“Ok, Lone Bear. We are in Crete, and we are being attacked. You knew the hotel. It’s time to come clean. We are either in this together or not.” David stared at the wise Indian Chief. He was sure Lone Bear knew things about everything that was happening to them.
“You are right. Death is following me… consuming me. It’s a long story, but we don’t have much time so I will make it brief.”
Chief Lone Wolf drew a breath and started to speak.
“Way back in history the Templar Knights befriended our forefathers. They had with them a man, a direct descendant of the Christian Jesus Christ. They told us the Church fought over keeping it secret, that he had a child and that the child endured and it was their job to protect the bloodline from those who had power and control. We trusted our friends the Hopis and one day when they shared their prophecy rock with us, we knew their message was about the return of Christ and the fall of the Church.” David and the team listened intently. It seemed Lone Bear’s team were on watch for anything unusual.
Just then one of Lone Bear’s team came to the group. He had been the one who had led them to this place and then left them scouting other parts of the complex. It was now almost light enough for David to make out his features. When the man saw David looking at him a wry smile appeared on his face. David did a double take.
“Professor Miltosis! What the hell are you doing here?”
“You owe me, Mr Clark. I have never had such a hangover as I did after talking with you on Kos a few weeks back. You sure know how to drink. Greek coffee eh!” Miltosis had a loose smile on his face. He clearly recalled his afternoon with David on Kos at the Asclepius. That day seemed a lifetime ago.
“Miltosis is a good friend of mine,” said Lone Bear. “We grew up as friends. He was the one who told me about you and your inquisitiveness about our Minoan past.”
Miltosis and David shook hands and Lone Bear continued.
“In the 1920s my grandfather and Chief Ghost Wolf ’s father made a pact. An agreement. The current incumbent was in threat of being discovered by the Church and those in absolute power in America. They would destroy him. It was not yet time. They were wise men. My grandfather said we must send him to our roots, to Crete, where he would not be known, where we could integrate him safe from the prying eyes of those families who had come to use America to control most of the world.”
Lone Bear scoured the horizon to make sure they were alone and continued.
“Like many of our Greek brothers, he was captured by the Germans in the Second World War, but between the tribes and our friends we kept him safe. Ghost Wolf was determined to find the son of that man, when I was young, and bring him home to America. My father did not agree, the war had parted us and the incumbent and my father felt it was best left that way. Ghost Wolf argued with my father and a fight occurred. My father was killed. It was an accident. That was twenty years ago and I broke all ties. I let my people down for my own selfish troubles. I let the world down. You see the Hopis always had one man who knew the name of the current incumbent, but in this incidence it was lost so they would need to retrace it. My tribe knew the location. We left it in our sacred papers so it passed to the next chief on our deaths. You could recognise us by the tattoo, an ancient symbol that came from the Templar Knights. Ghost Wolf was a great man, I misjudged him for all those years. My father was as stubborn as I am. He fell in his own wrath trying to attack Ghost Wolf and cracked his skull. He died because of fate.”
David and Abbey looked at the big man. David felt him tremble and reached out a hand to steady him.
“Report back, Green Two,” John barked into his comms.
“Green Two here, commander. No bodies found… repeat…no bodies found.”
“Shit!” exclaimed John a bead of sweat just starting to form on his brow in the morning air. “Can you be sure?”
The voice crackled back. “Our men are in there with over twenty villagers. No one is in the rubble. Clear.”
John looked at Chant whose demeanour was bubbling. “Find them and finish it,” he barked, “any way you can.”
John opened the mike channel again. “Green One, Two and Three, secondary positions. They didn’t come this way so they must have got out the back some how. They are in the complex. Repeat, they are in the complex. Use all force. No survivors.”
John addressed his boss. “Mr Chant, we must move closer. I can’t leave you here. You are too exposed. You will need to come with me.” Chant nodded.
John stole a scooter from the festival and put Chant on the back. He rode to the south of the site, cut the fence and they both crawled through. The dawn sun was nearly ready to peep its smile over the horizon. In the wreckage of the hotel Greeks yelled and cursed. Many were putting aside personal safety and throwing timber aside. Seven men withdrew stealthily from the wreckage and made their way to the fence where they cut through. Not fifty yards away a further group also cut through. The men wore long jackets and the crowd was not looking in their direction. They openly displayed all sorts of weapons of death as they disappeared into the site.
Lone Bear drew another deep breath. “When I met with Ghost Wolf he told me it was time to reveal the true bloodline of Christ, and having it done by us, the collective tribes of America would not be ignored. Even if mainstream media shut it down or said it was a hoax, soon word would spread, DNA tests could be done. Even we didn’t know how powerful these people truly are nowadays. I fear it has all been for nothing.”
“We will make it work, Chief Lone Bear,” said David. “But we must find the incumbent and bring him or her to safety. Do you know who it is?”
“I lost my way years ago, David. All I knew was that the incumbent is on Crete, in a small village next to this great temple. But Ghost Wolf, he never faltered. He knew the surname of the father. It is Minos – in history the father of the Minotaur.”
“Wow, that’s poetic if I must say. They could be in that festival, for God’s sake. How the hell do we get out of here?” David started looking around at the fence that surrounded them.
