Bones of Angels

by Christopher Forrest

  Holding her Glock in her right hand, Angela stepped back into the stone passageway to make sure the area was safe.

  From behind, a hand reached around her shoulder and covered her mouth tightly. Another hand twisted her wrist sharply and seized the Glock.

  Soundlessly, she was dragged down the passageway by two acolytes.

  Level Two, The Catacombs

  Mont St. Michel

  Hawkeye and Donovan, guns ready, emerged from the spiral stairway.

  “He’s down here somewhere,” Hawkeye said.

  “He certainly is,” stated Donovan.

  Hawkeye looked over his shoulder to see the Archbishop aiming the M16 straight at his head.

  “I think I’d like to have a chance to take this man down,” declared Reynard.

  Hawkeye faced forward again to see Father Emile Deschamps Reynard. His distorted features had curled into a sneer that was twisted even farther by shadows cast from a flickering torch on the wall.

  “Would you care to explain, Archbishop?” asked Hawkeye.

  Donovan laughed. “I am the abbot — not usually in residence — of Northampton Abbey. I’m also the leader of the Council of Nine. Father Reynard is prior of both the abbey and the Council.” Donovan lowered his rifle. “I’m going to grant Father Reynard his wish. Hawkeye’s all yours, Emile.”

  Tearing off his clerical robes, Reynard charged forward. He was wearing a tight black body suit.

  Hawkeye was punched in the gut but stood his ground. He countered with several blows to Reynard’s head and chest. Most were deflected.

  Hawkeye could hear the eerie sound of chanting, the same odd tonalities that the acolytes had been singing in the cathedral.

  Disoriented by the sounds, Hawkeye hesitated for a split second, giving Reynard the opening he needed.

  The Fox drove forward, spun Hawkeye around, and smashed his palm against Hawkeye’s throat. He then seized the Titan leader by the shoulders and threw him at the wall. Reynard ripped Hawkeye’s helmet off and, grabbing him by the ears, rammed his head against the stones half a dozen times. He ended his assault by smashing the palms of his hands against Hawkeye’s eyes.

  “Do you wish to hear the chanting more clearly?” Reynard asked, panting from the exertion.

  Dazed, Hawkeye stared at the priest through swollen, bruised eyes. He was too weak to make a sound.

  Reynard spun Hawkeye around and pushed him forward to an opening in the rock. “I will guide you to that which you sought, the true treasure of Mont St. Michel.” Reynard pushed Hawkeye’s limp body into a dark, vertical shaft.

  Hawkeye plummeted fifty feet, his body crashing against another stone floor with a force he had never before experienced.

  He felt his mind rushing into a vast, black emptiness. He was unconscious within seconds.

  Ops Center

  Aboard the Alamiranta

  Dr. Nguyen stared at the monitor displaying DJ’s vital signs.

  “We losing her,” Nguyen said. “Tank, you’re going to have to operate.”

  “It’s not in my skill set, Grace. I don’t even know basic anatomy. I wouldn’t know what I’m looking at when I opened up the wound.”

  “I’ll guide you through it,” said Nguyen. “We don’t have any time to lose. Find some sutures, already attached to needles, in your medical kit. Now!”

  “Okay,” said Tank. He removed the sutures from his med kit.

  The Catacombs

  Mont St. Michel

  * I’ll perform the surgery. Tank will only succeed in

  killing DJ. *

  Tears ran down Quiz’s cheeks as he looked at the woman with whom he had shared his most intimate moments.

  Are you sure you can do it?

  * Yes. You’ve read more than enough medical journals and understand the appropriate terms. Just do everything I tell you. *

  “Okay,” Quiz proclaimed to the others. “I’ll do the surgery. I know more anatomy than Tank.”

  “I don’t care who does it,” said Nguyen. “Somebody get out the sutures. Quiz, be prepared to removed the bandage when I give the word.”

  Shooter had been giving Charles sips of water from her canteen. She looked up and noticed that Angela wasn’t in the room. “We’re missing Angela!”

  Quiz looked up in panic.

