Evil Star

sweating all the way. Pedro would never have flown in his life, so this helicopter had to look to him like some sort of oversize nightmare insect.
    The police cars were getting closer. Their headlights seemed to be Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star reaching out in front of them, eager to arrive first. Pedro stayed where he was. He pointed at the helicop-ter and snapped out a few ugly words. Atoc held up his hands — a gesture of surrender — but at the same time, he spoke again. His voice was soft despite the urgency. The first police car was perhaps a quarter of a mile away.
    At last Pedro turned to Matt. "Qué piensas tu?” he asked.
    Matt hoped he'd understood. "It's okay," he said. "I think we should go."
    Pedro let out a deep breath. He unclenched his fists, ran forward, and climbed in. Matt could see how much effort it took him. He followed. Atoc climbed into the front seat and punched at the controls. The rotors began to turn.
    Matt wondered if they had left it too late. It would be several minutes before the helicopter was ready for takeoff. The rotors were still turning so slowly he could see them. The police cars were close enough now for him to make out the men inside. Pedro wasn't even watching. As the engines began to scream, he went completely white and sat frozen, staring out at the sky. The first police car reached the car park and leaped over the gravel, heading toward them. But then its windscreen shattered and Matt saw that the Indian who had opened the door for them was holding a slingshot, the same weapon that Pedro had used. He had hurled a stone at the car and scored a direct hit. The police car wheeled round and came to a sudden halt.
    The second police car smashed straight into it, spinning it round.
    Both police cars stalled and sat still.
    The doors opened, and uniformed men tumbled out, pulling guns out of their holsters. The two Indians next to the helicopter turned and ran. Matt wondered what would happen next. They were sitting targets. The rotors still weren't turning fast enough. He glanced Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star round and saw the tourists diving for cover. One of the policemen took aim.
    But the rotors had picked up speed. Suddenly the dust rose in a cloud. The policemen disappeared from sight — Matt guessed they must have been blinded. Pedro cried out. The entire cabin rocked as Atoc played with the con-trols. Then he pushed forward and the helicopter lurched into the air, hovered for a moment, then spun round and flew into the moonlight. Behind them, the great stones of Sacsayhuaman quickly dwindled away.
    The policemen cursed and rubbed grit out of their eyes. But by the time they were able to look up, the helicop-ter had gone.

    Chapter 14 Through the Cloud
    Forest
    There was no view. As the helicopter droned on through the night, Matt was as disoriented as he had been when he'd first entered the wall. The lights of Cuzco had long since faded away behind them, and for a time the moon had been their only guide. But even that had disappeared, swallowed up by clouds so thick it was hard to believe they could actually float. Atoc remained clamped over the con-trols, his face lit by a soft, green light. The helicopter blades thudded at the air, but sometimes Matt got the impression that they weren't moving at all but had somehow got stuck in the gluey stillness of the night.
    Pedro hadn't spoken a word since the takeoff. Nor had he tried to Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star look out the window. His whole body was rigid, his eyes fixed on the pilot as if he couldn't believe he knew how to fly this machine —
    or might forget at any time. Eventually, he fell asleep and Matt must have followed him, because suddenly he was back at sea, making an altogether different journey, drifting with the tide.
    "Do you still think I'm one of the five?" Pedro asked.
    "Of course." Matt was surprised by the question. "Why do you ask?"
    "I'm a stupid coward. I was too scared to get into the helicopter. I almost got us caught by the police. I'm still scared now, even though I'm asleep."
    Matt shook his head. "You're not a coward," he said. "If you want the truth, I'm afraid of flying, too."
    "I saw planes flying out of Lima. When I was doing my juggling, near the airport. I could never understand how anything so heavy could fly. I still don't." Pedro scowled. 'You really think I'm one of the five?"
    "I know you are. And I'm glad you're with me,