The Portal (A Delphi Group Thriller Book 2) (20 page)

Bennett turned on a flashlight and directed the beam down into the crater.

“It’s like the beams of a headlight,” Jorge said. “Best to simply use our eyes.”

The soldier nodded and turned it off.

“Welcome to the haunted forest,” Tocchet said. He picked up a rock and launched it out into the fog. About two seconds later, they heard a
knock
as it hit the side of a tree trunk. A second after that, a thud followed as it hit the ground.

“Well, I’d say we’ve got a pretty good climb down,” Zane said.

Bennett pointed at the portion of the crater wall they could see. “Fortunately, it runs down at an angle. Should be relatively easy to rappel down as long as there aren’t any surprises.”

“Are we going down tonight?” Tocchet asked.

“I think we need to make sure this is the best spot.” Zane got Max’s attention then nodded at Osak. “Ask him if he knows of a better way down.”

Max posed the question to the boy, who replied without hesitation. “He says that it’s the same for the next several miles. He says there is a place where you can simply walk down, but it’s about a two-day march from here.”

“We don’t have that much time,” Zane said.

Osak spoke again, gesturing toward the fog.

“He says we can go down now, but we must stop when we get there.”

Zane frowned. “Why’s that?”

Seconds later, Max translated the boy’s answer. “He said to approach the mountain at night would be certain death.”

“Okay, everybody, listen up,” Zane said, holding up a rope. One end was tied to a nearby tree, and the other end disappeared into the fog. He’d tied knots along it at three-foot intervals. “Sergeant Bennett is going down first. He’ll clear the landing area, then the rest of us will go down one by one. I’ll bring up the rear.”

“What if we slip?” Amanda asked.

“Don’t.”

“Then we’ll have one less mouth to feed,” Tocchet said with a chuckle.

“Isn’t there going to be a safety line?”

Zane gestured toward Artur, who was standing at the tree. “We’re taking care of that right now. That safety will go around your waist.

“As we’ve already pointed out, the slope doesn’t appear to be too steep. We’re not talking a ninety-degree drop here. Bennett will give us a report when he gets to the bottom, but my guess is that you’re simply going to be able to walk backwards most of the way down.”

Max shook his head and mumbled something to Katiya.

“Do you at least have a guess as to how far down it is?” Katiya asked.

“It took the rock a couple of seconds to reach the bottom,” Zane said. “I’m no physicist, but we’re probably looking at a hundred feet, maybe more.”

“Those trees must be massive, then.” Brett pointed to the canopy of green that mushroomed out of the crater. Wisps of fog tangled around the crowns of the trees like gray snakes. “If your calculation is correct, then they’re well over two hundred feet.”

Zane nodded. “We’re about to enter a different kind of place. My guess is that everything is going to be bigger and wilder down there. And I mean everything.”

“Sorry to be the one wimp in the group, but I wish we would set up camp and go down in the morning,” Amanda said.

Ordinarily Zane would’ve agreed with her. All things being equal, you’d want to descend into a crater during daylight hours. But all things weren’t equal. They were being followed, and getting down tonight might allow them to put some distance between them and whoever or whatever was on their tail. But for now, he needed to focus on the practical reasons for going down right away.

“We still have some light now, and who’s to say there won’t be clouds and fog in the morning? On top of that, I have to be mindful of our supplies. I want us to be well on our way to that mountain by the time the sun comes up tomorrow morning.”

Amanda looked at him but remained silent.

“Look,” Zane continued, “if Sergeant Bennett finds it’s too dangerous tonight, then we’ll make camp here and get started in the morning. If necessary, we can even send a few people out along the rim to see if there’s a better way down. But since there’s still some light left, we need to at least make the attempt now.”

“He’s right,” Jorge said. “We absolutely need to get down tonight if we can.”

Amanda shrugged. “Okay. I’m game if everyone else is.”

Zane surveyed the others. They probably weren’t excited about descending through a blanket of fog, but for the most part, they appeared to be willing. “If there are no further questions then, let’s get started. We only have another hour or so of light left, if that.”

