THE MAHABHARATA QUEST:THE ALEXANDER SECRET (4 page)

6

Calling for help

As the helicopter pilot moved into the middle of the carriageway, Alice swerved hard to the right and accelerated. She was aiming for the narrow gap between the helicopter’s nose and the shoulder of the highway, gaining speed as she approached the edge of the road.

She whizzed past the surprised pilot who began running after the speeding SUV. Alice prayed fervently that her gamble would pay off. Was the gap wide enough?

The next instant, the Land Cruiser was scraping metal on both sides and the sound of metal crumpling and tearing shattered the silence of the night, as the vehicle squeezed past the helicopter on one side and the metal railing at the shoulder of the highway, on the other side.

For a long moment, time seemed to slow down. It seemed to Alice that the helicopter and the railing were both converging on the SUV, crushing it, shattering the remaining windows that had not been shot out earlier that night.

Alice closed her eyes and willed the SUV to force its way through as the harsh grinding of the metal seemed to pierce right through her brain.

Suddenly, the Land Cruiser seemed to leap forward, freed of the crushing restraints it had endured. With a start, Alice realised that the vehicle had made it through the gap and she could see the highway stretching ahead of her.

A new burst of energy surged through her and her hopes lifted. She forced the accelerator to the floor trying to put as much distance between the SUV and the helicopter, before the pilot could recover and take to the skies once more.

Behind her, through the glassless windows of the SUV, she heard the pilot shout curses and hunched down in her seat in anticipation of the shooting which she was sure would follow. Bullets began whizzing past her head once again. The front windscreen metamorphosed into a spider web of silvery cracks as a bullet tore through it.

Somehow, she was able to keep driving but she knew that she couldn’t drive as fast with the windscreen blurring the view ahead of her. Her hopes sank again, as she slowed to a pace that allowed her to focus on the road ahead.

She kept listening for the sound of the helicopter’s continued pursuit. But minutes ticked by and she heard nothing apart from the sound of the wind rushing through the cabin of the SUV, through the shattered windows, and the roar of its engine. She wondered if the helicopter had been damaged by her daring getaway or whether the pilot had decided to give up the chase.

The mystery behind the night’s events reared its head again. Initially, she had thought that the antiquities mafia was behind this. That would certainly explain the furore over photographing the tomb. If photographs of any artefacts within the tomb were leaked to the world, it would become very difficult to hawk them on the antiquities black market, especially for a tomb that was as famous as this one.

But that theory was blown to bits along with the tomb itself. There seemed to be no logical explanation.
What could anyone gain from the destruction of a two-thousand-year-old tomb?

And why go to the trouble of excavating the tomb for over a year only to destroy it? There seemed to be no answers forthcoming.

She was now driving over the Loudias river and she knew it would not be long before she reached Thessaloniki. With an effort, she pushed away the thoughts about what had happened so far and tried to focus on what lay ahead of her.

It was extremely likely that the pilot, if he was linked to Stavros and Peter as it seemed, also had accomplices in Thessaloniki. Rather than pursue her, it would have been easier to call ahead and have people waiting for her to enter Thessaloniki. She realised that she was not out of the woods yet.

Alice stopped the SUV, and got out, forcing back her tears. She had to take control of herself. Marco was dead. And so was Damon. But she wanted to get out of this alive. She stood at the rail of the bridge and pounded against it with her fists until they hurt, trying to vent her frustration. She thought of Marco and his unnecessary death. Why did his luck have to run out so soon?

She turned her tear-stained face to the sky which was speckled with stars, but found no solace there.

Gripping the rails of the bridge, she forced herself to think. There was a US consulate in Thessaloniki. She had to get there. It was the only place where she thought she could be truly safe. Though she had left her passport back at the hotel, she still had her driver’s licence on her. That would suffice to establish her identity and seek asylum in the consulate.

She whipped out her mobile phone and looked up the address of the consulate. 43 Tsimiski Street. That was a start.

Next, she figured she should call someone and ask for help.

Her boyfriend. For a moment, she hesitated. Was he even her boyfriend any longer? She had no idea. But he was all that she had. Apart from her few friends, none of whom were close enough for her to rely on.

Alice dialled his number. It rang a few times and was abruptly disconnected. She looked at the time. It was early morning back in the States. She tried again with the same response. A few rings and then a busy tone. Disheartened, she looked at the phone screen which displayed a message informing her that the number she was trying to call was busy.

He was awake.
The thought that he was deliberately not taking her calls hurt even more tonight. The one person who should have been there for her at a time like this, when she was so delicately balanced between life and death, was suddenly missing from her life. Another surge of tears threatened to well up and she forced them back.

She had to be strong if she wanted to make it.

