“Oh thank God!” Ken exclaimed, clutching his chest, as if his heart was threatening to explode.
“Ne-tso-hbum,” Jethro whispered, removing a wet strand of hair from Jean’s face. “Hi.”
“Heya, Smug,” Jean replied, smiling weakly. “You saved me.”
Jethro chuckled. “A bit of a change from the usual, I know. I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
“Someone mind telling me, what in God’s name just happened?” Captain Harris shouted. Then, pointing to the floating spotlight above them, “And what in the hell is that?”
“That, Captain Harris,” Jethro said as he looked up into the sky, watching the familiar hovering plane come alongside, the mustached pilot waving from the cockpit,” s where we get off.”
“Now this… This is an amazing plane,” Caraway commented as he and Ken walked into the gleaming cockpit.
“Wish I could say it’s mine,” Rick Masters said as he worked the controls. “But yeah, the Big Guy has a lot of very impressive toys.”
“The Big Guy…?” Ken stuttered in disbelief. “You don’t mean—?”
Rick nodded. “Yup. The Big Guy.”
“How the hell you swing that?” Caraway asked.
“Ask Uncle Money Bags,” Rick replied under his breath, pointing a thumb behind him. “He set the whole thing up.”
“Heh,” Caraway huffed. “Shoulda figured.”
“Tell me about it,” Rick said, and then murmured to himself, ‘Green Sleeves’ got connections.”
Ken glanced back toward the main cabin and then looked back at Rick and Caraway quizzically. “Green Sleeves? Green Sleeves who?”
• • •
“Thank you again for your help, Captain Harris,” Jethro said with a slight bow of his head. He and Jean were standing on the plane’s gangway, hovering just off the side of the boat. “I am truly sorry for the loss of one of your men. Had we known the creature was on board we would have never—”
Captain Harris cut in. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t hold you responsible, Mr. Dumont. Cohen was a good man. He didn’t deserve to die like that,” he added mournfully, rubbing the wool of his Afro-textured hair. “But the fault lies with that… thing. Not with you.”
“Sir, if I there’s anything we can do…”
The captain shook his head. “If you’re out to stop monsters like the one that murdered Cohen, all I’d ask is that you promise you’re gonna make sure to kill one of ’em for me.”
“We’ll do our best, Captain,” Jean said solemnly.
The plane’s gangway began to retract as they waved goodbye and climbed aboard. Captain Harris watched as the plane rose vertically before the propellers turned forward and headed west. Taking a thoughtful drag of his cigarette, he realized it would be a lifetime before he ever saw a plane like that again.
“Have I ever mentioned that generally speaking I don’t approve of killing—human or otherwise?” Jethro asked Jean as they walked through the cabin.
“Probably,” Jean rebutted, with a crooked grin. “But, who said I was listening?”
“Welcome aboard, lady and gentlemen,” Rick said over the loudspeaker. “If you’ll all take your seats and buckle up, we’ll get headin’ toward our destination shortly.”
Jean caught sight of the monogram stitched into all of the seat backs. She placed her hands on her hips and scrutinized Jethro. “I didn’t know you had such impressive friends.”
“You’d be surprised,” Jethro said humbly as he sat down and buckled his safety belt. “One day I’ll tell you about my old detective friend in London.”
Jean raised an eyebrow as she sat down beside him. “I can’t wait.”
Ken and Caraway walked into the cabin. Ken’s face had turned a sickly green, his arms wrapped around his stomach.
“You okay there, Clayton?” Jean asked.
Ken sighed and shook his head as he and Caraway took their seats across from them. “Ask me again when we’re on solid ground.”
Caraway leaned over to Jean with a smug smile. “Our matinee idol here is afraid of flying.”
Jean’s eyes went wide. “Shut up. Really?”
Ken nodded weakly. “Why do you think I insisted on taking a boat from Los Angeles to New York?” There was a sudden sound of motor and gears shifting overhead and Ken blanched. “Oh Lord, what now?”
