Within a few minutes of landing near his encampment, the leader of the group, a captain, wearing a black jumpsuit but with no insignia or patch to indicate which unit or division he was with, approached him with a stiff armed Nazi salute, and a loud, “Heil Hitler!”
Goerner returned the salute and before he could say anything, the new arrival curtly said, “Good afternoon, Herr Goerner. I am Hauptsturmführer Klein. I need to see the prisoners immediately.”
“Of course, Herr Klein. Follow me.”
Goerner noticed that all ten of the men who had landed at their encampment had fully automatic, American-made Thompson machine guns. Although he thought it was an unusual weapon for German paratroopers to be carrying, he also thought it odd that an SS detachment would be sent here to oversee this when it should have been a Heer matter, but he had learned to keep such comments to himself.
Goerner took Klein and showed him the alien prisoners. Klein did not make any comments, and he kept a neutral expression that would have made any professional poker player jealous with envy.
“It appears that you were correct in initiating the Code Alpha 7 Alert, Herr Goerner,” was all he said.
Goerner was unfamiliar with what a Code Alpha 7 Alert was, but said nothing about it. He then said, “As I was telling Oberst Koenig, it is…”
“I am officially relieving you of your responsibility of the prisoners. However, before we begin the prisoner transfer, I need to speak with you and your men altogether. We need to discuss the need to maintain secrecy regarding these… prisoners. Have them come to the area in front of your cannon placement in three minutes.”
“But Herr Klein, my men know the importance of maintaining…”
Without waiting for Goerner to finish, he turned 180 degrees on his heels and walked out.
Asshole, Goerner thought. Goerner then stepped in the hallway and ordered one of his sergeants to have all of the men to assemble in front of the cannon placements within three minutes.
***
Approximately three minutes later, Goerner and the rest of his men, who were not at the crash site, had assembled as ordered to listen to the admonishments of the leader of the paratroopers. They stood at parade rest shoulder-to-shoulder as Klein paced in front of them slowly with his hands behind his back.
“Gentlemen, as I’m sure you’re aware, what has transpired here today can never be discussed with anyone. The penalty for discussing anything that happened here today will be considered high treason and will be dealt with swiftly and severely. Do I make myself clear?”
As one they snapped to attention and shouted, “Jawohl, Herr Hauptsturmführer!”
“Good. You have all done commendable work here today.”
Just then, the retort of automatic machine gun fire could be heard in the direction of the crash site. Goerner’s eyes grew as large as platters.
“What the fuck was that?” he said as he stepped towards Klein, which caused one of Klein’s men to point his Thompson at Goerner’s chest.
Klein then said with a smirk. “I believe that was a platoon of American soldiers wiping out the rest of your men who were on patrol near the site of an unconfirmed airplane crash. How unfortunate. But don’t worry; the Führer himself will award them their Iron Crosses for bravery under enemy fire…posthumously, of course.”
“You son of a bitch!” Goerner screamed. “You can‘t get away with this. Oberst Koenig will know that it wasn’t the Americans who did this. He won’t let you get away with it!”
With a smile Klein said, “Oh, you mean Standartenführer Koenig? Who do you think ordered all of this?”
That was the last thing Goerner heard on this earth as Klein gave the order to open fire on Goerner and his men.
As the last man fell, Klein called one of his sergeants to his side.
“Spread the bodies around to make it look like an ambush. Drop a few of the Thompsons to make it look like the Americans were responsible. Then load the prisoners on the trucks and drive them to the landing zone so they can be flown to their next destination. I will make arrangements to remove the ship.”
“Jawohl, Herr Hauptsturmführer!” replied the sergeant as he turned sharply on his heel to carry out his orders.
Klein admired his handiwork and smiled as he knew the next destination for his prisoners from another world would be the Eyrie.
Chapter 22
Sagarmatha: Inside of the Tunnel
1480 A.D.
The inside of the tunnel was pitch black. Will stood and allowed his eyes to adjust to the dark. The tunnel became brighter and brighter to Will’s eyes, and soon he was seeing things in shades of white and gray like a cat.
Will had walked about forty yards into the tunnel, when he saw more symbols on the wall. Will read the symbols and did as they instructed. He pressed his hand against the symbols, and the entire tunnel was illuminated - it appeared as though the walls themselves were glowing; the source indeterminable.
Will looked down the tunnel and saw that it extended for quite a distance, and then curved downward at an angle. He had walked about a hundred yards when the cave ended suddenly at a wall that contained an opening that branched in five different directions. As he was deciding which way he should go, he picked up a small stone to etch the rocky ground or wall with an arrow so he could at least know he had come this way before.
After picking up the rock, Will started to go through the center branch when he saw more of the same small symbols, each about two inches high, carved just above the entrance of the center fork.
Will looked at the entrances of the other forks and each one of them had similar symbols carved above them as well. Will brushed away the dust from each one, and then realized that although the symbols were similar, they were slightly different. Will translated them.
