Apparently it was. And the farther they got into this cavern the more "objects" were in the way. Lopez swerved and cursed, then swerved again.
"Slow it down," Brandt instructed.
Even slower the going was still difficult. They passed sodium chloride cows, pack mules, and the worst, people. All encrusted in salt. Then they crested a ridge. Lopez slammed on the brakes. Their SUV stopped at the lip of a valley. A valley with a city tucked within its borders.
"Well then," Lopez said, leaning his arms against the steering wheel. "Welcome to Gomorrah."
"Do it!" Aunush yelled to her men above. She could hear the engine roar. What were they waiting for?
The demolished Jeep in front of her was probably why. Their first attempt to get a vehicle down here had ended rather, well, messy. This time they had weighed down the back of the Jeep so it didn't land nose-first. Or at least that was the hope.
Even through their fear, the men must have sensed how very close they were to the prize. They had found Sodom. It was all around them. The Ten Commandments could not be far behind. And the enemy was ahead of them. That could not be let to stand.
Finally the Jeep's brake was released and the vehicle sped toward the sinkhole. They must have given it enough acceleration since it hit the slight incline and sailed, airborne for a moment, then fell through the large hole. The rear axle tilted down just as she had predicted, and the Jeep hit the ground hard, but intact.
Her team, so very thinned since convening in Bulgaria, loaded into the Jeep.
They did not have much farther to go. Not as the signal on her screen blinked at a slower and slower rate.
Time to play catch-up.
Rebecca studied the salt figure before her as the SUV made its way slowly through the heart of Gomorrah. Every feature of the woman in front of her was captured perfectly by the grains. Even the tiny crow's feet at the edge of her eyes stood out. The folds of her dress draped against her leg. The shocked O that her lips formed. No one that day so long ago had expected to be turned to salt.
Stop it, Rebecca rebuked herself. She was a scientist, not a tourist. She did not take things at face value. Her mind searched for a biological reason these cities had been encased in salt. Perhaps the climate? The hypersalinity of the Dead Sea? Scholars had long debated the factual reason for Sodom and Gomorrah's demise. From famine to earthquakes to plague, each had been floated as the possible cause, but without proof it would be an argument to last the ages.
Now though it got a little tougher to chalk it up to natural disaster. Especially with Sodom upside down. That would take some interesting physics to explain. If they ever could. It would take teams of scientists decades to sort through the findings here.
So preoccupied by the mystery, Rebecca hit her temple against the seat in front of hers as the SUV lurched forward.
"Lopez," Brandt rumbled, "I said 'at a crawl.'"
"Wasn't me, Sarge," the corporal said as the SUV rolled to a stop. Lopez turned over the ignition several times. The engine knocked loudly yet wouldn't turn over.
"What's wrong?" Brandt asked.
Lopez indicated to the hood of the car that was dented and cracked, then to the trail of gasoline they had left behind them. "Take your pick. A jacked-up engine block or the leaking fuel tank."
"Does it really matter?" Harvish queried, pointing to the clogged city street in front of them. "We're in the worst phantom traffic jam known to man."
"Hike out?" Talli asked.
Bunny groaned audibly beside Rebecca. The younger woman might not want to have to walk, but Rebecca was secretly thrilled. To have all of this history around her, yet not be able to get out and investigate? To not see so much in passing, her muscles ached to get out and explore, really explore the cavern.
However, she knew exactly what Brandt would have said to that request. "Hell no," would have been the politest of the various responses. Now though? Rebecca waited with bated breath for his answer to Talli.
Brandt shifted in his seat, looking behind them and then in front of them. Finally he sighed. "Looks like we're hoofing it." He turned to his men. "Pack what you can easily carry, destroy the rest."
Rebecca's enthusiasm was slightly dampened as Brandt's words harshly reminded them all that they were being followed. Hounded, really. And the Disciples could not be taken lightly. Especially not here. If they really were as connected to the days of Moses and beyond, Gomorrah was practically their home court.
