Curse of Atlantis (11 page)

He opened the door and tiptoed out into the hallway. A few steps later, he stopped at the entrance to the living room. To his surprise, there seated on the couch, was Javier. With his laptop in hand, Jack watched as he clicked on one photo after another.

Suddenly, Jack noticed Javier’s shoulders rocking slightly. Jack craned his ear in Javier’s direction. Softly, sadly, he could hear the unmistakable sounds of weeping. He wanted to offer some consoling words, but knew they would only come out sounding hollow and contrived. Backing away slowly, he left Javier to grieve alone.

As slipped quietly back to his room, he heard the sound of a cell phone ringing. He craned his head and
listened to
Javier’s broken voice.

“Hi Honey… no, nothing yet,” he
heard Javier say
to Berta through his tears.

Jack woke feeling tired. The five hours of sleep barely compensated for the lack of sleep he’d had in the previous night, let alone the exhaustion he felt from stress and jet lag. As he stumbled out of bed and into the main room of the house,
he
stopped short. There in the same position as the night before was Javi, still clutching his laptop.

Jack looked up at the clock on the wall. It read
7:08am
. Mentally calculating the time Javier could have slept, Jack realized Javier couldn’t have gotten more than three hours of sleep.

“My God, Javi. Please tell me you got some sleep last night,” Jack protested mildly.

“I got enough,” he replied blandly.

“I saw you up late last
night
. Did you sleep on the couch all night?”

“Yeah, it was fairly comfortable,” Javier replied, ignoring Jack’s inquiry.

Jack considered pressing the issue further but then reconsidered. He knew Javier was suffering and knew any discussion over his lack of sleep wouldn’t change his position. He was a desperate man and as such,
he
would put himself through whatever he needed to,
in order
to overcome the obstacles.

Seeing the worry spread across Javier’s face so early in the morning, Jack felt deep sympathy. Javier was in trouble and he knew the best he could do to help his friend would be to help lighten the load, whatever that load may be.

“So, what are we looking at today? Are we searching by air again today or are we footing it
?
” Jack asked.

“After looking at the video clip and photos, I saw some sites around the Kapsali region that looked promising, so that’s where we’ll be spending the next couple of days… on foot.”

“Are you sure you’re up
for
this? That’s some really rugged terrain out there and you’ve barely had any sleep in days
.
”

“My daughter’s life’s on the line, Jack… I’ll manage,”
he said, solemnly.

Jack could see the determination in his tired eyes. There would be no stopping him. He shot Javier a reassuring smile and said, “Ok, Javi, but if you get tired out there or need some help with lugging something, don’t be too proud to ask
.”
He paused a moment, then continued, “I’ll get our packs together and then call around for the driver to get us in close.”

“After reviewing the photos, it looks like there’s some jeep trails out there that might be
able
to get us within a couple miles of our targets,” Javier said.

“And how many targets are we talking about here?” Jack asked, now growing concerned.

“Well, if I’m figuring this right, I’m ruling out any land less than six hundred feet in elevation. So, that leaves nine targets on the lower half of the island just north of Kapsali and seven targets on the upper half of the island near the Avlemonas,”
Javier said.

“Ok, so we have roughly sixteen targets to search. How long do you think it will take?”

“One target per day,” Javier said grimly.

“Oh My God! Javi, that could take over two weeks.”

“Yeah, and that’s IF we don’t run into any complications,”
he responded, anxiety evident in his voice.

“What kind of complications are we talking about?”

“
Weather, equipment, permissions. T
here’s always something that
’ll
slow you down. Nothing ever goes as planned,”
Javier replied, sounding exasperated.

“So we could be out there fo
r at least three weeks or more?” Jack now speculated.

“Jack, I hate to tell you but that would be great if it ONLY took that long. There are searches that take years and still turn up nothing,”
he said, his tone now grave.

“Wow, this really sucks,” Jack said loudly, “Poor Serena. I wish I could tell her to not give up hope.”

“I know,
” Javier said, swallowing his emotions, “If I could just talk to her and let her know everything will be alright…”

Javier stopped himself in mid-sentence. The sound of his own words sickened him. He knew he couldn’t promise anything. He knew the probability of finding the pyramid was
less than encouraging
. As tears welled in his eyes, he quickly pushed the destructive thoughts out of his mind and refocused his energy on important matters.

