Deep Within

Deep Within

A duffel bag fell against the stone floor of the huge house as he entered into the main hall. Gavin Levi glanced upwards to see a man lean over the banister and call, "Forgive me, sir… But who, may I ask, are you?"

"Gavin!" Riley shouted, flying down the stairs. "What’re you doing here!" She skid to a stop in front of him. "Tour, this is Gavin Levi, our sponsor."

Tourney nodded, and his head disappeared from view. Moments later, he appeared on the stairs. "Forgive me, Mr. Levi," he said reaching to take the coat Gavin was removing. "I was assisting Miss Addison." Gavin nodded, then turned to glance at the mountain of bags by the door.

Another door opened, and a large machine bounded from it, shaped oddly like a tiger. It soared across the room and knocked Riley to the ground, growling menacingly. Grunting, Riley kicked upwards, sending the machine flying across the room, where it landed on it’s back. She leapt up and glared at Avery, who had emerged from the same door. Avery stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Gavin. Then she sputtered, "Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you were here!"

The young man’s eyes were wide and full of a strange bit of terror. "What the hell is that thing!" he gulped, pointing to the machine that Riley was approaching. It leapt up once more, and Riley grabbed the throat area, burying her fingers in the mesh and wire, struggling against it. Seconds later, the thing made a strange whirling noise, and powered down.

"Prototype," Avery said in a small voice.

Staring, Gavin spun around to face her again. Tourney spoke up, "A tiger, Avery invented it, said it would keep Riley on her toes. It’s rather amusing." Riley shot him a mean stare, then turned to cock an eyebrow at Avery. "It’s only reason for existing is to hunt down Riley and disembowel her," Tourney finished.

Eyes filled with horror, Gavin turned to stare at Riley, who approached them, dusting her hands. "It’s not that big of a deal. Although it’s hilarious when she turns it on in the middle of the night," Riley replied, glancing once more to Avery.

Unable to speak, Gavin’s gaze darted from the tiger to Riley, then to Avery, and back to the tiger. "We should be going," Riley said calmly, ducking into Gavin’s field of vision. "Did you come to wish us luck?" she asked.

Shaking his head, Gavin found his voice, though it cracked as he said, "No." He cleared his throat, then continued, "I’m going with you." Riley exchanged glances with Tourney, then turned back to Gavin. "He was my best friend, Riley. I deserve to do this too," he finished.

"Fine," she said, despite Tourney’s warning hiss. "But you have to know that this is very dangerous. Some of us may not…"

But Gavin cut her off with a slice of his hand, then he said, "I know, Riley, and I accept it."

Nodding, she finished, "Let’s go, then."

* * *

Staring ahead of them, Riley felt her breath catch in her throat. The vast landscape before them was blackened and charred from the volcano that towered above them. Beside her, Tourney straightened the backpack slung over his broad shoulders, then cleared his throat. Avery wasn’t so good at hiding her fear, erratic breathing, and shifting positions gave her away. But Gavin stood to the other side, gazing up at the volcano with a bored interest, as if he was simply mountain climbing. Riley herself had her heart beating a mile a minute, but her hands were calm and steady.

"Let’s go," she said for the fourth time that day. They stepped from the black beach, and away from the speedboat they’d chartered, The pilot took off, shaking his head at the silly Americans.

Trekking up the terrain had seemed so much easier from the beach, but soon, Avery was stumbling over rocks and falling into the charcoal dust at her feet. Her hands had turned black by the time they’d gone a mile, and her lungs burned of sulfur. But Tourney climbed speedily, reaching down to help Avery every once in a while. Gavin kept sped with Riley, only feet before them, stopping occasionally to check her compass.

At one point, Avery caught some very bad footing, and began to slide. Spinning, Riley dove to catch her, sliding the ten feet between them easily. Catching her hand, Riley’s foot came to rest in an inch deep niche, and she grunted. Pulling her to safety, Riley captured both hands, and yanked her onto a ledge. Seconds later, Tourney ducked down to pull both women back to the original height.

"If I’m going to fast," Riley said, embracing Avery, "Tell me. We’ll slow down." Avery nodded into her shoulder, grasping the girl tightly against the fear that pounded in her veins.

