CH 69
Kaede was awakened by an odd sucking sound. Lifting herself up from her place on the sand, she pawed at her helmet light and turned it on.
The water level now was much lower and at the portal there was a large whirlpool that was sucking air down in the middle of it. Great! It looked like five feet of water had been drained. She got up to see if she could see floor yet.
"We're making progress?" Ian asked sleepily as he sat up.
"We are," Kaede replied as she lowered the portal a few feet. "I can even see the stone floor now. We got about four more feet to go."
Ian checked his watch. "It's five AM. We got time for some breakfast."
"At least." Kaede agreed. "So what do you think, by about noon we can keep going?"
"Right after breakfast, if you don't mind getting your feet wet," he said and pulled out MRE's. "Umm, scrambled egg omelet with bacon and cheese, or eggs, sausage and cheese?"
"You pick, I'll take the other one," Kaede replied.
Ian put the hot packs on. "So, how big do you think this place is?"
Looking at the walls, Kaede said, "A short ways down, the left wall opens up. I think this was an entry room. I can see stuff in the distance how. Statues are showing themselves."
Ian scanned the water marks on the wall. "I'd say the water down here was nine, ten feet deep. We'll be the first ones in thousands of years to see what's down here."
"Yup, and I'm going to record everything," Kaede agreed.
"I'll hold the camera, you point out what we'll be looking at. Right after we eat."
.
They sat and ate. Kaede watched the water level. She thought it was going down a bit faster than it was before. "I think we drained the water out of a higher place, or two," she said in a mussing tone. "The level's dropping a bit faster. Look, there's a bit of flow coming this way."
"Make sure no artifacts go down the portal," Ian said with a grin.
Kaede snorted and asked, "Floating stone? Everything down here has been stone or precious metals."
Finishing breakfast, they packed up their garbage and noted the water had dropped another foot. Kaede was tempted to go wading. She was now seeing more stone floor. The sand was 'V'd towards the portal.
Ian checked the camera and the chip. "We got a half hour more of video on this chip. Mike's already got one full chip and three more spares."
"He planned well," Kaede said as she pondered just wading in. Seeing the whirlpool in the portal was growing a long tail again, she moved it down to the stone floor. More sand went in. She stepped closer to the water away from the portal, by the far wall. Stepping on the stone floor, she said, "It's knee deep now. For being down here so long, this water is crystal clear."
"Nothing to disturb it," Ian said. "We probably won't see any dirt or debris until it's almost all gone and stirs up the bottom. Walk towards the corner on the left, I'm going to start recording. Tell me where you're going so whoever watches this knows."
Kaede nodded in agreement. She turned to the camera and narrated.
"We're now in the chambers down the stairs from the chamber under the left paw of the Sphinx. There's a huge sand mound to the right of the stairs. As you can see from the wetness on the walls, the water here was deep. I'm standing on stone floor, and it looks like the level when I started draining this chamber was about ten feet deep. The water is very clear, no debris to it at all." Pointing out into the blackness, she said, "As you can see, this chamber is very big. Right here, the left wall opens up into a main chamber. Soon, we will be moving on into this chamber. Where I am, we suspect is an entry room. For so much sand to be down here, there was most likely an entry to the surface at one time. It's gust a good guess, but we're about 80 to 100 feet below the Sphinx now. With the tall ceiling that's rounded, I'm sure they had to dig this deep to leave enough rock support the Sphinx above us. As soon as we drain some more water out we'll go exploring. Not knowing what's in this chamber, the only safe thing to do is get the water out as much as we can before we move on."
Ian videoed her, then the whirlpool going down the portal drain. Ian panned the camera by her feet and said, "Kaede, come straight back the way you went. It looks like you're standing on a bench."
.
Mike and Perkins were let out of their cells in the morning to go have breakfast. After they ate they were led into a room with a desk. Shadid was there, leaned back in his chair. He eyed the men.
He waved the guards out and had them shut the door, then said, "From what I understand, Kaede got you into the Sphinx, then had you leave due to the fact she was draining the lower chambers of water?"
