CHAPTER 6
Drake, Sully, Flynn, Vincent, and Miranda arrived at the London City Airport mid-morning the next day, having taken the first plane out of New York. Exhausted from the time change, lack of sleep, and eight hour plane ride, the group decided to spend a day resting. Vincent had plotted everything out on the plane and decided that to start an excavation, destroy the basement, and dig without risk of destroying the grave itself could take as long as two weeks. They could spare a day. So it was agreed that they would relax and sight-see for one day, then spend the next day scouting out the area and making a game plan.
The group stayed at the Radisson Edwardian Kenilworth Hotel, which was near Bedford Square and the British Museum. While driving there, they passed Cazenove and Co. Ltd. and found it roped off with yellow tape and several dump trucks filled with debris. Besides that, it appeared nothing interesting was happening. No soldiers, no guards, nothing. If they did the job in the middle of the day, odds are it would be much easier. The street was narrow and open, with security cameras everywhere. But there were also several rooftops all the same height. Already Drake could tell that the roof was their way in.
Before heading back to the hotel, Sully informed them all that he had something special he wanted to show Drake.
"Oh god Sully, is this something that will scar me for life? Like that 'surprise' you showed me in the Bahamas?"
Sully laughed full-heartedly before mocking seriousness and pointing at Drake.
"I thought we agreed to never speak of that again? Still, you have to admit, that girl had talent." Miranda giggled softly, and Drake covered his eyes and groaned as he shook his head. "But no, it's not like the Bahamas. This is something you'll actually enjoy." Sully finished before flicking the stub of his cigar out the window.
He drove across the Thames and pulled into one of the many docks.
"Ta-Da!" Sully said, getting out of the car and spreading his arms wide. In the dock was a large, old looking ship with a gold doe as its figure-head.
"Holy shit, Sully, it's Sir Francis Drake's ship!" Drake cried out ecstatically, walking around the life size model and gazing at it.
"Yeah, I had a feeling you'd like it. There was a brochure at the airport. 'The Golden-something-or-other', right?"
"C'mon Sully, 'The Golden Hind'. You should know that."
"I don't think the name of Sir Francis Drake's ship will ever be useful information. Even for us." Sully chuckled. Drake just shrugged and started walking around the ship.
"It really is beautiful." Miranda said as she walked over to the ship and examined it close up.
"Congratulations, Victor." Flynn said as he and Vincent stood next to Sully. "You have achieved a whole new level of ass kissing."
"And you've achieved a whole new level of asshole." Sully grumbled in response.
"Can't you two quit it for just ten minutes?" Vincent interjected, gazing with admiration at the ship. "This really is a spectacular model." He looked at Drake who was pointing out different features of the ship to Miranda. "He's like a little kid at Christmas." Vincent remarked, pointing at Drake. "What's with the Sir Francis Drake obsession?"
"Obsession doesn't even begin to explain it." Flynn said in response, smiling. "Nate is the illegitimate descendant of Sir Francis Drake. He knows everything about the guy."
"More than once we've been dragged into some sketchy situations because of Sir Francis Drake." Sully said, a wide nostalgic smile on his face. "Ever since I met the kid, he's had his life dedicated to what Sir Francis did. That's how he got started in the treasure hunting business."
The three of them continued watching Drake run around the ship as Miranda came over and joined them.
"I was planning on coming back for the paid tour, but I don't really think I need to anymore." She said with a smile on her face.
Drake soon came over to join them as well, and the group piled back into the car and drove to the hotel. They checked into their room and relaxed until that night when they visited the British Museum. Drake was glad to finally be going a museum for no reason other than as a tourist. He wasn't robbing the place, and wasn't researching some obscure item. He was just visiting with a group of friends. It felt refreshing.
That night, they ate at a café in Bedford Square and drove back to the hotel to get as much sleep as they could. On the drive back, the realization of their true purpose began to settle in. Van Meer, Crocea Mors, Cazenove and Co. Ltd… It all came back to the front of their minds as they drifted through the streets of London. And in a somber mood, the five friends went to sleep with the anticipation of the next day hanging above their heads.
The next morning, Flynn, Drake, and Sully stood on the roof of a high end hotel down the street from Cazenove, dressed as maintenance workers. Sully had provided the fake identification and outfits; Vincent and Miranda had agreed to stay in the lobby and be sure that nothing occurred that might disrupt the stakeout.
