“This is pure gold. Jeremy’s going to lose his mind when he sees these pictures,” said Maclean.
Grant chuckled. He removed one of his gloves and ran his hand along the nearest rock pillar. It was smooth and cool to the touch. He climbed down inside the temple and shone his light along the hand-carved walls. Once again, he found even more animal engravings, along with more hieroglyphs. Grant walked along until something caught his eye. He stopped and got down on one knee to see the image more clearly. His heart raced the second he realized he was looking at a picture of what appeared to be a star with a small, helmeted man standing beneath it.
“Jim, get over here,” said Grant. His voice quivered.
“I knew I was right,” said Maclean as he brought up his camera to take a picture. “Jeremy’s going to be eating crow for weeks after he gets this shot.”
“Get as many pictures as you can, especially of the people praying.”
Maclean and Grant traded places. While his friend took shot after shot, Grant walked away from the temple. He soon found a path leading away from the structure toward an arched passageway dug through the rock. Grant stopped shy of the entrance and shone his light around. A tingling on the back of his neck warned him to go no farther. A primal fear of the unknown tugged at his mind. He unslung his MP7 and flipped the safety off. Grant was used to trusting his gut instincts. So far, they had done an impeccable job of keeping him alive.
“Hey, Captain, where’d you get to?” called Maclean.
“I’m over here,” replied Grant over his shoulder.
“I’ve got plenty of shots. It’s time to head back to the entrance.”
Grant lowered his weapon and stepped back. “Right you are. I’m on my way.” He spun around and jogged back to the temple.
After transferring the hundreds of pictures he’d taken to his combat tablet, Maclean let Hayes and Elena know the images were on their way.
“I give us two minutes before we get inundated with a million questions,” said Grant as he took one last look at the snow falling outside of their cave and slid back inside.
“Do you think it’s safe for them to join us in the morning?” asked Maclean.
Grant shrugged. “I don’t see why not. The place doesn’t look like it’s been visited in thousands of years.”
“I guess we had best get as comfortable as we can,” Maclean said, pulling out his lightweight, camouflaged ranger blanket and wrapping it around his shoulders.
“What did you bring for supper?” asked Grant, holding up an MRE.
“Beef taco, and you?”
“Mexican-style stew.” Grant slid his meal inside a heating bag before placing a small stove on the ground and lighting it to boil some water for coffee.
“They’re right on time,” said Maclean as the sound of Elena and Hayes squabbling echoed through their earpieces.
“Okay, you two,” said Grant. “One at a time.”
“These pictures are absolutely amazing,” said Elena. “After seeing them, there can be no doubt of contact between the ancient people of this region and extraterrestrials.”
“Please, Elena, those images could mean anything,” countered Hayes. “Until there has been a rigorous scientific study of the site, the best anyone can do is speculate as to the exact meaning of those carvings.”
Grant looked over at Maclean and shook his head. “They’re worse than a pair of kids.”
For the next thirty minutes, Grant and Maclean tried to answer the myriad of questions their colleagues had. Finally, Grant ended the barrage of queries by telling them to be prepared to fly up to their position the instant the snow stopped falling in the morning.
Grant ripped open the bag containing his supper meal and tasted it. He scrunched up his face. “Tabasco. It needs a lot of Tabasco sauce.”
“Here, take mine,” said Maclean, tossing his bottle over. “My food’s fine the way it is.”
“Thanks.” Grant emptied most of the small bottle into his ration pack.
“Since we’re going to be stuck up here for the rest of the night, I’d like to know—how did things turn out for you and the lovely Captain Jones?”
“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell,” replied Grant, grinning.
“So, you went out for dinner and agreed on another date when you get back.”
“Yeah, that’s about it.”
“I knew it. You’re all action when we’re out in the field and the pressure’s on, but you’re all thumbs around the ladies.”
“I can manage just fine around the ladies, thank you very much. But enough about me, what’s all this about Jeremy having to eat crow?”
“Yeah, I guess you missed our discussions over catastrophism and an ancient civilization which pre-dated ancient Mesopotamia by a millennia.”
“If you could only hear yourself. You’re beginning to sound like our two overly educated friends. What on earth are you going on about?”
“There is a common flood myth which cannot easily be explained away. The story is the same no matter where you go around the globe. For a massive flood that wiped out any trace of an ancient civilization to have happened, the Earth’s crust would have to have moved a significant distance in a short period of time, thereby melting the ice in the lower latitudes as the world became warmer, significantly raising the level of the seas around the globe.”
“Okay, that I can understand. But how does that tie into what we found today?”
“Dave, if the world was racked by earthquakes and floods, the people living in the lowlands would have made boats to try and escape the disaster or climbed higher into the mountains to ride out the storm. I think we’ve just found the first evidence to back up this theory.”
“And the images of people worshiping the stars, how does that play into all of this?”
