The Encounter

by Donal Myrick

The rest of the day went smoothly, including the flight to Canaima Camp. Félix told Max and Geraldo where they had hidden the beacon, and how it could be retrieved when needed. Once on the ground, Geraldo and Max went to see the Director and brief him on their plan, not their real plan, to use explosives. Max explained that the Russians were pressuring them to get out of their way so that they could conduct their own exploration and examination of the pit, and that time was running out for our team. Max emphasized that everyone felt that they were on the verge of breaking into the massive cavern that must lie just beyond the breakdown blockage of the passage. The only way they were going to be able to penetrate the blockage would be to blast a lot of the rocks out of the way, and they were here to gain his consent to set off the charge. If we are successful, we will be able to complete our objectives, and the Russians can have the cave to themselves. Max intentionally didn’t explain what he really meant by being successful. The Director said that as far as he was concerned, they could blast away to their heart’s content.

  Then Max asked the Director for a favor. “Sir, all of that stuff that was flown in here earlier today is for the purpose of blasting open the passage. There are at least seven hundred pounds of stuff, and I was wondering if perhaps you could arrange to truck it up to the cave? It would surely be helpful because it would be difficult for us to transport it from the airfield to our camp unobserved. If it arrived by truck, it could be delivered directly to Miguel’s kitchen without raising too many suspicions.”

  The Director replied, “I’m sure that can be arranged, but you do realize that it will take the better part of two days to drive up there? Will that be okay?”

  “That would be just fine. With you trucking in supplies for us, they won’t be alerted to the fact that something unusual is fixing to happen. Thank you for your support.”

  “De nada.”

  The director added, “The man who delivered the heavy supplies this morning said he would be returning with some additional supplies. He said the two things needed to be kept separate. How am I supposed to deal with the two items?”

  Max explained that two deliveries should never be stored together for safety reasons. When separate, they are safe. The heavy items could be transported by truck, and Carlos, on his next trip, would transport the additional supplies.

  On the flight up to the top of Auyán tepui, Geraldo asked, on behalf of Félix and his crew, if Carlos could possibly manage to bring their laundry up on his next flight. Carlos indicated that, of course, he would take care of that for them.

  CHAPTER 32

  Going Down Again

  Miguel met the flight at the airfield and was dismayed with the number of people and the amount of baggage they brought with them. He said to Max, “I was only expecting you and Geraldo. I can’t carry everyone and all this stuff on my little vehicle.” Félix indicated that he and his crew would just hike back to the camp. No problem. They had been sitting for most of the day, and it would be good to get a little exercise.

  Back at camp, Max briefed Scott on his meeting with Sergei and the reason for recalling Félix from his mission. Geraldo updated him on his meeting with Rudy, and how the Director would be delivering the ANFO supplies directly to Miguel’s kitchen, and that tomorrow Carlos would be bringing the detonators.

  Scott’s only comment was, “Holy crap, this whole mess gets more convoluted by the minute.”

  Max opined, “After talking with Sergei, I find it hard to believe that the U.S. is completely unaware of what is going on down here. He indicated that Project Blue Book was still active but covert.”

  Scott recalled the greeting they received from the FBI and DHS when they returned to the States the first time. He suggested, “You know, they may know a lot more than we are giving them credit for. They may just be watching and waiting to see what transpires. They have satellites, and if they want to, they could be tracking our every movement.”

  “Ouch!” Max said softly, “if they had eyes on Félix, they might have seen where he hid the beacon. However, I doubt that they would realize what he was up to, so they might not follow up on it immediately. It looks like our time frame may be getting squeezed from another side.”

  “That brings up something else,” Scott interjected. “The other day, a large helicopter brought in what looks like some heavy equipment like what is used in deep mines. Some big winches, much bigger than what they have back there now, and what looks like an enclosed gondola, obviously for lowering people down the pit through the waterfall. Just based on the size of the stuff, I would estimate it will take them at least a week to get it installed. I keep getting inquiries from Kuznetsov regarding how soon our team will be coming out.”

  “Our time is definitely getting short. We need to blow the passage sooner rather than later.”

  Max knew that things were going to get even more complicated in the days to come. “I need to get back to the bottom as soon as I can. Also, I know we are going to need more rope, and the only rope we have is the supply rope. I think we need to pull the spare NMI rope out and start using it and drop the supply rope down for Spider and Bufford. We have two days before the ammonium nitrate gets here, so we should have plenty of time to do the switch. Also, while I’m thinking about it, let’s take the com package out of the spare shield and stash it with our new friends as a hedge in case we have to resort to drilling a hole into their cavern in the future. You know where I am going with that thought.”

  Scott replies, “Yes, and I think that is a good idea.”

  “Also, I think we need to bring the others in on the real story. I just don’t know when. I just know that we need to do it soon because the longer we wait, the angrier they will be at us for keeping them in the dark. Scott, you are in charge here on top, so that is going to be your call. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to keep a lid on this, our lives may depend on how good we can keep a secret. Geraldo, can you and Sam take charge of getting the ANFO lowered asap after it arrives here?”

