Bodies littered the room. Very few were whole. Khaliq thought back to when Grant Upton tore one of his scientists apart with his bare hands.
Is that what happened here?
Stone slabs spread throughout this section of the cave, each standing vertically about eight feet tall. They were clearly manmade, and Khaliq stepped up to the first one.
It wasn’t just stone that met him.
The remains of a human had been fashioned to the rock.
…with spikes.
The poor soul hadn’t exactly been crucified, but the means of attachment had been similar, and it had likely been no less painful. This person had been held down and nailed to a block of stone.
And then what had happened here? Why had someone nailed this person to the stone while still alive?
Khaliq’s mind raced, then his eyes grew to saucers. He whispered in the darkness.
“It’s a laboratory…”
Chapter 91
Zahra
Zahra and the others stopped at the base of the large pyramidal formation. Rabia took the extra time to piece her Macmillan Tac-338 back together, and thankfully, everyone was able to catch their breath.
Zahra felt exhausted already, and she knew they hadn’t even done anything yet.
Unfortunately, Rabia was finished assembling the rifle long before Zahra felt sufficiently rested. She hefted it up and peered through its powerful scope, doing a little recon while Zahra and Baahir watched on.
“Anything?” Zahra asked, removing her war belt from her backpack. She sat next to the sniper but faced the opposite direction while buckling the belt in place. At the moment, she was more worried about what could be behind them versus what was on top of Gebel Dist.
Ajmal.
“Nothing I can see from here.” She pulled her face away from the scope. “We need to get closer.”
And so, they did.
Zahra stood and slipped her Glock from her bag, holstering it on her right hip. Her trusty grappling hook went into place on her left hip, as did her handheld flashlight. She also had her blade sheathed at the small of her back. Zahra breathed easier, knowing her gear was within reach.
Baahir led them this time, showing them the way Khaliq and his crew had taken. The hike wasn’t as bad as Zahra thought it would be, though she did hurt worse because of it. Her back, knees, and feet were already in rough shape. Now she could add ankles and hips to the list of injuries. The uneven incline was doing a number on her.
“Ugh,” she groaned, pausing and kneading the base of her spine — just above her butt. “Gonna hurt for a month after this.”
Rabia continued past her. “Better than being dead.”
True, she thought. Or is it? Zahra had never hurt in so many places at one time.
She put one foot in front of the other and caught up with her new friend. Rabia kept surprising her. At first, the woman was an enigma. She was stoic and unreadable. But since they had first met, the local had opened up a bit and shown Zahra a piece of herself — her personality. She didn’t think people like Rabia possessed a disposition other than being a stone-cold killer twenty-four-seven, so she was pleasantly surprised to discover more about who the woman behind the sniper was.
And she was already starting to think she’d make a good, long-term friend.
“Hang on,” Ali said suddenly, pointing. They all stopped. “I see something.” He was looking through a pair of sleek binoculars. “Down!” he hissed, dropping to his stomach. Everyone followed his lead.
“Rabia,” he said.
“On it,” she replied.
Zahra was only a couple of feet behind her, and she watched the professional intently, keen on learning something useful. There was one thing that Rabia didn't do, and that was flinch. She never displayed any nervous jitters. Even Zahra still got the shakes on occasion.
“See him?” Ali asked.
“No, where did you—” The pause told Zahra that her target had just come into view. And the sound that followed, like a pair of two-by-fours slapping each other — said that she saw enough of him to take the shot. She got up onto her knees. “Threat neutralized.”
Baahir got to his feet and helped Rabia up. “That was impressive.”
She shook her head. “Killing is never something to marvel over.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“I know what you meant. Just don’t do it.”
Rabia headed off.
Baahir leaned in close to his sister. “Is she always this intense?”
Zahra’s hands found her hips. “Want her number?”
Everybody was breathing hard by the time they made it to the top. Once there, Rabia confirmed her kill — easy to do considering the amount of blood and brain matter that had been scattered all over the Saharan landmark. No one else paid the gruesome scene any attention, however. Everyone else was staring at the hole in the top of Gebel Dist.
“It exists,” Ali said, letting his words trail off.
A breeze whipped by just as he uttered the words. It crawled up Zahra’s spine and pushed her forward. She knelt in front of the narrow, steep stairwell and contemplated what to do next.
“I think it would be wise for Elyas and Tajj to stay here and keep watch,” Ali suggested. Both men looked at their boss and nodded. “There are still enemies nearby.”
Ajmal, Zahra thought.
“I agree,” Rabia said. “I assume there is only one way in or out, and we would be at a serious disadvantage if this entry point was overtaken by unfriendly forces.”
Zahra nodded and bit her lip, thinking hard.
“What’s wrong?” Baahir asked, eyeing the opening.
Zahra chuckled. “What isn’t wrong?”
Baahir scratched his hair, causing sand to fall from it. Zahra stood and brushed it off.
“You sure it’s just Khaliq and one other guy down there?”
Her brother nodded. “One hundred percent.”
“Four against two,” Ali said. “I’m comfortable with those odds.”
“Plus, whatever else is down there,” Zahra added. “I have a feeling there will be some nasty surprises along the way.”
“What makes you say that?” Ali asked.
She looked at him, then turned away. “Experience.”
Zahra pulled her flashlight free, clicked it on, and began her descent.
Chapter 92
Baahir
After struggling down a spiraling stone staircase, the group came upon a circular chamber roughly forty feet in diameter. Zahra stepped aside and allowed Baahir through. He became entranced by the artwork put on display, jerking his own flashlight around the room. In doing so, he unconsciously wandered into the center of the room before it could be cleared of any dangers.
Zahra, Rabia, and Ali stayed close, lights aglow, but held back near the entrance.
“Baahir!” Zahra hissed. “We need to be care—”
He took another step backward, and something clicked beneath his foot. He spun, raising his fists, but didn’t find anything to fight. The others fanned out, closely inspecting the ceiling and walls. Even they didn’t find anything.
Baahir picked up his foot, revealing a cylindrical notch in the floor.
The sound of grinding stone picked up overhead, and a dozen or so palm-sized objects fell from newly agape openings.
One of them fell onto Baahir’s right shoulder, and he shuddered as he felt it start to move. He tried to see it, but it was too close. Just a blur.