Quick to pick it up was the steady hand of the Secretary of the Air Force, Walter Fitzpatrick. At his side during this entire crisis, Lansford had been impressed with the Secretary’s cool, collected firmness.
Never once had he outwardly shown any visible emotion. That was why Lansford was surprised when a broad grin filled Fitzpatrick’s face as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line. Anxious to know what this abrupt change meant, the lieutenant colonel sat forward, expectantly. When he finally did hang up the receiver, Fitzpatrick took several seconds to savor what he had heard before turning to share it with his host.
“That was the Secretary of Defense, Todd. Only minutes ago, Viktor Alipov called the President on the hot line. Genuinely upset that our strategic forces had been brought up to DEFCON Two, he conveyed the following. The rearming of Tyuratam’s SS-18’s had apparently taken place without either his approval or knowledge. Alipov pleaded that the incident had been the result of the treasonous actions of two of his most trusted aides. Arrested, and currently being held in custody for the crime of treason, are General Vadim Sobolev, Commanderin-Chief of the Strategic Rocket Forces, and Alipov’s senior aide, Valentin Radchenko. Both men have pleaded guilty and are ready to admit their crime publicly.
“To substantiate his country’s peaceful intentions, Alipov has already ordered the MIRV’d warhead packages to be removed. To corroborate this, the silos at Tyuratam will be opened for inspection during the next pass of our Keyhole.
“The President has apparently accepted this admission, and has ordered us to step down to DEFCON Three. It’s over, Todd. We’ve dodged the bullet one more time.”
Taking in this observation, Lansford looked from the Secretary’s relieved face to the emblem mounted on the wall behind him. The insignia was that of the Strategic Air Command, and showed a mailed fist holding a lightning bolt and an olive branch in its grasp. Beneath this crest was printed, “Our Profession is Peace.” Ever mindful of how true this motto was. Lieutenant Colonel Todd Lansford turned to join the joyous celebration that was taking place around him.
Seven and a half miles due south of the subterranean control room, Richard Fuller followed Miriam into the narrow entrance of the newly discovered cave.
Inside it was dark and musty, and it took them a good thirty seconds to adjust to this sudden decrease in light. As their night vision gradually came to them, they picked out the various artifacts that lay scattered against the cramped cavern’s walls. Dozens of colorfully decorated, lap-sized stone bowls sat next to a variety of baskets of every shape and size imaginable.
Interspersed between these objects were hundreds of sharply tapered stone arrowheads, spear points bonefishing hooks, and awls.
Continuing on into the cave’s interior, they passed a set of fullsized, whalebone chairs. Draped over them were several rabbit-and bird-skin capes. Because of their excellent preservation and authentic appearance, it was most obvious that this site had been completely sealed off from humanity for hundreds of years. Not knowing what they could find next, the two astonished figures gathered at the center of the cavern’s polished stone floor.
There the Nose researcher broke the solemn silence that had accompanied them since they had entered.
“My Lord, Miriam, is this place for real?”
Bending down to carefully touch the hem of the rabbit-skin cape that lay beside her, the archaeologist spoke with quivering excitement.
“If I’m dreaming, now’s the time to wake me, Richard. It’s as if we’ve entered a museum that’s been closed for a millennium.
This is the find of a lifetime!”
“Hey, you two, quit fooling around out there and come back and take a look at this. It’s unbelievable!”
The muted voice was that of Joseph Solares, and emanated from deeper inside the cave’s interior. Miriam looked to Richard, and both of them pivoted in an attempt to track the voice’s source. Seeing nothing but darkness beyond, they linked hands and cautiously proceeded further into the cavern’s cool depths.
The walls gradually narrowed, and soon they were unable to walk shoulder-to-shoulder. Forced to hunch over, Miriam led the way, with Richard close on her heels. As it turned out, they didn’t have to travel in this way for very much longer, for the narrow rock corridor opened to a fairly good-sized chamber. Following Miriam in through the entrance to this room, Richard halted beside his newfound love, and took in the wondrous sight awaiting them there.
Illuminated by a thin band of direct sunlight that entered from a minuscule hole cut into the jagged rock roof was the bare-chested figure of Joseph Solares. Appearing much the way his ancestors must have looked centuries before, the dark-haired Indian knelt before the chamber’s far wall. His complete attention was focused on a section of polished stone, on which an expertly crafted petroglyph was drawn.
There, catching the full brunt of the ever-falling rays of sunlight, was etched a massive condor. It was caught in the process of soaring on a thermal. The bird’s long hooked beak could be seen, growing almost straight out from its flat forehead. Its head seemed completely bald, except for a bright yellow plume that crowned the very top of its skull. The rest of its body was covered with black feathers, except for a narrow strip of white ones situated under the front of each elongated wing.
So expertly drawn was this etching that the condor’s face seemed to be imbued with life itself. Appearing wise beyond its years, the shaggy-feathered bird seemed to be trying to express its innermost thoughts. Unbeknownst to the three mortals, who were swallowed by its gaze, was the fact that in each of their minds the exact same mental picture was being transferred. With lonely fortitude, this king of living beasts, representing the last of his species in the wild, told of his struggle to survive at all costs. For life was the most precious of essences known to this world, and to needlessly waste it was the greatest tragedy of all.
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Flight of the Condor Page 34
