by A. H. Wang
“Me neither. Just dead ends and then never-ending tunnels.” Charlie sighs.
“I think we might be approaching it all wrong. The cave we’re looking for must be connected to the main chamber. It can’t be tucked too far from the ceremonial site,” she speculates. “Let’s go around the perimeter of the cavern properly this time, I’ll head this way and you can go in the opposite direction. We’ll meet at the steps.”
“Okay,” agrees Charlie.
They begin their slow search along the walls of the cave, careful to note all of the carvings and any other openings. Her movements are slow in the darkness, and she can hear the bats high above her, their high-pitched squeaks permeating the space. She avoids looking up at them, knowing from past experience that she would be rewarded with guano on her face.
“Georgia!” Charlie calls out, “I think I have found something!”
She turns and walks quickly towards the sound of his voice, finding him staring intently at the wall before him.
“Look.” He points the beam of his torchlight at a large carving located at the height of his chest. “Here is that symbol again.”
Georgia studies the three concentric circles engraved and inlaid with jade, then begins searching around them for an opening. She finds it low on the ground, barely high enough to crawl through on one’s hands and knees. This entrance, like the one at the top of the stairs, has been obstructed by rocks. Within the darkness of the cave, if it were not for the symbol that Charlie found, she would have missed the low-lying opening entirely.
“It looks like Naaya blocked this one up too,” Charlie says. He kneels down to start removing the stones.
They take several minutes to move the barriers out of the way. Then, crouching low, she shines her torch through the small cavity. Unlike the cave system they have just spent an hour exploring, this one seems to have been excavated by man. It is of a more regular shape, the surfaces are smoother, and the long, narrow tunnel leads straight into the deep black beyond.
“This must have been dug by Naaya’s people to connect the two chambers,” she surmises, squinting into the inky hole. “I can’t see the other end.”
“Let me go in first, just to be safe,” Charlie offers. He pauses at the entrance, listening intently. “Do you hear that?”
She scrambles next to him, putting her head into the hole, straining to detect what he is referring to. Unable to block out the tweeting of the bats overhead, she crawls a couple of paces in, holds her breath, then finally hears what Charlie is talking about. A sound echoes in the distant void:
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Excited, she backs out of the tunnel. “I hear the sound of water.”
Charlie’s face is unreadable as he shrugs off his backpack to drop it on the ground, the controlled grace of his movements at odds with the strain in his shoulders. Abandoning his torch, he picks up the small lantern instead, taking a deep breath.
“Okay,” he says when he is ready. “I will call out for you once I reach the end.”
She nods in agreement, watching him disappear into the tunnel. Impatient, she looks into the entrance every now and then, seeing the movement of the obstructed light from his lamp.
Long moments pass, and fed up with waiting, she sticks her head into the tunnel.
“Charlie?”
“Yes,” he answers, his voice subdued.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes. Come on through.”
Georgia pulls out a glow stick, its fluorescence still radiating strong, and leaves it on the ground with her torch. She enters the oppressive darkness of the tunnel. The rocky surface under her is cool and damp, and the smell of moist earth and stagnant air fills her nostrils. Her backpack scrapes along the top surface of the shaft as she crawls on her hands and knees. She feels something skitter across the top of her hand and she withdraws it quickly, shaking the critter off.
She hates insects.
Georgia fights the rising sense of claustrophobia. The light from Charlie’s lantern in the cave chamber before her motivates her to scurry along with haste.
“It is not too much farther, Georgia,” Charlie says, as if sensing her anxiety. She can see the outline of his silhouette at the other end. “You are almost there.”
Relief floods her when the walls of the tunnel finally fall away and open up into another cave.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The reverberations of the slow dribble of water resonates through the space, and it’s difficult to pinpoint its exact origin. Taking the lantern with him, Charlie searches for the source. Georgia sees that they are in a much smaller chamber this time. The ceiling is still quite high, but the cave only spans about ten metres. Unlike the larger cavern, this one remains undecorated, its walls bare.
Charlie slowly makes his way towards the far corner, sweeping the light of the lantern across the cave floor. Several metres down, he suddenly stops, standing at the edge of a small pool. The water glistens with a silver glow in the dim light.
Georgia rises to her feet and joins him. Charlie is staring intently at the water, and for the first time, he looks as if he is unsure of what to do.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
She sees a quivering of the lamplight, and realises that his hands are shaking.
“Charlie?”
He doesn’t respond. He doesn’t turn to look at her. He just stands there, gazing wordlessly at the water.
Then, without a word, he kneels down slowly and places the lamp beside him, his movements careful and deliberate. He cups his trembling hands into the water, and raises the liquid to his lips. Exhaling a long sigh, he takes a tentative sip.
Charlie remains very still, crouched down as if waiting for something monumental to occur. Georgia watches him and draws in a breath, taking a nervous step back. Superstition overcomes her for a brief moment, and images of horror movies spring to mind. She fears that he may start to disintegrate before her very eyes.
But he doesn’t. He stands up instead, slowly turning towards her.
“Well?” asks Georgia.
Charlie shrugs, amusement in his eyes. “I am just as new to this as you are.”
