Saint Peter's Soldiers (A James Acton Thriller, Book #14) (36 page)

Command Center, Rocca d'Angera Castle, Angera, Italy

Hofmeister entered the Command Center, he having been assigned to
internal security while the Congress executive decided what to do about
Professor Acton now that his parents and friends had been rescued. At this
point Hofmeister couldn’t care less, he was more concerned about what they
would decide to do with him.

They’ll
hang me for sure.

If he
was lucky.

Or they
might use him as a human test subject for the genetic experiments that took
place in Building H. He had been in there only once and it was a terrifying
place, an experience he never cared to repeat. The deformed creatures,
creatures he had to assume were supposed to be human, the results of failed
experiments, had given him nightmares for years.

Yet he
had never revealed how he had felt to anyone.

Weakness
was never tolerated.

And
should he be executed for his failure, he would die with honor, setting an
example for others who would inevitably follow him.

No one
would ever know the fear he felt inside at the prospect of dying.

He
didn’t believe in God or religion or life after death. He believed in science
and German superiority. Yet these past couple of days, with his own death a
very distinct possibility, he found his mind wandering, wondering if there was
something after death.

Then
worrying that if there were, after the life he had led, he wouldn’t be going to
the nice side of the tracks.

“Your
message said there was a problem?”

“Yes,
sir,” replied Sturmmann Koenig, manning the security station. He pointed at one
of the screens. This is from camera number four, southern wall.”

Hofmeister
stared at the image, half a dozen tourists sitting, taking a break from their
hike. It was nothing unusual. This was, after all, a castle. Tourists came here
all the time, which was why their security was all electronic, there no guards
patrolling the walls. They maintained a low profile and gave the locals and the
tourists no reason to be suspicious. Tourists sometimes came to the main gates,
but they’d be greeted with closed doors and signs indicating it was private
property.

No one
came in who wasn’t part of the Congress, or who was never leaving again.

He
watched the image for a few seconds then looked at the Sturmmann. “So? What of
it?”

“Well,
they’ve been like that for almost ten minutes.”

“So?” Hofmeister
could feel his temper begin to boil.

Control
yourself.

“Well,
they haven’t moved at all.”

Hofmeister
leaned in a little closer. They were definitely moving, though not much. There
was a black man who swatted at a fly, so the image wasn’t frozen. “They’re
moving.”

“Yes,
but watch the black guy.”

Hofmeister
watched, the man swatting at the fly again. “See, he swats at something. Now
keep watching. It goes for about thirty seconds, then…” Another swat. “See, he
did it again.”

There
was a slight jerk of the picture that he had written off the first time as
signal interference, it a wireless signal after all.

“Scheisse!”

The
video was on a loop.

“I want
eyes on that wall, now!”

Operations Center 3, CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia

Leroux and his team watched a satellite image of the castle. The
tracking devices on the comms the Delta team was wearing were no longer
transmitting, the walls too thick, only the occasional stray signal making it
out.

But the
two hundred plus heat signatures of the castle occupants were clearly visible
above them.

And
there was activity.

“Zoom in
on grid Delta-Six.”

Keys
were hit and the image zoomed to show half a dozen heat signatures running
toward the southern wall, all armed.

“Sir, I
think they’ve figured out the camera tap.”

Leroux
nodded, agreeing with Child’s assessment. “Try to warn them.”

“Sir,
the comms aren’t working.”

“Keep
trying, we might get lucky.”

“Yes,
sir.”

If we
don’t reach them, when they try to leave it could be a blood bath.

Catacombs, Rocca d'Angera Castle, Angera, Italy

Dawson pressed his finger to his ear, trying to make out the
transmission. He cursed, glancing back at Niner who had his head buried in a
tactical computer, a map of the catacombs displayed.

“Did you
get any of that?”

“Nope.
But I’m assuming it can’t be good since they were supposed to maintain radio
silence.”

Dawson
frowned. Niner was right. He was still getting some choppy updates from the
other two teams, there enough reflective surfaces for a stray signal to bounce
around, but Langley was another matter, and that signal was so bad, it had to
be from them.

Somebody
must have missed those two guards we took out.

He
sucked in a deep breath.

Or
they discovered we’re not sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine.

“Let’s
hurry this up.”

Niner
nodded, pointing ahead. “Sixty feet that way should be what we’re looking for.”

Dawson
moved forward, flashlight and Glock extended in front of him, covering the
distance quickly. If they had been discovered already then they were most
likely going to get trapped down here.

And
if I’m going out, I’m going out with a bang.

The
tunnel opened out into a huge area, the vastness eliciting a smile from Dawson.

“Perfect.”

All
around them stood large columns stretching to the ceiling high above, each
column flared at the bottom, even more so at the top. From what the plans
indicated, these areas, and several others like them, were the support
structure for the entire castle above them.

Time
to use a scalpel.

