Part Seven

The team found a small clearing near the beach, and settled in for a well-deserved rest. They had another uncomfortable day to pass, the enforced idleness weighing heavily on them. To their surprise, though, most managed to get plenty of sleep. They were all tired, even though they all had more than human physical traits. This was largely because of the combined stress of their mission and the relief of accomplishing their mission, rather than because of any actual exertion. Now, they only needed to escape.

As the Sun approached the Western horizon the group made their way to the nearest shore, planning to walk along the beach after dusk to where the boat was hidden. Commander Zero - recognizing that some members of his team were getting antsy about meeting the sub on this last night - planned to have everything ready for their departure ahead of time.

Instead, they quickly pulled back into the woods as they heard someone approaching. An armed patrol of regular German Army troops double-timed it along the beach, right past the hiding place of the commandos. No backpacks for them; they were fitted out for battle. The team members held still until the squad was past. Fortunately, they were not looking for footprints, which would not show on this beach material in the dim light, anyway.

"Looks like they're patrolling the beach pretty heavy," said Tallman, stepping out of the thick growth to get a better look at the backs of the soldiers. "We'd have to work fast to get the boat in the water and out of range of their rifles before they saw us."

"We have quite a bit of time, yet, before the sub surfaces," said Commander Zero. He didn't bother checking his watch. "It'll be much darker then, too."

"Yeah, but they don't look like they're gonna stop any time soon," said Tallman. He quickly moved off the beach and back into the woods. He lowered his voice. "There comes another squad, now!"

The commando group again was unmoving and silent until the hurrying Germans had passed.

"We need something to attract the attention of the guards away from from the beach, then," said Commander Zero, thinking hard and fast. "They're on high alert after last night, and not likely to settle down for a few days. Since we were deliberately avoiding the housing area, luring them there to protect their empowered recruits and those families would put the troops where we're not. With them lured away from here, we can get the boat in the water and head for our rendezvous with the sub."

"I can be very distracting when I want to," said Aaron. He smiled a bit, transformed into Malak, spread his wings and began to glow. "I can also fly out to join you on the way, if I have to."

"I'm not worried about you distracting them. I'm worried about you drawing their fire. Also, what if they send their own empowered against you?"

"I have been flying under my own power for over twenty years," said Malak, confidently. "I have superhuman reflexes and dexterity. I can become intangible, invisible or a combination, and am very tough. I have fought other empowered before. I should be fine."

"Then go," said Commander Zero. "We will - hopefully - meet you later."

* * *

The housing for the Nazi empowered and their families was adjacent to the training area. So close was it that even on this nearly windless night toxic smoke from the still smoldering fires was drifting into it. Though the time was well past sunset, there were still many folks wandering around. People in the housing area - men, women and children - had wet cloths over their lower faces, even indoors. Some of the soldiers were wearing gas masks.

A glowing, winged figure in white robes descended from the darkening heavens and landed on the side of the barracks area facing the training ground. Malak dug his sandals into the bare, compacted dirt, and used his wings to create a wind which blew the smoke away from the barracks. He could sense people arriving behind him, but even the uniformed guards weren't going to shoot an angel in the back. Especially one who was doing something which helped people they were assigned to protect.

After several minutes, the wind finally shifted. Malak was able stop his efforts and turn around.

"I suggest you evacuate until the fire is through," he said, in perfect German. "The fumes from burning creosote are dangerous."

A man lunged at him, moving so quickly that Malak knew he had to be empowered. This was likely the same man the commandos saw running across the water their first night on the island. Malak wasn't there to fight but to distract, so rather than engaging the speedster the angelic figure leaned forward, braced himself and swept his wings around. The resulting blast of air literally lifted the man off his feet and threw him backwards. He landed awkwardly. Malak increased his glow.

"Is that what you do? Attack someone who is trying to help you? Then so be it."

While the witnesses were momentarily stunned, Malak lifted off. He slowly flew straight upwards, until for those on the ground he was nothing more than a glowing dot. Then he vanished.

* * *

Back where the commando team was hiding, they could hear shouting over loudspeakers. In German, telling some of the soldiers - by unit number - to respond to an attack on the camp, as well as recalling more - again by unit number - to the docks on the northern part of Vilm. Most likely, this latter reassignment was in order to take them to the SS base on Rügen to help repel a suspected new group of attackers. The members of the commando team knew that long before anyone from the beach reached either location the need for them would be over. In fact, both needs were already long past. Both groups were more likely being called in to help clean up the results of the previous night's attacks. However, both of these actions were likely sparked by whatever Malak was doing at the barracks. The team members certainly didn't tell the now running German soldiers that they were responding to a diversion.

