Laura 02 The God Code (3 page)

“You are to hack into every airline, train and bus service in Peru and cross check every passenger’s details and find him. We have a third agent en route. Any information you need to know is now being sent to your terminals. Any questions?”

They all shake their heads and start working on their computers.

Norman paces the room, walking from one staff member to the next, looking over their shoulders to see what they are doing.

“Come on people, what is taking so long? It is not like these hotels and websites have high end security.” Norman is getting annoyed; it has been half an hour since they started looking for Victor.

“I think I’ve found something.” Eleanor holds up her hand as she speaks.

“You think. You do not get paid to think, you get paid to know.” Eleanor wants to respond with a sarcastic comment, but decides that Norman is already in a bad enough mood, and replies instead with. “Two Americans, John and Sue Smith have just booked return train tickets to Machu Picchu.”

“And your point is?”

“The passports are fake. They do not exist in the US passport database.”

“What the hell are they doing, going on holiday? Send the details to the agent. Keep looking for hotel reservations.”

Eleanor eagerly waits for Norman. This is a good lead; maybe he will praise me for it. Her heart sinks as she realizes that she is not going to get it.

***

An hour and three quarters after leaving Cusco, Amado pulls into the plaza at Ollantaytambo, having made one stop to fill up the car with gas on the way. Victor thanks him and after paying Amado joins Laura at a shop where she is buying water for them. Many of the buildings are hundreds of years old, and add to the historic feel of the town. Some of the newer buildings that were built to accommodate the added demand created by the increase in tourists also follow old building styles.

The town is surrounded by mountains, some so high that their tops are covered in snow. The main plaza is surrounded by shops and apart from the road they came in from, only one other road leads out of it. Victor guides Laura through the plaza, following the second road out. As they walk, they pass a steel bridge leading to a market and some ruins up the mountain.

“I did not know there are ruins here.” Laura comments, being in awe at the mountain opposite them covered in terraces and ruins.

“Not many people do. We can have a look at them on our return. We need to go, our train leaves in 30 minutes.”

They continue down the path, walking next to the river, and pass a number of shops, restaurants and hotels until they come to a metal security gate at the end. The train platform is behind the gate, which two armed guards control access to. Four armed police patrol the street, due to the Peruvian government taking protecting tourists from pickpockets very seriously.

After showing one of the guards their train tickets and passports, they are allowed in, and walk right next to the train tracks to the departure lounge.

“Ticket please sir.”

“I do not have one, I just want to say goodbye to my friends.”

“I am sorry sir, you cannot enter.” Victor stops and turns around to see who the tourist is that tries to enter without a ticket, and follows the conversation.

“Please, I missed them at the airport, can I just have five minutes to say good bye.”

“Sorry sir, passengers only.”

“But I will only be five…..”

“Sir, step back from the gate please, you can purchase a ticket at the ticket booth if you want to enter.” The guard cuts the man off, having dealt with people trying to get a free ride to the ruins before, and judging from the large worn-out backpack on the man’s back, he is probably a cheapo trying to take a chance on getting a free ride. The man nods, then looks past the guard, directly at Victor, who locks eyes with the man.

The man does not look familiar, but something is odd about him. Every muscle in Victor’s body goes tense as the man slides his hand under his jacket.

Quickly Victor slings his backpack around and opens the side pocket, grabbing the pistol inside the bag, ready to pull it out if needs be. Is this man going to have a shootout right here? A police officer walks over to the man and places his hand on the man’s shoulder.

Slowly, the man removes his wallet, and Victor relaxes. The man turns to the guard and takes out some money, holding it out to the guard.

“Okay, I will purchase a ticket; I just want to see my friends.” The man answers.

“You have to purchase tickets at the ticket office over there sir.” The guard replies less sternly, while pointing towards the train ticket booth.

Hugh looks in the direction the guard is pointing. Ah no, the ticket office is closing. Without a word, Hugh turns and runs to the ticket office.

“I need a train ticket to Machu Picchu,” Hugh says as he stops the clerk from pulling down the shutter to the ticket booth.

