Hammer of the Gods

by B. D. MacCallum

  He switched screens, sighing when he read that Australian Secret Intelligence Service Director-General, Helen Michaels, was shot to death outside her home. Thor mentally crossed the last name off the list his grandfather had given Bryndis, amazed at how thorough the Ahnenerbe had been. An entire network of allies had been eliminated in hours, proving how determined they were. They’ve been planning this move a very long time, but I have a surprise they could’ve never seen coming.

  He read further. The body of the suspected sniper was discovered, half his face blown away by a large caliber weapon. A bittersweet smile formed on Thor’s lips. Karma’s a bitch, asshole!

  He connected the dots on the map, extended the line of Hróðvitnir’s projected travel, and laughed at the twisted sense of humor some people have. Nearly as twisted as mine!

  Martin came stumbling from the bedroom half-dressed and bleary-eyed. Last night’s bout of decompression worked a little too well; the man appeared ready for a cameo on the set of a zombie movie.

  “Congrats, Marty!” Thor raised his coffee cup. “Lilly had to go to work, but she said you two could finish your honeymoon, this weekend.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Martin asked groggily. He raked fingers through his tangled mess of hair, rubbed his face, then nearly fainted when he saw the gold band on his finger.

  He wrenched the ring off with a twist, throwing it at Thor’s head with force. “Very funny!””

  Almost had him! “It was worth a shot.”

  “I feel like I was shot between the eyes.”

  Thor handed Martin a cup of Bryndis’ vileness. Fortunately, there was plenty left over from the last visit. Unfortunately, a rushed trip to the hospital is the only way to know if it went bad. But life’s a gamble, right? “Drink this. You’ll feel better in an hour, if you can keep it down.”

  Martin downed the liquid – Well, mostly liquid. I try not to think what the solids bit may be! – in a single gulp, then set the empty cup on the counter. He sighed at Thor’s astonished stare. “Let me guess, that was a joke, too?”

  Thor shook his head. “No… How’d you do that? It makes me gag every time.”

  Martin smiled. “There’s a small village in the Philippines with some of the friendliest people in the world. Eat some of the food… you’d drink that to get the bad taste out of your mouth. Ever heard of Balut?”

  “Yeah, but I’ve never even thought about trying it!’ Thor said with a grimace.

  ‘You’re not missing anything,” Martin replied, shaking his head. “And that’s one of the nicer things they have.”

  “Man, did you have a shitty travel agent!”

  “For eight years.” Martin sighed, staring at Thor with bloodshot eyes.

  Later in the afternoon, Thor arranged to have Ann parked across the street from the restaurant, and the two duffle bags in the trunk delivered to the apartment. Rosa and Giovanni thought he had lost his mind, but fulfilled his request, delivering a fine meal as well.

  “Eat as much as you can,” Thor said over a forkful of juicy Chicken Piccata.

  Martin looked miserable, swallowing the last of his baked ziti. “If you’re fucking with me again, I’ll kill you myself!”

  Thor emptied his third glass of water with a gasp. “You’ll thank me, later.”

  Martin shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I doubt it!”

  They finished stuffing themselves in silence.

  Afterward, Thor was sluggish as he placed the gun belt around his swollen waist. He strapped Alice into the holster, then checked the eight spare magazines before securing them in their pouches.

  “That’s it?” Martin asked in disbelief. The man’s Kevlar vest was obscured by the rows of magazines and grenades over his chest. He had an HK45 strapped to each thigh, and an FN F2000 gripped in his gloved right hand.

  Thor shrugged. “For what I’m doing, it is.” He eyed the bottle of Bryndis’ green swill on the counter, sighed, then slipped it into the pocket of his cargo pants.

  They descended the century-old stairs, and into the bright lights of the restaurant’s modern kitchen. Giovanni handed Thor a large paper bag filled with cannoli, giving Thor a pat on the back as the two men passed.

  Rosa handed Martin a small cooler, giving the man a wink and a nod.

  “Thank you, for everything,” Martin said, then kissed the old woman’s cheek.

