Special Agent Dan Keller stood at the front of the floating dock. He watched men from Germany, the USSR, and even America load gear into a Nazi-era U-boat. The secret installation was being downsized to a skeleton crew until the rising conflict between East and West Germany subsided. Keller�s own country was nearly at war because of the Soviet�s presence in Cuba.

Politics was quickly dividing the organization responsible for creating the Antarctic facility. Funding had all but dried up. The three country�s governments had tightened up spending, preparing for the worst. This facility�s clandestine budget had been chopped repeatedly until it was mere morsels.

General Krause hobbled directly toward him. Agent Keller had been tasked by the U.S. Army�s Counterintelligence Corps (CIC) to oversee the mass exodus, but what they didn�t know was that he was also feeding men like Krause valuable intel. Keller�s very existence was predicated on being able to play everyone for something important.

And was too deep into it to stop.

Most of the men leaving were destined for America. The plan was to seamlessly assimilate them into military platforms as an extension of Operation Paperclip, a program that disbanded the year prior.

Following World War II, the United States began employing German scientists, engineers, and technicians, many of them former leaders within Adolf Hitler�s Nazi Party. In total, more than 1,600 people were transported to America and employed between 1945 and 1959.

�Mr. Keller!� the old man shouted. �I must protest!�

Keller rolled his eyes. �Of course, you would, General. What is it now?�

Dietrich Krause was the heart and soul of this facility. He had birthed it with Schutzstaffel commanding officer, Reichsf�hrer Heinrich Himmler. Himmler had come up with the idea for the Antarctica installation and Generalfeldmarschall Dietrich Krause had the means to construct it.

Keller knew what went on inside to a degree. He�d only ever been given access to the upper levels of the facility. The multiple sub-levels had been strictly off limits, per Krause�s agreement with his contacts inside the military intelligence construct. That was fine with Keller too. He didn�t need to see anything. The lower-level mechanics and researchers happily talked about their work � work that truly frightened Keller.

To a degree.

Krause stepped up to the much taller American agent and sneered at him. He jabbed a gnarled finger Keller�s face. �I have been here for twenty-three years, Mr. Keller. You can�t do this! We are close, I can feel it!�

Keller snorted. �You�ve been saying that for years, General.� He put his hands on his hips and shook his head. �Typical. Too many promises and not enough results. Besides, I�m not the one pulling your people out of here. That�s from way above my paygrade.�

�Who must I speak with to reverse this awful decision?�

Keller smiled. �You know who� But even I don�t have clearance to speak with him face-to-face.�

Krause growled, then coughed. �This is unacceptable! Himmler and I gave this place life! I should be the one to say when we shut down.�

�You aren�t �shutting down,� General. We�re simply pulling the most valuable assets until things slow down back home. Think of this as a much-needed vacation.�

�But��

�Look, General, Himmler is gone, Black Sunset is a pile of rust, and the Nazi Party is deader than Adolf. All that�s left are relics and people like you � people who haven�t been arrested and tried for war crimes�� he leaned in close to Krause�s face. �Yet.�

Krause shrank away. �W-where will I go?�

�The States, of course. You still have plenty of friends there. Most people don�t know this, but America is still open for business. We could sure use a mind like yours.�

�But��

�Berlin is burning, General, and the U.S. and Soviets are nearly at each other�s throats. The old ways are dead and gone. Most of this organization�s hierarchy is dead or on the run.� Keller placed his hands on each of Krause�s shoulders, looked the man in the eyes, and squeezed. �We are sprinting toward, yet another, world war. It�s only a matter of time until this place is discovered. This is your only chance at freedom, General.�

�But the Sixth Seal��

�Is stretched thinner than a rotten rubber band. It�s on the verge of collapse. What we need right now is to lie low and recoup. We�ll be back, General. That�s a promise.� Keller stepped out of Krause�s way and held out his hand. �Come on. When we reach the States, I will do everything I can for you to get a formal sit-down. Shoot, maybe someone�ll even be crazy enough to listen to you!�

�Agent Keller!�

He looked over his shoulder and spotted Colonel Larionov quickly approaching. He gave the Russian a wave, then returned his attention to Krause.

�Better get moving, General.�

Krause opened his mouth to say something else but stopped. He looked tired and out of gas. The long-time SS Generalfeldmarschall dipped his head against in the incoming breeze and headed up the floating dock. Two young privates were at the top helping people aboard.

�Keller.� He faced Larionov. �Is the general ready?�

Agent Keller locked eyes with the man. �He is.�

The corner of Larionov�s mouth turned upward. The Russian was a member of the security staff here. Most of Keller�s trusted allies within the facility were staffed in that department. He always figured that he was a man of action, so should his allies be. Larionov continued forward but was stopped.

�Make it quick, Colonel.�

Larionov nodded and silently approached Krause. He reached down to his belt and unsheathed his knife. This needed to be timed perfectly. Keller waited and watched. The Russian raised his knife and brought it around to the front of the general�s throat.

Keller swiftly drew his M1911 and shot the colonel twice in the back.

Krause froze.

Larionov fell.

Keller hurried forward. �You okay, General? That man just tried to kill you! You really need to watch your back better.�

Krause shook. He looked down at the man who had nearly slit his throat. He nodded, then swallowed. �Yes, well, that is why we have men like you around, is it not?�

Keller winked then holstered his pistol. �Exactly.� He tipped his chin to the U-boat. �Go ahead and board, General. I�ll take care of this traitor.�

�It seems that you already have.�

Keller gave the man a quick salute, then shoved the deceased Russian colonel off the floating dock and into the frigid water.

�Oh, Agent Keller?�

�Yes, General?�

�What about the next transport? When will they be along?�

Keller hesitated to answer but came up with one. �Soon. Very soon.�

Krause tried to say something else, but Keller didn�t let him.

�Don�t worry about it. It�s been all taken care of. You just get yourself inside and out of the cold, or you could end up like the colonel!�

Krause edged over to the side and looked into the water. He looked back up at Keller, eyes wide in fear.

�Oh, not me, General. If I wanted you dead, it would have already happened.� He looked past Krause and waved to one of the privates.

The young German rushed over. �Yes, sir?�

�Help General Krause on board,� Keller said. �Then, tell the captain to prep for dive.�

�Yes, sir!� the soldier motioned for Krause to come with him. �This way, General.�

Agent Keller watched Krause be led into the submersible. He turned and looked out over the enormous front entrance to the facility. He remembered the first time he had laid eyes on it.

He also remembered the reason he was here.

Keller had been sent into the Sixth Seal ranks as a spy to learn what they were producing here. The brass back home in the U.S. had helped finance the installation for over two decades and they wanted to know what, if anything, applied against the upcoming conflict with the Soviets.

What Keller had found shook him to his core.

�Sorry, Uncle Sam, but if it�s up to me, you�ll never get your hands on it.� He took a deep breath. �No one will.�

Keller spun and headed for the U-boat.

It was nearly eight o�clock at night, and the cool breeze from the Mediterranean Sea was euphoric. Zahra Kane�s eyes had shut at the onset of the latest gust. She had yet to reopen them. Everything was peaceful � perfect. She couldn�t imagine something ruining as beautiful a moment as this.

�Earth to Zahra��

Ugh.

The voice calling her carried a heavy British accent � and not the elegant form. No matter what the voice�s owner said, the cadence was laced with a metric ton of sarcasm and usually innuendo. The voice was full of mischief, just like the woman it belonged to.

Zahra ignored her friend.

�Oi, Zahra. Wakey-wakey!�

Well, she tried.

Zahra sighed and opened her eyes. �Yeah, Cork?�

The woman sitting across from Zahra was as unique a creature as this planet had to offer. She came complete with a military buzz cut and possessed deep, chestnut skin. She was enormous in stature and rippled with muscle. Zahra joked that Cork�s nose piercing made her look like a bull. If the two women weren�t as close as they were, Cork would have kicked the shit out of Zahra for even thinking it.

Gwendolyn Milton was brash, tough as nails, and incredibly hard to get along with. And God forbid calling her anything but Cork to her face. Zahra felt like she needed a psyche evaluation just for being friends with her.

Am I a prick too? Is that why this works?

After the pair�s wild escapades down in Egypt, they had relocated to Levanzo, an island eight miles west of Sicily. With the help of a local benefactor and someone who enjoyed spending the night with Cork occasionally, the two ladies were each given quaint cottages along Levanzo�s picturesque northern coast. The only downfall to calling the island paradise home was that there wasn�t anything to do there. To experience a little nightlife, one must take a ferry to Sicily, specifically Trapani.

Sadly, Cork�s trusted Cessna wasn�t an option, either. Levanzo lacked an airport, making takeoffs and landings impossible� unless you were forced to use a local road. Zahra had given the local police chief her word that it would never happen again. Regarding Cork�s plane, the Puss E. Galore, it was currently stored in a nondescript warehouse over at Trapani Airport.

Two nights ago, Zahra had overheard someone back in Levanzo mention Bar Nettuno. Their top-shelf gin cocktails were legendary and high-octane. Zahra was never one to shy away from a challenge. Neither was Cork, for that matter.

Zahra�s first cocktail had been a crisp and refreshing Cucumber Gin Gimlet. She�d only made one change. Zahra had asked for it to be made with her favorite gin, Old Raj. The only complaint she had was that there wasn�t enough cucumber. Zahra loved cucumbers. She did enjoy the beverage, however. By the time she was halfway through her second drink, an exquisitely made Negroni, Cork had already ordered her fourth drink.

Or was it her fifth?

The outdoor seating at that time of night was stunning. It overlooked the same pristine waters that had just swept in the breeze Zahra had been enjoying a moment ago. A hip-high wooden fence enclosed the space, illuminated by nothing except the moon and a few strings of dim lights.

�Where do you put all the booze?� Zahra asked.

Cork belched. �Well, Luv, depending on my exact whereabouts, it either goes into the loo or into the dirt behind a bush.� She tried to smile, but it came off as an awkward, toothy grin. Cork stood and wobbled. �Speaking of which� Someone bring me a shrubbery!�

Zahra had no idea why, but Cork quoted Monty Python and the Holy Grail whenever she got wasted.

It took a lot to embarrass Zahra.

Or it just took Cork.

A commotion picked up across the patio. Cork spun on unstable legs. Zahra was still seated and had to lean around the Brit�s mass to see what was happening.

Near the entrance back into the bar, their waitress was having an aggressive heart-to-heart with a customer. Both spoke rapid-fire Italian. Zahra mastered the language when she was thirteen. But after a couple of choice words from the male patron, Zahra quickly deduced that these two shared more than just an employee-guest relationship. She didn�t have to be a Holmesian sleuth to figure that part out.

�They�re a couple,� Zahra whispered, mentally translating what was being spat. �At least, they used to be.�

�Ooh,� Cork said, smiling wide, �me likey drama.�

Zahra sighed. �Yeah, I know.�

The man reached out and grabbed the waitress by the arm.

Zahra cringed and slowly looked up at Cork. The muscles in the woman�s back and shoulders had already been tense. Now, they looked ready to burst. This was a worst-case scenario with someone like Cork present � she despised men who put their hands on women if it was unwarranted or uninvited. Add in the alcohol coursing through her system and, well�

�Cork, no. Let the police handle it.�

�The police? No bloody way.� She looked at Zahra and winked. �They�ll just ruin my fun.�

The waitress whimpered and clawed at the man�s hand.

Zahra closed her eyes and shook her head. Aw, shit.

The intoxicated Brit snarled, and her nostrils flared. �Be right back, Z.�

Zahra shot to her feet and tried to stop Cork, but the table between them had other thoughts. The pilot had already been out of arm�s reach.

Cork shoved the man hard in the back. �Oi, maggot!�

The ex-boyfriend whirled around with his right fist cocked back. The moment he saw Cork, he stuttered backward and lowered his balled-up hand. Cork was a few inches taller than he was and around the same weight, give or take.

She stood tall and placed her hands on her hips. �How �bout you and I step outside, and you can dance with a woman your own size?�

The ex-lover looked straight up, then returned his eyes to Cork. �But we are outside.�

The man�s English was heavily accented in French, not Italian. Apparently, he was an Italian-speaking Frenchman. It didn�t shock Zahra since she spoke several languages herself.

Cork�s reaction was instantaneous. She glanced over her shoulder at Zahra. �Oi, Zahra, why didn�t you tell me he was a cheese-eating surrender monkey?�

Cork grabbed the man�s arm in the same manner that he�d done to the waitress. �C�mon, Jacques, let�s go talk about this.�

He ripped free of her vise-like grip. �Va te faire foutre!�

�Oh, you can grab the missus, but a woman can�t touch you. I see. You must be a real thrill in the sack.�

�This does not concern you!�

Cork stepped closer. She pointed at the waitress. �It didn�t concern me. Until you concerned her� with your greasy sausages.�

She reached for his arm again. This time, he backed away before Cork could grab him.

Jacques jabbed a finger at Cork�s face. �Touch me again, and you will get your dance.�

Cork looked back at Zahra again and smiled. She returned her attention to the Frenchman, leaned forward, and wiggled her butt like an excited puppy. �You promise? Because I really need a dance partner.�

Zahra mentally translated the statement. She�s itching for a fight.

Slowly, Cork extended her pointer finger and gently tapped Jacques on the chest.

He responded by slapping her across the face.

The larger woman was stunned. So was Zahra. Zahra�s hands flew to her face. She covered her mouth as Cork turned and faced her. �Did Froggy just slap me?� Zahra silently nodded. Her eyes were as large as saucers at this point.

Zahra lowered her hands away from her mouth and tapped her own lower lip. �Um, Cork? You�re bleeding.�

Cork licked it. Based on her non-reaction, Zahra couldn�t tell whether the wound stung or not. Cork�s pain tolerance was north of Zahra�s, which was ridiculous to even think about.

Zahra rounded the table but didn�t advance any further. Cork could, and would, take care of this herself. In this moment, Zahra�s presence was merely that of moral support.

And to make sure she doesn�t kill him.

Cork faced the Frog Prince. �You must be a special kind of git to go and do something like that.� Her breathing was heavy and loud. Cork seethed. She stepped toward him again. �I ain�t some daft cow you can slap around whenever you want. I�m a real lady when I want to be.� A crowd had gathered now. She turned to the waitress. �What did you ever see in this muppet?�

Jacques raised his hand to slap Cork again.

She launched forward� and grabbed his crotch.

Cork squeezed. Then she twisted.

Jacques squealed.

Cork leaned in close. �I may be a lady when I want to be, but lucky for me, I don�t feel very ladylike right now.� She pulled him closer by nothing more than his privates. Now, their faces were only inches apart. �If you don�t piss off, I�ll yank your knob off and stuff it down your throat.� She dug in deeper. �Do you understand?�

Jacques bit his lip, fought back his tears, and nodded.

Cork pulled him toward the outside patio entrance. �I�m not letting go of your meat and potatoes until you apologize.� She reached behind him and opened the door. He mumbled something Zahra could only interpret as a humiliated, infuriated �I�m sorry.�

Then, Cork did a very Cork thing. She let go of the man�s crotch, leaned in, and gave Jacques a quick peck on the cheek. �Thanks for the dance.� She pushed him backward and let go.

Jacques fell to the parking lot and scrambled away, holding his junk, cursing at Cork in French. Zahra didn�t dare translate what was being said. It would only incite Cork more. The injured man staggered to his feet and headed off deeper into the parking lot.

The waitress gave Cork a nod of thanks, but then a portly fellow approached her and Zahra. �I must ask you to pay your bill and leave,� his eyes met Cork�s, and he shuddered. �Please.�

�Yes, sir,� Zahra said politely. �We were just about to leave anyway.�

�What did he say?� Cork asked. She didn�t speak a lick of Italian and hadn�t seemed interested in trying.

�It appears that we�ve overstayed our welcome.�

Cork mumbled something under her breath. The only word Zahra understood was �arsehole.�

�Technically, you started it.�

Cork pointed toward where Jacques used to be. �He shouldn�t have touched her!�

Zahra held up her hands. �I agree, but there are things that the authorities should handle. This was one of those things.�

�Eh, sod off, Zahra!�

Zahra stood her ground.

Cork couldn�t hold back her smile.

Zahra rolled her eyes and dug her credit card out of her pocket.

�Don�t,� Cork said, pushing her hand away. �Since this was �all my fault,� I�ll buy.�

The waitress brought them their bill. She once again nodded her thanks. �Grazie.�

When she left, Cork opened the bill holder. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. �Hell�s bloody bells! Look at these prices!�

Zahra snorted. �I mean, you did drink half the menu.�

Zahra led the inebriated Cork out into the packed parking lot. Trapani Port was less than a mile to the southeast. The walk from the harbor to Bar Nettuno had been a pleasant one. They had zigged and zagged through town, passing residences and businesses alike. They planned to retrace their steps and catch the next ferry back to Levanzo.

�Don�t suppose there�s a cab around?� Cork asked.

�Not a chance,� Zahra replied, guiding Cork along. �Besides, walking will do you some good.�

Cork burped. �Walking is never good.� Suddenly, she stopped. �Over there!�

Zahra looked over her shoulder and cringed. Sonuvabitch�

Jacques had returned; this time, he�d brought three friends. Cork spun around, swayed, but caught herself before she could stagger. It was damn near a Michael Jackson-Billie Jean lean. Zahra had seen Cork in action too many times to count. The one constant with her was that she was always ready for a fight.

��Ello again, Luv,� Cork said, smiling wide but slurring through her words. �Come back for� for another go? Ma � Mama�s left hand is jealous. The right got � gotted � got all the fun last time.�

Zahra sighed, looking down. Dammit, Cork.

�We were just leaving�� Zahra said, pulling Cork back.

�C�mon, Zahra, we can take these airy fairies.�

The foursome fanned out into a wide semi-circle, not hiding their intentions from anyone, including the people meandering about. Even the bar�s waitress had noticed the ensuing fisticuffs. She and two other employees had exited the patio but stayed close to it.

Zahra spotted the manager rush back inside, no doubt to call the police.

We need to delay this.

Cork raised her fists. �C�mon, you plug-ugly bastards! Who�s ready to kick my arse?�

Zahra rubbed her face with both hands, then stepped up next to Cork. She was in this fight now. Cork could handle herself most of the time. But up against four men while under the influence of a gallon of gin, Zahra couldn�t allow her friend to lose.

�These wankers are boned,� Cork muttered. She glanced down at Zahra. �Aren�t they?�

Zahra took a deep breath. �Yep, they are.� She playfully backhanded Cork�s shoulder. �Go easy on �em, okay?�

Cork growled. �Killjoy.�

The two women had both served in the British Army. Cork was a helicopter pilot, though she could fly most things that flew. Her favorite things to do when not flying were sparring with the other soldiers � and messing around with them.

Zahra had been a British Army Intelligence Linguist before changing careers and following in her parents� footsteps as an archaeologist and a historian. She worked for the British Museum for a time� until parts of it burned down following a terror attack. Zahra worked for a shadow organization out of the United States called the Tactical Archaeological Command, though she had yet to be given a mission.

The point was Zahra could absolutely manage herself in a fight, even one so lopsided as this.

�This is going to end badly for you, Jacques,� Zahra poked, speaking to him in English. �Worse than Waterloo.�

�My name is not �Jacques!� It is Gaston!�

Cork burst out laughing. �Gaston, really? Are you also �especially good at expectorating?��

Zahra couldn�t keep from smiling. It was just too damn funny.

�Shut your mouth, boudin!�

Cork cocked her head to the side, then looked at Zahra. �Boudin? What�s �boo-din?��

Zahra needed to choose her words carefully. �Yeah, um, well� it�s an insult to women that sometimes rhymes with door.�

Cork�s blood boiled over, apparently not so drunk to misunderstand. She charged Gaston and bulldozed into him before anyone else could move. She shouldered into his gut, lifted him off the ground, and slammed him onto the hood of a nearby car. She was immediately assaulted by two of Jacques� buddies. Zahra went to help, but the fourth member of the boy band cut her off.

He was a few inches taller than Zahra and outweighed her by at least fifty pounds. It didn�t matter, though. Based on the guy�s stance and unsure facial expression, Zahra wasn�t too worried about him. She stepped toward him, keeping her posture relaxed. She even kept her hands down by her sides.

�You ever hit a girl before?� she asked. He didn�t answer. She smiled like a shark. �You ever been hit by a girl before?�

Well, he�s about to be.

Cork was grunting and shouting, fending off two men at once. Zahra charged her own opponent and feigned as if she was going low, just as Cork had done. He instinctively bent over at the waist to catch Zahra but only caught a leaping knee strike to the face. He went down in a teeth-jarring mess of blood.

Zahra landed like Iron Man, then rose and went high again, leaping onto one of the other men�s backs this time. She drove her right elbow down into his trapezius before punching him in the ear twice. Zahra slid down his back, wrapped her right arm around his neck, and backward hip-tossed him to the ground. He landed in a heap, cracking both kneecaps against the asphalt. The impacts were flinch-worthy.

Zahra took a sucker punch to the back of the head. It staggered her forward into Cork. Cork bounced Zahra back into her attacker. Zahra was half-caught by someone, colliding with him. Both went to the ground. This was where Zahra�s fight training meant little. She wasn�t a large human being. Zahra wasn�t Cork. If a man got her to the ground and successfully pinned her with his body weight, Zahra would be at a serious disadvantage.

So, she squirmed and thrashed, spinning and jabbing at the man�s face with her fingers. It worked, too. She caught him in the eye, causing him to reel back and protect his face.

Zahra rocked back, lifted her legs into the air, and locked her ankles around the back of him like a lover would � or someone trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. But instead of leaning in and kissing him or waiting for him to tap out, she lashed out with a punch, connecting with his exposed Adam�s apple. The lack of air in his system trumped his urge to keep fighting. He rolled to the side and into the fetal position, clutching his throat with both hands.

She stood and blinked away the last of the stars that the sucker punch had brought on. Someone clutched her shoulder. The intent was clear. The fingers were white, not black. Its owner wasn�t Cork.

Zahra latched onto one of them and wrenched it sideways with a quick wrist snap. The audible pop of the dislocating joint was sickening. She let go and let a haymaker fly. Gaston � Jacques � collapsed like Waterloo.

Cork held the last guy by his hair, swinging him around like a top. She let go, tossing him toward the same car Jacques had already dented. Zahra casually stuck out her foot, tripping the man up. He went headfirst into the passenger side door with a bang.

The last people standing sported entirely X chromosomes.

Zahra opened and closed her right hand, feeling the knuckles protest the effort. The back of her skull pulsed, but the only injury it had sustained was a tender knot and an annoying headache.

Cork�s already busted lip dribbled blood down her chin, and her left cheek was slightly swollen. Other than that, she looked okay.

�Thanks, Luv,� Cork said, breathing heavily.

Zahra bent over and put her hands on her knees, also catching her air. �You know� sometimes� I really hate you.�

Cork shrugged. �Only sometimes.�

The portly manager came back outside, yelling for his people to get back inside. The crowd that had gathered to watch Zahra and Cork dispatch the foursome of men was still present. Unfortunately, a few of them held out their phones. They had, no doubt, recorded the unpleasantries.

Dang.

�Come on, Cork. We�ve definitely overstayed our welcome.�

For nearly a century, the Krause family had been one of the more influential families in Germany. Their rise started with Dietrich Krause�s promotion to Generalfeldmarschall within Himmler�s Schutzstaffel, specifically its think tank, the Ahnenerbe. With the new position came a hefty pay raise, as well as pride and respect.

And thus, the Sixth Seal was born.

Many of General Krause�s innovations went on to benefit the Nazi war machine. As a result, money flooded into the Krause family bank account. Following the war and Dietrich�s disappearance, the government seized portions of the fortune, but only the parts Tobias Krause had allowed to be seized. He had discovered that getting into a bit of trouble was a great way to hide the much bigger trouble he truly wanted to engage in. Tobias had smartly known that any overt involvement in the war effort would lead to too many people knowing. To this day, he�d never been implicated, thanks, in part, to a handful of sympathizers who�d been covertly operating within the German government.

During the war, documents had been easily altered or even forged altogether. In the modern world, everything was done on computers. Those were easy to manipulate if one had the right people in the right places.

Once the Krause family investigation finished, Tobias promptly had those officials erased, one by one. No one would ever know how much the family had truly aided Himmler and the rest of the SS.

Tobias grinned. Heil Himmler. He�d been the real leader of the Nazi movement, not the showman F�hrer.

Now in his nineties, Tobias Krause was worth billions. He�d taken Dietrich�s advanced R&D and that of several other higher-ups within the Ahnenerbe and applied it to his own work. Krause Global was a scientific and engineering mogul. Everything they had designed and produced had been light years ahead of their competitors. Much of the more modern buildings in Stuttgart, and other prominent cities throughout Europe had been designed and built by Krause and his company.

But it wasn�t enough.

Tobias craved more. He�d become increasingly obsessed with Dietrich�s work in Antarctica � with the experiments performed in a place called die Unterwelt � the Underworld.

He coughed into his handkerchief, unsure if he�d catch his breath this time. When the latest fit finally subsided, Tobias gazed down into the elegant square of cloth and saw blood.

Tobias Krause knew the truth, though hardly anyone else did: he was dying.

His failing health had forced him to dive headlong into Dietrich�s most prized work. One of the Underworld�s projects had its sights set on exponentially elongating a human being�s life. But that goal had been lost due to time and available technology. The man in charge of that particular project had left behind a large chunk of his research � research that had been lost to time but that he had every intention of retrieving.

Even with his information being incomplete, Tobias� scientists in Germany had still been able to develop an injectable serum that slowed the decaying cells associated with growing old.

�It won�t last, Herr Krause,� one of his doctors had argued. �Your body is already building an immunity to the treatment. Soon, the serum will do nothing. Death, it seems, really is inevitable.�

That doctor�s life ended three hours later.

But he�d been correct. The original formula had only remained effective for a few years. Luckily, Tobias was himself, a gifted scientist. Over the decades, he and his team had produced dozens of new permutations to stave off Death�s cold hand.

But now, Tobias� latest serum was only measuring twenty percent effective. Soon, he�d be forced to try again.

With what? he asked himself. There is no next permutation!

He and his chief scientists were at a dead end.

What he really needed was the knowledge lost in Antarctica.

But how?

He had personally received a communique entailing what had happened to the Underworld. The foundation had shifted and caused subterranean cracks beneath the facility. Reports stated that dozens of men had been buried alive and the entire facility infected with deadly gas.

There were no files to raid.

Five years ago, Tobias had sent his own son to infiltrate a Swiss clinic that had been working on a similar project to Tobias�. Ulrich failed when his father needed him most. He had died during a city-wide police chase. Not only had the loss of the Sixth Seal Field Commander demoralized the organization, but it had also driven Zelda, Ulrich�s teenage daughter, to the brink of mental destruction.

After learning of her father�s fate � a man she had idolized � she had never been the same. There was a harshness, a coldness, to her now.

As the months progressed, and as Tobias grew sicker and sicker, he became desperately aware that he needed the secret facility�s forgotten research. And if he were successful, he would also salvage the Underworld�s other covert operations, including Project Black Sunset.

�Grandfather? Your medicine? It�s time.�

Tobias blinked out of the daze. He glanced up at the window to a reflection of the striking young blonde waiting for him to speak. Zelda was always hounding him about taking his medicine. She wasn�t one who let go of things easily, either. Stubbornness apparently ran in the family. She was also one of the most lethal operatives inside Tobias� inner circle, the top-secret organization founded by two great men: Heinrich Himmler and Dietrich Krause.

The Sixth Seal, he thought. My kingdom.

Tobias held up his hand. �Leave me.�

�But, Grandfather, you must��

�Do nothing!� he hissed, cutting her off. The outburst caused Tobias to break out into another fit of coughs. Zelda went against his wishes and rushed to his side. If Ulrich had been her hero, then Tobias was a close second.

When he got himself under control, Zelda stepped back and bowed slightly. �As you wish, Grandfather. I will come back and check on you later.� She turned and headed out.

The sicker Krause became, the more paranoid his thoughts grew. His doctors had warned him of the lasting effects his serum could have on him, both physically and mentally. But Krause didn�t care. Staying alive was all that mattered. He�d worry about the quality of his life when the time came.

He'd even begun to question Zelda�s motives. Why was a woman of her talents still here and not out with the other agents? She was the heir to the Sixth Seal, after all. She, more than most, had a reason to want Tobias dead.

He remembered the unconditional love he once felt for her. Maybe she really was just looking out for him?

No, she�s plotting against me�

He blinked and shook his head, clearing his thoughts. The mental fog subsided some. �Zelda?� He watched her in the reflection. She turned and faced him again. �I�m very proud of you, you know that, yes?�

The driven, unemotional killer broke character and gave him a small smile. Then she bowed again and left.

When the door shut, Tobias cranked back on the joystick of his motorized wheelchair and rolled away from his office window. This was where he spent most of his time, staring out over the grounds of his grand estate and thinking back to when he was young and able.

Tobias continued around to the back of his ultra-elegant desk and slid himself beneath it. His desk phone rang. No one owned this number that wasn�t involved with his personal business.

He quickly answered it. �Yes?�

The news came fast and without pause. Tobias respected the undercover agent�s ability to deliver information so effectively. The entire call lasted less than a minute. When Tobias hung up his phone, his hands shook, and his eyes widened.

This news was interesting, to say the least. Though the information hadn�t been made public yet, Tobias� contact had gladly clued in the family patriarch. He owned similar contacts throughout the world�s governments, militaries, tech conglomerates, and social media kingpins.

This one happened to be inside the American Department of Justice. Six decades earlier, several Sixth Seal voices had pushed to institute a series of regulations that would forbid all military presence in Antarctica. Unknown to most, the reason for the Antarctic Treaty wasn�t to preserve the untainted continent�s ecosystem but to keep people away from the Underworld�s ruins.

�Could it be?� he muttered. He picked up his desk phone again and dialed.

The line rang for an eternity before finally being answered by a man he trusted most � he fully trusted no one, of course, as he had been trained, but this man was the one he had shared the most with over the years.

�Yes, Herr Krause?� Henri asked, speaking the language of their birth on the other end. Not everyone within the Sixth Seal was German, as the American DOJ agent had proved, though most were. Most operatives were descendants of original members.

Commander Henri Vogel wasn�t just a trusted confidant but also a deadly operative and the current field commander for the entire Sixth Seal. No one held higher authority than Henri did.

No one except Tobias, of course.

World War II had taxed several superpowers heavily, including the United States and the Soviet Union. Back then, both parties, like Nazi Germany, had contained people that did not see eye to eye with their own regimes� leadership. No one, not Truman, not Stalin, or even Hitler, knew what was happening behind the scenes.

A select few knew enough, however, and these powerful men could move mountains at the drop of a hat.

They were the true leaders of the world.

�Prepare to move out. There is news coming from Antarctica that I need you to look into.�

�Yes, sir. I will see to it.�

Tobias grinned. �Good. If this is what I hope, then it�s what we�ve been waiting for.�

�This is wonderful news, sir.�

Tobias appreciated Henri�s enthusiasm. Like Tobias and numerous others, he had been waiting in secrecy for decades to bring the Sixth Seal into the light. That had always been the goal, but their success in working from the shadows had altered their course, as did the loss of projects like Black Sunset.

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.�

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?�

Eddy grinned. �Believe it or not, yes. Her personality should jive well with your own.�

�Her? Interesting��

�So, is that a yes?�

�No, not yet. Will I be going somewhere other than Chile?�

Eddy closed her eyes and winced. �Ever been to Antarctica?�

Yana let out a string of abusive-sounding Russian. Eddy had no idea what the woman had said, but the words had been let out with obvious shock and disbelief.

�You�re yanking my crank, right?�

�No, Yana, I am not �yanking your crank.� This is serious!�

The idiom had sounded weird coming out of someone with Yana�s accent. Her English was superb, but she still spoke with a Russian cadence and inflection.

�Hmmm. Give me a moment to think.�

Eddy rubbed her face. They didn�t have a moment.

�I�ll add twenty percent to your going rate.�

Yana quickly replied, �Deal.�

Eddy smiled. That was the one guarantee with mercenaries. Money always talked. Luckily, TAC had money to spare thanks to some clever financial movement � the United States� over-the-top military spending was the chief contributor.

�Okay, now that you have gained my services, what have you all found that requires my assistance?�

Eddy sat back down and took a deep breath. �What do you know about Nazis in Antarctica?�

The morning after their parking lot brawl, Zahra and Cork were each nursing their wounds. Zahra currently had an icepack resting atop the knuckles of her right hand. The knot on the back of her head was still present but no longer ached.

Cork�s lower lip was puffy, and the split was crusted over. It stung her to sip her coffee, which actually brought Zahra some joy. Cork had been the instigator, after all.

The two women sat outside on Zahra�s back porch, enjoying a view that Zahra had fallen in love with the very first time she�d set eyes on it. She loved Levanzo.

Cork hated how slowly everything moved here, but she had nowhere else to go. So she stayed and dealt with the boredom like an adult.

Zahra was honestly impressed by it, considering Cork was basically an adult-male-sized woman with the maturity level of a 12-year-old.

She uncovered her bruised right hand and opened and closed it. It didn�t hurt all that much. It just ached down in the bones themselves.

�You still fussing over that?�

Zahra replaced the ice bag and picked up her own mug. �Yeah, I am.�

�Pft. That ain�t nothing. Look at my lip.� She poked at her lip and grimaced. �Still can�t believe that tosser popped me.�

Zahra rolled her eyes. �I mean, you did call a Frenchman a � and I quote � �cheese-eating surrender monkey� to his face.�

�No, I told you that to your face. I was looking right at you. I wasn�t even looking at him.�

Zahra set her mug down and turned and faced Cork. �He was three feet from you.�

�And? That didn�t give him the right a slap a lady! Anyway, stupid frog shouldn�t have been listening in on our conversation.�

�You know what,� Zahra said, throwing up her uninjured hand, �you win, Cork. I�m done.� She gripped her mug and lifted it to take a sip, unable to hold back a rising smile. �To be fair, you did tell him you weren�t feeling very ladylike.� She shrugged. �Maybe he was confused?�

Both women burst out in hearty laughter.

Cork cracked her neck. �C�mon, Z, you gotta admit, it does feel nice to let it fly sometimes, right? A good old-fashioned scrum never hurt anybody.�

Zahra set down her drink and just stared at her friend.

Cork noticed. �You know what I mean! Builds character.�

Zahra held up her sore hand. �And bruises.�

The archaeologist�s phone began vibrating across the patio table. Very few people outside her family had her current number, meaning it could only be one other person.

One other organization.

Zahra lifted the phone and looked at Cork. �Mouth shut.�

The Brit held up her hands in surrender and sat back. She playfully zippered her lips shut for good measure and accidentally scratched the scab. She growled in pain and stood bolt upright. It took everything in Zahra not to crack up.

She took a deep breath and answered the call. �This is Zahra.�

�Hello, Zahra,� a feminine voice said.

It wasn�t Raegor, and Zahra had difficulty remembering her name.

Her eyes went wide with recognition. �Hello, Agent Marker; I didn�t expect to hear from you.�

�First, it�s Eddy. And second, Director Raegor is out of the office for a few more days. I�m handling operations until he returns.�

�Operations? Does this mean you have something for me?�

�It does, yes.�

Zahra sat up straight, and her right leg rapidly bounced. Even Cork�s behavior changed. She leaned forward and clasped her hands on top of the table. Her attention was totally on Zahra now.

�Zahra, you still there?�

Zahra blinked. She didn�t know how long they�d gone without speaking. She was too engrossed in the possibilities surrounding this call.

�Yeah, I�m here. Whatcha got for me?�

The details Eddy gave her were intriguing yet sparse. Vague enough to be interesting but vague enough to present a challenge. Even after listening, Zahra wasn�t quite sure what her mission was. A World War II-era U-boat had been discovered sticking out of the ice down in Antarctica, somewhere called Queen Maud Land. Zahra wasn�t an expert on anything within the Southern Ocean since there wasn�t a lot of history for her to study. However, that could be cured with a research crash course.

That�s one long trip. I�ll have plenty of time to get caught up.

�Antarctica, really?� Zahra asked. That was the last place she thought she�d be sent, not that she had a first place in mind, either.

�Is that a problem?� Eddy asked.

�Not at all,� Zahra quickly replied. �Just wasn�t what I was expecting to hear. Breaking the newbie in, huh?�

�No. We don�t do that here. This isn�t like stationing new arrivals in the Arctic Circle or even Minot Air Force Base.�

�Good to know.�

�Yeah, welcome to TAC, where nothing is what we expect. You better get used to it quick, Zahra. As of now, you need to have zero exceptions about anything work-related.�

Zahra felt a little deflated. This wasn�t exactly a rah-rah speech.

�So,� she said nervously, �going in blind, no matter the intel, huh?�

Eddy chuckled. �Pretty much. Having second thoughts?�

Zahra snorted. �Hell, no. Just taking it all in, you know?�

�I do. It can be overwhelming initially, but I�m sure you�ll do fine. Just so you know, Director Raegor handpicked you for this one. Says it will be a good jumping-off point for you � a good way to get your feet wet.�

�And frostbitten.� Zahra could already feel the Antarctic chill all the way from Levanzo.

Cork leaned in closer and quietly said, �Not to mention other parts of the anatomy.� She pointed at her own chest and winked. �Wear layers, luv.�

�Is someone else there?� Eddy asked.

Zahra�s eyes burned into Cork. �No, it�s just me. The wind is really howling here. Sometimes, it sounds like the whispered words of an idiot.�

The Brit frowned, crossed her arms over her chest, and sat back.

�Yes, well, I was just making sure it wasn�t that tree trunk of a pilot of yours, Ms. Milton. I�ve looked into her. She reminds me of a blabbermouth I had to deal with a couple of years back.�

Eddy�s words must have been loud enough for Cork to hear. The �tree-trunk-shaped blabbermouth� shot Zahra a death glare. In turn, Zahra was forced to hold back a laugh.

�What about travel?� Zahra asked, moving the conversation forward.

�Already arranged. You�ll be getting the details shortly.�

�Copy that.� Zahra blew out a long breath. �So, where to first?�

She heard Eddy clack on a keyboard. �You�ll be heading to Punta Arenas to rendezvous with the first member of your team?�

�Team?� Zahra asked, standing. She paced back and forth. �I thought TAC missions were normally done solo, minus a local contact and whatnot?�

�They usually are, yes. This is technically a solo mission. You alone will be representing TAC. The individuals you are meeting are not agents of ours, but they do possess the skillsets to make this operation successful.� Eddy sighed. �Unfortunately, they also represent foreign nations.�

�Why is that unfortunate?�

�Because of the way we operate and what our goals are. We like to stay in control.�

�Obviously. There�s a lot of money to be had out there.�

�Exactly. Trust is a must.� She laughed softly. �I know it�s clich�, Zahra, but it�s also true.�

�Can we trust these team members of mine?� Zahra asked.

�I believe so, yes,� Eddy replied. �Okay, so the first member of your team will naturally represent the German government.�

�Naturally��

�My contact has assured me that he will find you someone you can rely on.�

�Good to hear. What about the other member?�

�So, there�s something you should know��

Here it comes. Zahra knew everything couldn�t be this cut and dry.

�First things first, how�s your Russian?�

�Fine, but what does that have to do with this?� Zahra replied, speaking fluent Russian.

�Excuse me?�

Zahra repeated the response in English.

�Oh, yes. Well, your next team member will represent the Russian third of your lineup, though��

�Though, what?� Zahra asked, pausing her pacing.

�Though Yana doesn�t actually represent the Kremlin.�

�Who does this Yana represent?�

�Theoretically, she represents herself. Yana did some work for us recently, and she comes highly recommended by one of our best agents. Her off-the-books profession includes cold climate operations.�

Zahra put two and two together. �You�ve set me up with a Russian mercenary?�

�Um, yes� Yana is a disgruntled former FSB operative, which is a good thing. You won�t have to worry about her intentions. She is being paid to be loyal to you and TAC only.�

�Good, I guess?� Zahra started to pace again.

�Look, Zahra, Yana was our best option. We don�t exactly have a lot of friends within the current Russian regime.�

�It�s fine, Eddy. I trust your judgment. Raegor does, too. That�s enough for me.�

�Thank you, Zahra. Yana will act as your number two. She has a lot of field experience and her personality� Well, let�s say that you two should get along great.�

Zahra wasn�t sure how to take that. So, she ignored it and kept her mouth shut.

�Okay, Zahra, that�s about it. Pack lightly and wait for your itinerary to arrive via email. Your gear will already be in your hotel room in Chile. More will be waiting for you when you land in Antarctica.�

�Sure. Uh, thanks, Eddy.�

�You�re welcome, and Zahra?�

�Yeah?�

�Take a moment to breathe. I�m sure you�ll do fine. Eddy out.�

Zahra turned and placed her phone on the patio table. Then she leaned on it with both hands, closed her eyes, and breathed, just as Eddy had suggested. Zahra knew she was more than qualified to take on a job like this.

Cork was the first to speak. �Antarctica, huh?�

Zahra nodded, opened her eyes, and looked at her friend. �Yeah, Antarctica.�

Cork picked up her mug. �Well, like I said, wear layers or freeze your nips off.�

Zahra despised layovers, especially when she traveled internationally. Her internal clock was already getting screwed up by the time zone crossings as it was. Add in a four-hour period of nothingness, and Zahra�s mind and body morphed into sludge.

She checked her watch. �Come on�� Based on what the lady had said over the intercom, her plane would start boarding in about twenty minutes. She was this much closer to sleeping soundly.

Over the years, Zahra had become an expert at sleeping on planes.

Or in the back seat of a car.

Or on a rock in Afghanistan.

Zahra could pretty much fall asleep anywhere and on anything.

She zoomed through her Instagram feed for the hundredth time, dying from the wait. This was the only place she couldn�t pack it in and pass out. Zahra was too on edge to nap right now. She was too nervous. There was nothing that would relax her, knowing that she was closer to getting the mission underway.

A baby cried somewhere off to her right. She reflexively looked that way and locked eyes with someone who was not a hollering newborn. This was a grown man in a black trench coat� and he was staring right back at her.

Zahra zeroed in on him and waited for the guy to break contact first. But he didn�t.

Dammit, she thought. Who knows I�m here?

A family of six passed between their gazes, and when the way was clear again, the trench coat wearer was gone. A chill ran up and down Zahra�s spine. She contemplated calling Eddy and warning her that her mission might already be compromised.

You can�t do that.

First, Zahra had no proof that the man was following her. He could have just been the run-of-the-mill creep who had gotten caught people-watching. Second, phoning Eddy now would only make the woman lose confidence in Zahra the Newb.

�Or�� she said aloud, �you�re overtired, and he was never there.�

That was also a distinct possibility.

A familiar voice announced that Zahra�s flight was now boarding. Zahra gathered her carry-on and headed for the entrance to the jetway. Every few steps, she looked for the trench coat guy, but she never saw him again.

After landing in Chile, Zahra still couldn�t shake the feeling that she was being followed. Begrudgingly, she called Eddy back at TAC HQ. She didn�t want to, but she owed it to the company to be truthful with them.

She sat in the back of a cab that was inbound to the Garden Hotel, trying to speak over the obnoxiously loud jazz music. It�s not that Zahra didn�t enjoy the genre. It was just really loud.

�You think you�re being followed?� Eddy asked.

