by Donal Myrick
Max was thinking to himself that not only had they gotten themselves into one hell of a mess, but that they had now put the aliens into greater mortal danger than he had previously thought. He was also thinking that maybe they shouldn’t activate the beacon until the aliens were somehow made safe from Kuznetsov. He knew he had to get word to Félix before it was too late.
Sergei could see that Max was gravely concerned, so he said, “I am giving you this information so that you can do whatever you can to protect yourself and your team.”
“I appreciate that, but the problem is that we have discovered something. We have been very careful so far, and only a couple of us are aware of what I have found.”
“Actually, I am sorry that you found anything. Can you tell me what it is?”
“No. It’s not that I have any real concern about telling you, but we don’t know what it is. Kuznetsov, as you are aware, cut off our access to your laboratory, and we have no analytical capability of our own locally. We have been trying to think of a way to smuggle it into the States, but we haven’t thought of a way that doesn’t have great risks of discovery. Currently, we have it squirreled away in a secure place, but we suspect it is a piece of whatever blew up.” Max didn’t tell Sergei that he knew exactly what it was.
Sergei said, “That’s all I have to tell you. I hope it will be sufficient for you to stay safe. You are welcome to spend the remainder of the night here, and in the morning, I’ll drop you off where ever you like.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that. Let me just sack out here on the couch for a few hours, then you can take me somewhere where I can get an Uber.”
Early the next morning, Sergei dropped Max off at a local 24/7 Wally-World. Max went inside and purchased a burner phone. The first person he called was Geraldo.
It wasn’t light yet, so when Geraldo’s phone started ringing, he was more than a little bit annoyed at being awakened this early. He was even more annoyed when he didn’t recognize the number. Thinking it was probably a wrong number, he answered gruffly, “Who is this!”
“It’s me, Geraldo. Short but urgent message. You need to call Félix and tell him not to activate. Repeat do not activate. Place in a very secure place where only we can retrieve it. Then return. You and I need to talk. Where can we meet?”
“Meet me here. I’m in room 332. You know the place.”
Max called an Uber, then he headed over to the hotel where he knew Geraldo was staying. He was greeted by Geraldo, who opened the door before Max finished knocking.
“What is so urgent that we need to recall Félix?”
“I just met with Sergei at his request. They know a lot more than we have given them credit for, and now we, actually all of us, including our new friends, are in possibly mortal danger because of what we know. Our safety depends on our successfully concealing what we have found, and that we convey no appearance that we know or suspect the truth. If Félix activates the beacon, and the wrong people get wind of it, then we could be in really bad trouble. That is why I told you to call Félix and tell him not to activate. Were you able to get hold of him?”
“Not yet. I’ve called and texted him to call me immediately before doing anything. I just hope he gets the message before he gets out of cell phone range.”
“Let’s call him again now.”
Geraldo put in another call and left another text message. “That is all I can do. I don’t know where he was headed, so there is no chance that we can intercept him.”
“Do you have any associates that could track his cell phone?”
“No, nobody that I can think of could do it.”
“Damn, I guess we will have to wait and hope he calls back. I’ve got an idea. Maybe we can get the U.S. Embassy to help us out. They were happy to help us before.”
“It’s worth a try.”
“Let’s get over there.”
They called an Uber, and thirty minutes later, they were signing in at the Embassy, and fortunately, the Ambassador was in and happy to see them.
“Mr. Meccum, Señor Ortega, it’s good to see you again. I understand that you have been having some trouble with the Russians again. How can I help?”
Max said, “Thanks for seeing us on such short without an appointment, and yes, we seem to always have some trouble with the Russians. But this time, it is with one of our own who we sent out on a scouting trip, and we have lost contact with him. He was going to set up a listening device so that we could spy on the Russians like they have been spying on us. What we were planning may or may not be legit, but they have been messing with us at every turn. We felt that we could use a little insight into their plans as well. Anyway, he is not answering his cell phone, and we were wondering if you could track it for us. If he is hurt or just out of range, if we knew where he was, we could go to him.”
“That will be easy. Give me the number, and I’ll have our IT person see what he can do. Meanwhile, give me an update on your progress.”
Max told the Ambassador about how relations were rock bottom, how the Russians abrogated their agreement for mutual support, how they dumped the NMI rope down the pit, and how they kept close tabs on everyone’s every move. Max elaborated on how difficult exploring the cave beyond the pit had become, and that they may soon be coming to an end. He also expressed his opinion that the Russians knew something that they hadn’t shared, and that was the reason for their fanatical interest in the cave. Max also hinted that they had found some unusual rocks that they would like to take back to the States for analysis, but that they didn’t want to share them with the Russians. Max hinted that he might like help in getting the samples back undetected and that he might need the U. S. Government’s help in the analysis. The Ambassador assured Max that, if the samples were not too large or heavy, getting them back to the U.S. would not be difficult. He would place them in a diplomatic pouch and have one of his couriers escort it to the designated destination. Max said, “That would be fabulous.”
