The Scrolls of Velia

by John McWilliams

  “Look at what?”

  “Those.” I pointed at four plastic-wrapped AT4 rocket launchers by the back wall. “My father and a couple of his Special Forces buddies let me fire one of those off once. They’re rocket launchers.” I took out the blood-spattered facility guide and opened it to the grounds map. “You see that?” I said.

  “The lake?” Mary looked at me quizzically.

  “That’s how we’re getting out of here.”

  “How?”

  “With one of these.” I picked up one of the rocket launchers and started unwrapping it.

  “You plan to blow a hole in the side of the building?”

  “Yup. This is an anti-tank weapon,” I said. “And at the end of the hall, just to the left of the stairwell, that’s where we’ll blast the hole to get to the lake.”

  “You realize we’re on the third floor, right?”

  “All that means is that we’re standing on top of the second floor. So really, it’s only a two-story jump. Unless…” I thought a moment. “Unless there’s a ground floor, and the second floor is actually what they’re calling the first. They do that sometimes.”

  “Well at least it’s into water,” Mary said. “And I just happen to have a bathing suit on under this.”

  Mary put on a flak jacket, and I gave her an M16 and several clips. “That’s all set to fire. Just point and shoot.”

  “Got it.”

  For myself, I took two smoke grenades, a pistol, and an M16. But as I picked up the AT4 rocket launcher, I paused. “Hang on, I’m thinking too conservatively here.” I unwrapped and readied a second AT4.

  At the door to the hallway, I could hear activity from both ends of the hall. I was sure my grenade had taken out at least a few of the guys at one end of the hall, but the Ravens must have regrouped—and probably brought in reinforcements. This was a difficult situation for them, to say the least—two narrow and opposing approaches.

  I threw my smoke grenades in both directions, and as soon as their opaque barriers had formed, I stepped into the hall, aimed one of the AT4s—in the opposite direction of our planned escape—and fired.

  A massive explosion erupted over my shoulder as the projectile ripped through the smoke grenade’s purplish plume. At the end of the hall, a second, nearly instantaneous explosion rocked the floors and walls so violently I was knocked off my feet, dust and debris raining down on me.

  I ducked back into the anteroom and shook the dust out of my hair.

  “That thing’s nuts,” Mary said, looking at the destruction. “You must have hit a gas line or something.” All we could see down the hall was smoke and flame.

  “Well, that was certainly different than firing that thing in a field.” I picked up my rifle and fired several rounds into the purplish smoke toward the lake side of the building. No return fire. “They must have fled. Come on.”

  I threw the fresh rocket launcher over my shoulder and we started down the hall. A second alarm, something like an air raid siren, was now going off.

  “I think they’re abandoning ship,” Mary hollered.

  “That’s what we’re about to do.” I fired a few more rounds down the hall just to be safe.

  We passed through the smoke and got as close to the target wall as we dared. I set up the rocket launcher, made certain that Mary had taken cover in one of the offices, and fired.

  The explosion was massive. Thick gray smoke emanated from the wall.

  We advanced, rifles at the ready. Stepping over rubble and climbing up on a pile of bricks, we looked out through the hole in the wall. The night air was cool and refreshing. Pieces of concrete fell to the grass far below.

  Grass. There was no lake below us. It was a good twenty feet to the left.

  “That sucks,” Mary said.

  We stepped back inside. I got out the facility guide and flipped to the grounds map. “Their drawing’s wrong.”

  “I guess we could just go out the window,” Mary said.

  “What window?”

  “That one.” She pointed at an exterior window another thirty feet down the hallway.

  “If I had known that was there…”

  We rushed over to the window and looked out. The lake was directly below.

  “All right,” I said. “Better get back.”

  I fired my M16 at the window, then used its stock to break the shattered glass.

  We discarded our weapons and footwear and climbed up onto the windowsill. I glanced back at my boots. Sorry, guys.

  “You think I should take off this gown before I jump?” Mary asked.

  “You may want it when we get out.” I tried to make out the surface of the lake. “You think that water’s deep enough?”

