Authors: Al Ruksenas
Colonel Jones glanced next to him to see the line from the grappling hook continue to play out. He estimated Caine had descended more than fifty
‐
feet and was still moving. Caine kept working his way down until he saw more light and the end of the airshaft, which curved into a short perpendicular at its terminus. Under it was a small ledge overlooking some vast cavernous interior. He figured the ledge was a starting point for construction of the airshaft out of the cavern’s jagged and irregular wall.
Caine rotated his body so that he was on his back looking through the short perpendicular end of the shaft. The ledge was a few feet from the opening and seemed isolated. He inched forward, stuck his legs through, pushed himself out and landed crouching on the ledge. He pulled his Beretta from his holster and stealthily leaned forward to see what was below.
Past a jutting cavern wall to his right, centered in the vast underground chamber he gaped directly at the head of a gleaming, black, obsidian statue three times the size of an average person and chipped into the shape of a demon faced goat sitting on its haunches. Artfully carved ram horns, a goatee and curvature of the mouth gave the features a sinister, leering, Mephistophelean look.
The eye sockets were shaped into catlike ovals. In the left socket there burned an elaborate torch in place of an eye. In the right socket rested a large, iridescent blue diamond dimly back
‐
lit by oil lamps.
The idol rested on a tiered square block carved from stone and surrounded by numerous votive candles. At the foot of the idol— reminiscent of Mayan sacrificial altars—was a slightly concave stone table inlaid with obsidian between carved grooves ending in a drainage vent.
On it lay a long obsidian dagger with a well
‐
worn handle wrapped in the hide of some desert creature.
Torches embedded along the cavern walls lit the scene with restless flames.
The idol was attended by a number of black hooded monk
‐
like figures.
Colonel Christopher Caine stared in shocked realization.
Chapter 44
Colonel Garrison Jones felt three tugs on the rope extending into the airshaft. He jerked it. The rope was slack. Jones hurriedly pulled in the line while Aida coiled it next to him. Near the end he spotted three large knots.
“
He wants us to come down.”
Hammad and Aida surmised the same.
The mercenary handed Jones the backpack and eased himself into the shaft like Caine had done. He started down followed by Aida and Colonel Jones.
When Hammad’s feet were visible, Caine took hold and guided them out of the shaft, signaling him to crouch as he landed. He repeated the move with Aida and Jones who followed soon after.
Caine put his finger to his lips with a stern look on his face, lay on his stomach and snaked his way to the edge of the ledge, motioning with his hand for the others to follow.
Aida almost gasped aloud when she saw the idol, putting her hand over her mouth to be sure she made no involuntary sound.
They stared in amazed silence.
About two dozen hooded figures sat on crude benches made from stone slabs facing the idol. Behind them was a raised bench with armrests and a backrest also hewn from stone, but more elaborate. Woven black and red material lined its seat, armrests and back. It appeared to be a throne. Several hooded figures walked reverently around the idol and the throne, looking to be sure that surrounding candles were all lit and re
‐
lighting any that expired.
“
It’s the Hope Diamond,” Colonel Jones whispered, staring at the eye socket.
“
It’s his big brother,” Caine whispered back.
“
What the hell?” Jones replied in a hushed tone. “Looks like a gathering of little anti
‐
Christs.”
“
Maybe not so little,” Caine replied in the same tone.
“
The stories are true,” Mustafa Ali Hammad murmured. “They go into the world to sow their curse.”
“
For what?” Jones asked.
“
To break the grip of moral belief. To foment chaos, confusion. To pave the way for their Master.”
Colonel Caine looked sternly at him with a finger to his lips. Hammad didn’t realize his voice was rising.
Colonel Jones groped behind him for the nearby backpack. “We’ll have a hell of a time getting down there,” he whispered as he quietly unzipped the pack.
“
Do we want to?” Caine reflected.
“
I like your thinking.”
“
We’ll need an army for this.”
“
I’m glad you two aren’t trigger
‐
happy,” Hammad whispered to Caine. “There is a force here beyond their numbers.”
As they lingered in awe, staring at the gleaming, towering effigy they noticed commotion below. The monks looked to an arched opening into another, smaller antechamber. Two hooded men appeared with AK 47 assault rifles slung around their necks. Behind them shuffled and jostled the occupants of the helicopter with two more armed monks prodding them on.
“
Holy Jesus!” Colonel Jones exclaimed half aloud.
Colonel Caine instantly grabbed for the backpack and pulled out a grenade. Jones turned and groped quickly for a sub
‐
machine pistol.
He smiled grimly, thankful that Hammad had the presence of mind to bring along their gifts.
Aida had a stricken look on her face and turned to her cousin. Mustafa Ali Hammad raised his palm slightly, indicating caution. She turned again to see what was happening below.
The monks pushed the prisoners towards the center of the cave near the stone benches and sacrificial altar. A low murmur started among the monks on the benches, growing in cadence and volume. “
Elohim, Elohim, Eloah Va
‐
Daath, Elohim el Adonai. Elohim, Elohim…
”
As the chant progressed two of the monks grabbed one of the prisoners at random and pulled him towards the altar. The other monks turned to the remaining restless captives and pointed their assault rifles in threatening gestures. They motioned them back against the cavern wall. Several other monks leapt from their benches to assist in subduing the frantically struggling man in camouflage fatigues as they dragged him towards the altar. One of them picked up the dagger from the sacrificial altar, as the others strained to lay him onto it.
