‘I didn’t trust Bic to keep my secret,’ Steiner said. ‘Which is just as well, as I think it was his signal they traced to our location.’
‘Not possible,’ Eric said. ‘Da Muss Ich is too good to let that happen.’
‘I’m only saying what I saw,’ Steiner said.
Jessica looked around the low-lit interior of the truck and caught sight of a photo stuck to a wall depicting Captain Radcliffe, his four men, and what looked like a famous sprint star all doing a lightning bolt pose. She shook her head to get the strange image out of her head and then looked back at Steiner. ‘And what now?’
‘Now we get the hell of out of Dodge,’ Captain Radcliffe said, rejoining them.
‘But there’s aircraft coming up from the south,’ Eric said. The truck swayed as they turned a corner. ‘I heard you say. They’ll see us.’
The captain grinned. ‘Not when we’re underwater, they won’t.’
Eric looked confused. ‘Eh?’
The captain pointed through the hatch towards the vehicle’s windshield, where the Pacific Ocean glistened in the noonday sun, as they approached it from the east.
‘We’re entering the water just south of San Francisco,’ Radcliffe said. ‘After submerging, we’ll make our way down the coast and resurface across the Mexican border. By then we’ll be well in the clear and able to cut across Mexico and re-enter the States in Texas, where we’ll make our way to the capital.’
Mystified, Eric looked at Jessica. ‘Am I missing something, my English is good, but not perfect?’
Jessica shook her head. ‘No, you heard him right.’
‘The captain commandeered an amphibious transport,’ Steiner said, by way of confirmation. ‘And it’s lucky he did, or we’d all be in a military stockade within the hour.’
‘They won’t miss it,’ Radcliffe said, and gave Jessica a wink, ‘much.’
‘Sir,’ the driver said, ‘we’re going in.’
‘Copy that,’ Radcliffe said. ‘Everyone, hold on.’ He moved to the hatch to watch.
Jessica, unable to help herself, also moved to take a look, with Eric close on her heels.
The truck slowed as it hit the sandy beach and moments later the windshield ran with water, a huge spray going up as they drove into the ocean.
‘It’s like James Bond,’ Eric said, ‘only better!’
The vehicle descended into the water like some giant prehistoric monster, its black shell disappearing beneath the waves as it continued its advance.
The truck’s headlights blazed forth and Eric pointed at fish swimming past the driver’s side window.
‘This is unreal,’ Jessica said, mesmerised by their sudden transition from land-based terror to underwater tranquillity.
Captain Radcliffe grinned. ‘Next stop, Mexico.’
♦
Professor Steiner sat back in his seat and settled in for the ride. They had a long journey ahead, and at the end of it, the hard work would begin in earnest.
With Brett asleep, and Eric and Jessica occupied by the underwater vistas, Steiner took the opportunity to speak to the Darklight captain.
‘That was well timed,’ Steiner said.
‘It was touch and go,’ Radcliffe said, giving the others a sidelong glance.
‘She’s married,’ Steiner said, noticing the captain’s lingering interest in Jessica.
Radcliffe sighed. ‘Aren’t they all?’
Steiner’s expression turned grave. ‘I can’t thank you enough for doing this, Captain. You’ve gone above and beyond. I won’t forget it.’
‘The Commander left orders to ensure your protection, Professor. As far as I’m concerned, those orders still stand, regardless of the circumstances.’
Steiner nodded. ‘He gave me your details before we parted ways. Insurance, he called it.’ Steiner smiled. ‘And I thought I had foresight.’
‘The Commander always has a backup plan.’ Radcliffe rubbed at his jaw and said, ‘Have you heard from him?’
Steiner shook his head.
The captain nodded in acceptance and they sat in silence for a while before Radcliffe took his leave. ‘I’ll let you know when we resurface.’
