The Thrones of Eden 3 (Eden) by Rick Jones

talking about aborting?” asked Hillary.
    “I think it would be prudent,” said Alyssa.
    “That’s out of the question.”
    Savage took a step forward, confronting Hillary until they were nearly toe to toe, their faces inches apart. “This isn’t a game,” he told him. “These hallways can come alive like you wouldn’t believe. And they’re not built to be user friendly. In this particular case there’s no concrete answer here—just a decision that gives us a fifty-fifty chance of surviving. If we choose incorrectly, then we die. It’s that simple.”
    “Getting a little over dramatic, aren’t you, Mr. Savage?”
    “Over dramatic? Are you serious?”
    “This structure is more than 14,000 years old,” he said. “Whatever weights and balances created by the original architects to move these walls have certainly diminished over time, becoming useless.”
    “They worked quite well inside the temple of Eden.”
    “We’re not aborting anything,” he told him firmly. “We’re going to make a decision and stick with it.”
    “Then you do it without Alyssa and me.” When he grabbed Alyssa’s elbow to escort her from the amphitheater, Hillary raised a fisted hand, a predetermined signal to Demir, who joined the circle from one of the lower tiers and lifted a halting hand with his palm held forward, disallowing Savage and Alyssa to move another step.
    “Please, Mr. Savage. No one leaves alone,” he said.
    “You can’t detain us.”
    “Sure I can.” Demir didn’t even flinch.
    Then to Hillary: “What do you think you’re doing?” asked Savage.
    “I cannot do this without your help. I need you both. The Turkish government and the Ministry need you as well.”
    “Yeah, maybe. But we don’t need them.” When they tried to sidestep Hillary, Demir raised a hand and placed it on Savage’s chest, stopping him.
    “Mr. Savage, please.”
    “You Hillary’s lackey now? Whenever he raises a hand you come to his beck and call.”
    Demir lowered his hand. “Mr. Savage, it’s not our intent to use force against you or against Ms. Moore. But without the two of you our mortality rate would undoubtedly grow exponentially without your skills to get us through. We need you. We need Ms. Moore. The government and Turkish Ministry would greatly be indebted to you for your services.”
    “And if we don’t want the government and Turkish Ministry to be indebted to us?”
    “The discovery of Eden inside of Turkey’s borders is bringing worldwide attention to our nation. The world expects much from all of us.”
    “Even if it comes with the cost of us dying?”
    “The price of progress has always been destruction,” he told him. “My men understand the nature and importance of this mission . . . If you choose to leave, Mr. Savage, then we will go on without you. But if we press forward without your skills to aid us, and we must, then many of my men will probably die.” He let the statement hang for a long moment. “And as a former soldier, Mr. Savage, you of all people should understand the importance and value of the men who serve under your command.”
    Savage suddenly bit down, causing his muscles to work the back of his jaw. He felt as if he had just been kicked in his soft spot, at the point of his absolute weakness. He had commandeered his SEAL Team to the Philippines on a rescue mission while mentally and emotionally compromised, his lack of awareness ultimately costing him the lives of half his team as well as the primary targets of rescue. There was no doubt in his mind that Demir read his dossier, and was now using it effectively against him in a one-two punch.
    He turned to Alyssa and rubbed her shoulder. “I have to go on,” he told her softly, almost apologetically. “But if you want to go, I’m sure that Demir will have someone—”
    She cut him off by placing the fore- and middle fingers against his lips. “I’m not going anywhere without you,” she said. Her lips curled slightly at