Curse of Atlantis (28 page)

Jack continued on, listening to the two while scanning the walls of the chamber. As he
looked
on the
top of one wall and then down across the floor, he stopped. Engraved in the middle of the floor was a single tile, its pattern not yet discernable. Moving closer, he could just make out the image of the sun on the three foot square tile.

Several feet ahead now, Jack stopped and held the beam of light on the engraving.

“Jack, hold up. I think Burt’s found something,” Javier said.

“I think I found something too,” Jack responded, now mesmerized by the beauty of the tiled artwork.

Jack took another step forward and heard the sand crunch beneath his foot. Looking down, he noticed a small line in the sandy floor. Moving his foot back again, the line seemed to fade.

“Did you guys hear that?” Jack asked, now raising the volume of his voice.

Without an answer, he took another step. Jack shined his light directly on the engraved tile and for a moment, became mesmerized by the seven thousand year old artwork.

Watching over Burt’s shoulder, Javier asked, “Hey, do you hear that?”

“Hear what, your breathing?” Burt responded.

“I hear a hissing noise, like a tire leak,” Javier said.

Burt turned around abruptly and stared intensely at Javier. He glanced at Jack, then back at Javier.

“I wasn’t kidding. I thought that was your breathing.” Quickly, he shouted, “Jack, we have to leave,
NOW
!”

Jack spun on his heels and ran toward the exit only a few feet behind the other two.

Suddenly, a loud crash sounded out behind them… then another. Jack watched in horror as the wall to his right began to fall toward him. Instantly, he sprinted harder toward the exit. Shock and horror flooded his body as he knew he was going to be crushed by the enormous wall. In a last second effort, he dove forward.

The wall fell over and crashed across the floor, narrowly missing the far side. Protruding from the top of the walls near the ceiling, large blocks extended out that were used to push the walls of stone over. Just outside the entrance to the chamber, workers watched anxiously through the heavy dust for any signs of life.

“Jack, you alright?” Javier shouted, running to him as he lay on the floor just beyond the fallen wall.

“Phew, that was just too close. I almost became a statistic,” he said, now finding his footing and standing.

“We all were,” Burt added, now coughing from the dust. “You’re right Jack. That was too close. We’ve got to be more careful next time.”

Jack nodded simply, then said, “Now that we sprung the trap, it should be safe to go back in, right?”

“I’m guessing you’re right, but we better stay alert. It’s possible there’s a secondary trap in here somewhere,” Burt remarked.

“Any idea what happened in there?” Javier asked.

“I think the walls were pressure activated. Just before I reached the tile with the sunburst on it, I heard the floor creak beneath my foot. I didn’t feel anything move, just a strange sound,” Jack responded.

From outside the chamber, a voice called to them, “Are you guys ok?”

“We’re alright. It was another trap,” Javier responded, now able to make out images of men at the entrance. “We’re going back in.”

“Sir, please be careful,” the voice called back with deep concern.

Without another word, Javier re-entered the chamber. Walking over the raised floor that was once the walls, he noticed more hieroglyphics.

“Well
,
Burt, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Looks like the Altanteans left more messag
es,” Javier called back to Burt who
now followed
a few feet behind him.

“Javi, be careful. I’m pretty sure those are warnings for intruders,” Burt replied.

As the dust began to clear away, more inscriptions were discovered on the newly exposed walls. Walking deliberately and listening for any unusual sounds that would signal a trap, the three men continued toward the back. With their flashlights piercing the darkness at the back of the chamber, the three suddenly stopped.

“Wow, you don’t need to be an archeologist to understand that message,” Jack said aloud.

“Interesting,
” Burt said, matter-of-factly.

On the back wall of the chamber was a nine foot tall painted imagine of a man dressed in a lavish robe standing with his hand outstretched, signaling all to turn back. His white flowing hair and beard suggested an older man, yet his strong Romanesque features and slate-blue piercing eyes confirmed a man far younger in age.

“Can you make out the inscription under his feet?” Javier asked.

“I’m not positive but I think it says something to the effect of, Greater death awaits,” Burt replied.

Looking around the chamber, Javier responded nervously, “In here? Greater death awaits us in here?”

“I don’t think so,” Jack replied. “Look around us. This is an empty chamber. There’re no doors that lead to the interior of the pyramid. I think this is a decoy and that dude up there is warning us to give up the search, else we’ll suffer even greater tragedies.”

“You may be right, Jack,” Javier said. “Unfortunately, giving up the search isn’t an option.”

“Which means there’s more ‘fun’ in store for us ahead,” Jack responded grimly.

All three looked at each other with ominous expressions. Each man knew his life was in danger. Each man knew
he
needed to depend on the other for survival.

“Ok, we need to stick together from here on out. Nothing can be taken for granted. Anything suspicious, unusual, or even confusing, needs to be examined thoroughly before we proceed, ok?” Burt asked.

“Absolutely,” Javier replied.

With a simple nod from Jack, the three turned and exited the chamber. Outside, the workers waited anxiously for details.

“Sir, what did you find?”
asked
a voice from the waiting crowd.

“Nothing. The chamber was empty,” Burt answered.

“What’s next?” another man pressed further.

“We’ll be searching for what’s behind door number two,” Jack responded as a joke.

“Door number two?” the voice asked in puzzled tone.

“The blank door at the front of the pyramid.  We’re pretty sure we know how to get in, and now that we know what to expect once we’re in there, it should be safer than this first chamber,” Burt said, downplaying the dangers so as not to scare off any more workers.

