LABYRINTH
Book 1 in the AEON LEGION series
By J.P. Beaubien
This book is a work of fiction. All persons, places, names, and occurrences are products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons or events, living or otherwise, is pure coincidence.
©2016 by Joseph Beaubien
All rights reserved. This book, even portions of it, may not be reproduced in any way, electronic or otherwise, without the consent of the author. Brief passages may be quoted for the purpose of review.
1st Edition
Table of Contents
Chapter I Unexpected Villain
Chapter II Silverwind
Chapter III Crossroads
Chapter IV Uncertainties
Chapter V The Edge of Time
Chapter VI Saturn City
Chapter VII Odysseus
Chapter VIII Aevum Academy
Chapter IX Guardian of the Gates
Chapter X Trial of Fire and Water
Chapter XI Talent
Chapter XII The Summit
Chapter XIII Assumptions
Chapter XIV Kairos's Garden
Chapter XV Missing in Action
Chapter XVI Troy
Chapter XVII Survival
Chapter XVIII Unfeeling Stone
Chapter XIX Evasion
Chapter XX Escape
Chapter XXI Tartarus
Chapter XXII Challenges
Chapter XXIII Cerberus
Chapter XXIV Sybil
Chapter XXV Labyrinth
Chapter XXVI Trial of War
Chapter XXVII Trial of Blades
Chapter XXVIII Trial of the Beast
Chapter XXIX Trial of Storms
Chapter XXX Trial of Fear and Truth
Chapter XXXI Trojan Horse
Chapter XXXII Zeitmacht
Chapter XXXIII Shadows of Steel
Chapter XXXIV The Reforged Blade
Epilogue Epilogue Keys and Thieves
Aeon Legion Index
ὍΣΟΝ ΖΗΙΣ, ΦΑΊΝΟΥ,
“While you live, shine,
ΜΗΔῈΝ ὍΛΩΣ ΣῪ ΛΥΠΟΥ;
have no grief at all;
ΠΡOΣ ὈΛΊΓΟΝ ἘΣΤῚ ΤO ΖΗΝ,
life exists only for a short while,
ΤῸ ΤΈΛΟΣ Ὁ ΧΡΌΝΟΣ ἈΠΑΙΤΕΙ.
and time demands its toll.”
-From the Epitaph of Seikilos. These words were found carved into a small stone pillar that dates back to Ancient Greece 2000 years ago. It accompanies musical notation, making it the oldest known complete musical composition in history.
Chapter I
Unexpected Villain
A quiet day of surfing the internet at the local library was interrupted when Nazis kicked in the front door.
Terra Mason frowned, glancing up from her seat at a computer next to the geology section to see several armed men wearing Nazi uniforms storm into the library. She froze as her mind tried to process what she was seeing.
The librarian marched up to the soldiers. She faced one of the taller Nazis and pointed a finger at his face. “Not funny, young man. Go somewhere else for your little reenactment. This is a public library, not a theater.”
The soldier gestured to behind the counter, speaking in a controlled tone. “Aus dem Weg, Fräulein!”
Terra narrowed her gaze as she studied the man. He didn't seem like a reenactor to her. The only World War II reenactors she had seen were at the neighboring town's history festival. And most of those were usually middle aged pot bellied Americans with bad posture and fake accents. These lean and fit young men moved with a soldier's discipline.
“Oh very funny,” the librarian said as she regarded the soldier with a flat look. She pulled out her cell phone. “I'm calling the police.”
A nearby soldier regarded the librarian’s phone with wide eyes as she dialed. He pointed at the cell phone. “Beschlagnahmen Sie jegliche Form von Kommunikation!”
The tall soldier in front of the librarian snatched the phone from the librarian’s hands before dropping it on the floor and crushing it under his boot. He pointed, again, behind the counter. “Setzen Sie sich hin und seien Sie still, Fräulein!” he said, more forcefully this time.
The librarian scowled. “My cell phone!”