Another name swam into her thoughts, and she punched in a number. This time it was not a mobile but a landline number. She wasn’t privy to Kurt Wallace’s personal cellphone number.

A female voice answered the phone after two rings.

‘Mr Wallace’s office. How may I help you?’ It was Clara, Wallace’s assistant.

Alice found her voice shaking with the trauma of her experience. ‘I need to speak to Mr Wallace, please. It is urgent.’

‘Mr Wallace is in a meeting and cannot be disturbed at the moment.’

‘It’s a matter of life and death. Literally! Please, you have to connect me to him,’ Alice pleaded, a cold fear gripping her as the last straw slipped through her hands.

‘Please leave your name and phone number with me and I will ask Mr Wallace to call you back the moment he gets free. I’m really sorry but I don’t have access to him right now.’

The words struck her like a sledgehammer. She was on her own. There was no help at hand.

7

On the E75, near Thessaloniki, Greece

For a few moments, Alice stood stunned, numb with shock at Clara’s words. With an effort, she pulled herself together. Perhaps if she explained…?

‘My name is Alice Turner. I’m part of the mission Mr Wallace has funded in Greece. Please...please tell him that the tomb has been destroyed, two team members are dead and someone is after me as well. I… I’m scared.’ Alice found herself sobbing as the words tumbled out.

Clara’s voice softened. ‘Ms Turner, I’m really sorry to hear about your predicament. I will have a message sent to Mr Wallace right away. Unfortunately, he does not believe in carrying a personal mobile phone, so it may take a while before I can reach him. My only request to you is to ensure that you keep checking to see that your mobile phone is accessible to incoming calls.’

Alice nodded and thanked Clara, then slid into the driver’s seat, wiping away her tears. She was on her own. Hopefully, Wallace would call back soon and help would be at hand.

But until then she had to get by on her wits. And panicking wouldn’t help. She tried to clear her mind, trying to define a goal that she could work towards.

The US consulate. She had to reach the consulate.

She keyed in the coordinates of the consulate into the Land Cruiser’s GPS system and forced herself to concentrate on working out her next steps.

‘Interesting,’ she murmured to herself as she gazed at the route that had materialised on the GPS. The A2 motorway, which had merged with the E75 a short distance back, delinked from the E75 at the Axios Interchange which lay a short distance ahead, and then carried on towards Thessaloniki. A few miles after the Galikos bridge, the A2 merged into the Nea Dytiki Isodos which eventually led to the Navarchou Kountouriotou from where, after a short distance, she could turn left for Tsimiski. This was the route outlined by the GPS.

What had caught her interest were two alternate routes that she could see on the screen. The first alternate route entailed branching off the Nea Dytiki Isodos and onto 26 Oktovriou which curved back to rejoin it at the junction where she would turn into the Navarchou Kountouriotou.

Neither of these routes would help her, she realised, since there were sure to be men lying in wait for her at the junction that both routes led to.

The second alternate route seemed more promising. Instead of turning into 26 Oktovriou, she could take the next exit which would lead her under the motorway and onto 28 Oktovriou and then, after a while, turn onto Monastiriou which eventually led to Egnatia, from where a right turn would bring her to Tsimiski.

It was this route that she decided to take. It was still a gamble, because there was no guarantee that they wouldn’t be watching this route, but she didn’t have much of a choice.

As she walked towards the car, another name occurred to her. Someone she could trust and rely on. At least she thought so. Her boyfriend at college. It had been one of her best relationships, while it lasted. But she hadn’t kept in touch over the years, though he had called her a few times and sent her emails which she had chosen not to respond to. Eventually he had stopped trying, realising that there was no point. Part of the reason why she had broken off all contact with him was because she was bitter about the manner in which they had broken up. She had always thought this would be the one that would last, culminating in marriage and a lifetime together. But it hadn’t worked out that way.

For some reason, today, alone and hurting, in trouble and needing someone to talk to, she felt the compulsion to call her former boyfriend. But she still wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do after all these years. She didn’t even understand why she was still thinking of him after so many years, after a break up that had burnt all bridges.

She thought for a few moments then scrolled through a few more contacts. She quickly made up her mind and punched in a number.
Come on, pick up!
It wasn’t that he wouldn’t recognise her number. Unless, of course, he had deleted it from his contact list. Which was possible after all these years.

8

Jaungarh Fort

Colin sat in his room and stared at his mobile phone. Eleven years without any news from her. She hadn’t replied to his emails after the breakup. Though he hadn’t been surprised when his efforts met with no success; she had walked out swearing that she would never have anything to do with her ex-boyfriend. And now, she was calling him. What had happened after such a long time to make her change her mind?

