Fox - The Deathless Quadrilogy

"H ow the hell did we end up in Peru? And not even the good part, down in Lima where the locals think were marines, Jordan asked, shading his eyes from the suns relentless glare as he peered over the helicopters console at the wide valley below. It was flanked by high peaks, some of the tallest in the Andes. At eleven thousand feet, it was a place none of the locals ever came willingly.

Is shit, Yuri agreed, the Russians face hidden behind a large pair of aviator glasses and a thick black goatee. The wiry pilot eased the yoke, tilting the copter forward to afford a better view of the scrubby hillsides. Should be in jungle. Is pretty there. Birds. I like birds.

Why were they here? The team had been put together with incredible haste, dispatched from a dozen different countries to the Peruvian city of Cajamarca where theyd been given one day to acclimate to each other. Theyd been dispatched here, given four old Boeing AH-64 Apache helicoptersthe type that had been mothballed back in the 1980s after serving since Iran Contra.

Commander, are you seeing this? a female voice crackled over the com. It was either Savinsky or Jewel, but having just met them Jordan couldnt readily identify which was speaking.

A massive chunk of stone broke loose from the southern face of one of the mountains, plummeting to the valley floor with a crash so loud he could hear it over the rotors.

Pretty tough to miss, Jordan replied, studying the cloud of dust curling skyward. A smaller piece broke loose from a neighboring peak. Boulders began jouncing all over the place, bucking about like Mexican jumping beans. Carter, this place isnt seismically active, is it?

Not even slightly, Carters nasally voice echoed back over the com. Were nowhere near a fault line.

Holy shit, another voice broke onto the com. That one was definitely Jewel.

A black spike bored out of the earth like the tip of some gigantic drill. It was nearly as large as the peaks surrounding it, a jet-black pyramid unlike anything hed ever seen. Jordans eyes widened as the structure approached. Pull up. Pull up.

Yuri yanked back on the stick, guiding the Apache up and away from the approaching structure. Savinsky wasnt so lucky. Evidently shed been distracted or maybe just surprised by the structures momentum. The pyramid slammed into the Apache, unleashing a fireball of flaming wreckage as it continued its ascent.

Get clear, Jordan roared. The other three copters veered safely away, hovering around the strange pyramid like angry wasps. Up and up it went, until it towered over their comparatively tiny copters. He turned to Yuri. Whats our current elevation?

Nine hundred seventy-five feet above valley floor, Yuri said, jaw still hanging open as he gaped at the pyramid. Is taller, so structure eleven hundred feet. Give or take.

The pyramid finally stopped moving, its jet-black slopes covered in patches of dark soil. Jordan had a million questions. How old was it? Whod built it? Most troubling, how had their employer known it was going to appear? That theyd been dispatched to such a remote location at the precise moment this thing had appeared was no accident.

Carter, are you getting any readings from that thing? he asked, tightening his sunglasses. The structure seemed to drink in the light around it, reflecting none of the midday glare.

Nothing, Carters voice crackled back. And when I say nothing, I mean nothing. Its not sending back radar. It just absorbs the ping. Its eating the signal somehow. Never seen anything like it.

Something like a heat shimmer appeared around the structure. At first Jordan wasnt sure what he was seeing, but eventually his eyes widened. The entire thing was vibrating. The dirt clinging to the sides slid off, like butter on Teflon, falling away until the structure was as pristine as it was on the day it was built, whenever that was. Great piles accumulated around the base of the structure. They surrounded the entire thing except one place where the dirt was conspicuously absent.

Carter, check out the center of the western face. What do you make of it?

Theres definitely something strange there, sir, Carter said, a rare note of uncertainty in his voice. Theres an area in the exact center of the wall thats devoid of debris. If you use magnification, you can see that there are poplar trees scattered all about, but their branches stop at the edge of the clearing as if they were sheared through with a really sharp plane. I dont know what to make of it.

All units, make your approach. Prepare for field recon, Jordan ordered, filling his voice with authority and confidence he didnt feel. What the hell had they been sent into?

Yuri eased back on the yoke, and the whirring of the rotors slowed. The craft descended smoothly, drifting to the edge of the ring of dirt now surrounding the pyramid. The copter set down just beyond, between a still-standing poplar tree and a cluster of boulders.

A hawk wheeled overhead, screeching a challenge as the whir of the rotors finally died. Jordan pushed open the canopy over the crafts rear seat. Intended more for combat than transport, it was just large enough to hold two people. An intimidating machine gun had been bolted under each stubby little wing, along with a boxy missile launcher on the right. Hardly the sort of hardware youd send to scout unless you were expecting serious trouble.

Jordan slid from the cockpit, dropping to the dry earth with a puff of dust. The high desert made his eyes water beneath his sunglasses even though the wind was bitterly cold at this elevation. He withdrew his pack from the boot, the harness jingling as he buckled it at his waist and chest. The black nylon was compact enough to not restrict movement and still contain the basic supplies they might need on such an op.

Were going in hot. No sense in taking chances, he said into the sub-dermal microphone that Mohn Corp. had so graciously provided. It was state of the art, picking up words people right next to him would miss. Jordan buckled his sidearm, an M-411 smart pistol, into place. The weapon fed targeting data to his goggles, making combat nearly as easy as your average video game.

Is very strange, Yuri said, dropping to the dirt beside Jordan. His gaze was fixed on the pyramid, or more specifically, the clear space in front of the wall some fifty yards from where theyd set down. He could tell the break in debris was clearly something the builders had intended, because it lay directly outside a gap in the structure. It was as if a square section had been cut away, allowing visitors to enter a tunnel that led inside.

Carter, what can you tell me? Jordan said, turning toward the third helicopter as the short, sandy-haired tech fell awkwardly to the ground. He got up quickly, dusting off his pants and trying to act like he wasnt as clumsy as they all knew him to be.

The tech trotted over, taking a sip of water from the blue hose leading into his pack. I ran a full scan on the valley. We use sonar imaging to build maps, which the satellites confirm. Only theres gaps in my model, gaps caused by that thing. Its eating the signal, sir. That shouldnt be possible.

Yeah, you mentioned that in the air. What else can you tell me?

Not much, Carter admitted, turning to face the structure. He withdrew a bulky black box from his belt and aimed it at the tunnel. It beeped and hummed for several seconds before Carter turned back to face him. Sir, this is damn odd. That tunnel is emitting ELF.