The soldier shot her a dark glare. Unable to get his point across, the Nazi chose the universal language of violence. He aimed his rifle in the air and fired, shattering a section of the glass skylight.
The library patrons fell silent as the clang of the bullet casing echoed on the hard floor. Again, he pointed to behind the library counter before putting a finger over his lips.
A new order of implied violence settled over the library. The pale faced librarian offered no further protests in the face of a real gun and the other patrons became silent. None offered further resistance as the Nazis herded the remaining library patrons to behind the checkout counter.
Terra slid from her seat and hid behind a nearby marble pillar, taking care not to draw attention to herself while trying to keep her panic in check. This wasn't how her day was supposed to go. At the behest of her favorite teacher, Mr. Alden Smith, Terra had volunteered to help shelve books at the library after school. In truth, she hoped to avoid her parents' endless pestering about finding a good college in the face of her looming graduation. Now she was trapped with a bunch of armed lunatics.
She peeked from behind the pillar to count at least a dozen soldiers, with two more entering from the front and moving into the open reading area at the library's heart.
More soldiers moved around a large sunlit statue of the Greek goddess Nike that stood under a wide glass skylight. They searched between the labyrinth of bookshelves for stray patrons. A pair moved between the large marble pillars near the edges of the library while others deployed a machine gun nest in one corner.
Terra felt her heart race. All she could think about was that they had guns, real guns! She forced herself to keep calm in spite of a rising panic. Then she remembered her cell phone. She hadn't even started dialing when she head a soft click behind her; the noise a rifle made when chambering a round. Her sudden turn caused the soldier to aim his rifle right at her face. Terra's face paled while she stood as motionless as stone.
“Eine Nachzüglerin!” he yelled to the other soldiers.
The Nazi looked Terra over, his posture tense and his weapon still pointed at her. Worn jeans and a stained jacket marked her as much a civilian as her nonathletic pear shaped body and slightly hunched posture. Terra's youthful sunburned face had a dusting of freckles across her nose while her hair was the deep brown of tilled soil, messy and cut short just above her shoulders. She gazed fearfully at the soldier through brown eyes flecked with clay colored specks.
Terra's frightened expression put the solider at ease. He lowered his rifle after taking her cell phone away.
A soldier guarding the checkout counter looked to the soldier confronting her. “Bring sie hier, bei den anderen Zivilisten.”
The Nazi motioned with his rifle, pointing to the crowd of patrons gathered behind the checkout desk. Terra understood. She put her hands up and began walking.
She eyed the Nazi intruders as the soldier escorted her to the checkout counter. Their gear appeared used, well maintained, and functional. She noted the R shaped runic insignia on the collar of their steel-gray uniforms. Most carried rifles. One was armed with a flame thrower while another wore a sword at his belt. However, the soldiers all wore a strange device on their belts; a flat and round metal plate shaped device with a convex glass light. Its glass face glowed a bright green. The device reminded Terra of an oversized pocket watch.
>
The soldier escorted Terra to the other patrons. Those gathered were the usual library goers. A child sat amongst them. The young boy, only seven years old, looked on the verge of tears. As the boy's sniffles became louder, one of the Nazis eyed him with an irritated expression. Terra tensed and looked at the older man who was the boy's uncle. Isn't he going to do something? Terra wondered. These crazy men might hurt him if he gets too loud. The man just sat there, despondent.
Terra frowned and moved closer to the boy. She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in closer to speak quietly in the boy's ear. “Don't cry. Crying never helps. Can you be a big boy and not cry?”
The boy looked at her and nodded, but his eyes remained misty.
Terra felt her heart harden with old memories. Crying never helped. She had promised to herself to never cry again. Not even in the face of Nazis.
With the boy placated, Terra looked up to see what the intruders were doing.
A soldier set up a tall antenna like device on a tripod base. A green glowing light on the top hummed in unison with a luminous, rhythmic pulse that grew faster as the soldier backed away. It glowed bright green before a flash of light filled the library.
