Alexander Zubkov - Ascension. Saksaywaman. Shard of eternity

Now it remained to take care of the tickets. By evening Matthew dropped off the passports to a travel agent's friend, informed him of the group and the route he wished to take, and, having thanked him for his urgency, headed for home.

«So far everything is going pretty smoothly, – he thought as he sat down in his favorite chair. – But the most important part of the preparations lay with Linda. She assured me everything was fine, but crossing several countries is not so easy».

Still, deciding to trust a professional, he chased away his anxiety and fell into a sound, healthy sleep. That night colorful dreams did not disturb him and Matthew woke up the next morning alert and full of energy. After paying due attention to his morning workout, he decided to call Linda first of all.

– Good morning, – Matthew began. – Sorry to interrupt, but frankly, I'm a little worried about the permit to transport the equipment. Are you sure I can't help?

– Absolutely sure, – Linda confirmed. – I've done all I can. I'll have the papers by noon, and if our itinerary remains the same, there won't be any problem.

– Let's hope they don't let us down with the tickets, too, – he answered. – If you have almost everything ready, I invite you to dinner at my friend's place. We'll discuss what we're going to do next.

– With great pleasure, – Linda agreed. – Is it okay to mention our trip in front of him, because you said it was confidential?

– That's right, – Matthew confirmed. – But the customers contacted me through Andrew, and he will directly help us with questions that can be solved remotely.

– I see. Of course, I'd be happy to. What time is the meeting scheduled for?

– Andrew didn't give us any time constraints. I've already done my business, so tell me when it's convenient for you?

– Drop by at six, – Linda said after a moment's hesitation. – I won't need much time.

– Understood, – Matthew answered briefly. – You'll have to wait.

At half past seven p.m. the friends were standing at the gate of the mansion, looking forward to a pleasant conversation with a good dinner. The door of the house opened, and the owner appeared on the threshold, who hurried to meet them with a big smile.

– Good evening, – Andrew greeted his guests.

– Good evening, – Matthew shakes his friend's hand. – Let me introduce you to the professor of archeology, my old acquaintance and now companion, Miss Linda Chizhevskaya.

– Pleased to meet you, – the girl smiled amiably.

– I did not think that the title of professor is awarded immediately after graduation! – Elegantly joked Andrew. – Besides, I had no idea that archaeology and beauty could somehow be combined in one person.

Linda smiled embarrassedly, and her cheeks flushed.

– Thanks for the compliment, but I was promoted to professor exactly nine years after I graduated from grad school. I'm only three years younger than Matthew.

– It's amazing! – Andrew exclaimed. – I never would have told you that. You look amazing. And, by the way, to get a professor in such a short time is very rare. Or am I wrong?

– It can be faster. It all depends on the results, well, it takes luck. But if you set a goal and follow it, you will achieve what you want. Nothing in the world is impossible.

– Forgive me, please come into the house, otherwise I keep you on the threshold. But I think it's forgivable – any man would be confused here.

– Don't worry about it, – Matthew answered, helping Linda to take off her jacket. – The cozy, homey atmosphere was inviting. Besides, it smells pretty good.

– Yes, I ordered an excellent pizza. It just arrived. I used to help a buddy of mine open a pizza place, so I get the tastiest, freshest pizza I've ever had. Have a seat on the couch by the fireplace.

– What I love in private homes are fireplaces, – shared his dream Matthew, looking at the fire. – You know about my passion.

– Why don't you do it in your apartment? – Linda asked. – I heard there are bio-fireplaces now and you don't need a cooker hood.

– There are bio and electric fireplaces, – agreed Matthew. – But there's no substitute for a real fire. When the wood crackles in the fireplace, I feel a strange and incomparable feeling of peace.

– Yes, yes, I know your passion for fire, that's why I lit it before you came, – Andrew nodded, distributing pizza to his guests. – How's the packing going?

– My gear is ready, – Matthew answered, – I'll have the tickets in hand soon. Linda was taking care of the paperwork for the transport of the equipment. So far everything is going swimmingly.

– Things always go smoothly when you are dealing with you, – she smiled.

– The main thing is to have a clear and unwavering intention, – said Matthew, his voice becoming theatrical. – Isn't that what you told me?

She nodded.

– Yes, I did. By the way, a number of world-renowned scientists are working on that question. Not all the results are made public, but even the few that are made public are enough to take it as truth.

– You talk very interestingly, – joined the conversation Andrew. – I'll be sure to experiment. But let's discuss our expedition a little, though. Bring me up to date, because I shall have to meet Mr. Lambert and give indirect reports.

– No problem, – Matthew answered, enjoying a hot pizza. – Everything turned out just great with the tickets, though we had to pay a little too much, but given our capabilities, or rather the capabilities of our client, we can afford it. So, tomorrow we leave for Portugal at noon. We only take Linda's equipment with us. We will spend the night in Portugal and the day after tomorrow we will take the liner to Brazil. Of course, this is not the most convenient route, it would be easier and faster to sail to Venezuela, but there are reasons for this. First, Venezuela does not border Peru, and the final destination, as we know, is located there. Going through Brazil, we would only have to cross one border, which is much more convenient. Second, there is a group of specialists in Brazil, including a good friend of mine. It would be foolish not to visit him and ask him about the intricacies of living with the natives, since the main emphasis will be on getting to know and communicate with them. All the basic equipment will be on a cargo flight and will be waiting for us in Peru. Now ready to answer questions.

– After such an exhaustive report, there can hardly be any questions, – assessed the depth of the plan Andrew. – In any case, everything is clear to me, and to you Linda.

– As for the trip, – Linda went on, – the itinerary looks more like a walk than a business trip. Though, I must confess, I've been dreaming of traveling by ship for a long time.

– You're absolutely right, – Matthew agreed. – But the fact is that I recently finished serious work and planned to have a little rest, and this order has made adjustments to my plans. First of all, it's interesting from the financial point of view, and secondly, it's of personal interest to me. It is not even a job, but more of a hobby. Now we are counting the time. We would not fly straight to Peru because of the need to visit the expedition team in Brazil. Direct flights to Brazil take a very long time, which means we would have to fly from Portugal. Including the overnight stay, that's two days. We would also spend about two days in Brazil. Moving to Peru takes three days. That makes seven. Now let's take our itinerary. It is the same, only instead of flying to Brazil, we will sail. That will extend our trip by five days. That makes a total of twelve. Compared to the total duration of the trip, that's nothing. Besides, on the way I will be able to expand my knowledge of the local dialects and get some rest, which, by the way, is very useful before a difficult case. These are all my considerations.