Part 17 (2/2)
It wasn't very big, but the simple purity of its design commanded respect.
Its sides were perfectly lacquered in the ancient Chinese way-the s.h.i.+ny black flanks were of a deep, deep black and were lined with red. Flecks of gold peppered the red lining.
Made of two pieces, the Stone's body section was trapezoidal in shape, with a rectangular void cut into the top surface. Its second piece, the lid, was smaller, a perfectly smooth square block, and-Jack noticed-exactly the same size as the base of the Firestone.
Peering into the alcove, Jack saw that its roof was hollow, like a chimney above a fireplace, so with a quick lunge, he reached in and s.n.a.t.c.hed Laozi's Stone and dived out of the alcove- -a bare second before the alcove-but not the Stone's altar-was drenched in a waterfall of pouring sulfuric acid that drained away through a grate in its floor.
Jack hurried away from the alcove, stuffing the venerable Stone into his rucksack, and began his breakneck return journey.
Down the hollow core of the tower, ducking into its recesses as more boulders rained down-more now than before it was as if the trap system knew the Stone had been taken and was doing everything it could to stop the fleeing thief.
Jack clambered down the handholds in the wall, came to the bottom just as another boulder came shooting down the shaft.
He jumped into the main doorway, whose acid curtain had stopped by now, where he briefly glimpsed the lowering steppingstones leading back across the lake, when suddenly the boulder came whistling past, clipping his shoulder, causing him to lose his balance and to his horror, he fell, s.n.a.t.c.hing desperately for a handhold but finding none, and so Jack dropped, into the darkness of the well shaft at the base of the tower- ONLY FOR a hand to s.n.a.t.c.h his wrist and clamp tightly around it.
Hanging from the hand, West looked up to see Stretch's sweatstreaked face.
”Your backup has arrived, Captain West,” Stretch said grimly. ”Come on. One more sprint to go.”
They emerged from the tower to see the steppingstones now only one foot above the surface of the mercury lake and lowering fast.
”Go!” Stretch yelled.
They raced out across the mercury lake, moving step for step, almost perfectly in time, springing from stone to stone, all while the stones kept lowering.
With ten yards to go, the stones. .h.i.t the waterline and Stretch called, ”Keep going! Suck it in, Jack! Suck it in!”
Jack was almost out on his feet, exhausted, his heart pounding loudly inside his head, lactic bile rising in his throat, breathing through his half mask in deep rasping heaves.
Then his feet splashed in mercury and, with a terrible sense of helplessness, he felt himself begin to stumble and knew there was nothing he could do about it-he was going to fall facefirst into this mercury lake, three steps short of safety!
Staggering and breathless, he toppled forward-only to feel Stretch spring up alongside him, loop an arm under his armpit and drag him over the last three steps until they both went sprawling onto solid ground, sliding to a halt on their bellies right at Wizard's feet.
”Goodness gracious me!” Wizard blurted, helping Jack to his feet.
Sweating and gasping and held up only by Wizard and Stretch, Jack sucked in air by the gulpful.
When at last he could speak again, he uttered two glorious words: ”Got it.”
JACK AND HIS team would be out of China by the end of the day, having left the trap system via the lower route-thus avoiding Mao's men-and rendezvousing with theHalicarna.s.sus at the Burmese border.
Once they were safely back on board theHali, Wizard and Tank were sent straight to the infirmary to be treated by Stretch.
Sky Monster said to Jack: ”Huntsman. I just got a call from Zoe. She said the mission at Stonehenge wasvery successful. Says she has a ton of data that Wizard will want to see.”
”Excellent,” Jack said, his clothes still covered in blood, grime, and splashes of mercury.
”Set a course for England and call Zoe back. Tell her to send through any images she thinks we need to see beforehand.”
”a.s.sembly point?”
”Tell her we're coming to her, time and location to be advised. We're going to have to take the long route.”
”Roger that.”
”Astro, call your American bosses and get them to send the Killing Stone of the Maya to England. And if they know the location of any of the Pillars-which I'm pretty sure they do-tell them to bring those, too.”
”Got it.”
”Oh, and tell our CIA friend, Robertson, that we need him to pull some strings with America's old friends, the House of SaxeCoburgGotha, and get them to bring their Pillar.”
”The House of Saxewhat?” Astro was confused.
”He'll understand.”
”OK...” Astro said, heading for a comms console.
Jack turned to Vulture, sitting nearby. ”I'm also gonna need the House of Saud's Pillar, Vulture.”
Vulture stood. ”I knew you had a reputation for daring, Captain, but this, this borders on rank impudence. You reallyare a bold one.”
”Yeah, real bold.” West headed aft in the direction of his quarters. ”Now, if n.o.body minds, I'm going to boldly take a shower and then I'm going to boldly hit the sack. Wake me when we hit eastern Europe.”
A few minutes later, Jack was all cleaned up and lying in his bunk, eyes open in the darkness, when something occurred to him.
He keyed the intercom b.u.t.ton above his bunk.
”Yes, Huntsman?”Sky Monster's voice said from the c.o.c.kpit.
”Have you spoken to Zoe yet?”
”Just finished talking to her a second ago.”
”Can you call her back for me and tell her to pa.s.s on this message to Lily: 'Daddy says, I love you and I miss you. Good night.'”
”Sure, bro.”
Jack clicked off the intercom and within seconds he was lost in a deep, deep sleep.
He dreamed of many things-memories mostly, some of them happy, others horrific-but most of all, he dreamed of Lily, of her bright smiling face and the home they'd made together in the remote northwest corner of Australia...
GREAT SANDY DESERT.
NORTHWESTERN AUSTRALIA.
MARCH 2006DECEMBER 2007 IN THE MONTHS after the Tartarus Rotation of March 2006, Jack West's team returned to their countries of origin-with the exception of Stretch, since his home nation, Israel, had declared himpersona non grata after his actions during that mission. He variously stayed with Jack, Wizard, and Pooh Bear.
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