This was a demolitions team.
Baahir hated the fact that these men were content with destroying whatever it was they were about to find up there. He was also interested in exactly what it would be. The area was typically rife with hikers. Baahir couldn’t imagine the entry point was an exquisite one. If it had been, it would have been found long ago.
“Spread out!” Khaliq ordered. “Feroz, with me. Search everywhere. I want that entrance found.” He turned to Baahir. “You too…and take Ajmal with you.”
Baahir’s shoulders dropped. He, once more, was provided with a babysitter. Escaping would be all but impossible now. Patience would be vital. The key to his bondage would come in the way of oversight. Khaliq’s men were under a great deal of pressure, and soon, even a man like Ajmal, would screw up. Baahir turned to the southeast and shielded his eyes. There were farms, campsites, and what passed for hotels less than a mile off. If he could make it there, without getting shot in the back, he was confident he could disappear for good.
Well, confident may have been overstating it a little, but Baahir was definitely hopeful.
Khaliq had made another decision was in Baahir’s favor. Two of the men were left at the outskirts of town to keep watch. That left six people in total, including Baahir, left to climb to the top of Gebel Dist.
He and Ajmal headed west. Baahir took his time, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The summit wasn’t all that large and would be easy to comb before the sun began to dip. As much as Baahir didn’t want to help Khaliq find what he was looking for, he needed to do his part to stay alive.
Assorted rock piles took up most of the area atop the pyramid mountain. Baahir did his best to mentally trace his steps, but quickly became lost. Every new angle presented the same pile with a new look. One such group to the east caught his eye. He squinted at it, trying to figure out what seemed off about it. Normally, he would never have stopped scanning the horizon — this divot, in his view, seemed to be just like all the others.
But now that he was here, actually looking for something, it seemed odd.
But he didn’t waste much time investigating. He wasn’t about to give Khaliq and his team the satisfaction — not yet. But this one did look forced, as if it were constructed with purpose. It would make sense that the entrance was sealed.
“Or, I’m just seeing things,” Baahir mumbled to himself.
“What?” Ajmal asked, hearing him.
Baahir stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “You say something?”
Ajmal didn’t reply. He just stood there, as stiff as one of the boulders. Baahir stepped away, but not before giving the rock pile a second look.
“Come on. There’s nothing here.”
Ajmal eyed the same mound and stared at it for a moment, eventually falling in line behind Baahir. They searched for some time before they were summoned across the plateau. Two of Khaliq’s other men waved frantically and shouted for everyone to come. Baahir was tired and sauntered over, but Ajmal made him move faster. The larger man shoved Baahir along. He abided to the big man’s will and sped up, more to stay out of arm’s reach than anything else.
He didn’t speak up, instead he allowed Khaliq to waste more time. The smaller stones were moved by hand. Even Baahir assisted. The only one who didn’t help was Khaliq. His glare had intensified — borderline manic.
Baahir wished to stay out of his crosshairs. He figured helping to move the rocks would be a good way to do that.
It took forty minutes and an untold number of water bottles to finish the task. That it was a waste of time was obvious to Baahir, and that only made the mindless work that much harder.
Finally, the only thing left to do was blast through the bigger, unmovable boulders.
Ajmal did just that.
He set the explosives, something Baahir knew little about. He just watched and took it all in. Even now, Baahir knew they weren’t going to find anything. It was obvious to him, and he was pretty sure Khaliq knew it too. The SOA leader had a look on his face that said as much.
“We’re ready,” Ajmal announced.
Khaliq didn’t take his eyes off the semi-cleared piece of land. He only nodded and backed up behind a nearby pile. Ajmal forced Baahir to follow. He knelt between the two men and covered his head with his filthy, blistered hands.
The detonation was mostly contained, but it did toss a few stones into the air. Baahir and the others were pelted with debris, but nothing larger than a gumball. As the dust settled, Baahir stood and inspected the damage. Everyone did. Baahir hung back with Khaliq and Ajmal while the others moved in to clear the area of the, now, smaller stones. It took some time, but once everything was cleared, Baahir’s suspicions were confirmed.
There was nothing here.
Khaliq took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He released it and dipped his chin to his chest, and chuckled softly. Then, he turned and drew his pistol, shooting Haider, the man who had made the “discovery,” in the chest. The display of violence was plain as day. Fail Khaliq here, and you die.
Baahir’s nerves had unknowingly got the best of him. He fidgeted in place. His right leg shook like crazy, and he, all of a sudden, didn’t know what to do with his hands. It didn’t go unnoticed.
“Do you have something to say, Dr. Hassan?”
Baahir didn’t meet Khaliq’s hard stare. “N — no. Why do you say that?”
Khaliq stepped up next to him. “I’ve seen this look before — I’ve seen it in my own men’s eyes.” Baahir finally met his gaze. “You have something to say, but you are too frightened to reveal it.”
Khaliq smiled. “Let me help you…” He raised his sidearm and pointed it directly at Baahir’s face. “Tell me, Dr. Hassan, or share in the same fate as him.” He motioned to the dead man.
Baahir swallowed his terror. “There isn’t anything to—”
“Over there,” Ajmal interrupted. He motioned east. “He reacted to something over there.”
Khaliq’s attention shifted to his trusted colleague. Ajmal nodded his assurance. He lowered his gun. It was now aimed at Baahir’s chest.
“Show me.”
Ajmal grabbed Baahir by the shirt collar and dragged him back to the spot he had mentioned. Once there, the Egyptologist was tossed into it. Hands out, Baahir caught himself before he bounced off the rubble. His breathing was fast, anxious. The coarse surface of the rocks stung his abused hands. Baahir paid the discomfort no attention, though. He pushed himself off and turned to meet his maker.
“Is this it?” Khaliq asked. His pistol was back in the holster on his hip.
Baahir didn’t reply.
Khaliq stepped forward and went for his gun.
“Yes!” Baahir blurted out. “I mean, maybe. I don’t know for certain.” Khaliq gently rested his hand on the grip of his sidearm but didn’t draw it. That didn’t mean the threat wasn’t just as powerful. Baahir slowly raised his hands, pleading with the man. “I’ll need time.”
“You have one hour.”
Baahir didn’t argue. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Khaliq could kill him whenever he wanted, regardless of the agreed-upon timeframe.
Baahir nodded and turned back toward the rocks. “Okay,” he said, talking it out, “when I first saw these, they looked different to me. Does anyone else see it, too?”
Khaliq and Ajmal joined Baahir, but still kept their distance.
“I do,” Khaliq agreed. “These look as if they were placed here.”
Ajmal grunted. “Unnatural.”
“Yes!” Baahir exclaimed, imagining what lay beneath. “We need to clear as much off as we can — by hand.” He met Khaliq’s eyes. “If this is it, then we need to be careful not to cause a major collapse.” Khaliq didn’t seem pleased. “You’ve waited this long. A mistake like that could bury it for another lifetime.”