both quickly went to Costas’ bag and got dressed, zipping up their fleeces. Jack went back and took the bag with the swastika box from his e-suit belt and tucked it under his arm. Costas delved in his bag and pulled out two small bottles of water and two energy drinks, and they both squatted on their haunches, drinking. Jack finished the water, then uncapped the other drink. ‘I couldn’t help noticing. Some good archaeology down there.’
‘Jesus, Jack.’
‘You had your fix. The bomb.’
‘Jack, for all the Neolithic hand axes and little statues in the world, I wouldn’t go back in there again.’
Jack took a deep swig, then stood up, nodding. ‘Roger that.’ He dropped the bottle in the bag. ‘Right. We have to get cracking. Got everything we need?’ He patted his pockets, feeling for his things. Costas did the same, then looked at him, and put his hand on his shoulder. Costas’ hair was matted and his face lined with exhaustion, but his eyes were cold and determined. ‘We can leave all this here. All we need is your phone.’
‘I know where that is. We need to get in touch with the kidnappers and convince them that we’ve got what they want. They’ll have been expecting Chechnya to have it, having disposed of us. But if they’ve got any intelligence, what’s happened won’t come as a complete surprise. Not the desired outcome, but it doesn’t change the balance of power. They’ve still got what we want, and we’ve got what they want. We have to keep them thinking that.’
There was a sudden rumble, a deep vibration that sent a shimmer across the pool of water, a pulse of energy that coursed through the rock. They both stood silently for a moment, watching dust shake off the walls of the chamber. The rumble stopped. The tunnel ahead was still clear.
Costas coughed. ‘Remote detonation. Always the safest way. I timed that perfectly, don’t you think?’
Jack narrowed his eyes. ‘Let’s move.’
Ten minutes later they left the lift shaft and went straight into the office where they had first met Wladislaw. Jack found his phone on the desk pad, exactly as he had instructed. Good man. He picked it up and switched it on, tapping his fingers impatiently while it connected, and then he pressed the code for the IMU secure channel. It was picked up immediately. ‘Jack.’
‘Ben.’
‘Status.’
‘The Lions are at the Gate.’ It was a code they had prearranged in case anyone might be eavesdropping on the line. ‘I repeat, The Lions are at the Gate.’
‘Copy that. Now switch off your phone and put it down.’ Jack did as instructed. Seconds later there was a muffled ringing sound. He went round to the front of the desk and pulled open a drawer. It was another phone, evidently Wladislaw’s personal phone he had left there. Jack picked it up. ‘Yes?’
‘Okay, Jack.’ It was Ben again. ‘Wladislaw called us when he returned to the office and I told him to leave his phone there. I’m using a disposable. We can’t be too careful. In about two minutes you’ll be answering your phone again. It’s a pre-recorded message that will only come through once. It’s essential that you listen to what I’m about to say now.’
‘Copy that.’ Jack did as instructed, staring hard at the ground as Ben spoke. After less than a minute he lowered the phone and clicked it off. Almost immediately his iPhone rang, and he answered it. There was a crackle, and then he heard a voice, educated English but with a hint of an accent. ‘Dr Howard. This message presupposes that you have found what I want but your diving companions are unable to bring it to me. As you will know by now, your people have been given our instructions. You will wish to speak to your daughter.’ The crackle ended, there was a click and then a uniform hissing sound. He heard sounds of movement, a scuffle, then breathing close to the phone.
‘Dad?’
‘Rebecca.’ Thank God. ‘Are you all right?’ Jack’s mind raced. ‘You must be tired.’
‘Yes, but nice to stand here and imagine Orion.’
Jack’s mind raced. Night sky. A time zone ahead of where they were now. And the constellation Orion. She and Jack had stood on the battlements looking for it two nights ago, then realized it was still below the horizon. He had told her that he had always thought of Orion as his guardian, ever since he was a boy. So that was it. She really was there.
‘Orion’s looking after you, even if you can’t see him,’ Jack said carefully. ‘You don’t need to worry.’
‘It’s kind of, um, creepy, though. I could really do with a double vodka.’
Jack remembered what she had called Raitz. A creep. And what the US Marines she had befriended in Kyrgyzstan called a Russian male. A shot of vodka. Professor Raitz, and two Russian thugs. ‘You need to keep warm,’ Jack said slowly. ‘You should be inside.’
‘Don’t worry, Dad. We’re going back in now. I found us a place. It’s only just opened. You’d be amazed, Dad. It’s so cool.’ There was a sudden scuffling sound, then a guttural snarl, Russian, and another man’s voice in English. ‘Give it back to her,’ the voice said. Rebecca came on the line again. She was panting. ‘Sorry, Dad. I have to go. I love you. I just want to know. On the shipwreck. Did you find it?’
Jack was stunned. It seemed an age ago. A lifetime. He flashed back to the moment the day before when he had been carrying the shield upwards, imagining Rebecca looking down and seeing it. He swallowed hard. ‘We found it, Rebecca. Costas and I found it. You’ll be amazed.’
‘When do I get to see it?’
‘Tomor-’ The phone was snatched away, and went dead. He hoped Rebecca had heard the word. He turned to Costas, who had gone out of the room and now returned. Jack clenched his hands, felt the energy course through him. He was beyond tired, but those few words with Rebecca had kept the adrenalin pumping. ‘Okay. Here’s the plan. Ben’s got in touch with Wladislaw and he’s coming to pick us up. The Embraer’s fuelled and ready to go at Krakow airport. At Istanbul we transfer to the helicopter and then to Seaquest II. If all goes to plan, we should be there by about three a.m. Ben’s going to have a security team ready, as well as a section of Turkish navy commandos from the minesweeper.’
‘He’s told the authorities?’ Costas asked.
Jack shook his head. ‘Too risky. The kidnappers want the Lynx to fly to international waters, where they’re going to drop Rebecca in a Zodiac. They must have a vessel offshore. There’s obviously big money behind this. We don’t want an overzealous policeman jeopardizing the whole thing. But Ben’s told the minesweeper captain we suspect we’re being shadowed. Has to be kept top secret. The Turkish navy guys are fully prepped on the illegal antiquities trade and this is just what they’d love to get their teeth into. Officially it’s a covert training exercise. Ben will tell them about the kidnapping once they’re in position and you and I are inside.’ He heard a car draw up outside. ‘Here’s our ride. We’ve got to move, now.’
‘Where are we going?’
Jack looked at his hands. There was still blood in the cracks, under his fingernails. He thought of what he had just done, in the mine. He felt nothing. Nothing. He looked up, and gave Costas a steely look. ‘We’re going to Troy.’
20
J ack crouched low against the bank of the watercourse, training his night-vision scope on the overgrown mound about a kilometre away across the fields. It was the first time for fifteen years that he had seen Troy from this vantage point, only a few hundred yards from the spot where he and Costas had excavated the ancient beach with the galley timbers from the time of the Trojan War. The dykes and marshy fields looked like no-man’s-land, an image of war. There was a hint of a breeze, and Jack remembered imagining Greek warriors standing silently among the rustling reeds, their spears black against the moonlight, waiting for the signal to move forward. Except they now knew it had not been like that. It had been a maelstrom of raging sea and hellfire, a wave of destruction that swept the warriors in their ships from this place up against the battlements, arrows storming down, engulfed in flames.
