‘Katherine if you would lead the way, I will be right behind you.’
Archer saw Katherine disappear inside the hatch, and it close behind them. Mastasson‘s knife at the back of her neck. He was not concerned, Jacob was there he would look after her, as he had all their lives. He focused on the task ahead, taking out Enzi’s men without losing his own.
Jones saw the explosions and smoke from the two teams he had sent out, and correctly presumed they had been ambushed, he shouted orders that everyone else hold their positions, to avoid more losses. He checked the immediate vicinity for trip wires and mines, but with the jungle terrain it was less easy to see compared to sandy Mabalia, he was more likely to trigger a mine than locate and disarm one. The storm overhead was darkening, it was almost like dusk. He had not anticipating being here after nightfall. All his men crouched down and waited for the next attack. Many of them were not as brave as they boasted, he could see their eyes betraying them, they were not to be relied upon.
Archer noticed the lack of return fire, and could see with the optics on his M4 that Enzi’s men had hunkered down.
He crawled over to a wired intercom, taking advice from Osvaldo Roderigo, they knew their conventional radios would be disabled by the storm. Michael and Teddy had cobbled together a set of four wired intercoms, the cable running between them buried in the undergrowth, and secured with rocks. Archer was amused that the extremely simple technology was more effective than satellite phones and encrypted radios. He put the earpiece in, and spoke quietly into the microphone, ‘Going to plan so far Debs?’
She was with Michael, guarding him, their main line of defence relying upon him, ‘Yes, but if they go off book, our people may not be able to react effectively. Do you want Michael to do his thing?’
‘Let them wait a few minutes, sweat it out, put them on edge.’
‘Agreed, they will fire at anything, and we can re-check their positions from that. Can you get the drop on Enzi?’
‘Not from here, well protected and behind cover, I will go around and try and flank him.’
‘Let me get these ready to go, I will take out the boat crews, see you back here?’
‘No I will stay until everyone is out of the hatch, leave without me, I will get out with Katherine.’
‘But she is in the complex?’
‘You know her, she will be out and flying away in no time.’
‘True. Later.’
Securing the communications kit back in its watertight box, Archer moved off to travel halfway round the crater wall, and take out Enzi.
Thorpe watched Archer leave through night vision goggles, but that was not his target or mission. He signalled two of his men to follow Archer, and the rest to circle wide around to cut off Enzi, Jones and the remaining men.
FORTY
La gente de la luz azul were all performing their tasks. Kevin was intently focused on his display inside the obelisk. Jacob watched the circle in the floor between the obelisks, it was glowing. He could see three concentric sets of crystals, he was sure the floor was black last time he was here. The outer ring had the smallest stones, the size of golf balls, hundreds of them set within the black stone. The second ring had crystals the size of grapefruits and less frequent, but the centre stone had just five the size of watermelons, all were faintly glowing.
Osvaldo Roderigo came over to him, ‘You see the three circles, watch them closely, and don’t move from this spot.’
As Jacob obeyed he stared at the floor, and then the most spectacular and unexplainable sight so far began.
Out in the jungle Archer had line of sight with Enzi, he got a good position. The only visible sign of his presence was the barrel of his suppressed M4 rifle peeping from under a leaf. The storm intensified and provided excellent cover, the noise of thunder and lightning almost constant, the rain beating onto the vegetation, shaking the leaves. He took aim at one of the hired guns, fired once, hit his forehead and dropped him back into the waiting arms of the jungle.
The man sat next to him and just in front did not even see him fall; the rainfall and noise hid his departure. If he had been aware he would not have been next. With the two outermost guards removed, Archer took out two more guards. There were no more visible targets. He presumed that Enzi and Jones were using the wall for cover, and were not going to put their heads up. He would have to get around below them or closer for a shot. Archer took out a laser pointer, and aimed it straight at Debra’s position, flashing it twice over her head. She saw the light and fired off a flare to illuminate the darkened area near Enzi’s position.
‘Michael, time to let your lethal toys loose.’
Enzi was surprised as the parachute flare sailed down. He hid his face, and covered his eyes to protect his night vision. He knew that looking up could impede his eyes for long enough for an attack, his heart rate increased, and he moved next to Jones to whisper orders, but no attack came. The flare disappeared and then a mass of gunfire came in from two positions, three short bursts, hitting all the wall area in front of them, the small arms fire lighting up on the other side of the complex. He looked over in the new light, but saw no perimeter guards. Enzi hit Jones with his pistol grip, ‘You were meant to secure this place!’
‘I did, but their force is larger than I thought possible, they are just scientists!’
‘Check your men and get us out of here!’
‘What about the amulets!’
‘They are no use to me if I’m dead! We retreat, regroup and then attack.’
Jones moved over to his outer guards, keeping low and found them missing, he looked back at Enzi and decided on his only option.
The floor glowed brightly; the three circles began to lift as one from the floor, moving slowly, an unseen hand straining to push them up from the ground. They continued to ascend up to the roof, where their glow revealed an opening ready to welcome them. Jacob watched them silently during the minutes it took them to reach their goal, as they came to a rest twenty metres above, at the apex of the chamber.
He looked back to see where they had come from and stepped forward towards the edge, feeling light headed and almost falling in, Osvaldo Roderigo pulled him back.
‘There is a strong magnetic field, it is what holds the keystone in place above.’
‘I felt it, like I was drunk, or oxygen starved.’
‘It affects different people in different ways.’
‘And it is localised?’
‘Yes, comes out from directly below and controls the height and angle of the keystone.’
‘And it affects nothing else around the area?’
‘No nothing else, you can carry metal objects no issue.’
Jacob had never known a magnetic field that is so specific.’
‘Do you want to see what is below? Now it is active different to last time.’
‘Of course, I am very inquisitive, you know that.’
Osvaldo Roderigo led the way, a staircase opened up four metres from the obelisk square, the floor separating into individual pieces, building the staircase. Jacob stepped confidently after Osvaldo Roderigo to the chamber below, leaving the obelisk operators engrossed in their tasks. He did not see Mastasson’s face appearing behind Katherine in the doorway, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.
The bursts of fire were short lived, Enzi noticed that they stopped when his men returned fire, holding their weapons over their heads and firing from cover. He took the advantage and had his men run across the top of the wall to gain ground, a risky exposed move, but he was not concerned with their safety, only his own.
Michael was answering the frustrated Debra, ‘The robots are working, its weapons must have jammed!’