Professor Miltosis said: “We can go back through the North Entrance. This fence was not here last time.”
Abbey spoke up. “No. We must cut our way out, David, but no one has produced any cutters so I will just blow a hole clean through that part over there. It seems weak enough.” Abbey indicated left toward a small hill with part of an olive grove forest on the other side of the fence. As she turned back to the group she spied something.
“Get down now.”
Rocko ducked just in time. A rocket flew clear through where his head had been and into the hill behind him, which exploded with an impact that shook the group and covered Rocko with rock and dirt.
“Bastards,” he groaned.
Two of Lone Bear’s men dived over the mound they were hiding behind and a barrage of small arms fire wracked the earth on the other side. Abbey tried to get a look out, but she was currently pinned down. Bullets flew over her head. She did see, however, another two of Lone Bear’s men dive right and start to return fire with small barrel automatic weapons.
“I need intel fast,” Abbey yelled. “Where are they?”
Just then she rolled to her left, the same way she had been thinking about before the fire, and popped her upper half up, peeling off two shots before ducking back down.
“Ok, that’s two less of them.”
David looked at her mesmerised. She simply said “Intuition baby. Feel not think.”
John had arrived behind the scene. He was in the central courtyard with Chant. He climbed up on a ledge to get a look at the situation about sixty metres behind the action. At the first shots, a few villagers who were coming to look at the hotel scattered. It was starting to be a battlefield and the innocent were leaving. His breath quickened and his pulse raced. His men were experts and it seemed they might finally have the group cornered.
“Take them,” he spoke coldly into his comms.
Abbey was ten metres fr
om Phillip, who had dragged Stacey and Lone Bear to the ground. Lone Bear’s men were trying to get to him, but were cut off. One of them was wounded slightly.
“Throw me that rifle, Phillip, you won’t hit anything and I don’t want you wasting bullets,” yelled Abbey.
Phillip thought the better of it, but then he took a look at Stacey who was giving him that ‘do it’ look and he threw the gun. It landed in the dirt beside Abbey. She checked it and yelled, “Cover me!”
Rocko, who had been dusting himself off and feeling the pain in his side from the jolt, leapt up with an automatic pistol in his hand. Several of Lone Bear’s men leapt up to follow Rocko’s lead. Rocko wasn’t quite ready for what he saw. Advancing toward them some thirty metres across, making their way over the small walls and rubble of the magazine, were no less than twenty well-armed warriors.
“I may as well go out fighting,” he thought to himself and started shooting. Strangely, though, people were dropping in front of him. He felt some bullets whizz by, close but none finding their mark. He tried to hide behind a part mound of dirt. Abbey was a few metres to his left. She was firing systematically and dropping almost a man with each bullet. The front row and most of the second row of attackers had been felled.
“Incoming!” yelled Abbey “Drop!” Instinctively she dived sideways as a rocket aimed firmly at her position took out the mound in front of her. She was covered in clay and rubble, but shook it off and rolled further away from the group. A few scratches and bumps was nothing for her.
John stood on a ridge behind a Doric column and saw the carnage.
“What the…?”
He couldn’t believe he had already lost half his troops to just a few shooters with small arms. He was confused and wondering what to do. Both groups had hunkered down again and were moving for position. Just then he saw one of the female soldiers crawling for their left flank, where Stacey, Lone Bear and Phillip were hiding. She drew a knife and leapt over the mound.
Stacey got the fright off her life when a woman brandishing a knife landed right in front of her. She immediately screamed and the woman looked left, seeing two men, and decided in an instant she would take them, knife in one hand. Lone Bear stood straight before her and she expertly threw the knife at him point blank. He fell heavily, clutching his chest. Phillip was too quick. He leapt straight over the falling Lone Bear and before the woman could peel off another strike he was up on her. He hit the ground, rolled and pulled up into a springing kick from his forward roll and sent her flying. She was sprawled on the ground. He then grabbed her legs and flipped them as she grabbed another knife from her belt. She attempted to lash out with the knife, but Phillip had felt the cut from the fake blades so many times he was numb to it, so he didn’t act like any ordinary human she had attacked before. He stunned her with a head butt and disarmed her. He threw the knife away and managed to make her slice herself pretty badly in the process by inverting her wrist. She then dropped the knife and he broke her wrist. He then dislocated her knee sideways with a pressure kick. She would never walk the same again. She was screaming in pain.
“Sorry,” he said, and stood up to go to Stacey.
It was then that the whole mound that Phillip was behind erupted in a vortex of stone and dirt. A rocket had hit it. The last thing Stacey saw was Phillip’s body going up in the air and then landing heaving in the dust.
“Phillip, nooooooo!!!” yelled Stacey frantically. She was about to go to him when David grabbed her hand with all his might and dragged her across the rocks toward him. “Stacey, no babe, no.”
Stacey was bawling and shaking – she tucked her head into David’s chest and let her world explode outwardly. The more she screamed the tighter David held her.
Rocko had made his way over to Abbey. He was just a couple of metres away.
“Stay down big boy, just fire over the top. Don’t stick your head up too far please.”
