Subterranean (10 page)

That started him laughing. She grinned, almost forgetting the miles of rock that hung over her head.

Ben watched Ashley bend over and study the altar site. Damn nice curves on that woman. He took off his helmet and wiped a red handkerchief across his damp forehead. It was getting late, and his stomach was growling. Thank god this was the last chamber to investigate.

He sighed as he watched Ashley pull out a measuring tape. “Not again,” he cursed under his breath. Since this morning's discovery, he had felt like a third wheel, tagging along behind Ashley and Dr. Symski as they explored. Stopping in each chamber, measuring, scraping, sampling. Boring. He had hoped to spend more private time with Ashley, but with the discovery of the carving, both doctors were like bloodhounds on a scent. Nothing could distract them. Not a joke, not a quip. He was all but invisible.

“So this is where you found the diamond figurine?” Ashley knelt down beside the raised dais of stone. It mushroomed from the floor of one of the chambers. “The pedestal's carved from the base stone. Suggestive that the builders purposefully designed this chamber. All the other chambers have their firepits in this location.” She pointed up to the ceiling. “Also this is the only room that doesn't have an oval symbol above the door.”

Ben stood on the lip of rock that acted as a doorstep to the chamber. He glanced over the edge to the water far below. The chamber was on the highest level and was located on the section of cliff wall above the lake. Without the scaffolding, it would have been a difficult climb, even for him.

Ashley turned to Dr. Symski, who crouched in the back of the dwelling. “When your researchers found the statue,” she asked, “was the figure facing out or in?”

“Well . . .” He shuffled his feet. “You see, there was this accident. The first man in here knocked it over. We don't know which way it was facing.”

She slapped the altar stone. “What other key details did you botch?”

Dr. Symski flushed.

Ben, feeling irritable himself with all this nitpicking, intervened. “What difference does it make? Whether it was facing in or out or lying on its freakin' back?”

Ashley, with narrowed eyes, turned to him. “It makes all the difference in the world. This is the only significant artifact in the dig. It must have once had great importance to the culture here. If it was facing out when it was found, it was probably a warding charm, to keep evil spirits away. If it was facing in, then it probably was a worship tool, used in rituals.”

Ben scratched behind his ear; a trickle of sweat ran down from under his helmet. “In the bigger scheme of things, what difference does it make if it was a charm or an idol? How is that going to solve the bigger mystery of where they went?”

She opened her mouth to answer, then shut it with an almost audible snap. “I give up,” was all she mumbled as she shoved past him and began climbing down.

Ben immediately regretted his remark. He knew instinctively that he had blown any progress he'd made that day impressing and charming Ashley. “Wait up,” he called, climbing down after her. Dr. Symski followed.

“To hell with both of you!” she called out, not even looking back.

It was a quiet ride back to Alpha Base.

“M
OM, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE FISH WE CAUGHT
.” Jason spread his arms as wide as he could reach, almost bumping Linda, who was seated next to him at the dinner table. “It was bigger than this.”

“That's some fish,” Ashley said.

“It was phosphorescent! That means it glowed.”

Ashley noticed he had chosen to sit next to Linda at tonight's dinner table. The two of them must have had a great day together.

“It was blue. With huge teeth.”

“Sounds bloody weird, mate,” Ben said as he entered the dining room, his hair still damp from a shower. “A real dingoling.”

“Hey, Ben!” Jason said, greeting him with a mile-wide smile. “You should have been there.”

“Sorry, champ,” Ben said. “Had to help your mother.” He sat down—a couple seats away from Ashley.

She knew why he chose to sit so far away. She shifted her peas around her plate, admitting that she had been a real bitch this afternoon.

Perhaps she should apologize for her outburst earlier. She opened her mouth to speak when the dining room door swung open and Khalid entered.

“Good evening, everyone,” he said as he crossed to sit on the other side of Linda. “Sorry I'm late, but I ran into Dr. Blakely, who asked me to mention he's going to be involved with last-minute arrangements and won't be joining us for dinner.”