"That's right, Sir," Mike said. "She told us to wait by her room in the morning and she would come get us when the water level went down."
Shadid nodded. "And you have video proof of when and how the Sphinx was built? As well as the people who did it?"
"That's right," Perkins offered.
Shadid frowned slightly. In a musing tone he said, "To be honest, I never thought Dame Kaede was able to perform the feats she's accomplished. She not only got into the most secret parts of the Sphinx, but now, she's going to show the lower chambers to everyone. For reasons of national pride and business, the information she has gathered cannot come to light."
"Why?" Perkins asked. "It's well known the Sphinx is much older than the middle Dynasty. I would think that you would want to know the truth."
"We, in the Antiquities department want to know the truth. For the general public, the Sphinx must remain an Egyptian creation. Not some group of people that was here before us. Yes, here we know it's over 10,000 years old and much of it is rebuilt or modified. That cannot become public knowledge for the sake of Egypt today. When Dame Kaede returns from within, all the video you made must be confiscated. Yes, you will have your stories, but proof of what you say cannot leave here. I do commend Dame Kaede for ensuring nothing inside has, or will be touched."
Mike let out a snort. "So, all we've been doing is for nothing?"
Shadid waved a hand. "Not for nothing. You will be giving us valuable information that we didn't have. No one knew how to get into the Halls of Knowledge, or figured out how to drain the lower chambers so they could be studied. It is vital knowledge for us! Unfortunately, that knowledge must remain hidden for a while longer. Perhaps some day, that will become public, but not right now."
Perkins began in a stutter. "But … Dame Kaede … is THE One! The key to the Sphinx, the … mother ... The Immortal! Surely you must recognize that!"
Shadid smiled. "I do. That is why I agreed for her to come look and see what she could find. As for you two." He sat up and held up two pieces of paper. "You are hereby banned from re-entering the Sphinx. When Dame Kaede finally comes back out, she will told her permit is cancelled. We will take the camera and all the video that's been taken."
"That's MY video camera!" Mike complained.
"When we clear out everything on it, it will be returned to you." Shadid stated.
Mike huffed again and looked at the ceiling. He then offered, "Sir, I have been tasked to watch Dame Kaede. I can't do that from up here, if she's still down there."
"That is not my concern," Shadid stated. "Both of you can go see anything you want to see, but are not allowed back into the Sphinx. You gentlemen are excused."
Being let free, Mike and Perkins walked out of the police station. Mike frowned at Perkins. "You really shouldn't have told him about what Kaede is!"
.
The water drained farther down and Kaede saw the top of the bench she'd been standing on. The water was now, truly knee deep. While they waited, Ian used the 'copy' function on the Camera to duplicate the video's they took for the Antiquities department.
When the water was down to only a foot deep, Kaede figured that was good. She was tired of waiting. Besides, she wanted to catch Kouta before he left for another tour. She closed the portal and made another into their room at the hotel and took the copied video with her.
Stepping into their room, Kouta was laid out snoozing. She sat on the bed by him and started petting his hair. After a minute of so, he groggily opened his eyes. Upon seeing her, he sat up and they hugged.
Kouta kissed her and asked, "So how's your expedition going?"
"So far, so good. I only had to kick one guy out for looking like he might get violent." she said and kissed him back. "Seen Mike or Perkins yet?"
Kouta rubbed his eyes. "No, but there's two men outside in the hallway looking for you."
"For me? Why?" Kaede asked.
"Don't know. They look official. They asked where you were, I said I didn't know, I haven't seen you since we got here. Did you find this Hall of Knowledge?"
'We did!" she beamed. "And guess what, the Sphinx isn't Egyptian. It was made before any Egyptians were around." Grinning she said, "People with horns like mine made it."
"Really?"
"Yup! I'm sure that's going to be a big shock to them," she beamed.
"Wow. So are you now like Indiana Jones?" Kouta asked with a grin.
Kaede giggled. "I don't have a fedora. Only a hard hat. Though, I am a bit dirty now."