“Apology sir, no more tickets, all sold out. Come back tomorrow.”

“What! You must be joking,” Hugh angrily replies.

“No sir, that is the last train and all tickets are sold. We open at five tomorrow morning, and the first train is at 5:15. Please come back tomorrow.” The clerk replies in her broken English with a friendly smile.

Hugh clenches his jaw as he holds back from swearing at the woman. The veins on his forehead bulge as he grabs his backpack. With fire in his step he walks towards a hotel across the road. A night in town it is then. Tomorrow Victor, tomorrow your life will end.

Victor turns and joins Laura as she is waiting in line, having watched the man enter a hotel.

“Everything okay Victor?”

“All good.”

Laura puts her left arm around him and snuggles up tightly against Victor, who lowers his head until it rests on hers. After a few minutes, they board the train. The train is fitted with comfortable beige leather seats, arranged in groups of four, with a table in the middle of each group. Laura takes the window seat, and Victor the seat next to her. They are soon joined by an elderly Japanese couple that loves to talk.

Laura keeps them engaged in conversation, while Victor only responds when directly asked a question. Victor stares out of the window, but his brain registers nothing, being deep in thought. Where can he hide the scrolls safely? And what is he going to do after hiding them? He and Laura will never be safe until he gets the contract on them cancelled. But who gave the order, and why? The information is sensitive, yes, but if he hands it over he has nothing, so why kill him and Laura? Can it be that there is something in the files he is not supposed to know? What can it be? It cannot be the scrolls, for he cannot decipher the text. It can also not be the program controlling the nuclear missiles, for when he hands it over, they will use the code to plug the leak in the defense system.

That only leaves the identities of the 500 agents. Even so, knowing the identities of a few spies is no reason for a hit, unless some of those spies are in positions one would never expect. What if someone high up in the government is a spy? The familiar sound of the train’s whistle pulls Victor from his thoughts.

The train lazily makes its way to Machu Picchu, travelling next to the Urubamba river. Laura opens her mouth to comment on the scenery, but words fail her to describe how beautiful it is. Excitement fills her body as she stares out the window. She excitedly points to ruins or waterfalls as they pass them on their way. Suddenly the train stops, and Laura leans out of the window to see why.

Laura gasps, her mouth hangs open. It cannot be true. Yet it is. Five horses slowly make their way across the train tracks. The leading horse, a white horse with a black spot on his forehead, makes his way over to Laura. Laura’s heart jumps wildly as she strokes the horse’s head, who curls its lips and whinnys from pleasure. This cannot be happening, I am touching a real horse. Laura reaches over and picks up the apple that the waiter brought her as part of her snack package, then holds it out to the horse.

The horse’s soft fuzzy lips tickle her hand as it takes the apple. There is a crunch sound as the horse chews the apple. Laura grabs Victor by the arm, shaking him while pointing at the horses.

“Did you see that! He took the apple right out of my hand, that is so gnarly.”

“You really are a city girl,” Victor laughs.

The sound of the train’s whistle causes the horse to look up, and then slowly it backs away from the train, which starts moving again. Laura peers out of the window and waves at the horse. The horse greets back by dipping his head up and down a few times. Happiness fills Laura. This is so amazing, I am truly living my life now. Suddenly everything goes dark.

Goose bumps appear over Laura’s body as the hair at the back of her neck stands up. The sound of the train running on the tracks is deafening and causes Laura to flinch in pain. Instinctively she jumps back from the window while a yell escapes her lips. What is going on, why is everything dark? Victor, where is Victor? Laura grabs in the darkness for Victor. Laura’s hand closes around Victor’s, who gives hers a reassuring squeeze. Suddenly the train exits the narrow tunnel in the mountain and Laura can see again.

“It is all right dear, says the elderly man opposite Laura, whose hand she is holding. Sheepishly, Laura lets go of the elderly man’s hand, her cheeks warm as she blushes. Laura bursts out laughing at her mistake, while Victor just shakes his head and smiles at her. Laura punches him on the shoulder and then retakes her place at the window. Victor returns his attention to his thoughts. He smiles as it comes to him where he can hide the scrolls. The data containing the profiles on 500 agents is another matter. Killing him and Laura before he hands over the data only makes sense if someone high-up in the government is not who he or she says they are. In that case, they must think he has already checked the files and knows. As soon as there is time, he will check the files.

