“It won’t be the first time a president has yelled at the director of this department, I can assure you of that, Niles.”
He half smiled and then shook his head. “I hate placing my best friend in this situation.”
“It’s a situation he agreed to. After all, Niles, Carl is one of his men as well as yours.”
“We may not have a mission anymore, and may have also lost even more personnel and friends than just Carl. We may have single-handedly sunk a hundred years of departmental history. The Group may not survive this if the president is caught lying to his own agencies. I’ve placed my best friend in an impossible situation.”
Alice patted his arm and then turned on the monitor to check in with Xavier Morales. She turned just as the computer center back at Nellis came into focus.
“If we can get back our people, who gives a damn in the end? The president is still the head of this agency and one of us.”
Niles Compton smiled for the first time in two days as he realized that Alice had just refueled his desire to get his men and women back in one piece and save the president the indignity of having to explain something he had little to do with. He knew his friend would go down, just like the presidents before him, in safeguarding the secret that is the Event Group.
“Xavier, let’s start working to get our people home.”
On the screen Morales was there with his many computer techs.
“Yes, sir, we are assuming that they are alive and have been working to get the return doorway operational. We are beginning the signal now and will continue until we get an answer.”
Niles looked at the clock on the wall and then shook his head.
The director had a bad feeling that the clock here was not the only one running down as his thoughts quickly went to the threat of Mount Erebus and her murderous sisters.
21
Carl had given Sarah the combat survival knife and appointed her point man. He would guide her from the back of the small line as they made their way down the falls side of the steep ravine. Everett felt far easier with his new charges because he knew the terrain was much too steep for the local animals to feel comfortable hunting on. Still, they made slower time as the ash cloud once more arrived with the winds, and this time it was mixed with a harsh blend of sulfur and pumas that was starting to irritate their throats.
Carl had allowed them all to quench their parched throats at the wide river. The newcomers to his world were faring far better. Everett was still having a hard time believing they had come for him.
“Oh, my,” Sarah said as she spied the Roman stockade for the first time as Carl had led them down a trail that was hidden from view, just in case the Russians they had told him about followed them. He knew Jason and Will would have no problem giving them the slip if they hadn’t already.
“Okay, I give up on the whole history thing,” Anya said as she and Virginia saw the old ruins through the falling ash.
“Someone is going to get an earful when I get back,” Virginia said as she stepped toward the long dried-up moat. The trench was over ten feet deep and the opposite side was spiked with old spears that shot off at angles toward the moat. “The whole of history may have to be rewritten.”
Everett chuckled as he realized the others had not figured out the little puzzle. He would let them stew on it awhile.
“You have to slide down on your asses I’m afraid, I didn’t think it would be wise to build a two-lane highway to my only sanctuary.”
Virginia snorted as if his concern for their femininity irritated her to no end. She sat and went sliding down the ash-covered slope of mote. Sarah also shook her head at Carl’s concern and then followed suit. Carl took Anya’s hand, looked down at her, and frowned when he saw her returning his look as if he had kicked her puppy.
“What?”
“I’m still extremely pissed at you for dying on me.”
Everett scratched the itchy beard and looked consternated. “Well, then, I guess I have to make it up to you.”
“Don’t think it will be that easy. I’m a Gypsy, remember?” She smiled and then plopped down unceremoniously and then gently and adeptly slid down the slope.
Everett knew that no matter what happened, he could be happy with Anya anywhere in the world, or at any time.
The three were shocked at the equipment that had been gathered up by Everett in the six months he had been in Antarctica. Sarah had to stop and examine the Roman shield. The red leather had peeled away exposing the wood beneath. She saw the outline of an emblem or insignia that had long ago left the ghost of a shield.
“Just wait, you’re really going to like this,” Carl said as he pushed aside some giant elephant ear plants and pulled out something they couldn’t see. He had to laugh again when he saw their faces as they turned a shade of red he could clearly see in the mounting dusk and ashfall of the false evening.
“I understand now,” Virginia said just as Sarah and Anya realized the true nature of the strange finds. The Rising Sun battle flag of the Japanese army was unfurled. Even though it was tattered and worn out in many places it was still spry with the colors of red and white. Virginia reached out and raised the old wooden shield that had once been covered in dyed-red leather and adorned with tacks that made the shield enduring in thought and memory. “The legendary Ninth Legion,” she said as she smiled over at Anya and Sarah.
“The Iranian power plant tests. From their test records the timing fits. The year the legion vanished was in the time frame of their sixth test. Tell me, Carl, was there any Chinese battle gear found?” Sarah asked, hoping to lay the theory to rest.
“Not yet, but then again I wasn’t keen on going out and looking for any either.
“They all vanished through a wormhole not intended for them. They were trapped and went through the same rip in time that I did, only many hundreds of years separate,” Carl said almost sadly.
“What happened to them?” Anya asked, very much afraid of the answer if he had one.
Everett looked away momentarily and was about to answer when he heard the movement behind him.
“Yes, I would very much like to know the same thing.”
They all turned as one and Virginia dropped the Roman shield when she saw Doshnikov as he and his four men pushed Ryan and Will out in front of them as they left the first enclosure only yards away.
Everett saw the armed intruders to his inherited domain and then his eyes went to Mendenhall and Ryan. Without any regard to what would happen, the three men stepped forward and shook hands. When that wasn’t enough they hugged and slapped each other on the back. The whole time Sarah, Anya, and Virginia smiled and the Russians didn’t interfere.
“I should have known you two hard-asses would have already infiltrated the enemy camp and taken hold of the situation,” Carl said with a broad smile.
“Yeah, we were just getting ready to make our move,” Ryan said as he finally released Everett’s hand. “Besides, I fully expect a royal ass-chewing if we ever get out of this.”
Carl finally turned his attention to the man Sarah had told him about in their trek back to the stockade. The man was looking far worse than his people and that made him smile at the Russian.
“What’s your story?” Everett asked as he made Will and Jason step back.
“I am a man not to be trifled with, as your friends can attest.”
Carl looked from the Russian’s eyes to the old Colt in his hands. Doshnikov saw this and then lowered the weapon and gestured for his men to follow suit.
The Russian turned to face the man that looked like one of the old pictures of his countrymen who lived in the wilds of Siberia, or the mountain men of the American West.