"You can't stop him by yourselves." Beverly said. "Get me a gun. And gather up as many weapons as you can find. We're going to need them."
"He's alone," I said. "How dangerous can he be?"
"Extremely dangerous," she retorted. "In fact, I'd say he's one of the most dangerous men on the entire planet."
Chapter 77
Aaron Jenner felt the rumble in his toes. It surged up his legs. Jolts of electricity stabbed at his thighs. His muscles started to jerk spasmodically. He leaned forward, doing his best to quell the involuntary movements. "I'm sorry about your husband."
"Thank you." Holly cleared her throat. "May I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
"What the hell are we doing?"
Her mild expletive sent a small shock cascading through his brain. She seemed too innocent, too nice to be using such language. He had to remind himself it was all a carefully constructed facade. Holly considered herself a good person. She even put up a respectable front. But deep down, she possessed a murderous instinct. "I hired you to reconstruct the bacteria that killed those tardigrades. Unfortunately, your efforts have yet to bear fruit."
"Wait just a second—”
"It's not your fault." His legs shook harder. His arms groaned as he applied pressure to his thighs. "It was a difficult assignment. Maybe even impossible."
Her face softened just a tad.
"It turns out there might be another option. As you've probably guessed by now, the bacteria's source is in this region. I've been looking for it for a long time. Now, I've finally got a solid lead on it."
"What's the big deal about this bacteria anyway? I've spent years studying its dead spores. But my knowledge is entirely structural. I know next to nothing about how a living sample would behave."
Jenner wasn't about to tell her the truth. Holly had convinced herself the people she'd killed weren't really dead. But there was no way she'd help unleash a monstrous epidemic on the world.
"All you need to know is that it's worth a lot to me," he replied. "You're one of the only people in the world who knows the
Großen Sterbens
bacteria actually exists. And since you've studied it the most, you're the obvious choice to extract it from its source. I need you to study it, help it reproduce. If you can do that for me, I'll fully fund your cryonics research for as long as it takes. Together, we'll revive Rupert and your dad."
Holly bit her lip. "I wish I had your faith. Once Cy and the others spread the word, I'll be blackballed. I'll be lucky to stay out of prison."
"Slow down."
Holly eased off on the accelerator. The Sno-Cat jolted. It gradually lost speed.
Jenner felt a small measure of pride at what he'd accomplished in the last week. He'd tracked down Beverly's travel plans and followed her to Kirby Station. After the whole Fenrir thing, he'd blown up the power plant in order to keep Baxter from using the landline to call for assistance. Then he'd killed the only witness, Ted Ayers.
Once Beverly had woken up, he'd taken advantage of her grogginess and gotten her to tell him the location of
Werwolfsschanze
. In a few hours, he'd depart Antarctica with the Amber Room. At long last, the Garden of Eden would be in his grasp.
"What are we looking for?" Holly asked.
"You'll know it when you see it." Jenner glanced at Holly. "By the way, don't worry about Cy."
She shook her head. "I don't even have the gun you sent me."
"It's not you he should be worried about. It's not even me."
"Then who?"
The snow blew away from the windshield. Glimpses of green fabric appeared. Holly's jaw fell agape.
The Sno-Cat crawled forward. A heavily modified truck came into view. Two others were parked close behind it.
Figures materialized out of the whiteness. They swarmed the Sno-Cat. They wore white camouflage uniforms with black boots and thick black gloves. White camouflage helmets covered their heads. Their hands held long rifles, the scopes of which were pointed at Holly's face. Quickly, she hit the brakes.
"Them." Jenner smiled. "Cy should be worried about them."
Chapter 78
I pulled the Sno-Cat to a stop just shy of the original anomaly. I could no longer see the ruins. Thanks to the heavy snowfall, the entire area looked like nothing more than a small hill.
I took the binoculars from Graham. With my elbows scrunched close to my sides, I lifted them to my face. Looking through the lenses, I saw a distant mountain. It was quite clear. But that wasn't the only thing. I also saw two bright red tents. One was substantially larger than the other. They'd been partially uprooted from the ground and waved at the air like giant flags.