After waiting a few minutes and seeing no further activity, the saboteurs gave a group sigh of relief. The commandos moved back out onto the beach and resumed their trek to where they had hidden the boat.

However, before they could get very far their progress was again interrupted.

"Look out!" came the shouted warning from Molly.

The team came under attack from two directions. Bullets flew past from ahead of them, and power effects came from behind. What saved them was that both sets of attackers were careful to angle their shots so they presented little danger to their counterparts on the other side of the commando team.

"Into the woods and get under cover!" said Commander Zero, crouched over and running. "Don't let them pin us down on the beach!"

The team faced a mix of SS troops ahead and Nazi empowered behind. Even just the latter outnumbered them. They made it to the woods and took cover, but were indeed pinned down.

"They didn't fall for the diversion!" said Tallman, stating the obvious. "All that was just to lure us out!"

"We have to go on the offensive before the two groups can coordinate!" shouted Commander Zero, checking his STEN. "Hit them both hard!"

This worked better than they had any right to expect. As the commandoes fired their STEN guns in both directions, the two sets of attackers dove for cover. The team took advantage of their initial success to run to the beach and turn in the direction of their initial landing. They made it past the SS troops before those could recover, all the team members being quicker and more agile than normal humans, even combat-hardened troops. Some of the faster of the Nazi empowered tried to cut the team off. However, the commandos had worked together for weeks, and been trained in both armed and unarmed combat. Their opponents had just begun their training, and were used to their powers settling matters. The commandos made quick work of the four enemy empowered who caught up to them.

Unfortunately, this gave another participant time to arrive.

"Verrückt!" yelled Commander Zero, as that individual slammed into the sand ahead of them.

The violent empowered man, smiling, blocked their path. However, Tallman just as quickly stepped in and hit Verrückt hard, startling him. The big man pounded the German, using killing strikes. Tallman wore the stronger, though smaller, man down. His only mistake was hitting him so hard that Verrückt was driven out of reach. Before Tallman could close the distance, Verrückt picked up a boulder from high on the beach and threw it in the general direction of the team. It was headed directly for The Infiltrator. Who was frozen by the sudden threat.

Before any of the others could reach him, Tallman dashed in and knocked the boulder aside. He saved The Infiltrator, but in the process left himself open. Verrückt struck him from behind and stunned Tallman. After that the crazed German had the initiative, and he took good advantage of it.

"This is it," said Commander Zero, his tone determined, as Verrückt straightened from his fallen opponent, grinning maniacally. "All of you, get ready to hit him at once!"

"Is this all you have to send against me?" said Verrückt, in heavily accented English, his tone scornful. He scowled at them, panting hard from his exhertions. "A woman and weak, old men? Why are you looking over there?! I am here!"

"I think you better turn around," said Sutter, with a slight smile.

Verrückt turned just in time to take a wing wrist to the gut as Malak came hurtling in from the ocean, flying just above the waves. The German gave a huge, dramatic grunt, and flew off into the heavy woods. There were multiple sounds of impacts and things breaking. Then silence.

"He appears to be down for the count," said Malak. He had turned his remaining velocity into altitude, which he maintained with lazy wingstrokes as he turned his gaze from the woods to Commander Zero. "Do I follow, to finish him?"

"No. We need to get out of here before anyone else shows up." Commander Zero looked around at his team and sighed. The beach was now clear of enemies, both empowered and SS having left quickly with the arrival of Verrückt. That wouldn't last. "We have made a lot of noise in the past few minutes, and now it's suddenly quiet. That's bound to attract unwanted attention."

"What about..." Sutter gestured at the fallen Tallman.

Malak landed and quickly laid hands on the big man. After a moment he stood, and shook his head.

"I can do nothing more for him."

"Leave him," said Commander Zero. "Unless you want to join him."

"Can we at least... cover him?" said Cobber.

"Yes," said their leader, nodding. "The longer it takes anyone looking for us or Verrückt to find either of them the more time we gain."

They quickly dragged the big man into the woods and covered him with brush.

