"Guess the monks liked the idea of community," Nick said.
Ronnie held his candle high and peered at the skulls. "Gives me the creeps."
They walked toward the far end of the chamber. A thousand empty eyes followed them.
All that was left of the temple of Demeter was a cracked wall of marble and slabs underfoot. A large block of stone stood in the center of the slabs. It bore dark and ancient stains. A large niche had been cut into the wall. It was empty.
"Why down here?" Ronnie said. "Wouldn't they put it up on the surface?"
"Demeter and Persephone were worshiped in something called the Eleusinian Mysteries," Selena said. "The main temple was probably up top. Down here would be for secret rites by the priests. It's a cave, it's perfect. That big stone is an altar, probably for animal sacrifices. Ronnie, give me your candle."
She took it from him and held it up. On the wall over the niche was the figure of a horse.
"There's Persephone's symbol again. Looks like a dead end."
"We're in the right place for it," Ronnie said.
Nick heard a scrape of something on stone. His ear began to burn.
"Douse the light." His voice was quiet. "Someone's coming."
They blew out the candles. The chamber went black. At least there aren't any spiders. He drew his .45. Maybe it was a priest, wondering why the crypt was open. Maybe not.
A gleam of light showed at the entrance to the cave. Someone with a flashlight. Then a second beam. A large man stepped into the cave, silhouetted by the light behind. He held a flashlight in one hand, a gun in the other.
Not a priest. Not smart, either.
A second man followed. He had a gun. Another light moved behind him.
At least three. Maybe more behind or upstairs.
The first man flicked his light over the piles of bones. The probing beam found Selena against the old temple wall, her Glock extended in both hands. He shouted and raised his gun.
Nick shot the first man and dove for cover behind the stone altar. A second later Ronnie followed. Selena dropped to the floor. Everyone began firing. Muzzle blasts lit the crypt at both ends, painting the skulls and bones in brief flashes. The noise of the guns filled the cave. Fragments of ancient bone spiraled into the air. He felt the wind of passing bullets. Rounds ricocheted from the walls and the altar and whined around the cave in the dark. The second shooter went down. Then the third.
Silence. Nick's ears were ringing. No one else came out of the passage.
"Anyone hit?"
"No." Selena's voice was tight. "This damn floor is hard."
"Me neither." Ronnie's voice was soft.
"I'm moving right." Nick shuffled to the right, came to Selena climbing to her feet.
"Stay behind me. Don't get too close."
He felt his way along the wall. His hand touched bone, teeth, the rough edge where an eye had been. He jerked his hand back and kept moving. He reached the passage.
Selena and Ronnie came up behind.
Three bodies lay by the entrance to the passage. They weren't moving. Blood pooled around them. A lot of blood. Their bowels had let go. The stench made Nick choke.
Selena stepped over them without thinking. She'd taken four steps before she realized what she'd just done. Three dead men. She might as well have stepped over bags of trash, for all the feeling she had about it. The realization rocked her.
"What do you think, Ronnie?" Nick's voice was quiet.
"Might be more around the corner. Bound to be more upstairs."
"It's like Fallujah. Remember that factory?"
"Yeah, I remember."
Nick crouched down and took a fast look around the corner.
"It's clear to the steps."
The steps were only wide enough for one person at a time. Anyone up top would have a clean shot at them as they came out.
"Fallujah, we had grenades. This sucks, Kemo Sabe."
"Kemo Sabe? You going native on me?"
"I always wanted to say that. Tonto always said that to the Lone Ranger when the shit was about to hit the fan. Kemo Sabe. Has a nice ring to it."
"What does it mean?"
"You don't want to know."
Selena said, "If you're done…" They turned to her. "How do we get out of here?"
"The altar's not far away, ahead and to the right. We go up one at a time and get behind it." Nick grinned at her. "Fast."
He ran up the stairs and came out of the opening and rolled forward behind the altar. The sound of an Uzi on full auto echoed in the church above. The screens behind the altar shattered. Shards of old wood bounced down the steps. They heard Nick's .45 lay down covering fire.
"You last. We'll cover you."
Ronnie went up the stairs like Nick had done and disappeared. In a second Selena heard his Glock. Overhead it sounded like World War III. She pictured the altar, the space behind it. She took a deep breath. The adrenaline kicked in and she ran up the stairs.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Alexei Ivanovich tapped his fingers on his desk. His day had just become far more difficult. He looked at the flash drive in his hand and thought about what it contained. He read the note again. It was printed in English.
Do not jump to conclusions. In this matter, the Project is with you.
It was signed.
A friend.
The package and note had arrived by UPS that morning. Alexei had gotten many odd communications over the years. Sometimes in a dark street at night. Sometimes by official notice. Sometimes in a hard room where unbearable pain was the prelude to truth.
Never by way of UPS. He knew the trail would lead nowhere if he traced it. The video featured the Director of the American CIA talking about a plot against Russia, code named Demeter.
Do not jump to conclusions.
Alexei translated the meaning. Don't make a quick judgment without knowing the facts. Therefore, don't take uninformed action. It was an American idiom. It was logical to assume an American had sent it. Why would an American send such a damaging video to him?
In this matter, the Project is with you.
The sender must be someone in the American intelligence agencies. No one else would know about the Project or how to get the video to Alexei.
Alexei knew he should go to his boss. If he did, all hell would break loose. The Kremlin was paranoid enough without this.
Do not jump to conclusions.
Someone wanted him to know the Director of American Central Intelligence plotted against Russia. Someone wanted him stopped and wanted Alexei's help. Someone wanted him to see the Project as an ally.
Only one explanation made sense. It wasn't a sanctioned operation. That made it a danger to both nations. Alexi considered the possibility the video was part of a larger scheme with a hidden end in mind, suspect as three day old fish in the market. If it wasn't faked it was the kind of thing that could lead to war. Alexei didn't think it was faked.
Vysotsky sometimes felt he lived in a world of brittle mirrors, a world of infinite reflections and possible realities, one within the other to infinity. Truth was out there, but it was often unpleasant and hard to find.
Do not jump to conclusions.
The Project was small. SVR was massive. The Project had no ability to mount any significant operation within Russia. SVR had all the resources it needed to do exactly that. The situation was reversed in America. The Project could operate there in ways Alexei could not. The bow was drawn in America, but the arrow was aimed at Russia. Whoever had sent the video wanted an alliance of convenience against a common enemy.
Alexei made a decision. He picked up his satellite phone and called Korov.