the ground, then taking a deep breath. He took the light, leaned over the amphora, and directed its beam into the interior.
“What do you see, Dr. Turner?” Maria whispered in an anxious voice.
“It looks like a small papyrus, Maria.”
“There’s nothing else?” Maria asked expectantly.
“If you mean, is there a grail in there? No,” Eli said flatly. “Such is the way of our profession…one mystery reveals another. We still may have an important find here. It looks well preserved and—” his observations were cut short by the startling sound of gunfire reverberating from outside the cave.
Eli watched as Captain Saune sprang instinctively into defense mode. He motioned Eli and Maria to get down as he drew his side arm. Using the wireless transmitter, he tried to contact his men outside.
“They're not responding. You two stay here, out of sight,” he said as he and the private sprinted off toward the entrance and faded away into the darkness.
“Do you think we’re being raided by looters?” Maria asked nervously as she knelt down beside the amphora.
“Either that, or our new friend Alton Burr,” Eli replied as he stared off into the darkness where Captain Saune and his man had been a moment before. “I have a bad feeling about that guy.”
“I’m sure the guards outside will take care of the situation,” Maria said hopefully.
“The papyrus!” Eli exclaimed as he stood up and reached his hand into the amphora. Ever so gently, he grasped the ancient parchment by its end. When he slowly slid the papyrus out of its ancient sanctuary and into the light of the cave, a lightly rolled parchment was revealed.
“Dr. Turner, what are you doing?” Maria gasped, startled by his actions. “That should be done at the university.”
“No time for that now, Maria. If the worst should happen, I don’t want this to fall into the hands of looters or the likes of Burr,” Eli said as he deftly opened the flap on his backpack and carefully slid the document into the pack between two peanut butter sandwiches. Setting the backpack down, Eli knelt, scooped up some dry sediment of the cave floor, and proceeded to pour handfuls into the amphora.
“If they are looters, all they’ll find is an amphora and what looks to be a document crumbled to dust after many centuries.”
Hearing the sound of footsteps echoing in the cave and heading their way, he looked up to see Captain Saune and his private slowly appearing in the low lantern light of the lava tube. They were walking toward them with their hands behind their heads. The shadowy images of three men dressed entirely in black appeared behind them pointing AK-47s at their two captives.
Eli could tell by the Captain’s eyes that he was mad as hell at being captured without a fight.
They must have been waiting at the cave entrance and easily surprised the two soldiers , he thought. He also noted the terrified look on the private’s face.
The group slowly approached the two archaeologists as they stood up, startled by the scene playing out before them.
“Good evening, Dr. Turner,” said one of the black clad figures as he pulled the ski mask from his head. “I trust my men and I haven’t disturbed your work here?” he said with a grin and then shouted an order to his men in Japanese. The other men in black removed their masks and motioned by gunpoint for Saune and the frightened private to join Eli and Maria.
“Who in the hell are you, and what right do you have coming in here holding us at gun point?” Eli yelled, glaring at the obvious leader of the three assailants. The man smiled at him in return.
“You are in no position to ask questions here, Turner.” The man sneered as he swiftly swung the butt of his weapon upward to strike Eli. A glancing blow to the side of his head sent him sprawling backward and hitting the ground.
Eli felt the blinding pain as he hit the ground, but somehow managed to remain conscious.
He heard Maria scream,
“What do you see, Dr. Turner?” Maria whispered in an anxious voice.
“It looks like a small papyrus, Maria.”
“There’s nothing else?” Maria asked expectantly.
“If you mean, is there a grail in there? No,” Eli said flatly. “Such is the way of our profession…one mystery reveals another. We still may have an important find here. It looks well preserved and—” his observations were cut short by the startling sound of gunfire reverberating from outside the cave.
Eli watched as Captain Saune sprang instinctively into defense mode. He motioned Eli and Maria to get down as he drew his side arm. Using the wireless transmitter, he tried to contact his men outside.
“They're not responding. You two stay here, out of sight,” he said as he and the private sprinted off toward the entrance and faded away into the darkness.
“Do you think we’re being raided by looters?” Maria asked nervously as she knelt down beside the amphora.
“Either that, or our new friend Alton Burr,” Eli replied as he stared off into the darkness where Captain Saune and his man had been a moment before. “I have a bad feeling about that guy.”
“I’m sure the guards outside will take care of the situation,” Maria said hopefully.
“The papyrus!” Eli exclaimed as he stood up and reached his hand into the amphora. Ever so gently, he grasped the ancient parchment by its end. When he slowly slid the papyrus out of its ancient sanctuary and into the light of the cave, a lightly rolled parchment was revealed.
“Dr. Turner, what are you doing?” Maria gasped, startled by his actions. “That should be done at the university.”
“No time for that now, Maria. If the worst should happen, I don’t want this to fall into the hands of looters or the likes of Burr,” Eli said as he deftly opened the flap on his backpack and carefully slid the document into the pack between two peanut butter sandwiches. Setting the backpack down, Eli knelt, scooped up some dry sediment of the cave floor, and proceeded to pour handfuls into the amphora.
“If they are looters, all they’ll find is an amphora and what looks to be a document crumbled to dust after many centuries.”
Hearing the sound of footsteps echoing in the cave and heading their way, he looked up to see Captain Saune and his private slowly appearing in the low lantern light of the lava tube. They were walking toward them with their hands behind their heads. The shadowy images of three men dressed entirely in black appeared behind them pointing AK-47s at their two captives.
Eli could tell by the Captain’s eyes that he was mad as hell at being captured without a fight.
They must have been waiting at the cave entrance and easily surprised the two soldiers , he thought. He also noted the terrified look on the private’s face.
The group slowly approached the two archaeologists as they stood up, startled by the scene playing out before them.
“Good evening, Dr. Turner,” said one of the black clad figures as he pulled the ski mask from his head. “I trust my men and I haven’t disturbed your work here?” he said with a grin and then shouted an order to his men in Japanese. The other men in black removed their masks and motioned by gunpoint for Saune and the frightened private to join Eli and Maria.
“Who in the hell are you, and what right do you have coming in here holding us at gun point?” Eli yelled, glaring at the obvious leader of the three assailants. The man smiled at him in return.
“You are in no position to ask questions here, Turner.” The man sneered as he swiftly swung the butt of his weapon upward to strike Eli. A glancing blow to the side of his head sent him sprawling backward and hitting the ground.
Eli felt the blinding pain as he hit the ground, but somehow managed to remain conscious.
He heard Maria scream,
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