“Give me a hand with these,” Decker said, as he struggled to push them open. “They’re heavier than the ones below.”
Garrett and Ward rushed forward and took one door, while Yates helped Decker with the other. Little by little, they were able to push them open enough to slip through. But the doors pushed back against their efforts, as if they were spring-loaded. Decker could feel his muscles giving out under the strain. Another minute or two, and he wouldn’t be able to hold on. He could tell the others felt the same way.
“Get inside, quickly,” Decker said to Rory, Cassie and Emma. “We can’t hold on much longer.”
The two women and Rory hurried past, into the room beyond.
Ward looked back over his shoulder, a pained look on his face. “You guys let go of your door and go next. We’ll hold this one open enough for you to get through.”
“No.” Decker shook his head. “There won’t be enough room. Besides, the minute you let go of your door, it will swing back, trapping you on the wrong side with the Gorgon.”
“A risk we’re willing to take.” Ward was puffing with the effort of holding the door open.
“There are more handles in here on this side of the door,” Emma said from inside the room.
“I don’t think that helps us,” Decker said. “The two of you are not strong enough to hold the doors open.”
“Which is why you have to do as I say,” Ward said. “You’re just delaying the inevitable.”
“Wait,” Garrett said. “I have a better idea.”
“Then don’t keep it to yourself, man,” Ward snapped. His feet were already slipping backwards as the door tried to close on them. “Speak up before we’re all trapped out here.”
Garrett cleared his throat and shouted through the gap. “Emma. Cassie. Rory. Grab ahold of those handles and hold on tight.”
“What are you doing?” Decker twisted his head to look at Garrett. “We’ve already established they can’t hold them open on their own.”
“But they can buy us a second or two for what I have in mind,” Garrett said. “Darren, on my mark, let go and move to the other side of the door. Help Cassie keep it open. I’ll do the same on this side. With five of us holding the doors, Decker and Ward can let go. No need for anyone to get trapped on this side of the doors. You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be,” Yates said.
“All right then.” Garrett counted down. “Three. Two. One. Go.”
Yates let go of the door handle and threw himself toward the gap.
Decker felt the sudden release. The door slipped inexorably closer to closing, even with Cassie pulling on the other side with all her might. At the corner of his eye, he saw Garrett perform the same maneuver. Then, just when his muscles were about to fail him, he felt the pressure release as Yates joined Cassie and heaved the door back open a few more inches.
Decker let go of the handle and hurled himself toward the gap between the doors. He barely fit through, his shoulders scraping as he tumbled into the room beyond.
He stumbled forward and almost fell, catching himself and turning just in time to see Ward barreling through the gap a pace behind.
No sooner were the men in the room, then the others released the handles with an audible sigh of relief.
The heavy doors slammed closed with a resounding boom.
“Holy hell,” Rory said, breathless. “Those doors must be made of lead. They weighed a ton.”
Decker massaged his protesting muscles. He looked at the back of the doors, and how they sparkled with a golden light. “They’re not made of lead. They’re lined with gold.”
“No wonder they were so heavy,” Ward said, stepping up to the doors and touching the smooth surface made of precious metal. “Still shouldn’t have slammed back on us like that, though.”
“They must have some kind of spring mechanism built into the hinges,” Decker said. “To make sure no one leaves them open.”
“And thank goodness they have,” Rory said. “The Gorgon made quick work of those other doors. If these were the same, that creature would be upon us before we could do anything.”
“How we got in here before it reached us, I’ll never know,” Emma said. “But I’m sure glad we did.”
“And if the bunch of us struggled to open those doors, I can’t imagine the Gorgon will be getting through anytime soon,” Cassie said, a hint of satisfaction in her voice.
“Amen to that,” Emma said. “I wonder why this room was so special that its builders felt the need to install a set of doors like that. They must have really wanted to keep interlopers out.”
“Good question,” Decker said. Then he turned and saw what was standing in the middle of the space, and he knew why those doors were there. They had reached the apex of the pyramid. And in the center, towering over them on a pedestal with its tip thrusting through a circular gap in the roof, was the biggest crystal he had ever seen.
56
Decker looked up at the crystal in awe. The stone dominated the room, measuring at least eight feet across by fifteen feet tall. A pear-shaped oval with a rough fern-like textured surface colored a deep olive green, it pulsed with an ethereal radiance. It rested on a raised dais carved with more hieroglyphics. Its top third thrust upward through a circular hole in the ceiling, where it caught the light of the afternoon sun. Nearby was another set of stone steps, leading up and out onto the flat-topped exterior of the pyramid.
“That is incredible,” Emma said, transfixed by the crystal. “It looks almost like glass.”
“I’ve never seen a crystal like this,” Decker said.
“That’s because it isn’t a regular crystal,” Rory said. He approached the stone and placed his hand against it, feeling the roughness under his palm. “Emma is correct. It’s closer to glass. To be precise, it’s more like a tektite. And a really big one.”
“What the hell is a tektite?” Ward asked, looking perplexed.