Looking on with a permanent leer was the insidious idol.
In the midst of the pending impromptu sacrifice other monks kept up the humming chant.
“Elohim, Elohim, Eloah Va
‐
Daath, Elohim el Adonai…
”
Suddenly, Aida pulled her pistol and let out a blood
‐
curdling shriek that echoed through the chamber drowning out the chant. Everyone momentarily froze. She leaped over the ledge, landed on her feet and somersaulted with the momentum, rising again with her pistol pointed at the nearest monk. She fired a single shot and dropped him, then shot the monk holding the blade. The captive jerked violently and broke the hold of his tormentors who were still stunned by what had just happened. Aida shot another monk as she charged, grabbed the captive’s hand and both ran towards the other prisoners along the wall.
“
It’s my cousin Amir! Her brother!” Hammad shouted.
The monks below, pointing their rifles at the captives along the wall, instinctively turned to see what was happening. Major Lee grabbed one of the monks from behind in a headlock and tightened his grip around the man’s neck. The monk, desperate for air, dropped his AK 47, which one of the Egyptian soldiers quickly grabbed and shot the other monk guarding them before he could react. Hammad’s other gunman grabbed the dead man’s rifle and pointed it towards the commotion at the sacrificial altar. Aida and Amir, running toward them, were in the line of fire. He hesitated, then turned the weapon on the monks at the benches. They dived for the cavern floor as he pulled the trigger in a rage.
On the ledge at that same moment Colonel Jones looked expectantly at Caine. He let out a piercing rebel yell to the grim amusement of his partner and was ready to spring. Caine yelled in echo, pulled his Beretta, and leaped into the fray with the grenade in his other hand. He landed squarely on the shoulders of a monk below him who crumpled to the cavern floor and broke Caine’s fall. Jones was next to him, landing on another man and sending him sprawling. Mustafa Ali Hammad leaped onto the prone figure Caine had prostrated to cushion his fall. They ran into four of the monks who had been holding Amir. Jones shot one of them at point blank range with his Uzi submachine pistol. The rapid fire noise startled everyone around. Hammad shot another one as they ran to the other prisoners. Caine aimed his pistol towards the throne, but it was empty.
The captives along the wall were already heading for the opening to the antechamber when Caine, Jones and Hammad reached them. Aida was already there excitedly pointing her pistol in the direction of the idol.
“
Where to?” Caine yelled.
“
This way!” shouted Major Lee.
They hurried through the arch into the dimly lit antechamber where tapestries of various scenes of sorcery, witchcraft and devil worship were hung along musty cavern walls.
“
That stairway!” Major Lee shouted breathlessly.
At the far end of the antechamber, a narrow, stone stairway curved its way upward.
“
Go! Go! Go!” Colonel Caine shouted motioning everyone along holding the grenade high in his other hand.
Everyone without hesitation scurried single file up the stairs. Caine followed, but stopped at a point where he could still see the archway. He pulled the pin of his grenade and waited. The only witness to his daring act was his pounding heart. He heard muffled sounds of gunshots above and a burst of Jones’ submachine pistol. Before he could visualize the scene, he heard shouting and the shuffle of feet near the archway. He lobbed the grenade at the entrance to the chamber beyond and scrambled up the stone stairway, holding his Beretta at the ready.
Seconds later the grenade exploded. He heard screams of pain and sounds of perplexity.
Caine hurried to the top of the stairs, looking breathlessly behind him to see if anyone was chasing. No one appeared before he reached the top and stepped out of the opening onto a long, dark hallway. The opening had to be part of the mountain wall and the hallway seemed like a corridor of the abbey. Torches along the way provided just enough light to see. At the far end in front of a massive wooden door, he saw his companions beckoning. Caine ran toward them and noticed several rough hewn doors ajar on either side of the hall. Lying in the doorways or in the hall were several figures dressed in hooded cassocks in various poses of death, their assault rifles next to them.
As Colonel Caine ran for the entrance another door opened. Caine pointed his Beretta as he ran. As soon as he saw a black form appear, he shot several rounds at it. The form slumped inside the room with the door barely open. Another door began to open just as he ran by. He shot several rounds through the door, not sure if they penetrated, but the thud of the bullets seemed enough to keep the door from opening.
His companions had taken a large brace from its hinges and were ready to push open the main door of the abbey.
“
The chopper’s out there!” Major Lee announced. ”It’s guarded, but they won’t be expecting us!”
“
Let’s make sure!” Colonel Caine said. “Grab a couple of those cassocks!”
Caine motioned to Colonel Jones for another grenade and ran back to the opening into the mountain. He watched as Hammad and one of his gunmen roughly pulled the hooded robes off four corpses along the hallway.
Caine leisurely pulled a pin and bounced the grenade down the circular stairway. He ran back to join the others and heard a muffled explosion followed by screams and excited voices.
Colonel Jones, Mustafa Ali Hammad and Aida had already put on the cassocks. Caine draped the fourth one over himself and the group pushed opened the abbey door onto the courtyard. Caine and Ham
‐
mad were in front, herding the passengers of the helicopter, with Colonel Jones and Aida acting as if they were guarding them from behind.