FRANK PAYNE AND THE MYSTERIOUS CAVE

-- Epilogue --

It was early when Mark removed the last stones from his father, who was still unconscious. He only discovered the sun rising over the horizon when he pulled him from the heap of rubble to the portal, where he walked through with Thomas on his shoulder, dragging him through the darkness until they reached the lake of Marbo Cave, which was slightly lit by the rays of day. It took a few good minutes until the famous miraculous waters of the cave decided to manifest and restore some of the officer's energy, waking him up from that long and distressing faint.

"Mark, are you, my son?"

"Yes father. I'm right here with you."

"And where are we?"

"At the Marbo Cave in Guam."

"Where are my clothes?" Thomas asked, turning to the boy and glaring at him with his enraged gaze.

Mark pointed to the wooden deck that sat next to the lake they were on, and Thomas, still struggling, crawled through the lake waters until he reached his belongings.

"Brat, where's that damn cell phone of yours?"

"It's with me, in my backpack. I took it from your pocket when I rescued you on that slip."

"Can't you see I need it? Deliver me now!"

Thomas, who had turned off Mark's cell phone as soon as it lost signal in that mysterious cave, had saved the rest of his battery in case an emergency should arise, for example, right that moment.

"Great, we have some signal here."

"Naval Base, Lieutenant Anderson, good morning."

"Lieutenant, this is General Wolf. Call Major Preston now.

"Rear Admiral Wolf?" Are you alive? Where is it? How can we help you, sir?"

"Did you not hear my orders, Lieutenant?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm putting the call through to Major Preston. I'm sorry again."

"Preston on orders."

"Major, call your contacts right now and find out if any filthy bastard named Frank Payne have taken a flight at the airport and what his destination is."

"Yes sir. I'll call right away. Do you need me to send some helicopter to pick you up, sir?"

"Where are we?" Thomas asked, kicking Mark with his leg so the swoony boy would pay attention.

"In the Marbo cave."

'Yes, in Marbo Cave, Major. But first, find out what I ordered you now."

"Okay, Admiral."

"Not Admiral, General."

"Yes, sir General," Major Preston replied, somewhat confused, wanting to get off the phone as soon as possible.

Not even five minutes passed when Mark's cell phone received the expected call.

"General, Major Preston again..." But before roll call was completed, the battery ran out, irritating the officer, who threw the device with such force that it hit a rock and shattered it into three hundred pieces.

Mark, who didn't want to be his father's punching bag again, backed away as far as he could while Thomas walked towards the cave exit. The boy spent a few more minutes contemplating that place before joining his father. After listening to all the rudeness and swallowing the kicks that Thomas insisted on giving him, he allowed himself to feel again the infinite desire for revenge.

In a few moments, a helicopter flew over the place, stopping a few yards from where they were. The two walked towards the airlift, where the major who had lost contact with the official tyrant awaited them.

"Sir, I think the call dropped and I couldn't warn you, it seems the boy took a plane last night to Reykjavík in Iceland, along with two other people, Walter Payne and Barbara Bell."

"Those filthy rascals. When will they get there, Major?"

"Looks like the flight takes about twelve hours, sir, so by my calculations they should be arriving by now."

"And what are you waiting for to request their arrest, major?"

Preston took out his cell phone and called his contacts, to order the detention of the trio alleging superior demands, but the Icelandic police asked him to inform them which crime the three people participated in, as there were no specific cases or any arrest in the act. Anyway, nothing they could do.

"Major, request a ticket for the first flight to Reykjavík. I won't let them spread terrorism to the four corners of the world, even if some countries ridicule them with their outdated laws, they don't want to help us."

"Not once, two majors," said Mark, who until then had been quiet in his corner. "I have some scores to settle, and I've faced them, and I know how we can put an end to them."

Thomas, with his piercing gaze, saw fury and revenge in his son's eyes, nodding his head affirmatively and smiling out.

"You heard the boy, Major. Buy two tickets, one-way."