The International

by Christopher Vale

  Dawn stopped and held up her hands. She could see it. His mind was right there. His will could be hers to own. She began to breathe and pant as if she were in the throes of passion. And then he was hers. She turned her attention to Rolf.

  Rolf looked to be near tears. “Don’t hurt me Dawn,” he said.

  Dawn smiled. “Oh sweetie, I’d never hurt you.” She glanced at Tom. “It didn’t hurt did it Tom?”

  “No Your Majesty,” Tom said.

  Dawn turned back to Rolf with a gentle smile. “See, darling.”

  “Okay, Dawn,” Rolf said. “I trust you.”

  Dawn reached out and took Rolf’s will as well. It was the most amazing feeling she had ever experienced. She then turned to Dave.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “Now, you will take control of the entire planet,” Dave said.

  Dawn smiled.

  Chapter 21

  The soldiers guarding the entrance to the base remained perfectly still as Axel approached them, his hands held high in the air.

  “I’m a U.S. agent,” he explained. “Do not shoot, I’m on your side.”

  But the soldiers made no move to shoot, to apprehend him, or to do anything at all. Axel moved closer and closer. Two of the men were in the kneeling position. Another was in the prone. The fourth…when Axel got closer he realized the fourth was steadily holding a completely unnatural position.

  “What the…?” Axel mumbled under his breath. He dropped his hands and quickly closed the distance. The fourth soldier was in the process of standing and turning. But the position was rigidly held. Axel moved closer and closer and closer, until he was right on top of them. Still they did not move. They were as still as statues.

  Suddenly Alena was at his side. She reached out and touched one of the soldiers. “They’re frozen,” she said.

  “That means…” Axel began, but Alena finished for him.

  “Mikhail,” she sneered.

  Suddenly, they heard slow, deliberate clapping behind them and spun around to see Mikhail standing there in the snow, wearing a silver and gray uniform made out of the same material as Axel’s. However, instead of a blue lightening bolt emblazoned on the chest, there was golden sword, thrusting upward. A golden helmet sat upon Mikhail’s head. He wore it like a king.

  “Well done, Alena,” he smiled.

  Alena’s swords were in her hands in a flash and Axel began to glow blue. “Where are our friends?” he demanded.

  “Your friends have been captured,” Mikhail said. “Now surrender, and we won’t hurt you.”

  “We?” Alena asked.

  “Yes,” Mikhail nodded toward the open door behind them and Alena and Axel turned to see two figures stepping through onto the snowy ground of the outside. Despite the change in appearance, Alena and Axel recognized the first figure immediately. Freyja was dressed in an outfit similar to Mikhail’s, but it was her face that drew the most attention. Half of it was gone, replaced by a metal mask or something.

  “You survived?” Axel asked in German. He had struck her hard with a lightening bolt, knocking her into the ocean far below.

  Freyja smiled. “Not all of me,” she said as she held up her right arm, revealing a mechanical arm, like a robot out of a science fiction comic strip.

  “You have a robot arm?” Alena asked in German, as shocked as Axel.

  “And both legs,” Freyja smiled. “I am even stronger than before.”

  “Well I guess I’ll just take your other arm for you,” Alena said as she held up her swords. She was about to dash toward the villain when the second figure stepped out from behind Freyja.

  He was older than when they had last seen him, but Axel and Alena recognized him immediately. Alena froze with fear as she saw the scar on his cheek that Brygida had given him the day she had rescued Alena and Alexi.

  “Freyr,” she mumbled under her breath.

  “Good morning Fraulein Alena,” Freyr smiled. “It has been too long. I have not seen you since Prague.”

  Alena’s eyes popped wide as she realized that Freyr was the assassin that had killed so many Soviet soldiers, attacked her in Czechoslovakia and recently tried to kill Brygida in Virginia.

  “You are the Night Specter,” she said. It was not a question.

  “Very good,” Freyr smiled as he stalked toward them. He then looked at Axel. “And the last time I remember seeing Donar, he was on his back staring up at me.”

