by Richard Edde
“You three follow us and take these flashlights,” Stepan said, handing several small lights to Harry. “Stay a ways back and let us lead. If we encounter anything, we’ll let out a shout.”
“Not much of a plan, Captain. Please don’t shoot my girl by mistake.”
“This is a typical SWAT extrication drill. We play things by ear but we have practiced these scenarios many times. There will be two men left out here for security and as a backup if needed. Now let’s go.”
Stepan waved his arm and headed for the cave’s entrance. Harry fell in behind the SWAT team. He turned on his flashlight, as did Li and Jing. Harry grabbed Jing by the arm.
“I think you should wait out here,” he said.
“Not on your life,” Jing replied. “I got you into this mess. I’m going.”
With that, she pulled out of his grasp and continued into the cave beside Li, leaving Harry to bring up the rear.
The first thing Harry noticed was the sharp drop in temperature once inside the mountain. The hollowed out entrance was high enough so members of the group were able to walk upright. Once inside, the cave opened into a large room, the ceiling of which, Harry surmised, was at least twenty feet high. Beams from headlights danced on the walls and floor as they moved toward the rear of the cave.
About fifty feet from the entrance, the room narrowed to a wide tunnel, which veered to the right then began a gentle descent. Green and orange moss covered the damp rock walls, creating a pungent, stifling odor. As they continued along, the air temperature steadily decreased and the tunnel grew darker as the filtered light from outside dissipated. Harry was glad he remembered to wear his parka and he noticed that Li and Jing had theirs on as well. No one was talking. It was eerily quiet. Only the plodding sounds of their footsteps echoed off the rocky walls.
Deeper into the cave, the green moss gave way to a purple lichen and the air became damp as well as cold. The cave had just enough light to see, but not enough to reveal all its secrets. Harry could hear dripping water inside and smell its ancient age. The stalagmites and stalactites looked like huge teeth, even the stains on them looked like dried blood. The feeble rays of sun waned, throwing the room into a velvet gloom. The howling sound from the wind coursing through it didn’t improve his bravery, but his curiosity was heightened, so he plunged deeper into the darkness.
To Harry, they had entered an alien world, hostile and unforgiving to trespassers. He looked to the head of their column and saw Stepan stooped over a rock outcropping. He picked his way to the captain’s side.
“Look here,” Stepan said to Harry.
Harry bent to take a closer look and saw a jagged piece of cloth stuck to the rock. “That looks like something the monk was wearing,” he said. “But I can’t be sure.”
Stepan called Li and Jing to the rock and asked them if they could identify the piece of cloth but neither could do so.
Continuing on, the tunnel took another sharp turn to the left while the walls closed in on the trespassers, forcing Harry and the group to walk single file. The low rock ceiling loomed barely above their heads. Water seeped from the rock and dripped down the sides of the tunnel.
With another sharp turn, a rush of cold air greeted them. Harry shivered and tried to get his bearings when Stepan called out. “Up here, Harry!”
Harry rushed to the front of the column and gazed into a remarkable abyss. The tunnel transformed into a huge cavern, several stories tall. Stepan shined his headlight around and the sight took Harry’s breath away. The cavern was enormous. Its glistening gray limestone walls contained fissures several feet deep.
The team’s lights glittered off the crystal and quartz embedded in the rock. At the far end of the cavern, and barely visible through dense mist, a waterfall emptied into an emerald stream. The water gushed over lichen-covered boulders then crashed into an emerald pool below, sending showers of mist high into the cavern.
“Shit,” Harry said. “What is this place? It’s breathtaking.” He marveled at the numerous stalactites that hung from the roof high above. Water dripped from their tips.
“Mongolia has hundreds of caves,” Li said. “When the ground water combines with atmospheric carbon dioxide a weak acid is formed. That acid eats away at the rock until a cave is formed.”
“Must take millions of years to create something like this,” Harry said. He noticed a few stalagmites pushed up from the floor of the cavern.
