The Sun Amulet
By Littlesilverstar, silverstar222b@yahoo.com
Monica searches for an ancient artifact of unspeakable power

WARNING: This story contains violence and other things not suitable for 
minors or people with thin skin.  If you are offended by those sorts of 
things, you have been warned.

Monica, a thirty-three-year-old professor of history, sat in her office late
one Tuesday night, looking at some photographs of ancient Maya hieroglyphics.
For the past several weeks, she had been convinced that she was on the trail
of the Sun Amulet, an ancient Maya artifact that was said to give its wielder
the power to control the output of the sun.  Although she wasn't sure if she
believed the stories about its power, her intellectual curiosity drove her
forward.  The amulet was supposed to be hidden deep in a lost pyramid 
somewhere in the Guatemalan jungle.  Many had tried to locate it.  All had
failed.  Even if they did find it, the pyramid was full of lethal traps that
would defeat all but the strongest, smartest, and bravest explorers.

The trouble was that Maya hieroglyphics were not fully decoded.  The photos
Monica had were supposedly the hieroglyphics that told the location of the
lost pyramid.  Although she had a good command of the ancient Maya language,
the directions to the pyramid were in the part of the language that was not
known to anyone in the modern world.  She was slowly and painstakingly 
trying to translate it herself.  Luckily, in this endeavor she had the aid
of a graduate assistant named Todd.

Todd sat at his cubicle in the room assigned to the history graduate 
students, working on an essay.  He was twenty-three years old and a small, 
shy, nerdy kind of guy with brown hair and brown eyes (although surprisingly, 
he didn't wear glasses).  Right now, he was alone in the room, the other 
students having left long ago to go party, despite the fact that it was 
Tuesday night.  Todd's major gift was that he had a natural talent for 
languages.  He had been fascinated by ancient Maya culture since he was a 
little kid and had studied a lot about it, including the language, which he
found he had a wonderful natural aptitude for.  He had considered himself
extremely lucky when Monica the professor had found out about his talent and
recruited him to be her personal assistant in her ancient Maya research.  
There were two reasons for his feeling so lucky.  First, with his new 
position it meant that he wouldn't have to teach a first-year undergraduate
class.  Todd hated speaking in front of large groups of people.

The second reason was that Monica was...well, very easy on the eyes.  She was
5'6" and 140 pounds, with shoulder-length dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, 
and lovely olive skin.  Her body was muscular and powerful, but still sexily
feminine.  She had the thighs, abs, and biceps of a fitness model (she often
wore low-cut pants, so Todd knew what her abs looked like).  In addition to
being beautiful, she was also smart, successful, compassionate, and a 
football fan (that made it easy for men to relate to her and get along with
her).  It was easy to see why he had a major crush on her.

However, Todd was disappointed that he and Monica were not closer.  He wasn't
expecting an actual romantic or sexual relationship with her - he considered
her way out of his league.  He did wish they could get to know each other a
little better.  She was always polite and respectful towards him, but as she
was extremely focused on her work and he was very quiet and shy, they never
really got a chance to become close.

Todd realized that his daydreaming about Monica was distracting him from his
essay.  He was just about to get back to writing when the object of his
daydream herself walked through the doorway.  She looked excited.

"Hi, Todd," she said.  She was holding the Maya hieroglpyhics photos. "Sorry
to interrupt your work, but I think I've stumbled onto something big.  I'm 
going to need your help with the final translations, though."

"Sure," said Todd, eager to interact with his favorite woman.  He began
studying the photos and soon became very excited himself. "You're right! 
These are the coordinates to the lost pyramid! No wonder no one else could
find it.  It seems to be fifty miles outside the area everyone else was
looking!"

"My genius translator," said Monica, thumping him on the back. "Come on up to
my office.  I'll open a bottle of champagne."

In the professor's office, Todd, still excited, watched with some amusement 
as Monica produced a key from her pocket and unlocked a drawer full of 
various kinds of booze.  She removed a bottle of champagne and two glasses,
then closed the drawer again, giving him a little smile. "Dean Adams would be
all over my ass if he found my stash.  And I don't have tenure yet." Todd
nodded at the mention of the notoriously strict, stingy, and fun-hating head
of the Department of Social Sciences.

Monica poured them each a glass and they raised them, clinking them. "To the
greatest fucking discovery ever," she said.  Todd stared, not used to the 
idea of a professor using such language.  And she wasn't even drunk yet! She
noticed his reaction and laughed.

"We'll have to get everything together for our trip," she said, getting down
to business. "I'd like to leave as soon as possible, preferably tomorrow."

"Wait," said Todd. "We?!"

"Well, of course! I couldn't have done this without your help.  You've 
definitely earned the right to come along.  Besides, I'm going to need you to
help with the translations for finding the way once we get inside the pyramid
and avoiding the traps and everything."

"See, that's the thing.  I'm...uh...not used to danger or physical stuff."

Monica sat up straight. "Oh, I see.  I should have realized." She looked 
directly at him. "Sometimes I forget that not everyone's as adventurous or 
used to violence as I am.  I'm not going to make you go, but like I said, I
really need you.  Plus, I'll be there with you and you can feel pretty safe
next to me."

Todd weighed his options.  Stay safe at home, or go on this adventure and get
a great chance to be close to his favorite woman, but run the risk of a 
gruesome death? He was torn, but in the end it was the alcohol in his system
that made him decide in favor of adventure. "All right, I'll go."

"Wonderful!" said Monica.  She was already clicking on her computer, looking
for plane reservations.  As she clicked away, she quickly went over with Todd
the other details of the trip, including what to bring and what to expect.
"Your passport and everything are up-to-date, right?"

"Oh yes," answered Todd.

"Good.  That'll spare me the trouble of having to get you a fake." He stared
at her, wondering if she was joking.  Her little smile told him nothing one
way or the other.  

She refilled her empty glass. "Refill too?"

"Uh...yes, please." He paused. "This trip isn't going to be cheap, is it?"

Monica laughed. "Of course not.  But what other way is there? You think Dean
Adams would actually fund this?" At that both of them broke into laughter,
fueled on by the champagne.

"If you want, I can help..." began Todd.

"Oh, don't worry about THAT!" said Monica. "I've got it covered.  Wouldn't
want to give a student any more financial worries.  Our union may demand pay
raises at regular intervals but we professors aren't poor." She continued,
"The most important thing to remember is this has to be kept secret, just
between the two of us.  There are a lot of evil people who would love to get
their hands on that amulet.  Whether or not the rumors about its power are
true, they'll kill us and anyone else who stands in their way just to get
their paws on it.  When we get to Guatemala, we'll need a guide to get us
safely through the jungle to the pyramid.  We tell him about the pyramid, but
not the amulet."

She finished clicking. "There, all set! Our plane leaves 2:30 tomorrow
afternoon.  We fly Dallas to Mexico City, change planes, then Mexico City to
Guatemala City.  From there, we rent a car and drive to a town called Taparo.
Grab a guide there and we'll have to hike the rest of the way." She drained
her second glass of champagne and poured herself a third.  Todd was still
working on his second.

