As he continued north, Zane’s thoughts turned back to the shadowy figure. He’d originally thought it was a man, but now he couldn’t be so sure. It looked small and thin, almost like a primate. No self-respecting monkey should be running around out here, he thought.
A few minutes later, he came to a halt. He should have caught up with the figure by now. He pivoted in several directions, squinting into the fog. Making matters worse, the humming seemed louder now, making it impossible to hear footsteps.
Where are you? Show yourself.
As Zane looked north, he saw movement about thirty or forty yards away. It was the same figure, and from this angle it appeared to be carrying something. Seconds later, it disappeared into a swirling cloud of gray.
Marking the spot, Zane sprinted forward. A minute later, he saw a dark shadow walking just ahead. The figure stopped and spun around. Zane crouched, reducing his profile.
A blanket of fog swirled in front of him. After passing, the figure was gone again.
Zane stood and began to walk, removing his Glock and chambering a round.
Suddenly his surroundings seemed strange. This part of the clearing was darker, much darker. Finally, he stopped and looked up. To his surprise, the sky was no longer visible. All he could see above him was opaque black. No stars, no moon, nothing.
He shifted his gaze slightly to the right, then to the left. The black ceiling extended in every direction.
And then it hit him…
He was standing underneath a giant craft.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
“Should we turn on our lights?” Jorge asked as he and Brett moved slowly down the path.
“No, let’s keep them off,” Brett said.
“What or who do you think he saw back there?”
“Zane?” Brett looked over at the Brazilian. “I think it was someone from the other team. I mean, who else would be out here?”
Jorge shrugged. “Chinese maybe.”
As the two continued walking in silence, Brett’s mind turned back to Zane. He wished the operative hadn’t gone off on his own. Separating the team never seemed to be a good idea. Each time they did that, trouble arose. If it was only going to take him a couple of minutes, then why not do it together?
“Did you hear that?” Jorge asked.
“Hear what?”
The Brazilian stopped, a frown spreading over his face. Brett remained perfectly still, trying to figure out what he was referring to. A few seconds later, he heard it, the soft sound of voices. There was a group of people just around the next bend in the trail.
“You hear it now?” Jorge asked.
Brett nodded, pulling out his pistol. “Let’s try to get closer.”
As they neared the bend, the voices grew louder. Whoever was speaking wasn’t very far ahead.
Finally, Brett was able to hear what one of them was saying. “We’ve waited long enough. I’m going back to look for her.”
Max.
Brett started walking and gave a low whistle. “Hey, it’s me, Brett.”
The voices grew quiet, then a flashlight clicked on. The beam bounced around before finally coming to rest on Brett’s face. He lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the light.
“Brett?” It was Amanda. “Thank goodness it’s you.”
Brett and Jorge clicked on their flashlights as the two groups walked toward each other.
“You guys were making enough noise to be heard in Sao Paulo,” Jorge said to Artur.
As the others drew near, Brett only counted four people: Amanda, Rebecca, Max, and Artur. Where were Tocchet and Katiya?
Amanda ran up to Brett and gave him a hug then pulled back. “Please tell me you’ve seen Katiya.”
“Katiya?” Brett frowned. “No, why?”
“She went back to the temple to get her radio,” Max explained. “We’ve been waiting here for her. She should’ve been back by now. We were hoping she’d somehow gotten past us.”
“She’d have been better off just leaving it,” Brett said, holding up his radio. “They’re not working anymore.”
Max shook his head.
“So tell me… what’s going on?” Amanda asked. “What was Zane trying to tell us earlier?”
After exchanging a glance with Jorge, Brett said, “We saw a craft over the summit.”
Rebecca visibly stiffened. “What did it look like?”
“It was hard to tell. Lights ran along each side. It flew south over the clearing, sweeping the area with some sort of blue beam.”
“Which way did it go?” Rebecca asked.
“The last we saw, it was moving in this direction.”
Artur frowned. “Did it land?”
“We don’t know,” Brett said. “One minute it was there, and the next it just disappeared.”
Max exhaled loudly. “Just like Katiya. Look, this is all very interesting, but I’m going back to look for her. The rest of you can stay here—”
“Wait,” Brett said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “I think I may know where she is.”
“I thought you just told us you hadn’t seen her,” Max said in a raised voice.
“I meant we never saw her pass us on the trail.” Brett nodded back the way they’d come. “Just a few minutes ago, Zane thought he saw someone out in the clearing.”
“Did it look like Katiya?” Max asked.
“It was hard to tell who it was because of the fog. He went to check it out and told us to keep going.”
“That has to be her,” Max said.
“I’d say that’s a good guess, but at this point—”
“Guys.” Amanda suddenly pointed at something in the distance. “I think we have something coming our way.”
Rebecca looked up and let out a little gasp.
Brett turned around. At first he looked back down the trail, then his eyes were drawn upward to something in the sky. It was several miles away but seemed to be growing larger.
As he watched, chill bumps spread across his body.
Another craft was on its way.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Zane gazed in wonder at the imposing size of the craft. No matter which direction he looked, he could only see its dark metal underside. It dwarfed anything he’d ever seen, including military transport planes.
Suddenly he heard a hiss, followed by the sound of hydraulics.
He turned in the direction of the sound. Something moved through the fog. He crept closer. Someone was climbing a ramp, and they appeared to be carrying someone in their arms. And then they were gone.
Zane stood in place, confused by what he had just seen. Was it really a man? It seemed so at the time, and yet there was something odd about his shape.
What if it was someone from the other team? Zane dismissed the thought immediately. The person had left the jungle and made a beeline for the craft, which had been cloaked by the fog. Only someone with an intimate knowledge of the craft’s location could’ve done that.
He clenched his jaw as he considered what to do next. He’d promised Brett and Jorge that he’d return, but only if it turned out to be nothing. This was something. He had also seen someone in the man’s arms. The question of who it might be disturbed him.
Throwing caution to the wind, Zane sprinted forward. Soon the ramp came into view. It was wider than he’d expected. He looked toward the top, but the view was obscured by swirling fog.
He placed a foot on its surface then stopped. A distant sound reached his ears, causing him to turn his head slightly. It sounded like the drone of an engine. The noise grew louder, indicating it was moving in the direction of the summit. Was it another craft? If so, then he needed to move quickly. He turned and mounted the ramp. He drew his gun, mindful that someone might be waiting for him above. Who knew, perhaps the whole thing had been staged to draw him here.