The Thirteenth Legion (A James Acton Thriller, #15) (James Acton Thrillers) (30 page)

Control Center, Denier Installation, Iceland

“Advance another ten millimeters.”

“Belay
that!” snapped Chaney, eyeing the security monitors that had just shown the
death of six of his men. Six good men, six brothers. “Twenty.”

Dr. Melissa
Cooper, the scientist running the experiment, spun toward him. “Excuse me?”

“Twenty.”

“Why are
we changing the parameters of the experiment?”

Chaney
pointed at the monitors without looking. “Because we have hostile forces on the
premises! We may not get another chance at this.”

“But—”

“Do it!”

Cooper
flinched, startled at the uncharacteristic outburst. “Yes, sir. Advance another
twenty millimeters.”

Chaney
turned toward the readouts, his heart hammering as he glanced at the security
monitors, the Delta team no longer contained to the mechanical room. And with
their cooling plant now out of commission, he began to wonder whether the
safety protocols they had in place were actually functioning should something
go wrong.

But it
didn’t matter. They would proceed no matter what. They had to know. They had to
know if the skulls truly were powerful, truly held the key to mankind’s future.
He had waited years for this, his entire life in fact, his own father a Denier.
He had never dreamed he would actually become the head of the group. When much
of the leadership had been killed by Delta not only in London but the West Bank
as well, it had been decided a younger face was needed, one who the council
would never suspect.

And no
one would have ever expected him.

It had
been a proud, terrifying moment for him when informed of the decision, he not
even aware the leadership that remained was considering him. The shadow council
still existed, safely ensconced somewhere else, though he was the Proconsul.

His word
was final.

And he
would use that power to make certain nothing interfered with their plans.
Before this night was out, the world would know the power of the skulls, even
if he had to die doing it. The time had come for their secrets to be revealed,
for their power to be unleashed.

He had
trained to be a doctor, then switched his focus to law enforcement. But today
he was a pioneer, an explorer, a descendent of the Thirteenth Legion, about to
change the face of the world. Not a man or woman in this complex had any doubts
that they were about to harness an incredible power source that would change
the human species forever.

A free,
unlimited power source of incredible proportions, would end man’s reliance on
all other forms of electricity, and with the expected abundance, would power
the world for eternity, allowing man to focus on the future, of bettering the
lives of those living in all corners of the planet, and eventually, moving
toward the stars.

And
eventually, discovering the origin of the skulls.

It was
his belief that aliens had brought the skulls to Earth eons ago, in the hopes
they would challenge whatever intelligent species arose to question their
origin and attempt to tap their power, a power that would give the species the
ability to leave this lonely rock and venture out into space to discover their
benefactors.

This
wasn’t magic.

This was
technology.

Handed
them by the gods.

And he,
Martin Chaney, was about to reach out and touch them, to see their power in all
its glory.

The
gauge spiked, passing the red line for a brief moment, then settled down, again
higher than before.

A hum
resonated through the room.

“What’s
that?” asked Cooper, searching about for the source.

“Didn’t
your scientists report a hum when the skulls were placed together in 1212?”

Chaney
spun toward Acton, he and Laura still held at gunpoint near the door. He said
nothing, though the man was right. There
had
been a hum. He placed his
hand on the console and felt a slight vibration. He turned to Cooper. “Do we
know the source of the vibration?”

Cooper
shook her head. “Negative.”

“Didn’t
that hum precede a massive explosion that levelled half of London?”

Chaney
ignored Acton.

“Martin,
please, you have to stop this, it’s over!” cried Laura.

He
turned toward her, pointing at the displays. “We’re siphoning off the power
easily, there’s no risk at this point. London happened because there was
nowhere for the power to go. Here there is. Now please, keep quiet and let us
do our jobs!”

He
turned to Cooper.

“Another
twenty millimeters.”

The
needles spiked again before settling.

And the
hum grew.

Outside the Denier Installation, Iceland

Atlas pulled away from his binoculars as bright lights suddenly
bathed the entire area, the secret they were there apparently out.

“We’ve
got activity.”

Atlas
looked toward where Moore was pointing, immediately spotting the new arrivals.
“Welcome to the party, boys.” He activated his comm. “Zero-One, Zero-Seven.
We’ve got hostiles visible.” He peered through his binoculars. “Two, make that
four, no six and counting. Looks like they’re trying to find us, over.”

Dawson’s
reply was quick. “Anyone heading for the cables?”

Atlas
watched the group for a moment. “Affirmative, two of them.”

“Roger
that. Do not detonate until they reach the charges. I want as many of them
outside as possible. It will make our job inside easier.”

Atlas rolled
his eyes at Moore. “Gee, thanks.”

“Don’t
say I never do anything for you. Zero-One, out.”

Atlas
reached for his pocket, a vibration having him thinking for a moment that his
phone was ringing.

But it
was everywhere.

“Do you
feel that?”

