by R. D. Brady
As soon as Jen stopped her breaths, Laney began to pump her chest. “Come on, little queen. Stay with us.”
Jen began her breaths again. Laney prayed as she watched, her whole body going numb. Please don’t be dead.
Eddie pulled himself to Elena’s other side, taking her hand. “No, sister, no.”
Laney began chest compressions again when Elena coughed. She quickly turned her onto her side, patting her back. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Let it out.”
Elena coughed for a few minutes, water running from her mouth and nose. Finally, she stopped and lay curled around herself. “I want Nana,” she cried.
Jen pulled Elena into her arms, rocking back and forth. “I know, honey. We’ll get you back to her.”
Laney pulled Eddie into her arms. He didn’t resist as his tears fell along with his sister’s.
Up ahead, the second diver blocked the entrance to the cave, a nine millimeter in his hands. Jen's words were meant to calm Elena, but Laney knew the likelihood of them keeping that promise was all but nonexistent.
CHAPTER 35
It had been hours since they’d entered the cave. Laney wasn’t sure of the exact time, as neither she nor Jen had a working watch. Her watch had been smashed during the furious swim in. She’d ask one of the men surrounding them, but they all seemed too busy looting priceless artifacts to answer a simple question.
Deveraux had at least done a good job of making sure all of the artifacts were protected. The whole cave had been recorded and photographed. Then each artifact was carefully wrapped and placed in a water-tight container. The artifacts would survive, but it killed Laney to watch everything slowly disappear.
Behind Laney and Jen, Eddie and Elena lay curled around each other, fast asleep. For the first hour or so, they’d been terrified, but exhaustion had finally won out and they’d fallen into a fitful sleep.
Laney reached over and pushed back Elena’s hair, then Eddie’s. “I hate that they're in the middle of this.”
“I know. These men are inhuman.” Jen watched the last of the folios get loaded in their crate and sealed. “Nothing seems off limits to them."
Laney leaned back against the cave wall. “Okay, my friend, what’s our plan? They’re about finished emptying this place and I’m pretty sure we’re not going to last much longer past that.”
Jen held up her wrists. “At least, they didn’t lock us up this time.”
Laney looked at all the firepower in the room. “I’m guessing that has to do with the fact that we’re grossly outnumbered and outgunned. I may be fast, but not faster than a speeding bullet.”
Jen’s eyes narrowed. She motioned towards the entry. “Speaking of bullets, isn’t that Warren?”
Laney glanced over at the entrance. Warren stood in dive gear. With his hood down, the massive bruises that dotted his face stood out. Laney took satisfaction in the bandages covering his nose and the splints on his fingers. He looked over at the two of them.
“Bastard,” Laney whispered.
Warren started walking towards them, his pronounced swagger still there. A larger man followed behind him.
“Oh look, he's made a friend,” Laney said.
Warren stopped in front of them, the same, familiar smirk on his face. “Well, seems like you two got your comeuppance.”
“Us? Have you looked in a mirror lately?” Laney asked.
Warren narrowed his eyes, gesturing at the two sleeping children. “Maybe I should let some of the men have fun with these two. Some of them like the more tender flesh. Like my friend here.” He jerked his hand over his shoulder at the hulk standing behind him.
“Any of you touch them, and you’re dead,” Jen said.
He laughed. “And who’s going to do that? You? Maybe you don't understand exactly who's running things around here.”
Laney looked over at Jen. “Tough talk from a boy who needs a bodyguard to talk to two helpless woman.”
Jen shrugged. “You know what they say, all talk, no penis.”
Warren's face grew red. “You’ll regret that, bitch.” He reached down to grab Elena.
Laney sprang to her feet, her right uppercut landing just under his jaw, followed by a left cross and then a right hook. He dropped to the ground.
Jen dropped to her back and up-kicked his partner as he leaned down to grab her. The man flew back, crashing into a sharp rock behind him. He didn’t get up.
