Eyes of the World (Gray Spear Society Book 10)

by Alex Siegel

  "His office is at the end of the hall." The man nodded over his shoulder. "You might find something in there, but be careful. There are traps."

  Ethel smiled. "I'm sure. Your family is safe. Go to God." She slashed his throat deeply enough to cut both the carotid artery and the jugular vein.

  She, Atalanta, and Boreas went to the end of the hall. There was a double-door made of solid bronze. Ethel gently tried the handle and found it was locked.

  "I don't like this door," she said.

  "Neither do I, ma'am," Atalanta said. "It seems very dangerous."

  Ethel looked around. She walked into an adjacent bedroom. It contained a king-size bed, and four tall posts held up a flowery canopy. The dressers were made of pewter.

  She pointed at a spot on the wall. "Let's enter there. The office should be on the other side."

  "Should we get Tawni to cut it open?" Atalanta said.

  "We'll just blast it. There's no point in trying to be quiet. They already know we're here."

  Boreas took a small demolitions packet from a secret pocket in his jacket. He pressed thin strips of C4 onto the wall and wired the explosives together. He set a timer for thirty seconds, and everybody left the room.

  Ethel watched the hallway while they waited. A surveillance camera was pointed right at her. She wondered how many more security guards would come. The survivors were probably getting the message by now that confronting the intruders was an extremely bad idea.

  The explosion made the walls and floor vibrate. Ethel went back into the bedroom and found a ragged hole in the wall. There was a steel plate behind the hole, and the blast had deformed it, but it was unbroken.

  "Damn," she said. "The whole room is armor-plated. Now I'm really curious what's in there."

  She went to a window and looked out at the front yard. Tawni was standing in the driveway near a wrecked black sedan. She had cut it apart with her sword. A large amount of blood on the ground indicated dismembered bodies were inside the car. Some of the blood had spattered onto Tawni's clothes, and she was smiling.

  Ethel rolled open the window and called out, "We need you up here."

  "Yes, ma'am," Tawni replied cheerfully.

  She ran into the house.

  Ethel heard a gunshot. Suddenly concerned, she went into the hallway. Tawni showed up a moment later, and she appeared unharmed, but there was even more blood on her clothes.

  "You OK?" Ethel said.

  "Yes, ma'am," Tawni nodded. "This is fun. I feel like we're finally doing something."

  "I suppose. Come in here."

  Ethel showed Tawni the steel barrier. Tawni chopped at it with her black sword, and a big chunk fell out.

  "I wish I could do that," Atalanta murmured.

  Ethel checked the hole first because she had the quickest reflexes and the best chance of evading traps.

  The senator's office was magnificent. The furniture was either made of gold or gold-plated. The desk was bigger than some dining room tables. Classical frescoes covered the ceiling, and they depicted images of spiders in nature. Glass cases along the walls contained an impressive private library.

  Ethel stepped inside and examined some of the titles. There was an original copy of "The Birds of America" by John Audubon. She spotted a copy of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" that looked like a first edition. Some of the titles had a much darker tone. There was a print of Malleus Maleficarum which had launched the witch hunts in Europe. Ethel wasn't surprised to find Mein Kampf.

  She looked at the brass double-door from the inside. An elaborate mechanism suspended above was a bizarre cross between a guillotine and a giant bear trap. She spotted the faint outline of a pressure plate on the floor.

  The rest of the team followed Ethel inside. They quietly looked around.

  "I'm sure that's not the only trap," she said. "Be very careful."

  She went to the desk. The top surface had a real gold finish and was probably worth a fortune.

  On top of the desk, a severed human head was floating in a jar full of yellow liquid. It was a woman, and even though she was very dead, her eyes were open and she was hauntingly beautiful. She had long, sharp fangs. A brass plate on the jar read, "Magdalena."

  Ethel stared at the head. "I know this person. I read about her in the tabella. She was the legate of Europe in the mid-nineteenth century. She was famous for her extraordinary wisdom and insight. Her loss was a great blow. This is some kind of sick trophy."

