Predator Island

by Douglas Cameron

  Chapter 14

  “I understand how that works for the Back-up Train sections,” Issaack said, “But what about the TBM. The real heart, although it is the head, of Ant Man.”

  “That’s a little more complicated,” Andy said. “When they start out from the B.B. Queen, the TBM will be pulled by Front Pull Engine 1 and pushed by Rear Push Engine 2. When the rear TBM truck reaches the switch to turn onto the Rear Mountain Track, the front TBM truck will be making the turn onto the Front Mountain Track. When the trucks are fully on their tracks, the two engines will stop. Rear Push Engine 1 will come off the switch at the Front Mountain Track and connect to the rear of the front TBM truck. Front Pull Engine 2 will be waiting on the Rear Mountain Track and will back up and connect to the front of the rear TBM truck. Once all four engines are connected, they will begin taking the TBM up the mountain.”

  As he finished his description, there was another horn blast from within the B.B. Queen’s hold and a third engine started to show itself.

  “That’s the Front Pull Engine 2,” Andy said excitedly. “It is pulling Gantry 4.”

  “And Rear Push Engine 2 is pushing it,” Waldo said.

  “Yes. When they reach the switch to the Rear Mountain Track, they will wait until Gantry 5 is on the plateau and then they will start up. That gives plenty of time for Gantry 5 to be put in place and the two engines to be at least halfway down the mountain before the Gantry 4 is halfway up.”

  “Okay, so finish telling us what the TBM and its four engines are to do when they reach the plateau.”

  But this first part of the program did not go well. When the TBM was about halfway to the plateau, Front Pull Engine 2 developed a power problem and slowed down. Consequently the other three engines had to slow down to keep pace with it. And the further up the mountain it went, the slower it went and when it had just made its way onto the plateau it died.

  “This is the tricky part of the maneuver,” Andy said. “When they reach the plateau, it will be flat and easier to pull and push so only two engines will be needed. Everyone will stop, and Front Pull Engine 2 will disconnect and move ahead to the Plateau Siding. Rear Push Engine 1 will also disconnect and back down the Front Mountain Track, probably to its siding but it will have other duties once the digging begins. Either bringing muck out of tunnel or taking concrete and other supplies up.”

  With Front Pull Engine 2 completely dead. Changes needed to be made. Front Pull Engine 1 disconnected, leaving Rear Push Engine 1 holding the rear of the TBM while Rear Push Engine 2 held the front of the TBM on the Rear Mountain Track. Front Pull Engine 1 moved forward onto the Plateau Track and then backed up and connected to Front Pull Engine 2 which was then disconnected from the TBM. Then Front Pull Engine 1 pulled Front Pull Engine 2 onto the trestle. Once on the trestle, Front Pull Engine 1 pushed Front Pull Engine 2 up against the volcano where the TBM was going to start digging. Then it disconnected, backed up and returned to its position helping Rear Push Engine 1. It had changed between its original position and that of Front Pull Engine 2 until the TBM was in the proper position on the plateau. Then Rear Push Engine 1 disconnected as in the original program and returned to the bottom of the mountain.

  “With those two engines out of the way, Front Pull Engine 1 will pull the front TBM truck onto the Plateau Track, which is the continuation of the Rear Mountain Track. Rear Push Engine 2 will push as needed to keep the trucks properly spaced. When they get to the Plateau Siding switch, Front Pull Engine 1 will disconnect and pull onto the siding and Rear Push Engine 2 will put the TBM in Place.”

  However, now the problem was what to do with Front Pull Engine 2. There wasn’t space on the trestle to get it off the way it came on. Consequently a new track had to be laid connecting the trestle track and the plateau track. The Front Pull Engine 1 pulled off its siding, used the new track to connect to Front Pull Engine 2 and pulled it down the mountain where it could be repaired. That all added time to the project but such are the problems with construction projects.

  “We have big electric motors on the mountain which will retract cables attached to the front of the TBM and pull it up against the face of the volcano where it can start digging and from there it is on its own.”