  “Consider it handled, Boss.”

  “Scott, where is Sam?”

  “He’s back at the pit.”

  “Let him know that I will be ready to go back down in about two hours.”

  “Will do. I just a thought, why don’t you take a bundle of magazines, books, and other stuff down with you for the aliens to see. Miguel has a pile of those sorts of things lying around the dining tent. No one will miss any of it.”

  “That’s a great idea. Can you get it together for me while I get changed and ready for the descent?”

  “Not a problem.”

  Max departed to don his wet suit and pack his personal gear, and two hours later, he was back at the top of the pit, where he was greeted by Sam and several of the Venezuelan volunteers.

  Sam said, “Well, Max, I hope you enjoyed your trip topside. I wish you could stay longer and tell us more about what is happening.”

  “I wish I could also, but things are moving fast, and we need to get a bunch of loose ends tied up quickly. Scott and Geraldo will be bringing you all up to speed very soon. Meanwhile, there are several things you need to take care of here on the top. Scott is going to be telling you to get the spare NMI rope out and start using it because you are going to drop the supply rope down as soon as I get safely to the bottom. Scott will give you the details, but basically, for starters, we need more rope down there. You will need several more folks back here to manhandle it back to the pit here because it is heavy.”

  Max clipped himself onto the NMI rope securely and snugly under the shield and began his slow descent down the twenty-six hundred-foot pit. This second trip down the pit was not as exciting as his first descent and was hugely less scary than his recent ascent trip. One thing was certain, and that was that neither ascent nor descent of this pit would ever become routine.

  Two hours earlier, prior to pulling up the NMI rope, Sam gave Jim a heads up that Max would be on his way back down soon, so when Max arrived on the bottom, both Jim and T
ed were waiting to welcome him back. They both were anxious to hear all that had occurred over the past couple of days.

  Max said, “Sam, I’m on the bottom, and I will be clear in a few minutes.” Then to Jim and Ted, he said, “Let’s get out of this rain, Sam is going to drop the supply rope momentarily, and we don’t want to get clobbered when it hits the bottom.”

  The threesome scurried down the breakdown and into the tunnel dragging the shield with them. Once inside the tunnel, Max said to Sam, “We are clear so you can drop the other rope as soon as you can.”

  Max began to tell Jim and Ted about the gondola that the Russians had recently flown in, and how much time he thought they had before the Russians were here on the bottom. He put his finger up to his lips to caution them to speak carefully while the com was active. While Max was changing from his wet suit into his caving garb, Sam came on the com and said, “I just talked with Scott, and he suggested that rather than dropping the supply down, that I lower the spare NMI and shield instead. He didn’t elaborate on why other than he thought you could use it to extend the range of our communications. He also said that he thought you would concur.”

  Max thought for a moment and replied, “I agree. That is probably a good idea. Like I said to you before you lowered me, you are going to need help with the NMI. Go see who you can round up to help you with that chore.”

  “I’m on it. I suspect that it will take three to four hours to get it to the bottom for you.”

  “That’s okay, I need to update everyone down here, and besides, we’ll need Bufford to help with the NMI. I’ll be in contact later, say about four or five hours later.”

  This was going to work out fine since they decided that they were going to need Bufford’s help manhandling the awkward three-hundred-pound rope up the four-hundred-foot climb to the upper passage and then down the mile of passage to the crack above the alien’s chamber.

  Max said, “Let’s go find the others, then I can bring everyone up to speed all at one time. Then later, we can come back and get this rope.”

  With that, the threesome made their way back to the alien’s cavern.

  CHAPTER 33

  The Russians Are Coming, Again

  Sam and five of his Venezuelan helpers went to the hidden alcove to retrieve the spare NMI rope. Not knowing whether to leave the spare shield with the spare com transceiver intact on the NMI or to detach it before lowering, Sam decided to leave it intact. He was thinking that it might be good to have the spare shield on the bottom just in case. Just in case covered a lot of possibilities. Their efforts expended in moving the spare rope back to the pit and lowering it did not go unobserved.

  Sam spoke into his helmet com to Scott, “Scott, we are lowering the spare NMI rope now. I am leaving the shield and com transceiver attached just in case.”

  Scott was sitting around a table in Miguel’s dining tent with Dr. Fred, Miguel, and Geraldo discussing the logistics of transporting the ANFO into the cave and lowering it to the bottom without raising suspicions. “That is fine, Sam. Although we didn’t talk about it, I think that is actually what Max wanted us to do anyway.” Scott was thinking to himself, “Too bad the detonator and blasting caps aren’t here now, they could be sent down with the shield.”

  Just about then, Dr. Fred said, “Something is happening on the other side of the canyon. A caravan of Russian trucks is coming. It looks like they have a couple of cranes or something.”

  Geraldo added, “That and two trucks. They must have driven here by way of the back roads because they didn’t fly those cranes into here.”

  Dr. Fred said, “I didn’t know that you could drive big trucks like that on those back roads.”