  "How did she die?" Tawni said.

  "The Pythagoreans took her."

  "The who?"

  Ethel faced the young woman. "Our counterparts. God's enemies support the Pythagoreans and sometimes even give them gifts. That's clearly how the senator got his spider powers. The Gray Spear Society has crushed the Pythagoreans many times over the centuries, but they always rise from the ashes. This discovery would explain a lot. The Pythagoreans know about us, just as we know about them. They are clearly behind this entire crisis, and Senator Forrest is one of them."

  "Another secret society?" Tawni furrowed her brow.

  "Not nearly as powerful as ours. More like a loose confederation of people with unlimited ambitions and no morality. They're hedonists and sociopaths."

  "Why do they serve God's enemies?"

  "For the rewards," Ethel said. "They want wealth and power. Most of all, they want supernatural abilities. God's enemies are quite generous with those who do their bidding. I need to tell Aaron."

  She took out her phone, but the armor plating in the walls was blocking her signal. She went back out into the bedroom and had much better reception. She called Aaron.

  "Yes?" he said in a sleepy voice.

  "I found out who we're fighting, sir. It's the Pythagoreans." Ethel explained what she meant.

  He was silent for a moment. "That makes a lot of sense. From the beginning, it seemed like this enemy knew our methods and vulnerabilities. The cannibal crisis was a trap made just for us."

  "How are things going in Chicago?"

  "We had an interesting night. We were attacked by about five thousand soldiers supported by tanks and helicopters. We weathered the storm with only light casualties. The Lord lent a hand at a key moment. There will certainly be a lot more fighting today."

  Ethel heard movement in the hallway. She put down her machete and drew a .22 caliber target pistol with a suppressor. The light weapon was perfect for her small hand. A man's face looked into the bedroom. She placed a bullet in his eye socket.

  She put her gun away. "How are the twins doing?"

  "I secretly moved them and their project to Chinatown," Aaron said. "Marina and a number of legionnaires went with them."

  "That was a great idea. Now you can stop worrying about them."

  "Thank you."

  "I have to get back to work, sir," Ethel said. "Roy still needs rescuing."

  "And I have a war to fight, but now I know the name of my enemy. Bye." The call ended.

  She went back into the office. Atalanta was pulling the books out of the shelves, rifling through the pages, and tossing them over her shoulder like garbage. Boreas was tapping the floor with the handle of a knife and listening to the sound.

  Tawni was slicing apart the desk like it was a giant loaf of bread. As she cut away each thin layer, it fell over. Then she poked at the debris with her sword while maintaining a cautious distance. Ethel approved of Tawni's technique. It was a great way to avoid getting killed by a trap.

  Ethel walked over. "Find anything?"

  "Poison darts and a loaded crossbow." Tawni pointed at a crossbow bolt embedded in the wall. "This senator didn't want anybody messing with his stuff."

  Ethel crouched down and looked at the mess. She found papers sliced into pieces, but she was able to make some sense of the fragments. There were legal contracts, written speeches, insurance papers, and certificates.

  "I can tell these aren't the important documents. He must have a safe or something."

  Ethel looked a
round. Some trophy animal heads were mounted on the wall, and the collection included a cheetah, a Bengal tiger, and a black rhino.

  The frescoes on the ceiling caught her eye again. They were very well done even though the spider theme was creepy. A gold chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling. Clever artwork made it look like the chandelier was descending from the spinneret of a spider.

  She noticed fine cracks in the plaster. Frescoes often split as they dried and shrank, so this observation didn't surprise her, but in this case, the cracks formed a distinct pattern.

  "The safe is in the ceiling," Ethel said. "You can see how the extra weight split the plaster. There must be a way to bring it down, an elevator or a hoist or something."

  Everybody else looked up.

  "Boreas," Tawni said, "let me stand on your shoulders. I'll get the damn thing down."

  Ethel smiled. I like her style.

  Boreas helped Tawni to stand on his shoulders, and he gripped her legs to stabilize her. She began to hack at the high ceiling with her black sword. Great chunks of wood and plaster rained down, and she had to protect her eyes from the dust. Atalanta and Ethel stayed back.

