Treetops beyond the bank swept up to meet the canopy on the cliff. ‘It’s shallow enough to climb,’ the Englishman decided.
‘We can land there,’ said Fortune, indicating a small muddy cove. He turned the tiller, Paris swinging his own craft to follow.
The water downriver of the falls was choppy, but both boats made it to land without being swamped, to the camera crew’s great relief. Fortune deliberately ran the bow aground, Eddie jumping out and grabbing a rope to hitch it to a tree. The second boat pulled up alongside. ‘Okay, unload everything, then we’ll drag it out of the river,’ said Eddie. The cargo was extracted, then he, Nina, Fortune, Wemba and — with a little reluctance — Fisher pulled the vessel on to the shore. Lydia eventually offered half-hearted assistance under Nina’s pointed gaze. Those aboard Paris’s boat followed suit, both vessels soon sitting beached on the bank.
‘Well, that was the easy part,’ said the Yorkshireman, surveying the waterfall. ‘Now we’ve got to get them up there!’
While the others ate, Eddie and Fortune scouted ahead, finding a relatively easy route up the slope to a stretch of riverbank safely clear of the waterfall’s quickening current. With six people carrying each boat, it took a little more than an hour to heave them up the hill.
‘Fitzcarraldo would be proud,’ said the sweating Nina as the craft were laid down beside the river. She took a GPS reading. ‘Only fifteen kilometres to go.’
‘Sunset is in less than four hours,’ Fortune cautioned. ‘We may not make it before dark.’
‘Let’s hope there aren’t any more waterfalls, then.’
‘Yeah, let’s,’ griped Lydia.
Everyone returned to the lower river to retrieve their cargo. Another half-hour passed before they returned and everything was reloaded. ‘Okay, where’s Jay?’ asked Fisher, looking around.
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake,’ Eddie said in dismay as he spotted the cameraman balancing precariously on a large boulder in the rushing river, filming the waterfall. ‘Why do people with cameras always have a death wish?’
‘That’s how they win awards — if they survive,’ the director joked. ‘Jay! We’re leaving!’ Rivero turned, wobbling alarmingly before catching himself and hopping back to shore.
This time there was little ceremony as the boats finally set out, just a tired desire to reach their destination. Once clear of the falls, their passage became as monotonous as before, the unbroken walls of trees along the flat, swampy land on each side almost claustrophobic. Conversation dried up in the muggy heat. Nina eventually broke the silence as she checked the GPS. ‘Three kilometres. Will we get there before sunset?’
‘I am not sure,’ Fortune replied.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ said Fisher, wiping sweat from his face. ‘We can send up the drone and see what’s ahead.’
‘How high can it go?’ Eddie asked.
‘In theory, over half a mile. I don’t think Howie’s ever taken it that high, though. But it’ll easily clear the trees.’
Everyone looked to Nina. ‘Sounds good to me,’ she said.
‘I almost thought you’d consider that cheating,’ said Lydia.
‘Why? I used technology to work out Zhakana’s location, so I’ve got no problem with using it in the field. Just because I like to be hands-on at a site doesn’t mean I have to grope around in the dark.’
‘We can land at that bank,’ said Fortune, pointing to a flat, marshy area within one of the river’s meanders.
‘Then let’s do it,’ said Fisher. He called to the second boat. ‘Howie! We’re going to stop. Get the drone ready.’ The production assistant gave him a thumbs-up.
They made landfall, mooring the boats. While Howie prepared the drone, everyone else gratefully took the opportunity to stretch their legs. ‘Don’t go too far,’ Paris cautioned as the group dispersed.
Nina went with Fisher to the second boat to speak to Howie, but saw Kimba having trouble getting out of the craft. ‘You okay, Masson?’ she asked, helping him on to land.
‘Yes, thank you,’ he replied. He was obviously experiencing discomfort, but trying to hide it behind a smile. ‘My leg.’ He patted his left thigh just below the hip. ‘I was beaten by a soldier when I was a boy. If I move, it is okay. If I am still for too long… it hurts.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Why? You did not beat me!’ Another smile, but this one was genuine. He rolled his hips, then took a few steps. ‘Already it is better. Thank you again, Dr Wilde.’
‘Call me Nina,’ she said, smiling back.
‘Okay, dudes, the drone’s ready,’ Howie announced. He placed the little aircraft on level ground, then opened one of the team’s slim laptops and plugged in a compact antenna dongle. After a few seconds, a window appeared showing the feed from the drone’s main camera — which from its current low angle was a comical view of Rivero standing nearby. ‘There’s a shot for the gag reel.’
‘Gag is right,’ offered Lydia as the unwitting cameraman tugged at his cargo shorts to adjust his underwear. ‘Can you change the channel?’
Howie snickered, then waggled his fingers. ‘Okay. Fly, my pretty!’
Rather than use a joystick, he worked the keyboard with the skill of a lifelong videogamer. The quadcopter’s rotors buzzed, lifting it into the air with hummingbird speed. ‘Where are we going?’ he asked.
‘West,’ said Nina. ‘There should be higher ground three kilometres away.’
He nodded. ‘Let’s see what we got.’ The drone jinked through gaps in the trees before soaring into open sky.
Nina and her companions watched the screen intently. A superimposed heads-up display told them the quadcopter’s altitude and bearing; it quickly rose to five hundred feet, turning west. ‘There’s your higher ground,’ Howie announced. With the lowering sun behind them, the hills and cliffs the drone revealed were mostly silhouetted, looming ominously over the jungle.
‘I can’t make out much detail,’ Nina said. ‘How much closer can you get?’
‘The camera’s got a five-times zoom, so that’ll help,’ the young man replied. ‘And the drone’s got a full charge, so over a mile before having to RTB. Return to base,’ he added, seeing her confusion.
‘Go for it,’ she told him. ‘But head south-west rather than due west — that way, the sun won’t be right behind the hills.’ The drone changed course, the jungle crabbing diagonally past below as it kept its camera fixed on the highlands.
Details appeared in the shadows. ‘That cliff, there,’ said Nina, pointing at a feature on the range’s edge. ‘Can you zoom in on it?’
‘Sure can.’ The image enlarged.
‘It could be the cliff from the map room…’ said Fisher, though with uncertainty.
Nina was more confident. ‘It looks a lot like it,’ she said. ‘There’s too much tree cover to see if there’s anything on top, though.’ The view gradually enlarged over the following minutes, but the jungle remained frustratingly opaque. ‘Dammit, we won’t spot anything from the air,’ she finally had to admit. ‘Not unless we get a lot closer.’
‘Not enough battery left for that,’ Howie said apologetically. ‘Gotta turn back soon.’
Fisher made a frustrated sound. ‘So near, yet so far.’
‘We can reach it in person,’ Nina reminded him. ‘Let’s get back in the boats. We might still make it before sundown.’
She called to Fortune, who in turn shouted for everyone to return. ‘You find it?’ Eddie asked as he reached her.
‘I think we’ve found the right place,’ she said. ‘As for whether there’s anything still there…’
He did a headcount, coming up short. ‘Someone’s missing. Where’s Cretien?’