Chapter Ten

Yupanqui's Guests

Harry, Lee and Carolyn were guided to a room far from the throne room, in a maze of complicated turns. Steps down indicated that they had actually entered a lower level, but the lavishness of their accommodations suggested a guest room, rather than a cell. Their escorts closed the door behind them for privacy, but there was no doubt their door was guarded.

The guest room was a rather large suite, with a sitting area and several partitioned sleeping areas. The suite was constructed of the same smooth-polished stone walls and was decorated by fine tapestries and various art pieces consisting of paintings, carvings, and sculptures. Three recliner sofas were positioned around a table, which presumably was where meals were served, and though the room had no windows, it was well illuminated by the oil lamps housed inside shelves, skillfully cut into the wall. A chandelier hung from the center of the room, which was also fueled by oil.

The suite was decorated with vibrant colors and was decidedly regal, with crimson reds and dark hunter greens dominating the color scheme. Elegant touches, such as the bright yellow pillows on the reclining sofas joined several articles made of gold, demonstrating both the King's wealth and the resources of the hidden city.

Once the trio had taken in their surroundings, they convened for a quiet conversation to discuss the strange turn of events that had brought them to Kuntur Picchu, Mountain of the Condor.

"What do you think, Harry?" Lee asked, sitting on the edge of a sofa and holding his right arm; the damage the splintered limb had done was becoming unbearable, despite the fact that he had managed to ignore it throughout most of the day. "What does Yupanqui really want from us?"

"I'm not sure," Harry said honestly, eying Lee's discomfort, and wishing their captors hadn't confiscated their backpacks with the first aid supplies. "We're getting the 'guest' treatment…"

"They could have killed us in the jungle," Carolyn added.

"Which means they need something from us," Lee finished.

Harry nodded. "I suspect we're being interviewed to fill a 'teacher' vacancy."

"Which means they don't intend to let us leave," Carolyn noted, holding it together, but still very concerned.

"I can't see why they would, they've managed to keep this place a complete secret, I've never even heard of a Lost or Hidden City in any folklore of the region," Harry replied, just as their door opened as two armed guards entered the room with spears.

"Warrior Crane, you will come with us," one of the guards announced with no further explanation.

Lee noticed Harry's stance turned decisively protective, his hands tightening into fists as he stood. "It's all right, Admiral, I'll go," Lee said quietly, hoping to defuse the situation before it escalated.

Harry nodded, but he wasn't happy with this newest surprise from their "host". He recognized, however, they had little choice and stood down as Lee cracked a small smile meant to ease the tension, before leaving the room with his guards following behind. The door was closed behind them, and this time they heard the locking mechanism click, signaling their imprisonment.

"What do they want with him?" Carolyn asked concerned.

"I don't know," Harry answered, rubbing the back of his neck and sitting heavily on the sofa. "They've decided that Lee is a warrior, and rightly so; they may want to neutralize him as a source of conflict," he conjectured evenly, even though real concern was evident in his eyes.

"But they could have killed him in the jungle," Carolyn noted, trying to offer hope, while thinking through the problem logically.

"Yes," Harry conceded. "That would indicate they need him for some reason," he agreed, as he reached for Carolyn's hand and squeezed.

She laid her head on his shoulder and rubbed a comforting hand across his back as she spoke.

"Harriman, I have to believe that they need us… all of us, for some reason. Maybe it's like you said, they want to learn about the outside world."

"Frankly, Carolyn, that's more than a real possibility, but we've got to be honest with ourselves here. They've gone to great lengths to protect the Hidden City; they have no intention of letting us go."

Carolyn swallowed and nodded. "I know, Harriman… I know."

VTTBOTS

Lee walked ahead of his guards as they guided him back through the maze of turns and hallways, only this time they took another set of steps down, taking him even deeper within the complex than before. He had no idea why he had been singled out, and considered the possibility that he had been deemed superfluous cargo, extra baggage with no purpose or value. His options were limited at present with the two guards and their very deadly spears pointed in his back, along with the fact that he didn't know how to navigate his way out of the maze yet. Mostly, however, he didn't want to do anything to endanger Harry and Carolyn; his best option was to wait and see what happened before reacting blindly.

They ended up in front of a large wooden door, which was opened for him to enter. He took a quick glance about the room and was relieved to discover that he had been brought to an infirmary of sorts; though, some of the "doctor's" implements looked far more like torturer's tools than those for healing. Still, the rather clean, and he hoped sterile environment, looked state of the art for the ancient civilization, perhaps influenced by previous "teachers" the kings had "employed" from the outside world.

The physician indicated he should take a seat on an exam table as two female nurses milled about in preparations to care for him.

"Remove your garment," the physician said in Quechuan, to which Lee raised an eyebrow and complied. The throbbing in his arm had taken a turn toward excruciating pain again, and after spending the day pretending like it didn't hurt like hell, he welcomed some relief just now.