  * It’s time to focus, young man. You’re going to have to put all your attention on one woman now. *

  You’re right.

  Quiz took Tank’s place, kneeling over the bloody torsoof DJ. He knew he had hurt her, had caused her emotional pain.

  Now he would try to save her life.

  Chapter 23

  Ops Center

  Aboard the Alamiranta

  “Where is Angela Marshall?” Caine asked, pacing back and forth behind Touchdown’s station.

  “She’s with Reynard,” Touchdown replied. “Her target signal is right next to a crimson dot. They’re below the others. But there’s something else you should know.”

  “What?”

  “Hawkeye’s signal is very weak. His vital signs are erratic.”

  “Activate his BioMEMS!” said Caine.

  A straight line, accompanied by a droning electronic pulse, ran from left to right across Touchdown’s medical monitor.

  “He’s flatlining,” said Nguyen.

  “This man has every enhancement and genetic modification we can provide!” Caine was nearly yelling. “Do something!”

  All eyes in the Ops Center were on Caine and Touchdown.

  “His cranial pressure is extremely high,” Nguyen explained. “He has cerebral edema, and he’s hemorrhaging. Even if I could open his skull to relieve the pressure, he has no heartbeat or pulse. I can’t resuscitate him, Catherine. I need to call the time of death.”

  Level Three, The Subterranean Chapel

  Mont St. Michel

  “Your employer claims there’s no way to summon the Archangel,” Reynard told Angela. The priest was again wearing his black cassock.

  “He’s far wiser than I am,” Angela said. She found it difficult to look at Reynard’s scarred, malevolent face.

  “If that is indeed the case, then you will be returning with me to Northampton Abbey to be my personal advisor. Unless Michael decides to make his appearance now, of course.”

  “I have great respect for Professor Whittington,” Angela said, “but I’m not a believer. I’m not going to do you much good.”

  Reynard motioned to the bones. “Does the sight of Michael make no impression on you, child?”

  Angela looked at the massive skeleton trying to emerge from the rock and shivered involuntarily. Her skeptical, scientific nature thought it might be some kind of terrible genetic mutation, but . . . but if the bones before her had belonged to Michael the Archangel . . .

  Angela shivered again. She could only imagine what the Archangel might have looked like at some former time. He would have been a powerful, splendid being of great beauty.

  Archbishop Donovan entered the chapel, still wearing his mission uniform. Behind him, two acolytes carried the dead body of Hawkeye.

  Angela cried out in horror and fell to her knees, sobbing. Titan Global’s mission to Mont St. Michel had been a dismal failure.

  “I want to take this operative’s body back to our abbey,” Donovan said. “It has sophisticated nanobot technology that I wish our scientists to study. The Council’s commandos could greatly benefit from the physical enhancements that Catherine Caine’s research facility has developed for their special ops teams.”

  “As you wish, my master,” said Reynard.

  Donovan focused on the bones of the Archangel. “Turn off the speaker and tie up Ms. Marshall before she can warn the others,” he said. “We’ve done all we can for now. Except kill the rest of Titan Six, that is.”

  Reynard smiled. “That will be accomplished shortly,” he said.

  The Catacombs

  Mont St. Michel

  Quiz was performing surgery at a speed few
doctors could match. Under the direction of Dante, he was closing a small tear in DJ’s transverse cervical artery, located directly above her scapula. Tank held a flashlight above the operating field, marveling at the dexterity and accuracy of Quiz’s fingers.

  A small pink tablet rolled from DJ’s breast pocket. Tank examined it and knew exactly what it was: a pill that protected one from poisonous gas. He now understood how Donovan had been unharmed in the attack in the main monastery building.

  * Close the external wound now. Suture the skin and then apply antiseptic and a bandage. Have Touchdown release antibiotics into her system to prevent infection since the conditions here are less than sterile. *

  Thank you.

  Sitting in the corner, Shooter was fingering rosary beads, her lips moving silently.

  Professor Whittington was regaining his strength rapidly. Before beginning her prayers, Shooter had cleaned Charles’ wounds and given him liquid vitamin-and-mineral supplements specially formulated for Titan Six by Grace Nguyen. The soreness in his muscles and joints was quickly disappearing.