  “Ingenious,” Issaack said not certain if he understood it all.

  “Thanks,” Andy said. “There is one more thing.”

  “Not another engine,” Waldo said although he understood it all having been part of the design team.

  “No, so that the tunnel would be dug as close as possible to the plateau level, the plateau tracks were built in a channel five feet below the surface of the plateau. When the tunnel had been dug and the track removed the channel would be filled with dirt and rock from the digging of the tunnel. The dirt from the channel and from grading the road up the side of Vulcan’s Forge as well as excess from the solar farms and road grading were used to enlarge the plateau to meet the needs of the track. It had been decided that the trestle would be easier to build than excavating the necessary amount of dirt.”

  And over the course of the next week while the seven sections of Ant Man were being conveyed to the plateau trestle, the plant to make the concrete sections of the tunnel was assembled. A freighter made anchor off the island with a Super Stallion helicopter on board and sand and cement were ferried from the freighter to the plant area so that concrete could be made. Then after everything was checked and double checked, Ant Man’s motors were started, and he took his first bite out of Vulcan’s Forge. For the engines that had taken the sections up to the plateau, there was no rest because the rocks and dirt from the tunnel had to be taken somewhere and that somewhere was the edge of the plateau and for part of it, its final resting place was in the sink hole where Matías Zapatero had disappeared. When that hole was completely filled, and final landscaping had been done, a monument honoring the only man to die during the construction phase of the Predator Project was placed in a solemn ceremony which everyone on the island attended.

  In addition to the dirt having to be removed, concrete pieces for the tunnel walls had to be brought up and carried to Ant Man. And for both of these, dirt removal and concrete delivery, a track was laid in the tunnel behind Ant Man so that the rail cars could get there. And there was a lot of dirt and rock: 33,000 cubic yards of dirt and rock which is approximately 50,000 tons. By the time the tunnel was dug, taking three hundred days, the plateau had grown immensely. While the Back-up Train was still outside the tunnel, the dirt was piled on the plateau. Because the pieces of Ant Man had to be taken down the mountain in the same manner they were brought up, much of the plateau’s surface had to be kept clear so the dirt and rock was put over the sides and front of the plateau. When the Ant Man was completely in the tunnel, the trestle was dismantled, and the dirt and rock were dumped in its place and the track reinstalled although it didn’t have to be as long since the last section entering the tunnel was the first out of the tunnel and first to be taken down the mountain. In this age of environmental concern, all the plants growing in the area where the dirt was dumped had been dug up and temporarily planted elsewhere and then replanted in the new part of Vulcan’s Forge.

  The question had always been what to do with Ant Man once the tunnel had been dug. There was need for him in a third world country and so once the sections were aboard the B.B. Queen, she set sail and delivered Ant Man to the chosen country. A team of experienced operators was paid to train workers in that country until they could run Ant Man (who got a new name but didn’t care) independently.

  Once Ant Man was gone, the tracks were pulled. The rails were sent to another third world county where they could be of use. The ties, which were concrete rather than the traditional wood, were added to the pier for the final touches.

  Chapter 14

  Horus continued discussing the proposed construction on São Rochelle but was interrupted by Harvey Gladstone.

  “When will we start collecting animals?” Harvey Gladstone asked.

 
“By this time. We believe that construction of Vulcan’s Roost will take a year and probably six months after that the animals will arrive.”

  “If the place iz built, why wait zix months?” Ramiro questioned.

  “Because it won’t be fully functional. We have to be certain that everything is there, and the six months gives us time to get any animal that we hadn’t gotten before and time for you to plan your schedules so you can be here.”

  “I just need a week,” Phil said.

  “Sim,” agreed Ramiro who seemed antsy at the length of time. But then he seemed antsy all the time, as though expecting something unexpected to happen.

  “Well, maybe you gents can be here any buggering time you want, but I can’t,” Monica said. “I have a schedule set over a year in advance. Besides, five years? You’re talking bollocks if you say you know what you’ll be doing in five years. Shite, for all you know, the man with the scythe will come calling for you tomorrow.”