By the time night fell, they were able to make camp halfway up the volcano. Avery sat outside their tent, staring at her broken utility light. Quietly, Riley sat beside her, handing her a water bottle. "I thought it’d be easier…" Avery whispered, taking it in two hands.

"Mountain climbing isn’t easy," Riley replied, brushing blonde hair from Avery’s cheek.

But Avery’s eyes lifted to gaze at her best friend. "That’s not what I meant," she whispered again, softer this time.

Nodding, Riley replied, "I know…" Her arm slid around Avery’s shoulders and she pulled the girl close. "He loved you so much, Ave. I prayed everyday for someone to love me like that, the way he loved you… Count your blessings, Ave. He loved you, he still does, he always will. That’s to good to let go of." Avery nodded again, closing her eyes against the unbidden tears that threatened to stream down her sun darkened cheeks.

Over in front of the fire, Gavin watched them whisper. Deep inside, he knew what they were talking about, and he knew that the crusade they were embarking on was fruitless without Roarke. He knew everything about the submarine world which they were hoping to find, without his expertise, they might as well leap blind and bound into the sea. Even if the Key worked on the lock, they had no idea what was beneath the glassy ocean surface, no idea what dangers awaited them.

He felt a plop beside her, and turned his head slightly to see Tourney, fiddling with a palm light. "You know, Mr. Levi," Tourney said softly, "She’s not as incapable as one may think…" Gavin stared at him full force, wondering how he’d known what he was thinking. "One would think you would know such, after Barcelona…" Gavin blushed, and turned away. "I believe you do know such, you are simply unwilling to admit it."

* * *

Dawn came far earlier then Avery remembered as they packed their backpacks, and began on their way. The next part of the climb involved the ropes and climbing skills of the hikers. Terrified out of her mind, Riley kept flashing back to the look on Roarke’s face when his line snapped. She checked and double checked the ropes, breathing heavily. Ever since she had been a child, she’d been climbing mountains, but this would be the first time she’d ever climbed without Roarke.

Eyes closed, Riley reached for a handhold. Trusting her instincts, she kept her eyes closed, knowing she was behind and to the left of Gavin. Tourney was more experienced then she, having worked with her father for years, and Avery was strapped to him. Not once did Riley’s eyes open, for if they did, she was sure she would see Roarke’s terror filled eyes staring back at her.

It was only when she heard Gavin’s sigh of relief, then felt his hand clasp her wrist that she opened her eyes. He pulled her onto the mountain top, over into the lip of the volcano, carved into a spiral staircase. Avery leaned against the ledge, staring down the drop at the ground. Her eyes were wide and pale against the evening sun.

"We camp here tonight," Riley said calmly. "The map can be accessed at the bottom of the pit, in the noonday sun." Gavin nodded and reached for her backpack, which they’d shifted up in the early morning.

Leading them down the pathway to the bottom of the pit, she showed them the crater that had been docile for over twelve hundred years. The base was flat and circular, with a platform in the exact center. She didn’t speak a word about the place as they set up the tents.

It was only after Avery retired that Tourney struck up the conversation about the last time she’d been in the crater. "What happened while you were here?" he asked softly, as a father asks a daughter.

Riley hesitated, unsure of how to go about the story. "We came here, unsure of what we’d find. But Roarke swore it would be worth the two days. When we arrived, we found this… A dismal, blackened pit of ash and soot. I thought it was the funniest thing to happen since he fell from the windmill in Denmark. Then he found that podium there." Riley pointed to the pedestal in the center of the circle, then continued, "His eyes lit up, and he pulled the book from his bag. Turning to a page, he showed me a picture of that pedestal, with a stone atop it. He read a passage about the Key, and then we brainstormed for the remainder of the afternoon."

Tourney reached out to slip a comforting hand into Riley’s as she continued on her painful trek down memory lane. "The next morning, we packed up and prepared to leave. At the top, we hooked up our restraints, planning on free falling the way down. He flashed me a grin, you know, the trademark, and leapt off the side with this glint in his eyes. I followed suit, happy to be able to fall for once. About halfway down, he pulled his free fall to a stop to wait for me." Her eyes glazed over, and she exhaled loudly.