"We should clean you up then," Kouta said and glanced at the bathroom.
Kaede had a fun time in the shower with Kouta. They played then came out and Kaede sat on the sink for another round of sex. By the time Kaede got clean clothes on, she'd been here a couple hours. She wondered where Mike and Perkins were. She called Mike.
"Yeah?" Mike answered.
"It's Kaede, where are you? The chamber's drained down."
"Kaede, be careful. Mr. Shadid plans to confiscate the video camera and wipe all the video. As soon as they see you, your permit is cancelled and there will be no proof we were ever there. We've been banned from reentering the Sphinx."
Kaede thought for a moment then said, "Mike, play along with them. Ian's copying all the video over to the spare chips. We'll finish this then I'll see you on the boat or back in Glen Finnen."
"Gotcha. I take it you got a plan?"
"I do, just enjoy the sights until it's time to leave."
"Will do. Kaede? Thanks for letting me come."
"Hey, you're a good watcher. See you at home."
Mike chuckled. "Ok, Bye for now."
Although Kaede wanted to stay and play longer with Kouta, she knew she had to get going. The plane to take them back was leaving in four days. She told Kouta her plans and had him get the boat group together and back to the boat so they could leave the moment she showed up.
.
Kaede returned to the 'beach' in the lower chamber. Seeing the red doorway come into being, Ian turned to her.
"Where's Mike and Perkins?" he asked.
"They got kicked out of the Sphinx, and our camera is to be confiscated when we leave. So I'm going to pull a few tricks on them. Care to help out?"
Ian nodded. "Sure. Are these dirty tricks?"
"Maybe, I'm not going to let them take our video away from us. After we're done down here, I want to make a little fare well speech. Would you like to go back to Scotland directly?"
"Right to Glasgow? Why not."
.
In the shin deep water they went into the large chamber. Ian filmed, first panning around the room with the bright lights, then followed Kaede as she pointed out glyphs on the walls and the statues they saw. There were a few open, smaller rooms as they went with statues in them. Kaede also had him get a video of what they thought was a speaking platform and all the benches around it.
At the other end of the room was a low set of six steps that were still drizzling water from the next room beyond. In this area there were low stone walls lined up against the room walls that looked like they were separate storage areas or sleeping areas. There was also a tunnel beyond, but going down it, they found it was collapsed. Again, with a mound of sand.
Kaede wasn't going to dig it out. She went back to the speaking platform to stand on it and give a short speech.
"Antiquities Department of Egypt, you are getting a copy of everything we filmed as promised. What you are not going to do is take our camera or confiscate the original video. By the time you see this, if you decide to study it, I'll be gone. I know you won't allow another expedition down here, but that's OK. I've seen everything and I can come and go as I wish to now."
She waved and said, "Thank you for letting me see what my ancestors accomplished, and Good Bye." She then made a portal and Ian stopped filming.
Ian, she sent to the his house in Glasgow, then she portaled herself back to her castle to leave Mike's video camera and the Artifact of knowledge in the basement, then took the copies of the video and portaled onto her boat.
.
There was no one else on the boat yet. Going topside, Kaede saw there were a pair of guards right on the dock at the brow. They were watching the dock towards land.
"Excuse me!" she called and went down the brow to them. The men turned and stared at her. She held out the two video chips. "Your Antiquities Department wants these. Tell them I an so sorry for not giving them to them sooner."
The one guard only frowned at her. The other asked, "Antiquities?"
"Yes, these are a copy of all the video we took inside the Sphinx. Can you please make sure they get them? They were very interested to see what we found."
"You were inside the Sphinx?" he asked.
"Yes. Most of one is of the Halls of Knowledge and the daily lives of the people at the time. We got good video of the chambers deep beneath the Sphinx also. It's important the Antiquities department sees them," Kaede explained and handed the chips over.
The man nodded, "I will ensure they get them!" he said firmly.
"Thank you, Sir."
He talked to the other guard, then walked quickly down the dock.
