“Not quite,” Wolf answered. “She went to his house and negotiated with his son about a month ago. She purchased it for one hundred thousand dollars. It was a small amount of money for her.”
“Why the son?”
“The old man is in a nursing home. He doesn’t even know the son sold it,” Wolf told Banyon.
“So she took it to her farm. Why did she dress up in a tunic and put on her goddess display?” Banyon wondered.
“It was actually her idea. She wanted to let you know the talisman was safe. She knew you would see her hologram eventually.”
“Wait. Are your saying that Dr. Behl knows how to work The Magic Belt?” Banyon said with surprise. He glanced at Loni. She was too busy searching the internet to hear what Banyon had said.
“She has read a translation of your ancestors’ journal. Many people have, and that has made a slight problem,” Wolf replied.
“What slight problem are you talking about?” Banyon blurted out. He didn’t like where this was going.
“The son has discovered on the internet that The Magic Belt is far more valuable than the money Barbara paid him for it. He is considering going to her house and stealing it back.” Wolf reluctantly replied. “Marcy is watching the situation for me.”
“Do you think there will be trouble?”
“The son has a buyer who will pay him a hundred million dollars for the talismans,” Wolf answered.
Banyon thought for a few seconds, he then addressed his partner. “Loni put down a surveillance team for The Magic Belt. We’ll also need a response team. It is the best we can do until we head back to the states.”
“Okay,” she replied absently as she kept looking at the screen on her computer. Banyon became curious. He went over to the couch and looked over her shoulder. He was once again shocked.
“This is bad,” he uttered. The computer screen showed many postings. Some were questions, but the majority of the postings were solicitations for the whereabouts and purchase of the weapons.
“There are over ten thousand postings about the weapons,” she said matter-of-factly. “But look at this,” she added as she punched a key. The screen updated. A glossy website soon appeared.
“Oh my God.” Banyon uttered under his breath. He stared at the information posted on the site. The website claimed it had all fifteen of the Orion weapons and the bidding on each one would end at midnight three days from today. The bidding was currently at three hundred million dollars.
“Do you think this is a scam, or do you think it’s real?” Loni softly asked Banyon who hung over her shoulder.
“Wolf, can you tell me who is behind this website?” Banyon quickly yelled out to the spirit.
“You know that I can’t trace things on the internet. Besides, I think we need to discuss the most dangerous weapon first, there is not much time.”
“Which weapon are you referring to?” Banyon suddenly understood that there was a more pressing problem to deal with.
“It’s the Time weapon.”
“You mean the talisman which contains Vril? We saw an image of it. The old man in the picture was wearing a Nazi uniform.”
“Yes,” Wolf hissed back. He then filled Banyon in on the current situation. “If Professor Crane is able to translate the chant, and gives it to Goss, everything will change in history. You must stop him,” Wolf said with force.
“Loni stop working on that project for now,” Banyon ordered urgently. “Get us a car and can you map out how we can get to Hamburg as quickly as possible? We need to collect the Time weapon first.”
“On it,” she said.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the suite door. “Who is it?” Banyon asked the spirit.
“It’s Wilk,” Wolf confirmed.
“I’ll talk to you as soon as I get rid of him,” Banyon told the spirit.
He then hustled to the door of the suite feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Meanwhile the small expeditionary force sent by the leader of Russia was already more than half way to Lake Cheko. The men were busy inspecting their sophisticated equipment while loading it on their ATVs.
“What does all this stuff do?” the Special Forces leader whose last name was Gelko suddenly asked as he waved his hand, meaning everything.
“Well,” the scientist started. “We are going to be searching for a rock. This equipment will find that rock.”
“All this effort is over a rock?” Gelko said in disbelief.
“But it’s not an ordinary rock, you understand.”
“I’ve gathered that already,” Gelko replied sarcastically. “But how are we going to find a specific rock in millions of square miles of swamps and deep forest? Why is this rock so important?”
“I suppose I should tell you what we are after,” the scientist said reluctantly, realizing the men would soon find out anyway. “It was all over the news several months ago.”
“What specifically are you talking about?” Special Forces leader Gelko said as his interest grew.
“Do you know what occurred in 1908 in the area where we are going to search?” the scientist asked.
“Of course,” the large man replied proudly. “It is the site of the Tunguska event. Everybody knows about it. It was the largest natural explosion in history. It was caused by a comet or asteroid that hit earth”
“It was caused by a man,” the scientist explained sagely. Shock registered on the military man’s face.
“How?”
“He placed the rock we are after on the ground. It drew the comet from the sky,” the scientist explained.
“But that sounds supernatural,” Gelko said in disbelief.
“Well, actually we believe the rock has some unique power which can pluck things from space. It works something like a laser guided tractor beam.”
“That’s Star Trek stuff,” the military realist exclaimed and waved his hand. “I thought this was a serious mission.”
