The Society of Orion Book Five: The Tayos Caves (Colton Banyon Mystery 18)

by Gerald J Kubicki

  He knew Wolf was researching through history for answers, but also knew it might take him four to five earth years to discover anything. He decided to not worry about what he could not control. The answers would eventually be revealed.

  “We will be at the edge of the lake in about an hour,” Kenny said with enthusiasm as he spoke over his shoulder.

  “I can’t wait,” Mandy said happily and clapped her hands.

  Banyon was not excited or even happy. The weight of the future of the world seemed to be on his shoulders. Then his phone rang. It was Previne. He groaned. He didn’t want to put up with her flirty aggression right now. But knew he had to answer it anyway.

  “Hello,” he said.

  “Colt,” Previne said in her clear precise voice with a slight British accent. “Maya asked me to call and fill you in on the metal library. Is this a good time?”

  “I’ll put you on speaker phone so everyone can hear,” he replied. She is not flirting, he noted.

  “Hi, everyone,” Previne said sweetly.

  “We are almost out of cell phone range,” Maya quickly responded.

  “Very well,” Previne replied. “Let me tell you what I have found out. It appears that the metal library may exist. I’ve seen pictures of the tunnels which lead to it. They’re definitely machine-made. There are precise angles and smooth surfaces all along the tunnels. They’re about a half a mile long and accessible from the main Tayos caves. The library was first discovered in 1969 by an entrepreneur named Juan Moricz. He claimed he found metal tablets stacked on shelves in a room in the caves. The room also included a sarcophagus, statues, and even small crystal squares. He thought that it was some sort of a library or museum and hence the name — metal library. There are no pictures of any of the tablets at this time, but some explorers have reported finding the library as recently as 2013. They say they will make the finding public soon. I don’t know when. So far nobody knows what information the tablets contain.”

  “So are you telling us this whole trip is for nothing?” Loni yelled out. “That someone else has already found the Tayos caves?”

  “I don’t think so,” Previne replied defensively. “The other group is thirty miles away from where you are headed.”

  “Then what have they found?” Heather asked. “It sounds just like what we are after.”

  “My colleagues and I think it is a decoy set up by the Shuar Indians to protect the real caves. They are the indigenous people in the area and it is rumored they are the protectors of the Tayos caves treasures.”

  “Colt,” Steve suddenly interrupted. “If we are headed to the real caves, the Skuar Indians might try to defend it. We’d better be prepared for a fight.”

  “Let’s stop and get out our weapons,” Kenny suggested. “But from what I know of them, they are not warlike. They are more prone to deception.”

  “Good idea,” Banyon responded. Steve skid the Hummer to a halt.

  He and Kenny got out and began digging in the back of the trunk for guns. They passed at least one gun to everybody in the Hummer. Then Steve once again began driving down the path.

  Banyon continued the discussion.

  “Go ahead Previne,” he said.

  “Like you, we also believe the caves were a depository. The Orion prologue convinced us. And we now believe the Nazca drawings are actually a navigation map to point to the caves.”

  Banyon knew about the Nazca drawings. They were huge drawings in the middle of the Nazca valley of Peru, several hundred miles south of the caves. The over nine hundred strange lines depicted animals and geometric designs that are so large they could be seen from space, but not from the ground. Scientists believed that because of the extreme arid climate the drawings have remained visible for thousands of years. Banyon also knew there were other strange figures etched in places all around South America and wondered if they were directions too.

  “I have one more…I believe…found…second…India, nothing there” Then the phone went dead. They had driven out of range.

  “What do you think she was trying to say?” Loni quickly asked.

  “I believe she was saying they found a second depository in India and nothing was there,” Banyon replied with amazement.

  Part Four

  The Tayos Caves

  Chapter Thirty

  The Hummer moved slowly through the dense foliage rocking back and forth like a ship at sea. The Forever Ours team was now both excited and a little bit concerned. They wondered if they would be attacked by the Skaur Indians. Everyone covered their sight lines to look for anything suspicious as they fingered their guns. No one but Steve, the driver, was looking ahead at the jungle. Suddenly the vehicle burst out into a small clearing and Steve smashed on the brakes.

  “End of the line folks,” he barked.

  Colton Banyon turned and looked out the front window, but all he could see was a wide gorge. “I hate to say this, but do we have the right coordinates Kenny? There should be a lake there.”

  “We are right on the money,” the young team member replied as he showed the GPS device to Banyon.

  The team climbed out of the vehicle and tentatively walked to the edge of the gorge. They all carried their guns loosely and were not focused on the jungle behind them.

  When Banyon peered over the side, he quickly scratched his head. He realized they had the right place, but now the lake was almost fifty feet below their feet and much smaller.

  “What the hell happened to the lake?” Loni screamed in frustration.

  “It’s not a lake,” a voice said loudly from behind them. The team members spun around and brought up their guns. Banyon suddenly thought they had been ambushed.

  Standing just inside the meadow was an Indian warrior. He stood about five and half feet tall. His skin was brown and leathery. He wore only a loin cloth and several shades of paint on his toned body. The only weapon they could see was a spear which was taller than he was.

