Or he was a traitor — a spy! Could he have been working against the Sixth Seal from deep within it?
Trust was something Henri took with a grain of salt. Had Ulrich chosen not to tell Henri about the U-boat all those years ago, or had Ulrich truly not known about it, either? If that was the case, then what else had Tobias kept from his people? Even his son.
For now, Henri needed to play the same card.
“Sir?” Luka asked, waiting for a reply.
“All will be revealed as we continue forward, Master Chief. Our jobs are to fulfill our vision, not our personal quests.”
“I understand. Still—”
“Still nothing, Master Chief. Secrecy is what keeps us alive. If too much information is given…”
“Then there is more of a chance at deception and ultimately failure,” Luka finished. “Yes, sir, I know.”
“Then you will do as ordered.”
Luka snapped to attention. “Of course, Commander.”
He liked this young man. With time, Luka would become the perfect soldier. The master chief disappeared deeper into the aircraft.
Using the LC-130 as a means of escape had always been the plan. They’d be able to refuel in Troll with “Kyle Ford,” once again manning the controls. Then, they’d disable the systems used to track the Skibird, change course, and leave Antarctica behind.
A single suppressed gunshot popped behind.
Now, they could get to work.
They needed to secure the Underworld’s entrance, regardless of what was inside. Just its presence, destroyed or not, could reveal the Sixth Seal to the world. If Zahra succeeded, cleanup crews would be ordered in by her superiors. The Sixth Seal was powerful but not powerful enough to stop that.
Henri pictured Zahra, and he smiled. She was an exceptional specimen. Henri and Zahra’s biology would undoubtedly produce the perfect offspring if given the chance. But he knew better. Ideas such as “flawless breeding” were a thing of the past. The SS had attempted it with Lebensborn e.V., where Himmler had used the state-supported, registered association to extend the racially pure profile that he and the other leaders sought.
“Pity.”
He was going to hate it when it came time to kill her.
Chapter 34
Tobias
“Everything is in order, sir.”
Tobias grinned. All was falling into place. “Very good. You’ve done well, Commander, as I’ve always expected.” But there was another matter to tend to. “Were any of your passengers able to send word?”
“Negative. No transmission was sent.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Good… Good…”
He rubbed his chilled hands together. The Krause estate was kept at a cool temperature for several purposes. It kept the aged Tobias on his toes. But it also helped stabilize his condition. The cold did remarkable things for his body. In fact, the colder it got, the better he felt.
“Sir? There is something else.”
“Yes?”
“The U-boat… Kane found ‘the’ communique.”
Tobias sat forward. “The communique? The one Dietrich sent before his disappearance?”
Tobias never called Dietrich “father” when he talked about him. In fact, he had never called the man father. Like most, it was always “sir,” or when he needed to be formal in front of others, “Herr Krause.” But since the man’s death, Tobias had also begun calling him by his first name to distinguish himself from the Sixth Seal founder.
“Yes, sir.” He heard Henri take a shaky breath. “He was there, sir. The general’s body was inside.”
Tobias’ eyes widened, and he flopped back in his wheelchair. There had been no word of the general’s whereabouts since that fateful message had been sent. Tobias had been one of the men to receive it, and as heir to the Sixth Seal, he had ordered the Underworld to be left alone. At the time, it had made all the sense in the world.
The complex had been poisoned, and would be a death sentence to anyone who entered without the proper equipment. Even then, it wouldn’t be a guarantee of survival.
Tobias was in better health back then, too. Death hadn’t even been a thought.
He couldn’t imagine how unstable the recesses of the facility were, especially after this much time. But that wasn’t even the worst part. The Underworld’s location had all but guaranteed that a cave-in would be a complete and utter loss. There was nothing to stop a mountain from falling until the rubble piled up high enough.
“Herr Krause?”
“Head south, Commander. Follow Kane and her allies.”
“Yes, sir. I have already ordered my men not to engage. Zahra and her team will be our guinea pigs. If the gas or unstable foundation doesn’t kill them, we will.”
“Hmmm,” Tobias thought, tapping his desktop. “A touch risky, Commander.”
“I am confident in my men, Herr Krause.”
Tobias snickered. “Yes, and so was the Führer.” He sighed. “Very well, Commander. Do it your way. But if you should fail…”
He didn’t need to finish. The threat had been applied and received flawlessly.
“I won’t.”
The call ended without another word.
Chapter 35
Zahra
To Zahra, it looked and felt as if Antarctica was doing everything possible to keep them from reaching their goal. What should have taken two hours to reach Lake Untersee had taken them almost three. A blitzkrieg of a storm had rolled through, threatening to halt the powerful Sno-Cat in its place. Hammet had pushed it forward but had done so at a snail’s pace.
He’d said it was to conserve the engine.
No one had argued. Neither Zahra nor Yana wanted to get stuck out here any more than Hammet did.
They had also been unsuccessful in their attempts to contact Kyle. Zahra’s signal should have been plenty strong enough to connect with him.
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Yana said. “Probably just a bad signal on their end.”
Hammet spotted their destination first.
“We’re here,” he said, pointing straight forward.
Zahra and Yana spotted them seconds later. Luckily, not everything in Antarctica was painted white. Much of the Gruber Mountains were the shade of earth. The change in color was a blessing to Zahra. It meant that they hadn’t gotten lost.
Lake Untersee sat within a deep pocket of jagged peaks and was surrounded on three sides. The eastern end of the Gruber Mountains made a malformed “U” and blocked out most of the vortex raging on behind them. And because of that protective feature, the mountain range was home to thousands of snow petrels. The birds used the massif as a breeding ground, though Zahra didn’t see any now.
Must not be the season for them.
Hammet applied the brakes and brought the Sno-Cat to a stop. He shifted into park, sat back, and unbuckled. The German turned to face Zahra as Yana leaned forward from the back seat.
“I suggest we get moving before any unwanted guests arrive.”
“Agreed,” Yana said. “Here.” She handed Zahra and Hammet their rifles. “Everything is ready. Mags are topped off and loaded into your vests.” She hefted their fully kitted plate carriers. “I will patrol the grounds while you two get ready.”