Javier looked at the compass. “It’s a family heirloom, that’s all.”
Oz smirked at him. “Sure it is.”
There was the sound of static.
Oz turned around, pocketing the compass. “What is it?”
“I just tried the radio,” Alpha-3 said, “but I’m getting no signal.” He nodded to his comrade. “Hey, try yours.”
Alpha-4 tried his. He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Try the satellite phone.”
Alpha-1 tried it. “No joy.”
Alpha-2 tested his radio. He shook his head.
Oz turned to Javier. “Explain this, Shuar.”
“His name is Javier,” Sofia said hotly.
Oz ignored her.
“It won’t work in here,” Javier said, maintaining his calm. “You cannot get signals inside this cavern.”
Oz looked around at the massive space and at the huge grouping of bizarre-looking, dark mineral stalagmites at its center. He saw similar dark veins of rock running through the white walls as well. He suspected there was also some kind of metallic compound in them that was interfering with their signals. He would have to investigate that more as well.
“Should I leave this cavern to try the satellite phone?” Alpha-1 asked.
Oz considered that for a moment, but shook his head. “No, not yet. I think we can maintain control over this ragtag group. We’ll radio out once we have what we came for.”
“Understood,” he said, hiding his misgivings about having their communications cut off. He also knew that these people had knowledge of this place that they lacked. A home field advantage. It made him even more wary.
“Let’s get things moving, shall we?” Oz said. “I want the metal library. By the looks of this place and the fact that it’s never shown up in any of our research and is extremely hard to find, not to mention the fact that you’re here, I know it has to be located nearby, hidden somewhere. Show me.”
Rick looked over at Javier, who was just staring Oz down.
“Ok,” Oz said, “I’m going to make this real easy for you.” He stepped forward and grabbed Luis by the shirt collar, yanking him towards him. He turned him around, pointing his gun to the back of Luis’ head. “Either you give us what we came here for, or I kill him.”
Sofia gasped.
No answer.
Oz forcefully shoved Luis to his knees.
Luis yelped as he hit the ground.
“Hey, listen, Ozymandias,” Rick said, holding his hands out, “how about we all just calm down?”
Oz glared at him.
“Seriously,” Rick said, “we don’t want anyone hurt or killed, ok? You’re at a ten right now, so let’s just take it down to a four or five, alright?”
Oz regarded him. He gave a cool laugh. “You really are a bold one, aren’t you?” He still hung onto Luis. He turned his attention back to Javier. “Well, Shuar?”
Diego pleaded with Oz, placing his hands in a prayer position. “Please no, don’t hurt my son.”
“Then you'd better make sure we get what we want.”
Diego looked to Javier. “I beg you—do as he asks.”
Javier looked at the others.
Mari, Juan and Carlos stood still as statues; their faces stony. They were not going to comply.
Oz shouted. “Now!”
Luis trembled and squeezed his eyes closed.
“Javier, do something!” Sofia shouted. “He’s my little brother!”
Javier was wrestling with his conscience. He looked at Rick.
Rick saw the internal conflict. He knew now that he’d been right about Javier holding a lot back from them. He realized the young man had his reasons, whatever they might be, but he couldn’t let this happen.
“Javier, show them,” Rick said firmly. “I think he’s serious. We can’t stand here and do nothing while he executes Luis.”
Javier looked from Rick to Luis.
“Whatever you have here, it can’t be worth watching an innocent man be killed right in front of you,” Rick pressed. “You want to live with that on your conscience?”
“Listen to the man,” Oz said. “He’s talking sense. You’ve got about ten seconds to comply. And if this one dies, he won’t be the last, we promise you that. We’ll kill all of you and search for the metal library ourselves if we have to.”
Javier sighed and hung his head.
“Javier, no,” Carlos said.
Mari and Juan looked at each other, each wondering what they could do to prevent this.
Javier looked at Carlos and shook his head. “I can’t let this happen. You three,” he said, speaking in Spanish, pointing to Mari, Juan, and Carlos, “show them the tablets.”
Javier had a grim expression on his face. He wondered how many of their secrets they would lose tonight. How many lives. Too many, he feared.
CHAPTER 16
They all watched as Mari, Juan, and Carlos fanned out. Each headed to one of the three largest boulders near the far edges of the cavern. They overturned the boulders, which had been partially hollowed out to conceal large metal boxes underneath them.
“Ah,” Oz said, “clever. Hiding things in plain sight.”
Javier glared at him.
Oz released Luis, who scrambled back to Sofia’s side. Oz then instructed two of his men to retrieve the metal boxes and bring them to him. He ordered Mari, Juan and Carlos to rejoin the others.
The men brought the heavy boxes over and set them down in front of Oz.
“Open them,” he ordered.
They did. Inside each were dark golden metal tablets, dozens of them in all, each about six inches wide, by twenty inches long. Each hammered metallic plate was embossed with rows of ancient symbols.
Oz leaned forward and pulled one out. “I was right.” He gazed at the mysterious symbols. He recognized them from old photographs that had been taken of them, before they’d gone missing. “Incredible. Here they are at last.”
Oz then looked around the enormous cavern, taking in the commanding group of stalagmites. He studied the unusual geological features in the towering mineral formations and in the rock walls. Something occurred to him.
“I have a question,” Oz stated. “Why did you bring these tablets here specifically? There must’ve been
