There seems to be a room. No, a cave. Falling water. People. About a dozen? Maybe more? I’m losing the image. Too much spurious.
In about half an hour, he was back down again. Zoya was waiting anxiously for his return.
“So?” she asked impatiently as soon as he managed to clamber down.
“We need to go about a kilometre east of here. There is a waterfall over there. Somehow it seemed as if he is behind that waterfall. But he is not alone. There were a few others in the vicinity, within a kilometre or so of him. I couldn’t tell exactly how many. The images were choppy. It was as if there was a lot of spurious signal in the background, what we call noise, that was cutting off some of the brain waves.”
“Oh? What do think might be causing that?”
“I don’t know. It could be other radio signals in the vicinity or signals from geomagnetic activity that is interfering with the brain signals. This country is definitely a hotbed for geomagnetic activity alright. So, I can’t really discount that possibility.”
“Was there like a whole army?”
“No, it didn’t seem like it. Maybe about a dozen or less, but I could be wrong.”
“What do we do now?”
“Do you see that rocky area over there?” asked Chris, pointing to a lava-rock formation to the northeast of where they were standing. “It should be about a kilometre from here. We should try to get to the top of it and camp out there for some time. If my guess is correct, from that spot, we’ll have an excellent view of a cascade waterfall right across from it.”
“Yeah, might as well take in the view while we are here, right?” Zoya joked.
“Funny. But there’s no time for jokes. Let’s go. My hunch is that their hideout might be behind that waterfall somewhere.”
CHAPTER twenty-six
The climb up the lava-rock formation wasn’t an easy one despite their sturdy vehicle. After struggling up the rocks for about half an hour they had to park the car, pull the handbrake and trek the remaining distance on foot with their camping gear on their backs. The twilight hours were dwindling fast and soon it would be too dark to monitor the waterfall from their lookout point. They hurried to set up their tent and Zoya quickly handed out some food. Then she stayed back in the tent to warm up while Chris went up to the cliff to monitor the waterfall.
Just as Chris had expected, there was a spectacular view of the falls from the top of that cliff. He pulled out his binoculars and focussed them to the edge of the falling water. He stood there for about an hour watching and taking stock of the situation. At the end of the hour, Zoya joined him as per their plan.
“Any news?” she asked.
“At first, the area was deserted. And then about ten minutes ago, I saw someone walk up to the base of the falls and disappear along the trail behind it, over there.” He pointed with his finger. “Then there were two others. They arrived together. And then three more.”
“So, you were right! They are hiding back there then?”
“Looks like it.”
“How many altogether?”
“So far, I saw nine. But the night isn’t over.”
“Go back to the tent. I will take over. You will freeze if you stay here much longer. I thawed some of the water bottles over the heater in the tent. Go and drink some and get warm. I’ll keep count.”
“Thanks, Zoya,” Chris smiled affectionately. “I will be back in an hour to swap.”
Throughout the night they maintained the rotational guard and continued the watch until the sun was up. After that. All was quiet. There was no more movement to be seen anywhere near the falls. It was Chris’s watch. After one hour of complete inactivity in the falls area, he returned to the tent and huddled next to the portable heater, rubbing his hands briskly.
“It’s all quiet now,” he said at last, his face thoughtful.
“So, last night we saw eleven people go in. That is the final count, right?”
“Yes.”
“And just before sunrise, eleven people left the falls in rapid succession.”
“Mhmm.” Chris was deep in thought.
“Are they the same people, you think?”
“Most likely.” Chris reached for a bottle of water and Zoya quickly handed it to him. He took a deep swallow and closed his eyes, concentrating on his thoughts. “My inference is that they use this place as some sort of a nightly hideout. They come in after sunset and leave before the sun is up. What they do during the daytime is anyone’s guess…” He trailed off.
“There is logic in that argument. So, you think the base is empty now?”
“I would think so, unless…”
“Unless, what?”
“Unless there are two units of Aifra soldiers in there. A stationary one and another that is mobile. But the signals I got from the tower did not indicate a large battalion. So that can’t be it. It must be a temporary base. In which case—”
“Our best chance to go in there is now,” Zoya interrupted.
“Exactly. Although…no, something’s not right.” Chris paused to think. “I mean, it would make no sense to leave their base unguarded, even if it were a temporary hideout, don’t you think?”
“I agree. Maybe it is guarded. Could be boobytrapped.”
“You’re right. That is of course, a possibility.”
“What are our options?”
“I think we should wait another night. If we see the same pattern tomorrow, we risk it and go in after sunrise. In the best case, we find the den abandoned but boobytrapped. In the worst, there are fewer soldiers inside than during the night, the ones that stayed behind to guard it. Either way, we will have to tackle them at some point. What do you think?”
“Sounds reasonable. I am on board. Should we get some sleep, then?”
“Yes, that would be a good idea. We need as much energy as we can muster for tomorrow. How are we doing for food?”
“We still have enough for a couple of days. It’s water I am worried about though.”
“When we’re at the waterfall tomorrow, I will fill up a bottle. Some of that stream is frozen but there is still a decent flow. That water is filtered through the porous lava-rocks, it’s really pure.”