“Well guys,” Stepan said, “we need to cross that stream which will require the use of ropes which we left at the entrance. I suggest we return to the surface, make camp for tonight, and get an early start back here in the morning.”
“I’m totally blown away by this place,” Harry said. “I wonder if anyone has ever been in here before us. Maybe we’re the first.”
“I’m afraid of bats,” Jing said. “I hope we don’t see any. One could bite me. Plus, there must be all sorts of creepy crawly things that live in here.”
Li laughed. “Jing, you don’t strike me as the sort of girl who would be afraid of a few bats and spiders.”
“They can suck your blood,” she said.
“But wear a bat bone around your neck and it will bring you good luck,” Li said.
She glared at Li. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
The group reversed its route and soon were back at the mouth of the cave system. The afternoon sun was heading toward the horizon. In quick succession, lean-to’s were built, fires started, and sentries posted.
Harry hoped for a peaceful evening.
***
Stepan called his sergeant to a meeting and the two men sat a short distance apart from the rest of the group, who were lounging by the campfires. The sergeant was a burly man in his fifties. He bore a scar across his forehead and had large, stubby hands. Stepan liked the man and had been through a few tough skirmishes with him. They talked in their native Mongolian language.
“Zaya, this is likely to be some dirty business.” The sergeant nodded but said nothing. “I don’t have good feelings about this American woman, the doctor’s assistant. In all likelihood, if we find her, she’s going to be dead, and a gun battle with bloodshed will erupt. So I want the men to be ready, whenever it comes. Will you see to preparing them?”
Zaya shifted his large frame and smiled at his captain. “Of course,” he said, hoarsely.
“We have trained extensively on these kinds of missions and now it’s time to put that training to work. I don’t want to have to break bad news to parents or wives. Something tells me this cave is the only place the girl and monk can be, dead or alive. Even though we haven’t found them yet, this cave is the logical place--it’s secluded and out of the weather. Whatever we run into, it is going to result in a shootout and I want the men on their toes.”
Zaya nodded again. “The men will meet the challenge, sir. I know them well. They are good men and they will fight hard. Whatever the eventuality, the men will follow you without question.”
“I know them, too, Sergeant. And you and I have been through some tough times ourselves, right?
Zaya nodded once more and smiled again. “Yes, Captain, we have fought many wars together. You have been like a brother to me.”
“Fine, Zaya. Get some rest and tell the men to relax tonight. Tomorrow we begin in earnest.”
Chapter 22
Doyle watched the National Police SWAT team place sentries around the camp. He had climbed to the top of a ridge to get a better look at the group who had come to a halt outside a large cave. The team was well armed and it would be a toss-up as to who would have the advantage if a firefight broke out. Their gear was in piles around several campfires and, up to now, they were seemingly unaware of Doyle’s presence. He scrambled down the small ridge to where his men were assembled.
“No fire again tonight, men,” he said. “They are less than a mile away in front of a large cave. They may have already scouted inside it.”
Gillum sat on a flat rock
and put a plug of tobacco in his mouth. “If they go back in tomorrow, we’ll have them trapped. We can move in right behind them.”
Doyle zipped his parka as the evening temperature dropped. “That is the plan. Now listen up, everyone. If they decide to enter the cave tomorrow morning, we will give them an hour or so before we go in ourselves. Let’s hope we can surprise them without much gunplay.”
“Fat chance of that,” Marley said. “What if they shoot first?”
“We defend ourselves, of course. Remember, we’re after information and relics not a body count.”
“And once we have them cornered, they won’t be able to do anything but give us what we want,” Gillum added.
“I vote we kill every last one of the bastards,” Kurt said, sneering at Doyle.
“We do this Eastwood’s way,” Doyle said, “or not at all. I’m the hard case here and, until Eastwood says otherwise, I decide what we do.” He looked at Kurt for a long, silent moment. “Understand, Kurt?”