Outside, the thin metal panels atop the plane slid back to reveal a complex web of mechanisms and weaponry. Cogs turned and gears shifted as a giant engine rose up on powerful steel supports until it was six feet above the fuselage, the chrome metal gleaming in the moonlight.
“Okay, everyone,” Rick called over the loudspeaker. “That really loud sound you just heard was the plane’s advanced propulsion moving into ready position.”
“What?” Ken whimpered.
“Gonna be honest with you folks, I’ve never used this thing before, so it might get a little bumpy,” Rick continued. “So you might wanna hang on to something.”
Jean placed her hand in Jethro’s as the engine came online and the horizon came rushing toward them.
• • •
“Everyone comfortable?” Rick asked as he walked through the cabin some time later, lugging a large briefcase. “Autopilot,” he said simply off Ken’s panicked expression, though this failed to give Ken any comfort.
“How long until we reach our destination?” Jethro asked as he unfastened himself out his chair.
“A while yet. The what’s-it gave us a good boost but we still have a whole hemisphere to cross. Which leads me to ask: Where the hell are we going?”
“The sunken city of R’lyeh,” Jean replied as she stood. “Home of the Great Old One, Cthulhu.”
“Heydrich’s returned,” Jethro gravelly added.
Rick clicked his tongue and allowed himself a rueful smile. “This is End of the World type stuff, isn’t it?”
“Basically,” Caraway said without amusement.
“This is why I have to stop answering the phone,” Rick sighed, massaging his eyes. He looked to Jethro. “I’m assuming you have a plan against whatever it is we’re heading toward, right?”
Jethro meekly shook his head. “Not as of yet.”
“Of course. Hopefully, you might find some answers in here. Your assistant Sor-wrong gave it to me. Feels like there’s a rock in there,” he said, handing Jethro the briefcase.
Jethro took it without correcting him. Feeling the weight in his hand, Jethro allowed a small smile to curl his lips, knowing exactly what was inside.
“Hey,” Caraway said, grabbing Rick as he began to walk away. “Did you give my message to Frankie?”
Rick hesitated. “Yeah,” he said with a slight nod.
“What did she say?”
Rick rubbed his cheek. “Wasn’t exactly what she said, buddy, more of what she did.”
Caraway’s stomach dropped. “Oh, boy,” he moaned, running his hand through his hair.
“Yup. We make it out of this alive, you better buy her a lot of flowers,” Rick said, patting Caraway on the shoulder before walking back toward the cockpit. “A shit ton of flowers. And maybe a few diamonds.”
Meanwhile, Jethro sat back down and placed the briefcase on his lap. Opening it, he found a small protective box placed atop green fabric. Peering inside the box, Jethro’s smile broadened into a toothy grin. “Thank you, old friend,” he whispered as he lifted the small vial of enhanced radioactive salts.
“That the special batch that makes you fly?” Caraway asked, recalling the conversation he and Ken had atop the Empire State Building.
Jethro looked to Caraway. “Yes, and much more,” he said after a moment, a small weight lifting from his chest. He could tell that while Caraway didn’t completely forgive him for his deception—and probably never would—their friendship was beginning to mend. Returning to the briefcase, Jethro unwrapped the vibrant green fabric and found the Second Jade Tablet, glowing softly in the dim cabin lighting. Lifting it up, Je
thro looked over it solemnly. “Now we have all three.”
“Which puts us a little ahead of the curve,” Jean said.
“Only a little,” Caraway added.
“Hopefully, that will be enough,” Jethro said as he placed the Tablet beside him. Looking into the briefcase he discovered two last items: a large, dark green hooded robe and a long, deep red kava.
“Hey, those kinda looks like the Green Lama’s,” Ken observed as Jethro brought them out. “Wait a minute…” he trailed off as the truth dawned on him. “Jethro, are you the Green Lama?”
Jethro looked at Ken and smiled in response.
Ken’s eyes went wide in shock. “Get outta town!”
