Alexander Zubkov - Ascension. Saksaywaman. Shard of eternity

– Forgive me for being blunt, – Matthew protested, – burden isn't quite the right word. Believe me I've been in situations where I could only survive on my own. If I'd had a partner with me, even one of my own calibers, we'd have been stuck there for ages. And there have been several such situations. That's why I'm a loner. I don't have much skill in teamwork.

– I see, – confused the girl, completely drooping. – To tell you the truth, I don't know who I could trust as much as I trust you. So there's no one I can take.

– Well, let's not lose heart, – encouraged her Matthew. – Let's change our plan a little. We'll go together. We'll survey the area. Determine age. How long will that take, by the way?

– I can't say definitively, – Linda concluded. – So many factors can affect the analysis. In addition to chemical studies, we would have to look at the inscriptions and writings. We would also have to study the climatic conditions of the area at different points in time…

– Is that possible? – Matthew interrupted her.

– Science never stands still, – the girl stipulated with an expert look. – It's not only possible, it's not even very difficult. But you would need close visual inspection and painstaking analysis of all the samples. Any little detail could make a decisive difference. If we take an average timeframe for this kind of work, the two of us can do it in three weeks.

– Great, – Matthew said enthusiastically. – In the meantime I'll survey the surroundings and make the necessary contacts. As you say, every little detail may be important here, but which one? So it's just the two of us. I will take care of the tickets and equipment, and you will prepare the equipment and authorize its transportation. In the evening, we call to discuss and adjust plans.

– I'll need some cash to buy some reagents and arrange a work visa to take the equipment out. How will we travel, by the way? This is necessary to know in order to get the paperwork.

– Our route will take us tentatively through Portugal, where we'll take a flight the day after tomorrow, – Matthew stipulated. – From there we'll take a boat to Brazil, and it won't take long to get to the mainland.

– О!… – Linda exclaimed with undisguised pleasure. – Oh, that is simply splendid! A cruise across the Atlantic would be a dream come true. But it's too expensive and time-consuming, isn't it? Why should it be?

– You know I speak Spanish quite well and that most of the South American population speaks Spanish dialects. While we're sailing, I can learn three, maybe four basic ones. The sound of the waves creates a great atmosphere for learning, well, and for relaxing too. I recently finished a case and was planning on taking a break, but offers like this are not to be turned down. Moreover, it is in your part too.

– Thank you, Matthew, – Linda replied, looking warmly at the man sitting across from her. – I may never get the chance to go there. It is a really important trip for me, which will give quite a lot of material for my further work.

– I hope you understand that all our results are closed to the scientific community, – cautioned Matthew, looking seriously into her eyes. – This is a private commission, and the customer pays a lot of money just to keep the results out of the hands of the public.

– Of course, – Linda answered calmly. – But the results and conclusions may be indirectly useful to me in other studies. I will not mention this expedition.

– Good, – said Matthew calmly. – It's nice when work brings not only money, but also pleasure. Isn't it?

– Definitely, – agreed Linda. – Your profession wouldn't make sense otherwise. Besides, if you're not into it, you're not likely to get to the top.

– I agree, – Matthew nodded. – Now that we've discussed all the working points, we can focus on the food. I love the way the prawns are cooked here. They're not boiled, but just lightly fried, which keeps them tender. I do that too.

– You couldn't tell before? – Linda smiled. – Now I want to try them too! May I steal some off your plate because I'm drooling?

– Sure, – Matthew smiled and moved the plate to her friend.

She looked around making sure no one was looking, and took the shrimp with two fingers. She took a bite, covered her eyes, and chewed it slowly.

– It's just great! – she drawled. – Can you cook like that?

– Everything is ingenious, – Matthew replied. – I'm not fond of culinary delights, so I make the simplest dishes. That's why they turn out so tasty.

– I've never tasted anything like that. If you get a chance, can you show me how to make such a delicious dish? I will definitely include this dish in my diet.

– Let me order for you, – Matthew suggested. – You saw, it's quick to make.

– Thank you, Matthew. I'll take one more and that's enough. Let's wrap it up, there's really a lot of work today. I'll take care of some business, and then I'll do the paperwork on the equipment. It's not that easy.

– I agree, – he told as he finished his portion. – Do you want me to call you a cab?

– No. It's not far from here to my work. I'll stop by the lab first, and then I'll call a car from there.

– Okay, come on, I'll walk you out for a while, – Matthew said as he got up from the table.

After paying the bill and thanking the waiter, they left the hospitable establishment for the street, which was lively in front of their eyes. Friends said goodbye, and Matthew decided to walk for a while, as he could not do anything until he talked to Andrew. The clouds had long since cleared and the bright sun was shining, leaving no trace of rain on the sidewalks. Before he had even walked a hundred paces, Matthew heard the phone ring.

– Good afternoon, – sounded a breathless voice of a friend. – I've been running around all morning. I met our client's confidant, Mr. Lambert.

– How did it go? – Matthew asked.

– You won't believe it. His Russian wasn't much better than my English. But we worked it out. The result – the money is in your accounts. Please check the receipt of funds and call me immediately if there are any problems.

– Sure, I'll check it right away. We don't have a lot of time.

– We do? – Andrew was surprised. – You said that my mission ends after financial matters.

– Yes, sorry, – Matthew answered. – That's right. I think there shouldn't be any problems. I just met with the professor, and she's agreed to be part of the group. Of course, that was what I was counting on, but you should have seen the pleasure she took in it.

– How can you refuse such a lucrative offer? – laughed Andrew.

– You don't understand, – insisted Matthew. – We haven't even talked about the financial side of it. But her eyes really lit up. She was really excited about this trip. And she told me things about South America that would make anyone's hair stand on end.

– I'm sorry, – Andrew interrupted. – I think this is not a phone conversation. Maybe you could come over and talk to me. By the way, you promised to introduce me to her.

– Of course – I will definitely drop by. If we can, we will come together.

– Now we're talking. I'll be expecting you at my place. We won't be seeing each other much longer now, and I'd like to have a quiet time together.

– All right, – Matthew agreed. – See you soon.

After the positive news about the financial side of the matter Matthew began to prepare. He had been on many such trips before, so everything was going smoothly. He visited several stores and found himself with a respectable arsenal of travel gear, from small carbines to flares that were not covered by the travel ban. The crowning feature of his equipment was a set of knives that could be used for self-defense if necessary. Matthew was a master of this type of weapon and when camping he never missed an opportunity to stash this deadly toy in a special calf-bandage. He also paid special attention to phrasebooks on the dialects of South American tribes. Of course, it is almost impossible to find this kind of literature on the regular market, but Linda helped him in this matter by providing him with quite a decent supply of guides to the dialects of Peru and Chile, which formed the basis for the Mapudungun and Quechan dialects. These languages, related to Spanish, required scrupulous training, which Matthew planned to do while crossing the Atlantic. He planned to replenish the lack of vocabulary when he met the expedition groups working there.