He unbuttoned his shirt, shrugging it off his shoulders while a nurse helped the process along, tugging it the rest of the way off his injured arm. The physician stood back, shaking his head in a move that reminded him of Seaview's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. William Jamieson. It was then that he realized that his appearance had garnered him the title of "Warrior" as much as anything; his forehead was bruised and sporting a rather impressive cut from his near-fatal jump, then there was the evidence of his fist fight with Matt Sterling, which he realized left bruises on both his face and his torso, not to mention the fight he lost with the splintered limb in his arm, which the physician was just now unwrapping.

The physician sent his nurses in action and before he knew it he was lying on the table getting an upper body sponge bath. They started with his head, dabbing carefully around his wound, before moving gently to his face. They didn't stop there, and continued down his neck, chest and arms. He didn't know what was in the wash water, but the herb was a pleasant odor and had a relaxing quality that had him wondering if he was actually being drugged. The doctor, meanwhile, examined his arm as Lee found himself struggling to stay awake. The wound was angry and red, with pus starting to make an appearance, to which the physician uttered something indicating his concern, further reminding him of Will.

"The wound must be cleaned, you need to drink this for the pain," he ordered, holding a cup out.

Lee understood most of what he said and shook his head. "No thanks; just clean it," he said, not wanting to take a chance on just what the doctor had in his medicine cabinet for pain.

One of the guards translated Lee's English into Quechuan, which resulted in the physician's loud disapproval.

"You will drink the medicine as the Royal Physician prescribes," the guard translated as Lee sat up, leaning on an elbow.

"Look, I can handle the pain, just have him clean it," he persisted, but the guard's stance with his spear indicated that balking at the Royal Physician's treatment wasn't an option.

Lee considered his options and found he had no other choice. He took the cup and drank the medicine, silently thinking that Will and the Inca Doc would probably get along quite well, as both seemed to know how to wield their medical rank to get their way. Almost immediately he found himself swaying on his elbow. A nurse, a rather lovely young lady he noticed now that he was on his way to a pain-free, morphine-like floating experience, guided him back down to lie on the table as the doctor began scrubbing his arm out. His eyes fluttered closed, as he desperately tried to stay awake to monitor what was being done to him in the name of medicine and healing, but found he was on the losing end of the battle. He could feel his arm being manipulated, as the doctor scrubbed the wound clean, and realized that he was quite happy to be far from the pain of the uncomfortable procedure. He opened his eyes when he felt a prick and then a tug, and realized his arm was being sewn and vaguely wondered how good the Inca Doc was and whether he'd be sporting a scar or not; but then realized that at present he could really care less, as the Doc's pain killer had him soaring rather nicely.

The physician finished his handiwork and stepped back, while the nurses helped him sit up. A blanket was placed over his shoulders and though he was operating on quite a blissful state at present, he still had the presence of mind to ask for his shirt the Doc had previously discarded. He clutched the blanket across his shoulders with his good hand and loosely held on to his shirt with his newly sewn up appendage, as the nurses transferred him from their care back to the guards.

"Solpayki," Lee offered thanking his nurses, and in his extremely good mood, momentarily wondering what the ladies might be doing after work. That thought led to the instant question of just what one would do on a date in an Inca Hidden City, before regaining enough of his senses to wisely let the whole thing go.

Despite his drug induced state, he managed to keep it together as he was guided back through the maze walking on his own steam; albeit, with shaky and somewhat weaving steps.

VTTBOTS

Harry paced the sitting area, visibly concerned about Lee's whereabouts. It had been nearly two hours since Lee had been escorted away, and as Harry contemplated the various scenarios for his disappearance he found himself even more agitated. His pace had him on the opposite side of the room when the door opened once again. Harry spun around as a guard ushered Lee in, and then closed the door behind him. Lee sank into the wall behind him as soon as the door was closed; he hadn't wanted to show any weakness to his guards, even though he was obviously very compromised by the drug. He was still clutching his blanket tightly when Harry raced across the room.

"Lee!" he exclaimed, crossing the room with Carolyn close behind. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking his friend over.

"I'm all right," Lee answered, hoping to placate Harry's concern. "The Doc sewed up my arm."

Lee pulled his arm out from under the blanket, dropping his shirt in the process, as Harry examined the new bandages on his arm.

"Are you in pain?" Harry asked, concerned about the no-doubt painful procedure and wrapping Lee's good arm over his shoulder, to which Lee just giggled, which quickly turned into an outburst of hearty laughter.

"Did I say something funny?" Harry inquired, raising an eyebrow while trading glances with Carolyn.

"No…," Lee said, trying to rein in his giggles. "The Doc gave me something…"

Harry nodded, figuring out the rest. "All right Lee, let's get you to bed."

