“Tom!” Axel shouted.
“It’s just my leg, I’m alright!” Tom said as Axel helped him up.
“Let’s go,” Axel said as he assisted his friend to flee while Rolf covered their retreat with his body and shield.
They reached the first ladder to ascend to the next floor and Axel noticed Alexi was already up on the floor above them with the z-bomb. Dawn was waiting for them at the bottom of the ladder. She gasped when she saw an injured Tom limping along with Axel’s assistance, his rifle slung over his shoulder. She rushed to help, tucking her shoulder beneath Tom’s other arm. She and Axel practically carried Tom the rest of the way to the ladder.
“Hammer!” Axel cried and the big man popped his head out. “Grab Canary and pull him up. He’s injured,” Axel said. Alexi nodded and Axel and Dawn lifted Tom up to Alexi’s reach. The giant grabbed Tom with one hand and pulled him up through the hatch laying him gently to the side against the wall.
Axel turned to see Rolf standing tall and covering their escape. He smiled proudly at his brother’s bravery. Axel glanced past Rolf to see more and more Nazis arriving. “Hurry!” he said to Dawn. Then Axel noticed a soldier drop to one knee. On his shoulder was a panzerschrek anti-tank rocket launcher.
“No!” Axel shouted as he prepared to fling a bolt of lightning at the soldier. But it was too late. The Nazi fired. Axel grabbed Dawn and threw her to the floor, covering her with his own body as the rocket slammed into Rolf’s shield and exploded.
***
The yelping and howling was almost unbearable as Brygida stared in shock at rows and rows of what appeared to be prison cells, each containing strange creatures. Her mind flashed back to her childhood, when she heard terrifying tales of vampires, witches, and…
“Werewolves,” Brygida said in frightened astonishment. She turned to stare at Volker. “These are werewolves.”
Volker chuckled. “Well, I suppose you could say that,” he replied. “They are wolfmen, but it has nothing to do with a full moon I assure you.”
Brygida turned back to the prisons and watched the large hairy beasts, most standing tall on two legs as a chill ran up her spine. The wolves’ fur was of various colors, some brown, some black, others gray or white. Brygida felt her breathing intensify as a primal fear ripped through her as the creatures growled and bared their teeth.
“But how?” she asked still trying to wrap her head around the idea of real live werewolves.
“Through hybridization, my dear,” Volker said. “We tried many different animals. Cat people were especially ferocious fighters, but difficult to control. Wolves on the other hand are pack animals. They follow and obey a leader.”
“They are all trained?” Brygida asked in amazement.
Volker laughed. “Hardly. Some of them are, but it takes time to train a thousand wolves. Most are not. But if you can train the leader of the pack…” He let the words trail off before turning to one of the guards. “Fetch Valko,” he smiled fiendishly. The guard rushed away and Brygida watched him as he descended the stairs to the ground floor where he stepped up to a large bank of switches that Brygida realized controlled the cell doors. The guard selected the switch he wanted and pressed the large red button and there was a buzz as a cell door swung open. Brygida saw a gray furred wolfman step out of the cell.
Dr. Volker smiled as he reached beneath his shirt and pulled out a chain that was attached around his neck. At the end of the chain was a whistle. Volker held the whistle to his lips and blew. The wolfman dropped down to all fours and ran up the steps to the catwalk upon which Brygida and the others stood. It trotted along until it came to stand in front of them, rising up once again to two legs.
“Sit, Valko,” Volker commanded and the wolfman lowered himself down like an obedient dog. Volker glanced at Brygida. “Clearly Valko is trained. He is our best wolf.” He then turned back to the wolfman. “Valko, this is Brygida,” he said as he motioned to Brygida. “She is a Jew.”
The wolfman’s lips pulled back over its white fangs as it began to growl. Brygida instinctively took a step backwards, bumping into Freyja.
“He understood that?” Brygida asked, her voice quivering a bit.
