The Portal (A Delphi Group Thriller Book 2) (31 page)

He reached up to place a hand on her cheek, and she clicked off the light. Their lips found each other in the darkness, pressing together softly at first, then more firmly.

Zane slid an arm around her waist and drew her closer as the kisses became more passionate, even as they were careful not to make any noise. It was the first time he’d felt the warmth of a woman in months, and the feelings he’d developed for Katiya made it all the better.

“Everything okay?” Bennett asked from the radio in Zane’s pocket.

The two snickered simultaneously but managed to keep from laughing out loud.

Zane lifted both of his hands and held Katiya’s cheeks as he kissed her lightly one last time. As he drew back, she reached up and grabbed his forearms, pulling him back again for another kiss, this one firmer.

“Zane?” Bennett’s voice was a bit louder.

As Zane reached for the radio, Katiya playfully pulled on his arms as though she didn’t want their embrace to end. Zane smiled at her, and she smiled back, releasing him at the same time.

His body still tingling with warmth, Zane retrieved the radio out of his pocket. “We had a damsel in distress, but I think she’s fine now. Go ahead and send the next one on up.”

ZANE’S BODY WAS still glowing as the last of the group emerged from the crevice. But despite the physical and emotional passion, he still had mixed feelings about what had just taken place, at least in terms of the timing. On the one hand, he was glad she had taken the initiative. It had been beyond exhilarating to discover the other side of the woman he already admired for her impressive intellect. It also cleared up any doubts he might have had about the subtle flirtation that had taken place before. On the other hand, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Instead of focusing on what lay ahead, he was having flashbacks of the embrace in the tight space.

“Eleven,” Brett said.

Zane addressed the group in a low tone of voice, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “Everybody listen up. As you can see, there’s a landing just head, followed by another short flight of steps.”

After shouldering his pack and rifle, Zane clicked on his light and took the steps. Bennett was already way out in front, sweeping his beam back and forth. A few minutes later, they stood on the first landing. The soldier was using his powerful light to examine the archway at the top of the next flight.

“It’s tough to tell anything from here,” the Green Beret said. “But it does look clear.”

Zane nodded, and the two climbed the steps. After cautiously passing through the doorway, they realized they were on another landing. A third flight of stairs rose to the left, taking them back toward the exterior of the mountain. At the top was yet another stone archway.

Bennett trained his beam toward the opening. “All clear.”

The two climbed the stairs and then stepped out into a stone corridor.

As the others arrived and spilled out into the passage, Zane used his light to get their bearings. The corridor curved out of sight in both directions, apparently following the circumference of the mountain.

“This is incredible,” Amanda said, running her hand along one of the walls. “The stone work here is even more precise than what we’ve seen already.”

Katiya directed her light toward the floor, then the walls. “I think this place is occupied.”

“Why do you think that?” Jorge asked.

“There’re no cobwebs anywhere,” she replied. “No dirt or gravel along the floor. I wouldn’t say we’re in a high-traffic area, but at the same time, you can tell it’s been used fairly regularly.”

Bennett nudged Zane and pointed at the floor with his rifle. “Looks like the floor goes upward in that direction.”

Zane nodded. “Then that’s our route. I want to check the top of the mountain before anything else.”

“Roger that.”

Zane addressed the group, his voice barely a whisper. “We’re going up and are hoping that it will take us to the summit. As before, Sergeant Bennett and I will lead. Sergeant Tocchet will bring up the rear. As Dr. Mills said, this place may be occupied, so keep your eyes and ears open.” He paused for a moment then said, “And one other thing: be prepared to kill your lights if I ask you to.”

Zane turned and moved down the passage with Bennett. The soldier was using the light mounted on his M4 to clear the area ahead as they rounded each turn. As Zane had guessed, the passage seemed roughly to follow the circumference of the mountain.

After traversing the tunnel for about twenty minutes, Bennett slowed and trained his beam on something directly ahead. When Zane caught up, he realized what had drawn the soldier’s attention. Just ahead, the passage narrowed considerably, running between two giant slabs of rock that converged on each side. It was hard to tell if it was another cave-in or a natural formation.

