“Yes?” he said, staring intently at Pencor as he listened. “Bring him in,” he said, and then hung up the phone.
A few moments later the door to his office opened and two armed guards entered, followed by the young assault team member that had been knocked unconscious by Josh Turner outside the lava tube.
He regained consciousness moments after the explosion sealed the cave and was confused as to what had transpired. He assumed all the others died in the cave-in, and the one who hit him over the head died inside as well.
I dare not tell Osama that I was rendered unconscious
, he thought as he entered the room, politely bowing to his superior.
“What is your report?” Osama barked at the man, now wearing a tan jump suit supplied to him by the men in the SUV that killed Paulo.
“We were successful, Oyabun. The archaeologists and their guards have been eliminated as you ordered,” he said stiffly. “I was ordered to stand sentry near the tunnel entrance when I heard the sound of gun fire from within. Before I could
return inside, an explosion occurred and knocked me backward.” He lied as he continued, “The flames from the C-4 set my clothes on fire as I proceeded in to help, but the ceiling of the cave started to collapse so I ran out and threw myself on the ground to extinguish my clothes.” Growing more confident in his fabricated story, he continued. “After removing my smoldering clothes, I checked all the tents for anyone hiding. I found no one other than the two guards we eliminated outside, so I waited for the support vehicle to arrive. I helped them remove the dead guards and clean up the blood, so that no evidence of anything unusual would remain, other than the cave in.”
Finishing his report, he looked downward to avoid the probing eyes of Yagato Osama. He nervously awaited a response from the Yakuza leader.
“Are you certain they are all dead?” Pencor asked, staring coldly at the anxious soldier.
“Yes, sir, I guarantee they are all buried under tons of rock. None of them could have survived. My comrades, unfortunately, were killed in the process.”
“You have done well,” Osama said to the young Yakuza soldier, relieved that the mission had been completed. “Take him back to his quarters so he can get cleaned up.” The two guards politely bowed, then escorted the man out of the room and shut the door behind them. The two men were left alone once more.
“You see, Robert? I told you not to worry. My men have sworn to succeed, or die in their duties.”
“But what of your men who were buried in the cave along with the archaeologists? Won’t that raise questions when they are found?” Pencor asked.
“It will take weeks to dig the bodies out, if ever. By the time they do, which I doubt will happen, we will be long gone. Add to that the events that will transpire in one more day and little attention will be paid to a few unfortunate archeologists buried in a cave-in,” Osama replied with a sense of self-confidence as he poured a cup of tea. “The dead National Guardsmen brought back by our support team will be dumped in the ocean on the supply flight leaving in the morning. They will never be discovered. All traces of our activity will be eliminated.”
“That only leaves the matter of the scientist that escaped earlier,” Pencor countered. “I’ll relax when he is dead as well. We can’t afford any more of these mistakes, Yagato.”
“You underestimate our organization’s resiliency, Robert. Our Yakuza organization is much more thorough than our predecessors,” Osama said. “For years, the AUM Shinrikyo Religious Sect in Japan secretly worked with the Russians developing the Scalar weapons that we have now perfected. Their work was sloppy and careless, risking everything in the name of their ideology. Their leader was a mad man, bent on destroying himself and the organization’s long hard work with their foolish gas attack on the subways in Tokyo back in 1995.
If it were not for our operatives implanted in the AUM sect at that time, the Scalar weapon data would have been seized by the authorities and all would have been exposed.
“The EM plasma guns they used then were inefficient as well, and could be traced due to their use of what the Russians called the ‘Woodpecker Grid’. It was
their crude way of targeting the weapon. They also lacked the funds to enhance the technology after the fall of the Soviet Union. After 1995, we took over the development of the Scalar weapon research. Thanks to your funding, Robert, we have perfected the weapon so that its only signature is measurable with an EM detector,” Osama said, bowing politely to Pencor with a false flattery that usually worked on Pencor’s enormous ego.
“My friend,” Pencor said, for the moment somewhat relieved, “once we have seriously disabled the economy and infrastructure of the United States and have introduced to the world our means of eliminating its dependence on oil, we will be rich beyond our wildest dreams. No doubt, your organization will rise to power in Japan with you as its leader.”
“No doubt at all,” Osama replied with little emotion.
“The industrial Zero Point Generators I am developing will forever change the strategic and economic face of the world. We will totally control the world’s power needs,” Pencor gloated with a smug smile, vainly staring at his reflection in the mirror on the wall. “Oil will no longer be a viable market. It will become more uneconomical to produce or refine once we
start supplying countries with the ZPGs. Those who oppose will sing a different tune when the oil starts drying up and their lights start going out. America will no doubt resist, as I expect, and I will take great pleasure in bringing them to their knees,” he concluded as he began to laugh maniacally.
Osama smiled politely, knowing that he had made a deal with a deranged and dangerous man, but the ends would justify their current unholy alliance.
I won’t need this lunatic much longer
, Osama thought as Pencor continued to laugh,
not much longer at all.
“One smaller item, Yagato,” Pencor said, brought back to reality. “Once the final phase is in motion for the weapon, I want the rest of the scientists disposed of. Do you understand?”
“The remaining scientists on site will get a first-hand demonstration of the Mind Snap gun, my friend,” Osama said with a grin. “As you so eloquently stated, there will be no loose ends.”
9
D
uring the assault on the archaeological site by the Bishamon hit squad, the rented CJ-5 sat in the dark on a small rise overlooking the access road. Alton Burr had been there since sunset, brooding and pondering his next move. He had seen the Land Rover pass earlier, headed for the site, and watched in morbid fascination as upon its return, it was forced over the high embankment by the dark SUV.
