Quest (Dane Maddock Adventures) (22 page)

“What’s the matter, Maddock?” Bones elbowed him. “Afraid we’re going to get us a little Jules Verne action going on underground? Maybe slide to the center of the earth?”

“Afraid we’ll get to the bottom and have no way back up is more like it. I’m surprised the ScanoGen people didn’t secure a rope before they went down, in case they had to climb back out.”

“Well, we can’t all be as smart as you, Maddock.”

Matt tried, but was unable to get any connection with the sat phone. Dane wondered what Corey was thinking right now, sitting and waiting for them to check in, and hearing nothing. Everyone took a moment to secure their packs and get ready to move.

Dane stood, looked down into the waiting darkness, and then back at his friends.

“All right, who wants to be the first one down into the creepy, dark tunnel?”

“Everything is going as planned, gentlemen. My team is in the process of completing the job as we speak. I estimate we shall be able to move on to the next stage of the project in less than two weeks time.” Salvatore stared across the table at the two smartly-dressed men in power suits and forced a polite smile.

Senator Nathan Roman of Utah, member of the Senate Arms Committee, sat back, a condescending smile painting his face. “You understand, Mister Scano, that we can tolerate no more delays. There are deadlines to be met, and you are far behind the promised timetable. If we are forced to start over somewhere else, I fear our armed forces will choose to do business elsewhere. In fact, the government might be forced to dig deeper into some of ScanoGen’s more questionable practices.”

The man did not intimidate Salvatore in the least. A Senator, no matter how powerful, derived his power from the consent of the governed, a fickle lot at best. One scandal and the good senator just might find himself back in Utah selling real estate. In fact, the groundwork for such a scandal had already been laid in the form of a young lady who would soon be leaking cell phone pictures of the senator engaged in some very embarrassing costume play. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. He glanced at David, and saw a shadow of a smile cross the man’s face. Senator Roman would play ball soon enough. It was the other man who worried them.

“Now, now, Nathan. There is no need to bandy threats. Mister Scano and ScanoGen have always been reliable business partners, and doubtless that will not change. I have every confidence in them.” The man turned an icy smile toward Salvatore.

Frederick Hadel was an enigma. He was the leading figure in a large, independent religious organization known as The Kingdom Church. What bothered Salvatore was that was all they knew about him. Hadel had clout, there was no denying it, but how much he had, and whom he had under his thumb, had eluded Salvatore and his people. That bothered him.

“Senator Roman simply wants you to understand how important this project is to us,” Hadel continued. He paused to take a sip of tea. “It is no longer merely a matter of scientific speculation. The work your people have already done has set an excellent foundation, and major plans have been laid with that work at its core. We must, however, move forward.”

“Your concern is duly noted, Mr. Hadel,” David assured him.

“Bishop Hadel, if you please. Perhaps it is vanity, but I do prefer to be addressed by my title. I worked very hard to earn it.”

“My apologies.” David made a placating gesture. “It did take some time, but things have fallen into place. Our people are on the ground as we speak.”

“I have people of my own at the ready if you require assistance.” Hadel raised his eyebrows. “I can call on them at a moment’s notice.”

“That will not be necessary, but we appreciate the offer.” Salvatore stood and David quickly followed suit. “Your concerns are duly noted.”

Hadel and Roman exchanged looks, clearly not appreciating the curt dismissal. Finally, the two stood, and Roman shook hands with David and Salvatore.

“We will talk again in two weeks,” Roman added, squeezing Salvatore’s hand tighter than was necessary. The imbecile actually believed that, in the twenty-first century, musculature was a sign of power? He would not last long in Washington.

“I look forward to it.” Salvatore tapped a button on his phone, indicating that Alex, who was temporarily and unhappily filling Tam’s role as receptionist, should see his guests out.

Hadel stepped through the doorway, paused, and turned back to Salvatore and David. “Traffic in the Washington area is dangerous, is it not?”

“It is.” Salvatore had no idea where Hadel was going with this, but he was certain the man would not bring it up without reason.

“Perhaps you heard about the death of a dear colleague, Reverend Felts. He was killed in a tragic accident very recently.”

“Yes, I did hear something about that.” Salvatore kept his tone conversational, but his mind was racing. How much did Hadel know?

“Truly a tragedy.” Hadel grimaced. “How Reverend Felts, who was a competent driver without a blemish on his driving record, could have run off the road like that is beyond me.” Now he looked Salvatore in the eye. “I wish I could say I was sorry to hear the news, but I fear my friend had lost his way. It is a shame, but accidents do happen.” His smile was mirthless and his eyes cold.

“Yes they do,” Salvatore agreed.

Hadel nodded and closed the door.

“He knows.” David’s fists were clenched tight. “He knows we are behind Felts’s death, and he obviously approves. Why doesn’t he just say so?”

“He’s sending us a message.” Salvatore pursed his lips. He wants us to think we can’t do anything without him knowing about it.” Perhaps it was the truth. So much they did not know about Hadel.

“So, do I proceed with our plans regarding the senator?” David eyed him in trepidation.

