The Hunt For Atlantis

“Okay…” Nina took a breath, her throat dry. Ten million dollars was a lot of money, more than she would see in several lifetimes. “If it’s a fake, it’s a very expensive one. And an extremely well-done one-there aren’t many people in the world who could write in Glozel.”

“You can read it?” Chase asked.

“Parts of it.” Nina tapped at certain words. “‘From the north,’ ‘mouth,’ ‘river.’ I’d say that this line here,” she indicated the marking running down the artifact’s length, “is a map or guide of some sort. Directions.”

Kari beamed at her for a moment before becoming businesslike again. “That’s good enough for me. Mr. Hajjar, you have a sale.”

“Splendid,” said Hajjar, beaming as well, although considerably more rapaciously. “The money transfer?”

Kari indicated for Nina to return the artifact to its foam tray, then closed the briefcase. Nina felt a twinge of disappointment as the gleaming metal disappeared from sight. Chase slid it over to his side of the table as Kari opened her own case.

Nina had almost expected it to be full of banknotes, but instead she saw a piece of electronic hardware the size and shape of a Palm Pilot, with a chunky telephone handset connected to it. Kari picked up the phone and folded out a thick antenna, then pressed a button and placed it to her ear.

“Transfer,” she said when someone answered, then, after a few seconds, “Transfer, account number 7571- 1329 to account number 6502-6809. Previously arranged, authorization code two-zero-one-tango-foxtrot. Ten million dollars U.S. ” She paused, listening intently as her words were repeated back to her. “Yes, confirm.” She pressed her right thumb against the blank screen of the device in her briefcase, then nodded at Hajjar.

“I’ll have to use my left thumb,” he smirked, waving his hook hand at Nina.

Kari waited for confirmation of his thumbprint, then nodded to Hajjar again. The Iranian looked immensely pleased with himself, turning to Volgan. “There. Your retirement fund is about to be seven million dollars better off.”

“You’re taking thirty percent?” Chase asked. “Bloody hell! Thought you said you weren’t a thief.”

Hajjar scowled, but said nothing to him, instead turning back to Kari. “Just one thing left to do, Ms. Frost…”

“I know,” she said with a hint of impatience, before switching her attention back to the phone. “Ready for final security check.” She gave Nina a knowing glance before speaking. “‘In the temple they placed statues of gold; there was the god himself standing in a chariot, the charioteer of six winged horses, and of such a size that he touched the roof of the building with his head.’”

Nina immediately recognized it as a passage from Critias, but couldn’t imagine why Kari had quoted it. Maybe it was some sort of password-but wouldn’t her thumbprint and all the other codes she’d given be enough to confirm her identity?

Whatever the reason, it worked. “Thank you,” said Kari, before closing the phone’s antenna. She caught Nina’s puzzled look. “It’s a voiceprint and stress analysis system,” she explained. “The latest security measure. If my voice shows that I’m under stress, that I’m being coerced, the transfer will be canceled.”

“But everything was in order,” said Hajjar. “Thank you, Ms. Frost.” For the briefest instant, his eyes flicked towards the ceiling. “Our business is now successfully concluded.” He turned to leave-

Chase’s hand flashed up, his Wildey aimed right at Hajjar’s head. “Hold it!”

Hajjar froze, his bodyguards following suit as Castille whipped out his own gun and pointed it at them. “What is this?” he hissed.

“Mr. Chase?” Kari asked, concerned.

“Where’s the bug?” Chase demanded. “That was a trigger phrase, you’ve got someone listening to us.”

“I don’t-”

“Tell me where the bug is, or I’ll kill you.” He pulled back the gun’s hammer with an emphatic click.

Hajjar looked up again, breathing heavily through his clenched teeth. “On that beam.”

Chase nodded to Castille, who hopped onto the table and ran his hand along a roof beam. He jumped down a few seconds later with a small black box in one hand. “Transmitter.”

Nina looked between them in confusion. “What’s going on?”

“It’s a setup,” said Chase. “He was going to wait until the money was transferred, then keep the thing for himself. Guess that proves it’s genuine, anyway.” He looked back at Hajjar, his gun fixed on his face. “How many men have you got out there?”

“The only man I have out there is my pilot,” Hajjar snarled.

The bright red dot of a laser sight appeared on Chase’s chest, followed a moment later by another, twin beams shining through the grubby window. From outside came the sound of running footsteps.

Hajjar’s sneer became a mocking grin. “But my good friend Captain Mahjad of the Iranian army has about twenty soldiers with him.”

Nina jumped back in fright as the door burst open. Four uniformed men rushed in, rifles raised.

“Well,” said Chase, “buggeration and fuckery.”

FIVE

After confiscating the group’s belongings, the soldiers directed their prisoners outside at the point of their rifles, locally made copies of the German Heckler and Koch G3. Hajjar followed with the briefcase containing the artifact, a gloating smile on his pudgy face.

Chase saw Hafez kneeling with his hands behind his head by the Land Rover, all its doors wide open. Two more soldiers guarded him. Other troops surrounded the building. He immediately realized what had happened: the soldiers had been hiding at the top of the steep slope above the farmhouse, using ropes to make a fast descent.

He saw that a couple of the Iranians were carrying Russian-made Dragunov sniper rifles, equipped with laser sights as well as telescopic scopes. That explained why Hafez hadn’t gotten off a warning. Being pinned under the needlelike line of a laser, with the knowledge that a high-velocity bullet could explode against the glowing red spot in an instant, encouraged a person to keep very, very still and quiet.

“I’m sorry, Eddie,” said Hafez. “There were too many of them.” One of the guards kicked him.

“I think we all bollocked things up this time,” Chase replied. The possibility of Hajjar enlisting military backup hadn’t even occurred to him. The dealer’s corruption spread much further than he’d thought.

In the distance he spotted a dull brown truck rumbling up the dirt road. It must have been parked out of sight, responding to a summons now that the soldiers’ mission had been completed.

Hajjar approached an officer, hanging the briefcase from his hook as he shook hands. “Captain Mahjad! May I introduce my… business associates?”

Mahjad, a lanky, bearded man, grinned at the group of captives. “A pleasure. So, Failak, what do you want done with them?”

“The blond woman and the Russian, I’m going to take them with me.”

Mahjad leered at Kari, who shot him an icy look in return. “I don’t know about him, but I can definitely see why you’d take her.”

“It’s nothing like that. Although…” Hajjar looked thoughtful, then laughed again. “As for the others, I don’t really care. Just as long as they don’t come after me.”

“Not a problem. The Ministry of Culture has been cracking down on foreigners trying to steal our treasures. They should get at least twenty years in prison-if they live to reach trial.”

“I’ll leave that up to you.” Hajjar snapped his fingers at his bodyguards. “Handcuff them,” he said, indicating Kari and Volgan.

“Where are you taking her?” Chase shouted. One of the soldiers slammed the butt of his rifle into his back,