Steiner gave him a nod, then leaned back and tried to get comfortable in the confines of the Darklight submarine-cum-armoured personnel carrier. He was pleased Darklight had delivered in their hour of need, although he knew it wasn’t actually Darklight who’d come to their rescue, but a rogue unit acting on the orders of an old friend. It was two years since he’d last seen Commander Hilt. A lot had happened in that time; he just hoped the Darklight leader was coping in Sanctuary and that Richard Goodwin had assumed control of the base, as Steiner had envisaged. If anyone could pull it off, they could. An image of the pair appeared in his mind’s eye and Steiner felt a sudden pang of loss at his friends’ absence. The calming presence of Hilt and the optimistic exuberance of Goodwin … how he wished they were with him now.
The Darklight vehicle’s wheels retracted, long fins extended and the streamlined craft powered on through the deep ocean, a swirl of water left in its wake. Steiner felt himself drifting off to sleep, but as he did so, he knew the time for wishes and rest were nearly at an end, for despite their recent good fortune, their fight for survival had only just begun.
TERMINOLOGY
USSB – United States Subterranean Base
GMRC – Global Meteor Response Council, aka the Council
The Committee – Secret organisation / society
Darklight – World’s largest private security contractor
Terra Force – Special Forces Subterranean Detachment (SFSD)
S.I.L.V.E.R. – Elite military unit available to the highest bidder
Deep Reach – Special survey team working within the SED
SED – Sanctuary Exploration Division
Sanctuary – Ancient underground structure
USSB Sanctuary – A man-made base built within the Anakim creation, from which the U.S. Subterranean Base took its name
Anakim – an extinct species of Hominid, Homo giganthropsis
—————
Swiss Guard – Catholic military unit based in Vatican City
Holy See – Government of the Roman Catholic Church
Vatican City – Independent city state located in Rome, Italy
The Vatican – Informal term for the Holy See, or Vatican City
Knights of the Apocalypse – Catholic fundamentalists
Chapter One Hundred Forty-One
Somewhere near the Siberian-Mongolian border, Sarah Morgan rocked from side to side in the back seat of an all-terrain vehicle, as it negotiated a rocky section of road damaged by a flash flood. She looked down into a ravine. The further north the Vatican expedition drove, the more mountainous the landscape became. They were quite high up now and the snow was getting heavier, the long line of four-by-four SUVs working its way through a road system that had changed from a tarmac highway to a single dirt track.
A loud bang made Sarah start.
The vehicle slid to a stop and the rest of the convoy ground to a halt behind it. The driver turned round and said something in Italian, then jumped out to inspect the damage.
Major Lanter followed him outside and the two soldiers conversed, before the major opened the door and spoke to Avery in a rush of Latin.
Whatever they were saying, it didn’t sound good.
‘We haven’t got time for this,’ Avery said in exasperation.
Major Lanter motioned to Sarah and Ruben. ‘We get out and walk from here.’
♦
Sarah trudged through thick snow, the white blanket beneath her feet crunching beneath each carefully planted step. No one knew what lay beneath the treacherous covering, which was why she found herself tied by a rope to Ruben ahead of her and Avery behind.
The snow had stopped falling, but walking in the dark in the freezing cold was not her idea of fun, far from it. She shivered inside her protective clothing and pulled her
hood lower as the bitter wind peppered her face with particles of ice.
How did I get here? she wondered, as the Swiss guards lit their way with powerful flashlights. It was like a scene from one of Jason’s movies. If she hadn’t known better she would have thought they were on another planet. The soldiers’ all-encompassing dark red armour could certainly be mistaken for spacesuits. And where is this base camp? They said it wasn’t far and we’ve been walking for half an hour already.
‘How far is it?!’ she called out to Ruben.
The monk, the bottom of his dark brown habit caked in clumps of snow, glanced round.
‘How far?!’ Sarah said over the howl of the wind.
‘Not far!’ The skin of Ruben’s face was red and his newly grown beard flecked with snow.
The torrid trek continued until the party of sixty crested a rise and Major Lanter’s flashlight illuminated a huddle of tents near the base of a cliff.
