The Crypts of Eden

CHAPTER THIRTY

Leviticus and his team of Knights landed discreetly in Ankara, and then made their way to Malatya, where they met with their conduits regarding the Semtex.

The person they met with was a portly man of Turkish and Hungarian descent, affable in manner and always smiling. Leviticus had come to learn through experience that such men should not be completely trusted. Mahir Şahin, however, was the exception to the rule.

Inside a broken down warehouse with glassless windows covered with chicken wire, and support beams that no longer looked supportive, the area was the perfect spot for the transfer of explosive materials.

Mahir Şahin was former military who had grown slovenly over the last decade after leaving his unit for the green pastures of the black market. Whenever he laughed, the fatty tissue of his jowls and the bowl of his double chin wobbled. He also possessed the type of paunch that hung far beyond to loop of his belt.

Şahin knew Leviticus by his real name, Daniel Henshaw, so he had called him Danny Boy from days of old when they corroborated intelligence.

“Well, Danny Boy, you’re looking good.”

Leviticus looked at Şahin’s outstanding paunch. “The same,” he lied. “You have what I requested?”

“I have the Semtex,” he answered, smiling. “And payment has already been made to my account.” They walked to the back of the van. The doors were open. Inside sat four blocks of goods with the standing dimensions of 4’ x 4’. Inside were multiple bricks of Semtex.

“Is that enough?” asked Şahin.

Leviticus nodded. “More than enough,” he said.

“It’s the best stuff that money can buy,” he commented. And then he turned to Leviticus. “May I ask why such a large quantity?”

“Demolition,” was all he said.

“Demolition, Danny Boy? Seriously?”

“Demolition,” he confirmed. “No one will be hurt by this, Mahir Şahin. I promise.”

He nodded. “That’s good.”

“And transportation?”

“Two helicopters,” said Şahin. “These bricks will be loaded within hours. And then from Malatya Central you will be flown to your specific coordinates, which will take an additional six hours.”

Leviticus nodded. “Then I’ll ready up my team,” he said.

“Very good.”

Leviticus clapped the man on the shoulder and left the warehouse to gather his team. By this time tomorrow, he considered, the Semtex will do what it was intended to do, and turn that part of the desert and the structure into a glorified sinkhole.

Harika had grown detached, mourning the loss Eser, but Alyssa sat close to provide comfort.

About ten meters away, Butcher Boy, Aussie and Hall huddled together, Hall appearing animated as he flung his arms about in descriptive manner.

Savage came up beside Alyssa, asked if the space beside her was free, and accepted her invitation to sit down. She was still clutching the copies of her father’s journal. “Important?” he asked inquisitively, pointing to her papers.

She shook her head. “Copies from my father’s journal,” she answered.

Savage looked at his surroundings, at the dark shadows. “This isn’t turning out to be what you expected, is it? Probably not what your father expected, either. But I don’t think he would have surrendered any of this under any circumstance.”

She was staring straight ahead. “Finding Eden has always been his dream,” she said distantly. “But as long as I carry these papers, then he’s with me. He’s watching.”

“Watching? I thought scientists based their entire lives on fact rather than spirituality?”

“Not all scientists are atheists, you know. There is factual evidence regarding the life after.”

“Really?”

“On a purely scientific level, think about it. Everything is energy. We are energy. And since energy cannot be created nor destroyed, then it has to go somewhere upon our passing. The only question is: When energy passes, does it bring with it the conscience mind?”

“And what do you think?”

She hesitated. “I know what I’d like to think,” she said. “I’d like to think that there is a ‘somewhere’ else. That maybe my father is standing right beside me and I don’t even know it. I’d also like to think that when my time comes, then I’ll get to see him again. And to see Montario and Noah and all the good people that were in my life.”

“Wow.”

“What?”

“Here I am sitting next to a scientist who believes in something beyond this.” He waved his hand briefly to indicate the temple. “Whereas I’m in the employ of the Vatican and have yet to find my faith.”

“Perhaps you should look deeper,” she said. “Perhaps the man with little faith is blind to the fact that he needs to lead by the weight of his conscience, rather than by the weight of the commands given by a chief officer.” She looked at him for the first time. “I saw what you did back there.” Her voice was soft and comforting, a tone that placated. “You led your line forward under impossible conditions.”

He sighed. “I lost Eser.”

“You lost Eser because he panicked. The wall was right behind you and closing. But you kept calm. You kept Hall calm. And because of that you turned a situation in which three people should have been killed into a situation where two people survived. You did well, John Savage.” She looked away. Then softly: “Thank you.”

In the distance, Obsidian Hall remained animated as Aussie and Butcher Boy looked on with indifference. Harika was lost and alone, keeping Alyssa close, and Savage found himself gravitating emotionally towards Alyssa.

She was smart and beautiful and moved with graceful economy. She also had audacity and the courage to speak her mind when the moment called for it, often championing the cause for others.

“Alyssa.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For possessing the stupidity and lack of character for attempting…”

“To kill me,” she finished.

He was completely embarrassed. “Yes.” She remained quiet. “I hope you can forgive me,” he said, standing.

“Why?”

He began to walk away. “It would mean a lot to me.”

She watched him leave. Though the man had been sent to assassinate her, she could tell that he was a good man… but also a man who was completely lost. Nevertheless, she truly believed that he was slowly finding his way back to the Light.

“I forgive you,” she whispered.

The creatures gathered at the entrance their quarry had just entered. The way was now blocked. They were in blood lust, their acute senses picking up the scent of blood and decimated meat, fresh and tender. They clawed at the wall with their raptor-like talons, scoring it the same way a diamond would scratch the surface of glass.

And then as if of a collective mind, they uniformly became as still as stone statues. Their frills went up like antennae, absorbing the tremors coming their way, the footfalls of something larger, faster and deadlier, something that would feed on their hides when food became scarce.

With a piercing shrill, a lizard cried out in warning, causing the others to scatter like rodents in every possible direction.

The creature was heavy on its feet, the walk of an alpha male. More so, it was the advancement of an alpha predator that would not be denied.