Kurt looked away but when he returned Doyle’s gaze, the sneer was gone. “Understood.”
“Gillum, make sure that all the weapons are ready to go for tomorrow and everyone turn in. I’ll take the first watch.”
The men sat in the dark and checked their weapons. Finally, they stretched out on the ground and fell asleep.
Except Doyle, who was worried. They had come to Mongolia ill-prepared for an extended expedition requiring specialized caving equipment. He and Eastwood planned for a quick strike at the research compound, seizure of the artifacts, and then a quick escape and flight back to the States. Doyle had not counted on a pursuit through the Mongolian mountains, a pursuit that now included the country’s law enforcement. Nor the killing of two Mongolians. They had weapons, sure, but beyond that, he was not convinced they could manage alone in a maze of underground caves. He had heard that some of Mongolia’s caves were quite extensive and dangerous. Caving was not on the list of things he had been trained to do. It wasn’t that he was worried about the dark--more like he was somewhat claustrophobic. This venture was turning into an extended game of chess and he had a peculiar feeling that his team wasn’t far from checkmate. However, maybe he was worrying too much. The cave up ahead might turn out to be nothing much at all. If that turned out to be the case, they could have this showdown over within a matter of hours and be on their way back home in a few days. His limbs ached for a nice soft bed with clean sheets.
***
Harry had Kesler on the satellite phone and the professor sounded agitated. Harry didn’t want to worry the professor needlessly but felt the situation required total honesty. After all, one of their team member’s life was at stake.
“You still haven’t found her?” Kesler said, obvious distress sounding in his voice.
“Unfortunately, no. We are camped at the entrance of an immense cave system and, in the morning, we’ll go in and see if she is in there. I hope to God she is and that she’s okay.”
“If she is in the cave,” Kesler said, his voice still sounding apprehensive, “she just didn’t wander in there by herself. She had to have been taken there. Against her will.”
“No, Professor, it’s possible she could have sought shelter to get out of the elements. Or she might have been injured in some way and could have been wandering around, dazed. But you’re right. Dixie is not the kind of woman to go exploring on her own without telling someone. I must admit my worst fears are being realized.”
“Harry, remember what I said about the possibility of the Yeti. It’s sounding more and more like--”
“Professor, you’re jumping to conclusions. She could just as easily been abducted by bandits who are holding an American scientist for ransom. We don’t know at this point.”
“Really, Harry? Then how do you explain the footprints you found and have been following? That doesn’t sound like bandits to me.”
Kesler’s anguish was producing a foul taste in Harry’s mouth. A lump formed in his throat as he thought of Dixie and what might have befallen her.
“We’ll keep looking, Professor, that’s all I know to do. The SWAT team is with us, so we’re ready for whatever happens.”
“I talked with Dixie’s parents,” Kesler said, his voice now sounding more controlled.
“I don’t envy you,” Harry said.
“They took it pretty well, I thought, considering. They realized she is in a foreign country and complete safety is not always possible. They seemed relieved when I said the Mongolian Police are involved as well as INTERPOL. They were going to call the State Department and their senator to enlist their aid.”
“Well, Professor, that’s about all here. I’ll try and call soon for another update.”
“Harry, don’t take what I’m about to say the wrong way. God knows I pray for Dixie’s safe return...”
“Yes?”
“If it isn’t bandits you’re dealing with but something more...er...more sinister, then try and bring back some tangible evidence. Understand?
“Completely. First priority is to get Dixie. Then obtain some proof as to whatever this thing is, if it’s not human. I’ll do my best, Professor.”
“I know you will, Harry.”
***
Eastwood settled himself into the canvas seat of the helicopter that sat on the tarmac of Chinggis Khaan International Airport outside Ulaanbataar, Mongolia. He was anxious to get airborne. The Mi-8T twin turbo engines were revving up and the two pilots were finishing their checklists. Eastwood had arrived from Beijing earlier and rented the sixteen-seat helicopter to transport him to Doyle’s location, if he could find him.