“How do I know? All I know is what I’ve read from a couple of different authors. Ask Elena when she gets here in the morning. She should have a theory or two about this place.”
Grant picked up his hot cup of coffee and sat back. Susan had sent them there for a reason. Could the carving of a visitor be what she wanted them to see? Grant dismissed the idea and thought back to the arched passageway. Something, or someone, had warned him to be careful. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander back to Susan’s home. Grant could see her sitting with her grandmother at the dinner table. A smile crept across her lips. She knew he was thinking of her. Grant opened his eyes. Something was going on between them. What it was, he wasn’t sure, but he suspected their subconscious minds were becoming intertwined. The image of an ice-covered island flashed before Grant’s eyes. Whatever was going on wasn’t going to end in the Andes Mountains. Susan was preparing to lead them elsewhere.
21
Gauntlet Headquarters
Colonel Andrews clenched his jaw so tightly that it hurt. He let out a resigned sigh as he finished reading the report. He laid the folder down on his desk and looked up at Lieutenant Colonel Mason and Sergeant Frost.
“Are you sure of your findings, Sergeant?” asked Andrews.
“Yes, sir,” replied Frost, a short man with a pockmarked face and thinning brown hair.
“I need you to tell me, Sergeant, that you’re one hundred percent sure.”
“Colonel, I triple-checked my results before presenting them to Colonel Mason. They’re accurate all right.”
Andrews removed his reading glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Okay, then we have a leak.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“It’s not your fault, Sergeant. Thank you for your good work. Please keep this to yourself until I have had the chance to deal with the individual you have identified.”
“Of course, sir.” Frost came to attention and saluted Andrews before leaving his office.
Andrews motioned at a chair. “Please take a seat, Sandra.”
Mason sat down.
“It makes me sick to my stomach to think one of our own is a traitor. What would you do i
f you were in my shoes?”
“Sir, I’d want to know who she’s sharing the information with and how long she has been working for the opposition.”
“My thoughts precisely.”
“Colonel, all your people are highly trained in their fields of expertise. I doubt it’s going to take long before our mole realizes what’s going on and tries to make a run for it. If you’re going to do something, I’d do it in the next day or two.”
Andrews sat back and drummed his desk with the fingers of his right hand. “It’s getting late, so I won’t do anything tonight. Your sergeant is sure he’s found our leak, but I want irrefutable proof before I potentially ruin a person’s career with a false accusation. Before tomorrow’s morning brief, please swing by, and I’ll tell you what I have in mind.”
Mason nodded. “Is there anything you need me to do?”
“No. Get a good night’s rest, as I fear it may be the last for a few days.”
22
San Fernando Mountain
Grant watched the helicopter rushing up from the valley floor. He waited until it was less than five hundred meters away before popping a red smoke canister to mark his position. He heard the pilot acknowledge his visual signal in his earpiece and waved at the door gunner as the helicopter slowed down and hovered over him. Grant did up his jacket and placed his sunglasses over his eyes to help block out the swirling snow kicked up by the powerful downdraft from the chopper’s rotors.
The first person out of the Huey was Elena. She was sitting in a metal rescue stretcher and bundled up as if she were heading to the North Pole. Grant helped her out and guided her to the cave entrance, while the stretcher was hauled back up. Next was Hayes, who held on to the sides of the stretcher as if his life depended on it.
“Morning, Professor,” said Grant to Hayes as he helped him stand on the snow and ice.
Hayes pulled down his tartan-colored scarf. “I swear, Captain, this job will be the death of me.”
“Let’s hope not. I’d hate to have to carry your frozen body down from here.”
“That’s not even the remotest bit funny.”
The helicopter winched in its rescue stretcher and headed back to base.
Grant helped Hayes inside the cavern before sliding down to join the rest of the party.
“That was quite the ride,” said Elena, brushing the snow off her body. Her breath hung in the cold air.
“I swear that pilot flew his helicopter as if his life depended on it,” moaned Hayes. “We were barely above the height of the trees almost the whole way here. My stomach is still hanging somewhere in the back of my throat.”
Maclean punched Hayes lightly on the arm. “Cheer up, Professor, things could have turned out a lot worse. You’re finally here, and you’re still in one piece.”
Hayes pulled off his toque and scarf. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.”
Grant looked over at his colleagues. “So, who wants to go make some history?”
Elena pulled her flashlight from a jacket pocket and turned it on. “Lead on.”
“Okay grab what you need and leave the rest behind. We’ll come back and pick it up before the chopper comes back to get us.”
The beating of the helicopter’s blades faded into the distance. When he was positive they couldn’t be seen, Peter Roth stood and waved his hand for his assault team to join him. Dressed from head to toe in white camouflage uniforms, the mercenaries were all but invisible. Roth would be the first to admit that he wasn’t a trained killer like the men accompanying him. His battles had all been fought in the boardroom or backstabbing a business rival over a late-night cocktail. But because of his superb physical shape and desire for revenge, he no problem keeping up with his men.