“Yes,” Volker said proudly. “He is very intelligent. He cannot speak because his mouth and vocal cords do not allow for it, but he understands language perfectly well.” The doctor turned back to the growling wolf. “Easy, Valko,” he said. “Freyja has her. She cannot hurt us right now.” He turned to look at Brygida. “Of course, if she escapes, you should tear her face off,” he sneered.
Brygida swallowed hard. She hoped that the others had the bomb already, because Volker made Arnulf look sane. She shuddered to think what he intended to do with a weapon capable of such massive destruction.
Chapter 22
Tom was tying the bandage from his first aid kit around the gunshot hole in his leg. The bullet had gone clear through his calf muscle. Luckily, it had missed all of the bone, but it was still bleeding and hurt like hell. Alexi stood by the hatch ready to yank Dawn up through the hole when suddenly there was an explosion and the concussion from it knocked Alexi flat on his back.
“Are you alright?” Tom shouted at the big man as Tom pushed himself to his feet and hobbled over to where Alexi was laying.
“Yeah,” Alexi said as he turned over onto his front and began to push himself up.
Tom stepped around the giant Russian and peered down through the hatch. He saw three bodies. Axel was laying on top of Dawn. Rolf was nearby, his shield totally blown away and most of his armor shredded. Dawn was moving, trying to get out from under an unconscious or dead Axel. Tom was about to call out to her when he heard voices. Lots of voices. German voices. The Nazis were coming and there were a lot of them.
Tom turned back to Alexi who was on his feet now. “Help me,” he said and the big man moved to him and lifted him up with one arm. “We’ve got to hurry and get this bomb out of here, Lexi!”
Alexi grabbed the handle of the bomb case in the other hand and began to run down the corridor. They soon reached the next ladder. Alexi shoved the bomb crate up and through the hole above them and then picked up Tom and pushed him through as well. Tom shivered in the cold of the Antarctic wind before Alexi tossed his winter clothes up through the hatch. Alexi pulled his own enormous coat on.
As soon as Tom finished zipping his coat up he heard gunfire and peered back down through the hole in the ground. Alexi was being pelted with rifle bullets. “Come on!” Tom shouted and Alexi climbed the ladder quickly, squeezing though the open hatch. Tom heard the footsteps of the Nazis coming to pursue them. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a grenade. He thumbed the clip, pulled the pin, and then tossed the grenade through the hole and down the corridor. He heard a scream before the explosion.
“Come on big guy, we’ve got to get this bomb to the extraction point,” Tom said.
Alexi stared at him. “But what about the others?” Alexi asked. “We can’t leave them.”
Tom shook his head. “We’re not leaving them, Alexi,” he fibbed. “Remember what Brygida said? They would rendezvous with us where the helo dropped us off.”
Alexi nodded. “I remember,” he said with a relieved grin.
“Then let’s get moving,” Tom said. “We need to get this bomb as far from the Nazis as possible and I need to radio for an extraction, hopefully before this whole place blows.”
Tom sat down on the sled atop which Rolf had ridden and Alexi placed the z-bomb beside him. Alexi then pulled the sled up the hill, carrying his skis in his other hand. Tom glanced over his shoulder and prayed his friends were alright and would be able to escape. It tore him apart inside to abandon them, but there was absolutely nothing he and Alexi could do given the circumstances. Furthermore, it was imperative that they got the z-bomb away from the Nazis at all costs. Once they reached the top of the hill, Alexi strapped on his skis and picked up the rope. Alexi skied away toward the extraction point ten miles from their present
location.
***
Alena slipped through the base, staying in the shadows and doorways. A person of ordinary speed would certainly have been caught by now, but Alena could hurry about before heads turned. She was also quite good with her swords and when guards did spot her was able to take them out before an alarm could be sounded or even before a cry for help escaped their lips. It was a delicate balance to hurry and search the base to find Brygida while also staying hidden.
Doorways were the best hiding spots and she would move along the long corridors ducking from doorway to doorway to stairwell, trying to stay as concealed as possible. Alena was in one such doorway and about to dart out when she heard footsteps and voices coming from up ahead.
