by John Sneeden
He glanced at his watch. It had been about half an hour since their last conversation. Bennett had been positioned just uphill, so he should have been the first to arrive. Brett said that it would take him and Artur fifteen minutes, which meant they should be here as well.
Zane ran a hand through his long locks. He had no choice. He needed to find the other team. The women and civilians had to be his top priority.
Turning his head slightly, he whispered, “We go down.”
Hearing nothing in response, Zane turned completely around. Osak was no longer there.
He let out a groan of frustration. Apparently the independence bug had bitten his indigenous friend again. At least he knew the boy would be safe. He was probably better equipped to survive out here than anyone, even someone carrying a gun.
After checking for movement one last time, Zane stole across the intersection. Once on the other side, he found a trail that led downhill. He’d seen it when they’d arrived earlier. This one was steeper than the others they’d traveled, forcing him to slow his pace considerably.
About ten minutes later, he came to a halt not far from the valley floor. He thought he heard something just ahead, so he ducked behind a tree on the right side of the path.
As he waited, his eyes caught something about twenty yards away. The movement was slight, a shifting shadow behind a bush.
Suddenly a familiar voice carried up the slope. “Zane?”
Brett.
Zane stepped from behind the tree and moved quickly down the slope. Soon Brett came into view, standing in the middle of the trail. As Zane drew near, another figured appeared out of the shadows. Jorge.
“That’s a good way to get yourself killed,” Zane said. “I thought you were a jungle cat.”
“Couldn’t be sure it was you. The fog is too thick to see much of anything right now.” Brett looked Zane over. “What happened?”
“Long story. I had a run-in with another one of our Chinese friends. It’s why I was late.”
Brett nodded. “We even tried to raise both of you on the radio.”
“I lost mine in the fight. I’m assuming Bennett never responded?”
“No,” Brett replied. “In fact, the radio isn’t functioning at all now. The signal is dead. Nothing.”
Zane’s eyes narrowed. “Strange.”
“Anyway, after waiting for a while, we realized that the others might need help, so we—”
“No, you did the right thing. The safety of the civilians trumps everything.”
“So you got jumped by another soldier?”
Zane nodded. “He looked like some sort of bizarre scientific experiment gone wrong. I’m still not sure if he was even a man.”
“That’s two notches for Watson tonight,” Brett said.
“Had our indigenous friend not come along, I wouldn’t have survived the second one.”
Brett frowned. “Osak? Where is he?”
“Gone. He took off again to who knows where.”
Brett looked back toward the village. “What do you think happened to Bennett?”
“I have no idea. He should’ve been the first one back. I’m hoping he’s just holed up somewhere, hiding from the Chinese.” He turned and looked down the path. “Who knows, maybe he had the same idea we did.”
“We need to get moving,” Jorge said.
Zane nodded. He was right. They’d talked long enough. “Where are we exactly?”
“The valley floor is about thirty or forty yards ahead,” Brett said.
“There’s a large clearing down there,” Jorge added, “just like the girl said.”
“Let’s go,” Zane said.
Several minutes later, they arrived at the clearing. Zane had never seen fog so thick in his life. It was like trying to move through a burning house.
Jorge looked around, clearly uncomfortable. “We could run into someone and not know until it’s too late.”
“If anyone else is down here, then they’re dealing with the same issues we are,” Zane said. “And my guess is that the Chinese are still up in the village.” He looked down the line of trees. “Speaking of which, let’s get moving.”
Using Rebecca’s directions, he led them south along the edge of the clearing. The fog limited visibility to anywhere from ten feet to fifty yards. Zane wished he still had his visor, although he realized it wouldn’t be able to detect the Chinese.
Jorge suddenly stopped. “What’s that noise?”
Zane paused and looked at him. “What noise?”
The Brazilian pointed toward the trees on their right. “You don’t hear that buzzing?”
Brett looked up. “He’s right.”
Zane suddenly realized what they were referring to. A steady hum was coming from the rainforest. He’d been so focused on threats inside the clearing that he hadn’t noticed it before.
“It sounds like cicadas, only more intense,” Brett said. “Reminds me of standing under one of those transformers in the summer as a kid.”
As he moved his eyes across the canopy, Zane noticed an orb bouncing in and out of the foliage. Is that what was making the sound? Was it some form of communication? “I wish we had time to figure it out, but we don’t.” He gave them the signal to move out.
After a few more minutes of walking, the jungle rose up in front of them, marking the end of the clearing.
“We’re here,” Jorge said.
Zane pointed to their left. “Rebecca said the trail to the temple was on this end. Let’s see what we can find.”
The three continued along the edge of the woods, looking for any breaks in the dense foliage. Jorge took the lead, followed by Zane and Brett.
Two minutes later, the Brazilian gave a low whistle and pointed to something just ahead. When Zane arrived, Jorge turned his flashlight on briefly, illuminating a path that ran south through the trees.
“Bingo,” Brett said.
Jorge turned off the light. “This has to be it.”
Zane nodded. “I agree. Let’s…” His eyes locked on something just down the line of trees.
