by J. C. Phelps
We had been swimming for I don’t know how long but finally Mr. Black and I surfaced into a huge room. When my head broke the surface of the water all I could hear were the echoes of us swimming around in the cave. I couldn’t see the other side of the water. We were in an underground lake. This just got better and better.
“This is huge,” I whispered.
“Just wait,” Mr. Black said looking back at me.
We swam on ahead and I moved my light back and forth to catch a glimpse of an end to the lake. Before long I was able to see rocks jutting out of the water. Some of them seemed to go on forever above me and below while some of them barely broke the surface. Then I saw the wall of the room. It was covered with a beautiful ribbon-like formation. They were larger than any I had ever seen but they still looked just as fragile.
We finally reached what could be called the shore of the lake. It was more like a lip of rock covering the surface of the lake that continued on underneath it. We climbed out and moved in a bit to find a place to sit so we could take off our fins.
Mr. Black said, “So, what do you think?”
I was literally dumbfounded by the sound of his voice reverberating off the walls back at me. Finally it subsided and I replied, “Remarkable, mind-blowing.” Then I sat back and listened to my own voice talk to me from the darkness.
“We didn’t bring the necessary equipment this time but we’ll get back up in here and I’ll show you where it comes out,” he said. “Maybe tomorrow,” he added.
“This is spectacular,” was all that I could say as I shined the light in every direction trying to take it all in.
We walked around for a little while. The lip that covered the lake was smooth and continued on for quite a distance. Here and there I would see what looked like a gigantic stalagmite coming up from the ground. Then when we reached the edge of the lip the ground got much more uneven. Now I understood what he’d been talking about when he said we hadn’t brought along the right equipment. We couldn’t navigate the cave without proper footwear and ropes and not risk serious injury.
Once we reached the point at which we could go no further Mr. Black said, “We better get back. It’s getting late.”
“We just got here,” I said.
“It’ll be just about dark when we get out if we leave now,” he replied.
“That can’t be,” I said.
“The swim to this room takes about three hours and we’ve been in this room a long time too,” he replied.
I was stunned. Once we were inside the cave, time had ceased to exist for me.
“I must have been really involved,” I said out loud. I surprised myself with my voice. That comment had meant to be an inner thought.
“That happens to the best of us,” Mr. Black said as he headed back for the water.
I followed, and after we had both put our fins on we dropped back into the water. We swam to the back wall and plunged beneath the surface. We made pretty good time, I thought. I started to notice how long it took to get through the tight spots and was convinced Mr. Black must have been right.
When we reached the surface of the above-ground lake it was dark. I noticed something very large and black on the shore. My eyes adjusted to the dim light and I realized it was the company helicopter.
“Hell.” Mr. Black said and I could tell that his vacation ended at that very moment, which meant mine did too.
“Well, Mr. Black,” I said, “It’s back to work.”
We swam reluctantly back to shore and slowly walked back to the cabin. The light from the windows looked cheery but I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. At first I thought it was nervousness about maybe going out on another job. Then we walked inside and I saw the faces of the two men in the room.
Mr. White was at the table with Mr. Brown. The smile that Mr. Brown usually carried around on his face wasn’t there and Mr. White was frowning.
“Get dressed,” Mr. White ordered to us.
We complied and each went to our rooms. I quickly changed out of my wetsuit and then packed quickly. When I came back out Mr. Black was still in his room and the other two men were still at the table. They had made coffee so I helped myself. The mood at the table was dangerous. I wanted to ask questions but I didn’t dare.
Mr. Black was still in his room when I got half way through my cup of coffee. I had been cold from the swim and the hot liquid hit the spot. The three of us had been sitting in silence and then Mr. White broke it by saying, “You must have been to the caves.” He turned in my direction. “So, what’d you think?”
“I loved it,” I answered. His forehead had worry lines but the rest of his expression had softened. When we had first walked into the cabin his look had been one of anger and now it seemed to be one of concern and relief.
He asked me a few more questions about what Mr. Black and I had been doing up here. I told him about the camping trip and my buck. This made him raise his eyebrows.
“A buck?” he asked. I could tell he was skeptical so I offered to prove it to him. I had left the head and skin hanging out back. Mr. Black had told me I should save it when I had asked where I should take it to get rid of it. Now I understood why. He knew I would need to show it to people for them to believe it.
Mr. White and I went outside with a flashlight and I brought him to the deerskin. He swung the flashlight up and down the skin and then looked at me.
“This is yours?” he asked.
“Yep,” I said with pride.
He examined it closer and then asked me for the details of the hunt. I gave him the brief version. I wanted to get back inside and hear why they had come up here. They surely had a reason. Something was going on, I could tell by the looks they had given us when we had come in from outside.
“Shouldn’t we get back inside?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said and we began to walk back to the front of the cabin.
When we walked in Mr. Black was sitting at the table with the same look the other two men were carrying around. He walked up to me and put his hand on my shoulder. What was this? Did someone die? I felt a streak of panic rise from my stomach to my throat with the last thought.