She peeked around the corner and saw a man in a white lab coat walk along a hall perpendicular to the one in which she hid. As he turned to say something over his shoulder she caught a good glimpse of his face. It was unmistakably Dr. Volker. She could not believe it, but here he was.
Then Alena saw the person Volker was speaking to. Brygida walked just a few steps behind the Nazi scientist, her hands were bound together behind her back. Alena’s mouth dropped open when she saw Freyja following just behind Brygida and to the left. Alena would recognize that evil witch anywhere.
With a flash Alena’s swords were in her hand. She was fast enough that she could chop off Freyja’s head before the Aryan even turned to see her. Alena would make quick work of the two guards that followed her as well. Perhaps she would capture Volker. The Centre would certainly be more willing to overlook the fact that she and Alexi had run off on this mission with American agents and without orders if they brought back a top Nazi scientist with them.
Alena was just about to dart out to attack and kill Freyja when she saw something else. Following behind the guards was a terrifying creature that could only be described as a werewolf. Alena stared at it, her eyes wide. Suddenly, the beast stopped and raised its black nose high as it sniffed the air. Its head began to turn to look at her and Alena slid back into the doorway just before it saw her.
She tried to slow her breathing as her heart raced. She felt confident that the thing hadn’t seen her, but it had definitely picked up her scent and Alena silently prayed that it would keep walking past. She heard a low growl and knew that had not happened. The beast was walking down the corridor toward her.
Alena turned to her right and opened the door she stood beside. She walked through a small room and then saw a door to the right. She rushed through that door and came face to face with a guard, his key inserted into the lock of another door.
The guard turned his head to face Alena, but before he could open his mouth she had slit his throat. She rushed to the door and swung it open. She stepped through and heard the metal echo of a cavernous room as her boots landed on a catwalk. She fumbled for the light switch and eventually found one on the side of the wall and flipped it on. The lights illuminated one by one.
Alena gasped when she saw hundreds of prison cells rising five stories high. The cells were filled with wolfmen.
Chapter 23
The ringing in his ears was maddening as Axel opened his eyes. The lights of the room blinded him for a moment and he blinked his eyes to clear them. He shook his head from side to side which helped a little with the ringing. As he sat up he discovered that his hands were secured behind his back with handcuffs.
“Are you alright?” Axel heard Dawn’s voice ask above the sound of the ringing and he turned to find her on her knees facing him the barrel of a rifle pressed against her head.
“Yeah,” he said before feeling the cold steel of a barrel against his own head. He glanced around the room to find Rolf sitting crossed legged on the floor, his armor gone, and chains wrapped around his chest while two guards aimed rifles at his head. “You okay Rolf?” Axel asked.
Rolf nodded. “I’m really sore,” he mumbled.
“Yeah I guess so,” Dawn laughed. The soldier behind her shouted something in German and she turned to look at him.
“He said to shut your mouth,” Axel translated. “I don’t think he likes you.” Axel began to laugh at that. Suddenly, the man behind him poked him hard with the rifle barrel in the side of the head and knocked him over. The soldier stood over Axel and raised his rifle butt to smash down on him but was stopped as the door opened.
“Easy,” the word came in German from a beautiful, tall, blond woman. The soldier lowered the rifle butt back down and aimed the rifle at Axel once again as he sat up.
“Let me guess,” Dawn said. “Freyja?” Axel nodded.
“Very good,” Freyja said in thickly accented English. “I was told you were psychic, but didn’t believe it until now.” She laughed at her own joke before turning to Axel. “Welcome back to the family, Axel,” she said. “I have not seen you since we were children.”
“Yeah, it’s been too long,” he said. “We should really get together sometime and reminisce about the good old days, but right now I have some place to be, so if you could just have your boys uncuff us we’ll be on our way.”
“You are really cute,” she said as she crossed the room to stand in front of Axel. She ran her fingers over his cheek. “I like you.”
“See I had you pegged for the ‘only screw my twin brother’ type,” Axel replied. Freyja’s smile turned angry. “Oh wait, did I kill him when I electrocuted him? That would be a shame, huh?” Freyja reared back and punched Axel in the jaw, knocking him down to the floor.