"I see a camp right next to the mountain," I said. "Ten to one it belongs to Roy. That must be why he shot at you. He was guarding
Werwolfsschanze
."
"That makes sense," Beverly replied. "Do you see him?"
"No. And I don't see Aaron either. The area around the mountain appears to be vacant."
"Are you sure that's a mountain? There's something weird about it."
I turned my attention back to the formation. I studied the boulders. I observed their strange positions. Then I saw it. I'd seen others like it, but only in faraway places like Egypt, Mexico, and Peru. "That's no mountain," I said slowly. "It's a pyramid. A goddamn pyramid."
Chapter 79
The Sno-Cat slid to a halt. The ice continued for another twenty yards, ending at the foot of the giant pyramid. It towered above me, covering an area roughly equivalent to a Manhattan city block.
I opened my door and stepped out into the cold. Fierce wind threatened to knock me off my feet. Ice pellets assailed my face. Blowing snow formed a thick veil, obscuring my view of the structure.
Bending low, I noticed tread marks on the ice. They ended in deep gashes, surrounded by splattered snow. More marks lay just beyond them. It looked like a Sno-Cat had slid to a halt just shy of the pyramid.
I hiked across the ice. I kept waiting for the tracks to veer to the north or south but they continued forward, straight as an arrow. They ran all the way to the pyramid and vanished. It looked like the vehicle had driven right into the boulders.
Or right through them.
Graham hiked to a large boulder. He bent down and studied it closely. "It's definitely been worked. I can see the tool marks. Only …"
"Only what?"
"Only they're all recent."
My teeth chattered as I inspected the boulder. It stood three feet tall. I estimated its width at four and a half feet. It poked out of the pyramid like a small tumor. "It looks like fairly substantial working too." I ran my gloved fingers along the edge. "This is the worst attempt at an excavation I've ever seen. It's hard to know where the original carvings end and Roy's markings begin."
Beverly limped across the ice. She looked worn to the point of exhaustion. "Pat and I checked the tents. They're empty. Same goes for the rest of the field camp."
"Well, someone is here." I nodded at the tracks.
Her eyes shifted to the ground. Then they drifted into the air. "Amazing. Who do you think made it?"
I shrugged.
"They must've been protecting this for a long time. No wonder they wanted to kill Jeff and me."
I hiked to another boulder. It was shaped like a squashed triangle. Its edges were pressed tight against those of other boulders. "The Savalas are geologists right?"
Graham rubbed his jaw. "I think so."
I turned my attention to still more boulders. I saw ridges, cracks, clefts, and small peaks. I noticed long pointy icicles hanging from various outcroppings. I studied the way the snow collected in the crevices.
I walked a few steps to the north. My face felt frozen. My fingers were colder than icicles. My toes ached. Even my heart rate seemed to be slowing down.
I took off my gloves and ran my fingers across the surface of the boulders just above the tread marks. From all appearances, they seemed firm and unyielding. And yet, they couldn't be. The treads marks proved that. There had to be a way to get past them.
I placed my cheek against a boulder. Wind whistled past my ears. I moved down the length of the pyramid, scrutinizing every inch of its craggy surface. But I didn't see any way to access it.
I reached the north end of the pyramid. Seeing nothing significant, I backtracked and then walked all the way to the southern end. Again, I saw nothing of interest.
A gust of wind sent tiny icicles flying into my face. I turned my head and looked over my shoulder. Our Sno-Cat, just twenty yards away, stuck out like a beacon of beautiful light amidst the blank landscape. I was tempted to retreat into its cozy confines. I could turn on the engine, warm up a bit.
Reluctantly, I tore my head away from it. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to concentrate. Then I backed up a few feet.
From a certain angle, some of the snow on the ground appeared slightly different. I bent down and saw faint impressions near one of the ruts. They looked like footprints, partially filled in by newly fallen snow. I placed my boot next to one of them and pushed down. Then I compared the two prints. The other one was smaller and thinner than my own. Most likely, it belonged to Roy's female friend, Zoey Sanders.
