David Golemon - Legacy

As Ellenshaw straightened, he felt eyes on him. He looked at Niles, who was shaking his head.

“Can I ask you what the hell hanging out with Jack has done to you?” said Niles. “That’s amazing for just a five-minute examination.”

Ellenshaw looked embarrassed, not really knowing if Niles was pulling his leg or trying to make a point about concocting a theory without the least bit of proof.

“Actually, I think along the lines of forensic evaluation, as in my field of work there is very rarely any evidence to examine. I guess I have to use my imagination far more than my colleagues here.”

“Well, I for one think it’s one hell of an accurate theory,” Appleby said, looking closely at Niles. “Just who the hell are you people?”

Jack walked up to the area at the base of the cave-in. Several soldiers were removing the last pile of rocks from its base. As the top row was removed, Collins couldn’t believe his eyes. Underneath the uppermost portion, about fourteen feet off the gallery floor, was what looked like a lighted sign, long dead, its face smashed by the explosion that had sent the ceiling crashing down. Jack could guess the meaning of the bright red letters, but turned to Sebastian anyway.

“Galerie-zwei Gar keine Elektronik,” Sebastian read aloud.

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense, Major Krell. What does it say?” Everett asked.

“Gallery Two-absolutely NO electronics,” the German said, his own words giving him the chills.

Jack remembered the strange vibrations he and the others felt every time they used their radios.

“Well, then, if that’s what it says, I believe we’ll heed the warning,” Collins said as the men removed the rest of the blockage.

Soon they were staring at a set of double steel doors. Jack examined them closely and became uneasy at the sight.

“Well, the explosions really warped these things. They’re battered all to hell,” Everett said, running a hand over the steel plate of what looked to be a portal large enough to accommodate a small truck.

“This is worrisome,” Jack said, stepping back to take in the full length and width of the doors. Then he stepped forward and ran his hand over the battered material. “All of this damage is from the other side of the doors. Look,” he said. His hand rose as his fingers passed over a large indentation.

“Maybe rocks battered it from the other side,” Sebastian offered.

“I agree. Whoever handled the detonation to seal this off couldn’t control the fall of the ceiling on this side alone,” Captain Mark-Patton said.

Collins looked at Everett, who was seeing the same thing as Jack.

“If that’s the case, why didn’t the detonation cause the same damage to this side of the doors? Just as much rock from the cave-in battered this side, but the steel is so thick that not one single dent in this steel is evident.”

Sebastian and several others played their large flashlights over the double doors. Indeed, there weren’t any indentations pushed inward from this side-all of the bulges were from gallery number two’s side.

“I hate to be the first wimp to point this out,” Everett said while shining his light on the large indentations protruding from the steel doors. “But it really looks like something on that side wanted through that door, maybe after the Germans brought down the roof.” He looked at Jack. “Call it a hunch.”

Jack and Everett had seen things in their time at the Event Group that would have sent your everyday soldiers to a mental ward. They had seen things that went beyond strange, so they had come to respect their hunches about certain discoveries.

Jack studied the dents in the door for the longest time and then turned to Sebastian.

“Major, you have the most complete team here besides the fifteen Polish troops that we brought down into the mine. You and your men will follow me through the doors.”

“Uh, no way, Jack,” Everett said, stepping up to this boss. “Sebastian will take his men in with me tagging along. You’re the leader of this makeshift bunch of pirates. You don’t go in first.”

“Mr. Everett, I think-”

“I agree with the captain, Jack. you stay behind until the all clear is given,” Sebastian said. “That’s Assault 101. Remember what you said in your training sessions with us?”

Collins was pinned down by his own words. He just nodded.

“Captain Mark-Patton will form a fast reaction team for backup.” Jack turned to the British SAS captain, who agreed. He pointed to his SAS team and to the ten Marines that would back up Sebastian’s assault element.

“Okay, don’t wait too long. If the gallery is clear, give the call and we’ll follow up with the reaction team. We’ll wait until both teams are inside before we start the examination of the gallery.”

Sebastian and Carl charged their weapons and assembled the German commandos who would make the initial incursion into the second gallery.

“Colonel, the doors are wedged pretty good, but I think if we cut through at the center latch, we can get them to slide open,” a Marine combat engineer said. “If there’s no major blockage on the far side, I mean.”

“Well, Corporal, I think whatever battered the hell out of that door cleared away whatever blockage there might have been,” Everett said, and checked his web gear and the extra ammo he was carrying for his M-16.

“Cut through,” Jack said. He moved out of the way as they brought in one of the cutting torches they had found in McCabe’s warehoused goods.

Collins was joined by Everett as they watched the cutting torch start doing its work on the giant latch holding together the two halves of the steel-plated doors.

“It’s obvious McCabe didn’t make it into the second gallery. With the treasure that was waiting for him over there, you have to wonder why. Do you think maybe he had a little more complete information than we do about what happened here in 1945?”

Collins watched the cutting torch burn through the steel and chanced a look at Everett. His face told Carl everything.

They heard the latch fall through onto the far side of the doors with a loud clang, and then watched as a group of Marines and Polish soldiers started to tug at opposite ends of the double doors. They parted gradually with a loud screech and grumble. The echo from the far side told Jack and the others that they were facing a vast open space. The men tensed as the doorway opened into a dark chamber beyond. At the base of the doors, a large pile of rocks had been pushed out of the way. Sebastian’s assault team was placed strategically to cover the width of the door. Captain Mark-Patton eased Jack out of the way so that his second team had a clear field to cover the German commandos.

“Mr. Everett, you watch your ass,” Jack said, as he turned to a Polish lieutenant. “I want a demo team to place charges above the doorway and I want at least three claymores covering that opening.”

The Polish lieutenant saluted and walked away to get the equipment. Collins was taking no chances in case the German SS had the right idea in the first place.

“Night vision,” Sebastian called out. His remaining six men and Captain Everett lowered night vision goggles over their eyes and then two men at a time entered the darkness beyond the doors.

Jack was champing at the bit as he tensed, waiting for the first signs of trouble. He hated not leading the first team into the second gallery.

“Captain Mark-Patton, take your team in, no night vision.”

“Yes, sir,” Mark-Patton called out as he made his follow-up team ready at the doors. Then, with a silent wave of his hand, the second element moved in.

As Collins watched he felt someone step up to him. He looked over and saw Private Tram standing there. He nodded toward the opening of the second gallery. Jack shook his head negatively.