The Hunt for Babylon:
By cheekychaos
Chapter Three:
Daniel looked out the Jeep's window at the moist green jungle outside. He, Jack and Sydney were currently driving through the Amazon Rainforest in western Brazil. Due to the sticky heat, Jack had the air conditioning up full blast, but it only seemed to take to edge off the oppressive humidity. But Daniel didn't mind – it wasn't the first time he had visited the South American jungle.
"Do we know how much further it is to the temple?" Daniel asked.
"About another five miles." Sydney said from the backseat, where she was consulting the map.
"Oh, that's just peachy." Jack growled as the rather battered Jeep lurched to the right. "This road is full of pot holes the size of the Grand Canyon!"
Daniel hid a smile at his friend's complaint. Jack had actually been rather well behaved so far this trip, with only the occasional moan about the heat or the road – which probably explained why Daniel was still in such good spirits.
Luckily, it didn't take long for them to reach the turnoff to the temple, where they were going to leave their car. Both Jack and Sydney had agreed that it would be best to hike the last mile or so on foot, so as not to alert anyone who may already been inside the temple.
Daniel had fondly remembered his last dig in South America and had dressed in a similar outfit as a result. He wore a pair of sturdy boots, just like Sydney and Jack, a pair of faded jeans, a white singlet under a loose, short-sleeved pale blue shirt and a bright red bandana. Jack wore a black T-shirt over cargo pants, along with his ever present ball cap and sunglasses. Sydney also wore cargos, over which was a khaki shirt with the sleeves hacked off. She had tied her hair back into a ponytail and she too wore sunglasses.
Slipping on his own pair, and grateful he had worn his contacts, Daniel shouldered his light pack, before turning to his companions. "Let's go." He said.
"After you." Jack said, gesturing for Daniel to start walking.
Daniel gave Jack a wry smile, but stepped forward, heading down the trail leading to the temple ruins. He heard Jack and Sydney follow a second later.
Twenty minutes later, Daniel was hot, bothered and sweaty and had remembered all the downsides to trekking through a tropical jungle – the heat and the bugs. On the upside, they were in sight of the temple. So far it looked deserted, but both Jack and Sydney were wary, their hands not far from their concealed guns.
"Let's keep this as quiet as possible." Jack said, coming up to where Daniel and Sydney were hidden behind some undergrowth. "I haven't seen any signs of anyone else, but let's not take any chances, okay?"
"Sure, Jack." Daniel said. "So where exactly is this artefact?"
The question was directed at Sydney, who answered quietly. "I'm not exactly sure. All I know is that it's supposed to be a key to reading the map to this other world."
Jack frowned, but before he could say anything, Daniel sent him a warning glance, before asking, "Do we have any idea what it looks like?"
"The only description we've come across," Sydney replied, "is that of 'a large crystal'."
"Well, that should be easy enough to find." Daniel said optimistically. "There's got to be some sort of clue."
"We're not going to find it out here, though." Jack said. "Come on, let's find it and get out of here."
The temple was still largely standing, despite the massive tree roots and undergrowth that had tried to take it over. The sand coloured stone held intricate carvings that were still visible, although covered in grime. The structure was tall and broad, almost like an Assyrian Pyramid in shape. It was quite beautiful, jutting out from the deep greens of the jungle.
"This is a whole lot older than the 15th Century." Daniel muttered. "Has Rambaldi ever done anything like this before?" he asked Sydney.
"Not that I know of." She replied frowning. "It's not usually the way he hides his secrets."
"What if it's not his secret?" Jack asked. "What if he stole the secret from someone else?"
Both Sydney and Daniel turned to Jack in surprise. "That's it!" Sydney grinned. "It explains everything!"
Daniel looked at Jack curiously. "How did you realise that?" he asked.
Jack shrugged. "It's what the bad guys always do." He said.
The inside of the temple was dark and covered with roots and leaf litter. It was also cooler than outside, which was a great relief, and the heavy scent of rotting vegetation wasn't so strong either.
The trio picked their way through the temple, with Daniel taking great interest in the carvings on the wall. After about ten minutes, they reached a wide room less disturbed than all the others. It was also brighter due to the sun streaming in through a hole in the roof. Jack looked around and raised his eyebrows in surprise at what he saw.