A low hush spread through the crowd as they thought about the last statement. Finally, one man spoke.

“We’ll help you on the outside, but you’ll be alone on the inside.”

“We understand.” Burt replied in simple acknowledgement.

~~~~~  ~~~~~  ~~~~~

The men gathered in front of the pyramid, readying the sealed door for opening. Just like the booby trapped door on the southern side of the pyramid, the team located the hole in the ground just in front of the main door that would cause it to open. Anticipating a similar collapse of the ground and door, the team worked cautiously as they set up their equipment.

Standing on both sides of the doorway, Jack and Darrien held the ends of a long metal pipe, nearly three inches in diameter and measuring thirty feet long. Welded at its center was a shorter vertical pipe that hung below by three feet. Standing at a safe distance away, Javier and Burt shouted directions to locate the vertical pipe over the hole.

“Ok, that looks good. You’re centered up over the hole pretty well. When I say ‘go
,
’
drop that pipe into the hole and run like hell,” Javier shouted.

“Sir, are you sure this is safe?” Darrien asked Javier.

“We’re positive. You two are well away from the danger zone and as long as you let go of the pipe and move away quickly, there’s little chance of it hitting you,” Burt cut in.

“Don’t worry, buddy. I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought it was dangerous,” Jack added.

Burt turned to Javier and quietly said, “Comforting words from the man who climbs mountains and dives for artifact
s
alone.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Javier replied with a smile.

“Ok guys… you ready?” Javier asked.

The entire work crew assembled a short distance behind Javier and Burt, the excitement of the unknown energizing the atmosphere. As they watched with anticipation, the sound of breathing was the only sound that could be heard. Just beyond the crowd, two men dressed in dark suits slipped in from behind. Standing silently, they too watched with anticipation.

“Ok gu
ys, on my mark: one, two, three,
” Javier shouted loudly.

Even before he finished, Jack and Darrien lowered the pipe into the hole until it reached the bottom. They both leaned hard on the pipe and felt the hardened surface give way. Instantly, the ground collapsed and the large sealed door sprung outward and fell into the now gaping hole in the ground, throwing a heavy cloud of dust in the air.

Having moved a safe distance away, Jack and Darrien slowly moved back in for a closer look.

“Wow, that was scary,” Darrien shouted to no one in particular.

“I’d let you
borrow
my shorts but I think I soiled them,” Jack joked in return.

As the dust finally cleared, Javier and Burt rushed in to investigate.

“Not too close guys. It could still be booby trapped,” Burt warned.

Standing a few feet from the hole, the four men now focused their attention on the entrance to the pyramid. Just like the other chamber, this one too had sand and silt covering the floor. Although the sun was shining, only a few feet could be seen into the darkened chamber.

"So what's next,
sirs?
" Darrien asked.

"Well, first we'll have the door removed from this hole. It has great value, so we’ll need to make sure it's well preserved," Burt responded, pointing in front of them. "After we remove the door, we'll fill in the hole, and then the fun begins. We'll send in a remote
-
controlled probe. It has an articulating arm and a video camera, so we'll be able to investigate the chamber safely."

“If someone can get me a flashlight, I'll climb over the hole and check out the entrance right now," Jack offered.

"I admire your courage
,
Jack, but why don't we just stick to the plan," Javier said.

"Kill joy," Jack teased.

Within two hours, the door was extracted and the hole filled in with nearby soil. Javier and Burt set up the robotic probe at the entrance and monitored its progress as it slowly rolled into the chamber.

Watching from a computer screen several feet from the pyramid, Jack and Darrien peered over Javier’s and Burt’s shoulders at they worked the equipment. As Javier worked a tiny joystick that maneuvered the four-wheeled probe, Burt monitored the sensors that reported back data and video of the chamber.

“Just like a video game, huh
,
sirs
?” Darrien asked.

“Same thing, only this video game cost twenty thousand dollars to play,” Jack replied humorously.

“Wow, isn’t that a lot of money to be risking? What happens if a wall falls on it and squashes it?” Darrien asked.

“There’s no doubt we’re taking risks here, Darrien, but at least it’s only with a piece of machinery. We can replace it. We can’t replace a human life,” Javier explained. “I’m just hoping we can spot the booby traps before we go in.”

“Me too,” he replied in ominous tone.

Nervous excitement spread through the crowd as all watched and waited for the first images to appear. Working cautiously, Javier moved the joystick forward slowly, causing the three
-
foot by two
-
foot by one
-
foot high box on wheels to roll a few feet into the chamber. Burt used his own joystick to actuate the video camera, rotating it around nearly three-hundred-sixty degrees to view the now
-
visible walls.

“Wow, look at those hieroglyphics,” Burt said in awe.

“And those images of guards. Talk about menacing,” Javier added.

“Yeah, they sure don’t look like they’re inviting us in for tea,” Jack joked.

As the probe continued to roll into the chamber, something caught Burt’s attention.

“Javi, hold up a moment,” Burt said, his voice sounding strained.

“What is it
,
Burt? What do you see
?”
Javier asked, now looking over at Burt’s computer screen.

Burt stared at his screen and adjusted the focus slightly, bring
ing
the image in more sharply. In his other
hand,
he held his booklet of translated hieroglyphics. Scanning between book and computer, he tried to decipher the meaning behind a larger grouping of hieroglyphics that were conspicuously etched into the wall.