"What about, you know, school and all that?" asked Todd suddenly.

"Oh, that," said Monica, sitting up straight again. "Mmm...don't worry, I can
get both of us covered."

The graduate student sat back and relaxed.  He looked over at the attractive
woman sitting across from him.  It was November, so she was dressed warmly in
black pants and a dark blue sweatshirt, but the sleeves of her sweatshirt 
were rolled up, displaying her big, muscular, but still feminine forearms and
wrists.

Todd gulped nervously.  Normally, he wouldn't even think of doing this, but
between the alcohol and the celebratory mood...

"Can I tell you something? I...I think your arms look really good.  You've 
got some big arms for a chick." As she stared at him, he added quickly, "I
mean that as a compliment."

Monica laughed. "Thank you, Todd! That's sweet.  Yep, I've got big arms." An
idea popped into her head.  Normally, she wouldn't think of doing this with
one of her students, but between the alcohol and the excitement...

"Want to arm wrestle? Let's have lunch together tomorrow before we leave.
Loser pays.  After you pay for lunch tomorrow you won't have to feel so 
guilty about me paying for the rest of the trip."

Todd, heart beating very fast, said, "You'll totally kick my butt." She just
smiled as they locked hands.  His arm looked very small and pale next to her
thick, tanned one.

"Whenever you're ready," she said.

"All right...ready...set...go!"

Todd pushed with all his strength, but he couldn't budge her.  Monica tensed
her forearm muscles, making it look even bigger.  She calmly pushed his arm
to the desk in a few seconds.

"Damn, you're an Amazon," he said, VERY turned on by getting beat by a hot
chick at arm wrestling.

With a grin, she only said, "Don't worry, I know a place with great food that
won't hurt your wallet.  Much cheaper and better than eating at the airport,
too.  11:30 should give us enough time to have a leisurely meal before we
catch our plane.  Better go home and pack, and try to get a good night's
sleep.  I'll e-mail you with all the details."  

Todd remained seated for a few more moments until his boner went down enough
for it not to be obvious when he stood up.  He then headed for the door. 
"Good night, Professor."

"'Night, Todd," she called back. "Oh, and I think we've known each other for
long enough now.  Feel free to call me Monica."

Todd headed home excitedly that night.  He was finally getting closer to his
sexy crush.  His only worries were about the dangers they would soon be 
facing.  Still, he was looking forward to the trip.

Lunch the next day went well.  Monica told Todd about some of her adventures
fighting bad guys.  Todd realized he was not dealing with any ordinary
professor.  The flights down went well too, or as well as could be expected
going through Third World airports.  At Guatemala City, with Monica's 
extensive travel experience and fluent Spanish, they had little trouble
renting a jeep for the drive to Taparo.

It was late evening by the time Monica drove the jeep up the last bumpy dirt
road and into the little village of Taparo.  Todd, in the passenger seat,
was looking a little green from all the nasty potholes.

Monica parked the jeep in front of what looked like a cantina.  She and Todd
entered the dingy place.  A scratchy voice singing in Spanish came from a
radio in the corner.  The room was dirty and dimly lit.  Several men sat on
stools at the counter, nursing drinks.  Several more men sat at a large 
table in the corner, shouting and laughing loudly.  It was clear that they
were all quite drunk.  An old woman was sweeping the floor.  Two chickens
clucked and squawked as they chased each other around the room.  The 
bartender, who was wiping some glasses, looked up as Monica and Todd came to 
the counter.

"Whiskey," said Monica.  Todd ordered a beer.  When the bartender brought
their drinks, Monica asked him about hiring a guide.  He pointed to the men
sitting on the stools.

The men perked up with interest when they saw Monica's roll of $100 bills.
Their interest died down just as fast, however, when she told them where she
and Todd wanted to go.  Apparently, the way was so dangerous that no amount
of money could convince them to go. 

Monica sighed in frustration.  Walking back up to the bartender, she asked if
there were any other guides.

"There is one more," was the response. "Fellow by the name of Ryan. American,
actually.  Don't know what the hell he's doing in a place like this.  His
place is just across the street.  Gotta warn you, though, he don't come 
cheap."

She thanked him and turned around...and bumped smack into one of the loud men
who had been sitting at the table.  He was six feet tall and burly, with 
dirty yellow teeth.  His buddies had all also stood up.  She sighed.  She was
NOT in the mood for this right now.

"Excuse me," she said as calmly as she could, hoping it would work in 
defusing the situation but knowing that it probably wouldn't.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, pretty lady?" he slurred. "We could 
have some gooood fun together."

"Not interested," she answered, moving to step around him.  He grabbed her
breast.  Big mistake.

From his position behind the counter, the bartender had the disturbed kind of
look on his face, where he knew the shit was about to hit the fan.

Monica drove her knee into the groper's crotch.  As he let out a high-pitched
squeal of pain and clutched his wounded family jewels, she delivered a solid
punch to his jaw, sending him to the floor.

The man's buddies all went into action.  As several of them charged Monica 
from the front, one snuck around behind her. Todd did the only thing he could
do.  He raced toward the sneaking man, beer bottle in hand, and smashed the
bottle over the man's head, sending him to the ground amid shards of broken
glass.  At that, one of the other men, a big fellow who must have weighed at
least 220 pounds, leapt at Todd, tackling him.  He began punching poor Todd
repeatedly in the face.

Meanwhile, Monica was facing three men.  A side kick to the first man's
midsection left him doubled over and gasping for breath.  She grabbed the
other two men and bashed their heads together.  A cheerleader-style high kick
from her boot to his chin sent one of them to the floor face first.  A 
powerful roundhouse kick to the side of his companion's head knocked him out
cold.  

The man she had kicked in the midsection recovered and swung a wild punch at
her face.  She dodged it easily and punched him in the nose, releasing blood.
As he stood there in pain, hand over his face, she performed a standing back
handspring, kicking him as she flipped.  She landed neatly on her feet as her
opponent hit the ground unconscious.

Monica then turned her attention to the man who was pummeling the helpless 
Todd.  With a shrill scream, she leapt onto him, pulling him off Todd.  She
brutally headbutted him, stunning him.  Jumping back to her feet, she began
kicking him in the head again and again with her heavy boots, enraged that he
had been abusing Todd like that.  She finally stopped when she saw that he
had long since been knocked out and blood was oozing from his head.

Looking up, she saw that Todd, the bartender, the old woman, and the men at
the counter were all staring at her.  The thugs (the conscious ones, anyway)
were also staring at her from their positions on the floor.  She gave them 
all a bright smile. "Don't mess with a female warrior!"

The three thugs who were awake climbed to their feet and hurried for the 
exit, looks of fear on their ugly faces.  Monica handed a $100 bill to the
bartender. "This should cover the damages." He thanked her, then hurried out 
from behind the counter and bent over the man who had been hitting Todd.  
He said, "This one needs to get to the hospital." Monica smiled when she 
heard that.

