Art blew out a breath and shook his head. “It’d be Lagarde all over again, eh,” he said in reference to a French city where Tom saw several of his compatriots killed after word leaked to the Germans that their unit was parachuting in.
“Don’t remind me,” Tom said. The memories still stung. The OSS was very young at the time and they blundered constantly. So many good men had died because of leaks, moles, and compromised codes. Most of Tom’s closest friends never returned from Europe.
“Alright, so what do you need from us?” Art asked.
“Transportation to Antarctica,” Tom said.
Art chuckled. “Oh, is that all?” he asked sarcastically.
“What?” Tom asked.
“Well, we can’t simply fly you in by plane. For one thing, these Nazis probably have radar and would see you coming. Secondly, I highly doubt there is a good landing strip near the target which we could make use of.”
“Helicopter,” Tom suggested. “We could fly right under the radar and landing should be much easier.”
“Sure, except Antarctica is over three thousand miles away,” Art reminded him. “You are definitely closer here than you were in Washington, but it’s still a long way to go. So we’ll need to send you out on a ship and then launch the helicopter from there.”
“Well, you fellas do have a naval base here, don’t you?” Tom asked.
Art sighed. “Yes, Tom. Don’t worry, I’ll make it work. But I’m putting a lot on the line to help you so if there is anything you aren’t telling me…” he let the words trail off as he raised his eyebrows and stared at his old friend.
“You know what I know, Art,” Tom assured him.
“Very well then,” Art replied with a nod. “I’ll make a few calls.”
***
Axel wore a thick coat as he, Rolf, and Alexi stood on the bow of the ship staring at the miles of ocean that lay before them. Axel watched as the two large men both leaned against the railing of the ship with their eyes closed feeling the cold wind blow against their faces. He could not help but chuckle. It was good to see them together again. Sometimes he felt like Rolf was being left out of things so often his feelings would start to get hurt. It was nice for him to have a friend who was so similar to him.
“Hello,” he heard and turned to see Alena walking toward him, a fur covered hood over her head and her hands buried deep within her pockets.
“Hi,” Axel replied.
Alena stepped up beside him and stared out over the water. “Where is Psion?” Alena asked referring to Dawn by her codename.
“Oh, she’s below deck,” Axel said. “She hates the cold.”
Alena turned to look at him. “How have you been?” she asked. Though they had been together the last few days this was the first time Alena had seen him alone.
“Good,” he smiled. “You?”
“I’ve been well, thank you,” she replied.
There was a long pause with neither one of them really knowing what to say.
“So…you have a mother,” Alena said with a bright smile.
Axel laughed. “Yeah, that is pretty crazy. She is quite a woman. I left her with Tom and Art discussing strategy.”
“Yes, she knows warfare as well as any woman alive,” Alena said.
“How do you know her?” Axel asked. “How did she find you, but not us?”
Alena glanced down at the deck. “She rescued us from Arnulf in Berlin,” she said. Then her eyes raised and met his. “She was there searching for you and Rolf.”
“But found you instead,” he said.
Alena nodded. “Yes,” she replied. “We didn’t know where you were, but she never stopped searching for you.”
“It took her so long to find us,” he sighed.
“Well the KGB knew where you were long before she did, but did not tell her. I guess she wasn’t looking for two boys named Axel and Rolf, I mean who would think the Americans would be stupid enough to let you keep your names,” she laughed.
“Okay I get it, America is new to this whole espionage thing and we are really bad at it,” Axel said as he turned back to look at the ocean in front of them.
Alena stopped laughing and just stared at him. “I’m sorry Axel, I’ll stop.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“I forget how soft and overly sensitive capitalism makes you,” Alena said as she broke into a broad grin.
“Well, I guess living without heat or electricity and eating nothing but gruel will toughen anyone up,” Axel replied with a smirk of his own.
“We have electricity,” Alena retorted. “It even works sometimes.”