“It is very serious, believe me,” the scientist replied. “You see, about four months ago an article caught the eye of one of my fellow scientists. The article told of the discovery, of an old journal written by some respected Pole. It was written a couple of hundred years ago. The article said there are several items in the world that have supernatural powers. The journal further explained how to use chants to activate the weapons, as he called them. The writer also detailed what power they each contained. When my colleague did further research on the article, he realized that one of the weapons was probably responsible for the Tunguska event. It is called Deliverance.”
“That sounds like iffy facts at best,” the Special Forces man said gruffly.
“Not when you add some personal accounts recorded at the time of the explosion,” the scientist responded.
Showing more interest, Gelko asked the scientist. “What personal accounts are you talking about?”
“The nearest town to the event is called Vanavara. It was a close-knit rural community, and everyone knew each other’s business, especially at that time. We have uncovered reports of a Polish nobleman who suddenly appeared and stayed for over a month in the community. He told the townsfolk that he fled Warsaw to get away from the constant civil strife. He said that he came to Siberia because he wanted to build a huge estate. He wanted to live in the forest. The reports say he always carried a black rock weighing about five pounds. When people asked him why he kept it with him, he replied that it was his plow.”
“Interesting,” the military man muttered. “What happened to him?”
“That’s just it. He disappeared the day before the explosion. He has never been seen since. He left most of his belongings as well.”
“So you think he accidentally blew himself up while attempting to clear an area for his estate?”
“Exactly.”
“But many people have tried to find fragments of the comet, none have succeeded,” the Special Forces leader argued.
>
“They have all been looking in Lake Cheko, but it is not in there,” the scientist replied knowingly. “We have measured the trajectory of the comet and have estimated the distance above the ground when it exploded making the lake. Using that vector, we can zero in on the area where the rock is still sitting. Right now, I think it is about a mile from the lake.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The rock weapon acts like a homing device. Any object from the sky is drawn directly to the rocks location. But the comet didn’t get there. It exploded before reaching the ground. The rock will be on the same trajectory but farther away.”
“That actually makes sense,” the man replied with admiration.
“Also we believe the rock will be emitting some kind of low level radiation. All this equipment is here to measure any kind of known radiation. We’ll find the rock,” the scientist said confidently.
“So my job is to forage in the forest until we find the rock, right?”
“Well, yes and to protect me,” the scientist acknowledged.
“From what?”
“We are not the only people after the rock,” the scientist told him. “Some want the rock at any cost. We will need to go to the lake to get some readings before we proceed to find the actual location. I expect there will be others already in the area. There could be bloodshed in the swamps.”
“So you expect to find other explorers at Lake Cheko?” Gelko quickly replied with surprise. “How do you know this?”
“The information about the rock has been around for over four months. Also one of the people out there is the colleague who uncovered the information,” the scientist replied. “He wants it for himself.”
“And what do you propose we do if we run across them?”
“They must be eliminated.”
“We’ll be ready,” Gelko replied with pride and determination. “But explain to me why the leader of Russia is involved in this?” The Special Forces man asked.
“If you must know,” the scientist replied. “Whoever controls the rock will have immense power. Think of it this way, anyone could place the rock in the center of a city. They could destroy the city without having to deal with radiation and fallout. Our forces could immediately move in without fear of dying.”
“Is our leader going to war?”
“I don’t think so, but the threat of massive destruction is a strong negotiation point, don’t you think? Russia could regain its place as a super power.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Colton Banyon threw open the suite door. He stepped back in surprise. There standing in the doorway, was Albin Wilk. He was dressed in a complete Safari outfit including a Safari hat. He also had added a fake black mustache and glasses. Professor Orlich stood next to him dressed like a bicycle rider in head to toe black spandex; hood included. He held a helmet under his arm. He looked like a piece of black licorice.
“May we come in, Colt,” Wilk asked with a grin. He had noticed Banyon’s reaction to his attire and was pretty sure Banyon would not allow him to go out in public. It was just what he wanted.
“Why are you both dressed in Halloween costumes?” Banyon asked as he moved to the side to let them in.
“These are our disguises,” Wilk said with a smile on his face. “We don’t want to be identified.”
“When hunting for treasure, you should look inconspicuous, not draw attention to yourself,” Loni said laughing as she jumped up from the couch. She began to approach the two men. She was still holding the chart.
“This was the best I could come up with,” Wilk replied with annoyance. “What’s wrong with our outfits?”
“You two look like you’re going to a costume party.” Loni giggled.
As she effortlessly glided over to them, Wilk quickly scanned her svelte body. He liked what he saw. “You would attract attention no matter where you were in those skin-tight, black leotards Loni,” he said.
Banyon didn’t like the way Wilk complimented Loni. There was something sleazy in his tone. “You were supposed to wear outdoor clothes. The ones that you are wearing will probably get pretty dirty.”
“Well maybe the professor and I should not be out in public then,” Albin Wilk quickly replied. “Why don’t I stay here and coordinate things while you guys go weapon hunting.”