“Let’s make this happen, Jack,” he said, his anger and sadness now driving him to action.

With a simpl
e
nod, Jack understood the depth of Javier’s statement. The present day and the days that followed would make the difference between life and death. Serena’s world rested solely in their hands. Nothing short of their all
,
could save her.

~~~~~  ~~~~~  ~~~~~

Jack waited outside the small home with their supplies for the day. Lying on the ground was their equipment: backpacks, water bottles, data collection equipment, reference material
s
, as well as his homemade radar device. Looking at the packs, Jack laughed out loud at their sizes. Javier’s was very small and light. Jack’s was large and heavy.

Stepping out
of
the home, Javier stood next to Jack and waited for the driver to arrive. Looking down at the packs, he smiled at their lopsided proportions.

“Jack, I think you forgot to pack my backpack,” Javier said jokingly, then added, “You know, I may be old
,
but I can still pull my own weight.”

“Javi, we have at least sixteen days of hiking to do. Have you seen how rugged that terrain is out there?” Jack asked rhetorically. “We’d have way more success if you could concentrate on finding clues instead of worrying about collapsing from exhaustion and heat prostration.”

“Thanks
,
Jack. To be honest, I’m really not looking forward to crawling around out ther
e in ninety
-
degree temperatures.
”

“Of course, you could always look on the bright side,”
Jack replied.

“And what’s that?”

“This is the perfect time to get in shape. You can now start that diet and exercise program you’ve always talked about,”
Jack teased, hoping to improve Javier’s mental state.

“
I’ve never talked about one, and by the way,
'
round
'
is a shape,”
Javier joked.

“Well… how can I argue with that kind of logic?”

Javier was about to respond, when the two heard the sound of a car coming up the long dirt driveway. As it rounded a corner
, and
drove into the clear, both men stood in sho
c
k. Moments later, the dilapidated, fifties vintage Range Rover pulled up next to them. With its top cut off and the doors removed, the young driver jumped out and introduced himself.

“Hi, I’m Darrien,” the young man said in a heavy Greek accent. “I’ll be your tour guide for the next few weeks,” he added jokingly.

Darrien stood next to his car and smiled. Standing in at only five feet seven, he was short and thin with black curly hair.

“I thought we upgraded to the stretch limo,” Jack replied, carrying the joke further.

Looking back affectionately at his vehicle, Darrien said, “She may not look like much, but she’s reliable and can climb any mountain on this island.”

“Good enough for me,” Javier responded dryly.

Checking his watch, he immediately grew impatient with the passage of time. He reached down and picked up his pack. With a quick nod to Jack he said, “Shall we?”

“After you. I
t might take me a while to get this to the car,” Jack responded with a smile, hoping to improve Javier’s saddened mood
once more
.

Walking quickly to Jack’s side, Darrien said, “Let me help you with that, sir.”

“By the way
,
Darrien, I’m Jack and this is Javi,” he said, pointing as Javier jumped into the front seat.

“Very pleased to make your acquaintance,” Darrien said, now shaking Jack’s hand.

Tur
n
ing and facing Jack, Darrien asked in a hushed tone, “Sir, does the gentleman not care for me? He walked past without greeting me.”

Leaning in and speaking quietly, Jack responded, “He’s an escaped murderer. I wouldn’t get on his bad side.”

Darrien stiffened and glared at Javier for a moment, then back at Jack. With a smile, he replied, “Sir, you play
a
good joke.”

Jack smiled, then turned serious, “Actually Darrien, Javier is really a great guy, but he’s a little sad right now. There’s been a tragedy in his family, so
he
might seem a little distracted from time to time.”

“I am sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?” Darrien asked, trying to be a gracious host.

“Yeah, ther
e is, now that you mention it. H
ave you ever heard of anyone spotting a pyramid on this island?” Jack asked.

“A pyramid? You mean like the Egyptians?” Darrien laughed, not taking the comment seriously.

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Jack replied stoically.

Darrien’s smile faded as he searched Jack’s eyes for truth. With a simple
shake of his head, he said, “I’
m sorry,
sir
. There have been artifacts found on this island, but nothing that looked like a pyramid.”

“Darrien, I’m not talking about an artifact you can hold in your hand. I’m talking about a large pyramid made of stone, piled five hundred feet high?”

Staring at Jack in disbelief, he finally spoke, “Is this what
you
have hired me for, for the next three weeks?”

“You’re not going to run away
,
are you,” Jack joked, then said in a serious tone, “The fact is, we’re desperate to find this hidden pyramid. If you have any information about it, it could mean the difference between someone living and someone dying.”

“Is this the sadness you speak of?” Darrien asked.

“Yes… it is,” Jack replied, “I
won’t bore you with the details right now
, but suffice it to say, we didn’t come here for luxurious rides through the countryside.”

“I will do my best to help,” Darrien said, resolutely.

With a simple nod, Jack reached down and hauled his pack up onto his shoulder. Looking down at his radar device, Darrien quickly took the hint, grabbed it and followed Jack to the car.

With the equipment stowed, the three made their way out of the village and headed south toward Kapsali on the southern tip of the island.

