Sarah went first again, moving with the precision of someone who'd done this before and knew exactly how close to disaster she was operating. 30 ft across, 40, 50. Her right foot found the small platform that marked the end of the traverse, and she exhaled fully for the first time in minutes. "Traverse complete. Come across one at a time. Take your time."
"Do not rush. If you slip, you die. And the mission fails." Morrison came across. His youth showed in his speed too fast, but he had the grip strength to maintain control.
He made it. Chen crossed with calculated precision, testing each foot placement before committing her weight. Walsh moved like he was walking on a sidewalk, his experience translating into calm that verged on casual. Rodriguez started across. Twenty feet in, a rock chip broke loose under his foot.
He froze, pressed flat against the wall, breathing in controlled bursts. Sarah watched, unable to help, knowing that any attempt to assist could cause them both to fall. "Rod," she said quietly into the radio. "You're okay. Reset your foot position."
"Find the hold 6 in to your left." He moved slowly, found the hold continued. 40 ft across, he made the mistake of looking down. She saw it in his body language, the sudden tension, the slight backward lean.
"Eyes on the rock," she commanded. "Nothing exists except the next foot placement. Move." He moved. 50 feet.
52. 53. He reached the platform and Sarah pulled him the final few inches onto solid ground. "Good," she said simply. "Now we climb." The final 147 ft were technical but manageable.
At 0415 hours, they reached the cave entrance that marked the infiltration point. They'd made the climb in 1 hour and 45 minutes, 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Sarah checked her weapon, confirmed everyone was combat ready, and led them into the monastery's hidden passages. The intelligence briefing had been accurate. The passages were empty, forgotten by the current occupants who didn't know this route existed.
They moved through darkness using night vision, following a mental map Sarah had memorized 8 years ago. Every turn was where she remembered it. Every passage led exactly where it should until they reached the chamber that should have connected to the lower levels and found it collapsed. Rockfall recent, completely blocking their route. Sarah studied the rubble, calculating the mission window was closing.
They had 6 hours until sunrise. Going back and finding another route would consume at least 3 hours they didn't have. "Ma'am." Morrison looked at her, waiting for orders. She examined the edges of the collapse, looking for gaps, weak points.
There, a narrow space at the top where some rocks hadn't quite settled. Maybe 18 in wide, maybe. "I'm going through," she said. "If I can confirm the passage is clear on the other side. We'll widen this gap and continue."