The Encounter

by Donal Myrick

  “In your dreams! Now you are just getting greedy. Be happy with the rope I’m sending. Reality is a bitch, you know.”

  “A find friend you are. I’ll remember this.”

  “The way Max tells it, you all are having a tough time pushing the passage down there.”

  “No kidding. You know how Bufford hates belly crawls, and that is the majority of what we have. When we are not belly crawling, we are straddling a bottomless crack that reminds me of a crevasse in a glacier. It is really hairy, and that is why we need rope. No accidents are allowed.”

  “Okay, I see their lights, they are bringing the rope in now. It should be on its way down shortly.”

  “Don’t forget the hardware. We need it just as bad.”

  “Okay, but it will be on the next drop. We will have to round up what we still have on hand up here. That will take some time.”

  “That’s okay. Getting the rope this soon is going to be a surprise; we were expecting for it to take at least a day or two for you to get it down to us.”

  By the time the two bags of rope arrived at the bottom of the pit, Ted had returned. Surprised, he said, “You mean they have already sent more rope down?”

  “Yep, the bags just touched down. It looks like we didn’t’ need to drop the four-fifty.”

  The words had more than just left his mouth when Jim realized he had slipped up. The com was wide open, and Sam said, “What do you mean you didn’t have to drop the four-fifty.”

  Jim quickly found himself ad-libbing an explanation. “That crack I told you about, it was getting too hairy to deal with. At first, the girls were crawling along straddling it, then it got too wide, so they had to chimney along. That was way too dangerous to do unprotected, so we scavenged the four-fifty since it was the last rope we had, and Peggy and Spider rappelled down. Down near the bottom, it was still hairy going, and they needed a belay line. We knew more rope was coming, so we dropped the four-fifty down.”

  Not really believing what he just heard, Sam said, “That sounds kinda stupid to me. You are lucky we had more rope available up here.”

  “Yeah, but we knew that we still had the spare NMI if we needed it.”

  Ted added, “You are right. I personally didn’t like the idea of dropping the rope. I guess Max didn’t mention that, did he? Jim and I are signing off now. We are going to get this rope back to where it is needed as quickly as we can.”

  After they were out of com range, Jim said, “That was a major slip up. I hope it doesn’t come back to bit us.”

  “It’s hard to remember that our coms work whenever we are close to the shield. But what is done is done. Max may have to clue Sam in sooner than he planned.”

  CHAPTER 27

  Message from Sergei

  Geraldo, Félix, and two others gathered at the airfield awaiting the arrival of Carlos. Each of them brought with them a large duffle bag with their personal items and their day bag with gear. This did not go unnoticed by the Russians, who assumed that this group was heading home. Little did the Russians know but that the first stop this little group would make when they arrived in Caracas would be to a local laundromat. Those duffle bags were mostly filled with dirty clothes since there were limited facilities back at Miguel’s camp.

  When Carlos was about thirty minutes out, he radioed in to let Miguel know that he was bringing a passenger with him that wanted to talk with Max. Miguel told him that he would meet him at the airfield and pick up his passenger.

  Miguel found Max over at the dining tent and asked him, “Are you expecting company?”

  Max replied, “Not that I know of, why do you ask?”

  “I just talked with Carlos, and he said he was bringing a passenger with him that wants to talk with you.”

  “Did he say who it was?”

  “No, just that he had someone with him.”

  “Interesting. I have no idea as to what this could all be about. Let’s go meet them at the field.”

  The two of them hopped in Miguel’s ATV and rode over to the airfield. They arrived there just as Carlos was making his final approach.

  As Carlos was taxing up, Miguel and Max walked over to the plane to meet the new arrival. Carlos shut the engine down, and he and his passenger deplaned.

  Carlos said, “Buenos días, Miguel. Max, this the gentleman said that he needed to talk directly with you.”

