The Atlantis Cipher

Cassidy shrugged her shoulders. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.” She swiveled her head. “Hey, you guys have any idea what this old hobo’s smoking?”

“Hobo?” the man repeated in a thick accent that Bodie guessed was Russian. “We are five of the richest men in the world. Oligarchs, I think the West calls us.”

An oligarch was one with immense wealth and substantial political clout, enough to rule countries, Bodie knew. What, then, were five oligarchs doing in Morocco, at the very top of Jebel Musa, if indeed that was what they were?

“So this is, what, a Russian snobs’ road trip?” Bodie asked.

“And hey, thanks for being so forthcoming with the answers,” Cassidy said.

Zeus laughed. “We would prefer to kill you right now, but that is out of the question until we know all that you know. But you will die soon enough. That, I promise you.”

“We have to repair the damage you have done in your search for Atlantis,” another said. “You will tell us everything you learned, all the trails you followed, so that we may sweep away this disturbance. Only then will we allow you to die.”

“You guys really make it sound appealing,” Heidi said, shifting her weight.

Zeus looked left and right, as if remembering where he was. “We should go. It will become crowded up here all too soon.”

Bodie had been wondering what would happen next. It wasn’t what he expected. All seven of them were tied together with rope that looped around their hands and waists, and ordered to walk away from the head of the mountain and down the other side. As he walked, Bodie was reminded of the guidebook boasting of this area’s several hundred caves. They passed two entrances before being herded into one. At first, it appeared small and unremarkable, but a rear overhang led to a wider chamber and then a third.

At last, Zeus turned. “This will do.”

“Not much of a secret base,” Bodie said with a sniff as he looked around.

“It is a public cave, idiot, but it will do for now. Apollo, please make sure we’re not disturbed.”

“I understand you now,” Bodie said. “You’re billionaires who can’t bring your resources to bear on Atlantis because it’s your little secret. No goons. No HQ. No paper trails and definitely nothing digital, ’cause everything worth hacking’s already been hacked. Even now, you’re winging it. What’s it all about? Does it bring purpose to your boring, pampered lives?” The Evzones reminded him of the Illuminati leaders they had encountered in their previous quest: single-minded, wealthy men with no care for society outside their own small circle. Men who influenced world events in all ways to accomplish personal aims.

“Purpose, you say?” Zeus looked genuinely surprised. “Since we were born, our single purpose was known to us. There is nothing else. Do you see?”

“My bad.” Bodie shrugged. “I envisaged you with a shred of sanity.”

Lucie spoke up, voice cracking. “Please, please don’t antagonize them. Have you forgotten they killed Foster? Just give them what they want and let’s get out of here.”

Bodie didn’t have the heart to answer, because answering Lucie meant he would have to tell the truth. They weren’t getting out of here unless one of the SEALs made a goddamn move. He’d been distracting Zeus long enough.

It happened then. Hoff and Bass slipped their bonds and lunged. The rope around their waists pulled taut, but they’d been expecting that. Two Evzones drew their guns and fired, and two stepped back. The shots rang out in the narrow confines. Hoff dropped like a stone, shot through the head, and Bass collapsed to one knee, bleeding from the right cheek. Another shot finished him and then Zeus was shaking his head.

“You think we’re stupid? You talk while the special forces men make ready? I anticipated moves like that before you were born. I haven’t put a foot wrong since I was five. Do not insult me again.”

Bodie closed his eyes, trying to shut away the image of the dead, bleeding men, the spatter on Cassidy and Gunn. Their best chance of escape had just been gunned down, and it seemed the leader of the Evzones was not just dangerous but crazy as well.

“Ares, Artemis, grab the first. Chain them up. I want to get started right away.”

Bodie saw them lunging for Jemma.

“Now,” Zeus said. “Where are my tools?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Jemma lay prone on the hard slab of rock, staring up at the ceiling. Artemis pulled her boots and socks off, then sat her upright. Bodie saw what they were going to do — torture each one in front of the rest and not even pretend that the right information would get them released.

Quite the opposite. The SEALs lay where they had fallen. Bodie watched as Jemma was positioned so that her bare feet were over a shallow bowl of water.

Zeus reappeared, a yellow box in one hand, some coiled wire attached to metal plates in the other. “Right,” he said without emotion. “The drill is very simple. Tell me everything you know about Atlantis. The research, the findings, the people you came across. Leave nothing out and this will soon be over.”

