“But how do we ignite that tank?” Ariana asked.
“I can do it,” Carpenter said.
Ariana turned to Hudson. “Tell Flaherty we’re going to blow the plane. Tell him we’re going to need help getting away once we have everything rigged.”
“You do not have to worry about Hie-Tech,” Sin Fen informed Paul Michelet.
Michelet pulled the seat belt across his lap and buckled it as the pilots added power to the turbine engines. “How do you know that?”
“I have communications with someone who knows,” Sin Fen said.
“If my daughter wasn’t involved in this, I’d-”
“Please do not threaten idly,” Sin Fen said. “We can work together; you just have to do what I tell you to.”
A truck raced up to the helicopter and screeched to a halt. Two men dressed in black fatigues stepped off, duffel bags on their shoulders. They strode up to the chopper and threw the bags in, before taking seats themselves. Sin Fen glanced at Michelet who smiled coldly. “Insurance,” the old man said. With a shudder the helicopter lifted off the tarmac. Sin Fen took off her headset so she didn’t have to listen to Michelet any more.
She reached down and stroked Chelsea’s ears. “Good dog.” Chelsea turned her head and her golden eyes looked up at Sin Fen. “He’ll be all right,” Sin Fen said. “He’ll be all right.”
“We’re getting strange readings, sir.”
Captain Rogers looked over at his senior science officer. “Clarify,” he snapped. The control room of the Wyoming was a far cry from the crowded, dark metal rooms of World War II submarines. Rogers sat in a leather chair, securely bolted to the floor, overseeing the rest of the occupants of the high tech facility. The room was lit by subdued lighting that allowed each crewmember to focus on their computer screens and equipment displays.
“Radioactivity is higher than normal. We’re also getting some electromagnetic interference.”
“Dangerous?”
“Not at these levels.”
“Source?”
“Something in the water ahead of us.”
“Distance?”
“Eighty kilometers.”
“All right. Our orders are to close on the boundary. Let’s do it. Keep monitoring and let me know if there’s any change.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“This is simply amazing!” Beasley was running his hands over the stone and the drawings etched on it. “No one’s ever found anything like this. No one even suspected something like this existed. There’s nothing like it at Angkor Wat. And this is older. Much older.”
Dane listened to the historian babble while he watched Freed. The security man was scanning the area where the helicopter had crashed. The Canadians had also seen the helicopter destroyed and Dane could sense their unease about going into the valley.
“There are no survivors,” Dane said.
Freed pulled the binoculars down. “How do you know that?”
“You’re going to have to start believing what I say,” Dane said, “or else what is the point in having me along?”
Freed stared at Dane. “I don’t like this.”
“That’s good,” Dane said.
“No, not that,” Freed jerked his thumb at the fog. “I don’t like having you along; I don’t like that strange woman who showed up at the airfield; I don’t like things going on that I don’t understand.”
“Join the crowd.” Dane pointed across the river. “I think that should be our focus. My suggestion would be that you and the Canadians stay here and let me go in alone.”
“I can’t do that,” Freed said.
“I didn’t think so, but I’m not sure you’re going to be able to get the Canadians to go with you.”
“They’ll move,” Freed said in a tone that told Dane they probably would. They both turned at Beasley’s exclamation.
“I’m beginning to see it now!” Beasley was still focused on the imagery on the stone wall, oblivious of all that was going on around him, the destruction of the helicopter already fading in his mind.
“See what?” Dane asked.
Beasley shook his head, his eyes wide in surprise. “It’s outrageous.”
“What is?”
Beasley staggered back. “What these writings and symbols suggest. If it weren’t right in front of, I wouldn’t believe it was real.”
“Tell us,” Dane said in a measured voice, trying to calm the other man.
“OK. Let me think for a second.” Beasley rubbed his forehead. “According to this, the kingdom of the Khmers was established here over five thousand years ago. It says the Khmers came here from somewhere else where they had ruled a massive kingdom for five thousand years before. But that can’t be.”
“Why not?” Freed asked.
Dane watched Beasley force himself not to explode at that question. “Because according to our accepted concept of history, human civilization didn’t begin until only three thousand years ago! The Khmers couldn’t have had an empire that predates that by seven thousand years.” Beasley was fingering his beard. “But this says they did.” Beasley pointed at a section. “Not only that but-” he paused.
“What?” Dane asked.
Comprehension came over Beasley’s features and his voice changed, suddenly becoming more confident. “No, it’s not impossible. It makes sense.”
“What make sense?” Dane once more asked.
“The Khmer. Where they came from. Civilization.” Beasley’s word were clipped as he moved along the wall, reading further.
Dane forced himself to wait on the Professor. Finally Beasley came to a halt and turned to face both he and Freed.
“According to what is written here, the Khmer’s empire before they came to Southeast Asia was a large island located in the sea beyond the land beyond the sea.” Beasley went on quickly. “I read that to mean an island in the Atlantic, with the land beyond the sea being the Americas.”
“But-” Dane began, but Beasley cut him off.
“It mentions a dark Shadow. Here it tells how the Khmer left their ancient homeland and traveled across the ocean to escape the Shadow, but it followed them. How the warriors stood guard for generations against the Shadow.”
“And?” Freed asked.
“I don’t think there was a happy ending,” Dane said as Beasley read further.
“There some talk of battling the-uh-” Beasley paused.
“The what?” Freed demanded.
Beasley gave Dane a smile. “The monsters. The Naga and others.” He pointed to the eastern wall. “There it talks about the time further back. Before the Khmer came here. When the island, their home, was destroyed by what they call the ‘fire from the dark Shadow’ and the people were scattered across the Earth.
“But the way they describe the island. Rings of land and water surrounding a central hill on which stood a temple and the palace of the rulers. There’s only one other place I’ve heard of that was described like this. That fits the ancient legends exactly!
“The island was Atlantis!” Beasley said. “It had to be.” Beasley closed his eyes and recited. “’Atlantis was the kingdom of Poseidon. When Poseidon fell in love with a mortal woman, named Cleito, he built a palace in the center of the land and surrounded it with rings of water to protect her.
“Cleito gave birth to five sets of twins, all boys, who were the first rulers of Atlantis. Atlas was the name of the first king of Atlantis. They built a large temple to worship Poseidon and cut a canal through the rings of land to facilitate trade.’” Beasley opened his eyes. “There’s more but I figure you don’t want to hear it right now. All from Plato, written in 360 BC.