Once he was through the opening, he found he could stand.
He walked down the shaft to see where it went.
EVEN WITH A heart of stone, Hughes was finding the cave and its inner sanctum impressive. Ackerman was standing alongside the meteorite on its altar with his arm outstretched like a prize lady on a game show.
Beautiful, isnt it? Ackerman gushed.
Hughes nodded then removed a portable Geiger counter from his pocket. Flicking it on, he scanned the meteorite. The readings were off the scale. A couple of hours of exposure and hed quickly start to suffer from radiation poisoning. He realized hed need to shield it carefully for the trip back to Kangerlussuaq.
You spent much time close to this? Hughes asked Ackerman.
Ive examined it from every angle, Ackerman told him.
Have you been feeling poorly? Noticed any physical changes in yourself lately?
Ive been having nosebleeds, Ackerman said. I figured it was just the dry air.
I think you have radiation sickness, Hughes said. Im going to need to go back to the helicopter and get something to shield this.
CABRILLO HURRIED DOWN the shaft toward the sound of the voices. Hiding behind a rock, he listened to the two men.
Im going to need to go back to the helicopter and get something to shield this, one said. He listened as the two men walked off and the cavern grew dark. He waited to see what would happen next.
WAIT HERE, HUGHES said when they reached the mouth of the lower cave.
Ackerman watched as Hughes walked down the hill, approached the helicopter, and opened the rear door.
Ill be back in a few minutes, he said to Neilsen as he removed a box from the rear, then we can go.
Sounds good, Neilsen said, staring out at the weather.
Hughes started back up the hill with the box. When he entered the cave he looked at Ackerman. I brought something that will ease your suffering, he said. Ill give it to you in a few minutes.
CABRILLO WAITED A minute until he was sure he was alone, then reached into his pocket and removed a plastic bag and ripped off the top. Removing the chemical light bar inside, he bent it in half like he was trying to break a bread stick and the tube started glowing green. Using the light to illuminate his way, he started to walk toward the meteorite. He was just approaching the altar when he heard a shot ring out.
Quickly reaching into his pocket, he removed a foil packet, tore off the top with his teeth and sprinkled the contents onto the meteorite. Then, with the sounds of footsteps quickly approaching, he slid off to the side behind some rocks and placed the green light in his pocket.
A tall man carrying a lantern walked over to the altar, scooped up the
meteorite and placed it in a box. Cabrillo had left the rifle in the Thiokol, so there was little he could do right now. Cabrillo would need to intercept the meteorite farther down into the cave.
Gripping the metal hoop from the lantern in his mouth, the man carried the box out.
Cabrillo waited until the light from the lantern petered out, then slowly walked down the cave with his chemical light held in front. He figured the men would be examining the meteorite somewhere else, and when he found them hed make his move.
Then he bumped into the ladder and nearly fell down the hole.
Listening carefully to see if theyd heard the noise, Cabrillo waited and, when nothing happened, climbed down the ladder. At the bottom he stepped on Ackermans body.
16
AS SOON ASHanley received confirmation that no Icelandic civilian or military helicopters had been in the air at the time of the emirs abduction, it was childs play to coordinate this information with the port records to see what ships had come and gone close to the time.
It didnt take him long to settle on the Akbar as their primary target.
Accessing satellite records, he determined that the Akbar was steaming up the Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland. Immediately leaving port, he ordered the magnetohydrodynamic drives engaged as soon as they were clear of land. The Oregon was cruising at thirty knots and weaved through the icebergs like a slalom skier down an icy slope. He tried Cabrillos telephone again but there was no answer.
At that moment, Michael Halpert entered the control room. They dummied up the chain of ownership, he said, thats why we missed the threat.
Who is the true owner? Hanley asked.
The Hammadi Group.
Al-Khalifa, Hanley said. We knew he was planning a move on the emir, but if wed known he had a yacht under his control it might have gone a lot different.
Eric Stone swiveled around in his seat. Chief, he said, I have the link you requested established. The helicopter ident is on the screen. The make is a Eurocopter and the model an EC-130B4. Im running the registration right now.
Hanley glanced over at the screen. Why are there two blips?
Stone stared at the image then enlarged the screen. That second return just appeared, he said. Just guessing, Id say another helicopter is in the area.
CABRILLO HELD OUT his green light, reached down, and placed his fingers on Ackermans neck. He felt a faint beat. Then the archaeologist stirred and opened his eyes. His eyes were watery, his skin a ghastly gray, and his lips barely moved.