Annja slid off the crocodile’s head. “That was one hell of a ride.”

Vic leaned against the corpse. “Thank God for all those times in high school when we played dodgeball. Any longer and I would have been shredded.”

“Speaking of which…” Annja ran to Michael, who had rolled onto a safer part of the ledge and was wrapping himself up with torn bits of his clothing.

He looked up as they ran over. “Hey.”

Vic checked him over. “He got you pretty good, but it doesn’t look like there’s anything worse than long cuts. There’s no real tissue damage, and some stitches should keep you intact. The key is to get it cleaned out. No telling what sort of crap that croc has under its claws.”

“That was some shot,” Annja said.

Michael looked at her. “What shot?”

“With the knife. Into Hector’s throat. That was what enabled me to get the killing strike in.”

Michael shook his head. “That wasn’t me. I was a bit too busy bleeding to do that.”

Annja looked at Vic.

“Don’t look at me, I was busy doing the double-dutch.”

“A little help over here would be nice.”

Annja turned to see Joey clambering up onto the ledge. He was nursing one of his arms. Annja helped him up.

“What happened?”

“After nearly getting chomped in half?” Joey shrugged. “I fell off and banged up my arm. I stayed low until I heard you calling for someone to shut Hector up. I still had my knife, so I figured what the heck.”

“Some throw,” Vic said.

Joey nodded. “It’s my bad arm, too.”

Annja examined his wounded arm. “Doesn’t seem like anything’s broken. I’d say all in all we were pretty lucky.”

Michael stood and Vic held on to him. “Not so fast. You’ve lost a lot of blood. We’ll need to take it easy for a while.”

Michael shook his head. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

Joey nodded. “Agamemnon has to be stopped.”

“Damn, I’d almost forgotten about that,” Vic said.

“Forgotten about what?” Annja asked.

“The thing in Makati.” Vic looked at Joey and Michael. “You guys know anything more about it?”

“It’s nuclear,” Joey said. “And small.”

“He’s going to detonate in Makati?” Vic asked.

“That’s the plan. It’s being caravanned up there somehow, but we don’t know how it’s being handled.”

“The impression we got,” Michael said, “was that someone in his other camp was taking care of it while Agamemnon used us to hunt you guys down.”

“Great,” Annja said. “So, this isn’t over yet?”

Vic eyed her. “Not unless you want to be glowing at the airport.”

“No, thanks. I look horrible in ultraviolet.”

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Vic said. “And now.” He looked at Joey and Michael. “Are you guys well enough to travel?”

“We’ll make do,” Joey said. “And we want nothing more than to see that guy dead, anyway.”

“Should have known he’d sacrifice us at the drop of a hat,” Michael said. “When no one came looking for me when Hector’s people grabbed me, I started wondering how bad things were going to get.”

Joey smirked. “Might be time to retire.”

Vic nodded. “Let’s settle that later. If we get out of here, can you get us back to Agamemnon’s camp?”

“Sure, but I don’t think he knows how to reach the people getting the bomb to Makati.”

“Why not?”

Michael shrugged. “Standard operational-security thing, I’d venture. Agamemnon gave the order and all he does now is wait for it to be carried out.”

Annja glanced around. About twenty of Hector’s followers still loitered in the main cavern. They seemed completely unsure of what to do. Some of them were wailing at the deaths of both Hector and their god.

“Well, regardless, we need to get moving. I don’t want these people suddenly deciding we’re persona non grata and trying to kill us again. I’m a bit worn-out from all the fighting,” she said.

Vic pointed. “Back that way, Annja?”

“Yeah. There’s the main entrance. And that’s how Agamemnon and his guide left.”

They jumped off the ledge. Annja still held on to the sword. As they headed up the incline, most of Hector’s followers simple folded out of their way.

One of them stood and started to draw a knife, but Annja merely flicked the sword at him and he jumped away terrified.

Vic leaned into her. “You going to tell me exactly what the hell that thing is and how you came by it?”

She smiled. “Probably not.”

“It’s almost like you pulled that thing right out of thin air,” he said.

“That’s ridiculous. But I’m not going to do a tell-all confessional about it just because you happened to see it.”

Vic frowned. “I wish you would.”

“You going to tell me about all of your classified missions?”

“Definitely not.”

“There you go, then.”

They reached the top of the slope and Annja paused to let Joey and Michael catch up. Michael’s bleeding had at least slowed. And despite looking pale, he seemed determined to keep up with the rest of them.