Since her family would not be here for another day or so, Kaede got the supplies topped off and her boat ready for the trip back to Brightsea. Her family arrived the next day. After the happy reunion and the kids showing the trinkets they got, everyone wanted to see the video of Kaede's adventures inside the Sphinx. Duncan bought a wide screen TV before they left so they could watch the videos after they put out to sea.
.
Three days later in the Cairo Museum of Antiquities, the Curator saw the messenger that came.
"Here are the video chips of the Sphinx expedition, sir," the messenger said, and gave them to him.
The Curator looked at the chips and frowned. "How did you get them? I take it Dame Kaede has returned from the Sphinx?"
"I was given them by the police. Dame Kaede, gave them to a dock guard, who took them to the police station there. Apparently she almost forgot to turn them in. It's good that she remembered before she left," he said with a smile. "On these, she said there is video of the lost Halls of Knowledge in the Sphinx that there have been rumors of. Surely this is an important find."
The last the Curator knew, Dame Kaede was still inside the Sphinx. "How did she get to Alexandria?" he wondered aloud. "Was she in a hotel there?"
"She was on her boat."
The Curator, Shadid and their top men watched the long hours of Kaede and her group going through the passages, and saw the portals she made and standing in front of seamless rock doors as they lifted by themselves. Shadid and his team did understand that Kaede had real magic. She was able to move from place to place at will, and even drained the lower chambers of water to go explore what was there. At the end, where Kaede gave her speech, Shadid frowned. Dame Kaede had gotten away with the original videos of things he didn't want made public.
He was going to have to discredit her excursion as a hoax.
.
Kaede expected a hassle leaving port. She was pleasantly surprised when there wansn't had half expected to be stopped by the local Coast Guard, of be arrested and her boat searched. Nothing happened though. She paid her fees and they set sailed out of the harbor and headed west down the Med.
The first few days they sailed along in the sunshine, the girls plastered on sun block and laid out on the foredeck in their bikinis. Kaede took the day helm in her bikini and a light wrap and a wide brimmed straw hat to keep the sun mostly off her. While she steered, she also updated the log book and kept a close watch on radar and Kanae.
Cruising along at an even eight knots, Kaede noticed her daughter was eyeing the water with a longing look. A couple times, Kaede swore she tensed to jump in. Kanae bent her legs, gripping the rail again, so Kaede spoke up.
"Kanae, hon, what are you doing?" she asked.
Kanae looked at her and blushed. "Mom, the water looks really good, and it's nice and hot out. The waves aren't very big, either."
Kaede shook her head. "No, we're moving. It's too easy get lost. I take it you want to go swimming?"
Kanae nodded. "It looks so tempting Mom," she complained.
Kaede nodded. "Yes, it does, but you do realize the boat's moving, and when you hit the water, you won't be. By the time you come up from your dive, the boat will be far ahead of you and we'll have to turn around and look for you. There also may be really big fish nearby that may try to eat you."
"I know," Kanae pouted.
Again Kaede checked the radar, this time she saw a dot off to their left, behind them. The dot indicated it was six miles away. Watching it, it looked to be slowly overtaking them.
OK, something for Kanae to do. Kaede called, "Kanae, we got something coming up on is from behind and a little to the left. Can you go up the mast about half way and see it?"
"Sure Captain Mom!" Kanae said eagerly. She ran over to the mast and shot up about three quarters of the way up and looked behind them. One hand over her eyebrows, she scanned the ocean, then pointed. "There, mom. It doesn't have sails, it's hard to see how big it is, but it's another boat."
A motorboat. Kaede went a few degrees starboard for a couple minutes, then back on course to open the distance when they went by.
"Ahh, Mom, it looks like it's coming right at us." Kanae said.
They were out in the middle of the Mediterranean. Kaede shifted right again and trimmed the sails. A tack should tell her if they were being followed. "Kanae, come down."
Kanae slid down the mast and came back by her in the helm area. "Mom, do you think they are chasing us?"
Kaede grinned at her. "I doubt it, Let's just watch and see what they do, OK?" Kaede showed her the dot on the radar screen. "Just watch them from here."