“How do you know if it’s worked?”
“I guess there is only one way to find out.” Charlie takes out a small knife from his pocket, and with one swift movement, he makes an incision on his open palm.
67
Hank shines his torch down the gaping hole in the forest floor, seeing the long descent of steps into the underground cave.
“I lost the signal from her phone here, sir,” he says to Lambert, who is standing beside him. “They must have gone down there.”
“Just as I suspected,” Lambert utters, a look of undisguised scorn on his face. “Georgia has known the location of the elixir all this time.”
Sitting down beside the large rectangular entrance, Hank swings his legs into the opening. He makes a few tentative steps before progressing down the stairs with more speed.
“Careful, sir,” he warns. “It’s a bit slippery.”
Hank continues the descent, sensing his boss following closely behind him. Anticipation percolates through Hank’s blood, and he feels as if he is on the precipice of something truly momentous. He can scarcely believe that he is finally here.
Nothing, after this, will ever be the same.
Reaching the bottom of the long flight of stairs, he surveys the huge cavern around them. His torchlight moves over the wall beside him, illuminating intricate carvings inlaid with jade.
“Jesus,” he says in awe. “Just look at this place.”
Lambert is quiet beside him, his eyes roaming over the cavern with unadulterated wonder, his usual calculated calm now completely dissolved. Over the past few weeks, Hank has noticed the slow unravelling in his employer’s indomitable composure. It seems that the whole matter has affected him on a personal level, something which Hank has never observed.
“She must be here somewhere,” Lambert says after they have
taken some time to assess the place. “You take the far end of the cave and I’ll search around here.”
“Yes, sir.” Hank sets off, sweeping his torch about, looking for any signs of the professor.
After several minutes of search, he notices a green glow on the ground in the distance. Intrigued, he walks closer to investigate. As he approaches, Hank sees that the luminescence is emanating from a glow stick beside a low-lying hole in the cave wall. Close by, there is a pile of rocks, an abandoned backpack, and a couple of torches. He lowers himself to the floor, poking his head into the tunnel, and sees light at the other end of the long passage.
His grin grows impossibly wider as the sound of voices travel to his ears.
“Found something?”
Recomposing his face, Hank pulls back from the entrance to find Lambert standing beside him.
“Yes, I see a light, sir. Professor Lee must be in there.” He rises to his feet. “You go on in, sir. Best you confront her first. I’ll follow right behind you.”
Lambert considers this, then gives him a terse nod, lowering onto his hands and knees to enter the small entrance. As Hank watches his boss crawl in hesitantly, he decides to give Lambert some time to reach the other end before following suit.
It’ll provide himself with the brief repose to prepare for what’s about to come.
Hank can barely contain his excitement. This is the exact moment he has been waiting for, something he’s envisaged for as long as he can remember.
Crouching down to lift up the left leg of his pants, Hank pulls out the .357 Magnum Colt Python strapped to his ankle. Checking that the pistol is fully loaded, he clips the holster behind him, securing it next to the Japanese Kaiken dagger tucked in his belt. Even though he doesn’t usually resort to using a gun, he likes to bring it as backup for special occasions such as this.
The Kaiken, though, is something that has never failed him. Custom-made by one of Japan’s most legendary swordsmiths, this trusty weapon has been with him for years, a true lucky charm.
Muffled voices emerge from the small ingress, and though Hank cannot make out what is being said, he can tell it’s a heated discussion.
He chuckles in exultation.
Then he looks at his watch to count down the minutes, before leisurely crawling through the tunnel after Lambert.
68
Blood, thick and dark, oozes out of his palm.
Charlie stares intently at the cut on his hand, willing it to keep bleeding. But after a few seconds, he sees the all-too-familiar signs of his body beginning to repair itself. A minute passes, and then all evidences of the incision are gone. The only thing that lingers is the sticky red fluid, which he wipes on the side of his pants with bitter disappointment.
His heart drops.
Georgia places a hand on his arm. “Maybe it takes time?”
“Maybe.” He sighs, turning to her to give a small smile. “Let me take some samples of the water anyway. I can study it once I get back home.”
A blinding glare suddenly saturates them, and Charlie spins around, blinking at the light source next to the tunnel.
“Hello, Georgia.” The voice, ominous and deep, resonates through the small cavern.
Alarmed, Charlie looks to his companion. Georgia has a hand in front of her face, shielding her eyes from the harsh beam of light. The momentary confusion in her features is quickly replaced by recollection as she processes the man’s voice.
“Mark?” She squints. “What are you doing here?”
The intruder lowers his torch and strides towards them, stepping into the glow of the lantern. Charlie immediately recognises Mark Lambert from photographs on the internet, but this is not his usual cool, immaculate appearance. Instead of the pristine tailored suits he always seems to appear in, he is now dressed in worn hiking gear fit for purpose. His silver hair is tousled, there is a few days’ of growth in his facial stubble, and the look in his eyes has Charlie’s gut clenching with trepidation.
“The question is,” Lambert replies, his face twisted in a scowl. “What are you doing here, without informing me first? You were instructed to keep me updated at all times. Clearly I should’ve kept you on a tighter leash. You haven’t been doing what you were told.”
