Curse of Atlantis (3 page)

Burt paused again for a drink of water,
cleared his
throat,
then continued
once more
:

“Spending only a week in recovery, Jack’s adventurous spirit forced him from his hospital bed. With unfinished business nagging at his soul, he arranged to dive on the site once more.”

“With the help of his new found friends in archeology, Dr. Javier Arista (pointing), his daughter Dr. Serena Arista and of course, yours truly, we arranged a
'
safe
'
dive with a group of professional divers,” Dr. Burt Samuelson said, now eyeing Jack with feigned exasperation.

Walking over to the table of artifact
s
, Burt laid his hands on one of them.

“As good luck would have it, Jack eventually found his golden pyramid… buried in the center of large crystal ball… this crystal ball,” he said, now rubbing its outside surface softly. “The significance of this find is far greater than the crystal
’
s simple intrinsic value. Carved on its outside is a map of the world as it was seen seven thousand years ago. Using the data from the crystal and ancient scrolls, we believe we have pinpointed the location of Atlantis.”

Burt paused for effect, then added, “Furthermore, we have learned from the scrolls that somewhere in Atlantis, an ancient pyramid still exists.”

Once more, the audience erupted in gasps of shock and excitement. Burt now held the crystal in his hands. Lifting it in the air for all to see, he announced:

“My friends, this crystal is not just an ancient map of the world. Nor is it just an exquisite museum piece. This crystal, with its golden pyramid radiating from deep inside, is in fact a key
that will unlock the secrets to
a burial chamber… the burial chamber of the King of Atlantis.”

