Ancient Echoes

CHAPTER 32



“F*ck!” FISH SAID, his one expression for all situations. He kept an AR-15 on his shoulder. “We didn't sign up for this.”

Having led his team between the pillars, Hammill kept his expression neutral. But Fish had it right. The military had a term for it—FUBAR—f*cked up beyond all recognition. He refused to admit it to his team, though. Not to anyone. Not yet, anyway.

At least he didn't have to worry about admitting it to his boss since every piece of electronic equipment they had was DOA. PLP’s piss-poor intel had put his team at risk. When he saw the four searchers disappear between those pillars, Hammill should have turned around and headed back to Salmon City. Back to broads, booze, and a back rub. Instead, the whole team followed, and now they were in trouble. Him included.

PLP had sworn nothing was dangerous here. Nothing “weird.”

Weird, his ass. This was f*cking unbelievable.

By habit he kept checking the sat phone, but it had crapped out even before they went through the damned pillars.

Maybe this was the long lost redneck version of Atlantis.

“Fish, I need a perimeter,” Hammill ordered as soon as they had descended the mound on which the pillars stood. “I want to know what the hell this is.”

The PTT didn't work either, and they had no idea why not.

“F*ck,” Fish said, which meant, “I don't know either.”

Hammill found footprints heading east, back to the area they'd come from. If they belonged to the students, they might manage to save themselves.

It wouldn’t be bad, he thought nervously, if he and his men ended up at Telichpah Flat to discover that this mission was over. They'd have made a hell of a lot of money for a few days out in the bush. Damn good for a bunch of bullet sponges.

Soon, though, he and his men noticed something was wrong, although they couldn’t quite put a finger on it. They told themselves that they must be a little off their direction. Hammill tried to use his compass, but the needle went around in circles. And the GPS had bellied up along with their sat phone.

FUBAR.