She grimaced, but did as she was told.
“Good, now put your hands on top of your head.
“I’ve never let anyone sneak up on me like that,” she said as she slowly followed Bones’s instructions. “I must be sleep-deprived.”
“Don’t let it bother you. It’s all part of the training.” He loved this girl’s calm demeanor, but it also made her dangerous.
“I’m guessing you’re either Maddock or Bonebrake.”
“Why the hell does Maddock always get top billing? I’m the badass.”
She smirked. “Look, I know you won’t believe me, but I’m F.B.I. I’m on your side.”
“Bull. If you’re F.B.I., what are you doing in a foreign country?”
“I’m a plant inside ScanoGen. Have been for a long time. My primary assignment is domestic. My orders were to find out all I can about a shadow organization that’s funding them and other groups, but I failed. I worked my way up through the organization and all I got was a name. The Dominion.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Bones’s blood ran cold. It couldn’t possibly be true, but then again, neither could it be a coincidence. “Do you mean the Deseret Dominion?”
“That’s one small segment of a nationwide organization. I’m surprised you’ve heard of them. That cell has been quiet for a while.”
“Maddock and I sort of had something to do with that.” He probably shouldn’t have made that admission, but he couldn’t help himself.
“You’re kidding me.” Her eyes were wide with surprise. “Is this a joke to mess with me?” He had finally rattled her, though only a little bit.
“Nope. If you convince me not to kill you, I’ll tell you all about it when we get out of here.” He realized he had already decided to let her live, and he hoped he wasn’t making a mistake.
“My cards are on the table.” Her voice was calm and he detected no deception. “I’ve done my job the best I can, and tried not to do too much harm along the way. ScanoGen ordered me to kill a man, Thornton’s colleague, but I let him go instead, although he doesn’t stand much of a chance out there if I don’t get back to him quick.”
“We found him and he’s all right. We sent him back with an armed guide.” Something occurred to Bones. “You said your primary job was to investigate the Dominion. What else were you supposed to do?”
“To find out the truth behind Project Pan,” she replied glumly, “and either steal the science behind it for the government, or put a permanent stop to it.”
“What is Project Pan?”
“Something the Dominion hired ScanoGen to do. I don’t know exactly what it is, but we believe it has a military application, and that it’s somehow related to modifying the human brain.”
“You mean like turning soldiers into semi-zombies that can’t feel pain and keep on coming at you until you blow them apart or blow their heads off?”
“Maybe.” She gave a sad smile “All I know for certain is Thomas Thornton claimed that he knew where to find the key, and I’m sure it lies somewhere beyond that waterfall. Look, I can’t offer you any proof, but I’m telling you the truth. Take away all my weapons if you like. Do whatever you need to do to feel safe around a little girl like me, but let me come with you. While we’re sitting here chatting, Kennedy and what’s left of the ScanoGen guys are getting a head start.”
“All right,” Bones said. He moved to her side, pocketed her Makarov and relieved her of her knife and spare clips. His eyes fell on a strange-looking weapon lying nearby. “What is this?”
“Personal Halting and Stimulation Response rifle. PHaSR for short. Some call it a dazzle gun. It temporarily blinds your enemy. I tried it on the zombie things, but they just stopped and sniffed the air and came after me again like they were hunting dogs or something.”
“Sweet!” Bones hefted the high-tech weapon. It was bulkier than a machine gun, and looked a bit like something you’d see in a science fiction movie. “I’ll have to save this for Corey. He loves to get his Star Wars on!” He looked at down at his new pseudo-ally. “I am sorry about disarming you. You understand, don’t you?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Tam looked up, turning her large brown eyes and bright smile on him. “I can take my weapons back from you any time I like.”
“Bring it on any time.” Although he was only ninety-seven percent sure she wasn’t going to try to kill him, Bones couldn’t help but like this girl. “My friends and I are to meet up here. If they agree to it, you can come along.” He had to laugh. He could only imagine what Maddock was going to say.
Chapter 24
Dane was not sure what to make of this new development, but he trusted Bones’s judgment, and his own instincts told him that Tam was all right. He didn’t know what to think about her claim that she was investigating the Dominion. What were the odds that name would crop up again? Until she proved herself, however, he was going to watch her closely.
He heard a rustling over the sound of the waterfall, and turned to see Matt and Willis come into view, the former supporting the latter’s weight. Willis’s right pants leg was soaked with blood.
“He caught a spear in the thigh,” Matt grunted as he helped his friend ease down onto a nearby rock. “It looks worse than it is, I think.”
“Says you.” Willis winced as Bones ripped open the gash in the fabric in order to get a better look. “How come it’s always the black man that has to die first? Tell me that, any of y’all.”
“You’re not dead. If you were, you wouldn’t be so freakin’ talkative.” Bones chastised. They stood guard as Matt hastily cleaned, dressed, and bandaged the wound. “I’d stitch it up, but that would take a while, and there’s no telling when those natives will be back.”
“I think we just ran out of time!” Dane had spotted movement in the distance. Shadowy forms were coming their way, and that meant danger, whether it was the natives or ScanoGen who were on their trail. “Let’s get to the waterfall. Even if Tam’s wrong about that being the last landmark, that will cut down on the approaches they can take to get to us.”
They picked their way across the narrow, rocky path that ran between the base of the cliff and the dark pool fed by the waterfall. Cool mist coated their faces and made the way slick. Dane put Tam in the front so he could see if she tried anything. Willis refused further help, and managed the trek reasonably well, though Dane was worried about his comrade. Bones had confided in him that the wound was deep, and would require better attention than the quick treatment Matt had given it.
As they drew close to the waterfall, Dane could see that the cliff face was hollowed out behind it. Hope rising, he urged Tam to quicken her pace before they were spotted. Skirting a head-high boulder, they stepped behind the curtain of water into a cave ten feet across running twenty feet back into the rock. Light filtering through the water cast the place in a flickering glow, and made it easy to see what awaited them inside the cave.
A giant skull was carved into the back wall. The mouth, nose, and eye sockets were all large enough for a person to crawl through. The irregular light sent shadows wavering across its surface, seeming to bring it to life.
“Wicked,” Bones observed as he, bringing up the rear, entered the cavern.
“This is it.” Tam put her hands on her hips and stared at the huge stone skull. She seemed to have already forgotten her position as a prisoner amongst a group of armed captors. “The problem is, I don’t know where we go from here. Fawcett’s map only takes us this far. It’s entirely possible this is rigged so that someone who doesn’t know the trick gets it.” She dragged a finger across her throat and made a squelching noise.