That Otto couldn’t disagree with. Bruno’s job was supposed to be a quick one: Discourage the female pair from boarding their airplane in any way possible. Bruno had planned on beating the women senseless and dumping their mangled forms behind a local dive bar.
Bruno wasn’t exactly a nice guy. Neither was Otto. The Sixth Seal didn’t need “nice guys.” — they needed ruthless soldiers who were willing to do what it took to advance the organization’s goals.
While the commander didn’t seem overly bothered by Bruno’s failure, Otto was. It wasn’t that he had failed, either. Otto was bothered by the women’s ability to subdue a brute like Bruno. He was usually very reliable.
Otto watched another jumbo jet come in. These two are trouble.
Chapter 13
Zahra
After a two-hour flight from Punta Arenas to Palmer Station, Zahra and Yana now sat at the bar inside the GWR Building. Neither operative had expected anything like it. Once they had come in from the bitter cold — and it was bitter — they had been greeted with a small selection of booze, a projector screen, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Harry had just admitted to being a spy for the last seventeen years. Helen Tasker, who was understandably scared and confused by what was happening, blinked out of the emotional overload to ask a very important question. Harry Tasker’s answer was Zahra’s favorite line in all of True Lies.
“Have you ever killed anyone?” Helen asked.
Doped up on truth serum, Harry replied, “Yeah, but they were all bad.”
Arnold’s glassy, vacant stare sold it beautifully.
Zahra snorted. “Classic.”
Yana also laughed but at Zahra’s expense. “You Americans and your odd fetish with nineties Arnold. Predictable.”
“Predictable?” Zahra smiled wide. “Says the blonde Russian girl who only drinks vodka. What are you going to tell me next, that you grew up with a Grizzly bear as a pet?”
Yana rolled her eyes, and the two women quieted and continued to watch the movie from the rear of the room. The projector screen hung near the door and was positioned in front of a half dozen recliners with a massive selection of DVDs on the neighboring wall. There was also an impressive collection of novels.
“Where is our pilot, I wonder?” Yana asked.
Zahra shrugged. “Probably duking it out with a polar bear or something.”
“There are no polar bears in the Antarctic,” Yana quickly slipped in.
“Party pooper. Duking it out with a penguin, then.”
The outside door opened, but Zahra couldn’t see who it was that was stepping through. The GWR Building was constructed with a two-stage door that was not uncommon for large buildings anywhere in the world. The first door allowed the person in. While it shut, a second door opened, allowing the visitor or employee access to the structure’s innards. The multiple layers of entrances kept in as much of the air conditioning — or, in this case — heat as possible.
A massive human being stepped through the second set of heavy doors. He was at least six-three and built like a lumberjack. His eyes were ice blue and radiated focus and leadership. Whoever he was, he looked the part of a captain or commander of some kind.
“Ford?” Yana whispered.
Zahra sharply shook her head. “No, I think this is someone else.”
She recalled that Eddy had contacted the Germans. Was this their representative?
“Looks familiar, yes?” Yana asked.
Zahra knew exactly what she was getting at. This guy reminded her of the man who had attacked them in Punta Arenas.
His eyes found them.
“Oh, shit,” Zahra muttered, bringing her glass to her mouth. “Get ready to rumble.”
Yana flicked her eyebrows up, also taking another sip.
He pounded across the center of the room, drawing everyone’s attention. Even the foursome sitting in front of True Lies turned and watched the man move.
He stopped three feet from Zahra and Yana. He stared them down, then stood at attention. If Zahra were a betting woman, she would have wagered that this guy was in his late thirties, though with some people, it was impossible to tell unless it was revealed. Zahra herself was in her early thirties, yet she was constantly mistaken for someone ten years younger. It was a flattering error… until it wasn’t. Sometimes, it was flat-out annoying.
“Hammet Braun,” he announced. “Kommando Spezialkräfte, 4th Platoon, here as ordered.”
“You’re KSK?” Zahra asked.
“Ja,” Hammet replied, giving her one curt nod. “Someone by the name of Eddy asked for help, and I was the soldier chosen.”
The KSK was Germany’s “Special Forces Command.” They were the best the German Army produced, and their reputation held up to that. They were really, really good at what they did.
The 4th Platoon specialized in operations over challenging terrain like deserts, jungles, or frigid mountain environments. It made perfect sense for the German military to send someone like Hammet Braun here.
But the KSK was also known for something that wasn’t as positive as their fighting prowess. A few years back, part of the unit was disbanded due to rising concerns of far-right extremism within their ranks. Zahra had no idea whether that was the real reason, but it still concerned her since they were dealing with Nazis, or at least, Nazi sympathizers at the moment.
“Guten Tag, Herr Braun, I’m Zahra Kane.” She swept her hand out toward Yana. “This is Anastasia… She will be representing the Russian third of our interested parties.”
Yana pointed at his face. “I am also here to watch her butt, so hands off.”
Zahra felt incredibly embarrassed. “Thanks, Ana.”
“And which organization do you represent, I wonder?” Hammet asked, burning holes into Yana.
Uh, oh. He knows.
“Unlike you,” Yana replied, “I am not at liberty to say. I like to actually keep my secrets secret.”
Hammet let out a long, infuriated breath and looked away from Yana. “Good to meet you both.” He relocked eyes with Zahra. “I understand that your organization needs some help in regard to a special discovery found along the coast.”
Zahra leaned around Hammet and saw the other men were back to being fully engrossed in their movie.
Lucky bastards.
“Yes, I’m sure you’ve been filled in on what exactly was found.”
“Ja, I’m aware.”
“Any thoughts?” Yana asked. “We were hoping a man of your origin might have some insight as to why a Nazi U-boat was found poking out of the ice all the way down here.”
Hammet turned and faced Yana. “What exactly are you implying?”
“Oh, nothing…”
Zahra stood. “Hammet, Anastasia, cool it.” She lowered her turtleneck to reveal the bruises that had already begun to show. “We were attacked by a German agent a few hours ago. He nearly killed me.”
Hammet studied Zahra’s injuries. “I am sorry to hear that. Are you okay?”
“Thanks to Ana here, yes. She saved my life.”
Hammet’s eyes flicked to Yana. “Do TAC operatives typically travel with Russian assassins as companions?”
Warning! Warning! Warning! screamed Zahra’s internal alarm.
Hammet must have sensed their threat level rising. He smiled when Yana got to her feet. “Be at ease, Miss Fedorov; you are not on my radar. And if you must know, I have also traveled with people in your line of work.”