Moore nodded.
“If you mean the vibration, yeah. Started a couple of minutes ago.”

Atlas
looked over at the bright lights of the opened lab and a pit formed in his
stomach.

Could
these whackos actually be right?

Londinium, Britannia, Roman Empire
December 16
^th
, 75 AD

Flavus sat beside the bed of the old man who had been with them for
years now. He had become part of the family, part of the brotherhood that was
the Thirteenth Legion. An odd fellow, a man of few words, he held a wisdom
about him that Flavus had come to rely upon over the years. Though his counsel
was rare, sometimes merely a smile or a nod, it was welcome, more so since
Flavus had made the decision to plan for the future.

Atticus
had found a wife and already had his first son, several of the others now with
families. He too had just married with his first child on the way. A decision
had been made not to inform the wives of their true purpose, and it would be up
to the men to pass the legacy of the Triarii down to their sons when they were
of age. The skull would remain a secret known only to those who bore the mark.

The old
man held out his hand, the small tattoo on the inside of his left wrist
revealed as his sleeve slipped higher, a tattoo he had been proud to receive a
year ago, after a symbol had been chosen for what would one day be more than
just the few that had survived. All now bore the symbol, a symbol that
represented who they once were.

The
third and final line of the legion.

Two
straight lines, representing the first and second lines of troops in a legion
entering battle, the first the most inexperienced, the second, more
experienced, ready should the first falter.

And a
third, slightly curved line, the Triarii, the most experienced, seasoned
troops, standing behind the first two lines of defense, ready to slaughter any
who would make it through, any who would harm Rome.

Rome.

He
closed his eyes, trying to picture it. It had been so long that now it was
difficult. The bustling streets, the towering monuments. Word had arrived that
Emperor Vespasian had begun a mighty coliseum in the center of the city, a
monument that would certainly stand as a testament to the grandeur that was the
Roman Empire.

An
empire they all still served.

In
secret.

He
clasped the old man’s hand in both of his. “How are you feeling?”

The old
man smiled up at him. “I’m dying.”

“Don’t
talk like that.”

The
smile broadened, the room beginning to fill with the others, word sent that the
end was near. “It is time.”

“Time
for what?”

“For you
to know the truth.”

Flavus
sucked in a quick breath, excitement surging through his body. He had known Ananias
had secrets, secrets he refused to divulge. The man seemed to know something
about the skull that no one else did. Flavus had asked him on innumerable
occasions to share what he knew, the old man always refusing.

Could
today finally be the day the truth was revealed?

“And
what is the truth, old friend?”

Everyone
gathered closer, saying nothing.

“I, and
those of my kind, have been the keepers of the skulls for longer than you could
possibly imagine.”

Skulls?

His
eyebrows rose slightly at the word, though he saved his questions, not wanting
to interrupt what he hoped would be a steady flow of information now that the
dam had finally been broken.

“I have
been waiting to pass the torch, to hand the duty entrusted to me so long ago,
to a new generation who would safeguard the skulls and continue our mission.”
He squeezed Flavus’ hand. “It took me a long time to find the right people, but
I die knowing I have. The task demanded of you by your emperor is more
important than you could possibly imagine, and your responsibility extends
beyond that of the Roman Empire, for it is merely a blip in what will be a long
history for mankind.”

“I don’t
understand,” said Flavus. “You said ‘skulls’. Are there others?”

The old
man nodded. “Yes. Thirteen in total.”

Everyone
gasped, including Flavus. “Thirteen?”

“Yes. Thirteen
that have over the years spread out across the land to the farthest reaches.”

Flavus
shook his head, still wrapping his head around the idea.

Thirteen?

One had
been trouble enough, but thirteen sounded like a nightmare. With just the one
causing so much trouble in the brief time he had been around it, from the fire
in Rome to the restless Gauls and storms at sea, it could explain why much of
the world outside the borders of the empire was so barbaric and troubled. If
they too were being influenced by the evil contained within these cursed
objects, there might be no hope for them unless they were found and destroyed.

“Are
they the source of the evil that dominates so much of our world?”

This
elicited a chuckle. “They are no more evil than the chair you sit in, or the
child that plays outside this very door. But men will do evil things to possess
them and harness their power.”

“Power?”

“These
are very special things, as I and the others like me have come to learn, and
they do indeed have a power within them.”

Flavus’
eyes narrowed. “You refer to others. Who are they?”

Ananias shook
his head. “They are no more. I am the last.”

“Then
who
were
they?”

“They
were the ones chosen by those who preceded us. Just as I am choosing you. It
has been a long journey, but I saw honor and sacrifice that day in Judea, and I
decided it was time to reveal the skull I guarded to a soldier I knew had honor
within his heart. It has been a journey of decades to see what would come of
that fateful day when the Christian martyr died, but I knew, in the end, that
men of good conscience would come, and you have.” He closed his eyes for a
moment, his breathing labored.