Chapter 14
Space isn’t remote at all
It’s only an hour’s drive away if your car could go straight upwards.
-Fred Hoyle (1915-2001)
I trailed Jen into Dave’s radio shack and looked around. They’d all been in there most of the day... And they’d been secretive around me when they weren’t in there. I’d pretended to be disinterested but in reality it had been driving me crazy. And now I was about to find out. Because they needed Jen to do something and she’d said I could tag along.
Jen pushed a button on an old looking intercom. A Tandy Electronics discard from yesteryear. To my astonishment the floor opened in front of us. Some type of electronic trapdoor. I followed Jen down the steps shaking with excitement. Radar screens... satellite tracking screens... weather monitoring equipment... a wiz bang computer... several machines that I didn’t recognize and a sign that said, Dave’s Den.
“Okay Jen, we’ll need you to patch us into JORN at precisely 4:30 pm... Zac - you and your pups head off now to the cave.”
“Can’t I go with them?”
“No petite amie. You’re too distracting!” quipped Dave, ducking Zac’s feigned swipe.
“Maya. Stay with me,” coaxed Jen gently.
“What cave are you talking about?” I persisted.
“Where you were taking photos of the Korean the other day.”
“Near the ledge you wanted him to pose on,” elaborated Dale.
“That’s where you’re gonna destroy the satellite?”
“Yep.”
“Zac... Please be careful.”
“Ssshhh...” he soothed. “See you at Dave’s judo lesson.”
And then they were gone.
Ω
“Judo lesson?” I echoed, glancing at Dave.
“We arranged it the other night,” shrugged Dave.
“Followed by one of his infamous massage lessons!” smiled Jen.
“Zac agreed to one of your massage classes?” chuckled Gordon with surprise.
“Not quite... Jen hinted at the idea, but your lion was a little overwhelmed at the time to fully commit himself...”
Jen smothered a giggle. Gordon glanced at Dave’s dancing eyes.
“Have you two been up to mischief this week?”
“No more than usual.”
Gordon laughed roguishly.
“Well I taught Maya one of your strokes last night, and she enjoyed practicing it on Zachariah... A lot!” he added, wriggling his eyebrows expressively.
I wanted to fire some smart remark in retaliation but for once I couldn’t think of one. Instead I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.
Dave picked up on my feelings and caught my eye.
“Don’t worry your pretty head... Zac’ll be alright... It’s straightforward.”
“What we’re doing on the roof is more dangerous,” added Gordon.
“What are you doing on the roof anyway?”
“We’ve set up an arcing Tesla coil in the parabolic dish... The UN satellite will be passing over JORN at precisely 4:30 pm...”
“...and when Jen patches us in, JORN will send out all sorts of radiation which will cripple its transponder temporarily...”
“...giving Zac’s team a window of opportunity to put the sat transmitter out of action before it’s had time to work out whether they’re friend or foe.”
“What about the other two ground based transmitters?”
Gordon and Dave shot each other startled looks.
Obviously another Maya-mouth moment.
“There’s still enough time for me to revise the air density calcs...”
“Glad to hear you can. No hope of me working them out in the amount of time we’ve got.”
Huh? I’d alerted them to something.
Gordon chalked up an imaginary point in the air with his finger.
“Score - Military man nil... Academic gentleman one.”
“Game’s not over yet, ya pen pusher,” retorted Dave.
I could tell they were jabbering because they were distressed... That it was their way of getting over the crisis. Although it was unclear to me quite what the crisis was. Gordon’s fingers flew over across the keyboard fast enough to melt it. More uninterpretable alpha numerics appeared on the screen.
“Solution calculated in 40 seconds... Academic gentleman two... Military man nil.”
“Correction,” returned Dave, his open hand impatiently waiting for the printout to emerge from the printer. “Academic gentleman used military man’s computer for his calculations. Therefore - military man one... Academic gentleman two.”
“How are we gonna get this to Jake in time?”
They were both serious now. I snatched the piece of paper out of Dave’s hand.
“He’s at the cave near the rock ledge right?”
“You’ll never make it on time love... It’s a fifteen minute drive and you’ve only got fourteen minutes.”
“You haven’t seen me drive Dave!” I retorted, as I flew up the steps out of their command post.
I jumped into Dave’s jeep, slammed it into first gear and took off at an excessively indulgent speed.
“Correction... Military man one... Academic gentleman two... Journalist on a mission three,” said Jen with dancing eyes.
Ω
Zac checked the cave was empty, then his team carted the E/M weapon inside and levelled it.