  “I don’t know. It looks pretty spooky down there.”

  “I guess I should probably go first,” I said, as smoke seeped out of the window around us.

  “Why should you go first?”

  “To make sure it’s safe.”

  “And what am I supposed to do if you don’t make it? Not jump?” She looked behind us. The flames were moving down the hall toward us.

  “I just thought if you were scared, it might help to see me go first—”

  She frowned and stepped off the ledge.

  I watched her disappear into the blackness below, then get swallowed up by the water. When she surfaced, and I was certain I wasn’t going to land on her, I jumped.

  “It’s nice!” Mary said just as I hit.

  I touched the sandy bottom of the lake and swam to the surface. “It’s nice?” I exclaimed, letting out a laugh.

  “Well, it is.”

  Shaking the water out of my eyes, I looked up at the Raven Entelechy World Security Headquarters. Fire and smoke were belching out of every window on the third and fourth floors, and sirens and red flashing lights filled the night sky.

  Mary looked at me across the flames reflected in the black surface of the lake. She scooped up a handful of water and let it pour out. “I kind of miss Adella,” she said. “We should probably go get her.”

  We started swimming.

  • • •

  Mary and I stepped out of the water at the far end of the lake.

  “What happened to your gown?” I asked, admiring her white bikini.

  “It was like swimming in a parachute.” She looked over her shoulder at me. “A gentleman would probably offer me his shirt.”

  I unbuttoned my shirt and handed it to her. Then I took out my cell phone and let the water run out of it. Mary looked at it, then up at me. She shrugged. I put the phone away.

  We walked barefoot along an unlit service road, making our way by the lights of the main highway to our left and the flames of Raven Entelechy behind us. After about a quarter of a mile, headlights appeared in front of us. The car stopped about a hundred feet away.

  “I think that’s Antonio,” Mary said.

  It did sound like Antonio’s noisy, vintage Fiat.

  “What are they doing?” I said as we continued toward them.

  The car’s doors opened, and Antonio and Gabriel got out. They stepped into the headlights.

  I tried to imagine how strange this must have looked to them: Mary and I half-naked—her, to all outward appearances, wearing nothing but my button-down shirt—while behind us, Raven Entelechy’s headquarters burned, flames reaching high into the evening sky.

  “Prova inconfutabile o conclusiva,” Antonio exclaimed.

  “Absolute proof!” Gabriel cheered.

  They hugged each other and chanted something about the arrival of the Descendants.

  Mary and I walked around them and got into the car.

  Chapter 14

  “So, how do we get inside the Velia site?” Mary asked as we drove south along the coast toward Paestum.

  Mary and I were in the back seat, and Antonio and Gabriel in the front, Antonio driving.

  “I don’t know.” I blew out a puff of air and sank deeper into my seat.

  “They have
perimeter fences, watch towers, and an army of men,” Mary said.

  “And you just know Adella’s being held inside that ultra-secure building,” I added.

  “The Apollonians have a lot of weapons,” Gabriel said, looking over the seat. “We have all the tactical gear and all the weapons you could imagine.”

  “Do you have a tank?” I asked.

  “Well… no.” Gabriel bit his lip and faced forward.

  For the next several miles, no one said a word. Everyone seemed lost in thought.

  “You can really see the stars tonight.” I stared out my window.

  Mary turned and looked at me. She looked out the rear window. She then crawled across me and looked out my window. Her hair was damp, her body warm.

  “That’s it!” she said. She returned to her seat.

  “What’s it?” I asked.

  “It’s a new moon. I nearly forgot.” She smiled. “Don’t you get it? There’s no moon tonight.”

  “It is a beautiful evening,” Antonio commented from the front.

  I looked at Mary quizzically.

  “That’s how we get into the Raven’s Nest.” She made a scooping motion with her hand as if trying to draw me closer to her idea. “We jump. It’s a perfect night for a jump.”

  “You mean, as in skydiving?” Gabriel peered back.

  “Exactly.”

  “Gabriel,” I said, “is there any way you can make that happen? We’d need a plane, a pilot, and equipment.”

