The shelf ran straight down, shooting through the icy waters. Nearby, he saw the wreckage of the cargo ship. He also noticed the ice docks. They had survived the explosion largely unscathed. A small submarine sat patiently next to them.
He'd used the Desolation to bring trucks and equipment to Antarctica. But the Amber Room was far too important to be extracted on a ship owned by someone else. So, Jenner had used his contacts and vast resources to procure a submarine.
He'd had no real desire to destroy the Desolation or kill its crew. But he couldn't risk anyone knowing about his operation. Thus, he'd ordered the placement of explosive devices.
Of course, things hadn't gone perfectly. Reed had managed to save Johnny Richards from the ship. By that time, Jenner's men had already vacated the area. So, he'd taken matters into his own hands, sneaking into the clinic and putting an end to the man's life.
Overall, it hadn't been an easy operation. But now that he possessed the Amber Room, he knew his efforts had been worth it.
The air picked up speed and started to howl. Jenner strained his ears, but he couldn't hear anything over the blistering wind. Where was that third truck?
The swirling snow left him. It spun away, heading toward the vehicles. Jenner wiped powder off his face. He still couldn't hear much. His visibility remained poor.
He marched toward the caravan. Under his watchful eye, numerous crates were removed from the second truck. Each one contained several panels from the Amber Room, packed carefully so as to avoid any damages. Stepping with extreme caution, the soldiers walked them across the snowy expanse and deposited them near the cliff.
Several cryocontainers were removed from the first truck. His engineers had salvaged them from Kirby's basement along with Rupert's body. He had serious doubts about Holly's ability to revive the dead. But that was her business. All he cared about was her ability to harvest the Großen Sterbens bacteria.
Jenner's brow furrowed, forming thick ridges on his forehead. "Has anyone seen Holly?"
The soldiers frowned. They gave each other confused looks.
A gust of wind blasted Jenner's side. He quickly realized the problem. The air was almost deafening. "Has anyone seen Holly Whitlow?" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
The soldiers checked among themselves. They didn't say anything but Jenner noticed them holding their weapons a little more firmly. He swore silently to himself.
"I want two teams," Jenner yelled. "The first team will look for Holly. The second team will set up the pulley system and begin lowering everything to the docks."
The men burst into action. A few of them raised their rifles and fanned out across the area. Slowly, they worked their way out from the vehicles.
The second group broke down a crate and removed a bunch of heavy supplies. Then they constructed a minimal yet powerful pulley system that had been specially designed for the situation.
Jenner watched them work out of one eye. He kept the other eye moving about the landscape. Something about the snow bothered him. He couldn't put his finger on it. It just looked and felt peculiar.
The swirling snow grew wider in scope. It spread across the terrain, engulfing the vehicles near the cliff. One by one, the soldiers vanished into the white powder.
Jenner waited. After a minute, he started to tap his foot. At the two-minute mark, his neck tensed up.
Finally, he couldn't take it any longer. He withdrew his pistol and dropped into a crouch.
The snow engulfed him as he crept to the south. It attacked his eyes, plugged his nose. His visibility dropped. His sense of smell vanished.
He passed between the two trucks. He saw their doors. He saw their wheels. But that was the extent of his vision. The snow was so thick it completely blocked his view of their hoods.
He raised his right arm to shield his eyes. But the snow just swirled at him from other directions. Blinking rapidly, he swept his gaze from east to west.
The wind slowed for a microsecond. A soft scream rose from the southeast.
He hurried toward the source. Snow swirled into his field of vision, cutting off all visibility. Then it swirled to the side, allowing him a brief moment of sight.
Ten feet away, he saw a figure facing the opposite direction. He rushed forward. "Holly? Are you—?"
She keeled over and collapsed. The snow around her head turned crimson.
"Holly?" Jenner flipped her over. "What the …?"
Her parka was ripped to shreds. A giant gash crossed the base of her neck. Her head, nearly severed from her body, was angled in grotesque fashion.
Jenner didn't bother feeling for her pulse. There was no point.
Holly was dead.
Chapter 104
"We're outnumbered." Beverly lowered the binoculars. "And outgunned."
I shifted in the driver's seat. "What are they doing?"
"Hang on. The snow is getting thick over there." She adjusted the lenses. "A few people are hanging back with the trucks. The others are building something. A pulley system, I think."
"There are some ice docks down there. I don't think they were damaged by the Desolation." I racked my brain. "Jenner must've brought in his own boat."
"Or a submarine." She handed the binoculars to me. "That's what I'd do."
I took a quick glance through the lenses. Then I pulled the vehicle to a stop. "I need you guys to get out."
Graham frowned. "Forget it."
"It's the only way. They need this truck." My jaw firmed up. "So, I'm going to give it to them."
Chapter 105
Jenner felt a distant rumble.
The snow scattered. His visibility improved markedly. He saw a shadowy silhouette racing toward him. It looked like the missing truck. Only something was different about it.
He squinted. His heart raced. It wasn't one of his men behind the wheel. It was that damn treasure hunter.
Cy Reed.
Chapter 106
His eyes blazed at me, easily piercing the sheets of snow. The rushing air picked up speed. The falling snow swirled in giant circles, forming a massive wind tunnel.
I leaned closer to the windshield. I could barely see his face. And I couldn't really distinguish his features. But his eyes … I knew them well.
My hands twitched on the steering wheel. It wouldn't take much to run him over. A single flick of the wrist, a twist of the tires. In a matter of seconds, he'd be crushed beneath the truck.
I forced my hands to remain steady. It wasn't out of pity. As far as I was concerned, Jenner deserved to die. But running him over was a dicey proposition. He could easily jump out of the way, causing me to crash into the truck behind him. I'd survived a lot of things in the last couple of days.
But there was no way in hell I'd survive that.
I drove past Jenner and saw a bunch of soldiers huddled together near the cliff. They were surrounded by crates and were working hard on constructing a pulley system.
I turned the wheel. Aimed the vehicle at them.
The soldiers looked up. Their eyes grew wide.
My stomach fluttered. I took a quick glance into the cargo area. I felt a pang of regret as I laid eyes on the crates. Destroying the Amber Room was the right thing to do. But it damn near ate me up inside.
The vehicle bounced over a snow bank.
I cracked my door open.
The soldiers scattered in all directions.
The truck started to slide. I fought to keep it in a straight line.
A crate bounced off the windshield. I kept my foot on the accelerator for another second. Then I leapt out of the vehicle.