“Sounds good,” said Zoya as she rolled out her sleeping bag on the tent floor “Are you scared?” she asked timidly once she was tucked in.
“A little, I suppose. But I knew what I had signed up for. You?”
“I don’t know,” Zoya mumbled, almost inaudibly.
* * *
In her heart, Zoya was terrified but didn’t want to admit it. She tried instead to focus on happy thoughts and to cling on to the feeble hope of being reunited with Nancy soon.
When they resumed their watch again shortly before sunset that evening, the previous night’s pattern was repeated. Eleven people, either all men or all women or a mixture of both, they could not tell, arrived at the falls and disappeared behind the water curtains one after another, over the course of a few hours. They were all carrying packs on their backs and looked like they were armed. Shortly before sunrise, eleven people exited the falls in rapid succession and spread out in different directions.
Zoya and Chris did not see any vehicles but then again, they did not have a view of the highway from their spot on the cliff. So, if some of these people boarded cars parked behind the rocks and drove off along the highway, then there would be no way for them to see that from their current location.
As per their plan, they waited a couple of hours after the eleventh person had left the falls area and like yesterday, there wasn’t a soul to be seen. Finally, Chris gave up. His legs looked cramped from crouching on the snow-covered rocks for so long. He walked briskly up to Zoya in the tent.
“All clear,” he said.
Zoya had already started packing. Chris pitched in and together they dismantled the tent and gathered the remaining camping gear. Then they made the trek down towards their car.
“The map says that there isn’t a direct
path that leads from here to the base of the falls,” said Chris while they were walking. “But there is one that will lead us to the top. So, I am going to take that one and park the car near the edge of the falls.”
“Is there a trail for us to climb down on foot?”
“There is, but it will be too icy to use, this time of the year. I will rappel down.”
“Oh, I see, I am not very good at climbing stuff,” Zoya mumbled, sounding worried.
“That’s okay, you are not coming.”
“What?”
“It would not be wise for us to go into their den together. One of us should stay and stand guard. That way, if something bad happens inside, you can get help and alternatively, you can keep an eye out for danger from the outside.”
“Okay, I get that but why couldn’t I go in while you stand guard?”
“You could, but do you know what we are looking for?”
“No.”
“Exactly.” Chris smiled. “Maybe next time, when you become more familiar with our group and mission.”
Zoya smiled reluctantly, but her heart sank. What if Nancy was in there? How would she ever save her now?
* * *
It took them less than twenty minutes to drive to the top of the waterfall. The area was very barren like the rest of Iceland. There were no trees or shrubs or bushes or evergreen forests of any kind. However, they found some pretty large boulders on the bank of the stream, right next to the mountain road and parked their car behind it for cover. Chris clambered out of the car and hurried to the edge of the cliff and pulled out his binoculars. Below, the crystal blue waters of the falls were tumbling down and frothing against the metamorphic rocks covered with glistening white snow. A part of the falls was frozen solid, forming a wall to wall window in front of the cave that Chris was now planning to enter. Chris was about to head back to the car to fetch his climbing gear when he felt a gentle tug on his shoulder. It was Zoya.
“Look!” She pointed, her face white with fear.
Chris trained his binoculars on the rock at the bottom of the falls to which Zoya was pointing.
“Do you see it? There is something moving, like a cat?”
“A really big cat,” said Chris, as his eyes grew wide. He lowered his binoculars and turned to face Zoya. He bit his lower lip.
“Is it a tiger?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“No. A tiger wouldn’t be able to survive this weather. It looked like a leopard.”
“Give me that.” Zoya grabbed the binoculars and focused on the beast. “It’s a snow leopard,” she concluded. “But they are not from these parts of the world. Someone brought him here.”
“The boobytrap,” Chris agreed.
“Looks like. The first of many, perhaps.”
“Do you know anything about these animals?” Chris asked.
“A little. They are very powerful. Great hunters. They like cold and rocky terrain.”
“Not helpful.”
“Wait, there’s more. They are not known to attack humans unless provoked. Also, they are easy to chase away.”
“Good. I have a plan.” Chris hurried back to the car. Zoya followed.
Opening the trunk of their jeep, Chris pulled out the winter tire chains the rental car company had provided with the spare tire. This was because the spare was not a winter tire. He quickly dismantled the chain by removing a couple of the cross links with a set of pliers he had brought with him. He joined three of the cross links together with their hooks to form a longer chain. Then, pulling out his pocket knife, he slashed the bottom of his jeans and cut off a large strip of denim.
“What are you doing?” Zoya screamed. “You will freeze!”
“That is the least of my worries right now. Rather freeze than be eaten by a leopard, don’t you agree?” He smirked and proceeded to wrap the denim pieces around the end of the chain he had just made. He secured the cloth on the chain with a couple of nails from his little camping toolkit.
After that, he retrieved a bottle of liquid camping fuel from the boot of the car and doused the denim-covered end of the chain. He took out his climbing gear and looked around, making a mental note of the distance from the jeep to the edge of the cliff. He fastened one end of a large roll of climbing rope to the jeep’s rear axle. Using a carabiner and a shorter rope, he secured the liquid fluid container to his waist. He put on his harness and fastened himself to the climbing rope. He made sure he had his gun in his pocket and then taking the spare one out of its case, ensured that it was loaded. He also pocketed a cigarette lighter from his toolkit.