  “Tonight? Over Velia?” Gabriel thought a moment. “How many jumpers?”

  “Just me,” I said.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Mary glared at me. “What do you mean, just you?”

  “I just think we’d have a better chance of success if only one person goes.”

  “Oh—no way. First, it was my idea. Second—” She hit me. “You think you’re jumping at night over ancient ruins to save Adella without me? You know what, I’m actually a little offended you don’t want me to go.” She folded her arms and pouted.

  “Mary, it’s not a date.”

  “One person probably would have a better chance,” Gabriel said softly.

  “Oh, what do you know?” Mary snapped. “What if he breaks an ankle on landing?”

  “That’s a good point,” Antonio said.

  “Then I’ll go with him,” Gabriel replied.

  “Oh no you won’t!” Antonio steered us onto the shoulder.

  “It’s my duty.”

  “To die?”

  “If I must.”

  “Let me ask you this,” Antonio said. “Do you really think Henry could break an ankle?”

  “Anything could happen. And I must do what I must as an Apollonian.”

  “You mean like the way you almost got yourself killed this morning,” Antonio said, “running into the street against those Ravens?”

  “But I had the gun.”

  “He did kind of save the day,” I said.

  “Okay, okay—hold on,” Mary said. “Stop. Listen. Gabriel, let’s just say, for argument’s sake, all three of us are going. Just for argument’s sake. We don’t need a large plane. We just need a plane, a pilot, and jump gear.”

  “And dark nylon,” I added. “Navy blue or black.”

  “Gear’s not a problem,” Gabriel said. “We have pretty much everything.”

  “Good,” I said, “because we need chutes with great glide performance. This’ll be a high-altitude, high-opening jump, followed by a really precise landing.”

  “How precise a landing?” Gabriel asked.

  “The way I see it, the only place we stand a chance of landing and not being overwhelmed by Raven guards is on the roof of that building. If I remember correctly, there’re four guards up there. That’s a lot better than dealing with the forty on the ground.” I looked at Gabriel. “Have you done many precision landings?”

  “I have,” Mary said.

  “I know you have.” I looked back at Gabriel.

  “Onto a roof? At night? No,” he said.

  “How about onto an ‘X’ in a field?” I asked.

  “Sure. I usually get pretty close.”

  “What about a plane and a pilot?” Mary asked.

  Gabriel gave this some thought.

  “We could call Gene Cassano,” Antonio suggested.

  “Yes! That’s even better than a plane.” Gabriel faced us over the seatback. “Gene Cassano’s an Apollonian and fellow skydiver. He also owns an Agusta 109 helicopter. It can carry as many as six skydivers.”

  “Perfect,” I said.

  • • •

  An hour later, we pulled into Isabella’s driveway.

  Isabella, arm in a sling, greeted us as we exited the car. She told us that her wound had required only ten stitches and that the destruction of the Raven Entelechy building was all over the news. “They’re claiming it was a gas line explosion,” she explained.

  “I told you you hit a gas line,” Mary said to me.

  “According to Pierre Durant’s protégé,” I informed Isabella, “the Ravens are holding Adella at the Velia site, and they have no intention of letting her go.”

  “But we have an awesome plan,” Mary added.

  “Good, good,” Isabella said. “But before we get into that—Henry, you have visitors.” She was looking over my shoulder.

  I turned. Across the street, in front of the hardware store, was a silver Land Rover. Oh, great. A bulletproof Land Rover with diplomatic plates. I wonder who that could be.

  “Hey, look, it’s your dad.” Mary pointed up at Isabella’s porch.

  “Henry, my boy!” My father raised a bottle of Birra Moretti. “You didn’t burn down Rome, but you damn near burned down Naples.”

  “He didn’t do it alone,” Mary said.

  “Mary helped,” I told him.

  “Well, I’m glad you two have found some common interests.” He laughed.

  His bodyguards, Adam Shaw and Jason Miller, joined him at the railing. They, too, had beers in their hands. My father would have insisted.