* * *

At the direction of Commander Zero, they then moved inland, to cut through the woods. This both got them off the beach and reduced the distance they needed to travel. Following their leader's instructions, they moved quickly. They slipped deftly through the heavy undergrowth and not along any existing road or trail. Aaron resumed his wingless form to make his way more easily through the thick growth.

However, they soon found themselves having to divert along a gully, since the far slope was too heavily overgrown for even that group to make quick progress. The strike team had time, with hours to go yet before Midnight, but still they hurried. They'd had enough and more of this island. Following the gully moved them further away from the beach, but still in the general direction the team needed to go.

Then they entered an area of forest punctuated with fallen, worked stones. The ruins they had been told about in their briefings turned out to be more extensive than their informants had thought. As well as stranger. The reduced force of saboteurs slowed to make their way carefully through the ancient wreckage. Not only to avoid attracting the attention of anyone after them with noise, but also because this place universally discomfited them.

"What?" said Commander Zero, softly, as he caught The Solution staring at a carving on a mostly intact wall.

"It's like... one of the false doors in Egyptian temples and tombs. Only... skewed..."

Though the stonework was mostly in ruins, they could see that the parts which still stood had pieces which were cut and placed... oddly. Though the members of the abbreviated team could not have said what was off about the walls and fallen columns, the members of the group of empowered found them unnerving.

"How can all this be here?" said Aaron, baffled. "This whole island is a relatively new thing, formed only..."

"There were several periods during the past million or so years," said The Solution, quickly, as if to refute the strangeness with reason, "when this entire area was both above sea level and free of ice. Though this... construction is likely newer than the most recent such period. There are many archaic stone structures on nearby Rügen. Perhaps the same people built these.

"As for why the ruins were not previously reported, most of this looks as if it were partially cleared only within the past few months or weeks, then left to be recovered by undergrowth. Likely the work was done by Nazi explorers. As if they were searching for... something."

"Maybe," said Cobber. He shivered. "This doesn't feel... normal."

"Got that right," said Molly, with a shiver of her own.

Their feeling of unease grew more intense as they ventured deeper into the overgrown ruins. These were more intact the further they ventured. Eventually the members of the party heard sounds of activity ahead, and saw light. Moving even more quietly and carefully, they soon found the source. Several "scientific types," men in lab coats and their assistants, were working at and around a large, stone pillar which was placed in a cleared area. The inner circle of stone at the center of area had most of the earmarks of a stereotypical pagan altar, except that it was round and flush with the now-bare ground.

The post was of freshly-cut granite, with a bronze brazier on its top. A brazier with flame showing over its rim. That this area had been only recently cleared down to the dirt, with the debris removed from over and around the altar and the area even swept clear was obvious. As was the fact that the ancient-looking brazier had been filled with some flammable liquid and lit, hence the odd flames. The surrounding pillars had also been recently been re-erected, with many of them now propped in place. They, like the new piece in the center and the brazier itself, had something... odd about their proportions. Wiring festooned all of these stoneworks, radiating from a heavy table full of electrical equipment. Batteries on the ground below the table provided power.

Lights had been placed on stands around the inner edge of the circle the pillars formed. There were ladders, jacking gear and even brooms on the ground outside that circle. The intruders fell back a bit, though still keeping the area in sight.

"That smells... foul," said Molly, making a face.

"What are they burning?" said Reynard, who had also caught the scent. "Smells like a charnel house."

"I suspect that is a mixture of animal fat and various herbs," said Aaron. "It's not meant to appeal to the senses. At least, not our senses."

"What is going on here?" hissed Commander Zero. He turned to Aaron, who seemed to be the only one of their small group who knew anything about the ruins and the activity of the Nazis. "What are those men doing and why does this place seem so... wrong?"

"The ancient Greeks explored further than is commonly recognized," said Aaron, quietly.

"You know this for a fact?" said The Solution, who seemed obviously skeptical.

"I've seen it. They found the Mountains of Madness and many other things, long before speculative fiction described them. That was likely one of the reasons their civilization stagnated. They couldn't understand what they found, and neither could they move past it. Many of them went mad thinking too deeply about those things. Though some pursued more conventional knowledge, as if to refute the stranger things they had discovered. Then the Romans came along. Being more pragmatic, they rejected the most esoteric of the Greek discoveries without investigation. Though there is evidence that a temple one Emperor ordered built to honor a deceased lover was actually intended to be a resurrection machine, based on something the Greeks found in their explorations."

"You're babbling," said Commander Zero.

"Perhaps," Aaron admitted.