The Black Templar

by Alex Lukeman

  Harold gaped at her.

  Stephanie, is someone pointing a gun at you?

  Freddie's voice came from Stephanie's laptop, open on the kitchen counter.

  Harold flinched and looked around, wild eyed.

  "Who the hell is that?"

  I am Freddie. Who are you?

  "Freddie is a computer," Steph said. "He's over at Langley. We talk like this all the time."

  "I'm not talking to a computer."

  You are being impolite. You are called Harold Buttonwood.

  "How do you know that?"

  Your picture is in my database. You work at Langley.

  Harold waved the pistol. "Turn it off."

  "Freddie, I'm going to end the conversation. You can talk with Elizabeth instead of me."

  Very well, Stephanie.

  Stephanie reached over and pretended to turn off the laptop. She was certain Freddie was now telling Elizabeth that someone had a gun pointed at her.

  I've got to keep him talking, Steph thought. Selena will figure it out.

  In the hall, Selena risked a quick look around the corner. The man with the gun was looking at Stephanie, who stood next to the counter holding Katrina. Katrina was staring in confusion at the stranger, her face trembling. Matthew was hiding behind her.

  A second later, Selena was across the hall and into the living room. She got her pistol from her purse and cocked the hammer. She held the Sig in both hands, moved back to the edge of the hall, and glanced around the corner.

  The hall ran straight back from where she stood, past the dining room and into the kitchen. The granite counter where Stephanie stood was on the left. It ran along one wall under a row of cabinets made from dark red cherry. Then came a stove and the kitchen sink, then the counter became an L. Two barstools were on the far side of the L. Beyond was a breakfast nook with a table, four chairs, and an antique China cabinet.

  Stephanie was partially turned toward the counter, trying to shield Katrina and Matthew from the gun.

  Katrina began crying, her cries quickly becoming a wail.

  Looking at Buttonwood, Selena knew she'd have to kill him. She'd seen enough to know she was looking at someone who'd lost it. The hand holding the big revolver trembled. As she watched, he brought his other hand up to steady the gun and pointed it at Stephanie's head. The Magnum was cocked and ready to go.

  A .44 Magnum fired a fearsome round. If he pulled the trigger, Stephanie would die. Probably Katrina as well.

  My baby girl.

  Sudden fear gripped her, a cold hand wrapped around her heart.

  "How about that coffee?" Steph said.

  "I'm going to shoot you in the face," Harold said. "When that black bastard gets home, he won't recognize you. He'll never forget me and he'll never get over it. The son of a bitch will always wish he'd treated me better."

  Selena stepped out into the hall.

  "Hey!" she shouted.

  Harold swung his pistol toward her. His eyes were glassy, shot with red. Selena fired. The roar of the .44 drowned out the sound of her pistol. The round slammed into her and knocked her down. The gun slipped from her fingers.

  Her bullet struck Harold just below the left eye. It blew out the back of his head and smashed into the China cabinet, shattering glass and dishes. His body toppled forward. The revolver skittered away across the floor.

  "Selena!" Steph yelled.

  Katrina screamed in fear. Jason's wail joined in from the other room. Stephanie ran to where Selena lay on the floor. The bullet had ripped a hole in her abdomen. Blood spread across her blouse and pooled under her body.

  Stephanie set Katrina down on the floor and knelt by Selena.

  "Oh, Jesus, please."

  So much blood.

  "Freddie, call 911! Send an ambulance!"

  Selena's breathing was ragged, harsh. Her eyes were closed. There was blood everywhere. Stephanie ripped off her blouse and pressed it against the wound.

  "Selena. Hang in there. Don't you dare go, you hear me? Stay here. Answer me. Come on, wake up. Wake up, Selena."

  Selena opened her eyes.

  "Steph..."

  "Stay awake. Don't go."

  "Get...him?"

  "You got him. We're safe."

  " ...'trina?"

  "She's safe."

  "Tell..."

  Selena's eyes closed. Tears streamed down Stephanie's face.

  "Selena. Open your eyes. Stay with me."

  Selena sighed.

  Then she stopped breathing.

  CHAPTER 55

  Selena had been in surgery for more than nine hours. It was a long time to spend on an operating table. Now she was behind the closed doors of the intensive care unit, fighting for her life. The bullet from Harold's revolver had done a lot of damage.

  The surgeon had taken Nick aside right after the operation. His name was Abrams. He hadn't pulled any punches.

  "The bullet entered from the front on her right side and fragmented before it exited. What was she shot with?"

  "A .44 Magnum. The guy was using hollow points."

  "That explains the damage. The round tore through the transverse colon and the right kidney, then exited out her back. Fragments tore into the liver, the gallbladder and the duodenum. There was quite a lot of soft tissue damage at exit. We had to remove the kidney and gallbladder. I had to take a piece out of the colon, but it should be all right. I patched up the rest. There's a serious risk of infection. It's going to be some time before she's out of danger."

  Nick listened, every word a knife in his heart.

  "What else, doctor?"

  The doctor paused, uncomfortable. Nick wanted to scream, but he held himself together.

  "What else?"

