Bayne and his men continued their search within the temple. As they moved on, they got to a place that looked like a hall, and right in the center was an artifact which looked like it had been divided but the other piece was nowhere in sight. The artifact was vibrating and releasing some strange energy that the men couldn't explain.
" What the hell?, did you guys feel that?", one of the men asked.
" I think it's coming from that crystal, come on let's pack it up and take it to the Lab for testing", Bayne said as he moved closer to it.
As soon as Bayne's hands touch the crystal, the whole cave shook like an earthquake had hit.
" I don't think it wants to leave its position, I suggest we leave the crystal or this whole place would come down on us all". One of the men said.
" This is one find of a lifetime, there's no way I'm leaving here without this crystal, who knows it might hold the answer to all our problems". Bayne responded while making efforts to pick the crystal.
As soon as Bayne moved the crystal, he put it into a box and then turned around to gloat about his success in picking the crystal.
" See I told you, nothing would hap…..", as he was about to complete the sentence, there was rumbling and the whole place was experiencing a quake. " What was that sound?", he asked. The rumbling continued signifying danger.
" Move out!, this place is going to collapse. Head to the set-up site". Bayne shouted. Everyone scampered for safety as the hall's structural integrity was compromised.
As they made their way back to the set-up, they got to a point and realized that they had been cut off by the rock debris blocking their way back to the set-up. They tried setting up communication with the others at the set-up but couldn't.
"Oh shoot!, we're trapped and we've lost every form of communication with the set-up base, what do we do now", one of the men asked.
" We find another way out, that's what we do", Bayne replied. " Did anyone come with the compass or GPS?", he asked.
" Yes sir", One of the men replied.
" Use it to find us a way out of here", Bayne said.
Meanwhile, at the set-up base John and Max were still talking about the translation process when the alarm came up that it was ready. Max then went on to read it:
" until self actualization is attained, power can't be controlled. Desire is amplified by the power of the jewel which holds the power of evil and good as one. Once in the hands of the unworthy, catastrophe arises….".
" What's that supposed to mean", John asked looking confused. He wasn't a fan of riddles and treasure hunts.
" If I'm correct, it speaks of some Jewel that holds tremendous power, and it must be kept from falling into the wrong hands. I think it's located within this area", Max replied.
While they conversed, they heard the rumbling sounds, and their systems started going haywire and the quake detector went active.
" It's an earthquake!, this cave would collapse anytime soon, we need to get out of here", John exclaimed as they all scampered for safety while Max went to retrieve the Data they had gotten from the translation.
In the process of escaping the collapsing cave, most of them weren't able to make it out alive. John died trying to help Max escape with the data from the translation. Bayne and two other people on his team were able to escape with the crystal. On getting out, the temple at the top of the mountain collapsed in on itself. Most of the equipments deployed for the mission were destroyed.
" Bayne! Oh thank God you made it alive, I didn't think I'd ever see you again", Max he walked up to Bayne as soon as he saw him.
"I thought so too, what about John did he get to you guys" Bayne asked while looking around to see if he could find him.
But Max shook his head signifying that John did not make it out of the cave. " He was trying to help me when it happened", Max replied.
" We were able to complete the translation process just before the quake" ,Max said as he showed the hard drive to Bayne, "It spoke about some sort of jewel, if I may ask, during the course of your sweep through the cave, did you come across any thing out of the ordinary". Max asked.
"No, I didn't, we only found this crystal right in the center of a large hall deep within the cave. So I decided we took it along so we could test it when we returned to base. As soon as I moved it from it's position, the quake started". Bayne narrated to Max.
************ ************* *************
" How could you, Alex?, what made you think you could lie to me", Curry asked angrily because he couldn't believe his son had made him look like a fool.
" Um….um, I was…g.. I was ", Alex stuttered trying to explain himself.
" You told me you were enlisted in the special forces (combat unit), I went over there just to look for you but instead I was seen as someone who was lost", Curry said still fuming with anger.
" The Truth is, I didn't qualify to join the special forces and I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure how you would take it. Besides, I am currently planning to take another test and I'm sure...", Alex replied trying to make his father see reason .
"Shut that hole in your face!, how dare you lie to me… you know how I detest lies…do you know why I'm doing all this, it's for you so you'll be among the best, so you can be better than I am…". Curry interjected. This had caused a scene and many people stopped to watch the confrontation between father and son. Liam who was present had retreated and mixed with the crowd. He really wouldn't want to be in Alex's shoes.
" That's not true, all you've ever done has been for yourself alone. You only care about what you want….. you've never asked me what I want all you do is just give orders like I'm one of your servants....." , Alex retorted. "You know what, damn the test I ain't taking it again. I love where I am and what I do…..",Alex added with boldness, he had never stood up to his father before, he didn't know where the courage came from but he liked it.
While he was still speaking, the alarm sounded, all personnel were to move to their positions. Then Curry's phone rang he was also summoned.
" We'll deal with this later" , Curry said and left the scene.
Marcos rushed in an told both of them Alex and Liam to get their kit and head to the tarmac.
"What happened?, where are we headed?", Alex asked anxious to know what was going on.
" It's an earthquake", Marcos replied.
" An earthquake?!.....".