“But there’s nothing here?”

“Watch.” Mick places his hand against a dark keypad situated against the far wall. The frame of a large circular door instantly materializes along the metallic hull.

“Jesus … I suppose you don’t know how you did that either?”

“Guardian must have implanted the knowledge into my subconscious. I just have no idea when he did it—or how.”

The outer-hull door opens, revealing a narrow passage cut within the bedrock of limestone. Mick turns on his flashlight, and they exit, the starship’s door sealing shut behind them.

The shoulder-width corridor is pitch-dark, the air heavy with humidity. The beam from Mick’s light reveals the narrow steps of a steep, circular stairwell rising through the limestone at a near-vertical angle.

He reaches back and takes her hand. “Be careful, it’s slippery.”

It takes them fifteen minutes to reach the summit, the twisting climb dead-ending at a ceiling constructed of polished white metal.

“Okay, now what?”

Before Mick can respond, a six-foot-square panel rises on four hydraulic pistons, exposing their eyes to the blinding light of day.

Mick climbs out, then helps Dominique up. Turning to face the light, they are surprised to find themselves standing in the northern corridor of the Kukulcan temple.

The top of the metallic panel, concealed beneath four feet of solid limestone, slips back into position, resealing the entrance to the starship.

“No wonder we never found the passage,” Mick whispers.

Dominique steps out onto the platform. “It must be close to noon, but the park’s deserted.”

“Something must have happened.”

They hear the thundering echo of chopper blades as the two Navy helicopters approach from the west.

“Mick, maybe we better go.”

The redhead lies prone, his girth concealed beneath the dense jungle foliage. Peering through the high-powered scope of his hunting rifle, he watches Mick Gabriel and the girl step out onto the pyramid’s northern platform. Raymond pushes back the safety, smiling as he aligns the crosshairs over his victim’s heart.

The chopper pilot slows his airship to hover over the Great Ball Court. “Sirs, directly below us.”

Chaney and General Fecondo stare at the winged black object poised almost dead center of the I-shaped Mayan arena. “Christ—it’s another one of those pure-fusion objects.”

“Why hasn’t it detonated?”

The sound of gunfire echoes across the esplanade.

Chaney points to the pyramid. “Get us over there!”

Mick is on his back, struggling to breathe. Blood gushes from his scorching hot chest. He stares into the midday sky, the shadow of Dominique’s face blotting out the sun. He feels her tears fall on his cheek, her mouth moving in slow motion as she presses her palm to the wound, yet he can hear nothing but the beating of his own heart.

Guardian?

Close your eyes …

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

DECEMBER 16, 2012