Catalyst (Breakthrough Book 3) (27 page)

55

The distant peak was in sight now and a frustrated Otero watched from the back of his Range Rover as their convoy made its way slowly and painfully up the narrow winding road.

His frustration was reaching new heights after multiple stops to repair the failing road.  Wind and rain had eroded large sections, making it impossible for the larger trucks to pass without substantial reinforcements. 

The third repair had unexpectedly given way when their trucks tried to pass, resulting in a near loss of the entire vehicle and its supplies.  A loss that big would have been significant.  He could live with the loss of some of his men, but fewer supplies meant less time to find the creature for which they had come.

It was becoming increasingly evident to Otero that the success of this mission was going to rely on a single person.  And she was sitting in the vehicle just ahead of them, behind Captain Salazar.

Dr. Becca sat rocking back and forth with the sideways motion of the Humvee as it climbed, bouncing over what was left of the old road.  Hours of driving –– coupled with having to listen to Salazar spout his fascist political views –– was making the trip truly deplorable.  Instead, she tried to focus on the few positive aspects she could find.  Like the vehicle’s air conditioning.

She’d met men like Salazar before.  And just like them, he was an ass, plain and simple.  A bureaucrat dressed in a military uniform and nothing more.  Hiding within just another large government organization that was once again buckling under its own self-serving weight.

Brazil’s economy and its government were now completely imploding.  Like many countries, Brazil was now in the last desperate throes of its collapse and was printing money like mad to stave off the inevitable: the long overdue cleansing of the country’s elite and political class.

To Becca, Salazar was part of the problem.  Unfortunately, those in power never relinquished it without a fight.  But this wasn’t her fight.  She simply wanted to get back and save whatever career she might have left.

A career that, after reading all of the information she’d been given, just might include the zoological breakthrough of the century.  She was now convinced that at least part of what Salazar and Otero were after…was real.  A capuchin demonstrating a significantly higher level of cognition. 

If it was true, it was the kind of discovery for the record books and one from which world renowned careers were launched.

In front of Becca, Salazar leaned forward, attempting to reach the dashboard in spite of the vehicle’s bouncing.  His fingers found the small vent and adjusted the angle higher, trying to cool his beading forehead.   The air was gradually growing cooler the higher they climbed, but it still wasn’t enough yet.

He returned his hand to the grab handle overhead, trying to steady himself after one bounce from a particularly large hole.  Salazar’s own satellite phone rang loudly just as it fell from its tucked position against his leg.  He fumbled for it but managed to get the phone to his ear by the third ring.

“Yes,” he answered, over the vehicle’s revving engine.

The voice on the other end was deep.  “How close are you?”

“About five or six hours.”

“It’s about time.”

Salazar opened his mouth to explain but was cut off.

“Does anyone suspect anything?”

“No.  I don’t think so.”

“Good.  Surprise will be key.  You cannot risk anyone knowing.  Do you understand?”

“I do.”  Salazar glanced at his driver for any indications that he was listening in.

“You should also know you’re going to have company.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is someone else at the top.”

Salazar’s brow lowered.  “Who?”

“We don’t know.  One of our AEW aircraft spotted an airplane over the area, which abruptly turned around over the mountains.”

A drop.
  Salazar cursed silently to himself and gritted his teeth.  It was exactly what he was trying to preempt. 

“You know what’s at stake,” said the voice.  “And you know what happens if you fail.”

56

“This is bullshit.”

Everyone turned to Corso, standing in a small patch of shade with his HK416 gripped firmly in his large hands.

“Excuse me?”

His eyes moved to DeeAnn, then to Caesare.  Dulce was sitting overhead in a young aphandra tree, examining its branches.

“She’s not going to find a damn thing.”

DeeAnn turned to Caesare before he could reply.  “We need to give it time.  This isn’t exactly a science.  She’s doing the best she can.”

Corso looked up again into the tree.  “Yeah, it looks it.”

A moment later, a large white and yellow flower fell down onto Corso’s shoulder, where he brushed it away and glared at the gorilla.  Dulce returned a toothy grin.

“What the hell you expecting, Corso?” Tiewater grinned, descending from the top of a large rock.  “You want the little thing to draw us a map?”

Anderson shrugged.  “That would be nice.”

