“She must know something,” Kari realized. “Some thing we saw in the temple, some piece of information valuable enough to trade for the crew…”

“Well, we can ask ’em in a minute. Come on, get this helmet off.”

“Actually, it’s probably better if you keep it on until you’re in the boat.”

Chase frowned at her. “Why?”

“Because I get the feeling your suit radio is the only one we have…”

Five minutes later, Chase finally took a breath of fresh ocean air.

Kari was right: the Evenor’s crew had been set adrift with no radio. Once the lifeboat rejoined its fellows on the fringe of the debris field from the sunken research vessel, one of the engineers set to work on the deep suit’s transmitter. It wouldn’t have much range, but it didn’t need it. The Gulf of Cádiz was, by maritime standards, a busy place. However, as Matthews pointed out, they couldn’t use it just yet-there would be no point issuing a distress call if the closest vessel was Qobras’s ship.

Chase and Kari used the interim to learn what had happened aboard the Evenor. “So Nina voluntarily gave herself up to save you?” Kari asked.

Matthews nodded. “Even though Qobras told her he was still going to kill her. We all owe her our lives.”

Kari fell silent, staring pensively towards the sunset. Chase put an arm around her. “Hey, hey. She’s still alive, for now. Whatever she knows, she won’t have just blurted it right out to him. She’ll drag it out for as long as she can. We can still find her.”

“How?” Kari asked gloomily. “Even if we trace his ship back to port, he won’t be on it. He’ll have been picked up by a helicopter or gone ashore in a speedboat long before we can get anyone to intercept it.”

“We’ll work something out.” Chase leaned back, looking up. The first stars of the night had appeared, twinkling gently in the clear sky.

“Actually,” said Matthews, “Dr. Wilde had a message, although I’ve got no idea what it means. She said to give it to you if I saw you.”

Chase sat up again. “What did she say?” “Not much. Just that… she’d send you a postcard.” “A postcard?” Kari’s forehead creased, questioning. Her confusion increased as Chase started laughing, a cackle of sheer glee. “What? What does it mean?”

He managed to bring himself under control, a wide grin practically splitting his face in two. “It means,” he announced, “that I know exactly where she’s going.”

TWENTY-THREE

Tibet

The sun had not yet risen over the Himalayan peaks, but Nina could see the predawn glow to the east as the helicopter clattered through the mountains.

She sat under guard in the rear compartment of the aircraft, an armed man on either side. Opposite were Qobras, Starkman and Philby. Her former mentor hadn’t once dared to meet her gaze during the flight.

Following them, she knew, was a second helicopter carrying more men and something concealed inside a large crate. She doubted it was anything good.

“Go on,” prompted Qobras. “You were saying about the eruption…”

“Yeah.” The image of the final inscriptions from the temple returned to her mind’s eye. “The island was subsiding, and the volcano at the northern end was active-they knew the writing was on the wall. I don’t think they realized how fast the end would come when it finally happened.”

“Not fast enough,” said Qobras. “Some of them escaped.”

Nina shook her head. “You really do have some serious issues with the Atlanteans, don’t you? Considering that their empire was destroyed eleven thousand years ago, it’s a long time to be holding a grudge.”

“Their empire was never completely destroyed, Dr. Wilde,” Qobras said. “It still exists, even today.”

“Oh, this would be the mighty and invisible Atlantean empire, I guess.”

Qobras ignored her sarcasm. “If you mean ‘invisible’ in the sense that nobody knows it is there, then yes, you’re right. The descendants of the Atlanteans are still among us, seeking control over those they believe to be their inferiors. The difference now is that their control is not solely through force of arms, but through force of wealth.”

“Sounds like we’re in conspiracy theory territory now,” Nina scoffed. “I suppose you’re going to tell me that the Atlanteans are really the Illuminati.”

“Hardly. We are the Illuminati.”

Nina stared in disbelief. “What?”

“Not in the sense that I’m sure you’re imagining. Our organization dates back to long before any of the sects that adopted the name from the sixteenth century onwards. And the name, Illuminati, is derived from Latin, whereas our name comes from the ancient Greek. The Brotherhood of Selasphoros-the light-bearers.”

“Ancient Greek?” Nina turned to Philby for some support against the lunacy, but while he still couldn’t look her in the eye, there was nothing in his expression suggesting he doubted Qobras’s words. “So you’re saying you’re the leader of some secret anti-Atlantis organization that dates back two and a half thousand years? Bullshit!”

“It dates back much farther than that,” said Qobras, unfazed. “I’m sure you remember Critias-the mention of the war between the Athenians and the kings of Atlantis?”

“Of course. ‘The war that was said to have taken place between those who dwelt outside the Pillars of Heracles, and all who dwelt within them.’ But that’s the only mention, apart from a few lines in Timaeus.”

Qobras shook his head. “No. There is more.”

“Critias was never finished.”

“Critias was suppressed,” Qobras countered. “By the Brotherhood. The complete text included an account of the war between the two great powers, and how the Athenians and their allies drove the invaders from the Mediterranean. It also described the Athenian counterattack on Atlantis itself-which ended with the Athenian army caught on the island as it sank.”

“That’s not consistent with Timaeus,” Nina objected. “‘And in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men as a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea.’ Two different events.”

“The same event, according to the original text of Critias.”

“But that-” Nina stopped as the full import of Qobras’s words hit her. “You mean the original text? As in, transcribed directly from Plato’s own words?”

“We have more than you could imagine in our vaults, including the complete text of Critias-and the third of Plato’s dialogues about Atlantis, Hermocrates.”

“But Hermocrates was never written…”

“So we convinced the world. The Brotherhood has been working to prevent the rediscovery of Atlantis for thousands of years. Anything that might assist the descendants of the Atlanteans in that task, we have gone to great lengths to keep out of their hands.”

“Great lengths including murder,” Nina scowled.

“It is not something we are proud of, but sometimes it has been necessary. Other times… it has been justified.”

“But why?” Nina asked. “This is insane! Yes, Atlantis is one of the most famous ancient legends in the world, but in the end it’s just an archaeological site, a dead city full of ruins!”

Qobras rose in his seat. “The city might be dead, but what it stands for is very much alive, Dr. Wilde. And it is just as dangerous today as it was in 9500 BC. The discovery of Atlantis would serve to rally all the descendants of the Atlanteans, uniting them as one powerful force for evil.”

“Atlantis has already been discovered,” Nina pointed out. “By me. And everybody from the Evenor knows where it is. You think you can keep that quiet?”