Laney stomped on Warren's groin. She grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him up. “Next time you antagonize someone who just kicked your ass, make sure they’re not in the position to do it again.”
“I think that’s enough.”
Laney looked back at Hugo, who stood behind her with three other men only a few feet away. She backed away, her hands up.
Hugo gestured for two of the men to help their fallen comrades. Laney looked over at Jen, regretting baiting the worthless man. She glanced down at Elena and Eddie. Please don’t let them pay for my actions.
Hugo glared down at them, his arms crossed over his large chest. “I know I should be ticked off at you for taking down two of my men, though, to be honest, they weren’t really worth much to begin with. But, an example must be made. Bind them up.”
Two men placed zip ties round their wrists, pushing them to the ground. They did the same to the children, who screamed in fear when they woke. Laney and Jen scooted next to Eddie and Elena, keeping them between them.
Laney closed her eyes. Just let it be quick. A minute passed and no shots rang out. She opened her eyes.
Hugo smirked at her from above. “Oh, you thought I was going to shoot you? Now what kind of example would that be? I’m just waiting for something.”
Beyond Hugo, a man made his way quickly towards them, a rectangular box in his hand, two lanterns tucked under his arms.
Hugo gestured to the large stone doors behind them. “Place it over there.”
The man placed the two lanterns at the base of the doors. Between them, he placed the container and then hit a button. A clock face glowed red.
“Do you know that drowning is supposed to be the worst way to die? But don’t worry, you may be crushed to death before that ever happens.” Hugo turned and jogged towards the entrance. The three men with him followed him out.
The cave was now empty of everyone and everything except for Laney, Jen, the kids, and Hugo's going-away present.
Laney stared at the clock face and the dull, grey, clay-like substance that could be seen beyond it. C4. Thirty minutes and this place was going to blow.
CHAPTER 36
Laney watched the timer count down in disbelief. This couldn’t really be happening, could it? “Why are they blowing this place? Why not just leave it?”
Jen shook her head. “They need to remove all traces. I’m betting they’re trying to collapse the rock face.”
Laney felt hollow. “Right on top of us.”
A small explosion from outside the cave shook the roof and small bits of rocks were torn from the ceiling. Smoke and debris blew back through the entry tunnel. Instinctively, Laney and Jen shielded the children.
“What was that?” Elena cried.
Laney stared at the entrance in horror. “They destroyed the lagoon.” She looked across the children’s heads at Jen. “They wanted to make sure we couldn't escape.”
“Not happening.” Jen squirmed in her seated position.
“What are you doing?”
“Hold on. Almost there.” Jen continued her shaking and then held up her unbound hands.
“How did you do that?” Laney asked.
Jen moved to Laney’s back. “There was a rip in my ties. I just gave them a little help to finish the tear.”
Laney could feel Jen sawing through the binds. But then she could swear she felt Jen just pull them apart. Laney held up her hands, rolling her wrists to restore the circulation.
Jen had already moved onto Eddie’s bindings. With quick movements, she had them off him and moved
onto Elena. “I’ve been thinking about how to get out of here. I think the stone doors are the answer. We open the middle one, we escape.”
Jen freed Elena with a final tug. After a quick hug for the terrified girl, she moved towards the large doors.
Laney looked after Jen in shock as she moved towards the stone doors. What the hell was going on? How had Jen released them all so quickly?
“Laney?” Elena asked.
Laney shook her head, pulling herself back. She walked over to the kids and gave them both hugs. “Come on.” She ushered the two children to the doors. And the bomb. The kids stared at the clock, seemingly unable to tear their eyes from the countdown. Twenty-three and a half minutes to go.
"You two stay here for a minute." She turned to follow Jen.
Eddie latched onto her hand. “Are we going to die?”
Laney stared down into his face. His bottom lip trembled even though she knew he was trying to be brave. She couldn’t lie to him. He deserved the truth. “We’re going to do everything we can to keep that from happening.”