DeeAnn was still staring at Caesare.  “We need more time.”

Time was a luxury they didn’t have.  Caesare glanced at his watch again and peered up at the sky.  They had three hours of daylight left at the most.  And all the while Otero was getting closer.  He needed to know how close but Borger still wasn’t answering his phone.  Something was wrong.

“Ask her again,” he said.

After a moment, DeeAnn sighed and turned back around to face Dulce.  “Where is our friend, Dulce?”

No know.  Me look.

“How much more time?”

Her vest unexpectedly beeped, signaling a bad translation.

“How much longer?”

Dulce peered at her curiously from the tree.  She looked like she was about to reply when she stopped.  The gorilla abruptly stood up in the tree and steadied herself with a branch.  Her posture was stiff.  Alert.  After a long silence, she spoke.

Go there.

Everyone on the ground looked up with surprise.

“Go where?”

There.
  Dulce raised her lanky arm and pointed.

“Is that where friend is?”

Dulce scampered down and leaped from the tree, landing on Corso’s broad shoulders.  Her focus still in the direction she had pointed.

“Get the hell off me!”  Corso violently shook his shoulders, sending Dulce jumping to Tiewater, who caught her in his arms.

“You’re really something with the ladies.”

“Shut up.”

DeeAnn closed in and repeated.  “Where, Dulce?  Show us where.”

She pointed again, across a large section of the burnt field. 
There
.

Past the field, a wide section of trees covered the area, which sloped away from the peak.  Their dull green color bore a resemblance to olive trees, with thin branches swaying gently from side to side in the breeze, now blowing over the top of the mountain.  The trees continued on for as far as they could see.  They became denser before rising again over another ridge, and then disappeared where the mountain continued another long descent.

Caesare immediately continued forward, leading the way over the burnt ground and into the tall grass on the other side.  When he reached the edge of the trees, he stopped and turned to Dulce, who passed him and climbed another tree.  She sat, listening.

Corso shook his head.  “This is a waste of time.”

“Not necessarily,” DeeAnn replied, crossing her arms.  “All primates are semi-terrestrial, meaning they live in large social groups.  They don’t roam very far from a home location except for foraging.  Most humans are the same.  Like nesting with birds.”

Corso smirked.  “Well, we’re pretty far from home now.”

“That’s because we have airplanes,” Juan quipped, sitting down.  He unzipped his bag, pulled out several square-shaped bundles and turned to DeeAnn.  “Time for a battery swap.”

  She nodded, twisting away from Corso and powering off the vest.  Together, she and Juan removed the previous batteries and inserted a new set.  Once Juan double-checked the connection and secured the Velcro flaps back over the pockets, she turned it back on.

“Can you hear me, Dulce?”

Dulce looked down from the tree and frowned.  She held a dark finger over her mouth.

DeeAnn rolled her eyes while Caesare laughed.

“You might be teaching her too well.”

Several minutes later, Caesare’s phone rang in his pocket.

“Wil, where the hell have you been?”

“Sorry, Steve.  I don’t have time to explain, but things are getting crazy.  I see you guys are on the ground.”

“We are.  And looking for our friend.  Where’s Otero?”

“Hold on.”  Borger pulled up his live feed from the ARGUS satellite.  “They’re close.  Very close.  Maybe an hour or two from the summit.  I’m counting…seventeen vehicles, most are large trucks.  Probably carrying men or supplies.”

“They’re carrying both,” Caesare said dryly.

“Right.  The only road bears north across the top of the peak, about a mile or so from where you are, so you should see them soon.”

“Great.  Anything else?”

“Not at the moment.  But call me if you need any more.  I’ll try to ring you back if I can’t answer.  I need to help Clay.”

Caesare’s brow rose.  “What’s going on with Clay?

“I’m not sure yet.  He reached the hospital but now it looks like he’s moving again.  I’ve been trying to reach him, but he’s not answering.”

“All right.  I’ll ring off.  We’re fine for the moment.”  Without waiting for a reply, Caesare ended the call but remained staring at the phone. 

Caesare had his own problems to worry about, but he did have one guess on why Clay wasn’t answering his phone.

