Waste Not Want Not, Chapter XXXI

The next morning found the two back in the first entry chamber of the cave. They had plenty of gear which they had been storing in the entrance.
Today they decided to explore a small opening they had not yet been into. The hole was about four feet high and around three feet across.
The men were wearing coveralls, tucked into their hiking boots. They each wore a miner’s hard hat with it’s lamp over the brim.
“I’ll go in first,” said Conrad.
Conrad crawled into the cave on all fours. He had a coil of line hooked onto his belt. Paul fed the line back through the opening and attached it firmly to a climbing piton driven into the cave wall.
In a few minutes Conrad spoke to Paul on the small two way radio just like the one Paul had.
“I am through into what looks like another large chamber.”
Paul replied “I hear you loud and clear. Hold on and I’ll send you a bigger light.”
Paul then took a powerful flashlight and looped the cord around it.
“OK, pull it through.”
“My God! There is something here. You’ve got to see this!” Conrad’s voice crackled with excitement.
“OK. I’ll join you as soon as I can get through here,” Paul answered.
Paul entered and slowly crawled towards the light he could see through the tunnel. Paul had always had a touch of claustrophobia, He did not like being in a place like this but he was able to once again muster his will and self control and put his nervousness aside.
Soon he emerged and joined Conrad.
“Look,” said Conrad as he shone his light into the inky darkness.
There, before them, was an incredible sight. It was a pyramid, very much like the great pyramid at Chichen Itza known as El Castillo, meaning castle, in Spanish. It was built on a much smaller scale but an amazing sight to see so far underground.
Paul had done some research on the Mayas and he knew that Chichen Itza could be translated as “At the mouth of the well of the Itza.” The Itza were living alongside the Mayans on the north. They were able to maintain an autonomous nation though they were well located into Mayan territory. However they dominated their area politically, culturally and spoke their own language.
The Mayans believed they had magical powers and did not violate their autonomy.
The Spanish called them Brujas del Aqua or “water sorcerers.”
There was also a large cave near Chichen Itza which was believed to be a sacred place.
Ever since Paul had first seen some of the structures in the ante chamber he had made a connection with the Mayas or a similar culture. He was sure of it now. He was also beginning to think El Indio may have been telling him the truth all along.

Waste Not, Want Not, Chapter XXX

The relationship between the two men far transcended their professional relationship. Even so Conrad was always reluctant to discuss Paul’s business. He usually kept that part strictly business and it wasn’t his business! So the question Paul asked as they sat and sipped their drinks was unusual.
“Mr. Hewitt?” Paul quizzed, he still referred to Paul as Mr. Hewitt.
“Just what is it you plan to do with this cave and this place?”
“Well Conrad, you might as well know. Myself and some of my associates want to use this place as a secret storage for nuclear fissionable materials and weapons banned in the SALT Treaty and other arms agreements with the former Soviets. Also we want to store some discontinued research projects we think have potential,” replied Paul.
Paul continued. “The possession of these weapons and materials are in direct violation of all of our arms agreement with the old USSR and the current agreements as well. So we decided to do this covertly and without the knowledge of the U.S. government. We already have a few small such sites sprinkled around in remote and mostly unknown places. We figured we might need these things again someday so we want to be prepared.”
Paul took a drink and went on. “We thought this place might be the best site we have found so far. It is unknown and isolated and the cavern here is big enough to hold a huge inventory.”
Paul described how he and his associates did not trust the Russians and he said they certainly did not trust the new Russian President.
“Vladimir Putin is old KGB. I would never trust him. I think he is still, at heart, a dedicated cold war warrior and I don’t think we should ever turn our back to him.”
“Are there other storage sites around the country?” asked Conrad.
“Oh yes, and in other countries too. We have managed to keep a lid on it pretty well. You didn’t even know,” said Paul.
“Well, I’m not going to give up on this project,” said Paul. “We’re going back down into the cave again and then, if it checks out as I hope it well, we will return to Washington and start moving forward.”
“You know I have always backed you up and have been willing to help on whatever you are doing but I am having a seriously bad feeling about this. I really think we should shut that hole up and get the hell out of here, “ said Conrad.
“We’re not going to do that. I have spent too much time and money and I want to get it done. If you have a problem with this, you can take a vacation for awhile, go anywhere you want and stay as long as like, all expenses paid.”
“No, I don’t want to do that. I am with you no matter what,” said Conrad.