Laura 02 The God Code

by Anton Swanepoel

  Goose bumps appear over Laura’s body as the hair at the back of her neck stands up. The sound of the train running on the tracks is deafening and causes Laura to flinch in pain. Instinctively she jumps back from the window while a yell escapes her lips. What is going on, why is everything dark? Victor, where is Victor? Laura grabs in the darkness for Victor. Laura’s hand closes around Victor’s, who gives hers a reassuring squeeze. Suddenly the train exits the narrow tunnel in the mountain and Laura can see again.

  “It is all right dear, says the elderly man opposite Laura, whose hand she is holding. Sheepishly, Laura lets go of the elderly man’s hand, her cheeks warm as she blushes. Laura bursts out laughing at her mistake, while Victor just shakes his head and smiles at her. Laura punches him on the shoulder and then retakes her place at the window. Victor returns his attention to his thoughts. He smiles as it comes to him where he can hide the scrolls. The data containing the profiles on 500 agents is another matter. Killing him and Laura before he hands over the data only makes sense if someone high-up in the government is not who he or she says they are. In that case, they must think he has already checked the files and knows. As soon as there is time, he will check the files.

  “Wow, this is lovely.” Laura’s voice next to him brings Victor out of his thoughts, and he looks out of the window at the countryside. The town Machu Picchu Pueblo is directly in front of them, at the bottom of the mountain, next to the river. Mist slowly drifts down the mountain, making it look as if a giant dragon is breathing down onto the town from above.

  Although the town does not have the same historical feel as Ollantaytambo, built out of the need to accommodate the increase in tourists to the ruins, it is still spectacular. Shops and hotels line the train tracks, and run half way up the nearest mountain.

  “Where are we going to stay tonight?”

  “I know of a place I used once before, years back.”

  “You’ve been here before? Is there anywhere you have not been?” Laura asks jokingly.

  “Well, I protected a lot of important people for a long time, and many love to travel.”

  “Who did you protect here then?”

  “The Pope.”

  “What! You protected the Pope on a visit to Machu Picchu?”

  “He was not the Pope back then. He was a Cardinal, and he wished to see the ruins. He knew that if he became Pope, it would be hard for him to get the time to visit the ruins. Come, let’s get a room.”

  “Mmmm, now you’re talking.” Laura winks at Victor and squeezes his bum as she talks. Victor bends down and kisses her, while grabbing her buttocks with his left hand, pulling her tightly against him, and runs the fingers of his right hand through her hair. Laura’s body responds to his kiss, yearning for him. Pulling slightly back, they lovingly look into each other’s eyes.

  While winking at Laura, Victor puts his right arm around her and leads her up a few stairs that ends in a craft market. The sun is setting behind the mountains, creating a spectacular scene as the sun’s rays pierce through the mist while it floats down the mountain.

  Weaving through the market, Laura and Victor come to a large steel bridge, linking the town that is cut in half by a river going through it. Continuing on, Victor leads Laura to the edge of the town, partway up the mountain, where they come to a small paved footpath. An old wooden sign reads Rhapsody Hotel. The path snakes for 200 feet into the rainforest up the mountain, with small lanterns lighting the path, which ends in a wooden reception office. In the back behind the office, multiple paths that are lit by lanterns, lead to individual villas. The place is totally surrounded by forest on all sides, with a small river running down the mountain, passing in front of the villas. The perfect secluded getaway.

  Victor opens the door for Laura, and then enters while glancing back the way they came. The sounds of people in the distance noisily making their way to the hotel disturb the peaceful atmosphere. Victor turns and enters the office. The clerk standing behind a small desk smiles politely at them as they enter. A computer is situated on the desk, used for reservations.

  “Good evening, I am Pepe, do you have a reservation?”

  “No, can we get a room for two for the night?” Victor replies.

  “Sorry sir, we are fully booked, reservations only.” Pepe replies, holding his hands together as if he is praying. A sign behind Pepe lists the prices for each Villa. The most expensive one is listed at US$500 a night. Victor puts his hand in his backpack, and counts inside the backpack, then pulls out a stack of 100 dollar bills. He places fifteen thousand dollars on the counter.