  “Funny,” Axel replied. “I remember the reverse of that. I remember zapping you so hard you flew ten yards away!”

  Without warning Axel released a bolt of blue energy from his finger tips at Freyr, but the Aryan soldier was too quick and managed to side step the lightening. Alena ignored Freyr and Freyja. She didn’t want the two to be a distraction from her primary target, Mikhail. After all, it had been Mikhail that had killed her brother and it had been Mikhail that had killed her adopted mother. As much as she hated the Aryan twins, her hatred toward Mikhail burned with a fury so intense it rivaled the sun.

  She was on Mikhail in the blink of an eye, and he barely had any time to react. But he did react, if only from an instinctual survival reflex. Mikhail managed to raise his hands defensively, releasing a burst of ice, blocking the swing of her sword. In the process he fell down, hitting the ground hard.

  Alena raised her sword to stab him through the chest, but before she could thrust downward two arms grabbed her from behind, wrapping completely around her, and encompassing her arms as well as her chest. Alena felt the metal of one of the arms and knew immediately that her attacker was Freyja. Freyja began to squeeze and Alena cried out in pain as she dropped her swords.

  Meanwhile, Axel was attempting to blast an opponent that was too quick and agile to zero in on. Freyr would duck a blast and then move forward closer to Axel. Axel would release another bolt of energy and the dance would continue.

  Then Freyr finally slipped up. He was just a few feet away from Axel when he drew a pistol from his side harness and aimed it at Axel’s head. The aiming took just long enough to slow down Freyr’s movements to the point where Axel could strike. He hit the pistol first, knocking it out of Freyr’s hand and causing the Nazi to scream out in agony, just before Axel released another bolt of lightening directly into Freyr’s chest, knocking him backward and onto the ground.

  At the same moment, Axel heard Alena scream and turned to his left to see Freyja holding his old friend and squeezing her tightly. Axel could not risk using his lightening. Too little energy would only tick the super human Freyja off, and too much could fry Alena along with Freyja.

  Axel decided to rescue his friend the old fashioned way. He charged at Freyja and slipped his arm around her throat from behind. That was a mistake. Freyja released Alena with her mechanical arm, to slam a metal elbow into Axel’s side. He doubled over in pain, releasing Freyja and dropping to his knees.

  With only one arm around her now, Alena was able to break Freyja’s grasp and scoop up her swords before zipping away in a flash. Freyja did not try to pursue. Instead she turned to Axel and slammed her fist into the side of his face, knocking him unconscious.

  Mikhail had regained his feet and he and Freyja stared at Alena.

  “Drop your swords,” Mikhail said.

  “Never,” Alena sneered.

  “There is still time for you to save yourself a lot of pain and bow before us on your own accord,” he said. “For soon the entire Earth will worship us as gods. You included.”

  “Yes,” Freyja said. “Bow before us and I’ll let you clean my boots.”

  Alena hated to leave Axel, but she knew that she had to stop their plans, whatever, those plans were. A world that worshiped these monsters would truly be hell. In a flash, she bolted for the door. Inside, hopefully she could rescue Tom, Dawn, and the others and together they could stop these madmen.

  She made it and hurried down the hall. Within just a few seconds she came to a dead end. The “dead” in that expression being quite lite
ral. The ground was covered with the bodies of dead soldiers. Bullet holes covered the walls, and blood soaked the linoleum. Freyja and Freyr and been busy inside.

  Beyond the bodies of the Green Berets, Alena saw an elevator. She moved toward it and pressed the only button. It did not light up. She pressed it again and again. Nothing. She frantically glanced around the hall, but saw nowhere else to go. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Mikhail and Freyja. Behind them stood a recovered Freyr, with Axel’s unconscious body slung over his shoulder.

  “There is nowhere to run,” Mikhail said.

  Alena sneered and released a guttural battle cry before charging at them, swords raised. Freyja met her as Alena swung her sword at blinding speed. Freyja was able to block the blow, with her metal arm. The close quarters of the hallway lowered Alena’s speed advantage, similar to the submarine, when Freyja had last subdued her.