• • •
Several hours passed before all four of them met again. They were crossing over Brazil, the lush greenery of the Amazon extending as far as the eye could see. Though exhausted, none of them had attempted sleep, adrenaline and fear keeping them awake. Caraway had spent the majority of his time in the cockpit with Rick, trading stories of women and adventures. For his part, Ken kept himself far from the windows, congregating between the bathroom and his aisle seat. Meanwhile, Jean and Jethro spent their time examining and comparing the Jade Tablets.
“We think we’ve made some progress,” Jethro said when they reconvened. With the Second and Third Jade Tablets laid out in front of him, Jethro indicated a small section of script on the crystal egg. “’Roughly, this reads: ‘One to rise, three to sleep.’ If I understand it correctly, that means only one Tablet is needed to wake Cthulhu.”
“Don’t forget the ‘blood sacrifice, ’” Jean interjected.
“But to stop him,” he continued, “we need all three Tablets placed in three specific points by the three ‘Scions.’”
“Jethro, me, and Vasili,” Jean said, pointing at the three figures at the top of the crystal.
“‘The crystal on the column, the stone in the wall and the ring in the hand, ’” Jethro said, pointing to another passage from the Third Tablet.
“Just vague enough to make it difficult,” Caraway grumbled, stroking his mustache. “And we’re missing one key element.”
Jean nodded. “ Vasili.”
“The Nazis are no doubt on their way to R’lyeh,” Jethro added. “It’s safe to assume that they’re bringing Vasili with them.”
“He killed Sotiria,” Ken said.
“He was possessed,” Caraway said under his breath, his eyes downcast.
“Possessed or not, how do we even know he’s on our side?” Ken asked. “Hell, how do we know he’s alive?”
“We don’t,” Jethro admitted.
Caraway shook his head. “I saw the boy up close at the ruins. The way his eyes looked, I could tell he wasn’t in control. And the way Sotiria— God rest her soul—was screaming you’d think that would’ve elicited some kinda response, but there was nothing. Just blank. And you remember what happened when Alexei grabbed him,” he said to Ken. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that monster was controlling him the entire time.”
“And may still be in control now,” Jethro said. “Whatever Alexei really is, he is extremely powerful. With him and the Nazis, getting to Vasili will not be easy.”
Ken snapped his fingers. “Wait, why would the Nazis be heading to R’lyeh when they don’t have any of the Jade Tablets?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Jean asked. “They’re expecting us.”
• • •
Black ooze leaked from Heydrich’s eye socket, dripping down the side of his cheek like a demon’s tear. Wiping it away with the back of his hand, he walked through the narrow maze of the U-Boat toward Alexei’s cramped quarters.
“Do you like it?” a tall Egyptian man asked, appearing out of the shadows. He was dressed in regalia reminiscent of the Pharaohs, an obsidian and gold squid-like pendant hanging from his neck.
Heydrich fell back in surprise. “Who are you?”
“You do not recognize me, Heydrich?” the tall Egyptian laughed. “This is what I once was, back in the days when I was human, if you could have called me that. Back when I ruled the Nile. When they used to call me by my given name, Nyarlathotep.”
Heydrich furrowed his brow, at last recognizing his master, no longer using the guise of Alexei. “Did your true form no longer suit you? I imagined you reveled in the looks of disgust and fear you elicited in the men.”
Nyarlathotep smiled, reminiscing. “It was pleasurable, yes, watching the madness break their minds as I walked past. But if I am to see the Great Cthulhu again, I want him to see me as he remembers.”
“You are confident that Dumont will come to R’lyeh?” Heydrich asked.
Nyarlathotep frowned. “Do you truly doubt me so much, Heydrich? Have I not given all that I promised you?”
Heydrich hesitated. “Gottschalk and Gan. They doubt the truth of Dumont’s alter ego and his possession of the Sacred Colors. They also question your—our intentions. They feel that despite our promises they have seen few results.”
“Humans. They only see as far they can reach, they are not worthy to be in the same reality as Cthulhu let alone gaze upon him. If I were to bring them the Sun, they would ask why the Earth is so hot,” Nyarlathotep scoffed, waving his hand in frustration. “While the rising of the sunken city has put the fates in flux, they can rest assured, all will go as promised. Dumont will be at R’lyeh and you will have your sacrifice.”
