The Forbidden Tomb

24

The bad feeling in Cobb’s gut wouldn’t go away.

Most of the gunmen had pushed past him, deeper into the network of cisterns. The only thing that stood between him and escape was a single guard who had been left to watch the exit. Cobb had no doubts that he and McNutt could outwit, outshoot, or outmaneuver one man in a matter of seconds.

Of course, that would mean abandoning Sarah and Jasmine.

And they weren’t going to do that.

The alternative was a deadly game of cat and mouse in the tunnels. While Cobb and McNutt had some tactical advantages — better equipment, better training, and better knowledge of the terrain — they were still outnumbered seven to two. Worse still, there was always a chance that the goons would call in reinforcements, who could level the playing field by bringing ropes, lights, and even bigger guns.

If that happened, Cobb and McNutt were screwed.

Worried about the women, Cobb tried to check in with them. ‘Sarah, it’s Jack. What’s your status? Any luck with the wall?’

There was only silence on the other end.

‘Sarah,’ he repeated, ‘have you made it through the—’

‘They can’t hear you,’ Garcia blurted.

‘Why not? Are they all right?’

‘They’re fine. At least I think they’re fine.’

‘What does that mean?’

Garcia explained. ‘They made it through the wall okay, but that’s the problem. Their new location was built differently than the cisterns. For some reason, the walls are blocking the transmission. They can’t hear a word you’re saying.’

Cobb knew that their flashlights included microphones. He hoped that a larger device meant a larger, more powerful transmitter. ‘Can you hear them?’

‘Nope,’ Garcia replied. ‘I can’t see their video feed either. I lost them completely the moment they entered the new system.’

Cobb cursed under his breath.

‘Sorry, Jack. I would have told you sooner, but I knew you and Josh had gone dark for a while. I didn’t want to disturb you.’

‘Well, I’m available now.’

Cobb and McNutt dropped from their perch and stared into different tunnels. Their night-vision optics revealed that the passageways were clear, but they knew their targets were out there somewhere. Years of training kicked in as they listened to Garcia in one ear while focusing the other on the path ahead.

‘It’s probably the stone,’ Garcia guessed as he fiddled with his computer equipment. ‘It’s not an issue with the frequencies. I can assure you of that, because you’re transmitting fine. But them? Their signals aren’t getting through. It has to be the other tunnel. It has to be.’

Cobb nodded at McNutt, who ran off to find the enemy. It also gave Cobb a moment of privacy. ‘Hector, I don’t care why it’s happening. I just want you to fix it.’

‘But Jack, if it’s the stone—’

‘Listen,’ he said a little too loudly for his own good. ‘You told me communications wouldn’t be a problem. You said that these devices were tested in Romanian caves, that they transmitted a signal through solid rock. And now you’re telling me that they can’t transmit through tunnels? Sorry, Hector, that simply won’t cut it.’

Garcia remained silent for a few seconds. ‘What do you want me to do?’

‘You’re the genius. Figure it out.’

Sarah had expected to see another chamber on the other side of the wall. If Jasmine’s theory was correct, the temple built over Caesar’s Well would have extended deep into the earth. It would have housed priests and scholars, not to mention the artifacts they had dedicated their lives to protecting. She didn’t know whether to expect breathtaking opulence or humble simplicity, but she had envisioned a very large space.

Instead, they found themselves in a narrow, horizontal shaft barely eight feet in height. The cramped passageway did not lead upward, nor did it descend toward a source of fresh water. It simply ran parallel to the surface, like an ancient subway tunnel — although there were certainly no tracks to be found.

Sarah noticed a solid wall of rubble blocking the passageway to the left. There was no hope of escape in that direction, even with McNutt’s sonic device. She could only guess as to whether the path had once led to a magnificent temple or to the fiery depths of hell because she hadn’t examined this part of the temple on her rekky.

Sarah glanced at Jasmine. ‘What is this place?’

Before answering, she took a moment to study her surroundings. The passageway was supported by a forest of pillars that were evenly staggered throughout the space. The effect eliminated any direct path and forced anyone navigating the depths to constantly twist and turn as they wove their way through the obstacles. It was clear that structural integrity was given priority over efficiency of travel.

Whoever built this tunnel built it to last through the ages.

She stepped closer to examine the craftsmanship. She could see that the columns were constructed from crushed rock and other fragments of stone, held together with a distinct mortar. She had seen the composition before.

‘Oh my God,’ Jasmine blurted. ‘It’s opus caementicium.’

‘Opus what?’

‘Opus caementicium.’

‘English, please.’