Elena wrapped her arm around her big brother. “Don’t worry, Eddie. Laney and Jen won’t let anything happen to us.”
Laney nodded, turning away, not sure what to say to the conviction in Elena’s voice. She walked over to Jen and kept her voice low. “Any thoughts?”
Jen glanced over at her. “Are you familiar with Derinkuyu, in Turkey?”
She struggled to place the name. Then it hit her. Derinkuyu was an underground city in the Cappadocia region of Turkey. It was one of over two hundred cities that had been uncovered. They were believed to have been created to protect citizens from marauding armies. Some of the cities could hold up to 50,000 people.
“What does that have to . . .” Laney’s voice drifted off as she stared at the door in front of her. “The doors. They built giant rock doors into the cave entrances to protect them from invaders.”
Jen nodded. She turned, inspecting the walls nearest the doors. “When invaders arrived, they’d lock the doors. And the same mechanism could be used to open them.” Jen’s eyes raked the cave near the doors. “There.”
Laney followed Jen to a small alcove in the wall. At the bottom of the alcove, were three stone levers.
Laney stood next to her, looking down at them. She prayed they still worked. “Which one opens the safe door?”
Jen shrugged, her voice quiet. “I'm not sure. Probably the one on the right." She went silent and Laney met her eyes. "But if not . . ."
Laney's stomach bottomed out. “We drown."
Jen nodded.
Laney looked back at the countdown clock. “Just over twenty minutes left. We need to make a choice.”
Jen’s hand raised above the levers and stilled. “What if we choose wrong?”
Laney took her hand. “If we do nothing, then we die for sure. But if we choose right, we live. So, let’s at least give living a shot, okay?”
Jen nodded. Taking a breath, she pulled the lever.
CHAPTER 37
Jake peered out of the trees at the scene along the river. A group of indigenous people huddled together, covered by two guards. A few minutes ago, they’d heard an explosion and made their way to the riverbank.
The helicopters had led them here. They’d seen one flying towards the river and then away again with its package. The helos weren’t going very far. They returned after about twenty minutes. They must be storing the cargo nearby. Maybe they even found a clearing where a cargo plane could land and take off.
The explosion had clued them to the exact location, but it had taken them hours to get here from the tree village. They'd found the Tayos cave and then wasted time breaking into two groups looking for the trail up and down the river.
His group had come across another bloody skirmish. More natives lay dead, a few camouflaged men as well. He shook his head. This group didn’t even collect their own dead, just left them to rot.
He'd thought about radioing the helicopter to speed up the search but he hadn't wanted to let anyone know they were in the area. Instead, they'd double-timed it. And so far, it looked like no one was the wiser.
Up ahead, two guards pulled a sled into the trees from the water. They were emptying something out.
"Must be the cave Laney and Jen were looking for," Yoni whispered as he sidled up next to Jake.
Jake nodded. "Looks like these guys are prepared. This is a high-end operation."
"Must be waiting for another helicopter," Yoni said. “Any word from Henry or Patrick?”
“They’re only a few minutes behind us.” Jake and the rest of the group had taken off just before dawn. Patrick had stayed behind, doing a final search when light had dawned for any more bodies at the tree village. Unfortunately, he’d found some.
“Any sign of the girls?” Jordan asked.
Jake glanced over at Jordan, whose face was tight with emotion. “No. There are a bunch of tribespeople on the bank being held at gunpoint, but I don’t see any sign of Laney or Jen."
The sled was almost at the tree line and no more appeared from the river. The two men on the shore guarding the tribespeople glanced over at the retreating sled.
Jake shook his head. "I don't like this. I think we're showing up at the end of the party."
“Okay. So what’s the plan?” Jordan asked.
One of the guard’s radio's squawked to life, interrupting Jake's reply. “That’s the last sled. The boss said to wrap it up.” One of the men on the shore asked. “Clean up time?"
"Affirmative," came the radioed reply.