Todd looked at his hot professor with awe. "Wow.  I knew you were good, but I
had no idea you were THAT good."

"You're pretty good yourself," she responded. "Thanks for clonking that guy
with your beer bottle." Todd blushed.  She continued, "C'mon, let's go talk 
to that other guide, see if he can help us out.  If we can find him."

"You've found him," came a voice from the doorway.  Monica and Todd turned
around.  The speaker was a rough and athletic-looking man in his early
forties.  He stood just under six feet tall and wore the stereotypical jungle
guide's hat. "Name's Ryan." 

"Just the man I was looking for.  I'm Monica, and this is my graduate 
assistant, Todd." She went on to explain what they were looking for and what
they needed, telling the guide about the lost pyramid but carefully omitting
any reference to the Sun Amulet.

"Lost pyramid, eh?" said Ryan. "A while back, I had group after group wanting
me to lead 'em all over the jungle, searching for that lost pyramid.  Nobody
ever found it, though.  Thought that pyramid talk had died down...haven't had
someone ask me about it in years."

"But we have a new translation of a map that shows exactly where the pyramid
is," Todd said excitedly.

"Kid, everyone who came looking for that pyramid said something like that,"
replied the guide. "Everyone thought they were the one."

"Todd is speaking the truth," said Monica. "Here." She showed Ryan the map.

"Hmm...this is fifty miles away from where everyone else was searching.  That
could explain why they never found it.  On the other hand, this could be yet
another wild-goose chase."

Monica said, "You'll get fair share of any treasure we find, plus I'll pay 
you $2,000 up front." She displayed an envelope containing twenty $100 bills.

Strangely, Ryan didn't seem too interested upon seeing the money, which 
surprised Monica.  Since the bartender had said he didn't come cheap, she
had assumed that money was the guide's primary motivating factor.  But now,
instead of appearing excited, he appeared deep in thought.

When he began speaking again, he spoke slowly. "Let me tell you a few things
about me.  I'm an adventurer.  I like action.  But people should know the
jungle if they go in there.  I've been on too many trips with rich dentists
who don't know what the hell they're doing, where I've had to bail them out
of trouble.  Sometimes, I couldn't save them." Monica was about to open her
mouth to speak, but she closed it when he continued. "I saw what you did to
those punks in the bar.  I can tell you know what you're doing and that you
know how to take care of yourself.  Because of that...congratulations.  
You've got yourselves a guide." Monica and Todd smiled in relief and shook
hands with their new guide.

"We can leave early tomorrow morning," said Ryan. "I've got a couple bunk
beds in my back room.  You can stay there for the night."

The next morning found them all up bright and early, eager to get started on
the next leg of their adventure.  After a quick breakfast, they began 
getting their gear ready.  Monica was now dressed in khaki pants, tight T-
shirt, straw hat, and her trademark heavy boots.  Todd thought she looked
quite tough and sexy.  As he watched her, she opened a bag and took out two
large, scary-looking (in Todd's mind) pistols.  He stared in shock. "How did
you get those past customs and security?"

"Oh, just slipped a few hundreds to all the right people." She smiled at 
Todd's shocked look. "Gun-toting, bribe-giving, ass-kicking woman not your
idea of the stereotypical professor? Here, let me show you something cool."
She headed outside. "Grab a couple of those empty bottles there, please."

Monica stood with a pistol in each hand. "All right, now throw those bottles
up in the air, at the same time." Todd tossed the bottles.  Monica took 
careful aim with her big guns and fired two shots.  Two bottles shattered in
midair.  

Todd applauded.  Monica grinned. "I feel like Lara Croft." She paused. "You
sure you don't want to carry one of these? I brought two because I thought
you might need one."

"Er...well...I've never shot a gun before."

"Oh, it's not hard.  Here, let me show you a few things." She quickly went
over the basic rules of gun safety, then showed him how to load, prepare, 
and fire the weapon.  Todd thought it was kind of sexy learning about guns
from a woman.

"There are a lot of nasty creatures in the jungle.  Crocodiles, jaguars,
snakes...Also, in addition to beasts with four legs or no legs, we may have
to deal with beasts with two legs.  No matter how much we try to keep the
amulet a secret, other people will find out about it...people who are 
willing to kill for it," Monica said. "That's why we need these." She patted
one of the pistols, then handed the other to Todd. "Hopefully, you won't
have to use this."

They finished preparing their gear and hefted their heavy packs onto their
backs.  In front of the house, Ryan and a native-looking man were ready,
loaded with packs of their own.  Todd saw that they were both armed - Ryan
had a semi-automatic rifle with a scope, and the native man was carrying a
shotgun.

"This is my assistant, Carlos," said Ryan. "He doesn't speak English, but
he's a good man to have around in a tight spot."

Monica greeted Carlos in Spanish.  Ryan stared at her in surprise, stopping
when he saw her looking back at him. "Sorry," said the guide. "It's just 
that most of the people who hire me don't speak Spanish."

Just then, the bartender from the cantina came running up to them.  He
announced, "I've just heard that a dangerous Islamic fanatic and his gang
are in the area.  They're supposedly searching for some artifact that'll
give them great powers." Monica and Todd looked at each other worriedly.
"Thought I should warn you," he finished.

"Thank you for the warning.  We'll be careful," said Monica, trying to hide
the worry in her voice.  She turned to the others. "Well, shall we be off?"

They started out into the jungle.  Ryan was in the lead, consulting the map
Monica had showed him, as well as a compass and a map of his own.  Monica
was behind him, and Todd behind her.  Carlos brought up the rear, alert for
any danger that might sneak up on them from behind.

The jungle was extremely hot and sweaty.  Mosquitoes buzzed around them,
parrots squawked, and monkeys howled.  The first day in the jungle was
uneventful.  They made camp for the night on a patch of high ground and
started off again early the next morning.  

By evening, it seemed that their second day would be as uneventful as the
first.  Twilight was falling as they began making camp for their second 
night.  Suddenly, Monica motioned for everyone to be silent.  She signaled to
Ryan, who was about to light the campfire, to stop. "Look!" she whispered.

Off to the east, the distinct light of a campfire was burning.  Several
figures were visible around it.  Through binoculars, the figures were
revealed to be turbaned men carrying AK-47s. "The Islamic fanatics!" groaned
Ryan. "Oh, shit."

"Well, what can we do?" said Monica. "They're too strong for us to attack
them.  And I'm not going to let them scare us into going back.  The best 
thing for us to do would be to continue on, quietly, and hope they don't find
us.  We have the right map to the pyramid, and they don't.  And they're dumb
enough to light a fire to show us exactly where they are.  As long as we keep
quiet and don't light any fires, they shouldn't be able to detect us."

"Right," said Ryan. "We'll divide the night into four watches, just to be
safe.  I'll take first watch.  Carlos can take second." Monica volunteered
for the third watch.

They sat down to eat.  Carlos murmured something in Spanish. "What did he 
say?" asked Todd.