"I'm feelin' pretty damn good…" he continued, leaning heavily on Harry and breaking out in laughter again, before turning rather serious and stopping his forward motion. "He didn't sew my head, did he?"

"No."

"Good… pretty sure it would have left a scar," he rambled on.

"This way, Lee," Harry said, getting him moving once again as he and Carolyn led a very inebriated Lee Crane to a bed in one of the partitioned areas. "I know you're not feeling anything now, but my guess is that arm is going to be pretty sore in the morning."

Lee nodded. "So many rooms… tried to keep track…" he continued, switching subjects again and trying to make his way back from spaced out and useless; to the responsible, able, naval officer he was, looking for an escape route.

"It's all right, we'll worry about that later," Harry replied, guiding Lee to the bed where he collapsed happily, while Carolyn covered him with a blanket.

"Cute nurses," he slurred before falling to sleep as Harry stood squeezing the bridge of his nose in near-exasperation.

"It's not his fault, Harriman," Carolyn offered sympathetically. "They obviously used some sort of opiate based pain medication."

"I know," Harry replied. "I'm just…"

His words were interrupted as the door opened again and several handmaidens entered carrying what was obviously their dinner. They paraded in, carrying platters and dressed in brightly colored garments fitted to their curves. They placed the platters laden with fruits, vegetables, roasted meat, and hot roots similar to yams on the table, then poured three cups of wine.

"Solpayki," Harry said as the servants left.

"Shall we wake Lee?" Carolyn asked looking at the bountiful meal placed before them and realizing just how hungry she was after living off sparse rations of granola bars and crackers and cheese for the past two days.

Harry shook his head and laughed lightly. "No, let him sleep off the pain meds. I'm sure he'll feel more like his old self in the morning."

Carolyn sat down and reached for the wine, before pausing. "Do you think it's safe, Harriman?"

"I'm sure of it," he replied, offering a tender smile her way, and relaxing for the first time since their capture. "The fact that they patched Lee up is a very good sign that they need all of us," he said, reiterating her own words, before reaching for a perfectly ripe red grape and popping it in his mouth. He savored the sweet fruit and then sat down beside Carolyn.

"Now my dear, care to guess what kind of meat this is?" he joked.

"I don't want to even think about it," she replied with a chuckle. "At least it doesn't look like iguana…"

"Or Fried Tarantula," Harry added, as their light mood continued.

They dug in, glad for the nourishment and soaking in their comfortable accommodations… at least for now. They only had guesses as to why they were spared or what tomorrow might bring, but for tonight Harry and Carolyn were content to enjoy the meal…. and each other's company. With Lee down for the count in the partitioned room, they allowed themselves both the comfort and enjoyment of their shared passion.

VTTBOTS

Chip stood out on the beach, watching the waves crash and recede on the shore. A gentle warm breeze blew his blond hair wistfully across his forehead as he studied the horizon. He carried a pager should Lee signal, and he didn't venture far from Seaview, even though Pearl was teeming with activities for a sailor on leave. The sun was setting on another beautiful day in Hawaii, but his mind was far away from the sight. Lee had jumped from an airplane at dawn; his insertion point less than two miles from the wreckage and now the sun was setting and still no word from him. There was no doubt about it; NO news was definitely NOT good news in this case.

It was a dangerous mission to begin with, jumping with only one partner into the wilds of the Amazon jungle with just a sidearm and his wits. True, that had been enough on several other occasions for the sometimes spy, but any number of things could have happened to Lee from deadly animals to just as deadly indigenous tribes who routinely killed any stranger venturing into their land.

His mind returned to Lee's cabin, right before he left. It was what he said. More than that, how he said it.

"I know he's alive, Chip, don't ask me how, but I know it."

It was Lee's confidence that somehow, he would know if Harry had died. It wasn't clairvoyance or some other mystical connection, just the belief that someone who had been so important to his life couldn't pass without him feeling the void.

He knew that Lee's and Harry's relationship had gradually turned from best friends to the same affection Lee would have held for his own father, who had died years ago in the Korean Conflict. Harry had become the father he hardly remembered, the seeds of their relationship starting years ago at the Academy, and continuing on as Lee served under the Admiral on the Nautilus. It had reached new heights as the two worked together after Lee signed on with Seaview. The two had weathered many trials, bringing Seaview home safely when others would have surely failed. They were giants in their fields individually; but together, they were damn near unstoppable.

Chip smiled at that last thought and heaved a heavy sigh, blowing a breath out as he contemplated the matter.

He had recognized the change in their relationship; had watched it grow and couldn't be happier for his best friend. It wasn't unlike their own relationship moving from roommates to brothers; it had been weathered with as much professionalism as the Admiral's. The crew knew the command team was tight, but aboard Seaview, it was nothing but business; no favoritism, no nepotism from the adopted father or for the adopted brother.

"I know he's alive, Chip, don't ask me how, but I know it."

