Taking the lead, Corbett led the way deeper into the darkness, using the beam from his helmet lamp to pick his way along the uneven rock floor. “Watch yourselves,” Corbett cautioned. “Be sure your footing is secure before placing any weight on it. We’ll move together.”
“It’s like the ocean.” Ella said, a slight quaver in her voice. “The sense that something’s lurking out there, we just don’t know what.”
“If we did, there’d be no point to being here,” Corbett said, attempting to quell her fears. “Think of it this way: we’re the first humans to have set foot in this cave in probably the last 30,000 years.”
“It’s not humans I’m worried about,” she replied with a nervous laugh.
“Si,” Roberto teased. “One never knows when some Great White Land Shark is going to come swimming out of the darkness and grab you.”
“Very funny,” she said, following Corbett into the darkness.
*****
Having rechecked the calibrations on the 3-D Laser Scanner, Karim glanced at his watch. He quickly estimated that it would easily take Corbett and the others several more hours to actually complete their initial exploration and emerge from the cave. More than enough time to return to the base camp without being missed.
As he made his way back down the slope from the cave’s entrance, he caught sight of Antonio working on the engine of one of the two-and-a-half-ton trucks parked to one side. Shirtless in the afternoon sun, his muscular frame strained as he attempted to loosen a spark plug with a wrench. Completely consumed with the task at hand, he failed to hear Karim approach.
“Looks like hard work…” Karim began, his voice nonchalant.
Antonio glanced up. Seeing him, he smiled. “Si… Just routine. Old trucks are like old ladies. They take special attention and constant maintenance.”
“Si…” Karim managed a nod as they shared a laugh.
“How about you?”
“Just killing time until Dr. Corbett and the others return from the cave. An initial recon. Thought I’d stop down for a cup of tea. Care to join me?”
Antonio considered it, then shook his head. “Gracias… Too much to do.”
“Not to worry. You keep working. I’ll go over to the cook tent and get us a couple of cups. How do you take it? Milk and sugar?”
“No. Just black. Muy bien. You’re sure it is no problema.”
“No. No problem. Be right back.”
Antonio watched Karim jog off toward the cook tent, then returned his attention to the engine once more. He had just freed the burned out spark plug and replaced it with a new one when Karim returned carrying two paper cups, each containing hot water, a tea bag and a wooden stirrer.
“Here we go,” he smiled, handing the Spaniard one of the cups. “As promised.”
“Gracias…” Antonio accepted the steaming brew with a smile.
“Hot day,” Karim said with an awkward glance. Turning, he nodded toward the canvas-covered truck behind them. “What do you say we climb in back? Get out of the sun.”
“Si,” Antonio smiled. “Bueno.”
Moving around behind the truck, they came to a set of wooden stairs that had been placed beneath the tailgate to allow easy access. Antonio went first, then reached back to give Karim a hand. The truck was old and the canvas smelled of mold and engine oil. A pair of bench seats extended along each side. They sat together on the left-hand side, sipping their tea in near silence for a several minutes while making awkward conversation. Antonio finished his first and placed his cup on the floor.
“Very nice,” he said quietly, then dropping his eyes he hesitated. For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then placing his empty cup on the bench beside him, Karim tentatively reached out with his left hand, caressing Antonio’s cheek. “So…” he said at last. “Is this allowed?” His voice had become a thick whisper filled with uncertainty.
Antonio stared at him without speaking. Then making no effort to remove the hand, he slowly reached down framing the smaller man’s face with his palms and drawing him into a kiss. Trembling, Karim slipped to the floor and laid back allowing Antonio to move with him. Covering Karim’s body with his own, his tongue and hands now probing, Antonio began to undress him. Frightened and exhilarated both at once, Karim made a token effort to resist. But as their embrace deepened, he felt his resolve slip away as the rest of the afternoon became lost in desire.
*****
With Corbett in the lead, they made their way down into the depths of the cave with Ella following him and Roberto bringing up the rear. The irregular outcroppings coupled with older sedimentary deposits worn smooth over time made progress slow and precarious. Leaving the main chamber behind, they continued their descent. The shafts of light emanating from their helmet lamps barely penetrated the blackness. From somewhere deep in the cavernous void, a subtle new sound intruded on the silence. Recognizing it as the whisper of water methodically wearing away the layers of strata, Corbett made a mental note to investigate it later as they kept moving.
But as they made their way around a particularly imposing limestone outcropping, they abruptly found themselves facing a smooth granite wall covered in striking prehistoric drawings – antelope… sabre tooth cats… horses… bison – all rendered with an economy of line and color. In contrast, a group of figures possibly intended to represent a Neanderthal hunting party were reduced to simple stick figures, primitively drawn and without detail. The creation of some nameless artist obsessed with leaving a record of what he had known of the sun-drenched world above. Caught completely unprepared by such virtuosity, the three stood momentarily mute as they stared up at the breathtaking mural
