Deep Down Under

Chapter 1

L'Hôtel Du Ciel, Paris, 7:00 am

Today wasn't the best of days for Professor Benjamin Sadowsky.

The 58 year old historian from Yale University, one of the most prestigious in the United States, realized that he had missed his flight back home. That's a thousand bucks gone wasted. And to add to the misery he'd have to book two more nights in this hotel. In disappointment he ran his fingers through his smooth, silky brown hair. He got out of his room and walked towards the elevator. There was a sign stuck to the elevator, the words were in bright red.

ELEVATOR UNDER MAINTENANCE.

SORRY FOR INCONVENIENCE.

"This is just great." He groaned. Only ten stories down, this should be fun. He was about to begin his tedious journey down the stairs when his iphone pinged. It was a text message from his old friend Andreas Del Piero. Andy. "What's he up to now?" he was talking to himself. He read text message he received.

Ben, this is an emergency situation, there's a private jet on its way to Geneva. Board it. Mr.Lorssen will guide you. Dangerous people after my research- Andy

"What the-" An emergency situation? Who on earth is Mr.Lorssen? Like never before, he made his way to lobby of the hotel as fast as he could and sent a text message back.

Got your message. On my way to the airport. Stay safe.-Ben

Sadowsky entered a taxi "Get to the airport and step on it!" The cabbie looked at Sadowsky. He had a perplexed expression on his face. He couldn't understand the rapid English of Sadowsky. He groaned "Charles De Gaulle Airport!" and the taxi was finally on its way.

Sitting in the taxi Sadowsky slowly recalled his previous meeting with his physicist friend.

"Ben! Thank god you made it!" Andreas had a huge grin on his face. Sadowsky comfortably walked into his best friend's house, where he had visited innumerable times.

"Coffee or tea?" asked Andreas.

"Tea" Sadowsky would never leave his friend's house without a beverage. While he waited for his beverage he helped himself to the view of valley and the Italian Riviera outside the window.

Sadowsky's tea arrived, "Thanks."

The two of them sat comfortably on the sofa. "So what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Andreas' grin disappeared. "What I'm about to tell you is very important" he paused, "Follow me."

Andreas led Sadowsky to the basement of his house. In the large basement was a locked door. He typed in a code which was too complicated for Sadowsky to remember.

The room was pitch black until Andreas turned on the lights.

The bulb illuminated a black board with several complicated equations, a messed up desk with papers lying all over and a huge chart on the wall adjacent to the black board. It had photos of several people, men and women with crosses marked over them in a red marker.

Sadowsky's eyes caught a newspaper on the floor.

Renowned Physicist Killed in Crash.

Andreas seemed to have read Sadowsky's mind, "That's just one of them."

"What the hell is this?" Sadowsky was terrified. This was one side of his friend he had never seen before.

Andreas pointed towards the chart. "May 15th, 2009, professor Wolfgang Mueller said on a talk show that he was onto something that would revolutionize the world" he paused, "Two days later, he's found dead at his residence. Autopsy says that he died of heart failure."