Four of the symbols were warnings not to enter the passage they were carved above. Only one of them, the second from the right, bore the simple inscription, ‘Enter’ above it. Will entered the passage and began walking down a dark, narrow passageway that extended for about a hundred yards.
At the end of this passageway were ten additional passageways, each marked with the same type of symbols. However, after translating each one, Will realized that these were not simply ‘enter’ or ‘do not enter’ inscriptions, but were complex mathematic or scientific equations.
After looking at each for several seconds, Will realized that to determine the correct passageway, he would have to solve the complex equations above each entrance. As Will looked at each one, he began solving each equation.
After about a minute, Will realized that the only equation that could be solved belonged to the passageway the third from the left. Will entered and had traveled about ten or fifteen feet, went back to the opening, and stepped out. He stopped and went to the opening of the passageway immediately to his right.
I wonder what would have happened if I had gone down the wrong passageway? Will looked around and found a large rock which weighed about as much as he did, took it to the entrance, and threw it in about ten feet. Immediately, the rock was vaporized by a reddish-orange light that seemed to come from every part of the passageway! The glow was so bright that Will had to cover his eyes.
I guess that answers that question.
Will went back to the proper entrance and proceeded further down into the narrow passageway.
Approximately 250 yards into his trek, the passageway opened up into a large cavern. Will walked another twenty yards and noticed that the passageway ended abruptly. Will was looking down a chasm that was dark and very deep. There was a fifty foot expanse from where the passage ended and picked up again on the other side. Will dropped a rock to see how deep the chasm reached. Several seconds elapsed before Will finally heard the rock hit the bottom of the chasm. Based on the length of time it took for the rock to strike the bottom of the chasm and the rock’s weight, Will estimated that it was at least 1,000 feet deep.
There was no other way around to get to
the other side. As Will was about to look in another area for a way across, he saw another symbol on a rock at the edge of the ledge which simply said, ‘Jump.’ Will was pretty sure that this was not a notice to jump into the chasm but to jump across it to the other side. Without hesitation, Will backed up a few steps, and then took off running towards the yawing abyss.
Will easily cleared the fifty foot expanse. As he landed as gracefully as a cat on the other side, he let out a quick yelp of satisfaction at having made the jump. He continued walking towards a stone archway that lead into a dark, curvy tunnel. The tunnel, illuminated only by Will’s catlike vision, was about a hundred yards long. At the end of the tunnel, it emptied into an enormous cavern which contained a veritable forest of stalactites and stalagmites. It was obvious that his journey was continuing downward at a subtle angle. As he continued forward, his intuition pushed him in the right direction at each fork and turn in the path so that he never lost his way. After walking through the mass of conical pillars, some of which were thirty feet tall or more, the pathway abruptly ended at a blank stone wall.
Will studied the wall for a minute, and again found the unknown symbols carved into the stone wall. Instead of being at a level above his head, these symbols were only slightly higher than the height of his elbow.
The symbols before him read: Only The Chosen May Enter.
Will hesitated for a moment and then placed his right hand on the symbols, as he had done at the entrance of the cave. The symbols immediately glowed at his touch. A rectangular form about four inches wide and six inches tall framed the glowing symbols. Will placed his hand in the center of the rectangle and symbols and a portion of the rock wall became recessed and took the shape of a doorway. Once the wall’s transformation was complete, Will removed his hand from the symbols. Almost immediately the doorway that had formed slid open. Without hesitation, Will stepped through the opening and into a world of danger and amazement.
Planet Altrusia
“How is the Terran progressing, Commander?” inquired Portak.
“Sir, prior to ascending the mountain, he became engaged in combat with a band of local warriors, whom he defeated easily. He then climbed the mountain with some difficulty, mainly due to the weather and a couple of avalanches, and found the entrance by sensing and then deciphering the multi-language entrance inscription markers!” Commander Nik’sah stated. He could barely contain the astonishment in his voice as he continued with his report. “He also solved the multi-spatial, linear and celestial mechanics equations, which allowed him to determine the appropriate path to enter! But more importantly, which ones not to enter.”
Raising an eyebrow in astonishment, Portak turned to leave the room. “Keep me posted, Commander.”
“Yes, sir.”
Portak left the command center and headed back to his chambers, deep in thought. Great Nim‘lah! Can it be possible that the Terran is truly a nephak-tan? There has never been one that was truly fully functional!
Portak reached his chambers and waved his hand over the shielding device that opened and closed the entrance to his chambers. It slid open instantaneously and closed as soon as Portak had entered.
Chapter 23
Nazi Occupied Germany
Near Düsseldorf
February 1943
A squadron of eight American and eight British bombers were about ten miles west of Düsseldorf, their next target. This was their third bombing mission of the week. The Americans were flying a mix of their venerable B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators. The Brits were flying their heavy Lancaster and Halifax bombers in the early morning hours.
