“Yes, but the design is even older. The tombs go back to 2200 B.C. They were used for communal burials in Crete and other parts of the Aegean. Kurt, do you know what this means?” Her voice quivered with excitement. “We could establish trade links between the Aegean and Europe far earlier than anyone has dared to suggest. I'd give anything to get a close look at the tomb.”

“My standard price for an underwater tomb tour is an invitation to dinner.”

“You can get us inside?”

“Why not? We've got plenty of clearance on either side and above. If we go slowly ”

“The hell with slow! Depeche-toi. Vite, vitel” Austin laughed, and moved the submersible forward toward the dark opening. He was as eager as Skye, but he advanced with caution. The lights were beginning to probe the interior when a voice came over the vehicle's radio receiver.

“Kurt, this is support. Come in, please.”

The words being transmitted through the water had a metallic vibrato, but Austin recognized the voice of the NUMA boat's captain.

He brought the submersible to a hovering stop and picked up the microphone. “This is the SEA mobile Do you read me?”

“Your voice is a little faint and scratchy, but I can hear you. Please tell Ms. Labelle that Francois wants to talk to her.”

Francois Balduc was the French observer NUMA had invited aboard as a courtesy to the French government. He was a pleasant, middle-aged bureaucrat who stayed out of the way except at dinner, when he assisted the cook in turning out some memorable feasts. Austin handed the mike to Skye.

There was a heated discussion in French, which ended when Skye passed the microphone back.

“Merde!” she said with a frown. “We've got to go up.”

“Why? We still have plenty of air and power.”

“Francois got a call from a big shot in the French government. I'm needed immediately to identify some sort of artifact.”

“That doesn't sound very urgent. Can it wait?”

“As far as I'm concerned it can until Napoleon returns from exile,” she said with a sigh, “but the government is subsidizing part of my research here, so I'm on call, so to speak. I'm sorry.”

Austin stared with narrowed eyes at the opening. “This tomb has been hidden from human view possibly for thousands of years. It's not going anywhere.”

Skye nodded in agreement, although her heart clearly wasn't in it.

They looked longingly at the mysterious doorway, and then

Austin put the submersible in a U-turn. Once they were clear of the canyon, he reached for the vertical thruster control, and the submersible began its ascent.

Moments later, the bubble cockpit popped out at the surface near the NUMA catamaran. He maneuvered the craft around behind the boat and drove it over a submerged platform between the twin hulls. The gate was raised and a winch hoisted the platform carrying the submersible up onto the deck.