His first instinct on seeing her number was to take the call. But he hesitated, unsure, perhaps even afraid, especially with things the way they were. If she was trying to get back together, that would really complicate the situation.

He took a deep breath and accepted the call, not knowing what to expect.

Light at the end of the tunnel

‘Alice?’ Colin’s voice never sounded better to her, despite the yawning chasm of the years.

‘Colin! I…I didn’t know who else to call.’ Her voice was still shaking, but this time there was a measure of relief in it, even though she knew that Colin was miles away in the US and was of absolutely no help at this moment.

‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ Colin sounded concerned, even troubled. He had noticed the tremor in her voice. ‘Are you okay?’

Racked by guilt and terror, Alice spilled out the story of what she had gone through in the last one hour, starting with her entering the tomb and ending with her current position on the highway.

There was silence when she had finished. Finally, Colin spoke. ‘Is there no one from the mission in Thessaloniki who can help you?’

‘I don’t know who to trust anymore, Colin. If Stavros and Peter are behind all this, who knows about the others? And I think Damon was part of it, too. He was killed for not following “instructions”. That’s what Peter said.’

‘Okay. I think your plan to enter Thessaloniki using the alternate route is a good one. They won’t be expecting you to do that. You head for the consulate. I’m in India right now, but I’ll make a few calls to the US and we’ll find a way out of this for you.’

‘What are you doing in India?’

Colin told her about Vijay inheriting the fort from his uncle, without going into too many details.

‘I see. Thanks. I really appreciate this, Colin. After everything…’

‘Don’t bother. That’s what friends are for. Even if they haven’t been in touch.’ Colin seemed to hesitate. ‘Should I tell Vijay?’

‘Umm… not yet. I’m not sure how he’ll react.’

‘Take care. Talk to you soon.’

Alice disconnected the call.

Her mind made up, she started the engine and moved forward again. But she had barely gone a kilometre when her phone began ringing.

She grabbed it and looked at the screen. Was it Wallace?

‘Alice?’

‘Mr Wallace!’ Her relief knew no bounds.

‘I was informed that you are in need of urgent help.’ Wallace sounded deeply concerned.

Alice poured out her heart to Wallace. She could hardly believe that barely an hour had passed since she had entered the tomb and so much had happened since then.

There was a moment’s silence when she finished. Then Wallace spoke, his voice decisive and authoritative. ‘You say your GPS shows that you are not more than half an hour from the US Consulate? That gives us enough time to sort things out.’ His voice took on a kindly tone. In other circumstances, she may have found his tone almost patronising. But he seemed to be her best option to get out of here alive. ‘Don’t worry, my dear. You’re going to be fine. You have my word. Just carry on driving. Someone will contact you within the next ten minutes. Call me when you reach the consulate. I must go now.’

Alice murmured her thanks as Wallace disconnected the call, and resumed the drive. For the first time tonight, she realised that there was no one else on the highway. She had passed no cars going in either direction. That was unnatural. And more than a bit eerie.

She drove steadily now, her mind calmed by the conversation with Wallace. As she passed over the Axios river, her phone rang again.

‘Ms Turner? I’m calling from the General Police Directorate of Thessaloniki,’ a deep voice with a heavy Greek accent spoke into her ear as she connected the call.

Her heart skipped a beat. Was she really hearing this? Wallace had contacted the local police?

‘Yes,’ she stammered, trying to hide her surprise.

The police officer on the line swiftly outlined the plan. An escort of three motorcycle borne policemen would meet her at the intersection on the Nea Dytiki Isodos and accompany her, not to the American consulate, which was closed at this hour, but to a hotel where armed guards would be stationed outside her room and in the lobby for her protection. The consulate would be in touch with her directly to arrange her papers for departure from Thessaloniki to the US.

Alice didn’t know how to react. The terror of the last one hour had numbed her and this news was like a monsoon shower after a drought. She thanked the police officer profusely before hanging up. Then she stopped the car and stepped out onto the road, collapsing to her knees and allowed her pent up emotions to overwhelm her, as she burst into tears of relief, her body trembling – this time not with fear but with the joy of knowing that she was finally going to be safe.

Intelligence Bureau Headquarters, New Delhi

Imran looked up as one of his men hurried into the room. He raised one eyebrow enquiringly.

He glanced at the sheet of paper the man placed on his desk. ‘Okay, let’s go.’ He strode towards the door. ‘Alert the commandos.’ He had already asked for a team of commandos to be kept on standby. Within minutes the IB team with Imran was rushing to the address provided by the ISP’s database.

One of his agents received a call. He listened to the caller, then turned to Imran. ‘Sir, the Fire Department has just reported a major fire at the medical facility that’s our target.’

Imran gritted his teeth and prayed they would reach in time.