  “Who are you?” Steve demanded in a threatening voice as he waved his machine gun at the man.

  “My name is Mobi and I am the head of the Skaur tribe here in Ecuador,” the Indian replied in perfect English.

  “What do you want?” Steve further demanded.

  “Actually, I’m here to help you,” the man replied smugly.

  Banyon stepped forward and went to stand close to the intruder. The rest of the team assumed shooting positions and watched their assigned area of the jungle.

  “How is it that you speak English so well?” Banyon asked.

  “Harvard,” the Indian replied with a smile. “Class of ’85.”

  “But how’d…,” Banyon started to ask, but Mobi continued.

  “Thanks to Father Hector and the Salesian mission, I was able to get an education. The Skaur and the monks have been friends for a long time,” he said as an explanation.

  “If you are educated, why live in the jungle?” Banyon asked.

  “Oh, I live in a town not far from here. I am a teacher. I come out to my people in the jungle to guide and help them when they need me.”

  “How did you know we were here?” Banyon asked suspiciously.

  “Father Thomas radioed me. We have been tracking you since you left the dirt road.”

  “I see,” Banyon responded as he realized the monks still had more devious plans. “You said you are not here to stop us from going into the Tayos caves, is that right?”

  “As I stated, I’m here to help,” the Indian replied. “As you can see, we’ve already lowered the river for you.”

  “So this is a river and not a lake,” Banyon recapped as he turned and looked at the gorge.

  “Yes, and it needed to be lowered,” the Indian leader said.

  “Why should we trust you?” Banyon said. “There have been many devious plans by the monks. Why should we believe you now?”

  “Because you have been designated,” the Indian replied. “I promise you there are no more devious plans.”

  “Why am
I designated? For what purpose?”

  “Because you carry the metal tablet and I understand you intend to return it to the metal library,” Mobi responded. “It was taken way back in 1969 by a man named Moricz and we have been plotting to get it back since then.”

  “Why didn’t you just go to the monks and ask for it?” Banyon wondered. “We found it in the treasure room. We were told your people had brought all the items there and had gotten them from the Tayos Caves.”

  “That’s all true, but the metal tablet was a recent entry to the treasure,” Mobi responded. “Father Hector collected it from a descendent of Mr. Moricz only a few weeks ago. That was when he began his plan. He wanted to set several things right before he died.”

  “And why can’t you just go into the caves and put the metal tablet back yourself?” Banyon asked.

  “It’s against our beliefs to enter the part of the tunnels where the metal library is located. We can’t put it back. We needed someone we could trust, Mr. Banyon. That someone is you. You have passed many tests to get here.”

  “You could say that again,” Banyon huffed. “So why do we need to return the metal tablet?”

  “You’ll find that out when you’re in the tunnels,” Mobi explained and spread his arms. “I honestly don’t know. I just know the ancient legends — all the metal tablets need to be together.”

  “Okay, I’ll buy that, but why lower the river?” Banyon asked as he switched topics.

  “The opening to the caves is located halfway down the cliff,” Mobi informed him. “No one has ever been able to enter the cave while it is under water.”

  “How do you control such a large body of water?” Banyon now wondered out loud.

  “Oh, the Skaur Indians don’t control it,” the Indian laughed. “The river is controlled by a mechanism left here by the visitors.”

  “What mechanism?” Banyon immediately asked.

  “Come, I’ll show you.” He beckoned and started to walk along the cliff.

  ***

  Loni and Maya went with Banyon and the Indian. The rest of the team set up a perimeter near the Hummer. As they walked along the cliff, Banyon could see that the lake was indeed a river and became narrower as they traveled. Soon he could hear rushing water and spotted dangerous looking rapids. The Skaur leader stopped at the beginning of the churning water.

  “The mechanism is under the water here,” he pointed. “It is off right now, thus allowing the water to recede.”

  “How do you turn it on?” Banyon shouted over the roar of the rapids.

  The Indian nodded and took a mirror from a pouch which hung from his side. “See that rock under the overhang,” he indicated with his finger. “That is the button to start the mechanism. I just need to shine sunlight on it.”

  Mobi angled the mirror and soon a stream of light flashed on the rock. The ground began to tremble and a solid wall of stone suddenly rose across the river bed. It grew in size and soon was over forty feet tall and completely blocked any water from passing. The river immediately started to rise and broaden.

  “It takes three hours to drain or fill up the river,” Mobi explained. “When the basin is full, then this barrier becomes a waterfall.”

  “What powers the mechanism?” Banyon asked.

  “That I don’t know,” Mobi sadly replied. “But it’s been here for a very long time.”

  “Colt, they must’ve wanted to keep the entrance hidden, but needed to get into it to deposit loot,” Loni said.

  “And they needed space for the shuttle ship to land and pick up their bounty,” Maya added. “That would be the empty lake bed.”

  There was silence among them for a few minutes.