�Maybe, but it could also be nothing. Still, I trust my gut, and it�s saying to watch my back.�

�Yeah, I�ve been there before, and honestly, with your background, I�m not taking this lightly. If you were actually a rookie, then I might feel differently.�

�Thanks, Eddy, that makes me feel better.�

�Good. It was supposed to. Seriously though, in my experience, nothing is never nothing. Keep a sharp eye out for anything odd.�

Zahra snorted. �Have you seen the world lately, Eddy?�

�You know what I mean.�

�So, while I�ve got you��

�Yes?�

Zahra needed to choose her words carefully. �This Yana woman, are you sure I can trust her?�

�More or less.�

�That�s not what I wanted to hear,� Zahra said, sighing hard.

�Look, Zahra, all you need to know is that her abilities will be invaluable if needed.�

Zahra looked out the window. �You still haven�t answered my question.�

�Fine. Yes, she�s trustworthy� ish.�

Zahra rolled her eyes and fell back in her seat. She decided that she was never going to get the answer she wanted, so she shifted gears mentally. Zahra�s driver shifted gears in real life and sped up. The sudden acceleration, combined with the poor condition of the vehicle, caused her to panic.

Holy crap!

�W � what about our Palmer Station contact?� she asked, looking for something to hold on to. But there was nothing available. Both ceiling handles were missing, having long since been ripped out of their mounts above each door.

�Captain Kyle Ford of the United States Air Force. Has logged hundreds of hours in the Antarctica air over the years. He�s supposed to be the best they have. I�m sure you�ve been on a C-130 before, correct?�

�Many times, unfortunately. I swear, riding in one of those things should get you an automatic visit to the chiropractor or at least a deep-tissue massage.�

Eddy laughed softly. �Yeah, can�t say I disagree. What about one on skis?�

Zahra�s eyes opened wide. �No. That would be a first for me.�

�All I�ll say is that it�s an �interesting� experience.�

Zahra shook her head and closed her eyes. �Why can I feel you smiling from here?�

Eddy cleared her throat. It was clear that she had been smiling. �As far as Captain Ford is concerned� He�s a real straight shooter. Professional. A real no-nonsense type.�

�Oh, so you mean a no-fun type?�

�We don�t need fun, Zahra. We need results.�

�Yeah, I know. Thanks, Eddy.� The cab stopped outside her hotel. �Okay, I�m here. Talk again soon.�

The start of Zahra�s first official operation hadn�t gone as smoothly as Eddy had hoped. The nature of the discovery in question was incredibly sensitive, and she knew other parties might eventually get involved. Nazis in Antarctica, specifically being stationed there, had been a hot topic since the war ended. Until now, there had been no evidence of them actually setting up shop there.

Conspiracy theorists loved to tell tall tales of Nazis ending up in all corners of the globe, building massive subterranean complexes and continuing their sadistic societies. As far-fetched as these stories seemed, Eddy knew there was a fantastical element to them that made them attractive fodder for those who believed in Lizard People and the Illuminati.

A U-boat in the ice changed everything. It was proof that they had, at least, tried to get men there. The model of Unterseeboot lent to that even more. Based on the handful of pictures that had been taken, Eddy had Googled the model and saw that it had been designed to travel long distances and carry heavy cargo.

It wasn�t a prototypical attack sub. This U-boat was a gigantic transport vessel.

Eddy looked at her phone. She wanted to call Raegor but quickly decided against it. His mission with Jack had done a number on him. Raegor�s body didn�t respond well to stress, not since his chemotherapy. He had fought and beaten cancer, but it had also won part of the battle.

No, leave him out of this. She took a deep breath. We can handle this.

The Garden Hotel sported a spacious, outdoor, full-service bar � and that was precisely where Yana Fedorov sat now. She�d been instructed to meet TAC agent Zahra Kane here. That was good. Yana always preferred to get pleasantries out of the way early.

The athletic blonde was tickled when she saw a bottle of Jewel of Russia Ultra Black behind the bar. Yana gleefully ordered a heavy pour of the premium vodka. It featured a creamy mouthfeel, subtle peppery notes, soft rye spice, and very little burn on the finish. She always drank it neat, much to the dismay of most other people. Ice watered down flavor and, to Yana, brought out more of the alcohol taste.

Her last mission with TAC had been a doozy; she hoped this one would be too. Yana loved a good challenge. She also loved the adventure that came with the challenge.

�Cerveza por favor.�

Yana�s eyes darted left. In her periphery, she watched a woman sit next to her. It only took a second, and in that short time, Yana read the newcomer as thoroughly as she could.

Her skin tone could only be described as �coffee with cream.� She was well-built but not as muscular as Yana was, and her raven-black hair owned perfect waves.

In short, she was gorgeous.

Middle Eastern, perhaps?

�What are you drinking?� the woman asked.

Yana�s eyes lifted to the mirror built into the back wall of the bar. They found the other patron. The question wasn�t what had gotten Yana�s attention; it was a classic conversation starter. What had raised the hairs on Yana�s arms was what language the question had been asked in.

The Middle Eastern woman had asked the question in fluent Russian.

Yana stayed calm, took another sip, then held the lowball glass, inspecting its contents. �Jewel of Russia black top,� she replied in English. �It doesn�t get better.�

The barkeep returned and placed a bottle of Cerveza Cristal atop a napkin, setting both in front of Yana�s new friend. Yana took another sip of vodka, but this time, instead of admiring her drink, she set it down and turned. She met eyes with her neighbor and noticed how striking they were.

Yana said as much. �You have the prettiest eyes I�ve ever seen.�

Zahra Kane grinned. �Is this how you always begin introductions?�

�What can I say? I speak my mind.�

Zahra took a long pull of her beer, then sighed. �I�ll have to remember that��

The two women never formally introduced one another. They just sat there and shot the shit, getting to know each other through informal conversation. Yana was grateful for it, too. Meeting new people � people she was going to have to rely on whether she wanted to or not � was always more awkward than it needed to be.

Zahra must have felt the same way, hence the lack of conventional introductions.

The bar was mostly empty, and the bartender was also acting as a de facto waiter. He was currently away from the bar, giving the mercenary and the archeologist some much-needed privacy.

�So, FSB, huh?�

Yana nodded. �Yes.�

�How long?�

Yana emptied her lowball. �Too long.� She was thankful that Zahra didn�t push the subject further. She knew Eddy would have already clued her in. �What about you? What did you do before this?�

�British Army Intelligence Linguist.�

That stunned Yana. �You�re British?� Zahra�s voice contained no British accent.

The non-Brit smiled. �That�s what my passport says� I grew up in New York and moved to England with my dad and brother after my mom was murdered.�

Yana sensed there was a lot to unpack there, so she left it alone.

For now.

�What about after the army?�

Zahra took another long pull. �Worked for the British Museum for a bit� until it sorta blew up.�

�That was you?� Yana asked, once again shocked. She�d heard about the attack on the museum shortly after it had happened. There�d been quite a few deaths, and not from the explosion or subsequent fires.

�I was there, yeah,� Zahra replied. �But no, I didn�t cause the destruction.� She looked away. �My cousin did. He tried to kill me several times.�

Yana shook her head. �You are a very confusing woman to get a read on, you know that?�

Zahra shrugged. �What can I say? It�s a gift.�

�One thing� In public, please call me Anastasia.�

�Why�s that?� Zahra asked, eyebrow raised.

�Let�s just say that I have made a name for myself in certain circles. I�ve also collected a long list of enemies along the way.�

�That I can relate to,� Zahra said, switching back to Russian with a grin. �Ever hear of the Scales of Anubis?� Yana mentally nodded in approval. She�s good.

�Yes, well, sort of,� Yana replied, seamlessly shifting back to English. �They are an extremist group out of Libya, right?�

Zahra drained her beer and waggled her head.

�Egypt, and they were. And no, I�m not going deeper into it. We don�t have that kind of time.�

The bartender returned and offered the two operatives another round. Since they had nothing to do until tomorrow afternoon, they happily obliged. Yana ordered another vodka, but, this time, Zahra ordered a Cucumber Gin Gimlet.

�Interesting choice,� Yana said, glancing at the cocktail.

Zahra tried it. Her eyes lit up. �Had one recently. Wanted to give it another go.�

�And?�

�Better than the first. Loads of cucumber. The other one was too limey for me.� She rattled off a string of light-speed Spanish to the bartender. He gave Zahra a small bow before moving off. �Wanna try?�

Yana shook her head. �I may be a woman, but I�m not that kind of woman.�

Zahra set her drink down. �What�s that supposed to mean?�

Yana didn�t reply. She just gave her associate a small smirk and sipped her vodka.

Zahra returned her smirk with one of her own, and the pair finished their drinks in silence. The weather was beautiful, blowing in a gentle breeze across the bar.

�So,� Yana finally said, setting her second empty down, �about the Scales of Anubis��

Zahra shook her head. �Not getting into it.�

�Aw, come on.� Yana playfully pouted. �If you show me yours, I�ll show you mine��

A knock at the door roused a half-hungover, fully jetlagged Zahra. She needed coffee and something meaty and greasy to eat. If she had been back in the States, that would have been a pair of McGriddles. Then again, there were McDonald�s restaurants everywhere. The first thing she�d do when she got out of bed, besides emptying her bladder, was check to see if there was one near her hotel.

There was another knock at the door.

She sighed. The McGriddles would now be the third thing she did.

�I�m fine, thank you!� Zahra shouted, eyes closed.

Another series of knocks followed.

She repeated her reply in Spanish and was quickly answered by yet another flurry of knocks.

�Come on, really?� Zahra rolled out of bed dressed in a loose t-shirt and hip-hugging shorts. �I said, I�m fine!�

In her slightly dazed state, Zahra unlocked the door and turned the knob. If she had been totally coherent, she would have checked the peephole first.

As soon as the door cracked open, it was kicked in. It struck Zahra in the forearms and knocked her back. She had just gotten her arms up in time to keep it from hitting her squarely in the face.

Before she could get her feet back under her, Zahra was bull rushed and taken to the ground. She responded as if her skin was on fire and thrashed, bucking and clawing wildly. She heard a pair of grunts as her fingernails caught her attacker in the face. He straddled her smaller frame and pressed his weight down on top of her.

Zahra needed to fix their positioning and do so quickly.

She grabbed him by the hair and pulled while also snagging his left nipple and twisting hard. Zahra was not known for fighting fairly. His assault paused long enough for her to bring her legs up behind him. She wrapped her muscular legs around his head and yanked them back down to the ground. The man was dragged backward, bent over at a weird angle.

She released him and scrambled to her feet, aided by a nearby dresser. Her assailant rolled onto his hands and knees and went to push himself up. Zahra grabbed the first thing she could � a lamp � and slammed it on the back of his head. It was a glancing blow, and it only caused him to stagger. He was still very much in this fight.

He stayed low and shouldered into Zahra�s gut, taking her into and through the bathroom door. Zahra dropped a series of elbow strikes on the back of his head before being thrown backward into the tub. Her skull struck the wall, and she saw stars.

In her dazed state, Zahra was dragged back into the bedroom and thrown onto her bed. The bigger man straddled her and quickly clutched her neck with both hands. Zahra�s air was instantly cut off. She desperately tried to drive her hooked fingers into his eyes but couldn�t reach them. His arms were too long, and he was too strong.

�Stop,� Zahra croaked. She was already seeing spots. �Stop, wait.�

But her attacker wasn�t stopping or waiting.

He was killing her.

In the far recesses of her mildly concussed mind, she heard her door open.

�Zahra!�

A split second after her name was shouted, Zahra�s attacker was bowled into. His grip was jostled free, and he and Zahra�s savior, Yana, went tumbling off the bed. They hit the floor with a bang and began trading blows. Unlike Zahra, Yana stayed on top and drove fist after fist into the man�s now bloodied face. The Russian was a savage.

Zahra couldn�t move. She took in several life-giving breaths before she could do anything but lie still and inhale and exhale.

The only other female in the room yelped. Zahra lifted her head in time to see Yana get thrown into the mirror mounted on the wall opposite the bed. She landed atop the dresser in showering glass, then rolled off and onto the floor with an audible �Oof.�

Come on, Zahra, move!

Zahra silently rolled off the bed and stood on trembling legs. She needed to disable the brute quickly. Luckily, she knew of a sure-fire way to do so.

She kicked the unknown attacker in the testicles from behind. The blow bent him over. From her back, Yana jabbed at his throat. The quick shot was enough to make him stagger away toward the bathroom. Zahra shuffled over to her fallen sister, grasping her neck with one hand. She helped Yana to her feet with her free hand, using what little strength she could muster. Both women steadied the other, then charged the bigger man as a pair.

They went high, shouldering into his chest. The trio continued into the bathroom and into the shower. The same tile that had concussed Zahra cracked beneath his weight as he struck it. He rebounded off the wall and fell toward Zahra and Yana. His mass was too much for the injured pair, and all three fell to the floor of the tight bathroom. He was half out of it, which was still half too much for Zahra�s liking.

Yana must have felt the same way.

She snaked out from beneath him, grabbed a towel, and wound it up tight. She gripped it in both hands and did her best hitman impersonation and wrapped the makeshift garrote wire around the man�s neck.

He fought back and got up on his knees, shouting at them in German.

�You will not find the Underworld! You will die before��

Zahra sat up and punched him in the stomach.

His air left him, as did his words. His retaliation dwindled.

For good measure, Yana yanked his head to the right and slammed it into the corner of the sink. The big man crumpled to the floor, crushing Zahra beneath his girth.

�Ugh,� Zahra moaned. �Coulda gone without that.� She looked up at Yana. �Little help?�

Yana pulled Zahra out from beneath the hulk and helped her up. Both women were bleeding from small cuts. Zahra had fared much worse. It hurt to speak and to swallow.

�What the hell was that about?� Yana asked. �Was he speaking German?�

Zahra nodded. �Yeah,� she rasped. �He said something about not finding the Underworld?�

�The Underworld?�

Zahra shrugged. �That�s what he said.� She took a deep breath. �Someone is trying to stop us.�

Yana snorted. �You think?�

Zahra shot the Russian a quick, annoyed glance. �The Germans?�

Yana was still holding Zahra�s arm, and she was thankful for that.

�Could be,� Yana replied. �We are investigating a Nazi U-boat, yes?�

�Yeah, but Nazis? Today?�

Yana led her into the main room. �I didn�t say anything about Nazis. Could just be another German-based group.�

Zahra gently prodded at her throat. �Let�s hope that�s the case. Fighting modern-day Nazis is not what I had in mind when I took this gig.�

�Ditto.�

Zahra sat on her bed. �What about him?�

A grin formed on Yana�s face. �Leave him to me.�

Zahra and Yana moved over to the Russian�s room and called Eddy. Both women held ice water-soaked washcloths to various parts of their bodies in an attempt to stem the swelling. Zahra�s throat was raw, and it still hurt to swallow. Her voice was slowly returning, and fortunately, the bruising had not set in yet.

�This isn�t good, Zahra.�

�You�re telling me�� Zahra and Yana sat at a small table in the corner of the room. Zahra�s phone was on speaker, so neither woman would have to hold it. She gently touched her neck. �Pretty sure I�m going to bruise. Gonna need to pick up a couple turtlenecks.�

�Where is he now?�

�Back in my room. He�s subdued and gagged, so we can question him later. No one will be finding him for at least a few more hours.�

Yana had stripped the man naked and tied his appendages to the corners of the bed. She had also stuffed a hand towel in his mouth and hung the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door handle. Checkout was at 11:00 a.m. Zahra gazed down at her watch and saw that it was barely eight. They had plenty of time to finish getting changed and head to the airport. Zahra currently wore only jeans and a sports bra.

�Is Yana with you?�

�Yes, I�m here,� Yana replied. She stopped tying her shoe and sat up straight. �Hello again, Eddy.�

�Yana, I need your opinion.� The two operatives glanced at one another. �Is Zahra in good enough shape to continue this op?�

Zahra cut in before Yana could answer. �Eddy, I��

�Sorry, Zahra, but I need an outside opinion. I�m not risking your health or the mission.�

Zahra sat back and slid down in her chair. �Copy that.� She gently applied the ice-cold towel to her neck and listened.

�Yana?�

Yana eyed Zahra, then stared through her as she thought. �I believe she is okay.� She gave Zahra a wink. �Nothing a little vodka can�t fix.�

Zahra leaned in close to her phone. �Eddy, really, I�m fine.�

Both women could hear Eddy mumbling to herself. �Okay, Zahra, continue the mission. I�ll do some digging on this �Underworld� and what it relates to Germany, past and present.�

�What about the guy in my room?� Zahra asked.

�Don�t worry about him,� Eddy replied. �I�ll place an anonymous call and add something spicy. Sadly, I can�t do anything to get him locked up for very long, not without potentially exposing ourselves.�

�Still, it�s something,� Yana added.

�Yeah,� Zahra agreed. �Plus, it�ll tell his people that we�re on to them and that we�re capable of defending ourselves.�

�What if they send more men?� Eddy�s question was a valid one.

�Well,� Zahra started, glancing at her partner, �let�s hope they aren�t overly fond of the cold.�

An hour ago, Bruno had been arrested for destruction of property and indecent exposure. He�d been subdued by his targets, stripped of his clothing, and tied to the bed frame. Sometime between that and his subsequent arrest, the front desk had been called, and a maid had walked in on him spread eagle and smelling of vodka.

�Very clever of them,� Commander Vogel said. �I must admit, I admire their ingenuity.�

Otto didn�t share his superior�s sentiments. He and Bruno had been partners in the Patagonia region of South America for over a year now and had become decent enough friends. The German duo spoke Spanish fluently. Otto had been engrained in the Punta Arenas community for three years now, running a construction company with ties to an investment firm out of Berlin.

The Sixth Seal kept a close watch on cities with major international airports. Punta Arenas was a special case. Like Christchurch, New Zealand, Punta Arenas regularly supplied flights to Antarctica. Both metropolises were heavy with a Sixth Seal presence for that reason. They also kept their ear to the ground within the world�s intelligence communities. It was how they had heard of the women�s mission in the first place, though no one could find any information on the organization responsible.

They must be new, Otto had thought. He�d been involved in the Sixth Seal spy network for fifteen years. He knew all the major players. Whoever this organization was, they must have been relatively fresh.

�What do we do with Bruno?� Otto asked. He currently sat in his car outside the airport, watching flights come in and out.

�Leave him. Let him rot for a little longer. It will teach him to do his job.�

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.

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 Spezialkr�fte, 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.�

Yana�s shoulders relaxed. As they did, Hammet turned to Zahra.

�The efforts of the Tactical Archaeological Command are greatly appreciated.� He leaned in closer to the woman. �Not everyone�s secrets are as secretive as they�d like.� He winked, then eyed Zahra. �Thank you for doing what you do. History deserves to be protected at all costs.�

�All of it?� Yana asked.

�Ja,� Hammet quickly replied. �Even the evil parts. We must learn from what we disagree with� With what we regret,� he placed his hand on his chest, �even if we were not personally responsible.�

Zahra could feel the sadness radiating from the German. She knew how touchy a subject Nazism was to modern-day Germans. It was the same for Americans whenever slavery was brought up, not that the United States invented the horrid practice. Either way, every country had its warts. Some were just larger and nastier than others.

I can see why this guy was chosen to join us.

�That�s admirable of you to say,� Zahra said, smiling.

�Danke,� he replied, thanking her.

Zahra slipped into fluent German. �You�re welcome. It�s always nice to meet someone who respects history as much as I do.�

Hammet smiled. �Most impressive, Miss Kane,� he replied, continuing the conversation in German. �It will be nice to have another German speaker on this mission.�

�Excuse me,� Yana said, �but I find that impolite and incredibly annoying. Please stop.�

�What�s her deal?� Hammet asked, staying in German.

Zahra smiled. �She�s constipated.�

The pair laughed hard.

Yana did not. �I hate you both. I hope you know that.� She glanced at Zahra. �By the way, how many languages do you speak? So far, I�ve heard four.�

Zahra patted her shoulder. �Enough.� The non-answer earned a heavy eye roll.

�Four?� Hammet asked in English. �Remarkable.�

Zahra shrugged. �I�ve always been good with languages.�

The outer doors opened behind Hammet. Luckily for everyone inside the GWR Building, the inner doors blocked any of the chilling Antarctic air from invading the interior�s warmth.

�So, where is Captain Ford?� Yana asked, moving the conversation along.

�I�m wondering the same thing,� Zahra replied. �Now that we�re here, I have no idea what to do next.�

Hammet looked around. �Likewise. He is supposed to have our travel planned out.�

Yana sat back down. �I guess we take it easy until he shows up, yes?�

No one argued.

�Well, I�ve definitely been in worse places,� Zahra said, raising her lowball of bourbon.

�As have I.� Yana agreed, clinking her glass to Zahra�s.

The cheerful voice boomed from across the room, originating from somewhere behind Hammet. Zahra�s line of sight was blocked, and she couldn�t identify the speaker until Hammet stepped out of the way. When the big German did, Zahra saw an equally imposing man standing just inside the inner entrance doors.

Hammet turned and faced the newcomer. �You Ford?�

The other man stepped forward and nodded. �I am.�

Kyle Ford was older than Zahra thought he�d be. She guessed he was somewhere in his early fifties. The hair along his temples was streaked with gray, though the rest of his head was still thick and dirty blonde. His eyes were sharp, as a pilot�s eyes should be. They darted between the trio of visitors, taking in everything about them as quickly as they could.

�I like your bar,� Yana said, holding up her drink.

The smallest of smiles formed on Kyle�s face. �Thanks, but it�s not mine.�

He skirted around the threesome, making his way to the back of the bar. He cracked his knuckles, then leaned atop it.

�What are you all drinking?�

Zahra couldn�t place the man�s accent. He sounded as if he was from up north, somewhere around the Great Lakes. At first, she guessed Wisconsin. If that were true, then he was from way, way up north.

�How long did you live on the banks of Chequamegon Bay?�

Kyle stood erect with his hands on his hips. This time, his smile was full. �Very impressive. Grew up there. Still have family in Ashland, if you know it?�

Zahra had heard of it but had not visited the northwest corner of the Badger State, but she knew the dialect of those who had spent much time around Chequamegon Bay was slightly different, lilting in certain key ways. The only area she�d ever been to in that part of the U.S. was Northern Minnesota, but she knew that accent was similar.

The team was now complete. The four chatted it up until Kyle pushed away from the bartop.

�Let me show you to your rooms. We leave in the morning.�

�Isn�t it always morning here?� Hammet asked rhetorically.

Kyle took the question in stride. �Until it�s not. You don�t want to be here during the perpetual night. It�s utterly depressing.�

�You stay here year-round?� Zahra asked.

Kyle chuckled. �Once, but never again. I go home in the offseason or use my leave and travel, like now. I just landed, same as you; expect I�ll be here for another month, at least.�

Ugh, no thanks, Zahra thought, shivering at the thought. I�ll take Levanzo any day.

�Ever have any trouble when out and about?� Yana asked.

Kyle folded his arms across his chest. �What do you mean by �trouble?��

She matched his posture. �The kind you need to shoot.�

His face hardened. �Who exactly are you again?�

�Anastasia Ogievich,� Yana replied.

Hammet�s eyes darted over to her. It was his only response to the outward lie.

�She�s my number two on his operation,� Zahra explained. She met Hammet�s eyes. Just because the Germans didn�t have eyes for Yana didn�t mean the Americans didn�t. �TAC trusts her, which means I do too. Her background isn�t important except to know that it is invaluable to us all.�

Yana finished off Zahra�s compliment with a shit-eating grin.

Kyle sighed. �As for your question, Ms. Ogievich, no, we will not need weapons of any kind. This is a research mission, first and foremost, and is in conjunction with the National Science Foundation. The Tactical Archaeological Command may have put this thing together, but it still falls under the Antarctic Treaty. Military operations are strictly forbidden in Antarctica.�

Yana snorted. �Your faith in the treaty is striking. If only you knew what really happens out there.�

�I will pretend that was just more snark from you and nothing you�d like to delve deeper into.�

Yana conceded and stayed quiet.

So did Zahra, but her face must have given away her true feelings on the subject.

�You don�t agree?� he asked.

�No, I don�t.�

Yana couldn�t hold her tongue any longer. �It is plain to see that you do not get out much, Captain. Betrayal and the ability to work around the laws are the basis of everything human. Murder is illegal unless it�s sanctioned by someone with the authority to do so.�

Zahra scratched her head. �She does have a point.�

�Like the American Revolution, yes?� Hammet added. �What is the old adage? It�s only illegal if you get caught?�

�Or in that specific case,� Yana said, �it�s only treason if you lose.�

Kyle�s eyebrows knit. Zahra needed to break this up before it cost them dearly.

She held up both hands. �What I think my colleagues are saying is that it would be foolish to blindly believe that all parties stationed on this frozen rock are playing by the rules and following the treaty to the letter of the law.� She lowered her hands and stared down Kyle. �I�d be curious to see what Palmer and McMurdo are storing in their more restricted areas��

The American soldier sighed. �Your unwarranted paranoia is noted.�

�Oh, it�s not my paranoia. It�s my training.� Zahra grinned. �I�m good at sniffing out bullshit.�

�Same,� Yana said. �I always expect the worst and hope to be pleasantly surprised.�

�Couldn�t have said it better myself,� Zahra said.

Hammet nodded. �Nor could I.�

Kyle could see that he was defeated. �I hope I can prove you wrong when we leave for the sub. But that doesn�t change my stance on weapons.� He looked at Yana. �Which means you�ll get nothing. Am I clear?�

�Da,� Yana replied, meeting his glare with one of her own.

�Good.� He turned. �Now, follow me to your rooms. We have an early morning ahead of us.�

Zahra desperately needed sleep, but she already knew that little would come. The jetlag was running full steam ahead through her system, and the lack of nightfall wasn�t going to help. She figured her room would be outfitted with blackout curtains, same as on an Alaskan cruise. She�d taken one as a kid and had been shocked to find out that the sun only set for four hours at a time during the peak summer months.

Antarctica was experiencing something similar but on a more drastic level.

She didn�t even bother to look at her watch. At this point, there was no reason to wear one. Time was irrelevant here.

Cheer up, Zahra. You�ve gone without sleep before. Just not after thousands of miles of travel and two brawls. First, Sicily. Then, Chile.

She prayed there wouldn�t be another. Three fistfights on three continents, all within the span of a few days, would have to be some kind of record.

The others gladly hit the sack, but not Yana. She couldn�t sleep, though she was happy that Zahra had gone down quickly. She needed it much more than Yana did. Yana could go days without proper rest. She only ever needed a couple of hours. Sometimes less than that.

But what Yana needed more than sleep� was a weapon.

She had no plans of using it against anyone here. Yana just really wanted one � anything. So far, since they had arrived in Antarctica, no one had proved themselves to be a threat to her life, even Hammet. The German, knowing Yana�s identity, both unnerved her and intrigued her.

The dorms where the others had crashed were positioned directly above the bar on the second floor of the GWR Building. Yana and Zahra were bunked together, which was nice. Having someone sleeping below you that you could trust when the shit hit the fan was a bonus. She had waited for Zahra to start snoring before heading back downstairs.

Palmer Station operated on a twenty-hour-a-day schedule. That meant the people here did, too. There would always be someone around. That was both good and bad, depending on what exactly you had planned.

For Yana, it was a positive. It would be infinitely harder to steal a weapon from someone if there was no one around to steal from. She headed back to the bar and found a lone soul sitting at it. He wasn�t entirely alone, however. Two of his cohorts were watching a movie. She didn�t know which one, and she didn�t care.

I�m sure Zahra would know.

Yana gave him some room, studying his wears as she drew nearer. Sadly, the security officer wasn�t outfitted with a firearm, but he did have a knife strapped to his belt.

Good enough.

Yana zeroed in on him, not the blade. She had an idea, one an attractive woman like herself had used on countless men over the years. This would be easier than most, too. This guy was young and guaranteed to be lonely.

She sat down next to him and spun to face him. �What�s a lady have to do to get a drink around here?�

Yana laid her accent on heavier than usual. She knew from experience that men loved it. One guy even went as far as to say it made her come off as a Bond villain, which was apparently a turn-on to him.

Men�

The officer met eyes with her, unable to say much of anything. Yana locked her jaw, refraining from screaming at the boy to get off his ass and get her a beverage.

He finally got the hint.

�Uh, what would you like?�

Good boy.

�Vodka, no ice. Mister?�

He stood and sauntered around to the back of the bar. �M � Mitch.� Yana eyed his sheathed knife. She needed to loosen him up a little. He was rigid and looked mightily unhappy about being here.

�Why the long face, Mitch?� she asked.

He grabbed a bottle of the cheapest mixing vodka and sloppily sloshed some into a glass meant for water. Yana gritted her teeth but accepted the economic alcohol. She sniffed it. The perfuming booze curled her lips and flared her nostrils.

�Something wrong?� he asked.

Being the professional that she was, Yana knocked back the entire pour with little more than a held breath.

�Not at all.�

He stared.

She smiled.

�Another?� he asked.

Gotcha.

�Da, please.� This time, he made it to the back of the bar in record time. �So, why does a handsome individual, such as yourself, look so � what do you call it � oh, yes, down in the dumps?�

He snorted. �Have you seen this place? Palmer is a shitheap. I hate it here.�

Mitch gave her an even heavier pour this time. Yana winced internally but, nevertheless, accepted the drink. This time, she didn�t wait for Mitch to sit back down. Yana steeled herself and downed the pour.

Mitch�s eyes went wide. �I guess it�s true what they say about Russian women, huh?�

Oh, this should be good.

�And what is that?�

�That you love the cold and your vodka.�

She smiled. He wasn�t that far off. �Did you know we also love a man in uniform?�

Mitch gazed down at his clothes. As he did, Yana leaned forward and slipped off the front of her barstool. He caught her, wrapping his arms around her back to support her dead weight. Yana got her feet underneath herself and stood, rubbing her chest against his.

She also slid her right hand down to his left hip, popped the sheath�s retention strap, and slid free his knife. Yana kept her eyes glued to his, then flicked them to the right.

�Who is that?�

Mitch turned to look. As he did, Yana carefully slid the blade into the back of her pants and covered it with her shirt. Her movements needed to be precise now. If not, she would have two splits in her lower back.

�There�s no one there.� When Mitch turned around, Yana was already standing. �Where ya goin�?�

Yana leaned in and kissed his cheek. �You have helped more than you know. Dasvidaniya, Mitch. Good luck to you.�

�Uh, thanks?�

Yana headed for the hallway. At its rear was the stairway that led back up to the dorms. She walked slow and stiff, taking care not to slice the top of her ass to ribbons. Once she was out of sight, she removed the blade from the back of her pants and slid it into the sleeve of her sweatshirt. Then, she quickened her steps and headed for her room.

Yana felt much better about her situation now.

Could still use a gun, though.

Kyle led everyone out to the frozen tarmac. Calling it a tarmac was a bit of an exaggeration in Zahra�s eyes. The landing zone was really just a blank sheet of white marked off by poles with flashing red lights. Zahra had no idea if there was even concrete or asphalt beneath the layer of white. Even if there was, she didn�t think it would matter.

�I thought it would be colder.�

Zahra agreed with Yana. When she had found out she was going to the Antarctic, she immediately pictured unbearable, freezing temperatures. This was just moderately freezing temperatures.

�Due to our northern location and the timing of your visit, you got lucky,� Kyle explained. �The average high this time of year is only thirty-five degrees.�

�And the low?� Hammet asked, unflinching.

Zahra needed to remember that the big German specialized in cold-weather operations, as did Yana. Zahra wasn�t all that uncomfortable, but she did much prefer the milder Mediterranean climate.

�Five to ten degrees difference, on average,� Kyle replied. �Because of the lack of darkness during the Antarctic winter months, we don�t get the typical temperature fluctuation you�d see as you move closer to the equator.�

�That�s a relief,� Zahra said, following along.

�Yes, it is,� Kyle agreed. �The summers are inhospitable.�

As someone who spent her time growing up in the Northern Hemisphere, calling the summer a cold season was always something Zahra didn�t understand. A boiling hot, Australian snowless Christmas just sounded wrong to Zahra.

�I prefer the Mediterranean,� she mumbled.

�Beautiful area,� Kyle said.

�You know it?� Zahra asked.

�Spent a little time in Rome. Learned a little of the language, too.�

�How much do you know?� she asked in fluent Italian.

He waved her off. �Whoa, whoa, whoa� Slow down. I only said, �a little.��

�I apologize for that,� Yana said. �Zahra is a bit of a showoff sometimes.�

They rounded the frontmost building and slowed as they all took in their transport vehicle. The Lockheed LC-130 �Skibird� was a behemoth, four-engine, turbo-prop aircraft, as was its brother, the C-130 Hercules. She was amazed by the sight of the plane�s retractable skis when she and Yana had boarded one in Chile, but she wasn�t given the pleasure of seeing its other unique features in action.

�As I�m sure you�ve noticed,� Kyle said. �Our bird utilizes the RATO system.�

�RATO?� Hammet asked.

Kyle nodded. �Yes, RATO. Rocket-assisted-takeoff. There are four small but powerful booster rockets attached to either side of the LC-130, just behind the rear skis.�

�Why do you need the rockets?� Zahra asked.

Kyle glanced at her. �Takeoffs are not always easy here. These give us the necessary boost.�

Yana snorted. �That was terrible. I can tell that dad jokes are not your thing.�

Kyle�s minute playfulness ended with Yana�s comment. �Come on. We�re wasting time.� He stormed off, leaving the others in the dust.

Zahra gave Yana a hard stare before hurrying after him. �Kyle!�

She caught up, then kept pace next to him. �Please, excuse Ana. She�s a bit rough around the edges.�

Kyle didn�t physically react. �I�ve been around worse.�

�But�� That got him to stop. The taller man looked down at her and waited for her to continue. �Team building is essential to success, especially with this crew.�

�From what I�ve seen, you�re not like her.�

Zahra grinned. �You ain�t seen nothin� yet.�

Kyle almost smiled. �Good to know.� He turned his head as Yana and Hammet closed in. �I hope none of you get airsick.�

�That rough?� Zahra asked.

Kyle winked. �Yes, that rough.�

�Wonderful,� Yana said. She elbowed Hammet in the arm. �Hope you packed your vomit bag.�

Hammet patted his jacket pockets. �I did not.�

Even though the moment was light and merry, Zahra could plainly tell that neither Yana nor Hammet looked happy with what Kyle had said.

The American pilot led the others up the rear ramp and into the warmer cargo hold of the LC-130. They skirted around two 5-seat Tucker Sno-cats. The vehicles resembled tractors in every way except for having tank tread instead of tires. These things were built for the surrounding terrain.

�What kind of distance are we talking?� Zahra asked.

�We�re landing at Troll Station to refuel, so�� he mentally calculated the distance, �1,600 miles, give or take.�

Yana cursed under her breath. �This just keeps getting better.�

Kyle shrugged. �Antarctica is a big place. Nothing happens quickly here.�

�Except hypothermia,� Yana poked.

Kyle didn�t respond to Yana�s humor.

�Once we�re fueled up, we�ll continue to our destination. We believe there�s a usable stretch of land ten miles south of our sub.�

�How far is the flight from Troll to the next LZ?� Hammet asked.

Kyle stopped and looked at the group. �About 275 miles.�

�What kind of name is Troll?� Zahra asked.

�It comes from the mountains surrounding the station. The founders thought they resembled the trolls from Norse mythology.�

�Norse? It�s a Norwegian facility?� Yana asked. She glanced at Hammet. �I figured Troll would be under German control, all things considered.�

The team was admittedly unfamiliar with all things Antarctica. It was the main reason Kyle was as involved with the operation as he was.

�Common misconception,� Kyle explained. �Queen Maud Land has always been a Norwegian territory. The Nazis disputed the claim in the thirties after they sent their own expedition. They eventually lost the claim after the war ended.�

�I wonder if that has anything to do with our U-boat,� Zahra said, looking at Hammet.

�I�m sure it does, but we won�t know for sure until we arrive.�

�Speaking of which�� Kyle said. �We need to prep for takeoff. Take your seats.�

He swept his hand out over the forward section of the cargo hold. It held a dozen seats sitting atop a �transport pallet.� Zahra recognized them from her army days. The pre-built, moveable segment of seating allowed its user to transport it on and off the aircraft at will. They did as Kyle said and found their seats. Zahra sat between Yana and Hammet but kept an empty seat between each of them. Their packs went into those seats.

�How long will this take?� Yana asked.

�No idea,� Zahra replied. �Depends on airspeed.�

The Russian leaned forward and looked at Hammet. �What about you? Any idea?�

He could only shrug.

Yana sighed. �I guess it�s a �we get there when we get there� kind of trip.�

The two Sno-Cats came to a stop a hundred yards from the coast. This was the end of the line for them. The last leg of the trek would have to be done on foot. Zahra, Yana, Hammet, and Kyle climbed down from their transport, as did their driver, Ethan. The fifth man had logged in nearly as many hours driving around Antarctica as Kyle had flying over it. Zahra�s team was in very good hands. There was a lot of experience riding along with them.

The second Sno-Cat disgorged four of its own explorers. One of them was a woman who was a climatologist studying the continent�s coastal environment. It seemed that Zahra�s operation had been combined with another. She guessed it made sense since traversing all this way wasn�t easy, nor something that would have been done all that often.

Zahra stared at the second team.

�Don�t be concerned,� Kyle said, stepping up next to her. �They�ve all signed NDAs. Your being here will remain a secret.�

That relieved Zahra some. She took a deep inhalation of the frigid air and instantly regretted it. Zahra coughed hard. As her eyes teared up, the liquid stung her skin as it tried to freeze.

Kyle chuckled. �You�re going to want to avoid doing that.�

Zahra silently held up her hand, giving him the �okay� sign. She should have known better, too. Her lungs had acclimated to the warmer air inside the Sno-Cat and had spasmed when reintroduced to the cold.

The first team headed out, with Zahra and the others following close behind. The hike came and went quickly. The ground rose and fell dramatically, explaining why the Sno-Cats had been ditched.

They crested a rise that gave Zahra a view she wasn�t prepared for. �Wow.�

Yana joined her. �Much wow.�

Hammet agreed. �Magnificent.�

�People can have their sun-kissed beaches,� Kyle said. �I�ll take this any day.�

The Southern Ocean stretched on forever. The only thing in sight besides the crystal blue water was the cliff in front of them. Still, even the cliff ended about seventy feet from their location.

The two teams separated here. Zahra�s squad continued to the cliff while the second team began to set up a bevy of scientific equipment.

Satisfied with their position, Kyle and the driver, Ethan, headed back to the Sno-Cats. The plan was to tie off their rappelling lines to the vehicles instead of trying to pound anchors into the rocky surface. The coastal areas of Antarctica lacked ice in places, revealing the raw land that formed the foundation of the continent. Zahra figured that was what the climatologist was here to study.

While everyone else went about the tasks, Zahra, Yana, and Hammet approached the precipice that made up the edge of the continent.

�Careful,� Hammet warned.

Zahra glanced over her shoulder and nodded but didn�t speak. Yana stepped up to her right. The pair quickly clutched one another�s arms for balance as a sharp gust nearly took them off their feet. Hammet appeared on Zahra�s left, and he snagged her arm.

Then, the trio leaned forward and looked down.

A one-hundred-foot-long, dark gray tube jutted out of the ice four stories beneath their feet. Zahra calculated that there was another twenty to thirty feet of air between the U-boat and the ocean. It was both marvelous and an oddity.

�Amazing,� Hammet whispered.

Zahra agreed. �Yeah. Pretty insane, right?�

�Is it safe?� Yana asked.

Zahra and Hammet looked at one another before anyone answered. They had no idea.

The Russian sighed. �I guess we are going to find out, huh?�

Zahra grinned. �You bet your ass we are.�

The incoming ocean air battered Zahra. It slammed her against the cliff face a half dozen times before her feet touched down atop the U-boat�s conning tower platform. She quickly unclipped and stabilized herself against the wall before turning and joining up with Kyle and Ethan. The two men had smartly secured the rappelling line to the rail of the sub�s conning tower so they wouldn�t have to hold it steady themselves.

Let�s hope the sub doesn�t break free.

Zahra pictured the vessel falling and dragging along one of their Sno-Cats. Then again, the line would more than likely snap before that would happen.

�Well, that was awful,� she muttered, blowing out a long breath of air.

�Yeah,� Kyle agreed, �I�ve had better descents. Had worse, too.�

Zahra nodded. �Same. Why wasn�t this found before now? It�s kind of hard to miss.�

�That�s easy,� Kyle replied. �A chunk of ice the size of a bus station broke loose last week. Our boat�s been right here the entire time but just out of sight. We�re lucky the ice didn�t shear off the entire front half of it.�

Zahra was impressed. Still, they needed to get moving. �So, what do we have?�

�Besides an open U-boat. Not much,� Ethan said. Zahra hadn�t talked to the man all that much and had just noticed that his accent was similar to Kyle�s.

�You from Northern Wisconsin, too?� Zahra asked.

Ethan shook his head. �Dad was, but I was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.�

�Oh, a Yooper, huh?�

�I am, though I only lived there until high school. Moved down to the suburbs of Detroit when I was fourteen.� He grinned. �should have heard my accent back then. You would have needed Google Translate to understand a word I was saying.�

Zahra smiled and looked up, hearing a roar of anger above. Yana was also having some trouble with her descent, though she was being much more vocal about it than Zahra had. The coherent words were in Russian, and they were incredibly foul.

�What�s she saying?� Ethan asked.

Zahra quickly shook her head. �You�d need therapy if I told you.�

Yana landed with a bang, attracting everyone�s attention. They stared at her with disdain.

�What?� she asked. �If I go down, I�m taking you all with me.�

Zahra rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the cut-open hatch. She knelt, leaned over it, and looked inside. Nothing odd could be seen from up here. It looked as utilitarian as she had expected. A metal ladder led down to an uninspiring gray floor. The atmosphere emanating from within the U-boat was stale and eerie.

If Cork had been here, she would have already been inside.

�What�s that for?� Yana asked, kneeling next to Zahra. She looked up from the hole, smiling. �Thinking of someone special?�

Zahra snorted. �You could say that. I have a friend back home that would have loved this.�

�Another history expert?�

�No,� Zahra replied. �Just a thrill seeker with no knowledge of danger.�

�Ah, yes, I know a few people like that. Typically, they have all the fun while everyone else suffers. And then they die horrifically because they�re an idiot without a sense of limitation.�

Zahra wouldn�t have put it so gloomily, but she didn�t argue, either. Over the years, Cork had gotten Zahra into plenty of trouble without her deserving it.

Case in point: the brawl in Trapani.

The pair looked back up the cliff just in time to watch Hammet flawlessly execute his descent down to the submarine. He allowed his much heavier frame to fall like a bomb. He sliced through the whipping wind like Thorin Oakenshield�s elven sword slicing through goblin throats, slowing only once he neared the vessel. His feet hit with barely a sound.

�Show off,� Yana mumbled. She grinned. �A handsome show-off, too.�

Zahra smiled. �I hadn�t noticed.�

�I�m sure you haven�t��

�Ready?� Hammet asked, unclipping from the line.

Zahra sat and dangled her legs over the edge, just as she�d done up top. �Waiting on you, slowpoke.�

Hammet wasn�t amused.

Zahra shifted her attention to Kyle and Ethan. �You boys coming along?�

Both men shook their heads.

�No,� Kyle added. �I�m just here for moral support. Personally, I�d be useless down there. Unless it�s aeronautics, I�m not really a World War II connoisseur.�

�Plus,� Ethan added, �I�m not sure the boat can take the added weight. We�re already pushing our luck.� He looked back up the cliffside, then back to Zahra. �I�d hurry if I were you.�

With that ominous warning, Zahra found a ladder rung with her foot, turned, and began her descent. The condition of the air grew worse and worse, but at least the Antarctic wind was gone.

Cold weather was one thing � cold weather with added windchill was another thing altogether.