  Alena was able to slice Freyja’s good arm, but it was not enough. The half-Aryan half robot screamed in pain, but managed to grab Alena’s wrist. A right hook, knocked Alena to the ground. She looked up to see Freyja’s boot coming down on her head. Then everything went black.

  ***

  Dave led the way through the cavernous base until they came to two large metal doors. The four man fire team of Green Berets stood along the stone walls, two on each side of the door. The men stood stiffly at attention, their rifles resting, butt stock down, on the cement floor, fingers gently gripping the front sights. They were clearly under Dave’s control, but Dawn was greatly relieved that they had not been killed.

  Dave paused briefly as the large metal doors began to slowly swing open. Dawn was unsure if they were mechanical or if Dave had performed the feat with his mind. The Green Berets turned on their heels stepping through the doorway first followed by Dave and then Dawn. Tom, Rolf and Colonel Smith brought up the rear.

  Dawn stepped through the door in astonishment. The side of the mountain had been completely hollowed out to create an enormous room the size of a large jet airliner hanger. Dawn had to admit to herself that it reminded her every bit of a villain’s secret lair in every spy movie she had ever seen.

  Rows of men in white jumpsuits stood flanking her as she entered. Upon seeing her they all dropped to their knees as if of one mind, kowtowing, with their faces to the floor and their hands stretched out in front of them.

  Dave continued forward and Dawn recognized Mr. X, or as she now knew him, Werner Arnulf, standing fifty yards away with his back to them staring out through a large opening the size of half a football field in the side of the mountain. He wore his traditional black suit and tie. As they neared him, Werner turned to greet them. He smiled warmly as they approached. Dave stepped to the side so that Werner could greet Dawn.

  “Mr. Arnulf,” she said, her eyes narrowing.

  To her surprise, Werner dropped to his knees in front of her. “Your majesty,” he said. “Please call me Werner.”

  Dawn glanced at Dave. “You are controlling him, too?” she asked.

  “No,” Dave replied. “Werner is in control of his own will.”

  Dawn watched the man in black suspiciously. “What are you about, Werner?” she asked.

  Werner looked up at her. “I am trying to make a better world,” he said as he stood. He held out his hand for her. “May I show you something?” he asked.

  She eyed him for a moment, but then relaxed and accepted his hand. He led her closer to the giant opening and when she peered out she saw a large, peaceful lake spread out in front of her.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said as she released his hand and stepped closer.

  “Yes, isn’t it?” he asked. “It’s a crater.”

  “Excuse me?” she asked as she turned back to look at him.

  “The lake,” Werner replied. “It was created when a large meteor hit the earth a billion years ago.”

  Dawn turned back to the lake. “Amazing,” she whispered.

  “If a meteor that large were to hit the earth today, the resulting impact, clouds of dust and debris, etc. Would likely wipe out most, if not all of humanity.”

  Dawn turned back toward him, a look of surprise on her face.

  “Unfortunately the universe has not deemed to allow that to happen, and I for one and tired of waiting,” Werner explained.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve built some machine to pull a giant asteroid into a collision course with earth and you are going to hold the world hostage unless they pay you one million dollars?” Dawn asked.

  Werner threw back his head and laughed boisterously. “No,” he said. “Not exactly.”

  Werner waved his hand over the lake. “Beneath that tranquil surface is—what I have dubbed—the Omega Alpha machine, because it will bring an end to the current horrible chaos of the world and a new beginning for humanity. When powered up, the machine will take the consciousness of every human on earth. In effect, it will take over their will, as you and Dave have taken the will of these men,” Werner said as he pointed back toward Tom, Rolf, Smith and the Green Berets behind them.

  “Ah,” Dawn said. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, huh?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  Dawn turned to Werner. “The last time I saw your father, he was ready to take over the world and rule it as a god. He told me he’d let me dance for him.”

  Werner’s head dropped in shame as he stared at the floor. “I am sorry, Dawn,” he said. “My father was a monster, and I am glad your team killed him.”

  Dawn tilted her head to look at him. “Really?” she asked.

