“That’s a good question and unfortunately one we can’t answer,” said Jason. “All we know is what’s in these journals.”
“And that’s also what the Order knows, too,” said Elisa. “They went to great risk to get a mole inside your organization just to retrieve those journals. So it’s probably safe to say that the Order knows no more about the spear’s location than we do. If Station 211 is really the last place the spear was seen, then that’s the first place the Order will go look.”
“My thoughts exactly,” said Jason.
“Something doesn’t make sense to me,” said Asami. “Why now?”
“What do you mean?” asked the Curator.
“Well, if you guys have had these journals all this time, then why did the Order wait until now to go after the spear?” she asked.
Elisa sat back in her chair and rubbed her chin. “She’s got a point. The Order has to have a reason for pursuing the Spear of Destiny. This is one of the most powerful artifacts in the world. If they’ve suddenly developed an interest in it, then that means there’s something that has happened or will happen that’s led them to believe it’s worth all this trouble.”
Jason rubbed the back of his head and cast his eyes in the Curator’s direction. The old man looked down, his lips tightening as he thought about what they could possibly be after. After a moment or two, he met the inquiring gazes of those around him.
“I’m sorry, nothing comes to mind,” he said.
Asami struck the table in annoyance. “Well isn’t that just great.”
“Asami…”
“Uh-uh, don’t tell me to keep my trap shut,” said Asami, wagging a finger in Elisa’s direction. She then pointed at Jason. “Listen, I get that you guys are all about being secretive to protect the world or whatever. But if we’re gonna work with you, we gotta know what we’re up against. And somethin’ tells me you aren’t telling us everything.”
Jason held up his hands. “Hey, I’ve been completely upfront with you. If there’s anything else to tell, I sure don’t know it.”
Elisa sighed and held up her hand. “Let’s not get into it, okay?” She looked at Jason and the Curator. “Would you two mind stepping outside for a moment?”
Jason turned to the Curator and he gave a nod. The younger Freemason sighed and rose from his seat. “Don’t take too long, Elisa. We’ve got a job to do and the sooner we get down to Antarctica, the sooner we can dig deeper into this thing.”
The Curator collected his tablet and held it under his arm. He gave a parting glance to Elisa. “We’ll be right outside when you’re ready.”
Once the door closed, Elisa stared across the table at Asami. The kitsune folded her arms over her chest and scoffed, staring off to the side.
“I get it, you don’t like the Freemasons,” said Elisa. “But this is the Order we’re talking about. If they’re involved in something, we have to know what it is.”
“I just don’t like this secrecy shit.”
Elisa snickered.
“What?” asked Asami, looking over at her. “What’s so funny?”
“You’ve got plenty of secrets of your own,” said Elisa.
“Yeah, I like my privacy. But if I know of anything to do with a job, I tell you.”
“And how are you so sure that Jason’s not doing the same?”
Asami sighed. “I dunno. I just got a bad feeling about all this.”
“I don’t really trust the Freemasons either, but we’ve got a common enemy. Jason was a big help to us against the Dragon Kings and if he wants to stop the Order, then I’ll go along with him for now,” said Elisa, standing up from her seat. “I’d like you by my side.”
Asami rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”
CHAPTER 3
The short, rotund man stood amidst the snow, looking down over the ruins of a military base. Masked men in arctic gear worked through the base, searching for any sign of a clue that could lead them to their next clue. But Wade just stood and watched. He wore similar gear to the men, but he seemed oblivious to the cold.
By Wade’s side stood a man who was easily a foot higher than him, and about a hundred pounds lighter. Rezler was being groomed by Wade to one day take a position of command within the sect that was known only as the Order.
“Are you sure we’ll find it here?” he asked.
Wade gave a shrug. “There’s only one way to know for sure. The journals Stalls took before he was stupid enough to be caught point here, to Station 211.”
“I just can’t believe this exists,” said Rezler. “Or rather, existed.”