Protected by the hull of the U-boat, she instantly grew warmer, even though the internal temperature was likely close to that on the outside. The hatches on the bow and stern side of the access point made it impossible to see what was on the other side.

Hopefully, they still work.

The only light within the U-boat would be whatever the sun � and their flashlights � touched.

Zahra stepped away from the ladder, pulled out a flashlight, and clicked it on. She showed it around the room.

A whole bunch of� nothing.

Yana clambered down next and did as Zahra had done. She ignited a flashlight and stepped aside so the next person could descend freely.

Hammet took the descent slower and easier than the ladies had. For being such a big guy, he was showing off remarkably light feet. Then again, Zahra knew just how lethal KSK commandos were � every muscle was fine-tuned for maximum efficiency. They moved fast and could do so quietly.

Hammet stepped down onto the floor. The U-boat replied with a groan when he fully added his weight to the mix. All three explorers froze and looked at one another. Then, they craned their necks back and looked back up through the open hatch. Kyle slowly leaned into frame.

�Like Ethan said, I�d hurry if I were you.�

Zahra nodded. �Why don�t you two get topside? It�ll help lessen the load a bit.�

�You sure this is all worth it?� Kyle asked.

Zahra replied without hesitation. �Absolutely.�

Neither Yana nor Hammet fought her. They stayed silent and watched Ethan disappear.

Kyle stayed for a moment longer. �Godspeed.� Then he gave them a quick, casual salute and vanished.

Zahra turned her attention to her team. �Ready?�

Yana shrugged. �We�re still here, aren�t we?�

Hammet nodded once. He was ready to go, too.

�Okay, let�s make this quick.� She looked at the big German. �Where should we start?�

�Captain�s quarters. If there is anything of importance on board, it will be there.�

�Know where it is?�

Hammet scratched his chin. �I have an idea, yes. Should be just up ahead, toward the bow. We�ll need to get through the first bulkhead.�

�Good enough for me.� She stepped aside. �Take point, Herr Braun.�

Hammet stepped around the two women and moved off. He headed forward. Upon closer inspection, Zahra saw that the hatch was slightly ajar. Hammet put his broad shoulder into it and pushed. It screeched, but thankfully, it opened.

Until it didn�t.

�Something is on the other side, I think,� Hammet said. �Give me a hand.�

Zahra and Yana squeezed up beside him and placed their hands flat on the hatch. The metal was cold, even beneath Zahra�s gloves.

Hammet leaned into it again. �Go.�

They did, and their combined strength was enough to push aside whatever was blocking the hatch from opening. Without warning, it was free of its drag and yawned open. Zahra stumbled through and caught the toe of her boot on the raised bulkhead. Hammet swiped at her arm as she fell. His efforts only spun Zahra onto her back.

She landed with a bang� and a scream.

Typically, Zahra didn�t cry out in surprise like a classic horror movie damsel. But the sudden appearance of a dead man�s face can have that effect, and she did indeed cry out in surprise as the flashlight landed on a face.

The deceased skeleton, flesh still clinging to skull, sat up against the wall just outside the hatch opening, and it was plain to see that he�d been there for some time.

Yana and Hammet saw him too, but after Zahra. Their reaction was more subtle, though no less disgusted.

This sailor was emaciated, starved, but also frozen. His head was tilted back against the wall as if he�d died in his sleep. The cold temperature had slowed the decomposition significantly. If Zahra had to guess, she would have said he�d only been dead a few months � let alone a few decades.

�Looks like we found the crew,� Hammet said.

�Well,� Zahra said, sitting up, �one of them, anyway.�

Yana pointed past Zahra. �No. All of them.�

Seated, Zahra twisted and looked behind her. In Yana�s light, she saw that the corridor beyond the hatch was littered with bodies. The few faces she could see mimicked the man sitting next to her.

�Looks like they got stuck in the ice and were unable to evacuate,� Hammet said, stating the obvious.

He reached a hand down and helped Zahra up. She slowed as she hovered over the nearby sailor�s head. �Oh, my God.�

�What is it?� Yana asked, leaning closer to her.

�This man was murdered.�

They gathered around the first corpse. From her original, lower angle, Zahra couldn�t see the bullet hole in the man�s forehead. She showed her light on the next closest man�s face. He too sported a circular hole in his head.

So did the next man.

She exhaled slowly. �They all were.�

�What the hell happened here?� Yana asked.

No one could answer that question. Not yet.

Zahra stepped away from the others and headed further down the corridor. She checked as many bodies as she could. They were all the same. They had all been executed, shot, and killed. A few sported multiple gunshot wounds to the back and were lying face down. As she moved, she walked past open doors, glancing inside each room.

Every one was the same. Doors had been opened, and whoever had been inside at the time had been murdered.

�This was systematic,� Zahra said, studying the scene. She pictured it in her head. �Some were too weak to fight. Others tried to and failed.�

�And still died,� Yana added.

Zahra nodded. �Yeah. Someone on board this boat wanted everyone silenced.�

�It was unnecessary, though,� Hammet said. �These men were doomed. Stuck in the ice already.�

�True,� Zahra agreed. �I bet this was a contingency, just in case rescue was still a possibility.�

�Who would have ordered this?� Yana asked.

�Isn�t it obvious?� Both women looked at Hammet. He thumbed to a door to his left. �The captain, of course.�

Yana was halfway between Zahra and Hammet. When Zahra drew nearer, Yana knelt and inspected one of the dead. This man had been shot from behind.

�Find something?� Zahra asked.

�I think so, yes.� Yana motioned to a patch on the man�s right shoulder. �See that?�

Zahra knelt too. �What is it?�

�What did you find?� Hammet asked.

�This body,� Zahra replied, �he has a patch on his uniform I�ve never seen before.�

�A patch?� he asked, heading for them.

�A globe,� he tilted her head. �An upside-down globe.�

Yana wiped grime away from the patch with her gloved hand. Hammet leaned over them. �You recognize it?�

Hammet sighed. �I do not. I�ve never seen that symbol before, military or not.�

�Who were these people?� Yana asked.

Zahra grabbed the man�s arm. �Let�s see, shall we?�

Yana took hold of his leg, and the pair flipped him over. The effort was awkward and nauseating. The corpse was stiff as a board.

Just as Yana had done with the patch, Zahra rubbed eighty years of filth from the front of the man�s shirt. She found what she was hoping for. The sailor�s uniform owned a name patch. She leaned in closer and read it.

�Oh, shit.�

�What�s wrong?� Hammet asked. Zahra was blocking both him and Yana.

�This man�s last name reads KONSTANTINOV.� She looked at Yana.

�He�s Russian?� Yana asked. She leaned around Zahra and read the surname for herself. �But the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany were enemies during the war.�

�Yes,� Hammet said, standing taller, �they were.�

Zahra and Yana got to their feet. No one said anything. Each of them was in their own state of shock. Whoever this submarine belonged to, it wasn�t just the Nazis. It seemed to be an organization that had been playing both sides during what had been the deadliest conflict in human history.

Zahra looked at Hammet. �So, the captain�s quarters?�

�Ja.� His face twitched. �Come.�

Hammet led them back to the door he had stood in front of minutes earlier. Unlike all the others they�d seen thus far, this one was closed.

And the lock was busted.

Zahra bent over and looked it over. �Well, looks like some of the crew survived the assassinations and came looking for blood.�

She stood, placed a hand on the door, and shoved.

Nothing.

She looked at Hammet and stepped aside. �All yours� again.�

�Go get �em, big guy,� Yana cheered, stepping back.

Hammet gave the door a push before leaning into it with his shoulder. He grunted and drove into it. Unlike the hatch, this barrier ground open. From her angle, Zahra could see a dresser on the other side.

She looked behind the dresser and also spotted a foot.

I guess that should be expected at this point, she thought.

Hammet shoved harder, but it didn�t budge. �Um��

�Hang on,� Yana said. �Let me look.� She slid her upper body through without an issue. �Nope.� She popped back out. �The dresser is pinned against the captain�s desk.�

�And the captain?� Hammet asked.

�In his chair.�

�Bullet hole in his head?� Zahra asked.

Yana nodded.

�Really?� Hammet asked.

The Russian threw her hands up. �Okay, you got me. I�m just kidding. He�s actually in there sipping hot cocoa, giggling like a schoolboy.� Her eyes grew serious. �And he is not alone.�

Zahra opened her mouth but was stopped.

�Help me move the dresser,� Yana said, swiftly slipping through the gap.

Zahra followed but took the entry slower due to her more prominent curves. Yana had been right. The captain had been shot, same as all the others, and there was someone else in the room with him. The stranger sat slumped on the captain�s bed, which had been built into the lefthand wall. In his gnarled hand was a pistol, a World War II-era Colt M1911.

�He�s American?� Zahra asked rhetorically. Yana looked at her, puzzled. �Check out his sidearm. The M1911 was standard issue for the American military for decades.�

�Excuse me, ladies?�

�Hang on!� Zahra called back.

It took a little effort, but the pair got the dresser pushed away from the door, sliding it up against the righthand side of the quaint room. Hammet pushed open the door and paused when he took in the scene.

�American?� Both women nodded. �So,� he continued, �we have German, Soviet, and American forces in bed together during the war?� They nodded again. Hammet let out a long breath. �Fascinating��

Zahra could see that Hammet�s mind was running a million miles a minute, like hers. Yana�s, too. They all wanted desperately to figure this out. Whatever secret cabal these people represented, Zahra doubted this crew had been the only ones part of it. There had been much more going on behind the scenes.

�This changes everything,� Zahra said, still trying to process it all. Her hands trembled, but not from the cold. She looked at her teammates. �This changes history.�

Tobias ended the call just as Zelda knocked. He reached inside his top-right drawer and placed his finger on a concealed scanner. Once his identity was confirmed, the office door�s deadbolt retracted. He only locked it when he felt the need for privacy.

Nowadays, he locked it often.

He put on the cheeriest face her could muster. �Ah, Zelda, my dear.�

She gave him a questioning stare before entering. �You called?�

�I did. Please, will you take down a message and send it throughout our network?�

�As you wish.� She crossed the spacious room.

Tobias knew Zelda would succeed when her time to lead came.

But not yet.

Zelda reached inside her immaculately pressed jacket and pulled out a small pad of paper and a pen. They never took sensitive messages digitally. Electronic devices could be hacked. Paper was much easier to destroy. Their phone conversations were impossible to listen in on, too, due to their security measures.

�Whenever you are ready, Grandfather.�

He leaned closer to her and stared into her eyes. �They have entered the submersible. Will have more information soon. Prepare.�

�Think his gun still fires?�

Zahra and Hammet stopped their search of the captain�s desk and looked back at her with a pair of �don�t even think about it� looks.

The Russian shrank back. �It was just a thought. But come on, you two, you must agree that being out here unarmed doesn�t feel right, yes?�

Hammet�s eyes flicked to Zahra. He turned back to a mess of papers. �I don�t disagree.�

Zahra sighed. �Me either.�

�Does that mean��

�Help us first,� Zahra interrupted, �then we�ll talk about your concern.�

�Fine,� Yana muttered, stepping over. �What do we have so far?�

Hammet held a paper up. �Mostly requisition forms. Nothing important.�

�And a two-page request list,� Zahra added, holding up her own paper.

�Requests for what?� Yana asked.

Zahra scanned the document. It was written in German, as expected. Not only was she fluent in several languages, but she could also read them, though not as quickly as she could speak them.

�Gear, food, entertainment��

�For the sailors here?� Yana asked.

Zahra shook her head. �No, I don�t think so. I get the feeling this is for a group of soldiers that were not on board.� She eyed Hammet. �You did say these things were retrofitted for cargo, right?�

He nodded. �Ja,� he pointed at the list, �but where would those men be stationed?�

Yana looked back and forth between them. �Here, obviously, in Hitler�s secret Antarctic station.�

Hammet stood and faced her. �Nothing in history suggests that there ever was a station. There are plenty of stories about one, but no hard evidence.�

�Pft.� Yana wasn�t buying it. �Evidence, schmevidence. We have a U-boat-turned-long-distance cargo vessel stuck in the ice in Antarctica and a two-page shopping list, and you�re telling me that there�s no chance there�s a secret Nazi installation somewhere out there?� For good measure, Yana jabbed a finger to the south.

Zahra folded her arms across her chest. �She has a point��

The only reply Hammet gave her was a low �Hmmm.�

Zahra turned back toward the desk and spotted something, a symbol that she had only just seen for the first time. �Look at this.� She slid a sealed envelope out of the pile. �It�s the same globe emblem from the sailor�s uniforms.�

�Let me see,� Hammet said, holding out his hand. Zahra handed it over. Hammet carefully opened it, slipping out a single piece of paper. He quickly let out another grunt, disappointed. �What language is this?�

�Give it here.�

Hammet handed it over to Zahra. She looked it over. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She recognized pieces of it but couldn�t read it.

Yet.

�Is it a code?� Yana asked, peeking between Zahra and Hammet.

Zahra stepped aside so the third member of their team could join them.

�Yes, but not the type you need a keyword or phrase to decipher.�

Suddenly, it hit her. She laid it flat and explained. �See, look at it.� She picked up a few of the words. �These sentences consist of English, German, and Russian letters and words. It looks like our friends came up with their own language to use within their communiques.�

�Can you read it?� Hammet asked.

�Given some time to learn it, yeah, probably.�

Yana placed a hand on Zahra�s shoulder. �We don�t have that kind of time, Zahra.�

�Let her try,� Hammet urged.

Zahra nodded and let out a long breath. �Okay, here we go.�

She zeroed in on the bold typeface at the top. Zahra figured they�d be the easiest to translate. But a sequence of numbers in the top right corner of the page caught her attention first.

�Hang on, that can�t be right.�

�What can�t be right?� Hammet asked.

Zahra pointed at the numbers. �This is the send date for the transmission.� She looked at her partners. �It says, 1960.�

�1960?� Yana and Hammet asked in unison.

�Yeah, 1960.� She looked up at the ceiling, trying to play it out in her mind. �These guys were still in operation fifteen years after the war ended?�

Yana stepped away. �That means there has to be a base of operations somewhere out here.�

No one argued. It made sense to Zahra. Why else would a cargo vessel be here?

�1960�� Hammet mumbled.

�What�s wrong?� Zahra asked.

Hammet looked at them. �The year cannot be a coincidence.�

�What do you mean?�

Yana�s eyes opened wide. �The Berlin Wall.�

Hammet nodded. �Construction started in 1961. What do you bet that tensions between Germany and the Soviets played a role in this organization�s collapse?�

�Who says they collapsed?� Yana asked.

Hammet gestured to the bodies. �This feels like an evacuation to me.�

�Is there anything else pertinent, Zahra?� Yana asked.

Zahra calmed down and returned her attention to the communique. �Let�s see�� She pointed out the words that came to her first. �This says, Ahnenerbe.�

�Himmler�s scholars and scientists,� Hammet explained. �They were the true zealots. They�re the ones that came up with the Aryan race lunacy.�

�What else?� Yana asked, looking as uncomfortable as Zahra felt. �I would like to leave soon.�

�Same,� Hammet said.

�Okay, here.� Zahra nudged Yana. �This says, Underworld.�

Yana�s eyes opened. �That�s what the German in Chile said.�

�The assassin?� Hammet asked.

Zahra unconsciously stroked her bruised throat. �Yeah, him. He said that we�d never find it. You think that�s what they called their installation?�

Yana smiled. �Welcome aboard the crazy train. It�s more fun here.�

Hammet shook his head. �Keep going, Zahra.�

Zahra nodded and did just that. She stopped at a string of words. She mumbled them to herself several times before she was comfortable with what they said.

�Project Black Sunset.� She looked up from the paper and met the eyes of two equally confused investigators. �What the hell is Black Sunset?�

No one had an answer.

She cleared her throat, feeling her legs quickly turning to jelly as she continued reading. �Poison. From a, um, cave in.� She looked up from the paper. �Does that mean the entire place is a no-go or just part of it?

�You tell us,� Hammet replied.

�I can�t. There�s nothing else about it.� She kept reading. �Okay. Here we go�� Zahra pointed at the last line. �Sorry, Hammet, but you were wrong. This reaffirms that no one was supposed to return. The Underworld is a complete loss.�

Yana patted Hammet�s shoulder. �Told you it was an evacuation.�

Zahra slapped the paper. �Got it. They called themselves the Sixth Seal! It�s right here.�

�The Sixth Seal?� Hammet asked. �That�s awfully ominous. Who wrote this letter?�

Zahra read the name. �Someone named Dietrich Krause?�

Hammet stepped away and took in the first body with new light.

Zahra said what everyone was thinking. �This man wasn�t the captain� It�s this Krause guy.�

Hammet�s reaction to the man�s name was apparent. He�d heard of him.

�Who was he?� Zahra asked.

�A renowned Nazi general. He was deeply involved in the Ahnenerbe.�

�The crazies? Well, the crazier crazies��

A chill washed over Zahra�s skin, and she shivered. She stepped away and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

�So,� she finally said, moving the investigation along, �the German and Soviet arms of this Sixth Seal outfit broke ties shortly before the Berlin Wall went up. What about the Americans?� It hit her. She spun around. �The Cuban Missile Crisis.�

�When was that again?� Hammet asked.

Both women replied in unison. �1962.�

Zahra continued. �Okay, so political tensions broke apart the Sixth Seal. Is that what happened?�

�Sounds like it,� Yana replied. �But how?�

�Funding,� Hammet replied. �I bet the flow of money stopped. One country couldn�t keep the Underworld operational, not back then.�

Zahra shivered again. �Come on. Let�s get topside. This place is a bit too tomb-y for my liking.�

�Yes, please,� Yana said, quickly exiting the cramped office.

For a moment, Zahra contemplated grabbing the American�s M1911. Her motive differed from Yana�s. Zahra wanted it as evidence, not as a usable weapon.

Forget it. She folded the invaluable communique and pocketed it. This is enough.

�Let�s go,� Zahra said. As soon as she exited the office, the U-boat shuddered. She looked at Yana and Hammet. �Let�s go quickly.�

They ran, high-stepping and vaulting over bodies as they did. Zahra allowed the others to move first. Part of her was still back in the captain�s quarters. She pictured the American, whom she guessed was some kind of CIA double agent.

The CIA had been born from the Office of Strategic Services following World War II in 1947 via the National Security Act.

It didn�t really matter what he was; he�d been a traitor and a Sixth Seal operative. It begged the question: Who else in the American ranks had been too? The letter was dated 1960. That meant that the Americans, the Germans, and the Russians had all been playing nice through some turbulent times.

The trio made it to the ladder that led up to the hatch.

�Please, go faster,� Hammet begged, watching Yana shamble up toward the surface. He stepped aside. �Your turn, Zahra.�

Even through her haze, Zahra smirked. �Ever the gentleman.�

He eyed her. �Get moving, or I�ll leave you behind.�

Zahra was about to reply but didn�t get the chance. The U-boat cried out, and the sound of snapping tree trunks filled the air around them.

Zahra�s hands went to her ears.

So did Hammet�s.

�Is that the ice?� he asked.

Zahra looked back toward the bow and gasped. �No, that�s the damned sub. Climb!�

She launched up the ladder with Hammet right on her butt. They monkeyed up it while the vessel shook violently. Zahra�s vision vibrated along with it, and she lost her footing. Her foot slipped off the rung and caught Hammet in the face. He growled but kept moving.

As did Zahra.

There would be time for apologies later.

Hopefully.

Yana was already topside. If she were smart, she�d be ascending already.

Apparently, she was not smart.

�Faster, you two!� she shouted, looking down at them from above. �Keep climbing!�

Zahra could barely hear her over the noises the sub was making.

Climb, she told herself. Climb or die.

Her head cleared the open hatch. Yana half-dragged her out of the hole. Yana stumbled back as the U-boat trembled, bringing Zahra to the ground with her. They landed as one, each of them letting out oomfs as they hit.

Hammet exited next as they picked themselves up.

The bow of the sub cracked and peeled away from the rest of it.

�Oh, shit!� Zahra yelled, shoving Yana toward the cliff. The Russian snagged the line and hastily began her ascent. When she was ten feet up, Zahra grabbed the line, but another intense upheaval threw her back. She spilled past Hammet. The German grabbed the line to steady himself.

�Zahra!� he shouted.

She careened stomach-first into the handrail of the conning tower, nearly continuing up and over it. The entire front half of the U-boat was coming apart under her feet.

She glanced over her shoulder. �Untie the lines and get moving! I�m right behind you!�

Hammet didn�t want to go, but he did as she said. He loosened the knots and started up the cliff. Zahra tried to push away from the railing but couldn�t keep her footing. The vibrations were so strong that they threatened to take her down if she let go.

Gotta try, Zahra.

So, she did. Zahra turned around, keeping a tight grip on the handrail. As soon as she let go, she was immediately thrown to the floor. She landed on her hands and knees and stayed there as the sub began to lean toward the ocean. She looked back and saw only death.

The U-boat, from the tip of the bow to the conning tower, was nearly gone. And soon, the tower itself would be as well.

�Zahra!�

She faced the cliff and spotted Hammet through shaking vision. He was still where she had left him. Only now, he was clipped onto the static line, and his right hand was stretched out toward her.

He waved her forward. �Run!�

It was now or never.

Zahra reached behind her and climbed to her feet with the help of the railing. Then, it too came loose. She teetered backward over nothing. Her heels found nothing but air. Through her boots, she gripped the tower floor with her toes and leaned her upper body forward. It was enough to rock herself away from the dangerous precipice, and she took off at a clumsy sprint. Zahra ran for her life as the tower platform fell away from beneath her section by section.

At the last second, she planted her left foot and jumped.

Zahra reached out� and caught Hammet�s outstretched hand.

She dangled over the ocean as the remaining pieces of the front half of the submarine crashed into the water. It was like a small iceberg separating from the continent.

Zahra dug her toes into the cliff and snagged the line with her free hand. She clipped on and took a long, steadying breath. She climbed until she was at eye level with Hammet.

She reached out and patted his cheek. �My hero.� Hammet winced. The right side of his face was red like he�d been punched. That�s when Zahra remembered that she had kicked Hammet in the face while climbing up inside the conning tower.

�Sorry,� she said, cringing. She looked back down at the water. �Next round�s on me.�

The corner of his face curled upward. �I�ll remember you said that.� He flicked his eyes up. �After you.�

Zahra shook her head. �No, you go. I� I need a minute.�

Hammet nodded and started his ascent, leaving the winded archaeologist alone with her thoughts, her fried nerves, and the frigid, though refreshing, Southern Ocean breeze.

Two sets of hands greeted Zahra when she reached the clifftop. Yana and Hammet almost greedily pulled her up and away from it. They each looked her over before relaxing. Everyone had survived wholly unscathed, minus Hammet�s quickly developing shiner.

�What happened to you?� Kyle asked, joining them. He was studying the German�s face.

�She kicked me,� Hammet replied, tipping his chin toward Zahra.

�You kicked him in the face?� Kyle asked. Yana snickered, and no one explained. Kyle shrugged, letting it go. �Find anything?�

�Yeah, we did,� Zahra replied.

�Care to divulge?� Kyle asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Zahra looked past him, finding multiple sets of eyes from the research team watching them. �Not in front of mixed company, no.�

Kyle led them further away from the others. �What did you find?� he asked, keeping his voice low.

�This,� Zahra replied. She dug into her coat pocket and produced the Sixth Seal communique. �It�s not good.�

�That�s putting it lightly,� Yana added. Even the stoic Russian looked outwardly disturbed by the presence of the paper.

Kyle glanced at Hammet. He gave the American pilot a simple nod.

Kyle didn�t accept the evidence. �Keep it. Let�s wait until we�re back in the Sno-Cat. I have a feeling we�ll have a lot to talk about on our drive back to the plane.�

Zahra and Kyle gazed back toward the coastline from outside their parked Sno-Cat. They had just returned to the LC-130. Kyle had debriefed her, Yana, and Hammet the entire time. No stone had been left unturned. He now knew as much as they did.

During the return trip, they had also gone over what to do next and what all of this could mean on a grander scale.

�There�s a lot to digest, huh?� Kyle asked.

Zahra nodded. �For sure. Do you think these guys really are still active?�

Kyle turned away from the pristine landscape and faced her. �Based on what you found in the sub and what happened to you in Chile, it sure sounds like it.�

�I was afraid of that.� Zahra still couldn�t believe it. �A secret society pulling the strings from both sides during World War Two. I��

�Don�t believe it?�

Zahra scratched her head through her stocking hat. �Oh, no, I do, and that�s what scares me the most.�

Kyle placed a hand on her shoulder. �Come on. Let�s get on board and out of the cold. Then we can figure out the next move.�

Zahra nodded. She followed the Skibird�s captain up the loading ramp and glanced south, looking out toward the mass of Antarctica. She was amazed by it � the fact that she was even here was a treat. How many people can say they�ve been here before?

She turned away but paused. Huh.

Zahra stepped south, seeing something odd. A foursome of snowy rooster tails kicked up in the distance � and each one of them was headed straight for them.

You�re just seeing things.

Zahra continued up the ramp and slipped. The incidental change in her gait saved her life. The telltale sound of a bullet whizzing by her head caused her to dive to the r& then she rolled off it. Now, the entire plane was buffeted by gunfire.

�Get to cover!� Kyle shouted.

There were still people outside, gathering gear. Hammet was helping Ethan unload the second Sno-Cat. Both men were a good thirty feet from the base of the ramp, and there was nothing to hide behind between them and the plane. As soon as Zahra hit the ground, she rolled backward into cover behind the LC-130�s rear landing ski.

Yana was right.

Technically, Zahra was unarmed.

But not for long.

Zahra shrugged out of her pack and quickly unzipped it. She dove inside and pulled out her most trusted survival tool. It was also something she�d used as a weapon several times.

A few years back, an old friend, a former DARPA engineer, designed a custom grappling hook for her. Zahra�s was spring-loaded and could hold her weight. After, the clawed head would release and collapse. It helped mightily with the retrieval process. Most hooks were of the one-and-done variety. But not hers.

She buckled it to her belt and left the backpack behind. Zahra checked her immediate surroundings. Then she spied Hammet and Ethan. The two men were gone. But where? She was certain they hadn�t made a mad dash for the plane. She would have heard them. Her only guess was that they had taken refuge inside the Sno-Cat.

The owners of the four trails came into view seconds later. Four white snowmobiles slowed as they neared. Each one of them carried two men. Each man was armed with firearms favored by the Russian military.

The Sixth Seal? Wow, that was fast.

She slinked beneath the plane and headed for the left, rear landing gear. Zahra slid into cover behind the massive ski and watched the strike team move. They were, or had once been, military. That was plain to see. They moved in coordinated fashion. Zahra prayed that they weren�t Spetsnaz. The famed Russian special forces unit was one of the deadliest in the world.

�Who are you?� she asked no one.

The lead pair stopped and knelt. One man shouted back for the others.

�Move up!�

The words were in Russian.

Damn. Still, that didn�t mean these guys were SF. Could just be mercs.

She paid close attention to their clothes and even more attention to their weaponry. Her prior assessment had been correct. Each man was dressed dissimilarly from the next. Their weapons were from different eras, too. A few of the AK variant rifles were newer. Others looked at least two decades old.

Attacked by a German assassin in Chile and now Russian mercs in Antarctica. She shook her head. I wonder what�s behind door number three?

Four of the gunmen rushed forward, rifles raised. They quickly scaled the ramp and headed inside. Zahra expected to see a line of hostages led out at gunpoint, but instead, she heard the thwap of suppressed gunfire.

�Dammit.�

Two men headed for the parked Sno-Cat, and the last two stayed behind by the snowmobiles.

Zahra gritted her teeth. There was no clear avenue for her to launch a counterattack. As of now, there was nothing she could do. So, she�d need to stay put and wait for an opportunity to act.

She knew of one person who could throw a monkey wrench into these guys� plans. Zahra had her own Russian mercenary on her side.

�Where are you, Yana?�

Yana dove away from the open loading ramp just as a bevy of bullets sizzled past it. She covered her head but looked back in time to see Zahra hit the deck and roll off, presumably uninjured. Yana didn�t typically care about what happened to others during a mission, but she had grown to like Zahra. The two shared similar personalities. Also, the archaeologist didn�t treat her differently. Yana�s profession didn�t bother Zahra.

More bullets struck the plane�s hull. This was why she hated not being properly armed. The only weapon she had on her was her pilfered tactical knife. It was currently out of sight, wrapped in a paper towel, and taped to her left forearm beneath her coat sleeve. She had learned to conceal weapons of all kinds in unique and interesting ways back in her time with the FSB and thereafter.

She�d lost sight of Kyle just before the attack. He had continued deeper into the cargo hold en route to the cockpit. Yana edged back toward the ramp, crawling on her hands and knees. She needed to see what had become of her teammates.

If Zahra were as smart as Yana knew she was, she�d be hiding until given an opening. She eyed the second Sno-Cat, looking for Hammet and Ethan. Neither man was visible from her angle.

Voices picked up outside. They shouted at one another in Russian.

�Not good,� Yana said. The Sixth Seal had been a powerful conglomerate of American, German, and Russian forces. Apparently, they still were. �Not good at all.�

Four men came rushing around and up the ramp. Yana scurried back and crawled underneath her team�s Sno-Cat. She pulled her boots under just as the roar of pounding feet greeted the inner belly of the Skibird. Yana kept moving, stopping once she was halfway between the front and back of the vehicle. She stayed quiet and listened. She half-expected to hear the strike force yell at the crew, gather them, and then lead them outside as hostages.

Instead, they opened fire.

The sound was deafening inside the cargo hold. Yana slapped her hands over her ears and closed her eyes. She only opened them when she spotted Kyle fall to the ground, clutching his left arm. Blood seeped from between his fingers. Around him were the bodies of the second team.

Additional gunfire erupted further into the plane, up near the cockpit.

�Damn mercenaries.�

Yana understood the irony of her statement. She didn�t care, and she moved on. She slinked forward, pausing once she was a foot away from revealing her presence. Two sets of feet stepped between her and Kyle.

He was kicked in the stomach and yelled at to get to his feet. The assault caused his line of sight to drop onto her, and happily, he hid his surprise at seeing her beneath the vehicle. Slowly, Yana reached inside her left coat sleeve and plunked her blade free of its improvised sheath.

Kyle didn�t react, not that he would have swayed Yana�s next move in the least. She squirmed away from the front of the Sno-Cat and quietly crawled out from beneath it. She checked to make sure no one else was joining them inside. Satisfied her presence was unknown, she scaled the rear vehicle and mounted it. She stepped lightly and stayed low.

Yana crouched and met Kyle�s eyes. He gave her the smallest of nods. He lifted his hands and scooted away from Yana and the gunmen. They pursued him, giving Yana a little more room to work.

Thanks.

Yana sprang into the air. She timed her attack perfectly, plunging the tip of the knife into the base of the right-hand merc�s neck. She quickly snapped an elbow into the other man�s face, ripped the knife free, and jabbed it straight into the second mercenary�s Adam�s apple. This one dropped his AK. Yana caught it and smashed the wide-eyed, dying man in the face with the butt of it. She unemotionally checked the rifle over before turning and facing Kyle.

He didn�t speak. Yana�s methods had that effect on people.

�Here,� she said, kicking the first man�s rifle toward Kyle. �Save as many as you can.�

He nodded, grabbed the weapon, and stood. The gunshot wound appeared to be minor. He�d gotten lucky.

�What are you going to do?� he asked.

She smiled and jammed her rifle�s stock deep into her right shoulder. �I am going to kill as many as I can.�

Hammet sat in the passenger side seat of the Sno-Cat. His head was rolled to the side, and his eyes were closed. To most, he�d look unconscious, maybe even dead. In the heat of the moment, it was all he could think of doing. Ethan had opted to stay outside and crawl under the treaded vehicle. Hammet had also thought about it but wasn�t sure he�d fit.

He could hear muffled shouts outside of the cabin�s stout glass. He could also hear the sounds of muffled gunshots. He wanted to open his eyes but knew that doing so could mean his death. So, he waited.

Something slammed into the passenger side door. Hammet guessed that one of the attackers had bashed the butt of his rifle on the glass. Luckily, Hammet could control his nerves better than most. The heavy clunk would have made others jump in surprise.

Russians? It didn�t shock him one bit, all things considered.

The door popped open. The onrush of freezing air made his skin crawl, but Hammet forced himself not to react. The individual spoke Russian to him. Hammet didn�t understand the language, though. The tone was questioning, that much he could tell. This one didn�t know what to make of Hammet�s posture.

The German felt the muzzle of a rifle press against his right shoulder. When it touched him, he snatched it and ripped the weapon free of the bewildered mercenary�s hands. The cabin was too tight to flip the rifle around and use it conventionally. So, Hammet employed the firearm as a club and bashed the man in the face instead. The Russian stumbled back and fell on his butt. Hammet didn�t hesitate. He identified that the man was wearing body armor, then faced him, shouldered the rifle, aimed high, and squeezed the trigger.

The rifle�s owner took a round to the forehead, splattering the ultra-pure Antarctic landscape in blood. The driver�s side of the Sno-Cat was peppered with additional automatic fire. Hammet leaped from the passenger side. When he hit the ground, he rolled to his feet and took cover behind the vehicle. He listened but couldn�t tell which way the second man would come from. The wind was too strong, and it covered the sounds of his footsteps.

And it will do the same for mine.

Hammet edged around toward the front of the Sno-Cat, spying movement inside the cargo hold of the LC-130. Something was happening in there, too. He leaned out of cover and looked for the second shooter. He also paid close attention to the two men who had stayed over with the snowmobiles. They were out of sight, no doubt ducked behind them.

Where did you come from? There must have been a camp somewhere nearby. The possibility spurred another, more sinister notion. They were waiting for us. The Sixth Seal had known about this operation. Zahra�s assault in Chile lent even more credence to it. Hammet looked around. We�re being hunted.

He wanted to make a break for the plane but didn�t want to leave Ethan behind with a gunman unaccounted for.

�Drop the weapon!� a voice shouted in thickly accented Russian.

Hammet spun but didn�t bring up his rifle. Ethan stepped out with a pistol pressed against the back of his head. Hammet dipped the muzzle of his AK but didn�t drop it. The mercenary took notice. He jammed the tip of his sidearm deeper into the back of Ethan�s skull.

�I said, drop it, or your friend dies!�

Ethan�s eyes flicked toward Hammet.

�Scheisse�� he muttered. Then, he did as he was told and dropped his weapon.

As the Russian marched Ethan over to Hammet, the German subtly raised his hands. He studied the pair and attempted to find an opening. Unfortunately, the merc kept directly behind Ethan, though he had backed off some. He was now too far away from the American to turn and disarm him.

�Turn around,� the Russian ordered.

Hammet sighed and did just that. His timing couldn�t have been better. He watched Yana step out of the darker cargo hold with a similar AK and take the shot. Hammet didn�t flinch. If she was as good with a weapon as her reputation advertised, then he needed to trust her to hit what she was looking at.

A puff and a thud answered the single round. Both Hammet and Ethan slowly turned to find the Russian dead on the ground with a hole between his eyes.

�Whoa,� Ethan said, staring at the body.

Hammet didn�t verbally reply. He just looked at his savior and nodded to her. Then, he re-armed himself and dove behind the Sno-Cat as the ground around him exploded with incoming fire. Ethan threw himself to the ground and rolled in beside Hammet but with no weapon. The newly dead Russian�s rifle had skidded away from his corpse and was out in the open.

�Come on!� Yana yelled. �Get inside.�

But then, Yana did the exact opposite of what she had just said, and she threw herself off the ramp as a barrage of bullets lit up the hold directly behind her. She exited in the same manner as Zahra then disappeared beneath the plane.

Without knowing who was still alive inside the LC-130, Hammet thought it best not to return fire. He pushed Ethan back, then scooted around the back of the Sno-Cat. It too was pummeled with gunfire.

They were pinned down.

The fight was everywhere, and Zahra had yet to do anything to help her people. Her position beneath the Skibird made it all but impossible, especially since she wasn�t armed with anything except her grappling hook.

A bong echoed above her. It was immediately followed by a sound like a log rolling off the back of a flatbed truck. Both noises were followed by a body falling from the sky. She readied her open hook to use as a melee device but quickly recognized the blonde hair of the person who had landed exactly as she had.

�Yana!� she yelled.

The Russian lifted her rifle while still on her back. She wheezed, trying to breathe. The landing had forced the air from her lungs. It was a terrifying feeling. Zahra duck-ran over to her and was surprised to have the weapon shoved into her arms. Zahra didn�t question it. She shouldered the AK and protected Yana until the woman could catch her breath. Bullets impacted the ground right next to them both.

Zahra grabbed Yana�s wrist and dragged her farther beneath the plane. They hunkered down next to the massive right rear ski, keeping out of sight of anyone else. Yana let out a single long exhalation, then held out her hand. Zahra returned the rifle to her, continuing to eye the side of the ramp where the last attack had come from.

�There are four left,� Yana reported, eyeing the same place as Zahra.

�You killed the other four already?�

Yana shook her head. �No, only three. One of them was killed by your future ex-husband.�

�Excuse me?�

The Russian grinned. �I�ve seen the way you two have interacted with one another. It is very obvious� and a bit annoying.� She snapped her aim over to the other side of the ramp. �You should stop.�

Zahra didn�t know what to say. She didn�t have time, either.

A bullet pinged off their landing ski, sending both women reeling back. Blind gunfire originated from up above. The only part of the shooter that could be seen besides the rifle, were the guy�s hands. Yana didn�t seem to care. She sent a flurry of bullets that way, successfully getting the mercenary to pull his hands back up.

�We need to move,� Zahra said.

�Agreed, but where?�

Zahra looked north, out over the nothingness. �Out and around. We flank them.�

�But there are two of them, and I am running low on bullets.�

Zahra smiled. �Trust me.�

Yana didn�t look convinced, but she didn�t have anything better to suggest. They ducked around the front of the ski and out into the open air. The wind blasted them. That�s what Zahra was banking on. The shooters would also be assaulted by it, but to their faces.

�Keep your back to the wind and take your shot. With any luck, they�ll think we�re still under the plane.�

Yana nodded and aimed down the sights of her rifle. �I�m going to be very upset if you get me killed.�

Zahra slipped around to the back of Yana and used her own body to block as much of the wind as she could. The pair sidestepped in time with one another, away from the aircraft, moving in a long, sweeping arc. When they were at a forty-five-degree angle from the rear of the plane, one gunman leaned out to send another volley of rounds beneath the plane.

Yana quickly shot the man where his collarbones met. A second shot, this one to his shoulder, sent him spinning to the ramp.

�Go!� Zahra shouted, pushing Yana forward. They needed to get back into cover before the other man discovered their location.

He stepped out of cover above them, lined up the running, stumbling women, and was shot in the side of the head from somewhere out of sight.

Zahra and Yana skidded to a halt as an injured Kyle Ford stepped into view. He waved them forward. They didn�t need to be told twice. They hauled ass back to the ramp and rolled atop it while Kyle sent cover fire back toward the men guarding the snowmobiles.

Hammet appeared around the front of the second Sno-Cat and laid down additional cover fire. Hammet and an unarmed Ethan hustled up the ramp and collapsed to the floor once inside. Zahra knelt beside them and looked over the pair. Both men were unharmed.

Twin engines started up. Zahra clambered to her feet and peeked outside in time to watch two of the four snowmobiles take off to the south.

�They�re running.�

�Thank God,� Ethan said, panting like a dog.

�We need to pursue them,� Hammet said. �We need to see where they came from.�

Kyle knelt next to Ethan. �Get ahold of Palmer. Tell them what happened. Look for survivors, too.�

Ethan nodded, stood, and hurried away. He disappeared around the parked Sno-Cat and headed for the forward section of the LC-130. Zahra, Yana, and Hammet searched the dead mercs and geared up. They unbuckled war belts and holsters and even donned body armor beneath their coats. The latter step was done away from the cold inside the cab of the hulking Sno-Cat.

The three operatives each now sported AK variants, pistols, and extra magazines.

Yana eyed Kyle. �Antarctic Treaty be damned, yes?�

Kyle looked outside. �Yep. Antarctic Treaty be damned.�

Ethan sauntered back to them. �We got nothing. Bastards shot up the control console. We�re grounded and quiet.�

�Shit,� Kyle hissed. �Any survivors?�

�Two, but they�re in pretty bad shape.�

Kyle stepped away to collect himself, then turned to Ethan. �Get the second Sno-Cat fueled up � the reserve tank too.� He switched his focus to Zahra. �Take your team out there and get us some answers. We�ll stay behind and tend to the wounded and try to hail Palmer with our sat phones.�

�You sure?� she asked.

He nodded. �Yeah. It�s my plane. These�� He met eyes with Ethan. �These were our people.�

In total, five individuals had been murdered. The two wounded members of the science team were barely hanging on. Even if Kyle connected with Palmer Station, Zahra doubted they�d get here in time to do much of anything besides transport the dead.

Hammet placed a hand on his shoulder. �We�ll find them.�

�Damn straight we will,� Yana added.

�We need one alive,� Kyle quickly added. �We can�t question a corpse. Take no unnecessary risks. This place will kill you in a heartbeat.�

Yana sneered and pointed at the nearest mercenary. �So will they.�

�Yana, he�s right,� Zahra said. �We need answers.� She held out her hand to Kyle. �Stay safe.�

Kyle shook it. �With any luck, we�ll be along shortly to lend a hand.�

�You�re going to join us out there?� Hammet asked.

Kyle stood tall. �I want these people to pay. And once the men back at Palmer hear about this, so will they. You form a deep bond with people stationed in isolated places like this.�

�Quite right,� Hammet said.

He had a faraway look on his face. Zahra wondered what was going through his mind. She recalled that Hammet had been trained for cold weather encounters.

Maybe the soldiers he trained with?

Kyle tipped his chin toward the open ramp. �Happy hunting, you three.�

�Finally, some fun.� Yana�s words came out a little too excitedly.

Zahra stared at her. �You need help, you know that, right?�

It took them fifteen minutes to finish gathering supplies and refuel the Sno-Cat. Everyone did their part to move things along quickly. The freezing temperature gave each person involved extra incentive to do the job as fast as possible.

Unfortunately, no one had gas masks. If they found the Underworld, they�d need them to safely access it if there was even anything to access. Krause had been adamant that the facility had been destroyed and infected.

Something to worry about later. First, they needed to find it.

Hammet offered to drive, which was fine by Zahra. She had mentioned her lack of experience navigating terrain like this, especially in a vehicle such as a Sno-Cat. Yana sat in the middle of the back bench, double-checking their weapons and cleaning them as she saw fit. She topped off mags and mumbled to herself as she worked, though, to Yana, this was probably more playtime than work.

�Which way?� Hammet asked, starting up the Sno-Cat.

�They headed south,� Yana said, not looking up from her task.

Hammet leaned forward and looked out over the sweeping landscape. �Perhaps we can try to narrow that down?� He glanced at Zahra. �There is a lot of south here.�

�It�s all we have to go on,� Zahra added, shrugging. She perked up. �Hang on. Let me check something.� He watched her unfold a traditional paper map. �What? Sometimes the simplest things are the best.�

He shrugged. �You won�t get an argument from me.�

Zahra refolded it so their current position was front and center. She then produced a red marker. �Okay, we are here.� Zahra checked their coordinates on her watch and drew an X atop their location. She traced a line to the south with her finger and found a small mountain range. �Let�s try this. Depending on the formation�s makeup, it could provide some cover. I doubt these guys are stupid enough to set up camp out in the open.�

Yana snorted a laugh but didn�t say anything. It sounded as if she disagreed.

