The Atlantis Cipher

CHAPTER THREE

Guy Bodie was in charge of the infiltration of Pantera’s property. With the assistance of Cassidy and Jemma, he sneaked in under cover of darkness. Jemma in particular seemed to delight in returning to the field, possibly reliving her former career as a cat burglar.

Bodie had reminded them constantly that while the job wasn’t big and it wasn’t dangerous, they should treat everything as if it were life or death. The risk was that they missed noticing something they didn’t know was there — especially where Jack Pantera was concerned.

This worried him the most.

But Bodie had known Cross the longest of his team, and trusted him the most. If the forty-three-year-old insisted Bodie could make it to Pantera’s domain and back with absolutely no issues, then the matter was closed. Cross was the closest Bodie had ever come to an ally as capable as Pantera, and as good a friend. Following Pantera’s betrayal, Cross had taken on that role.

Bodie had hooked up a series of covert cameras, gaining them a 360-degree view of Pantera’s house. The cameras themselves were high-tech, enabled with seamless zoom and motion detectors. Small and thin, they were practically unnoticeable, hidden as they were among the leaves and branches of trees and bushes. Bodie had even checked the gardener’s schedule and learned he wouldn’t be around for another three days.

“Let’s review what we know,” he said. The team was lounging on the furniture in the terrace bar at a large hotel. White canvas shutters rolled across the timbered roof to keep the direct sun at bay, and a heart-shaped pool glistened to their left. The area was quiet at this time of day; most of the hotel’s occupants were cruising one of the nearby theme parks or filling up at a restaurant.

“Two days of watching have given us more than a few headaches,” Jemma said.

“Explain.” Bodie stretched out on the rattan sofa. Cassidy had ordered mocktails all around, and now brought them on a tray with a little curtsy.

“Found your calling,” Gunn said, smirking.

“You have a problem with waitresses?” Cassidy growled.

“Umm, no. Not at all. I was just—”

“Then shut your smart mouth.”

Jemma took a quick drink and then continued explaining her plan. “Pantera is in the house, as you know.” Bodie had identified the man for his own peace of mind during the initial hour of surveillance. “I have half a dozen signals coming out. Nothing unusual. House alarm, Wi-Fi, broadband, etcetera. Nothing suspicious, which, knowing Pantera, is suspicious in itself. Bodie knows the man best and he helped with snooping out any would-be surprises. But…” Jemma spread her arms. “We can’t find any.”

Gunn took over. “I hacked his system. Took a look at his computer. The man has solid firewalls, great protocols. As Jemma says, it all seems above board, which makes me very skeptical.”

“We’re thieves,” Bodie said with a chuckle. “What would you expect?”

They laughed and drank. A small fountain sprayed arcs of water into the pool. A happy-looking couple walked slowly by.

“Anything good?” Cassidy asked.

“That is the good,” Gunn said. “Weren’t you listening? Of course, there is some bad news too.”

“Naturally.” Cassidy waved at him. “Spit it out.”

“It appears that somebody else is watching Mr. Pantera.”

The team went silent, eyes on Bodie. It was his decision as to how to proceed. Some jobs would be aborted, others wildly transformed, dissected. This one had roots that were beyond fragile, though.

“Methods? Routines?” Cross asked eventually.

“They’re decent, but they never saw you, Eli. Barely any movement at all. If I were put on the spot I’d say it’s a long-term watch. Complacent. They even have a house.”

Bodie pondered this. “That makes it even more intriguing,” he said. “Does Jack know? How long have they been observing him, and what for? Who else knows? To plant an extended watch in a gated community speaks of power.”

“CIA?” Cassidy suggested.

Bodie stared at her. “Nah, that’d be too messed up. The CIA watching Jack after rescuing me, the man he got sent to prison. The same CIA we now work for.”

“Pantera has made no effort to hide anything,” Gunn said. “He’s alone. Hasn’t been outside the property’s boundary in two days. Never looks directly at the long-term watch or at our cameras. How observant is he, Guy?”

“Jack is the best.” Bodie shrugged. “Or used to be. The guy taught me how to read body language, how to properly assess a target, how to lift and return a guard’s ID card without him even knowing it was gone. Every skill I have came from Jack. He treated me… like a son. Shit, how is his behavior? Anything suspicious or out of the ordinary?”

“Seems fine. Coordination is all there. Drinks a lot; I see evidence of wine and beer bottles on the kitchen shelves as well as in the recycling. Buys local and at supermarket prices, judging by the contents of his trash, which suggests he’s not hiding any golden nuggets under the bed. There’s a two-year-old Dodge in the garage, plates registered in his name. Everything else”—Gunn shrugged—“is textbook. Mundane. Pantera is living like a model citizen right here in the heart of the Sunshine State. I’d expect to see him skipping out of that house chomping down on a juicy orange next.”

Cassidy swatted him across the head. “Idiot. Stop typecasting everyone.”

Gunn sighed deeply. “Is there anything you feel that I do do right, Cass?”

“I’m sure there is, but it’s gonna take some thinking. What do you say, Jemma?”

Caught off guard, Jemma’s usually quick mind couldn’t construct a fitting comeback to that one and look at the plan. “Leave it with me,” she said. “Now, Jack Pantera — the man. We need to understand how to anticipate his reactions. I’ll let Guy brief you.”

Bodie went instantly from repose to sitting on the edge of his seat. If I still didn’t care for the man, it would be easy.

“A quiet, keen observer, Jack is reserved, intelligent, and shrewd. He would always steal the old way, but with state-of-the-art tools. I’d say from being the solid numero uno he’s dropped down the charts these past three years. The man lost interest. He will undoubtedly have lost sharpness too.”