"Ok, so here's what we've got." Drake said, looking through his binoculars at the banking building. "No guards on the ground or roof except one guy in a police outfit standing at the door. But he's definitely one of Ambessa's soldiers. Besides that, the place looks abandoned. Here, Flynn take a look." He said, handing Flynn the binoculars.
"Yeah, that's one of Ambessa's. But it looks like he's the only guy. The rest must be inside. So I take it we can't waltz in the front door." Flynn said, setting down the binoculars.
Drake shook his head, picking up the binoculars again.
"No, front door is definitely out. But I do have an idea. Everybody on the streets right now is headed to work. But in a few hours nobody will be out and about. All these buildings are banks and the hours are pretty stiff. We should be able to make our move, and if we are fast nobody will even see us."
"So what are you thinking?" Sully asked, puffing on a fresh cigar. Drake handed Sully the binoculars and pointed out the building next to Cazenove and Co. Ltd.
"See that building there. It looks like it's in the middle of construction. I'm thinking we get into there, jump through one of those windows, swing onto the Cazenove windowsill and break in. There's a lamp post right where the two buildings share a wall. We could use that to swing over."
"Yeah, I see it." Sully mumbled. "It's right above a security camera. Nice. They won't even see us coming. But you do realize we need to go in gun's blazing? There could be soldiers posted on each floor."
"I've got that covered." Flynn said, opening the large duffle he had brought with him. Inside were several pistols and automatic rifles that could be taken apart and put back together.
"Alright, so have we got ourselves a plan?" Drake asked. Flynn nodded and Drake looked at Sully, who was still using the binoculars.
"Sully, you with us? I swear if you're looking through some woman's bathroom window…"
"As enticing as that sounds," Sully said, handing Drake the binoculars "take a look at that helicopter."
Drake looked at what Sully was pointing out and nodded.
"That's a military chopper. Why would it be flying so low in a banking district?"
He lowered the binoculars and the three men watched as the helicopter descended several blocks away. Drake picked up the radio and asked Vincent to talk to the concierge about a helicopter landing area nearby, and in a few minutes Vincent responded, saying that the concierge didn't know of any.
"We need to check out that helicopter." Drake said to the others, and they nodded. The trio made their way downstairs and headed out with Vincent and Miranda. They stripped off their disguises and drove in the general direction of where the helicopter had gone down. They soon reached a small park named "Finsbury Circus". The park was closed off with police lines, and in the middle of the large central field was the military helicopter. Curious bystanders were pushed away by policemen, but as the group drove closer they realized that the policemen were just more of Ambessa's men in disguise. They parked the car on the side of the road and Drake and Sully climbed out, looking at the helicopter over the edge of a fence. At least a dozen soldiers dressed as police officers were gathered around it, but one officer seemed to tower over the others.
"Shit!" Drake hissed, ducking down. "It's Ambessa."
He peeked over again and saw Ambessa giving order to the men, who filed out of the park and into a group of vans that pulled away and drove towards Cazenove. Only three soldiers were left to guard the helicopter.
Drake and Sully headed back to the car, and as soon as they climbed in told the others what they had seen.
"So, wait, Mason just got here?" Vincent asked, clearly confused. Drake had to admit, he was also confused.
"I guess so. I don't know why, but yes, he just got here."
"So what do we do now?" Flynn asked, suddenly nervous. His face was still lightly bruised from his last encounter with Ambessa.
"This changes nothing. If anything, we will use this to our benefit." Drake said. He paused to think and then started nodding. "Ok… Ok, here's what we'll do. Sully, you and Miranda are staying here. Miranda will stay in the car, just in case. But Sully, when we call you over the radio, you jump out and take out those soldiers. Since you know how to fly, you take the helicopter over to the roof of Cazenove. We jump in, hopefully with the sword, and then we fly away. We land the helicopter a safe distance away, where Miranda will meet us, and we all go back to the hotel to plan our next move. Sound good?"
"It's as good a plan as any." Flynn said, and Vincent nodded in agreement. Miranda seemed a little bit upset about being left in the car but she nodded.
"It's risky." Sully said, rubbing his chin. "But flying out is a hell of a lot better than running out."