Which meant Brandt was going to like what she had to say less than he normally did. As everyone unloaded from the SUV and the other men fulfilled their orders, Rebecca joined Brandt.
"I don't even want to hear it," Brandt said before she even opened her mouth.
It didn't matter though what he wanted to hear. It mattered what needed to be said.
"I think I know where the tablets are hidden."
"Good for you," Brandt said, checking the chamber of his sidearm.
Rebecca paused, collecting herself. He did this to rattle her. Throw her off her game. Make it look like she was being demanding or irrational. When really it was him who couldn't accept their new reality.
"And if I can figure it out, the Disciples can."
Brandt grinned fiercely. "Which I am counting on."
So he'd already thought ahead to the Disciples' end game. However, Rebecca didn't think he'd thought it all the way through. "I get it," she said. "You want them to head to the tablets while we head for hopefully a far exit."
The sergeant nodded as he tucked another gun into the back of his belt. "We may not get another break like this."
"But then what?" Rebecca asked. "Say your plan works and we get out. The Disciples will still hunt us down." His eyes flickered to hers. "You know that, Brandt. Even if we don't uncover the larger secret of the tablets, just finding this place is enough. We are marked."
"True," Brandt conceded. He was a big enough man to admit when someone else was spot-on. "But out there we will have the full weight of the American military." Brandt pointed to the salty city that surrounded them. "In here we've only got about five hundred rounds between us. I'll take my chances with the option that has aircraft carriers."
He watched as Rebecca's eyes scanned his face. Brandt made sure he had his don't-bother-arguing-with-me face on. Unfortunately, she'd never been really great at reading that one since, well, since the day they'd met.
"Please," she asked. Not demanded or threatened to run off on her own. Damn it. He hated it when she went all reasonable. It made it all the harder to dismiss her.
"It does mean we know exactly where the Disciples are going to be," Lopez added.
Harvish stepped up as well. "And I've got some C-4 with their name on it."
"That looks like a pretty damn nice perch," Davidson stated as he pointed to one of the high towers in the middle of the city.
"I can take the far tower and create a kill zone around the SUV," Talli suggested.
Brandt couldn't be more pissed off or proud of his men at this point. Everyone was trashed, shot, bruised, cut up, yet each stood ready to stand off against the Disciples. Fortunately their enthusiasm was not the only factor. Brandt's word was final.
Rebecca must have sensed his mood because she hurried on to say, "I know we've got a civilian-"
"A civilian?" Brandt asked. "I've got two civilians," he clarified, indicating to Rebecca and then nodding to Davidson. "And technically a war crimes prisoner...nothing personal."
"No worries," Davidson answered, slinging a rifle onto his back.
Rebecca's cheeks flushed. "I could say I'm leading us out of here and just take us to the hiding spot."
Now this he liked better. When Rebecca tried to go all calculating on him. "You could," he said. "But you won't. You wouldn't risk our lives like that without our consent. Face it, you've got no card to play."
Those cheeks flared a bright red. Did Rebecca forget how well he knew her? She looked away.
"So when I say we are hoofing it out of here," Brandt stated firmly, "we are hoofing it out of here."
He surveyed the group, getting an accepting nod out of each of them. Except for one. "Where's Bunny?"
Everyone looked around. Davidson checked the SUV, shaking his head.
Bunny was gone.
Fuck.
CHAPTER 23.
Gomorrah, Jordan 11:26 p.m. GMT "Do not even look at me like that," Rebecca stated. "I had nothing to do with Bunny running off."
Brandt's glare lifted. He must have known if Rebecca was going to have anyone run off it would have been her. If she couldn't even do it, how could she have sent someone else in her stead? And certainly not Bunny.
"I take it if you and the Disciples could find this hiding place, Bunny could as well?" Brandt asked.
Rebecca nodded. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Just someone well versed in ancient Hebrew studies. "Yes. I believe the tablets are at the temple."