  “I think I have figured out the power source,” Banyon suddenly exclaimed.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  When Banyon and the others returned to the campsite, they discovered a bee hive of activity had taken place. The team had set up the tents and had started a fire. Supplies were piled on the ground. Mandy and Kenny were patrolling the perimeter armed with machine guns. They noticed Steve kneeling by the cliff edge, but there was no sign of Heather.

  “Where’s Heather,” Loni quickly asked with concern.

  “She’s down there,” Steve said and pointed over the cliff edge. “She has rappelled down to a large ledge. She thinks she found the opening to the caves.”

  Banyon rushed to stand next to Steve. When he looked down, he saw Heather, still in her striped bikini, about twenty feet below. She stood next to a huge semi-round boulder.

  “I’m sure the entrance is behind this rock, but how will we ever move it?” Heather yelled up to them.

  “Perhaps this will help,” Mobi said as he brought out a square object on a chain.

  “What is it?” Banyon asked.

  “It’s the Grower weapon!” Maya exclaimed. “How did you get it?”

  “The predecessor to Father Hector, a monk named Father Crespi provided it so we could access the caves,” Mobi said. “He gave it to us so we could move the things in the caves to his secret treasure room. He said to never tell anyone where it came from, as it was from a secret society.”

  “He must have stolen it from the head of The Society of Orion,” Loni reasoned.

  “Because he wanted the treasure for himself,” Maya added.

  “We can discuss that later,” Banyon said. “Right now, we need to get into the caves. Have you used the talisman before?”

  “Many times,” Mobi responded. “You just have to think big while wearing it.”

  “As much as I hate using any of the weapons,” Banyon announced, “I think we need to make an exception here. Steve, take this and lower it down to Heather.”

  “This is a man’s job,” Steve announced. He grabbed the talisman and went over the side of the cliff. Soon he stood on the same ledge as Heather. But nothing happened.

  Banyon could see the couple was arguing with each other and pulling on the chain. He was pretty sure who would win the disagreement. Shortly, Heather said something and Steve let go of the chain and backed away. Banyon was pretty sure it had something to do with their intimate relationship.

  Heather immediately began to grow. She was all of a sudden very tall. The top of her head stuck over the cliff rim. Everybody was in awe of the beautiful Heather, especially now that she was twenty feet tall and still in her bikini. Kenny and Banyon both gasped, the rest of the girls looked very nervous. Heather was absolutely stunning.

  She bent down and picked up Steve like he was a toy. She deposited him back on the cliff face. “I don’t want to step on you,” she said in a voice which was so loud Banyon was sure it was heard miles away. She then went to move the stone.

  It quickly rolled across the ledge and an opening which was about ten feet tall and ten feet wide was exposed. When that was done, Heather turned to Banyon with a look of confusion. Her huge brown eyes stared at him from only a few feet away. “What do I do now?” she asked.

  “Think small,” Mobi shouted out.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Colton Banyon now excused himself and said he had to go to the bathroom. He wandered into the jungle and then addressed the spirit Wolf.

  “What can you tell me about the Tayos caves?” he asked.

  “I’ve only had a couple of hours to research them since you found the actual entrance,” the spirit replied. “I’ve been able to look back only a few years so far. The caves were visited by the Indians only once during that time period.”

  “What’d they bring out?”

  “Well, that’s just it,” Wolf said in Banyon’s head. “They went in and came out empty handed.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Banyon muttered under his breath. “I’ll bet there isn’t any treasure left in the caves,” he said in disgust. “What about Mobi? Is he telling the truth?”

  “He appears to be the genuine article. Yes, he tells the truth.”

  “Have you been able to trace the metal tablet?”

  “
Father Hector found the metal tablet in a trunk sent to him by a niece of Janos Moricz, the man who took it from the caves. The niece needed money and contacted Father Hector. He gave some to her in exchange for the metal tablet. He put it in the treasure room only two weeks ago. I believe he wanted you to find it and go on this quest.”

  “I wonder why he developed such an elaborate scheme?” Banyon asked out loud.

  “I don’t have an answer to that yet.”

  Banyon thought for a few seconds and then asked another question. “Have you made any progress on the transmitter we found on Mt. Charleston a couple of years back?” The Orion Codex made reference to transmitters. Banyon wondered if there was a connection.

  “I’ve gone back almost four thousand years already and have not learned anything, but I now believe the visitors and the transmitter are connected.”

  “Do you think both things are connected to Vril?”

  “It would seem that all three are connected, especially since you discovered the Time weapon is powered by Vril,” the spirit answered.

  “So, are you saying that The Vril Society, The Society of Orion and the alien visitors are all connected?” Banyon asked in disbelief.

  “Colt, you remember Lisa Lange. She is the head of The Vril Society. She claims she talks to people called the Sumi who live on a planet in the Aldebaran star system. She also claims that they were the original inhabitants of earth, but left more than five hundred million years ago. They could be checking back to see if they should return.”

  “Do you think the metal tablets contain secrets?”

  “They could be the plans to rebuild their civilization on earth,” the spirit answered.

  Chapter Thirty-Three