I let out a nervous laugh, "Lead on, Mr. Kane."

Kane takes a step and reaches the next stair down.

Click.

"s.h.i.t," he says shutting his eyes, waiting for whatever is about to happen, to ensue.

Everyone else freezes as well.

n.o.body breathes.

The sound of rushing water starts up again, except this time it's accompanied by a low rumble of stone. The whole place starts to shake.

"I don't think that's water..." Kane says.

We turn to see streaks of lava pouring out from recessed fissures in the cavern walls. Every 50 feet or so another stream of red hot magma spills out of its hiding spot and streaks to the floor, until dozens of them appear along the entire circ.u.mference of the room. After another few minutes of watching we notice that the lava is being collected into what looks like a...

"Is that a moat of lava," I ask.

"Sure is," Kane says.

A large ring of flowing lava has now turned the ground the pyramid sits on into a fiery island.

"Did it get brighter in here or is it just me?" Nicole asks.

Now that she mentions it, the view across the ma.s.sive void seems to have lightened some. Also, the ceiling shimmers above us like the sun on the oceans waves.

"Now that's ingenuity at its finest," Dad says hands on hips, smile on his face, a look of pride for the historical genius being put on display.

"Amazing, it's like a light switch!" I say awestruck. "The glow from the lava reflects on the ceiling panels, which I bet you are made of orichalc.u.m. The reflected light then shines down on the rest of the cavern causing it to become brighter."

"Incredible," Nicole says with a look of wonder.

We stand there and marvel at the technological innovations put into place thousands of years ago by this unknown, yet very advanced civilization.

After another few moments of admiration I break the silence, "Okay everyone let's get moving."

26.

Ahmed stood several hundred feet from the camp, watching through binoculars as men and women rushed around the camp, attending to their duties. He was perched silently on the edge of a dune that encircled the dig site, his back facing towards the small town, all but a distant memory.

He laughed at the lax security put into place. Then again, it was a scientific expedition, not a military base camp. He hadn't even seen a single person carrying a weapon.

The a.s.sa.s.sin smiled, taking the camp was going to be easy. Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, Ahmed lowered his binoculars as one of his men stepped up beside him.

"Sir, we're ready to move."

Ahmed nodded, "Do it."

Being Operations Captain, Ahmed stood by watching as his men descended upon the camp, about to do the dirty work.

A few seconds, later the sound of automatic gunfire filled his ears, along with a chorus of frightened screams. He pushed forward into the quickly abandoned camp, seeing the previous occupants flee into the desert.

Easy, he thought to himself as he stood in the center of the camp, tents surrounding him.

One of his men raced towards him, a small radio extended from his hand.

"Sir, we've intercepted their transmissions," he said, handing Ahmed the radio, it crackling to life. "They're trying to establish communication with the team in the field."

"Kane or Nicole, are you there? This is Roger. We are under fire and are falling back into the park. We've lost five men and can't stay here."

Static...

"I say again...We are falling back deeper into the Ta.s.sili's and will await further instructions."

There was another moment of silence.

"Sorry guys, but you're on your own, over and out."

Ahmed was surprised at just how easy it had been to take the camp. He expected there to be some kind of resistance, but thankfully, no one tried anything dumb and the researchers fled without causing any problems. The deaths of the first few members of the science team that Ahmed's men encountered made sure of that.

Satisfied that the rest of the researchers had fled and the camp was secure, Ahmed keyed his tactical mic-a direct line to his superior.

"Sir, this is Viper, we have taken the dig site. Several of the researchers fled into the park. Zero casualties on our end. Over."

"Very good, Ahmed, see that you don't fail me again."

"Yes sir, I won't, sir. Do we track the survivors?"

"Not necessary," the man called Wolf replied. "But just in case they try to return, leave two men on location to make sure. If need be, take care of them when you return to the surface."

As he spoke with his superior, Ahmed moved towards the edge of the sandy incline that overlooked the large gold slab in the center of the camp. He looked down at the large A-frame rig, impressed with its simplistic design.

Sometimes the simplest designs were the best ones, he thought, releasing the tactical mic. A group of soldiers had joined him, overlooking the excavation.

"Ok gentlemen, clip on and lets go," He instructed the group before reactivating his tactical mic.

"Wolf, we are descending and will be out of contact until we return. Any idea what we can expect down there? Over."

There was an uncomfortable silence over the airwaves, propelling him to ask his question again.

"Sir? Any idea-"

"I heard you Captain," said an obviously irritated voice. "As to what you can expect..."

More silence.

"Sir?" Ahmed asked.