  Pepe’s eyes widen, and he tries to speak, but nothing comes out. Slowly Victor picks up the money and puts it in Pepe’s jacket pocket, it is more than he will earn in 10 years. Suddenly the office door flings open and a man and a woman in their twenties enter, clearly drunk.

  “Hey you, porter, get our bags outside. Reservation…, shit where is it?” The man fumbles with his jacket that he is carrying in his right hand and pulls out a crumpled up piece of paper, then hands it to Pepe, who reads the reservation. The man then continues while pointing at Victor. “Come on you lazy porter, get my bags.”

  “I am sorry sir, this reservation has been cancelled. We did send you an e-mail informing you that we can no longer accommodate you tonight,” Pepe responds.

  “What! You kidding me? Get your boss down here now or I will aaaaahhhh.” Pain shoots through the man’s hand and arm as Victor holds him by two fingers, bending them up.

  “Sir, I am the hotel owner. I apologize for the inconvenience, and can gladly accommodate you tomorrow. For tonight, may I recommend the Inca inn, a very nice hotel not too far from here, next to the main plaza.”

  The man looks Victor up and down, then steps forward and looks Victor in the eyes. He opens his mouth to talk, but slowly closes it again. A cold chill runs down his back. Something deep in Victor’s eyes scares him to death. He quickly takes his wife by the hand and stumbling leads her out of the office.

  “I believe a room just opened up,” Victor says as the door closes behind the man.

  “Indeed so sir, welcome to Rhapsody Hotel. Do you have any luggage mam?” Pepe replies, smilingly broadly.

  “No bags,” Laura replies, trying to contain her laughter at what just happened. Pepe looks at the small backpacks Victor and Laura are each holding and shakes his head. Well, he has seen stranger things and customers with no luggage.

  “Follow me please,” says Pepe as he takes a key from behind his desk, already spending the money in his head. Tomorrow he will resign after checking the couple out, making sure they have a good breakfast, and then he will travel to Lima to enroll in a cooking class. He always wanted to be a chef, but it will take him five years of savings to amass the funds to enroll in chef’s school. He had been saving his money for four years, but had to spend it all on hospital bills when his mother fell ill the previous month. A lump forms in Pepe’s throat. How can he ever repay these people? Tears form in his eyes, and he quickly wipes them away. His heart is in his throat, his emotions pulled in two directions. He wants to sing and dance from joy, yet he feels like hugging them and crying. No one has ever done something like this for him. The path ends as they reach the Villa. Pepe turns to hand them the key, and looks into Laura’s soft and compassionate eyes.

  Suddenly everything is just too much for him and he cannot contain his emotions anymore. Pepe breaks down crying, repeatedly hugging Victor and Laura, thanking them. When Pepe calms down, Victor takes him by the shoulder and looks him directly in the eyes.

  “Pepe that is a large sum of money, be very careful who you tell about it, in fact it may be better if you tell no one, okay?”

  “Yes, yes, you are right, thank you.” Pepe gives them each a last hug then returns to the reception area. Their villa is the last one at the end and totally secluded, giving full privacy with forest around it.

  “You know you could have given him far less and he probably still would have given the
room to us, or we could have gone to any other hotel in town.”

  “But then his dreams may not have come true. Besides, you should feel how soft the beds are here.” Victor opens the door for Laura as he replies. The entrance opens into a small kitchenette, with a gas stove built into a counter top that forms part of the eating table with seating for two. The villa is an open plan unit, with a king size bed against the left wall, facing two sliding wood and glass doors that lead to a large patio. Two white towels decorate the bed, folded into the shape of a heart. A large woven hammock hangs in the left corner of the patio, with a sunken hot tub to the right, against the wall of the villa. Rocks cover the wall next to the hot tub, forming an overhang, with a gentle waterfall running into the hot tub. The patio is at ground level and leads to a small private garden with a bench under a tree at the back of the garden.