"He said we're stuck with cold food every night until they're gone," Monica
translated.

"Oh well, could be worse," said Ryan.

What neither he nor any of his companions knew was that it was going to get
much worse.  

Khalid, the leader of the Islamic terrorists, grinned evilly as he sat in the
gathering darkness, well away from his campfire, which was just a decoy.
Unseen, his gang had been tracking the others and spying on them.  Now, he 
began issuing orders to his men.

"Three of us stay behind, around the campfire, to fool the infidels.  The 
rest sneak up to their camp as soon as it's late enough that we're sure
they'll be asleep.  They'll probably have someone on watch, so take your
silenced pistols and deal with him first.  As long as our fire is burning and
we have men around it, they'll never suspect that we'll be sneaking up on
them.  They think we don't even know where they are.  Take the girl professor
alive.  She knows the most, plus we can have some good fun with her after
we're done questioning her.  Kill the others and take all their maps.  We
find the pyramid, go in, and grab the artifact.  Then we tell all the infidel
governments, surrender to our new Global Islamic Caliphate or we destroy the
world."

Monica, Todd, and Carlos went to sleep at 9:30.  Ryan stayed up on watch,
rifle in hand.  He wasn't expecting any kind of attack - how could the 
terrorists even know where they were? - but he always thought better safe 
than sorry.

His watch passed uneventfully.  At 11:30, he woke up Carlos, who sat on guard
with his shotgun in his lap.

Khalid and four of his men snuck up to the camp.  They saw the figure of 
Carlos sitting up, and snuck around behind him.  They were now about forty
feet away and advancing.  One man raised his pistol, silencer attached, and
took aim at Carlos.

Something...a sixth sense...alerted Carlos to the presence of danger behind
him.  He whirled around, just in time to catch a bullet to the chest instead
of the back.  Mortally wounded, he had time to do two things before he died.
The first was to shout, "WE UNDER ATTACK!!!" as loudly as he could.  The
second was to fire his shotgun and kill the terrorist who had shot him.

The four remaining terrorists cursed furiously in their native Arabic and
opened fire wildly with their guns.  In their tent, Monica and Todd jolted 
themselves awake and grabbed for their pistols.  Ryan, in the other tent, was
already firing his rifle at the attackers.

Bullets ripped holes in the tent, some missing Monica and Todd by mere 
inches.  Monica pushed Todd out the back flap, then quickly followed him.
More bullets slammed into the now vacated tent. "Fuckers think we're still in
there," she muttered.  She began firing back at the terrorists.

Todd was shaking with fear.  He wasn't used to violence the way Monica and
Ryan were.  Still, he tried to be brave.  He hefted the pistol in his sweaty
palms and tried to take aim at where he thought the enemies were.  Taking a
deep breath, he pulled the trigger.  The heavy recoil shook his wrists.

Monica looked over at him. "Grip it tightly," she said. "You'll get used to
it." She took careful aim with her own pistol and hit one of the terrorists
in the chest, right at the heart.  His corpse slumped to the ground, a large
red hole in its chest.  A second later, a bullet from Ryan's rifle nailed
another terrorist in the head.

The remaining two attackers began running away like cowards.  Monica aimed
her gun and shot one of them in the leg.  He collapsed, screaming in pain.

Khalid ran and ran, reaching the cover of the jungle trees.  He was alone.
Cursing, he realized there was nothing left to do but to collect the rest of
his men from the campfire and try again another time.

Monica and Ryan approached the downed terrorists, pointing their weapons at
them.  Todd remained in the background, still full of fear but elated that
they seemed to have won, for now anyway.

Monica's heart was pounding, but the expression on her pretty face was deadly
calm.  She approached the wounded terrorist and kicked him savagely in the
side, cracking one of his ribs.  Aiming her pistol directly at his testicles,
she snarled, "All right, fucker.  You're going to tell us everything you
know."

"Go to hell, infidel cunt!" he spat.

Monica moved her aim slightly and fired.  The bullet slammed into mud half an
inch from the terrorist's nuts. "The next one will turn you from a rooster
into a hen," she growled. "Now talk!"

With a look of fear, he told her all about stalking them and spying on them,
their knowledge of the maps and the pyramid, and the amulet.

"How many others?" said Monica.

"Four more.  Khalid the leader, and three others.  I've told you all I know,
I swear!"

"What'll we do with him?" asked Todd, cautiously stepping forward.

Monica's voice was grim. "We can't take him with us and guard him every
second.  If we go back, the other terrorists will get to the pyramid ahead of
us.  We can't spare anyone to escort him back to town while the others go on.
And if we leave him here, he'll go right back to his buddies.  There's only
one solution left."

"Wait a minute," said Ryan. "Are you really going to execute him?"

"There's no other choice.  I think you know that.  Anyway, he has it coming.
They would have murdered us all in our sleep."

The terrorist began begging for mercy, but Monica shut him up by kicking him
in the balls.  She then raised her leg in a full vertical split and dropped 
it on his head in a lethal axe kick.  The brutal strength of her kick
shattered his skull.  Blood, bone, and brain matter flew everywhere.  Todd
gasped in shock.  Even Ryan, a veteran of several wars, looked stunned.

Monica turned around and saw the expressions of the others.  Her hand flew to
her mouth. "Sorry," she said. "Maybe I should have found a less bloody way to
do it."

None of them could get back to sleep.  They buried Carlos and held a brief
funeral service for him.  They then started on their way again, each one lost
in his or her thoughts.  Although they kept a careful eye out, there seemed 
to be no further sign of Khalid and his gang.  Apparently, they were biding
their time.

Two more days of hiking brought them to a high ridge with a good view.
Cresting the ridge, Ryan shouted and pointed. "Look! The lost pyramid!"

They shouted in victory, but there was also a different feeling mixed in with
their shouts.  The death of Carlos had put a dark cloud over the trip and
turned it from an adventure into a mission of necessity that they were
determined to finish.

After half an hour of sliding and scrambling, the three explorers stood at
the base of the pyramid. "Now how do we get in?" asked Ryan.

Monica and Todd opened their mouths to speak at the same time.  Monica gave a
small smile. "Go ahead," she said to her student.

"Somewhere at the base of the pyramid is a circle carved into the surface
that's the outline of a door," explained Todd. "The trouble will be actually
finding the circle."

And trouble it was.  The jungle growth and the movement of the earth over
thousands of years had made it impossible to simply walk around the base of
the pyramid.  Instead, the explorers had to scramble up steep trails to the
pyramid, walk along the base as far as they could until the way was blocked,
searching for that elusive circle, then scramble back down and try another
trail, repeating the process all over again.

"This is the fourth steep uphill scramble we've been on today," grumbled Ryan
from his position in the middle. "This one better be it." Farther back, the 
unathletic Todd was grunting and puffing with exertion.

"Patience," said Monica, with a smile.  Looking back, she paused for a few
moments to allow Todd to catch up with herself and Ryan.

Ryan, grunting and puffing a little himself, answered, "Sorry, but I'm a man
who likes action."