“Set trajectory...”
“Check...”
“Set timer...”
“Check...”
“Okay, everyone out and well away from the cave entrance. Just in case.”
Ω
Jake sat cross legged on the bonnet of the 4WD. Laptop balanced on his lanky legs. A frown flickered across his brow as he intently watched numbers coming up on the screen. The frown deepened.
“Zac... Our calcs. We’ve stuffed up!”
Four pairs of eyes instantly had his attention.
“We haven’t allowed for the change in air density above this site as a result of their ground based E/M transmitters heating the air above us. We’ll miss the U.N sat unless we correct for it. We need to add about... 37 secs.”
A pause from Zac as he made a split second decision.
“Go correct the timer.”
“But what if I’m wrong? I did the calculation in my head.”
“I believe in you. I believe you’re right Jake.”
“I believe I am too. I’ll go alter it on the timer... Then if I’ve got time, I’ll recheck the variation co-efficient using a calculator.”
“Good plan.”
“Zac. We’ve got more dramas.”
Dale this time.
“We’ve got company. 9 o’clock. Behind that ridge of rocks. It’s the scout Maya snapped photos of the other day.”
“Jake... alter the timer... go now,” urged Zac.
“Someone else is approaching on foot... 6 o’clock... Right in line with the E/M weapon’s projected trajectory...”
Pete moistened his lips.
“It’s Maya!”
“Keep an eye on the scout... I’ll deal with Maya.”
Ω
I rushed up breathlessly.
“Gordon... sent me... He said the calculation is wrong... Jake needs this bit of paper.”
“The scout’s almost here.”
Dale again.
“Want me to take photos of you all again? Like I did the other day?”
“That won’t work twice... Run take Jake the amended calcs. He’s just over there in the cave...”
“Do I have to go in far?”
Zac rested a reassuring hand on my back.
“He’s near the entrance. Stick with him.”
“Zac... The Korean scout had a gun the other day.”
“I know... That’s why I want you out of the way. I don’t want to lose you... Like Gordon lost Tess.”
Zac’s voice wavered. The three amigos exchanged subtle glances.
“I don’t want to lose you either Zac.”
“Then trust me. I’ve got a plan to deal with the scout. But for it to work I need you to obey orders. And not do your own thing and make yourself a live target...”
“...like Tess did. Got it.”
Maya scampered off towards the cave.
“Right you three... Make yourself scarce. Behind rocks... Under the 4WD. I’m going to sit out in the open and let our friend capture me.”
“Huh? What sort of plan is that?” protested Brendan.
“The only one I can come up with at such short notice. I’ll be the decoy and try and lead him away from the area. You all follow at a safe distance. And hopefully in about ninety seconds there’ll be the ideal diversion for me to make a break.”
“Or for us to rescue you.”
“Yep... Hey all of you. If the plan backfires, it’s been a pleasure working with you. Keep watching each other’s backs, eh? Now scamper. Different directions.”
The group dispersed. Zac picked up his artist sketch block.
A moment later the shadow of a well built man fell over him. Zac casually looked up. And into the muzzle of a revolver belonging to a North Korean special forces commando.
Ω
Jake skim read the piece of paper I hand delivered him.
“Dad makes the variation 36.5 secs... We’ve just got time to readjust the timer.”
I breathlessly watched Jake.
“What’s happening outside?” he asked, without looking up.
“The Korean bloke has captured Zac... We’ve got help save him.”
“No. We’ve got to follow orders. Go with the plan of the person you trust as your leader. And that’s Zac.”
“But what if he shoots him?”
“Zac’s allowed himself to get captured... to lead the guy away from the cave entrance. So no one gets hurt.”
“But what if he gets hurt?”
“Zac knows there’s gonna be one mega distraction in just over a minute... That’s when he’ll make his move I reckon... And Pete, Brendan and Dale are all lurking around, so they’ll be there to help him too. Our job is to make sure this weapon doesn’t falter.”
“It won’t,” I replied.
“How do you know?”
“’Coz you were in charge of the project Brains!”
“Get your camera ready... You’re in for some incredible shots Lady Penelope!”
Ω
Multiple events occurred in such quick succession that it was almost impossible to say in which order they happened... Two dancing fireballs appeared - framed by the cave. Click... Yes... Nice shot! Simultaneously a laser beam flickered up into the sky. Click... Another good shot... Milliseconds later, a crippled satellite passed directly through the beam and instantly exploded mid air... Wow! Three great photos for the front page... I wanted to savour the moment but a sense of foreboding prevented me. Something felt wrong...
