Authors: Alex Archer
Annja stared. “How do you know that name?”
Sheila smiled. “You didn’t think you were the only woman to have ever met him, did you? You don’t strike me as that naive.”
“Of course not,” Annja snapped. “But neither did I think that a complete stranger would know anything about him, at least not here.”
“As I said,” Sheila replied, “this isn’t what it looks like.”
“It never is when Garin is involved,” Annja said. “Why are you here, Sheila?”
“To help Garin recover something of interest. Something that shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
Annja’s head still throbbed. What she really needed, she decided, was a very long sleep. And perhaps when she woke up, this convoluted nightmare would be over. Or at least she’d have a decent cup of coffee waiting for her. “And whose hands would those be? Mine?”
Sheila shook her head. “Not at all. Garin’s not trying to keep anything from you. Far from it. He’d like your help on this, if possible. But we weren’t sure you’d even be involved, which is why I’m here.”
“How did you even know that this job was tied to Hunter? From what he told me, he was able to keep all reference to this out of the advertisement.”
Sheila smirked. “I don’t need to tell you how utterly transparent most computer systems are these days. Even with their supposedly impenetrable firewalls, we can get into most of them without breaking a sweat.”
“Is that so?”
“Actually, yes. All it took was a quick peek around to get Hunter’s particulars and confirm that it was him launching this operation.”
“Why the interest in Hunter?”
“Because he’s the only one who’s been convinced from the start that the
Fantome
was actually hauling captured booty back to Britain. Pretty much everyone else in the treasure-hunting community blows it off as a wild-goose chase. Hunter hasn’t.”
“And if he’s determined to bring it up, then that represents a problem for you guys.”
Sheila nodded. “Of course. Garin was never concerned about it before. As long as it stayed on the ocean floor, he was content to let it lie. But Hunter is not content to let that happen. So other steps had to be taken. I was told to insert and safeguard it.”
“From me?”
Sheila shook her head. “This isn’t about you, Annja.” Her eyes narrowed. “Besides, from what I hear, you’ve already got your hands full with another relic. I don’t think anyone’s eager to see your workload compounded.”
“You know?”
Sheila nodded. “Pretty much everything. Yep.”
Annja frowned. “And Garin was comfortable with that?”
“That’s beside the point,” Sheila said. “The real danger here is that this relic falls into the hands of the other party.”
“Who?”
“In time,” Sheila said. “For right now, let’s just say they are extremely dedicated to getting their hands on the relic first. We’ve already seen some of their attempts.”
“Not the engine room fire?”
Sheila nodded. “Just a slight distraction. If they’d wanted it, we’d all be dead right now.”
“Wonderful.” Annja frowned. “What is this thing and why do they want it?”
“It belonged to the same woman as your sword.”
“Joan of Arc?” Annja frowned. “What was it about her that prompted such attention?”
“Her single-minded devotion to God’s service. When she was burned at the stake, the sword wasn’t the only thing taken from her and believed to have been destroyed. When she was tied to the stake, they took the small crucifix from around her neck. Since they considered her a heretic, they said she wouldn’t be needing it.”
“So the crucifix is down there?”
Sheila nodded. “It was a gift from the French to Washington after his inauguration as the first president. The legend surrounding the necklace was whispered about in tight circles. Rumors of what it could do abounded but no one ever paid much attention to it. The necklace was to be kept safe and secured in the White House.”
“What’s it supposed to be able to do?”
Sheila looked at Annja. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“It supposedly renders the wearer immortal.”
Annja frowned. “Supposedly. You don’t know for sure?”
“Can you tell me exactly what that sword of your does or where it goes or even every one of its powers?”
“I wouldn’t even try to convince you of that,” Annja said. “It seems to have plenty of hidden assets I can’t understand.”
“Exactly,” Sheila said. “That’s the problem with the crucifix. We don’t really know how it works. It’s not like we could experiment with it. But the threat of what it can potentially do is enough to spur our intervention.”
Annja shook her head. “You want to keep this out of the hands of someone very powerful, I take it.”
Sheila stretched. “Can you imagine what would happen if an evil party got their hands on this? If they could figure out how to tap into the hidden properties of the necklace? I think we can both agree that the world is filled with people who really should not be allowed to ingest any more oxygen than absolutely necessary.”
“I’ve met my fair share of evil,” Annja admitted.
“Now imagine if they were invulnerable, even to your sword. If they could continue sowing discord and terror among the population.”
