“Well it doesn’t surprise me,” Nathan said, matter of factly. “For a start, no one ever dives in that place because it’s usually like a maelstrom of turbulent water and very dangerous rock formations. Even the professional divers on the island won’t go anywhere near the place because of the conditions that prevail. Also, if the recent storm hadn’t made the surface unusually calm, and ripped out large patches of vegetation from the seabed, I would never have spotted the channel that led to the tunnel entrance. In fact, I would have sailed on by just as everyone else does.
“OK, but you still haven’t told me exactly where this place is.” LJ remonstrated.
“And that’s the way I want it to stay,” The words came out as they were intended, bluntly and without negotiation.
LJ sighed, stood up, and went over to the far wall. He was a peripatetic man who could not think unless his body was in motion. Concealed behind an austere oil painting of Winston Churchill was a solid looking safe. Placing his thumb on to the biometric fingerprint scanner, the door bolts released with a heavy thud to reveal various documents inside, along with his prized stash of fifty-yearold, single malt whisky.
Taking two crystal glass tumblers, he poured a generous measure into each of them, turned around and walked back to the sofa.
“Nat, I do understand that you want to protect the island from marauding journalists and the like, I really do. But, you’ve also got to be realistic, old son, this discovery of yours is like no other ever made.”
“In what way, do you mean? There have been many U-boats found all over the world. What makes this one so special?”
“Well, firstly this particular one just so happens to still be tied up inside a cavern underneath the island of Jersey. Secondly, according to the official records, it was supposed to have been sunk a month before it was sent on that mission. A mission I might add that Adolf Hitler had ordered personally, and which involved two of the highestranking men in the Nazi Party. Put this all together with a mythical artefact that is supposed to give whoever has possession of it unspeakable power on the battlefield, to the point of never being defeated. Well, I’d say we have ourselves a very strange mystery on our hands, wouldn’t you?”
“And the point is?” said Nathan.
“The point is, so to speak. That if the Spear of Destiny is still on board that submarine. Well as you can imagine, old son, there are those out there who would love to get their fanatical or criminal hands on it. Whether or not it’s genuine or actually has any power is completely irrelevant.”
“What do mean?” Nathan asked.
“I’ll show you.” LJ went to his desk and logged back onto the central archive database. A moment later the information he had asked for, was on the large screen in front of them.
LJ said, “Look at this, the Spear of Destiny is also known as the Holy Lance and the Spear of Longinus. It is considered to be one of the most important Christian relics of the Passion of Jesus Christ. Good grief, look here. The spear was used by a Roman soldier named Gaius Cassius, who was also later called Longinus. He used the spear at the crucifixion of Jesus, piercing his side as he hung on the cross. This caused blood and water to spurt forth from the wound. The mixture apparently splattered Gaius Cassius’s face, restoring his vision, which had been failing. The centurion went on to become an early convert to Christianity, which played a significant role in the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophesy. The spear is believed to have acquired tremendous mystical power and it was passed down from dynasty to dynasty over the centuries. Truly amazing.” “Amazing, is an understatement? So, we now know a little about the legend of the spear. But, what information is there, about whom had possession of it after this Roman centurion?” said Nathan.
LJ scrolled through the pages until he found what he was looking for. “It states here, that the spear subsequently passed through a multitude of hands. Apparently it became the possession of many of Europe’s most important political and military leaders. Some of these included, Constantine I, Alaric, he was the Visigoth king who ransacked Rome in the year 410, Frankish General Charles Martel, Charlemagne the Great, Frederick of Barbarossa and Frederic II. This Nat, reads like a gruesome and bloody guest list to a butcher’s convention. But it is quite apparent old son, that a leader who possessed the spear was said to be invincible. If I recall my history correctly, Charlemagne and Frederick of Barbarossa were both undefeated in battle. Yes, here it is, undefeated until they let the spear fall from their hands. It was then that a legend arose that whoever claimed the spear: ‘holds the destiny of the world in his hands for good or evil.’ LJ poured them both more single malt, and then brought up the final page onto the large screen.
Nathan sat quietly on the sofa, while his old university chum narrated the text. It was just like old times and something LJ had always done for some unexplainable reason.
“Here’s the bit about Adolf Hitler. According to this, he first saw the spear displayed in the Hofsburg museum in Vienna in 1909. He was only a young man then of course, but knew of the legend of the holy lance. His interest was further amplified by its role in the 1882 opera Parsifal, which if my memory doesn’t deceive me, was about a group of ninth-century knights and their quest for the Holy Grail. Hitler’s fascination with the spear was pivotal in sparking his interest in the occult, and it gave birth to his ideas on the origins and purpose of the Germanic race and most definitely contributed to his unwavering belief about his own destiny as a world conqueror. Well, there we have it. He was a megalomaniac even at a young age.”
“This last bit is odd though. On the twelfth of October 1938, not long after the German annexation of Austria, Hitler ordered the SS to remove the spear, and other artefacts from Vienna. They were all crated up and taken by train to Nuremberg, where they were stored in St Katherine’s Church. But it looks like the spear was moved in 1944 to a specially constructed vault beneath the church. This had been built in secret, and by the looks of it, at an enormous cost. But wait a minute, what’s this? It states here that the spear was captured by allied troops in April of the following year and confiscated by American army officers. Either this account is incorrect or Hitler ordered a replica made to ensure it didn’t fall in to the possession of the allied forces. That would give credence as to why our sub was given that mission. Hitler would have had the real spear probably taken by air from Austria direct to Sicily.”
“I’d certainly go along with the theory that he had a replica made, but why go to all the trouble of taking it by air to Sicily, and then back to Jersey by sea. I can’t see why he would have done that.” Nathan argued.
“Because during that final year of the war, everything was very uncertain. I would speculate that Hitler was being extremely careful with his prized possession. Wouldn’t you agree?” Before Nathan had a chance to answer, LJ continued his rhetoric. “And if that’s the case, then the real artefact is in the hold of that U-boat.”
“So what are you saying?” Nathan said.
“What I’m saying, old son, is that the sub on its own is a revelation but that spear could cause chaos if it fell into the wrong hands.”
“You can’t be serious, I’ve never heard such fanciful rubbish” Nathan replied.
“Deadly serious old son. Suppose, for just one moment, that an International terrorist group or even one of these fanatical religious groups had found the U-boat and subsequently took possession of the spear. They would most certainly use the mythology and legend surrounding it to stir things up. Firstly, they would make known the history of it, which in turn would instil a belief in the followers that they were now invincible. Which secondly, I’m sure, would lead too unspeakable mayhem everywhere. I’m not saying for one minute, that anyone in his or her right mind would believe such mumbo jumbo about such things. But never forget, at the very base roots of these fanatics’ causes, is power. The majority of these fellows are no different to Adolf Hitler himself, have no doubt Nathan, this will be deemed to be a powerful and priceless thing to own. Why, it’s absolutely unthinkable what could happen if it fell into the wrong hands.”