“Sir, the cave entrance is about two hundred and ten meters to our right,” said a broad-shouldered black man with a strong British accent.
“Very good. Lead on, Charles,” replied Roth.
“Yes, sir.” The mercenary team leader pointed at the two men closest to him and ordered them to take point.
Roth watched with satisfaction as his men spread out and began to move silently toward their unsuspecting prey. His pulse quickened at the thought of capturing and torturing to death the two soldiers who had caused him so much distress and pain. He waited until half of the slender column of mercenaries was past him before he joined in and followed in the footsteps of the man in front. It was now only a matter of time until Roth had his vengeance.
Grant smiled as Elena stood there with her hand to her mouth, staring at the temple laid out before her. “So, what do you think now that you see it for yourself?” he asked.
“Words can’t begin to describe what I’m feeling,” she replied. “I need to sit down.”
Grant helped Elena take a seat on a stone pillar.
“What does this structure remind you of?” Maclean asked Hayes.
“Before you go jumping to conclusions, I’ll concede that it does bear a slight resemblance to the ruins at Gobekli Tepi in Turkey, but it’s far too early to make any pronouncements,” said the professor as he brought out his video camcorder and started to film the temple.
“That’s a load of bull, and you know it. They’re identical. Why won’t you admit it?”
Hayes stopped filming for a moment and lowered his camera. “Just because something looks like something else, doesn’t mean they are the same, or that they were built by the same people.”
“I bet if you were to radiocarbon date the stones in this temple, they’d be from the same time period as the ones in Turkey.”
“That still doesn’t prove that they were built by your mysterious, missing ancient civilization.”
“Whatever, Jeremy. I bet there are a couple of dozen scholars out there who would pay a small fortune to be standing in your shoes today.”
“You’re selling this find short. Try a few thousand,” said Elena, getting back to her feet. “You two gentlemen can carry on with your foolish banter. I want to see the carving of the alien visitor.”
“Follow me,” said Grant, leading her to the spot where he found the stone image of what looked like a person wearing a helmet standing under a twinkling star.
Elena leaned forward, removed a glove, and ran her right hand over the carving. She smiled as if she had just won the lottery. “Jeremy can say whatever he wants to; this is proof-positive of alien visitation.”
“It does look that way, but sometimes our minds let us see what we want to.”
“If you’re going on again about scotomata, you’re wrong, Captain. I’ve seen this very same image painted on cave walls all over the American Southwest.”
Grant patted her on the shoulder. “You’re the expert. How long do you think you’ll need on site before we call it a day and call for the chopper to pick us up?”
“Are you kidding? We could spend months, if not years, studying this temple.”
“Elena, we came here on a hunch that we might somehow learn something about Susan’s predicament. So far, I’d say we haven’t learned a thing that could help us put a stop to her visits.”
Elena nodded. “You’re right. Perhaps there’s something else down here we haven’t found yet?” She stood up and looked around. “Where does that tunnel lead to?”
Grant cringed. “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to go down there.”
“Why not?” she replied with a frown.
He shrugged, hesitant. “I…I don’t know, actually. There’s just something about that tun—”
Maclean raised a hand and snapped his fingers, interrupting conversation. “Folks, like it or not, we’ve got to stop what we’re doing and get the hell out of here,” He turned and showed Grant a small, palm-sized monitor. On the screen, a red light flashed on and off.
“What’s going on?” asked Hayes, alarmed.
“Someone just tripped the silent laser alarm I hid at the entrance to the cave,” explained Maclean. “In short, we’ve got company.”
Gran
t swore. “I thought we had given our friends the slip.”
“I guess they’re smarter than we give them credit,” said Maclean, unslinging his MP7. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small flashlight, which he affixed to the bottom of the SMG’s forestock, and switched it on.
“What are we going to do?” asked Elena.
“We sure as hell can’t go back the way we came,” said Grant. “I suppose our only avenue of escape now is down the tunnel at the far end of the room.”
“What if it’s a dead end?” Hayes asked.
“Then we had best hope that we have more ammunition on us than our friends do.”
Hayes gulped audibly.
“Dave, take Jeremy and Elena to the tunnel entrance,” said Maclean. “I’ll join you in a minute.”
Grant nodded and pointed his flashlight at the arched corridor. “Let’s go, people.”
“What’s James going to do?” said Elena.
“Don’t worry about him; he’ll be fine. He’s going to leave a few presents for our unwanted guests.”
Less than a minute later, Maclean came running out of the dark. “That should slow them down.”
Grant turned about and lit up the narrow tunnel with his flashlight. “In for a penny, in for a pound.” With that, he took his first step further into the unknown.
Roth kept to one side as his men moved in pairs into the cavern. His eyes lit up when he saw the ancient temple in the center of the cave.
The Founders Page 11