This caused Axel to burst out laughing. “Ah, the joys of the Socialist paradise.”
Alena nodded. “It’s not perfect,” she said. “There have been some growing pains. But America has grown fat and weak since the end of the war. I walk around your cities freely. You would not make it ten steps in Moscow before the KGB had you.”
“Sounds like a delightful place,” Axel responded.
“Well, it is better than being ripe for a takeover. Why do you think you’ve been so infiltrated? Everyone has infiltrated you, not just us and the International. Even the Canadians.”
“You have no idea how many hours of sleep I’ve lost, terrified of the great mass of Canadian troops rolling down from the north,” he chuckled.
“Joke if you want to,” she said.
“Well maybe we are infiltrated, but if the alternative is living in a totalitarian regime like you do, I’d rather be infiltrated,” Axel countered.
“Wake up, Axel,” she said. “You are going to be living in a totalitarian state soon enough. The fascists have dug in and they are slowly and methodically taking you over. Within fifty years you will not recognize America as the land of the free and home of the brave any longer, I promise you.”
Axel stared at her for a long moment before his mouth turned up into a smile. “Why do we always argue when we are together?” he asked.
She returned the smile. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I suppose it’s just that we’re told we should hate each other and that begins to sink in after a while.”
Axel nodded. “But I don’t hate you, Alena,” he said.
She suddenly shot forward, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pressed her lips to his. She slowly pulled away. “I don’t hate you either, Axel,” she whispered as she placed her forehead against his. Axel wanted to grab her and kiss her again. He wanted to cover her with kisses, but he didn’t. If it complicated things too much to be with Dawn, a member of his team, it would certainly complicate things too much to be with a Soviet spy.
“I care so much for you, Alena,” he said, “but we can’t do this.” He pulled away.
She nodded. “I’m sorry,” she said, visibly upset. “I shouldn’t have done that. It’s not like me…I…” She was gone in the blink of an eye.
Axel stared off in the direction she had run. “Dammit Axel,” he said to himself as he turned back to look out over the ocean. “Why do you have to be so handsome and charming?”
“I ask that question at least three times a day,” a voice from behind startled him. Axel spun to see Tom walking toward him smoking a cigarette.
“How long have you been there?” Axel asked.
“Long enough,” Tom replied before flicking his cigarette out into the ocean. “Do not get involved with her, Axel,” he said.
“I know,” Axel replied.
“Good,” Tom said. “Now go grab your gear, we’ll be leaving shortly.”
***
The helicopter blades chopped through the air as the craft flew over the ocean toward the barren continent of Antarctica. The noise from the blades made it almost impossible to speak and thus everyone sat quietly, waiting. Brygida sat across from Axel and caught his eye, giving him a little smile. Axel returned the smile. Brygida then turned to Rolf who sat beside Axel. Rolf still would not meet her eyes and Brygida turned her gaze to the floor, sad
dened and hoping that she could repair the damage before it was too late. In their line of work, it could become too late very quickly.
It wasn’t long before they had reached their destination, a spot of level ground about ten miles away from the coordinates Kammler had given to Tom. The helicopter circled the area once before setting down on the ground, sending up a cloud of snow as its blade whipped the air.
A ramp slowly descended from the rear of the helicopter and everyone grabbed their gear while moving quickly out of the back and pulling on white masks and gloves. The combined team of Soviet and American agents moved quickly away from the chopper, ducking low as they moved under the blades despite the fact that the blades were well above their heads.
They crouched down in the snow as they watched the helicopter lift up off of the ground and fly away back out over the ocean to the waiting ship. When it was well away, they began to break out their ski gear. Everyone except Rolf knew how to ski. Rolf brought along a sled on which Alexi had agreed to pull him.
After snapping their skis on, Tom and Brygida stared at the map, orientating it with the topography, and quickly determined the direction they needed to travel. Once the direction was agreed upon, they set out. They skied across the open terrain, taking their time, not wanting to be completely exhausted when they eventually reached the Nazi base. The slow speed frustrated Alena, of course, who always yearned to move faster.