  Laura walks through the room and opens both glass doors. The view is magnificent, clear night sky with the full moon softly lighting up the mountains surrounding the villa. The town is down to the left of the villa, and part of the town’s lights are visible in the distance.

  The ruins are on the mountain directly in front of the villa, visible in the moonlight. Still in awe, Laura sits down on the hammock. Victor gently sits down next to her, and Laura puts her arm around him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

  “Stunning view,” Victor comments.

  Turning towards Victor, Laura is about to reply that the view is magnificent, when she realizes the comment is directed at her. Before she can react, he leans over and kisses her, gently pulling his fingers through her hair. Victor’s energy moves into her, exciting her body, and she wraps her arms around him. Pulling back, he caresses her neck with soft kisses, sending electricity through her body. Laura’s body is on fire, yearning for him. Her heart starts to race while her breasts firm up, her nipples already hard. Softly, Victor lays her down on the hammock, and then pinches her erect nipples with his lips through her t-shirt, causing Laura to give a soft moan of delight.

  Victor gently pulls her shirt off, then caresses her body all over with kisses, while running his fingers softly over her legs. Laura reaches up and rips off his shirt, then runs her fingers over his hard athletic toned body. Skillfully Victor unhooks her bra with one hand, then picks it up with his teeth, and with a flick of his head he drops it to the ground. Laura gives a soft giggle, smiling at his skill.

  The flame in the lantern dances around excitedly as the soft breeze plays with it, its light gently caressing the two naked figures. Gently Victor massages Laura’s breasts, while kissing her all over. Laura takes a deep breath, her head starts to spin and her toes curl up from pleasure.

  Slowly, Victor slides his right hand down and unbuttons her pants, then slips his hand inside the front of her pants, stimulating her womanhood directly, while gently playing with her right nipple with his tongue, flicking it around, and then sucking on it, sending Laura’s body over the edge. Laura’s womanhood pulses against Victor’s hand and her thighs tighten multiple times. She is past cloud nine, pushing her chest out as she yearns for Victor to enter her. Suddenly Laura grabs Victor by the shoulders and pulls him close, then whispers.

  “I want you in me.”

  Victor gives her a sly smile and gently picks her up. Laura closes her eyes, her body charged and on fire as Victor carries her to the bedroom. Laura floats through the air, then there is a large splash as she lands in the hot tub. Bewildered she jumps up, standing knee deep in water, while staring speechless at Victor, who is slowly climbing in himself. Laura’s heart is pounding against her chest with excitement. The adrenaline rush from the shock of being thrown into the hot tub makes her want Victor even more. She grabs him and pulls him tightly against her as she eagerly kisses him, her body able to boil the water in the tub. Victor slides his hand into her pants, gently squeezing her bum, and then pulls her pants down. At the same time, Laura undoes the front of his pants, and then pulls them down. Eagerly, she takes his hard manhood in her hand, gently stimulating him as he pushes her slowly back against the fountain, returning Laura’s eager kisses and playing with her womanhood.

  The water gently runs over her body, and Laura looks down as Victor slowly bends down, starting to stimulate her womanhood with his tongue, holding her left bum in one hand while massaging her right breast with the other. Laura gasps for air from pleasure, her body reacting multiple times. Slowly, Victor stands up and gently turns Laura around. She spreads her arms, pressing against the wall, while the water caresses her back as it runs down it.

  Suddenly Victor’s large manhood slowly enters her, inch by inch. Her body being already over the edge, she comes twice as he enters her. Taking her left breast with his one hand, Victor massages it, softly pinching her hard nipple between his fingers, while stimulating her clitoris with his other as he makes love to her, sending Laura’s body into overdrive, exploding multiple times. When Laura’s knees start to give in, he lets go. Victor’s manhood pulsing in her sends Laura over the top, her whole body shudders as all her nerves explode in an ecstasy of pleasure. Victor holds her tightly against him awhile, as her body gives gentle spasms every few seconds.