Just about then, Geraldo’s phone rang. It was Félix.
“Where have you been? We have been trying to reach you.”
“I got your text message to call you, what is up?”
“Max and I are meeting with the Ambassador right now giving him an update on our expedition. After we are done, I’ll give you a callback. Stand by.”
Max said, “It looks like you were able to track him down.”
Just then, the IT guy knocked on the door and stuck his head in to report that he wasn’t able to talk with the person with the phone, but that he was able to ping his GPS to get his attention.
The Ambassador said, “It looks like you were successful. He just called.”
Max said to the Ambassador, “Thanks. After we sent Félix off, we got nervous and thought we might need to rethink our plan. We got to thinking that if we were discovered, it might create more problems than we are prepared to deal with. We are going to put that plan on hold for now.”
After a few more moments of small talk, Max and Geraldo thanked the Ambassador again for his support and made their exit from the embassy. Once outside, Geraldo called Félix.
Geraldo explained to Félix, “Do not activate the device. Find a very secure place where it can be hidden. We definitely do not want it discovered by anyone by accident. Document its location, and we will see you back at camp if not before.”
Félix acknowledged that he understood his instruction and that after completion, he would return to camp.
Max then told Geraldo that they had another couple of jobs to do. First, they had to do some shopping for Miguel, and then get back to the airport to receive some blasting supplies. He said that Rudy was having some seven hundred pounds of ammonium nitrate delivered to Canaima Camp and that the Director needs to be given a heads up.
Max said to Geraldo, “Looks like getting the ammonium nitrate to Canaima Camp is going to be the easy part. When we fly it to the mountain top, it is going to be difficult sneaking seven hundred pounds of anything pas
t prying eyes, which undoubtedly will be everywhere.”
“We can sneak some of it in by using Félix crew’s duffle bags. I’m sure that the Russians watched them take three full bags to the laundromat. When they return with three full duffle bags, no one will be the wiser. It will just be three full bags of laundry returning to camp.”
“Good idea, that will get three hundred pounds in, but we still need a plan for the other four hundred pounds.”
“We need to get Miguel on board so he will be ready to haul the bags to his station. We don’t want him to be surprised.”
Geraldo asked, “Do you really think you will need more than three hundred pounds of ANFO? That amount will move a lot of rock, especially in a confined space.”
“I really don’t know how much we need. I only know we will only get one shot at closing the passage.”
“I think it is important that we keep the Russians from knowing what we plan to do. I fear that if we try to sneak all of the ammonium in, we will be discovered.”
“You are probably right. Look, there will be five of us returning to camp. If each of us could put fifty pounds in our backpacks, that would be an additional two-fifty. That might be enough.”
“It will be risky, but I think we can manage that without raising suspicions.”
“We really need a plan for the entire lot, not just what we can easily carry. Keep thinking about it. When I get back, I am going to need to return to the bottom as soon as possible. So you and Scott are going to have to handle getting the stuff down to us. Remember, we are also going to need about twelve to fifteen gallons of diesel, and what is Rudy sending to detonate this stuff?”
“I think just regular dynamite and an electrical detonator, maybe C-4, I don’t really know. I am sure that whatever he sends will do the job.”
“That has to be sneaked in also.”
“I think that is a good task for Miguel.”
“That is a good idea. Let’s go shopping for the supplies that Miguel ordered. I like shopping for him. It always involves something good to eat, and right now, I’m hungry.”
CHAPTER 30
The Big Climb
Now that Bufford and Spider had some equipment to work with and a monumental climb to conquer, they were setting about doing it with enthusiasm. Peggy and Charlie had scouted out the rift in the roof of the cavern as high as possible without losing direct control of Charlie. This climb was going to be like the first ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan, and Spider was especially excited about doing the climb. This is what she lived for, and now she and Bufford were about to begin one of the most spectacular climbs in rock climbing history. This climb would be a three thousand foot highly technical totally vertical ascent one hundred percent underground.
Using Charlie’s camera, they had looked at several possible routes, none of which looked easy, and selected to start on a route that offered several hundred feet initially of free climbing. After the initial few pitches, further progress would require extensive use of anchors.
As Bufford and Spider geared up, Bufford said, “Are you ready for this?”
Spider replied, “Yes. This is for the record books.”
Bufford said, “On belay.” Spider replied, “Belay on, climbing.”
Spider placed her razor chock in her mouth and reached for her first handhold. The rock in the aliens' cavern was untouched by the blast that had collapsed and closed the deep canyon two thousand years earlier, so the walls were not glassy slick like they were above the pit. However, the cataclysmic event did fracture the rock walls severely, so handholds were plentiful as were places to place jam nuts for protection.
Spider called down to Bufford and said, “This is fairly easy climbing. I hope it continues like this all the way up.”
“Don’t say that you’ll jinx us.”
“Let’s hope not.”