Lee's words ran through his mind once again, as Chip examined his own feelings. Could it be possible for Lee Crane to die without him feeling the void? Somehow… he didn't think so.

"Lee Crane is alive," Chip said aloud and speaking only to himself. "Don't ask me how, but I know he's alive," he finished resolutely, then headed back to Seaview where he would be ready to go on a moment's notice, the minute Lee contacted them with the news that he had found Harry.

VTTBOTS

Lee rolled over with a moan, the dull ache in his arm paralleling the dull ache in his head. He blew a breath out and gathered his thoughts, finally coming to the conclusion that he had a hangover, courtesy of the good Inca doctor and his potent cup of brew. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his temples and letting everything equalize out before standing.

"Lee?" he heard from the other side of the partition.

"Come on in, Admiral."

"I thought I heard you," Harry said, entering the room. "How are you feeling?"

Lee looked down at his arm, assessing the physician's work.

"My arm's a little sore from the Doc's scrubbing, but it still feels much better," he answered honestly, before biting his bottom lip and scrunching his forehead. "I uh… didn't embarrass myself last night, did I?" he asked, raising his eyes to meet Harry's.

"You were fine," Harry returned with a small smile. "You mentioned something about 'cute nurses' and fell asleep."

Lee rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, more embarrassed than anything. "I don't remember much, only feeling very spaced out."

"Why don't you come for breakfast," Harry said, letting Lee off the hook for the uncharacteristic giggles last evening. "They laid out a pretty impressive spread out here," he finished.

Lee nodded, checking his watch and noting it was already mid-morning then looked around. "Is my shirt around somewhere?"

"There, at the foot of your bed," Harry pointed out.

"Thanks, Harry," he said. "I'll be right out."

Harry left him to his privacy as Lee donned his shirt while testing how much use he had of his arm, as he tucked in carefully. He ran a hand through his hair, hoping to tame the riot of curls that had surely appeared, but then gave up, realizing it was probably a losing battle. He entered the sitting room and sat down in front of a plate which Carolyn had already dished out for him.

"I have to say, this looks pretty good," he said, digging in and realizing that he was very hungry.

"When was the last time you ate?" Harry asked, having already finished his breakfast earlier.

"Early yesterday morning, and I rarely eat much before a jump."

"I figured as much. Your empty stomach probably added to the potency of the doctor's medication," Harry postulated.

"Maybe," Lee said with a small smile. "But I'm afraid it was pretty strong stuff, I apologize for anything foolish I might have said," he offered with a small half-smile.

"No need to worry on my account, Lee," Carolyn interjected. "Calling a nurse 'cute' is hardly a major offense."

Lee smiled, letting go of his embarrassment and ready to move on. "Well, at any rate, I'm feeling much better."

"You're looking better. Now, last night you mentioned trying to keep track of where they took you?" Harry inquired, taking a drink from the jungle version of hot coffee. The beans were hearty, and ever as flavorful as their Columbian neighbors, it was an interesting change and worth the occasional coffee ground.

"I don't think it will help much, we went down a level," Lee replied, finishing up. "I think it was the Royal Infirmary, but I'd guess the Doc makes house calls for the King."

Harry nodded, obviously looking for a way out as well.

"Oh and another thing, the big guard who doesn't like me… he speaks English," Lee reported, in an impressive recollection of important information considering his handicap of the prior evening.

"All right, we'll have to be careful what we say," Harry decided. "Anything else?"

Lee shook his head, trying to draw out any lingering memory without success. "I'm afraid everything else is just a blur," he answered, reaching for another piece of unidentified meat.

"I was wondering just what kind of meat that was?" Carolyn asked curiously.

"It's iguana," Lee replied, without missing a beat. "Probably about the best I've had," he added without much thought.

"Iguana?" Carolyn repeated incredulously, not believing she had actually eaten a lizard.

Lee smiled, exchanging a grin with Harry who no-doubt knew exactly what the mystery meat was, as the two had spent their fair share of ONI spy time in one jungle or another, and at least on one Seaview mission when they were treated to a meal by a grateful islander's hospitality.

The light moment passed as Lee dipped his head in thought.

"I don't mean to dampen the mood here," he said solemnly, "but I'm pretty concerned about this entire setup."

The words had no more left his mouth, when their door opened as several guards entered, while a female servant stood in the doorway.

"You will come with us," he ordered, looking directly at Carolyn as Harry and Lee both stood, their response met by the guards taking an offensive position with their spears.

Carolyn recognized the potentially explosive moment and reached for Harry's arm. "It's okay, Harriman, I'll go with them," she said, as Harry nodded, recognizing the deck stacked against them and expressing his concern in the deepness of his blue eyes and furled brow.

She smiled weakly, reaching for his hand and squeezing, before walking forward and allowing the guards to escort her from the relative safety of her two protectors.