Michael Vey 9, page 8
“Whoa,” Ostin said. “Twenty tons? That would be more than a billion dollars.”
“They’ve got their own private Fort Knox,” Johnson said. “No wonder they keep it secret.”
“It is one of the methods they use to launder their money. They buy gold from the Amazonian miners, especially the illegal miners. It is a symbiotic relationship. The miners want currency, especially Euros and American dollars, and the Chasqui are trying to trade off their currency.
“There is also expensive art inside. There are important paintings bought on the black market. I have seen them. The cave has special ventilation just for the paintings.”
“What paintings?” Ostin asked.
“Do you know art?” Cristiano asked.
“He knows everything,” McKenna said.
“They have a painting called The Storm on the Sea of Galilee—”
“By Rembrandt,” Ostin said. “It was stolen in 1990 as part of a half-billion-dollar heist. I would die to see that.”
“I hope not,” I said.
“What makes it special,” Ostin said, “besides being a Rembrandt, is that there are fourteen people in the boat, and since Jesus and his disciples only add up to thirteen, it is believed that Rembrandt painted himself in the boat as a self-portrait.”
“There are other paintings,” Cristiano said. “There is a Renoir of a woman. She is leaning like this….” He leaned against the table with his elbow.
“Madeleine Leaning on Her Elbow with Flowers in Her Hair,” Ostin said.
“Renoir was an incredibly talented painter,” Tessa said, “but not so clever with naming his masterpieces.”
“He was pragmatic,” Ostin said.
“And there is a Picasso called… I believe, The Pigeon.”
“Le Pigeon aux Petits Pois,” Ostin said. “That painting is valued at more than twenty-eight million dollars. But it was believed to have been discarded and destroyed.”
“Who would destroy a Picasso?” Cassy asked.
“There are those who don’t value valuable things,” Tessa said.
“That is too true,” Jacinta said.
“ ‘Valuable’ is objective,” Ostin said. “A cell phone is of no use to the Amacarra, while a blow dart is of no use to a downtown businessman.”
“It could be,” Nichelle interjected.
“Tessa is right,” Cristiano said. “There are things of great value that the Chasqui do not value.”
“Other than the sanctity of life and human rights,” I said, “what do you mean?”
“When the Chasqui were first excavating the cave, in addition to the Amacarra’s sacred burial mounds, they also came across bones and cave drawings that were many thousands of years old. Early evidence of primitive man. They took them to Amash to see what he wanted them to do with them. He told them to throw them away like they were trash.”
Ian shook his head. “Those things are priceless.”
“Pearls among swine,” Johnson said.
“The Chasqui are swine,” Jacinta said. “Though that is an insult to the pigs.”
“How did they even find these caves?” Nichelle asked.
“There are hundreds of unexplored caves in the Amazon,” Jacinta said. “It is only recently that anyone has taken an interest in them. Unfortunately, most of those people are with mining companies and are destroying the caves to mine their rich deposits of iron ore. The Chasqui cave is farther south than most and has fewer tourists and industry. That is one of the reasons why Hatch chose this location for the Starxource plant.”
“The tribes have known about this cave system for hundreds of years,” Cristiano said. “They call it la boca del diabolo—the devil’s mouth.”
“I thought you said it was sacred to them,” Nichelle said.
“Yes, it is. I do not understand their culture.”
“It’s not so hard to understand,” Ostin said. “The Amacarra don’t believe good is the opposite of evil. They believe good and evil are part of the same wheel—one can’t exist without the other.”
“Like the Chinese yin and yang,” Cassy said.
“We’re getting off track,” Johnson said. “You were telling us how they found the cave. Please continue.”
“Yes. The Chasqui scientist found the cave by accident. They were tracking the bats they were studying, and the bats led them to the cave. They found more than a million bats inside.”
“That’s where they found the bats they electrified,” I said.
“Some of them,” Cristiano said. “There are many, many caves in the Amazon.”
“What is the cave’s infrastructure like?” Ostin asked.
“Infrastructure?”
“I mean how they run the place. Lighting, plumbing, cooling, electrical, things like that.”
“Oh, yes,” Cristiano said. “They have all those things. There are natural springs of fresh water, which they collect and pump. The electric wires and pipes are attached to the walls in conduits.”
“If we could take out their power, we could move through the dark. Where does their power come from?”
“There is a power line running all the way from the Starxource plant. When the Chasqui started building inside the cave, they ran wires from the plant for power. Then they dug a four-mile trench and buried the wires.”
“Then anyone could follow the trench to the cave,” Jax said.
“You cannot see it anymore. The jungle reclaims its own quickly. After just one rainy season, you could not see the trench anymore. Now it has been years, so it is completely invisible and covered with plants and leaves.”
“I could see it,” Ian said.
“So could I,” I said. “I mean, I could feel it.” When I was nine years old, I noticed that I could feel where the electric lines in our home’s walls were.
Cristiano looked back down at the map. “There are electric lights throughout the entire cave, like in a mining shaft.” He touched his finger to the map. “Right here is where the electricity goes into the cave. From here it goes into a large battery room, so if the power is shut off, they still have more than a month of electricity.”
