Polar Shift

'Your friend was stupid and deserved to die,' Schroeder said.

Hoarse male laughter greeted his answer.

'Hey, tough guy, my name is Grisha. Who the hell are you?'

'I'm your worst nightmare come true.'

'I heard someone say that in an American movie,' the voice said. 'You're an old man. What do you want with a young girl? I'll make a deal. I'll let you go if you give us the girl.'

'I heard someone say that in a movie too,' Schroeder said. 'Do you think I'm stupid? Let's talk some more. Tell me why you want to kill the girl.'

'We don't want to kill her. She's worth a lot of money to us.'

'Then you won't harm her?'

'No, no. Like I said, she's worth more as a hostage.'

Schroeder paused as if he were seriously considering the offer.

'I have lots of money too. I can give it to you right away and you won't have to wait. How does a million dollars American sound?'

There was a whispered discussion, then the Russian came back. 'My men say it's okay, but they want to see the money first.'

'All right. Come closer to the cave and I'll throw it out to you.'

The conversation had been in Russian and Karla had understood only part of it. Schroeder whispered to Karla to move deeper into the cave and to cover her ears. He reached into his pack and pulled out an object that looked like a small metal pineapple. He knew that his offer would draw the attackers in like jackals, and, with any luck, he could take out all of them. He stood up. Shards of pain shot up his right leg. The run and climb while carrying the young woman had aggravated the ankle injury.

He moved closer to the entrance. He could see shadows moving closer. Good. There was a slight bend in the cave, and the entrance was a narrow slit, so his aim and timing would have to be just right.

'Here's your money,' he said, and pulled the pin from the hand grenade.

As he stepped forward to toss it out of the hole, his injured right leg buckled and he fell, slamming his head against the wall of the cave. He almost blacked out. As his eyes were closing, he saw the grenade hit the ground and roll to a stop only a few feet away. He pulled himself back to consciousness and forced himself to hang on. He lunged for the grenade, felt the hard metal in his hand and again tossed it to the entrance.

His aim was better this time, but the grenade glanced off the wall and came to rest in the dead center of the opening.

Schroeder threw himself deeper into the cave and around the bend, where he gained the shelter of the wall. He clamped his hands over his ears just as the grenade exploded. There was a flash of light and a burst of white-hot metal as the shrapnel peppered the cave in a deadly fusillade. Then came a secondary roar as the entrance collapsed.

The cave was filled with dust. Schroeder lifted his head up and crawled toward the sound of coughing. The light flashed on, but the beam was diffused by the brown curtain of dust that hung in the air.

'What happened?' Karla said after the dust settled.

Schroeder groaned and spit out a mouthful of dirt. 'I told you I'm getting too old for this sort of thing. I was about to toss out the grenade when I tripped and banged my head. Wait.' He took the flashlight and made his way to the entrance. He came back after a minute and said, 'I did a good job. We can't get out, but they can't get in.'

'I don't know about that,' Karla said. 'The leader of those men said they have a portable jackhammer.'

Schroeder considered her comment. 'We'll have to go farther into the cave.'

'This place could go on underground for miles! We could become hopelessly lost.'

'Yes, I know. We will only go as far as we need to set up an ambush. I will try not to be so clumsy next time.'

Karla wondered if she was talking to the same man who had bounced her on his knee so many years ago. He had cleanly dispatched the man who tried to rape her, calmly negotiated with a band of murderers, and then, in a businesslike fashion, tried to kill the gang.

'All right,' she said. 'But this secret you mentioned. What do you know about it?'

Karl fished a candle out of his pack, lit the wick and stuck it onto a ledge using melted wax.

'I met your grandfather for the first time near the end of World War Two. He was a brilliant and courageous man. Many years ago, he came upon a scientific principle that, if used unwisely, could cause great death and destruction. He wrote a paper warning of the possibilities, and the result was not what he expected. The Nazis captured him and forced him to work on a superweapon, using his theories.'

'That's incredible. He never gave any hint that he was anything but an inventor and businessman.'

'It's true. However, I helped him escape from the lab. He had refused to give up his secrets, and his stubbornness cost him his family. Yes, that's right. He was married and had a child before he moved to the United States after World War Two. He took his secret to the grave, but these men, or the ones they work for, think he passed the secret on to you.'

'What makes them think I know anything like that?'

'History repeats itself. You published an article on the extinction of the woolly mammoths.'

'That's right. I said it was due to climate changes caused by a polar shift. I used some of my grandfather's papers and his calculations to back up my theory. Dear God! Is that what they want?'

'That and more. They will do anything and kill anyone to get it.'

'But everything I know is in public view. I don't know anything about any secret!'

'Your grandfather told the Nazis the same thing. They didn't believe him either.'

'What can I do?'

'For now, you can keep yourself well.' He went back into his pack again and came out with some jerky and water. 'Not exactly cordon bleu, but it will do for now. Maybe we will find some bats that we can cook into a big stew.'

'Now I remember,' Karla said with a smile. 'You were always telling me about the crazy things you were going to cook up for me. Snails. Puppy dogs. Brussels sprouts. Ugh. Disgusting.'

'It was the best I could do. I had limited experience entertaining children.'

They talked about shared memories as they chewed the tough jerky. They were washing their meat down with water when they heard what sounded like a giant woodpecker at the mouth of the cave.

'They've started drilling,' Karla said.

Schroeder gathered up his things. 'Time to get moving.' He handed Karla a light and suggested she use it sparingly, although he always carried plenty of batteries. Then they followed the cave deeper into the ground.

Schroeder had expected the temperature to rise the deeper they went and was heartened that it remained temperate, and that the air was relatively fresh. He remarked on the phenomenon to Karla, and suggested that the cave might eventually lead outdoors. He knew it was a slim hope, especially after the cave floor began to slant downward, but it seemed to give Karla courage.

The cave meandered, going slightly left, then right, but always down. Sometimes the ceiling was high enough to allow them to walk upright. For some stretches, the cave was only about four feet high, and they had to crouch. Schroeder was glad to see that there was only one tunnel, with no branches that would have required a decision and increased the chances of becoming hopelessly lost.

After they had been walking for about an hour, the cave broke open to a larger space. They had no idea how big it was until they started to explore it.

As their flashlight beams bounced off the moisture that cast a sheen on the high ceilings and far walls, it became apparent that the cavern was as big as the lobby of a grand hotel. The floor was almost flat. At the far end, opposite where they had come in, was the only other opening, which loomed as large as a garage door.

They walked around the perimeter of the chamber, sipping from their water bottles, marveling at the size and shape of the space. Schroeder had been examining it with an eye toward setting up ambush, and had decided, with its nooks and wall crannies, that it would make an ideal killing field. Karla had wandered over to the other entrance,