"But the Jews didn't have formal temples back then," Davidson corrected. "And certainly not in Gomorrah."
"No," Rebecca clarified. "Not a Jewish one. I am talking about the Temple of Moloch, the false god."
"Why there?" Talli asked. "Why not somewhere significant to the Jewish faith?"
Rebecca reached for her laptop on the backseat to find it gone. Bunny apparently didn't leave empty-handed.
"You know what, we'll take out history lesson on the road," Brandt said, then turned to Rebecca. "Point Harvish in the right direction."
As they moved out, Rebecca indicated toward the center of Gomorrah. "The temple is that large round building with the statue of the bull god on top of it."
"Not hard to miss," Brandt rumbled next to her.
Davidson headed down a side street. "I'll take up position."
"We'll take up position," Talli said as he trotted off in the opposite direction.
"Great," Lopez said. "Now we're got sniper sibling rivalry." The corporal rolled his eyes. "That's going to end well."
Looking ahead to the city frozen in time, Rebecca wasn't so sure any of this was going to end well.
The sniper slammed on the brakes to their SUV as they came to a narrowing of the cavern. Several side mirrors lay strewn on the ground along with a back bumper. The exit was narrow. Narrower than their Jeep.
Really? The vehicles that survived the drop down to the cavern floor were three inches too wide. Three inches.
"Try it," Aunush ordered.
Keeping his foot on the brake, the sniper revved the engine and then surged them forward. They slammed into the wall as their tires spun in the salty ground. Rubber burned but they traveled no farther.
"Stop," Aunush ordered. "We must accept that God wishes us to do this on foot."
The sniper backed the Jeep up enough to let them through the passage. He led the other men from the cars, scouting the route ahead. They had one lone Chinese soldier left. The man had proven quick, agile, and most importantly obedient. He was the one who had gotten the Jeep down safely, gaining them precious minutes. Minutes that may prove critical in the coming battle.
Aunush allowed the men to move forward out into the next cavern as she spoke with Nannan.
"What lies beyond must be Gomorrah." She waited for the Watcher of the Word to nod. "And you then know what we must do."
"Secure the tablets and bring them to the master."
"No," Aunush stated. "We secure the tablets but then follow their instruction." Nannan sucked in a breath, his eyes wide at the implications. Good. Let him be shocked and scandalized. "You know of the prophecy, Nannan."
Slowly Nannan regained his breath, his features softening as he walked the next few hours forward. "I do."
"And in all honesty do you believe the master can fulfill it?" Off of the Watcher's head shake Aunush continued. "Then no one but you and I can walk out of this cavern."
"What of your sniper?" Nannan asked.
Aunush glanced through the front window. She watched the sniper, crouched, muscles taut, directing the men to spread out. Making certain the way ahead was safe. Safe for her. If anyone would understand her decision it would be him.
"No one."
"I still don't get it," Lopez said. "Why hide the tablets in Gomorrah?"
Brandt wondered the same thing. The difference between the corporal and him? He didn't care. He just wanted to get in and out. Screw history. Screw the Disciples. He just wanted to see sunlight again. And as hard as it would be, he wanted to see Rebecca walk away from him. At the least she would be alive.
"Lopez, you've got to remember that Moses wanted to keep the tablets hidden," Rebecca explained. "And deep within each of the religions is a warning to avoid, at all costs, the sites of God's punishment. And Gomorrah was certainly at the top of the blacklist, so what better place to hide the tablets than Gomorrah?"
"True, true," Lopez agreed. "But why this ancient god's temple? There must be a million other places to stash it."
"Ah, but back then the Jewish God and Moloch were in something of a prize fight," Rebecca answered in that "so excited by history" tone she got. "The Bible calls Moloch out by name half a dozen times, warning and chastising any son of Israel from worshipping him. Many scholars believe the whole 'thou shalt not have any graven image' commandment was specifically aimed at Moloch's worshippers."