  Everyone looked at Monica in amazement at this outburst. The language used was in keeping with her songs, but not in general conversation.

  “Gentlemen and ladies,” Horus said. “You will all be informed of what is happening and when as this goes along. This is just the plan and it is subject to changes. It may take longer; it may take less. Remember, we don’t even have the property yet.”

  While the B.B. Queen was taking Ant Man to help a developing country, power and water was being run into the crater. The concrete sections put in the tunnel had holes for electricity and water. Some of the electricity was used to power lights and other things in the tunnel but the water went straight through. The water was obtained from the bottom pond of Prometheus’s Aerie using electric pumps and run to the workers’ barrack for their use and then up to the crater using a series of assisting pumps. Water used for other than toilet facilities was run through a cleansing process before running into a pond where it would be permitted to drain back into the island. All toilets on the island were composting toilets which were cleaned as required and processed to turn the contents into fertilizer and spread over grasslands. Also dirt was spread in the tunnel to make a road so that vehicles going through the tunnel were traveling on a flat surface.

  When the B.B. Queen returned to São Rochelle after dropping off Ant Man at his new home, she was laden with containers with which Vulcan’s Roost would be constructed. In the time that had elapsed, the foundation for Vulcan’s Roost had been poured under the supervision of Waldo and Issaack. They had returned to São Rochelle when the B.B. Queen had come to pick up the Ant Man and had supervised the grading and foundation pouring because measurements were crucial. Each of the rooms were made of eight by twenty-foot containers. These containers were intended to be placed by a crane which lowered each one onto the foundation. Six-foot-long vertical rods protruded from the foundation and these would enter holes in the container walls and hold them in place. There was little room for error. Issaack and Waldo were standing on the pier when the B.B. Queen docked. They had been staying in one of the village houses no longer needed by workers whose jobs on the island were finished. The inside of the house didn’t look the same because all that was inside had been thrown away and new stuff had been brought on the Queen’s last visit to pick up Ant Man. To take care of the wants, at least in the food and drink part of their lives, Carmen Domingo and Stefaan Declercq had accompanied them. On board the Queen were two flatbed container haulers and one mobile crane that could lift the containers off a truck and set them in place. None of the containers were empty. They either contained equipment in the case of the kitchen and dining room, for example, or sections of flooring, ceiling or exterior walls which were all glass or at least appeared to be glass. And in a few cases, containers held furniture for the rooms although some items would be delivered later.

  “So, how was the trip?” Issaack asked Captain Arnold Blythe when he and Waldo went aboard after the B.B. Queen had docked.

  “Not bad. We had to spend five days in port in the Canaries because of a storm but we always build in extra sea days in for this lady.”

  “True. Her shallow draft is great for here but not at sea in bad weather.”

  “Exactly. And empty she rocks like a baby’s cradle gone haywire. But give her a load like the Ant Man and she rides smooth … but not in a big storm.”

  “And our cargo?”

  “Safe. Everything’s accounted for. This trip was easy compared to the last one.”

  After talking to the captain, Issaack and Waldo went into the hold where they found Walt Jeffries and four of his men.

  “Greetings, Issaack. Waldo,” Jeffries said. “We are getting ready to get the first two containers up to the crater.”

  “Great,” Waldo said. “I’ll drive one of the rigs.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Jeffries said. “Takes an experienced truck driver to handle one of these big rigs with the container on it.”

  “Don’t wanna brag,” Waldo said. “But I designed and built those rigs. I wouldn’t touch the crane because I had nothing to do with it, but I know these trucks.”

  Jeffries still looked dubious.

  “You don’t have to worry about him,” Issaack said. “We’ve know each other for years, and if he says he can, believe me, he can.”

  “Okay,” Jeffries said. “Guess you guys are the bosses, so I got to let you do it. Oh, I was hoping to get to meet that Horace guy some time.”