“Wow, this is lovely.” Laura’s voice next to him brings Victor out of his thoughts, and he looks out of the window at the countryside. The town Machu Picchu Pueblo is directly in front of them, at the bottom of the mountain, next to the river. Mist slowly drifts down the mountain, making it look as if a giant dragon is breathing down onto the town from above.

Although the town does not have the same historical feel as Ollantaytambo, built out of the need to accommodate the increase in tourists to the ruins, it is still spectacular. Shops and hotels line the train tracks, and run half way up the nearest mountain.

“Where are we going to stay tonight?”

“I know of a place I used once before, years back.”

“You’ve been here before? Is there anywhere you have not been?” Laura asks jokingly.

“Well, I protected a lot of important people for a long time, and many love to travel.”

“Who did you protect here then?”

“The Pope.”

“What! You protected the Pope on a visit to Machu Picchu?”

“He was not the Pope back then. He was a Cardinal, and he wished to see the ruins. He knew that if he became Pope, it would be hard for him to get the time to visit the ruins. Come, let’s get a room.”

“Mmmm, now you’re talking.” Laura winks at Victor and squeezes his bum as she talks. Victor bends down and kisses her, while grabbing her buttocks with his left hand, pulling her tightly against him, and runs the fingers of his right hand through her hair. Laura’s body responds to his kiss, yearning for him. Pulling slightly back, they lovingly look into each other’s eyes.

While winking at Laura, Victor puts his right arm around her and leads her up a few stairs that ends in a craft market. The sun is setting behind the mountains, creating a spectacular scene as the sun’s rays pierce through the mist while it floats down the mountain.

Weaving through the market, Laura and Victor come to a large steel bridge, linking the town that is cut in half by a river going through it. Continuing on, Victor leads Laura to the edge of the town, partway up the mountain, where they come to a small paved footpath. An old wooden sign reads
Rhapsody Hotel
. The path snakes for 200 feet into the rainforest up the mountain, with small lanterns lighting the path, which ends in a wooden reception office. In the back behind the office, multiple paths that are lit by lanterns, lead to individual villas. The place is totally surrounded by forest on all sides, with a small river running down the mountain, passing in front of the villas. The perfect secluded getaway.

Victor opens the door for Laura, and then enters while glancing back the way they came. The sounds of people in the distance noisily making their way to the hotel disturb the peaceful atmosphere. Victor turns and enters the office. The clerk standing behind a small desk smiles politely at them as they enter. A computer is situated on the desk, used for reservations.

“Good evening, I am Pepe, do you have a reservation?”

“No, can we get a room for two for the night?” Victor replies.

“Sorry sir, we are fully booked, reservations only.” Pepe replies, holding his hands together as if he is praying. A sign behind Pepe lists the prices for each Villa. The most expensive one is listed at US$500 a night. Victor puts his hand in his backpack, and counts inside the backpack, then pulls out a stack of 100 dollar bills. He places fifteen thousand dollars on the counter.

Pepe’s eyes widen, and he tries to speak, but nothing comes out. Slowly Victor picks up the money and puts it in Pepe’s jacket pocket, it is more than he will earn in 10 years. Suddenly the office door flings open and a man and a woman in their twenties enter, clearly drunk.

“Hey you, porter, get our bags outside. Reservation…, shit where is it?” The man fumbles with his jacket that he is carrying in his right hand and pulls out a crumpled up piece of paper, then hands it to Pepe, who reads the reservation. The man then continues while pointing at Victor. “Come on you lazy porter, get my bags.”

“I am sorry sir, this reservation has been cancelled. We did send you an e-mail informing you that we can no longer accommodate you tonight,” Pepe responds.

“What! You kidding me? Get your boss down here now or I will aaaaahhhh.” Pain shoots through the man’s hand and arm as Victor holds him by two fingers, bending them up.