The weather was freezing cold and partly cloudy, which helped to conceal their exact positions in the gray morning sky. The snow had abated an hour earlier, which was both a blessing and a curse. The snow made flying more difficult, but it also helped conceal their positions from the Nazi anti-aircraft battery thousands of feet below that were doing their damndest to blow them out of the winter sky. However, their bombers were flying just out of their deadly range.
The squadron was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Harvey, U.S. Army Air Corps, and Major Ian Weston III, Royal Air Force. Both were experienced bomber pilots and had each racked up incredible bombing runs that had devastated their targets. Lt. Colonel Harvey was flying his B-17, Betty Boop, while Major Weston was flying his Halifax, the HMS Folly. Harvey’s bomber was decorated with an impressive array of numerous German tanks, aircraft, and ships that he and his crew had successfully blown out of existence. Major Weston’s bomber was adorned with an equally imposing display of battle artwork that indicated a impressive number of enemy kills as well.
“Blue Leader to Red Leader, over. Do you copy?” said Lt. Colonel Harvey to Major Weston.
“I copy loud and clear, Blue Leader,” replied Weston.
“Looks like Jerry’s trying his best to knock us out of the sky this fine morning.”
“Righto, Colonel. Let’s continue to make it difficult for the buggers, shall we?”
“Roger that, Red Leader,” he said with a smile. The lieutenant colonel had been on many successful bombing runs with the major and had drank more than a few beers with him and the other Brits under his command. They were friends as well as comrades-in-arms.
“I’m going to take a few of my men a couple of clicks south to scout for…” Before Major Weston could finish his sentence, one of the bombers to his port side was suddenly hit by a flash of blue light that emanated from the ground, and immediately the bomber simply vanished into thin air.
“Jesus Christ! What the hell was that?” asked Lt. Colonel Harvey; fear tinged his voice.
“Evasive maneuvers, dammit!” shouted Major Weston over the microphone.
As the bombers began evasive maneuvers, another blue light pierced the gray morning sky and took out another bomber, which was situated to the starboard side of Lt. Colonel Harvey.
“What the fuck is that light, and where the hell is it coming from?” demanded Harvey, from no one in particular. “One of you guys grab some binos and see if you can see where the fuck that’s coming from!” he yelled to his squad.
One of Harvey’s crew members quickly grabbed a pair of binoculars and tried to determine where the light was coming from. Within seconds he saw a German soldier in a clearing with an odd-looking shoulder weapon pointed in the general direction of the bombers.
“Sir, I see some Kraut with a…rifle of some kind. But it ain’t like no rifle I ever seen before, sir.” The crewman then grabbed a camera with a zoom lens and snapped a few pictures of the German soldier with the weapon. “Shit! He’s firing again! Incoming!” he shouted, just as the plane next to his also vanished out of the air.
“Let’s get our asses the fuck outta here now!” shouted Harvey.
Each bomber began a series of aerial maneuvers designed to make it harder for gunners on the ground to him them, but five more of the remaining flying fortresses were vaporized as the other three had been. The rest were lucky to escape with their lives, but they managed to get out of the deadly airspace and head back to their clandestine airstrip in England.
Once they were back on the ground, they immediately contacted their superiors and related the story of the mysterious weapon that had fired the deadly blue light. The photographs taken by one of Harvey’s men were immediately developed and sent by a special courier back to the United States for the purpose of trying to determine what the new German weapon was and what horrifying technology the Germans had developed that could vaporize a bomber out of the sky like it was nothing!
Chapter 24
White House Strategic Planning Room
Washington, D.C.
The photographs of the German soldier with the unidentified shoulder-fired weapon had made the rounds through the various civilian and military intelligence agencies. None of them could even come close to identifying the shoulder fired weapon or explaining how the Germans could have developed such an implement of destructio
n without it coming to the attention of any of the Allied intelligence services.
The directors of the FBI, the Office of Strategic Services, and the various military intelligence services had just finished an unproductive meeting with the president in his strategic planning room. The meeting left more questions than answers.
“Gentlemen, I cannot stress enough how quickly we must determine the origin of this weapon and stop its use and production at all costs,” said President Roosevelt, his face grim and drawn. He had not had much sleep since being informed of the German’s latest weapon. He feared that if the Germans could mass produce such a destructive force it would mean a decisive victory for them.
“Mr. President,” said J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, “we have every available agent working on this around the clock. We are talking to every intelligence asset that we have. We’ll get to the bottom of this soon.”
“Edgar, I’m sure that’s true, but we need some answers now!” the president said, striking the table with his fist. “The future of the United States and its Allies may very well be at stake. I shudder to think what would happen if the Germans mass produced this weapon, if they haven’t already.”
The heads at the table began nodding at the president’s comments.
“I don’t think they’ve mass produced it yet, Mr. President,” said Colonel William “Wild Bill” Donovan, Director of the OSS.
“Why is that, Bill?”
“Because, so far, this was an isolated incident. If the Germans truly had mass produced this weapon, they would have used it more extensively,” Donovan reasoned.
Shadow Warrior: Destiny of a Mutant Page 9