“They’d grow unchecked.” Annja nodded. “I can see the threat. But how do we stop it?”
“By getting the crucifix first.”
“That means going underwater,” Annja said. “I don’t think I need to bring up the danger that waits below the surface.”
Sheila nodded. “The shark is a problem.”
“A big one, near as I can tell,” Annja said. “I’m used to dealing with humans. Giant flesh-eating fish are something else entirely.”
“It’s going to have to be dealt with,” Sheila said. “We need that treasure brought up and the crucifix either safeguarded or destroyed.”
“Destroyed? How would we do that?”
“Smelting it would render it useless. At least, that’s what the legends tell us. We don’t really know if it would work.”
“Wonderful.” Annja shook her head. “This is turning into quite a trip.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m not exactly thrilled to be here, either,” Sheila said.
Annja looked at her and realized how similar they seemed to be. Even the way Sheila carried herself reminded Annja of how she behaved on occasion. And Annja could see the resolve in Sheila’s eyes.
“Garin’s been training you for a long time?” she asked.
“Almost ten years.”
“You don’t look that old.”
Sheila frowned. “I’m not, thank you very much. I’m your age. Garin recruited me when I was much younger.”
“How’d he find you?”
Sheila shook her head. “I don’t think that’s germane to our conversation right now. We should probably just concentrate on the matters at hand.”
“I’d like to know,” Annja said. “After all, it feels like you have an unfair advantage over me in that you know all about my past.”
Sheila sat there for a moment and said nothing. Finally, she sighed and nodded. “Fine. Let’s just say that I was something of a wild child. I dropped out of high school and found my way to New York where I did some modeling. I didn’t particularly care where my life led me. I met Garin at some high-class event. He took me home and seduced me. But when I expected him to just use me for his own enjoyment, he wanted something else.”
“What was that?”
“To become an operative for him. He told me something about his life and how limited he was in being able to freely move around the world. He told me that if I agreed, he would train me to be able to handle any situation. And he would pay me very well.”
Annja frowned. She wasn’t getting paid and it seemed as though she was putting up with the same risks. That figured. “Go on,” she grumbled.
“Garin spent five years teaching me all he knew about pretty much everything under the sun. He’s been around an awfully long time. The fact that he was able to cram all that knowledge into my brain is something miraculous in and of itself.”
“If you say so.”
Sheila grinned. “I’m not egotistical, Annja. I long ago learned to be accepting of my own limitations. It’s the only way to ever rise above them.”
“So you know all about Garin?”
“I know about the ongoing struggle between the forces of good and evil. Of which Garin is a part. As are you.”
Annja frowned. “I was drafted. Unlike you, I wasn’t given much of a choice. I wish I had been.”
“And if you had declined, you would most likely be dead by now.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“It’s not that I doubt your abilities, Annja. After all, I’ve had the chance to see them up close and personal. But have you ever thought about how our lives unfurl from the spool we’re born with? Our actions and decisions always seem to lead us inevitably toward a crux. Your life led you to the point where you encountered the sword and it became a part of you.”
“So?”
“So, if you had rejected it at that point, somehow—and I’m not saying you could have because I don’t know enough about it—it seems like it would have been a rejection of not just the sword, but of your entire life. What would have been the point of living anymore?”
“Well, I wouldn’t have become suicidal or anything.”
“Perhaps not consciously. But your actions and thoughts would have subconsciously led you away from your destiny. And when someone rejects their destiny so completely, the universe seems to want to hit the reset button.”
“You’re saying I would have brought about my own death?”
“Most likely.”
Annja fell silent for a moment. “What a rosy outlook on life that is,” she said quietly.
Sheila smiled. “I only speak from my own experiences, Annja. I’m not casting judgment on you and yours.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Look at my life. I was headed for a cliff when I met Garin. If I’d rejected him at that point, I know for certain I would be dead now.”
“Really?”
Sheila nodded. “The drugs, the sex, something. I don’t know. Any one of them or a combination would have led me further and further astray until I overdosed or got some horrible disease. It was only a matter of time.”
Annja sighed. “Garin became your sword, then.”
Sheila shrugged. “That’s one way of looking at it, I guess. He came along at a particular time, much like the sword did with you. I guess that’s one of the great mysteries of life, how things seem to happen at just the right moment.”
“No coincidences,” Annja said. “That’s too easy an explanation. And I’ve seen enough to not believe in coincidence anymore.”
