Centurion's Rise

by Henrikson, Mark

  The hot air not only ran under the floors, it also coursed through the walls. The warm stones caressed the back half of Valnor’s body and induced a wave of pleasure that was only rivaled by a sexual climax. “Ah, now that is why I continue coming here during the winter months.”

  The sensation slowly passed and Valnor pulled away from the heavenly touch of the wall and stepped into the waters of the sitting pool. Contrary to his experience with the wall, touching the searing hot water was another round of torture. The contrast between hot water and cold flesh was too much. Valnor felt like his flesh instantly burst into flames.

  Fighting through the pain, Valnor took a seat in the water so that only his head and neck remained above the surface. Hastelloy did likewise and sat down next to Valnor for what was certain to be an intriguing conversation.

  “We were just discussing the likelihood of further hostilities with Mark Antony,” Cicero began. “I have word he’s allied himself with Queen Cleopatra.”

  “Yes,” Valnor acknowledged. He then gestured toward Hastelloy. “General Agrippa was just informing me of his findings from the recent intelligence gathering visit he paid to that region. I think we’ll all benefit from hearing the report.”

  “General, please tell us. Is there any truth to the rumors that Mark Antony has forsaken his Roman birth and gone native?” Cicero asked.

  “Yes, Senator,” Hastelloy answered in short order. “I can attest that every word of the rumors is true. Mark Antony parades himself throughout Alexandria wearing native skirts and jewelry while painting his face and eyes with makeup. He looks more effeminate than even the Greeks.”

  “Where is the man’s dignity?” Cicero asked of no one in particular.

  “I’m afraid Mark Antony going native is not the only issue,” Hastelloy continued. “As you suggested, Senator, Antony and Cleopatra have formed an alliance, and it is not just a paper arrangement. They’re fully committed partners bent on undermining the authority of Rome.

  “Cleopatra financed the establishment of an army for Antony to command, which he recently used to successfully invade Armenia, just outside the eastern edge of the Republic. I was personally in Alexandria when he returned and slapped Roman tradition square in the face by throwing himself a Triumph celebration in that heathen city rather than the Roman capital.”

  “That’s certainly in bad taste, especially for such a minor conquest” Valnor said, “But I fail to see how it undermines Roman authority.”

  “By itself it doesn’t, but the proclamations he made during the celebration were a definitive challenge to the pre-eminence of Rome and her authority over Egypt and the entire eastern territories,” Hastelloy countered. “Mark Antony had the nerve to declare Caesarion, the bastard son between Caesar and Cleopatra, to be the King of Kings and the King of Egypt.”

  A low rumble of displeasure grew from the circle of senators. Hastelloy increased the volume and intensity of his voice to carry over the din and accentuate his point. “If assuming to have the authority to divvy out Roman territory was not enough, Antony’s final act of subterfuge was to declare the bastard child legitimate.”

  At that moment everything stopped. Hastelloy’s voice fell silent, the side conversations, and even the soft sloshing of water about the pool ceased; giving credence to the magnitude of the words just spoken.

  “I see the implication of this is not lost on any of you,” Hastelloy finally added with a level tone that demanded everyone’s undivided attention. “Caesarion has a direct blood line to Julius Caesar, which supersedes the adopted relationship of Octavian. If Antony presses this claim, which we all know he will, Caesar’s name, fortune, and the loyalty of his former legions could all be in jeopardy.”

  “Not to mention Antony’s ally Cleopatra,” Valnor added. “She’s one of the wealthiest people in the world, thanks to the grain shipments our Republic imports from Egypt. If that food source is cut off, famine and insurrection will soon follow.”

  “That cunning bastard,” Cicero vented. “How many times does that maniac need to rise and fall from power before he stays put down?”

  “At least once more it would seem,” Hastelloy answered.

  “The Republic is in no position to wage yet another civil war,” Cicero protested. “The people are sick and tired of sending their husbands and sons off to war for years on end and then return to a broken society where the most recent victor imposes his will on the people.