“That’s smart,” Ostin said. “Auxiliary power.”
“So there will be light,” I said. I turned to Cristiano. “How do we get into the cave?”
“Trying to get in by any of the entrances would be too dangerous,” Cristiano said. “They are well guarded, with many cameras and guards. You cannot get within a hundred meters without being seen. If we got in through the main gate, there are two other gates behind it that automatically close. They would shut up like a turtle in its shell, then alert the guards at the plant to come to their aid. They can hide in there for a very long time.”
“So what do we do?” McKenna asked.
“There is another way,” Cristiano said. “Like I said, there are many, many smaller tunnels in the cave. Too many for them to care about. This small tunnel right here is partially filled with water. At its end is a deep cave pool. The pool has an underground opening. You can swim underneath and come up into another cavern where water comes in through a hole from the outside. If we widen the hole, we could get in and swim to the tunnel.”
“That counts me out,” Zeus said.
“Sorry,” Nichelle said.
“The Chasqui don’t know about this tunnel?” I asked.
“They know about the tunnel, but it is one of many, and they do not use it. Like I said, it is mostly filled with water. I think I am the only one who has been to its end.”
“If the tunnel is filled with water, how do we get through it?” McKenna asked.
“There is space.”
“It has an air bell,” Ostin said.
“What’s an air bell?” Tessa asked.
“It’s an air space in a flooded tunnel between the water and the ceiling,” Ostin said.
“Yes, that is what it is,” Cristiano said. “You have to crawl through it. It is flooded with water, with only one foot between the water and the ceiling. That is why no one besides me has gone down it.”
“How did you find it?” Johnson asked.
“Like I said, I was curious and wanted to see where the tunnel went. I followed it down to the pool. It was my private pool since no one else ever went there. I was diving in the pool when I found the hole in the cave wall about six feet below the surface. I swam through it and came up in a cavern with air and a small beam of light. I could hear water falling. Near the top there was an opening where the water was coming in from the outside.”
“How big is the opening?” I asked.
“Maybe this big,” he said, holding his hands about eighteen inches apart. “Not big enough for us to climb through. But the rock is soft, so it would not be hard to break through it.”
“Are there any other ways in besides that?” Zeus asked.
Cristiano shook his head. “I do not think so. There is a ventilation shaft. It might be wide enough to crawl through.”
“Where is that?”
“I think it is up around this area, but it has a very thick metal cage around it and cameras. It also has motion detection devices all around it. We could not get within one hundred meters of it without them knowing we were there. We had a sloth come near it once, and they shot it within a few minutes.”
“They shot a sloth?” McKenna asked.
“They shot it and ate it.”
McKenna looked horrified. “That is so cruel. Sloths are kind animals. They don’t hurt anyone.”
“You can eat sloth?” Nichelle asked.
Cristiano nodded. “It is not good.”
“Then you’ve eaten it,” Nichelle said.
“Yes. Once is enough.”
“I hate you,” McKenna said.
“Did you know that a sloth can hold its breath underwater longer than a dolphin can?” Ostin said.
“I don’t want to talk about sloths anymore,” McKenna said.
Nichelle shook her head. “Enough about the sloths. Why don’t we just put poison gas through the vents? That would take care of them.”
“With Taylor and Tara in there?” Ostin asked.
“Sorry,” Nichelle said. “Forgot about that. Bad idea.”
“I think entering through the water tunnel is our best option,” Ostin said. “Except for Zeus.”
“I think you’re right,” I said. I turned to Zeus. “You might have to sit this one out, amigo.”
“Not happening. If I have to wait outside in the jungle, I’ll do it. You don’t know when you’ll need an extra lightning bolt.”
“We’ll need someone to watch the entrance,” Ostin said.
“I’ll do that,” Zeus said.
“Next question,” I said to Cristiano. “Once we’re inside, how do we get them out of the jail? How do they lock the cells? Electric, or old-fashioned lock and key?”
“They have locks in the doors. Like in jails.”
“I could melt through them,” McKenna said.
“Easily,” Ostin said. “Carbon steel melts at twenty-six hundred to twenty-eight hundred degrees Fahrenheit. McKenna can go almost double that. But she’ll need water.”
“To put out the fire?” Johnson asked.
“No, for her. Fire dehydrates her.”
“What if they’re broadcasting RESATs, like they did at the zoo?”
I turned to Cristiano. “What do you know about their RESATs?”
“I know nothing. It is not something they used when I was with them.”
“We need to expect that they’ll be using them,” I said. “The RADDs will tell us.”
“What if they don’t have the RESATs on?” Quentin asked.
“If Tara and Taylor are there, they’ll need them on.” I exhaled slowly. “A lot of moving parts.”
“You’re going to be making this up as you go,” Johnson said.
“That’s the story of my life,” I said.
“As soon as they know we are there,” Cristiano said, “they will call the guards at the Starxource plant to come join the fight.”
“How many guards do they have at the plant?” Cibor asked.
