Up until now, the cats had been merciless in their assaults, but for some reason they had neither sensed nor attacked these new soldiers.
It was then that the distinct smell of ammonia wafted in through the windows of the ATV. The smell of urine. Mon key urine. The Nazis had read the manuscript, too.
Suddenly Van Lewen's voice came in over their speakers.
'We're coming to the rope bridge now.'
Race and Nash spun together to face the monitor that dis played the views of the three soldiers up in the crater.
On the monitor they saw Van Lewen's point of view as he bounced across the rope bridge that led to the temple.
'Cochrane! Van Lewen! Hurry!” Nash said into his radio.
'We've got hostil—'
Just then a shrill, ear-piercing shriek warbled out from the ATV's speakers and Nash's radio went dead.
'They've engaged electronic countermeasures,' Schroeder said.
“What?' Race said.
'They're jamming us,' Nash said.
'What do we do?' Renee asked.
Nash said, 'We've got to tell Van Lewen, Reichart and Cochrane that they can't come back down here. They've got to get that idol and get it as far away from here as possible.
Then, somehow, they have to get in touch with the air support team and get the choppers to pick them up from somewhere in the mountains.'
'But how are you going to do that if they're jamming our radios?' Race said.
'One of us is going to have to go up to that temple and tell them,' Nash said.
A short silence followed.
Then Schroeder said, “I'll go.”
Good idea, Race thought. After the Green Berets, Schroeder was easily the most 'soldierly' of the group.
'No,' Nash said decisively. 'You can handle a gun. We need you down here. You also know these Nazi guys better than any of us.'
That left Nash, Renee… or Race.
Oh, man, Race thought.
And so he said, 'I'll do it.'
'But… ?“ Schroeder began.
'I was the fastest guy in the football team back in college,'
Race said. 'I can make it.'
'But what about the rapas?' Renee said.
“I can make it.”
'All right, then, Race is elected,' Nash said, heading for the pop-up hatch in the rear of the ATV.
'Here, take this,' he said, handing Race an M-16 complete w.ith all the extras. 'Might stop you becoming cat food. Now go. Go!'
Race took a step toward the hatch, inhaled a slow, deep breath. He took a final look at Nash, Schroeder and Renee.
Then he let out the breath he was holding and pushed up through the hatch—
—and entered another world.
Supermachine-gun fire echoed out all around him, smacked into the leaves nearby, splintered their trunks. It seemed so much louder out here, so much more real. So much more lethal.
Race's heart thumped loudly inside his head.
What the hell am I doing out here with this gun in my hand?
You're trying to be a hero, that's what you're doing, you stupid schmuck!
He took another breath.
All right…
Race leapt off the back of the ATV, landed on the western log-bridge and took off down the riverside path beyond it.
He was surrounded by impenetrable grey fog. It lined the path around him. Gnarled tree branches jutted out through it like daggers.
The M-16 felt heavy in his hands and he held it awkwardly across his chest as he ran, kicking up water with every step.