Joey’s arm had turned bluish from the apparent bruising under the skin. Annja examined it again and he flinched.

“You might have a fracture, after all,” she said.

“I’ll be fine. Let’s just get going.”

Annja stopped and grabbed torches from up on a bracket. She handed one to Vic and took the other for herself. “I’ll bet we’ll make good time now instead of crawling around in the dark.”

“Probably so,” he agreed.

They started for the entrance to the cavern, when Annja heard a noise behind them.

She stopped.

Hector had risen from the ledge. As she watched, he reached up to his bloody throat and grabbed the knife with both hands. Slowly, he started to slide the blade out, retching as he did so.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Annja said.

“Doesn’t this guy ever quit?” Vic asked. He started to head back down the slope, but Annja stopped him. “Wait.”

Hector’s appearance seemed to have galvanized the remaining worshipers. As he struggled to stand, the crowd got to its feet, as well. They shouted with joy as he slid the bloody knife out of his throat.

And then something else happened.

The crocodile stirred.

“No way,” said Annja. “That’s impossible.”

Joey and Michael moved into the cavern opening. “I don’t know if we should stay around to see how this ends.”

More of the worshipers stood up and chanted for Hector and the beast to rise. Annja could tell they were getting worked up again.

Hector stood before them, his back to the crocodile, and spread his arms. When he opened his mouth, instead of words coming out, only a great rush of blood spilled forth.

But the effect was the same.

Instantly, the crowd in the cavern turned and faced Annja and the others.

“Oh, crap,” Vic said.

“I was thinking of something a little bit stronger,” Annja said.

“Guys,” Joey said. “We need to get out of here.”

But then as Hector spread his arms and started chuckling, the crocodile reared up and suddenly grabbed him in its mouth. Hector’s laughter was choked off as the mighty jaws bit down, cleaving Hector almost in two.

Annja could hear the bones snapping as Hector screeched and blood erupted from everywhere at once. The crocodile chomped down again and swallowed huge chunks of Hector’s flesh.

Hector’s worshipers screamed.

With a final gulp, Hector disappeared down the crocodile’s gullet.

“I can’t believe this. That thing should be dead,” Annja said. “There’s no way it could come back from an injury like that.”

Vic grabbed her arm. “I don’t think we want to stick around this time. Since we’re here, we should get going while the going is still good.”

Annja nodded. “Okay.”

The crocodile leaped down from the ledge. It landed hard and Annja could see that it suffered from her wound.

But even still, the mighty beast seemed able enough to start attacking the bulk of Hector’s followers.

Some of them hid behind rocks, but the crocodile merely swatted its tail, knocking the barriers over. Rocks fell through the cavern. The beast hissed. Its jaws snapped angrily as it devoured people and simply tore others in half.

“I don’t think he’s happy about being injured.”

“Annja,” Vic said. “Now?”

She turned. “Okay.”

She heard another rumble.

More rocks fell from the ceiling of the cavern. Now the rocks began taking out other followers as the crocodile reared up almost on its hind legs and continued its destruction.

Bodies flew everywhere. Stray limbs did, as well, and the smell of death and blood hung heavy in the air.

A giant rumble issued up from somewhere deep in the earth. The roof of the cavern started caving in.

Annja watched from the entrance as the crocodile lumbered back up onto the ledge and made its way toward the pit. It cast a final look around, its eyes seeming to settle on Annja’s for a split second.

And then it slid over the side and back into the murky depths of the pit.

Did it just look at me?

She felt Vic’s hand on hers. “Seen enough?”

“Yeah.”

“Joey and Michael have the way out already. Let’s go!”

Annja turned and followed Vic out into the tunnel. With the torches, everything seemed much clearer now.

Joey and Michael waited up ahead. Throughout the tunnel complex, it sounded as if rocks were caving in everywhere.

“We’ve got to be quick,” Joey said. “I think this entire place is about to collapse.”

Michael pointed down another fork. “This way!”

Dust kicked up all around them. Behind in the main cavern, the rocks continued to fall and Annja turned back just in time to see the entrance completely covered with debris.

The main cavern was gone.

She coughed as Vic led her back up the tunnel. Throughout the complex, she could hear people screaming.

More rocks continued to fall. Joey and Michael led the way, surprisingly fast despite their injuries.

And then Annja saw it—the small ladder leading straight up.

To freedom.