Chapter 11
The eastern extraction zone was nothing like the rest of the mine.
Angelo noticed it the moment they arrived.
The road leading there was barely maintained, with thick weeds growing through cracks in the dirt. Rusted equipment sat abandoned along the edges, some of it so old that Angelo couldn't imagine anyone having used it in years.
Russell walked several paces ahead, followed by Daniel and Marcus.
Angelo studied the surroundings carefully.
"Why was this area closed?"
Russell hesitated.
"Several reasons."
"That's not an answer."
"There were accidents."
"How many?"
Russell didn't respond.
Angelo stopped walking.
"How many?"
"Enough."
Angelo shook his head.
"You people are very good at hiding things."
They continued.
Eventually, they reached an old entrance cut into the hillside.
A metal gate stood across it.
The lock was heavily rusted.
Angelo looked at Russell.
"You said this area was closed."
"It is."
"Then why does it look like someone has been here recently?"
Everyone looked at the ground.
There were fresh tire tracks in the dirt.
Daniel crouched down and examined them.
"These aren't old."
Angelo's eyes narrowed.
"Who has access?"
Russell shook his head.
"Only senior management."
Angelo looked at him.
"Who?"
Russell hesitated.
"Your mother's representatives."
Angelo felt his stomach tighten.
"My mother?"
"Not directly. Her people."
Daniel stood.
"We should leave."
Angelo turned toward him.
"Why?"
Daniel pointed toward the entrance.
"Because we're not alone."
Everyone became silent.
Angelo listened.
At first, he heard nothing.
Then came a faint metallic sound from somewhere inside the tunnel.
A clank.
Then another.
Someone was moving inside.
Daniel immediately reached beneath his jacket.
Marcus did the same.
Angelo raised a hand.
"Wait."
The sound stopped.
They stood completely still.
Then something moved in the darkness.
A figure suddenly appeared at the entrance.
Angelo stepped backward.
The man froze when he saw them.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then he turned and ran.
"Stop!"
Daniel and Marcus took off after him.
Angelo followed.
The man disappeared around the side of the old building.
When they reached the corner, he was gone.
Daniel looked around.
"Where did he go?"
Marcus pointed toward the trees.
"There."
They ran after him, but the thick vegetation quickly swallowed the trail.
Angelo stopped.
"Forget him."
Daniel looked at him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Angelo turned toward the abandoned mine entrance.
"Whatever he was doing in there is more important."
They returned to the tunnel.
Angelo examined the gate.
The lock had been broken recently.
He looked at Russell.
"You knew about this?"
"No."
"You're sure?"
Russell nodded.
Angelo stepped closer.
A strange smell drifted from inside the tunnel.
He recognized it immediately.
It was the same chemical smell he had noticed near the sickbay.
He covered his mouth.
"Get the workers away from here."
Russell looked confused.
"Why?"
"Because we're not going inside without protective equipment."
Daniel looked toward the tunnel.
"You think this is connected to the sickness?"
"I don't know."
Angelo looked at the ground.
Near the entrance was a dark patch of soil.
He crouched down.
Something had spilled there recently.
He touched nothing.
Instead, he looked at Russell.
"Get Doctor Durmont."
Within an hour, Durmont arrived with basic protective equipment.
Angelo showed him the area.
The doctor immediately became uneasy.
"Where did you find this?"
"Here."
Durmont crouched carefully near the dark patch.
He examined it without touching.
Then he looked toward the tunnel.
"Mr. Black, this could be dangerous."
"Why?"
"I recognize that smell."
Angelo's eyes narrowed.
"From where?"
"The sickbay."
Silence.
Angelo looked at the tunnel.
"Are you saying the sickness could be coming from inside this mine?"
Durmont shook his head.
"I'm saying we need to find out."
Angelo stood.
He looked toward the abandoned entrance again.
Someone had been inside recently.
Someone had been watching him.
Someone had been hiding something.
And now they had discovered a possible source of the illness.
Everything was beginning to connect.
But one thing bothered Angelo more than all the rest.
If the mine was responsible for the sickness, why had his mother's company kept operating for so long?
He pulled out his phone and called Phoenix.
His mother's assistant answered.
"I need my mother's private records concerning South River."
"I'm afraid I can't provide those."
"Then put my mother on the phone."
"She isn't available."
Angelo looked toward the eastern mine.
"Tell her I'm going to find out what is happening here, with or without her permission."
He ended the call.
Daniel approached him.
"What now?"
Angelo looked toward the helicopter waiting at the mine compound.
"Now?"
He took a deep breath.
"We find someone who knows more than we do."
Russell frowned.
"Who?"
"Medical experts."
"From where?"
Angelo looked toward the sky.
"Somewhere far away from South River."
He turned toward the helicopter.
"We're running out of time."