The professor shook her head, dark brown hair flying. "Believe me, when we
get in there, you're going to have more action than you ever wanted.  And it
won't be the good kind of action, either." She turned her gaze to the smooth,
solid stone wall of the lost pyramid and gave a sudden gasp. "There, see!"

The other two looked where Monica was pointing.  Sure enough, visible on
the surface of the pyramid was a faint but distinct line that formed a 
perfect circle, about six feet in diameter.  The three of them broke into 
cheers.

Ryan suddenly stopped cheering. "Wait a minute.  How are we going to open
this mysterious ancient door?"

"Not to worry," replied Monica. "Todd and I have dealt with this sort of 
thing before."

"That's right," said Todd, excitement flowing through him.  After all the 
physical activity and brutal combat, they were finally getting into 
something that was his element.

As the guide watched, the professor and her graduate assistant each placed
their right hand on a position at the edge of the circle, 60 degrees from 
the bottom and 120 degrees from each other.  They simultaneously gave a 
gentle push, paused, pushed again, paused again, and pushed once more.
With a loud rumble, the six-foot circle of stone slowly slid to the side,
revealing a tunnel leading into unknown darkness.

Ryan nodded and smiled, suitably impressed.  Monica and Todd gave each
other a high-five.  

The three explorers clicked on their flashlights.  Ryan started eagerly
for the entrance, but Monica put a hand on his shoulder.

"Not so fast.  These places are full of deadly traps."

Ryan paused.  The three of them pointed their flashlights down the tunnel,
moving them around and trying to get a feel of the place.  The passage was
only six feet wide, but the ceiling was much higher.  The floor was divided
into squares, row after row of three two-foot squares.  On the walls were
ancient Maya hieroglyphics carved into the stone.

"So we avoid these traps how?" asked the guide.

Monica pointed to the hieroglyphics on the walls. "They tell you which
stone to step on for each row.  For example, for the first row it tells us
to step on the left square.  Now if some poor unfortunate soul were to step
on one of the other squares..." She picked up a heavy rock and dropped it 
on the center square.  

A huge, razor-sharp metal spike plunged from the ceiling and landed on the
rock, pulverizing it into a hundred little pieces.  The spike came down
with enough force to drive it several inches into the stone floor.  Monica
nodded at the remnants of the rock. "That would have been his skull," she
finished.  Todd and Ryan both gulped in fear.

They advanced through the tunnel cautiously, Monica in the lead, Todd in 
the middle, and Ryan bringing up the rear.  At each row, Monica and Todd
conferred with each other to make sure they agreed on the hieroglyphic
translation for the proper step.  

Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel and stepped onto a wooden
platform.  Monica stepped forward...and let out a scream as the middle part
of the platform fell away, revealing a bottomless-looking dark abyss below.
Ryan and Todd, still on the near side of the platform, could only watch in
horror as Monica plunged through the air...

...and grabbed onto the far side of the platform! Hanging by her hands, she
used her gymnastic training and incredible upper-body strength to press
herself up into a handstand position.  She then did a front walkover to 
stand back on her feet.  Todd and Ryan gasped in relief (and amazement).

Monica tossed her brown hair and cursed herself. "Stupid! Getting 
overconfident like that.  Fuck, I feel so blonde." She glanced back at the
other two and her mind jumped back to the matter at hand. "Looks like you'll
have to jump."

The gap in the platform was about seven feet across. "I wonder how deep this
is," remarked Ryan, shining his flashlight into the abyss and seeing no sign
of the bottom.  He took out a dead D battery from his pack and dropped it 
over.  Although they all listened for many seconds, there was no sound of it
hitting bottom.

"C'mon, jump," encouraged Monica.  Ryan took a deep breath, got a running 
start, and leaped over the chasm, landing safely next to Monica.

Todd looked queasy. "I don't think I can make it," he said, wishing he was
more athletic, so he could confidently make the jump, and he wouldn't have
been beaten up by so many tough boys (and girls) in high school and middle
school.

"Of course you can make it," said his professor. "C'mon.  I'll catch you."
Todd, summoning all his courage, backed up, began running, and leaped over
the gap.  The front tips of his shoes landed on the far edge, but the rest 
of them had nothing but empty space underneath.  Monica grabbed him with
her strong arms and pulled him onto solid ground.

"Thanks," he said.  She gave his shoulder a squeeze and released him.  He
smiled wistfully.  He had loved feeling her muscular body pressed right
against him.

A sudden creaking sound made all three adventurers turn around.  The middle
part of the platform was raising itself back up.  In a few seconds, it was
back to normal, ready for the next unsuspecting intruder.  Monica smiled 
and shook her head.

They headed forward again, very cautiously.  Soon the platform ended at a
solid wall of granite.  The only way through was a tiny tunnel, just big
enough for an average-sized man to crawl into.

Monica shone her flashlight into and around the tunnel, looking for any
hieroglyphics that might provide hints of traps.  There were none.

"I'll go in first," she said. "Don't come in after me until I'm all the way
through.  If there's a trap, you two will still have a chance to get out."

"And what if there is a trap and you get killed?" asked Todd, visibly 
worried about losing his mentor (and crush) forever.

"This is the only way through.  The Maya wanted to make it tough for people
to get in here, but not impossible.  I don't think I'll get killed just by
crawling through here.  Still, you never know.  That's why I want you and
Ryan to wait until I'm all the way through."

With that said, she started for the tunnel. "Good luck," said Todd and Ryan
at exactly the same time.  She smiled at them, then began crawling slowly
through the tunnel.

It was not a long passage, maybe about twenty feet.  Reaching the end, she
shone her flashlight forward.  The beam showed a vast room with high 
ceilings and no floor.  After the end of the tunnel, there was a sudden
drop into the darkness of the floorless room.  The only way across the room
seemed to be a narrow, shaky, one-foot-wide bridge, with no handrails.

Monica slowly stuck her head out of the tunnel and into the room.  A sudden
whirring noise from above caused her to yank her head back into the tunnel.
A split second later, a vicious-looking blade whizzed by from the ceiling
and continued its plunge into the darkness.  If she had pulled her head back
half a second later, she would have been decapitated.

She waited.  Ten seconds later, another blade whizzed down.  Then about ten
seconds later, another.  Then...wait.  She checked her watch.  Sure enough,
the intervals between the falling blades were getting shorter and shorter.

Monica yelled back down the tunnel. "Crawl through as quickly as you can!
There are blades falling from the ceiling at the end of the tunnel.  They'll
cut your head off if you're not careful.  When you get to the end, as soon
as you see a blade fall, race out of the tunnel before the next one comes
down.  They're falling faster and faster, so hurry!"

Todd and Ryan looked at each other. "You go first," said Ryan. "You're 
smaller and will have an easier time crawling through."

The blades were falling at intervals of seven seconds now.  Monica darted
out of the tunnel and onto the narrow bridge as soon as the next blade had
gone by.  She turned around and looked back at the mouth of the tunnel.