  Ops Center

  Aboard the Alamiranta

  “I need to inform Titan Six that Tank is now in charge,” Touchdown said. “If there’s a bright side, DJ’s vital signs are stable. What Quiz did was nothing short of a miracle. I’ve released the antibiotics into her bloodstream.”

  Caine nodded somberly. “We’re one miracle too short.”

  “Tank is now team leader, Titan Six,” Touchdown announced.

  “Where’s my brother?” asked Tank. “He’s the leader of this team.”

  Touchdown’s throat was dry as dust. “We’ve lost him.”

  “Lost?” said Tank. “Then locate him, for God’s sake! Use your damn gadgets and find my brother!”

  “I’m afraid that — ” Touchdown paused. “Titan Six, I show approximately one hundred targets making their way from the cathedral into the catacombs.”

  “What’s going on?” Tank asked. “I want to know — ”

  “We’ll debrief you later,” Caine said. “Right now, Tank, you have a job to do. Find Reynard.”

  There was a long pause.

  “Yes, ma’am,” said Tank.

  The Catacombs

  Mont St. Michel

  “We need to get out of here,” Tank said.

  * DJ must remain here. *

  “I’ll stay behind with DJ,” Quiz said. “Her stitches, both internal and external, will rupture if she’s moved.”

  A figure appeared at the entrance to the chamber where the remaining members of Titan Six were in the process of gathering their gear. Tank reached for his pistol, Shooter for her rifle.

  “Put your weapons away,” said an elderly monk dressed in a black monastic habit. “There’s been far too much violence already.”

  “Who are you?” asked Tank.

  The monk smiled. “I’m not a member of those who seek to harm you, at least not for a very long time. My name is Father Albertus. The young woman named Angela is in trouble, but there’s still time to save her. Follow me.”

  Tank shook his head. “No offense, Father, but I’m afraid I can’t trust anyone on this island other than my team members.”

  * Follow him. *

  “It’s okay,” said Quiz. “He’s safe. You need to do what he says.”

  Tank sighed. “What’s going on, kid? Is this some kind of Jedi thing you have going on?”

  “There’s no time for debate,” Quiz said urgently. “You need to do what Father Albertus says.”

  Who is this monk, Dante?

  * I think you have at least a general idea. *

  Quiz nodded and smiled to himself. He did.

  “I have to remain behind, Father,” Quiz said. “Our companion can’t be moved. She was seriously wounded.”

  Albertus knelt next to DJ and placed his hand upon her forehead. “Her wound is serious,” he said, “but she will be alright. You must bring her.”

  “Very well,” Quiz said.

  Father Albertus led the way. Shooter, Quiz, and Charles followed, with Tank carrying DJ.

  “By the way,” Tank said into his COM. “Archbishop Donovan is apparently working with Reynard. He’s not to be trusted.”

  Ops Center

  Aboard the Alamiranta

  “Donovan is with Reynard down below,” said Touchdown. “Angela is with them, and so is — ” He choked back tears. “So is Hawkeye’s body.”

  “Did I hear you correctly?” asked Tank.

  After a full minute, Caine said, “I’m afraid so. He’s dead.”

  Tank swallowed hard, tears forming white lines on his dusty face. “Roger that,” Tank said in a broken, quivering voice. “I’m going to finish this mission for my brother.”

  No other Titan Six member said a word.

  Caine took a deep breath and checked screens surrounding the Ops Center.

  “May I speak candidly?” said Touchdown.”

  “Yes.”

  “This is now a suicide mission. Titan Six is fragmented and wounded. Hopelessly outnumbered. We need to evacuate them ASAP. I can plot a route to one of the caves we saw when they landed.”

  Caine turned her attention to the hologram. An orange dot was leading her team deeper into the catacombs.

  “It’s an energy signature,” said Touchdown. “Like the ones we saw at Whittington Manor.”

  “Yes, I know,” said Caine.

  “Mrs. Caine, this mission is over! We don’t have time to deal with alleged ghosts!”

