“Then we split up,” Andy said. He pointed to the left cave. “I’ll go down that one.” He gave them a crooked smile. “I want to get his over with as quickly as possible. We give it twenty, and then come back, okay?”

Abrams cursed and stared off into the blackness of the right-side tunnel. Matt knew he was weighing his options – there were very few, and the time running out was making wrong decisions costly, and potentially deadly – not just for them, but perhaps the entire world.

They didn’t have a choice – Matt knew Andy was right. “I agree; we don’t have the time to check them both out.”

“Okay. Andy and Hartogg, you take the cave to the left. Professor Kearns and I will do the one on the right. Back here in twenty whether you find something or not; agreed?”

Hartogg nodded, and he and Abrams synchronized their watches. The SEAL then waved Andy on, and they vanished into the blackness.

Matt looked down into the impenetrable darkness of their chosen tunnel. His cavalry had now shrunk to one man. He took a shuddering breath.

Abrams, watching him, said, “I know, Professor…Matt. I’d prefer to be anywhere else right now as well.”

He turned and entered the tunnel. Matt followed.

*

Hartogg and Andy moved quickly, the SEAL travelling fast, almost at a jog, chasing the spot of light emanating from his gun-mounted flash. Andy stayed as close he could manage, looking back over his shoulder every few seconds – the hair on his neck was on end the whole time.

They entered another chamber, and Hartogg eased in, walking cautiously for a few paces before he froze and held up his fist. “We got company.”

The words jolted Andy. “What? Where?” he whispered back, feeling a tingle of fear run up his spine to his scalp.

“Ten o’clock.” Hartogg brought the barrel of his gun and light slowly around toward the figure.

Andy did the same, and as the illumination crept around the corner of the chamber, he could just make out someone standing about twenty feet to the forward-left, up against the wall, back turned to them. “Hey.” Andy lifted his light a little more. The skin of the figure was milky white and smooth. He raised his light fully onto the figure as Hartogg started to crab to the side, gun up. Andy sensed what Hartogg was doing and moved to stay in front of him.

The body almost shone in the glare of his flashlight. Andy’s mouth dropped open. She was naked, and…beautiful.

“Tania,” he whispered. He edged forward. “Tania, it’s us.”

“I wouldn’t recommend that, Mr Bennet. Please stand aside.” Hartogg had his light beam on the former captain, and was unblinking in his concentration. “Captain Kovitz, you will place your hands on your head immediately.” He lifted his rifle to sight along the barrel.

“Help me.”

The voice was barely recognizable. It had come from Tania, but didn’t sound like her. It was if she was speaking while holding a mouthful of water in her mouth.