�Have something to add?� Hammet asked.

Yana looked up. �No, I�ve just met some very dumb people in my life.�

�Haven�t we all� So, the mountains to the south?�

Zahra nodded, confirming their direction.

Hammet shifted into drive. �Good enough for me.�

Grigoriy�s men had failed.

Yuri and Anton were the only survivors and were expected back soon. Anton had suffered a flesh wound to the thigh but had reported that it wasn�t anything life-threatening.

The deaths of six members of his outfit enraged Grigoriy. It also concerned him. They had been paid to eliminate an exploration team. The �why� wasn�t necessary. His people only cared about the incoming money, not the why.

He turned away from his command center as his satellite phone chirped. The simple folding table was covered in maps and photos. The latter depicted their targets, two of whom were unidentifiable Jane Does. He had searched the net very thoroughly the night before and had still come up with nothing. He even called in a favor from Saint Petersburg.

Still nothing.

Science team� These weren�t scientists. He pictured the faces of the two women. Those two are ghosts.

Even the big German man had been ID�d. He wasn�t a scientist, either. He was KSK and a very decorated soldier. Grigoriy and his team had been deceived.

He answered the call. �Yes?�

�Mr. Morozov, I am calling at the behest of your employer.�

The young female spoke English, and her voice was laced with a heavy German accent.

Grigoriy hated operating through a proxy, but sometimes, the job dictated it. His employer was a very influential man in this case, and he needed to protect himself. He didn�t prefer it, but he did understand it.

�What can I do for you, Miss��

�My name is unimportant. The only thing you must know is that we are very unhappy with your team�s failure.�

Grigoriy�s spine tingled. No one in his camp had given their employer a status report.

The only explanation was that someone within the Palmer team was a spy. He spun and flipped through the pictures of the targets again, focusing on the others involved. He�d heard of the shadow work the Krause family was involved with, but until now, it had all sounded like a spooky bedtime story.

Especially their field commander, Grigoriy thought.

Henri Vogel, by all accounts, was a living phantom. People like him frightened even men in Grigoriy�s line of work. The Russian wasn�t even sure if that was his real name.

�How do you know the results of our operation?� he asked. �No one here has contacted you.� Grigoriy hoped that she would slip up and reveal something, however unlikely it was.

He turned as two engines approached outside. Yuri and Anton had arrived.

�Again, Mr. Morozov, that is unimportant. What is important is that, as of now, you and your remaining men are relieved of duty. Goodbye.�

Yuri killed the engine of his snowmobile, then he hurried over and helped Anton off his. The man�s leg wasn�t in bad shape, but the two-hour trek back to camp had locked up the muscles surrounding the wound. He could barely put any pressure on it now, like an excruciating Charlie horse.

�Here,� Yuri said, slipping up Anton�s left arm, �lean on me.�

Anton nodded, wincing as he attempted to put any weight on the appendage. A gust nearly forced both men to the earth. Anton whimpered as his foot touched the ground, but the man was proud, like Yuri. He was tough and could push aside the pain.

They inched their way toward Grigoriy�s command tent. They needed to reorganize with him and the others. Five men, including Grigoriy, had stayed behind as a reserve team. There had been too many unknowns with this mission, and Grigoriy had not wanted to risk everyone. Plus, if something happened to the strike team while en route, there would be a viable rescue attempt by those still present here.

�We were misled,� Anton muttered between clenched teeth. �They were not just a research team.�

�No, they weren�t.�

�So much death, Yuri. We lost��

Anton�s head snapped forward, and Yuri was soon coated in a warm, viscous fluid. As the blood froze to the right side of his exposed face, Yuri turned and looked at his partner. Anton�s forehead now sported a two-inch wide, ragged hole. It was an exit wound from a rifle round.

They�d been followed.

Yuri dropped the lifeless Anton to the ground and swung his rifle up to meet his friend�s killer head-on. But the only thing he found was a pinching feeling� followed by a searing pain. Yuri dropped his weapon and stumbled back. His hand went to his neck.

He�d been shot in the throat.

His attacker was nowhere to be seen.

Yuri staggered back just as the command tent�s entrance opened. A surprised Grigoriy caught him as he fell and quickly dragged him inside as additional projectiles also entered.

�What happened?� Grigoriy asked, now slathered in his man�s gushing blood.

Yuri gripped Grigoriy�s shoulder and pulled himself closer to his team leader. More gunfire erupted outside. Grigoriy�s remaining men had leaped into battle against the unknown force.

�Yuri!� Grigoriy shouted. The dying mercenary blinked his eyes back open.

Unable to speak, he mouthed, �Betrayed.�

Yuri�s eyes glazed over, and his breathing ceased.

�The Russian team has been neutralized,� Emil reported, holding his satellite phone close to his ear. �What should we do with the inbound three-man team?�

The white-clad Sixth Seal forward team had been lying in wait for the surviving mercenaries to return to their camp for over an hour. They needed all loose ends taken care of. Two men had escaped the botched attack on the LC-130. Those two men had just arrived on site moments ago.

�Leave them be, Lieutenant,� Henri Vogel replied, �for now.�

�What if they discover the entrance to the Underworld before us?�

Henri laughed. �Let them. If they succeed, the gas will kill them.�

�And if there is no gas?�

The commander didn�t reply right away.

�Either way,� he finally said, �we will be there to keep them from revealing anything to the world.�

�Yes, we will.�

�Keep your presence invisible, Lieutenant.�

The Sixth Seal strike team leader looked at the grounds outside the campsite. Antarctica had already swept away their tracks.

�Yes, sir. When will you be joining us?�

�Soon, but first, I need to see to something.�

Emil understood what he meant. There were survivors back at the LC-130. Henri had been keeping a close, watchful eye on the situation. They had hoped that there�d be no survivors at all, but the three operatives had proved very capable against overwhelming odds. Still, the Sixth Seal outnumbered them by five-to-one between the two teams present on the continent.

�Very good, Commander. See you then.�

�Yes, Lieutenant, it will be �very� good. Keep the faith. This is what we�ve all been praying for. If the Underworld is accessible, we will finally be able to cleanse this world.�

�My faith in the Sixth Seal has never been a question.�

�I know, hence why you are here. If we are fortunate, you will be one of the first of us to bask in the glory of Himmler�s creation.�

Emil Becker grinned. He knew his commander better than most. Emil and Henri had both loyally served under Ulrich Krause for nearly twenty years and in a number of capacities. Most recently, Emil had been training operatives for combat back home in Germany, high in the snowy Alps.

While they preferred to run missions like this, Henri and Emil also oversaw operations centering on corporate and political espionage and straightforward assassinations. The one constant between them all was the continued progress and triumph of the Sixth Seal and all its affiliates.

If a politician unknowingly threatened one of Tobias Krause�s silent partners, then a small team was sent in. If a Fortune 500 tech giant attempted to purchase one of the Sixth Seal�s IT companies, then a fake story would be leaked to kill the buyout.

The Antarctic cold stung, but it also focused Emil. It focused him on their endgame. Heinrich Himmler and Dietrich Krause�s vision for the world had always been a beautiful one. With the revelation that the fabled Underworld might have actually survived, then Emil was thrilled to be on location and at the forefront.

The organization�s founder�s vision mirrored Hitler�s in a way but without the internal politics and power struggle. The Sixth Seal desired change, and they�d do it without remorse and without bureaucratic barriers. Hitler also had refused to bend when he�d been threatened. He had staunchly believed in his appointed leadership, that they would ultimately prevail. But then, the entire Nazi Party broke, and so did the war effort.

The Sixth Seal had survived for so long because of their willingness to switch gears and change operational procedures. They did anything to progress forward. Tobias Krause led with an identical iron fist, too, emphasizing the same �leader principle� as Hitler had used. The F�hrerprinzip urged underlings to follow orders with unwavering compliance.

Insubordination was not an option.

Ever.

Emil knew of several men and women who had been �disappeared� because of speaking aloud too many converse opinions.

It took them nearly three hours to reach the mountains. The Sno-Cat had chewed through the terrain, as it was designed to do, but it had been slow going. Most of the drive had been accomplished in silence. When someone did speak, it was about the mission and what they�d possibly find. Zahra had so much on her mind, but she didn�t know where to begin. So, she had kept it inside and did her best to sort through it herself.

Trust your allies, Zahra, she thought, scolding herself.

�Be ready for anything,� Hammet cautioned. His simple warning erased Zahra�s internal struggle. Now, she was on high alert � they all were.

The mountain range was small compared to others Zahra had seen on her map. She�d climbed much larger, too, but not in an atmosphere as inhospitable as Antarctica. The formations looped around to form a jagged letter �C,� and nestled into one of its ends were a trio of artificial lumps.

�See them?� Hammet asked.

Zahra lifted a pair of binoculars to her eyes. �I do.� She lowered them. �How do you want to do this? We�ll have no cover either way.�

�Slowly,� Yana replied. �They don�t know that we followed them.�

Hammet looked around, gauging the weather outside of the cab. �We can move closer, I think. The weather has worsened. They won�t be able to see us, and they most definitely won�t be able to hear us.�

�That�s really sketchy, isn�t it?� Zahra asked.

Hammet shrugged. �Like you said, we have no cover.� He knocked on the windshield. �This is built to withstand a beating. We should be safe inside.�

�Should�� Yana muttered. �I hate the word.�

Zahra sighed. �Don�t we all.� She bit her lip, deep in thought, but couldn�t come up with a better plan. �Okay, move us in closer.�

�Take it slow,� Yana added.

Hammet smiled and patted the dashboard. �Don�t you worry about that. The only thing this slug knows is slow.�

They crawled forward slower than they had before. They bounced around more, too. Faster speeds allowed travelers to skip over the uneven sections of terrain. Right now, Zahra felt like they were attempting to navigate over Olympic moguls.

When they were within a hundred yards, Hammet stopped. �Close enough.�

�Is no one home?� Yana asked.

Zahra had been wondering the same thing. She had honestly expected to meet quite a bit of resistance by now. Without a word, Hammet threw the Sno-Cat into park and popped open his door. Zahra and Yana followed him outside through their respective doors. She shouldered her AK, staying close to the body of the snow tracker. Yana looped around the rear of it and met them. Hammet looked at both women, then nodded.

The trio took off. They rushed forward, keeping their eyes peeled for the enemy. As they ran, the wind died down some. The natural cover the tip of the �C� gave them a much-needed respite from the unrelenting gale. It was the first time Zahra was able to hear the crunch of her footfalls. Hammet and Yana must have noticed the change as well because they also slowed to a quieter, brisk walk.

�Down,� Yana hissed.

The three-man team dropped onto their bellies.

�What is it?� Zahra asked, aiming her rifle forward.

�There,� Yana replied, pointing. �Thirty feet in front of the larger tent.�

�I don�t see anything.�

�Look at the ground,� Hammet said.

Zahra did, and she instantly saw what had spooked the Russian mercenary. �It�s a lump.�

Yana glanced at her. �No, it�s a body.�

Zahra removed her binoculars from her coat pocket and looked. �Damn, you�re right.� I see blood beneath� whoever that is.�

�Whoever it was,� Yana corrected.

Hammet got to one knee. �I don�t think anyone is alive.�

Zahra and Yana also got up. Zahra was thankful for it. Her winter gear could only keep the temperature of the frozen earth out so well.

Yana stood. �Let�s get going. Hopefully, there will be answers inside.�

This time, Yana took point. Hammet dropped back to watch their backs. Zahra kept her head on a swivel and trained her attention on their flanks. They skirted past the deceased. Zahra spotted two more bodies as they moved closer. The first man wasn�t the only casualty here.

Yana crept up to the door and then waited. She leaned closer, listening.

She glanced back at Zahra and Hammet and shrugged. The German tipped his chin to the entry point and leveled his weapon at it. Yana nodded and stepped out of the way. When she did, Hammet put his massive boot straight through it. The trio rushed in, prepared for a close-quarters firefight.

What they got was their answer: More bodies.

�They�re all dead?� Zahra asked. She spotted three more inside.

�It seems so,� Yana replied, heading right. �A double cross, perhaps?�

Hammet moved left. The two of them cleared the area quickly since it was only one large open space.

�You think their employer decided that they were expendable?� Hammet asked.

Yana eyed him. �Wouldn�t be the first time.�

Zahra didn�t exactly know what that implied. Had Yana been on the end of a decision like this before? Is that why she�s freelance now?

Hammet stepped back. �Over here.�

�What is it?� Zahra asked, heading for him.

�A survivor.�

Zahra rushed around a central command area. It was mostly just a space made up of cheap banquet tables, charts, and pictures of herself and everyone else who had been aboard the LC-130. As she neared, she spotted the lower half of a person. He or she was lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Yana and Hammet parted and allowed Zahra access to the man. He was a mess. Whoever he was, he was leaning up against a crate and had been shot multiple times in the stomach and chest. How he wasn�t already dead was beyond Zahra�s comprehension.

Zahra didn�t bother trying English. She went straight into Russian.

�What happened here?�

�Betrayed.� The mercenary coughed blood. �Just a job.� He gasped for air through ruined lungs. Zahra was pretty sure one of them had collapsed based on the way he was wheezing. �Just a job��

�Who hired you?� Yana asked.

His eyes went glassy.

�No, no, no! Hey!� She grabbed the man�s coat and gently shook him. He came back around. �Who hired you to kill us?�

�Krause. It was� Krause!�

The muscles in his face went still, and his breathing stopped. The mercenary was dead.

Zahra bowed her head, not in prayer, but in thought.

�Everything we discovered in the U-boat,� she stood. �Now this.�

Yana turned to Hammet. �Krause? As in Dietrich Krause?�

Hammet stepped away, collecting himself. After a few moments, he faced the two women. �When Dietrich Krause disappeared, he left behind a wife and son � a son who is still alive and very powerful.�

�That�s it!� Zahra said, pounding her right fist into her left palm. �Krause�s son is the one behind all of this. He has to be!�

�The Krause family is still very influential in Europe. The general�s son � Tobias � is not someone to trifle with. He owns an empire spanning several disciplines, including real estate development, architecture, and pharmaceuticals. The company is worth billions.�

�Geez,� Zahra said. �A real-life Lex Luthor type, huh?�

Zahra�s comment didn�t get a verbal reply.

It got a physical one.

Hammet growled, turned, and flipped over the nearest table.

Yana took a cautionary step back, but Zahra didn�t. She stepped up next to the obviously emotional soldier.

�Something bothering you?�

He let out a long breath. �Yes. All of it.� He faced her. �I thought we were finally finished with this evil. When will my countrymen be able to leave it behind?�

Yana moved closer. �That will never happen, I�m afraid.� Zahra and Hammet eyed her. They required further explanation. Yana paid Zahra no attention. She focused only on Hammet. �You don�t think Russians have demons too? The things we�ve done.� Her eyes darted away. �The things we do now��

Yana turned and left them, putting fifteen feet between her and the others before speaking again. When she did, her shoulders dipped.

�My great-grandfather proudly served Stalin.� Her words were slathered with disdain. It sickened her. She spun and caught both their eyes. �He loved what he did,� she jabbed a finger in her own chest, �but it�s not who I am.�

�She�s right,� Zahra agreed. �We are our history, whether we like it or not. My family tree is full of murder and deception and excessive psychosis.� She snorted and scratched her head through her sock hat. �It�s, uh, not pretty.�

�I can vouch for her,� Yana said. �Didn�t you tell me that your cousin tried to kill you?�

Zahra smiled. �Which time, before or after he bombed the British Museum?�

�That was you?� Hammet asked, stunned. That seemed to snap him out of his funk. �Thank you. Both of you.�

Both women shrugged.

�On that uplifting note�� Yana said. �Where to now?�

The three of them tore apart the mercenary command tent but didn�t find anything of use, minus more ammo and gear. Intel was lean here. Then it hit Zahra.

�What about the sub?�

�What about it?� Yana asked back.

A smirk formed on Zahra�s mouth. �They have to surface, right? And it was sticking out of the ice. Not into the ice � it was pointing toward the open sea. That means it was leaving from somewhere further inland.� She dove into her coat pocket and pulled out her paper map. She slapped it on the table and unfolded it. �Where�s the closest body of water south of our U-boat?�

Hammet leaned over the map. �Here.� He tapped an area with his finger. �Lake Untersee. Surrounded by the Gruber Mountains.�

�Untersee?� Yana asked. �Its name is German?�

�Correct,� Hammet replied. �It was first charted by Kriegsmarine captain Alfred Ritscher in the late thirties, as he flew over the Antarctic.�

�Very encyclopedic, Herr Braun,� Yana said.

He rolled his eyes. �The only reason I remember that is because there�s a mountain named after him next to our lake, Ritscher Peak.�

Zahra looked up from the map and stared through Hammet, picturing something. �It can�t be that easy, can it?�

�What can�t?� Yana asked.

�The lake and the mountain,� Zahra replied. �Both were charted by a Nazi naval captain in the 1930s.� She blew out a long breath. �Whattaya bet that�s the entry point to our lost research station?�

Hammet stood tall and rubbed his lower back. �That�s a big leap, Zahra.�

She chuckled. �Everything about this mission is a �big leap.� How far away is the lake?�

�Based on this,� Yana said, tapping the map, �another seventy miles south of our current location.�

Zahra looked at Hammet. �How�s our fuel look?�

The German shrugged. �Should be fine. Either way, I suggest we borrow some from our Russian friends here, just in case.� He eyed the door. �Getting stranded out here does not sound like any picnic I would want to go to.� He grumbled something under his breath.

�Thoughts?� Zahra asked.

�If the Underworld is at Lake Untersee, then why hasn�t it been found by someone else yet? It�s not exactly a hidden place. Quite the opposite, actually. You can even see it clearly on Google Earth.�

Zahra folded up her map. �That�s just one of a hundred other questions that will have to wait. Let�s gather whatever gear we think we�ll need and move out.�

�Yes,� Hammet agreed, �let�s be quick, too.� He took in the bodies around the room. �We still don�t know who did this.�

Yana moved across the tent and knelt. But �I know who didn�t do this.�

�Whatcha got?� Zahra asked.

�This.� Yana stood and held up a brass casing. �This does not belong to the favored caliber of Russia, the 7.62.� She turned and gazed at Zahra and Hammet. �This is a 5.56 NATO round. Best guess is that the people responsible for this were either American or German.�

Zahra quickly agreed. 5.56 was used in weapons like the M4 carbine and the HK416. Both were widely used between the American and German militaries.

Hammet sighed. �It seems that the Sixth Seal has called in everyone.� He looked at Zahra. �This has gone from bad to worse.�

Zahra tried � and failed � to shake off the nerves.

It certainly has.

�We need to try and contact Kyle,� Zahra said. �We need to warn him of another new player.�

�Any luck?� Ethan asked.

Kyle stepped back inside the cargo hold and shook the chill from his body. �Yeah, but barely. Palmer is sending a rescue unit over immediately.�

The other man looked down at his watch. �What do we do until then?�

Kyle looked around Ethan, picturing the wounded team members laid up further into the plane. He also pictured the covered dead.

Footsteps approached from behind. Carlo had taken a round to the shoulder. Luckily, it had only been a flesh wound. His right arm was now in a sling. He had offered to help look over the other injured crewmember. Claire, the climatologist, had been shot multiple times. As of now, she was in stable condition. Everyone on board had received top-notch medical training since arriving in Antarctica, thankfully.

�How is she?� Kyle asked, still looking forward. The sight of the blank, icy canvas calmed him.

�Same,� Carlo replied.

The sole Greek crewman had a thick accent. He was on loan to the Antarctica arm of the National Science Foundation via some organization that Kyle had never heard of. He�d been a part of the climate studies team, not Kyle�s flight crew. Claire was his team leader and someone he thought highly of.

�How is your arm, Captain?�

Kyle waved him off. �It�s fine. A little sore is all. Keep at it, Carlo. All we can do is sit and wait for Palmer.�

Carlo motioned to the open cargo ramp. �Will do, but I would like to get some fresh air first. Hopefully, it will reinvigorate me some.�

Kyle and Ethan parted and allowed the man a clear path to the rear of the plane. They�d kept the ramp down for only one purpose: In case Zahra�s team returned early and needed a quick entry. The outdoor gusts were barely noticeable if they stayed behind the stowed Sno-Cat. At least to men like Kyle and Ethan. They�d spent enough time on the southernmost continent that they really didn�t mind the frigid temperatures.

An odd echo startled both airmen. They looked at one another with quizzical looks. Kyle exited the space between the passenger seats and the front of the Sno-Cat and headed to the right around the vehicle. Ethan went left. They met at the rear of the Sno-Cat and immediately went into defensive positions, kneeling and aiming their rifles out into the white void.

Carlo lay on the floor just into the open cargo hold ramp� with a bullet hole in his chest.

�They came back?� Ethan asked.

�No,� Kyle replied, �this is someone else��

�How do you know that?�

The pair met eyes.

Kyle�s eyes hardened, and he smiled. �Because� I�m their leader.�

He adjusted his aim and shot Ethan point-blank in the chest.

Ethan fell back, gripping the wound with both hands. He was understandably confused and in severe pain. His trusted flight partner had shot him, and Kyle�s Wisconsin accent had vanished and been replaced with a German inflection.

Kyle got to his feet and stood over Ethan. �The Sixth Seal thanks you for your contribution.� For good measure, he shot Ethan again.

Six white-clad soldiers appeared from the wash outside. They calmly strode up the ramp and formed a tight semi-circle around their commander, Henri Vogel. He�d been stationed in Antarctica as a seasonal airman under the airtight persona of Kyle Ford for some time now. His connections within the American military had inserted him into Palmer Station with relative ease years back.

While here, Henri�s main objective had been to protect the location of the Underworld ruins. His time was also spent gathering intelligence as he hacked into mainframes and data storage for any useful information. The Sixth Seal possessed a stellar IT network that would then dig through the data for additional intel.

He was also now an expert in the terrain. No one in the Sixth Seal knew Antarctica better than he did.

�Good to see you, Commander. Been a long time.�

Master Chief Luka Meier was newer to the strike team, but Emil had praised his ability and efficiency. Henri had gladly promoted Luka upon receiving the lieutenant�s recommendation.

Kyle � Henri � gave the soldier a curt nod, then got down to business. �There is one other survivor on board. Eliminate her.� Two men rushed away. He turned to Luka. �Get this aircraft operational. Unfortunately, our Russian friends did a number on the control panel. Start there.�

Luka went to move but stopped. �The Underworld� Do you believe it�s safe?�

Everyone knew of the story, but only Henri knew the facility�s exact location outside of the Krauses. Over the years, soldiers had asked why the Sixth Seal hadn�t simply checked the Underworld for the reported cave-in.

Henri was once one of those young men.

�Why?� he had asked.

�Because of the poisoned air,� Ulrich had replied. �From what my father has told me, the entire facility is tainted with a cocktail of deadly vapor.�

�How does he know?�

Henri had known that his commander should not have been telling him any of this, but the pair had been friends for some time, and Henri had shown himself to be an exemplary lieutenant, as his father had been years prior.

�A communique was sent shortly after the disaster,� Ulrich replied. He stared hard into Henri�s eyes. �From Dietrich Krause.�

Henri then understood everything. Himmler and Dietrich were the ones who had instilled Hitler�s �leader principle� into the Sixth Seal. And similarly, their word had been treated as the Gospel. No one disobeyed them, especially Tobias.

But then, Himmler had died, and Dietrich was never heard from or seen again.

The evidence inside the U-boat concerned Henri. It called attention to a rising doubt inside his gut. Never once had anyone mentioned a missing submersible, not even Ulrich. The mass killing within it worried him, too. The American agent had executed Dietrich after he had sent the message to their allies back home.

Henri breathed. But that doesn�t mean the disaster was a lie.

All Henri knew for sure was that Dietrich Krause had been murdered by one of his own men. That in itself was a shock. But it was believable considering the crew�s predicament. It had also been possible that the American had snapped and killed everyone while lost in a crazed mental state.

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.

�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 F�hrer.� 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.

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.�

And with that, Yana exited the Sno-Cat.

Zahra unzipped her coat and slipped the plate carrier over her head. She inserted the detachable chest rig, pulled the wings of the cummerbund forward, and velcroed them down, tightening the carrier. Then she flopped her chest rig back into place, securing both pieces together. She was confident that it wouldn�t slosh around if and when she was forced to move quickly.

Hammet also slid into his plate carrier. He looked like he had a million thoughts banging around in his head.

�What do you think we�ll find?� Zahra asked.

�I�m not sure,� he replied, �but considering all the trouble the Sixth Seal is going through, I think it�s safe to say that it�ll be quite impressive.�

Zahra gazed out over the frozen lake. �Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I mean, an underground Nazi bunker in Antarctica. This is a big deal.�

Hammet sighed. �One the world will never know about.�

It hurt Zahra to think about it in that way. But Hammet was right. �Especially with the work they were doing out here� whatever it was.�

�Black Sunset,� Hammet said. �What do you think it is?�

She tipped her head toward the lake. �Why don�t we go find out?�

He smiled, grabbed his backpack, and exited the vehicle. Zahra did, too. She was blasted by the cold but not the wind. The air was still here, except for the occasional breeze funneling in off the tundra. The cold wasn�t as unruly around the lake. Zahra looked up at the Gruber Mountains and mentally thanked them for their shelter.

They headed off and joined Yana at the northern edge of the lake. She knelt, scanning the area for signs of life through her binoculars. She stood when her teammates approached.

�Anything?� Zahra asked.

�No,� Yana replied. �All is quiet.�

Zahra gave the landscape a look of her own. Nothing moved.

Hammet stepped toward the lake. �Can you imagine seeing a U-boat surfacing here?�

�I have witnessed a submarine punch through the ice once back in Russia,� Yana said, �but this is something else.�

Zahra pulled out her own binoculars. �So, where do you want to start our search?� She scanned the shoreline. �I see a couple of spots where sailors could come ashore. A good chunk of the coast is too steep, though.�

�We�ll follow you,� Hammet said.

Zahra removed the binoculars from her eyes and pocketed them. She gave him a nod and set off around the flat expanse of ice. Lake Untersee wasn�t terribly big. It measured a mile and a half across at its widest point. The hike didn�t bother Zahra, but leaving the Sno-Cat behind and unattended did.

Relax, Zahra. No one is stealing your ride.

The eastern shoreline, while easily navigable on foot, would be all but inaccessible to anything larger than a human in boots. Regardless of where their target lay, the Sixth Seal would have had to have used some type of portable docking system to get goods and people ashore. Zahra pictured such a thing connecting their U-boat to dry land.

She approached the southeastern shore and noticed something promising. She also saw that they were now over a mile away from their Sno-Cat. She pushed aside the butterflies in her stomach and refocused on the terrain.

It was slightly inclined but ran straight and true, starting from the edge of the lake and continuing for another hundred yards until it dead-ended at the foot of a mountain.

Ritscher Peak?

�This could work,� she said softly.

�What?� Yana asked.

Zahra pointed at the ground. �This is what, two hundred feet wide?�

�Give or take.�

Hammet joined them but was quickly left alone again after both women started forward.

He caught up and fell in next to Zahra. �Find something?� he asked.

�Maybe,� she replied. �Could also be nothing.�

�She thinks it�s a loading ramp,� Yana added, earning a grin from Zahra. The Russian�s thought process was on the same wavelength as hers.

That was exactly what she believed.

Hammet looked back while continuing along. He didn�t say anything. No one did, not until they reached the base of the mountain. It was craggy, impossibly wide, and looked natural.

�Are you sure?� Hammet asked.

Zahra shook her head and eyed the rock. �Nope. Yana, do��

Zahra turned and found Yana back some. She had stopped and was zoned in on the rock face, deciding to dissect it from afar instead. Something nipped at the back of Zahra�s neck. She abandoned her search and regrouped with the Russian.

�What is it?� she asked.

Yana grinned. �Look.�

Zahra did but saw nothing except cliff. �Okay, I give up; what am I looking at?�

Hammet met up with them and waited for Yana to indulge. He looked just as confused as Zahra felt.

�Draw a line from where we are standing to the wall,� Yana explained.

�Okay�� Zahra did. �Done. Now what?�

Yana pulled out her own binoculars. She looked through them and continued her instructions. �Now, extend out to, oh, one hundred feet in both directions.�

Zahra did. �Okay. Also done.�

�What are you getting at?� Hammet asked. �I don�t see anything.�

Yana waved him off, still looking through her binoculars. �Keep your shorts on; I�m getting there. Now, measure forty, maybe even fifty, feet high and visualize a long, skinny rectangle.�

�Yana,� Zahra started, �I��

�Just do it.�

Zahra glanced at Hammet and shrugged. �Okay, I�m picturing it, but still don�t see anything odd?�

Yana growled in frustration. �Just trust me, okay? There�s something here. I can see it.�

�Does this girl cry wolf?� Hammet asked.

Zahra smiled but quickly erased it when Yana shot her with daggers.

�Don�t patronize me. I know what I see.�

Zahra trusted her people. �I believe you. Let�s get in for a closer look.�

They returned to the wall. Zahra felt around but couldn�t tell much about what she was feeling due to her heavy gloves. All she could feel was the rough exterior of a mountain cliff. She removed one glove and tried with her bare hand, but her fingertips grew too cold to feel anything at all.

�What are we looking for?� Hammet asked.

�Anything artificial,� Zahra replied. �I figure it�s safe to assume this entry point will be cleverly hidden. The Ahnenerbe were the best, right?�

Hammet nodded. �Yes. If they built a secret entrance into the mountain, then it will be difficult to find.�

Yana looped around the pair and moved left, dragging her hands across the surface of the cliff. �Then quit wasting time.�

Hammet moved opposite Yana and headed right. Zahra stayed somewhere in between and gave the middle section a heavy inspection. Nothing leaped out at her and screamed, �Look at me, secret door!�

Keep searching.

For a moment, Yana kept going, but then she stuttered to a stop. The assassin�s demeanor changed in an instant. Zahra was sprinting toward her even before Yana began yelling for them to join her.

Hammet was further away but hustling to catch up.

�I found something,� Yana explained. �Right here.�

Zahra gently pressed her hands up against a random rise of stone. �What am I looking for?�

�It moved.�

�It moved?� Hammet asked, breathing heavily.

Zahra leaned into it and felt something shift ever so slightly. Her eyes widened. �She�s right.� She stepped aside. �See if you can loosen it up some.�

Zahra had no problem conceding her efforts to the much larger and stronger German soldier. Hammet gripped the rock in both his thick hands, and he pushed and pulled in several different directions.

�You�re right. It does move!�

Yana grinned. �Told you so.�

�To be fair,� Hammet said between grunts, �I never openly doubted you.�

�But you did doubt��

Click.

The sound was high-pitched and metallic. Hammet�s right fingers had depressed something around a corner. He gripped and pulled.

A section of stone one foot around swung open on a hinge. Beneath the lid was a single red button.

�Oh my God,� Zahra whispered. She grabbed Yana and gave her an uncomfortable sideways hug. �You did it.�

Yana leaned away from her. �Please, let go.�

�How did you see something back there?� Hammet asked, pointing to where they had started.

She shrugged. �I have always had keen eyes. It�s what has made me so effective at my job.�

�Think it still works?� Zahra asked, staring at the button.

�Only one way to find out,� Yana said.

�What about the gas?� Hammet asked.

Yana rolled her eyes. �Hold your breath. I mean, we are outside.�

Hammet didn�t look convinced. He just stepped back.

Zahra reached forward but stopped. She stepped aside. �All yours, Yana. You found this place.�

The Russian smiled widely and slammed her palm down on the button. The action was answered by a low rumble, then nothing.

Yana looked down at her feet, then at Zahra. �Um��

Her confusion was launched into deep space and replaced with shock as the middle section of Yana�s wall split in half. The trio staggered backward and watched two doors roll away from one another to reveal an entrance measuring fifty feet tall and two hundred feet wide.

As they yawned open, a row of lights attached to the ceiling winked to life one by one, stretching farther than they could see.

�Holy crap,� Zahra said, stopping just outside the entrance.

Yana stepped up next to her. �Now that�s a door.�

Hammet craned his head up. �Yes. Very impressive.�

Zahra looked back and forth between the opening and the loading dock. �Huh?�

�What?� Yana asked.

�Anyone else notice that the ground out here is the same width as the door?�

Hammet turned and examined it. �Can�t be a coincidence.�

�I have a question,� Yana said.

�Just the one?� Zahra replied.

Yana sniffed the air. �Do you smell gas?�

Zahra had completely forgotten about it. The awe she felt had contaminated her body, not the gas.

�No,� she replied. �It�s clear.�

The trio stayed thirty feet from the threshold and headed back to the centermost part of it.

�Maybe the gas is deeper inside?� Hammet suggested.

�Could be,� Zahra replied.

�Is anyone else wondering why the doors are so big?� Yana asked.

Zahra silently crossed the boundary between the surface world and the Underworld, excitement tickling. Her boots found the smooth stone. Before she went any farther, she turned and faced her teammates. �Let�s go find out.�

Yana and Hammet entered, and the three explorers set off into Himmler�s prized Antarctic installation.

�Hang on,� Yana said, �let me do something first��

Zahra and Hammet watched Yana jog over to the eastern wall and flip open an identical panel. Inside was another red button. She pushed it, and the massive door immediately began to shut.

She hurried back over to them and shrugged. �Those pricks can open it for themselves.�

Lieutenant Emil Becker of the Sixth Seal shivered, and it had nothing to do with the freezing temperatures. The uncontrollable convulsions weren�t caused by anything bad or harmful. It was quite the opposite, actually. The forward team leader shook with wonderment � with happiness. He had just witnessed the single most marvelous act take place.

Emil had just watched the entrance to the Underworld open.

They survived!

He had expected to watch Kane�s team shrivel up and die, yet they seemed to be alive! That wasn�t the only occurrence that had stunned the man. The sheer size of the entrance was stunning. There was nothing in his vast Sixth Seal knowledge base that had prepared him for it and nothing still that could explain the reason for doing so.

What the hell is down there?

Some information about the Underworld was shared freely between members. Other facts, like those involving the specific projects and experiments below, were not. Those were of the need-to-know, and no one, not even the commander, knew enough about them to confidently speak of them. Plus, it was strictly forbidden by Herr Krause to talk about it.

Emil reached for his satellite phone and fumbled with it. He looked down at his shaking hand.

Get ahold of yourself.

He willed it to stop.

It did.

He grasped the device and dialed the number for his superior.

�Commander, do you copy?�

It took a few seconds for him to reply. Calls weren�t easy to connect in environments such as this.

�Go ahead, Lieutenant.�

By now, the other men in Emil�s team had gathered around him. He allowed them to listen in on his side of the communication. They deserved to hear what Henri had to say.

�They found it, Commander. They found the Underworld.�

�They did? Impressive. Congratulations on a job well done, Lieutenant. You and your men should be proud.�

Emil let out a long breath. �We are, sir. Thank you. But there is more��

He quickly recounted what his team had seen. It didn�t take long. Besides the grand reveal and Kane�s survival, there hadn�t been much of anything to report. They had followed Kane from the Russian camp in their own Sno-Cat, staying far enough back not to be noticed. An unrelenting storm had assisted them in the effort.

�Are we still waiting to engage?�

�Yes. Allow these rats to scurry about. Let them be the ones to sniff out the toxins.�

�And if there aren�t any toxins?�

�Yes, well, regardless, I would prefer not to get in a firefight with them inside the open entrance tunnel. We cannot underestimate them. I will not lose men to rash foolishness.�

�Agreed. What is your ETA?�

�The master chief and I are still two hours out. Sit tight, Lieutenant. We�ll join you as soon as we can.�

Emil longed to enter the Underworld, even if it was just to cross inside the doors. But he knew his place, and he had his orders.

�Yes, sir. We�ll be waiting for you at the northern end of the lake. See you then.�

Zahra was thrilled to be out of the cold. The ambient temperature of the secret passage was downright balmy compared to what was outside. Still, she kept her winter gear on. They all did.

She was also thrilled not to have been poisoned to death. It called into question the vitality of Dietrich Krause�s coded message, or they were still too shallow. It was very possible that the cave-in had happened further inside and that the internal grounds were still toxic.

She looked up at the row of lights lining the center of the tunnel�s ceiling. It appeared the electricity wasn�t an issue here. She still had no idea how. The only thing that made sense was nuclear power, though, she didn�t know how viable an option that really would have been back then � especially all the way out here.

�Seems a bit excessive, don�t you think?� Zahra asked. Even though her words were soft, they reverberated loudly around her. The entrance had maintained the original dimensions as the doors, measuring fifty feet tall and four times as wide.

Yana shrugged. �I guess that all depends on what they have down here with us.� She switched her gaze to Hammet. �Any ideas, Herr Braun?�

He shook his head. �I�m at a loss. But whatever it is, it will be grand. That I can assure you. The Nazis never did anything small. They liked to put on a grand show whenever possible.� He motioned to the entrance. �Hence, all this.�

Yana sighed. �I am going to be very pissed off if this is nothing more than an oversized broom closet.�

The three operatives chuckled together.

They eventually came to the end of the tunnel entrance. It ended at a connection point of sorts. Within the dim light of the intersection were three cookie-cut tunnel openings. Lights ran across the equally tall ceiling in an X formation, giving Zahra and the others a touch of illumination, though not much. Zahra didn�t know what to expect, but it definitely wasn�t this.

�What the hell?� she said, walking to the center of the enormous four-way stop. She gave the other three archways a quick look, but it was too dark beyond them to make out much of anything. �How big is this place?� Her voice bounced around like mad.

Yana unzipped her coat and removed a flashlight from her chest rig, clicking it on and showing it on the wall between the entrance tunnel and the one to the east, Zahra�s left. �Look at this.�

Zahra and Hammet added their own lights and were in awe of what they found.

�It�s the Reischsalder,� Hammet explained, �the imperial eagle of the Nazi Party, only it isn�t holding the swastika. It�s��

�It�s holding the upside-down globe,� Zahra interrupted, �the one from the dead sailors� uniforms.�

�That�s not all. There are words over here. And they�re in English.�

Zahra and Hammet turned and found Yana pointing her light at the next wall. This one was between the eastern and southern tunnel openings.

�Well, yeah,� Zahra replied. �English would have been the common language between the represented groups.�

�Okay, sure, but listen to this�� Yana read her discovery aloud. ��And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of the heavens fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.��

��And the heavens departed,�� Hammet continued, reading the next wall, ��as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains.��

Zahra was already standing in front of the third and final wall with script. She cleared her throat and read. ��And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?��

Hammet stepped up next to her. �The Book of Revelation, chapter six, verses twelve through seventeen.�

�The Sixth Seal,� Zahra said softly.

He nodded. �I guess we know where they got their name from. They named themselves after what constitutes as the apocalypse or��

�Armageddon,� Zahra finished. �These people worship the death of the world � of mankind.�

�But not their kind,� Hammet added. �Think about it for a moment. To them, this makes perfect sense. It�s the same as the Nazis. Wipe out everyone until only they are left to rebuild the world in their image.�

�I would like to keep moving.� Zahra and Hammet turned and found a very uncomfortable Yana Fedorov standing at the center of the intersection. She was slowly rotating in a circle and recounting the engravings. �This place� This was a bad place.�

Zahra had never seen the woman so nervous. Even in the firefight back at the LC-130, Yana had kept herself composed and unflappable. Zahra had to admit that she, too, was becoming more and more anxious about what they�d found. She also knew that it would only get worse.

She placed a reassuring hand on Yana�s shoulder. �You okay?�

Yana found her eyes. �No, I�m not. I don�t like this place.�

�None of us do,� Hammet said. �But we have a job to do.�

That seemed to perk the Russian up some. �So, which way now?�

Zahra scanned the three unexplored openings again. She faced the southern one. �Let�s keep going straight.�

�South it is,� Yana said, sounding nearly back to normal. �Wish we had the Sno-Cat right about now. Would feel much better. I feel too exposed.�

�No,� Hammet said. �It would be so loud that we wouldn�t be able to hear anyone sneaking up on us.�

�He�s got a point,� Zahra added. �We do still have the Russians� killers out there somewhere.�

Yana wasn�t happy. �Fine,� she tossed her pack back down, �but let�s at least take a few minutes to reassess our kit.� She unzipped her heavy coat. �I�m burning up in this thing.�

Zahra only got a shrug from Hammet.

He also tossed his bag down and stripped his outermost layer off. �It�s a good idea.� He patted his loaded plate carrier. �I have a feeling we may need quick access to our gear in the near future.�

Begrudgingly, Zahra followed suit and removed her jacket. She then folded it up as small as she could get it and shoved it into her backpack. Having her extra magazines ready to go without her bulbous coat blocking them did relax her some. She also removed her gloves and then rechecked her rifle and her sidearm.

Okay. Here we go.

She slipped back into her pack and started off to the south with Yana and Hammet close behind.

Hammet pulled up next to her on her left. �You always bring that along on your adventures?�

Zahra glanced down at her grappling hook. She nodded. �Yeah, you�d be surprised how much use it�s gotten.�

�I haven�t seen you use it yet.�

She gave the German a wink. �Well, the night is young.�

Yana caught up to them and ruined the moment. �Technically, it won�t be night here for a few more months.�

While Yana and Hammet stopped and bickered about the definition of �night� and whether daylight actually had anything to do with it, Zahra continued beneath the southern archway until she was greeted by nothing except a railing. A large dark void ate her flashlight�s beam. She carefully leaned over the railing and looked down, but the abyss was so dark and large that she saw nothing.

�Uh, guys?� Yana and Hammet were still going back and forth. Zahra spun and shot them in the face with light. �Guys!� They stopped and snapped her head toward the owner of the booming voice. �Over here, please.�

The pair stepped over the threshold and into the darkness beyond, instantly forgetting their conversation about what constituted �night.� Yana gently gripped the railing to Zahra�s left and softly whistled. The sound echoed for eons.

�Whoa,� Yana said.

�Yep, big whoa.�

�Over here,� Hammet said.

They turned and found him back at the entrance. He was inspecting something built into the doorway�s framework. It was then that she saw a mass of cables coming up through the floor and attaching to the base of it. Most of the cables then continued up to the ceiling, snaking around up there. Even from here, Zahra could see what the object was.

�Is that a throw switch?� she asked.

�I believe so, yes,� Hammet replied. �Looks straight out of Frankenstein.�

�It�s Frankensteen,� Zahra corrected, going straight to the Brooskian version.

That got a grin out of Yana. �Well, throw it.�

Hammet looked at Zahra for confirmation. She nodded. �Do it. And step back� just in case.�

The KSK commando threw the switch.

The throw switch lever snapped into place, releasing a hum of electricity. It flowed all around the three operatives. Hammet rejoined the two women, and they watched as lights slowly winked to life above and below them. Some of the bulbs burst as they ignited after being dormant for decades.

Zahra took in the upper level as it came into full view. She extinguished her flashlight and saw that the entire room was one giant circle roughly two hundred feet across. A twenty-foot-wide catwalk ringed around the perimeter of the space, though only half of that was walkable space. The catwalk also showed off dozens of cut-and-paste doors. Each door paired with a room of some kind. The ceiling held several enormous pulley systems and monstrous platforms. This was how the workers would have moved heavy machinery in and out of the Underworld.

�The cave-in � the poisonous gas�� Hammet started.

�A lie,� Zahra finished. �I think we may have had some help with that��

Hammet eyed her but figured it out. �The American on the U-boat?�

She shot the man with a playful finger gun. �Bingo.�

�He saved everyone,� Yana said. �A single act prevented all of this from coming to light. He potentially saved millions of lives. Maybe even billions.�

The gravity of the statement really hit Zahra hard. One special agent took down this entire operation with little more than deception. But then he had gotten stuck in the ice as well. Even then, he did what he knew was right and killed everyone involved, knowing that he was also destined to die.