  “The citizens want peace and consistency damnit,” Cicero shouted. “They won’t support another war against our own. Like it or not, Antony is a Roman and the will to fight him is no longer there.”

  A contemplative silence hung over the conversation until Valnor finally spoke again. “Why does this have to be about Antony? It’s Cleopatra’s private army. Her son is trying to annex a Roman province by declaring himself king. When the citizens learn how vulnerable our food supply is to this rebellious territory they will insist on decisive action. We won’t have to convince them of anything; they will demand action from us.”

  “The people aren’t just going to take our word for it, or even the rumors floating about. They’re going to want proof,” Cicero countered.

  “Proof,” Hastelloy interrupted as he glanced Valnor’s direction with a sly grin on his lips and a sinister twinkle in his eyes, “Lies in the vaults of the Vestal Virgins. Mark Antony’s last will and testament is filed there, and I have it on good authority an amendment was recently added to the document.”

  Valnor’s eyes widened as the scope of Hastelloy’s plan came into focus for him. The populace would unite once more to conclusively remove the threat Tomal and his Alpha controller posed, and that was good. The masterful stroke came by finding a way to involve the Vestals and their temple.

  The Vestal Virgins unwittingly protected one of the Alpha relics believing it to be the physical presence of their goddess. Since the moment Hastelloy discovered the relic’s existence, the Alpha engineer had turned the Vestal temple into an impenetrable fortress. The temple was further protected by public laws requiring death to anyone who violated the temple grounds, as well as the promised wrath from Vesta herself in the afterlife.

  Try as he may, Valnor couldn’t come up with a scheme to destroy the Alpha relic held in the Vestal temple. It was infuriating knowing he controlled the entire Roman Republic, yet he couldn’t accomplish his only true goal of destroying an object that resided just a few short miles away from his base of power.

  Common thieves and even skilled agents wouldn’t go near the temple no matter how much coin was offered. Valnor himself wasn’t skilled enough to sneak into the place, which left him with the completely unacceptable option of mounting a full military assault on the compound. The vestals were universally revered and protected by the citizens, openly attacking them was a non-starter. His soldiers wouldn’t do it, and even if they did, the act of desecration would incite a full blown rebellion.

  This forced Valnor to conclude there was no realistic way to get at the relic, yet Hastelloy, with what appeared to be a mere afterthought of his tactical abilities, found the way in.

  “The citizens will never allow their government to violate the sanctity of the Temple of Vesta,” Cicero said with anger and alarm. “They’ll take to the streets to defend the vestals and hunt us down for violating them. They’d treat the offense as if we raped their wives or daughters before their eyes.”

  “It’ll all be over before anyone knows it happened,” Valnor said with a frosty edge to his words that dropped the temperature of the room a few degrees. “Then we’ll present our findings and let the people decide which gives greater offense: violating the Vestals or Mark Antony’s going native and trying to starve the people in order to establish a private kingdom fashioned from Roman territory? I will have proof so the people will see that the distasteful ends did indeed justify the means.”

  The room erupted in heated words and debate about the proposed actions. Enough of the voices were in fa
vor that Valnor felt free to divert his attention for a few moments.

  Valnor leaned over to Hastelloy for a private word. “Are you sure we’ll find what you think we’ll find in that amendment housed in the Vestal vaults?”

  “I ought to considering I authored the document and put it there,” Hastelloy replied under his breath causing Valnor to suppress a good, hard laugh. The man was a master, pure and simple.

  Chapter 54: Breaking and Entering

  Hastelloy entered the brightly lit room with soft measured steps and ducked behind one of twelve support columns ringing the room’s perimeter. He’d spent the last three weeks instructing a team of twelve soldiers in the delicate art of stealth assault, now he would see if it was time well spent.