“What’s wrong?” Brett asked.
Zane continued to stare. When the fog had swirled away moments earlier, he could have sworn he’d seen a figure moving north away from the jungle.
“Zane, what’s wrong?” Brett asked again.
“I’m not sure,” he whispered.
“Was it someone from the other team?” Brett asked.
“I don’t think so. I think it was a person, but it might have been an animal.”
Brett removed his pistol. “Let’s go have a look.”
Zane looked at him. “No, I want both of you to head to the temple. I’ll catch up in just a sec.”
“We’re not going to just let you run out there on your own.”
Zane held up a hand. “It was probably nothing, but I need to go check it out.”
“He’s right, we don’t need to split up again,” Jorge said.
“It won’t take long,” Zane replied. “I’ll figure out what it was, and if it was nothing, I’ll catch up with you guys in a couple of minutes.”
Brett was about to say something, but Zane nodded at the trail. “Go! Two minutes… I promise.”
And with that, Zane turned and sprinted off into the fog. He didn’t like separating either, but he had no choice. He needed them to continue in the search for the other team, but unless he was going crazy, he knew he’d just seen someone walking.
He’d noted the direction the figure was moving and tried to put himself on the same general path. But without having the jungle as a landmark, he realized it was going to be almost impossible to stay on a straight line.
As he continued north, Zane’s thoughts turned back to the shadowy figure. He’d originally thought it was a man, but now he couldn’t be so sure. It looked small and thin, almost like a primate. No self-respecting monkey should be running around out here, he thought.
A few minutes later, he came to a halt. He should hav
e caught up with the figure by now. He pivoted in several directions, squinting into the fog. Making matters worse, the humming seemed louder now, making it impossible to hear footsteps.
Where are you? Show yourself.
As Zane looked north, he saw movement about thirty or forty yards away. It was the same figure, and from this angle it appeared to be carrying something. Seconds later, it disappeared into a swirling cloud of gray.
Marking the spot, Zane sprinted forward. A minute later, he saw a dark shadow walking just ahead. The figure stopped and spun around. Zane crouched, reducing his profile.
A blanket of fog swirled in front of him. After passing, the figure was gone again.
Zane stood and began to walk, removing his Glock and chambering a round.
Suddenly his surroundings seemed strange. This part of the clearing was darker, much darker. Finally, he stopped and looked up. To his surprise, the sky was no longer visible. All he could see above him was opaque black. No stars, no moon, nothing.
He shifted his gaze slightly to the right, then to the left. The black ceiling extended in every direction.
And then it hit him…
He was standing underneath a giant craft.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
“SHOULD WE TURN on our lights?” Jorge asked as he and Brett moved slowly down the path.
“No, let’s keep them off,” Brett said.
“What or who do you think he saw back there?”
“Zane?” Brett looked over at the Brazilian. “I think it was someone from the other team. I mean, who else would be out here?”
Jorge shrugged. “Chinese maybe.”
As the two continued walking in silence, Brett’s mind turned back to Zane. He wished the operative hadn’t gone off on his own. Separating the team never seemed to be a good idea. Each time they did that, trouble arose. If it was only going to take him a couple of minutes, then why not do it together?
“Did you hear that?” Jorge asked.
“Hear what?”
The Brazilian stopped, a frown spreading over his face. Brett remained perfectly still, trying to figure out what he was referring to. A few seconds later, he heard it, the soft sound of voices. There was a group of people just around the next bend in the trail.
“You hear it now?” Jorge asked.
Brett nodded, pulling out his pistol. “Let’s try to get closer.”
As they neared the bend, the voices grew louder. Whoever was speaking wasn’t very far ahead.
Finally, Brett was able to hear what one of them was saying. “We’ve waited long enough. I’m going back to look for her.”
Max.
Brett started walking and gave a low whistle. “Hey, it’s me, Brett.”
The voices grew quiet, then a flashlight clicked on. The beam bounced around before finally coming to rest on Brett’s face. He lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the light.
“Brett?” It was Amanda. “Thank goodness it’s you.”
Brett and Jorge clicked on their flashlights as the two groups walked toward each other.
“You guys were making enough noise to be heard in Sao Paulo,” Jorge said to Artur.
As the others drew near, Brett only counted four people: Amanda, Rebecca, Max, and Artur. Where were Tocchet and Katiya?
Amanda ran up to Brett and gave him a hug then pulled back. “Please tell me you’ve seen Katiya.”
“Katiya?” Brett frowned. “No, why?”
“She went back to the temple to get her radio,” Max explained. “We’ve been waiting here for her. She should’ve been back by now. We were hoping she’d somehow gotten past us.”
“She’d have been better off just leaving it,” Brett said, holding up his radio. “They’re not working anymore.”
Max shook his head.
“So tell me… what’s going on?” Amanda asked. “What was Zane trying to tell us earlier?”
After exchanging a glance with Jorge, Brett said, “We saw a craft over the summit.”
Rebecca visibly stiffened. “What did it look like?”
“It was hard to tell. Lights ran along each side. It flew south over the clearing, sweeping the area with some sort of blue beam.”