The paved floor ended about halfway across the room and beyond that Jack caught the gleam of a metal spike ringed chasm. Against the far wall was a jutting ledge of rock in front of an ornately carved doorway.
"I guess we found out where we need to go." Daniel said.
"But how do we get it?" Sydney asked, motioning towards the large gaps on either side of the jutting ledge.
"I'm not sure." Daniel said.
"Well, don't look at me." Jack said. "You're the archaeologist."
Daniel just rolled his eyes and went to take another look at the inscription he had spotted on the wall. He dragged a torch from the small pack he carried and shone it at the wall, surprised at what he saw. The text was similar to Assyrian, with a clear Mayan influence. Both civilisations were far removed from 15th Century Italy – and each other.
"Here lies the doorway to the heavens, beyond which you will find the Tear of the Stars." Daniel translated. "Gifted to us, the Guardians, it shows the true path to the world beyond the sky, where all men are equal."
"But beware," he continued. "For all those who seek its power will be turned to dust before even glimpsing the luminous beauty of the Tear."
"Not exactly a step-by-step guide, is it?" Jack asked sarcastically.
"Do I need to mention the turned to dust bit?" Sydney added. "How the hell are we going to do this?"
"There has to be a way." Daniel said.
At that moment, there came the sound of movement from behind them. Jack and Sydney automatically went for their guns, even as Daniel switched off his torch. "Dammit!" Jack hissed. "There's nowhere to hide!"
"It wouldn't matter anyway." Sydney said, as she recognised the voice snapping out orders in Russian. "That's Anna Espinosa."
"How do you know?" Jack asked, warily watching the room's entrance.
"I'd recognise her voice anywhere." Sydney replied. "We've met frequently in the past."
It was then that a beautiful, dark haired woman entered, followed by five men dressed in SWAT black. She snapped out an order, waving her gun in the direction of the shadows where Jack, Sydney and Daniel were trying to hide.
"You can come out, whoever you are." Anna said in English. "We will find you."
Jack nodded to Sydney and they both hid their guns again. Then he motioned for Daniel to go first. All three of them stepped out into the light, keeping their arms outstretched in the universal sign of 'please don't shoot me!'. Sydney tried to hang back and keep her face hidden so Anna wouldn't recognise her.
As soon as they appeared, six guns were trained on them. "Who are you?" Anna asked.
"My name is Dr. Daniel Jackson." Daniel said, not needing to fake his nervousness with all those guns pointed at him. "I'm an archaeologist."
"What are you doing here?" Anna demanded.
"I was hoping to study the origins of the temple." Daniel said. "I believe it could have been built by a Mayan subculture."
"Bring them here." Anna snapped to three of the armed men.
The men grabbed the trio roughly and shoved them towards where Anna was standing and Daniel stumbled slightly on the uneven stones. Anna's eyes widened a little when she saw Sydney. "Sydney?" she said. "Well, isn't this a surprise."
"Anna." Sydney replied coldly.
"Once again we are both after the same thing." Anna said, a gleam of amusement in her eyes. "But tell me, what are you going to do this time? You're clearly outnumbered."
"That's never stopped me before." Sydney shot back.
Before anything else could be said, however, there was a loud grinding sound that began to echo around the room. Everyone watched in amazement as a faint light appeared beyond the ornate doorway on the other side of the chasm.
Suddenly a woman dressed in shorts and a singlet shot out, a large ball of jagged blades hard on her heels. As everyone watched in surprise, the woman leapt over the chasm. She landed heavily on the paved stones at the edge, the impact driving some of the breath from her lungs. But in one fluid movement, she rolled and surged to her feet once more.
"Lara?" Daniel's amazed whisper seemed loud in the silence.
Lara winked at Daniel, before she took off in a sprint towards the dark side of the room. Anna and her goons opened fire as soon as they saw what Lara was trying to do, but she was too fast and nimbly dodged the bullets before disappearing into the shadows.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Jack and Sydney grabbed Daniel and sprinted in the opposite direction, towards a low outcropping of rock on the ground. Anna swore and spun when she saw them, but it was too late – Jack, Sydney and Daniel had already slid behind the rock pile. Almost immediately, Jack and Sydney began firing back.
Slumped down, with Jack on one side and Sydney on the other, Daniel looked around for a way out. He noticed in surprise the crevice that ran along the wall in front of him and wondered if it would lead to a way out. He was even more surprised, however, when Lara stuck her head over the edge. "Daniel!" she said softly. "Come on!"