"Alright, let's go." Drake said, his voice trembling. Miranda drove them back to Cazenove and then turned around to go wait with Sully at Finsbury Circus. Drake had been right about the street being empty around this time of day. Save a few cars and pedestrians, there were no witnesses. It also looked like the building that was under construction was not being worked on that day. All for the better. Drake thought. Maybe his luck was turning around at last.
Drake, Flynn, and Vincent entered the building unopposed, and soon made their way to the fourth floor. Drake jumped out the window, clinging to the edge. With a rifle slung across his shoulder and a pistol holstered at his waist, the sight probably would have caused any banker to go into a panic.
Drake edged his way the few feet over to the lamp post, at which point he dropped down and held on as tight as he could. He swung himself back and forth a few times, and then launched himself forward. He had over calculated, however, and flew past the window sill. As he tumbled through the air, he flailed his arms and managed to grab hold of a lion figurehead halfway up the wall.
"Careful!" Vincent cried out as Drake struggled to lift himself.
"Relax mate." Flynn said coolly. "He lives for this stuff." Drake grumbled a snide comment, but didn't have the energy to really go through with it. He reached the window sill and lifted himself up. Using the butt of his rifle, he broke the glass and jumped in, immediately aiming at any soldiers that might be in the building.
Drake found himself standing in a small, dark office, and after trying the door that led into the hallway, decided it was safe. The door was locked, and if it was locked from the inside, it was also locked from the outside. He leaned out the window and signaled to Vincent and Flynn, who made their way over to the window. When all three were standing in the office with guns ready, Drake turned and kicked the door open. He checked the hallway and was surprised to find that it was entirely empty and also dark. The trio repeated this process of breaking down doors and aiming rifles as they made their way down to the first floor, but didn't encounter any of Ambessa's soldiers.
"Where the bloody hell is everyone?" Flynn hissed as they reached the large lobby. Except for the guard still lounging outside, there was still no sign of any soldiers. Also, every room they had passed through so far was dark. It appeared that the power for the building had been shut off.
"Who cares? Maybe we're just lucky." Vincent whispered in response, looking around the room. "Let's find out how to get to the basement."
"No, no. Vincent, you don't seem to understand. Nate here, he never has good luck. If things are going well, that just means things are going to get much worse."
Vincent shrugged and walked around the room, looking for another stairwell. Drake was behind the receptionist desk, examining a map of the building and sighed. If there was a basement, it wasn't marked on the map.
"If there's no basement, how could they get underneath this place?' Drake asked, turning to look at the other two. Vincent was leaning against a wall, running his hand though his hair, deep in thought. Flynn was nowhere to be seen.
"Flynn?" Drake called out, as loud as he dared.
"Back here, mate!" Flynn called back, from somewhere behind the receptionist desk. Drake hadn't noticed, but the lobby went around the receptionists desk and led to another, smaller lobby. There were only a few offices back there, some of them under the titles of "Executive" and "Manager". One door, the one Flynn was standing next to, was labeled "Employees Only".
Flynn pulled open the door, and the three men peered into a stairwell that headed downwards, dimly lit by light bulbs strung along the sides. A gentle murmur of distant voices drifted up from within the basement. Flynn led the group as they slowly picked their way down the stairs and reached a point where the stairs changed from concrete to wood. They descended a few more feet and found themselves in what remained of the basement, now a small dug up chamber filled with soldiers.
"How the hell did they dig this much up in a few days!" Vincent exclaimed, gazing around the room. Drake shushed him and pulled him down behind the wall of a platform that overlooked the excavation. Vincent peeked over and immediately dropped down again, his face pale.
"Oh my god!" He whispered fearfully. Drake looked over and immediately understood what had frightened the archaeologist so much. The swarm of soldiers, all shouting at each other in Afrikaans, were circled around a smaller circle of soldiers. Amongst them was Kroonen and van Meer. Van Meer looked flustered and excited, shouting senseless orders rapidly at the soldiers near him. This smaller circle was gathered around a large stone sarcophagus, the grave of the British Prince Nennius.
"I thought you said they wouldn't find anything until a week, minimum!" Drake said to Vincent as he dropped down again.
"Well, clearly they are not using conventional archaeology! They probably used explosives to take apart the floor. But it looks like they just finished unearthing the grave. We're right on time!" Vincent's fear changed into a look of excitement and he lifted his head over the edge of the wall again. Flynn and Drake also raised their heads to observe the spectacle.