  The new arrival did not introduce himself but simply said, “I am just a messenger. I was instructed to deliver this package to Mr. Max Meccum. I presume that is you, am I correct?”

  “Yes, that is me,” Max replied.

  “That is all that I was supposed to do, so I will go back to Caracas now. I have no need to stay around here.”

  While Max looked the package over, he noticed that it did not have a return address or a clue as to whom had sent it.

  Geraldo and crew drug their luggage over to the plane and asked seriously, “Carlos, are you sure you have room for all this stuff?”

  Carlos replied, “This is a six-passenger plane, and since this guy is flying back with us, that makes six. It’s going to be tight, and you are going to have to hold most of that stuff in your laps. However, I think we can make it fit.”

  “Yeah, right,” quipped Geraldo, “but can you take off?”

  Carlos said with a chuckle, “I’ve got the power!”

  On the way back to the camp, Max carefully opened the package. Inside was a large envelope, and the envelope bore Sergei’s seal.

  Max said, “Okay, this is probably going to be interesting. Let’s get to someplace where we can look this over without any prying eyes.”

  Miguel asked, “What do you think it is?”

  “It is from Sergei, so let’s get Scott, Sam, and Dr. Fred together and see what he has to say.”

  “How do you know it is from Sergei?”

  “It bears his seal. He knows that I won’t consider anything from him authentic if it doesn’t have his seal. Not many people know about his seal, so I am confident that this is from him.”

  Once back at Miguel’s camp, they gathered around a table in the dining tent. Max explained that he had just received a message from Sergei and that he wanted everyone to know firsthand what Sergei had to say.

  Max sliced the envelope open and withdrew the letter. The latter said, “Max, I hope all is well with you and your crew. Please return with the pilot to Caracas. I will meet you at the airport. It is important that we talk soon. Regards, Sergei Vassilov.”

  “Is that it? Do you know what is so important that he needs to talk about?” asked Dr. Fred.

  “I haven’t a clue. Miguel, radio Carlos and tell him to dump his passengers as quickly as he can and to come back and get me. It looks like I’m heading to Caracas today also. Miguel, is there anything you need from town since I’m going there? Besides beer, that is, I know you always need more beer.”

  Without hesitation, Miguel said, “Tequila!”

  “Anything else?”

  “I’ll make you a list.”

  “Scott, it looks like I’m going to need the credit card.”

  A few hours later, Carlos touched down at the private airport in Caracas from which he normally operated. As he taxied up to his hanger, he noticed a familiar face waiting for him. Geraldo and his crew unloaded their gear and headed over to a waiting van. The un-named passenger went over to Sergei and said that he had delivered the package. Sergei reached into his pocket, retrieved a small wad of cash which he handed to the man, and sent him on his way.

  Sergei then went over and greeted Carlos. “Hola Carlos, I see that Max did not return with you.”

  “Hola, Senor Sergei. No, when I saw him, he didn’t indicate that he wanted to come back with me to Caracas. However, when I was about halfway back here, Miguel radioed me to come back and get Max after I dropped these guys off. After I get gassed up, I’m heading back to get him.”

  “What time do you think you will be back?”

  “It will be at lea
st nine or ten o’clock this evening. I can’t go any faster.”

  “That’s okay. When you get Max, tell him that I will meet him here and that I will arrange a place for him to stay.”

  “Okay. Do you want me to give you a call later with our ETA?”

  “No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll just meet you here.”

  CHAPTER 28

  How Much for ANFO?

  Félix dropped Geraldo off at a local address where he had arranged to meet some of his professional associates. Félix and his comrades then set off on their mission to place and activate the beacon in a high mountainous area. But first, they made a stop at the first laundromat that they found. They had their priorities, and this stop was at the top of their list.

  The address where Geraldo was dropped off turned out to be a modest Spanish styled hacienda surrounded by stucco-covered wall rife with red bougainvillea. At the gate, there was a speaker with an announcer button. Geraldo pressed the button. After a short pause, the gate lock buzzed, and a pleasant female voice from the speaker said, “Bienvenido Señor Ortega, please come in.”