“Which way did it go?” Rebecca asked.
“The last we saw, it was moving in this direction.”
Artur frowned. “Did it land?”
“We don’t know,” Brett said. “One minute it was there, and the next it just disappeared.”
Max exhaled loudly. “Just like Katiya. Look, this is all very interesting, but I’m going back to look for her. The rest of you can stay here—”
“Wait,” Brett said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “I think I may know where she is.”
“I thought you just told us you hadn’t seen her,” Max said in a raised voice.
“I meant we never saw her pass us on the trail.” Brett nodded back the way they’d come. “Just a few minutes ago, Zane thought he saw someone out in the clearing.”
“Did it look like Katiya?” Max asked.
“It was hard to tell who it was because of the fog. He went to check it out and told us to keep going.”
“That has to be her,” Max said.
“I’d say that’s a good guess, but at this point—”
“Guys.” Amanda suddenly pointed at something in the distance. “I think we have something coming our way.”
Rebecca looked up and let out a little gasp.
Brett turned around. At first he looked back down the trail, then his eyes were drawn upward to something in the sky. It was several miles away but seemed to be growing larger.
As he watched, chill bumps spread across his body.
Another craft was on its way.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
ZANE GAZED IN wonder at the imposing size of the craft. No matter which direction he looked, he could only see its dark metal underside. It dwarfed anything he’d ever seen, including military transport planes.
Suddenly he heard a hiss, followed by the sound of hydraulics.
He turned in the direction of the sound. Something moved through the fog. He crept closer. Someone was climbing a ramp, and they appeared to be carrying someone in their arms. And then they were gone.
Zane stood in place, confused by what he had just seen. Was it really a man? It seemed so at the time, and yet there was something odd about his shape.
What if it was someone from the other team? Zane dismissed the thought immediately. The person had left the jungle and made a beeline for the craft, which had been cloaked by the fog. Only someone with an intimate knowledge of the craft’s location could’ve done that.
He clenched his jaw as he considered what to do next. He’d promised Brett and Jorge that he’d return, but only if it turned out to be nothing. This was something. He had also seen someone in the man’s arms. The question of who it might be disturbed him.
Throwing caution to the wind, Zane sprinted forward. Soon the ramp came into view. It was wider than he’d expected. He looked toward the top, but the view was obscured by swirling fog.
He placed a foot on its surface then stopped. A distant sound reached his ears, causing him to turn his head slightly. It sounded like the drone of an engine. The noise grew louder, indicating it was moving in the direction of the summit. Was it another craft? If so, then he needed to move quickly. He turned and mounted the ramp. He drew his gun, mindful that someone might be waiting for him above. Who knew, perhaps the whole thing had been staged to draw him here.
He paused near the top. Just a few yards ahead, the ramp entered the craft through something that looked like a pane of glass, and yet he could tell it wasn’t glass. He frowned. The substance didn’t seem real. It was like opaque glass that shimmered, sparkled, and moved.
Zane extended his hand. Just as his fingers neared the strange material, he paused. Would touching it set off an alarm? There was only one way to find out, so he thrust his hand forward. To his utter shock, his hand slipped throug
h easily. It felt like water was sliding down his fingers, then his wrist, and finally his forearm. It was a membrane, some sort of futuristic entry panel.
Sensing it was safe, Zane stepped all the way through and found himself standing in a room that seemed like a bay. It was dimly lit, the only luminescence coming from several circular lights sunken into the floor.
Zane cast his eyes around. The space was not large, but it rose high into the air, perhaps the equivalent of several stories.
Suddenly he sensed movement above. Zane looked up, wondering if he should raise his weapon. A moment later, something descended out of the darkness, sliding down the wall. It had the appearance of a futuristic elevator car. Seconds later, it reached the floor and stopped. Zane raised his pistol, but nothing emerged.
He moved toward it slowly. The capsule was constructed mostly of metal, save for a door facing him that seemed to be made of the same strange substance he had walked through only moments before.
“Let’s see where this baby goes,” Zane said softly, stepping through the pane.
As he’d expected, the interior was empty. As he looked around, a panel slowly lit on the opposite wall. He stepped closer and examined the long, vertical screen. On it were a series of strange characters that ran from top to bottom. The one at the bottom was blinking.
He touched the second button from the bottom, and the capsule moved upward. It took off so fast that Zane almost toppled over. Moments later, it stopped, and the door facing the wall slid open. A dark corridor loomed beyond. Zane leaned forward, but he couldn’t see or hear anything in either direction.
Remembering the car had originally come from one of the upper levels, Zane pulled back inside and hit the fourth character from the bottom. The capsule took off again then stopped a few seconds later. This time Zane stepped out when the door opened.
The corridor he found himself in was mostly dark. Just like the bay, it was dimly lit with small red lights sunken into the floor. For reasons he couldn’t explain, he turned right and began walking. He soon saw a corridor branching off to the left. After glancing down it briefly, he continued straight ahead.
The hallway seemed to go on forever. This thing is the size of a battleship.