“What?” I said with an urgent tone.
“I’ve got to go. Mr. White will stay here with you,” Mr. Black said.
“What’s going on?” I asked Mr. White.
“Nothing that we can’t handle. Mr. Black is needed on a job and you and I are going to stay here for a few days,” he replied.
I looked at Mr. Brown and he was standing sober-faced and ready to get going. Then I looked at Mr. Black. He had a look of concern on his face and it was directed toward me. I didn’t get this. Why were they all looking at me like I had some terrible disease and I would die at any moment. I knew I would get a straight answer from Mr. Black so I said, “What’s going on, Mr. Black?”
“Mr. White will fill you in after we leave,” he replied, then he walked for the door. Right before he walked out the door he added with a look at Mr. White, “Watch yourself.”
“What was that about?” I asked Mr. White.
He avoided the question and said, “So, have you learned a lot up here?”
“What is going on?” I asked again.
“Have you had dinner?” he asked me.
I was getting angry. I wanted to know what was going on. Why hadn’t I been invited along? Why didn’t Mr. Black push to have me along like he did the last time? Why was I left here with Mr. White? That thought made me nervous. As I was thinking these thoughts I heard the chopper fly over us and into the distance.
“No. I haven’t had dinner,” I replied sharply.
“I’ll make us something,” he said as he went to work in the kitchen. It was apparent I wasn’t going to get anything out of him. It could be some sort of top-secret mission they were on, I guess. That didn’t explain the looks of concern though. I don’t know why I’m even getting bent out of shape, I told myself as I sat at the table. I’ve been left out o
f the loop more often than I’ve been included. I couldn’t shake the feeling it had something to do with me though.
Mr. White was cooking something on the stove when I turned to him and asked, “Why are you avoiding my questions and not telling me anything?”
“I’m not prepared to answer your questions at the moment,” he replied.
“What do you mean, you’re not prepared,” I said with disdain for the word.
“Just that,” he replied.
That man irritated me every time I was around him. But he was so sexy. If I had met him at the Skylight or on the street, I would have done every thing in my power just to get him to notice me. But the situation I was in right now made me afraid of my feelings. This simple crush was too complicated. It was based entirely on physical attraction too. I didn’t know him at all.
When Mr. Black and I resurfaced to see the helicopter my stomach had jumped at the thought and hope that it was Mr. White. Then when we stepped into the cabin and I saw him, my breath had caught in my throat. Even though I knew there was something wrong I still lusted after him and my thoughts wandered into fantasy mode.
I turned to watch him at the stove. His jeans fit perfectly. His shirt was a bit too tight but that was to his credit. He had very nice arms. I had been swiveled in my chair admiring him for a while when he started to turn around. I made sure my mouth was closed and I remembered I was mad at him. I couldn’t remember exactly why right off hand. I was tempted to turn around quickly so he wouldn’t catch me looking but I kept my gaze straight for fear of him seeing me turn away. I put a mad look on my face and looked him straight in the eye.
“I’ll tell you all about it when I receive confirmation myself” he said.
“When will that be?” I asked remembering why I was angry.
“Sometime tonight,” he said and brought dinner to the table.
He had cooked some kind of concoction of venison, eggs and cheese. It looked suspect but I took a bite.
“This is good,” I said. We sat in silence and ate. The worry lines still creased his forehead.
We were still eating when there was a noise out back and Mr. White jumped up. He said, “Go to your room.” He waited until I got there then said, “Shut the door.”
“It’s probably a raccoon,” I said. “There’s been one hanging around and we’ve heard him rummaging around at night.”
“Shut the door,” he repeated.
“Fine,” I said and did as I was told.
I heard Mr. White open the front door but then I didn’t hear anything else. There were no windows in my room so I couldn’t even look out to see what he was doing. I hoped it was a skunk. No I don’t. I retracted my thought. If it were a skunk Mr. White would come back into the cabin and stink the whole place up.
I heard a noise in the front of the cabin and opened my door a crack. I wasn’t frightened but I was cautious. Mr. White seemed too much on edge. When I looked through the crack I saw Mr. White shutting the door. I walked out of the room and said, “What was it?”
“You were right, raccoon,” he replied.
“Are you always this jumpy?” I asked.
“Do you always have a bad attitude?” he asked back.
“Only when I’m frustrated,”
We both had sat back down at the table to finish our dinner and he said, “Mr. Black says that you follow orders without questions or comments. What makes you act differently around me?”
“You frustrate me,” I said.
“Why do I frustrate you?” he asked.
“Because,” I said. Now that was a good answer. I knew why he frustrated me but I didn’t want him to know the real reason. I tried to come up with something to add to it but I couldn’t think of anything. See, I told myself, I can’t even think when he’s around. What the hell is wrong with me? Mr. Black is buff, sexy and he doesn’t frustrate me. Why can’t I like him instead? I didn’t think Mr. Black harbored any sexual feelings for me. I don’t think I could get involved with him even if he did.