  Geraldo entered the courtyard and proceeded to the front entrance of the house, where he was greeted by his old friend Rudolfo Martinez and his wife, Jaunita.

  Rudy and Geraldo exchanged hugs, and Rudy said, “Geraldo, it has been a while. It is good to see you. You look like you are doing well. Welcome to my home. I don’t think you have met my wife. Geraldo, this is my wife, Juanita.”

  Geraldo said, “It is my pleasure to meet you. However, I do believe that I did meet you briefly a while back before you and Rudy were married.”

  “Yes, you have a good memory. I remember you also.”

  Juanita led them to a comfortable sitting place in an outdoor vine-covered atrium. Rudy asked, “Would you like a cold one?”

  “Of course, have you ever known me to turn one down?”

  Juanita excused herself to fetch some refreshments and left the men to their discussions.

  Rudy said, “When you called, you indicated that you needed some professional help. You know that I am not in that business anymore. I am a happily married man with a business to run. So, with that in mind, how can I help you?”

  Juanita returned with three cold beers and some chips and avocado dip.

  Geraldo proceeded to inform them with all the details of the Churún River Cave exploration, omitting only the details regarding the aliens.

  Geraldo explained that “We are finally at a point where we can’t explore further without moving a large mass of rocks that is blocking the passage. The Russians are looking for any excuse to pressure the government to terminate our effort, and give them free rein to proceed with their investigations. If we can’t make some significant progress soon, the Canaima Park Director won’t be able to help us. I remembered that you had some connections with the mining industry and, therefore, might be able to help us liberate some ammonium nitrate so that we can attempt moving the mass of rock blocking our progress.”

  Rudy laughed, “Geraldo, you can’t just liberate a bunch of ammonium nitrate these days. Every batch legitimately manufactured has taggets, so you would be identified as having used stolen goods.”

  “Yes, I knew that, but we are prepared to claim that we bought it on the black market because of expediency.”

  “Would the Park Director authorize your usage of ANFO in your exploration?”

  “Yes, I am sure he would. He is very supportive of our efforts, and frankly, he resents the presence of the Russians.”

  “If you are sure that you can secure his consent, I can supply you with everything you need, and you won’t have to liberate anything. How much and how soon do you need it?”

  “I figure five hundred pounds should do the job, maybe add a couple hundred just to be sure. Can you have it delivered to a private hangar at the airport; I’ll call Carlos and have him give you details as to where to drop it off. Can you get it by this time tomorrow afternoon?”

  “TOMORROW Afternoon! Are you kidding?”

  “No, unfortunately. I am afraid that we are running out of time.”

  “Well, this will take some doing. I have a few favors that I can call in. We will have to borrow it from another mining company. They will have to fly it here in the morning. This is going to be tricky because, for one of many things, we will have to have a good paper trail for this exchange. Another thing, you realize that the ammonium nitrate and the fuses cannot fly on the same aircraft, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do realize that, although I hadn’t thought it through. I have an idea, can they deliver it to Canaima Camp instead of here. That way, we can fly the fuses and supplies directly to the mountain in the morning and then the ammonium nitrate tomorrow afternoon. Do you think that will be possible?”

  “My friend, we will make it work. Let’s make some phone calls.”

  “One other thing, how long would it take for you to drill a four to six-inch well five hundred feet deep?”

  “It depends.”

  “How about on top of Auyán tepui?”

  “I suspect it would take longer to get the drill rig in place than it would to drill the hole. But, if everything went right, the actual drilling would only require a couple of days. There are better ways to explore than drilling deep holes.”

  “There are some roads leading up to there, but they are rather primitive, and you have to travel way to the south and come up the south side of the mountain. I think Miguel said it takes a day or two to drive up that way. That is the reason we always fly in the supplies that we need.”