�Kinda reminds you of the end of Rouge One, huh?� Zahra said, staring off into nothing. �A rebel team saved the lives of others, knowing full well that they were about to die.�

�For the greater good,� Hammet said. �We owe that man a lot.�

�Yes, we do,� Yana said, leaving Zahra�s side. She went off and inspected the closest room. She tried the handle and found it unlocked. When it opened, she stepped back.

�What is it?� Zahra asked.

Yana looked at her. �It�s a bedroom,� Zahra and Hammet glanced at one another, �and it�s occupied.�

They gathered around the now open door. Yana entered and knelt beside a bed holding a decomposed body. She brushed a layer of grime away from the person�s breast pocket.

�Golubev,� she read. �Another Russian.� She straightened his sleeve to get a better look at a sewn patch. �A colonel, from what I can see.� She stood. �I wonder what happened to him?�

�Probably starved,� Hammet suggested.

�How do you know?� Yana asked.

�Well, there are no physical signs of foul play. No gunshot wounds, knife wounds, broken vertebrae��

�He could have been poisoned,� Zahra suggested.

�Possibly, but in this environment, and without aid� I bet once the Sixth Seal closed up shop, and after the U-boat got stuck in the ice, the people still here were left to fend for themselves and starved. They may have had enough rations to hold out for a little while, but without care packages coming in regularly��

�That�s terrible.� Yana and Hammet gazed at Zahra. �Oh, I�m not saying these bastards didn�t deserve it. Still, what a way to go. Left behind in Antarctica to starve to death because of a lie too.�

�I�d rather take my own life than die this way,� Yana said, exiting the quaint crypt.

Zahra didn�t outwardly agree or disagree. Honestly, she had no idea how she would respond if she�d been left in a situation like this.

The three explorers regrouped at the railing and watched as level after level was revealed by the cascading flow of electricity. Hundreds of lights ignited section by section. After six stories of such activity, the lights stopped at a large circular floor with a split running north to south across it.

Is there something beneath this place?

�Is it a silo?� Yana asked.

Zahra looked up. �Not unless the mountain opens, too.�

Yana let out a nervous laugh. �At this point, I�ll believe anything.�

�It�s a factory.� Hammet had not joined in their hypothecation. He had continued to study the floors beneath their feet. �I can see what looks like advanced aeronautic engineering equipment. Well, advanced for the time.�

Something clawed at Zahra�s spine. She turned and looked back the way they�d come. It hit her.

�The other doorways. The one�s back with the Sixth Seal eagle��

Yana joined her. �You think there�s more of these rooms?�

�I think it�s pretty obvious that there are.�

Yana could only shrug. No one could be sure of anything until they poked around some more.

�Ladies?� They faced Hammet. �I think we should focus here first, ja?�

Neither Zahra nor Yana voiced an opinion. They just stepped back over to the railing and to Hammet and stood in silence.

�There�s no way this place was built during the war,� Zahra said, speaking to no one in particular. �This must have been here before that.�

�Long before that,� Hammet added.

�How long, though?� Yana asked.

�Hmmm,� Hammet muttered, thinking, �Best guess, based on Himmler�s career timeline, is that they started construction in the early thirties.�

�Okay,� Zahra said. �I can get on board with that, at least until we find something saying otherwise.�

�If that�s true,� Yana added, �then that means the Underworld was operational for nearly thirty years. Remember the date on the communique?�

�Yeah.� Zahra sighed. �1960.�

No one spoke for a minute.

�Can you image what this must have cost,� Yana said.

�Even back then, it was possible with countries like the United States, Germany, and the Soviet Union financing it,� Hammet explained. �I bet they all had private donors involved.�

�I wouldn�t doubt it,� Zahra said.

�Um,� Yana started, �how do we get down to the lower levels?�

Zahra scanned the upper level, stopping on the wall opposite their position. There was an opening, and even from here, she could tell it was cut by man � not nature.

�Over there.� She pointed at it. �That could be a way down.�

Yana and Hammet fell in line behind her, and they headed to the right. Unlike the U-boat, all the doors here were shut. Occasionally, Yana would veer off and open one out of curiosity. She didn�t verbally confirm what she saw, which to Zahra meant they were, indeed, bedrooms.

�If the other two doorways lead to spaces like this,� Yana said, voice low, �then there must have been hundreds of people working here at one time. This was a full-fledged community, not just a covert military installation.�

Hammet stopped. �I think you�re right.� The rooms paused for a span to reveal a passageway cut directly through the rock. Hammet stepped closer, clicked on his flashlight, and pointed it into the corridor. The beam ended in inky darkness. �I believe there�s another room like this one to the west. Which means��

�There�s one to the east,� Zahra said, looking across the space. She clearly saw another passage through the rock.

�Three wings, one goal?� Yana asked.

�Or it could be three separate projects,� Hammet replied, �not just Black Sunset.�

�Come on,� Zahra said, struggling to peel her eyes off the eastern passage. �Let�s keep moving.�

As they pushed on, Zahra spotted additional cables running along the wall above the rooms. A single cable then branched off and disappeared into the wall above each door.

They all had power. Heat? No, the ambient temperature wasn�t uncomfortable. The entire complex was well-insulated from the outside. She pictured the long entry driveway. Is that the reason for the distance, to keep out the cold?

�It�s an elevator,� Hammet said, pulling Zahra out of her own head.

And it was.

The square hole cut into the back wall of the �South Wing� held a sizable platform elevator, complete with interior lights.

Looks like we have power here, too.

�Twenty feet?� Yana asked.

�Yeah,� Zahra replied. �Looks about right.�

Zahra stepped up first but didn�t walk out onto the platform. She inspected it first. The left and right-hand walls contained two sets of aggressive tracking. Two gear-like wheels sat within each of the four tracks. As the lift moved up and down, it would act like the internals of a watch.

�Going down?� Yana asked, sounding unsure.

�Looks like it.�

Hammet leaned in but didn�t cross the gap. �Hopefully, not too fast.�

�Yeah�� Zahra�s voice shook slightly. �Let�s hope.�

She took the first step. The platform didn�t give an inch or make any unwanted noises. Zahra fully entered. When she safely made it to the middle, she turned and nodded. Yana and Hammet entered in unison. Their added weight was accepted without issue.

Everyone let out a collective breath.

Yana held her hand over what would act as their down button. She waited for twin nods before pressing it. When she did, the elevator groaned but moved. There was no roll-down gate to keep anyone, or anything, from spilling out. Zahra was actually thankful for that. It gave them an uninterrupted view of the South Wing as they slowly descended to the bottom floor.

Yana explained her reasoning for selecting the bottom floor. �I figure that we start at the bottom and work our way back up to the exit.�

That was fine with Zahra. Hammet didn�t disagree, either.

The first thing Zahra noticed during their descent was that every level possessed similar passages between wings. It made sense. They�d allow people from each area to easily travel from one room to the next.

Zahra combed through what they knew about the facility, and something stuck out.

�Hammet?�

�Ja?�

�Tell me again, when did the Germans first explore this area?�

He scratched his chin. �During the third German Antarctic Expedition of 1938.�

�1938?� Yana asked. �But I thought we decided that this place was older than that?�

�We did,� Zahra replied. �It seems that history is, once again, wrong.�

�No,� Hammet added, �not wrong, but deceived � hidden. The Sixth Seal was already here by the time Alfred Ritscher officially mapped Queen Maud Land.� He turned away but kept speaking. �I wonder if Ritscher was even aware of their presence when he began his expedition.�

�So,� Yana said, �he wasn�t involved with the place�s founding?�

Hammet shook his head softly. �No, I don�t think so. It seems that Himmler and Dietrich Krause were operating deep beneath the Reich�s nose. I bet Hitler didn�t even know.�

�Geez.� Zahra couldn�t believe it. �These guys were serious about their work, huh?�

�But what was their work?� Yana asked. �So far, I don�t see anything that warrants any of this.�

�Yeah�� Zahra said, thinking. �We need to check the other wings.�

A heavy clunk announced that they had reached their destination. The trio exited the elevator and continued out into the middle of the factory floor. The split that ran north to south was even more apparent now. Zahra knelt and rubbed her bare hand across it.

�This isn�t stone, it�s metal.�

�What do you think is down there?� Yana asked.

Zahra looked up at her. �Was there a button for a level lower than this one?�

The Russian reentered the lift. �No, but, huh�

�Huh, what?� Hammet asked.

Yana exited the elevator. �There�s a keyhole.�

Zahra stood. �We need to find that key.� She thumbed behind her toward the West Wing. �I�ll take the west.�

�I�ll stay here and have a look,� Yana offered. �I have some flight experience. I might be able to figure something out with more time.�

Zahra looked at Hammet. �That means you have the East Wing.�

�I don�t think we should split up,� he said.

Zahra shrugged. �I don�t either, but we don�t have a choice. There�s too much ground to cover.� She held up her hand and tapped her wristwatch. �Meet back here in thirty minutes.�

�Fine, but don�t dawdle,� Hammet said.

�Pff, you aren�t my father.� Zahra winked. �See you soon.�

Henri Vogel had been waiting for this moment for two and a half decades. He had been recruited into the Sixth Seal by Ulrich Krause himself while serving in the German Army. Henri didn�t know how, but the shadowy figure had evidence that Henri was descended from one of Himmler�s top researchers within the Ahnenerbe.

That wasn�t an uncommon scenario, considering it was only three generations since the war. There were still plenty of people alive who shared blood with those at the top of Hitler and Himmler�s world. But Ulrich also knew that Henri secretly dreamed of a world where the Nazis had succeeded. And when Ulrich had revealed his organization�s motives, Henri had gleefully agreed to join.

Now, Henri was the Sixth Seal�s field commander, taking over the role from Ulrich following his death in Switzerland five years earlier.

Henri opened the Sno-Cat�s door and climbed down. He circled to the front of the vehicle, meeting Master Chief Luka Meier in the process. He had decided to bring the young man along as a treat for the lieutenant. Emil�s selection of the man to lead a strike team here had proved wise. When all was said and done, Luka would receive accolades.

The pair marched forward and were quickly met by Emil and two other men. The Sixth Seal didn�t outwardly salute higher-ranking officers. Subordinates were only required to stand at attention and keep their mouths shut unless what they had to say was essential.

�Show me,� Henri said.

Emil fell in line next to him and led his commander forward. They crested a rise, and when they did, Henri was� disappointed. He looked past Zahra�s parked Sno-Cat to see nothing except rock and ice.

�An enormous set of hangar doors closed not long after the other team entered,� Emil explained. �I guess that they�re on a timer.�

�Or they closed them with the hopes of keeping us out,� Henri added.

�Yes. That too.�

He scanned the rockface in his binoculars. �How did they get in?�

�There is a panel over to the left somewhere.�

That perked up Henri some. He trusted Emil. If his lieutenant saw it, then he saw it.

�Should we report in?� Emil asked.

Henri heard himself say, �No,� before he could properly think it over. He decided that the quick answer had been the correct one. �No, I want more information first.�

He didn�t tell his trusted number two why, but Henri wanted to see what else was hiding from him and the other loyal Sixth Seal foot soldiers first before calling in their discovery. Henri wanted to know what else Himmler and Dietrich Krause were working on. He knew of Black Sunset, but he hadn�t been privy to exactly what the project was. There had been rumors but nothing concrete. Given the men involved, it could have been anything, so he refused to waste his time thinking about it.

Henri looked down at his watch. �Give Kane�s team a little while longer to move deeper into the facility. Then we can move in and close the trap.�

�Commander?� The question had come from Luka. Henri faced him. �What is really in there?�

The young man�s question was a viable one. In truth, Henri didn�t know. While Ulrich had been quite forthcoming with information, he had still left out much. A large portion of what he�d heard sounded like lavish myths and propaganda, and he treated them as such.

So, he told the soldier the truth. �With any luck, the future.�

Hammet edged into the East Wing with his rifle up and its barrel-mounted light on. He wasn�t taking any chances now that he was alone. The KSK commando had been on edge since stepping foot into Himmler�s underworld. The prospect of being ambushed from above weighed heavily on him.

He wondered how many of his current and former military teammates were secretly members of the Sixth Seal. Hammet prayed that he didn�t run into any of them here. He already felt somewhat demoralized just by this place�s sheer existence � he had always wanted to believe that the conspiratorial types� theories were just that: theories.

But it was very real.

�Oh my,� he said, stepping out into the next room.

It was packed with explosives of all shapes and sizes. Hammet wasn�t an expert in this type of armament, and he had no way of knowing whether they were safe. He decided to err on the side of caution, and he lowered his weapon and pulled out a flashlight and a pistol instead. He kept his sidearm aimed at the floor and swept his light over the room. The first thing he did was confirm that this wing also held what they figured was a hatch leading to something else.

But what?

What he did know was that the Sixth Seal had been developing some sort of bomber, but the one thing Hammet didn�t know � what he most wanted answered � was why. What had they truly been working toward? And why build bombers down here?

�Why here?� he asked himself. �Why Antarctica?�

This kind of production could have easily been done back in Germany or even in the United States or the USSR. Why had Himmler and Krause thought it necessary to build a hidden Antarctic facility only to use the place to make more of what they already had back home?

On the back wall of the East Wing, another elevator shaft stood. Hammet knew he needed to check the other levels for evidence that they had, in fact, been building bombers here, but ultimately, it wouldn�t matter. The room was outfitted, floor to ceiling, with bombs and the tools to make them.

Hammet headed for the lift, and once inside, he pressed the button for the floor directly above him. The toothy wheels kicked in and pulled him skyward. This elevator was in much worse shape than the one back in the South Wing. It shrieked the entire way up, making Hammet�s skin crawl.

The level he stepped out onto next housed the site of an old production line. Empty casings belonging to unfinished bombs had been set off to one side and left unfilled.

Hammet checked his watch. He still had plenty of time before he needed to rejoin the others.

He took the elevator up another level. This floor space looked like it held prototypes of� something. The left catwalk wasn�t a factory floor, however. Hammet defined it as a kind of war room.

He hurried around and stopped in front of a massive map of Earth. Red pins stuck out of nearly every major city around the world, including Berlin, Washington D.C., and Moscow. The Sixth Seal had no qualms about obliterating their own respective homelands.

�But you weren�t part of any homeland,� Hammet said. �You were your own entity � your own nation. You were your own people.�

The map marked the suggested targets of what would have been a devastating, planet-altering assault.

But how?

Hammet still believed that there was no way a group, even one as powerful and well-connected as the Sixth Seal had been, could pull off such a global attack. The logistics were simply too grand. Sure, maybe they could have destroyed a few cities, but not all the ones marked here. For them to even think this could work, Himmler and Krause must have had a wild card � an ace up their sleeve.

Hammet checked the time again. He�d spend the next few minutes trying to figure out exactly what that wild card was. He rushed back to the elevator and took it up to the next floor. When it clunked into place, Hammet�s face fell.

The entire circular level was packed, floor to ceiling, with shelves and tables holding firearms and ammunition. There was enough here to stock and supply an army � certainly more than enough for a small, clandestine group of soldiers.

The Sixth Seal had obviously planned to bomb the world�s most populated cities, at which point they would send in their ground troops to clean up the mess and take out any stragglers.

�This wasn�t just a single coordinated attack,� Hammet mumbled to himself, turning in a slow circle to take in the whole space. �Black Sunset was a planet-wide eradication of their enemies.�

Yana�s search of the wing she was in � one that could only have been an aeronautics center � moved quicker than she had thought it would. A large amount of the papers she found were either in the Sixth Seal�s combined language or in Russian.

It seems that the Soviets were heavily involved in this particular field.

Still, what she did read didn�t shine light on what exactly was going on.

She turned and kicked a table leg in frustration. A stack of papers fell and scattered to the floor, revealing blueprints for a piece of an airplane�s engine. It was clearly part of an engine, though it all meant little to her.

It was the name of the aircraft that had caught her attention.

Though it was in German, she could still read it � thanks to the movie Poltergeist.

Geisterbomber.

Geist, she knew, meant ghost.

�Ghost bomber?� she whispered.

The stunned question launched the Russian into the other papers. She needed to know more about the Sixth Seal�s spectral aircraft.

Zahra exited the tunnel between the southern and western wings and stepped into what had obviously been a space dedicated to medical research and development. The commonality between aeronautics engineering and medical R&D was lost on Zahra. She had no idea how the two related to one another. The only project she knew about was Black Sunset, and even it, she knew very little about.

�Or,� she said, talking to herself, �they aren�t related at all.�

It�d make sense that a group with the financing of the Sixth Seal would have worked on several different ventures down here. Medical experiments weren�t anything new to the Nazis, either. Nor were they an untouched frontier for their Axis allies, Imperial Japan. Both groups had performed abhorrent experiments on not only their prisoners but also their own soldiers.

The SS and Japan�s Unit 731 were the worst of the worst, and leading the Nazi charge was the Angel of Death himself, Josef Mengele. Just the thought of being in a place like this, surrounded by medical equipment used by Nazi scientists, made Zahra�s skin crawl.

�But it wasn�t just you, was it?�

The question had been for the Nazis as a whole. This wasn�t just a secret Nazi facility, though they did seem to be the central cog. The Americans and Soviets had happily taken part in all this, too.

But to what end? Zahra wondered.

Like the South Wing, this space also possessed an elevator back to the upper levels. Zahra did a quick lap around the lowest level first before boarding the lift. The only things down here, besides another split in the floor, were crates of unused vials, syringes, gloves, and aprons, among other similar items.

She also found a foursome of soiled hospital gurneys.

The elevator clunked into place on the next floor up. Zahra stepped off and noticed that the right-hand portion of the catwalk was portioned off into what looked like offices. Bingo. Offices meant administration. Admin meant files � information. And Zahra desperately needed more information.

�Let�s hope they left in a hurry.�

The office wall facing the central cavity was made entirely of glass. It was broken in some places but nowhere near where Zahra was now. She started around the catwalk. Twenty feet later, she came to her first obstacle: a fogged glass door. A single word had been printed on the glass. It was in the combined language they�d discovered, the mix of English, German, and Russian, and read, �PRIVATE.�

She tried the knob and was tickled to find it unlocked. That was good, but not all that important. She could have easily smashed the glass and reached inside to unlock it. If it had been a solid interior door, the aged deadbolt would have bent to the will of a bullet.

She entered a room sporting eight unimpressive desks. Upon taking a glance around, she doubted this was where the juiciest of juicy data would have been kept. The desks here were situated facing the center of the room with a walkway down the middle. Around each desk were basic, two-drawer file cabinets. It all seemed� administrative.

No leader would have buried their darkest secrets in a place like this. Still, if she had the luxury of time, she�d have thoroughly combed through all the cabinets. Instead, Zahra skipped them all and headed for a second door, one that led deeper into the facility.

�Whattaya bet��

Zahra had a feeling this was where the pot of gold had been hidden. Why else would there be a door and wall separating workstations? She crossed the first room and tried the next doorknob. It didn�t budge.

�Of course you�re locked.� She drew her pistol and aimed it at the keyhole. �That�s a shame.� Zahra really hated defiling history.

She pulled the trigger and sent the nine-millimeter round flying. It didn�t pierce the doorlock entirely, but it did jostle it around enough to splinter the doorframe. Zahra stepped back and drove her foot into a spot two inches to the left of the knob. The impact forced the compromised door inward with a bang.

She holstered her sidearm and stepped through. This space was much more elegant than the last. Nevertheless, it was still dilapidated and covered in a layer of filth. The wall opposite the all-glass surface contained nothing but books from floor to ceiling.

More interesting than that was the fact that this office only contained one desk.

She smiled and hurried to it. Once she crossed the area between the door and the desk, she slowed and calmed her skyrocketing excitement. She loved this. The anticipation of what she might find was killing her.

�Better than a bullet.� Her skin broke out in goosebumps. �Or the cold.�

This desk � this office � belonged to a man of influence. The interior was lush and comfortable. Two equally inviting chairs sat facing it. Meetings were held here, it seemed. A framed map of Antarctica hung on the rear wall. Red pins pocked the map�s three-by-three-foot surface.

Explored areas?

Everything atop the desk had been left as it was. Nothing was tossed or scattered. To Zahra, it felt as if this room�s owner had expected to return. If not, then she would have expected a few of the belongings to have been brought along. She eyed a family photo, left, abandoned. It highlighted a man, woman, and child. She didn�t recognize any of them, and the man wasn�t in uniform, though she was pretty sure the scene behind them was of downtown Berlin.

She tested the chair before she sat. It was an eerie feeling, for sure. She wondered if this was Dietrich Krause�s office. She might�ve been sitting at a workspace that once belonged to a very powerful Nazi general.

And a founder of the Sixth Seal.

Her eyebrows lowered as she thought. This being Krause�s office didn�t make sense. He wasn�t a man of medicine. He�d been a top-level engineer. The aeronautics division would have suited him better.

�Unless this was the only office space available, and you�re looking too far into it.�

Zahra rubbed her tired face and opened the top right-hand drawer. It protested the movement at first but eventually popped free. Inside were run-of-the-mill office supplies. She was about to close it but thought back to her desk at the museum. Zahra once had a knife hidden inside. It had been magnetized to the underside of its top. She reached in but found nothing.

Dang.

The bottom-right drawer yielded much of the same.

As did the top-left drawer.

Frustrated, Zahra ripped the bottom-left drawer open and was surprised when the handle tore free. The lack of weight in her hand caused her to hurl the loose handle at the back wall. It clinked off the map�s glass facing and rebounded and smacked her in the back of the head.

�Suppose I deserved that.�

Zahra looked over her shoulder and saw that the handle had cracked the frame�s protectant. She cringed but relaxed when she remembered that the room�s owner was long dead. Zahra checked to make sure she wasn�t bleeding before beginning her search anew.

She found more nothing. She slammed the drawer shut but paused any additional tirades. Something within the empty drawer shifted forward. It wasn�t much, but it had been there.

Zahra opened the drawer again and pushed out of the chair. She knelt and inspected the bottom drawer closer, feeling around inside. For shits and giggles, she opened and shut the drawer a second time, giving it a little juice when she did.

She beamed when the grinding noise started up again.

�Oh, you clever boy.� She reopened the drawer, unsheathed her knife, and dug at the inside corners. Zahra knew a false bottom when she saw one. �Come on� you bastard.� She couldn�t get the edge in deep enough to do much of anything except chip the wood.

Zahra growled. �Be that way.� She chewed her lip for a moment, wishing there was another way. Finally, she shrugged. �Fine. History be damned.� She stood, ripped the drawer free, and slammed the bottom of it on the corner of the desk. As a result of the initial blow, the family photo shook, then harmlessly fell face-first onto the desktop. It took Zahra a couple of tries before the entire drawer was turned to kindling.

But it worked.

An object fell free.

Zahra stared down at it, breathing hard.

�A book?�

No, not a book. It was black, skinny, and roughly six-by-nine inches. It�s a journal!

She snagged it off the floor, sat, and opened the cover with shaky hands. The language inside was the same one from the U-boat communique. She slowly deciphered the combo of English, German, and Russian but didn�t understand most of what she read. Oddly, there was also no mention of Black Sunset through the first six pages.

But there was the mention of another project. It seemed to be the main subject of the journal.

�What the hell is Project Fleshgod?� She sprinted through more of it. ��The Reliquary has yielded much, but nothing usable for us thus far.�� She squinted. �The Reliquary?�

Traditionally, a reliquary was a container designed to hold holy relics. Zahra seriously doubted that whatever was being mentioned here was being used for that purpose. In light of where she was, she suspected that it was another codename for something else.

Then again, Hitler did fancy religious artifacts.

Either way, the journal was, in actuality, a notebook filled with data, results involving a particular succession of experiments. Some were performed on people, and the author used medical terms and references that were way over Zahra�s head.

She flipped through a few of the pages. Fleshgod 1.0, Fleshgod 5.7, Fleshgod 11.2�

The next time Zahra stopped flipping, her eyes immediately fell onto a drawing. It spooked her into standing bolt upright. It depicted a winged figure wearing a heavy robe with a cloak draped over its head. Even though it was produced in now faded pencil, Zahra could still feel the being�s demonic eyes burning holes through her flesh and into her soul.

Only one word accompanied the drawing.

�Todesengel.� Its utterance caused Zahra to drop the journal on the desk and step back. Her hands went to her mouth. �The Angel of Death�� Zahra�s eyes welled with tears, and her breathing grew frantic. �Oh my God. Mengele.� She eyed the journal. �He was here.�

She took another step back. Her foot came down on the busted drawer handle, and she stumbled into the back wall. She elbowed the framed map and dislodged it from the wall. It came crashing down to the floor, noisily smashing face down.

When it did, Zahra noticed something dangling right next to her head. She looked to the left and found a single key hanging from a tiny hook. The map had been covering it.

�Oh.� She swallowed back her surprise and pushed herself away from the wall. She removed the key from the hook, smiled, and in her best Cork impression said, �Hello, love.�

Commander Vogel led a reconfigured seven-man forward team to the entrance to the Underworld. With him were Lieutenant Emil Becker, Master Chief Petty Officer Luka Meier, and four handpicked sharpshooters who held the rank of Chief Petty Officer. Years ago, Ulrich had chosen to replicate the Navy SEALs when it came to their members� individual rankings.

Emil had quickly chosen these four to join Henri, Luka, and himself. He�d trained them, after all.

These seven were the best cold-weather operators that the Sixth Seal had, not that Henri knew who the other four were on a personal level. If they succeeded here, and these men survived, then he�d afford them a proper conversation and introduction.

They all wore gas masks as a precaution. As Henri had said before, he wasn�t about to lose any men to rash foolishness.

He paused twenty feet from the rockface and looked it over. He tried but didn�t spot any imperfections � anything that looked like it should not belong. But he couldn�t. The entrance Emil had witnessed open was perfectly concealed.

How is there still power here?

�General Krause�s men knew what they were doing,� he muttered.

�Excuse me, sir?� Emil asked, stepping up next to him. He had not heard what Henri had said.

Without facing him, Henri said, �Open it.�

�Yes, sir.�

Emil hurried away with a pair of men. Luka took his mentor�s place by Henri�s side. The remaining two soldiers stood back and kept their attention on the surrounding landscape. Henri doubted there was anyone else to fear out here, but he couldn�t guarantee it.

Everyone kept quiet and waited for whatever was about to happen to happen.

Just when Henri was about to snap on his lieutenant for inaction, the earth beneath his feet rumbled. Then, the most remarkable thing occurred. The cliff directly in front of him split open like a melon. Two massive doors continued sliding away from one another until there was an opening fifty feet tall and two hundred feet wide. It was a magnificent sight, one that nearly brought the hardened man to tears.

�Die Unterwelt.�

There had always been a sliver of hope in Henri�s mind that the Underworld still existed and that it could still be operational. He let out a long breath and stepped inside with Luka close behind him. Once he was indoors, Henri stopped and waited for the others to regroup around him. They had left four men outside to keep watch, just in case Zahra�s team slipped past Henri and the others.

�Lieutenant, your men��

�Have been given orders to shoot anyone on sight that isn�t one of us.�

Good.

Henri took a long inhalation of the filtered air of his gas mask. He let it out slowly, deliberately. �Gentleman, I congratulate you on this historic feat. You�ve made your commander very proud.� He shouldered his rifle. �Now, finish the mission and clear this place of the vermin that have invaded these hallowed halls.�

�Commander?�

He faced the lieutenant. �May I speak with you, sir?� He looked around. �In private.�

Henri nodded. �Master Chief, bring up the Sno-Cat. The rest of you, secure this entrance.�

While Luka headed outside to retrieve the Sno-Cat, the other men ventured deeper inside, leaving Henri and Emil alone.

�Excuse me for saying this, sir, but I think it would be wise to contact Herr Krause. I am uncomfortable with keeping things from him, especially when it relates to this.� He motioned to the entryway.

Henri�s lip curled, but he calmed. Emil was correct, as he usually was. He was a soldier to the letter. Tobias Krause�s wishes superseded everything to him, even his field commander�s orders.

�Agreed,� Henri said. �Give me a moment. I will contact him myself.�

�We�ve done it, sir. We�ve opened the entrance to the Underworld.�

Tobias was filled with an emotion he had not felt for some time: joy. After decades of not knowing what lay beyond, his men had gained access to the Underworld. He cursed his shaky legs and weak bones. While his medicine kept the Grim Reaper at bay, it continued to degrade his body. It had been a necessary trade at the time. Now, it was too late to regret it.

The fact that Kane�s team had entered the facility without immediately succumbing to the toxins brought up another issue. What if the facility wasn�t as contaminated as they were led to believe? Would Dietrich purposely lie about it?

Tobias squeezed his fist hard. Fool, he thought, berating himself. Fool!

If the facility had been accessible all this time�

He cleared his throat. �Excellent news, Commander. Now there is only one thing left for you to do��

�Kill Kane and her team.�

Tobias blinked. He took a mental step backward and reset. He was getting ahead of himself.

�Yes, of course, but also, if the facility is navigable, there is something I need for you to retrieve for me.�

�Yes, sir. What is it you want?�

Tobias needed to choose his words carefully. If he gave Henri too much information, it would only create more doubt and curiosity within the man. He had deeply disapproved of Ulrich�s relationship with his then-number two. Tobias needed to keep his current field commander focused on the mission, not the �what else� of what the Underworld housed.

�I need you to listen very carefully, Commander.� Tobias collected himself. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, and he needed his man to perform flawlessly. He closed his eyes and pictured where he wanted Henri to go. �At the end of the long entrance ramp, go right. Descend to Sub-Level 4. There, you will find offices. I need you to collect a precious item for me.�

�Sir, how do you know such things?� Henri asked. �Since the beginning, we were told very little about the Underworld. Even I�ve never heard any of this before.�

�Because, until now, you didn�t need to hear it, Commander. But know that this item will grant us what we seek if it is successfully returned to me.�

�Are you talking about Black Sunset?�

This line of questioning infuriated Tobias, but what could he do? He wasn�t there. Even though he was Henri�s superior, he was not on the ground to lead the charge himself. He thought about giving Henri another lie, something to satiate his damned curiosity.

�Never mind that!� Tobias snapped. He squeezed his phone harder. �Can you do this for me, Commander? Because if you cannot, I will be forced to turn over your mission to Lieutenant Becker.�

�I� Yes, of course I can, Herr Krause. What is the item you seek?�

�It is in a desk � a journal.�

�A journal, sir? After all of this, you seek only a journal?�

Tobias gritted his teeth. He was so close to saving his own life while also fulfilling the second half of the Sixth Seal�s original purpose. And now, he was forced to sit and digest the man�s insolence. �Yes, Commander, a journal. Is that a problem?�

�No, sir. No problem at all. We will silence Kane and her team, as well as retrieve the item you seek.�

�Very good, Commander.�

�Herr Krause? One more thing��

Tobias nearly threw his phone across the room. �What, Commander?�

�The journal. If I may know, who did it belong to?�

Tobias nearly ended the call.

�The owner is inconsequential. What matters is that you deliver it to me undamaged and as quickly as possible. Is that clear, Commander?�

�Yes, sir.�

Tobias hung up and slammed his desk phone down on its dock. It seemed that he was in need of new leadership atop his field team, yet again. He needed someone less like Ulrich. Tobias grinned and picked up the device again. Then, he threw open the top drawer of his desk and dug out an updated operations roster, finding what he needed.

Everything was written in their unique language while also being coded. The code was just as easy for him to break as the language was to translate. Tobias had invented the code himself.

Each member of his Antarctica strike team carried their own satellite phone for emergency purposes � mostly in case they became lost in a storm and separated from the rest of the group. But, as Tobias had learned years earlier with his own son, it was also a way to guarantee that a mission succeeded, no matter who was field commander.

Tobias relived the night he had his son killed.

The mission at the Swiss clinic had been a fabrication from the beginning. Ulrich was led to believe that they possessed something that could assist the Sixth Seal�s efforts with Project Fleshgod. Instead, an anonymous tip had an army of police waiting for Commander Krause.

It was a tip that Tobias had personally given them.

He glanced up at the door. If Zelda ever finds out�

Tobias dialed and brought the phone to his ear. It rang several times before being picked up.

�Hello?�

The voice on the other end was understandably confused.

�Do not speak. Only listen. Are you alone? Yes or no.�

�Yes, sir. I am.�

�Good. I may need you to do something for me, but the commander cannot know. Can you do that for me?�

�Of course, Herr Krause. I would be honored.�

�Good. Do this, and you will be rewarded handsomely.�

�Anything for the Sixth Seal, sir.�

Tobias smiled. �You are a fine soldier. Now, listen very, very carefully��

Zahra staggered back into the South Wing, moving slowly, dragging her feet, and running a few minutes late. She could have returned early, but she couldn�t do much of anything except picture the owner of the journal leaning over a living specimen. In her mind, Zahra was Mengele�s next victim. The Angel of Death held up a scalpel and slowly pierced the flesh covering her heart.

�There you are.�

Hammet�s words startled her. She stumbled forward under the worried stares of her partners. Yana and the German were standing in the center of the large space.

�I�I�m fine.�

Yana folded her arms across her chest. �You do not look �fine.� You look like you�ve seen a ghost.�

�I�� she peered over her shoulder. �I think I did.�

Yana and Hammet glanced at one another.

�What did you find?� Hammet asked.

Zahra removed the journal from the admin pouch on the front of her chest rig. She held it up. �This.�

�A book?� Yana asked.

Zahra made her way toward them. �It�s a journal, actually.� She rifled through the pages until she came to the dreaded drawing.

�Belonging to whom?� Hammet asked.

When she was within three feet of them, she paused and held the journal open. She tapped the page. �It belonged to him.�

Hammet had to squint to read the title of the sketch. When he did, his face paled. �Todesengel?�

Zahra nodded. �Yeah, him.�

�Him?� Yana asked. Her confusion was understandable, considering she didn�t read German. �Who is �him?��

Hammet blew out a nervous breath. �The Angel of Death.�

�Mengele? Josef Mengele?� Yana asked. Everyone who knew anything about Word War II knew the man�s nickname. �He was here?�

Zahra nodded and closed the journal. She returned it to her pouch on her chest. �He was. The entire West Wing is dedicated to his work. Research and experiments.� She tapped the pocket. �This is full of notes. Everything he recorded. Dozens of iterations.�

�Black Sunset?� Yana asked.

�No, something else,� Zahra replied, �something called Project Fleshgod.�

�Fleshgod?� Hammet asked. �What is it?�

She shrugged. �He doesn�t say. Mengele was very careful not to describe the project itself, and I don�t have the capacity to understand medical lingo. Don�t suppose either of you have any experience with medical R&D and human experimentation?� Of course, Yana and Hammet both shook their heads no. Zahra�s shoulders fell. �Yeah, didn�t think so.�

�Is there anything else in the journal that can help us?� Hammet asked.

Zahra reached down and touched her toes, holding in for a couple of seconds. �Just something he called the Reliquary.�

�The Reliquary?� Hammet asked.

�Yeah.� Zahra held up Mengele�s key. �I wonder if that�s where this leads.�

�The key!� Yana said, smiling wide.

�Mmhmm. It wasn�t all just nightmare fuel back there.� Talking it out calmed Zahra�s nerves some. �What about you two? Find anything?�

Yana waggled her hand. �Nothing really, just the mention of four aircrafts dubbed Geisterbombers.�

�Ghost bombers?� Zahra asked.

�Yes. It seems that the Americans and Russians were mostly involved with it. Much of the research was illegible, and what was readable would take days, maybe weeks, to sift through.�

�Give me the short and sweet,� Zahra said.

Yana shrugged. �There isn�t much to tell. Like Mengele, they kept details sparse. What I did find out was that they were working on a way to cloak their bombers, if you can believe it.�

�Cloak?� Zahra asked. �You�re kidding.� But Yana�s face was all business. �How very comic book of them.�

�Nothing surprises me about these people,� Hammet said, looking up to the ceiling high overhead. Like Zahra, he looked like he longed for fresh air.

�Never mind the cloaking nonsense,� Zahra said. �Could it be a bio-warfare bomber of some kind?� No one had an answer. So, she moved on. �What about you, Hammet? Have anything for us?�

�I found enough explosives and munitions to supply an army. I also found a wall-sized map displaying their targets.�

�Black Sunset. It was a doomsday operation?�

Yana stepped forward. �One that the Sixth Seal still wants to enact.�

Zahra looked around. �Where are these Ghost bombers then?�

All three of them looked down at their feet.

�Well, at least the emblem makes sense now,� Hammet said. �The eagle clutches an inverted world.�

�The fall of nations,� Zahra mumbled.

�Yes, the fall of nations.�

Yana cleared her throat. �So, the key?�

Zahra blinked out of her stupor and lobbed it to her. �Lead the way.�

They headed toward the elevator, discussing things further. The more they talked, the less it bothered Zahra. Keeping knowledge like this bottled up wasn�t healthy for any of them.

�So,� Hammet said, talking it out, �Mengele came here first before traveling to South America?�

�Looks like it, yeah,� Zahra replied.

�What about the historical records of his time down there?� Yana asked. �There are many.�

�Falsified by the Sixth Seal, obviously,� Zahra said. �He would have been their golden goose. If I were Himmler or Krause, I would have done everything possible to protect him and his work.�

Just thinking that way made Zahra sick to her stomach.

�Did the journal have any dates?� Hammet asked.

Zahra shook her head. �Surprisingly, no.� She removed it from the chest pocket and handed it to him. �Here. Take a look. Still, I�d ballpark his time of service down here in the years, not months. There�s too much in there for this to have been only a pit stop.�

�When did Mengele die?� Yana asked.

�Records say 1979,� Hammet replied.

The Russian stopped and looked at him. �That monster lived for that long?�

�Yes,� Hammet replied. �People forget how young he was. He was only twenty-eight when the war began.�

�Okay,� Zahra said, �so the war officially ended in �45, right? That gave Mengele a window of fifteen years between then and when this place was abandoned in 1960.�

Hammet skimmed the pages, not that he could make heads or tails of the combined language. He stopped on the sketch.

�He really became what they called him, didn�t he?� Hammet asked. He closed the journal and handed it back to Zahra.

�Yep. If you proudly live it, why not flaunt it, right?�

Hammet didn�t reply. He was too lost in his own head. Zahra was too. Thankfully, Yana broke the spell.

�Okay,� she announced, stepping into the elevator. �Here we go�� She inserted the key and waited for Zahra and Hammet to move into the center of the platform. �Hold on to your butts.�

The legendary Jurassic Park quote brought no joy to Zahra. Even the words coming out of someone with Yana�s accent did nothing for her. Nothing about this place allowed joy. Not right now.

She turned the key.

The lift activated instantly.

�If this is the Underworld,� Hammet said, speaking above the rumble of the descending platform, �then where are we going now?�

It was a good question.

�In Greek mythology,� Zahra explained, �the Underworld contains both dimensions of the afterlife, heaven and hell.�

She looked down at her feet, trying to picture what it could be.

�If the facility above us once contained life,� Yana added, �then surely what lies down below only contains death.�

The elevator descended slowly into a vertical shaft of stone. Zahra rocked back and forth in her boots. She wanted more than anything to get moving again. Standing and waiting wasn�t doing it for her � for her mind. It gave her time to think. Being alone with her thoughts wasn�t what she needed right now.

After ten seconds of being encased in stone, their shoe tops were kissed by a soft glow of light as the elevator exited the shaft.

Then, their knees entered the void beyond.

Even from still inside the shaft, Zahra could tell the next room was massive, bigger than anything so far. She pictured the floor of all three wings, the split they each sported.

They share the same basement?

When they were waist-deep in the open air, more lights kicked on somewhere below. The three operatives stepped closer to the edge and looked down. Once they were completely free of the claustrophobic elevator shaft, Zahra couldn�t remember how to breathe. Her chest constricted, and her eyes ceased to blink.

�What the hell are those?� she asked.

Zahra was pretty sure she knew what they used to be, but now, they were something else altogether.

Four unbelievably large airplanes dotted the floor of a room that absolutely dwarfed them. Zahra guessed the space had originally been a natural cavern one thousand feet across and fifty feet high.

Yana leaned into view next to her as they chugged along. �Those would be our missing Geisterbombers.� She studied them for a moment before speaking again. �They are heavily modified Superfortress bombers, the B-29. They have an impressive wingspan of one hundred and forty feet from wing tip to wing tip. Behemoths of the sky. I personally love the all-glass, checkerboard noses bombers like these had during the era.�

Hammet stepped up next to Yana. �The fact that there are four of them lends to the scope of this place. It also makes sense why there are four when you consider the people responsible.�

�The Sixth Seal? Why�s that?� Zahra asked.

Hammet glanced at her. �The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In the Book of Revelation, they are released, one at a time, with the opening of the first four seals.� He pointed at each, naming them. �Death, famine, war, and conquest.�

�You seem to know a lot about this,� Zahra said. �The Book of Revelation, I mean.�

�You can thank my mother for that.�

Hammet didn�t go into any further details.

�Look at the cables,� Yana said, gesturing up at the ceiling. �Why are there so many?�

She was right. Every square inch of the ceiling, except for the underside of the three wings� floors, was covered in cables of all sizes. Zahra recalled the cables running down into the floor from the throw switch back up at ground level.

�Whatever is still powering this facility is down here somewhere. I bet these cables snake through the entire Underworld.�

�They continue into the center of the room � the hangar � too.�

Yana was right. Zahra spotted several groups of them running down the walls and across the floor, using canal-like depressions to do so. Then, they met in the middle and disappeared beneath a raised platform.

�Are you a pilot?� Hammet asked Yana.

She nodded. �Helicopters mostly. It all depends on the flight controls, but I can get almost anything in the air.�

�Can you get them back on the ground?� he asked. �Without killing everyone inside?�

She looked away. ��uh, still working on that part.�

�Still, you seem to know planes well,� he continued.

�Only the famous ones.�

Now, it was Zahra�s turn. �These are famous?� She wasn�t an aeronautics enthusiast.

�Yes,� Yana replied. �The B-29 Superfortress bombed both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To this day, it is the only aircraft to ever drop a nuclear weapon in combat.�

The trio fell into silence until Zahra noticed something odd about the planes. As more and more lights kicked on, the Geisterbomber�s hulls began to blur.

She rubbed her eyes, but didn�t help. �Tell me you see that too.�

�I do,� Hammet replied.

�As do I,� Yana said.

The only way she could describe what was happening to the planes was that the ambient light was bending around them. It was as if the light was allergic to them.

�Cloaking�� Yana muttered. �This is what they talked about when they mentioned cloaking.�

�What�s causing it?� Hammet asked.

Yana shrugged. �I have no idea. Some kind of special coating?�

�From eighty years ago?� Zahra asked rhetorically. �We don�t have that kind of tech now.�

�Look!� Hammet said, pointing at the nearest B-29. �The tail, it�s gone!�

He was right. The tail of the bomber slowly blurred. Then it vanished. The lower they traveled, the more the plane faded from view. Suddenly, it reappeared as their line of sight shifted again.

It was the craziest thing Zahra had ever seen.

Or maybe that title is still reserved for the Temple of Anubis?

�Can you image if these were set loose during the war?� Hammet asked.

�The war?� Zahra blurted. �Screw the war! Can you imagine what would happen if they went airborne today?� She swept her hand over the hangar. �We still can�t fight this! A plane that�s actually invisible? It may show up on radar, but I�d bet they�ve figured out how to hide from that, too.�

�How did they do this?� Yana asked. �And how did they do this eight decades ago?�

Zahra saw something across the room that gave her pause. She removed her binoculars and peered through them to be sure. �I think I see another door.� She pointed at a black splotch on the far wall. She handed the binoculars to Yana. �Look.�

�Another one?� she asked, accepting the eyewear.