The two approached and aimed their beams into the gap.

“It looks like this section hasn’t been used in a while, that’s for sure,” Bennett said.

More lights illuminated the rock as the others arrived.

“Uh-oh,” Brett said. “Not good.”

Bennett stepped into the narrow space between the two boulders. “Well, I think we found what we were looking for.”

Zane stood next to him and peered down the gap. There, on the other end, was a wall of vines and leaves.

“What is it?” Katiya said from behind him.

“I think we just reached the summit,” Zane replied. He turned to Bennett, who was backing out. “Give me your blade.”

The soldier yanked the machete out of the scabbard at his belt and handed it to Zane.

“Let’s see where this leads,” Zane said, stepping into the gap.

“Wait!” Amanda shouted.

Zane turned and looked at her.

“Those are vines,” she said, pointing at the plants. The implication was clear.

Katiya stepped closer and squinted. “You should be fine,” she said finally. “That’s a different species. The leaves look totally different.”

“Guess it doesn’t like heights,” Brett quipped.

Zane turned back toward Bennett. “Keep me covered just in case.”

“Roger that.” The soldier gripped his rifle more tightly.

Zane grimaced as he moved down the gap between the rocks. It was even narrower than the crevice they’d encountered below.

After finally reaching the far end, he lifted the machete and began slashing through the curtain of vines. After a few cuts, he paused to see if the plants showed any signs of movement. Seeing nothing, he continued to hack his way through, stepping forward as each layer fell at his feet.

A minute later, he stepped through the remaining vines and found himself under the stars. He drew his Glock and surveyed the area. He heard the sounds of the jungle, but nothing moved.

He retrieved his radio and said, “All clear. Let’s keep the lights off from this point forward.”

“Roger that,” Bennett replied.

As the others started to come through the gap, Zane used the time to look around. The silhouettes of towering trees rose up on all sides. The summit seemed to be covered by the rainforest.

After taking a few steps, Zane suddenly looked toward his feet. He was standing on a slope that ran down toward the center of the summit. That meant the mountaintop was shaped like a bowl, not flat as he’d imagined.

Zane felt a hand on his shoulder. Katiya had come up behind him, but her eyes were trained on the sky. “Absolutely gorgeous. It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen the stars without light pollution.”

“I think I could get used to this.” He slid a hand around her waist and enjoyed the moment. A few seconds later, he nodded at the trees. “Unfortunately, it looks like our search isn’t going to be as easy as I thought it would be.”

There was a rustling behind them, so Zane removed his hand and turned. Max was pushing his way through the remaining vines. The linguist gave them both a strange look then averted his eyes.

Had he seen the hand?

Thankfully, Amanda and Brett pushed through right behind him, relieving the awkwardness.

“Wow, not what I expected,” Amanda said as she looked up at the trees.

A few minutes later, the entire group stood in the clearing. Tocchet, the last man through, walked down the slope with Bennett to make sure the area was clear.

“This mountain may not have much elevation, but its circumference is unbelievably large,” Brett said. “How are we going to handle this? It might take all night to search all this acreage.”

“As you may have noticed, the summit is concave.” Zane pointed down the slope with his rifle. “If something is up here, my guess is that it’s on the valley floor.”

Brett nodded. “Sounds reasonable.”

“Sir!” came a shout from below.

Zane saw Tocchet standing at the edge of the forest, waving them down. After they arrived, he briefly turned on his light and shone it on a path that wound down through the undergrowth. He clicked the light off again then said, “Looks like an animal trail.”

Zane nodded. “Hopefully it will take us all the way to the bottom. Remember, no lights.”

Before leaving, Zane stepped over to one of the trees that stood at the head of the trail. He drew his machete and hacked out several large hunks, marking the spot.

“Okay, let’s go,” he said.

After a quarter mile, Zane brought the group to a stop. The forest thinned just ahead, transitioning to a clearing. He lifted his visor and whispered, “Things open up down there. I’m not sure what that means, but Sergeant Bennett and I will approach first and make sure everything is clear.”