After a couple of hours they reached a ridge line and Tom halted them. They crept up to the peak and laid down flat on their bellies in the snow. “If Kammler was on the level, that should be the base down there,” Tom said as he pulled out his binoculars and pressed his eyes to the lenses. “I don’t see anyone, but I refuse to believe it’s unguarded.”
“It’s not,” Dawn replied and Tom turned to her to see she was squeezing her eyes tight. “There is a white camouflaged bunker about twenty feet from the green grass at the edge of the snow.”
Tom stared through the binoculars for a few moments, before finally spotting it. “Yeah, I see it,” he said. “How many people are in there?” he asked.
“Two,” Dawn replied.
“Show me,” Alena said as she shifted closer to Tom. Tom handed her the binoculars and then pointed to the bunker. “You see where the grass and sand meet the coast and there are only scattered patches of snow?”
“Yes,” she replied.
“Okay come inland about twenty feet,” he said.
“Oh, there it is,” Alena said and handed the binoculars back to Tom. She then turned to Dawn, “Impressive, Psion,” she said with a wink. “I’ll take care of the two guards. Be right back.”
Alena was gone in the blink of an eye and everyone watched as her blur whizzed into the guards’ bunker. Seconds later she was back outside and signaling them to come down. The others moved quickly, skiing to the bottom of the hill where they joined Alena.
“The hatch is over here,” Alena said as she led them to a metal hatch in the middle of a patch of white snow.
“Is this the only entrance?” Axel asked Tom.
“No, I imagine most people come in and out by U-boat,” he said.
“Well let’s go,” Brygida said.
Tom squatted down beside it and tried to turn the wheel, but it would not budge. “It must be secured on the inside,” Tom said. He then turned to Rolf. “Come give it a try big guy.”
Rolf smiled as he stepped beside Tom, reached down and turned the hatch. They heard a ripping of metal before Rolf yanked the hatch open.
“Good job,” Tom said. Rolf grinned. He turned to Brygida.
“Well done, Rolf,” she said proudly, but his smile disappeared and he turned quickly away from her.
Brygida’s smile faded into sadness, but she pushed it out of her mind and got back to business very quickly. “I’ll go in first,” she said.
“Alright,” Tom nodded.
Brygida squatted down beside the hatch and stuck her head inside. Seeing no one below she dropped down inside, not bothering with the ladder. Her rifle was up and raised to her shoulder as soon as her boots hit the concrete floor below. She glanced back up at the others and waved for them to climb down before she moved out of the way. Brygida kept her rifle aimed down the long hallway in case any Nazis wandered up there.
One by one the others climbed down the ladder into the base. “It’s warm,” Dawn remarked.
“Yes, they clearly have a good heating system. Better leave our winter clothing up here,” Brygida suggested and they all stripped down to their uniforms underneath. Team Blitzkrieg wore their blue suits with a lightning bolt over the chest. Hammer and Sickle wore their red with a yellow emblem of the Soviet Union upon their chest. Brygida simply wore a short brown leather jacket over an army-green tank top and military fatigue pants. Tom and Brygida each carried rifles, pistols, grenades, and explosives. Alena had her swords. Alexi gripped his hammer and Rolf held his shield. Axel and Dawn were unarmed as their special abilities were greater than any weapon they could carry.
“Everyone ready?” Tom asked as he lifted his M16 automatic rifle to his shoulder. Everybody nodded. “Well, let’s go kill some Nazis.”
Chapter 16
Brygida led the way along the concrete corridor with her rifle raised. Tom brought up the rear. The long corridor ended at another hatch in the floor. This one was already open, however, and Brygida stuck her head through the opening to make sure there was no one down there before dropping through. This time she saw a guard.