As everyone gathered their things, Zane noticed that Artur had just finished tying off the safety line. He gave the other end to Bennett, who looped it around his waist and tied it off. Each line was thin, but Zane knew they would hold, even under stress.

“You seem awfully determined to go down tonight,” someone whispered at Zane’s ear.

He turned to find Jorge standing just behind him.

The Brazilian continued. “You made a good choice.” He nodded back toward the jungle. “It’s going to be good to put some distance between us and whoever is back there.”

Zane raised an eyebrow. “You knew we were being followed?”

“Of course. We’ve been followed from the moment we left the boat. The signs have been obvious if you’re looking in the right places.”

Zane frowned. “And you didn’t tell me?”

Jorge shook his head. “I wasn’t sure at first. When we entered the jungle, I thought it was a jaguar. I’d see the occasional flash of darkness across an opening in the woods. I sensed eyes watching us. But as I began to think about it, I realized a big cat would never follow us for this long.”

Zane’s mind turned to the mole. “Do you think it’s the Chinese?”

“No, they’re not that good. Soldiers, even good ones, are too noisy.”

Zane’s frown deepened. “Do you think it’s Osak’s tribe?”

Jorge shook his head immediately. “No, I’ve been watching him. He noticed some of the same noises I did. He didn’t have the look of someone hearing friends, more the look of someone who was concerned.”

“Another tribe then?”

Jorge shrugged his shoulders. “Probably, but at this point, it’s hard to say. It’s generally been one or two approaching. Now they have to stay far enough away to escape detection.”

“They got pretty close to me earlier.”

Tocchet approached before Jorge could respond. “Sir, we’re ready to go down.”

“We’ll be right there, Sergeant.”

Zane gave Jorge a look indicating they would talk later, then followed the Green Beret over to the crater rim. When they arrived, Bennett was checking his knots one last time. Satisfied that everything was in order, he slid on specialized gloves with goat-leather palms and neoprene cuffs.

“All set?” Tocchet asked.

Bennett lifted a thumb in the air.

“Let us know how things look down there,” Zane reminded him.

Bennett saluted and said, “Yes, sir. See you on the other end.”

The soldier gripped the rope tightly and began his descent. Seconds later, his head disappeared into the fog. What was he going to find at the bottom? The more Zane thought about it, the more intrigued he became. Even if only a few of Osak’s stories were true, they were potentially headed into a kill zone. The only question was who or what was doing the killing. He hoped and prayed they’d all fare better than the others who’d gone before them.

A few minutes later, Bennett’s voice crackled out of the radio. “I’m down. There was some incline to the wall, so it wasn’t bad at all.”

“Copy that,” Zane said. “Can you give me a sitrep on conditions at the bottom?”

For a long moment, the only sound coming through the radio was heavy breathing.

Zane lifted the radio again. “Bennett?”

“Sorry. It’s dark, very dark.” There was a shuffling sound and a click. “It’s like it’s already night down here.”

“Are you able to use your flashlight?”

“Affirmative. The…”

Zane gave him a moment then asked, “Bennett?”

“Sorry, it’s just strange.”

“What’s strange?

“The plants. The trees. They just seem different down here.”

Katiya looked at Zane. “Not surprising. Think of an island, where the flora and fauna are unique.” Zane gave her a confused look, and she tried again. “Essentially, the crater rim has provided some level of separation from the rest of the jungle. It doesn’t seem like much of a buffer, but my guess is we’re looking at a very different ecosystem down there.”

Bennett spoke again through the radio. “There is something else… we’re in luck. The trail seems to pick up again down here.”

“See if you can find a place for us to set up.”

“Roger that.”

Zane turned to the group and said in a loud voice, “Okay, let’s line up, everybody. One at a time in the order I gave you. We all need to be down in the next thirty minutes. Let’s move it.”

“WELL, IT LOOKS like it’s just us,” Katiya said as Tocchet’s head lowered into the foggy abyss.

“And then there were two,” Zane said.

