“Stop it! Don’t hurt him.”
Maria knelt down beside the elder man and cradled his head, wiping the blood that started to flow from the open gash to his temple.
“Bind them,” the leader barked to his subordinates as he took off the satchel he had over his shoulder and laid it down. “I’m afraid you’re little expedition has made my employer nervous. We cannot have the prying eyes of the scientific community or the media at our back door right now, so we must end your little archeology project. Unfortunately, we didn’t expect resistance from the two soldiers stationed out front, but that evidence can be cleaned up quickly enough before the accident is discovered in the morning.”
“What accident?” Maria said glaring at their antagonist.
“No more questions,” the man barked as he set about his task.
The other two mercenaries bound Eli and Maria’s hands and feet with plastic tie wraps, and then unceremoniously threw them down at the tomb opening. Captain Saune saw the look of confusion on Maria’s face at the leader’s comments, but he knew exactly what was going to happen.
They have no plan to let us leave the cave alive, he thought as he desperately looked for a way to manage a counter-offensive against his captors. Saune eyed the men carefully, and saw to his horror that the leader was removing packs of C-4 from the satchel he had carried in. He now understood what was to happen. They planned to seal them inside the cave with explosives.
“How is Dr. Turner?” he asked Maria, trying to distract her from her shock as he closely watched the men in black setting the C-4 packs along the walls of the cave toward the entrance.
“Uh…I think he’s okay,” Maria answered tearfully.
“I have one hell of a headache,” Eli said, his eyes still closed, “but I’ll be fine.”
“I’m afraid none of us will be fine for long,” the captain said tersely. “They’re placing explosives on the cave walls, and I don’t think they have plans of letting us out before they seal this lava tube. If I’m right, it’s our friends from the Bishamon facility on the ridge above that have been watching us.”
As he spoke, he heard a crackling noise on his wireless transmitter’s earpiece, which was still in his ear, then the sound of a voice.
“Hello…anybody home?”
Outside the lava tube in the camp, Josh Turner and Samuel Caberra knelt silently on either side of the cave’s entrance as the light misty rain slowly tapered off. Both of their minds were focused and their bodies steeled for action.
After their arrival on Tenerife, Josh and Samuel, along with their driver Paulo, had made their way up the access road toward the archeology camp. They were less than a quarter mile distant when Paulo had suddenly pulled over to the side of the road and shut off the engine.
“What’s the matter, Paulo?” Turner asked, looking at the driver staring off into the misty darkness.
“I thought I saw a muzzle flash, Josh,” Paulo said as he continued staring ahead into the gloom. “It looks like it came from the site.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t lightning?” Turner asked, peering into the darkness ahead.
“I’m positive,” he replied.
“It might be looters raiding the camp,” Samuel said from the back seat. “Your dad was concerned that it might happen.”
“Dad and Maria are still there,” Turner said in a worried voice. He turned to look at his friend in the back, and saw the concerned look on his face. “We have to get up there now, Samuel.”
“We should go from here on foot, just in case something is wrong, Josh. If there is trouble, they’ll hear us coming in the rover. It’s not that far from here.”
“Paulo, I want you to head back and get help,” Turner said as the two men opened their doors and got out of the vehicle. “Keep your lights off until you make the far bend in the road up ahead. From there, you’ll be okay.”
“Hold on, amigo,” Samuel said, reaching
Maria knelt down beside the elder man and cradled his head, wiping the blood that started to flow from the open gash to his temple.
“Bind them,” the leader barked to his subordinates as he took off the satchel he had over his shoulder and laid it down. “I’m afraid you’re little expedition has made my employer nervous. We cannot have the prying eyes of the scientific community or the media at our back door right now, so we must end your little archeology project. Unfortunately, we didn’t expect resistance from the two soldiers stationed out front, but that evidence can be cleaned up quickly enough before the accident is discovered in the morning.”
“What accident?” Maria said glaring at their antagonist.
“No more questions,” the man barked as he set about his task.
The other two mercenaries bound Eli and Maria’s hands and feet with plastic tie wraps, and then unceremoniously threw them down at the tomb opening. Captain Saune saw the look of confusion on Maria’s face at the leader’s comments, but he knew exactly what was going to happen.
They have no plan to let us leave the cave alive, he thought as he desperately looked for a way to manage a counter-offensive against his captors. Saune eyed the men carefully, and saw to his horror that the leader was removing packs of C-4 from the satchel he had carried in. He now understood what was to happen. They planned to seal them inside the cave with explosives.
“How is Dr. Turner?” he asked Maria, trying to distract her from her shock as he closely watched the men in black setting the C-4 packs along the walls of the cave toward the entrance.
“Uh…I think he’s okay,” Maria answered tearfully.
“I have one hell of a headache,” Eli said, his eyes still closed, “but I’ll be fine.”
“I’m afraid none of us will be fine for long,” the captain said tersely. “They’re placing explosives on the cave walls, and I don’t think they have plans of letting us out before they seal this lava tube. If I’m right, it’s our friends from the Bishamon facility on the ridge above that have been watching us.”
As he spoke, he heard a crackling noise on his wireless transmitter’s earpiece, which was still in his ear, then the sound of a voice.
“Hello…anybody home?”
Outside the lava tube in the camp, Josh Turner and Samuel Caberra knelt silently on either side of the cave’s entrance as the light misty rain slowly tapered off. Both of their minds were focused and their bodies steeled for action.
After their arrival on Tenerife, Josh and Samuel, along with their driver Paulo, had made their way up the access road toward the archeology camp. They were less than a quarter mile distant when Paulo had suddenly pulled over to the side of the road and shut off the engine.
“What’s the matter, Paulo?” Turner asked, looking at the driver staring off into the misty darkness.
“I thought I saw a muzzle flash, Josh,” Paulo said as he continued staring ahead into the gloom. “It looks like it came from the site.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t lightning?” Turner asked, peering into the darkness ahead.
“I’m positive,” he replied.
“It might be looters raiding the camp,” Samuel said from the back seat. “Your dad was concerned that it might happen.”
“Dad and Maria are still there,” Turner said in a worried voice. He turned to look at his friend in the back, and saw the concerned look on his face. “We have to get up there now, Samuel.”
“We should go from here on foot, just in case something is wrong, Josh. If there is trouble, they’ll hear us coming in the rover. It’s not that far from here.”
“Paulo, I want you to head back and get help,” Turner said as the two men opened their doors and got out of the vehicle. “Keep your lights off until you make the far bend in the road up ahead. From there, you’ll be okay.”
“Hold on, amigo,” Samuel said, reaching
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