“Your boy,” Heydrich began nodding a chin toward the end of the corridor. “Has he woken up yet?”
“He is awake, though I fear I might have broken his sanity,” he said with the disinterest of a child breaking a forgotten toy. A devious smile curled his tanned face. “Though he has one final role to play.”
Heydrich unconsciously picked at the wound in his skull. “We will still need to appease the others. I doubt I can keep them satisfied with promises and prophecies for much longer. With another week ahead of us before we reach R’lyeh, I urge you, Master, please, show them something to ease their doubts before they jeopardize our plans.”
Nyarlathotep smiled and tilted his head sideways. “A week? Really?”
Heydrich jumped as the klaxons began to blare, red lights flashing. The entire submarine began to shake around them as a panicked voice came over the intercom, shouting: “Auftauchen! Auftauchen!” Heydrich covered his ears, as the pressure quickly dropped as they rose to the surface.
“What’s happening?” Heydrich screamed.
“We’ve arrived,” Nyarlathotep laughed.
• • •
“You guys might wanna come and take a look at this,” Rick said over the loudspeaker several hours later.
Caraway rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he rose from his chair. “Up and at ’em,” he said as he passed by Ken, slapping him on the shoulder. Ken wiped the drool from his chin and stumbled behind Caraway toward the cockpit where they found Jean and Jethro already waiting. Outside the window, an ever-growing black dot protruded from the blue expanse like a twisted nail.
“R’lyeh,” Jean said as they entered.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Caraway said, bracing himself against Jethro’s seat back.
“You and me both, brother,” Rick agreed as he worked the controls. “We’re still a few minutes out. Once we get closer I’m gonna try and circle around, see if there’s any place to land, though I’m not gonna lie to ya, that island doesn’t look too friendly.”
“Please tell me we don’t have to jump out of another plane,” Ken begged.
“Do any of you hear that?” Jean asked. “Sounds like a whistling.”
“Just the wind, sweetheart,” Rick said. “Don’t worry.”
Jethro shot Rick a scolding look and leaned forward. “I hear it too. Look! Over there.” He pointed toward the faint black and red mass spiraling out of the center of the island.
“Jesus,” Rick breathed. “What in God’s name…?”
Caraway stepped forward. “Another living storm?”
Jethro stood up, his hands clenched in fists. “It’s a swarm.”
“A swarm?” Ken asked, panic lacing his voice. “A swarm of what?”
“What else?” Jean asked as they watched the black and red dots form into cancer-like polyps and winged dragons. “Monsters.”
• • •
“What are those things?!” Ken screamed as he, Jean and Caraway chased after Jethro.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Jethro replied as he entered the cabin. “Whatever they are, they’re coming for us.” He uncorked the small vial of radioactive salts, swallowed them in one swift motion, and picked up his robe and kava.
“Dumont, where are you going?” Caraway asked.
“Out there,” Jethro responded as he pulled on his robes and tied the kava around his waist. He ignored the small lump that seemed to weigh down at the cuff of his right sleeve. He could feel the salts moving through his system, from cell to cell, a sensation like gripping an exposed wire.
Jean’s eyes went wide. “Jethro, you can’t!” she shouted, grabbing him by the sleeve. “You go out there and they’ll—”
“I know the risks, Jean,” he said gravely as he gently pulled his arm free. “The enhanced radioactive salts will give me flight and the strength to fight off these creatures long enough to give Rick the time to get all of you safely to R’lyeh.”
“You can’t be serious!” Ken exclaimed. “Jethro—I mean, Green Lama—this is insanity! Those things will eat you alive!”
“This is the only way you will be able to put the other Tablets in place in time.” He turned to Jean. “Besides you said yourself you know the future, didn’t you? All the mistakes we make.”
“Yes…” Jean said hesitantly.
“Then you know how to correct them, don’t you?”
“I—I,” Jean stuttered, tears pooling her eyes. “But what if I can’t?”
The Green Lama: Unbound (The Green Lama Legacy Book 3) Page 24