Bodie tried to save Jemma and the situation. “Why can’t you just walk away? You’re billionaires, right? Are you so privileged that you can’t see when you are wrong?”

Zeus regarded him. “Protecting Atlantis is our life’s calling. Our resources allow us to monitor every snippet of information, and to know if anything threatens the secrets we keep. My father did it, and my grandfather before him. We revel in our mission. It nourishes us, provides purpose in a world that has grown cold and indifferent. I have seen many changes in my life, but nothing I see tells me that the world deserves to find Atlantis and its secrets.”

“But should that be up to you?” Bodie asked.

“As I said, I am part of the Evzones. It is up to the five of us. This world, the state it is in right now, would take Atlantis’s technology, its advancements, and then destroy itself. Our mission is to prevent that from happening.”

Bodie disagreed. “Five men? Five oligarchs deciding the world’s future. How do you know we wouldn’t benefit from new innovations?”

“Because of terrorism, and why it happens. Because of oil. Because of nuclear weapons and the greed of politicians. Because of global warming. Because of the world water crisis. And because of a small group of fighters called ISIS who, from a standing start, overran the sovereignty of nation-states.”

“You’re saying we could self-destruct at any moment.” Bodie understood the man.

“Yes, and if the secrets of Atlantis added fuel to that already raging fire…” Zeus let it hang because he didn’t need to go on.

Artemis lit a torch and placed it firmly inside a hole in the wall. Then he crossed to the other sides of the cave and repeated the act, illuminating their surroundings and their faces in an eerie, flickering orange light. Bodie half expected him to pull on a mask, but then remembered this was no Illuminati ritual. This wasn’t a cult. Just a privileged few, selected by an odd birthright to join the world’s most secret private club.

Zeus rattled the yellow box in Jemma’s face. “Defib,” he said. “We can tune it up to five hundred volts, but we’ll start lower just to give you a taste. We don’t want your heart giving out too soon.”

Jemma’s eyes went wide, a tear forced out of one. Zeus saw it and smiled. “Good, good. We have an understanding. And yes, I’m aware the cave doesn’t have electricity, but my toy is fully charged and will last through three of you, maybe four. After that we’ll have to improvise.”

Jemma opened her mouth, but no words came out. Bodie spoke for her. “You don’t have to hurt her. We’ll talk.”

“Of course you will. But how can I be sure it’s the truth. Pain will reveal the truth. Pain is the great leveler. Now, put your feet here. Hermes, shoot her if she does not comply.”

Jemma complied, placing her feet in the bowl. Zeus turned on the defib, placed it carefully on the ground, and unwound the paddles.

“Start talking.” He held the paddles apart threateningly.

Bodie couldn’t help himself, and rose to her aid. A gunshot rang out, the bullet skidding off the rock floor to his side, making him pause. There was a chance, then; these men wanted answers first, not to kill them outright. If they rushed in, some of them might live. But several would die.

Better some than all.

The same dilemma he’d faced during the hunt for the Statue of Zeus.

Jemma spoke rapidly, telling everything she knew. By the time she was finished, she was breathing heavily, mostly from stress, but it was then that Zeus hit her with the first electrical charge. Jemma screamed, stiffened, and whipped her head to the side. Zeus held the paddles to her chest for a few seconds and then pulled them away. Jemma went limp. Bodie felt pain in his own heart.

She looked up, her face twisted. Zeus smiled as he hit her again, this time for longer. Jemma thrashed and grunted in agony. Zeus signaled Artemis to ready the next person.

“Her.” He pointed at Heidi.

“She told you everything,” Bodie said. “Please.”

Zeus didn’t let Jemma rest, just jammed the paddle over her chest for a third time. Once that was done, he leaned in close to her right ear.

“Anything else you want to tell me?”

Jemma could barely move, let alone talk. Spittle flew from her mouth. Artemis hooked his arms under her shoulders and dragged her off the rocky perch, throwing her untidily in a corner of the cave. Zeus gave her a cursory glance.

“Weak.”

Something occurred to Bodie right then. They were so far out of their depth here that he couldn’t even see the surface anymore. They were thieves, used to clandestine planning and furtive operations. Human contact was generally considered bad form, and remained at a minimum. Even so, he knew what he should be doing to salvage their situation: Gauging the distance to the corner where Artemis had stashed their weapons. Slowing this whole session down. Attempting to galvanize the others into a concerted effort. And much more.