Todd crawled through as fast as he could, groaning in pain as he scraped his
elbow.  Ryan followed, his size being just barely small enough to squeeze
through.  By the time Todd reached the end, the blades were falling five
seconds apart.  He gulped nervously as he saw them, then gulped again when 
he saw the narrow bridge.  He had always been afraid of heights.

Another blade fell. "Now!" shouted Monica.  Todd pulled himself out of the
tunnel.  Monica helped him onto the bridge.  He heard the whiz of another
blade behind him as he regained his feet.

Ryan, grunting and squeezing his way through the tunnel, had almost reached 
the end when he got stuck! Wriggling desperately, he managed to free himself,
but the delay had cost him.  By the time he reached the end, the blades were
falling very fast.

"It's too dangerous!" yelled Monica. "Wait there! Maybe the blades will run
out."

"No! I can make it!" said Ryan.  As soon as the next blade fell, he charged
forward.  He was fast and might even have made it, but he stumbled.  The 
next blade flew down from the ceiling and sliced him cleanly in half at the
waist.  His mouth opened in a silent scream.  Blood flew everywhere and the
two halves of his body plunged down into the darkness, one half on each side
of the bridge.  Todd turned over the edge and began puking.  Monica had to
grab him to make sure he didn't fall.  Monica, despite being desensitized to
blood and violence, had difficulty not throwing up herself.

Todd finished barfing and wiped his mouth with a piece of cloth.  He looked
down, then finally turned to look at his professor. "He saved me, you know.
He told me to go first.  If he hadn't, I'd have been either chopped up by
those blades or stuck back at the end of the tunnel."

Monica gave him a tight hug. "He was a good man.  A man worthy of respect."
She said a prayer for Ryan in Spanish.

"First Carlos, and now Ryan," said Todd. "How can we go on?"

"We have to.  We have to stop those fanatics.  If they get their hands on
that amulet it could literally be the end of the world.  We don't have a 
choice."

Todd nodded and wiped his mouth one last time. "Sorry about that."

"Sorry about what?"

"For throwing up.  That must have looked pretty childish."

"No, no, no!" said Monica, touching his shoulder. "It's what most people
would have done." She paused and sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "You
know, there are some days when I wish I was more innocent, that I could
still throw up when something gory happened." She sighed again. "Come on,
let's go.  Time's running out."

They started across the narrow bridge, Monica leading.  Todd, behind her,
gulped with each dizzying step and soon felt like throwing up again.  
Behind them, the blades were still falling in a lethal, ultra-fast shower of
metal.  Monica glanced over the edge and gave an audible gasp.  The floor of
the room was revealed now, thirty feet below.  On the floor were row after
row of large, razor-sharp spikes, each about three feet tall.  And impaled 
on the spikes were dozens and dozens of skeletons.  Todd, hearing her gasp,
looked down as well.  A look of fear came over his face when he saw the 
remnants of the unfortunate explorers from centuries past.

After about a hundred feet, they came to a small, round stone platform.  In
front of them, about fifty feet away, their flashlight beams showed a closed 
door and the far wall of the huge room.  But the bridge abruptly ended at 
the platform - there appeared to be no way across to the door.

Monica, stopping at the end of the bridge, shone her light on the platform
itself before stepping on it.  There were Maya hieroglyphics carved onto the
platform's stone surface. "The first part says it's safe to step on it," she
said.

They stepped onto the platform and read the rest of the hieroglyphics. 
"These are pretty complex," said Monica. "I'm going to need your brain to
help me translate them."

Todd read them carefully, over and over.  Finally he said, "As far as I can
tell, this is what it says. 'Throw a knife at the bullseye on the door to
create the rest of the bridge and open the door.  Miss the bullseye and the
platform and the whole bridge will collapse.  And...er...if the bullseye is
not hit within two minutes of first stepping on the platform, the platform
and the whole bridge will, you know, collapse'." 

Monica squeezed his hand. "Thanks.  You see how much I need you." She looked
at her watch. "That means we have about...forty-five seconds left."

They shone their lights more directly at the door.  For the first time, they
saw a target painted on it.  The colors were fading, but they could see a 
white outer ring, a blue ring inside that, a yellow ring inside that, and a
little red bullseye in the middle.  Monica stared and gulped nervously. 
"Does it say it has to be a knife?" she asked, patting her pistol. "I can
hit that with this no problem, but I don't know about a knife."

"It says 'knife' pretty specifically," answered Todd. "If you shoot it it 
might..."

"Collapse anyway," finished Monica.  She tilted her ear back. "Well, I can
hear those blades still falling, so it won't do any good to run back.  Looks
like we have no choice.  Again." She glanced at her wrist. "Twenty seconds
left.  Here, toss me your knife.  I lost mine when I almost fell into that
first chasm."

He tossed her his knife and she caught it easily with one hand.  Gripping it
tightly, she looked at the bullseye.  It looked so small.

"You can do it, Prof- I mean Monica," said Todd encouragingly. "You're the
most athletic woman I know."

Monica smiled. "Thanks, Todd," she said. "Well, here goes nothing." She drew
back her arm and threw.  She and Todd watched with open mouths and rapid 
heartbeats as the knife flew through the air and embedded itself...

Right at the edge of the bullseye! If it had been a millimeter to the right
they both would have met a grisly death.  With a creaking noise, the rest of
the bridge raised itself and the door swung open.

Monica looked upward and mouthed one silent word. YES!!

"You did it! You're my sexy action heroine!" shouted Todd.  Suddenly 
composing himself and blushing, he continued, "You see how much I need you.  
I never could have made that throw myself."

The professor just smiled and said, "We make a good team."

With elation flowing through them, the two explorers made their way across
the rest of the bridge.  Todd was so overjoyed at surviving his near brush
with death that he temporarily forgot to be afraid of heights.  As for 
Monica, when she neared the end of the narrow bridge, she celebrated by
performing a roundoff followed by two back handsprings.  Todd, very 
impressed, applauded her. "Wow, you could be a professional gymnast on the
balance beam."

Monica grinned. "I'm not THAT good," she said modestly. "This bridge is 
three times wider than a regulation balance beam, anyway."

They cautiously advanced through the open doorway.  As soon as they were in
the next room, the door slammed shut behind them.  No amount of pushing or
pulling could get it to budge.  There were no other exits.

"Look," said Todd, pointing at the ceiling.  Hieroglyphics were inscribed
there.  They translated them together.

"You deserve congratulations
For making it this far
But there is one more test
Hope you like snakes!"

"Oh, FUCK," said Monica and Todd at exactly the same time.  And with that,
dozens upon dozens of snakes came pouring into the room from the walls, the
floor, even the ceiling.  There were big snakes, little snakes, and medium-
sized snakes.  There were nasty poisonous snakes, and non-poisonous boa
constrictors that crushed their victims to death.