Banyon realized Wilk was trying to manipulate him. He understood that Wilk was different. He rationalized, in his mind, that the man was decidedly eccentric. But he was still the leader of the Society of Orion and Banyon needed Wilk to help in the recovery of the weapons. There was too much at stake to confront him any further at this time. He just wanted him out of his hair and gone, for now.
“Luckily, your first assignment won’t be hindered by your attire,” Banyon said sarcastically.
“What? You’re still sending us out?” Wilk said as he realized his little plan didn’t work.
“You’re going to need to buy some shovels. There will be a fair amount of digging involved,” Banyon flatly added.
“And you lucky guys will have a chance to recover not only the Reflection talisman, but also some World War II plunder,” Loni noted as she read from the chart. The two men glanced at each other.
“But I’m not good at digging,” Wilk quickly responded.
“Don’t worry the digging will be in soft sand. Even you can dig sand,” Banyon responded.
“Did you say plunder?” the professor stuttered. Banyon could see the glint of greed in the professor’s near vacant eyes.
“Yes,” Banyon said. “The talisman is located in a box buried in sand. We don’t know what else is in the container, but it was put there during the war, so we expect there will be valuables in it.”
“Besides, Colt and I have an urgent assignment of our own,” Loni said.
“So, you have made some progress then, how much?” Wilk asked like a bureaucratic boss. “Let me see the chart.” He stepped forward, grabbed the paper from Loni. He turned to see it in the light of a nearby lamp.
“We haven’t found all the weapons yet,” Banyon admitted. “But we can and we will, however, we need to start recovering the ones we know about.” He didn’t tell Wilk that it was really because he needed to free up windows for Wolf.
“You’re sending us to the desert? You’re sending us at night as well?” Wilk said incredulously as he looked up from the paper he was reading.
“You have to go to where the assignment is located,” Loni argued.
Wilk absently returned the chart to Loni after a minute. “The chart is not complete,” he blustered. “Where are the rest of the talismans?”
Banyon threw a question back. “Did you find a place to keep all the talismans until we have collected all of them?”
“Of course,” the short man replied. “I have a vault in the basement of my house. It is very secure.”
“And did you find someone who could write in ancient Greek and old Polish?”
“Ah…, I’m still working on that,” Wilk sheepishly replied. “Maybe I should work on that now.”
“It can wait until tomorrow,” Banyon said dismissively.
“So you are still going to send us out in the desert?” a nearly hysterical Wilk screeched in a little boy’s voice.
“That’s right,” Loni said. She passed Wilk another piece of paper with the exact location of the talisman. It also contained cell phone numbers for Loni and Banyon. “I’ll need your cell phone numbers in case we need to talk to you. I gave you ours. If you get into trouble, just call us.” Wilk made a gesture to his partner. The professor gave her both numbers. She wrote them on her chart.
“Let’s do it,” the professor urged Wilk. “We can be back before dawn.” And with some of the plunder missing, thought Banyon.
“I’ll only go out in the desert during the daytime,” Wilk insisted as he crossed his small arms. “They are still finding bombs in the sand.”
“Then why don’t you drive down tonight. You can stay at a hotel and ha
ve a nice dinner. You can recover the talisman at dawn, and be back here by lunchtime for your next assignment,” Banyon said to manipulate Wilk.
“Who’s paying for the hotel?” Wilk the cheapskate asked.
“I’ll cover it,” the frustrated Professor Orlich exclaimed.
“Dinner too?”
“Of course,” Orlich added. “Now let’s get going. Let these people collect the talisman they are after.”
“This project needs to be completed in three days,” Wilk suddenly demanded. Loni and Banyon glanced at each other. The website had said bidding would end in three days.
“Why is that?” Banyon asked with his hands on his hips.
Wilk was clearly not used to anyone questioning him. He fumbled with is reply. “I…ah… only have enough money reserved to pay you until then.”
“You’re paying us?” Banyon said with surprise.
“Yes, of course,” Wilk said indigently. “Haven’t I made that clear enough already?” Banyon didn’t recall him ever mentioning money. Loni just stood staring at him with her mouth open.
“We need to go,” Professor Orlich said as he grabbed the shorter man by the arm. He attempted to drag him towards the door.
“Yes, let’s go,” Wilk said like it was his idea. They went through the entranceway. The door slammed after them.
“Phew,” Loni exclaimed. “I thought those creeps would never leave. Did you notice the greed on the professor’s face when we told them about the possibility of loot in the box? And I hate the way Wilk looks at me too. I only want you to look at me that way. And did you notice that Wilk took a picture with his cell phone of the chart? Why did he do that? And I really was stumped when he said he offered us money to find the weapons. And another thing is…” Banyon cut her off.
“Not now, Loni,” he wearily replied.
“Okay, so let’s get back to Wolf. We need to find the rest of the weapons. Then we need to get on the road to Hamburg. Do you know that Hamburg is not where the hamburger was invented? Many people claim to have invented it, but German sailors from Hamburg named it a hamburger, meaning something from that city. They were in another European port at the time.”
The Polish Discovery: The Society of Orion 1-3 (Colton Banyon Mystery Book 17) Page 11