“Alright,” he said finally to Zoya, “here’s the plan, take this gun and the binoculars and come over to the edge. I am going to rappel down and then it’s me against the puma.” He flicked her an evil grin.
“Leopard,” she corrected. Her face was flushed.
“Potato, potata,” he said. “Keep an eye out, will ya? And once I am inside the cave, if you see or hear anything suspicious, immediately return to the car and contact Dr. Müller from the two-way radio that I’ve left inside. Give him the location and nature of danger in as few words as possible. Got it?”
Zoya nodded.
“The cave occupants usually start returning by around six in the evening. So, if I am not back out by at least five then get out of here and contact Müller for help. Also, if you are in danger of any sort whatsoever, forget about me, get the hell out of here and get help. You have the car and the maps. Alright?”
“Umm, I don’t know. I am not going to abandon you, if that’s what you’re asking.” There was a sincerity in Zoya’s eyes that Chris could not ignore.
Chris moved closer to Zoya and grabbing her by her shoulders, he looked directly into her eyes. There he held her gaze for a minute and then spoke.
“Look, Zoya, I appreciate the thought, but I would much rather have you abandon me to seek help than join me so that we can die together. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah. If you put it that way,” she mumbled, agreeing but not appearing to be entirely convinced.
“Alright then, here we go.” Chris walked towards the edge of the rock.
The rock surfaces in Iceland are very poorly suited to climbing, Chris realized as soon as he lowered himself over the edge. The rock crumbled like a cookie under his weight. Zoya stood on top monitoring the climb and easing out the rope when required. Below the leopard had caught his scent and was sprinting in his direction. Despite the frosty weather, Chris felt a bead of sweat appear on his brow.
“Almost, there!” Zoya shouted from above. Chris turned his head to gauge the remaining distance. It was not more than twenty feet. The leopard was pacing at the bottom. Chris dug his feet into the rock wall and arrested his descent. He then pulled out his cigarette lighter and lit the fuel-soaked denim at the end of the chain he made.
It lit up immediately.
Zoya gasped.
Chris zoomed down to the bottom in the blink of an eye and untied himself from the climbing rope with one hand while swirling the flaming chain with the other. It was a sight to behold. His fire poi magic at work. The leopard jumped back instinctively as Chris rushed furiously in its direction, whirling flame in hand.
Chris continued to chase the leopard further and further back as he made directly for the bottom of the falls. He knew that once he was close enough to the falling water as to be drenched by it, he would lose the leopard. Cats hate water. Chris backed up slowly, closing in on the falling water as he twirled the flaming chain in front of him. The cat growled and tried to advance, but the fire daunted it. Quickly, Chris poured the can of liquid fuel in a straight line in front of him and threw his chain at it. The fuel lit up in an instant, creating a wall of fire between himself and the leopard.
Seizing the moment, Chris turned on his heel and ran for the gushing water of the falls. Stepping precariously on the slippery rocks that bordered the stream, he found the trail that led behind the curtain of falling water. He let out a sigh of re
lief as he made his way to the back of the waterfall.
The area behind the falls had somewhat of a surreal quality. The gushing water, interspersed with blades of ice sparkled and glowed like a magical window into the valley beyond, but as soon as you turned your back to it, you stood face to face with the dark cavernous mouth of a cave that looked dreary and inhospitable. Chris cautiously moved forward, measuring every step to make sure he did not fall into another trap. To his right there was a very narrow passageway that was not broad enough for two people to walk side by side. It was dark and dank and seemed to wind into the interior of the cave. In front was a wider path, less winding and more welcoming. Chris halted for a moment to weigh his options. Going into the narrower passageway would be risky. If someone followed him into this passage, then he would have him cornered. There would be nowhere for him to run. So, the wider passage seemed the safer bet. He made up his mind and entered the passage. He had hardly gone ten feet when the ground slipped away beneath his feet.
He felt his head ram into a solid bed of rock and everything went black.
* * *
When Chris awoke, he was tied to a chair inside a dimly lit room. His vision was blurry. He blinked his eyes a couple of times to regain focus. It seemed like the interior of a cave. Through the corner of his eye, he could see a tall figure lurking in the shadows to his left. He tried to scream but couldn’t. Someone had taped his mouth shut. The shrouded figure in the background chuckled and moved closer. Chris could not see the person’s face. Suddenly someone grabbed his hair and pulled his head back and without any warning, ripped the tape off his mouth.
“Welcome, Mr. Wright,” hissed a familiar voice. “I had been expecting you.”
Chris’s eyes grew wide. “Dr. Weilhammer,” he managed to stammer.
“Indeed. How did you get past our starving kitty?”
Chris did not respond. He felt as though he were looking at a ghost.
“Not very chatty today, I see,” Dr. Weilhammer continued. “Very brave of you to come here all by yourself, so scantily armed. Did Wolfgang put you up to it?”
The Coming of Kalki Page 20