They did the only thing they could do - start shooting.  Monica fired rapid
but well-aimed shots at the snakes, shooting one-handed.  The recoil from 
the .45-caliber weapon didn't seem to bother her strong wrists at all.  In 
her other hand she had grabbed a pick-axe from her pack and was whacking
snakes with it.  Todd fired his shots more slowly, holding his gun in a tight
two-handed grip.  He was trembling with fear and made sure to stay close to
Monica for safety.  Whenever a snake got too close, Monica would dispatch it 
by stomping on it.  She encouraged Todd to do the same.  

Monica's gun clicked empty.  She dropped her pick-axe and swiftly and 
efficiently inserted a fresh magazine into her pistol.  She crushed several
snakes to death under her boots as she was reloading.  Weapon ready again,
she continued firing, at the same time snatching back up the pick-axe and
clubbing away.

Finally, all the snakes were dead or crawling away out of the room. "You all
right? No bites?" asked Monica.

"I...I'm fine.  That was wild.  Are you okay?"

"I'm good." Suddenly, a part of the far wall began to slide open, revealing
another doorway.  When the door had finished opening, they stepped through
cautiously.

A stifling wave of heat greeted them, accompanied by the burning odor of
brimstone.  The doorway led onto a stone bridge spanning a river of burning
hot lava.  And at the far end of the bridge...there it was! The Sun Amulet!

Monica and Todd broke into loud celebratory cheers.  Monica picked Todd up
in her strong arms and gave him a kiss on the lips.  Todd gasped in
surprise.

"Oh...was that too forward?" asked the professor suddenly, putting Todd down.

"N...not at all," he stammered. "Actually, I've been fantasizing about
something like that for a long time."

"Oh! In that case...perhaps we can celebrate together after we get the
amulet." She started across the bridge alertly, taking each step slowly. "You
wait here," she called back to Todd. "It'd be just like those clever Maya to
put one last clever trap in just when we think we made it."

However, she made it across the bridge without incident.  The amulet awaited.
It was a small eight-pointed star meant to symbolize the sun, made of gold
and with a face carved into it.  With trembling hands, she picked it up. 

She waited.  Nothing happened.  No hidden trap.  With a shout of victory,
Monica walked back across the bridge (still as cautiously as before), 
gripping the precious artifact tightly.  Todd met her at the end of the
bridge and they gave each other a hug.

"Finally, it's done," exhaled Todd with great relief.

"I'm afraid not," said a voice with a Middle Eastern accent.  Monica and Todd
looked up in shock to see Khalid standing there with a wide grin on his ugly
face, and a pistol in his hand pointed right at them.  He was accompanied by
three henchmen, each carrying an AK-47. "Take out your guns and drop them 
into the lava.  Slowly," he growled.  Todd looked at Monica and she nodded.
They slowly removed their pistols from their holsters and dropped them into
the lava, where the weapons were destroyed with a loud HISS.

"How the fuck did you get through all those..." sputtered Monica, frightened
but more angry than afraid.

"Never mind that," said Khalid. "The important thing is that I'm going to get
what I came here to get." He turned to his henchmen. "Kill the boy.  Grab the
amulet and the girl.  We're going to have some fun with her and then kill her
slowly for all the trouble she's given us."

"NO!!" yelled Monica, leaping protectively in front of Todd.  Three AK-47
muzzles were pointed directly at her chest.

"Don't shoot," said Khalid. "We won't let her die too quickly.  Throw her out
of the way and kill the boy."

Two of the henchmen lowered their weapons and advanced on Monica.  The third
kept his gun trained on her chest.  Khalid lowered his pistol, stuck a cigar
into his mouth, and lit it, snickering.

When the two men were almost upon her, Monica, with lightning speed, grabbed
them and bashed their heads together.  As they went down, she grabbed one of
them and held him in front of her as a human shield.  Two AK-47s clattered to
the ground.  Todd, realizing he couldn't grab a weapon without being shot by
Khalid or the third henchman, moved behind Monica so that both of them were
shielded.  Monica quickly stuck the amulet into her pocket.

It appeared to be a stalemate, but Monica realized that the terrorists had so
little regard for human life that they would probably be willing to shoot one
of their own.  So she acted.  With impressive force, she shoved the man she 
was holding right into the third henchman.  Both men fell down and then, in a
domino effect, the third henchman crashed into Khalid, knocking him down as
well.  Khalid's head was bumped hard into a stone wall.  He let out a dazed
groan and his pistol clattered to the ground.

The henchman remaining next to Todd sat up suddenly and glared straight at
him.  Todd dove for one of the weapons on the ground.  The man tackled him
and they began struggling.

Monica's former human shield heaved himself up to his hands and knees.  She
drew her leg back and unleashed a brutal soccer kick to his face.  There was 
a sharp CRACK as her lethal kick broke his neck.  

As the third henchman sat up, she leapt onto his shoulders, at the same time 
snatching up his weapon from the ground.  With her muscular thighs wrapped 
around his neck, she began choking him.  He tried desperately to loosen her 
killer leg grip with his hands, but they were no match for her strength.  He 
managed to stand up straight, but she still rode on his shoulders and her 
thighs still had a death grip on him.  Khalid, meanwhile, was in a sitting 
position against the wall, semi-conscious and groaning.

Todd and his opponent continued to fight.  Seeing this, Monica took aim with
the AK-47 in her hands.  She waited until they were at the right angle, all
the while continuing to choke the crap out of the helpless victim between her
thighs.  When Todd's opponent's back was directly in front of her, she opened
fire, riddling the terrorist with a dozen bullets.  He slumped dead into a
pool of his own blood.  She then twisted her hips sharply, snapping the neck
of the man she was seated on.  As his corpse fell, she launched herself off
him with a powerful backward somersault, flipping in midair and landing 
neatly on her feet.  Todd slowly stood up as well, scared as hell but also
extremely turned on by his professor's lethal fighting skills.

Monica, weapon still in her hand, advanced on Khalid, who was slowly 
regaining full consciousness.  He glared at her with hate-filled eyes. "Go
ahead, bitch.  Shoot me," he spat.

"Actually, I think I'm going to kill you as slowly as you were going to kill
me," she snarled back.  She suddenly reversed her weapon and drove the butt
end into his solar plexus, causing him to howl in pain like a girl.  She then
kneed him in the face, releasing a spray of blood.

She tossed the gun to Todd. "Here, hold this," she instructed.  Turning her
attention back to Khalid, she bitch-slapped him on the face and taunted him.
"Get up, you pussy.  Fight me like a man." A swift kick sent his pistol
flying away.

The terrorist leader stood up slowly.  Getting into a fighting stance, he
raised his fists.  Monica raised her fists as well...then suddenly kicked him
right in the groin.  Khalid's hands immediately flew to his brutalized family
jewels.  She moved in close and slammed her left fist into his eye.  Laughing
at the black eye she had given him, she then smashed her right fist into his
jaw.  Grabbing him by the neck, she headbutted him, then began kneeing him in
the stomach again and again.  Finally, she stepped back a little and did a
spin kick, her boot impacting with the side of his head.  He slumped to the
ground.