Kanae nodded and fixed her gaze on the radar screen.
Kaede turned back to her original course. They eyed the dot that was now five miles away together. Kaede could also see it in the distance. It did look to be headed right for them.
A call on the radio came. "Sea Witch, this is the Egyptian Coast Guard. Heave to and prepare to be boarded. Sea Witch, this is the Egyptian Coast Guard. Heave to and prepare to be boarded."
Kaede keyed her mike. "Egyptian Coast Guard, the Sea Witch is out of your territorial waters. You have no jurisdiction to approach or board. Any attempt will be seen as piracy and we will act accordingly."
"Seat Witch, heave to and prepared to be boarded!"
Kaede frowned. "Kanae, get your grandmother and Nana up here. And everyone else below."
Kanae ran to do it. Kaede fired up the engine and ran it to full speed. She had a feeling she didn't want them to catch her. She thought about dropping the sails, but decided to wait on that. When her mother and Nana came to the back she explained what was going on.
"They want to board us, huh?" Inari asked, frowning at the other boat.
"That's what they said," Kaede replied. She grabbed the binoculars and looked at this 'Coast Guard' boat. It was a power boat about the size of theirs. She could see five men on board. What she didn't see was any official markings on the boat. It also looked a little rusty. Three of the five men had guns. They looked like assault rifles.
"It's going to be a fight," Kaede stated.
Inari frowned a bit and said, "When they get close, reverse the engine. We're going to have to splatter them quickly."
"Right, Mom. Nana, When it starts, you punch holes in the hull of their boat. As many as you can. And protect yourself, they will be shooting."
Nana nodded, eyeing the boat.
Closing to less than a mile, Kaede got another radio call. "Sea Witch, heave to now! This is your last chance!"
Kaede replied, "You're not coast Guard of any country, move away for your own good!"
"We will open fire!" the other boat stated.
Kaede keyed her mike. "Oh, so you are saying you'll become violent?" I guess we better stop then."
A half mile between the boats, Kaede reversed the engine and dug her invisible hands into the water to quickly bring the Sea Witch to a stop. As they slowed down to nothing, Kaede focused on the wheelhouse of the other boat and shot two mind hands out at it. The wheel house on the other boat burst apart with a little blood flinging back with the wheel house debris. The three men she saw, ducked.
The boats were closing fast now, the Sea Witch reversing. When two of the men got up Kaede aimed for them.
SPLAT SPLAT. The men burst apart. The last one had his head up. When his friends blew apart by nothing, he ducked back down. Their boat was still driving forward.
"Mom, Kanae, NOW!" Kaede barked as the other boat came within fifty yards of theirs.
There were no men showing themselves, so Kaede, Inari and Nana all punched at the hull slamming big holes in the side. Seeing one man on deck as the boats passed each other, Inari splattered him where he laid.
Kaede slowing the motor and put it back in forward. The other boat moved on as it sank lower in the water. Kaede followed the other boat.
It didn't take long for that boat to fill up enough to kill the engine. As the other boat sank lower, only the ripped up base of the wheel house and deck showing, a man climbed out of the remains of the wheel house to gape at Kaede.
SPLAT
Kaede struck him mid chest, blasting his body apart.
Leaving the boat to sink, Kaede bore to port to open the distance between them. Once they were no longer visible, she turned the motor down to an idle and disengaged the screw.
They had to make water anyway.
.
Kaede pondered whether to put the event into the ship's log or not. Not long after the incident, she got a call from the Italian Coast Guard, wondering about their radio traffic earlier. Kaede explained to them what happened, and decided to log everything down. A real Italian Coast Guard ship met them. She showed them the log, they asked Inari and Nana what happened. Both said the same thing. Satisfied it was a piracy attempt they had driven off, The Captain allowed Kaede to sail on. The Italian ship went back to find and pick up the bodies.
.
Word of the attempted piracy on the Sea Witch got back to London. THere, the admiralty agreed that for attempting to take over Dame Kaede's boat, those men had commitied suicide.