Daniel blinked, before nudging Jack and nodding towards Lara. Jack looked surprised for a second, but nodded back. Lara's head disappeared, then as he motioned for Daniel to go first, Jack tried to get Sydney's attention long enough to share the plan.
There was a close volley of gunfire at that moment that had Daniel sinking further back against the scant cover of the rock pile. As soon as there was a pause, no doubt for the goon to reload, Daniel scurried to the crevice and sank cautiously into it, mindful of anything sharp waiting for him at the bottom. Thankfully there was nothing but dirt and rock.
"I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Lara whispered, stepping up beside him.
"And miss out on one of your Great Escapes?" Daniel whispered back with a smile. "Never."
Lara grinned, before glancing behind Daniel as Sydney slipped into the crevice. "We'd better go." She whispered. "Follow the crevice. I'll catch up with you after your friend gets here."
At that moment there was a loud explosion above them and Jack slipped into the crevice. "No need to wait." He said softly. "I'm here."
Lara nodded and took off at a run. Daniel, Jack and Sydney followed a second later. Daniel concentrated his attention on Lara's back as seeing the ground was hard in the dim light. She seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to dodging the twists and turns of the crevice.
A stucco burst of gunfire signalled that Anna and her goons had found that they had gone and it was only a matter of seconds before they began to pursue them down the crevice. A crevice that suddenly became a tunnel. Without pausing, Lara ran into the darkness. Daniel, Jack and Sydney followed, hoping Lara knew what she was doing.
They caught up to Lara a minute later, where she had paused as the tunnel split into two paths. There was a faint light coming from the one on the left, which made it slightly easier to see. Noticing Jack's attention on the left tunnel, Lara spoke softly. "It's a glow stick. I left it there earlier, hoping to distract any pursuers."
"So I take it, we're going right?" Jack asked dryly.
Lara nodded. "Be careful." She said. "There are a few sharp turns."
Then she disappeared into the darkness once again. The group jogged carefully through the tunnel, slower than before, until they were far enough away form where it divided. A glare stick flared to life in Lara's hand. "Not long now." she said cheerfully.
True to her word, five minutes later the group burst out into the steamy jungle, the scent of wet, rotting vegetation and the sounds of the many inhabiting animals assaulting them after the relative musty and quiet tunnel.
Lara grinned as she turned around. "So, Daniel." she said. "Here on vacation?"
Jack shot Daniel a warning glance and he glared reproachfully back. "Something like that." Daniel answered, turning to Lara.
Before anything else could be said, a burst of gunfire sounded from just beyond the tunnel's exit. It seemed as if Anna and her goons had caught up. Lara reacted instantly and darted off through the jungle, heading for her hidden jeep.
Daniel went to follow her, pretty sure she had the Tear that they were all after, but Jack yanked him back in the opposite direction. "Come on!" he snapped. "We can find your girlfriend later!"
"She's not my girlfriend!" Daniel snapped back, as he began to run.
Another burst of gunfire sounded as Anna and her goons ran out of the tunnel, followed by a series of sharp orders. They took off after Jack, Sydney and Daniel. Jack noticed they weren't far from their 4WD and headed towards it, thinking it would be their best chance of escape.
The moment it was in sight, Jack dived for the driver's seat even as Daniel scrambled into the back. The second Sydney slid into the passenger seat, Jack gunned the engine and rocketed off down the road. Rolling down her window, Sydney fired her gun towards their pursuers until her clip was empty.
"Are they following?" Jack asked her.
"No." she replied shortly.
Then she shot a glare, via the rear-view mirror, at Daniel, who was just getting his nerves back in control. "Who the hell was that woman?" she demanded.
"Her name is Lady Lara Croft." Daniel explained. "She's another archaeologist."
"And how do you know her?" Sydney questioned, her tone a little milder this time. "More importantly, what is she going to do with the artefact? Sell it?"
"Lara was the speaker at the lecture I attended a few days ago in Washington." Daniel answered. "And, no, she won't sell it. Lara will probably donate it to a museum – once she's got whatever she needs it for."
"That's what I was afraid of." Sydney said with a sigh.
"You and me both." Jack agreed.
To be continued…