�Where could it lead?� Hammet asked.

Zahra eyed them both. �The Reliquary?�

�Could be�� Hammet said, his voice trailing off.

�Something on your mind?� Yana asked, returning the binoculars to Zahra.

�Yes. A lot.�

Zahra patted him on the shoulder as the lift came to a rest.

She stepped onto solid ground and marveled at the aircraft in front of her. The overall shape did look familiar, but its hull was covered in strange octagonal panels that linked together to form a kind of skin.

�They really were enormous,� Hammet said.

�That they were,� Yana agreed. �That they were� I�d love to fly one.�

Fly.

Zahra looked up. �Oh my God.�

�What�s wrong?� Hammet asked.

�The floors. Well, the ceilings. Look.� They all craned their necks back. �Remember the splits we saw? I know what they were.� She brought her eyes down to Yana and Hammet. �And the oversized entry ramp.� She hurried over to the first plane and confirmed a rising suspicion. �See. They�re on lifts.�

�They are?� Hammet asked.

�Yeah, look at the platform. Whattaya bet this is an elevator?�

Yana snorted. �There�s no way I am betting against you right now.�

Zahra gazed back up at the ceiling, at the three, two-hundred-foot-wide circular cutouts above them. �The floors were meant to separate and allow the bombers to be lifted through.�

�But how?� Hammet asked.

Zahra shrugged. �I don�t know, cables?� She started around the plane now. �Unless they�re pushed up from below, though that would take one hell of a hydraulic system.�

Yana followed closely. �And the entrance?� she asked.

Zahra stopped and looked back at her. �It�s an underground runway.�

Hammet�s hands found his hips, and he looked at the ground. �She�s right. The dimensions make perfect sense now. So does the intersection of passages with the eagle emblem. Why build the tunnels so large unless it was required? It would be a waste of resources if it were just for looks.�

�Speaking of wasted resources�� Yana said.

�Yeah, I�d imagine that�s why they want it back so bad,� Zahra said. �The time and cost of constructing this place only to never have its creations come to light��

�Can you grasp the dangerous drive these people must possess?� Hammet caught up to the two women. �Even after so much time, they are still fighting to take back what was lost.�

�Yeah,� Zahra said, �and to me, that makes them extra dangerous. Believe me, I�ve dealt with zealotry like this recently.�

�Your cousin?� Yana asked.

�Yeah, him,� she replied softly.

Zahra started back up, heading around the Ghost bomber.

The two men positioned atop the Sno-Cat�s roof dismounted first. They took up positions on either side of it and waited. When no one engaged them, Henri ordered the rest of his men to exit. He was last to step foot into the four-door room. Really, they weren�t doors. They were grand archways.

�Commander, look.�

Henri turned and found Emil staring at an enormous carving of their organization�s emblem, the Reischsalder grasping an overturned globe.

�And this,� Luka said, pulling Henri�s attention away from the eagle.

The other three corners of the intersection were covered in script.

�The Book of Revelation.�

�Sir?� Luka asked.

Henri read the text to himself; then he explained what it was. �Chapter six, verses twelve through seventeen. This is who we are, Master Chief.� He brought his eyes down to the young man. �This is what the Sixth Seal is meant to be.�

Emil stepped up next to Henri. He stood at attention, filled with pride. �We are to wipe the world clean.�

�Forward,� Henri ordered.

The seven-man, masked team moved with purpose, walking heel-to-toe with light feet. They entered the South Wing and slowed as its contents came into view. Every soldier here had waited years to see this. Some soldiers, like Henri and Emil, had waited decades.

Henri�s hand found the railing. He squeezed it, picturing himself giving the entire installation a hearty embrace. He couldn�t hide his emotions.

�Twenty-five years��

Emil�s hand found his shoulder. �You, above all, deserve this, Commander.�

Henri gave his number two a nod of thanks. Emil deserved to be here, too. He swallowed down his sentiments and looked for Kane and the others. But they weren�t here. The Underworld was as it had been for years. Quiet.

�Commander? Lieutenant?� Henri and Emil turned and found one sharpshooter standing in front of the first of a line of doors built into the uppermost level. �I think you should both see this.�

The soldier promptly stepped out of the way when they arrived. The high-ranking pair continued inside to find a single body. There were no signs of foul play, either.

�There�s another one next door,� the same soldier announced.

�Over here too,� another man added.

�This place wasn�t abandoned,� Henri said. He looked at Emil. �It was deserted. These men were left behind to starve and rot.�

�What about the gas?� Emil asked. He turned and pointed at another of his men. �Check the environment for toxins.�

The soldier nodded and shrugged out of his pack. He quickly produced a device that reminded Henri of a plastic black brick with buttons and a small screen. He tapped three of them and stepped away, sweeping the device back and forth. After thirty seconds, he turned and stared at his commanding officers.

�The air� it�s clean.�

Being the leader he was, Henri slung his rifle over his shoulder. Then he gripped the sides of his mask with both hands.

�Sir, wait!� Emil warned.

Henri stared at him. When Emil backed down, Henri removed his mask and took a deep breath. The air was, indeed, uncontaminated. He looked at his men and gave them a reassuring nod. One by one, they each removed their breathing devices. Emil did, too, though he went last.

�Was there ever poisonous gas?� one man asked.

�And what about the cave-in?� Another added.

Henri didn�t know what to say. Thankfully, Emil did.

�It doesn�t matter. We still have a mission to accomplish.�

�What happened to them then?� Luka asked, standing in front of one of the rooms.

Henri was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that. After the U-boat had gotten stuck in the ice, someone ordered that the Underworld was to be cut loose, fully knowing he would sentence their own loyal followers to death.

But who? It hit him. The American from the U-boat! Whoever he was, he must have planned this.

And whoever he was, he had single-handedly derailed the Sixth Seal for sixty years.

Emil left his side and returned to the railing overlooking the South Wing. �Sir,� he said, �there�s an elevator built into the back wall.�

Henri had already noticed it but had been too overstimulated to care. He turned. �I am aware, Lieutenant.� Henri had seen where an elevator could come to rest at the back of the room, though it wasn�t there now.

�No, sir. Not there.� Emil pointed down to the lowest level. �There. And it�s missing, sir.�

There�s access beneath the Underworld?

Henri hurried over. He followed Emil�s finger. It pointed toward a hole in the back wall of Sub-Level 5. He needed to see what was down there, but he also had a job to do. As much as Krause�s request bothered Henri, he needed to do as he was told and retrieve the item in question. He reminded himself that the recovery wasn�t just for Tobias Krause. It was for them all.

Henri turned around, picturing the entrance to the West Wing. �Master Chief, with me.�

�Yes, sir.�

�Lieutenant?�

Emil snapped to attention beside Henri. �Sir?�

�Take the rest of your men and hunt down Kane and the others. We�ll meet you below shortly.�

�But how, sir? The elevator is gone.�

Henri faced him. �If there is one��

�There might be another!� Emil marched east and barked, �Move out!�

The only ones left overlooking the South Wing were Commander Henri Vogel and Master Chief Petty Officer Luka Meier. Henri shouldered his rifle and narrowed his vision. He focused solely on his mission and pushed the questions brewing in his head aside.

�Commander, what now?�

He let out a long breath. �We are to retrieve an item for Herr Krause.�

The master chief�s spirits perked up at the mention of personally doing something for their leader. Henri respected the young man�s enthusiasm. Luka had yet to be seasoned by the grind and still craved gratification. Some younger soldiers, like Luka, required acknowledgment from their superiors.

But Henri didn�t. Henri believed in their cause, their purpose, not the man. Krause was just the Sixth Seal�s figurehead to him, nothing more. But some of the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed men coming up through their ranks saw Krause as more of a god than simply an idealistic man with no moral compass and an unlimited supply of money.

Henri had been one of them once, but the over-the-top secrecy had eventually diminished his steadfast beliefs in Tobias Krause. He understood it but despised it. Ulrich�s death had also chipped away at his faith. His death never sat right with Henri. Ulrich was too good at what he did to walk into a trap like that one.

�Commander?�

Henri locked his jaw. �Move.�

The order was for himself as much as it was for Luka. The gritted words pushed Henri into motion. They would do as Krause said and head down to Sub-Level 4. They would also search the offices and find the journal he so desperately wanted.

As they exited the South Wing and re-entered the room with the Sixth Seal eagle, Henri�s eyes darted over to the man walking next to him. He needed to get Luka occupied with something else so he could have a moment alone with the journal and see just what Krause was really up to.

As they neared the midpoint of the cavernous hangar, Zahra realized that only three of the four horsemen had been ready for battle. The one aircraft was off to the side, still waiting for half its panels to be installed.

I wonder what stopped them� Based on their timeline, the Sixth Seal should have had the bombers raring to go during the war, not after. Another reason could have been that they had purposely waited for things to calm down and then strike. Or they flat-out failed, and Black Sunset died on the ground.

Yana and Hammet had already mounted the central platform. Zahra knelt and inspected one channel of cables. The channel itself was covered in a wide-slotted metal grating, making it easy to maintain the facility�s life source. The channel, as well as its three siblings, carried the cables beneath the platform with room to spare. The cables all met in the middle and then were fed deeper into the earth.

Again.

How deep does this place go?

She voiced the question to the others as she climbed up to them. �How deep are we?�

�Honestly, it�s hard to calculate,� Hammet answered. �Two hundred feet, maybe?�

When Zahra reached the top of the ten-foot-tall platform, she quickly figured out what it was for. This was the hangar�s control center. Workstations, complete with bolted-down chairs, dotted the circular hub. Each workstation sported a variety of gauges and different colored buttons.

�Think they still work?� she asked.

�What, the lifts?� Yana replied.

Zahra nodded.

The Russian rubbed the back of her neck. �I hope not.�

�Whatever else we find here,� Hammet said. �This place must be destroyed � buried beneath the mountain.�

Just like Egypt, Zahra thought. That discovery, while incredible and historically significant, also needed to be destroyed and forgotten.

�Definitely,� Yana agreed.

They looked at Zahra.

�Yeah, yeah�� she held her hands up in surrender. �I know.�

�What will your superiors say?� Hammet asked.

Zahra shrugged. �They don�t have a voice down here. This is my op, and I say this place needs to be turned to rubble. The world will thank us.�

�No, they won�t,� Yana added. �No one outside of a few will even know this place ever existed.�

Zahra sighed. �Yep. But it�s for the best. No one needs what�s down here.�

Hammet turned to the door at the back of the hangar. �Speaking of which��

�Let�s go,� Zahra said, descending the other side of the control center. �Let�s see where the next rabbit hole takes us.�

�I don�t like rabbits.� Yana�s comment had come under her breath.

�Really, why?� Zahra asked. �I think they�re cute.�

Yana waved her off. She wasn�t getting into it.

Now, Zahra really needed to know why the hardened mercenary didn�t like them.

�Were you bit by a bunny?�

Hammet snorted a laugh but immediately held in another when Yana shot him with a deadly gaze. �I have killed men for less, Herr Braun.�

Zahra didn�t doubt that, but she knew Yana meant it in jest. They were a team down here. They all needed each other.

Zahra grinned and began humming �Little Bunny Foo Foo.� She made sure it was just loud enough for Yana to hear.

The only reaction the Russian gave her was a guttural growl and an increase in foot speed. She had enough of Zahra and Hammet for the moment and left them in the dust.

Hammet leaned in closer to Zahra. �You antagonize her?�

Zahra shrugged. �Why not? She�s a big girl. She can handle it.�

�She is also a trained killer.�

�I ain�t no southern belle either, you know?�

�Believe me, I know.�

With that comment, Hammet picked up his pace and fell in line beside Yana. He left Zahra alone with her thoughts and the lack of a proper comeback. So, she swallowed her pride and moved on.

�Stupid jerk��

�What was that?� Hammet asked, stopping and staring at her.

Apparently, she�d said it loud enough for Hammet to hear.

�Nothing,� she replied quickly. She sighed. �It was nothing��

The west elevator came to rest on Sub-Level 4. Henri and Luka were already kneeling. Both men waited for someone to jump out and ambush them, but it never came. Henri silently stood and motioned for Luka to follow him. He would have rather had Emil by his side, but he trusted the lieutenant more to lead the hunt for Kane than he did the master chief.

In truth, Luka was just the next best option.

They stepped off the platform and went right, toward what must have been Krause�s aforementioned offices. It bothered Henri that Krause knew so much about this place. The details the man possessed were unnerving, as if he�d been here before. But there had never been any proof of that.

Until now.

Henri knew that the Underworld had been fully operational as of 1937 and then abandoned in 1960. Everyone in the Sixth Seal knew that. And considering Krause�s age, he might have actually been stationed here at one time. Simple math placed Krause in his thirties when the facility shut down. But if that were true, then why not tell anyone? The obvious answer was that he would have become a wanted man had the knowledge gone public. Nazi hunters would have had a field day arresting a man like Tobias Krause.

That doesn�t feel right, Henri thought. But still, he didn�t abandon the hypothesis altogether.

Even with this newest revelation, Henri didn�t think it was possible for Krause to have been in the Underworld. Krause would have been too busy building his empire in Stuttgart back then to be all the way down here. There was too much evidence of him being present in Germany during his younger years. Krause�s office contained pictures of him with powerful leaders around Europe dating around the same time.

The facts were the facts. But they aren�t, are they? The Sixth Seal was the best when it came to changing history. They created their own version of it regularly, actually.

Maybe he was involved in the day-to-day, but from afar. Hmmm�

�Commander?� Luka asked.

Henri saw that they had arrived outside the offices. He nodded. �Take point, Master Chief.�

�Yes, sir.�

Luka moved fluidly and with purpose. Emil had trained him well. But Henri also knew that the young soldier had worked incredibly hard on his own to be here. Not everything was because of the soldier�s superior.

Henri lifted his rifle and followed Luka inside.

�Clear!� Luka shouted.

Both men relaxed their aim, bringing their weapons into the low-ready position, and quickly searched the room. Henri stopped his search shortly after beginning it, deciding that this wasn�t where some prized journal would be kept. There would have been too many eyes here.

He moved to a door in the rear of the room. It had been forced open. One of Kane�s crew had shot out the lock and kicked in the door. Henri led the way this time, but it was obvious that no one was present. All was quiet, as it had been since entering the Underworld.

�Start looking,� he ordered.

�Yes, sir.�

He and Luka scoured the place clean, focusing on the bevy of bookshelves lining the walls. Their subjects covered everything from medicine to geology to history. Whoever had been here first had let them be. The layer of dust that was present showed no signs of disturbance.

They arrived at the lone desk together and observed the damage wrought behind it. A framed map of the continent had fallen to the floor, the frame smashed, and the desk�s bottom-left drawer had been ripped free and destroyed. Henri knelt and examined both.

The map looked was just a map, nothing more. The only oddity he saw was a small hook in the wall behind where the map would have hung.

What hung here?

The drawer bothered him greatly. It had clearly contained a false bottom. Half of that bottom was still in place. The other half had been splintered and torn free. The corner of the desk sported a fresh wound, too.

She destroyed it and found her prize. But had she already known about it? Was she specifically looking for it?

Henri didn�t think so. Even he had only just found out about the journal�s existence. No, Zahra had been thorough in her investigation, as Henri knew she�d be. The few times he�d talked to her, she had come off as brash and unprofessional. But it was all a cover. Zahra was experienced and incredibly clever. Her aptitude for language confirmed it.

�They have it,� he said, standing. �Kane has the journal.�

�We must get it back!�

Henri agreed, but he still wanted it for himself first before he turned it over to Krause.

He looped around the desk and headed for the door. �Yes, we must.�

�Sir?� Henri stopped and turned. Luka was still standing beside the desk. He reached down and plucked a facedown, framed photo off of it. �Is this who I think it is?�

Henri returned to the master chief�s side and looked over the family photo. His eyes went wide, and he snatched it out of the man�s hand.

�It can�t be�� He looked up from the photo and eyed the desk chair. �It�s Josef Mengele.� He looked at his partner. �He was here.�

It�s Mengele�s journal that Krause wants!

The information inside of it would be priceless to Krause. Henri now understood why he wanted it so badly. The Angel of Death�s presence in the Underworld, the reason he�d been here, hit Henri like a freight train.

Project Fleshgod� It was Mengele�s doing!

He started for the door as another mental bombshell dropped. Krause employed the best scientists in all of Europe, maybe in the entire world. Henri knew of the man�s medication, that it was not some ordinary painkiller or antibiotic. It was of a unique design.

He understood now where it had come from. Someone had designed it exclusively for Krause.

And if Krause could combine his knowledge and power with the information in the Mengele journal�

He could breathe life into Project Fleshgod.

A sense of urgency washed over Henri. I need that journal!

Emil and his team entered the South Wing with their weapons up. They had tried to access the level beneath Sub-Level 5 with the eastern elevator but couldn�t without the use of a key. It made him wonder where the Kane woman had gotten one.

Once it was evident that they were alone, Emil headed for the hole in the floor at the rear of the room. He edged closer to it and looked down. There was a large, cavernous space filled with artificial light underneath where he stood. Unfortunately, he couldn�t get a good enough look at it from this angle to see what was inside.

�Static lines.�

His four Chief Petty Officers went about tying off rappelling cords to the nearest support posts. The steel beams still looked plenty strong enough to support the weight of several men. In all, five two-hundred-foot-long lines were tied off and then tossed into the abyss beneath the Underworld.

Ever the active leader, Emil clipped on first, turned, and leaned backward over the hole. He gave his men a nod.

�Sir?� one of them asked. �What do you think is down there?�

Emil had no idea. So, he answered him the same way Henri had replied to Emil�s near-identical question.

�Like the commander said, �with any luck, the future.��

He leaped away and dropped. Physics swung him back to the wall, and he performed the action three more times before clearing the stone elevator shaft. When he did, all he could do was hang in midair in awe of what lay beneath him.

�My God.�

The door in the rear of the hangar was, in fact, a hatch similar to what they had found on the U-boat. This one even contained the same door wheel as its sibling. The biggest difference was the size of the hatch. It was twice as tall and twice as wide as the one on the sub.

�That�s not ominous or anything,� Zahra commented. �Well, open says me.�

She gripped the wheel and spun it, happy to feel it move with minimal effort. After a full rotation, it stopped, and she pushed. Here, she needed help. Hammet stepped forward and shouldered into the hatch. The two of them got it open enough to slip through.

But Yana didn�t follow them.

�What are you doing?� Zahra asked, sticking her head back through the opening.

She found Yana facing the other way, peering through her binoculars. She was looking across the hangar and back up at their entry point.

�What are�� Zahra repeated but was cut off.

�We have company,� Yana explained. �I count five of them. They just entered via static lines.�

Zahra re-entered the hangar and accepted Yana�s offered binoculars. She saw them, too. �Oh, shit. Come on.�

Both women slipped inside and shut the hatch. They spun the wheel and locked it. Hammet�s confusion was apparent. Zahra quickly filled him in.

�Five men are rappelling down from the ceiling entrance. We need to keep moving.�

He nodded and stepped aside. A second elevator greeted her.

�Why have the hatch?� Yana asked.

�No idea,� Zahra replied, �but I bet it has to do with whatever is at the bottom.�

The trio stepped on. Hammet didn�t wait any longer than he had to. He pressed a single red button and got them moving.

This was by far the longest elevator ride so far. They descended for what must have been hundreds of feet. The first fifty feet of the trek was through cut stone, same as above. The rest of the descent was made inside crisscrossing steel.

The temperature suddenly dropped to below freezing. Zahra, Yana, and Hammet dropped their bags and hurriedly pulled out their coats and put them back on. Zahra looked south through the gaps between the supports, but she couldn�t see anything yet.

Moments later, she could.

�Whoa,� Zahra said. �Look.�

They had entered another opening beneath the mountains, except instead of its walls formed by the natural cavern of rock, this one was primarily made of ice.

She looked over her shoulder and saw that the wall behind her was still rock. This elevator system had been built into a vertical rockface. Zahra looked up and saw that the floor of the hangar was, indeed, stone. She could even see the tangle of cables that had been fed beneath the control center platform. They then snaked over to the exposed rock wall and descended beside the elevator shaft, attached to it with heavy-duty clamps and bolts.

The elevator came to a stop on an abyssal precipice. Zahra carefully stepped out, glad that there was still twenty feet between it and her boots.

�What the hell is that?� Yana asked.

Zahra didn�t know either. One hundred feet across from them was a dark shape beneath the ice. At the center of it was another door, but this one didn�t have a hatch wheel or a distinguishable handle of any kind. It was also quite large. Zahra estimated that it was over eight feet tall and four feet wide.

The chasm stretched five hundred feet to the left and right, where each side ended with more ice. The door had been constructed in the exact middle of the ice wall. While the massive wall seemed huge to her, Zahra knew there could be hundreds more just like it elsewhere on the continent.

Bigger ones, too.

A stout bridge made entirely of steel beams and stretched out over the yawning expanse. It connected directly to the ice-locked anomaly. Zahra took in the construction and deduced that it should be able to hold their combined weight. Dietrich Krause�s designs had been flawless so far, so why not now?

On each side, reinforced handrails and vertical supports ran along the entire length of the bridge. Zahra looked back to the rock wall and followed cables as they touched down next to the elevator platform. Then, they turned and followed the bridge across the abyss. Zahra leaned right and noticed that they�d been attached to the bridge itself, much like they had been attached to the wall behind her.

�The floor,� Hammet said, kneeling and inspecting the bridge, �it�s not metal.�

Zahra carefully touched it with the bottom of her right foot and found it to be constructed of a type of nonslip rubber. She applied more pressure. It held without issue.

She glanced at her partners, closed her eyes, and stepped onto the bridge.

It accepted her weight just fine.

Zahra let out a long breath. She took her attention off the bridge and applied it back on the newest door.

�This is it,� Zahra said quietly. �This is the source of the Underworld�s power.�

�Is it a giant generator?� Hammet asked.

�Or perhaps it�s a nuclear option?� Yana suggested.

Zahra couldn�t give them an answer. Its location interested her just as much as what it was.

�Whatever it is,� she replied, �I think the ice is meant to cool it.�

�You think that�s why they dug so deep?� Hammet asked.

She shrugged. �Could be.�

The bridge was wide enough to accommodate the three of them walking side by side. Zahra started off first, keeping to the middle. She wasn�t going to test that theory; none of them were. Yana and Hammet were right behind her, also keeping to the middle.

As they neared, Zahra stopped, edged to the right, and looked down. There was no bottom. She returned to the center of the bridge and brought her eyes back up to the door. She noticed that the only section free of the ice was the door and a two-foot-wide border around it. This was where the cables were attached to the outer wall of the facility�s power supply.

When they were six feet from their destination, the three explorers stopped and stared.

�Project Fleshgod�� Zahra said to no one in particular.

�Yeah, and?� Yana asked.

�I think this might be Mengele�s lab, where the experiments listed in his journal were conducted.�

Yana scratched her head. �Makes sense, I guess.�

�How do we open it?� Hammet asked.

�How else?� Zahr replied. ��Speak friend and enter.�� Hammet gave her a sideways look. �You know, Gandalf the Grey?�

�Is that from Harry Potter?� Hammet asked, showing no signs of humor.

Zahra dipped her head and shook it. She stepped closer to the door. �Yeah, sure.� Then she held up the Vulcan sign. �Live long and prosper.�

�Look at this,� Yana said. She pulled out a flashlight and clicked it on. When the artificial beam struck the anomaly�s dark surface, it vanished. �It�s the same technology that was used on the bombers.�

�Think this is the source of it?� Hammet asked.

�Has to be,� Zahra replied, though she didn�t know for sure. Then it hit her. �Is it a server room?�

Yana pointed at the door. �This is a server room?�

�Could be,� Zahra replied. �The temperature makes perfect sense when you think about it. Whatever experiments were being conducted down here probably used a lot of machinery. Machinery equals power. They would need to be cooled, like a room full of heat-emitting servers.�

�But that still doesn�t explain what this thing is,� Yana said. �I still don�t see a way in, either.�

�I do.�

Both women faced Hammet. He knelt, unsheathed his knife, and jabbed the tip of it into a chunk of ice growing along the bottom-right of the door. After three strikes, the ice cracked and fell free to reveal a panel similar to the one that allowed them access to the Underworld. He reached around to one side and popped open the lid.

Inside was another red button.

Zahra gave him a nod.

He pressed it.

The oversized door whooshed open, sliding straight up. A strong pull of air followed it. Hammet ducked his head while Zahra and Yana grabbed onto one another to keep their balance. Zahra got the sense that this place hadn�t been open for decades, at least as long as the doors out to Lake Untersee.

When it was over, everyone looked at one another. Hammet stood, shouldered his rifle, and took point. Zahra went next. Yana brought up the rear, keeping an ever-watchful eye on the elevator behind them.

The door slid back into place, moving without a sound.

�Um��

It was all Zahra could say.

The inside of the anomaly was unlike anything she�d ever seen before. The Underworld had been remarkably constructed, but nothing that couldn�t be replicated today, given enough time and money.

But this was totally different.

�I feel like we just stepped into the future,� Yana said.

�Or Tron,� Zahra added.

�Same,� Hammet agreed. �This is troublesome. This makes it that much more imperative that we bury this place.�

Zahra couldn�t agree more. The corridor on the other side was wide, sleek, and the color of night. Everything was black. Every surface also held a touch of transparency. Circuits and wires could be seen just beneath the surface. And they were everywhere. It was as if the entire structure was one giant supercomputer.

Is that what this is?

Hammet started off. �Come. Follow the cables.�

While a couple of them had hooked up to the door, most of them continued through the wall and down the passage. They made it fifty feet when they came to an unremarkable intersection. The cables turned right, and so did Hammet and Zahra.

�Stop,� Yana said. �Turn off your lights.�

Zahra and Hammet did as they were told. When they did, Zahra was surprised to find that they weren�t cast into complete darkness. There was a pinprick of golden light at the end of the hallway behind Hammet and her. It�s what Yana had noticed.

�Okay,� Zahra said, �let�s see what the Sixth Seal has been hiding all these years.�

The trio hefted their rifles up and moved forward, unaware of what they might find down here.

Henri�s boots touched down inside the largest aircraft hangar he�d ever seen. The planes were clearly B-29 Superfortress bombers, and they�d been modified with a camouflaging technology he�d only heard about in shadowed whispers.

�The Geisterbombers. They�re real��

�You knew about this?� Luka asked.

Henri shook his head. �Just rumors.� He glanced at the young man. �Stick around long enough, and you�ll hear similar tales.�

The Ghost bombers had been nothing but fanciful stories to Henri until now. At best, he had thought of them as far-off ideas that had never been brought to life. He had first heard about them shortly after being recruited. A small group of similarly young soldiers had been talking about them one night. To Henri, it was only science fiction � stories that inspired Wonder Woman�s invisible plane. One of his fellow recruits had sworn that he�d heard a Sixth Seal elder mention it while on a phone call.

That intrigued recruit had disappeared a few days later.

That was when Henri learned to watch his back, even when only surrounded by his own people.

Secrets were what the Sixth Seal was built on. No one within the organization was above that. There had always been questions that Henri had wanted to ask, answers he desired. Ever the faithful soldier, he had kept his mouth shut over the years and did his job.

But the Underworld was the Sixth Seal. Henri felt cheated, and he knew he needed to be careful with how he expressed his displeasure � if he expressed any at all. Not everyone felt the same way as him. Even his trusted lieutenant might turn on him if Henri showed a hint of disapproval of Krause�s methods.

Rage built within Commander Vogel.

He�s gone too far, even if he didn�t know about the poisonous gas lie.

Krause knew a lot more than he�d led on, and he�d kept his most faithful men in the dark for his own personal gain. That was the real reason he kept his secrets. It wasn�t because of the fear of betrayal. It was selfishness.

It was about control!

Krause�s experience and knowledge kept him at the top of the hierarchy. The Sixth Seal couldn�t afford not to have him in place there. They needed his knowledge despite the organization not being given it freely. He personally controlled the flow of information to keep his people in check and dependent on him. Hitler had used Reichsleiter Martin Borrman in the same way. Borrman was the second highest-ranking official, behind the F�hrer, when it came to politics. He decided what information made it to Hitler�s desk. With Krause�s self-centered leadership, the world could never change, and the Sixth Seal would never meet their goals and rise to power.

Henri looked around. But that�s not true anymore. If something were to happen to Herr Krause, Project Black Sunset could still occur. And I can be the one to lead us to victory.

�Commander,� Emil said, �we believe Kane and the others have escaped through a hatch in the northern end of the hangar.�

�Then open it.�

�We are trying, sir. We did not prepare for something such as this. I have two men attempting to cut through it now, but it will take time.�

Henri seethed, but he didn�t berate his number two. Henri was to blame as much as anyone else. He had wanted to bring along plastic explosives but hadn�t been confident enough in their potential applications. The last thing they needed to do was bring the facility down on top of them.

Back when it was the unstable wreck that it was supposed to be.

Henri stormed off, pounding toward the center of the room. He needed to get his mind on something else. He slowed and gazed over his shoulder. Luka and two other troopers were quietly conversing with one another. Henri didn�t like anything about it.

He turned. �Have something to share, Master Chief?�

Luka stood at attention. �No, sir. We were just taking it all in, sir.�

Henri understood. He was, too.

�Secure this room; I don�t want Kane�s team slipping by us unseen. No one steps foot on the elevator without my approval.�

�Yes, sir!�

The futuristic corridor narrowed as they neared the light at the end of it. What had, at first, resembled sunlight at the end of a dark tunnel had since transformed into a color that reminded Zahra of light reflecting off a heap of gold. But something else was laced within the light. Something moved, as if the light itself was being emitted from behind softly agitated water.

A golden fish tank?

Hammet held up a fist. Zahra and Yana respected the commando�s order to stop. He continued forward, slinking forward until the muzzle of his rifle was through the doorway. After ten seconds of nothing, he signaled for them to join him. The trio casually entered the room and were taken aback by its size.

�How big is this� wherever we are?� Yana asked. �And why is it so different than what�s above us?�

Directly in front of them was a workstation that looked incredibly out of place. It was clearly not from the same era as the furnishings and tech inside the Underworld.

The glow was originating from behind a semicircle of curtains. The curtains obscured whatever was behind them and encompassed a section of flooring fifty feet out and the same to the left and right. But even from behind the partition, Zahra could tell that the space beyond was much bigger.

Hammet had already moved to the workstation and was holding a stack of papers.

�Zahra, I have more of that language here for you.�

She hurried over to him and accepted them.

�Let�s see� Okay, so there�s mention of Project Fleshgod and � hang on, listen to this� The specimen�s blood is too complex for the human subjects� bodies.�

�The specimens weren�t human?� Hammet asked. He looked up from the paper and stared into Zahra�s eyes. �What were they?�

�What does Mengele�s journal say?� Yana asked. �Go to the end.�

Zahra did. She unzipped her coat and removed the journal from her chest rig�s admin pouch. She flipped to the last entry.

Here we are. ��While the Reliquary has yielded many amazing discoveries, I fear that none of it is viable due to the limits of our current understanding and technology. We may be at a standstill. I believe we are still years, perhaps decades, away from applying Project Fleshgod. The specimen�s blood is just too complex.��

�It can�t be�� Hammet said softly.

His eyes opened wide, and he darted to the curtain. He quickly found an opening and threw it aside, and entered. Even from here, Zahra could hear the German stumble. Whatever he found had nearly taken him to the ground.

Zahra and Yana hurried after him.

When they entered, both women came to a staggering stop beside their male compatriot. The three of them stood atop an overlook, and there, in a room half the size of the hangar were row after row of glowing capsules.

Not capsules. Zahra decided. They�re stasis pods.

�It�s true,� Hammet said, holding his head with both hands. �They actually found it. The rumors are true.�

Zahra needed confirmation. �Are those��

�Yes,� Hammet swiftly replied, �This isn�t some ultra-modern laboratory, Zahra.� He looked at her. �It�s a spacecraft.� He pointed at the mass of pods. �They�re aliens.�

Zahra didn�t know what to think. She could only say, �Aliens?�

Hammet nodded. �Ever since Alfred Ritscher was sent to Antarctica, there have been rumors that the Nazis had been in search of UFOs or other objects of extraterrestrial origin.�

�But as we now know,� Yana added, �the Nazis were here much earlier than that � that�s why the rumors started. When do you think they discovered all this?�

Hammet shrugged. �Impossible to know.�

�Huh, cheeky bastards,� Zahra said, lost in a thought. Yana and Hammet faced Zahra. She explained. �A reliquary is constructed to hold holy relics, right? Well, Hitler and Himmler were obsessed with religious artifacts, specifically those pertaining to Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh. It was right here the entire time.� She swept her hand out of the field of stasis pods. �Himmler and Dietrich Krause believed these beings were their gods. Hitler would have, too, but it�s pretty clear that he wasn�t involved.�

Yana closed her eyes and rubbed them. �Leave it to the Nazis to discover alien life and decide to build a murderous cult around them.�

Zahra grinned. �Yeah, real shocker, right?� She took a deep breath and shook out her shivering hands. �Project Fleshgod was a program that sought to adapt alien DNA to human beings. Or to� borrow that DNA in other ways.� She glanced at Hammet. �Would you like to tell the class why, Herr Braun?�

He sighed and looked down at his feet. �A supersoldier program,� he returned his gaze to the pods, �based on extraterrestrial genetic material found inside a spaceship. A spaceship that�s been stuck in the ice in Antarctica for God knows how long.�

Yana chuckled. �Never thought I�d hear that in my lifetime. Or see it!�

�Same,� Zahra said. �This is��

�Ridiculous?� Yana finished.

Zahra smiled. �That�s the perfect word, actually.�

�The Nazis tried something similar before,� Hammet added, �minus the alien DNA, of course. They experimented on POWs with a performance-enhancing drug called D-IX. The idea was to, quote, �redefine the limits of human endurance� by granting their soldiers the ability to last longer and fight harder.�

�Wow,� Yana said, �they really did try the whole Steve Rogers thing, didn�t they?�

�They tried��

They stood in the eerie space in silence and took in the pods again. Zahra was surprised by how simple they looked, but she had to admit there was a certain elegance to that simplicity. From what she could see, they were just a base with a domed lid. Then again, she couldn�t see the inner workings of the base. She also didn�t know if the lid was more than just a lid or performed some other crucial duty as well.

No chance these are just lids. Has to be some sort of built-in life support system. She thought back to the computer components back in the walls, floor, and ceiling of the corridor behind her. Nothing was what it seemed here.

�How many are there, do you think?� Hammet asked.

�One hundred and fifty-five,� Yana replied. She shrugged. �I started counting as soon as we walked in.�

Two sets of stairs gave them access to the sea of stasis pods. One flight went left, and the other went right. The steps were taller and deeper than they should have been. It made sense since they weren�t designed for people.

They were designed for aliens.

She shook her head and took the left-hand stairs, carefully descending them with Yana and Hammet in tow. Zahra should have been more cautious, but she couldn�t help it.

She headed straight for the nearest stasis pod. Inside was a nude, humanoid body floating in shimmering golden ooze. Its body rippled with muscle, and its face� its face was remarkably human. Long hair billowed around it. He was handsome, too. Zahra knew it was a him because of the being�s impressive manhood.

But these aren�t men, Zahra reminded herself. Still, the resemblance was uncanny.

She recalled several books and movies about human beings from the future traveling back in time to start over. Is that who these �people� were? Zahra didn�t know what to believe. For now, she was sticking with their original belief that they were beings from across the cosmos.

They were aliens.

�Oh, hello,� Yana said, leaning close to the lid. �And what�s your name? Let me guess: Dix E. Normous?�

�Look at this one.� They turned and found Hammet standing in front of an open pod. The domed lid was flipped back, and the body was gone. �Doesn�t look forced open.�

�No, it doesn�t,� Yana said, kneeling to inspect the lid.

�One got loose?� Zahra asked. She shouldered her rifle and looked around. �That�s not creepy or anything.�

�Relax,� Yana said.

�Please don�t tell me to relax, okay?� Zahra snapped. �Look where we are!�

Yana held up her hands in a calming gesture. �Fair enough� But I believe our missing alien is the specimen from your journal.� She stepped away. �Let�s all put on our B-movie sci-fi thinking caps, shall we?� Zahra was going to argue that they didn�t have time for it, but she was too tired to butt in. �This ship crashes sometime in the past, thousands of years ago, perhaps. After it does, one of our intergalactic adult entertainment stars awakens only to discover that they are permanently locked in ice.�

�Maybe they rotated shifts taking care of one another?� Hammet suggested.

�Sure,� Zahra replied, relaxing some, �that�s another possibility. Personally, I wouldn�t be comfortable leaving the fate of my race to a computer.�

�If that were true, then how�d they get stuck here in the first place?� Yana asked.

Hmmm. Good point.

�I guess there could be more bodies in the bridge,� Hammet said, looking around, �if this thing even has a bridge.�

�As far as the creature�s fate�� Yana said.

� could have died of natural causes,� Zahra replied, going through her list of possibilities. �I mean, it�s not like it had enemies down here.� She squinted in thought. �Unless��

�Unless what?� Hammet asked.

�Unless these guys landed sometime in the 1930s. What if the Sixth Seal made it down here, and our friend was still alive? They may have captured it and experimented on it. That�s how they got its DNA.�

Yana tipped her head back up toward the overlook. �There�s a lot more papers up there. Maybe these Sixth Seal assholes can tell us exactly what happened.�

Zahra and Yana started up the right-hand stairs, but Hammet did not. Both women noticed his immobility and paused their ascent.

�Find something else?� Zahra asked.

�I did,� he clicked on a flashlight and pointed it into the shadows beneath the room�s observation deck. �Come. Look for yourself.�

Zahra and Yana did just that. They joined Hammet and added their own lights. Stacked in the dark recess beneath the deck were the bodies of six lab coat-wearing men. And like the sailors aboard the U-boat, these men had also been executed.

�See the single headshots?� Zahra asked. �Looks like our American friend went John Wick on these guys, too. I bet everyone intimately involved with Project Fleshgod died here. Well, everyone except Mengele.�

�This was why he was here � all of this,� Hammet said, staring at the corpses as he spoke. �He would have found all of this too incredible not to be involved. Mengele focused heavily on human experimentation, as you know. This would have been the logical next step for him post-wartime.�

�And yet,� Yana said, �somehow, the Angel of Death still made it to South America.�

�Yes, he did. I bet he used the same underground ratline history says he used to escape Germany, but he came here first before continuing to Argentina.�

�I thought he went to Brazil?� Zahra asked.

�Not right away, no,� Hammet replied. �That�s where he supposedly died, though.�

�I bet the asshole restarted his work when he left this place,� Yana said. Zahra and Hammet stared at her. �What? Why wouldn�t he? He was obviously obsessed!�

�If that is true, that would be unfortunate,� Hammet said softly, stepping away.

�That�s one way of putting it,� Zahra said, also leaving the scientists� bodies. �So, Mengele�s people were in charge of Fleshgod.�

�And based on the documents I found in the South Wing,� Yana said, following them closely, �Black Sunset would have been the Soviet Union�s baby. Their history suggests as much, too.� Zahra and Hammet mounted the first step back up to the overlook and the workstation but stopped and faced her. �My people once used plague-infested corpses as bioweapons against the Swiss in the 1700s, and the USSR became incredibly advanced in that field until the government collapsed in the 1990s. It�s reasonable to assume that they�d be the ones leading the biowarfare division.�

Zahra stared through Yana, thinking. �I bet the U.S. bankrolled much of this and helped out where they could with supplies and research.�

�Like the bombers,� Yana added.

�Yeah, like the bombers.� She let out a long breath. �Just think about it. They gave four of their famed B-29s to the Sixth Seal. Imagine what it would have been like seeing the same planes that dropped nukes on Japan flying over Manhattan or D.C., or Berlin and Moscow?� She shivered. �Makes me sick.�

�Makes us all sick, Zahra,� Yana said. The Russian sounded defeated.

�So,� Hammet said, moving them along, �not only does the Underworld need to be destroyed, but so does all of this, yes?�

Zahra�s reply came without thought. �Absolutely.�

Yana sighed. �Regrettably, yes. You�re both correct.� They began their climb. �Too bad this was discovered by the Nazis instead of someone else.�

Zahra chuckled. �You think that would have made a difference?�

�You don�t?� Yana asked.

�No,� Hammet replied. �Someone else would have tried to use this for their own means, I guarantee it.�

Yana shook her head. �Stupid humans.�

Zahra playfully elbowed Yana and slipped into a horrible British accent. �Savages, the lot of �em.�

Hammet wasn�t having as much fun as they were. He spun on them as he reached the top. �Excuse me, ladies, but we have a lot of work to still do.�

Zahra and Yana both felt sheepish.

�Uh, yeah,� Zahra said, looking at her feet. �Sorry.�

�Same,� Yana said.

Hammet smiled. �I understand why you two use humor in situations like this. I, for one, could never laugh when surrounded by so much death.�

�It�s easy,� Yana said. �All you have to do is stare at a body and force it out. Eventually, you go crazy and start to believe that death is humorous.�

Zahra turned and gawked at her. �Or� you are just born with a screw loose?� Yana pushed through them and headed for the workstation. �Now, how do we bring this place down?�

�What about the engines?� Zahra asked. Yana looked up from the papers. �What? Didn�t you just tell us to put our sci-fi thinking caps on?� The Russian and German shared skeptical glances. �Go with it for a second. If this thing does have a bridge, then maybe we can overload something or whatever. I mean, we have power, right? Obviously geothermal or hydropower � enough to power the ship and the Underworld.�

Hammet pushed away from the tabletop. �Say we try this bridge, if it exists� how do we find it?�

Zahra raised her right hand and snapped her fingers. �The Sixth Seal already showed us how.� Yana and Hammet gave her twin blank stares. �The cables! They headed right. We went left. I bet they connect to the bridge or maybe even the engine room.�

�Very smart,� Yana said.

Zahra gave her a wink. �I have my moments.�

�What about all of this?� Hammet asked, motioning to the scattered papers.

�Doesn�t matter,� Zahra replied. �All that matters is that we bury this place.�

�Yes,� Yana agreed, �and preferably without us in it.�

Henri�s men finally broke through the extra-large hatch. It took three of them to push it aside before it clunked to the floor. Henri stood back and watched, staring through the red dot mounted atop his rifle. He�d shoot the first person he saw on the other side.

But there was no one.

�Another elevator?� Emil asked. �Commander?�

Henri was confused, too. Nothing around him now was supposed to have existed, or at least it shouldn�t have been possible. That there was yet another level beneath the hangar was astonishing. He and the lieutenant led everyone inside the next space. Bolted to the wall beside the empty lift shaft was a call button. Henri didn�t skip a beat. He slammed the base of his fist down on it and stepped back.

Everyone did.

They formed a semi-circle around the opening and waited for their transportation, and possibly their prey, to arrive. After what seemed like an eternity, the grind of gears increased in volume.

Henri didn�t like his men�s positioning.

�Down,� he said softly.

The seven-man team knelt seconds before the elevator rose to meet them. The half-prone soldiers were ready for anything.

But the elevator was empty.

Henri stood. His men followed his lead and continued onto the lift. There was one man left. Henri held out his hand, stopping him.

�Not you.� The soldier looked deflated. �You are needed here in case they slip past us.�

The important assignment seemed to pick up the young Chief Petty Officer�s spirits a bit. He stepped back and gave his commander a nod. Henri reached for the button but collected himself before pressing it.

He had no idea what to expect below, but they needed to be ready for anything.