Sarah heard Avery sigh in relief. She felt much the same, not just because of the cold, but because she could feel the onset of her withdrawal symptoms: the familiar knot in her stomach, trembling limbs and pounding headache.
She stumbled down the slope towards the camp and Ruben surprised her by steadying her passage.
Holding onto the monk’s powerful arm, Sarah followed the major and Avery into the nearest orange tent, the only one of ten that glowed with a light from within.
A man looked up from a map he’d been reading. When he saw Avery, and then Zinetti entering behind him, he stood up.
‘Your eminences.’ He bowed low. ‘Forgive me – the time – I thought you might have turned back.’
‘We got waylaid,’ Avery said, brushing the snow from his coat.
Zinetti sat down and held his hands out to a small stove. ‘What news?’
‘There’s still no word from the dig site and this camp was empty when we arrived yesterday.’
‘And Miss Morgan’s friends?’ Avery said.
‘Miss Brook and Mr Reece decided to make the ascent.’
Ruben helped Sarah sit down next to Zinetti. Her limbs felt heavy and the pain in her head was getting worse. ‘The ascent?’ she said, trying hard not to be sick.
The man looked at her and nodded. ‘Yes.’ He motioned for Avery to take his place at the stove. ‘When we saw the snow clouds building I told them you might not arrive until the following day. They didn’t fancy making the climb after a new snowfall, so they went on ahead.’
‘On their own?’ Sarah said, fearing for her friends’ safety.
The man nodded again.
‘It doesn’t make sense,’ Sarah murmured. ‘They knew I was coming. Why would they go on without me?’
Avery looked at her in concern and lowered his voice, ‘Sarah, when was the last time you took your dose?’
‘On the plane.’
He frowned. ‘Why don’t you lie down and get some rest.’ He gestured to the single bunk at the back of the tent.
Sarah nodded and managed to drag herself to her feet, wander over and collapse onto the rickety bed.
Hugging her knees to her chest, Sarah watched the others continue to talk in low tones as she drifted on the edge of sleep.
Sometime later a hand on her arm shook her awake.
She opened her eyes.
Avery knelt before her and he touched her forehead with the back of his hand. ‘You’re burning up.’
Sarah blinked. She was having difficulty focusing on him. ‘Drugs,’ she whispered.
He leant closer.
‘My drugs,’ she said again, and struggled to open her coat.
He nodded. He helped her with the zip and withdrew the pouch, then checked his watch. ‘I think you can have another shot now; just don’t have any more for twenty-four hours.’
Sarah didn’t respond, she just held out her arm to him and allowed him to roll up her sleeve.
The cardinal went about preparing the syringe and expertly delivered the drug into her bloodstream. Once he’d finished, he bent down and kissed her forehead. ‘Sleep well, Sarah, you’ll feel better in the morning.’
Sarah’s eyes closed again, as the flood of chemicals washed through her system. She felt better already and a smile reached her lips as she snuggled down into the bed, for, despite everything that had happened so far, her friends were close, which meant only one thing: she was almost home.
♦
Sarah awoke the next morning with a surge of energy. Having jumped out of the bed, she looked around the empty tent. The stove continued to heat the interior and sunlight seeped in through the fabric roof.
Pulling on her all-purpose boots – boots she didn’t remember taking off – she emerged into the light of the morning sun, which revealed a terrain of black rock and the slush of white snowmelt.
Looking around, she spied smoke rising from a campfire two tents over and she followed the smell of cooked meat and onions. She licked her lips as she approached. The smell was divine.
She helped herself to some of the food and ate with relish, then spied a canister of water and washed the fare down with a few big gulps.
‘You’re awake.’
Sarah turned to see Avery Cantrell peering out from another tent close by.
‘Where is everyone?’ she said, scanning the surrounding area.
The white-haired cardinal pointed upwards. ‘They’ve gone up.’
Sarah looked up at the towering cliff face. There was no sign of anyone on it anywhere.
Avery came out to stand by her side and peered up with her. ‘They went early morning.’
‘What time is it now?’
