No Such Thing As Werewolves (9 page)

Blair followed her gaze to the pair of guards on the ridge and then watched as it roamed the lot of them.
 

What was going on? Everyone else looked as mystified as he felt.
 

“I called you all here because I want to address what we’re all thinking. Whatever we’re all too afraid to say. Something dangerous is going on in that pyramid. In the central chamber, specifically.”

Silence reigned. Bridget stared fixedly at the map on the table while Alejandro splayed his hands over the heater. The only sound was the wind as it tugged at the pavilion’s blue canvas. Blair had only been on the team three days. Should he speak up? No, it wasn’t his place.
 

“You’re not wrong,” Doctor Roberts finally said. He crossed his arms, eyes staring out from the bushy beard that covered his face. “I’ve compiled the seismic data from three separate sources. The pyramid caused the earthquake; I’m certain now. It
chose
to reveal itself…for reasons we can’t begin to guess. But that’s not the terrifying part. My data strongly suggests that what we’re seeing is, quite literally, the tip of the iceberg. The structure goes deep into the earth possibly a mile or more.”

“That dovetails with Steve’s notes,” Blair said, taking a step closer to the table. All eyes were on him now. “He believes we’ve only discovered the entryway to this place. What we assume is the central chamber might be nothing more than an antechamber at the top.”

“It doesn’t surprise me. Not one bit,” Sheila said, drawl back to full strength. She leaned into the table as she speared them with her gaze. “Why else would they spend millions of dollars to explore this place? We have an escort that’s three times as large as the science team. I don’t know much about guns, but what they’re armed with is more state of the art than anything we should find in Peru.”

“I do,” Bridget broke in, drawing everyone’s attention. He knew
why
she knew guns, and he wasn’t surprised she was still embarrassed about it. “Your average infantry are typically armed with an M4. It’s good for both close quarters and medium range, and the rounds are common all over the world. Did anyone see
Black Hawk Down
? That’s the gun they were using. These guys? The rifles are about the same size as an M4, but I’m unfamiliar with the body or that scope they’ve got mounted on top.”

Bridget’s father was a colonel, and she’d grown up living and breathing that stuff. She’d dragged Blair to the opening night of everything from
Saving Private Ryan
to the aforementioned
Black Hawk Down
. She’d spent countless evenings playing
Call of Duty
and waiting in line every time a new game came out.

“So, what?” Alejandro finally spoke up, glancing up from the heater. “Is this not a good thing? There are very many men protecting us, and they have lots of fancy guns. Not only do we not pay for this, but they pay us a fortune to become pivotal figures in the legends that will spring from this place. We are the few who will see the world’s understanding of the past change forever. We will
shape
that change. Are you not honored to be here?”

“You have to be alive to enjoy that, Alejandro,” Doctor Roberts said quietly. His gaze softened. “We’ve all seen Steve. The man is suffering. I’m no medical doctor, but he has severe burns all over his skin. The kind found after Hiroshima or Chernobyl. That’s saying nothing about his behavior. How many of you has he attacked now? Sheila, I know he came after you with a trowel last week. We’ve all seen the bruises Bridget tries to cover up. The man is melting down in there, maybe literally. What in the hell could cause that?”

“We already know that place eats signals. If you bring your cell phone in, the battery is drained in minutes. That can’t be a coincidence,” Blair said. “Doctor Roberts believes this place thrust itself from the earth. That takes power. Enormous power, I’d wager. It has to have been dormant for a dozen millennia, given your dating, yet it has a reservoir of power that somehow survived that long.”

“There’s only one type of power that could last that long, at least any power source we’ve discovered,” Bridget said, eyes widening as the group put the pieces together. “Steve has radiation poisoning.”

