The Vault of Hercules

Chapter 19

“Still nothing?” Purdue asked. “I must admit, I’m beginning to get really worried now.”

“Me too. I even had the coppers go by his place to see if his rotting corpse was stinking up his house, but the caretaker of his complex said that nobody had seen Sam or his car for days now,” Nina informed him, her tone dangling between desperately whimsical and deeply concerned.

“As it is, he already loathes technology, so I’m sure he won't answer e-mails either. I’m already almost done coordinating the next trip, so we will have to find him fast,” he said worriedly as he checked his tablet. “I could find him the way I found you in Hook: through biometric recognition satellite action.”

“Sneaky James Bond shit, hey?” Nina smiled.

“Yes, ma'am. Q can kiss my ass,” Purdue joined in, punching in the hack code for the satellite. “While the program searches for Sam we can take the time to go through the content of the relic, what say you?”

“Absolutely. I want to import the pictures into my laptop and see if I can find in-depth research papers on some of the works I think I saw in there,” she said. “Something under the child's body looks suspiciously like the Germania, which could explain the Herculean fetish and the Swastika.”

Purdue's face lit up. “You think there is something tangible to investigate here? I mean, other than the fact that the box is ancient and contains items of historical significance, there is actually an unsolved mystery to look into?”

“Aye, that is exactly what I think. By the specific collection of items I can deduce that they loosely have a common denominator,” she suggested. “Himmler was obsessed with the Codex Aesinas, which he believed was an irrefutable confirmation of German superiority. It was written by a Roman historian called Tacitus — I think around the late First Century AD. And during the Second World War the Nazi's actually went looking for the Germania in Italy.”

“Interesting. But how does that link in with Hercules? I can hardly imagine that a Greek deity like Heracles would have anything to do with Germany, although there’ve been larger stretches of corroboration that have ended up making perfect sense before,” Purdue pondered out loud. “Even as Hercules, a Roman variation, where does the connotation with Hitler's Germany meet up?”

Nina shrugged. “Look, I know about the codex and the way it was perceived as the Nazi bible, but I’d have to research the details, or at least have a look at the codex in your Ark. I could be mistaken, but if memory serves I think that Tacitus compared the German tribes of antiquity to the strength of Hercules.”

She gave Purdue a second, but he seemed too deep in thought.

“Right, let's go see what we find in that lucky, golden packet you stole. It could shed some light on why someone left a child in it with a goddamn snake just because they are fans of Zeus' boy,” she urged, clapping her hands to snap Purdue out of the daydream she knew he was fabricating in his mind about such an excursion.

When she had her laptop ready to capture and record the inventory found inside the box, Nina took a deep breath. She was especially worried about how they would remove the mummified remains without destroying it. Purdue intended to keep it until he’d had a forensic expert examine it, but that was only for much later. First they had to ascertain the value of the items inside and what secrets they held. Then they had to find Sam to accompany them on the trip.

“Apart from the remains of the child and that codex you mentioned, there’s nothing more here that looks especially important. There is a strange object here, apparently made of bone, I think,” Purdue reported as he lifted the item from the box. It was the shape of a baseball bat, but considerably smaller in size. Nina took it from him and checked the symbols upon the piece, looking fascinated.

“Do you know it?” he asked.

Nina nodded. “The Herkuleskeule,” she affirmed. “It is what came before the Hammer of Thor during the Christianization of Scandinavian civilizations during the eighth century and perhaps through the ninth century on.” Nina looked at Purdue with confidence. “The child is female.”

“How do you know?” he asked, amazed.

“This object, the Donar's Club, was a symbol of the godlike powers of Hercules. According to Tacitus, the old Germanic tribes greatly revered Hercules, claiming that they’d even encountered him. What’s interesting about this, is that similar Donar Clubs had been found in the graves exclusively of females, in the form of pendants or belt buckles in various sizes. That’s why I believe that this child was female.”

“Amazing,” Purdue said in awe, looking at the corpse of the child. “And tragic.”

“Aye, but what bothers me is that this artifact was handled by the Nazis, and yet nothing came of it. They’re not known for abandoning something as powerful as this. Something must have happened to interrupt their search,” she speculated, rolling the club around carefully between her palms. “The symbols on here imply that there’s more to this club than just ornate value. I recognize a symbol for um, I think, divine induction,” she frowned, trying to decipher it, “Roman in origin. Do you know any linguists?”

“Of course,” he smiled. “Let me e-mail those symbols to my friend at the Smithsonian archives and see what they mean.” He scanned the images into his palm-sized tablet, capturing every crack, etching, and fold in high resolution. When he’d entered the data, he typed in the e-mail address and sent it off, high priority. “Hope he gets this soon enough. What else do we have?”

Nina peered over the brim of the box, “There’s a mess of paper under the child's body, Purdue. Shouldn't we rather get someone who knows what they’re doing to lift it out?”

“That would be ideal, my dear, but we simply do not have the time to get someone qualified over here,” Purdue lamented.

“You’re in luck. I happen to be qualified to do just that,” a female voice interrupted their investigation as she jarred open the door.

“Medley?” Purdue exclaimed in unpleasant surprise. “My God, how did you get in here?”

From behind Medley the annoying Italian oaf she was married to appeared. He looked smug as usual, but let his wife do the talking, for a change.

“We tracked you down. Your home is not exactly mediocre, you know?” she said, looking around the storeroom. “Love your sense of style, by the way. Especially the second floor study and library. Quite atmospheric. I almost thought I was walking back into old England's academies.”

“You've been through my house?” he shouted furiously. “Where is my staff? Did you harm my people?”

“Relax, Purdue,” she replied. “They’re all alive and well, although your home is now, let's say, under new management.”

“I don't think so, you bloody curse!” Purdue seethed, lunging at her, but Nina pulled him back.

“Don't push your luck. Not now,” she murmured.

Medley smiled. “Listen to Dr. Gould, my darling David. She seems to have her head screwed on right.” At the astonished expressions on Purdue and Nina's faces, Medley felt compelled to explain. “Yes, I know about Dr. Gould. Those countless accounts of your previous expeditions have been very generous with information concerning your associates. I must say, Dr. Gould, I’m impressed by all you’ve survived just by associating with this man.”

“Where are my security people, Medley?” Purdue persisted.

“They’re here, for God's sake, David! I told you they’re fine. We simply… took over the premises and cut communications while the famous Wrichtishousis is under siege,” she clarified.

“What do you want? The Ark?” Nina asked.

“Not the Ark, is it?” Medley said dryly, as she paced slowly around the large chest. “I am after the knowledge of it, whereas my beloved husband is looking to benefit from its treasures and to return the Codex Aesinas to its rightful home — Roma.”

“I propose a deal,” Purdue announced.

“I'm listening,” she replied, folding her arms.

“No deals, for Christ's sake!” Guido chipped in. “We don't need them, Rita. We can just take the fucking thing from them and go find the Vault of Hercules ourselves, like we were going to do in the first place! We’re not taking them with us and that is that! The Vault of Hercules belongs to the Familia, and we don't share power!”

Rita Medley turned to face her husband, her eyes on fire, “Don't be a goddamn fool! Here we have a historian!” She pointed at Nina, then at Purdue. “And we have David Purdue, who has contacts and technology — the two things we’ll need to make our find a lot smoother and easier to conceal from the authorities. Purdue cannot cheat us on this, remember? He is wanted by the Ethiopian Government and the Commission of Archaeological Crime for stealing this relic.” She smiled at Purdue. “One phone call and he is done for.”