Free Temple of Fire by Christopher Forrest Page B

scientific ramifications of the blast.”
    “Very well,” said Yang.  “Keep me informed.”
    The flatscreen went blank.
     

Outside the Temple of Kalpur-az
Ruins of Raz Kithune
     
    “It’s getting hard to see,” Hawkeye said.  “The wind is picking up.”
    “Sandstorm,” said Madison .
    “Three figures approaching you from the west,” said Touchdown.
    Hawkeye, Shooter, and Madison raised their rifles as they hid behind a toppled stone column.
    From the haze of dust and sand, Gator and Tank emerged.  They were accompanied by a man wearing a cavalry hat.
    “We’re okay,” Tank said.  “This is Will Langhorne.  He’s a geologist stationed over in Elko.   All three of us were captured by Chinese Dragons.  Gator pretended to be having trouble breathing.  We overpowered the guards, found our weapons, and exited the temple where we were held using a tunnel that Will found.”
    The maverick tipped his hat.
    “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Langhorne said.
    “Sorry to interrupt the introductions, gentlemen,” said Touchdown, “but I show Chinese targets all around you.  They’re stationed on the tops of various temples and the observatory.”
    Bullets tore through stone representations of lions and eagles.  Titan Six fired blindly at a forty-five degree angle, aiming for the tops of the temples.
    “Take cover on the southern side of the Temple of the High Priest!” Hawkeye ordered.
    Assault rifles and machine guns from both sides sent rounds into the air and down at the earth.
    A grenade exploded in the area between the Temple of Kalpur-az and the Temple of the High Priest.
    Titan Six ceased fire as they reeled from the explosion.
    “The sandstorm’s getting worse!” screamed Gator.
    “More than a sandstorm,” yelled Madison .  “It’s a desert twister.  It’s causing a whiteout.”
    The Chinese kept firing.
    The wind howled as sand swirled around Titan Six, spinning the team members around like small action figures.  The wind drove them against the stone edifice of the high priest’s temple.
    With the sound of a speeding freight train, the twister rose from the crater, revealing all Titan members prostrate on the sand.
    Six Dragons loomed above them, rifles at the ready.  The soldiers parted as their commander walked forward.
    “We meet again, Hawkeye,” said Saturo Aiko .  “It is better to engage in combat than tend a garden, is it not?”
     

Temple of the High Priest
Ruins of Raj Kithune
     
    Quiz had tracked the whereabouts of his team members from the EFV.  He was on top of the massive portico in front of the Temple of the High Priest.  He saw his team below, lying on the ground and at the mercy of the Chinese.
    This is Shooter’s gig.
    * But you’re the one with the advantage. The job falls to you. *
    What if I miss?  Or hit one of Titan Six?
    * And what if you don’t? *
    Quiz curled his fingers around the trigger of the semi-automatic rifle.  Having scoped the Chinese, he counted down from three and began firing.
    He felled three commandos in rapid succession.  The other three escaped behind one of the stone ruins.  Commander Aiko vanished in another direction, a blur that seemed to move faster than was humanly possible.
    * * *
     
    Titan Six climbed to its feet, dazed.
    “Let’s get back to the EFV,” said Hawkeye.  “And thanks, Quiz.  Nicely done.”
    “Don’t mention it.”
    “What’s that?” asked Madison , wiping sand from his eyes.  “On the ground.”
    Hawkeye looked at the sand floor of the crater.  “It’s a grenade!  A little parting gift from Aiko .   Run!  Follow me!”
    Titan Six ran the length of the Temple of the High Priest.  They rounded its back corner as the grenade exploded.
    Langhorne had brought up the rear.  He tumbled head first onto the ground and didn’t move.
    “Gator and Tank, go get him,” said Hawkeye.
    The team retreated to the EFV.
     

Titan Six
Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle
     
    Titan Six removed