“Maybe, but we don’t have a medical doctor, so there’s no way to be sure,” Sheila said, seizing the conversation once more. “What we are sure about is that the people who brought us here know a lot more about this place than they’re letting on. Either they were expecting this place, or they move faster than any company I’ve ever seen. They had base camp set up within twenty-four hours of this place appearing. They know the central chamber is dangerous, but they’ve forced Steve inside, and now they’re forcing Blair. How long until he starts exhibiting the same symptoms?”

“I haven’t felt any adverse effects yet,” Blair said. The idea of the madness being somehow infectious had already crept into his mind, and Blair had spent the last several days practically having minor heart attacks every time he imagined a symptom.
 

“Are we willing to risk it without more data?” she asked. “I mean, come on, it’s our lives at stake here. I’m happy to explore this place, but if there are dangers, we need to be aware of them.”

“I agree,” Doctor Roberts said. “We’ve signed their NDAs and contracts. It’s not like we can tell anyone anything, but if our lives are at risk we deserve to at least have all the facts.”

“What do you propose we do?” Alejandro asked. His sharp tone made it clear he didn’t share their fear. “Should we run to them and
demand
answers? They owe us nothing. We signed forms agreeing to this. We are paid very handsomely not just for our expertise but also for our discretion. If knowing what they know would help us unravel the mystery of this place, I have no doubt they would share. Is there some risk? Perhaps. Is this not always the case when exploring a new frontier?”

“Typically, that risk doesn’t result in your skin melting,” Sheila retorted. She glanced back up the rise, and Blair followed her gaze. It had settled on Commander Jordan’s tent, perched like a hawk on the ridge overlooking camp. “I’m not expecting you to do anything. I just need to know where everyone stands. If we present a united front, we’re far more likely to get some answers. They might be able to replace one of us, but replacing the entire team would take weeks or even months. I’m betting they don’t want to spend that time.”

“I am deeply sorry, but I will not be a party to this. Do as you will,” Alejandro said, shaking his head. He wore the expression reserved for a child that has done something extremely disappointing. The normally jovial man picked up his coffee and left the pavilion, moving off toward the ridge.

There was a long silence as the group eyed each other uncomfortably. Doctor Roberts finally leaned in and drew their attention.
 

“He’s free to make his own decisions. Do the rest of us have a consensus that something should be done?” Doctor Roberts asked. Sheila nodded immediately of course, and then Bridget followed suit a moment later.
 

“We have to do something,” Blair said, crossing his arms. “I don’t want to think anything ill of our benefactors, but all we’re asking is a little more information. I do think we need to approach the matter delicately, though.”

“That, we can do,” Sheila said, darting a glance over her shoulder. “I’ll give it some thought, and we’ll come up with a way to approach Commander Jordan tomorrow.”

Chapter 10- Answers

Jordan checked the slide on his .457, inspecting the heavy pistol for debris of any kind. Basic weapon maintenance was the first thing every soldier learned. If your equipment failed in combat, you died. It was that simple.
 

Satisfied with the weapon’s condition, he slammed the slide home and slid the weapon into the holster strapped to his thigh. The matte-black gun was larger than any he’d ever used, and he was still getting used to it. Even after Jordan spent countless hours at the gym, it kicked like a mule. He much preferred a .45, which could be fired one handed in a pinch and was incredibly accurate at close range. But then he’d never had to fight a werewolf before. If that thing returned he’d damned well be ready, and that meant his sidearm needed all the stopping power he could get. That thing had gotten up after having over a hundred rounds emptied into it. He didn’t have room to play around.

Footsteps approached outside the tent. There was a muffled exchange of voices, Yuri’s thickly accented Russian and a softer male voice. It was most likely one of the scientists. Jordan snapped the nylon holster strap over the pistol’s grip and exited the tent into the late morning glare. Jordan found it so odd that the high desert was both so bright and so cold at the same time. He slid on his sunglasses, giving his eyes a moment to adjust.

Alejandro’s diminutive form stared up at the Russian, expression guiltier than a kid caught red-handed at the cookie jar. Jordan liked the little Latino, maybe because he wore his emotions so openly. There was no subterfuge to the man.
 

