Excavation by James Rollins

a cigarette to his lips. He did not light it, but its familiar presence seemed to calm him. He spoke around the cigarette. “I no know…not sure. After they broke the sealed door—”
    â€œWhat!” Sam gasped out. Even in their dire situation, such a betrayal shocked him.
    Denal merely nodded. “I no see much. I stay out of sight. They crawl through door…and…and…” Denalglanced up to Sam, his eyes frightened. “Then I hear screaming. I run. Hide.”
    Maggie spoke, “Goddamn. The feckin’ bastard was going to loot the place right out from under our noses.”
    â€œBut obviously something went wrong,” Norman added tensely, glancing back at the wall of rubble behind them. He turned back around. “What about the other two? Juan and Miguel?”
    â€œI no know.” Denal seemed to see the blockage for the first time. He crossed to the cascade of boulders and clay. “Guillermo run out…I wait. I scared others might catch me. But no one come out. Then big boom. Stones fall…I run.” Denal raised a hand toward the tumbled section of the temple. “I should no come down alone. I should tell you instead. I so stupid.”
    Sam took the Wood’s lamp from Ralph and turned off its ultraviolet glow. “Stupid? You at least thought to bring a flashlight.”
    Maggie moved closer to Sam. “What are we going to do?”
    â€œWe’ll just have to wait for Philip to realize we’re down here.”
    Norman scowled at Sam’s side. “We’ll be waiting a long time.”
    Denal crossed back to them. “Why no call him on walkie-talkie?”
    Sam frowned. “Like the flashlight, that’s another thing none of us thought to bring.”
    Denal reached to a back pocket and pulled free a small handheld unit. “Here.”
    Sam stared at the walkie-talkie. A smile grew on his face. “Denal, don’t ever call yourself stupid again.” He took the pocket radio. “If you’re stupid, what does that make all of us?”
    Denal stared gloomily back at the rubble. “Trapped.”
    Â 
    Philip still knelt in the communication tent when thecamp’s radio erupted with static. The loud noise drew a gasp from the startled student. Garbled words flowed between screeches of static: “…stones collapsed…someone pick up the line…”
    It was English! Someone he could talk to! Philip scrambled for the receiver. He stabbed at the transmission button and spoke into the receiver. “Base camp here. Is anyone out there? We have an emergency! Over!”
    Philip waited for a response. Hopefully whoever was there would be able to send help. Static was his only answer for a few strained heartbeats; then words formed again. “Philip?…It’s Sam.”
    Sam? Philip’s heart sank. He raised the receiver. “Where are you? Over.”
    â€œWe’re trapped down in the temple ruins. Gil blew the entrance.” Sam explained about the security chief’s betrayal. “The whole structure is unstable now.”
    Philip silently thanked whatever angel had been watching over him and kept him from being buried down there with the others.
    â€œYou’ll need to send an S.O.S. to Machu Picchu,” Sam finished. “We’ll need heavy equipment.”
    Eyeing the pickax in the damaged CPU, Philip groaned softly. He clicked the transmit button. “I have no way of reaching anyone, Sam. Someone took out the satellite system. We’re cut off.”
    There was a long pause as Philip waited for a response. He imagined the string of expletives flowing from the Texan’s lips. When Sam next spoke, his voice was angered. “Okay, Philip, then at first light send someone out on foot. Someone fast! In the meantime, you’ll need to survey the damage on the surface when the sun’s up. If you and the workers could begin a cautious excavation—at