Mr. White eyed me from time to time, but it felt purely sexual and I didn’t want that. Eventually, I wanted a man to love me more than the rest of the world and that included himself. I didn’t think Mr. White could love me at all, not to mention more than he loved himself.
I thought now would be a good time to change the subject.
“What time tonight will you receive confirmation, so you can tell me what’s going on?” I asked.
“You never give up,” he said while picking up our empty plates from the table. “Okay, I’ll tell you what I know.” He set the dirty dishes in the sink and returned to the table.
“One of our clients has been threatened. I am up here so Mr. Black can confirm the client is safe,” he said.
“Is that all?” I asked.
“Until I get a report back, yes that’s all.” He got up and moved to the living room. “If you hurry and get the dishes done, we can play some cards.”
I did the dishes and we played several card games. Then Mr. White said he was going to read and I should go to bed. I told him that I might like to read too. I didn’t want to get too far away from him and the satellite phone. I wanted all the details as soon as I could get them. I still had that gnawing feeling that this had something to do with me.
We both picked books to read and sat on opposite sides of the couch. It wasn’t long before I wasn’t comprehending what I was reading. I was so tired I was just going through the motions.
I woke up when Mr. White was trying to straighten me out on the couch. I pretended like I was still asleep though, just to see what he would do. His touch was gentle and comforting. After he got me laid down he came to where my head was and lifted it so he could sit there. He put my head back down on a pillow in his lap.
Physically it was amazingly comfortable, but emotionally I was very uncomfortable. He could have woke me up and told me to go to bed or moved somewhere else after he had me situated on the couch. I decided it was okay as long as he thought I was asleep. I stayed awake for a long time after that but eventually fell back to sleep.
The phone was ringing. I sat straight up on the couch in time to see Mr. White pick the phone up from the table to answer it. He hadn’t been on the couch. He must have gotten up after I fell back to sleep. It was a brief conversation filled with yes’s and no’s and I see’s. He put the phone back down on the table and just sat there.
I said, “Well?”
“Well,” he said back to me. “The client is not safe. He’s been kidnapped.”
“What do we do?” I asked.
“We set up a recovery team and pull him out,” he said.
“Are they on their way to pick us up then?” I asked.
“No. You and I will stay here until this is over,” he replied.
“Why? Don’t they need your help?” I was about to offer my help when he said, “No. You do.” He looked up from the table at me.
“What do you mean?” I thought maybe he meant I was going to be training more, but something in his eyes told me that’s not what he meant.
“There have been threats made against you,” he said.
“Against me? Why?” For the life of me I couldn’t understand why there would be a tangible threat against me.
“The recovery job that you and Mr. Black did,” he explained. “The target is a high-profile terrorist. His name is Abbas Salah.” He waited for some recognition from me. “Also known as ‘The Lion’,” he added.
“Oh,” I said when it registered. He was a bad guy. His name had been in the papers and on TV for numerous atrocities. He was a real bad guy.
According to the national news, The Lion had other bad people stashed all over the world just waiting to get their orders to commit terrible crimes against humanity. I didn’t understand the reasoning of this group. They didn’t claim any religious affiliation or a political one either. They were evil just to be evil.
“Oh shit,” I said again when it hit me that The Lion, o
r his followers were after ME. What had I ever done. Wait, never mind. I had kidnapped the leader of a wicked cult. Shit.
My heart leapt in my chest. I was sure my dad had been the client for that job. Mr. White had said the client had been kidnapped. I jumped to my feet and began to breathe heavier.
“Where is my dad?” I asked.
Mr. White got a stunned look. “How…what makes you think the client was your dad?”
“Don’t play around with me right now. Where is my dad?” I repeated. “Is my Mom okay?” I added.
“Your Mom will be fine. She was roughed up a bit, but nothing substantial. I guess they tried to take her too, but she put up a fight and got away,” he said.
“I want to help,” I said.
“Absolutely not. You are in too much danger.”
“I want to see my mom and make sure she’s going to be okay,” I said. My eyes started to burn with the expectation of tears. I fought it and was able to keep them suppressed.
“This is about the only place you’ll be safe right now. Nobody knows how to get here except my partners.”
“What about the other recruits you’ve brought up here?” I asked.
“There have been no other recruits up here,” he said.
“But you said and Mr. Black said I had gotten up here faster than any of the other recruits,” I said.
“Yes. We were talking about ourselves and the other partners,” he explained. “People who work for us don’t get this kind of training.”
I tried to calm myself down by taking some deep breaths. “Do you know where my father is?” I asked.
“Not yet,” he said.
“How are you going to find out?” I asked.
“Your mother shot one of the men that were sent to take you all away. We have him in custody. He said the only way we’ll get Admiral Stanton back is if we deliver up The Lion.”