Ω
A sound like a cannon being fired slammed through the air. A fraction of a second later, the shock wave hit the ground... A Korean soldier hit the ground as well - face flat on the sun-baked landscape as he’d been trained to do. Zac grabbed the Korean’s gun and hit him on the back of the skull with it, to make sure that he stayed flat on his face a little longer...
The three amigos all appeared from nowhere... All four clasped hands in a unified gesture of jubilation and relief... Their shared moment of sweet success was robbed from them before they could relish it however. The rocky outcrop beneath them heaved and bucked underfoot like an unbroken mount trying to shake off a saddle. Zac and his team kept their hands clasped and rode out the movement. Unsettled but not afraid...
To their left, an avalanche of rocks started toppling down from the ledge and sliding towards the hired 4WD. Before the movement had fully subsided, Zac broke away from the group and sprinted towards the vehicle... The tremors were easing off. From a geo-scientist’s perspective the worst was over...
Zac skidded to a halt in front of the 4WD, as rocks continued to reposition around him. His flung his head back and looked up as if arguing wordlessly with an Unseen Power.
“Zac... what’s wrong?”
Brendan gasped the words out between exerted breaths as he caught up with Zac.
“Maya and Jake...”
Zac’s voice bled.
“Maya and Jake are still in the cave!”
Ω
Jake unexpectedly yanked me towards him then pushed me under the E/M weapon. He wriggled in beside me, sharing the impossibly small place without even brushing against my skin.
I stifled my terror as the cascade of rocks crashed around us and turned dim light into blackness.
“Um... Is this supposed to be happening?”
“The shock wave from the explosion has opened up the fault line.”
Jake’s voice sounded calm but I had a bad feeling...
“Huh?”
“The cave’s caving in. Keep your head tucked in.”
Memo to self. Make a never-to-be-repeated-experiences list if you ever get out of this alive... Write “Using an E/M weapon as protection against falling rocks is not a recommended experience” at the top of the list.
Then again this was shaping up to being just one of the worst never-to-be-repeated experiences so far... I’d survived another similar experience that had held number one position on my unwritten list for years...
I could feel the darkness engulfing me.
“Keep your head down Maya!”
I spluttered for breath... Clawed at the blackness as though it were a curtain I could tear apart.
“I can’t handle this for much longer Jake... I’m full-on claustrophobic when it comes to small, dark places.”
“Listen Maya... if you don’t keep your head under here I’m gonna... I’m gonna kiss you. So unless you want a kiss you’d better keep your head tucked in. Ya hear?”
I obediently complied. Rendered speechless by the bizarre threat.
“It’ll subside any moment now. Just keep calm...”
Keep calm? I’m fighting claustrophobia in the middle of an earthquake, in a pitch black cave with a 17 year old brainiac who’s just threatened to kiss me if I raise my head!
He was right. The landslide of rocks lessened then subsided. The E.M weapon had deflected several slabs of rock but was still basically intact. We were also both grazed and worse for wear. But we were alive...
Ω
Zac surveyed the mass of rocks over the entrance of the cave... His lips quivered as he tried to control the wave of sadness that was threatening to engulf him.
“This looks impossible in the natural...” he murmured. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“They were well inside the cave when I last saw them,” said Pete flatly.
“This might be worse on the outside than on the inside,” added Brendan hopefully.
“Jireh is our Protective Provider,” whispered Dale. “We’re still in one piece. He wouldn’t have taken care of us and not them...”
Zac smiled bravely and rubbed his creased forehead.
“It’s not only the possibility of them being injured that’s concerning me...”
“There’s more?” murmured Pete.
“There’s something you all don’t know about Maya... Something happened to her a few years ago when she was overseas and she’s got a phobia of being trapped in dark, confined places...”
“As in a hysterical, shaking mess, scared stiff phobia?”
“I’m not sure of the degree... but her fear’s very real... Even thinking about what happened is enough to make her panic.”
“So... Jake’s got a fear of women... and he’s trapped in a cave with a woman who’s got a fear of dark, confined places...”
“Hmmm... That’s a rather interesting combination,” said a soft voice behind them.
Zac turned and looked directly into David’s gentle eyes... Immensely relieved he was there to halve the load.
“Any suggestions Lieutenant Colonel?” he said tiredly.
Ω
Jake climbed out from underneath our unique shield. I couldn’t see him, but I could sense he was looking around... My head bobbed up near his. As I expected, he made no attempt to kiss me.