  “Well, a big drill rig can’t be flown in. I suspect that the site where you would like to drill is not accessible even from primitive roads, so a dozer would also have to be trucked in to make a road. Best bet is that it would take two days to haul in, five to seven days to bulldoze a road, another day to set up, then a couple of days to drill. How soon would you be wanting to do this?”

  “We don’t have any plans to do anything like that just yet. I’m just exploring some possibilities in my head.”

  CHAPTER 29

  Sergei Warns

  True to his word, it was close to ten o’clock when Carlos taxied up to the hanger where Sergei was waiting. Max was traveling light with only a small backpack. Max thanked Carlos for being so responsive to their flight needs, especially in light of the short notice he had been given.

  Sergei pointed to the car he had waiting, and they departed to a destination unknown to Max. Max asked, “Where are we heading?”

  “I have a secure place where we can talk, and you can stay for the evening.”

  They traveled on in silence, and twenty-five minutes later, Sergei pulled into the driveway of a large home in an upscale neighborhood. He pressed a button on the car’s visor, and the door to a two-car garage opened. Once inside and the garage door closed, Sergei said, “We can talk now. This house is secure.”

  The proceeded to the kitchen and sat down at the table.

  Max said, “Okay, it is your nickel. What is so important that we need to meet sub rosa?”

  “Max, thank you for agreeing to meet with me. This is important for both of us. This is a long story, so let me begin by telling you that both Dr. Kuznetsov and I work for the same bureau. There are two factions in the bureau, and they have different and essentially opposing missions. I work for the director of the bureau, and my job most often is to mediate between the factions. When we first met, I was filling in for one of the deputy directors, not Kuznetsov, but the other one. Kuznetsov showed up and had me recalled, and now I am back in my regular position.”

  “What are the two factions, and what bureau are you talking about?”

  “I’ll get to that later. By now, I am sure that you and your team have made some speculations regarding the curious nature of the Churún River Cave.”

  “You are right, we sure have.”

  “Will you share your speculations with me?”

  “No, at least not yet.
”

  “That’s okay. I had to ask. I suspect that you all have thought through a lot of possibilities, and I’ll bet that one of the possibilities include the thought that extraterrestrial aliens are involved.”

  As he said this, Sergei carefully watched Max for his reaction.

  He continued, “Yes, I thought so.”

  “I didn’t say anything,” Max protested.

  “It’s okay. You didn’t have to. We suspected that this event was caused by some kind of extra-terrestrial involvement from the beginning. The bureau that I work for will remain un-named, but your government has its counterpart. You all call it ‘Project Blue Book’.”

  “Project Blue Book was terminated a long time ago, back before I was even born.”

  “Officially, yes; unofficially, no. It still exists. The mission of your Project Blue Book is slightly different than ours. As I said earlier, our bureau has two factions or tracks. One track is to find, identify, contact, utilize, control, and exploit to our country’s benefit any alien existence, technology, and activities if, in fact, they do exist. And, I might add that we do believe that they do exist. The other track’s mission is diametrically opposite. They strongly believe the opposite. They believe what Stephan Hawking once said, which was basically that if an alien race invaded earth, they would be so technically advanced above us, that most likely they would either enslave mankind or exterminate mankind. Both options would bode badly for mankind. So their mission is first to find any aliens if they are here and eliminate them before they can get a beachfront on this planet. And second, if they are already established here, to eliminate them and any evidence of their existence. Eliminate all evidence because they believe that if the general population were to become aware of their existence, that anarchy would prevail, and governments would be unable to govern. Kuznetsov is the deputy of that faction. What is important is the operative words of what I am telling you are, ‘eliminate all evidence of’. If your team has found evidence of alien existence or activity and Kuznetsov becomes aware of that fact, then you all would become ‘evidence’. Kuznetsov would stop at nothing to assure that your team was totally eliminated, and your evidence was destroyed before you could report your findings.”