“Violent?” Cross asked.

Bodie shook his head. “Never, unless threatened. But you put one foot the wrong side of Jack and he’d crush it. Literally. With a hammer. He taught me to be courteous, respectful, and as tough as a prison-yard brawler.” He reflected for a moment. “Couldn’t have been easy for him. Living two lives.”

“Sounds like my dad, or what I remember of him,” Gunn commented, looking at the ground. Like Bodie, Gunn was an orphan. Bodie’s own bereavements were markedly different — his parents were killed while he attended an eighth birthday party — but he was reminded of his own life both before and after their deaths.

Two existences. The first — real fun-filled glory days where legends were made. The other — a slide into obscurity and self-loathing. He didn’t have to ask how Gunn had fared; he never had — the answer was obvious. Sam Gunn had become a child of an imperfect system, placed with new parents who didn’t show love or care as only real parents can. Without love, he’d grown up hard. At least Bodie had old, perfect childhood stories to hang on to. Times of friendship and belonging.

“So, Jack?” he said. “Treat the dude with the utmost caution, if not respect. He did, after all, somehow land me in a Mexican hellhole.”

Jemma waited a moment, then eyed the crew. “We good to go?”

“What?” Gunn spluttered. “Now? But I haven’t finished my Lava Flow.”

“No, dummy.” Jemma sighed. “Tonight. We go tonight. When it’s dark.”

“Oh yeah, that’s what I thought you meant.”

Bodie saw their faces set, their eyes determined. Right here, right now, he knew he was among those who cared and looked out for him. There was nowhere he’d rather be and no one he’d rather be with. Cross, in particular, held his gaze and nodded slightly, reassuringly.

Tonight would be different. Tonight they would find out why one of their own had betrayed them.

Jemma broke a profound silence. “All right. Dark will be here soon. I have a few rough edges to smooth off. Maybe Gunn could help me with that. I don’t need the rest of you.”

Cassidy finished her mocktail in a single gulp. “Sounds great. Who’s up for cruising Kissimmee to see if they have any decent night spots?”

“And when would you hit them?” Cross asked. “Tonight’s out.”

Cassidy shook her head at his assumptions. “You kidding me, old-timer? First we hit Pantera, then we go clubbing.”

“The only clubbing I’ll be doing is in my dreams.” Cross smiled.

Bodie felt his phone vibrate against his thigh and fished it out. One look at the incoming caller ID and his heart sank. “Oh hell,” he said. “It’s Heidi.”

Cross plucked it out of his hand and answered, pressing the speaker button too. “Yeah?”

“That’s not Bodie. Who is this?”

“Well, hello to you too, Agent Moneymaker. This here is Eli Cross.”

“Is Bodie there?”

“Indisposed, I’m afraid.”

“Indis… what the hell does that mean?” Heidi sounded taut.

“Well, I guess it means he can’t come to the phone right now. What can I help you with?”

“You’d better not be covering for him, Eli.” Heidi took a deep breath before continuing. “I need the team. Right here, right now. We have an urgent job.”

Bodie mouthed “So do we.” Cross exhaled and scratched his head. “I gotta say, we’re close to moving on this op. Coupla hours is all we need.”

“You don’t have Pantera yet?” Heidi sounded appalled.

“Flawless jobs take meticulous planning. They don’t just happen.”

“It doesn’t matter. This new job eclipses everything. Forget Pantera and get back here now. I can’t tell you how important this is.”

“It can’t wait until morning?”

“It can’t wait until you get back. Time is an issue. Listen, there’s new, strong evidence that Atlantis actually existed. We have to get on top of it before anyone else does. I need you… right now.”

The team members stared at each other and then straight at Bodie. This was his call. It occurred to him that if ever there was a time to make a stand against the CIA, to lay down the ground rules, this was it. Blackmail or not, they weren’t broken enough that they would roll over at every command.

But Atlantis? That was huge. Yet he couldn’t let it take his attention away from Pantera.

He took the phone from Cross. “This is Bodie. We’re finishing here first, Agent, then we’ll head in.”

A long silence spoke of Heidi reining in the anger and calming herself down. “One more time… this is bigger than the last job. Do you get that? The Illuminati… they were a secret organization. This is a lost continent filled with potentially explosive knowledge. It’s top priority. I need the team.”

Bodie studied the middle distance. “You’ll get the team. Tomorrow.”

He hung up.

Cassidy whistled. “Phewee, I bet the air’s a bit blue around DC right now.”

Bodie didn’t smile. “I feel like a jerk,” he said. “We work for her. This will look bad on her. But… then there’s Pantera.”

The phone rang again. Bodie answered immediately. “I only need tonight.”

“Send someone. You gotta let me have someone. Jemma or Eli. Even Gunn.”

Bodie studied the team, seeing the compromise and wishing he’d thought of it before. “Actually,” he said, “you can have all three. I only need Cassidy.”

Cross tried not to look hurt. “Hey, I wanna see what this asshole has to say. Don’t you need me too?”

Bodie nodded, feeling guilt at having to send his best friend away. “I’m trying to be diplomatic here. I don’t trust Heidi. I don’t trust Jack. It works better if I have my team in both places. And I value your opinion on Heidi’s new job, Eli.”

“You don’t trust anyone,” Heidi complained.

Bodie ignored it, thinking, Duh.

No one liked it, but the decision had been made. Bodie and Cassidy would deal with Pantera while the rest of the team headed north to hook up with the CIA. The goodbyes were short, perfunctory. Tension was rising.

Bodie saw nothing but conflict ahead.