  Werner nodded. “Yes,” he replied. “I was born with a crippling disease. They were not uncommon in Germany in those days. The country was impoverished beyond anything the United States experienced during the Depression. My father was so ashamed of me. He was perfect, you see and he meant to spawn a perfect Aryan son, not some cripple.

  “He was a member of the National Socialist Party of course,” he continued. “When they took control of the country and he received the funding from Kammler and Hitler for his experiments, I was his first subject.”

  Dawn gasped as she covered her mouth with her hand.

  “I hate my father, and I do not want monsters like him to rule the world any more than you do,” Werner said.

  “Well, at least we can agree on that,” Dawn replied.

  “Yes,” Werner replied softly.

  “So, tell me, Werner, how did an alien robot team up with the subject of a Nazi science experiment?” Dawn asked as she cocked her head to the side.

  “Simple,” Werner replied. “Dave’s ship crash landed in a small town in New Mexico back in ‘47.”

  “What was the name of that town, Dave?” Werner asked the alien.

  “Roswell,” Dave replied.

  “Yes, Roswell, New Mexico. Anyway, Dave’s ship was basically here to observe us, monitor our progress, you know. There were three Daves aboard.” He smiled at Dawn and leaned in close. “You know there are like a million Daves and they all share the same consciousness right?”

  “Yes,” Dawn replied.

  Werner continued. “Alright, well, the ship and the three Daves were transported to Area 51. One of the Daves was so badly damaged that he could not self-repair and went offline. You met one of the two surviving Daves when you were on Area 51, and of course this is Dave number three,” Werner said motioning to the alien robot that stood watching them.

  “Anyway, the International—as you and your friends call it—obviously took an interest in the aliens and their technology. After all, it was the alien technology discovered in Vietnam that allowed the Germans to develop some of their most amazing weapons. Fortunately, the war ended before those madmen really had a chance to deploy them.

  “When I met with Dave, he disclosed his plan to me. You see the others want to institute part of the plan—controlling people’s will and merging their fragile human bodies with machine bodies—but only I had the vision to see the perfec
tion in Dave’s ultimate plan.”

  Suddenly they were interrupted as the double doors through which Dawn had entered, opened again. Dawn and Werner turned to see Mikhail step inside, hands clasped behind his back, a smug expression upon his face. Freyr trailed him with Axel slung over his shoulder and Freyja was behind him, Alena slung over hers.

  Dawn turned to Werner. “It was you,” she said in a voice so low that the others could not hear. It was not a question.

  “What was me?” Werner asked in a equally hushed tone, the confusion evident on his face.

  “You informed Volker and Freyja that we were moving Kammler,” Dawn said.

  Werner looked sullen. “I hated to do that,” he explained. “I hated even more that Professor Hayes and Agent Hamil were killed, but…”

  “But what?” Dawn asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

  “We needed you to go there, to get the z-bomb,” Werner replied, referring to the zero-point energy bomb that Doctor Volker and Freyja had planned to use to destroy whatever country did not submit to their will. “And I had hoped your team would wipe out that den of monsters.”

  “You say you despise monsters yet you work with them,” Dawn spat as she motioned toward Mikhail, Freyr, and Freyja.

  Werner nodded. “Unfortunately, that is sometimes necessary,” he sighed. “Please forgive me Dawn, but everything I have done was for the betterment of humankind! To save the Earth. To save us all.” He stepped closer and stared deeply into her eyes. “You must believe me,” he said softly.

  Dawn nodded. While it hurt, she did believe him.

  Chapter 22

  “Wake up guys.”

  Axel blinked twice, opening his eyes to the sound of his brother’s voice.

  “Wake up,” Rolf said again.

  “Where are we,” Axel heard Alena’s voice say. It sounded as groggy as he felt.

  “In a giant cave base under a mountain,” Rolf replied. Axel realized he was in a chair with Alena sitting right in front of him, facing him. He turned his head to look at his brother. Rolf had taken off his helmet, holding it in the crook of his left arm. He bent over to have his face close to Axel’s and he was smiling a giant toothy grin.