The Atlantis Stone

CHAPTER 49

The pyramid loomed against the stars, an otherworldly, brooding presence in the night. They passed the guardhouse without incident. Gamal took them to an iron gate blocking the entrance at night. A large padlock held it shut. The guide produced a key from under his robe and opened it.

"Hurry," he said. "The guard will return soon."

They filed through. Lamont was last in line. He had a small pack with the C4 and detonators they'd need to break through the sealed entrance, assuming they could find it.

Gamal closed the gate behind them and snapped the lock shut with a harsh, metallic sound. He hurried away without looking back.

They entered the pyramid and turned on their flashlights, Nick in the lead. The brilliant lights danced over the walls of the ancient passage, casting harsh shadows. Ahead, the way descended into darkness.

"Looks different at night without the lights," Ronnie said.

"I thought it was creepy during the day," Lamont said. "This is worse."

They came to the junction with the ascending passage and continued downward.

"What we're looking for could be anywhere along here," Nick said.

"The discoloration I saw is a little further on," Selena said, "on the left-hand side."

They were about halfway between the junction and the subterranean chamber and well below ground level when Selena stopped them.

"Here."

She shone her light on the wall.

"See how the stone here is a little different from the rest of the wall? It's subtle. You'd never notice if you weren't looking for it."

"There's not much of a difference," Nick said.

"If there's a passage behind this, it was sealed a long time ago," Selena said. "It might have been done when the pyramid was built. The work is of the same quality."

"Why make a passage and then close it right away?" Ronnie asked.

"Who knows? Maybe there isn't a passage. It could be a chamber of some kind. Or nothing at all and this is only a different kind of stone."

"Let's find out," Lamont said.

He opened his pack, took out a lump of C4 and broke off a piece.

"What do you think?" he asked Ronnie. "At the corners? Or one in the middle? Or all along the side?"

"The middle sounds about right. That should work if there's an opening behind it and it's not too thick."

"Don't overdo it," Nick said. "If the roof comes down it will piss off a lot of people."

"You really gotta do something about that optimistic streak," Lamont said.

He kneaded the explosive into a lump and placed it against the stone, set a remote detonator and turned it on.

"All set."

They retreated back up the passage.

"This is far enough," Lamont said. "Fire in the hole."

They crouched down and covered their ears.

The explosion sent a shockwave of compressed air up the shaft, buffeting them with bits of stone and a cloud of white dust. The dust hung in the air like fog, drifting in the beams of their lights.

Ronnie sneezed. Selena began coughing. After a minute, the dust began to settle.

"Think they heard that outside?" Ronnie asked.

"Hard to say." Nick gestured up the passage. "We're pretty far underground. All that stone up there absorbs a lot of sound. Even if someone heard it, they wouldn't know what it was or where it came from."

He stood. "Time to see what we've got."

The floor was littered with pieces of broken limestone. They picked their way through the debris to a large hole in the wall. Beyond was tunnel high enough to walk in, leading away into the dark.