  I had to admit I was feeling ambivalent. On the one hand, I was irritated that my father had gone this far out of his way to stick his nose into my business—but on the other, we really could use his help. And for better or worse, the big man was now on the scene.

  “Your lovely dominatrix down there,” my father said, “has given us a pretty good overview of the situation.”

  “She’s a high priestess,” I corrected him.

  “Oh, Isabella knows I’m just teasing. But my apologies all the same.” He leaned over the rail. “Henry, where’s that lovely Adella creature?”

  “The Ravens have her,” Mary said.

  “I see.” My father rubbed his chin. “Well, come on up. Let’s discuss it.”

  “How’d you know where to find me?” I asked as I started up the stairs.

  “I’m a U.S. senator. You don’t think I have my resources?” He set his beer down on one of the rail posts. “When I spoke to you the other day, something sounded off. A father can tell these things. So me and the boys thought we’d see if we could help.” He glanced at his trusted bodyguards.

  “I’m not sure that was such a good idea,” I said as I gave him a hug. “The involvement of a U.S. senator might just turn this into an international incident.”

  My father laughed heartily. “Don’t be so modest, Henry. Certainly you’ve already accomplished that much.”

  • • •

  After Mary and I changed into fresh clothes—graciously provided by our Italian counterparts—we all gathered in Isabella’s living room. Antonio and Gabriel had brought the Raven’s Nest surveillance photos, and they spread them out on the coffee table.

  “Let’s be clear,” my father said. “I’m not offering to help. I’m telling you I am helping. And of course, not only do you get me, with all my smarts and good looks, but you get Adam and Jason as well.” He looked around the room, meeting everyone’s gaze. “These two young men are former mem
bers of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces—as am I. Although I’m a tad bit older.”

  Adam and Jason—both buzz-cut combat hounds—had been with my father for years. They were in their late thirties and had been present throughout my teens. They had accompanied my father and me on a number of hunting and fishing trips—and, of course, for a certain rocket launcher lesson. I knew they were both were loyal to the core when it came to my father, and neither seemed to have any qualms about skirting the law.

  “I checked into Dr. Adella Fortier’s story,” my father continued. “She really was a highly respected scientist up until that ‘Skull Lady’ business started. And those skulls she dug up really were of scientists who had crossed paths at a physics conference in Zurich six years ago.”

  “We know that,” I said. “But, even as a ‘U.S. senator,’ how do you know that? And so fast?”

  “After Isabella told me the story, I had my people check it out.” He shrugged. “You know, you really should come to me with your problems, Henry.” He studied my face. “So, do you really believe the Eureka Formula’s inside the Velia site?”

  “Assuming it exists at all, yes,” I said. “It’s probably in the caves with the scrolls.”

  “Right, the Scrolls of Velia.” My father nodded thoughtfully.

  “And of course,” I said, “there’s also the small matter of the Ravens imprisoning Adella.”

  “Who happens to be a U.S. citizen,” Mary added helpfully.

  My father smiled. “Well, given the significance of the Eureka Formula, I’d say this operation just became of national security importance. Hell, it’s of global security importance.” He stood and downed the rest of his beer. “Clearly the most strategically advantageous thing for us to do is to strike them again, while they’re still licking their wounds from your earlier assault.” He looked at Mary. “Yours and Mary’s earlier assault.

  “You know, I don’t know why it always seems surprising to me that women can be just as courageous and violent as men. I’m beginning to think you’re of the same species.” He winked at Mary. “Now, let’s go get that lovely Adella.”

  Chapter 15

  At eleven o’clock that evening, my father, Adam, Gabriel, and I climbed out of my father’s armored Land Rover at the Apollonians’ surveillance position just west of Raven Entelechy’s Sito Archeologico di Velia—the Raven’s Nest. At the same time, Mary, Antonio, and Jason were bringing our parachutes and assault gear down to the Poseidon Ristorante’s Velia Beach parking lot. That’s where we would soon be rendezvousing with Gabriel’s Apollonian friend, Gene Cassano, and his Agusta 109 helicopter.