The Project 05 - The Tesla Secret

didn't bother looking back.
    She tried to imitate the way the others walked. They moved in single file, slowly, lifting each foot into the air and carefully setting it down again. They were aware of every twig, every stone, every leaf, every possible thing that could trip them or make noise as they passed. Their bodies were loose, yet tense. Their eyes never stopped moving. They scanned the canopy above, the jungle to the sides of the trail, the trail itself.
    After a bit she got better at it. Her legs ached from the unnatural effort. She was soaked in sweat. Swarms of mosquitoes had found them. Nick looked back and smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up.
    It's like he's on a stroll, she thought, a nature hike with weapons. He's enjoying this. The thought was like ice water on her body. He's enjoying this. It's what he lives for, the danger, the edge. He'll never change.
    With the thought, a wave of sadness rushed over her. He'll never change. It's what he knows how to do, what he wants to do. But is it what I want to do?
    No one talked. Ahead, Ronnie held up his hand. He pointed down at the side of the trail, moved to the side and forward again. She saw a brightly colored coral snake curled in a spot where sunlight filtered through the canopy. It ignored her.
    After about an hour Ronnie held up his hand again and waited for the others to come up to him. Here, the trail widened a bit. They stood close together. Selena drank some water.
    "We're close," Ronnie said. "Doesn't look like anyone's come back this way, yet."
    Selena became acutely aware of the sounds all around them, a constant murmur of life that never ceased. The jungle had it's own voice. Chattering birds. Sounds she couldn't identify. Insects. The hum of mosquitoes grew louder. She wiped sweat away. Her hand came away smeared with green camouflage paint. She drank some more water.
    "All right," Nick said. "Whoever is here has to be hostile."
    He looked at Selena. She still needs looking out for. "We'll get close and scout the area and play it by ear," he said to her. "Follow our lead, you'll be fine. Watch your back."
    She nodded.
    "Let's go."
    Ronnie led them down the trail. After another ten minutes, he signaled. Ahead, the dark mass of the pyramid rose through the trees.
    "That's it," Nick said. His voice was very quiet. "Get off the trail. Selena, watch the noise."
    They moved off the trail and crept through the foliage. Selena saw a tiny frog jump from a broad leaf. A brown spider as big as her fist scuttled away underfoot. She shuddered. They came to the edge of what had been a wide plaza in front of the Mayan ruin. She peered out through the leaves. The uneven pavement of the plaza was twisted and broken where trees had pushed up through the stones.
    The pyramid rose high into the canopy overhead. The passage of time had not been kind. The stones were stained dark by the rains of centuries. Tall trees pushed up against it. Carvings of faces and serpents peered out from behind the jungle growth. Tangled vines with thick trunks and deep green leaves blurred the outlines of crumbling stone ledges. A steep set of steps ran up the center of the ruin from the plaza to a stone altar and a square-shaped temple on the peak.
    At the foot of the steps were two tents. Two men stood by one of them, talking and laughing. They were dressed in dull green. Not an official uniform. Not civilian clothes. They were armed.
    "They're carrying AN-94s," Ronnie said. "How the hell do they get those?"
    The AN-94 was Russia's newest assault rifle, a highly advanced weapon. 5.45 mm, with a radical design that fired two rounds at a time and minimized recoil. The shooter had trigger selection to control the rate of fire, from 600 to 1800 rounds per minute. Production problems and a Kremlin hard up for cash meant only elite forces had access to them. Their presence in the Yucatan proved high level government involvement.
    "I don't think those guys are archeologists," Lamont said.
    Selena listened. "They're speaking Russian."
    "What are they saying?"
    "Something about a woman called Nadia." She listened. Her face tightened. "They're pigs. They raped her. They're laughing about it."
    A radio squawked. One of the men spoke into a shoulder microphone.
    "They've found something," Selena said. "Whatever they were looking for."
    Three men emerged from the doorway at the top of the ruin. One held something wrapped in cloth up over his head, grinning. He shouted something. The three