  The old woman’s arms wrapped around Thor’s waist with surprising speed and dexterity. “Next time, you bring Sorina. We’d love to meet the woman that stole your heart.”

  “It won’t be long, I promise.” He kissed her forehead.

  The restaurant was filled, though no one seemed to be eating. Two men stood peering out the large windows; both nodded, indicating the neighborhood was plagued with a recent rodent infestation. Every eye in the place followed them to the door, a few speaking in hushed conversations, until a dark-eyed man silenced them with a glare. Something had happened last night, but Thor knew better than to ask; they would lie to spare him grief if he did.

  Lilly was waiting for them near the front door, her arms folded beneath her breasts, worry-lines surrounding her eyes betraying the forced smile on her lips. She kissed Thor gently on the lips. “We’ll keep that between us.” She smiled at Martin. “I want nothing between us,” she said with a soft laugh.

  Martin pulled the woman close, kissing her until she backed away to catch her breath. “You were amazing, last night.”

  Lilly’s mouth fell open. “I was?”

  The place shook with roaring laughter, howls, and cheers as the two men exited.

  Thor gave the other man a sideways glance.

  “If I’m going to die, she’s as good as any to mourn my passing.” Martin’s grin lit up the darkening sky.

  Thor slipped behind the wheel, noting the cell phone on the dashboard. Oh, we are taking our precautions, aren’t we? The phone rang a few seconds after Martin sat down.

  “This better be good,” Thor said into the phone, glancing around, but seeing no one lurking about. Drone, most likely. That’s okay, I have a little surprise for them, too. Hel, I’m going to be full of them tonight!

  “It is, Mister Odinsson,” the man’s voice said, as a faint electronic hum steadily grew louder.

  A few seconds later, he heard Sorina’s voice. “Hello, my love.”

  “Hello, light of my life. Can you see Bryndis?” Thor connected the phone to his, his fingers typing furiously on the key pad as he spoke. This was not part of the original plan, but it sure made things a Hel of a lot easier. I feel I should be thanking them for their help.

  “She’s right next to me.”

  “Great! This will be over in a few minutes. Put the asshole back on.”

  “I am a reasonable man, Mister Odinsson,” the man said, but Thor knew the man was anything but reasonable. The ever-growing body- count attested to that fact. “Give me what I want, and I’ll release the two women.”

  “Look, Vinny, I understand you’re expecting me to be all ‘Oh, please don’t hurt them.’ Or some shit like that. So sorry if I disappoint.” Thor continued typing. “I understand you want Fenrir. I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news: The fucking thing is two minutes from making every one of your people scream as they are being ripped apart.”

  The man on the other end chuckled. “And what’s the bad news?” The hum became a squeal that sent pain through Thor’s ear.

  “You won’t be alive to hear them.” Thor hung up the phone, disconnected the USB cord, then tossed it out the window.

  “I take it ‘Vinny’ is Vince Lydle?” Martin asked, glancing about.

  Thor nodded. “Eighteen of the who’s who of international secrets are murdered in one night, and he’s the only one to have to be IDed by a dental bridge.”

  Martin shrugged. “No one looks for you, if they think you’re already dead.”

  Thor snorted. “And people are still falling for that shit? Even a toddler figures out the
quarter in the ear trick after a few times.”

  “That was a bold statement, about him dying first,” Martin said quietly.

  “It was a promise,” Thor corrected the man.

  Thor pulled the tablet from his pocket, connected it to the USB port below the radio, and began a series of entries. When he finished, he started the engine, then drove away slowly.

  “You sent Sorina and Bryndis out alone!” Thor knew that was a sore subject with Martin, though he never said a word before. But, now that you’ve figured-out getting them kidnapped was part of the plan, you want to speak up?

  Thor sighed. “Anyone with them would be dead.”

  “That they would,” Martin replied with a sigh. “I just wish you told me more of the plan, that’s all. Do you have any more surprises up your sleeve I should know about?”

  Thor gave the man a sideways glance. “A few, but you’re just going to have to trust me.”

  Martin sighed. “Isn’t that what the scorpion said to the frog?”

