by Donal Myrick
Glen and Geraldo knew that as soon as they emerged from the storm, the Russians would quickly find them. A few calculations showed that the most likely place the Russians would attempt an intercept would be along a hundred-mile stretch of open water extending from the eastern end of Grand Bahama Island to Port St. Lucie. Both boats could get to that area in less than fourteen hours. Geraldo knew that their best strategy would be to stay in the shallowest water they could find as they traveled westward through that stretch of water north of Grand Bahama, but in doing so would slow them down. In the end, it was going to be a cat and mouse game. They were fortunate that the Russians didn’t have additional assets operating in the Atlantic as they sprinted up the eastern side of the Bahamian Archipelago.
Since they had to slow down considerably navigating through the shallow waters north of Grand Bahama, they knew that by the time they arrived at the western end of the island, the Russians would have had plenty of time to plan an unfortunate open water collision. They realized that now it was much too dangerous to attempt a sixty-mile sprint across the open waters to the safety of Port St. Lucie. The only hope they had would be to enlist the help of the U.S. Coast Guard, but that in doing so would mean enduring a protracted interrogation and inspection by all of those agencies they were hoping to avoid.
As they were contemplating the wisdom of this choice, they received another encrypted message from Sergei relayed through Connie confirming their fears. Collectively, they realized they no longer had a choice. They bit the bullet and made the call.
CHAPTER 53
A Deal Is on the Table
The cat and mouse game was over, and they were escorted safely, not to Port St. Lucie but to the Miami Coast Guard impound area. Glen went through all of the documents and physical inspections required by the Coast Guard, and those inspections were passed satisfactorily. After the inspections were completed, the Coast Guard Commander that performed the inspections told Glen that they were leery of Glen’s claim that they were being tracked and threatened by a Russian submarine. He said that they normally would not respond to a request that they deemed nonsense, but that obviously someone in the upper hierarchy took that claim seriously. As a consequence, he informed Glen that the yacht was being impounded, and he and his crew were to being detained for questioning. He informed Glen that the people that gave that direction would be arriving in the morning, and until then, no one would be permitted to leave the yacht.
When Glen explained their situation, Sam quipped, “You mean that we are under yacht arrest.”
“Yes, something like that. I think that if it weren’t for tomorrow’s inquisition, we would be free to go. Our documents are all in order, and they didn’t identify any contraband, so the Coast Guard has no reason to detain us. Yet, here we are, and we have no idea who is going to show up tomorrow. Is it going to be the same bunch we met with previously in Houston, or is it going to be someone else?”
“At least, for now, we are safe,” Peggy said. “I guess we need to get our stories straight for tomorrow. Max, what can we talk about, and what must we avoid?”
“We are going to have to come clean on about everything except that which relates directly to the actual existence of live aliens or the devices we have in our possession. We can keep most everything hypothetical, and claim that the rocks will tell the story. Keep the focus on the rocks, and identify them as the objects that the Russians want.”
Jim asked, “How do we explain our behavior?”
“Say we did what we did because we could, and besides, it was fun. We accomplished our goal of exploring the Churún River Cave, and it is Dr. Baldridge and Dr. Schillinger that want the rocks. They believe there are history and careers to be made on the analysis of those rocks. As for us, we just want to get home and prepare for our next big adventure. The reason we didn’t go into Venezuela was that it offered too many opportunities for the Russians to get our rocks.”
Geraldo asked, “Do you really think they will believe that?”
“Probably not, but at least there is a lot of truth in that explanation. The problem is, of course, is not in what we are saying but in what we are omitting. I am sure they will pick up on that and try to get us to say a lot more than we want to. So, we will just have to be careful and say as little as possible.”
Glen said, “Let’s sleep on it. Tomorrow is going to be a watershed day, and we better be ready.”
Peggy quipped, “We are in Miami. I’d rather hit South Beach and party.”
“I’ll second that,” Sam was quick to say.
Max reminded them, “We need to stay focused. When they let us out of jail, then we can party.”
The next morning, they were informed that a group of government agency people would be boarding the yacht in about an hour.
Glen remarked, “This is highly unusual. The normal protocol would be for us to be escorted to a secure debriefing area of their choice, like to a police station or to the local FBI offices. Their coming to us is an omen of something.”
“In that case, let’s entertain them in style,” Peggy said. “Can we order an assortment of donuts right quick? We have plenty of fresh fruit onboard, so I can fix a nice fruit tray. Get out the big coffee pot, and the nice china.”
Glen corrected Peggy, “We don’t have any nice china. They will have to use the same mugs as we use. But, you are right, Peggy. A cordial reception might buy us some goodwill and much-needed leniency. Maybe they won’t look too hard at what we have onboard.”
Max opined, “I’ll bet this is the ole ‘honey attracts more bees than vinegar’ tactic. I think they know if they use a hard line with us that they will get little to nothing for their efforts, so this may also be an opportunity for us to get something. I don’t have anything in mind at the moment, but I think we may be in a good bargaining position. It is obvious they think we have something or know something, so we need to feel them out to understand what they think we have, and we need to be thinking of what they may be able to provide to us that we might need. This ought to be an interesting meeting.”