In order to save time, they had decided to use two safety lines. While Tocchet descended using one, Zane pulled up the other one, which had been untied at the bottom. He looped it around Katiya’s waist, making sure it was tied off securely. As he double-checked the knot, he realized his body was only an inch or two away from hers. He felt another surge of warmth pass through him. It was starting to become regular now, despite his efforts to ignore it.

After tugging on her line one last time, he said, “I’m really concerned about something though.”

“Oh?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Just a little worried about someone from academia trying to rappel down a rock cliff. I’ve known a few professors, and they tend to be a little soft.”

“Is being soft such a bad thing?” She gave him a wink.

“It is when an anaconda sizes you up on the way down. They always look for the easiest catch.”

Katiya grinned and stepped closer.
Good grief, she even smells good after two days in the jungle.
“So, tell me”—her face was only about an inch away now—“if something happens on the way down, are you going to come get me?”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “If I do, do you promise to behave?”

“No.”

Their eyes met. It seemed like minutes passed, then a monkey screeched from a nearby tree, giving Zane an excuse to avert his eyes. “Have you climbed before?” He turned Katiya around to examine her pack.

“A little in my gym back home.”

“How much is a little?”

“Ummm… twice.”

Zane turned her around again. “Well, then… let me give you a little tip that might come in handy. Don’t look—”

“Down,” she said, finishing the sentence for him. They both laughed. “Yes, I know. That’s one thing I do remember from my little trainer.”

“Good. I’m expecting big things now. Just remember that there are no thick-padded mats at the bottom.”

“Har, har.” A moment later, she bit her lower lip and said, “In all seriousness, what do you think we’ll find down there? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

“My honest answer? I have no idea. I’ll admit I was a bit cynical when this trip first began. I knew the government had good reason to send us out here. After all, you can’t ignore what NASA picked up. But did I really expect to find anything? No.” He let out a long sigh. “Now, I’m not so sure. Like you, I think there seems to be too much
there
there.”

Katiya smiled. “I agree.”

Zane pulled out his flashlight and clicked it on. “Sure, it’s easy to write off all the stories from the Papaqua tribe. But why would they pass down a lie? And even if the story got embellished a bit, I still believe there are splinters of truth in there. At this point, I think it’s safe to say
something
happened.

“What about the signal? Do you really think there’s something to it?”

Before Zane could speak, Bennett’s voice crackled out of the radio. “Eight has arrived. Please confirm next descent.”

Zane reached down and picked up the primary line. “Your turn, professor.”

“Don’t think you’re going to get out of it that easy. We’ll talk later.”

“And don’t think I won’t have some questions of my own. After all, you’re the expert on these things.”

“I look forward to it.” Katiya stepped closer to him once again, giving him a hard stare. “See you on the other end?”

“See you on the other end.”

Katiya backed up to the precipice, holding on to the first knot. Once her feet were positioned, she looked back at him, smiled, and lifted her thumb.

Zane spoke into the radio. “Nine headed your way.”

“Copy that.”

Before backing down, Katiya turned her head slightly, as though trying to look down the incline.

“Hey, hey. What did I tell you?”

Katiya looked at him and rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay.”

As the anthropologist backed into the fog, Zane couldn’t help but notice how cute she was in her formfitting gray leggings and boots. Even without makeup and with her hair in a ponytail, she was the picture of feminine beauty.

His thoughts reverted back to what had taken place just moments before. That should clear up any doubts he’d had before about her level of interest. The positioning of her face only an inch or two away from his. The hard stare. The flirtatious comments. He was just glad Eagle Eye Brett was already down at the bottom.

But one question remained—was
he
truly interested? The first and obvious answer was “yes,” although there couldn’t be a worse time to embark on a new romance. He was responsible for the mission’s success, as well as getting everyone back safe and alive. If there was something between them, it would have to simmer until they got back. And if it didn’t continue to simmer, then there likely hadn’t been anything there to begin with.

Zane knew that Claire, his last serious relationship, hadn’t completely vacated his heart. He’d said many times that when some ships sailed away they never returned to port, but in her case, he never could figure out if that was true. Despite the faulty logistics of their previous relationship, he found it hard to picture a better match for him than his former lover.