  "One of the fragments nicked the renal artery. There was heavy internal bleeding and she lost a great deal of blood. She was legally dead for several minutes. The woman who was with her ..."

  "Stephanie."

  "Yes. The woman who was with your wife knew enough to keep CPR going until the paramedics got there. I'm hopeful, but there may be brain damage. We won't know until she regains consciousness. Right now she's in an induced coma. I want to give her body time to try and heal."

  Nick said, "What are the odds?"

  The doctor looked at him. "I don't give odds. Is she a fighter?"

  "You have no idea. Yes, she is."

  "Then she has a chance."

  "A chance?"

  "I wish I could give you better news. She's strong and she's fit. Are you a religious man?"

  "I haven't been, no."

  "There's a chapel on the first floor. You might want to spend a little time there. I've seen some amazing results from prayer."

  Doctor Abrams, please report to radiology. Doctor Abrams to radiology.

  "I'm needed," Abrams said.

  "Thank you, doctor."

  "I'll make sure you're kept in the loop," Abrams said. "Now, please excuse me."

  Nick watched the doctor walk away.

  God, please don't let her die.

  He headed for the chapel.

  CHAPTER 56

  The waiting area outside the closed doors of the ICU featured walls painted institutional yellow, some uninspired floral prints, a notice about wearing a face mask if you had a cold, and a dozen blue plastic chairs. It was after midnight.

  Everyone was there. No one was talking. Nick sat hunched forward in his chair, his hands clasped in front of him. Ronnie sat next to him.

  Lamont got up from one of the uncomfortable chairs and began pacing back and forth.

  "Why was this guy there in the first place?" he said.

  Elizabeth sat next to Stephanie. Stephanie's clothes were stained with Selena's blood.

  "It's my fault," Steph said. "He was after me. He wanted to kill me because he was angry at Lucas. He said Lucas would never forget who he was and that he'd always wish..."

  She stopped and choked back a sob. Elizabeth put her arms around her.

  "Sh
hh, Steph, it's okay. It's not your fault."

  "I know, I know. But I can't help thinking it is."

  Nick stood and came over to her. He rested his hand on her shoulder.

  "Steph, listen to me. It's not your fault. You saved Selena's life. If you hadn't done what you did, she'd be gone now. You're not responsible for what happened and not Lucas either."

  "The man was a traitor," Elizabeth said. "He'd been selling secrets to the Russians. He knew he'd been found out, and he had some sort of grudge against Lucas. He couldn't get to him at Langley, so he decided to take it out on you."

  Stephanie dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and looked up at Nick.

  "She was really something, you know? He was going to kill me, I could see it in his eyes. He didn't know Selena was there. She yelled to draw his fire. It made him turn the gun away from me. She saved my life. He fired at the same time she did."

  Nick squeezed her shoulder.

  "Anyway, thanks. I owe you one, Steph."

  A nurse came through the doors of the ICU.

  "Is one of you Mister Carter?"

  Nick's heart began pounding.

  Something's wrong.

  "Doctor Abrams says you can sit with her for a little while if you want. She's still in a coma, but you can talk to her. It will help."

  "We'll be here," Ronnie said.

  Nick followed the nurse through the doors and down a wide, tiled hallway to the ICU. It wasn't the first time Nick had made a journey like this. He wasn't surprised by the way the unit had been designed.

  By definition, anyone who found themselves in an ICU was in trouble. They needed to be watched, twenty-four hours a day. Each patient was in a separate cubicle with a glass wall facing out to a central nurse's station, where the nurse on duty could always see the people in her care. This particular unit had a dozen cubicles. All except one were occupied. Selena was in the fourth from the end.

  The nurse gave Nick a face mask.

  "You'll have to put this on. Doctor Abrams is concerned about infection. Her immune system is fighting right now."

  "No problem, I understand."

  "You're her husband?"

  "Yes."

  "Talk to her. It doesn't matter what you say. Just let her know you're there. She won't respond, but it will help."

  "Thank you."

  "There's a chair by the bed."

  Nick put on the mask. The nurse opened the door to the unit and Nick went inside.

  The room was dimly lit. Selena lay on her back, her upper body slightly raised, her skin whiter than the hospital sheets. A dozen colored lines moved across a monitor attached to a machine by her bed. She was breathing through a mouthpiece attached to a corrugated white tube extending from a ventilator. The machine made a quiet shushing noise as she breathed.

  Sshhhshh. Sshhhshh.

  Two IV bags hung by the bed, feeding something into her veins.

  Oh, Jesus.

  Nick sat down by the bed. Her arms were outside the covers. He took her hand in his.

  "Hey, babe," he said. "I know you needed a break from the kids, but this is a little much. They're with the nanny and they're fine. Jason ate his carrots, would you believe it?"

  Sshhhshh. Sshhhshh.

  There was no response. Nick wiped tears away and swallowed a lump in his throat.

  He sat with her, saying whatever came into his mind. He told her how everyone was waiting for her to wake up. He told her how much he loved her. He said that everyone was rooting for her. He talked about the twins. He talked about taking a long vacation in Italy. When he ran out of things to say, he recited the poem Lewis Carroll had written about the Jabberwock. He'd learned it years before. Somehow it had never slipped away.