“The base extends underground where it’s warmer. If the Spear of Destiny is here, then that’s likely where it’ll be. We just need to find a way inside.”
“And this will help us in the war?”
Wade nodded. “Of course. Not only because of its physical power but also the psychological damage. Losing such a coveted weapon would be incredibly demoralizing for them.” Wade moved down the hill overlooking the base, his eyes wide as he came closer. “There was a whole secret war being fought, completely separate from the Allies and the Axis Powers. Can you imagine what it must’ve been like to be on the front lines of that war?”
Wade realized that Rezler was no longer by his side. He turned, looking back up the hill. Rezler faced the other direction, staring at something off in the distance. Wade frowned.
“You know, when someone talks to you, it’s generally considered polite if you pay attention to them.”
Rezler said nothing, but walked off in the direction he faced, away from the remains of Station 211. Wade watched in confusion and quickly trotted back up the hill to follow him.
“Hey, where are you going?”
When Wade reached his protege’s side, he saw what the younger man saw. The sky filled with planes moving towards their location and as they moved over the base, the passengers jumped from their vehicles.
“We’ve got company,” said Rezler, readying the rifle slung around his back.
***
The Freemason soldiers parachuted from the planes, automatic weapons in hand. As they landed amidst the ruins of Station 211, they immediately opened fire on the Order’s men. But they were just there to handle the resistance. The real focus of the mission came in a smaller helicopter that landed not far from the outskirts of the base. The black helicopter hovered above the ground, the propellers kicking up the loose snow from the ground.
Elisa, Asami, and Jason emerged from the side of the chopper, all of them decked out in their winter gear. Jason held a Beretta in each hand while Elisa clutched her kukri daggers. Asami removed her gloves, her eyes burning like embers beneath her goggles. Reddish-orange fur emerged from her pores and her nails extended to become razor-sharp claws.
“The troops will handle the Order’s forces. It’s up to use to use the distraction to get inside and figure out where the spear is,” said Jason.
“Assuming it actually is here,” said Asami.
Jason grumbled. “Right, there’s that, too.”
The helicopter rose from the ground, leaving the trio on their own. They hiked towards the base’s location, hoping they could find an entrance. The Freemasons had records of Operation: Highjump and so they knew something about what went down here. Unfortunately, layouts of 211 weren’t very detailed and hardly the most reliable. So they were mostly flying blind.
Jason saw the attacker just a moment before he opened fire. “Get down!” The three all hit the snow, bullets whizzing overhead. Jason looked up and saw Rezler rushing towards them, spraying bullets from an automatic rifle.
Asami sprung up from the ground and charged at Rezler. The Order’s minion turned his weapon on her, but she moved almost too fast for the human eye to see. Within moments, she was on him, the gun knocked free from his hands and landing in the snow. Asami’s claws tore into Rezler’s clothing, scraping against armor he wore underneath.
“Behind you!” shouted Elisa once she saw the
familiar shape of Wade raise his handgun.
Jason was a step faster to pull the triggers on his twin Berettas. Wade’s gun was blown from his hand and the next thing he knew, Elisa’s foot had connected with his face and he was on his back. Elisa planted a foot firmly on his chest and knelt down, holding a kukri to his throat.
“Hi, Wade,” she said. “Long time, no see.”
Wade grinned. “Elisa, isn’t this a pleasant surprise?”
Asami had Rezler pinned to the ground. Jason pointed each of his guns at the two members of the Order. “How about we have a little chat? About what you stole from us?”
“Relax,” said Wade. “Believe it or not, we’re actually on the same side.”
“How do you figure?” asked Elisa.
“You think we’re after the Spear of Destiny, don’t you?”
“What, you’re not?” asked Asami.
“Slightly more complicated than that,” said Wade. “You see, we’re not so much interested in keeping the spear but more in keeping it away from someone far worse.”
“And just who could be worse than you, Wade?” asked Elisa.
“Oh come on, I’m not so bad. Remember when I helped you kill Seth?” asked Wade.