  Thor made a right turn, spying a car he had seen two streets over. Bet you’re wondering why your drone or satellite can’t spot me, huh? He made a left turn, not surprised to see the car follow, then speed up to catch him. Wow, it’s like that! I bet you’re the kind of guy that gets all gropey before the appetizer even arrives.

  He turned to Martin. “Close your eyes, and don’t open them until I say.” He placed a dark pair of sunglasses over his eyes, thrusting his hands into the leather gloves.

  The man’s brow furrowed. “What are you going to do?”

  Thor flashed a quick grin. “Answer every question you’ve ever had.”

  After Martin closed his eyes, Thor made another right turn, pushing the pedal to the floor upon completion. He turned on the radio, punched in the number for Devo’s: Satisfaction, and made a quick left turn. The tires squealed as the car sped around the corner, forcing Martin’s shoulder into the door panel.

  “Bye, bye, motherfucker!” Thor said with a laugh.

  An instant later, the sun was in his eyes, and he swerved to miss a delivery truck parked in the middle of the street. Shit! I hate when that happens! Thor slowed the car to blend with traffic, making a right hand turn before the light turned red.

  “You can open your eyes,” Thor said. “Don’t freak, or do something stupid, like trying to open the door!”

  “Why would I open…?” Martin opened his eyes and glanced around quickly. “Where are we?” The color drained from the man’s face as their current location sank in. “This is Seaport Boulevard… But that’s impossible.” He began to hyperventilate, then reached for the door handle.

  What part of don’t freak or try to open the door didn’t you understand?

  Thor stopped the car with a screech from the tires. “Martin,” he said, placing a hand on the man’s chest. “Listen carefully. You really have to calm down. Trust me; things can get weird quickly if you don’t.”

  “It doesn’t get weirder than closing your eyes in Milan, and opening them a second later in Boston!”

  “Yes, it really does,” Thor replied, pulling the other man’s hand from the door handle. “Now, breathe slowly, and clam down. It’d be beneficial to our cause, if you didn’t start shooting at imaginary demons. ” It took effort not flip-off the cabbie behind him standing on the car horn. He pulled away with a wave, but the cabbie shouted something Thor could not make out, anyway. Asshole!

  Martin gasped. He appeared to be somewhat calmer, but his eyes were still darting like a cornered animal’s.

  If I warned you of the side-affects, you’d have thought me crazy. He reached into the backseat, grabbed his jacket, and covered Martin with it. “Better you look like a weirdo than a terrorist.”

  “How?” Martin asked. It was obvious he was trying to force himself to remain calm. It had better take hold soon, for both their sakes. If Thor had to sedate the man, it was going to throw his plan out the window.

  Thor waited for the pedestrians to clear the intersection before making a left turn. “The perfect combination of mechanics. The first time was eight years ago. When I could see again, I was staring down a narrow road in Ozark, Alabama, and nine minutes before I was driving down Powell in Portland. I thought I’d snapped. That’s how I know things can get weirder. ”

  He left out the part about Jimmy Hendrix in nine-foot platform shoes, singing Purple Haze, while the Seven Dwarves, a satyr and Jack Skellington danced around a roaring fire, as the Three Pigs spun on a roasting spit. Martin had enough to worry about, without putting images in his head to speed things along.

  Thor paused. He could see the gears turning in Martin’s mind, and he let his words sink in a bit before continuing. “It took me two more years to direct the energy to deliver me where – and when – I wanted to be.”

  “When? You expect me to believe you turned your car into a time machine?”

  “More like the key to a doorway. It’s easier to wrap your mind around, once you stop thinking of time and space as linear.” Thor freed a cannoli from the sack, offered it to Martin, then took a bit when the other man shook his head. “But it’s not Ann, I just use her to hide the thing. It beats try to haul around a 240 pound briefcase, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “You son-of-a-bitch!” Martin snapped his head ‘round to face Thor. “That’s how you did it!”

  Thor nodded. “I knew exactly what to do, years before I did them. I also knew I’d get away with it, too.”

  Color rose to Martin’s face, his hands clenched into tight fists. “Part of me actually felt sorry for you, and you did it all, didn’t you?”