“So, what do you do exactly?” he tried.

Zeus loved to talk. He switched off the defib to save the battery and watched Artemis pluck Heidi out of the lineup. “The Evzones,” he said, “are tasked with using any and all methods to keep outsiders at bay. We will totally eradicate any line of enquiry that may lead to the truth about Atlantis.” He shrugged. “In any way. The options are endless.”

Bodie saw the glee on his face and knew these men were more than guardians. They enjoyed every second of what they did to safeguard Atlantis. He saw Heidi struggling against Artemis and tried in vain to quell a sudden upwelling of fear for her safety. He didn’t like to think where it was coming from.

Heidi fought, hampered by the ropes that bound her. The suited man dragged her to the center of the room and removed a cattle prod from Zeus’s bag. Heidi focused on the tip and moved away. Artemis waved the prod in the direction of the stone plinth.

“And what is the truth?” Bodie prolonged it.

“Atlantis,” Zeus said simply. “And all its varied wonders. That is the only truth that matters.”

Heidi sat heavily. Artemis knelt to take her boots off and received a full-on kick to the face. The man reeled, holding his nose. Zeus darted in, picking up the cattle prod before Heidi could lever herself off the perch. The remaining two men didn’t move, never once letting their aim waver. Bodie cursed inwardly, knowing their lives depended on distracting them.

Zeus jammed the prod into Heidi’s stomach. The CIA agent folded, wailed. He kept it there until Artemis returned and wrenched off her boots as she tried to recover.

“Tell us what you know,” Zeus said.

“What she said.” Heidi nodded at the still face-down Jemma. “We’ve been together the whole time.”

“Who at the CIA knows what you know?”

Heidi grimaced. So, Bodie thought, they know exactly who the team is, not just faces. He watched as Heidi bit her lip before he looked over at the rest of the crew.

“Just my boss, I guess,” she said. “But I haven’t spoken to him since the Swiss Alps. Not properly.”

“The compass came from the Swiss Alps,” Zeus confirmed. “He knows about the compass?”

Without warning, he pushed the paddles against Heidi and watched her suffer. Three times more he did it, and then dragged her away. They picked Cross next, and the older thief hung his head, dejected, preferring to remain in a world that was all his own.

Bodie silently implored Cross to get it together. He could be such a huge asset, and had been Bodie’s rock for so long. The loss of Cross’s input since Yasmine appeared on the scene had become a physical pain for Bodie.

The torches flickered in response to a slight breeze. Long shadows were thrown over the scene, and Bodie saw denizens of hell standing over his team, death in their hands. The ropes weren’t too tight and he loosened his wrists as best he could. Through simple deduction he’d narrowed his attack to one man — the member of the Evzones he could reach most easily, the one standing three meters in front of him. That long-barreled pistol surely weighed a little more by now, that tensed arm surely ready to drop. Cassidy, beside him in the line, had already whispered she would cover his attack and distract the man watching their backs.

Distract?

She meant get shot, for that was what they both knew would happen. If there was any other way out of this, Bodie couldn’t see it.

Cross ignored Zeus, looking instead to the exit of the cave and toward Jemma and Heidi, huddled together. The defibrillator buzzed and the charge went through his body. Cross writhed as much as the women had, pain etched into every contour of his face, but he spoke not once, didn’t even favor Zeus with a single glance. He couldn’t stop himself from hyperventilating, though, and then clutching his chest as he went rigid with agony. Bodie clenched his fists and teeth, terrified his friend was having a heart attack, brow suddenly wet with anxious sweat, a stark desperation filling his brain.

Cross relaxed a moment later, falling back onto the slab and breathing easily. His limbs moved weakly and he managed to open his eyes. “Just a twinge,” he said in a defiant voice.

“Good.” Zeus nodded, indicating that Artemis should throw him away. “The little bag of tricks will open him up a bit more later.”

Gunn was next, and the young nerd looked so scared that even Cassidy spoke up for him.

“There’s nothing else,” she said. “Take a goddamn break, asshole.”

The defib whirred to life but died, battery depleted. Zeus looked disappointed and then smiled with a deep malevolence.

“It appears we’re on to the manual tools.”