Temple of Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

ladies and gentlemen,” said Hawkeye.  “Time to punch the clock.”
    Titan Six climbed into the EFV.  Hawkeye took the driver’s seat, Gator manned the large M256 smoothbore, and Shooter and Tank sat behind the two machine guns.  All firing stations were internal.  No one would be exposed to the noxious gases near the crater.
    Quiz and Christian Madison buckled themselves into two seats midway back.
    Slowly, the EFV advanced towards the crater.
    * Are you sure that our special cargo can handle the rough ride? *
    It’s not armed.  Don’t worry.
    * * *
     
    “We’re fifteen yards away from the crater rim,” Hawkeye said.  “Maybe Tank and I should repel down into the crater.  The air is very hazy, and I’m not sure I can see where I’m going without a little recon.”
    “Proceed at your discretion,” said Mrs. Caine from the Ops Center .”
    Hawkeye cut the engine and was preparing to rise from his seat when the EFV tilted forward.
    “That can’t be good,” said Shooter.
    Hawkeye glanced at the tactical systems and camera array.  “Damn.  I think the ground is giving way under the weight of the vehicle.”
    The EFV tipped forward and descended into the crater at a thirty-five degree angle.
    “Hang on everybody,” said Hawkeye.  “Gravity seems to be overriding my command decisions.  We’re going in.”
    The front of the vehicle fell sharply, hit solid rock, and then continued its uncontrolled descent, rolling right and left as it fell.
    “Like a cheap carnival ride,” said Tank.
    “What if this thing reaches the bottom and starts to sink into the sand?” asked Dr. Madison.
    “Then we’re riding in the most expensive coffin ever made by man,” Hawkeye replied.
    The right-side EFV treads rose sharply off solid ground, lifted by an eruption of gas and flames.  The vehicle hung in the air for several seconds, Titan Six collectively holding its breath.  The tank leveled again with a bone-jarring thud.
    “We’re picking up speed!” Hawkeye said.
    The path downwards was smoother now, but steeper.  The treads were literally gliding over rock and sand like sled runners on smooth ice.
    The engine roared back to life, gears growling, as the treads finally engaged and found traction on the desert grit.
    “We’re on level ground now,” Hawkeye announced.  “I think we’re at the bottom of the crater, at least this portion of it.  The visibility seems to have slightly improved.”
    “We dropped about one hundred and sixty meters,” Tank said.  “One helluva ride.”
    “Let’s get out and take a look,” Hawkeye said.  “The atmosphere reads breathable, but everyone make sure to adjust your helmets as needed.”
    Moments later, Titan Six stood on solid rock outside the EFV.  Jaws agape, they stared in wonder at dozens of geometrical stone formations.
    “My God in heaven!” cried Madison , looking at the vista before him.  “It’s an ancient city!”
     

Southern Quadrant of U.S. Petroleum Blast Crater
Great Basin Desert
     
    Will Langhorne wasn’t sure how long he’d been unconscious, but he was standing now.  His muscles ached, but he was clear-headed.
    At least I didn’t break any bones . . . yet.
    His GPR surveys had not been conclusive, but he’d been fairly sure that radar indicated the presence of stone structures beneath the arid desert.  U.S. Petroleum had surely seen the same thing, but if they’d reported the existence of an ancient city, the feds would have been under intense pressure to suspend drilling until local archaeologists and anthropologists had time to study the area.  University teams might have taken decades to whisk their brushes across an entire city, and U.S. Pet had no intention of waiting that long.  Their own scientists had indicated that success in finding oil from earth’s Deep Biosphere would be maximized in northeast Nevada .  The city below the desert had obviously been considered expendable.
    Langhorne had landed hard on one of