‘The symbols on this amulet, appear to be a different style to the others, the lines are more flowing. I cannot read them, but it is like handwriting from different cultures or times.’
‘Like the Chinese symbols, the Han dynasty and Ming dynasty styles?’
‘Exactly, same meaning, but executed in a different way.’
Osvaldo Roderigo took the amulet and retried it in the cylinder, but again, it was pushed out.
‘Now what Jacob?’
‘Would you normally put the fifth amulet in place last?’
‘Yes but I am not sure this will work with one missing?’
With a shrug Osvaldo Roderigo placed the fifth amulet into the central hole, holding it by the sides, and not the central bar. The cylinder accepted the amulet and it moved inside, and a seamless lid slid closed over the top, preventing removal.
‘I guess it worked Jacob?’
‘Yes, it only wants the amulets that belong here perhaps?’
‘Perhaps.’
As the two men packed the rejected amulet safely into Jacob’s rucksack, the space in front of them lit up. There was an image floating in the middle of the room, a vivid blue light, similar to what Jacob had seen on Kevin’s display in the obelisk. It showed the Earth, then moved down to the South American continent, then to the rivers and hills around the complex. An area lit up in red, a small circle in the centre of the complex, and then it expanded. The circle moved out from the complex, spreading equally in all directions, eventually reaching right out past the towers over three kilometres in diameter. Jacob turned to Osvaldo Roderigo, ‘I don’t think you need to translate that for me. Go!’
Without delay the two men began to run back up the steps, past the obelisk chamber, and up the flights of steps to the open hatch. Jacob and Osvaldo Roderigo knew they had to be past the three-kilometre mark before the complex destroyed itself. What they did not know, was this was going to happen in just ten minutes time.
FORTY SEVEN
Katherine had turned the Osprey around. She needed to get back to the complex to collect her friends, now the threat was gone. The group watched the burning remains of Jones’ helicopter disappear as the tail ramp closed, getting back into their seats, absorbing the enormity of the day. Kevin moved up to sit with his sister in the cockpit, ‘hey Katherine, do you think we can get to Jacob in time?’
‘Of course I can Kevin, have I ever been late?’
‘Well there was that one time, when you had been out drinking and rode your bike home, ROBBIE’
‘I told you never to tell that, although I know you told someone, as my training instructor found out!’
‘I may have mentioned it to someone.’
She slapped him on the arm, releasing her grip briefly from the controls, Kevin recoiling in feigned discomfort.
‘How far away are we?’
‘About thirty-five miles, it will take us about eight minutes to reach the complex, I suggest you strap in.’
Kevin secured his harness over his shoulder, clipping it into his waist and pulling tight, as Katherine gained some altitude to climb over the hills for a direct line to the complex.
Jacob was scrambling with Osvaldo Roderigo to get away from the complex, but he knew that to get the three kilometres distance, with the heavy foliage would take them hours, and he was sure the complex would disappear long before that.
Gasping for breath, he called over to Osvaldo Roderigo just ahead, ‘I think we should stop.’
‘Why my friend, are you hurt?’
‘Look we both know that we cannot get to a safe distance in time, so let’s just find a nice spot and wait.’
‘You are giving up?’
‘No, my wife taught me that sometimes you should just accept things, and sit and enjoy the moments you have, rather than fight a losing battle.’
‘She sounds like a wise woman; I would like to meet her.’
‘Well maybe we will soon.’
‘I don’t understand?’
‘She died nine months and six days ago, cancer.’
‘I am sorry Jacob, truly I am.’
The two men just stood, looking at each other.
‘Come this way, I know a place, a beautiful clearing overlooking a gorge and a waterfall.’
Jacob accepted the invitation, and both men moved towards their final resting place.
Katherine had the Osprey at full speed, the massive rotors carving up the moist jungle air, propelling the aircraft rapidly towards the complex. The instrument panel in front was confusing to Kevin, but his sister directed him through it, ‘That is the Forward looking Infra-red, FLIR, use that to see if you can spot Jacob and Osvaldo Roderigo, they will show up as large mammals.’
As Kevin surveyed the FLIR every object with a large heat signature lit up the display, and he was amazed by the amount of creatures moving through the jungle.
‘Katherine, there are lots of animals, and they are all moving.’
‘Well I would expect that.’
‘They are all moving in the same direction, away from the complex, spreading out in a circle, I would say running.’
‘Oh that really can’t be good, we may not see any danger yet, but it’s coming.’
‘In all that clutter, we will never see Jacob; we need to find him another way.’
‘I have an idea, the GPS in his sat phone, could we use that?’
‘Yes, just need to find the frequency, I’ll call the Arcadia and check it, you watch that FLIR and keep checking for them.’
Jacob moved up next to Osvaldo Roderigo, the final trees revealed the source of the thundering noise as they approached the gorge. A few hundred feet below them, the valley wall had collapsed, rocks the size of houses laid around, as if tossed aside by a huge petulant child. The white torrent of water cascaded across them fanned out hitting the plunge pool at the bottom with dissipated force, but enough to produce substantial spray. The gorge was a huge bowl, climbing several thousand feet around them in a horseshoe shape, carved out by millennia of water erosion.
‘This is a beautiful spot, cannot think of anywhere better.’
‘Thank you Jacob, I came here with my grandfather, not to talk, but to think, to watch.’
‘How far are we from the complex?’
‘Maybe almost half a kilometre, but the elevation of the land obscures it from here.’
The two men sat admiring what both of them thought would be the last sight they would ever see, as the ground began to shake and tremble with increasing violence.
Katherine was five miles from the complex, ‘Anything yet on infra-red?’
Kevin shook his head, ‘Try the sat phone again.’
‘I have called it three times Kevin, no response, battery must be dead.’
Katherine was frustrated, all this technology, and she could not find Jacob, and she knew that they had to leave.
‘Katherine, look at the complex!’
Katherine looked to her left, where the complex wall was, it was collapsing, even at this range, she could see whole sections of the wall falling.
‘Kevin anything? We have no time left!’
‘No nothing, there are bodies, but they are feint and stationary.’
‘They are corpses, I recognise the images, anything really bright, check further out, they must have left here.’
Kevin looked at the display, and sure enough as Katherine gained altitude, two glowing figures appeared, ‘There they are, I think?’
Katherine followed Kevin’s arm, and headed towards the two images almost white hot on the screen.
Jacob and Osvaldo Roderigo knew what was coming, whether it was an explosion, or implosion, the complex was ending, and them along with it. The two men showed their years of life experience, with the calm acceptance of their fate, ‘Well Jacob, it has been great.’
‘Thank you Osvaldo Roderigo, for sharing your knowledge and this place.’