  Slowly he backs away, and as Laura turns around he takes her in his arms. Laura’s breasts are soft against his hard body. Her racing heart slows until their hearts beat as one. With a smile Victor picks Laura up and carries her out of the tub to the bedroom where he lays her softly on the bed. Laura gives one last smile as Victor lies down next to her, before falling asleep, exhausted. Sleep comes fast and easy for both.

  ***

  Victor wakes up at just after four the next morning. Laura is sleeping peacefully, having one arm around his waist and her head on his chest, lying on her right side. Her left leg is partly over his. She is naked and the light from the lit lantern in the corner dances over her body as the soft breeze plays with the flame. Victor admires her slender figure for a moment, and then carefully pulls himself free from under her. Laura moans softly as he puts her head on the pillow. Quickly Victor gets dressed and gives one last look at Laura before taking the backpack containing the scrolls and leaving the villa.

  The air is fresh and chilly, mist obscuring much of the path he is on. The staff left the lanterns burning, giving guests the opportunity to take a stroll at night if they wish. Victor follows the path from the villa until just before the office, and then takes a smaller unlit path leading off to the left into the rain forest.

  He passes a few houses, used by the owner and staff. The path ends at a small building, used as a store room. Giving a quick glance around to make sure no one is watching, Victor passes on the right of the building, pushing his way through the forest. After 300 yards of fighting against branches while climbing up the mountain, he comes to a waterfall, 30 feet high.

  The waterfall is six feet wide, and ends in a 20 foot diameter pool, where it forms a stream and runs past the villas. A small cave is behind the waterfall. Victor found it out of desperation when he was protecting the Pope, then only a Cardinal.

  They were attacked in their villa, and Victor’s best friend and team member died to give Victor a chance to get the Cardinal to safety. Victor had planned to hide in the stream and wait for the attackers to pass by, giving him the element of surprise, when he discovered the cave.

  Victor enters the hip deep pool, and walks to the waterfall. Taking a deep breath, he ducks beneath the water. The opening to the cave is underwater, and requires one to squeeze through while holding one’s breathe. Pushing the backpack in front of him, Victor enters the cave. The water level in the cave is the same as outside, with the ceiling height allowing Victor to stand easily. Although being only four feet wide, the cave extends 20 feet back, where it slopes up while narrowing the farther back it goes. The cave ends in a small opening to the surface, one foot in diameter. Victor holds the bag out of the water and opens it, taking a small flashlight out of it. Using the flashlight, Victor moves toward the back of the cave, where he finds the half f
oot wide crack in the wall he is looking for. The scrolls are sealed in a tough waterproof bag, and Victor places them carefully in the crack, and then bends down to find a rock at his feet that he uses to block the opening of the crack. Victor had taken detailed pictures of the scrolls when he was recovering in the forest.

  Memories come flooding back to Victor. He remembers the Cardinal’s scared face, as they heard the noise of the men searching for them through the opening in the back. The men were yelling, offering Victor millions of dollars to give the Cardinal up.

  Victor asked the Cardinal one question only. If he makes Pope, will he have the church take a firmer stand against women and child abuse and warlords ruthlessly killing their people for money and power? The Cardinal promised he would, and with that, Victor left him in the cave to go give his answer to the men outside, a bullet to the head each. Victor himself took three bullets, two in the chest and one in the leg, but he still managed to get the Cardinal back to the town and police station safely, before passing out from blood loss. Victor was flown by a military helicopter back to Cusco for surgery, with the Cardinal watching over him and praying.

  Victor brings his thoughts back to the current moment. After again making sure that the scrolls are secure, Victor starts to make his way back, but steps on something that does not feel like a rock. Bending down, he reaches into the cold dark water and feels around. Pulling his hand out, he smiles as he sees the object.

  “I think the Pope has been looking for you.” He comments as he places an antique pendant into his backpack, and then continues on, making his way back to Laura. It is nearly five in the morning when he returns, soaking wet. Stripping down, he quickly takes a shower, and then places his clothes outside over the hammock to dry. Slipping softly back into bed, Laura instinctively curls up against him. Victor slowly falls asleep at peace.