“You damn women… I’m not your sissy lover boy you know,” Rocko glared over.
“Yes, but I’ll never hear the end of it if you cop one.”
“Good,” said Rocko and then smiled and winked.
Abbey looked at him and said: “Now.”
Both of them raised an eye over the mound and fired. They hit a couple of standing positions and Rocko was sure Abbey hit the guy with the rockets who was about fifty metres back.
Now to her left she saw two of Lone Bear’s men raise their heads and start to peel off shots as well. Stupidly they were too exposed and only metres from an adversary. He lobbed a grenade only ten metres and they were killed instantly. Abbey rolled to her left and popped one into the mercenary that made him lift and slump.
On the ridge behind the column, John was confused.
“What the hell is going on John?” said Chant, confused himself. Chant was hiding behind a wall keeping his head down.
“Shut up… just shut up…” John exploded at his boss of many years. “I will handle it.”
Chant slumped. The situation was not good.
Behind the mound Rocko slid up next to Abbey. Both of them had a few bumps and bruises and were not quite back to full hearing again. The near misses from rockets were deafening and disorientating.
“We need to get out of here Abbey,” Rocko said.
“I know Rocko, but we are hemmed in by this damn fence. Even if I blew it, we would just get picked off getting out.”
“How many do you think there are?” said the New Yorker.
“I think we have got about twenty of them. There must be only seven or so left.”
“We have to go… I’m damned if I’m going to die at the home of a Minotaur on Greek soil. I don’t even like Greek food,” Rocko semi-quipped.
“Look, Rocko, Phillip and Lone Bear have been hit, I can’t see them. David has Stacey and both of them are not equipped for this. There are about two of Lone Bear’s people left and we can’t rely on them if he is gone. We need to draw them in. We need a plan and we need it quick or we are all going to die in this temple. I don’t know about you, but I can think of a few more things to do before I go.”
Rocko looked across at his old pal David.
“Buddy, do you think you can shoot that gun you have. Make a noise, do something, we need a bit of a hand here.”
David was still holding Stacey close. He didn’t have to reply. She did through her sobs.
“Yes, we will both shoot. We have to.”
“You’re damn right we will,” said David. Rocko had never heard such a conviction in his pal’s voice. Something had happened to David in this place. He had Stacey firmly under his arms, he winked at Abbey and they knew with his mind he had a plan.
“David – here, come here.”
The voice came from beneath them almost. It was Professor Miltosis. They could see his eyes glint in the morning sun. In their haste to get out of the attack and counter attack they had missed something.
“David,” Miltosis spoke “The drains. We must take the drains.”
It was clear to them. They were lying on top of the old drainage system of Knossos. One of the first in the world this system ensured water ran clean in its day beneath the palace. The queen even had a flushing toilet. These days they were just more holes to be excavated, yet it was potentially a way out.
In a minute Abbey had lobbed another grenade to occupy their attackers and fired some shots, while David and Stacey crawled over to the drains. The entrance was partly covered by a large rock but Miltosis was slim enough to get in. Rocko helped shift the stone and Stacey then David then Rocko joined him in there. Abbey stayed outside near the entrance.
“Pass me your guns. I’m nearly out of rounds and I have just one grenade left.” Abbey held out her hand to Rocko on the others.
“Abbey, come on… hurry,” said David anxiously. Miltosis was sure he could move them out of danger through this system. There had been nothing from any other of Lone Bear’s crew in several minutes. They were possibly all dead, like Lone Be
ar and Phillip. Stacey couldn’t get the picture of his lifeless body floating up in the air out of her mind.
“No, my love,” Abbey smiled knowingly back. “I must stay. Someone has to hold them off. If they realise we are in here they will be able to pick us off easily from behind. We will all die.”
“But…” David started to try and find other logic but it was Rocko who spoke.
“But… she’s right dude. Let’s get the hell out of here, while we can. She’s a big girl. Probably got more chance without her having to look out for us.”
“Rocko’s right,” Abbey continued. “I will come soon. I promise.”
“We must go… now!” Miltosis urged.
David strained his head out of the drain. The sun had broken behind them and the morning light was vibrant, pink and yellow. For a mere split second there was absolute silence. His eyes met those of the love of his life and she lent down and he kissed her. Passionate, wet, hard, and with the love of centuries of knowing she almost fell into his soul. Then she drew away and shook her head.
“Go… please,” she said.
David slumped back into the drain. Everything in his heart told him to stay, yet he left. He had to fulfil this mission or else it would all be useless – Ghost Wolf ’s death and most surely that of Lone Bear, Phillip and the others. He knew Abbey was cunning, smart and the best fighter he had ever seen, but she was low on ammunition and she was outnumbered.
Miltosis clambered on hands and knees through the drainage system. The others followed. At any other stage Rocko would have been on cloud nine focusing on Stacey’s cute butt wiggling its way in front of his face, but today he felt all of his mid-life years. The pain in his side had returned. He was sure he had split his stitches. His ears rang and his knees and elbows were truly knocked about. He did, however, smile that at least David was following and looking at his big butt wiggle through the drainage system. By the light of just cell phones it surely must have been a magnificent sight.
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