John Sneeden - The Hades Conspiracy

“We were also able to uncover some disturbing things about Roger Lawson, the man your associates met with. Armed with that information, we performed a raid on his home. Unfortunately, the place was deserted, and there was nothing there to link him to any crime. Either he doesn’t spend much time at that residence, or he was planning on leaving soon.”

“The Israeli government allowed you to conduct a raid on their soil?”

Stegmann paused briefly, measuring his words. “We all live in a dangerous world, and we have a number of common enemies. Let’s just say we all try to provide help when we can. I can’t go into detail, but there is an unwritten understanding between our two states. In any event, I contacted the head of your organization, Dr. Alexander Ross. He brought me up to date about your meeting with Lawson and the planned trip to Mount Hermon.”

“Dr. Ross?” Carmen frowned. “He didn’t tell us you were coming.”

“He tried. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get through.”

“So you just came to Hermon and began searching? Talk about finding a needle in a haystack.”

“Your organization was able to determine the location of your last cell phone signal. It wasn’t very precise, but it was enough to put us in the right area. To be honest, it all just fell into place. As we drove the road, looking for vehicles, we found some reasonably fresh tire tracks turning off the highway.”

“Which in turn brought you to the entrance to the cave.”

Stegmann nodded. “After dispatching the guards left at the surface, we followed the lights back to the city, where we encountered the order gathered at the wall. We were outnumbered, so instead of fighting, we conducted surveillance. We overheard you were in the caves on the other side of the wall.”

“How did you get past them?” Carmen asked.

“We didn’t. We began looking along the perimeter of the city and eventually found another cave that brought us here.”

Apparently, the key wasn’t necessary after all . Carmen guessed various groups had come here throughout history. Some may have carved out their own caves. She looked at Stegmann. “I’m guessing, at some point, you heard me call out?”

“We did,” he answered with a nod. “I apologize we didn’t arrive sooner, but we had to figure out whether you were friend and not foe.”

“I completely understand.”

One of the other guards came over. “Sir, we’re ready.”

Carmen hadn’t noticed before, but the other men had used the time to refill their magazines.

Stegmann glanced at his watch then at Carmen. “You said you don’t know where the rest of your team is?”

Carmen shook her head.

Stegmann motioned one of his men over. “Can you get us back up?”

“Yes, sir.” He slid a GPS device from his pocket.

“Wait, I’m not leaving here until we find my team.”

Stegmann held up a hand. “And we aren’t either. I want to start by going back to the cave where we came in. Hopefully, we’ll encounter your friends on the way up. If we don’t, we’ll begin an organized search.”

His plan was sound. There was no reason to start wandering around and get lost. They needed to establish a base then send out search teams from there.

In the few minutes they’d spent together, Carmen had already come to respect the commander. He was tough, bold, and levelheaded. He was also good-looking, but she chose to ignore that for the time being. Not only did they have work to do, but she guessed Swiss Guards had taken vows of celibacy.

“I understand,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure my team was included in your plans.”

“They’re our top priority.”

After gathering their things and giving Carmen some much-needed water, they exited the cavern. Stegmann and the guard with the GPS unit took the lead as they maneuvered up through the caves. Carmen hoped he knew what he was doing as they maintained a fast pace throughout the climb. She guessed he must have placed markers at various points on the way down.

Eventually, the path leveled off. Carmen saw that as a good sign. Not only was it a relief to her legs, but it also meant they were likely near the city again. A few minutes later, Stegmann held up a hand, bringing the group to a stop. At first, Carmen thought they had arrived at the entrance. Then as she arrived at the front, she noticed the stern look on his face.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I thought I heard something.”

One of the guards pulled out an instrument Carmen recognized as a thermal imaging monocular. He made a few adjustments. After holding it there for a few seconds, he mumbled something to Stegmann in German. Unfortunately, he spoke too fast for Carmen to understand.

Stegmann translated. “He said there is a slight heat signature at the turn about fifty meters ahead.”

The commander turned and gave his men a few quick orders. They fanned out to both sides, pressing themselves up against either wall.

“Please tell your men not to shoot until we know who this is,” Carmen whispered, after settling in behind Stegmann. “My team is still out there.”

“My men don’t shoot unless I tell them to or unless they’re shot at.”

The last part unsettled her a bit, but she realized it was a protocol any military group would use. Every soldier, regardless of rank or experience, had the right to defend his or herself. Ten seconds later, a scrape carried down the cave. The sound was faint, but Carmen’s keen ears picked it up.

One of Stegmann’s men spoke excitedly from the other side. Carmen didn’t like the alarm in his voice.

“What did he say?” she asked.

Stegmann turned his head. “The thermals don’t show anything. Whatever it is, it isn’t giving off heat.”

Carmen’s pulse quickened. An image of the boy flashed in her mind. Could it be him? If he was some sort of demonic presence, his body might be a shell. He’d certainly looked cold-blooded.

A soft mechanical whine carried down the cave. Carmen frowned in the dark. She’d heard that sound before. Then it hit her…

She grabbed Stegmann’s shoulder. “I know who that is. Tell your men to stand down.”

Stegmann did as asked.

Carmen stood and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Keiko?”

The whining stopped and a familiar voice broke the silence. “Yes, it’s me.”

A soft blue glow appeared. Immediately, the Swiss Guards aimed their rifles at the light.

“Don’t shoot!” Carmen shouted. “She’s with me.”

The guards lowered their weapons as Keiko came toward them. Carmen heard other footfalls. A few seconds later, Zane and the others walked into the light. His eyes widened when he saw the armed soldiers of the Swiss Guard. “Please tell me this isn’t a dream.”

Stegmann stepped forward and shook his hand. “I can assure you we’re very much real.”

“Did you guys get lost too?” Carmen asked Zane.

He shook his head. “We didn’t realize you were gone until a few minutes ago. We were heading back down to look for you when Keiko picked up vibrations on the cave floor. We thought it was probably you but couldn’t be sure.”

Stegmann looked at the soldier holding the GPS. “How far are we from the city?”

“Only a few hundred yards.”

Carmen looked at the new arrivals. “Any sign of the order?”

Reid shook his head.

“I’m assuming they’re still at the gate,” Stegmann said.

“That or they went in to look for us,” Zane offered.

“Kind of ironic they spent all that time looking for the key, and it turns out there are alternate routes,” Carmen said.

Stegmann looked at Zane. “I think we need to go.”

Zane nodded his assent.

The journey back to the city only took a few minutes. As they approached the cave mouth, Stegmann sent two of his men ahead to perform due diligence. As they emerged, Carmen realized they were not far from the temple containing the Og’s ossuary. Several minutes later, they arrived at the main avenue bisecting the city and turned left toward the staircase. As they marched, Carmen found the silence disturbing. Why was it so quiet?