“You’re breathing fast Maya. Are you okay?”
Tears boiled up hot in my eyes. Panic hammered at my chest.
“Jake... I’m losing it... You’ve gotta help me. Right now!”
“Ssshhhh ...” he soothed out of the darkness. “Is your camera still around your neck?”
My throat was too constricted to reply.
“Turn your camera on Maya. The LED display will cast a bit of light.”
I was grateful for the suggestion. I hadn’t even thought of it. I fumbled with the Nikon and eventually managed to switch it on. Jake’s eyes peered at me with schoolboy concern.
“You’re shaking lots... Are you cold or afraid?”
“Both...” I shivered.
“Your clothes are thin... But you’re wearing your new boots so at least your feet will stay warm.”
“Huh?”
“Cold feet make me feel worse when things are bad. You too?”
“Yeah.”
A memory of a white flurry of sleet... people screaming and sobbing around me and then blackness. I violently shook away the memory and covered my eyes with clenched fists.
“Are you tripping down memory lane?”
“Yeah... Except it’s more like nightmare lane... Jake I’m losing it again!”
“Here... Sniff my shirt...”
“W...Why?”
“So you go down a different memory lane. Hopefully a nice one... Actually you’ve got goosebumps. How about you wear my shirt ‘til you warm up?”
Jake took off his shirt and slipped my trembling arms into it. I breathed in deeply and choked back a sob.
“Le Male... and Givenchy...” I sniffed. “Your Dad... and... Zac.”
“They were spraying men’s cologne at each other this morning and I ended up in the middle of their cologne fight... Must be some weird American custom.”
I laughed so I wouldn’t cry.
“Sorry I nearly lost it... It’s just that this reminds me of another time... after a plane crash in Nepal. I was cold then too. But I guess it was worse than this...”
“Why?”
His question was cautious. Like he was scared of opening up a Pandora’s box. I nestled closer to Jake, savouring his warmth and closed my eyes momentarily.
“Because my feet were freezing... And I wasn’t with someone smart like you... And there weren’t any familiar, nice smells... like Givenchy... I was buried alive under the snow... and... the only English-speaking person I knew was lying dead next to me...”
Ω
Dave eyed Zac and squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.
“You know, when written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters... One represents danger and the other represents opportunity...”
“This is an opportunity?”
“It’s a multi-faceted opportunity... An opportunity to be transparent about your fears with your team... An opportunity to learn how to combat stinking thinking... An opportunity to learn how to lead in a crisis...”
Zac swallowed the lump in his throat and glanced at his team.
“Last night Gordon and I were talking about... getting close to people in spite of our jobs... and about how to protect the people we love who might be affected by our jobs... It seems the thing which we both feared has already happened... I’m afraid Maya might be... gone... gone like this woman I pulled out of rubble after this earthquake in Haiti... I’m open to suggestions if anyone can help me combat my stinking thinking...”
Despondent silence from his team.
“Maya’s in love with you Zac,” ventured Dave. “People in love fight to stay alive under the most extraordinary circumstances. And God fuels their hope.”
Zac exhaled noisily.
“In my experience the best way to combat stinking thinking is to keep focused on the task at hand,” continued Dave. “Remember the singleness of vision you had the other morning when you hit that can at 250 metres? Stay focused like that so you lead in a crisis. And plan a course of action rather than run around like a chook without a head.”
Zac nodded silently. Grateful for Dave’s input.
Dave was like a deep well... He seemed to have endless reserves of wisdom and silent strength... Like his father.
Zac moistened his dry lips.
There it was again... That random sense of similarity.
Connecting with Dave felt like connecting with his father... They both made extensive use of eye-contact when passing on wisdom. But it was more than that. There was something intangible...
Zac snapped out of his silent reverie.
Focus Zac! Time to learn how to lead in a crisis.
From this man who’s a lot like your father...
Ω
I had drifted off momentarily midway through my story about Nepal... A combination of tiredness, shock and cold. I woke up after my micro nap feeling better... My head was resting in Jake’s lap. I glanced up at him in the semi darkness. He was fiddling with something on the E/M weapon. I could feel the warmth of his body. He reminded me of a protective St Bernard for some reason. I moved slightly. When he realized I was awake he hurriedly extracted himself from underneath me. I almost banged my head on the weapon as I pushed myself up into sitting position.
“No... Come back... Could you hold me for a bit longer?”
“C... Cuddle you?”
“Sorry. When I’m scared I like being cuddled. Like if Zac was here right now I’d ask him for a cuddle. Or maybe cuddle him.”