~~~~~  ~~~~~  ~~~~~

Traveling through the central region of the island, Jack admired the countryside with its desert feel and rugged terrain. Sitting in the rear seat with the top permanently removed, he had a commanding view as they drove. With each turn of the narrow dusty road, new sights popped into view. From brown grasses and desert scrub brush, to craggy valleys and rolling rocky mountains, the varying sights and sounds help
ed
to relieve the stress of the ever-growing pressure to do the impossible.

As they rounded the top of
the
hill, the ocean now appeared before them. Far off in the distance, Jack could see several lessor peaks that dotted the landscape.

“Javi, is one of those our target for today?” Jack pointed, now feeling a bit overwhelmed by the daunting task.

“Yup… see that one to the right sitting below that high peak?” Javier pointed.

“Just below the one with the old fortress on it?”

“That’s the one. We should be able to get about a mile away from it by jeep trail. The hike to the top didn’t look too strenuous from the details on the maps either,”
Javier said with relief.

“So, what’s the plan once we reach the summit?”

“We’ll do a quick survey of the land… see if there’s anything that’s stands out. Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and hit it
on the first day.
”

“And if we don’t get lucky?”

“It’s going to be long day in the sun,” Javier replied.

Several minutes
passed until
Darrien slowed the beat-up old car to nearly a stop. Making a hard left turn, he steered into a bumpy dirt road, laden with rocks and gravel. Steering wildly to avoid dips and obstacles in the road, Darrien expertly negotiated the difficult driving while his occupants were tossed about the cab. As the road finally ended, Jack and Javier breathed
a
sigh of relief as the sight of the elevated terrain sat in front of them.

“End of the road,
sirs
,” Darrien said, a smile stretched across his face from the excitement of the previous ride.

“I think I lost a filling back there somewhere,” Jack blurted out, sarcastically.

“Sorry
,
sir, I tried my b
est to avoid the rough sections.
”

“I’m glad you found the smooth sections. I don’t think my kidneys could take the rough stuff,”
Jack joked further.

The three men climbed out of the car and prepared to make the trek to the summit of the hill, five hundred feet above them. With their gear secured to their backs, they started off up the side of the hill. Weaving his way around the heavy brush and boulders, Jack forged a path up the steep mountain side with Darrien close behind. Stopping every few minutes, they waited patiently for Javier to catch up. Nearly two hours later, the three stood and rested on the mountain top.

The view was magnificent. To their south, the ocean went on forever. To their north, they could see the distant shores of
Greece
. Mountainous and gray, they reminded
Jack
of the
Rocky Mountains
he’d climbed so many times before.

As Jack breathed in the fresh, clean air, Javier sat and rested.

“I’m getting too old for this,” Javier said, breathing heav
il
y and dripping with sweat.

“I’m guessing you’ll sleep tonight,” Jack responded.

“I’m ready to sleep now,” he shot back.

“I think you did a great job, Mr
.
Arista,” Darrien said, respectfully.

“Darrien, call me Javi. I hear
'
mister
'
and I think I’m in trouble,” Javier replied, still out of wind.

“Ok
,
Javi, this is your show. Where do we go from here?” Jack asked.

“Well, first things first. I’ll need a drink of water. After that, I’d like
to
get some readings on the soil,” he responded.

Jack pulled off his pack and set it down on the dirt and gravel summit. Reaching in, he pulled out a water bottle and handed it to Javier. Immediately, he gulped the water, trying to satisfy his thirst.