  “Intuition is a command prerogative,” Caine said. “And I’m in charge of this operation, superceding even Tank.”

  “Very well,” said Touchdown. “Titan Six, or what’s left of it, is descending.”

  Touchdown frowned, knowing better than to challenge the formidable Catherine Caine when a mission was in danger. But that was the problem: the mission wasn’t just in danger — it was doomed.

  Chapter 24

  The Catacombs

  Mont St. Michel

  Father Albertus led the disheartened remnants of Titan Six down through a maze of ancient stone passageways. Every few yards, the team passed an unconscious acolyte sprawled on the floor.

  “Are they dead?” asked Tank.

  “Goodness no,” said Albertus. He spoke lightheartedly, as if he had no grasp of the seriousness of the situation. “I’ve simply put them to sleep for a while.”

  “Where are we going?” asked Shooter.

  “Someplace wonderful,” replied Albertus.

  Ops Center

  Aboard the Alamiranta

  “There’s a wide passage on Level Three of the catacombs,” said Touchdown. “It meets the shaft Hawkeye was pushed into. If we can get the bones to the shaft and hoist them up to level two, we can raise them the rest of the way via the freight elevator. We’ll need some special equipment, but . . . ”

  “What?” asked Caine.

  “We’ll need a small army to accomplish such a feat, and I don’t believe Titan Six will be alive by the time we can get reinforcements to the island.”

  “Put reinforcements on standby, but do not deploy yet,” said Caine. “You’re correct. They probably wouldn’t make it there in time. We’re going to adopt a wait-and-see posture.”

  “But Mrs. Caine,” Touchdown began, “the team — ”

  Caine motioned to Touchdown’s main screen. “Titan Six is passing dozens of acolytes, but the team is unchallenged. Something very strange is happening. If Tank wanted extraction, he’d request it.”

  Touchdown watched the screens before him, feeling helpless.

  Level Four, The Catacombs

  Mont St. Michel

  “We’re going to blast a hole in the side of the mountain,” Archbishop Donovan said to Reynard as he donned his black cassock in a chamber below the chapel. “This monastery has served its purpose, but the international community will discover the damage here very shortly. Catherine Caine will make sure of it. We’ll therefore move the bone
s directly to the edge of the cliff and airlift them to a cargo plane I have waiting at a French airstrip.”

  “Very well, my master,” said Reynard.

  Donovan cocked his head. “Something’s wrong. The acolytes from the church should be here by now. It’s too quiet.”

  Donovan and Reynard hurried into the nearest passageway, headed up one level to the chapel.

  Level Three, Subterranean Chapel

  Mont St. Michel

  The remnants of Titan Six entered the chapel, Quiz immediately untying Angela.

  Charles stood transfixed as he beheld the bones of Michael. He and Archbishop Connolly had discussed the bones for many years, as well the ramifications of the prophecy that Armageddon would be unleashed if they were ever discovered. But now, as he examined the tall, wide skeleton, he was filled with awe and admiration. The wonders of the known universe were indeed spectacular, but those of the unseen universe were even more breathtaking to contemplate. He felt humbled to be standing next to such a sacred shrine.

  “I’m afraid this is goodbye,” Father Albertus said to Charles.

  Charles’ exuberance quickly faded. “I shall miss you, my dear Albertus. Your presence has kept me company for so many years at Whittington Manor. Your voice has always been comforting. I have long suspected that you were instrumental in keeping at bay at least some of the ghosts that harassed my grandmother.”

  Albertus smiled like a kindly uncle. “Your own spirituality is responsible for that,” he said, “though I have chased away a playful poltergeist or two throughout the years. But it’s time for me to go home. My penance is finished.”

  “Penance?”

  “I created my order at Northampton Abbey, as well as the Council of Nine, with the best of intentions. But as you have seen for yourself, the temptation to abuse spiritual power is great. Reynard and Donovan are consumed with a lust for power. They believe they serve God, and yet they have killed in His name as so many before them. Like the Whittington family and their love affair with firearms, they became brokers for the riches and rewards of this world.”