57

Clay wasn’t answering his phone because he couldn’t.  With a rifle in one fist and the hand of Wei’s daughter in the other, he was rushing down the steep embankment, half running and half sliding.  He struggled to find a smooth path, knowing the girl couldn’t see what he could through his night-vision goggles. 

Behind him, Li Na lost her footing several times but Clay’s strong arm kept her on her feet.  When they reached the bottom of the ravine, they both splashed through a shallow stream and scrambled up the other side.

Through the tall trees, the two helicopters to the south could be heard taking to the sky.  Qin had apparently gotten to a radio –– most likely aboard his own chopper.

He suddenly slipped in a thick pile of leaves but managed to catch himself.  He regained his footing and pulled Li Na up behind him.  Once they cleared the top of the incline, he continued again as fast as the girl could keep up.

Several hundred yards later they reached another drop, this one much steeper.  He panned from one side to the other, looking for a way down.  Almost as if on cue, the phone in the pocket of his pants rang.

His answer was immediate.  “Need some help, Wil.”

Borger was already studying a daytime image of the area.  “There’s a fairly large stream in front of you.  Let me see if I can find an easier way across.”

“I’m not worried about the water.  I need a way down.”

“There’s a small area to the east where it looks like it flattens out.  One hundred yards upstream, or maybe two.”

Clay slung the rifle over his shoulder to keep the phone in his hand.  He kept a tight grip on Li Na and moved quickly along the ridge.

“The choppers are in the air,” he said, panting into the phone.  “And headed this way.  What’s ahead of us?”

“Us?” Borger raised his eyebrows.  “You have Wei’s daughter?”

“Well, I sure as hell hope that’s who I grabbed.”

Borger zoomed out, looking for something he could give them.  Anything. 

“There’s a small house to the southeast, but it’s pretty far away.  Maybe a mile and a half.  Everything else is in the other direction.”

“Too far,” Clay mumbled.  He stopped on the edge of the ridge and spotted the area Borger described.  Instead of a cliff, soft dirt descended at a more manageable descent.  He dropped to the ground, pulling Li Na down with him and sliding down the embankment, his feet out in front of him.  He dug in with the heels of his boots, sending rocks and leaves spilling down in front of him.

Directly behind him, Li Na did the same.

When they reached the bottom, Clay pulled her through the water and waded across.  When they reached the other side, Clay brought the phone back up to his ear.

“You still there?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s the house?”

“Roughly four o’clock from your current direction.”

“Okay.”

Borger was now studying a different image of the same region, this one taken at night.  He examined the area where the small house was situated.

“Uh, Clay.  There may be a problem.  I don’t see any lights at that place.  I’m not sure if it’s occupied.  I’m looking for another option.”

There was no answer.

“Clay?”  Borger checked his phone.  The call had ended.

The terrain gradually leveled off, allowing Clay and Li Na to pick up speed.  Overhead, the sound of the helicopters was followed only seconds later by searchlights.

Clay quickened his pace.  A mile and a half was a long way over this kind of terrain.  He ground to a halt near a tight cluster of trees and released Li Na’s hand.  He then removed his goggles and looked up at a bright beam of light sweeping the forest behind them.

He pulled the teenage girl in close and pressed them both against a tree trunk as the searchlight passed over them.  He watched it continue on before looking down at Li Na.

“There’s a house nearby, but we have to move faster or we’ll never make it.  Can you run on your own?”

“I think so.”

“Good.  Stay close to me.”

Not far away, Qin’s helicopter finally rose into the air once the pilot had wrapped his bloody hand in a thick bandage.  He listened through his headphones to the exchange between the other two helicopters searching the ground for Li Na and the American.

“If you see them,” Qin broke in, “stop them!  Even if you have to
shoot
.  They must not escape!”

Once above the trees, Qin could see the aircraft lights from the other two choppers.  One to the southeast and the other to the northeast.  The rest of the soldiers were on the ground, sweeping forward in the same directions.

Even in his panic-induced rage, Qin knew he was lucky.  These men were some of the best in the Chinese Army, and he couldn’t have hoped for a better group to provide aid.  But it was more than coincidence.  More than luck.  It was fate.  The message was clear.  Destiny was on Qin’s side.

Now the girl and the American were in the middle of nowhere.  Headed in the worst possible direction.  And all they could do was run.