“It’s a type of projectile rock caused by a meteorite hitting the earth.” Rory was circling the stone now, studying it from every angle. “The force of impact fuses and melts the surrounding rock into glass debris. But this is much bigger than any tektite I’ve ever seen. That leads me to believe it isn’t ejecta from an impact but might actually be part of the rock that struck the earth.”
“Why is it green like that?” Garrett asked. “Aren’t meteorites supposed to be black?”
“That depends on what they’re made of,” Rory said. “Some are composed entirely of stone. Others are made of iron. They can also be a mix of the two. My guess is that this was a crystalline space rock. It almost looks like moldavite. A rare type of mineral that was thought to be formed by a meteorite colliding with Earth millions of years ago. Maybe the impact didn’t create the moldavite. Maybe it was part of the original space rock. This could be a bigger example of the same type of impactor.”
“Then how did it get here?” Ward asked.
“You remember the cliff that we climbed down?”
“Sure.” Ward nodded.
“I don’t think that was a true cliff. I think it was the edge of a vast prehistoric impact crater. What we’re looking at here is what remains of the rock that caused it.”
“So this entire area is a crater?” Cassie said.
“Yes,” Rory nodded. “That’s my guess. A crater with this space rock sitting at its center.”
“That’s all very well,” Ward said. “But that doesn’t explain why there are Greek monsters running around out there, or why we are currently being stalked by a Gorgon.”
“Actually, I think it does.” Decker had been listening silently to Rory’s explanation. Now he stepped forward. He looked at the huge chunk of moldavite that pulsed with an inner fire. “Look at how that rock is glowing with energy. The ancient Egyptians believed it to have magical powers. We know that much from the hieroglyphics chamber. They said it could combine two worlds. I think it really is combining two planes of existence. But not our world and t
he underworld. It’s pulling together two alternate realities. The monsters out there, like the Cyclops and the Hydra, are denizens of that other reality, now mixed with our own.”
“And the moldavite is making it possible,” Emma said. “Like some sort of bridge between the dimensions.”
“Exactly.” Decker looked up at the translucent green rock. “I have a theory that this crystal straddles both realities and draws its power from the sun to do so. Anything within range of the crystal’s energy becomes an amalgam of both realities.”
“So why don’t the monsters disappear at night,” Ward asked. “After all, if the crystal is keeping the two realities merged, and it’s powered by the sun, then it shouldn’t work after dark.”
“It stores energy deep inside, so that even when there is no sunlight, the crystal is still full of power,” Rory said excitedly. “Not only that, but I think John is right. It’s a crazy notion, but maybe the impact of this meteorite was so great that it shattered the membrane between realities, at least in this spot. Quantum mechanics hypothesizes we live in a multi-verse and that there are many billions of realities layered atop each other like an enormous pile of copy paper, with each sheet separated by a thin barrier yet existing simultaneously in what’s called superposition. Within those paper-thin realities, every possible outcome can occur.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Yates snorted and shook his head.
“Is it?” Emma turned to the others. “We’ve seen what’s out there. It shouldn’t exist, at least not in our world.”
“It explains a lot,” Cassie said, agreeing with Emma. “You, of all people, should keep an open mind, Darren. You are hosting a show on the supernatural, after all.”
“A lot of good it does me without my camera. All this stuff and I can’t record any of it.”
“Boo-hoo.” Cassie shook her head. “You should be glad just to be alive.”
“That’s enough bickering. There are more important issues. Like getting out of here alive,” Emma said. She turned to Decker. “You got any thoughts on that?”
“We keep going up,” Decker said, glancing toward the set of stone steps leading up and out of the pyramid.
“I agree,” Ward said. “I got a good look at the pyramid when we were out in the jungle. It looks very much like a standard Mayan design with stepped blocks up to the apex, and an exterior staircase on each side leading back to ground level from the flat-topped roof. Once we get up there, it should be no trouble to access those steps and make our way all the way back down to the jungle floor.”
“Not Mayan,” Rory said. “A modified Egyptian step pyramid that the Mayans later copied at places like Chichen Itza.”
“What about this crystal?” Emma asked. “Is there some way to turn it off and get rid of the monsters?”
“I don’t think so,” Decker said. “The only way would be to destroy it, and we don’t have any means of doing that. There’s no choice but to make our way back to base camp while avoiding the monsters out in the jungle.”
“That’s a shame,” said Rory, glancing toward the set of heavy golden doors through which they’d come. “Because I can hear the Gorgon, and she does not sound happy.”
Decker could hear the Gorgon too, hissing and talking in that strange archaic tongue. Every now and again, the doors shuddered as she tried to bust through, but so far, their incredible weight had proved too much for the creature. He wasn’t sure how long that would be the case. “We have to leave, right now.”
From somewhere high above, outside of the pyramid, came the steady thrum of a helicopter’s rotor blades, getting louder.
Emma looked up, surprised, then to Decker. “Did you arrange an airlift?”
“No.” Decker moved toward the steps. “But I’d sure welcome one. Maybe Hunt decided to come get us.”
“Don’t bother. It’s not Adam Hunt. This ride is for me.” Garrett stepped away from the group, raising his M4 semi-automatic assault rifle. He waved it at Decker. “Get back over there with the others.”
