"You're right." A small fire lit in her eyes. It quickly grew into a raging inferno. "Let's go stop him."
Chapter 97
"We're trapped." My eyes drifted into the air. Just a few hours earlier, we'd used the front gate to enter the mountain. Now, a massive heap of rock and twisted metal covered the entire area. "I guess that explains why Aaron didn't bother to kill us. He blew up the only exit instead."
"He must've set off a whole bunch of charges." Beverly stared at the giant pile of rubble. "One thing's for sure. We're not getting out of here without a bulldozer."
I pointed my beam around the grotto. "They left our Sno-Cat here. Plus, two others from the looks of it."
"Those were Roy's vehicles." Beverly added her beam to mine. "Not that they'll do us much good."
She was right. The explosions had twisted all three Sno-Cats into nearly unrecognizable shapes.
"Are there any other exits?" Graham asked.
Beverly growled in frustration. "Not that I saw."
I strode through the doorway and marched back down the sloping tunnel. I turned north at the lake and made my way back to the cave.
Although my flashlight was starting to dim, I could still see the giant rocket. At that moment, it looked especially fearsome.
I traced it with my beam. The light just touched the outer surface, leaving the rest shrouded in darkness. I lifted my beam toward the ceiling. A seam ran the length of it.
Beverly appeared in the doorframe. "What are you looking at?"
"I've been wondering how the Nazis intended to fire these rockets from underground," I replied. "They would've needed some kind of silo."
She crossed her arms. "Get to the point."
"The point is this was their silo. They intended to fire these rockets from this cave." Using the flashlight, I traced the seam across the ceiling. "And if a rocket is capable of getting out of here, then so are we."
Chapter 98
"I don't know." Graham frowned at the machine. "Are you sure this is the right one?"
I used my beam to follow the long cables. They extended from the seam all the way to the ground. "Pretty sure."
He walked around the machine, studying it from every angle. Then he wrenched open a long panel on its left side. A maze of wires and various components awaited him. "It looks simple enough. But we still need electricity."
A thick cable sprouted out of the rear of the machine. It trailed across the floor to a giant generator. Additional cables ran out of the generator, extending in all directions.
I noticed a control panel on the generator. It contained numerous gauges and a lever. I pulled off several access panels. On one side, I noticed a water pump, filters, pipes, and clamps. On the other side, I saw a magneto assembly, a ball joint, tubes, and more clamps. "There's a ground cable," I called out. "But the battery is just a pool of melted acid."
"I might be able to fix it," Beverly said.
I glanced up. She stood a few feet away. Her arms were piled high with pieces of metal, car batteries, and tools. "Where'd you get that stuff?" I asked. "The Sno-Cats?"
She nodded.
I cleared out of the way and Beverly dumped the items on the ground. She picked up some tools. Sounds of clinking metal filled the air.
"Am I the only one who thinks this is a waste of time?" Graham asked. "This stuff is decades old."
I studied the machinery. "True, but it's in pretty good shape. No rust or corrosion."
"It'll never work."
"Have you got a better idea?"
"Not really."
After a few minutes, Beverly put her tools down. She replaced the panels and turned her attention to the controls. "Are you ready?"
I nodded.
She pulled the lever. I heard a slight pinging noise. The engine started to spin. The rotor began to rotate. Then the generator burst to life.
I hurried to the machine. It took a few seconds to turn on. I located the control panel and pressed a large button.
The ceiling creaked and groaned. I pointed my beam at it. The tiny seam started to expand. I caught a glimpse of sparkling white. A stiff breeze passed through the room."
"Look out," Beverly yelled.
Giant mounds of snow and ice toppled into the room.
Graham hobbled toward the door. I ran after him.
Snow and ice crashed behind me. I chanced a look over my shoulder and saw snow piles almost as high as my head.
Beverly veered into the hallway. Graham was right behind her.
Large chunks of snow splattered all around me. I jumped.
I flew into the tunnel. I heard a smashing noise. Then I felt a resounding shudder.
I stood up and looked around. Several feet of snow and ice blanketed the room. Using my hands, I dug out some walking space. Then I climbed on top of the snow and stared into the sky. The blizzard looked stronger than ever. I couldn't see even a hint of the sun.
Beverly cleared her throat. "We overlooked something."
I felt a sinking feeling in my chest. "What?"
We've got a way to the surface. But how do we get up there?"
"I saw a couple of ladders."
"Did you really look at them?"
I trudged to one side of the room and looked up. "Damn it. The bolts must've given way."
"We fixed the machines," Graham said. "Maybe we can build new ladders."
"Maybe." Beverly didn't sound too hopeful. "But even if that works, we still need a vehicle."
"Jenner's got a large lead," I replied. "We're going to need more than a Sno-Cat to catch him."
Graham stared at the rocket for a few seconds. "Strange, isn't it?"
"What's strange?" I asked.
"It looks like a V-2 rocket. But it's much longer. You know, I think it's mounted on top of another rocket."
"That makes sense. Like I said, the V-2 had limited range. It would need extra power to cross the globe."
"Do me a favor. Look at the nose."
I lifted my gaze. "It looks like a cockpit."
"My thoughts exactly." His eyes glinted. "The Nazis lacked modern guidance systems. They would've needed pilots to direct these rockets to their ultimate targets."
Beverly frowned. "Nazi kamikazes."
"Not necessarily." He pointed at the rocket body. "That looks like a landing gear. The idea must've been to have the pilots dump their payloads and then land somewhere else. Too bad we don't have any fuel. I'm feeling lucky after seeing that generator come back to life."
A grin creased my face as I thought about the damaged Sno-Cats. "I'm glad to hear that."
"Why?"
"Because I know where we can get some fuel."
Chapter 99
"You can't be serious." Beverly studied the rocket. "It's impossible. This thing is too old."
"It's the same age as the generator," I pointed out.
"That was a simple piece of equipment." She stared at the rocket. "This is a bit more complicated."
"It could work."
"Or it could blow up in our faces."
"We're going to die if we wait any longer," I replied. "And if we die, so will lots of other people."
Graham swept snow away from the rocket. Then he slid underneath it and pointed his flashlight into its interior. "It's in good shape," he said. "I only see one combustion chamber. It's plenty big though. It appears to feed into a single expansion nozzle."
"Is that enough to get us out of here?"
"More than enough." He frowned. "Actually, it's too much. Far too much."
"You know a lot about rockets."
"No, I know about planes. I've flown everything from a prop plane to a jumbo jet. If anyone can figure out this piece of crap, it's me."