The Atlantis Gene

Pierce receives a call from Mallory Craig: There has been an accident at the excavation site and several workers are trapped. He speeds to the site but does not find a cave-in as he suspected. Instead, a worker hands him a phone; Rutger Kane is on the line, gleefully informing Pierce that he is “in the right place” (308). Just then, Pierce notices the detonation wires leading to the ceiling of the chamber, but before he can evacuate the workers, an explosion causes the roof to collapse. Hours pass, and eventually Pierce hears sounds on the other side of the collapsed rock. Rutger informs Pierce that the order to kill him came straight from Lord Barton, adding that he, Rutger Kane, was betrothed to Helena long before Pierce ever came along. He also implies that Helena’s child will mysteriously die.

On the other side of the wall, Pierce hears the men still trying to excavate the top of the stairs. He then hears men screaming and the sound of rushing water. Soon, the water begins pouring into the chamber where Pierce is trapped. With no other option, he enters the structure and seals himself in one of the cryogenic tubes.