SUNGLASSES AND ROCKETS Part 1 : New Moon

T-42

We arrived at ten in the morning. After going through immigration and picking up the considerable amount of luggage belonging to Dr. Masterton, we found ourselves ready to leave the airport. We were going through one of the exits, when two security guards dashed up to us. They said something in Spanish. The porter, who was pushing the luggage along on a car, stopped.

"What are they saying?" Darwin asked me.

"I'm not sure, I think they're inspectors or something like that...it looks like they want to see what's inside those black boxes."

The two enormous wooden boxes drew attention to themselves. They were covered in orange stickers and bore the words: FRAGILE—GLASS.

The doctor went up to the suspicious agents with a big smile. I did not understand what he said to them, but almost immediately they started to chat amicably in Spanish. Felix hovered on the periphery, completely indifferent to the conversation.

After a few minutes, the doctor and the two guards let out a huge guffaw, and while laughing, the doctor turned towards us and motioned to us silently, stay outside.

We automatically obeyed. Before leaving, I saw the doctor and Felix walking with the inspectors, as well as the luggage, towards an office.

"What could be in those boxes?" I said, intrigued.

"Whatever it is..." my friend replied, looking back over his shoulder, "I doubt the doctor wants to reveal it..."

Darwin adjusted his glasses.

"My God!" he yelped.

I turned around. Two slim, olive-skinned girls with lustrous black hair were going down the stairs leading to the second level of the airport, just a few steps away from us.

Both of them were wearing shorts. No doubt they noticed my friend's insistent stare, since they flashed us mischievous smiles. Darwin said a word to them in Spanish.

"Ssssseñoritasssss!"

And nodding his head thoughtfully, he continued in English:

"That is just the beginning...only just the beginning."

Just then the luggage cart appeared by the exit, pushed along by the porter. The doctor and Felix came behind. They came up to us, and I saw that the black boxes were still intact.

"Everything's fine," the doctor laughed.

Felix hailed a cab.

"Don't you think it was a bit risky to come on a commercial airline, doctor?" I asked. "With everything that it implies? You know, problems with customs and...well..."

"To the contrary, Gordo. I know what you're talking about, but it's a thousand times safer to come as tourists..." he lowered his voice, and said in a confidential tone, "I shouldn't arouse the slightest suspicion... Understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"So remember," he went on, "we are merely tourists..."

At least Darwin and I looked like tourists, since we hardly understood Spanish.

"And what if someone asks us?" Darwin intervened. "What do we say?"

"Say that you're coming here with me, for...for archaeological reasons," he paused and looked at his watch: "Anyway, we'll only be in Guatemala for 42 hours..."