Part 26 (1/2)
Then he saw the Pillar.
It waspulsing with light, its liquid core throbbing with a soft luminous glow.
And then, slowly, gradually, a strange kind of text began to appear on every surface of the Pillar-white symbols on all of the Pillar's gla.s.slike surfaces.
Jack recognized the symbols instantly.
The Word of Thoth.
The mysterious language found in Egypt and decipherable only by the Siwan Oracles: Lily and her twin brother, Alexander.
Then he recalled the reward that went with the placing of the first Pillar.
Knowledge.
These symbols conveyed some kind of wisdom, highly advanced wisdom.
Knowledge that nations would kill for.
He reached out to grab the Pillar. No sooner had he touched it than-shnick-there was a soft slicing noise and the pyramid's clamping mechanism released the Pillar into his hands, now glowing with its pristine white Thoth symbols.
Jack examined it, and immediately noticed that a small pyramidal section of the Pillar had been removed, excised, from its upper end.
Jack looked up in wonder-and saw that the great inverted bronze pyramid was now whole again. Somehow, during the dazzling light show, it had taken a section of the diamond Pillaras its capstone, thus completing its perfect triangular shape.
”Nice...” Jack said, gazing down at the newly formed pyramidal void in his Pillar.
”Wizard,” he said into his mike. ”This is serious s.h.i.+t...”
”Don't I know it.”
Jack tucked the glowing Pillar into his rucksack. ”Well,” he said, ”all things considered, that was really kinda painless.”
”Yes, which is most unusual for us-”Wizard began, only for his radio signal to cut off abruptly and be replaced by a long droning monotone.
Jack's blood turned to ice. This wasn't a simple loss of signal. That would produce static or hash. Tone meant something else.
He turned and saw Wizard at the edge of the balcony, holding his hands out, palms up.
Beside him, Zoe was waving Jack over hurriedly.
Jack dashed back across the bridge, holding his rucksack like a football under his arm, keying his radio as he ran. ”Astro! Lily! Alby! You guys still on the air?”
No reply.
Only the flat monotone.
He reached Wizard and Zoe. Wizard gazed at the Pillar nestled in the rucksack. Zoe, however, went straight up to him.
”Jack. All our comms have just been jammed. Someone else is here.”
THEY ROSE out of the lake on every side of the two Zodiacs-armed men in black wet suits and scuba gear, brandis.h.i.+ng MP5 submachine guns.
Twelve of them. Frogmen.
”s.h.i.+t!” Astro cursed. ”The moving sonar signal from before. It wasn't a croc. It was a man.”
”Quiet, you,” the lead frogman said evenly, his accent all Eton. ”Guns down and put your hands in the air.”
Astro and Pooh Bear complied.
British troops,Astro thought.Probably SAS or Royal Marines. He spun to glare at Iolanthe, but her face was a mask.
The British frogmen clambered up into the Zodiacs, their black wet suits dripping, their guns glistening.
Pooh Bear instinctively pushed Lily and Alby behind him.
The lead frogman went to Iolanthe, removed his mask and rebreather. He was young, squarejawed, with a pockmarked face. ”Lieutenant Colin Ashmont, ma'am. Royal Marines. We've been waiting for you. And, as ordered, monitoring Captain West's radio signals till we heard the Pillar had been placed.”
”Good work, Lieutenant,” Iolanthe said, striding over to stand with the British frogmen.
”West is down there with two others. The old man, whom we need, and the woman, whom we don't.”
She handed Ashmont her headset mike, just as he switched off the jamming device on his hip.
He spoke into the mike. ”Captain Jack West. This is the Royal Marines. You have no escape. You know it and we know it. Bring out the Pillar.”
”Go f.u.c.k yourself,”came the reply from the radio.
Ashmont smiled. Then he looked at Lily and Alby as he spoke again: ”Bring out the Pillar, Captain, or I start killing the children. The boy first.”
”OK. We're coming.”
Minutes later, Iolanthe, Ashmont, and three of his men stood inside the docking unit suctioned to the base of the rocky island, staring down the pipelike tunnel filled with Nile crocodiles.
At the other end of the tunnel stood Jack, Zoe, and Wizard.
”Send the old man out with the Pillar!” Ashmont called.
”What's your name, soldier?” Jack said evenly.
”Ashmont. Lieutenant. Fifth Regiment, Her Majesty's Marines.”
”You threatened my little girl and her friend, Lieutenant Ashmont. I'm gonna make sure you diehard for that.”
”You don't scare me, Captain West,” Ashmont replied haughtily. ”I've heard of you, and I know your kind. Some may think you're good, but to me you're loose, undisciplined, reckless. Just another wild animal from acolony that should be kept on a tighter leash. I've a mind to kill the boy just on principle. Now send the old man through with the Pillar or I give the order.”
Jack handed his rucksack to Wizard, who then proceeded to s.h.i.+mmy down the crocodile infested tunnel for the second time that morning.
Again, the big crocs grunted in protest, but they did not attack.