“You don’t know when to shut-up, do you?” Freyja asked.
“Nope,” Axel said through a moan and he tasted blood. Freyja bent down and yanked Axel up on his feet.
“Well lucky for you, Dr. Volker wants you alive and in one piece,” Freyja said.
“Dr. Volker?” Axel asked. “He’s still alive?”
“Yes,” Freyja smiled, “and he is eager to see you again.”
Freyja led Axel out of the room as guards brought both Dawn and Rolf, guns aimed nervously at Rolf. As they walked, Axel turned and glanced over his shoulder to speak to Dawn. “Do you have the time?” he asked.
Dawn glanced down at Axel’s wrist which he turned so that she might see the face of his watch. “1:30,” Dawn said indicating that there was only thirty minutes until the explosives went off.
“Do you have somewhere you need to be?” Freyja snickered.
“Yes,” Axel said. “I’m meeting my mother later,” he joked.
“Why wait?” Freyja asked. “You can see her now.”
Freyja pushed open a door and led Axel into a room where he saw Brygida on her knees her hands cuffed behind her. Her eyes met his and they were filled with sadness as she realized her sons had been captured as well.
Then Axel noticed Valko and he stopped in his tracks. “Come on,” Freyja ordered as she tugged him further into the room before pushing him down to his knees. Dawn was shoved down beside him and Rolf on the other side of her.
A door on the opposite side of the room opened and Axel watched Dr. Volker enter. He was no longer wearing the white lab coat, but instead wore a Nazi SS uniform. He held a riding crop in his right hand which he would gently slap against the leg of his trousers.
“Donar,” Volker said with a broad smile as he spoke in German. “So good to see you again and have you back in the fold. After all, we spent considerable time and money on you giving you your amazing powers. But you have gone and used them for the Americans instead.” Volker shook his head. “Tisk tisk. How could you have betrayed your people like that?” He then turned and looked at Brygida. “Must be the Jew in you. Everyone knows that Jews are untrustworthy.”
Volker then turned back to Axel. “I knew the Valkyrie could not be here alone. I must assume that the Americans sent you.” His face distorted into hot anger as he stepped forward. “How much does America know about this place?” he demanded.
Axel smiled broadly as he looked up at Volker. “Piss off,” he snapped.
Volker reared back an
d whipped Axel across the face with the riding crop. It stung, but Axel gritted his teeth together to prevent himself from crying out with the pain. He then turned his face back to Volker. “Is that the best you’ve got?” he asked.
Suddenly, the door behind Volker swung open and a uniformed Nazi soldier stepped into the room crossed to Volker and whispered something into his ear. Volker’s face turned a fiery red as he stared at Axel. He waved the soldier away and rushed over to Axel. Volker leaned down placing his nose just inches from Axel’s face. “Where is my bomb?” he sneered in English.
“Bomb?” Axel asked while feigning confusion. “What bomb?”
Volker reached out to grab Axel around the throat, but suddenly remembered the electricity and backed off. He had witnessed first hand what Axel could do and did not want it to happen to him. “You know what bomb,” Volker growled as he stepped away from Axel.
“It’s gone,” Axel said with a mischievous smile.
Volker stared at him for a long moment, the anger burning brightly in his eyes. Then the anger faded from his face and was replaced by an eerie grin. “I see that American bravado. Like John Wayne, yes? Well let us find out how tough you really are?” Volker turned and stepped over to Brygida.
“You have met your mother, no?” he asked as he placed the tip of the riding crop beneath Brygida’s chin and forced her face up toward him. “She is very beautiful, isn’t she?” he asked causing Freyja to shoot Brygida an angry, jealous look. Volker raised the riding crop above his head and then brought it down violently across Brygida’s cheek causing her to squeal in pain. Axel noticed blood dripping from the slash Volker had created across her cheek. Freyja smiled, delighting in the fact that Volker had marked Brygida’s face.
Flight of the Valkyrie Page 16