  After a minute, Ethel heard an ominous creak. She flew across the room, jumped, and struck Boreas in the chest with her feet. He fell backwards. Tawni hopped off his shoulders and landed awkwardly.

  A second later, a huge, steel safe crashed through the ceiling. It would've killed them if Ethel hadn't intervened. The safe smashed through the floor of the office and continued on to the floor below. It stopped there with a thud that rattled the house.

  Dust filled the air. Everybody coughed and wiped their faces.

  "Injuries?" Ethel said.

  Her team shook their heads.

  "We're OK, ma'am," Tawni said. "Thanks."

  Ethel looked through the ragged hole in the floor. The safe had settled at an angle. It had almost gone through to the basement.

  The team climbed down through the hole. The safe had a sophisticated, electronic lock which was impossible to pick. Tawni simply sliced off the back plate with her sword. Hundreds of pounds of steel hit the floor with an impressive thump.

  "I wonder if there is anything strong enough to stop that sword," Ethel said. "Maybe diamonds?"

  "We could try," Tawni said, "but it would be a waste of a diamond."

  Ethel dug into the contents of the safe with both hands. She saw a bomb wired to the front, and it was a good thing Tawni hadn't disturbed it.

  Ethel found some gold and jewels, but the safe mostly contained documents. There were thick bundles of contracts and deeds wrapped with leather straps. Some papers were yellow and faded. She realized the team didn't have time to go through all the material. They could be attacked again at any moment, and eventually, the police would come.

  "Gather up as much as you can carry," Ethel said, "and let's get out of here. We can't stick around."

  The four of them managed to pick up all the bundles that looked important. They jogged out of the house and went to the van.

  Atalanta turned and shot through a high window. Ethel caught a glimpse of a man with a rifle falling backwards.

  The team climbed into the van. Atalanta took the driver's seat.

  "Where to, ma'am?" she said.

  "Back to Washington headquarters," Ethel said. "We need a secure place to examine this evidence. It could take a while. Hurry."

  Atalanta drove off.

  * * *

  Aaron walked onto the roof of the Rosemont Tower Hotel. He hoped some fresh air would help wake him up after a night with too little sleep. He also had a giant mug of steaming coffee in his hand.

  The sky was clear blue, and a bright morning sun lightened his mood. He was startled. He hadn't seen such a nice day in weeks. It seemed the endless blizzard that had buried Chicago for so long had finally broken up. God's apocalyptic thunderstorm had been the climactic note. Being outside actually felt pleasant.

  The roof was a field of virgin snow which glowed in the light. Two metal sheds off to the side contained batteries of guided missiles, and the sheds blended into the snow. There was also a big, white plastic ball which contained the microwave cannon. Only his blue helicopter had any color.

  He strolled to the north edge of the roof and looked down at the ground. The thousands of corpses were a much grimmer sight in daylight. Even from up high, he could see the charred skin. Their faces were permanently frozen in expressions of anguish. He expected the bodies were literally frozen after being out all night.

  The innocent always suffer the most in the war between God and His enemies, Aaron thought. Scenes like this one were why the twins' project was so critically important. The war might finally end.

  He continued on to the east edge of the roof. The destroyed tanks made interesting pieces of abstract art in the middle of the main parking lot. Cleaning up this mess was going to be a pain. He wondered if he would even get a chance.

  There would be a lot more fighting and bloodshed today, but Aaron was quietly confident the mission would be successful in the end. He merely had to keep the enemy engaged and distracted until the aperture opened tonight. He had seven hundred legionnaires to play with, and the hotel itself had plenty of tricks up its sleeve. It seemed like enough.

  Aaron was getting cold, so he jogged back to the stairway and went down to headquarters. He sighed with relief at the feel of the warm air.

  It was dead silent in headquarters. The quiet still felt strange after months of noise and chaos. Garbage all over the floor was the only reminder of what had been.