I turned my attention back to the boulders. My teeth started to chatter. My reactions slowed. I became clumsy, nearly losing my balance on several occasions.
My mind started to wander. My movements became lethargic. Eventually, my hands stopped listening to my brain.
I snuck another peek over my shoulder. The Sno-Cat was barely visible. And yet, it called out to me, offering a refuge from the cold weather. Surely, I could afford a short stay in its warm interior.
I twisted back to the pyramid. The wind strengthened. It blasted me over and over again. I focused my attention on the area directly in front of the tread marks. Carefully, I used my hands to search the nooks, the crags.
I moved to another section. Then another one. Some parts of the pyramid felt smooth, others felt sharp. But I found nothing unusual.
Wait a second …
I maneuvered my left hand. My fingers brushed over a thin vertical ridge in the rock. A metal slab was embedded inside it. I traced the slab up the ridge. Then I grabbed the end of it and yanked.
The slab creaked.
Slowly, I pulled it down to a horizontal position.
A couple of the boulders trembled.
I stepped back.
The boulders started to move. They slid a few inches to the south, revealing a yawning black hole. A quick look indicated the boulders had been cut down and cemented together. Then they'd been placed on some kind of track to enable easy access.
I waved the others away from the rock gate. Then I darted to the side and pressed my back against the pyramid. Breathing heavily, I grabbed my pistol and machete.
I peeked into the dark interior. I saw a large grotto carved out of the mountain. Armored vehicles, covered in dust, were parked in the middle of the grotto. They looked old. Small pits lay underneath their engines. Charred wood and ashes filled the pits.
I crept toward the opening. But Beverly grabbed my sleeve and pointed into the grotto.
I followed her finger and saw two Sno-Cats. That cinched it. Roy, Zoey, and Davis were definitely inside the pyramid. I didn't particularly like the situation. They were shrouded in darkness. We were framed by the whiteout.
I edged around the curve and entered the grotto. Darkness engulfed me. It felt strangely warm.
"Any sign of them?" Beverly whispered.
I heard shuffling noises. I saw a flash of light. It illuminated the grotto.
Then the air exploded.
Chapter 80
With a violent scream, three figures raced toward us. Muzzles flared. Knives chopped at the darkness.
Beverly, Graham, Baxter, and I closed ranks. We fought back, using our guns like clubs. Flesh crunched. An anguished cry for help rang out.
Someone jostled me, knocked me over. I fell to the floor. I tried to get up but boots kicked at my head.
Through the frenzied turmoil, I saw Graham slump to a heap. His eyes looked dazed. Blood dripped from a gash on his forehead.
I glanced to the side. Saw Beverly's knife slice at the air. She stabbed Zoey in the stomach, retracted the blade, and then stabbed Warren through his neck. They shrieked and simultaneously fell to the ground.
She coiled up and lunged at Roy. Roy stood his ground and delivered a harsh chop. Beverly sank to the floor. Her limbs convulsed for a moment. Then she went still.
He bent over and placed a gun to the back of her head. I didn't have time to grab my pistol. So, I dove at him.
He parried the blow and socked me in the jaw. My vision exploded into lights. I aimed a punch at his stomach. He jumped out of the way. Then he unleashed a vicious kick.
It slammed into my ribs. My parka absorbed some of the blow. But it still hurt like hell.
I tried to breathe, but no air entered my lungs. Darkness crept over my eyes. I blinked a few times and saw Beverly stir. Baxter was with Graham, helping him rise to his feet.
Roy lifted his gun. "Time to die."
I struggled to normalize my breathing. "There's something I can't figure out."
"What's that?"
"How'd an experienced geologist like you get fooled by a pile of rock?"
He frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"This isn't a pyramid. It's a mountain."
"You're crazy." He waved his arms. "Look around. Only a great civilization could've built this place."
"This is a mountain, steeped in fractures. That's why the outside boulders are all different shapes and sizes."
"No." His eyes clouded over. "That's not right. We've studied every inch of this place."
"That's not all you did. You shaped the rock."
His face lost color.
"I saw the tool marks," I said. "You were so desperate to find a pyramid, you shaped this mountain to look like one."