From where the antenna had stood a sphere of green light burst, its edges crackling with electrical bolts. The sphere grew to fifteen paces in diameter before a pair of German soldiers wearing pitch black goggles emerged from the glowing portal. They dragged a wheeled anti-tank cannon behind them. As they left the light, the soldiers discarded their goggles before loading the cannon. They wheeled it to one side before turning over book shelves to set up a makeshift fortification.
The patrons gasped while Terra stared with awe, the afterimage still flashing in her eyes. What is that? she wondered. Fireworks? Projectors? CGI? She couldn't deny the strange sight. These Nazis had emerged from nowhere.
Another half dozen soldiers swarmed from the glowing sphere. At the end of the group, one stood out. Terra recognized him by the twin lightning bolt symbol on the collar of his black uniform. A soldier of the SS; the famous elite warriors of the Third Reich, chosen for their absolute loyalty to the Fuhrer and unshakable belief in the superiority of the Aryan race. The rocket propelled grenade launcher he carried on his shoulder did little to lessen his intimidating presence.
The soldiers then made way and stood at attention to the side of the portal. One more Nazi emerged before the sphere dissipated with a loud screeching crack. The carpet edges were singed where it had met the sphere and a faint smell of smoke now hung the air.
The Nazis saluted the newcomer. Terra felt surprised to see a normal military salute, rather than the Nazi salute she often saw on documentaries.
This newcomer appeared to be in his thirties with a rectangular, clean shaven face. He removed his officer's peaked cap to reveal his neatly parted, dark brown hair. He wore a dark blue-gray officer's long coat with a rank insignia Terra didn't recognize. An even pattern of polished medals and insignias hung on his well pressed uniform with an R runic insignia on the collar. His belt holstered a pistol and in his left hand he carried a large pocket watch with a green glowing face. He hung the watch at his belt and surveyed the area. The sincere smile would have made him charming, even handsome in spite of his precise military bearing, if not for the red Nazi armband he wore.
A soldier approached the officer and stood at attention. “Einsatzbereit.”
The officer nodded. “Gemeindepolizei?” he asked.
“Nicht hier,” the soldier said.
The young boy cried before Terra could calm him.
Unfortunately, the Nazi officer became distracted by the child's sobs. “Beruhigen Sie den Jungen. Wir möchten doch keine Bösewichte sein.”
The soldier nearest to the child put his hand on a holstered pistol. Terra and the other patrons gasped. She didn't even have time to react as the soldier thumbed his weapon. Then to her surprise the soldier reached past his gun to pull out a small package. He unwrapped it to reveal a bar of chocolate.
“Chocolate?” the soldier asked with a heavy accent. He smiled as he offered it to the child.
The patrons continued to stare at the soldiers, their expressions a mixture of shock and horror.
The soldier with the chocolate leaned back, his brow furrowed. He looked to the officer, expectant. The officer issued orders in a soft, confident tone before the soldiers guarding the patrons dispersed. He said something to the SS soldier. The SS soldier glared for a moment before leaving without a word.
The officer then turned to the patrons and approached with hands clasped behind his back. His smile appeared genuine. “I apologize,” he said. His English had only a faint German accent. “I do not intend to keep you here long, but we must ask you to remain here to avoid further complications. Rest assured, we have no intention of harming you and we will be out of the way soon.”
The patrons exchanged nervous glances while the child trembled. Terra wondered when the nice guy act would disappear.
Another silent moment passed. The officer's smile lessened. After a moment he cleared his throat. “My apologies again. I should introduce myself. I am Hanns Joachim Speer, commander of the German Zeitmacht and I am from your past. I have come from the year nineteen forty by way of time travel.”
Hanns smiled again as if waiting for questions. The patrons continued to stare.
Terra raised an eyebrow. Time travel? she thought. What kind of trick is this?
Hanns cleared his throat again. “Ungesprächige Leute,” he said under his breath as he frowned. His gaze searched the crowd. “If I may ask a favor, could someone tell me the current year and location? Given the language, I believe this to be the United States.”