Georgia’s head jerks back at his condescending tone. “I’m not a dog for you to order around.”
Lambert waves her off dismissively, his attention already directed past them. The beam of his torchlight drops to the pool, his eyes glinting in the darkness as they focus on his prize. His lips part, a reverent breath escaping him. As if entranced, he takes a step towards the water.
Georgia, at least a head shorter than the man, moves to block his advance. Lambert’s eyes flicker back to her face, fury burning in his grey gaze.
“Get out of my way, Georgia,” he hisses.
“No.” The muscles of her jaw clamp down.
Lambert moves as if to strike her, and Charlie instinctively rushes to her aid, putting his body between them. In a blink of an eye, he seizes Lambert’s outstretched hand, twisting his arm and spinning his body to immobilise his hand against his back. Lambert cries out in pain, scuffling to break free, and Charlie pushes him to the ground, grabbing both arms to pin them down with his knee.
“What the hell are you doing?! Let me go!”
“I am not doing that until you calm down,” Charlie says. “We do not want anyone to get hurt here.”
Lambert struggles beneath him, but the advantage of Charlie’s position gives him easy control. His captive winces as he applies more pressure.
“Georgia—ah!” Lambert strains his head to look at her. “Why are you doing this?”
“Doing what? You’re the one attacking us, and you’re the one who lied to me, Mark,” Georgia says, shaking her head with hurt in her eyes. “You’re dying, and you want the elixir for yourself. All that lofty talk about wanting to cure untreatable diseases. It was all a lie, and I should’ve seen right through it from the beginning.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t lie! And I’m not dying, where on earth did you get that idea from?”
Georgia’s brows furrow. “Your sister—she had Huntington’s Disease.”
Lambert suddenly goes still at the mention of his sibling. He stops fighting against Charlie’s grasp. A few moments pass, and his breathing begins to slow.
“Yes, she did,” he confirms, his voice almost a whisper. “And yes, it was also highly likely that I’d have it too. But I did all the tests when she was first diagnosed. I don’t share the same gene that lead to her illness.”
Georgia flicks a quick glance at Charlie, uncertainty creeping into her large brown eyes.
“You want to know my medical status?” Lambert huffs. “I’m getting older, of course, and I’ve got rheumatoid arthritis. It gives me the worst aches and swelling in my hands, and when I try to grasp too hard I can get pretty severe cramps. But it’s not likely to kill me. I’ll admit—if you give me something today that means it’ll all go away, I’ll gladly take it. But that’s not why I’m doing this. That’s not why I hired you to find Hsu Fu.”
Charlie frowns as his eyes trail to Lambert’s hands pinned under his knee, seeing the tell-tale early signs of deformities in the fingers. It would appear that the billionaire is telling the truth.
“Then why are you doing this?” Georgia asks, her voice unsure.
Lambert blows out a sigh. “Look, can you just let me sit up so we can talk properly? This is not doing my joints any favours.”
Charlie looks to Georgia, who gives him a slight nod of her head. He loosens his grip on Lambert, stepping back to let him stand. Mark rubs his shoulders and arms grudgingly, his stature somewhat diminished. He drops his hands to his sides, his gaze flickering between Charlie and Georgia as he speaks.
“I made a promise to Nola before she died. My sister… she was the kindest person I’ve ever known, and even when she was writhing with pain, all she could think about was other people.�
� He shakes his head. “It was already too late for her, but she still begged me to invest my money in finding a cure for her illness, so that others like her would never suffer again. That was her one dying wish.
“Over the years, my pharmaceutical company has poured millions of dollars into the research, but we haven’t made any progress. When I found out the legend of Hsu Fu could be true, even if it was just a minute possibility, I felt it had to be worth investigating. But really, this project has become much bigger than just fulfilling my sister’s dying wish.”
Charlie studies Lambert’s face with scepticism, trying to ascertain the truth of his words. He has been so convinced of Lambert’s ill-intent. The man’s background and ruthless reputation has reminded him of countless tyrants throughout history, not excluding Emperor Qin himself.
“How did you find us?” asks Georgia.
Lambert replies with a wry smile. “I keep a close eye on all of my investments. It’s business 101, and a habit I stick steadfast to. Hank’s been tracking your movements ever since the beginning. He’s been my right-hand man for years, and he looks after all the projects that I’m most concerned about. We lost you for a while, but when you turned on your phone again, I had my team track it and install a Trojan on the device, so we’d know where you were even if your phone was turned off.
“When I saw you were deep in the mountains on the east coast of Taiwan, I figured you must be on the hunt for something. That was the only logical explanation, since you’d already found Hsu Fu.” He flickers his gaze at Charlie. “So I told Hank to hang back and give you a little room, to see what you could find.”
Lambert drops his gaze to the ground. When he raises his head again, Charlie sees he has regained his calm composure. The billionaire now fixes his steely gaze on Georgia. “But you, Georgia, I just don’t get. Of all the people in the world, I’d never have expected you to do this. You’re clearly aware that with all of my resources, we could synthesise the elixir for the whole world. You are a scientist. How can you be so selfish as to try to stifle a discovery as big as this?”