A quiet hush spread across the room as all eyes focused on the magnificent crystal globe. 

~~~~~  ~~~~~  ~~~~~

Moscow
,
Russia
 

Eight thousand miles away…

Nicolae Sokolov bellowed orders over the phone, “I don’t care about your excuses. I pay you to get the job done. When I talk to you next, I’ll expect the problem to be gone and my wallet thinner,” he growled.

“Yes
,
sir,” the voice on the phone responded obediently
.

Nicolae hung up the phone and poured himself a tumbler of Scotch and ice. Bringing the glass to his lips, he sipped the brown liquid and smiled.

At forty-seven,
his frame was fit; his brown eyes, confident and cold.

“An unfortunate accident,” he said to himself under his breath.

Instantly, Nicolae burst into a sadistic laugh. Reaching for the TV’s remote, he pushed the mute button releasing the sound into the dozen speakers hidden about the ornately decorated office.

With the TV screen tiled into six smaller windows, each station broadcast the news from around the world. Quickly, his eyes scanned through and found a station of interest. He pushed a button and the sound instantly began to play for that station.

He listened momentarily, became bored and reached for some paperwork. Walking across the large room, he sat on his white Italian leather couch and put his feet up on marble coffee table. Tossing the remote to the couch, he began to peruse his documents.

“Hmm, interesting,” he said to himself, barely audible.

Reading further, an evil expression crossed his face once more.

“Hmm, debt… and a mistress. This will work out nicely,” he said to himself with satisfaction.

Taking another sip of Scotch, the TV caught his attention.

“Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Burton Samuelson. Today we stand at a momentous occasion… the revelation of Atlantis.”

“Atlantis?” Nicolae said to himself excitedly.

Quickly, he turned up the sound.

“For
thousands
of years, the great city of
Atlantis
was considered nothing more than an ancient fable. Today, that fable has become a reality.”

Nicolae stared at the TV screen, mesmerized by the information. His mind envisioned the fabled nation and the treasures of a world lost. Standing now, he turned up the sound and moved closer to the enormous screen. Listening intently, his eyes focused on the crystal globe.

A collector of unique, priceless
,
and mostly illegal antiquities, his mind quivered as he thought about adding a new find to his collection.

Instantly, he turned and ran to his phone.

“
Dimitri
, get in here quick!
” Nicolae shouted into the phone.

Without waiting for a response, he hung up and hurried back to the TV.

Seconds later,
Dimitri
’s
six foot four frame
burst through the heavy walnut doors of the office and rushed to Nicolae’s side.

“Boss, is everything alright?”

“That crystal… there on the screen. Do you see it?” Nicolae pointed.

With a quick glance, he turned back to Nicolae and replied simply, “Yes.”

“I must have it. You must get it for me,” he said,
his
voice trembling with excitement.

“How badly do you want it?”
Dimitri
replied cryptically.

“No excuses,” he returned coldly.

“I’ll get it done,”
Dimitri
replied without hesitation.

“And
Dimitri
…" Nicolae added
coldly
, "...do NOT disappoint me
.
”

A slight shiver ran down
Dimitri
's
s
pine as he replied, “Understood.
”

As
Dimitri
left the room, Nicolae returned his stare back to the TV. With the press conference nearly ended, he caught the last message in the broadcast.

“So Dr. Samuelson, when do you think you’ll begin the excavation around Atlantis?”

“Soon, very soon.”

Jack Roberts stood in front of the mirror and check
ed
his appearance. He ran his fingers through his
brown
wavy hair, then across his goatee. He then pulled taut his white t-shirt,
ensuring that
his muscular biceps
showed
through the tight fitting top. Standing back, he checked his six foot, two inch frame and
made certain
nothing was out of place.

“Looking good, Jack,” he said to himself, nervously.

His stomach churned as picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. With one last look in the mirror, he walked out of the airport bathroom and made his way toward the arrival gate.

Serena Arista looked out the window and watched several planes pull up and park at their gates. As she pulled away, she checked her reflection in the window. She ran her fingers through her long wavy black hair, then reached into her purse and pulled out her lipstick. With a quick swipe, she applied a thin red layer to her full Latin lips. Turning her attention to the arrival gate, she waited nervously for Jack to appear.

Jack walked past the security guard and out
beyond
the arrival gate. Searching the faces in the waiting crowd, he heard his name being called.

“Jack… over here,” Serena
’s
soft
voice
called out as he walked on past.

Jack turned and stared for a moment, then recognized her face.

“Serena?” he said with surprise. “Wow, you look… different. Since when do you wear lipstick? And I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a pair of jeans
before
.”

Serena smiled confidently and replied, “I’m not working today. I figured I’d go semi-casual… and how about you? Check out that facial hair.” Eyeing Jack head to toe, she continued, “And am I imagining things or have you been working out?”

“You like it?” Jack replied, ignoring the body comment while stroking the close cropped stubble.

“I guess,” Serena responded, now evading the more personal question.

“You guess?” Jack replied, feeling a bit self-conscious. “You think I should shave it off?”

Serena stared back at him for a moment, thinking about the question.

“Nah, it kinda gives you a more masculine persona… dark and mysterious,” she responded.

“That’s me, a man of mystery.”

“Ok
,
mystery boy, how about we find your baggage and get out of here? You hungry?”
she asked
.

“Why Miss Arista, are you asking me out on a date?” Jack teased.

“It’s just food
,
Jack. I figured I’d bring you up to speed on everything over dinner.”

“I know dates an
d this sounds like a date to me,
” Jack retorted, now grinning.

“Well, it’s not. It’s just two friends having dinner,” Serena contended, playing along with the banter.

“Will there be drinks?” Jack asked.

“I figured we could share a bottle of wine, yes,” Serena replied, innocently.

“Uh huh… If I were an expert on dating… and I’m not saying I am, but mind you if I were, I’d have to say dinner and wine equals a date,” Jack joked again.

“Clearly you have not read the Helsinki Manifesto of 1986 which clearly states… and I quote: No social function shall be deemed a date unless affection is passed between the two parties,” Serena responded, trying to sound authoritative.

“Ok, you got me. I haven’t read the Helsinki Manifesto, but be warned, I’ll be watching you very closely. If I see any affection of any kind, I’m classifying this as a date,” Jack acquiesced.

“I don’t see a problem here. We’ll be talking business anyway. Burt Samuelson has been running into some red tape with the Grecian government. It looks like we’ll be delayed a bit until he squares that away.”

“What? I thought it was a done deal? When did he find this out?” Jack asked, feeling a bit frustrated.

“Today… Sorry Jack, I tried to get ahold of you before you left, but you must have turned off you
r
phone already,” Serena replied, apologetically.

“Any idea how long it will be before they approve our permits?” Jack pressed further.

“It really shouldn’t be long. He has a lot of clout
and connections
in the archeological community,” Serena responded confidently.

“Boy, I sure hope it doesn’t take long. I took a six
-
month leave of absence from my job. I’d hate to have that run out before we even started to dig
.
I’m sure my boss wouldn’t give me an extension. You wouldn’t believe the time I had getting that time off, especially after only being back to work for three months,” he explained.

“Yeah, we missed you down here,” Serena replied nonchalantly.

“AH HA! You missed me… that’s affection and I’m officially calling this a date,” Jack blurted out in joking fashion.

“Jack… you’re impossible,” Serena said with a smile.

“It’s almost like you’re blaming me for trying,” he returned.

“Well, one thing’s for sure… you are persistent.”

“So then, is this a date?”

Serena thought about her answer. With a flirtatious smile, she replied, “It’s a meeting.”

~~~~~  ~~~~~  ~~~~~

Moscow
 

Sitting in his ornately decorated office, Nicolae read the last of his paperwork, then sat back in his Italian leather chair and rested his eyes. Letting his mind wander briefly, a smile crossed his face. Opening his eyes, he sat forward and opened his
hand-
carved mahogany desk. Reaching inside, he located a small button hidden from view and depressed the switch. Instantly, an oak panel popped out from the wall on the far side
of the room. With an avaricious grin, he stood and hurried over to the door.

Nicolae
opened the hidden panel and felt the rush of cool air on his face. He stepped into a dimly lit hallway and closed the door behind him. Within a few steps, the hallway opened up into large
a
temperature
-
controlled room. Rubbing his hand against a cedar panel, he found a switch on the wall and turned on the low-intensity lighting. As the room came to life, Nicolae stood in awe of the treasures that surrounded him. Intricately designed glass shelves lined the walls and cradled the rare antiquities he obtained through illegal and
,
many times, deadly transactions.