Ashley noticed someone else was missing. “Has anyone heard from Michaelson?”

“Yes,” Linda said, holding up a hand. “Well, actually, not directly. A Marine who helped us fish today told me that Major Michaelson was housing in the military section of the base. Across that gorge.”

“Why's he doing that?” Ashley said. “We've got plenty of room here. This building's practically empty.”

“I guess he's getting those other two men ready for the trip,” Linda said. “Our guards.”

Great, she thought, two more gun-toting men along for the ride. But this was no time to grouse. It was the eve of their adventure. Besides, as leader, she should say something. Something dramatic. Something uplifting. Though her mind was blank, she set down her fork, determined to say something.

While she watched the others finish their dinners, she struggled to find the right words. By the time Ben had wiped the gravy off his plate with a slice of sourdough and patted his belly with a sigh, she still had no idea what to say. To hell with “proper” words.

Ashley cleared her throat. “I'd . . . like to . . . make a toast.” She raised her water glass and stood up. The others looked at her expectantly. “Over the past few days, we've all had a lot thrown at us. And I think we're all feeling trampled on, but tomorrow we embark on a trip where the success of our mission will depend on our ability to work as a team. And as much as Blakely may get under my skin personally, I think he put a hell of a team together. So,” she said, raising her glass higher, “here's to us. To the team.”

“To the team!” the group echoed, hoisting their drinks.

“Yeah, to you guys!” Jason said, swigging from his cola.

Linda tousled his hair. “What about us girls?”

Jason blushed. “You know what I meant.”

“I know.” Linda leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks.”

Jason turned an uncomfortable shade of purple.

As Ashley smiled at her son's consternation, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Ben stood behind her. He leaned and whispered in her ear. “I'd like to talk to you. Would you mind a short walk after dinner?”

“Umm . . .” she hedged, caught off guard. This was the last thing she had expected. “I've got to put Jason to bed.”

“Well, how about after that? I just need a few moments.”

“Is it important? Can't it wait until morning?”

“Well, I'd rather get this off my chest tonight.”

“Sure,” she agreed reluctantly, “I guess I can see you in a bit. How's half an hour?”

“Fine. I'll meet you outside the entrance. I'm gonna fetch a jacket.”

She nodded and watched him leave. “Jason, let's head back up to our room.”

Her son, more his normal shade now that Linda's attention had turned to Khalid, pushed back his chair with a loud squeak. “Can I watch cable?”

“Sure, but only for a half hour, then to bed.” She collected him under her arm, squeezing him, and waved to the other two. “See you in the morning.”

Linda waved back, and Khalid nodded.

After settling Jason in front of a rerun of
Gilligan's Island
, Ashley pulled on a yellow sweater. “I'll be back in a little bit.”

Jason waved to her as she left, his eyes never leaving the screen.

Ashley pushed through the door to the outside and spotted Ben talking to a guard. He waved to the Marine and crossed over to her. “Thanks for coming.”

She wrapped her arms around her chest. “So?”

“How about we walk over to that gorge?” He pointed toward the opposite end of camp. “I've heard the area is a bonzer make-out spot.”

She placed her fists on her hips. “If you think . . . That's not why I came out here.”

Ben grinned at her. “I'm just teasing.”

“Then
what
did you want to talk about?”

“C'mon. Let's walk. I really want to see this chasm. I barely caught sight of it when we crossed yesterday.” He offered his arm. “C'mon.”

She ignored the arm and walked past him. “I can't be away too long. Jason's waiting up.”

He caught up and strode beside her. “About this afternoon—”

She held up a hand. “I know, I know. I overreacted.”

“No, not at all, I was being a jackass.”

She turned to him. “Is that what you think?”

“Sure do. I was butting my big nose where it doesn't belong.”

She studied his serious eyes and determined jaw, limned in the lantern light of a nearby tent. “See,” she said, a tightness in her throat thickening her words, “that's what's really bothering
me
.”