Every five to ten vertical feet, Spider would slip a jam nut into a suitable crack and clip the belay line into the attached carabiner, and then move on. All of the aliens gathered around and watched Spider climb. They were fascinated. They had never seen anything or anybody like Spider do what she was doing. It was like watching a gecko slowly move up a windowpane. After Spider had climbed about seventy-five feet up, she paused and set several secure chocks and clipped in. After she secured the belay line, she called down to Bufford, “Off belay. Come on up.”
Bufford clipped a couple of Jumars onto the belay line, slipped the rope through his chest box, then said loudly, “Climbing.” As he climbed, he pulled another rope behind him, one much longer than the belay rope he and Spider were using. This rope would become a fixed rope that would allow them to rappel down from and to climb back up to positions on the route. Once he was up even with Spider, he secured himself and prepared to once again belay Spider as she climbed.
This routine continued smoothly for about six hundred feet, and then the easy handholds and cracks began to disappear. Peggy and Charlie had been monitoring this progress, and providing the on looking aliens a view of rock climbing expertise at its finest, a view of something they had never imagined possible. With Charlie hovering only a few feet away, Spider and Peggy could converse freely.
As the handholds became more and more sparse, Spider remarked, “Well, all good things must come to an end, and it looks like we are at the end of the easy climbing. Now the hard work begins.”
Peggy replied, “You made it up a lot further than I thought you would before had to start drilling holes again.”
“Yes, but I think we are there now. Let me make this position secure, then Bufford can come on up, and we can decide how best to proceed. Bufford will probably want to take the lead from here since he is much better at drilling holes and setting bolt anchors than I am.”
“Okay, while you two are doing that, let me scout around and see if there is a preferred route from where you are.”
Peggy started flying Charlie back and forth, looking carefully at the rock face searching for what Spider might consider handholds. A hundred and eighty feet above Spider and Bufford, the smooth rock face began once more to show signs of distress and hence more opportunities for Spider to work her climbing magic. Charlie flew over to the left and then higher. This area showed promise for several hundred feet. It wouldn’t be easy climbing for Spider like the first six hundred feet was, but Spider thrived on challenges.
Peggy flew Charlie back down and reported, “It looks like once you are over this slick face area, it will be much easier climbing. Do you want me to put a jam nut in a crack up there and clip in a fixed-line?”
Bufford asked, “How high up are you talking about?”
“Probably close to two hundred feet.”
Bufford was quick to say, “No, that would be much too risky. If the anchor failed, Spider couldn’t survive the fall. That option is out.”
“I didn’t really think so. Several hundred feet over to the left, it looks climbable. There are a couple of large cracks running up vertically that are definitely climbable, but you would have to traverse horizontally for a long way to get there. In my opinion, for the amount of energy that you are going to have to expend going either way, I would expend it going vertical.”
Spider said, “I agree. Let’s go up.”
Bufford took the lead and began drilling. Because of his height, he could stand in his stirrups and reach a good five feet above his current position and set a bolt. Then he would clip into the freshly set bolt, climb up, reposition and repeat. At first, he accomplished this feat quite rapidly, but climbing this way is very strenuous and tiring. After several hours of steady climbing, he settled into a rhythm such that each cycle would take him roughly ten minutes to complete. Six grueling hours later, he completed the crossing of the slick rock face and moved into a rock topography that was amenable to Spider’s style of climbing.
Bufford shouted down to Spider, who had been belaying him the entire time, “I think I’m in an area that you can handle from here on. I am shot and rea
dy for a break. As soon as I secure the fixed-line, let’s rappel out of here and get a bite to eat.”
“Roger that. Are you off belay?”
“Yes, off belay.”
“Let me know when I can bail.”
A few moments later, Bufford said, “You are good to go. I’ll be right behind you.”
Once on the bottom, Spider observed, “We are going to run out of rope real soon unless Max can get some more dropped down asap. We have what, twelve hundred feet of rope, one hundred and fifty of which we are using for belay line. We are close to eight hundred feet up now. We will be out of rope in no time.”
“You are right, we need to let them know to make getting more rope down here a priority.”
Peggy asked, “How are we doing for hardware?”
“Hardware, we have more than enough.”
CHAPTER 31
Permission to Blast and May We Borrow Your Truck?
Geraldo checked his phone, “It’s Félix, and he says he and his crew completed their mission and are on the way to the airport. He will wait for us there, and we can fly back to camp together.”
“Tell him we will be there as soon as we can. Is Carlos on standby?”
“Yep, gassed up and flight plan filed.”
“Let him know that we are stopping by Canaima Camp on the way back to talk with the Director. I’ve got an idea, and I’m hoping he can help us with some logistic support. Do you think Carlos’s plane can handle all of us and all of our stuff in one flight?”
Geraldo thought for a minute, then replied, “Five passengers plus a pilot, three big bags of laundry, Miguel’s food order, and our personal stuff. I’m thinking Carlos may have to make a second trip for the laundry,”
“I think so too.”