Lara met the other two members of their team. Terell Givens was a 6'3" former Michigan linebacker. He grew up on Detroit's west side and developed his survival instincts on the street. He was with Delta in Iraq, where he was awarded a Silver Star. Givens was a knife fighting expert as well as the team paramedic. Dave Collins was a skinny big-eared kid from Oklahoma who started out with the Rangers in Panama. He was one of Delta's top rifle marksmen -- one of the very best in the world. Known as D.C., he was also responsible for the satcom radio.

Each member on the team carried a variety of equipment. The men chose standard green camo fatigues and jungle boots for this mission. Under their fatigue jacket went an armor vest, and over that went a nylon assault vest in which they carried ammo, knife and related gear. The vest attached to a web belt that included a leg holster for each man's sidearm, a Colt .45 pistol. Lara stuck to her sky blue leotard, khaki shorts and British Army hiking boots. No one seemed to complain about her choice of clothing, although she would have to wear black overalls for the jump.

Everyone on the team, including Lara, had a Motorola radio that was wired to an earpiece and throat mike. This allowed them to communicate by whispering. The team was well armed. Jack and D.C. carried CAR-15s, the shortened version of the M-16. Terell carried a full size M-16 with an M-203 grenade launcher under the barrel. Lara persuaded Jack to loan her his MP-5SD submachinegun. That was the best coice for her, as she would need only one caliber of ammo for the MP-5 and her pistols.

In addition to all the standard gear, everyone carried specialized items according to their job. Jack carried a "combat laptop" developed for Delta. In it was stored data they would need for the mission. Terell had a medical trauma kit that included everything except an ambulance. D.C. carried the satcom terminal and foldable dish. Lara carried only her backpack and climbing kit.

Around midnight they boarded an MH-60 helicopter for the three mile hop to the plane. The four of them sat in a circle on the deck.

"So you're the one who found Bigfoot, eh?" Givens shouted over the roar of the rotor blades.

"That's right. Smelly bloke. Ugly too." Lara shouted back, smiling.

"Ha! Kinda like you, buddy!" D.C. shouted, jabbing his friend in the ribs. Givens responded with the one finger salute, eliciting laughter from everyone.

Lara felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Jack leaning toward her ear so as not to shout. It was the first time he touched her.

"So what got a nice girl like you into this game anyway?" She could see his smile through the black camo cream on his face.

"Life was too boring before. Thought I could use some adventure in my life."

"Well," Jack said, "you seem to have done that in spades. It must be a challenge going into all those tombs and caverns all by yourself."

Now it was Lara who smiled. "I like a challenge. You must too, given your line of work. What got you into doing this?"

Jack shrugged. "I like being a soldier. And I don't like sitting around peeling potatoes."

"It must be hard having a personal life as busy as you are."

"Ha," Jack snorted. "I forgot what a personal life was."

"Too bad," Lara said, half to herself.

They landed on the Pope AFB tarmac near a C-141 jet transport. The team hopped from the chopper and jogged to the open tailhatch and up the ramp of the jet. Their parachutes, jumpsuits and oxygen masks were waiting for them.

"Okay, everyone," Jack called out. "Let's rig our chutes and get the O2 systems checked. Then we can get a few hours sleep before we jump. I'm going to go up front and get an update from Nairobi." He went forward to the flight deck while Terell and D.C. started rigging their jump gear. Lara sat down and took out her stove to brew some tea. First things first.

CHAPTER FIVE