"Terugstaan!" Van Meer was yelling at the soldiers. "Stand back! Get away from it!" The soldiers obediently stepped aside, and van Meer walked over to the rough-hewn sarcophagus.
"This is it… We have it…" Van Meer started laughing "Nennius, my dear friend! You have no idea how much trouble you have caused me. I'm sure you are fully aware of how powerful the weapon you hold with you is, but it is time to pass it on to somebody who can truly appreciate it."
Van Meer stood for a few moments longer, then walked back to join Kroonen. He waved the soldiers towards the sarcophagus, urging them to continue.
"Dit oop te maak"
"He told them to open it." Vincent whispered to the others.
"Yeah, I don't need to speak Dutch to get that, mate." Flynn whispered in return.
"Actually, he's speaking Afrikaans. Very similar to Dutch, which is probably why he speaks it well. That's what Ambessa's soldiers speak. Actually, now that I think about it, where is-"
But before Vincent could finish his thought, Drake shushed him and pointed back into the excavation room. The three peered down and saw the soldiers pushing the lid of the sarcophagus. The lid groaned under the pressure and slowly began to give way, sliding back and revealing the inside of the sarcophagus. After a few more seconds, the lid fell to the ground and van Meer rushed over.
Vincent, Drake, and Flynn, who all had a view of the inside of the sarcophagus, let out a simultaneous gasp. Van Meer peered inside, and stood rigidly still for a few moments. The room grew silent as the soldiers awaited his reaction.
"It's… empty." He said, softly. There was a very long pause, during which nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Nobody breathed. Van Meer simply stared into the sarcophagus, and Drake thought he saw the man cry. During his frantic excitement, several strands of van Meer's hair had come loose from his ponytail, and while they had made him look energetic and fanatic, they now made him look depressed.
"Empty… Jozeph, come here."
Kroonen walked cautiously over to van Meer and stood next to him.
"Yes, Piet?"
Suddenly, van Meer reached out and grabbed the back of Kroonen's head and brought it down full force on the edge of the sarcophagus. Kroonen fell to the ground with a little cry of pain and surprise, blood now gushing from his forehead. Van Meer grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up, shoving his face in the sarcophagus.
"Do you see this, sukkel? Do you see it is empty? There is niets! We have nothing! You stupid rotzak!"
Van Meer released Kroonen, who slumped into the sarcophagus, and walked a few feet away. His hair was now entirely disheveled, his ponytail undone and hair framing his head like a wild lion's mane.
"Pielkops! Can no one do anything right?" He bellowed out at the group of soldiers, who muttered and started to back away, some placing their hands on their guns.
"Piet…" The feeble voice came from Kroonen, who remain slumped in the sarcophagus.
"What is it?" van Meer barked, turning sharply and glaring down at his assistant.
"There is something here. Written on the inside." Kroonen groaned lifting his head. Van Meer strode over and pulled Kroonen out and looked in.
"Unde Conditus. Ubi mortui iacere alto. Sequere cor." Van Meer read. He turned to Kroonen, who lied on the ground, trying to stop the bleeding from his head. "What does it mean?" He hissed, and Kroonen looked up at him.
"I'm not sure. It's in Latin, which we can easily translate but I don't know." Kroonen said through clenched teeth. Van Meer stared at him and then kicked out. Kroonen blocked the kick with his arm, but it was still enough to knock him to the ground.
"Waardeloos klootzak!" He shouted. Kroonen tried to get up, but van Meer rolled him over, grabbed his shirt, and lifted him so they were face to face. "Useless asshole, I should have had you killed and kept the American archaeologist instead!"
"Well then I think today is your lucky day, Piet!" Bellowed a deep voice behind Drake, Vincent, and Flynn. The three froze in place as the entire room turned to look at them. They didn't need to look to know it was Ambessa
"Stand up, you three, and keep your arms in the air." Ambessa said, and they complied. Van Meer looked at them in shock, then immediately his face split into another wide smile, as if the meltdown had never happened. He quickly fixed his hair back into a neat ponytail, and rushed up the stairs to the platform.