"Death, Mr. Hajjar. You will find death."

27.

We get into a single file line and head down the long staircase, giving each other a four step buffer, just in case something happens. We don't want to accidentally drag someone else down with us if we should fall. The stairs themselves are fairly run of the mill except for the fact they are a little longer and deeper than your average step, made for a longer stride and a bigger foot. It has me wondering even more than before who built this.

The flight of stairs ends unspectacularly with a solid platform of stone. This landing is still a good 50 feet above ground level, but gives us another view of the dark pyramid. The platform reminds me of an observation deck that a national park might have. From this level two more sets of stairs split off, a left path and a right path.

"Which way?" Kane asks. "Left or right?"

The route to the left leads into what looks like a forest, only these aren't trees in the normal sense. These trees are stone-like pillars and look to have formed randomly over the years.

Its then I notice the detail in them. They actually do look like trees. Except, they were crudely cut out of an obsidian-colored rock. The strange phenomenon has also unfortunately produced a maze-like construction that must be traversed to reach our goal, the pyramid. Super creepy if you ask me.

To the right, the stairs lead down towards the bank of the molten lava moat. The coastline is black with soot and rocky crags protrude from the earth. There also appears to be hot spots in the ground that one could fall through if not carefully navigated. b.u.t.ting up to the moat is about 30 feet of coastline-give or take. It ends at a thicket of branches. The problem is, these trees are so tightly packed that there is no way through them.

I glance up and see that the sh.o.r.eline disappears around a bend further into the distance, never leaving the river's side.

"Left, you get lost forever and die. Right, you burn to death in the River Styx...and die"

"Thanks for that inspiring observation, Mr. Kane," Dad says shaking his head.

"Do we split up?" Omar asks.

Two people answer simultaneously.

"Yes."

"No."

I look over and see Nicole and Dad facing off in a stare down.

Now normally I would come to my father's rescue, but they have a history and a relationship that I wouldn't dream of getting in the middle of. Plus, Nicole sort of frightens me in a way a woman never has. She's beautiful, but intimidating. It's like...I would love to buy her a drink someday, but would probably be too scared to ask her out.

"We cannot split up down here with NO knowledge of where we are going or what we are going to encounter!" Dad bellows making perfect sense.

"We have to split up. We need to follow both paths and see where they lead, chart a course through the unfamiliar. We have our objective," she says pointing towards the pyramid, also making sense. "We have the supplies and the necessary equipment to navigate both routes."

I'm surprised who steps in and takes control of the situation. Me.

"Stop it, both of you!"

Two sets of eyes snap their deadly gazes in my direction. I almost melt under the fire of their stare, but I get a nudge from behind. Kane gives me a fist pump with an at-a-boy, trying to make me feel better about my stupid decision to intervene. Even the former military man didn't think it wise to speak up.

"Look, we should get some rest," I say to the pair. "We need to come up with a plan that everyone agrees on. The five of us need to be in on this thing together, 110% simpatico."

Neither react.

Now my fried nerves take over, "AGREED?" I yell. I'm about done with this childish behavior.

Both twitch at my outburst and nod in agreement.

"Omar?" Dad asks. "Unpack the bag and let's get started on some food."

"I'll help," Nicole says and walks over to the two men, placing a tired hand on Dad's shoulder. She gets a weary smile back as they begin to unfurl Omar's pack.

I walk over to Kane, who is standing by the edge of the platform, staring out over the valley towards the pyramid, scanning the surrounding forest.

"What are you thinking?" I ask.

"That this is going to suck either way no matter which path we take."

Yep, I won't argue with that, I think.

Then I look up at the bigger man and see him wearing a pair of- "Are those Oakley's?" I ask.

He nods.

"In a cave? You're wearing sungla.s.ses underground?"

I'm about to make a Corey Hart, "Sungla.s.ses at Night," reference-but before I can he hands me a pair. I give him a questioning look and slip them on.

Nothing happens. The lenses appear to be perfectly clear, not even tinted.

"Hold your finger over the right temple arm, near the hinge," he instructs.

I place my finger where he told me to and the world around me blinks to life in various shades of green.

Nooo way.

"Are these-"

"A little toy the boys in Langley have been working on," he says finally giving me the clue to his employment. CIA all the way. "Night Vision Specs, or NVS, are a work in progress and are being tested by some of the best soldiers in non-combat situations as we speak. Once approved, every Special Forces unit in the United States military will have a pair. They have a built in infrared switch, used to turn them on and off, so if you don't need the night vision, you don't have to take them off. They gave me a pair to test.