“What can I do for you, Alejandro?” he asked, stepping up to join them. He gave a smile as warm as he could muster, given the constant vigil. That thing could return at any time. He prayed it would come during the day, if it did.
 

“Oh, Commander. There you are. I am so sorry to disturb you, but I come with troubling news,” Alejandro said, shifting his attention from Yuri.
 

“Was going to wake you,” Yuri rumbled with a shrug, raising an eyebrow.

“I wasn’t sleeping. It’s six thirty. I’ve been up for two hours,” Jordan replied. Sleep had been elusive since his encounter with that thing. “Why is it you want me to see, Alejandro?”

“The others are gathered below. They are angry and feel you are withholding information from us.”

Jordan considered the situation carefully. It was hardly surprising. The scientists were all intelligent, particularly Smith, though he was both the last to arrive and the only one among them without an advanced degree. It made sense that they were piecing things together, even with the limited information they’d been provided.

What was surprising was Alejandro coming forward about this meeting. The smaller man was loyal to a fault, and breaking ranks seemed out of character. He was always trying to keep the peace, not make waves.

“I appreciate you coming forward, Alejandro. You’re risking the enmity of your peers by doing so,” he finally replied. Jordan glanced away from the man and at the cluster of figures in the pavilion below. They were near enough that he could make out faces but not expressions.

“I know. I regret having to do so, but I wish to contain this situation before it gets out of hand. It is my hope that you will accompany me back to the group to address their concerns. I realize you can tell us very little, but if you give them something, it would calm the others, and work would proceed uninterrupted.”

“And if I don’t, I’ll have a mutiny on my hands; is that it?” Jordan asked, turning his gaze back to Alejandro. The man’s dark face paled.

“I don’t know that it would go that far, but people will not do their best work if they are afraid,” he replied, shifting from foot to foot like a child needing to pee.

What the hell should he do? Jordan couldn’t reveal the entire situation; the Director would flay him alive. But if he let the situation fester, the scientists would drag their heels. Some might even try to leave. If that thing were still out there, they’d be easy prey.

“You did the right thing, Alejandro. Let’s see what we can do to allay their fears,” he said, squeezing the man’s shoulder in what he hoped was a comfortable manner. Alejandro flinched.

“Escort?” Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow over his sunglasses.

“No, I don’t want them to feel more threatened than they already do,” Jordan replied, shaking his head. “I’ll go down with Alejandro and get this sorted out. Keep the men away from the camp for now.”

Yuri nodded. Jordan turned for the camp, setting a brisk pace that Alejandro had trouble matching. The shorter man scurried along, slightly out of breath from the elevation as they closed the gap to the pavilion where the scientists had gathered. It didn’t take them long to spot his approach, and the assembled group closed ranks like a herd of elephants protecting a calf from a lion.

They said nothing as he strode into their midst.

“Alejandro tells me that you’re unhappy with the lack of information provided,” he said, letting his gaze roam the assembled group. Bridget and Roberts dropped their eyes immediately. Sheila held his stare for a moment, but then she, too, looked away. Only Smith met Jordan’s gaze without difficulty.
 

“I can’t say I agree with him approaching you like this, but Alejandro is right. We want to know just what the hell is happening down in the central chamber. You know a lot more than you’re telling us,” Smith said. Jordan still had a hard time thinking of him as Blair.
 

“Yes, we do,” Jordan admitted, matter-of-factly and without a hint of either reproach or guilt. “I don’t want to trot out tired clichés, but all information about this dig is need-to-know. We’ve ensured that each of you has the data needed to do your job.”

“What about our health, Jordan? We’re no good to you dead. You know that place is killing Steve,” Doctor Roberts said, taking a step toward the giant soldier.
 

The scene was comical to Jordan, really. Roberts was a Chihuahua yipping at his heels.