Decker hesitated, weighing his odds of taking Garrett out. But he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure the M4 was truly disabled even though Garrett hadn’t been able to fire it back in the jungle. He could have been faking, or he might have replaced the firing pin at some point after. In the end, Decker held up his hands and rejoined the group. “Whatever you say.”
“Garrett, what in the blazes are you doing?” Ward asked, glaring at his underling. “Put that gun down, right now. That’s an order.”
“Sorry, commander. No can do.” Garrett retreated further toward the steps.
“How?” Decker asked, watching Garrett with narrowed eyes.
“How what?” Garrett shook his head.
“How did you get a helicopter all the way out here with such perfect timing?”
“GPS locator.” Garrett removed a small device from his pocket and showed Decker before putting it back. “I activated this a couple of hours ago. Figured I’d need a way out of this godforsaken jungle.”
“It was you who put the snake in my tent,” Decker said.
“A little surprise.” Garrett tutted. “Shame it didn’t work.”
“So now you’re going to shoot us?” Decker decided to test whether Garrett’s gun really was out of action. “That gun doesn’t work, remember? And I’m pretty sure you used all the bullets I gave you for the Makarov.”
“Yeah.” Garrett glanced down at the gun. “I had to disable this bad boy when I took the firing pins from the other guns. Couldn’t have the only working weapon. That would give the game away.”
“Then what’s to stop me from coming over there and knocking you into next week?” Decker asked, taking a step toward the soldier.
“These guys.” Garrett jerked a thumb toward four men in battle fatigues and helmets who appeared at the top of the steps. Each carried an M16, which they leveled at the huddled group. “Mister Decker, say hello to your executioners.”
57
The four soldiers descended the steps, guns at the ready. They wore additional arms at their side. Glock pistols. Each of them also carried a pair of M67 spherical frag grenades on their belts.
The men joined Garrett and looked to him for instructions.
“Not yet,” Garrett told them.
“Why?” Ward glared at Garrett. There was a look of hurt in his eyes. “After all the years we’ve served together, this is how you repay me?”
“This is nothing to do with you, commander. Collateral damage, that’s all.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Why do you think I did it?”
“Money.” Decker said. “I remember what you said back in the jungle about CUSP paying better than the military. I guess someone else pays even more than CUSP.”
“My employers paid me well enough, I’ll admit,” Garrett said with the barest hint of a smile. “But it’s not just that. Look at the anomalies we investigate. The creatures we collect and put in the zoo. The gadgets we hunt down—like that orb you recovered from the German submarine. CUSP wastes them all. They’re shortsighted. Blind to the possibilities. Think what we could do to make the world a better place with all that technology and all those creatures.”
“Or a worse place,” Decker said.
“I disagree.” A thin smile touched Garrett’s lips. “Take that Gorgon out there, the one trying to bust through those doors. If we could capture it, control it, think what it would mean on the battlefield. Our military could go where they want, unopposed. No one would be able to stop us. We would be invincible. Think of the lives we could save.”
“Think of all the lives you would take.” Decker was horrified. “It’s unconscionable.”
“It’s the only way to guarantee world order.”
“Listen to yourself, man,” Ward said. “You sound like the very people we used to fight against.”
“I’m nothing like them. I’m a realist.”
“You’re a mercenary,” Decker sa
id. “Selling out to the highest bidder. And what about all that technology that you want to get your hands on? Does that go to the highest bidder, too?”
“What if it does?” Garrett folded his arms. “It’s out there, anyway. One way or another it’s going to end up in the wrong hands. Why not make a profit along the way?”
“So all that talk about protecting our military was a load of bull.”
“Nothing of the sort. If they want to pay for it, they can have it. If not, someone else will pony up and gain the advantage. And when the smoke settles, the world will be at peace regardless of who the victor is.”
“You want to live in a world like that?”
“Better than the one we have now.”
“And you’re going to kill us all in cold blood just to get your hands on what’s in that jungle out there?” Emma asked. “How can you be so heartless?”
“You misunderstand.” Garrett shook his head. “It’s not about what’s in the jungle. Sure, we’ll come back and harvest the Cyclops, and the Hydra, and all the other nasty beasties. Waste not, want not. But this isn’t about that.”
“Then what is it about?” Decker asked.
“Revenge.” A thin smile touched Garrett’s lips.
“I don’t understand,” Decker said.
“Really? It’s not that hard to figure out. You’ve got on the wrong side of some very powerful people, Mister Decker. People who wanted technology that you deprived them of.”
“Habitat One.” Realization dawned upon Decker. “I stopped Thomas Barringer from stealing the alien technology on that sunken U-boat.”
“Very good. Go to the top of the class.”
“The attack in Manaus, those gunmen who came after us. They weren’t trying to get their hands on the coordinates for this place, after all. It was a hit job, pure and simple.”
“We saw an opportunity, and we took it. Unfortunately, the local gangsters that we hired to take care of the situation didn’t prove as effective as we hoped. Amateurs.”
Cryptid Quest: A Supernatural Thriller (The John Decker Supernatural Thriller Series Book 8) Page 22