The blank stares of the patrons continued in silence, save for the footsteps of the patrolling soldiers and the occasional soft click of weapons.
“Anyone?” Hanns asked as his gaze searched the gathered patrons. “Anyone at all?”
Terra wondered if, perhaps, Hanns felt accustomed to people being more friendly with him. His charm was worthless when he dressed like a villain from an old war movie.
Hanns frowned again after another moment of silence. “Why do you stare at me like I’m a monster?”
“How can you not know?” Terra whispered, thinking out loud.
Hanns heard and his gaze snapped straight to her. “Excuse me?” he said, forcing a smile. Hanns looked relieved to find someone who would talk.
Terra tensed before forcing herself still. “I guess you couldn't know,” she said, having to force out the words.
A soldier approached Hanns and stood at attention. “Wir haben den Hinterhalt vorbereitet, die Silberhexe kann kommen.”
Hanns nodded, dismissing the soldier and looking at his watch again. He smiled and looked at Terra. “Young lady, would you mind accompanying me?” Hanns asked, gesturing to the library shelves.
Terra paled further, but Hanns stood with hand outstretched, like a gentleman offering a dance to a lady. She frowned before following Hanns.
They walked to a stack of bookshelves while Terra observed the soldiers' activities. They had set up a machine gun nest in one corner and the anti tank gun near the bathrooms. The rest of the soldiers patrolled the outer edges of the library. Terra wondered if they were preparing an ambush.
The soldiers ignored the patrons. Their wary sight darted around room and they often looked up as if scanning for an unseen aerial foe. She also noticed they kept their distance from the SS soldier who leaned on a nearby wall with a bored expression.
“Are you a student of history?” Hanns asked in a conversational tone as he inspected the first book shelf.
Terra's eyes snapped back to Hanns. “History? I haven't even graduated high school yet.”
Hanns shook his head. “Just like the young, ignorant of the past. Though admittedly, my university focus was more on science and engineering. I love ancient poems though. The Odyssey and The Iliad are my personal favorites.”
Terra, ag
ain, forced herself calm. She had to focus, to figure out why Nazis were here in a library and if they really were time travelers. Hanns didn't seem like the Nazis portrayed in movies and video games. He didn't even wear a monocle and, so far, hadn't let out a mad cackle. Terra wondered if she should encourage him to talk more since he didn't seem hostile yet. “Um. I actually prefer geology,” Terra said in a shaky voice.
He smiled. “Geology? Wonderful. The study of the intersection of earth and time.” He turned to the shelf and ran an index finger across the row of books, stopping on one called Understanding Spacetime. He thumbed through a few pages before putting the book back. They made their way to the next section.
Terra looked up at the shelves, wondering what Hanns was after, assuming he was a time traveler. They stood in the science section one row down from literature. The row after that was history. Her eyes went wide as she stopped. “History,” she whispered.
Hanns grinned while he continued to trace his finger across the books. “A single history book could change everything. The Waffen SS wants to confirm their glorious future,” Hanns said, rolling his eyes. “but I need it to save lives.”
“Save lives?”
“If we know our enemies movements and strategies, we can end this war with minimum loss of life. After Poland and France fell so quickly, I doubt the rest will last. Victory is assured, but why prolong the conflict? With a simple book, we can soundly defeat our enemies and end this war with minimal bloodshed.”
Terra stared at Hanns with wide eyes.
Hanns looked over his shoulder at Terra. “However, I am curious why you Americans appear fearful of us? It's not like we will declare war against your country. The United States is neutral. I suppose we will have gained a fearsome reputation by the end of the war, but I assure you, we are not your enemies.”
Terra grimaced. “You talk like you are the good guys?”
Hanns faced Terra and regarded her with a piercing stare. “We took a failing nation and turned it into a superpower. We avenged our soiled honor after that venomous treaty in Versailles. You can't tell me that treaty was fair, lumping the sins of the Great War solely at our feet! We stood up for ourselves against the entire world. How are we not the heroes?”
Aeon Legion: Labyrinth Page 1