‘Late afternoon. You’ve had quite the sleep.’ He looked at her in concern. ‘How do you feel?’
‘One hundred per cent.’ Sarah assessed the climb with her trained eye. She now understood why Trish and Jason had decided to go up without her the previous day; if the snow hadn’t melted, it would have been far harder than it appeared now. What she couldn’t fathom, however, was why they didn’t just wait for her; they could have gone up together when they felt like it. Unless, she thought, they were pressurised, or tricked into going.
As if sensing her disquiet, Avery said, ‘Your friends will be fine. This is no Sanctuary.’
Sarah knew he was right, but he was the reason for her distrust. Although she acknowledged that wasn’t strictly true; Cardinal Zinetti was the man she couldn’t trust, him and the Church in general. So far Avery was the only person to have been honest with her, which made it difficult to stay on her guard against him. ‘I don’t understand why they didn’t wait for me,’ she said, lowering her usual impenetrable wall of suspicion.
‘They were told we were on a tight schedule,’ Avery said. ‘If they’d met you here, they might have thought you would be keen to press on in conditions they knew they couldn’t overcome. If I was them, I would have probably decided that one more day apart was worth the wait if it meant I’d have longer with you when you did finally arrive.’
She couldn’t deny the Irishman’s reasoning, it was a sound argument. Damn him, she thought.
Sarah glanced at him and cocked her head. ‘Why are you still here?’
He gestured to the sky. ‘The weather’s cleared, there’s a chopper coming in from Ulan Bator in a few hours.’ He gave Sarah a self-deprecating smile. ‘I’m not as young as I used to be, so why struggle when you can fly?’
‘You’re not doing badly,’ Sarah said, hoping she would be as fit as him when she was the same age.
‘Will you wait with me?’
Sarah considered the climb. ‘How far is it to the top?’
‘The dig site is on a plateau. The climb itself isn’t that great, not for someone of your age and skill, that is.’ He touched her arm. ‘As long as you’re feeling better. You made me quite worried last night.’
‘I’m fine, better than fine, great, even. Is there any spare gear?’
Avery nodded. ‘I asked Chen to leave you some, although she seemed ...’
‘Seemed what?’ Sarah said, when he didn’t continue.
He sighed. ‘She seemed to think if you couldn’t make a short trek, you were in no state to make a climb, or—’
‘Or what?’ Sarah said when he hesitated again. ‘You might as well tell me, I’ll find out anyway.’
‘She said you’re not capable of leading this expedition and that frail little rabbits shouldn’t be let out of their cages.’ Avery held up his hands in apology. ‘Her words, not mine. She did seem quite pleased with herself, though, and was quite satisfied telling me I should have left you behind.’
‘And what did you say?’
‘What could I say? Chen is a talented explorer, as are her team, but she doesn’t know about the Anakim. Not specifically, anyway. And she hasn’t had your training, either.’
‘And you told her I was more than capable.’
‘Of course.’
‘More than her?’
‘Yes, but—’
‘She didn’t believe you, did she?’
Avery shook his head. ‘She found it amusing I thought you were better than her at anything.’
Sarah’s eyes narrowed. ‘Where’s the equipment?’
‘You don’t want to wait for the helicopter?’
Sarah glared at him. ‘Where’s the kit?’
He sighed again and pointed at his tent.
Sarah stormed inside, grasped the necessary rope, harness, cams, shackles and a host of other items, and then was back outside, striding towards the cliff face.
‘I’ll meet you at the top!’ Avery called after her, but Sarah wasn’t listening. She had fire in her heart, fuelled by her anger at Chen’s words.
‘I’ll show her,’ Sarah said, struggling into her gear. ‘She’s got no idea who she’s dealing with.’ Sarah reached out and grasped a rock. ‘I’m Deep Reach, for heaven’s sake!’
Sarah heaved herself upwards and grasped an outcrop above, and foot by foot she worked her way up the natural edifice, while Avery watched her from below.
Ancient Origins: Books 4 - 6 (Ancient Origins Boxset Book 2) Page 76