  Thor shook his head. “No. I had nothing to do with the drug dealer in Copenhagen, or a few others, but I committed my fair share of crimes.”

  Martin shot him an evil stare. “You wasted an opportunity is what you did! Why didn’t you go back, save your mom and dad, save Chelsea?”

  The saddest look washed over Thor’s face. “The paradox is a bitch! Reality is fixed; you can’t change anything. Trust me, learning that lesson really sucked.” He glanced at Martin. “I went back and killed those five assholes four years after they disappeared.”

  The tiny spark of understanding grew in the former agents eyes. “That’s how you passed the polygraph. You really had no idea what had happened.”

  “Not the first two times.” Thor took a large bite from the pastry, stopping in front of a carry-out in Martin’s neighborhood. He jotted a few numbers and an address on a slip of paper, glancing up to the rap on his window.

  “You lost, esé! There’s no loitering in front of my business!” Pablo Ybarra’s smile was infectious. “You better get movin’, before I call the cops.”

  Thor rolled down the window, giving a firm shake to the hand thrust into the car. “How’s Emily?”

  “Whoa, that’s some serious static electricity!” Pablo said, shaking his hand and flexing his numb fingers. He leaned his elbows on the door, after making sure another shock was not going to happen. “She’s doing great! Funny thing, though, I called the hospital to make arrangements to pay for her operations, and they tell me it’s been paid in full. I can’t help but wonder how the hell that happened?”

  Thor gave the man a thoughtful stare over the rims of his sunglasses. “Sounds like one of those mysteries of life, better left unanswered.”

  “Kind of like the full-ride ‘scholarship’ to the college of her choice notice I got the other day; even though she’s only four. It turned out to be legit. One of my cousins tracked it down to the Chelsea Gillard foundation. Guess whose chairman of the…” The smile faded from Pablo’s face when his eyes took in Martin, the rifle between his legs, and Alice strapped to Thor’s left leg. “What can I do to help? I haven’t shot anyone since I left the army, but I remember how.”

  “Play these numbers for me, and play them for yourself. Send the ticket to this address.” Thor reached for his pocket.

  “I got you covered,” the man said, waving off Thor’s money. �
��And I don’t need the kind of problems that much money would bring, my friend. Besides, if you win, I get a million dollars from Uncle Sugar! What else?”

  “We were never here.”

  Pablo backed away from the car, gave an exaggerated shrug. “I haven’t seen Thor Odinsson in years. Now, get the hell outta here, before someone sees you.”

  Thor drove away quickly, smiling as he noticed Martin staring. “What did you think, I pulled it out of my ass to give it to you?”

  Martin fingered the ticket through his pants pocket. “How much do you give away each year?”

  “I really don’t know.”

  Thor turned down a quiet street. “Close your eyes, and keep happy thoughts, that’s the important part.”

  “Happy thoughts?” martin closed his eyes.

  Thor smiled, though the other man would never see it. “Trust me.”

  “Riiiight!”

  The sun was sinking in a deep azure sky, and a cool breeze rustled the leaves on the trees lining the dirt road. Thor swerved beneath a large oak tree next to the road, several miles from Sorina’s home, kicking up a small duct cloud as the tires skidded to a stop. Seconds later, the air was filled with a very familiar thumping sound, and the Blackhawk helicopter flew overhead. He reached for his satellite phone, ignoring Martin’s incredulous stare as he dialed the number, then placed the phone to his ear.

  “Missing me, already?” Else asked with a chuckle.

  “Jede minute, die sie entfernt sind, ist eine lebenslange: Every minute you’re away is a lifetime,” Thor replied.

  “What’s this going to cost me?” she asked, suspicion rising in her voice.

  “Sleep.” He looked for oncoming traffic. “I want you to arm the chopper; use your best judgment. Oh, I almost forgot, bring Alice in the morning.”

  There was a pause before Else spoke again. “You’re taking this crazy bitch seriously?”

  Thor nodded, unconsciously. “I have a feeling it’s going to get bad.”

  Martin shook his head in disbelief.

  “Du haben mein versprechen. I’ll get it done.”

  I know you will. “Danke, Else.”