Jack was about to protest, but reconsidered. He knew Javier needed to water to maintain his stamina. If he needed to, he would share his rations with Javier in order to reach their goal.

Javier placed the cap on the bottle and stood. Looking at Jack, he said, “Ok, how about that soil kit?”

“One soil kit, coming up,” Jack responded.

As Jack searched for the kit, Javier pulled a shovel from the side of Jack’s pack and began to dig a small hole. Struggling with the rocky topsoil, he dropped the shovel and pulled out a pick ax. With a few well-placed swings, he began to clear away several inches at a time.

“Great work,” Darrien said, encouragingly.

“Just like old times,” he said with a smile. “You know, when I was your age… and many pounds lighter, I could do this all day long.”

“I believe you could,” Darrien said, politely.

Looking over to Jack, Javier said, “I’m really getting to like this guy.”

With a simple nod from Jack, Darrien smiled in relief.

With a few more swings of the pick, Javier laid it down and rested a moment.

“Ok, I’m going to show you how to analyze the soil,” he said to both Jack and Darrien.

Grabbing a trowel f
rom
the backpack, he bent down at the one-foot deep ditch, and scooped out a small amount of soil.

“Let’s have a look. Jack
,
can you hand me that chart
?”
he asked.

Handing a small notebook to Javier, Jack said, “Tell me some good news, Professor.”

Javier opened the small book of colored samples and matched the soil on the chart with the color palette in the notebook. With a simple nod, he stood and showed his findings.

“This notebook is called a Munsell Color Chart. It basically determines the color of the soil. Once we have that information, we can then make some assumptions on its composition and origin,” Javier explained.

“Ah, I think I get it. If it matches the color of the sand from the ocean floor, we can assume that the tsunami deposited that sand up here and therefore prove we’re looking in the right place,” Jack said proudly, trying to second guess Javier’s next statement.

“That’s logical thinking Jack, but not quite correct. Most of the debris would come not
from
the ocean, but from the land we’re standing on. As the tsunami came ashore and picked up soils and other materials, it would have carried them far inland. So, we’re not comparing ocean sand to hilltop soil. What we’re looking for is much simpler and less specific.
”

He paused as he looked at the chart, the continued:

“
So, what I’m trying to do is narrow our search by ruling out the locations that couldn’t have been hit by the tsunami. If all the soil samples are similar in this region, one might conclude that either all the soil was the same to begin with, or a tsunami washed through and deposited similar materials up high. But, if we analyze the soil and it’s far different, there would be a high probability that a tsunami never affected this area.”

“And if a tsunami never reached this area, then there couldn’t possibly be a pyramid buried underneath this location,” Jack blurted out.

“Correct
,
Jack,” Javier said.

“So, a few samples will tell you if a pyramid is buried underneath us?” Darrien asked.

“Unfortunately, no. The soil collection is just a piece of the puzzle. We need other pieces of that puzzle to make a clear case about the location of the pyramid,” Javier replied.

“What other pieces of the puzzle do you speak of,” Darrien asked, now very interested.

“In Jack’s very heavy pack, you’ll find a bunch of equipment we’ll use to look beneath the surface of the soil. We’ll be using Ground Penetrating Radar, a devi
c
e that sends out a high-frequency signal into the soil and records the data that is reflected back, basically giving us a picture of what lies beneath the surface up to a depth of forty-five feet. We’ll also be using an Electromagnetic Conductivity Meter and Electrical Resistance meter, two devi
c
es that measure electrical resistance in the ground to give us another way to examine the lands substructure. And to a lesser extent, we’ll be using a Magnetometer, which is basically a sophisticated metal detector. In addition to that, we have another soil test we’ll do that will help to give us a better understanding
of the composition of the soil.”

As Darrien nodded in understanding, Javier continued his explanation:

“
When we’ve collected all the data from these tests, we’ll then have a better understanding of what we’re looking at. With a high degree of accuracy, we’ll then be able to pinpoint where or even if we should start digging.”

“In short… we have a hell of a lot of work to do today,” Jack said to no one in particular.

“And not nearly enough time to do it all in,” Javier added.

“So what’s the plan?” Jack asked.

“We’ll start at the top and work our way lower. I’d like to be done by the time night falls, but if we’re not, at least we’ll be near civilization where we’ll have access to lighting,” Javier replied.