Sitting alone in his Manhattan office had been nerve-wracking and impossible. His attempts at controlling the mission from behind a desk proved too much for his anxiety-wracked nerves. He needed to be near the action, where he could call the shots, direct the strategy as the situation demanded. He was not good at supervising from a distance and, now that this enterprise was becoming difficult and unpredictable, he needed to be on the scene. Doyle was not going to appreciate his arrival but both men understood their relationship, one of boss and employee. He paid the man more than he could make elsewhere and Eastwood wasn’t worried. So he had quickly packed a bag and charted a jet to get him to Mongolia.
He thought about retrieving his satellite phone from his overnight bag on the seat next to him but decided to wait until they were in the air heading to the research site. Doyle could give him his coordinates in route and the pilots could adjust their flight plan accordingly.
One of the pilots opened the cockpit door and gave him a thumbs up. Eastwood settled into his seat and tried to relax as the large aircraft shuddered briefly then rose off the tarmac. With a jerk, they were speeding down the runway, gaining altitude, followed by a banking turn to the west. The flat plains below grew smaller and in the hazy distance he could just make out the mountain range.
Relax, he told himself. You’ll be there soon.
***
Morning found Harry, Li, Jing, and the SWAT team gearing up in preparation to re-enter the cave. Weapons were checked, headlights and flashlights switched on, canteens filled. Although the thought of returning to the dark didn’t seem quite as eerie to Harry as it had the previous day, he wasn’t looking forward to it. The SWAT team extinguished their campfires while Stepan paced about, checking on his men. As a brilliant sun peaked over the steppe, the captain assembled everyone for last minute instructions.
“Stay close, people. Keep the person ahead of you in sight at all times. If you need to stop for any reason, sing out and we will all stop. Try not to touch any vegetation or moss, as some of them can be poisonous. If we meet with trouble, let my SWAT team handle it.” Stepan paused for a moment as his words settled upon Harry like a heavy mantle. “Ready?” Everyone nodded. “Then, let’s move out.”
Tramping through the dark tunnel, they soon found themselves in the large cavern and grouped themselves next to the stream. The roar of the waterfall
sounded like a locomotive, while the stream, looking cold and deep, rushed past in swirling eddies. Their headlights flashed bright beams about as they huddled.
Stepan sent two men up and downstream to check for a safe place at which to ford. One returned and reported a narrow portion of the stream close by. It looked waist deep. They joined the other man where he waited.
“Tie onto this rope,” the captain said after one of his men pulled it out of a pack and uncoiled it.
One by one they did as instructed with some SWAT team members tying on just ahead of Harry and Jing.
The water swirled around Harry’s ankles as he waded into the stream. It was freezing cold. He felt his feet go numb as he lumbered deeper. Bringing up the rear of the column, he watched the group slowly make its way through the dark, churning water. Harry pressed forward through the swift and foreboding water, using a shuffling gait. He refused to think what might be lurking in its depths.
Ahead of him, Jing was saying something he could not hear over the roar of the waterfall. He could tell she was struggling against the current, for she had almost fallen several times. Once he caught an earful and realized she was cursing.
In the middle of the stream, the going got more difficult, the current much swifter. Harry watched Jing fight to maintain her balance in the churning water. She was tugging against the rope, frantic to remain on her feet, in spite of being forced downstream. Even with the headlights and flashlights, it was difficult to determine how far to the opposite shore. Harry’s feet were numb and his legs seemed ineffective in moving his body. His foot struck a rock and the impact sent shock waves of pain up his spine.
Jing was having more trouble maintaining her balance. She floundered, arms askew, and grabbed hold of the rope to steady herself. Ahead of them, Harry saw that the SWAT team was pushing forward, their black uniforms drenched. He reached out and managed to grab Jing’s arm, pulled her erect, but sensed it was a losing battle.