  Issaack laughed. “He’s not much for roughing it.”

  “Well, okay.”

  “You have the list of containers?”

  “Yep,” Jeffries said. “Taking 1a and 1b just like it says.”

  “Well, stick to the order. Everything goes in by number just like the diagram says. You misplace one and nothing will work, and you’ll have to start all over again.”

  “I’ve already told my crew about it and they are not going to remove any stickers until I give the okay.”

  “Good.”

  “Well, let's get going,” Waldo said.

  As he said this, the diesel engine in the mobile crane roared to life, diesel smoke billowing from its pipes.

  “Jim Jarvis is my crane guy,” Jeffries said. “He’s good. At least that’s what his resume and recommendations say.”

  As they watched the first container being loaded on the first flatbed, the mobile crane pulled out of the hold, crossed the ramp and rolled up the slope, turned right and went out of sight headed for Vulcan’s Roost.

  With the first container secured on the bed, Waldo and Issaack got into the truck.

  “Here goes nothing,” Waldo said and laughed as he pushed the start button. The electric engine purred to life.

  Shifting into drive, Waldo released the parking brake, checked the mirrors, and stepped on the “juice” which is what he called the accelerator pedal or gas pedal to those driving vehicles with fossil fuel. The drive up the mountain to the plateau went easily in the big rig despite its load. As they entered the tunnel leading to the crater, the lights in the tunnel came on.

  “This flat floor really makes this like a regular tunnel,” Waldo said.

  “Well, we had to do it,” Issaack said. “I mean driving in a tube would be a little nerve racking.”

  “Yeah and the flat floor can hold secrets that a round one can’t,” and Waldo winked at Issaack.

  The loaded container truck took longer to get to the crater than the mobile crane had. Jim Jarvis had the crane stabilized and was waiting with several other men as Waldo brought the container truck to a stop where Jarvis indicated.

  Getting out, Waldo told Jarvis that he didn’t know how to free the container. Jarvis looked at him incredulously.

  “I was told you made this vehicle.”

  “I did. I know the engine and gears and stuff but had nothing to do with the container part. I bought what I was told to buy.”

  “Don’t look at me,” Issaack said. “He bought it.”

  Jarvis shook his head and tol
d the other men to get the container ready and then got into the crane’s cab. A man in a green hat indicated that all was ready and motioned Issaack and Waldo to get out of the way.

  The two moved and watched as the crane lifted the container and moved it over the foundation to where four of the men were standing at the corners of where the container should go. Following their hand signs, Jarrvis lowered the container down and guided by the men, set it precisely where it was supposed to go.

  “Bingo,” Issaack said. “That’s one.”

  “Only forty-two to go,” Waldo said, and the two men laughed.

  Chapter 16

  The second meeting was shorter than the first and no overnights were planned. After a pause for a light lunch of salads, soups and sandwiches with assorted desserts (“Lunch without dessert is like sex without an orgasm,” Carmen had replied when asked why there were always desserts.) “Sorry I asked,” Phil had said, but he was smiling when he said it. An hour after the meeting had broken for the repast, it was back in session and an hour later it was done. But again, there was the dismissal and the order was not that in which the members of the Bundle had arrived. Because of the problems with Ramiro during the first meeting, two changes had been made. One was the difference in order of arrival and dismissal. Second was that the vehicles which were used to deliver the attendees were not to be used to pick anyone up. Third, during the meeting a temporary porte-cochère was erected in front of the entrance. The side facing the street was covered with opaque bulletproof glass.

  Gerallt was frustrated. He had picked a location two blocks away on top of a five-story building which had given him a direct line of sight to the door. From that height he figured that he would have had a shot at Ramiro either coming or going – that was 50% and good enough for him. Certainly, better than any other time since that first meeting. In fact, since the first meeting, there hadn’t been a chance at all or at least not one he had heard about. And he hadn’t alerted Ramiro to the fact that he was coming for him, but he had no doubt that the man suspected that he was somewhere out there.