The Nazi wore a gray SS uniform and German military helmet, complete with a painted eagle gripping a swastika in its talons. The guard stood leaning casually against the wall facing the ladder that descended from the hatch. Fortunately, he wasn’t paying attention, but was instead reading a magazine. Apparently twenty years of no action had caused the troops to let their guard down a bit. Brygida smiled, knowing she and the others could use that to their advantage.
Brygida turned to the others and held a finger to her lips signaling for them to be quiet. She then handed her AK-47 to Axel, pulled a knife from its sheath on the back of her belt and turned back around dropping down through the hatch. The guard dropped the magazine down when he heard Brygida’s boots hit the concrete floor. His eyes went wide as he straightened from the wall and opened his mouth to shout.
Before any sound managed to escape his lips, Brygida’s arm shot forward thrusting her knife into his throat. Then the only sound that he could make was gurgling. She took hold of the Nazi and lowered him to the ground. She then reached up toward the hatch and Axel lowered her rifle to her, buttstock first. The others climbed down the ladder to join her as Brygida began moving forward again, gun raised.
They each filed past the dead guard as they made their way along the long corridor moving quickly, but carefully. As they did so, Brygida noticed there was an opening up ahead. It was very large like a balcony of some sort. When they reached it Brygida’s mouth fell open.
“What in the hell?” Axel asked as he stepped up beside his mother. The others joined them and peered out, all of them shocked at what they saw.
The base was enormous. Much larger than any of them had anticipated. They stood on the top level which was five stories up and below them was the U-boat bay. Four U-boats were docked there, floating in the water beneath the Antarctic ice. Above the U-boats, a little higher than where Brygida and the others stood were planes, jet fighters and helicopters on retractable platforms that apparently could be moved up to the surface to launch. The floors, like the one they stood one, surrounded the docking bay.
“This is like a small city,” Alena said.
“I apologize if I didn’t take this seriously enough at first,” Tom said to Brygida.
“Don’t,” Brygida replied. “I had no idea the magnitude of this place.”
“How could they have accomplished this?” Dawn asked.
“Slave labor, I would imagine,” Brygida replied. “Worked to death.”
Voices talking
below made them all realize they were out in the open. “Back up,” Tom whispered and they moved back into the corridor and out of sight.
“Well, the scale of the base complicates things,” Axel said.
“Yeah, it certainly will be harder to locate the z-bomb in this mess,” Tom remarked, referring to the zero-point energy bomb.
“More importantly, how do we destroy a base this big?” Brygida asked. “We know we can’t detonate the z-bomb.”
“Well, I probably won’t be much help with the second point, but I might be able to help with locating the thing,” Dawn said. She sat down on her butt crossing her legs and closing her eyes as she began to use her mind’s eye to scan the base for the z-bomb.
“There must be an entire division here,” Alena remarked as Dawn “searched” for the bomb. “We have to be very careful not to be noticed going for this bomb. If we can even find it.”
“Got it,” Dawn said as she opened her eyes and turned to Alena. “Have faith, sister,” she said causing Alena to smile.
“Where is it?” Brygida asked.
“Down below,” Dawn replied. “Way down below. There is an elevator, a big one, that can carry munitions up and down. It goes all the way down. They have a lot of bombs there, not just the z-bomb.”
“How can you tell that they are not all z-bombs?” Axel asked.
“I can’t really, but there is one bomb that is secured within a vault buried deep into the ground. I’m guessing that is the z-bomb.”
“Makes sense,” Tom said. “Good job kiddo.”
Dawn smiled proudly at the praise. “So, what’s the plan?” she asked.
Everyone turned to Brygida. “Well, I guess the most important thing is to get the bomb out of here. I assume it’s big,” she said as she glanced at Dawn.
“Yes, ma’am, it’s big,” Dawn said.
“How big?” Tom asked.
Dawn shrugged as she attempted to think of a comparison. “About the size of a refrigerator I’d guess,” she said.
“That’s not too bad,” Tom replied.
Flight of the Valkyrie Page 12
