

“Nina?” Chase hissed. “What’s going on?”

“It’s a computer room-”

“Then forget it! Go into the other room, quick.”

It turned out to be her intended destination. A pair of large generators occupied most of the space, thrumming away. On the wall next to them was a complicated array of fuse boxes and circuit breakers.

“Another problem,” she said quietly. “All the labels are in Farsi!”

“I see you have Yuri there as well,” said Qobras.

“Giovanni!” Volgan said desperately, staggering to his feet. His guard raised the gun as if to club him again, but Hajjar shook his head. “Please, I’m sorry! I made a mistake, I know, but I’m sorry!”

Qobras shook his head. “Yuri… I trusted you. I trusted you, and then you betrayed me-and the entire Brotherhood! And for what? For money?” He shook his head again. “The Brotherhood provides for the needs of its own, you know that. But you wanted more? That is the thinking of those we are fighting to stop!”

“Please, Giovanni!” begged Volgan. “I will never-”

“Yuri.” The single word silenced Volgan instantly. “Hajjar, I have no use for him, and I am sure you do not either. I will pay you five million dollars to kill him, right now.”

“Five million dollars?” gasped Hajjar. Qobras nodded.

“Giovanni!” shrieked Volgan. “No, please!”

Hajjar sat motionless for a few seconds, apparently lost in thought… then he opened a slim drawer set into his desk, took out a silver revolver and fired.

Chase came back online. “Okay, I’ve got the wiring diagram. There should be three tall panels with a row of big switches running down them.”

Nina saw them. “Yes!”

“The middle panel. Turn off the third, fourth and sixth switches.”