“You threatened to kill my friends if I didn’t do as you asked.”
“Details. The point is we’re not the real enemy here.”
The ground rumbled, nearly throwing Jason off his feet. He cast worried glances to Asami and Elisa. He didn’t want to take his weapons off Wade and Rezler, but he also had to see what this was. His companions gave nods signaling that they were fine holding down their prisoners. Jason stepped away, moving towards the hill, the rumbling growing louder.
Down in the ruins of 211, he could see the muzzle-flashes of gunfire between the Freemasons and the Order. But then he saw behind that, a section of the base had opened up. And rising up from underneath was a dome-like craft, hovering above the base. On it was an insignia much like the Nazi swastika, but different. It was an insignia Jason knew well from his study of history and from Horn’s journals.
Weapons on the flying saucer began firing some sort of strange energy signature. Jason could do nothing but watch as they began decimating both his men and the Order’s. He was nearly frozen in place, the guns slipping from his hands and landing in the snow.
“My god…”
“What is it?” asked Elisa, standing. Once she saw what Jason did, she could do nothing more but allow her jaw to drop. Asami seemed to be the only one nonplussed by the sudden revelation.
“So what? It’s a UFO, big deal.”
“Much more than a UFO, my dear. That is a Haunebu.”
A new voice spoke with a heavy German accent. Not far from them, they saw a man in arctic gear, the symbol of the Thule Society on a band across his arm. And by his side was a man far taller and stronger than him.
“If you don’t mind,” said the smaller man, gesturing to Wade and Rezler, “it would be quite helpful if you killed them already.”
Jason quickly retrieved one of his Berettas and aimed it at the new arrivals. “And just who the hell are you?”
“That would be Otto Eckart,” said Wade, rising to his feet. Elisa watched him out of the corner of her eye but allowed him to stand. “Current patriarch of the Thule Society.”
“Who’s the muscle?” asked Asami.
“Go on and introduce yourself, Jaeger,” said Eckart.
The giant of a man chuckled and charged towards Elisa. She jumped out of the path of his rampage and he quickly skidded to a stop. Asami pounced on his back, wrapping her legs and arms around his torso. Jaeger thrashed with her perched on him, trying to shake her free. Asami did her best to hold him steady so Jason could squeeze off a few shots from his Berettas. But Jaeger seemed completely unfazed by the bullets and continued to move, barely slowing down. He reached behind his back and grabbed Asami, hurling her into Jason.
Elisa moved into a fighting stance, twirling her kukri in her hands. Jaeger smirked and the two of them circled each other. He swung his massive arms a few times, but Elisa maintained the distance between them. She stared into his eyes, which had an unearthly blue glow to them.
Jaeger stepped forward and swung both arms to try and grab hold of his target. Elisa dove between his legs, sliding through them and coming up behind him. She jumped and buried one of the kukri in his back. Jaeger cringed and pulled away from her. He reached behind him, his hands wrapping around the hilt and yanking the weapon free from his flesh with a wet sound.
Staring down at the Nepalese dagger, he growled and whipped it at his target. Elisa backflipped to avoid being hit by her own weapon. She only had one kukri left and no other weapon on her. At a time like this, she was beginning to understand why Lucas always teased her about her distaste for firearms.
Almost prophetically, gunfire erupted from behind her. Elisa spun and saw Rezler on his feet, having retrieved his rifle. Jason had joined in the assault and both men tried to take Jaeger down with their guns. But he just shrugged off the bullets and rushed at Rezler first.
Jaeger grabbed the rifle by the barrel and pulled it with such force that Rezler stumbled when it was taken from him. Jaeger held the gun in both hands and bent the barrel before tossing it away. He grabbed Rezler by the neck and raised him up into the air. Rezler struggled, trying to pull Jaeger’s steel-like fingers from his throat and kicked his legs. Jaeger twisted his hand and a loud crack was heard. Rezler stopped moving and fell limp.