  Geraldo clarified for Dr. Fred, “Actually, big military trucks like that can traverse rough terrain like you wouldn’t believe. Give them a little time, and they could haul tanks up here.”

  Scott said, “This is bad news. It looks like they are going to make a serious run at the pit. What do you make of the stuff on the trucks?”

  “My guess,” said Geraldo, “is brute force equipment for attacking the pit. That looks like a big generator and some more winches. That thing on the second truck looks like a diving bell. I’ll bet that is exactly what it is, and that other thing looks like a cage of some kind.”

  “That looks like a mine shaft elevator cage.” Scott surmised that they were getting tired of rappelling down to their Bridgeway and having to climb back up each time. “Looks like they are going first class.”

  Miguel asked, “What is the second crane for?”

  “Probably to stabilize the cage, you know, to keep it from spinning, or it could just be for lowering stuff. This complicates things enormously. Sam, are you listening?”

  “Yeah, I’m wondering what’s going on also.”

  “Is there anyone standing by on the bottom?”

  “I don’t think so. I think they all went back to find Spider and Bufford and get everyone up to speed at one time. I told them it would take me three to four hours to lower the NMI, so they will probably be back by then. I’ll keep an ear out for them.”

  “Dang, we need to alert Max that time is getting really short and that things could go south at any moment. We may not have two days before they start lowering that diving bell. Don’t lower the shield just yet, I think we may need to wait until Carlos gets back here in the morning with a package. Everyone, let’s continue keeping an eye on the Russians so we can estimate just how much time we have.”

  Sam said, “Scott, I told you I was lowering the NMI a while ago. It is just about on the bottom now.”

  “That’s okay, it was just a thought.”

  “Do you want me to alert you when they come back for the rope?”

  “Yes, please do.”

  CHAPTER 34

  We Need a Transform

  After Peggy welcomed Max back, they all assembled together with their alien friends, and Max began to relate all that had recently transpired, leaving out no details.

  Bufford and Spider told Max about their progress, and that they had stopped after a little over a thousand feet and were waiting for the arrival of more rope. The three thousand foot NMI rope would be perfect.

  Peggy explained how she had helped Bufford and Spider, but mostly, she had spent her time conversing with the aliens.

  Max pulled out the bundle of magazines and books that he had brought with him and gave them to Xyllio, and for once, Xyllio appeared to exhibit some excitement. Xyllio immediately shared the magazines and books with Klarrio and the others. Max was thinking that these few publications would give the aliens a better view into the present world than all of their conversations.

  Max turned to Xyllio and asked, “What do you make of the conversation that I had with Sergei?”

  Xyllio took a moment to reply, then said, “I can infer several things. Kuznetsov appears to be one of that strain of people that we fear. Apparently, they have survived unabated to the present and are a deadly threat to our and your existence. Sergei Vassilov appears to be of a strain which we created to aid in our protection. The members of the Project Blue Book that you mentioned could be either, both or neither. We don’t have enough information to conjecture one way or another. Until they make their presence known, we have no way to judge. One sad inference that we can make is that the existence of these agencies implies that none of our kind currently exists on this planet.”

  “That is terrible!”

  Xyllio continued, “It also means one of two things. Either they were finally wiped out, or else they voluntarily left the planet. If they voluntarily left the planet, we are in a terrible position because the only device for sending a message to our kind is on our ship down here, and of course, its signals do not penetrate these rock walls. We have tried and tried. It will take a lot of time and resources to dismantle it and reassemble it on the surface somewhere, and time is not what we have a lot of now. And, assuming we can be made safe here by blocking the passage and conceali
ng all evidence of our presence, you would have to find another way into here, remove the transmitter, and then reassemble it on the surface, all the while making sure that all of your activities go undetected. That will be a very formidable task.”

  Max said optimistically, “But, given time and resources, that is entirely feasible.”

  “The other possibility is that our kind was eliminated. If that is the case, then our space ship will still be here. That won’t help us much because we are all genetic and biological scientists, not interstellar pilots. But if you could find the ship, you could transmit messages to our kind. The conversation would, unfortunately, transpire over several centuries, and in the meantime, we would be better off down here waiting.”

  “That is not a really good alternative either. If your ship is still here, what are our chances of finding it? If it is here, I am amazed that it hasn’t already been found. There are not many places on this planet that we have not explored.”

  “If it is still here, it is because it is hidden very well. It is underwater and ice in a very remote place where no one would have a reason to look, and if they did look, they wouldn’t see anything. They would see a nondescript ocean floor covered with rocky outcrops. It is protected by a sophisticated camouflage that neither radar nor sonar can penetrate, and its dynamic heat signature will perfectly match the surroundings. It is a ghost even to our technology.”

  “If it is hidden so well, how are we supposed to find it?”

  “We know the exact coordinates.”

  “That fine, but exact coordinates in what coordinate system? I am sure that the coordinate system that you all used several thousand years ago is a bit different than the coordinate systems that we use today to geo-reference everything on the surface of this planet. I know enough mathematics to know that we will need an exact transform to convert your coordinates into something we can use.”

  “Yes, you are absolutely correct, and that is a problem.”