  The target sat at a desk in the middle of the thousand square foot room. Blazing floor lamps arranged in a grid pattern spaced fifteen feet apart cast the room in a bright orange and yellow glow. The lighting was not the only impediment to reaching the target; eight guards kept watch over every column and corner with random patrol patterns. The target was as secure as anyplace in the Republic.

  Hastelloy waited for the nearest guard to turn around and then gestured for the other three members of his assault team to enter the chamber. The odd sensation of seeing movement without the accompanying sound put a satisfied smile on Hastelloy’s face. Before he could give further orders, the nearest guard performed an about face and headed straight for the column Hastelloy used as cover.

  He stood flat against the stone pillar and inched his way around to stay out of the guard’s line of sight. The problem was if he went much farther he would be visible to other guards stationed about the room. Hastelloy determined he could go no farther and then pulled out a small white cloth hanging from his rope belt and held it at the ready in his right hand.

  The guard rounded the column and Hastelloy grabbed the man’s head with his left hand and covered his nose and mouth with the cloth in his right. After a second he felt the guard’s body go limp and he caught the man before his body could collapse to the floor with a clatter. Hastelloy arranged the unconscious guard into the fetal position and nestled him up against the column.

  Hastelloy looked at the rest of his assault team, raised a clinched fist and then opened his fingers out wide. The men immediately fanned out into the room using the columns and shadows for cover.

  In no time, four more guards were out of action, but they were now entering the most dangerous phase of the assault. The remaining guards would soon notice their missing peers and sound the alarm. It took another two seconds for his men to reposition themselves to take out the remaining three guards. Hastelloy took that time to close in on the target.

  Hastelloy drew his dagger and lightly tapped it two times against the stone column he used as cover. The nearly inaudible order was received loud and clear by the assault team. At the same moment they all dashed out into the open and applied a white cloth over their respective guard’s face.

  For his part, Hastelloy bolted for the man sitting at the desk. He got to him just as the target rose to his feet upon hearing a faint squeak from one of the guards momentarily resisting his attacker. The target turned around just in time to feel Hastelloy’s dagger arrive under his chin.

  “I think we’re ready,” Hastelloy announced as he looked into the surprised eyes of Valnor as he held the dagger to his throat.

  “Without a doubt,” Valnor replied. “You took all of us out, and we had the advantage of knowing the attack was coming.” Hastelloy returned his blade to its sheath while Valnor then clapped his hands two times and announced, “Alright everyone, on your feet and fall in.”

  The eight guards immediately picked themselves off the ground and fell into rank and file with the assault team. Hastelloy joined them on the inspection line and looked for Valnor to address them all. It was odd not playing the commanding roll, but Valnor held the position of power. This was his operation to lead, and Hastelloy felt a great sense of pride at seeing his young helmsman step up to the challenge with confidence and skill.

  “Tonight,” Valnor began, “the twelve of you will infiltrate the Temple of Vesta. This must be done without notice, and without doing harm to anyone or anything inside those sacred grounds. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” the men replied.

  “Very well, General Agrippa,” Valnor said looking at Hastelloy. “Dispense the chloroform vials.”

  Valnor continued talking as Hastelloy handed each man a tiny glass jars with a clear liquid inside and a cork on top. “To this point you’ve practiced assuming the cloth over mouth trick would work as I’ve said. Here is your proof.”

  Hastelloy handed Valnor the last glass jar. He immediately pulled a white cloth from his waist, removed the cork and poured some of the liquid onto it and then held it over Hastelloy’s mouth and nose.

  The surprise move induced a reflexive gasp causing Hastelloy to breath in a lung full of the sweet smelling fumes. A fraction of a second later the lights went out and his body folded into Valnor’s waiting arms.

  “Once the target passes out, remove the cloth or you will do them harm. The effect lasts about an hour, which will be more than enough time for us to carry out our business,” Valnor instructed. “It’s that simple, gentlemen. We move out at midnight.”

