C. Palov - Templar's Quest

‘The generator must be shut down this instant!’ he hollered.

‘No!’

Cædmon spun on his heel and grabbed a wooden-backed chair. Biting back an agonized bellow of pain, he slammed it against the glass partition.

A wasted effort, the safety glass too thick to penetrate.

Just then, the energy fusion produced myriad streamers, each branching out from the Grail into hundreds of thin blue filaments that streaked ominously in every direction.

‘For Christ’s sake!’ Cædmon yelled, barely audible over the shrill cacophony. ‘Give me the code, you bloody contemptible –’

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three gun shots were fired in quick succession, the glass partition immediately shattering.

A split-second later, a ragged blue bolt of current ripped free from the Grail and struck Ivo Uhlemann square in the chest. The force of the blow hurtled him ten feet through the air, the German careening into the concrete block wall at the back of the room.

Cædmon heaved the chair through the open partition – dislodging the Grail from the crystal matrix.

In an instant, all went eerily silent.

‘It’s over,’ he murmured, his shoulders slumping in relief. ‘The experiment has been stopped.’

He turned his head. McGuire stood over the dead Myrmidon, the Ruger clutched in his hand. Gracelessly sprawled on the floor, the bald brute’s neck was bent at an unnatural angle. Grim-faced, the commando charged towards the video camera that was set on a nearby tripod. Grabbing the camera with his free hand, he flung it against the concrete wall, the device smashing on impact.

‘Uhlemann’s buddies were watching the proceedings on a live video feed,’ he said by way of explanation. ‘So we better hustle before they send in the reinforcements.’

‘My God … I feel like I just came through a war zone,’ Kate gasped, a shell-shocked expression on her face.

Indeed, the floor was littered with bodies.

Cædmon glanced dispassionately at the crumpled figure of Ivo Uhlemann.

‘Jaysus,’ McGuire softly swore as he examined the body. ‘Not only did the Vril force blow a gaping hole clean through him, but it carbonized the skin around the wound.’ Stepping away from the dead German, he shook his head in disgust. ‘Although I gotta tell you, I don’t have an ounce to spare for any of ’em.’

‘Nor I,’ Cædmon seconded.

‘Me, three,’ Kate whispered.

McGuire checked his watch. ‘We still need to stick to the game plan and destroy the Vril Generator. And we don’t have a whole helluva lot of time to do it.’

‘I’ll climb through the partition and retrieve the Grail,’ Cædmon informed him.

The commando clamped a hand on his left shoulder, stopping him in mid-stride. ‘No way are we taking that stone with us,’ he bluntly informed Cædmon, a determined look in his eyes. ‘I don’t want to be running this same op again next year. If the Grail does what everyone claims it can do, every military in the world will be vying for it. Hell, look what it did Ivo Meister.’

‘I’ll make certain that it’s safeguarded.’

‘You’re good, buddy, but you’re just one man. Trust me. You won’t be able to safeguard that damned thing once the Powers-That-Be catch wind of it. The gold will melt in the explosion.’

Rendering the Grail worthless.

Cædmon turned and stared at the legendary stone gleaming on the concrete floor. Beckoning. Parzival’s Lapis Exillis. The same stone sought by the Knights Templar.

And the scientists of the Third Reich.

Knowing that McGuire spoke the truth, Cædmon nodded his head in resignation. ‘Right. Let’s destroy the chamber and get the bloody hell out of here.’

‘You also have to destroy the CTC device,’ Kate informed them.

In unison, both he and McGuire swung their heads in her direction.

‘ What? ’ they jointly exclaimed.

‘It’s the working prototype for the Seven’s time machine. Doctor Uhlemann showed it to me. While I’m not a scientist, I’m fairly certain that it will work!’

‘Provided you have the Vril force to power it.’ Cædmon nodded at the crystal matrix. ‘Which will be impossible to create without a functioning generator.’

‘The crystal matrix is just one way to generate the Vril force,’ Kate countered. ‘What if there are multiple ways to create it?’

Cædmon turned to the commando. ‘She has a valid point.’

‘Okay,’ McGuire said, persuaded. ‘I’ve got enough pipe bombs to destroy both the Vril Generator and this CTC device. Where’s the time machine located?’

‘Upstairs on the third floor. The laboratory is two doors down from the library.’

‘Gotcha.’

Kate’s brows suddenly knitted together. ‘But you’re not going to be able to get into the lab.’

‘Why not!?’ Both Cædmon and McGuire again exclaimed in unison.

‘The door to the laboratory is secured with a biometric device. It requires a fingerprint scan to unlock the door. And Doctor Uhlemann is no longer –’

‘Which finger?’ the commando interjected.

‘Right index.’

‘Then I’d better retrieve my KA-BAR knife.’ Without a backward glance, McGuire charged over to the door that led to the maintenance engineering room, propping it open with a chair.

Belatedly realizing what the commando intended to do, Kate’s eyes opened wide, a horrified expression on her face. ‘Oh, my God! We can’t let him –’

‘I can assure you that Doctor Uhlemann won’t feel a thing.’ Moreover, the bastard has it coming.

A few moments later, McGuire returned to the viewing chamber, his Go Bag slung over his shoulder and a business-like knife gripped in his right hand. ‘This is the plan: I’ll toss three bombs through the partition then run upstairs to the third floor. I’ll wait to enter the lab until the two of you are clear and free of the mezzanine.’

Kate placed a hand on McGuire’s chest. ‘Finn, please be –’

‘Don’t worry, Katie. I’ll be just fine,’ he said reassuringly. ‘I’m doing what I was put on this earth to do. Improvise, utilize, then haul ass.’ His lips curved in a cocky grin. ‘It’s what I do best.’

‘Second best,’ Kate whispered. Going up on her tiptoes, she lovingly kissed him full on the lips.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, McGuire pulled her close. Suddenly feeling like an unwanted intruder, Cædmon discreetly turned his head.

‘Aisquith’s a stand-up guy. He’ll get you out of here,’ McGuire said a few moments later.

Her grey-blue eyes glistening with unshed tears, Kate rushed out of the viewing chamber. Just as Cædmon was about to follow her, McGuire grabbed hold of his left arm, preventing him from leaving.

‘You get her out of here safely or you die trying.’

Cædmon put a hand on the other man’s shoulder. ‘You have my word.’

‘If I don’t make it out alive, I want you to take care of Kate,’ McGuire told him in a gruff, emotion-laden voice. ‘And if you don’t, I will seriously haunt your ass.’

‘Consider it done.’

McGuire smiled, visibly relieved. ‘Good. Now get the hell out of here. I got work to do.’

87

Cædmon yanked open the door at the top of the steps, motioning for Kate to precede him.

‘Ladies first,’ he said, his lips twisted in a semblance of a smile.

Kate wasn’t fooled for a minute – he was in a tremendous amount of pain. The bandage on his head was completely saturated with blood and his right jacket sleeve had a large bloody splotch. She had no idea how Cædmon had come by his wounds, but it was obvious that he needed immediate medical attention.

Free and clear of the stairwell, the two of them sprinted across the low-lit mezzanine. Two shadows charging through the penumbra.