  All the time he talked, he never let go of her hand. Just before the nurse came in to tell him it was time to leave, he felt her fingers grasp his.

  That was when he knew she'd be all right.

  NOTES

  The betrayal and persecution of the Knights Templar by King Philip IV of France is one of those events in history which proves it is never wise to trust a king. At the height of their power, the Templars were a force to be reckoned with in medieval Europe. They were more powerful than kings, and richer. After they lost Jerusalem and were driven from the Middle east, their power had waned, but they still possessed enormous wealth.

  Philip had borrowed heavily from the order but had no way to pay them back. He wanted out of his debt. He also wanted their lands, some of the richest and most fertile in France. He began a campaign to discredit the Templars, accusing them of kissing the ass of a statue representing the demon Baphomet, holding homosexual orgies, and spitting on the cross. The statue described in the story is based on historical drawings and conceptions of how Baphomet was supposed to look.

  The Templars believed they had the protection of the Catholic Church, but Philip persuaded a weak Pope Clement V to withdraw his protection. In October of 1307, on Friday the 13th, Philip launched a coordinated attack against the Order and arrested everyone he could find. The Templars were scattered, imprisoned, and executed. It was the end of the Order of the Poor Knights.

  Their treasure vanished shortly before the persecution began and has been sought for centuries. It has never been found. A fleet of Templar ships did leave La Rochelle about the same time as the betrayal, supposedly headed for Vrana. They were never seen again.

  The Templar fortress at Tomar in Portugal is real, as is the church and bell tower where Nick and Selena find the clue that leads them to Croatia. As far as I know, there is no map of Outremer or the Mediterranean in the bell tower. The ruins of Templar strongholds and outposts are scattered throughout the Middle East. There are also many Roman ones, including places where Mithras was worshiped by the soldiers of the Roman legions.

  Many Templars lived in Croatia. The ruins of the fortress at Vrana are an important tourist attraction. To the best of my knowledge there is no Templar ruin on the island of Brac.

  The Russians have at least seven Lada class submarines, including the one in the story. They are quiet, sophisticated, and lethal. I wouldn't be surprised if one was patrolling in the area of the Adriatic and the Mediterranean.

  As far as I know, the translation devices created by DARPA in the story do not exist, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. There is a commercial device you can buy today which is similar. You can get it on the Internet. It doesn't fit in your ear, but it translates spoken languages in real time. Very handy for that trip abroad.

  The Ghost stealth vessel described in the story is real. I believe there are currently ten in service, although I may be mistaken. They are as described, sophisticated vessels perfect for inserting a small unit into enemy territory. The U.S. Navy is an awesome force. The Ghost is a good example of how the Navy keeps up with technology.

  The Super Hadron Collider exists. If you think the idea of opening a gateway or portal into an alternate dimension is total fantasy, think again. Experiments are currently underway to do exactly that. Modern physics is a very strange thing. Depending on which theory you prefer, there are at least ten dimensions, possibly as many as twenty-six. I leave it to you to decide for yourself whether or not there could be something we might not like living in one of those, waiting for a chance to come across.

  The eleventh century in the Arab world was a time of great discovery and expansion of human thought. If Leonardo da Vinci could build models of submarines and airplanes a few centuries later, why couldn't an Arab scientist have discovered something in the natural world similar to what is only now being explored?

  The Templar riches are waiting somewhere. Perhaps one day the treasure will be found.

  I hope you've enjoyed the story. Thanks for sticking with me all the way.

  Alex Lukeman

  January, 2019

  Acknowledgements

  It's impossible to give credit to all the anonymous people who have filled the Internet with fascinating information. I often consult the Int
ernet for information or for details and pictures of places I have not personally experienced. Hats off to Wikipedia. Thanks to all of you.

  Neil Jackson for another great cover.

  My wife Gayle, for her ongoing support and for putting up with my erratic moods.

  You, the reader. You are why I do this. Thank you.

  *****

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  About the Author

  Alex Lukeman writes action/adventure thrillers featuring the PROJECT, a covert intelligence unit reporting only to the President. He is the author of the award-winning books The Tesla Secret and High Alert. He likes riding old, fast motorcycles and playing guitar, usually not at the same time. You can email him at alex@alexlukeman.com. He loves hearing from readers and promises he will get back to you.

  Did you love The Black Templar? Then you should read Phoenix by Alex Lukeman!

  The president of the U.S. orders Director Elizabeth Harker of the Project to investigate the collision at sea of a U.S. Navy missile destroyer with a Chinese freighter. It may have been sabotage, and the president wants her to get to the bottom of it. But the assignment is not what it seems. Harker has an enemy in the White House who wants her to fail. The Project's continued existence is on the line.

  In the cold reaches of the far north, a hidden supercomputer with malicious artificial intelligence is being used by a secret organization to drive the world to war. Disruptive attacks across the world begin to create deep suspicions between China, Russia, and America. Preparations for war escalate. As the war drums begin to beat, the Project team discovers a digital trail that could lead to whoever is trying to touch off a nuclear confrontation.