The Vilcabamba Prophecy: A Nick Randall Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

As you know, this is the last in the series of your
four satellites and it’s scheduled to be placed into geosynchronous orbit next
month. This will give you some redundancy since you only need the three satellites
you currently have in place to cover the entire Earth.”
    “Have all of the
arrangements been made for the launch? Is there anything else you’ll need to
do?”
    “We’re all set. The i ’s have all been dotted and the t’s have been crossed.
Our logistics team is all set to deliver this beauty to the base for launch.
All I have left to do is sit back and watch it fly.”
    “Will your company need
you to be present for the launch, Mr. Walker?”
    “No, but I’ll be there,
anyway. Watching one of these go into the sky is the big payoff for all of the
hard work we put into them. I haven’t missed a launch since I started in this
business!”
    “Well, there’s a first
time for everything, isn’t there?”
    “Huh?”
    The two men flanking Dumond grabbed each of George’s arms. .
    “What the hell are you
doing?”
    Dumond approached George, a large silver gun-like object in his hand.
    “What’s that thing? Get
it away from me!”
    A large, strong hand
covered George’s mouth.
    “I can’t afford to have
my investment endangered, Mr. Walker. Besides, I need your expertise as an
energy engineer to help me utilize my new power source.” Dumond raised the device to George’s neck and pushed the trigger. George heard a soft
hissing sound like air escaping, and then everything went black.

CHAPTER EIGHT

 
    The country of Peru is well known for the
many ancient ruins that dot the countryside. Probably the best known to the
general public are the ruins at Machu Picchu, preserved on an isolated
mountaintop site above the waters of the sacred Urubamba River. Most archaeologists
believe Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor, Pachacuti . Beside this well-preserved site lies the Sacred
Valley of the Incas, linking Machu Picchu to the ancient city of Cuzco, the
capital of the former Inca Empire. Cuzco itself is an ancient, colonial city,
dotted with countless churches and museums on its cobbled streets and leafy
squares. Overlooking Cuzco is Sacsahuaman , a
gargantuan complex carved into the lush countryside.
    Aside from these are
other significant archeological sites including Vitcos-Yurak Rumi, an intricately carved granite boulder the size of a city bus; Pisac , notable for its Inca waterworks and beautiful,
curving agricultural terraces; Ollantaytambo , the
site of the Inca's greatest military victory over the invading Spaniards; and
the beautiful Moray, one of the best examples of Inca landscaping. The latter
site contains three enormous, concentric pits, each with beautifully curved
sides that staircase down like the interiors of titanic flowerpots. The pits were
carved out of the earth to depths of a hundred feet or more, causing variations
in the air temperatures between the top and bottom layers that differ by more
than 20 degrees.
    In spite of the
circumstances surrounding her father’s disappearance, Sam still couldn’t help
but marvel at these incredible archaeological finds. She mused that one day she
would return to Peru and give them the attention they deserved, but not today.
Today, she had her sights set on finding her father.
    The first part of their
journey was an uncomfortable jeep ride over unpaved dirt roads. Francisco had
decided to stay at the University in case Randall or his students tried to
contact him. He also felt that he could be more helpful serving as cover if
anyone asked questions about either of the Randall’s’ whereabouts. Instead,
four University employees accompanied Sam. Their next stop was the tribe to see
if they would provide another guide for the last leg of the journey.
    Sam was still trying to
sort everything out when she realized just how tired she was. She had only
gotten about two hours of sleep in the last two days, and it all seemed