“When I’m scared I hide under blankets. But I s’pose hiding in someone’s cuddle is kinda the same.”
Ω
Dave redirected his attention to Gordon.
“You still developing negatives Don?” he asked gently.
“No... I’m facing realities,” replied Gordon. “If Jake’s still alive in there he won’t have a clue what to do... He’s an untrained civilian, not some special forces commando.”
“He mightn’t be a commando, but he’ll come through,” countered Zac. “He thinks like you do Gordon... And if you were stuck in there, you’d be hatching some hair brain scheme to get out... So he probably is too.”
Gordon nodded in acknowledgement then stepped closer to Dave.
Dave draped his arms around Gordon’s neck. Both men started moving around in a slow circle like they were dancing. Zac and his team watched them in gob-smacked embarrassment.
“You scientist-fellas got something against commando-cuddles?” asked Dave, eyeing Zac.
A mute shake of the head on his team’s behalf. Dave pressed Gordon’s face into his shoulder.
“You wallowed enough yet, pen-pusher?” he asked after a long moment.
Gordon drew a deep breath.
“Yeah. Time for action... The A-team’s on standby... I can put out a Priority 1 call to John.”
“Why wait around for the A-team when we’ve got the Z-team at our disposal?”
Dave ran his eyes around the group of men.
“Listen up the lot of you. Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge. Now think like scientists. We can’t get through this pile of rocks at the entrance very easily… How else can we get to Jake and Maya?”
Ω
Jake’s embrace was ultra cautious and he was trembling uncontrollably.
“Um... I’m not wearing a shirt... I’m not too close to your sexy bits am I?”
I felt guilty. I’d drawn strength from him and inadvertently reduced him to a shaking mess.
“Sorry to ask. Mum died before I was aware that there are different types of cuddles... So I never quite got to sort out which cuddles are which when it comes to women...”
“Your Nan’s not into cuddles?”
/> “She doesn’t mind cuddles but she’s not into talking about them if you know what I mean.”
He was stiff as a board now. If there’d been anywhere to run he probably would have.
“I have a burning desire to be a mum one day. How about I practise explaining the difference to you? Let’s see... this is a motherly-like cuddle... The type my Mum gives me...”
Jake breathed in noisily. I could feel his heart racing wildly.
“It feels... um... sort of like Nan’s cuddles.”
“Ah ha... And the good friends cuddle is the one I need off you right now...”
Another deep breath to steady himself.
“It feels... very nice.”
“Then I suppose we should compare them both with the lovers cuddle...”
I deliberately pressed him close to my chest and pelvis and caressed his bare back with my fingertips. He remained in my embrace, looking at me quizzically under the dim light emitting from the Nikon.
“It’s... sort of nice... Not as nice as I thought it would be though.”
“For a physical connection to feel really nice, you’ve both got to be intimate. Intimacy is a connection between you because of the thoughts and experiences you’ve already shared together as friends. Without intimacy, sensual contact is just going through the motions... And you always feel like there’s something missing.”
“But you can have a connection with someone at a soul or spirit level without having a physical connection. Right?” asked Jake, pulling away from me.
Great. I’m cold, filthy and trapped in a cave discussing philosophy with a teen prodigy.
“Yeah - like you and Zac can be best mates on a soul and spirit level without your relationship being sexual... And we’re loosely connected on that level too without being intimate. ‘Coz we have some stuff in common. Like we’re both from Perth. And we’re gonna have this shared experience in common too... If we ever get out of here alive... Last time I was trapped for three days!”
“You’re starting to sound panicky again Maya. I think you might need a best friend cuddle. Like Zac would give you.”
He wrapped his arms around me again. This time the embrace was confident. Powerful. Like he’d made a quantum leap from boyhood into manhood in a matter of minutes. I savoured the moment. Drew strength from it.
“Have you experienced it before?”
“Sex?”
“Nah... Being connected to someone on a soul and spirit level.”
“The strongest time I’ve ever experienced it was when Zac walked into my life... earlier this week.”
“Same here.”
“And now again. Not quite as intense. But right now... here with you...”
“Same here...”
Ω
The sound of an approaching multiengine helicopter redirected everyone’s attention. A solitary figure waved frantically at the chopper and was yanked aboard, then the chopper veered away to the northwest under full power.
“There go the Koreans...” murmured Gordon.
“Good riddance to ‘em!” growled Dave.
“Eureka!” hollered Zac exuberantly, above the noise of the chopper.