Zane flipped his visor down again. He and Bennett crept forward, setting up behind two trees at the edge of the clearing.

Zane couldn’t help but notice the sky again. The arc of the Milky Way rose up into the heavens, glittering in shades of gold and lavender. The stars were so vivid that they seemed only a few miles away.

Bennett looked downhill with his binoculars. “It looks like the clearing ends at a ridge.”

Zane drew out his own pair. After adjusting the focus, he could see an outcrop of rock about two hundred yards away. “Got it.”

Bennett lowered his binoculars. “Any heat signatures?”

Zane looked in every direction. Several thin orange splashes appeared high in the trees to their left, which he guessed was a family of spider monkeys. “I got nothing, you?”

“No, just a few giant rats scurrying across the clearing.”

“Let’s call the others down and try to make that ridge. It’s probably going to give us a good view of the entire summit.”

Zane radioed Tocchet, and moments later the others had joined them. The group then made their way down the slope, hugging the right side of the clearing to reduce exposure.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at the ridge. It was exactly what Zane had hoped for. The massive boulders would give them a clear view of the entire valley.

After clearing the area, the team climbed up on the rocks. Zane lowered onto his stomach and scanned the valley floor with binoculars. Despite the limited visibility, he could see that the bottom was mostly covered by jungle growth.

“What the heck is that?” Bennett asked.

“What?” Zane asked.

Everyone crowded around the Green Beret, trying to see what he was looking at.

He pointed directly down the slope. “The trees. Look toward the trees.”

Zane lifted his binoculars again then focused on the tree line about a hundred yards away.

Amanda let out a little gasp. “What is that?”

Zane quickly turned the focus wheel back and forth. When the view finally sharpened, the hairs on his neck stood on end. There, floating in and out of the forest, were balls of light that looked like giant fireflies. There must have been hundreds, if not thousands. Some seemed to drift aimlessly, while others appeared to move with purpose.

Katiya let out a gasp. “I can’t believe it. I should’ve known.”

Zane looked at her. “You know what they are?”

She continued to stare through her eyepieces. “They’re orbs.”

“Orbs?” Amanda asked.

“Yes.” Katiya’s voice quivered with excitement. “They’re always present in places like this.”

“Places like what?” Brett asked.

Katiya lowered her binoculars and looked at him. “Places with high levels of extraterrestrial activity. Don’t you see? We’ve found what we’re looking for!”

AFTER LEAVING FINAL instructions with Tocchet, Zane led Katiya and Bennett down the slope to conduct surveillance of the valley floor. He had originally indicated that it would only be he and Bennett. However, Katiya then reminded him of his promise to consider taking at least one of the anthropologists with him if there was a reasonable chance of alien contact. With dozens of orbs floating through the trees, it had been hard for the operative to argue against her coming.

Once they arrived at the tree line, they were quickly able to locate another trail, this one narrower than the one before. So many limbs and vines hung over the path that Bennett occasionally had to use his machete to clear the way.

As they descended quietly, Zane looked up toward the canopy. He saw the hint of an orb here and there but nothing like the numbers they’d seen from above. For whatever reason, most were impossible to detect with the naked eye. Something about that bothered him.

“Why can’t we see most of them down here?” he whispered.

“It’s normal,” she said. “Most orbs can only be seen or recorded through a synthetic lens.” She pointed at an orb dancing across the opening in the canopy. “So the fact that we can see even a few tells me these are extremely powerful.”

“It’s a bit unsettling having them hover over us and yet not being able to see them. Who’s to say they aren’t some sort of warning system for whatever is down there?”

“That’s actually one theory regarding their purpose,” Katiya admitted.

After a brief pause, Zane asked, “Do you really think they’re connected to an alien presence?”

“First of all, there are many different types of orbs. For example, many of the orbs that show up in pictures are simply the result of flash photography. They appear when the light reflects off of dust and water particles floating in the air. I’m sure you’ve seen those before.” She paused to watch an orb float overhead then continued. “I also believe that some are residue from energy sources. It’s why they’re often seen around transformers, large batteries, and so on.”