“What?” He brushed a hand across hers, but she pulled away.

“I'm supposed to be the big leader here. Guiding and motivating the team. But a simple question sends me ballistic. Some leader I make.” Her voice cracked a bit.

“Hey, don't beat yourself up.” He reached out farther and clasped her hand, his touch igniting her like an electric shock. She made a weak attempt to pull away, but he held her too firmly. “Listen, Ash, you were pressed for time. Hell, you only had a single day to explore the ruins, and I had to distract you with stupid questions.”

“Your questions weren't stupid. My response was.” She tried to draw her hand free, but as she pulled, he stepped closer. “I . . .” How brightly his eyes reflected the lantern's light. “I . . . think we'd better continue with our walk.” She finally freed her hand.

“Yeah . . .” He glanced away from her. “You're right.”

They continued across the camp in silence.

The quiet soon became painful. “You know,” she said, “now that I've had time to think about it . . . what really ticked me off this afternoon was that you were right.”

“About what?”

“The statue. For now, it is not
that
vital to know in which direction the statue was facing. Sometimes I get so fixated on the details that I miss the bigger picture. And when you brought this to my attention, I lashed out. I'm sorry.”

“Hey, you were under a lot of pressure. Besides, I like people who speak their mind.”

She smiled.

“People like you,” he said in a whisper.

“Thanks, Ben.” They rounded a Quonset hut, and a black gash split the ground ahead. To the left, a lighted bridge crossed the gorge.

As soon as they stepped into the lighted area, a guard called to them from the bridge. “Stop right there.” The gun pointed toward them punctuated his statement. “This area is restricted.”

“My, my,” Ben whispered in an aside to her as a second guard approached. “I can see why everyone thinks this is a romantic spot.”

The stone-faced guard checked their identification cards. “You're clear.” He turned to the other guard by the bridge and gave him a thumbs-up sign. “Sorry for the scare, but we're tightening security.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Sorry, ma'am. That's classified information.” He turned and proceeded toward the bridge.

Ashley turned to Ben. “What do you make of that?”

He shrugged. “Who can figure the military? Bunch of buffoons.”

“I know. I wouldn't mind pushing the lot of them into that damned chasm.”

“Hey, what do you know? We do have something in common.” He spun on a heel, very militarylike, to head back to the dormitory. He offered his arm.

This time she took him up on his offer.

Blakely stretched, leaning away from the console. He glanced at a clock on the wall. A few minutes after midnight. Now, that was cutting it down to the wire. The team would be leaving in nine hours.

“All green lights,” said a voice behind him. “Finally.”

He turned to the head of communications, Lieutenant Brian Flattery. “I knew those new circuit boards would do the trick,” the doctor said. “With the communications net intact, we'll be able to communicate to my team anywhere on the planet.”

“That's good,” said Flattery. “But still . . .”

“Don't fret. This time it'll be different.”

Flattery glanced at the floor. “We never found Wombley's body. Only that splat of blood.”

“I know, I know.”

“And there's still no word from the other team. It's been four months. And what about the recent disappearance of the guard by the chasm?”

Blakely held up a hand. He had heard similar rumblings across the camp. “We're prepared this time. We'll be in regular communication.”

“Shouldn't this group be forewarned of the risk they're taking?”

Blakely shrugged. “Major Michaelson and his two men know. That's what's important. I guess I'm going to have to give the rest of the team some details, but they don't need to know everything. This time we're proceeding with foreknowledge of the risks. We're properly armed.”

“We don't really know that.”

Blakely squinted at the line of green lights on the communications console. He tapped one light that fluttered. It stabilized to a steady green. “Nothing to worry about.”

T
HE PACK WAS HEAVY, THE CUSHIONED STRAPS CUTTING
into Ashley's shoulders. She shrugged it off and set it down at her feet. Heavy, but manageable. She saw Linda grimace as she tried to adjust her own backpack over her shoulders. Ashley reached over and tugged the bag higher on Linda's back. “Carry it like that and it won't be so bad.”