All eyes shifted to him.
“Remember that episode of Thunderbirds where they used a laser from the chopper to rescue the trapped people?”
“Vaguely...” murmured Gordon.
“Well... there’s another laser back at the quarters... I remember noticing the rock-face up near the ledge was thinner... If we create a man-made pothole there, then scale up the rock-fall and climb through, we might be able to get to them.”
“That sounds like something the A team would do,” nodded Dave. “And if that doesn’t work, we can always resort to local mining tactics... I’ve got a rock drill and some Anfo back at the station...”
Zac eyed his team mutely - aware that his rescue plan might endanger them all.
“Z-team to the rescue!” yelled Brendan, Pete and Dale in unison.
Ω
“You right to go - or would you prefer to hang around for three days like last time?”
“I don’t want to be negative Jake but we’re trapped!”
“We aren’t trapped per se. We just can’t go out the same way we came in.”
“You’ve figured a way out already?!”
“There are at least three alternatives... I’ve just been weighing up the pros and cons of each one,” replied Jake confidently.
I went from hopeless to hopeful in a heartbeat.
“Three alternatives?! Which way out do you think we should try first?”
“Up. You okay to climb?”
“Climb where? I still can’t see the exit sign.”
“While you were resting I rewired the capacitors in series so now the laser is more like a tool than a weapon. You know... Like on Thunderbirds...”
“We’re gonna cut our way out of here?”
“Yes, me lady!”
“So what’s the plan?”
“We create our own pothole up near the cave ledge, then scale up these fallen rocks to freedom... I’d better go first though.”
“In case of loose rocks?”
“Nah... Zac reckons women’s bodies are distractingly nice, so a fella should always take the lead. It’s never been an issue for me before, but now I’m not scared of you, maybe I’d better play it safe.”
I doubled over with laughter.
“You know, you’re very interesting company Brains.”
“You too Lady P! 3,2,1...”
“Thunderbirds are go!” we yelled in unison.
Ω
As Dave and Zac made their way towards the jeep, a shower of pebbles started erupting from near the ledge of the cave. A moment later a laser beam pierced through the rock near where they were standing and began cutting a crude circle in the rock-face.
“Jake’s beaten me to my idea!” beamed Zac. “I told you he’d be hatching a plan!”
“Mate!” groused Dave, ducking for cover. “A fella could get killed on his own property around you mob! Satellites falling out of the sky... Lasers coming outta caves...”
“You forgot earthquakes and rock-falls!” laughed Jake, his head bobbing through the opening he’d created.
Gordon broke into a huge grin and scrambled up the loose rock-face towards Jake. Zac was right behind him. Willing hands helped Jake through the opening.
“Not to mention fireballs and hailstorms!” I added.
Zac grinned emotionally as he pulled me out into fresh air and liberty.
I shook out my hair then melodramatically dusted myself off.
“Professor Canney...” I bristled. “Did anyone ever tell you that your workshops are...”
“... intense!” finished Jake, nudging me in the ribs with his elbow.
“They have to be!” retorted Zac. “It’s my job to make sure that tomorrow’s greatest scientists are ready to face anything!”
Everyone laughed. Zac drew me aside and bear-hugged me. Unguardedly. I felt the tension from the previous hour’s misadventure drip off me as his fingertips caressed the back of my neck.
“Maya... I thought I’d lost you.”
“You did,” I growled. “We got separated somewhere between a rock and a hard place... I got some fantastic pictures though! You should see this photo I took inside the cave. It’s a one in a million shot I reckon.”
I passed Zac my camera, which was still around my neck. He looked at the image in the viewfinder and smiled warmly.
“I reckon you might like a copy of this as your screensaver Dale,” he said softly.
Dale took the camera quizzically. Pete and Brendan peered over his shoulders. The foreground of the photo showed a laser beam piercing the darkness. In the background, the dust created from the rock demolition had formed a wispy image which looked remarkably like a man with wings.
“Jireh... Watching over you both in the cave...” breathed Dale.
I pushed back a loose strand of hair an
d giggled at his rapt expression.
“Nah. It’s just dust!”
“Dust doesn’t do that Maya!” said Pete shakily.
His tone indicated freak out potential.
“Geophysically impossible?” I smiled.
“Definitely... Zac’s Jireh has to have had something to do with this... Which means He’s real... Which is a scary thought...”
“...with lots of implications!!” finished Zac, tongue in cheek.
“Well when it comes to protecting you lot from danger, He really works overtime!” I joked.
“Definitely!” chuckled Jake.