“Coincidence does seem to be the crutch for the unimaginative.” Sheila smiled. “Garin told me you were something else.”
“That’s only because he’s been trying to seduce me for years,” Annja said.
“There aren’t many who can resist him.”
“I never claimed it was easy,” Annja said with a laugh.
“You’re honest,” Sheila said. “I like that.”
“So the question now seems to be how do we deal with the shark terrorizing this boat and all who would dive?”
Sheila looked at Annja. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Not yet.”
“You’re going to have to deal with it, Annja. You’re going to have to kill the shark so we can get to the treasure.”
“You’re dreaming,” Annja said. “There’s no way in hell I’m going into the water with that shark. The thing’s huge!”
Sheila shook her head. “We don’t have a choice.”
Annja frowned. “And what would you be doing right now if I wasn’t here? You’d have to figure out something else, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then figure it out. Leave me out of this. I’ll be more than happy to help you recover the crucifix, but I’m not going into combat with some giant fish. No way.”
Annja got up to leave, but Sheila put up her hand. “Remember what we were just talking about?”
“What?”
“Destiny and how it impacts us?”
“Fighting that shark is not my destiny. It’s just a convenient way for you to get out of doing your job.”
Sheila shook her head. “I wish it was that simple. But the fact that you’re here is the same as it’s always been. You are where you are for a reason. And for you to deny that is tempting the fates in the very worst way.”
“I’ve been tempting fate a lot longer than you know,” Annja said. “I just don’t see how I can help.”
“You can help because your sword is here on this boat, right now. And you know that the shark can’t survive against it.”
“The sword’s not perfect,” Annja said. “Neither is the wielder of it. You may have bought into the whole good versus evil thing, but I still struggle with it and my own place in this universe. Sometimes I don’t even want this sword. Sometimes all I want is my old life back. Or at least the life I thought belonged to me.”
“You’re not the only one, Annja.”
Annja sighed. “Suppose I agree to go through with it, how would we even do it? The shark is huge. I’ll never last long enough to get close.”
“We’ve got the cage that Cole had shipped in, right?”
“You think I can kill the shark from inside the cage?”
“Maybe.”
“It’d be me sticking my sword out between the bars, poking at it and probably losing it in the process.”
“You can’t lose it,” Sheila said. “You simply will it back to where it rests when you aren’t using it.”
“Garin told you about that?”
“As I said, Garin tries to explain a lot of things so I’m better prepared when I go out on operations. There was a chance you would be here, albeit a small one and one that we couldn’t overtly manipulate to our advantage, but we hoped you’d show up.”
“How so?”
“We know about your relationship with Cole. We knew about Hunter. And it was hoped there would be a convergence of situations.”
“Cole and I don’t really have a relationship. We’re just friends.”
“Call it whatever you want,” Sheila said. “I’m not here to pass judgment on you or your lifestyle.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“But the fact remains we have to deal with that shark.”
“We’ve got to deal with the traitor on board the boat, as well,” Annja said. “Otherwise, the shark is going to be the least of our problems.”
“Hunter and Cole should be able to figure out who the traitor is without our help. We’ve got bigger fish to fry, pardon the pun.”
“How are they going to narrow it down?”
Sheila shrugged. “You left them to handle things while you came after me.”
“Yeah, but I thought you were the traitor.”
Sheila nodded. “And you told them to carry on because you felt certain there was someone else working on the ship, right?”
“How’d you know that?”
Sheila smiled. “Garin taught me very well. I’ve had this entire boat wired for sound for days now. I heard everything you said after I left. It’s how I was able to be ready for your sudden appearance.”
“Wonderful.”
“The truth of the matter is: there is someone working on the boat to disrupt the operation. But it’s not me. So in a way, you were absolutely correct when you told them there was another party on board.”
“That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
“Well, the important thing is they’ll be fine without our help. You and I need to figure out the shark. Once we get that taken care of, Hunter and Cole will have found the traitor and then we can get down to the business of securing the crucifix.”
Annja sighed. “And just who are we keeping the crucifix away from? Because you never told me that.”
Sheila looked at her. “Do you just pretend to not notice things as a way of ferreting out information?”
“Depends on who I’m talking to.”
“I see.”
“And you still haven’t answered the question.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
Annja frowned. “I thought you knew everything there was to know about these people.”
“I do. To some extent, anyway. But it’s not a lack of information I’m worried about.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s about whether Garin wants you to know who they are.”