“Hundreds. It would be best not to fight with them.”
“Yes,” I said. “Let’s not do that.”
18 Would You Kill Jack?
“What do the guards do during the day?” I asked. “Are they inside or out?”
“Both. They have patrols in the jungle. Inside the cave the off-duty guards are in their barracks or the dining room. The on-duty guards are stationed at the outer doors, guarding the sovereign’s room or the jail.”
“What about at night?”
“It is the same, but with fewer guards. At nighttime it is difficult for them to monitor the jungle. There are many distractions since there are thousands of jungle animals and they all hunt at night. The guards are now so used to their motion detectors being set off by animals that they usually just turn them off. It happens many times every hour.”
“That’s good for us,” I said.
“No one has ever attempted to attack them, so they are quite… what is the word… when you are lazy about something?”
“Apathetic,” Nichelle said.
“Yes,” Cristiano said. “That word. Apathetic.”
“That will change,” I said. “Like Ostin said, they will be expecting us.”
“Why will they be expecting us?” Cristiano asked.
“They know we are loyal. We don’t leave our friends behind.”
Cristiano frowned. “Then your loyalty is your weakness.”
“Our loyalty is why we’re strong,” I said.
“I have a question,” Ostin said. “After we drop Jaime off at the lodge, where will the rest of us start hiking?”
“We should hike in the last four miles before the cave,” Cristiano said. “After that there are too many cameras and guards on the river.”
“How far would that be from the lodge?” Ostin asked.
“I don’t know. There are many lodges on the river. Which lodge is it?”
“Makisapa Lodge,” Jacinta said. “I believe it is the farthest lodge downriver.”
“Is it the lodge with the yellow flags with the picture of the Nazca makisapa monkey?”
“That is the one.”
“I have passed it many times. It is maybe seven miles from the cave.”
“Then we will go past the lodge about three miles. That will put us four miles out,” Ostin said.
“Four miles, then two miles,” Cristiano said.
“What do you mean?” Nichelle asked. “You just said it’s four miles.”
“The cave is four miles down the river from the lodge, but the cave is two miles from the river.”
“That’s going to be thick jungle. How far is your trail from the river?”
“About a mile and a half. It will be thick jungle, but our speed will pick up once we reach the trail.”
“So we’ll be hiking about six miles in all, a mile and a half of it through heavy jungle.” I turned to Jaime. “How far is it to the lodge? In hours?”
“It is almost six hours.”
“Six hours, plus another hour to our drop-off point. Then around three hours hiking.”
Cristiano nodded.
“That’s ten hours. If we leave the dock in Puerto at seven in the morning, we’ll arrive at the cave around five in the afternoon.”
“That will give us one hour before the sun sets,” Ostin said.
“Which means we’ll be hiking out in the dark.” I remembered all too well the nightmare of the last time I fled the Elgen through the jungle. “How do we get back to Puerto?”
Jacinta said, “There is a helicopter pad at my friend’s lodge. If you can get to the lodge, we can pick you up there. It is that or taking a boat. But I think the river will be too dangerous.”
“The river is too dangerous,” Cristiano said. “The Chasqui have armed speedboats and many sentries. We would never make it back to Puerto on the river.”
“That means we will be hiking back through the jungle at night, about twelve miles.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“How far does the Amacarra trail go west?”
“Maybe ten miles. The last few miles will be thick jungle.”
“You’ll need GPS,” Johnson said. “It’s impossible not to get lost in the jungle. It’s like a house of mirrors.”
“If we’re being chased, that may work for us as well as against us,” I said. I turned to Jacinta. “What is your friend’s name?”
“Lars. Lars Forsberg.”
“He’s not Peruvian?”
“No. He’s Swedish. But he’s been in the jungle for more than twenty years, so he might as well be Peruvian.”
“We can trust him?” I asked.
“I would trust him with my life.”
“Would you trust him with our lives?” Zeus asked.
Jacinta looked like she might be offended. “Do you think I would send you if I didn’t?”
“He didn’t mean anything by that,” Johnson said. “So, Michael, your team will radio us when you’re clear. We’ll arrange for the helicopter.”
“What if you’re not done with your mission?” I asked.
“If we don’t answer, you might have to hide out at the lodge for a little while,” Johnson said. “Remember, Jaime will be there. We’ll be in contact with him, so he’ll know what’s going on.” He looked around. “Anything else?”
Cristiano raised his hand. “I ask one thing. If we are captured, you will kill me immediately.”
“No one is killing you,” I said. “Why would you say that?”
“Sovereign Amash will most definitely kill me. There is nothing the sovereign hates more than traitors. He will kill me, but only after he makes an example of me. He will make me suffer so terribly that his men will never think of betraying him.” He looked around at all of us. “I will go with you, and I will risk my life for you, but I will not let the sovereign humiliate and torture me and kill me like he did my friends.”
We were all quiet for a moment. Then Johnson said, “We have cyanide capsules. I’ll give you one. If it comes to that, you can do it yourself.”
Cristiano nodded. “Okay….” The room fell into silence.
