Read Online Fault Line by Chris Ryan - Free Book Online

out of the aircraft, a strange black silhouette. As it came below the tree canopy the light changed and they realized what it was: two chainsaws, lashed together. All of them asked themselves the same question: why was the winch man sending down chainsaws?
    Li leaned close to Paulo so he could hear her above the noise of the heli. ‘Maybe you’re supposed to cut the robber’s leg off.’
    He looked at her and shrugged, just as mystified.
    The chainsaws were rustling through the lower leaves and heading for the ground. Hex went to grab one.
    ‘Don’t touch it!’ yelled Paulo. ‘You’ll get an electric shock. Aircraft build up a lot of static electricity. Let the cable touch the ground first.’
    Hex stopped where he was. ‘Whoa,’ he muttered to himself. ‘That could really liven up my day.’
    The chainsaws touched down and the rope went slack. Up above, more strange shapes were coming down on ropes. When they arrived they turned out to be fuel cans, two orange suits of protective chain-mail clothing and a metal box about the size of a shoebox.
    Once everything was safely unloaded, Alex waved up at the winch man. The ropes snaked back up into the sky. The winch man gave a final wave and the heli moved away.
    Once it had gone the jungle seemed strangely still and quiet.
    ‘OK, Alex,’ said Amber. ‘I thought he was picking us up. Why has he gone away again? And what are all these toys for?’
    ‘The pilot can’t land to pick up the stretcher,’ replied Alex. ‘He wants us to cut a landing zone.’
    Amber scratched her leg. The wait-a-while cuts were still really itchy and tender. She’d been hoping that if they went back to Belize City she could get some antibiotics. ‘This jungle business just gets better,’ she grumbled.
    Paulo was also disappointed not to be getting in a helicopter immediately, but the thought of an engineering challenge perked him up. ‘We want a flat area about thirty metres wide, with a firm surface. Not here,’ he added. ‘Those tombs won’t cope with ten tonnes of helicopter landing on them.’
    ‘We need to be on a ridge line,’ said Alex. ‘Then the trees will be easier to clear.’
    Amber unfolded the map briskly and pointed. ‘There’s an ideal spot just there. About ten minutes’ walk away.’ She was keen to get moving. When she had a job to do the wait-a-while itching wasn’t so bad.
    Alex nodded. ‘Yeah. Take someone and scout ahead; the rest of us can follow with the stretcher.’
    She picked up both chainsaws and swung one over to Hex. ‘Congratulations. You’re my pacesetter.’
    Hex barely caught it before she turned round and set off. ‘See you in a bit, guys,’ he said to the others.
    As soon as Hex started walking behind her, he was counting paces. It seemed like second nature now; once he got back to civilization he probably wouldn’t be able to stop himself doing it. It would be like a subroutine forever running in his head.
    As Hex and Amber disappeared, Paulo did a quick check on the patient. Not having a common language he couldn’t ask him how he was feeling, but he guessed the splint had made him more comfortable. Certainly his breathing was steadier. Paulo felt the man’s toes. Both feet were the same temperature. So no circulation problems yet.
    Meanwhile Alex cut the cord of the signal balloon with his knife. Another important rule of survival: never leave your distress markers once the call has been answered.
    The free end of the rope drifted up. Li came and watched as the balloon caught a thermal and shrank until it was only a dot in the sky. ‘Maybe we should have put a message on it: Dear Mum and Dad, Having a super time  . . .’
    The three prepared to follow the others, distributing the rest of the gear. Alex made a bee-line for the metal box. The others didn’t notice the smile playing across his lips as he put it in his bergen. He was sure it was going to make clearing the landing zone an awful lot more fun.
    Li and Paulo