Annja shook her head. “Why on earth wouldn’t he want me to know about them?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t specifically tell me to share the information with you. ‘Need to know’ and all that.”
Annja stood. “Let me make myself clear. If you expect me to go into the water and face down some huge shark that wants nothing more than to chew me into little bits and pieces, then I expect some quid pro quo here. You can get right on the horn to Garin and tell him I said that. If he wants my help, he’d better start sharing the goods on who is after this thing. And if he doesn’t, he can come on out here and take on the shark himself, because I’ll be gone.”
Sheila held up her hands. “Okay, okay, just calm down.”
“I am calm,” Annja said. “I just want there to be no mistake. I am not going ahead with any plan to help Garin until I know the full extent of what’s involved here. I tend to take a very long view of things when my own mortality is involved.”
“I’ll get Garin on the phone and talk to him. In the meantime, will you promise to keep this quiet?”
Annja frowned. “Who am I going to tell?”
“Hunter and Cole.”
“You don’t want them knowing you’re in the clear?”
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“It will probably help flush out the real culprit if I’m still suspected of being the traitor.”
“I can’t keep it from them for very long.”
“Just let them think that you’ve got me buttoned up and I’ll get clearance from Garin. Then we can go see them.”
Annja nodded. “Fine. I’m going to lie down. But move fast. I want more information than what I’ve got so far.”
A
NNJA GOT BACK
to her quarters and stretched out on the bed, sinking into the mattress with relief. She felt butterflies in her stomach and did some deep breathing to relieve the nervousness she was feeling.
The idea of jumping into the ocean to do battle with the shark stalking the boat did nothing to make her pleased she’d agreed to come along with Cole on this trip. If anything, Annja only wanted to run home and lock the door.
At least in Brooklyn, she only had to worry about muggers, murderers and a variety of other scum. Sharks hadn’t yet figured out how to settle down in any of the five boroughs.
Garin.
His face swam into her mind and Annja frowned. So Sheila worked for him. That was a surprise. More surprising was the fact that she knew plenty about Annja and was a decent match in terms of her combat skills. Annja hadn’t met many who could go toe to toe with her.
Why was Garin recruiting his own operatives? The fact that he and Roux had once been mortal enemies hadn’t stopped them both from moving around the world as it suited them. Sure, they kept reasonably low profiles, but why was Garin now so worried that he needed operatives in play for him?
She wasn’t sure that made much sense and it had to be addressed the next time she saw him.
Then there was the whole notion that some rival was actively searching for the crucifix that had once belonged to Joan of Arc. Annja felt a twang in her stomach at the thought of the woman whose sword she now owned.
No, that wasn’t it. Annja didn’t own the sword. If anything, the sword seemed to own her.
Regardless, what type of organization was this? Did they know about Annja and the sword? Or were they only after the crucifix? Being granted immortality was a fantastic concept and one that Annja wasn’t sure she could buy into, even knowing Roux and Garin had survived for centuries.
Of course, if someone had suggested that Joan of Arc’s sword could manifest itself at will in her hands, she would have told them they were nuts, too.
She desperately needed sleep.
Annja stretched and let the pillow cradle her head as she took a few more deep breaths and sank further into herself. She let her mind go blank as she often did when she was tired and worn out. She could feel her awareness soften and expand as she took each subsequent breath.
Who is the traitor?
She heard a noise first and then turned sharply.
Someone was trying to open her door.
The knob moved one way and then the other. But Annja had been sure to lock the door when she’d come in. And that meant whoever was trying to get in would either have to pick the lock or kick the door in.
Or they could just knock.
Annja smirked. She didn’t think they’d do that.
She slid out of the bed carefully and let her feet touch the floor before she shifted her weight any further. At least the floors don’t creak, she thought as she stood and padded over toward the door.
The doorknob kept rotating back and forth. She heard another sound from the other side. Metallic.
She frowned.
What were they doing? She thought she could hear a vague clicking or scraping sound.
They were picking the lock. As far as she was concerned, that ruled out the idea that someone friendly was on the other side of the door. If they weren’t knocking, then Annja wasn’t happy to see them.
She crept closer to the door and put her ear to the surface. She could almost hear the breathing on the other side. She could visualize the face of the person picking their way into her quarters and see the exertion. She could feel their desire to get into her room.
But why?
No sense wondering, she thought. She turned the lock and yanked the door hard. “Hi, there.”