  He went to his office, hoping to find Perry, but the hacker wasn't there. Aaron walked to the guest rooms nearby. Perry had slept in one, and Charles had slept in the other. Aaron knocked loudly on Perry's door.

  A moment later, Perry opened the door and peered out. He was wearing gray pajamas. "Sir?"

  "Back to work," Aaron said. "Start gathering intelligence. Tell me what the enemy is up to."

  "Yes, sir."

  Perry yawned and shuffled off in the direction of Aaron's office.

  "It's a good thing you have him," Charles said.

  Aaron turned and found Charles standing there. The old man was wearing formal gray robes suitable for a commander. They had braided hems and a layered hood. He wasn't a legate anymore, but he wasn't a commander either. He didn't have an official rank in the Society, so these robes were as appropriate as any.

  "A very good thing," Aaron said. "Without Perry, we'd be crippled."

  "Having three hackers on a team is extremely unusual. Whose idea was it?"

  "Wesley's."

  Charles nodded. "I should've guessed."

  "Let's go wake up the Lord's army."

  They went down to the lobby using the secret elevator. Then they took a regular elevator back up to the twentieth floor where the nicest suites were located. Aaron first went to the room where Leonardo was staying and knocked.

  A moment later, the door opened and Débora looked out. Her thick, brown hair was gorgeous. Her bulging throat looked like she had tried to swallow a whole turkey leg.

  "Yes, sir?" she whispered.

  "Get your boss," Aaron said.

  Leonardo came to the door. He was wearing a golden, silk bathrobe, and his black hair was damp. He smelled of expensive cologne.

  "Get your group moving," Aaron said. "I want you in your buses and on the road in half an hour. I'll put together a list of targets to destroy. It's going to be a full day of fighting."

  "Yes, sir," Leonardo said.

  "Are all your legionnaires properly equipped for battle?"

  "We scavenged the bodies at the convoy last night, and we found some supplies in the trucks. Everybody has basic weapons and body armor at least."

  "Good." Aaron nodded. He went down the hall and knocked on another door.

  The Dragon's bodyguard opened the door. He was just wearing shorts, and his bare skin was flushed. Apparently, he had been exercising. His gigantic shoulders
and massive arms made him seem top-heavy. The expression on his Chinese face could best be described as "inscrutable."

  "I don't think we've officially met." Aaron offered his hand.

  "I'm Gang," the bodyguard said in a thick accent. He shook Aaron's hand with a crushing grip.

  "You're obviously very strong. What's your gift?"

  "I break things."

  "Any things?"

  "Yes, sir." Gang cracked his knuckles.

  "I see. Get the Dragon for me."

  The Dragon came to the door, and she looked like a doll compared to her bodyguard. She was wearing bright red robes embroidered with pictures of dragons. Her shiny black hair hung loosely down to her butt.

  "I want you to get my entire group organized," Aaron said. "Make sure everybody has adequate weapons and armor. Get them in positions where they can defend the hotel if we're attacked."

  "But we don't have enough equipment, sir," she said.

  "All the equipment you could possibly need is in the parking lot on the north side of the hotel. Just strip the bodies. You'll have to ignore the odor of burnt meat."

  "Yes, sir."

  "And move quickly!" he said. "Trouble could come at any time. The whacking we gave the enemy last night was just the first round."

  She bowed slightly.

  Aaron walked off swiftly. Charles trotted to keep up with him.

  Aaron took the convoluted route back to his headquarters. Eventually, he arrived at his office.

  Perry was reclining in his workstation. Rubbery webbing held his skinny, pale body in a relaxed position. He was staring up at twelve giant monitors while his fingers clattered on his keyboard.

  "Report," Aaron said.

  "All quiet, sir," Perry said. "It seems like the Army is just trying to get organized. I'm intercepting a lot of messages about logistics and deployments. None of it seems very aggressive. I'm guessing we have another few hours of peace and quiet."

  "That's excellent news. I hope they take a nice, long time."

  "We lost the Black Owls. They ran out of fuel last night. We have access to some spy satellites, but the pictures aren't as good. I'll see what I can do about getting more drones in the air."