The Eye of Moses - Vatican Knights Series 22 (2020), Rick Jones [learn to read books txt] 📗

Gruber quietly raising his hands in surrender. Then surprisingly to everyone inside Caspari’s office, Hans Gruber tossed himself over the railing and into a freefall to the valley below.

After the picture closed, Elias Caspari returned his attention to the men sitting before him. “Since there’s no footage on Kristoffel, I’m accepting the fact that he failed to report to Deep Mountain because he disappeared in an area where there’s no CCTV scan. Whether he’s dead, alive, or held captive remains to be the question. And one I want answered as soon as possible.”

“Before I mobilize a unit on common ground,” Salt stated, “I believe it would be prudent to review additional footage from all points across the city.”

“That would be wasting time,” Caspari returned, “should Alix Kristoffel be in the custody of the Consortium.”

“Kristoffel has an iron constitution,” Salt informed him. Then he pointed to the TV monitor against the wall. “As did Hans Gruber, who sacrificed himself rather than give up utilitarian secrets.”

“The constitution of every man is different,” Caspari returned evenly.

“Not when it comes to those under my command.”

“Your people, Salt, were also supposed to be the best of the best in combat. But that,” now it was Caspari’s turn to point a finger at the TV, “proved to me that your unit is not as skilled as you made them out to be. Hans Gruber didn’t even put up a fight.” Then noting the measure of Ueli’s scowl, who no doubt took umbrage from Caspari’s remark, Elias quickly added, “Barring present company, of course, as told by your actions with the one called Mr. Shakespeare. Well done.” This softened Ueli’s features.

“Still, I’d put my team up against anyone within the Consortium,” said Salt.

“Well, I’m glad you said that,” Caspari stated, “because that’s exactly what you’re going to do. There’s no doubt that the Consortium came after the Eye of Moses. How they happened to track your unit to Lucerne doesn’t matter. What does matter, however, is that they’re here and we have to deal with them. They’re not going away unless we take the steps to deactivate them.” Then addressing Salt, he added, “I want you to send Mr. da Vinci a clear message. I want every member of the Consortium unit lined up in a neat little row of corpses . . . Then I want it to go viral.” Elias Caspari leaned forward and winged his arms on the desktop. “Make it so, Salt. I can only assume that they’ve been able to track the Eye of Moses to the city . . . but not to the complex. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have approached Gruber to mine him for information. That’s why we need to find Kristoffel and fast—before he compromises our location.”

“That’s not going to happen,” said Ueli. “I know Alix. He wouldn’t give up Deep Mountain.”

“Maybe not,” Caspari returned. “But I’m not willing to take that chance, either. We’re dealing with the Consortium here. And as you’ve already seen on the TV monitor by their display of combat skills, they appear to be accomplished fighters who can rival Salt’s team. Whether Alix speaks or not, the Consortium knows that we’re in the general area. It’s only a matter of time before the location of the facility is identified.” After easing back into his seat, Caspari added, “Salt, I need you to shore up the defenses of Deep Mountain. Since there’re only two means of entering the precipice—by chopper and by cable car—we can defend both fronts until I can abscond with the Eye of Moses to another satellite location. I need you to buy me time. I need you to take out the Consortium unit when they come . . . And they will come.”

Salt nodded. “I can send a team into the city and put them on the hunt,” he told Caspari.

“Belay that. I want your team here to defend the fortress until I’m gone.”

After the discussion abated and Salt and Ueli left the office, Caspari made immediate demands to his personnel to begin a massive evacuation. Of course, extra care and diligence were to be taken with the Eye of Moses and the crucible that once belonged to Nostradamus. But the feedback he received was not what he wanted to hear from his lead tech manager. Such a venture would take weeks, not the days that Caspari requested. After Caspari told his Lead Tech to work his unit until they dropped, he then advised his chief researcher to break everything down for immediate transport.

Severing the call, Elias Caspari looked out the window and at the grand vista. With snow-capped mountaintops and floral-laden valleys, there was nothing more beautiful, he considered. But the idea of the Consortium closing in on their position kept bouncing back at him. They were canvassing the area for the lab. And it would only be a matter of time before they discovered it. This he knew since the Consortium was their only rival in the scheme of all things—the ying to their yang.

Knowing that they had Aaron’s rod gave him hope that its powers could be interpreted, understood, and harnessed to such a degree that there would be no equal.

But he also understood that such an endeavor would not go without a challenge, either.

The Consortium, he knew, was coming for them with all the armaments they could carry.

What he would not account for, however, was that they were also approaching with their most lethal weapon: a Vatican Knight.

* * *

The company’s lead technician toggled the lever on the telecommunications switchboard to end his interaction with Caspari. The researcher had become incensed because Elias Caspari had been asking for the impossible. Removing the Eye of Moses was a delicate procedure—one that had already cost the lives of two men.

Sitting before a string of illuminated TV monitors, the Master Tech watched the throb and glow of the dark particle, a universal power.

It was a spark from the Big Bang, he thought. And a power not yet understood.

Yet