***
During the chaos of the battle with Jaeger, Wade tried to escape from the field. He managed to get away from them and now ran through the snow, hoping to reach the plane the Order arrived on. He may have failed to retrieve the spear, but he certainly wasn’t going to risk his own life.
Wade stopped, his face overcome with shock when he saw Eckart suddenly blocking his path. Eckart’s hands were clasped behind his back and he stared at Wade with glowing eyes.
“Poor little creature,” said Eckart. “Did you really hope to overcome the master race?”
“Otto…let’s be reasonable. We’re both men of intelligence.”
“Are we?” asked Eckart. “I’m not quite so sure you qualify as a man, Wade.”
“Listen, we can come to an arrangement. You can have the station. Your men are already overpowering our forces. Your pet giant killed Rezler. But you’ll need someone to tell the Order what happened, so they’ll know to back off.”
Eckart laughed. “You think we care about this station? We’re only here because of you. You see, you have something I need.”
“What are you—?” Wade stopped himself, realizing that in his pack, he held the very object that Eckart truly sought. Wade tried to step back but Eckart held out his hand and Wade found himself frozen in place.
“We are so much more than you vermin,” said Eckart. He circled Wade and reached inside the bag. Wade groaned, knowing that his enemy had gotten what he needed. Eckart circled back into Wade’s line of sight and held up a worn old journal.
“The spear isn’t here. It’s the journal you need,” said Wade.
“Indeed. And you have provided us with the means to find it. For that, I will let you continue your miserable existence for a little longer.” Eckart waved his hand and Wade went flying into the snow.
The Thule patriarch moved down the snow banks and saw his strongman still battling with the trio, the kitsune dodging his blows and trying to draw his attention away from the other two.
“Jaeger, enough horsing around!” said Eckart.
Jaeger looked up at his master and swatted Asami away. Elisa tried one final attack, but Jaeger grabbed her as she jumped at him and threw her into Jason. He approached his master, who just smiled at his enemies.
“We appreciate your assistance in this matter,” said Eckart and gave one final wave.
The Haunebu rose up over the hill, landing in a clearing. The two Thules boarded via the extended ramp. Once the hatch closed, the Haunebu a
scended and flew off into the distance, gone within moments.
CHAPTER 4
Elisa stood staring off into the horizon the Haunebu had disappeared into. She tightened her grip around the kukri and approached Wade, who was just rising and shaking the snow from his body. She kicked him square in his chest and sent him right back down, holding the dagger to his neck.
“What the hell is going on here?”
“As I told you before, we’re on the same side,” said Wade.
The radio attached to Jason’s belt crackled to life. He answered it and was told by his men that the Freemasons had captured or killed all of the Order’s forces. He thanked the man for a job well done and turned off the radio.
“You hear that, Wade?” asked Asami. “You’re the only one left. Everyone else is gone. So I suggest you tell us everything you know. Unless you want me to start getting creative.” She flexed her fur-covered fingers, claws extending and retracting a few times.
“We still have to have a look through the ruins of 211,” said Jason. “There might be some clues left behind.”
Elisa nodded. “You’re right. You and Asami take care of that.”
“What about you?” asked Jason.
She stared at Wade. “I’ll have a chat with our new friend.
***
The Freemasons began their exploration of the underground Nazi base. As they entered, they split off into several pairs, with Jason and Asami taking one area and beginning to search for anything that could be useful in their search for the Spear of Destiny.
They entered a large room filled with radio equipment from the 1940s. Jason dusted off some of the consoles while Asami wandered about the area, examining weathered old maps of the world with figurines atop them.
“Looks like this place has seen better days,” she said.
Jason gave a nod. “It’s definitely been out of use for decades. Highjump was supposed to clear out all the Nazi forces.”
Asami approached one of the walls, running her fingers over the surface. She traced the outline of small holes embedded into the surface. “Shooting went on in here.”
Spear of Destiny (The Myth Hunter Book 4) Page 3