Salvatore took a deep breath. “Hold off until Tam has completed her mission. Perhaps it will not be necessary.” He hated the feeling that someone else was controlling him, but he had not risen this far by putting ego before wisdom.
Tam,
he thought,
do not let me down.

Dane was the first into the tunnel. The initial drop was so steep that he was forced to slide down, using his Recon 1 knife as a brake to control his descent. About fifty feet down, the way became less steep, and he was able to stand, though he kept a steadying hand on the ceiling, which was no more than six feet high.

“Come on down!” he called to the others. “Bones and Willis, the ceiling’s low, so don’t bump your heads when you stand up!”

Kaylin came down, springing gracefully to her feet at the end of her slide. Her eyes widened as she played her light down the tunnel. “Awesome!”

“You sound like Bones.” Dane had to grin. Though Kaylin looked like she belonged behind a news desk or reporting from the sideline of a college football game, she was a Navy brat through and through, and wouldn’t let something like a dark tunnel bother her.

“Oh well. You’re the one who keeps him around. If he rubs off on me, it’s not my fault.” The rest of the group joined them in short order and they proceeded down the passageway.

The floor was made of stone, but the walls and ceiling were lined with wood, much of it succumbing to various stages of decay. Roots peeked out in various places and Dane wondered if they were strengthening or weakening the structure. He hoped it was the former.

“This whole place looks like it could come down at any moment,” Kaylin observed, shining her light on the ceiling. So engrossed was she in the construction of the passageway that she almost didn’t see the pit in front of them.

Dane grabbed her by the arm and snatched her back just as her foot came down on… nothing. He shone his light down on a deep pit. Twenty feet below them, a body lay impaled on a wooden stake. Other stakes lay shattered on the floor, confirmation of Dane’s assessment of the weakened condition of the wood due to years of dry rot. One of the stakes, though, had held together, to the detriment of the man who had fallen. He was lying on his stomach, the stake jutting out of the small of his back. His face was turned to the side, and Dane could make out his native features.

“One of the guides,” Bones observed. They’re down to seven. Sweet!”

“Hey! Anybody got a notepad or an index card?” Willis looked around at the others, grinning.

“What for?” Kaylin cocked her head to the side.

“I want to make a scorecard, like baseball. I know I’ll kill more of them than y’all.” He elbowed Matt.

“Want to put some money on that? A hundred bucks?” Matt offered his hand to shake on it.

“Hell, Army boy, you don’t even
get
to be on the scorecard. You’re gonna’ carry my backpack and let the SEALs do the killing.” Laughter drowned Matt’s profane response.

Beyond the pit, the tunnel sloped down and they were again forced to descend in a controlled slide. Dane kept a sharp eye out for more pits or other hazards, all the while thinking that the condition of the tunnel made the whole place a potential booby trap.

Faint light glimmered in the distance and they reached the bottom of the tunnel without incident. Weapons at the ready, they followed the winding passageway toward the glow that grew brighter the farther they progressed.

They emerged in a deep canyon, walled in by sheer cliffs that ran out of sight to the north and south as far as the eye could see.

“No wonder they had to build the tunnel.” Dane looked behind them at the wall of stone. “There’s no way you could climb down that.”

“Speak for yourself,” Bones said. “I am Spider-Man on rock walls.”

Dane rolled his eyes. “And,” he turned back around, “no telling how far this canyon runs. This might be the only way across for miles or more.”

“This place has a weird vibe to it.” Willis stepped forward, looking all around, his eyes narrowed and his jaw set. “It feels like we don’t belong here.”

He was right. The canyon was very different from the jungle through which they had trekked thus far. The trees here were smaller and grew farther apart than they had up above. It was as if the valley had once been cleared, but later left to lie fallow. On the opposite side of the valley, a waterfall poured over the canyon rim.

“It’s like a lost world,” Kaylin whispered.

“Let’s hope it’s not as dangerous as the one from the book.” Dane’s eyes scanned the valley, all his senses alive, seeking out any potential threat, but the silence was complete.

“Looks safe to me,” Bones said. “Should we keep following ScanoGen’s tracks?” He didn’t wait for Dane to say yes, but moved ahead.

They had walked only five minutes or so when they came upon an abandoned campsite. Four tents had been slashed and trampled, and camping gear lay strewn everywhere. Dane noticed a spatter of something dark on a tree trunk, and took a closer look.

“Looks like blood,” he said to Kaylin, who was peering over his shoulder. “Can you tell anything from the tracks?” He called to Bones.

“Only that everyone scattered in a big hurry.” He looked at Dane. “There are about five paths we could follow, and I assume you want to stay together?” Dane nodded. “Good call, I think. So, the question is, which path do you want to follow first?”

Dane pondered the question. They had come to the end of Fawcett’s imperfect map. They did not know the final landmark, which left following ScanoGen, or wandering until they found something as their only choices. The first option was out for the moment and the second was unappealing.

A shot rang out in the distance, breaking the silence, and then another.

“That way,” he said, pointing toward the waterfall on the opposite side of the canyon. He wasn’t sure why he chose it as their destination, except that it would be an easy landmark for everyone to find should they get split up. That, and it just felt like the right way to go. “Everyone stay concealed as much as you can, and be careful.”