It would truly change the world for the better.
“Remember, Henri, this is our calling. It is up to you. If you succeed, we can save humanity.”
“I know, and I thank you for this opportunity.” Henri sighed. “Too bad Ulrich is not here to see this.”
My son failed his last mission, he thought. He does not deserve to see anything.
Ulrich and Henri had been close. Henri had once been Ulrich’s lieutenant. Henri, conversely, was much better at following orders. He was a soldier through and through. Ulrich had been more of a freethinker. There was no room for freethinkers in the Sixth Seal.
Not anymore. Tobias had made sure of that when he tightened recruiting standards.
There were facts that Henri would undoubtedly discover on his own if he proved successful, facts that could drastically change his outlook on the Sixth Seal and his superior.
Tobias Krause’s secrets had secrets. Over the years, he’d become an expert at compartmentalizing information. It was the reason he was still alive after all these years. No one knew enough about him or his operation to use against him. But he trusted Henri’s ability to think clearly and decisively while in the moment. Unlike Ulrich, Henri had never failed Tobias. Henri had never given Tobias a reason not to trust him.
“I will have my team on the ground tomorrow.”
“Do better than my son, Commander.”
“Yes, sir. We will have boots on the ground by morning.”
Tobias smiled. “Perfect.”
“Thank you, Herr Krause. I’ll be in contact soon.”
Chapter 4
Eddy
Edith Marker had been the Big Woman On Campus for the last two weeks. Unofficially, she was Director Raegor’s second-in-command. Officially, “Eddy” was just another field agent. Her tenure with the company gave her authority over the others, even though they were technically equals. Eddy was currently the longest-standing TAC employee other than the director. No one had put in more hours with the organization than Raegor and her.
She had turned down an official promotion to Assistant Director because it would take her out of the field for good. Eddy didn’t want to be mollified — she’d joined the organization because it had meant getting out and seeing the world, even if she’d been confined to operations within the United States for the last few years.
Now, the short-haired Georgia peach sat at her boss’ desk and read over the next mission. She’d been ordered to hand it off to their newest recruit, a headstrong woman named Zahra Kane. Eddy didn’t doubt Zahra’s qualifications; she knew Zahra could handle the job. Zahra was more qualified than most.
Still, Eddy thought, Antarctica is no walk in the park.
But she had her orders, and Eddy had never defied Raegor. Ever. She trusted the man’s judgment to the fullest.
Solomon Raegor was currently finishing up a sorely needed vacation, as was the agent that had served as his partner on his last mission, Jack Reilly. Both men had taken a beating while investigating something incredible out in the Dragon’s Triangle.
Eddy gritted her teeth.
She was jealous. In all her years with TAC, she had never taken part in a field op with Raegor. As far as his role within the organization was concerned, he had retired from that kind of work. But his presence had been requested by a very influential senator, the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, one of the few people who knew of TAC’s existence.
The biggest problem with the mission wasn’t actually Zahra; it was who she would be traveling with. TAC needed to be careful here. The history of the discovery that had been made and buried was of a sensitive nature.
She sighed, breathing the words aloud. “Nazis. In Antarctica.”
But it wasn’t just the Nazis that concerned Eddy. They were long gone. It was the other nations that had been involved in Antarctica, specifically back during World War II. Eddy also had Russia to consider.
Military operations were illegal on the frozen continent, thanks to the Antarctic Treaty of 1961, but that didn’t mean they still didn’t occur. Even the U.S. conducted them. Eddy knew a few people who had taken part in these scientific undertakings.
She phoned her German contact.
“Felix, I need someone we can trust, and I need that someone to possess deep knowledge and appreciation for German World War II history.”
“You mean—”
“No, not that kind of appreciation. I don’t need some Neo-Nazi goofball. I need someone quite the opposite, in fact.”
“Ah, yes. Good. I’ll get on it and call you back.”
The line went dead.
Eddy picked up her phone again. This time, she wouldn’t contact someone within the Russian government as she had done with the Germans. She decided to toss a curveball at Antarctica, and she called someone who used to work for the “Motherland.”
Someone who now hates that “Motherland.”
She tapped her finger on her desk, impatiently waiting for the next call to connect. “Solomon is going to kill me…”
Her thoughts drifted but were quickly corralled by an angry female voice.
“Who is this?”
The woman on the other end spoke with sharp, Russian-accented English.
Eddy sat up taller. “Yana, it’s Eddy.”
“Eddy? Oh, you mean Eddy from—”
“Yes, Yana, that Eddy.”
Yana Fedorov was a former FSB assassin and someone who had recently assisted TAC on a mission in Nepal and Tibet. She’d come highly recommended by Jack. And his new girlfriend. Jack trusted Yana with his life, and she had followed through gloriously.
Yana had saved a lot of innocent lives that day…
Eddy pulled the phone away from her ear and tapped her forehead with it. “I can’t believe I’m hiring a mercenary.”
“What?” Yana asked.
Eddy fumbled to get the phone back in place. “Nothing. That was nothing.”
“I’m sure it was… So, I’m guessing this isn’t just a courtesy call, is it?”
“Correct. I need you in Punta Arenas ASAP.”
“Chile? Why Chile?”
Eddy rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m willing to pay you handsomely. Does it matter why I need you in Chile?”
The Russian had the nerve to crack up laughing. “After what I went through in Asia… yes, it does matter.”
Eddy’s shoulders dipped. She did have a point.
“If it makes you feel better, I’m fairly certain this won’t be as bad as Asia.”
“No, that does not make me feel better.”
“Well, I don’t like sugarcoating things. I figured someone of your profession would appreciate that.”
“Oh, yes, I do. Very much, actually. But not when it comes to my safety.”
Eddy pushed her chair out and stood.
“Look, Yana, based on my intel, this job should be a breeze for someone like you. If it helps, you’ll get along swimmingly with the agent in charge.”
“Really?”