Curse of Atlantis by Christopher David Petersen Page B
Authors: Christopher David Petersen
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it’s very clear. I promise I’ll cooperate. Just don’t hurt my daughter,” Javier replied. “Where do we go from here?”
“Fly to Greece . We’ ll contact you after you arrive. Once there, we’ll require status reports of your progress. This is all for now. Further instruction will follow. Is this unclear in any way?” the Russian voice asked once more.
“No, I understand perfectly . We fly to Greece and someone will contact us. I keep you guys informed of our progress,” Javi paraphrased.
“Yes , very good. Any questions?” the Russian voice asked.
“Yes, can I speak with her ? I need to hear her voice,” Javier pleaded.
“Of course, we are not barbarians,” the voice replied.
A moment later, Javier heard Serena’s voice.
“Dad? You there?”
“Honey, are you alright?” Javier asked, feeling some relief with the sound of her voice.
“I’m scared, Dad.”
“It’ll be ok,” Javier replied, struggling to keep his emotions in check. “Jack and I will find that pyramid. Have faith… be strong.”
“I love you, Dad,” Serena said, her voice fading as the kidnappers pulled the phone from her mouth.
“I love you too, honey,” Javier said, his voice cracking as he held back his tears.
“Dr Arista, fly to Greece . We’ll be in touch,” the voice said simply and hung up.
With the sickening sound of the silence from the phone , Javier placed the handset back on the receiver. Placing his hands to his eyes, he wept, unable to hold back his emotions any longer . Jack reached his hand out and gently placed it on Javier’s shoulder.
“Javi, don’t worry. We’ll find that pyramid. What’s more, we’ll find a way to get Serena back. Nothing else matters,” Jack said delicately, hoping to sooth Javier’s pain.
Nodding his head through his tears, he repeated Jack’s words.“Nothing else matters.”
Chapter 7
The flight from Turks and Caicos Island was long. Nearly twenty-two hours after leaving the small island in the Caribbean , the flight crew of the British Airways 747 announced they were now on approach to Athens International Airport in Athens , Greece . Anxious and exhausted, Javier stared out the window at the bustling metropolis and noticed the ancient ruins he had visited so many years ago. His memory of them was vivid. Nearly twenty-five years before, he had visited the ruins while on vacation with Berta and Serena. While walking through the Parthenon, he had snapped a photo of Serena standing innocently near a column. The sweet face of his little two-year-old was burn ed in to his memory forever. Now, as he stared down at the ruin s , his heart ached at the thought of that sweet little face in trouble. Bringing his hand s to his face, he covered his eyes and quietly wept.
Seated next to Javier, Jack witnessed his suffering and rested his hand on his shoulder.
“We’re almost there. We start ou r search tomorrow. Don’t worry. W e’ll save her ,” he said in a consoling tone.
Javier shook his head as he struggle d to gain control.
“I’m a mess, Jack. I can barely function right now. My baby is out there somewhere and I feel helpless to save her. The odds seem overwhelmingly against us,” Javier said tearfully, his desperation now evident in his voice.
Jack thought for a moment, then spoke:
“When the odds are against you, you have to dig deep… deeper than you thought was in your power. You have to find that inner strength and use it to focus on what matters. It’s only then that you’ll have clarity. Right now, your mind is racing. Find that inner strength and focus on what matters most: finding that pyramid. T hat’s all we can do to save her,” Jack said, his voice soft, yet determined.
Javier wiped the tears from his cheeks. Staring out the window, he thought of Jack’s words. They made sense to him.
Turning to Jack, he replied, “You’re right. Let’s focus and get this done. That pyramid IS all that matters.”
Jack shot Javier
“Fly to Greece . We’ ll contact you after you arrive. Once there, we’ll require status reports of your progress. This is all for now. Further instruction will follow. Is this unclear in any way?” the Russian voice asked once more.
“No, I understand perfectly . We fly to Greece and someone will contact us. I keep you guys informed of our progress,” Javi paraphrased.
“Yes , very good. Any questions?” the Russian voice asked.
“Yes, can I speak with her ? I need to hear her voice,” Javier pleaded.
“Of course, we are not barbarians,” the voice replied.
A moment later, Javier heard Serena’s voice.
“Dad? You there?”
“Honey, are you alright?” Javier asked, feeling some relief with the sound of her voice.
“I’m scared, Dad.”
“It’ll be ok,” Javier replied, struggling to keep his emotions in check. “Jack and I will find that pyramid. Have faith… be strong.”
“I love you, Dad,” Serena said, her voice fading as the kidnappers pulled the phone from her mouth.
“I love you too, honey,” Javier said, his voice cracking as he held back his tears.
“Dr Arista, fly to Greece . We’ll be in touch,” the voice said simply and hung up.
With the sickening sound of the silence from the phone , Javier placed the handset back on the receiver. Placing his hands to his eyes, he wept, unable to hold back his emotions any longer . Jack reached his hand out and gently placed it on Javier’s shoulder.
“Javi, don’t worry. We’ll find that pyramid. What’s more, we’ll find a way to get Serena back. Nothing else matters,” Jack said delicately, hoping to sooth Javier’s pain.
Nodding his head through his tears, he repeated Jack’s words.“Nothing else matters.”
Chapter 7
The flight from Turks and Caicos Island was long. Nearly twenty-two hours after leaving the small island in the Caribbean , the flight crew of the British Airways 747 announced they were now on approach to Athens International Airport in Athens , Greece . Anxious and exhausted, Javier stared out the window at the bustling metropolis and noticed the ancient ruins he had visited so many years ago. His memory of them was vivid. Nearly twenty-five years before, he had visited the ruins while on vacation with Berta and Serena. While walking through the Parthenon, he had snapped a photo of Serena standing innocently near a column. The sweet face of his little two-year-old was burn ed in to his memory forever. Now, as he stared down at the ruin s , his heart ached at the thought of that sweet little face in trouble. Bringing his hand s to his face, he covered his eyes and quietly wept.
Seated next to Javier, Jack witnessed his suffering and rested his hand on his shoulder.
“We’re almost there. We start ou r search tomorrow. Don’t worry. W e’ll save her ,” he said in a consoling tone.
Javier shook his head as he struggle d to gain control.
“I’m a mess, Jack. I can barely function right now. My baby is out there somewhere and I feel helpless to save her. The odds seem overwhelmingly against us,” Javier said tearfully, his desperation now evident in his voice.
Jack thought for a moment, then spoke:
“When the odds are against you, you have to dig deep… deeper than you thought was in your power. You have to find that inner strength and use it to focus on what matters. It’s only then that you’ll have clarity. Right now, your mind is racing. Find that inner strength and focus on what matters most: finding that pyramid. T hat’s all we can do to save her,” Jack said, his voice soft, yet determined.
Javier wiped the tears from his cheeks. Staring out the window, he thought of Jack’s words. They made sense to him.
Turning to Jack, he replied, “You’re right. Let’s focus and get this done. That pyramid IS all that matters.”
Jack shot Javier
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