Henri pressed the button, the elevator engaged, and they descended. None of the men spoke. They just stood in silence and waited.

The platform moved as slowly as Henri figured it would. But he was a patient man. He�d wait as long as he had to.

A quarter of the way into their descent, the stone elevator shaft morphed into one constructed entirely out of steel beams. Henri turned around and stepped forward. His men parted and allowed him through. The area around them was covered in ice except for the back wall, which was still made of rock. They had just entered a glistening subterranean cavern. The framework supporting the elevator track made it impossible to see the bottom.

Again, he was forced to wait.

Then it was revealed.

The platform clunked into place on the edge of a stone clifftop. In between the ice on the other side of the chasm and the Sixth Seal strike team was an abyss of nothingness, save for a reinforced bridge stretching across it. And within the ice wall at the bridge�s end was a massive black shape.

Henri nearly dropped his rifle. He staggered off the platform and came to a stop a foot in front of the overpass. Emil and Luka appeared on either side of him. They were equally shocked at what lay before him.

�It can�t be�� Henri muttered.

�What is it, sir?� Emil asked.

Luka glanced at him. �A bunker� beneath a hangar� beneath a bunker?�

Henri swallowed. He�d heard of what the Sixth Seal had called their �Holy Grail,� but he�d never been told what exactly it was. The object had a name that resonated through the organizational hierarchy.

�The Reliquary. This is it.� He didn�t care who was around to hear what he had to say. Present company deserved the knowledge.

Two of the sharpshooters whispered to one another. This time, Henri didn�t berate them.

�The Reliquary?� Emil asked.

Henri hadn�t spoken the name aloud in nearly twenty years. �A few years after I joined, I began looking into the Nazis� Antarctic expeditions. I was curious and wanted to know more about what really happened here. So, I asked some questions and was told of an object the founders had revered above all others. It was said that if Himmler and Krause could have, they would have gladly given up the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Spear of Destiny for the Reliquary in a trade if they�d been offered it.�

He stepped closer. �I said that, surely, two men of such esteem couldn�t be so foolish. Nothing could be worth what the other three are worth. The answer I was given changed my outlook on what we sought. It was quite simple, actually. I was told that worth was not the same as value. While the Jewish relics may be priceless to some, the Reliquary was infinitely more valuable in regard to the Sixth Seal. This is the pinnacle for us.�

�Do you know what it is?� Emil asked.

�Truthfully, no, I do not,� Henri replied, �though I have my suspicions.�

�Sir, if we may know,� Emil said. �Who told you this?�

Henri turned his head and stared into the eyes of his faithful lieutenant. �Ulrich Krause.�

�Herr Krause�s own son divulged such information willfully?� Luka asked. That was the first question he had asked since laying eyes on the fabled item of Himmler�s heart.

�He did. Truth be told, he never fully believed in his father�s secrecy. He said it made his people feel unwanted � like they didn�t matter � like they were merely tools. Though, there were some things that he did not tell even me. However, I suspect that it was for safety rather than secrecy.�

�We do it for the Sixth Seal, Commander,� Luka said. �That should be enough.�

Henri faced the idealistic boy. �Talk to me in twenty years, Master Chief. Time can whittle your resolve down to nothing. Sometimes, a soldier wants nothing more than to just understand.� He adjusted his gaze and burned holes into the Reliquary�s doorway. �I know I do.�

Without another word, Henri stomped across the bridge. He didn�t test it or give it a second look. He was on a mission, and nothing else mattered. Even his quest for the Mengele journal had been pushed to the back burner for the time being. All he cared about was getting down to the core of Tobias Krause�s secrecy.

Commander Henri Vogel simply wanted to understand.

As he approached the solid-black barrier, he noticed a metallic box had been installed just outside the bottom right corner of it. Henri tapped the side of the lid with his foot. It swung open to reveal a lone red button. He kicked it with the tip of his boot and stepped back when the door whooshed open.

He leveled his rifle at the corridor on the other side, then stepped through.

The cables ended in a vast, pitch-black room. It seemed that the designers of this spacecraft had preferred enormous spaces.

Maybe they were claustrophobic?

Zahra�s mind was whirling with questions and hypotheses. Most of the inquiries didn�t make any sense, and the theories were so outlandish that it made standing in a spaceship feel downright normal.

�Should I press it?�

She blinked and saw that Yana was standing in front of another wall-mounted red button. The Sixth Seal hadn�t seemed to mind defiling this place despite what it meant to them.

�Yeah, go ahead,� Zahra replied. �They haven�t failed us yet.�

Yana shrugged, placed her palm on the button, and pushed. One after the other, levitating orbs blinked to life. Zahra moved underneath one and tried to figure it out, but she couldn�t. It just sat there, hovering in the middle of nothing, and did what lights do. It blinked, throbbed, pulsated, as if powered by magic.

Another one came to life.

Then another.

As the domed room came into view, Zahra noticed that the cables ran to a central console and stopped.

�Looks like we found our power supply.�

�And that,� Yana said. �What the hell is that?�

Zahra didn�t know. To her, it looked like a motorcycle simulation game, but instead of having a customary handlebar, it possessed dual flight control sticks.

Okay, that�s rad.

The seat looked exactly like one found on a dirt or motorbike, though it had obviously been designed for the extra-large humanoid beings back in the pod chamber. Hovering six feet above the seat was a sphere of what might�ve been glass, not unlike a space-age hamster ball.

�Pilot controls?� Hammet asked.

�Could be, yeah,� Zahra replied. �Could also be their weapons system. You know, like a gunner�s seat.�

�Gunner�s seat?� Yana asked.

Zahra pointed at her. �Don�t.�

The Russian frowned.

�Can we do a little exploring first before you blow this place to shit?�

Like an unhappy child, Yana kicked at a small stone that wasn�t there. �Fine��

�Where should we start?� Hammet asked.

Zahra pointed at the center of the room. �Follow the cables.�

As they did, smaller tables and consoles rose from the floor. Zahra was shocked by how many workstations there were. If she didn�t know any better, it would have taken more than half of the 155 beings to operate the Reliquary.

One station was a huge, flat table that no human could reach across. She thought she saw what might be a powered-down screen built into its surface.

Navigation? Maybe a 3D star map you can move with a flick of your wrist?

The other option she hoped for was the modeling system that Tony Stark and JARVIS used in the Iron Man movies.

�Focus,� she hissed.

�What?� Hammet asked.

�Nothing.

�You sure?�

She glanced at him sheepishly. �I tend to talk to myself when I�m exhausted or a teensy bit flustered.�

�Only a teensy bit?� he asked. He smiled. �I�m barely keeping it together.�

�Pff. You sure hide it well.�

�Uh, guys?�

They both looked forward and saw that Yana was already at their destination. This was where they�d been trying to get to ever since Hammet threw the first switch.

What was that, like, a week ago? It felt like it to Zahra.

�What�s wrong?� Hammet asked.

Yana gazed up at him. �A lot, actually.�

�What do you mean a lot?� Zahra asked, stepping up next to her. Then, she saw what had concerned Yana.

The panel that the cables connected to wasn�t anything special. All it did was allow them access through the floor and deeper into the vessel.

�Well, shit,� Zahra said, closing her eyes. She tilted her head back. �Now what? And please don�t ask me about the weapons system.� She opened her eyes and found Yana standing next to her with her mouth agape.

The question had almost come.

�I agree with her.�

Both women faced Hammet and said, �Which one?� in unison.

His eyes darted back and forth before settling on Zahra. �Yana.�

Zahra didn�t know what to say. If both of them wanted to give the space cannons a shot, if that�s what they were, then maybe it was worth the risk.

Zahra threw her hands up and then allowed them to fall. �Sure, why not? What could possibly go wrong?�

They crossed over to the right side of the bridge and stood before the impressive array. Zahra had been hoping to find a couple of sticky notes with the dos and don�ts � what to press and what not to press. Or a sort of car manual or something.

But she didn�t spot anything that would tell her how to use the thing.

�Doesn�t look like we�re getting any help from the Sixth Seal over here.�

�Maybe they couldn�t figure it out?� Hammet asked.

Yana rubbed her hands together. �That doesn�t mean I can�t.�

And with that statement, Yana hopped up onto the alien motorbike. As soon as her ass hit the seat, the entire rig came to life. The seat lifted six feet into the air and slotted into the bottom of the hamster ball. Zahra looked for some type of state-of-the-art hydraulics system but found nothing. Nothing had lifted Yana from the floor. The seat had just� risen into the air with the help of whatever magic they�d seen in the pulsating orbs before. Yana gripped the seat with her inner thighs and yelped, hanging on for dear life.

�Didn�t expect that!� she shouted. �Ah!� Then, the spherical display lit up and coated Yana in shades of blues and purples. Then, a star map formed. Zahra recognized the constellations, because they were common for anyone on Earth. They were part of the Milky Way galaxy � their home galaxy in the galactic neighborhood. Yana squinted and looked down at her partners. �Um, little help?�

Zahra held her hands out to her side. �How? What would you like us to do?�

�Focus on the sticks,� Hammet said, interjecting with a calm, clear voice. �Do you see anything that could help us?�

�Uh, sure, yeah. The sticks. Got it.� Yana leaned closer to them and looked them over.

�Don�t touch them yet!� Zahra warned. �Eyes, not hands.�

�Yes, mother. So, I see nine buttons on each stick. None of them are labeled� like it would matter.� She looked down at Zahra. �Unless you also speak alien?� Zahra�s hands found her hips. �Oh, you don�t speak alien? Weird. You speak every other language in the known universe.�

Zahra stomped her foot. �Will you shut up and push something so we can leave!� Yana hovered her left hand over the stick and wiggled her fingers. Zahra was done. �Yana!�

The Russian flinched and grabbed the stick to keep from slipping off the seat. The display around Yana flashed red, and then a symbol popped up that, of course, no one could read.

�And that�s my cue,� Yana said, throwing her right leg over the seat and leaping down.

�How many did you press?� Hammet asked.

Yana winced. �All of them?�

Zahra closed her eyes, dipped her head, and shook it. �Wonderful.�

�We need to go,� Hammet said.

Zahra opened her eyes and shouted, �Ya think?�

There was no telling what Yana had pushed, but either way, it wasn�t good.

The trio ran for the exit but stopped when the floor began to tremble. They stopped and looked at one another. Zahra figured it out first.

�Um, I don�t think that was the weapons systems.� She eyed Hammet, then Yana. �I think that was the flight controls.�

A voice spoke with a sound like an amalgamation of many voices at once � a whisper, a deeper male voice, and a sort of gravely scream. The language, of course, was alien.

Hammet backed away. �Is it just me, or does that sound like a countdown?�

�A countdown to what?� Yana asked.

Zahra pushed them forward.

�A countdown to what?� Yana repeated.

Zahra met eyes with her as they moved. �To launch.�

They hustled out of the room and reentered the hallway.

�All the way down here?� Hammet asked.

�At this point,� Zahra replied, �I wouldn�t put anything past these things.� She backhanded his shoulder. �But hey, on the bright side, looks like we�ll destroy this place after all.�

�And ourselves!� Yana retorted. Her face was frozen in terror. �Why are you so cheery about it?�

Zahra tried and failed to extinguish her maniacal smile. �Oh, I�m not. I�m terrified!�

Yana and Hammet led the way back into the central corridor. Yana focused on the cables running along the center of the wide floor. The worst thing she could do was get turned around and lost. She kept to the left of them, and Hammet kept to the right.

At the halfway point, Zahra was still lagging behind them both but had quickly come out of her mental funk. She�d been through a lot, and Yana couldn�t blame her brain for taking a nap.

Yana looked back and stumbled. She grabbed for the left-hand wall to brace herself, and when she touched it, it vanished, and she fell. The wall hadn�t been a wall at all � but rather a door.

She landed hard on her left side. �Dammit.�

�You okay?� Zahra asked, reaching down and gripping her coat. She helped Yana up.

Then they froze.

�Oh, shit,� Zahra whispered.

The contents on the other side of the room definitely qualified as an �oh, shit� moment. The two women, still clutching one another, stepped inside.

�We don�t have time for this,� Hammet hissed. But even his voice trailed off at seeing what they had.

�It�s an onboard lab!� Zahra said.

But this lab hadn�t belonged to the owners of this spacecraft. This was man-made. The room had been hijacked by the Sixth Seal and turned into one. And there, in the center of it all, were two hospital gurneys, though one was much larger than the other.

And they were occupied.

Yana stepped closer, but Zahra didn�t let go. �We don�t��

The Russian ripped out of Zahra�s grip. She looked at her. �I have to see this.�

�We�� Hammet started.

Zahra held up a hand, silencing him. She nodded at the German before turning back to Yana. �Quickly.�

From just inside the doorway, Zahra and Hammet quietly watched Yana cross the laboratory. Unlike the pod chamber and the bridge, this room was of regular size to Zahra, like a gigantic walk-in closet, not that it mattered. The bodies were what currently held everyone�s attention.

The floor quaked harder now. Zahra knew she and Hammet should have dragged Yana down the hallway kicking and screaming, but something told her to let the Russian do this. Her eyes had been laser-focused, and her face had been sincere.

Yana really did need to do this.

�Project Fleshgod?� Hammet asked.

�Yeah. I think this might�ve been the ground floor.�

�Mengele�s lab?�

She nodded.

Hammet stepped back. He was as uncomfortable as anyone being here.

Probably more, Zahra thought. Hammet hated the Nazis more than Zahra or Yana ever could.

Yana stepped up to the larger body first.

�What do you see?� Zahra asked.

�Definitely one of the aliens,� Yana replied. �Probably from the open pod.� She pointed at its right side and sneered in disgust. �I think its arm is missing.�

Yana continued around to the two subjects� heads. She stepped closer, reached out, and gripped the heavy sheets lying on top of them, one with each hand.

�Here we go��

She lifted the sheets.

Even from here, Zahra watched the Russian assassin�s eyes go wide in terror. Then, she let go of the sheets, covered her mouth, stumbled backward, and retched. Zahra hurried over to her side and consoled the now blubbering woman. This time, Yana gladly accepted Zahra�s hug.

�Oh my God,� Yana cried.

�It�s okay,� Zahra said, stroking her back. �Everything is fine.�

�No�� Yana pushed away from her. �No, it isn�t.�

Hammet joined them. Yana gazed at the man through wet eyes. �They really were monsters.�

Hammet nodded. He didn�t verbally add anything. What could he say?

With Yana slowly coming down from her emotional distress, Zahra decided it was her turn. She�d seen some awful things recently. How much worse could this be?

She reached for the alien�s sheet.

�Don�t!� Yana cried out, grabbing her wrist and squeezing like a vise. She looked deeply into Zahra�s eyes. �Please, don�t.�

Zahra gave her a nod of agreement. She wouldn�t look.

The room shook.

Hammet stepped closer. �We need to go.�

Zahra stepped away, but Yana didn�t. She stood as still as a statue and stared at the veiled test subjects.

�Yana?�

The Russian�s eyes hardened. She wiped away her tears and sneered. �This place needs to burn.� She stormed past Zahra and Hammet. �These people need to die.�

Henri fell to his knees, uncaring that five of his men were watching him. He couldn�t believe what he was seeing. The room was filled with an angelic golden light, and its source was, at first, incomprehensible. He was too amazed to think it through clearly. The only thing he could do was tear up and whisper three words.

�It is them.�

He replayed the countless late-night conversations he had with Ulrich about this very subject. The interest in Antarctica had always encompassed two specific subjects for the Nazis: to build an impenetrable stronghold and aliens.

Himmler had been obsessed with the latter subject, whether his people knew it or not. Dietrich Krause had been brought into the fold because of the need for a covert installation.

Why didn�t you tell me any of this, Ulrich? Then Tobias Krause�s face appeared in his mind�s eye. Because Krause never told you!

He felt the blood beginning to boil beneath his skin. Tobias Krause. You need to answer for all of this!

When Henri returned to Stuttgart, he was going to have a very private sit down with the Sixth Seal head.

�What about Kane, sir?� Emil asked.

The mention of Zahra reined in some of Henri�s overflowing emotions. He sniffed back his welling tears and stood. �Master Chief, search the room.�

�Yes, sir.�

Henri faced the three sharpshooters, pointing at two of them. �You and you, go with him.� He pointed at the third soldier. �You, guard our exit.�

They quickly dispersed, leaving Henri alone with his lieutenant.

�The journal, sir. What if we are unable to recover it?�

It had always been a distinct possibility. So far, Zahra had stayed one step ahead of them. Still, they must have been somewhere on board the ship, or else Henri�s team would have run into them by now.

Emil picked up two of the papers. �Sir, these involved Project Fleshgod.�

Henri turned and found Emil reading one of the documents. He then handed it to the commander. Henri quickly read it over and saw that it was a report on a recent experiment.

Better than nothing.

�Gather them together. We�ll take them all.� Emil nodded and got to work collecting the reports. �But we still need to be on the lookout for��

The floor vibrated, cutting off Henri�s words. Emil paused what he was doing and looked up at him. They stared at one another for a moment. Then the floor shook again.

�Commander?�

Henri turned toward the exit. He waited, holding his breath.

The floor shook again.

�What is it, sir?�

Henri looked over his shoulder. �Nothing good. Call the men back. We�re leaving.�

They made it back to the central intersection in record time despite the rolling waves of turbulence beneath their feet. Zahra thanked their lucky stars that the ship apparently took forever to gain enough steam to do� whatever it was about to do.

Her bet was still on a launch.

Yana and Hammet darted left, back toward the entrance. At first, Zahra followed them, but then she saw something that gave her pause. Shapes bounced back and forth further down the corridor, leading toward the pod chamber. The gold pinprick of light became intermittently blocked by the shifting silhouettes.

Yana turned and rejoined her, but then Zahra realized what the apparitions were.

She shoved Yana backward. �Go, go, go,� she hissed. �They�re here.�

The surprised Russian staggered back into Hammet. Yana�s face went from confused to enraged. She stepped toward the intersection.

�What are you doing?� Zahra whispered.

�We stay and fight.�

�No, we don�t. We don�t even know how many there are!�

�She�s right,� Hammet added. �Plus, we still need to evacuate.�

Yana finally conceded. �Fine. I�ll just have to kill them outside then.�

�Whatever floats your boat.� Zahra shooed Yana away. �Now, go. Toropit�sya.�

They hauled ass for the exit. Not only was the ship about to go light speed directly into the Earth�s crust, but they also had a squad of militant soldiers coming up quickly behind them.

Zahra dashed across the shifting bridge, nearly losing her balance during the largest quake so far. She used the bridge�s safety railing for what it was designed for and grabbed it, dragging her hand across it for the last fifteen feet. They didn�t stop until they were all on the elevator. Zahra smashed the button with the base of her fist and got them moving.

They waited. There was nothing else for them to do.

To the left of the door, a large chunk of ice cracked and fell free. The ice wall wasn�t a wall at all. Beneath its entire one-thousand-foot length was the spacecraft�s outer hull.

It�s the size of a cruise ship!

�We definitely do not need a bigger boat,� Yana quipped.

�It�s not a boat,� Hammet said, utterly ruining the moment.

When they reached thirty feet, the door across the abyss opened. Six white-clad, heavily armed soldiers stormed out. Their cold-weather fatigues would make them nearly impossible to locate when topside. They stopped and aimed their rifles up at the rising platform, but they didn�t fire.

A single man stepped forward.

Yana gawked at the man. �Is that��

It was.

Kyle Ford smiled. �Hello, Zahra. Leaving so soon?�

His accent was German.

�Kyle?� she asked.

�You have something I want!� The imposter had to shout his words now.

Zahra was angry, but she also saw that there wasn�t much he could do about it. �Sucks to be you, don�t it?�

�Oh, don�t you worry about us! We�ll be up in a moment to retrieve it!�

Zahra snorted. �Not if we disable the elevator first!�

Yana leaned forward. �Rot in hell, you bastard!

They disappeared into the upper stone shaft. They were nearly back to the room behind the oversized hatch. Zahra felt betrayed, but she also felt good to tell that asshole off. Kyle had lied to them about everything.

Which means the survivors back at the LC-130 are dead.

Zahra was disgusted when she recalled Kyle telling her that people stationed in remote areas like this tended to form a tight bond with one another. They formed a real community.

Yeah� Tell that to Ethan, prick.

When they reached the top, Zahra�s head swam. She was exhausted, and she�d just learned that the fourth member of their covert team was really a high-ranking member of the Sixth Seal. The revelation that Zahra had helped them, and on TAC�s behalf, was enough for her breathing to grow shallow. She needed air.

She hyperventilated and backed out of the now cut-open hatch.

As soon as she re-entered the hangar, she felt cold steel on her temple.

Someone had just put a gun to it.

�Move and die.�

Yana and Hammet wheeled around and brought up their rifles.

Zahra held out a hand. �Don�t!�

The soldier sidestepped behind Zahra, using her as a human shield. He shouted past Zahra for Yana and Hammet to put down their weapons.

�And do it slowly,� he added.

They followed his instructions and tossed aside their AKs. All Zahra could do was stand with her arms out beside her and watch as the elevator platform reactivated and disappeared. Kyle�s warning was about to come true. He was only minutes away from retrieving the Mengele journal.

She silently urged the Reliquary engines to come to life.

Come on, baby. Mama�s only got one life. Get your ass in gear!

Six of the Sixth Seal�s best stepped off the platform and back onto solid ground. Henri led them, moving quickly and quietly as they closed in on the hole where the hatch used to be. He kept to the left side, using the wall next to the doorway as cover. The strategy drastically cut down on his field of view, but it also cut down his enemy�s field of view. He kept his eyes peeled for signs of a fight, but there were none.

There was quite the opposite.

The only noise he heard came from below.

Where are they? he asked himself. Then, he snuck a peek around to the left, seeing something that pleased him deeply.

�Clear,� he announced, stepping into the hangar casually.

Zahra, Yana, and Hammet were on their knees with their hands on their heads. The soldier Henri had left behind to guard the exit had done his job beautifully. He�d captured those they sought.

Henri wasn�t in the mood for games, but he couldn�t hide his smug smile.

�I know, I know,� Zahra said, staring daggers into him, �I told you so, right?�

Henri simply shrugged and continued toward them. When he arrived, Luka and the four sharpshooters took up positions behind the trio. Luka knelt and dug through the captive�s belongings. The only members of the strike team to stand in front of the prisoners were Henri and Emil.

Henri squatted, smartly staying six feet from them. �I can honestly say that the three of you impress me. Your teamwork is what every commander desires from his men.�

�Is that what you are to these hounds?� Yana asked.

He looked at her. �Yes. I am Henri Vogel, Commander of the Sixth Seal Operations Group.�

Henri glanced over Yana�s head and saw that Luka was holding the Mengele journal. �I�ll take that now, Master Chief.�

�No, sir, you won�t.�

Henri lifted his eyes to the young man as five rifles swung his way. He slowly stood, keeping his hands where they were visible. He was fuming, but he also knew he was outnumbered. Going ballistic on Luka wouldn�t solve anything.

�What is the meaning of this?�

�They are following my orders, Commander,� Luka replied. �Or rather, we are following Herr Krause�s orders, as we are meant to do.� He stepped through Zahra and Yana and stood with his back to them. Henri expected one of them to take Luka off his feet, but they held back.

That also impressed him. Most wouldn�t be able to show such restraint.

�You are relieved of command,� Luka continued, �and will return to Stuttgart in our custody.�

The only member of Henri�s team not to point a weapon at him was his faithful lieutenant. Emil�s face screamed confusion. It was plain to see that he wasn�t in on this double cross.

�Lieutenant?� Henri asked. �Where do your allegiances stand?� His number two didn�t make a move, one way or the other. �Emil?�

The lieutenant�s eyes darted over to Henri. Emil sighed and leveled his rifle at Henri. �I�m sorry, sir.�

He locked eyes with Henri, but there wasn�t any malice in them. They were full of the cunningness of a man with a plan. His eyes darted over to Luka, then back to Henri.

Copy that, Lieutenant.

But Emil and him weren�t enough of a force. Henri was going to need a little help. He dropped his gaze down to Zahra and noticed that she hadn�t been relieved of her grappling hook.

�Bella corda, signorina.�

Henri hoped Zahra would pick up on the clue. He had once told her that he spoke a bit of Italian. He also hoped that the mention of her �nice rope� would be enough to sway her into helping. If Henri were in her shoes, he would have if it meant surviving.

Zahra�s glare softened. She glanced up at Luka�s back, then reconnected eyes with Henri. The former Sixth Seal Commander didn�t look away until he was certain she�d gotten the message.

She did.

Zahra mouthed the word �asshole� and then mumbled something to Yana and Hammet. The assassin and KSK commando returned her words with equal looks of uncertainty. They both looked at Henri before returning their attention to Zahra.

�You idiots!� Zahra shouted. �This is all your fault!� She lowered her hands, placed one of each on Yana and Hammet�s chests, and shoved them backward.

A lot happened all at once.

Emil swung his rifle around and shot his treacherous prot�g� in the forehead.

Yana and Hammet added to their backward momentum and rolled into the legs of soldiers who were supposed to be guarding them. Emil�s sudden �betrayal� had shocked them into inaction.

Zahra dove forward, twisted in the air and caught Luka�s rifle as the lifeless master chief dropped it. She landed on her back and shot the middle two men.

Henri brought his own weapon up and popped one man in the upper chest while Emil shot the last one twice in the gut, an inch beneath his protective armor.

Yana and Hammet took up arms and aimed their pilfered rifles at Henri and Emil. Zahra did too, but from her back and upside down. The five survivors didn�t move, nor did they pull their respective triggers.

No one else had to die down here.

The circumstances had quickly switched from a dire hostage situation to a good old-fashioned Mexican standoff. Zahra�s precarious positioning was uncomfortable to say the least. She was currently lying on top of the dead master chief�s left foot.

The floor shook violently. Zahra�s teeth chattered, and the back of her head bounced atop the floor. They needed to leave � now.

Zahra made the first move.

�How �bout we all put our guns down and settle this topside?� She set down her rifle first and rolled over onto her hands and knees. �I don�t know about you, but I really don�t want to die down here.�

Kyle � Henri � and the man he called Emil glanced at one another, but they didn�t follow her lead and relinquish their weapons.

�What did you do to the Reliquary?� Henri asked.

Yana answered. �In a few minutes, it�s going into orbit.�

Zahra held up her hands and rocked back to her knees. �Which is why we have to leave. This entire place is going to come down on top of us at any moment.�

That wasn�t the news Henri was expecting to hear. He lowered his aim. So did everyone else.

The floor shivered.

�And the journal?� Henri asked.

�Leave it,� Hammet said. �Let it burn.�

Everyone raised their rifles again � except Zahra. Her weapon was still on the hangar floor.

Henri�s eyes were intense. �I can�t let that happen.�

�Why not?� Zahra asked. It was a simple question and one she wanted the man to answer honestly. When he didn�t reply, she pressed him. �Your own organization just tried to kill you � both of you � and yet, you still want that?� She pointed at the little, black, blood-splattered book still clutched in the dead master chief�s hand. �Without Krause and the Sixth Seal, what good is it?�

Henri smiled like a shark. �Who said anything about not having the Sixth Seal?�

Oh, duh!

�You plan on taking over, don�t you?�

Henri didn�t get to answer. The next audible sound they heard was something straight out of War of the Worlds. A bwomp bwomp like that of the movie�s tripods rose from beneath them and shook the hangar violently. Zahra could not even describe the feeling of the sound waves blown through her. They pounded her body and made her wince as her vision was rattled.

�Ah!� she screamed, holding her head and falling to her knees.

The others were being affected similarly. Zahra shut her eyes until the five pulses ended.

Suddenly, the floor cracked.

They stood, all in different states of recovery from the sonic assault.

�What was that?� Henri asked, yelling louder than he needed to.

Yana shook her head like a dog. �I believe it�s a spaceship taking off underground!�

Hammet helped Zahra up. The low, mechanical whale call had hit her the hardest.

The floor cracked again; this time, a section of it fell and knocked Henri and Emil off their feet. Zahra was yanked free of Hammet�s grip and went down to one knee as she watched the two men disappear. The master chief and the journal he held went with them.

Good riddance.

The top three ranking Sixth Seal operatives slid towards the north wall. From what Henri could see, that was where fractures had originated. They spread out like tentacles from there. The bomber, still under construction, sat to their left. Pieces shook free and fell, their metallic composition ringing around them.

Henri and Emil clutched one another�s coat sleeves, clawing at the floor with their free hands. Henri�s palm was cut and bleeding, leaving a crimson trail behind as they continued deeper into the widening crater. Henri knew the floor would eventually give out completely, and they�d fall into the void beneath the Reliquary.

How far would we fall?

Emil unsheathed his knife and jammed its tip into the rock but was unsuccessful at stopping them. The blade was torn free from his grip and slid away. Henri attempted the same maneuver.

His blade tip caught.

Emil quickly latched onto Henri�s available hand and held on.

�Where�s the journal?� Henri asked.

Emil leaned around him and pointed. �There!�

Henri gritted his teeth and looked over his shoulder. Luka�s lifeless body was quickly catching up to them. Another loud crack exposed them to the frozen world below� and to a strange pulsating purple light. A less disorienting bwomp greeted them as well, though this time, it didn�t stop.

Emil�s hand slipped.

�Use your other hand, Lieutenant. Climb up me.�

Emil�s eyes flashed back to Luka�s advancing corpse. It was picking up steam now.

�The journal!�

Henri shook his head. �I will not lose another man over it. Climb, Lieutenant.� His loyal number two opened his mouth to say something, but Henri cut him off. �Climb, Emil.�

Lieutenant Emil Becker met eyes with Henri, then looked past him as something approached just outside of Henri�s periphery.

Emil locked eyes with him. �Remake the world, Henri. Do it for all of us.�

The lieutenant reached out and grabbed Luka as he slid past them. The added weight jerked Emil free of Henri�s grip. Emil valiantly plucked the journal free of the master chief�s hand and tossed it back up toward Henri.

He fumbled with the journal at first but finally had it. He went to check on Emil, but he and Luka were already gone.

He sighed. �For you, Emil.�

Henri slipped the journal into the admin pouch on his chest rig and was surprised when his knife broke free. But what surprised him more was that he didn�t fall. Something had grabbed the back of his vest. He craned his head up and around to find Zahra. She hung from her grappling hook and was risking her own life to save his.

She flicked both her eyebrows. �Told you it was useful in a pinch. Now climb, you kraut!�

Ignoring what she had just called him, Henri worked himself around until he could grab hold of the cord. Once he was secure, he had to know. �Why?�

�Call it �professional courtesy.� I owed you one for saving me and my friends.�

�I did it for myself.�

�I know, but you still kept us from being executed like common street dogs. Oh, by the way��

Henri looked up at her.

Zahra jabbed him in the face with her fist, bloodying his nose. �Now we�re even.�

Henri flared his nostrils and blinked his tearing eyes. �Fair enough.�

�Let�s go.� Zahra began her ascent. �You get the journal?�

Henri visualized the prized possession in his admin pouch. �N-no,� he lied. �It fell with the others.�

�Great news!�

Henri looked up at her, frowning.

�You�re terrible people. I�m glad it�s gone.�

Zahra and Henri were nearly at the top of the quickly widening hole in the hangar floor. She had decided to save Henri�s life on a whim. Maybe it was recency bias that had motivated her? Men like him deserved to die, but she had saved him � for what?

Yet, here I am.

�So, you�re a Nazi, huh?� Zahra asked. She needed to know.

�I am a soldier. My motives are not driven by race or religion.�

Well, that�s good to know.

�But your organization was founded by the worst Nazi of them all.�

�Himmler was a remarkable man.�

Zahra looked down at Henri. �See, told ya. Nazi.�

She made it to the crater�s edge and pulled herself up. Zahra didn�t bother helping Henri with the rest of his climb. She�d already helped him more than he deserved.

They sat on their knees and caught their breath as two sets of footfalls came charging toward them. She looked up from the cracked floor and saw Yana and Hammet sprinting her way, but their focus wasn�t on her.

It was on Kyle Ford, a.k.a. Henri Vogel.

Zahra held out a shaky hand. �Stop!�

The surprised pair did. They pulled up just as they were about to send Henri back into the growing void.

�But he�s one of them?� Hammet said, confused by why she would protect him.

�And he saved our lives.�

Yana stepped closer to Henri with gritted teeth. �There is no room for honor with animals like him.� She jabbed a finger in his face. �You deserve only death.�

�Yana,� Zahra said, but her friend didn�t look at her.

�Yana?�

The Russian�s eyes flashed to Zahra.

�We aren�t like them.�

Hammet removed his stare from Henri and met Zahra�s eyes. He put a hand on the irate Russian�s shoulder. �She�s right. Let him go.�

�Let him go?� Yana shouted. �You, of all people, should want to watch him suffer. He�s a Nazi!�

�Yes, I know. But Zahra is right. He saved our lives,� he looked at Henri, �even if it really was to only save his own.�

Yana burned with rage. She shook to the point of exploding. She turned red and turned away. Henri took that as his cue to leave. He got to his feet and stepped around Yana and Hammet, giving them a wide berth as he did.

Suddenly, the floor beneath Zahra gave way, and she fell. Yana and Hammet were forced to flee and run toward the center of the hangar to avoid joining her. Zahra free-fell until she snagged the end of her grappling hook�s stout cord. She came to an abrupt stop, unsure of what the claws had caught. The floor beneath her crumbled to reveal a light show of intergalactic proportions.

George Lucas, eat your heart out.

There, she hung alone, and witnessed the alien spacecraft fully emerge from the continent�s embrace. The ice shook free like a dog shaking off fleas. How the ship got all the way down here was still beyond Zahra�s understanding. Sanitation? Heat?

The spacecraft was the size of a cruise liner, but that�s where the similarities ended. It was solid black and covered with the same panels as the Geisterbombers. These panels were significantly larger, though.

The pulsating purple light wasn�t coming from any kind of engine Zahra could see. She couldn�t see any external thrusters from her overhead view. The beautiful aura was coming from the ship itself. It was an energy field of some kind.

Then, the ship fell.

As it fell, she saw that the chasm was much larger than Zahra had originally thought. It would engulf the ship with ease.

The light increased in strength, and so did the unearthly sound.

Zahra watched in awe as the panels blurred. They started at what she guessed was its bow. Row by row, the ship vanished from sight � only the very tip of the stern was left. Then, when it too was gone, the ship let out one final, earth-shattering bwomp and the purple light shrank inward, then exploded outward. She covered her eyes involuntarily, but the effect was visual only. And it was quick.

In less than three seconds, it was gone.

To where, Zahra had no idea.

Oh my God, she thought. The launch hadn�t been a �launch� in the classic sense. Did it teleport? Can the bombers do that, too? Another possibility was that it slipped into another dimension. Is that how it got here?

�Zahra!� She looked up and saw Yana and Hammet waving at her. Yana cupped her hands around her mouth. �We�re going to pull you up!�

Zahra nodded and gave them a thumbs-up. She was thrilled to see them alive and even more thrilled to soon be out of the hole. The surrounding cavern continued to shake feverishly. More of the hangar could collapse at any moment.

Zahra was slowly hoisted skyward. The only sound she heard besides the earth cracking was the grinding of her hook�s cord on stone. She wasn�t worried about the cord breaking, though. It could take it.

She gripped it harder, as if hugging it. Thanks� again.

Yana and Hammet grabbed both of Zahra�s wrists and dragged her back onto what passed for solid ground. But nothing was solid about the hangar floor, at least, nothing on the northern half.

They let go. Hammet immediately began reeling in the rest of the grappling hook�s cord while Yana checked on Zahra.

�You okay?�

Zahra nodded but didn�t verbally answer her question. �Did you see it?�

�See what?� Yana asked, glancing up at Hammet. He shrugged.

A tremor changed the subject of their powwow. �Never mind. I�ll tell you later� as long as we don�t die.�

Zahra stood. �Where�s Kyle?�

�You mean Henri?� Hammet asked.

�Yeah, him.�

Yana thumbed over her shoulder. �Took off when you went in. I guess he didn�t think he needed to help save your life again.�

Zahra patted Yana�s shoulder. �That�s why I have you guys. Did you try and stop him?�

�No,� Yana replied, �we were a little preoccupied holding that.� She pointed at the clawed end of Zahra�s grappling hook. The hook hadn�t caught anything. Her friends had caught it.

�He took the elevator, too,� Hammet said.

�And?� Zahra asked, unsure what he was implying. There were other elevators.

He handed Zahra her hook. �It had the only key.�

Shit. He was right. They had locked the elevator down here but hadn�t thought to take the key with them. God forbid they had lost it somewhere down here.

We�d be in the same situation we are now.

There wasn�t any reason to check the other two elevators, either. Henri and his team had rappelled their way into the hangar. If the other elevators had been useful, they would have used one of them instead.

She clipped the wound-up cord to her belt and checked her hands for blisters, but her toughened skin had held up just fine. She didn�t exactly have the most stellar, feminine hands. She had the hands of an adventurer.

�How do we escape?� Hammet asked.

Zahra�s hands found her knees, and she took a few breaths. When she looked up at Hammet to reply, something behind him, to the east, caught her attention.

She leaned right. �What about that?�

Yana and Hammet turned and found what she was looking at.

�The� bomber?� Hammet asked.

Yana shrugged. �It�s worth a shot� I guess.�

Zahra eyed the central control platform. �Which means we have to get the lift moving.�

Hammet stepped toward it. �I�ll��

�Help Yana with the plane,� Zahra finished.

�You sure?� he asked.

�Does it matter?� Zahra backpedaled south. �You two go. I�ll meet you there.�

She turned and ran as the bottom half of the northern wall caved in on itself, crushing the torch-cut hatch, as well as the elevator platform down to where the Reliquary had been. A crack shot up the remaining half of the wall and spread along the ceiling.

�Zahra!� Hammet shouted.

She waved him off and kept running. �Help Yana!�

Hammet and Yana reluctantly parted ways with Zahra. They didn�t want to split up again. The trio had survived countless dangers so far and were nearly at the end. Now, all they had to do was make it outside.

Hammet looked up and pictured the millions of pounds of rock and steel above his head. Easier said than done.

They hopped up onto the raised platform, holding one of the three completed Ghost bombers. If he had his directions correct, then they would come up through the eastern armaments wing of the Underworld.

The aircraft were even more amazing-looking up close. Hammet wouldn�t mind seeing one in action someday, as long it wasn�t under Sixth Seal control.

He stopped. Maybe I am about to see one in action.

But in this case, he�d settle for just an operational engine � four of them, actually.

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine, propeller-driven aircraft. While a plane of this design could stay airborne for a time without all its engines working properly, Hammet doubted it�d be able to take off without them all.

Hammet had also realized they�d be in quite the predicament once they reached the uppermost levels of the Underworld: They had entered on foot. Outrunning the collapsing inner bowels of a mountain was unlikely.

At least we�ll be able to drive out of here� in a plane.

He and Yana ducked under the open front nose of the bomber, quickly scaled the ladder, and climbed inside. They entered the cockpit via a wheeled submarine hatch.

�The plane pressurizes?� he asked.

�Yes,� Yana replied. �The first ever for the American military. Everything inside is pressurized except for the belly�s bomb bay.�

They moved forward. Yana sat in what Hammet figured was the pilot chair. He sat across the narrow walk space between seats in what must have been the copilot�s chair.

He pointed to the lone station in front of them. It sat lower than theirs and was positioned forward into the nose of the plane. �What�s that?�

�Best seat in the house. That�s the bombardier�s seat.�

Hammet looked at the oddly placed chair with new eyes. �So, whoever sat there is the person who dropped the bombs during the war.�

�The same,� she replied, hunting and pecking particular buttons and flicking seemingly random switches. �He could take over the controls of the entire aircraft at will and get them into position for their next run.� She looked at him. �This entire plane exists for one singular purpose.� She pointed down at the chair. �To allow him to succeed.�

Wow.

�You really like these things, don�t you?� he asked.

She snorted. �Who doesn�t? The B-29 is what the kids would call �OG.�� She patted the top of her instrument panel. �This is as authentic as it gets.� She raised her hand to a foursome of switches. �Here we go��

She flicked them one by one.

The first engine fired up with little trouble.

�Yes!� Yana yelled, pumping her fist.

The second engine coughed a cloud of black smoke but also came to life. Hammet wondered if jet fuel could even hold this long � perhaps the cold climate helped it. Or perhaps those working here had perfected some other alien-based fuel.

Either way, they were all about to find out.

The third engine struggled and poured smoke, but it also started.

The fourth engine didn�t turn over at all.

Yana tried it again, but still, nothing. �Eh, good enough.�

�Good enough?�

She nodded. �We won�t get airborne, but we�ll still be able to get rolling.� Yana stroked her armrest. �I will call her Firebird.�

�Firebird?� Hammet asked. �Correct me if I�m wrong, but aren�t they seen as harbingers of death in your culture?�

�Yes, but not always. Sometimes they are a blessing.�

Hammet looked around the cockpit. �Well, let�s hope your Firebird plays nice.�

�Yes, let�s hope. She tilted her head back toward the hatch. �Come on. Let�s go check on Zahra.�

They descended the stairs beneath the nose of the aircraft and looked for Zahra.

�There!� Yana said. �She just made it to the control console.�

The South Wing elevator safely returned him to the uppermost level. He took a deep breath, nearly tasting freedom. The stale air of the Underworld had become an unwelcome stench. He rushed right, bypassing dozens of small rooms in a blur. When he was directly beneath the southern archway into the wing, he was thrown to the floor as the entire facility shook with the force of an earthquake.

Henri�s forehead hit hard and was cut open, though he didn�t pay it any attention. He launched to his feet and made a mad dash for his former team�s Sno-Cat. It wouldn�t be the fastest means of exit, but it would still be a hell of a lot faster than his tired legs.

He hurriedly climbed inside and slammed the door, plopping down in the driver seat with a sigh of relief. But Henri knew better than to celebrate. He still had to make it outside before Ritscher Peak turned him into a pancake.

Henri gently laid his hand on top of his chest, feeling the slight lump in his chest rig�s admin pouch. He visualized the priceless remnant from a time past. Even if he couldn�t use it as a means to an end, he knew a few people who would pay handsomely for the information inside of it.

The key to unlocking everlasting life.

He started the engine and pulled away.

Zahra took the steps two at a time and made it to the top on the raised control console in what she believed was record time. She took in the state of the workstation and saw that she had chosen correctly regarding the east platform. The controls belonging to the southern bomber now wore a boulder as a hat. She didn�t need to look up and confirm where it had originated from. Zahra knew the ceiling was falling apart all around her.

She had dodged smaller ones on her way here, but nothing the size of the rock that had crushed one-third of the control console. Zahra skidded across the catwalk flooring and caught herself against a bolted-down chair. She counted eight individual buttons and had no idea which one to press. Then, she looked closer and saw the word for platform in the Sixth Seal language.

�Oh, that�s convenient.�

She mashed it with her palm. A hiss and chorus of grinding gears filled the air in front of her as she watched the gargantuan underground platform elevator activate.

The 140-foot-wide Geisterbomber rose off the ground.

Without me.

�Oh, shit.�

Zahra dove away from the console just as it was destroyed by falling debris. Her stomach lurched at the sight but settled. The plane continued to rise. So, she climbed forward and started off. She descended the steps down to the floor in a chaotic fashion. Luckily for her, the console wasn�t all that far away from the planes. Unfortunately for her, the hangar was coming apart at the seams � it wouldn�t be long before the entire thing caved in.

Boulders as large as her landed only feet away. She looked up and ran with her chin to the sky, watching for incoming subterranean meteors. She meandered left to avoid one, then spotted another as it detached and fell. She slinked back to the right, then immediately went back left.

