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“We’ve picked up movement in Vikersund.”
Tam stopped pacing, and faced the technician who was bent over a laptop computer, a pair of noise-canceling earphones settled around his head. Nodding emphatically, the agent went on. “A small surgical team was spotted heading into the mountains a few hours after our boys.”
Tam’s face fell. “Holy sh—” She stopped herself, not wanting to make another deposit into her swear jar. But, she knew with a strike team inbound, she’d most likely be ponying up a hefty sum by the end of the day.
“Get boots on the ground, mine included,” she calmly ordered. “We aren’t losing civilians in the field.” Not only were they civilians, but it was Dane and Bones. While friends were hard to come by in her line of work, Maddock’s crew were some of the closest people to it. She’d hate to have to tell the others back home that they died on an op that she organized.
“Roger that,” the agent replied, getting to work. “We’re in the air in fifteen.”
Tam headed for the apartment door, never looking back. “Make it ten.”
She’d rented the ski lodge’s uppermost floor a few days before with the intent of utilizing its rooftop feature. Helicopter tours were a popular attraction in the area. The surrounding fjords offered spectators a magical view for those willing to pay top dollar for the services.
Tam booked all the tours too. She and three others would board the chartered helo, disguising themselves as nothing more than American visitors. She’d even added a sizable bonus to keep the pilot’s mouth shut should they need to land, something that was strictly prohibited.
Swinging open the front door, she crossed the hall and keyed open the neighboring room. Entering, she slammed it shut in frustration, leaning up against it. Closing her eyes, she took a moment to knead away a headache.
She’d need to be ready in five minutes. Thankfully, she was already dressed for an outdoor excursion, just in case. Tam believed in being ready for anything at any time. The only thing missing from her person was her gear, and she’d have to choose that carefully. They’d have to travel light in order to keep their cover intact. She had a small arsenal on hand, but openly carrying assault weapons would be a dead giveaway. On the other hand, if Maddock and Bones really needed her help... If whatever they had run up against was too big for them to handle, then showing up to the fight armed with pea-shooters wasn’t going to do them any good.
She mentally went through every curse she could think of and promised herself to use the future swear jar money to buy the guys a few when they got back. If they get back, she thought, hating herself for not going with them. She trusted Maddock and Bones explicitly, but still preferred to stay in control whenever she could. Coordinating agents in the field remotely wasn’t the same as true control, though. Whether they lived or died, she’d still be safe somewhere else, listening to their last breaths over their comms.
That was another problem. Maddock and Bones weren’t linked with tactical comms units. Civilians didn’t wear throat mics or have military-grade headsets. There was no body armor either. No, they were truly exposed and on their own.
Tam knelt at the foot of her bed and slid a large black suitcase from beneath it. It had a fingerprint scanner and a ten-digit combination lock. Quickly punching in the combo with her right hand, she depressed her left thumb on the scanning pad. A click answered the effort and she flung open the lid.
She allowed herself a smile upon seeing its contents—four Mark XIX Desert Eagle semi-automatic pistols, chambered for .50 caliber Action-Express rounds. She removed three of them, along with Kydex holsters, which she clipped onto her belt. The guns were heavy and awkward, but her coat concealed them from view.
“Thank the lord for poofy jackets,” she said with a grin. Then she remembered why she was arming herself for war. If Maddock and Bones died in the field, she’d never forgive herself.
––––––––
“We need to get the hell out of here, and fast!” Bones yelled, running for his life. He and Maddock ran for the right-hand ramp hoping it did, indeed, lead to the surface. Once there, they’d put their spy gear to use and call in for backup.
Hoor was after them again but Sorensen was dogging him every step of the way. The two beasts beat and clawed one another repeatedly, but neither could gain the upper hand. It was a stalemate. The legends seemed to be true; the berserkers were unkillable in battle.
But they were slowing. Neither was moving with their original fury. The injuries they suffered seemed to be having a cumulative effect on them, but they continued to fight, one trying to kill Maddock and Bones and the other doing what he could to prevent that from happening.
Maddock didn’t respond to Bones’ outburst, running alongside him in silence. His eyes were narrowed and focused, unwavering. Bones understood the silent treatment he was getting. The artifact in his partner’s hands was lethal if activated and Maddock needed to keep his mind clear.
“We need to get that thing away from Hoor,” Bones said, trying to turn the conversation around. He wanted to help Maddock anyway he could, but at the moment, he felt completely helpless. What could he realistically do?
Nothing, he thought, glancing over his shoulder.
Sorensen was riding Hoor piggyback-style, gnawing on the other man’s shoulder meat, all the while yanking his foe further and further toward the left-hand ramp. He must’ve hit something vital because Hoor went down like a ton of bricks. But his reaction to the impact also threw Sorensen free. He rolled and landed hard on his back breathing heavily and panting, tongue lolling like a weary wolf.
Neither creature moved for a beat but Bones didn’t slow, neither did Maddock. They continued up the incline. Bones legs were burning, his limbs like lead. His lungs felt like they were full of acid and he could taste blood in his mouth with every exhalation. He didn’t know how much longer he could go on.
“Where do you think this goes?” Bones managed to gasp.
He turned back to Maddock, who just shrugged at first, but then he spoke. “Those longships would need a pretty big opening to get through to the hangar. I remember from the map that there’s a small lake on the other side of the mountain. That could be our back door.”
“So how do we open it?”
Maddock looked at Bones. “We’ll find out when we get there.”
That wasn’t exactly comforting. For all they knew, when they found their exit, it might be impassable. Or, maybe not, Bones thought. The entrance hadn’t been that difficult to get through. Just a simple iron gate guarding what lay within. Maybe the launch bay would be equally simple.
I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
“Here,” Maddock said, shrugging out of something across his back.
“Hell yes!” Bones cheered, taking the large splitting axe.
“Completely forgot I had it, not that it will do much against a berserker.”
“Better than nothing,” Bones said, grinning. “Being completely empty-handed isn’t comforting. He glanced down at the spear. “Sorry, I didn’t mean...”
“I know what you meant.”
Maddock stumbled.
Bones grabbed his arm. “You good?”
Shaking his head, Maddock bit his lip in pain. “Gungnir, it’s doing something to me. I feel... drained.”
“Same here, bud.”
Maddock looked at him hard. “Not that kind of drained.”
“Oh... Okay. What then?”
Not having an answer, Maddock just shrugged out of Bones’ grip and continued forward but at a slower pace. Bones knew they needed to either ditch the spear or destroy it. It was apparently not meant to be carried around by human hands for so long. It was a weapon for berserkers. A human needed rest and sustenance to do so, neither of which was readily available. A berserker had the ability to heal and regain its strength.
And that was exactly what it was trying to do to Maddock; seducing him with the promise of unlimited strength and energy. Fighting that temptation was probably killing him.
“What do you think this place really is?” Bones asked, looking around. He noticed the berserkers had been left behind, hopefully descending deeper and deeper underground.
“If I had to guess,” Maddock replied, struggling to speak, “I’d say it was an underground fortress of some kind. Or I guess starbase would be a better term.” He cringed, gritting his teeth. “I have a sneaking suspicion that the hangar down there is only the tip of the iceberg.”
“The other ramp?” Bones asked. “You think it leads down to some kind of alien stronghold, don’t you?”
“What do you think?”
Bones shrugged. “Makes sense, I guess. But what I really want to know, is whether the complex is still populated or not.”
“Well,” Maddock said, sighing, “for our sake, let’s hope not. We really don’t need any more surprises.”