Promptly at ten o’clock, a water taxi bearing an assortment of Danish goodies and donuts and a Coast Guard boat transporting four men arrived simultaneously at the yacht. Glen met and escorted the men to the dining room, which would serve well as a conference room. There they were met by Max and everyone else. After everyone was seated around the large dining table and introductions were complete, Peggy acting as the charming hostess, offered refreshments to soften the stilted atmosphere.
Max opened the conversation, “Mr. Smith, It is good to see you and Mr. Jones again. I want to thank you for intervening on our behalf with the Coast Guard. I don’t think they would have agreed to escort us across the Florida Straits if you hadn’t requested that they do so. And, I understand that you probably have a lot of questions as to why we were running from a Russian submarine.”
Mr. Jones, the DHS representative, though he didn’t identify himself as such, said emphatically, “You have come right to the point! Indeed, we were extremely interested in why a Russian sub would be chasing an American yacht, and when we learned that it was you onboard, we became even more interested. We are hoping that you will be willing to enlighten us.”
Before Max could answer, Mr. Jones interjected, “We would also like to know how you knew the sub was chasing you. You started off over a thousand miles apart, and I am certain you never saw nor were contacted by the sub. How did you know it was there?”
Max said, “Well, it is a long story.”
“We are here to listen,” said Mr. Jones.
“You are all aware of why we were in Venezuela, to begin with, and how we became involved with the Russians there. As I am sure, everyone knows by now that there is something very odd about the Churún River Cave and the whole incident involving the loss of water flow to Angel Falls. The Russians were there to investigate the oddity of the cave, and because we were in the best position to enter and descend the deep pit, which
was central to the mystery, we were the first to collect samples from the cave. The Russians wanted access to the samples, and we made an agreement to work together to solve the mystery. That agreement worked well initially, but then the Russians had a change of personnel, and the agreement was abrogated. Our relations with the Russians became very adversarial, and we felt we were in constant danger from them. However, we continued with our exploration and sample collecting efforts. All during this time, we maintained a loose relationship with the previous leader of the Russian expedition, and he kept us informed of the Russian efforts, and that we needed to be concerned for our safety. We completed our expedition and made our exit from Venezuela. We have in our possession an extensive collection of rock samples gathered from all accessible points within the cave. We believe that this is what the Russians desire to obtain from us. It seems they think they are more important than we do, but Ted, Dr. Baldridge, that is, think they are the most important things in the world.”
“We understand that you blew up the cave when you left. What was that all about?”
“Well, we didn’t blow up the cave; that is a massive overstatement. We tried to open up a passage out from the bottom of the pit. We had explored every possible lead, and we were unsuccessful in penetrating a massive breakdown blockage that prevented us from getting very far from the pit. There was extensive air movement, so we knew that a large passage existed beyond the pit, but we were unable to find a way into it. Our blasting efforts were a final and unsuccessful attempt to move forward. By-the-way, I guess that I should point out that our blasting efforts were spectacularly unsuccessful. Not only did we not open up access to more passage, we completely blocked access to the little passage that did exist. This really pissed off the Russians.”
“That sounds rather irresponsible. Did you actually know what you were doing?”
“Give us a little credit. Admittedly, we aren’t blasting experts, but we aren’t total neophytes either. We used what we could get our hands on and did our best. It just didn’t turn out as we had hoped. By-the-way, we did have the park director’s permission to attempt the blasting.”
“Who was the Russian that you maintained contact with?”
“That was Sergei Vassilov. Sergei was the individual that let us know that the Russian sub was after us, and intended to board our boat. He let us know where they were, and that enabled us to execute our plan to evade them. We would have been successful, except that they traveled a lot faster than we could.”
The other two agents took an interest at the mention of Sergei’s name. One of them asked, “What do you know about Mr. Vassilov?”
“Not a whole lot. Why do you ask? He has been very helpful to us.”
“Did Mr. Vassilov not confide in you that he and Dr. Kuznetsov were part of a Russian agency charged with the investigation of possible extraterrestrial activities?”
Without blinking, Max replied, “Yes, he did mention that.”
“Were you not going to mention that to us?”
“Well, to be frank, it has been our intention to keep that information from you. We thought that if you were unaware of that fact, that it would be better for all concerned. First, we felt that mentioning anything that involves ‘aliens’ would diminish our credibility. But secondly, that is exactly what Drs. Baldridge and Schillinger think, and that is why they want these rock samples. If they are right, what they might reveal could be mind-boggling.”
“Why do the Russians want the samples that you have?”
“When we parted company, only a few samples had been analyzed, and they provided some tantalizing but inconclusive results. We have an extensive sampling of rocks and other stuff from throughout the bottom of the pit. When we attempted to blow the passage open, we ended up burying the bottom of the pit with tons of rock, rendering it impossible to accomplish additional meaningful sampling. As a consequence, we have the only relevant collection of samples. That is why the Russians are pissed and want to get their hands on what we have.”