"Apparently he wanted to tell me something. When I stopped beside him, he told me that when he got home, he was going to retire a bit from the excavations, let me find the Key, and spend some time with Avery. Then he cracked a joke about her." Riley’s eyes focused once again, and she stared hard into the fire. There was a silence before she continued, softly and shakily, "He reached for my hand, meaning to hold it for a moment… I reached out for him… Inches… Inches from touching him. Just one little hop along the wall, and I’d have had him. Then I heard it, it seemed so far away, a ripping sound, something from a dream… A nightmare really."

Her eyes darted to the mouth of the pit, as if some part of her would see them standing there. But when she didn’t, she glanced back down to whisper, "I saw the look in his eyes, saw the fear behind him. One more inch, just one hop, and I could’ve made it. But he was spiraling away before I knew what had happened. The rope rushed past me, I reached for it, reached for him, but the rope cut into my fingers, the blood made it slide. The clouds came over him, but I heard him calling for me. I fell as fast as I could, crying his name over and over. My rope overheated, burned a hole in my restraints as I tried to catch up to him. But by the time I’d fallen past the clouds, I couldn’t hear him screaming anymore. Then I saw it… He was lying there, staring up at me, his eyes wide and rolled backward. That’s when I called Tourney. I was still hanging from my free fall when I was rescued."

Finally, she looked up to Gavin and Tourney. Both men were pale and drawn, neither seemed to be breathing. "One inch," she whispered.

"No," Gavin choked out, reaching to grab her other hand. His fingers were cold and trembled with hers. "It’s not your fault, Riley. You tried to help him. It’s not your fault."

Her gray eyes stared deep into his charcoal, and she replied, "I used to believe it was… But now, being here, I know it’s not." Gavin nodded, and Tourney squeezed her hand. The trio didn’t speak again for the rest of the night, enjoying the silence, reveling in their own thoughts.

Deep inside the tent that Avery and Riley shared, Avery Meridian buried her face in her pillow to muffle her sobs. She’d never asked what had happened, never wanted to know. But hearing the terror in Riley’s voice, and knowing the look of fear that passed over her eyes, she couldn’t help but wonder. What would have happened had Riley reached that inch a moment earlier? Would she have her husband? Would she have a family? Or would she have lost them both to an obsession that one had for the nonexistent? Maybe she would never know the answer. If she had known the secrets that the earth below her would hold, maybe she wouldn’t have asked.

* * *

As their shadows faded, Riley set the diamond on the pedestal, then turned to flick her eyes to Gavin. He nodded, and reached out to touch her hand. The sun rose above them, casting a beam of light straight into the stone.

A tendril of magnified sunlight wound it’s way down the pedestal in a line of jewels. Holding their breaths, everyone watched as it stretched and yawned toward the far side of the pit. Suddenly, a little recess flared white gold, and it revealed a tunnel leading down into the rock.

"Go," Riley said, reaching for the diamond. When she lifted it from the pedestal, she noticed the dark smudge on the inside. No longer flawless, it would barely rake in seven million. But she slipped it into her pocket, it would go into her safe when she got home. The quartet made their way over to the cavern, and paused by the door.

Pulling out her halogen light, Riley took a deep breath and stepped inside. Tourney followed closely, then Avery and Gavin. Suddenly, Riley felt as if she were back in the caverns of the Himalayas, without Roarke at her side. The trek had been his idea, always ready for a new adventure.

A local millionaire had tracked them down on their seventeenth birthday, when they were in Rome for vacation. He’d offered them two grand to trek the mountain, and seven grand to explore the caverns for precious jewels. Roarke had said that it would be nice to climb on someone else’s tab, so they’d gone.

Six weeks in the mountains had been long and lonely. But they found several thousand dollars of jewels, and were paid double the amount promised. Roarke had started an avalanche singing one night, and they had saved a family snowed in. Riley smiled to herself as they descended into the darkness, the only light from the halogens they carried.

"Where do you think we’re going?" Avery whispered, leaning forward to speak with Riley.

Glancing around at the cold, barren walls, Riley replied, "Under the ocean."