  **********

  Hastelloy held up a clinched fist and the thirteen men behind him came to an abrupt halt and melted into the nearest shadow. The dark grey shirt and pants they all wore made them practically invisible against a stone wall shrouded in the darkness of a moonless night.

  Two very drunk citizens staggered around the corner. The slightly less inebriated individual was practically carrying the other down the narrow street. The pair came within three feet of Hastelloy and his men, yet they drew no notice. When the drunks finally meandered around another corner, Hastelloy gestured for the group to move forward.

  They rounded the corner and headed down a long street with the Temple of Vesta standing proudly at the end. The temple was rather unique in its shape and size. Roman architecture was typically very square with hard, sharp angles. The Temple of Vesta stood in stark contrast to this trend with its circular shape and modest size of only standing two stories tall. Embracing the temple on two sides was the House of Vestals with only a few feet between the temple walls and those of the house.

  Contrasting the round, cottage feel of the temple, the House of Vestals was truly Roman. The grand structure stood five stories tall, was rectangular in shape and boasted over seventy rooms surrounding a central courtyard. Prior to Hastelloy’s discovery that the temple housed the Alpha engineer’s life force, the temple and house were open to the public. They were secure in the knowledge that no Roman would dare defile the sacred grounds or the vestals who resided within them. Now the compound was a locked down fortress.

  The only entrance was through a well guarded front gate. From there guests were escorted across a five foot wide, thirty foot long paved path to the temple. Anyone stepping off the paved stones was apprehended and, in numerous instances, beaten severely.

  The only way to gain entry into the House of Vestals was by ascending an arching stairwell that rose from along the temple’s right side up to the third story of the house. Blazing torches lit the temple grounds at all hours during the night, and the guard details were no joke. Six armed soldiers stood watch over the main gate, while four more protected the lone staircase granting access to the House of Vestals.

  Hastelloy pointed twice to the left with an open palm causing six members of his assault team to cross the street and take up positions ten feet away from the main gate where two guards were stationed outside the walls on either side of the entrance. Two more held mirroring positions inside the walls, while another two patrolled along the paved path leading to the temple.

  Hastelloy raised both hands above his head with index and middle fingers extended. Immediately, two team members from each side of the gate approached to within a
few feet of the guards. There they waited for Hastelloy to give the signal.

  A half hour passed before the two guards who were just inside stepped through the gate to effect a changing of the guards. The exchange of positions would only take a few seconds, but that was all Hastelloy’s men needed. He snapped both his fists towards the ground, sending his strike team into action.

  From across the alleyway, Hastelloy watched as four shapes materialized from the temple wall. In unison, the four shadowy figures wrapped themselves around the unsuspecting guards, and a second later the targets lay unconscious on the ground.

  Hastelloy and the rest of his strike force moved in as the attackers stripped the guards and adorned their purple tunics and helmets with enough purple feathers fanned out across them to make even a peacock blush.

  “By two’s, go,” Hastelloy whispered.

  Two of his disguised men walked through the gate with another member of the assault team hugging behind them as they moved. Matching movements and steps they headed toward the remaining guards patrolling the paved path under the guise of a routine position exchange.

  Hastelloy’s men came to a full stop just in front of the remaining temple guards. Without sound or ceremony, the live shadows leapt out from behind their escort and incapacitated the last two temple guards. Hastelloy then ordered the rest of his men to join the others just outside the temple door. This left two men in disguise to guard the front gate and the bodies of four passed out guards who now looked like vagrants sleeping off a night of overindulgence.

  Hastelloy sent two of his disguised men back to the main gate to continue the facade that all was well in the eyes of the four soldiers covering the stairwell leading to the House of Vestals. Two assault team members put on the tunics and ridiculous headdress of the most recently sedated guards and resumed a regular patrol along the path. This left Hastelloy, Valnor, and six strike team members to enter the circular temple through the lone open air doorway.