“Indeed. Would you mind showing us your collection?”
“No, not at all. Follow me down below.”
Everyone dutifully followed Max down to a storage area on the deck below.
“As the little Black Sheep said, we have three bags full.”
Max and Geraldo hefted one of the bags onto a table and spread the contents out for inspection.
“As you can see, the rock in the cave has been subjected to some sort of intense heat, hence the smooth marble-like surface. Also, you can see on these samples surface discoloration, which, according to Dr. Fred, is indicative of something. And here is probably the most interesting object that I collected. Notice, it isn’t a rock, but something else. Ted is most interested in analyzing this item. In one of these bags, I have a sack full of smaller pieces of the same stuff.”
Agent Jones said, “I think we have seen enough. As you have probably surmised since the Coast Guard has cleared you for re-entry into the U.S., we have no grounds or reason to detain you further. However, we have an immense interest in your samples and what they might reveal. As a consequence, we would like to offer you a proposal.”
“We are listening,” Max said, showing lots of interest.
“We would like to take possession of your samples and transport them to a secure place where they can be properly analyzed. Your team members can lead the analysis, and you all can be appropriately compensated.”
“That sounds good, but we aren’t the ones to have that discussion with. The group you see before you, we are all cavers, not scientists or geologists. You need to be talking with Drs. Baldridge and Schillinger. Since you have the resources, I suggest that you fly them here tomorrow, and work things out.”
“We can do that. Can you contact them easily?”
“Yes, let’s go back upstairs, and I’ll do just that.”
The group reconvened in the dining room, and Max gave Ted a call.
“Ted, Max, here.”
“Yo, Max, how are things going?”
“I’d say pretty good. The whole gang is here in Miami aboard Glen’s yacht. We are joined by several government representatives, and we have been discussing the rock samples.”
“Good god, I hope you aren’t letting the samples out of your sight. Don’t give anything away!”
“Don’t worry, I’m not. But that is why I’m calling. It would be very good if you could join us here tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? That’s awfully short notice, I don’t know if I can arrange it.”
“Not a problem, they will send a plane to pick you up. Can you be ready first thing in the morning?”
“You are serious, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Be ready by seven in the morning. They will call you and tell you where to be.”
“Okay.”
“Call Dr. Fred and give him the same information. Be ready to negotiate a deal to support your research. They will call him after you talk with him.”
Agent Smith said, “If they are ready by seven in the morning, we can have them here by two in the afternoon.”
“Sounds good, we will see you tomorrow afternoon.”
CHAPTER 54
Kuznetsov’s Last Gasp Attempt
Geraldo interrupted, “One other thing. Kuznetsov is not one to give up easily. We are sitting ducks here. Can you possibly post guards around us until you take possession of the rocks? We have kept safe thus far by being mobile. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t try something this evening while we are sitting still.”
“You are in a Coast Guard impound area. There are guards on duty 24/7. But, with that in mind, I would recommend that you all continue to remain on board.”
Geraldo asked for one more favor, “I notice that you are carrying a 40 cal Glock. We don’t have any weapons on board, so I would greatly appreciate it if you would loan me your weapon until we meet here tomorrow.”
Agent Jones was taken aback by the request and stammered, “I don’t think there
is a procedure for letting me do that. I don’t think I can.”
One of the other agents responded, “We aren’t under the same constraints that you guys are. They can have mine.”
With that, he handed his weapon and a spare clip to Geraldo and said, “Let’s hope you don’t need this, but if you do, it is a whole lot better to have it than not have it. I can tell that you know what you are doing.”
After the agents left, Max called Ted again.
Ted asked, “What is going on?”
“We can’t talk about it over the phone. I’ll fill you in on everything tomorrow when you and Dr. Fred get here. In the meanwhile, don’t discuss anything with anyone. Have a good flight.”
“Got it. See you tomorrow.”
Geraldo said, “We need to make preparations for this evening. I don’t like our tactical position. Even though this is a guarded moorage, we are very vulnerable. Glen, how much water do we have below us?”
Glen replied, “Six to eight feet is all, not a whole lot.”
Geraldo was thinking out loud, “It wouldn’t do them any good to just sink us; instead, they will need to go for total destruction. To do that, they will need to get by the guards, get on board, kill all of us, get the rocks, set the boat on fire, and escape. Glen, does your dad keep any guns on board here?”
“There might be a couple of shotguns. I know that they like to shoot skeet off the stern.”
“Let’s find them.”
“If they are here, they will be in the cabinet in the salon.”
Sure enough, there were two Browning 12-gauge shotguns and ten boxes of bird-shot ammo.
Geraldo exclaimed, “Perfect. This bird-shot will do. It probably isn’t lethal, but it sure as heck will discourage anyone on the receiving end. This evening, Max, you and Jim take the shotguns and guard the stern, and I will take forward. If Kuznetsov is going to make a last-ditch effort, it will be late tonight. If we can get through tonight unscathed, we will be home free.”