"What's the matter, big macho terrorist can't handle a woman?" she smirked.
Khalid spat again and growled, "I'll kill you, cunt!" He leapt to his feet 
and charged straight at her.  Monica calmly stood there and waited, then, at
the last second, suddenly stepped to the side and elbowed him in the head.
He groaned in pain and swung a punch at her.  She blocked it with her thick,
sturdy forearm.  She followed that up with a barrage of punches to his face,
leaving it cut, bruised, and bleeding.  Her final punch knocked him backward
several feet.

Monica performed a front tuck somersault to take her directly in front of her
opponent.  From his position, Todd stared at her, impressed.  He knew about
her gymnastics talents, but he hadn't known that she was capable of doing
such a difficult move.  Todd had a strong attraction to women who could 
tumble and consequently had done quite a bit of reading on the subject.  He
knew that pretty much the only people who had the skill to perform such a
move were hardcore gymnasts, elite cheerleaders, or the best Hollywood stunt
women who doubled for the actresses who played action heroines.

Khalid, in his own way, also seemed impressed by Monica's tumbling talents,
but his amazement was accompanied by fear.  He had good reason to fear, as
her next move was a powerful no-handed cartwheel.  Her boots slammed into his
head one after the other as she cartwheeled, knocking him to the ground 
again.  

Groaning, the terrorist dragged himself back to his feet.  Monica greeted him
with a rapid-fire series of vicious high kicks to his face, balancing on her
left leg while kicking with her right.  Her boot brutalized the face of her
helpless victim again and again.  When she finally stopped after over a dozen
kicks, Khalid was swaying back and forth, barely conscious.  She calmly 
crouched down and unleashed a devastating uppercut to the underside of his 
jaw.  The strength of her attack sent him to the ground, out cold.

Todd put down the weapon his professor had handed him and began applauding.
Monica smiled, took a bow, and actually blushed a little.  She then dragged
Khalid to the edge of the lava.  Todd admired the way her biceps rippled as
she pulled.

Monica waited.  It was clear that she was waiting for the terrorist to wake 
up so that he would be awake when she made that final move to kill him.  He
would spend his last moments alive in fear.  

In his earlier years, Todd might have said something in protest.  His parents
had always told him that it was wrong to fight back against bullies and 
thugs.  He now realized, however, that taking his parents' advice had only
made him a more attractive target for bullying, and that Monica's way of 
doing things was much more effective and logical.  A wave of anger at his
parents washed over him, which he quickly tried to push aside.  You weren't
supposed to resent your own parents like this, right? 

Monica took the amulet out of her pocket and looked at it wistfully.  She
knew she would have to destroy it.  She couldn't take the chance that someone
would find out about it and steal it.  Also, with her background in history,
she knew that power corrupted, and even good people like her could and would
be corrupted by being in possession of something so powerful.

"It's going to have to be destroyed," she said with a sigh.

Todd looked over at her, then nodded. "I know."

"I just wonder about the good it could have done.  Could it have solved the
global warming problem? But we can't keep it.  Even if we used it to do good
at first, it would corrupt us eventually just like the Ring in Lord of the
Rings." She looked over at the unconscious Khalid. "As soon as he wakes up,
I'll chuck it into the lava.  I want him to see that.  Then it'll be his turn
to go into the lava.  Heh heh heh." She paused. "I really shouldn't be 
laughing over a situation like this, but he has it coming."

Khalid, with a moan, opened his eyes and shook his head dizzily.  He saw
Monica standing at the edge of the lava, the amulet in her hand.  When she
saw that he was awake and looking at her, she winked, then, with a neat
underhanded throw, tossed the amulet into the lava.  There was a brief 
fizzle as the artifact was destroyed, the ultra-hot lava being of high
enough temperature to melt even gold easily.  Khalid let out a high-pitched 
howl of protest. "NOOO!! You filthy infidel bitch! That was supposed to be 
mine!" He heaved himself up to his hands and knees.

"It's your turn now," said Monica icily.  With that, she put all her strength
into a powerful kick to his midsection.  The force of her kick sent the
terrorist leader flying over the edge and into the lava.  He had time for one
more girly howl as he flew through the air before the lava annihilated his
body into nothing.  Monica felt a warm rush of pleasure flow through her as
she watched him die.  That feeling was followed by a feeling of guilt for
feeling pleasure at something like that.  It was a dirty but necessary job,
destroying evil people, but she had to be careful not to start enjoying the
killing too much.  She looked at the lava and knew she had done the right
thing in destroying the amulet.  It would have been a very corrupting 
influence.  In a way, she envied Todd's innoncence, which was ironic because
she could tell that Todd, for his part, envied her hardness.

"Well, it's over now," said Monica.  At that, a five-foot-long poisonous 
snake hissed at her, preparing to bite.  She dove for one of the AK-47s on 
the floor.  Taking aim, she quickly machine-gunned the snake.

"Well, 'it' won't be over until we're out of the pyramid, out of the jungle 
in fact," she said with a little laugh. "But you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Todd. "It's the ending.  It's depressing, 
though." He lowered his head and looked at the ground.

Monica walked over to him. "Cheer up, sweetie," she said, touching his cheek
affectionately. "We beat the bad guys.  They'll never have the chance to harm
or threaten anyone ever again." She kissed him on the mouth, gently.

Todd smiled blissfully at the kiss. "Do you really want to take our 
relationship in this direction?" he asked. "I mean, you're the most amazing
woman I've ever met, and I'm just some nerdy kid."

Monica leaned in close. "Don't sell yourself short like that," she told him.
"You're smart, you're compassionate, you made a good adventure companion on
this trip, plus I think you're kind of cute." She winked at him and he 
blushed.  She continued, "But anyway, the thing I like most about you is that
you're not like most men.  Most men are macho and insecure and intimidated by
strong women.  Why would any woman with a brain want a man like that? And 
those women who pride themselves on being feminist and independent and 
strong, and then turn around and say they need a stronger man...they're such
hypocrites." Suddenly realizing she was going off on a tangent, she finished,
"Sorry.  Anyway, the point is, I can tell you're genuinely attracted to 
strong women, and I really like seeing that in a guy.  So of course I want to
take our relationship in that direction.  Most of the people at school won't
mind a professor of my age dating a student.  Dean Adams would, but he's not
the sharpest knife in the drawer.  He won't know." Monica and Todd shared a
laugh at that.

Monica looked at the three dead terrorist henchmen, two with broken necks and
one with a dozen bullet holes in his body.  This time, instead of a wave of
pleasure, she just felt a wave of satisfaction.  There was a dirty but 
necessary job that had needed to be done, and she had done it well.  

Todd, meanwhile, felt excited and full of life.  His fantasies about being 
with his hot professor had come true beyond his wildest dreams.  Well, not 
his wildest dreams, but beyond most of his dreams.  He knew that he and 
Monica had a lot of adventure and fun ahead of them, and he was overjoyed 
that they would be able to share those experiences with each other.

Monica and Todd smiled at each other.  No further words needed to be said.  
They started out of the room and on their long journey home, holding hands.

THE END

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