Jasmine smiled. ‘Sorry. It’s Roman concrete.’

‘And Roman concrete is…?’

‘It’s one of the most durable building materials ever discovered,’ she explained. ‘Today’s concrete pales in comparison to the strength of what the Romans used. They combined water and a volcanic dust known as pozzolana and discovered that the mixture could withstand unbelievable stress for remarkable lengths of time. Have you ever wondered why buildings like the Pantheon and the Colosseum are still standing? Roman concrete is the answer. And from the look of things, these columns are even older.’

By the first century AD, it had become custom for Roman architects to cover the concrete base of a structure with a layer of fired-clay bricks. This not only protected the concrete from the elements, it was also considered to be more aesthetically pleasing. The absence of an outer layer of brick meant that these columns were probably built more than two thousand years ago.

Jasmine couldn’t hide her fascination. ‘Do you realize that these pillars predate Jesus Christ? They’ve outlasted the rise and fall of empires and dynasties. They’ve withstood two millennia of constant strain, and they’re still standing strong.’

Sarah didn’t have the same sense of wonderment. To her eyes, there was nothing overly impressive about the construction. Once age was taken out of the equation, they looked like normal concrete pillars. ‘The columns were built to last, and they lasted. To that I say: good job, Romans!’

‘It’s more than a good job. It’s an amazing job.’

‘You’re right. I’m underselling it. I’m simply thrilled that this tunnel is still standing two thousand years later. Otherwise, we would be forced to turn back.’

‘Exactly.’

Sarah pointed forward. ‘Speaking of which, let’s keep moving. I hear there are some really old sidewalks up ahead that I’ve been dying to see.’

Kamal checked his watch and began to worry.

He had found three passageways leading from the second cistern, branching out in all directions. He had split the two men with him and ordered them to investigate separate tunnels. Kamal would check out the third tunnel, then they would all meet back at the cistern so that he could determine their next move.

They were supposed to regroup after five minutes.

That was ten minutes ago, and neither of Kamal’s men had returned.

Unable to call his colleagues, Kamal turned off the light on his phone. He hoped that the darkness would allow him to see the others returning, led by the glow of their own screens.

Instead, all he saw was black.

He tapped a button on his phone and his screen sprang to life, allowing him to see a few feet in front of him. Refusing to waste any more time, Kamal chose a direction and continued his journey forward.

As Cobb roamed through the tunnels, a plan sprang to mind — one that had worked for him before during night combat. ‘Josh, do you have an extra flashlight?’

‘Affirmative,’ McNutt whispered.

‘Good. I want you to leave it in the middle of the path.’

McNutt needed to hear the order again, just to be sure. He crouched in a corner and put his finger to his ear. ‘Please repeat. I think I misheard you.’

‘You didn’t mishear me,’ Cobb assured him. ‘I want you to leave the light where someone will see it. Repeat, I want them to find the light.’

McNutt didn’t know what Cobb had up his sleeve, but he was eager to find out. He took the spare light from his backpack and dropped it to the ground. He knew the rugged plastic casing would keep the bulb from breaking, and he wanted the scene to look as authentic as possible. A pristine flashlight carefully set in the middle of the path would look staged. But a scuffed light would hint at an accidental drop.

If the enemy was properly trained, they would know the difference.

‘Okay, chief. I did what you asked. Now what?’

‘Hide and watch.’

McNutt climbed to the uppermost pillars where he found a nice spot to wait. From there he stared at the flashlight through his rifle’s scope, using the night-vision optics to see. It wasn’t long before one of the thugs came into view.

At first, the Egyptian didn’t know what to make of the discovery. He circled it cautiously, as if it were a grenade that could blow at any moment. Finally, he reached down and grabbed the flashlight.

He rolled it over in his hands, examining it.

After concluding that it was, in fact, an ordinary flashlight, he tentatively pressed the switch to activate the light.

He grinned when it didn’t blow up.

Like most people when they get a new, shiny toy, his first thought was to show it off to his friends. He wanted to prove to them that they weren’t chasing a ghost. The woman was somewhere out there — and she was running scared.

So scared, she had dropped her flashlight.

Without so much as a cursory glance around the room, the goon raced back through the tunnels in search of his comrades, the flashlight guiding his way.

This left McNutt more confused than normal. ‘Jack, I’m not sure if your plan worked. The guy took the light and ran off, but I don’t know what—’

Just then, three gunshots echoed from the adjacent chamber. The blasts were so loud and so close that McNutt instinctively ducked for cover.

A few seconds passed before he heard anything else.

This time, it was the sound of Cobb’s voice in his ear.

‘The plan worked.’