The man nodded. He and his partner walked towards the bound group on the ground. They raised their weapons.
Jake was faster. His first bullet caught one of the men in the chest, his second in the neck. He collapsed back into the river. Jordan's gun took down the second guard.
A barrage of gunfire from the direction of the retreating sleds targeted Jake’s position. Shit. There must be more men just inside the tree line.
Jake scuttled across the ground on his stomach, reaching a giant tree. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jordan do the same across from him. Jake sat up, his back firm against its trunk. He looked around. Mike and Yoni had taken up similar positions, returning fire. The other three members of there team were pinned down.
The last sled was still being dragged into the trees. Jake fired on it, taking out one of the men. Over the gunfire, he could hear the approach of the helicopter. He looked up and saw it coming in from the west, a long cable dangling from it. “They’re trying to link it up. Aim for the chopper.”
The words were barely out of his mouth before machine gun fire raked the ground around him. With a yell, he dove for cover next to Yoni, driven back by the sniper. “Where the hell’s that coming from?”
Yoni peeked out from behind his tree. A bullet nearly took off his head. He pulled back. “Not sure. I think the trees somewhere to our right.”
Jake glanced out, but the shooter forced him back again. “Shit.”
He could hear the helo getting closer. It was hovering just above the tree line. They must be linking up the last sled.
He struggled to form a plan. There wasn’t one. Until that sniper was taken out or ran out of ammo, they were sitting ducks.
A shot from a rifle cut through the air and the blasts from the sniper stopped. Jake glanced out. Henry stepped into the clearing, firing at the helicopter. It was already pulling away, its payload swinging underneath.
Jake stood, lining the pilot up in his sights. He squeezed the trigger just as the pilot veered to the right. The shot went wide. He fired off five more shots in rapid succession. They hit the body of the chopper, but none did enough damage to down it. It flew off, its cargo swinging beneath.
“Damn it.” Jake yanked his radio from his belt. “Foxtrot Charlie, we need a ride now.” He rattled off their location.
“Ten minutes,” came the reply over the radio.
“I’ll check and make sure we d
on’t have any stragglers.” Yoni disappeared into the woods, three men joining him.
Henry came to stand next to him. Jake tipped his head towards where the sniper had been. “That your shot?”
Henry shook his head. “Nope. Father Patrick’s. Did you know he was a sharp shooter back in the day?”
“At this point, nothing that man can do surprises me.”
Jake glanced over to where Patrick was speaking with some of the native people. Pulling out a first aid kit from his pack, he knelt next to a man lying on the ground. Placing pressure bandages on the man’s chest, Patrick kept up a rapid conversation with a woman with long white hair. Tears streamed down her face. She gestured towards the rock face across the river.
A feeling of dread began to well up in the pit of Jake’s stomach. He started towards Patrick.
“Jake?” Henry called out.
Jake didn’t answer. He couldn't. A rumble started under his feet. He stared across the river. The giant rock face seemed to quiver. Then, with a tumbling roar, it caved in on itself, sending rocks, water, and dust flying in every direction.
Jake dropped as the ground shook with the force of an earthquake. After a few seconds, the trembling stopped and everything went quiet. He stared with stunned disbelief at the pile of rocks across from him. “They blew the whole thing up.”
Henry leaned down and offered his hand. "They must have gotten everything they needed from it.”
Jake grasped it, pulling himself up. Dusting himself off, he walked towards Patrick who sat on the ground, staring across the water. Cries of grief rose from the group on the riverbank.
A look of pain was frozen on Patrick’s face. Tears tracked their way through the dust covering the priest's face.
Jake leaned down and put his hand on Patrick’s shoulder. “Patrick?”
Grief-stricken eyes focused in on Jake. “They’re gone, Jake. They’re gone.”
“What are you talking about?”
With a shaking finger, Patrick pointed to the rubble. “Laney and Jen. They're under there. We’re too late.”