Deeming it prudent to remain hidden for the time being, he heard the muffled explosion coming from the location of the dig site.
Now, sitting in his Jeep, he thought of his earlier confrontation with Eli Turner; how it infuriated him to the point of taking drastic measures. He ran his fingers over the stock of the 9mm Glock on the seat adjacent to him. He thought with zealous righteousness that he was destined to protect the world from the lies that would come once Turner’s discovery became public.
Alone in the dark, his tormented mind went on a tirade. The world is stagnating under the yoke of religion. The Christians try to deny us the free pursuit of science, of free thought, and of self-gratification by trying to force its
antiquated, moral edicts on society. Radical Islamic extremists are killing innocent people all over the world in the name of God.
“It’s madness!” he shouted aloud in the darkness of his vehicle. His rationalization was fueled by his personal demons, and he longed for the day when religion would be replaced by a new order.
An order founded on the principals of acquired reason and free thought, and I intend to be a catalyst in its creation
. “You’re going to lose this one, God,” he said arrogantly as he gazed out the windshield into the overcast night.
His grandiose thoughts were halted by the sight of the dark SUV returning from the direction of the archeology site. Burr sat upright, watching the vehicle as it slowed and made a turn off the main access road. It then started up a narrow road in the direction of the caldera’s summit and, moments later, disappeared over a ridge.
The answer must lie with those people,
he thought
. They might be able to solve my problem for me, but what were they doing at the dig site? Did they find anything?
As he sat there in the darkness, he knew he would have to follow the SUV and see where they were going. First, he decided to make a quick visit to Turner at the archeology site.
“You're gonna lose, God,” he chuckled in twisted amusement as he gently stroked the gun barrel. “You're gonna lose.”
***
In the dim light of the collapsed lava tube, all eyes were fixed on the flickering flame of the lantern as it danced about, fueled by a gentle breeze cascading through the chamber.
“Josh is right,” Captain Saune said, walking over to the gear pack he and Private Gonzales brought in earlier that evening. “The lava tube must connect to other branches farther inside the volcano.”
“Shouldn't we wait and see if help comes first?” Samuel asked.
“I don’t intend to just wait here and have this place fall in on us,” Turner stated, picking up the dead Yakuza’s AK-47 and tossing it to Private Gonzales.
“That goes for me, too,” Eli said, rising up from the floor and getting his backpack. “We have to do something other than just sit here and wait.”
“I’ve been hiking the lava tubes on Tenerife for years,” Maria said. “They could meander for miles, leading to dead ends, but there also may be a skylight: an opening to the surface formed when a portion of a lava tube's ceiling collapses. If we can find one, there might be a breakdown pile caused by the collapse of magma that we can use to climb out.”
“What do we have in the way of supplies?” Turner asked as he emptied the contents of the dead Yakuza leader’s satchel, containing only duct tape, wire, and a blood-stained knife used on the unsuspecting guards outside the cave.
“Two D-112MG night vision goggles with head gear, two full canteens, and one old AK-47. Unfortunately, we were relieved of our weapons when we were captured earlier outside the cave,” Saune said.
“I have two old AN/PVS night vision scopes with head gear,” Maria responded, “plus canteens and the flashlights we came in with. We can use the lanterns to make the hike. We’ll need as much light as possible to avoid the deep drop offs where lava has up-welled from lower levels.”
“I have two peanut butter sandwiches,” Eli said as he gently rolled up the parchments, and then placed them back in his backpack.
“Hey, I’m hungry!” Samuel said from across the chamber. “At least Eli packed sensibly,” he added, throwing Maria a wink when he saw her looking at him incredulously.
“Only you would think of food at a time like this,” Eli said jokingly, as he tossed one of the sandwiches to Samuel. The rest of the group began gathering their gear.
Saune and Gonzales strapped on their night vision gear and flipped the scopes up to their resting position on top of the headgear. They checked their flashlights as Maria put on her night vision gear and handed the other to Josh.
“I didn’t know that you were an experienced cave hiker,” Turner said, standing close to her. He stared longingly into her warm blue eyes, which now showed the strain of the night’s deadly encounter.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Mr. Turner,” she replied with a coy smile. “I’m full of surprises.”
Turner paused, frozen in the moment. He inhaled her perfumed scent as she lingered close to him, not wanting the moment to end. He vowed to himself that he would stop at nothing to get her and the others to safety.
“When we get out of here,” he said softly, taking her hand, “I know a nice little restaurant in Santa Cruz where the view of the bay is quite romantic and they have a great soloist. What do you say?”
“It’s a date,” she said, smiling a smile that would steal the heart of any man. She then quickly leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. Turning, she confidently adjusted her backpack and started climbing through the small opening to the lava tube as Turner watched her shapely figure vanish into the gloom. He glanced at the others around him, smiled at their quizzical looks, then he and the rest of the unlikely entourage followed her into the darkness.
They walked through the ancient lava tube at a good pace, ever mindful of their footing, with Maria leading the way. Even after their harrowing experience and brush with death earlier, they all marveled at the awesome display of nature before them.
The channel they traversed was a myriad of twisting turns and inclines leading upward to the heart of the dormant volcano. The tube was a naturally occurring conduit; once a pathway for the flow of two thousand degree magma that
hardened as it traveled beneath the cooler surface. They were in one of the main tubes that branched into the many smaller vents as the ancient lava slowed and drained out away from the erupting volcano.
As they walked onward in the dancing yellow glow of the lantern, Maria explained the lava marks on the cave wall that showed the height of the once rushing molten river of rock.