"Dhr. Drake, Dhr. Flynn! And Dhr. Fawkes, what an extremely surprising appearance. The other two I expected to be alive, but you I had thought were dead for sure. I suppose some people are just too unreliable." He said, turning sharply to look at Kroonen, who was still trying to lift himself off the ground.
"What's up, Piet? No longer on a first-name basis?" Vincent asked sarcastically.
"Well, we are not really friends any longer." Van Meer replied. "Although I have to admit, Dhr. Fawkes, it is quite fortunate that you lived, given that right now I am desperately in need of your help."
Vincent laughed at van Meer and, still smiling, looked him dead in the eye.
"No."
Van Meer met Vincent's gaze for a few seconds, then backhanded him. Vincent stumbled back, turning his head to the side and bringing a hand up to his burning face.
"You insult me, Dhr. Fawkes." Van Meer said, rubbing the back of his hand. "But I do understand your hostility. You are upset because I have this." Van Meer continued, pulling Vincent's journal out from his jacket pocket and held it in front of Vincent.
"Well, I am a bit ticked off because you tried to kill me, but sure, I guess I want my notebook too." Vincent said, his voice still dripping with sarcasm.
"Well then, I think we can come to an appropriate exchange." Van Meer said. "You can translate Latin, yes?"
"Yes, I can. And we were here long enough to know what you want. I'll help you translate the engraving. Hand me the journal."
Van Meer eyed Vincent suspiciously, who sighed and rolled his eyes.
"I need to write it down to translate it." He said, sounding exasperated. Drake looked at him questioningly. What was he trying to do? Was he actually helping van Meer?
Van Meer nodded and handed Vincent the journal and a pen. "If you try anything, Ambessa will shoot you down."
For extra emphasis, Ambessa cocked his rifle, and Vincent nodded his understanding. He flipped open the journal to the last page and looked past van Meer to Kroonen, who was now standing and mopping his face with a handkerchief.
"Hey, klootzak!" Vincent shouted down to him "Read the inscription for me one more time!" Kroonen scowled and looked at van Meer, who gave him a slight nod. Kroonen leaned back over the sarcophagus and read out the inscription.
"Unde Conditus. Ubi mortui iacere alto. Sequere cor."
Vincent wrote the phrase down into his journal and mumbled to himself before writing something underneath it.
"Well?" Van Meer asked, leaning forward eagerly. Vincent closed the journal and looked first at Drake and then Flynn. Drake tensed up, he could tell something was about to happen.
"Well, Piet, it's a rough translation." Vincent said, pocketing his journal. "But basically, the translation is… well…" Vincent paused, sharing one last look with Drake.
"What does it say!" Van Meer yelled, grabbing Vincent's shirt and pulling him close. Vincent pushed himself away and gave a crooked smile, his eyes burning with vigor.
"It translates to: 'Go burn in hell, you son of a bitch!'" Vincent said, snapping out with his fist and smashing into Van Meer's face. Drake turned and attacked Ambessa, forcing his gun away from Vincent. Ambessa fired a few rounds, but then started trying to wrestle the gun away from Drake. Vincent wrapped his arm around van Meer's neck from behind and pulled out his pistol, pressing it against the man's temple.
"Nobody move!" Vincent shouted out. Everybody froze, and Drake pushed Ambessa aside, who stood there without moving. The other soldier's behind him lowered their guns and kept their eyes locked on Vincent. Flynn and Drake also pulled out their guns, and pointed them at the soldiers. Kroonen hissed orders into his walkie-talkie as Vincent walked backwards, guiding van Meer out the doorway and back into the staircase.
"If you kill me, they will shoot you down in an instant." Van Meer said to Vincent, his voice choked from having his windpipe crushed under Vincent's arm.
"I know." Vincent said. "But all I need is a distraction."
As soon as they reached the top of the staircase, Vincent pushed van Meer down the stairwell, causing him to tumble all the way down. He closed the "Employees Only" door, turning towards Drake and Flynn who were standing behind him and looking at him in surprise.
"Gentlemen," Vincent said with another crooked smile "I strongly recommend that we run."
Author's Notes: Right back into the action with Chapter 6! I hope you all enjoyed this one, I know I did. You have all left some great reviews so far, so keep it up! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, etc. etc. Thank you all for following my story and reviewing it. Next up is Chapter 7, where things get tense as the group leaves London.