Jagger rounded a corner and cursed, two guards standing there,
smoking cigarettes. He squeezed the trigger on his Taser, sending 50,000 volts
into the body of the first one, his buddy getting the same treatment from Atlas,
neither getting a chance to say a word, instead just shaking all the way to the
ground.

He
released the trigger and rushed forward, disarming his man and searching him
for any comm equipment. He had a radio strapped to his belt, but nothing more.
He zip-tied his man, Atlas doing the same.

“How
much farther?” he asked.

Atlas
pointed ahead. “Should be just up there.”

“Good.
That signal we got has me worried. Something’s gone wrong.”

Atlas
nodded. “Agreed. Let’s plant these charges and get the hell out of here.”

Jimmy rounded the corner and hit a wall.

Literally.

He
rubbed his face. “Jesus, that’s not supposed to be there.”

Spock
held his flashlight up to his face to show his grin. “That’s what you get for
rushing.”

“Hey,
you heard that signal. Something’s wrong.”

Spock
nodded. “Yup.” He glanced at his computer. “This is new.”

“Where’s
the secondary detonation point?”

“Back
fifty feet then right instead of left.”

“Let’s
do it.”

Spock
led the way, both men at a jog, there no longer any time to waste. Something
was clearly wrong and they had to accomplish their mission or it was all for
not. Jimmy wasn’t too worried. They always seemed to find a way out, though not
always unscathed. And this time the odds were overwhelming.

Okay,
maybe I’m a little worried.

Spock
deked down the opposite tunnel and they quickly found themselves in a large
area with support columns extending above them. Jimmy removed his backpack and
unzipped it.

“Let’s
get these charges set then get back to the rally point.”

“Repeat that?”

Hofmeister
pressed the headphone against his ear, praying that he had misheard what was
just said.

“I
repeat, there’s no one here.”

Hofmeister
looked up at the camera feed, it still showing the six men sitting quietly. He
turned to Koenig. “You’re sure that’s the southern wall?”

Koenig nodded.
“Absolutely. They shouldn’t be able to miss them.”

“Can you
reset the cameras?”

“I tried
that but it did nothing. If it’s tapped, it’s advanced software, overriding the
signal before the camera even has a chance.” He snapped his fingers. “But if I
reboot the system entirely, I can reset the IP addresses and then their tap
will be pointing at the wrong device. We should see the proper feed, but not
without shutting down the entire system.”

Hofmeister
gripped the back of Koenig’s chair, his knuckles turning white as he glared at
the computer. “Do it.” He inhaled deeply, already knowing the truth they would
find. “And sound the alarm.”

Dawson placed his final charge, setting the detonator to fifteen minutes.

“Do you
hear that?”

He
cocked an ear, listening for whatever Niner had heard. His eyes narrowed. “Is
that an alarm?”

Niner
nodded. “I think so. It’s so faint it’s hard to tell.”

Dawson
cursed. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Spock stared up, an eyebrow cocked. “Is that an alarm?”

“Damn
right it is,” said Jimmy, racing from column to column, placing his charges.

Spock
quickly placed his last few charges, keeping a wary eye out for any uninvited
guests. The area was huge, and the plans showed multiple points of entry, any
one of which could be regurgitating guards at them at any moment.

He
planted his last charge. “You done?”

Jimmy
was sprinting toward him. “Yup.”

“Then
let’s boogey.”

Leroux shook his head as all hell broke loose in front of them. Dozens
of people were running, their heat signatures indicating armed guards
converging on the southern half of the compound, a group already heading
outside the walls and toward the entry point the Delta team had used.

“I’m
counting over one hundred that appear to be armed.”

Leroux
spun toward Therrien. “Are you sure?”

“At
least.”

They
don’t stand a chance!

He
pointed at Child. “Boost the signal, we have to warn them!”

Dawson sprinted down the corridor, Taser in one hand, Glock in the
other, as Niner lit the way with a flashlight, Taser at the ready. It was
definitely an alarm going off, so they knew his team was there. What they
couldn’t be sure of is whether they knew
where
his team actually was.

Gunfire
might let them pinpoint the exact location.

He
squeezed the trigger on his Taser, the guard that had just rounded the corner
shaking from the shock, his friend shouting a warning before Niner had a chance
to fire his.

Both men
jerked to the ground as Dawson continued to advance, checking around the corner
to see if there was anyone for the warning to reach.

There
was none.

They
quickly stripped the men of their weapons and radios, then zip-tied them.

“I think
it’s safe to say they know we’re here.”

Dawson
nodded. “Yup, which means they either found the guards we eliminated, or
discovered the security tap. Either way they know we’re down here.”

Footfalls
echoed toward them, getting louder.

Dawson
holstered his Taser, switching to the Glock. “Time to commit.”

Niner
switched weapons. “With pleasure.”

The
footfalls echoed through the narrow corridor, getting louder and louder,
whoever it was apparently not concerned they were going to be heard.

A
flashlight rounded the corner and Dawson dropped to one knee, aiming his
flashlight at where he’d guess the man’s face would be.