�Zahra, hurry!� She wasn�t sure her voice could even be heard over the sound of the spattering engine, but when she glanced down, Yana and Hammet were waving her forward. The one consolation was that the lift didn�t move all that fast. A grinding noise picked up above them as the floor to the East Wing opened. Equipment fell as it did. It was clear to see that the Sixth Seal had not meant for them to open yet. The floor would have been clear of all equipment if it were. Luckily, nothing sizeable hit the plane.

Zahra was nearly there, but the plane was already fifteen feet off the ground. She wasn�t going to be able to reach it without a little help. She detached her grappling hook and gave the closed head some slack.

�Hammet! Get ready!�

He saw her, and he knelt. Hammet held his hands out in front of him, awaiting the special delivery. Zahra twirled the hook next to her, and after four rotations, she released it.

�Watch your face!�

Zahra had aimed right for Hammet�s nose.

It hit Hammet in the hands but pushed straight through them. Zahra had given it everything she could just in case she didn�t have a lot to give. He scrambled back for the hook�s head.

From somewhere out of sight, Hammet shouted, �Climb!�

So, Zahra climbed. But she also swung. The movement threw off her technique. Her pace was slow and filled with hesitation.

�Zahra! The ceiling!�

She stopped and looked up. There was only twenty feet to the ceiling, and she was still ten feet beneath the platform. If she didn�t make it in time, her cord would be cleaved in two, as could her body, depending on the timing of her ascent.

There were twin animalistic roars from above, and Zahra was yanked halfway up onto the platform. She lifted her right knee and rolled onto it with ten feet to spare. Both Yana and Hammet were, once again, holding the other end of her grappling hook.

Zahra climbed to her feet as they re-entered Sub-Level 5 of the Underworld.

�You two are making a habit out of saving my life.� The B-29�s prop wash partially drowned out Zahra�s words. Three of the four engines whirled like crazy. The outside engine on the left wing was lifeless.

She met Hammet�s eyes, then quickly looked away.

Yana nudged him. �See what I told you? This is her idea of flirting.�

The blood drained from Zahra�s face. What on earth had Yana told him?

The Russian grinned. �Come. Let�s get this bird ready for takeoff.� Yana headed inside.

Zahra�s mouth fell open, and she turned to Hammet. �She�s not serious, is she?�

�About the flirting thing?� he answered. �Well, you see, I�m on the road a lot, and I don�t get to go out much, and I�ve never been good with men��

Normally, Hammet�s face was all business. But now, he looked like he was enjoying himself.

Zahra finally understood why.

�You were asking about the plane�s ability to fly, not my inability to flirt, weren�t you?�

Hammet smiled and tilted his head toward the stairs beneath the cone of the plane. �Let�s get out of here first, then we can talk about your inability to flirt.�

Either Hammet had just acknowledged he did have feelings for her, or he was screwing with her. For now, Zahra was going to assume that Yana had rubbed off on him and that he was full of shit. They had more important things to worry about right now.

She followed Hammet into the aircraft and was instantly transported back in time. Everything was how it had been during the war, or that�s what Zahra imagined. She could see the flight crew shouting at one another in preparation for their next bombing run. Zahra wasn�t sure if the flight crew wore headsets back then, and she didn�t care.

A screech of metal announced the mechanized retrieval of the stairs, as well as the closing of the nose door.

Yana was in the left-hand pilot�s chair. Hammet sat next to her. The only option upfront for Zahra was to slide between them both and sit down in a very nerve-wracking position within the tip of the nose.

�Bombardier seat,� Hammet explained. �Yana says it was the envy of the crew.�

Zahra�s nose curled up. �I bet.� She looked down at the backward-facing seat behind Hammet. It was positioned in front of a wall of aeronautic instruments. �You�re more than welcome to it.� She patted the backrest of this seat. �I�ll take navigation.�

She sat and buckled in, happy to find an upgraded, though still six-decade-old, five-point harness. She tightened it down� and waited. The elevator continued up at its same casual pace. Zahra willed it to go faster. Her legs bounced, her eyes closed, and she bit her lip.

�Nervous flyer?� Yana shouted.

Zahra opened them and looked over her right shoulder and across the aisle. �Not usually. But this thing kinda feels like a winged soup can.�

�Not to mention that we only have three working engines!� Hammet added.

�Not helping!� Zahra shouted.

The platform clunked into place.

�We ready?� Yana asked. Zahra gave her a thumbs up. �Okay. Let�s do this!�

Even from halfway across the main house, she could hear her grandfather screaming at someone on his phone. Usually, she didn�t pry, but she was too curious not to. She used her years of training to move silently. Even at her age, nineteen-year-old Zelda Krause had already been on several missions, mostly assassinations. She was exceptional at getting up close to her targets and killing them with her favorite weapons, her twin karambit knives.

Even now, Zelda had them sheathed at the small of her back beneath her white designer jacket. She never went anywhere without them or the Walther PDP pistol holstered beneath her left armpit.

She leaned into the heavy, wooden door and gently pressed her ear against it. The first thing she heard confused her.

The second thing she heard shocked her.

�I don�t care if he�s your commander!�

Vogel?

�He has been negligent in his duties. Do not let him escape!�

Zelda leaned away from the door. Grandfather is removing Henri from command? Why?

�If he does, detain him and bring him to me. But if you must, kill him.�

Zelda knew for a fact that Henri Vogel was an exemplary soldier. When her father was alive, he would go out of his way to tell her so.

�Do you understand, Petty Officer? Do not let him leave the Underworld! Lock down the lake!�

Zelda�s eyes opened wide. The Underworld! They found it!

Her grandfather�s latest outburst caused him to break out into a coughing fit. She hadn�t heard him this worked up in years. He was always in such control of his emotions. Whatever had happened regarding the commander, it had deeply upset him, and she doubted it was negligence of duty.

Zelda lifted her fist to knock but stopped. She leaned in again and listened to him hack uncontrollably.

She listened to him struggle.

She listened to him suffer.

What if she didn�t help him? What if he died here and now? The stress could easily stop his heart.

What a pity. And with Henri no longer in command�

Since she�d been a little girl, Zelda had been promised the world. She�d been refused a normal life and assured a major leadership role while on her way to inheriting the Sixth Seal. And since her father died, Zelda had heard very little about it from her grandfather.

She realized something just then.

He�s been shutting me out. She clenched her fists tight. He has no intention of giving me my birthright!

But she didn�t know enough yet. She needed more time to collect additional intel. She had a few people inside the organization that believed in her. They were the same people who had believed in her father. They believed that the Sixth Seal needed a younger mind at the top, someone less risk-averse, someone more willing to do something drastic.

She composed herself and knocked.

Soon, Zelda.

Then, she said, �Grandfather, are you okay? Grandfather?� She made sure to lace her voice with faux concern. Until this recent revelation, she had admired her grandfather deeply. Zelda�s mother had died when she was very young. She hardly knew the woman. Her grandfather was the only family she had left.

For now.

The door unlocked, and she rushed in. �Grandfather, are you okay?�

He was sitting back in his chair wheezing, holding his chest, but it looked as if he�d gotten his air back. The color was returning to his face, too. She went straight to his personal bar and poured him a glass of water.

�I�m here, Grandfather. I�m here�� Zelda hurried to his side and handed it to him.

He took a long sip and let out a long breath. �Incompetent fools surround me.� Zelda looked away. The comment really did sting. �Oh, Zelda. Not you. These soldiers don�t hold a candle to you.�

She held back her smile. So, does he still have faith in me?

�Grandfather? With Commander Vogel � with Henri not in the picture anymore, who will take his station?� He shot her with an angry stare. �I�m sorry, Grandfather, but I could hear you from across the house.�

He sighed. �I�m not sure what will happen.�

�What about Lieutenant Becker?� He looked away. �Oh, I see.� Emil was dead. She stood tall and clenched her fists tightly. �What about me? I believe I am ready to assume command of our forces.�

�Zelda, you��

�My father believed in me.� She stepped closer. �Commander Vogel believed in me. Why won�t you?�

He set down his glass. �Thank you for the water, Zelda. Now, please, leave. We will have this discussion at a more appropriate time.�

�When? When it only suits you?�

His tired eyes darted up to her. �How dare you speak to me like that!�

�Like what?� Her expression hardened. She filled her gaze with fear. �Do I remind you of someone else � someone who also spoke his mind?�

He looked away. �Zelda, Commander Vogel��

�I was talking about my father!� Zelda shouted. She had never raised her voice to her grandfather before. �You once said that he was the best there ever was. You both trained me to be better than even him.� She turned and headed for the door, stopping just before stepping through and leaving. �One day, it will be my time, and when it is,� she looked over her shoulder, �I will be successful.�

Zelda left her bewildered grandfather alone with his thoughts.

Time to get to work.

She had a few calls to make.

Since Henri had exited the Underworld�s intersection of archways, his foot had not let up on the gas. As he neared the outer doors, relief had crept into the back of his mind.

But he still had the lake guards to deal with. If Krause had ordered Henri to be removed from command, then the remaining men � all of them � would have been given the same order. And if he got past these four troopers, he�d also have to take out the last four back at the LC-130.

One thing at a time, Henri. Make it outside first.

His next obstacle was the outer doors. He�d been troubled by the way they had closed automatically behind them. Apparently they were on a timer, some mechanism installed in the floor that triggered them to close. He hoped for the second option. Henri didn�t want to have to stop to open them.

When he was within one hundred yards of them, a blinding light appeared as they slowly crept open.

Looks like it was a trigger.

He relaxed and willed the Sno-Cat to go faster. He was nearly free.

When he was fifty yards from them, they somehow started to close.

No!

The doors had only made it halfway open when they had somehow been reversed. The only way that could have happened without there being some malfunction� was if someone had closed them from the outside.

�Krause.� That confirmed Henri�s prior hypothesis regarding the old man and the rest of the men being on the lookout for him. �Not today.�

Henri reached over to the passenger side and grabbed his rifle. If he made it outside, there would be an immediate firefight. Luka had wanted to take him alive, but it seemed that Krause had changed gears and now valued Henri dead just as much.

Or more.

Thirty feet to go, and Henri realized that he�d make it with plenty of room to spare. He readied himself for conflict and waited for the first trooper to appear.

He did.

A single soldier stepped in front of the Sno-Cat and sent a stream of bullets pinging off the vehicle�s metal body. Four rounds struck the windshield, spider-webbing it badly. Only one bullet made it through. The tough glass had mostly held up, though now, Henri could barely see where he was going.

But he could see the trooper. The man backed up and pumped another burst into the cabin windshield. Henri ducked just as the front end cleared the threshold to the outside, just as a fast-moving Goliath careened into it.

The mechanical beast shrieked as it clipped the roof of the Sno-Cat, sending it rolling like a toy car. It nearly smeared the trooper into paste, but the soldier had dived out of the way with only inches to spare. Henri was trying to see what it was � it looked to be a plane, albeit just the fuselage and shortened stubby wings � but he was quickly thrown to the roof, then the floor, and finally bounced against the passenger-side door.

That�s where the Sno-Cat�s roll stabilized.

Henri�s head was killing him. He�d hit it several times. He opened his eyes, rolled onto his stomach, and reacquired his rifle. Luckily, he had not taken off his backpack. He had opted to keep it on while he drove. It had been uncomfortable, but worth it. If something like this happened, then he didn�t want to have to go searching for it, too.

He bellycrawled outside through the decimated windshield and was swiftly surrounded by four men. Henri knew when he was outgunned. He released his hold on his weapon and waited.

�Commander Vogel, you are relieved of duty!�

Henri looked up at the speaker. �So I�ve been told.�

�Where is everyone else?� another trooper asked.

�Dead. They are all dead.�

He was made to stand at gunpoint, and they bound his wrists with thick zip ties.

�You killed your own men?�

Technically, yes, Henri did kill one of his own men, but he�d like to think that the sharpshooter�s death and the deaths of everyone else in the Underworld had been because of someone else.

�No,� he said, staring the soldier in the eyes, �Tobias Krause killed them.�

Zahra squeezed her armrests as hard as she could. The B-29 shook violently as they zoomed down the underground runway. Zahra still couldn�t believe it! They had originally thought it was just an oversized loading ramp.

�What�s that up ahead?� Hammet asked.

�What do you mean, �what?�� Zahra asked, unable to see from her rear-facing seat. She tried to look over her shoulder, but all she saw was the back of Hammet�s shoulders and head.

�I don�t know,� Yana replied. �I can�t tell.�

�What is it?� Zahra asked, shouting as loud as she could.

�We don�t know!� Yana yelled back.

�Do we have headlights?� Hammet asked.

Yana snorted. �Again, another thing I don�t know!�

Zahra had no idea what the two of them were arguing about, so she focused on something else she was curious about.

�How fast are we going?� she asked.

�Around one hundred and � shit!� Yana shouted, screaming at the top of her lungs. �Hang on!�

They slammed into something hard, not that the B-29 felt any of it. Its girth handled it just fine. What it didn�t handle was having both its wings shorn off at the shoulders. The B-29 was now just a massive, metallic, frozen hotdog. It sailed into the air and dropped as gravity pulled them back down to ground level.

The lake!

They hit the icy surface at full speed and skimmed across it like Olympic lugers for a considerably long distance. It didn�t last, though. Soon, it turned into a carnival ride from hell. The tail slid right, but the rest of the plane didn�t.

It rolled.

Zahra screamed until she couldn�t breathe, not that she could hear her own voice. The crunching and tearing of metal were loud enough to drown out everything else. She nearly blacked out from the excessive motion.

Then she blacked out from a blow to the head.

�Hello? Anyone?�

�Uh,� was all Zahra could reply with. �Uh��

The other voice spoke again. �Zahra?� It was Hammet.

�Uh�� Zahra opened her eyes but quickly closed them. �My head.� Everything above her shoulders was killing her, and she felt blood seeping from a wound on her temple. Something had smacked her skull during their �landing.�

She was also upside down and wasn�t sure how long she�d been unconscious.

�Yana?� Hammet asked.

But there was no reply.

�Ya-na?� Zahra asked. She had to work hard just to get the syllables out.

Still no reply.

The next noises she heard were a series of grunts, followed by a bang. Hammet appeared in front of Zahra, carefully standing on what was once the ceiling of the cockpit. He was also bleeding from a cut on his chin.

She grinned. �You kinda look like a young, upside-down Harrison Ford with that.�

She reached out and gently touched his chin.

He rolled his eyes and helped her down from her inverted chair. He held her close, which was wonderful. It wasn�t that it was Hammet holding her closely; Zahra would have accepted the embrace from anyone right about now.

No, not Kyle � I mean, Henri � he�s awful.

�Here. Help me with her.�

That reawakened Zahra�s sluggish brain a little. The prospect of Yana being seriously injured was like a sobering kick to the face. She blinked hard a few times and shook her head. Her vision cleared enough to see two of Yana. Both women sported blood in their blonde hair.

And she was out cold.

�Dammit,� Zahra said, sliding in next to her.

Hammet took Yana�s weight while Zahra worked the harness holding her aloft. Once the Russian was free, he repositioned her ragdoll form in his arms and laid her down. They knelt on either side of her. Zahra checked her head, and Hammet checked for a pulse.

�She�s alive,� he announced, relieved. �Took a nasty hit to the head.� Zahra looked up at him. He looked at her. Then his eyes darted up to her own head injury. �Yes, well, you know��

The ground rumbled� again.

�What was that?� Zahra asked.

Hammet didn�t know either. He looked up as if staring through the cockpit floor. �Is that the mountain?�

Yana sat bolt upright, startling both her partners.

�Gah!� Zahra yelped, falling back on her ass. �Dammit, Yana. What the hell!�

The Russian�s eyes floated. She was still half out of it. She blinked and nearly vomited again. Once Yana was semi-coherent, it looked like her body realized how injured she was. She grabbed her head and winced.

�You probably have a concussion,� Hammet suggested.

�I do,� she replied. �A bad one. I will be useless for a few hours, maybe even the rest of the day.�

Zahra pushed herself back up onto her knees. �You sound okay, though.�

Yana shrugged. �I�ve had my share of head injuries. I know what to expect.�

�Same,� Zahra said. �I can�t imagine how many brain cells I�ve killed over the years. Two plus two still equals five, right?�

They all let out soft laughter.

The ground shook again. Then, the rumbling sound advanced toward them.

�You guys remember the stampede from The Lion King?� Zahra asked.

�Who doesn�t?� Yana replied.

Hammet was confused. �There are no wildebeests in Antarctica. I don�t think it�s a stampede, either. �I think it�s a�� His voice trailed off.

�What�s wrong?� Zahra asked.

Hammet threw himself on top of the two women and squeezed. �Avalanche!�

The plane was pounded and spun, then buried by a combination of snow, ice, and rock. They stayed together and crawled up against the back of the cockpit as the chilling deluge forced its way inside the plane�s busted nose.

With the individual pieces of glass gone, the white and gray mass surged inside and buried them.

From the northern end of the lake, Henri and his four armed escorts turned around in their seats and watched as an avalanche buried the mangled remains of the B-29. The aircraft wasn�t the only thing buried, too. The entire front entrance of the Underworld was interred beneath more debris than anyone could ever hope to move.

But not the plane; it was only partially covered from what he could tell. There was a chance that whoever was inside was still alive. Henri glanced over to the box sitting off to his right. The troopers had decided to leave Zahra�s Sno-Cat behind. They had discussed taking it but had opted to stay together in one.

And now Zahra has it.

He couldn�t help but smile.

�You find this amusing?�

Henri turned around and found the soldier in the front passenger-side seat staring at him.

He shrugged. �I guess that depends on your definition of humor.�

Henri sat in the backseat between two other men. The fourth member of the lake guards drove and did a poor job of it. He struggled to get the Sno-Cat back into gear but finally did after some help from his navigator.

The first thing the team did after zip-cuffing Henri was search him. They inevitably found the Mengele journal, and when they did, they quickly informed the team back at the LC-130.

Who had no doubt contacted Krause.

They had also discovered Dietrich�s message from the U-boat. Henri had no idea that it had been folded inside the journal.

This was what Henri hoped to avoid the most. If Krause didn�t know the journal survived, then he may have called off any search for it. Henri would need to be even more careful now.

Once he escaped.

He still had plenty of time to figure that part out. The drive back to the LC-130 was a long one, and the less-seasoned men charged to look after him would surely tire from it.

Henri needed to be patient and wait for his moment.

Everything hurt. Everything was cold. The cold had numbed some of the pain but not all of it.

Zahra, Yana, and Hammet slowly dug themselves free. They found a pocket of glorious open air at the top of their would-be tomb, what had been the floor only minutes ago. The avalanche had stopped with two feet to spare. They crawled along the low passage until they reached the front of the busted nose of the B-29.

Hammet unsheathed his knife and cleared the remaining glass from the edges of a window. He then sheathed it and wiggled through the tight opening. Zahra and Yana�s narrower builds made their escapes easier.

Yana stood on the compacted earth with her top half jutting out of the plane. Hammet took her beneath her armpits and lifted her out the rest of the way.

�Don�t get used to this,� she said, wincing as the sun struck her face. �Ouch.�

�Stop whining,� Zahra said. �Just be thankful that you�re not dead.� Yana squinted at her. �But yes, ouch.� The sunlit sky pounded Zahra�s brain.

The three battered explorers now stood atop the underside of the Geisterbomber and gazed out over Lake Untersee. Zahra was thrilled to see that the landscape had been completely transformed by the avalanche resulting from the collapse of the Underworld facility. The violent tremors from deep below had triggered a cleansing of sorts on the surface, too.

Even now, Zahra was having trouble identifying where the massive hangar doors had been.

We should have seen that from the beginning. They truly were hangar doors.

�A welcome change,� Yana muttered.

�Yes,� Hammet agreed. �We couldn�t have asked for a better result. Now, no one will ever find this place.�

�Not that there�s anything left to find,� Zahra added. She turned, faced north, and smiled. �Hello, beautiful.�

Yana and Hammet matched her gaze, and they each smiled, too. Their Sno-Cat was still here.

They used the compacted embankment to hike around the remodeled shoreline of Lake Untersee. The only familiar things were the shapes of the mountain peaks and the Sno-Cat. Yes, the lake was still present, but it didn�t look like their lake anymore.

Lake Untersee had been given a fresh start. So had Ritscher Peak, for that matter. The evil within the mountain had been destroyed; an evil that had unknowingly been plaguing Antarctica had been snuffed out.

They made it around to their Sno-Cat in complete silence. Once they climbed inside and got out of the bitter cold, they relaxed and took a moment to savor being alive. Hammet had beelined straight for the driver�s seat. Neither Zahra nor Yana argued. Zahra, once more, manned the other front seat. Yana had gladly taken the back bench seat again, only this time, instead of going over the team�s gear, she laid down and covered her face with the crook of her right elbow.

Zahra needed to do something, and she knew it would be cheesy as all hell. But it felt right.

She turned in her seat and faced her partners. �Hey.� Then she held out her right hand, palm down.

Hammet looked down at it and nodded. He placed his hand on top of hers.

Yana peeked around her arm and sighed. Then she flopped her hand over theirs.

�Yes,� she said, �go, team.�

Zahra smiled. �Thank you, both.�

Yana softly patted their hands, then removed them from the stack. Hammet did, too, though he dragged it across Zahra�s first. Her body broke out in another fit of goosebumps, and she quickly turned and looked the other way. She hoped he hadn�t seen her cheeks flush.

Stop embarrassing yourself, Zahra.

�Where to?� he asked.

�Where else?� Yana asked. �Back to the LC-130.�

Zahra agreed, but not just yet. �Make a stop at the Russian camp.�

Yana peeked around her arm again and looked at her. Zahra turned and smiled. �I want more guns first.� She winked. �Just in case.� They had lost their rifles, pistols, chest rigs, and ammo down in the hangar.

Yana ginned. �That�s my girl.�

�But in the meantime,� Zahra continued, �I need to call the office.� She snorted. �Well, shit.�

�What�s wrong?� Hammet asked.

Zahra closed her eyes and laid her head back. �We don�t have our sat phones.� She chuckled again. �They were in our packs.�

Yana sighed. �Which are now somewhere in the center of the earth by now.�

Hammet floored the Sno-Cat. �Let�s hope the Russians had a spare.�

Thankfully, the Russians did, in fact, have a spare satellite phone. There were several to choose from, actually. It took a couple of tries over the span of an hour, but Zahra was finally able to connect with TAC HQ. She was stunned when Solomon Raegor answered the phone instead of Eddy, though the other woman did announce her presence somewhere offscreen.

�Wow, that�s something,� he said. �I�m sorry I got you into this mess.�

Zahra laughed. �I�m not. You should have seen it, sir. Words don�t do it justice.�

�I�m sure they don�t. It�s not every day that one of my agents confirms the existence of extraterrestrial life.�

Zahra�s enthusiasm quickly deteriorated. �But it happens� some days?�

There was a pause. �Okay, this was a first.�

�Then why don�t you sound excited about it?�

�Because, Zahra, things like this tend to eventually bring about more problems. The Sixth Seal bothers me more than the, uh, aliens. Secret Nazi groups aren�t a new thing, mind you, but ones with these kinds of connections are.� He grumbled. �The fact that no one could pick up on Kyle Ford being a spy proves that much.� He sighed. �Looks like we have some digging to do on our end.�

�Careful digging,� Eddy added. �This is big, sir.�

�That it is. That it is��

�What about the site, Zahra?� Eddy asked.

�Wiped clean,� she replied. �There�s currently a mountain sitting on top of it.�

�You sure?�

�Yep. The ship is gone too, though I have no idea where it went.�

Raegor softly chuckled. �Hopefully, very far away from Earth.�

Zahra couldn�t agree more. She didn�t care who the beings really were or why they were here. All that mattered was that they were now gone.

�How�s your fuel, Zahra?� Raegor asked.

�Fine. We raided the Russian camp and stocked up. We shouldn�t have any problems unless our transportation dies.�

�Good. That�s good to hear. Think you can do a little recon before we bring you home?�

Zahra glanced at Hammet and Yana. �Sure. We were already planning to, anyway. �

�I wouldn�t be asking you this if I had other people down there, but the fact is that I don�t.�

�No, it�s fine. We rearmed ourselves at the camp. We can do it.�

�I�m not asking you to get into a firefight, Zahra. Just head for the LC-130 and take a look. That�s it. If it�s still there, hunker down inside and call Palmer for emergency extract.�

�What do I tell them?�

�The truth: That outside forces ambushed you and have suffered casualties. Leave everything else off the table. Copy that?�

�Yes, sir. Talk again soon.�

Until further notice, Zahra, Yana, and Hammet were unable to fly back into Punta Arenas, Chile. Her close call there with the hotel assassin and the events in Antarctica warranted Raegor�s decision to ground them.

But that didn�t mean they were stuck in Palmer Station.

The sea air was crisp, and the sun was bright. If it weren�t still so cold, Zahra would have slipped into a bathing suit and caught some rays. Raegor had arranged for them to take a cargo ship back to South America. The vessel was manned by a skeleton screw, and the only passengers were Zahra, Yana, and Hammet.

�This is nice,� Yana said, leaning on the bow rail next to Zahra. �Cold, but nice.�

The pair were bundled up in fresh winter clothes. Zahra was comfortable. Her face stung a little, and she was pretty sure she had to pee. Other than that, she was great.

Heavy footfalls approached from behind. Hammet leaned forward on the other side of Zahra. He was also in warm clothing.

�Here,� he said, handing Zahra and Yana small mugs of coffee. �Made it fresh.�

Zahra melted. �God bless you, Hammet Braun.�

Yana was likewise thrilled to see the coffee, though her reaction was nonverbal. She silently nodded her thanks, sipped it, and was instantly transported to another place.

�How�s the head?� Zahra asked.

She shrugged. �Better than a couple of days ago. Still have a small headache. I can handle it.�

�Never said you couldn�t.� Zahra looked up at Hammet. �How �bout you?�

He took a sip from his mug. �Back is tight, and my knees are sore. Other than that, I�m fine.�

�You got off easy,� Yana jabbed. She put her arm around Zahra. �Proves that we gals did all the heavy lifting, yes?�

The two women smiled and clicked mugs.

Hammet could only shake his head and look back out to sea. Four dark lumps crested the surface further out.

�Look,� Hammet said, pointing. �Humpbacks.�

Yana pulled out her binoculars. �Looks like there�s a juvenile, too.� She brought them down. �Very majestic creatures.�

Zahra�s jacket pocket chimed. She dug the satellite phone out and answered the call. �This is Zahra.�

�Hello, Zahra,� Raegor said. �You three healing up okay?�

�Yes, sir. We are.� She glanced at Yana. �Some slower than others.� Yana gave her the middle finger while whale-watching through her binoculars. �To what do we owe the pleasure?�

�Are your friends with you?�

Zahra looked at Yana and then Hammet. �Yes, sir, they are. Is that a problem?� Both of them turned their attention to Zahra.

�Quite the opposite, actually. Can you put me on speaker?�

Zahra was confused. �Uh, sure?�

�It�s fine, Zahra. I think we are in safe company at this point.�

�Okay�� She removed the phone from her ear and activated the correct function. �Okay, sir, you�re on speaker.�

�Hello again, Director,� Yana said.

�Hello, Ms. Fedorov.�

Hammet leaned in closer to the phone. �Guten tag, Director.�

�And hello to you, Mr. Braun. First things first, thank you for keeping my agent alive.�

Hammet�s eyes darted up from the phone to Zahra. �You are most welcome, though I suspect that she stayed alive mostly due to her unwillingness to die rather than anything we did.�

�I�m sure that�s also true. The reason I�m calling is to let you three know that we are going to release some of the intel you gathered to the public.�

�Is that wise, sir?� Hammet asked.

�Fair question. I want the Sixth Seal to know they are known if that makes sense. I want their leadership to run and hide. And when they do, hopefully they�ll stir up enough dust for us to take notice.�

�You plan to pursue them?� Zahra asked. �I didn�t think that was something TAC did.�

�It�s not, Zahra. If they are to be hunted, it won�t be by us.�

�That�s a shame,� Yana said.

�Yes, it is. But we don�t get involved in global manhunts.�

Zahra stood straighter. �Sir, I�ve been thinking. What if we did do that?�

�I�ve already put considerable thought into this, Zahra, but�� He mumbled something off-mic. �Okay, Zahra. Go ahead, I�m listening.�

�We could absolutely follow this lead and see where it takes us,� she explained. �I think it�s fair to say that no one knows more about this than Yana, Hammet, and me. If the Sixth Seal is to be tracked down, it would only benefit the cause if the three of us were involved. Am I wrong?�

�Not at all, Zahra.� Raegor spoke off-mic again, no doubt discussing something with Eddy. �Take us off speaker, Zahra.�

Yana and Hammet got the hint. They pushed away from the bow railing and gave Zahra some privacy. She turned and watched them quietly speak to one another while they walked away.

�Okay, sir. You�re good.�

�Hey, Zahra,� Eddy said. �Happy to still have you around.�

�Thanks, Eddy. And thank you for watching over me. The director should take more time off in the future. You did great.�

�Yes,� Raegor said. �I�m sure Eddy would love that��

�Not a chance, Solomon!�

Zahra grinned. She loved their back-and-forths.

�Zahra,� Raegor said, �I need you to understand that if this is going to happen, it would be highly irregular for TAC. We don�t do task force stuff. We protect history. We don�t hunt Nazis.�

�Technically, this is history, sir.�

�Yes, well, touch�.�

�We�ve never asked anyone to do anything like this before,� Eddy explained. �The risks��

�Are absolutely worth the reward! These people need to go down.� She sighed. �And let�s face it, who else can we trust right now besides ourselves? Kyle Ford showed us that.�

�She�s right, Solomon,� Eddy said. �We can only trust one another with this.�

�Unfortunately, I agree with you both, but like I always say, I will leave it up to my agent on the ground to decide.�

�Oh, you can bet your ass I�m in.�

�Colorful� What about Yana and Mr. Braun?�

�I trust them both with my life. They saved my butt several times since I left Levanzo. We need their connections. We need the U.S., Germany, and Russia working together on this.�

Something was happening on the other side of the call.

�What�s wrong, Solomon?� Eddy asked.

�What�s wrong is that I agree with her!�

�Sir? I�m a big girl. I can handle myself. You don�t need to worry so much.�

Raegor breathed out heavily. �Oh, Zahra� The reason we are a successful organization is �because� I care so much about this � and you. I�m nothing without my field team. I was once the man who knew he was possibly sending his men out to die. I�ll never be that man again.�

�I appreciate that.�

He laughed. �I�m sure you do. Give us a moment, Zahra.�

She could tell that the other end had been muted. Now, it was just Zahra and her thoughts. She turned and leaned back against the rail. She spied Yana and Hammet looking at her.

Yana held up her hands, silently asking, �Anything yet?�

Zahra waved them off.

�Zahra?�

�I�m here.�

�Okay, here we go� You�ve got a deal. From now until this business is over, you will lead a task force, codename PAINTED WOLF.� Zahra snickered. �Yes, Eddy thought you�d like it. The �painted wolf� is more commonly known as the African wild dog and is the most successful hunter in all the animal kingdom.�

�Well, let�s hope the name brings us some luck.�

�Agreed. And because of your inability to properly vet anyone right now, I�m also giving you full authority to fill out your team. I need you to be one hundred percent sold on whoever you bring in; is that clear?�

�Crystal.�

Raegor sighed. �We�ll talk again once you�re back on solid ground. I�ll have more directives and debriefings once I�ve had the time to process all of this. Some first assignment, huh? Raegor out.�

�Goodbye, Zahra,� Eddy added. �And congratulations. We are truly in uncharted waters.�

Zahra looked out over the Southern Ocean. �Thanks, Eddy.�

The line went dead.

Zahra pocketed the device and took a deep breath. That must have signaled Yana and Hammet to rejoin her.

�What did he say?� Yana asked. �We need to do something. It was clear that this Vogel wasn�t the man in charge. This doesn�t end in Antarctica.�

�No, it doesn�t.� Hammet agreed, looking very unhappy.

�Yeah, about that��

Yana and Hammet looked at one another.

�About what?� Yana asked.

Zahra stuck her hands in her pockets and looked down at her feet. �I don�t suppose you two would want to, you know, hunt the Sixth Seal out of existence or anything?�

�Absolutely,� Yana replied, eyes alight with excitement.

Hammet stood at attention. �It would be my pleasure.�

Zahra had been building her task force roster in her head the moment she was given clearance to do so. Two more members were easy yeses, and she knew both of them would happily join up, including a certain pilot friend of hers.

Yana stepped up next to Zahra and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. Yana had formally moved past the whole no-touch thing. �So, Ms. Kane, I only have one question for you now?�

�What�s that?�

The Russian smiled and winked at Hammet. �When do we begin?�

Zahra couldn�t hold back her smile. �Right now. Yana Fedorov, Hammet Braun� Welcome to PAINTED WOLF.�

Henri Vogel, former Commander of Sixth Seal operations, sat in the backseat of the Sno-Cat, hands in his lap, cuffed with zip ties, exhausted, distraught, and furious. The five-seat vehicle�s tank tread chewed through the ice as they pushed forward in silence. The cabin was at capacity. There was a trooper on either side of him and two up front in the captain�s chairs.

In a matter of a few hours, since Master Chief Luka Meier had led his mutiny, Henri�s world had crumbled to dust. Everything he�d known was gone. He�d dedicated more than half of his life to the Sixth Seal, and because of curiosity, Tobias Krause had taken it away.

It made him want to look deeply into Ulrich�s death. Henri had rightfully believed that his commander had botched the infiltration of a Swiss clinic. Why would Krause lie about his own son�s death?

But Henri knew why. Ulrich had also been a curious man.

�I�ll kill him.�

�What?� the trooper to his right asked.

Henri just stared through the front windshield, paying the man no attention. His mind was elsewhere. Henri�s mind worked well when immersed in conflict. He had just finished a plan that could afford him the opportunity of asking Krause face-to-face whether he had his son killed or not. Henri still had men like Emil in the organization, men who were loyal to him.

Henri casually turned his head and locked eyes with the trooper. �I said, �I�ll kill him.��

Four of the five men turned and looked at him. The driver could only glance up at him in his overhead mirror.

�Kill who?� the same trooper asked.

Henri faced forward and stared through the windshield. �Tobias Krause. I�m going to kill him.�

The navigator reached for the vehicle�s radio, but Henri launched forward and drove his head into the man�s nose. Then, when he rocked back, he pulled the trooper�s knife free of his belt and elbowed the men beside him in the face. Henri lashed out with a kick, driving the tip of his steel-toe boot into the driver�s temple. He flipped the knife up between his bound wrists and twisted, making short work of the zip cuff.

The tight confines of the cabin made it impossible for the troopers to use their rifles or draw their pistols, and neither one of them had thought to use their knives.

But Henri did.

I should have trained you better.

Henri killed the four men in six seconds.

He pulled the driver out of his seat and stripped the corpses of the necessary gear, but he didn�t dump the bodies. Not yet. When he sat in the driver�s side chair, the radio crackled to life.

�Sno-Cat, this is Skibird. Do you copy?�

Henri answered. �Yes. Go ahead, Skibird.�

�Good news. We are operational, though a lot of the instruments are fifty-fifty at best. I hope you have a damn good pilot with you.�

Henri grinned. �As a matter of fact, we do. See you soon, Skibird.�

Stuttgart, Germany

Present Day

The news of his team�s failure in Antarctica both infuriated him and terrified him. The Sixth Seal had fumbled their greatest opportunity in sixty years. Dietrich had led everyone to believe that the Underworld had been destroyed, and until a few days ago, Tobias had no reason to doubt the claim. And now, his life was truly at risk.

Based on his body�s degradation, his doctors estimated that he had another year left, tops. Tobias felt much worse than that. He coughed into his handkerchief but didn�t check it. He knew there�d be blood in it again.

There was a knock on his office door. He had made it known to Zelda that he did not want to be disturbed unless it was absolutely imperative.

He sighed. �Yes?� Tobias reached into the top drawer, touched the fingerprint scanner, and unlocked the door.

His granddaughter entered. �I have important news, Grandfather.�

Even though she had stood up to him recently, Zelda had returned to her duties as his de facto operations proxy. She�d gotten whatever she needed to off her chest. The mission was always her top priority, a quality of hers he�d grown to respect.

He motioned for her to enter. She did and quickly crossed the room, stopping in front of his desk. �As you requested, I contacted our people at F�rstenfeldbruck Air Base.�

�And?�

�There has still been no contact with the LC-130 since it left Troll. No one knows what happened.�

Tobias sat back. �I think I know��

�Grandfather?�

He blinked and waved her off. �Never mind that. Now, leave me to my medicine.�

She bowed slightly. �Yes, Grandfather. And happy birthday.�

Tobias waited a moment longer for Zelda to put more distance between herself and his office. When he was confident that she was gone, he reopened the drawer and touched one of the two small fingerprint scanners built into the underside of the desktop.

The first scanner controlled his office�s door locks.

He pressed the second one.

It activated the hydraulic system beneath his desk. It kicked in with hardly a sound, and Tobias, his wheelchair and his entire desk, lowered down into his onsite laboratory. This was where his medicine was located, and no one other than his chief scientist was allowed inside.

Not even Zelda or Henri. The last outsider to see this room had been his son.

He pulled back on the joystick of his wheelchair and backed himself away from his desk. Inside the secret basement level were his latest experiments regarding his serum. The equipment here was as advanced as it got. Tobias� experience in this particular field was second to none, though most people only knew him as a high-level financier.

Zelda�s recent coming-out party worried Tobias greatly. He always knew that she�d eventually start asking questions about her father and her future role atop the Sixth Seal ladder. Tobias needed to keep a close eye on her. Though he was proud of the woman she had become, he knew she could also become a threat to him and also a liability.

He drove himself around to the left-hand side of the room and headed straight for an oversized double-door refrigerator. Tobias struggled but was able to push himself up and stand in place, a feat few had witnessed in some time. He placed his hand on the fridge�s palm reader until he heard a soft click. Then he opened both doors, basking in the near-freezing temperature of the escaping air.

He missed the frigid air of Antarctica.

Unlike a kitchen refrigerator, this one didn�t have spacious shelving to store large grocery items. This fridge had been designed for a particular purpose. A vault-like door took up the top third, and it held a prize more valuable than all of Krause Global.

He dropped his eyes from the special containment unit and down to the rest of the fridge.

Tobias extended his forefinger and placed it on another identification tool. This one didn�t scan the unique friction ridges in his skin. A small needle quickly jabbed his fingertip and scanned his blood. Three seconds later, a small click announced that the sample had passed the screening and the drawer had unlocked.

Tobias Krause didn�t take any chances when it came to his medicine.

He had tried to take multiple doses at once, with the hopes of decelerating his condition more aggressively, but it almost killed him. He should have known better. It had killed most of his test subjects in Germany, too. Those that survived became permanently comatose. Now, he used their bodies as permanent test subjects.

He pulled open the drawer and smiled when he was illuminated in an undulating golden aura. The journal would have transformed this archaic concoction into a masterpiece. Technological advancements were what they were missing when Project Fleshgod was founded. Tobias understood that. It hadn�t been their science � the technology of their era had blocked them.

But no longer. Tobias had no choice but to do something drastic. The Reliquary wasn�t the only historical discovery the Sixth Seal had made over the years. Shortly after the war ended, something phenomenal had been found in the Amazon by Mengele�s private military, a tactical element that had eventually been absorbed into the Sixth Seal. The discovery had been the main reason he�d preemptively left the Underworld.

And it is there I must go. Not only was the environment as deadly as Antarctica�s, but the rainforest contained countless other dangers. So be it.

He ran his fingers over the drawerful of auto-injector pens and mumbled the words to Happy Birthday.

�Happy birthday to me��

He picked up a pen, removed the cap, and jammed the tip into his neck. The serum was jettisoned into his bloodstream, making him fall to his knees and gasp for air. But as soon as it started, it was over. Tobias stood on less shaky legs. Regrettably, the youthful feeling of the medicine only lasted a few days.

It used to last months.

�Happy birthday to me��

He shut the fridge and reluctantly returned to his wheelchair. He needed to keep up appearances, even for the few days that the wheelchair wasn�t needed. He drove himself back to his desk, passing several framed documents as he did. One of them, in particular, filled him with great pride. It was a diploma for a Ph.D. in anthropology that he had received from the University of Munich in 1935.

He wheeled himself behind his desk and pressed the button for the elevator again. It reversed direction and rose away from the floor. As it did, he glanced at the diploma again and silently read the name. The certificate did not belong to 95-year-old Tobias Wolfgang Krause.

It belonged to 112-year-old Josef Rudolf Mengele.

�Happy birthday, Todesengel��

He still loved that nickname.

Tobias Krause had been a useful alias for Josef Mengele since the war ended. He had visited the best surgeons in the world. After several excruciating procedures, he�d been physically transformed into Dietrich Krause�s late son, a man who had died in an automobile accident outside Berlin. It had helped immensely that Mengele and Tobias already resembled one another.

The alien DNA-based serum had also helped.

It had slowed down the �time-related deterioration of the physiological functions necessary for survival and fertility,� his aging, significantly. It allowed him to stave off death for a little while longer.

No one alive knew the truth.

Not Zelda.

Even Ulrich had been unaware.

He�d used his best operatives to silently eliminate those who had discovered the truth, disguising the assassinations as something else entirely.

Though Mengele�s goal of immortality had taken a significant blow, it wasn�t dead. Project Black Sunset had been the dream of Himmler and Dietrich Krause. Mengele had assisted in it for his own benefit: Access to the Reliquary.

The Geisterbombers would have wiped out half the world�s population. With that, it would have been so much easier for Mengele�s iteration of the Sixth Seal to rise and assume authority over what was left. He and his unkillable private army would wipe out those who didn�t conform to their new F�hrer�s ideology.

That was still on the table if he played his cards right.

The Schutzstaffel�s Angel of Death smiled, �Happy birthday to me.�

�Two of the genre�s best writers team up!�

��Ernest Dempsey, USA Today bestselling author of WHERE HORIZONS END

Hi, my name is Matt. I�m the international bestselling author of the electrifying JACK REILLY ADVENTURES, as well as two dozen other titles, including DARK ISLAND, and the intense UNSEEN action-horror novels. Moreover, I�ve been fortunate enough to partner with USA Today bestselling author Nick Thacker to create the wildly popular ZAHRA KANE archaeological thriller series. I�m also the Managing Editor for Conundrum Publishing, and I host REAL�LIFE FICTION on YouTube, a video podcast that features the book industry�s finest talents.

My work is heavily influenced by the likes of Indiana Jones, Uncharted, Tomb Raider, The Mummy (1999), National Treasure, and The Goonies. As you can see, I�m a little obsessed with tales of daring adventure. When I was growing up, other kids went nuts for Star Wars or Star Trek. But not me. I fell in love with the globetrotting antics of Dr. Henry Jones, Jr., and the rest, as they say, was history. From that moment on, I was hooked. Though I dabble in other genres from time to time, my heart will always belong to ADVENTURE.

I live twenty minutes from the beach in sunny South Florida with my amazing wife, our two beautiful daughters, a lovable pitty, and an overly dramatic black cat.

YOU CAN VISIT MATT AT:

Website: MattJamesAuthor.com

Podcast: Real-Life Fiction

ConundrumPub.com

Nick Thacker is a thriller author from Texas who lives in Hawaii and Colorado. In his free time, he enjoys reading in a hammock on the beach, skiing, drinking whiskey, and hanging out with his beautiful wife, two dogs, and two daughters.

For more information and a list of Nick�s other work, visit Nick online:

www.nickthacker.com