Return of the Real Italian Alphas (3 page)

CHAPTER FOUR

 
“All right, as you know silver cannot harm an Alpha wolf,” said Rico to Gabriel and Betsy as they stood loading guns later that day. “So I found a new vein of that same ore that can penetrate the flesh of an Alpha once it’s forged. There was no known record of it previously so I’ve decided to dub it Riconite. This metal, though it can easily pierce the Alpha flesh, does not appear to be lethal to us. The wounds are able to heal fairly quickly.”

“Then what practical use is it going to be to us?” Betsy wanted to know. “Why load these guns with bullets that will barely even hurt the enemy?”

“For the most part, you’re right,” Rico agreed. “But these particular bullets have been loaded full of ammonium chloride, which can cause some nasty stinging once it hits the bloodstream of even the strongest wolf. It might be enough to slow them down if nothing else.”

“That makes sense,” she said. “Better than nothing, I suppose.”

“If everyone is packed up, I think it’s time we were going,” Rico said to the group of eight people who would be going on this mission. “Remember, keep your eyes open and your mouth closed, and we should come out of this alive.”

The wolves who went out into the night were almost exclusively Alphas, each having touched the Amulet of Fenrir when they’d been recruited to work in the compound. In fact, the only non-Alpha wolves in the facility were test subjects being used as a control group. It was Rico’s hope that he would not have to sacrifice any of them, but he knew that if Alphas were unable to enter wherever it was that they finally found the lance, obviously the non-Alphas would have to be sent instead.

The moon was waning on this particular night but it was still a bit brighter than Rico would have hoped for it to be. Everyone was dressed in dark clothes so they could blend into the desert sand. They moved quickly to the conveyance truck that waited for them at the far end of the compound and quickly got inside. Rico himself manned the wheel, since driving like a madman was his second most favorite pastime, with science being his first.

In fact, he had even discovered that the ore they’d found in the caves under New York. He was waiting for it to be added to the Periodic Table even now. Over the past six months since he’d obtained the old medical facility that had been shut down, he’d turned the place into a well hidden, veritable fortress and brought in a crew of over two hundred people to help him with his research and development.

Gabriel didn’t doubt the clever Rico was working on more than just the Lupo problem. He knew the man to be a great innovator, and he had amassed millions of dollars just for fun, sticking his fingers into many pursuits that most legal governments were likely to frown upon. So he could well understand the need for weapons and secrecy. It also seemed kind of fun, like he’s went from being a mob boss to an international spy.

He caught Betsy watching him out of the corner of his eye and wondered if his thoughts were showing clearly on his face or his wife just knew him too well. It was obvious from her slight smirk that she’d figured out at least that he was enjoying the ride. He smirked back at her, but he didn’t confirm or deny if her suspicions were true, just shrugging and grasping her hand instead.

“The trip to Giza will take time,” said one of the men who sat inside the truck with them. “Perhaps you two ought to get some more rest along the way.”

“I fear I am wide awake,” Gabriel had to admit.

“As am I,” said Betsy, giving his hand a squeeze. “Do you think there will be any trouble getting into the pyramids? I understand they are heavily policed to prevent any sort of vandalism.”

“Not to worry, little one,” he replied. “Rico has special permission to enter. This truck is more for getting us there in the first place. Once we’re inside the perimeter, we’ll be free to move about however we please.”

Betsy nodded. That was good, at least. She didn’t want to run into any trouble if it could be avoided. Rico had explained to her what they were looking for—a stone that could protect someone from the effects of the lance—but as yet she had no idea how he intended to find it. No such stone had been discovered in the known chambers of the three pyramids in question, so he must be expecting to open a new one.

That was dangerous itself. The pyramids were well known to have traps of a most deadly nature hidden within their walls. All she could say was that she was glad she would not be entering first.

Finally the truck came to a stop and the men began to gather up their gear. Betsy and Gabriel followed their example, and picked up their own packs as well. Gabriel helped Betsy secure hers snugly, and she checked the straps on his pack as well. They followed the others as they filed out the back of the truck and fell in step behind Rico as he began to walk quickly toward the massive pyramid that towered over the place they’d parked.

“We’re behind the pyramid on a side not visible from the road,” Gabriel observed. “Thinking ahead again, I see.”

“A little planning goes a long way,” Rico agreed. “I would guess you’ve never entered a pyramid before?”

“No, I haven’t,” said Gabriel. “At least not this kind. Betsy and I went with a tour to see the South American variety before the twins were born.”

“I would say there are plenty of differences between the two,” Rico explained as they passed through the entrance and into the main hall. “The first one is, always keep your eyes open for traps. Even though it’s believed they have all been found, there’s always certain to be a few surprises left in store for anyone foolish enough to let down their guard. Never touch the walls, walk slowly near the center whenever you can unless I tell you otherwise. If a floor tile looks suspicious it probably is. So good luck, and let’s go.”

“Do you have any idea which way to look?” Betsy wanted to know.

“The lower levels, I’m sure,” he said. “There’s still a lot down there to explore. Luckily, I studied hieroglyphics for fun as a kid, so I might be able to read the walls at least enough to have a clue. We’re looking for a picture of a half wolf, half man god, possibly Wepwawet or Set, or maybe even Anubis. He should be guarding mortality from those who would wish to cheat death. Sort of like Cerberus, really, but I don’t think there was an exact Egyptian equivalent of him.”

“The three-headed dog that prevented dead people from escaping the underworld?” Betsy clarified. “Interesting. So, maybe he also doesn’t let immortals go in?”

“The stones are meant to protect the werewolf holding them from death—in other words, they prevent the bearer from being killed, so they would thus not need to enter the underworld,” Rico agreed. “So that’s sort of like cheating death. Maybe Cerberus doesn’t pay any attention to werewolves holding the stones at all.”

“You two are starting to really sound crazy,” Gabriel mentioned. “We’re not talking about a real creature, just a myth.”

“There’s no way of knowing if Cerberus is a myth, any more than we could absolutely know the stones are real, or that the lance ever truly existed and if so, whether it remains in existence today,” Rico defended himself. “But I’ll tell you one thing, boss. If we find those rocks, it’s a sure bet we’re likely to find a real lance as well.”

“Rico, we’ve found the entrance that will take us further underground,” reported one of his men. “The hieroglyphics were strange, though. The painting was clearly Roman in nature, and must have been put there much later than the others. It looked like the other gods, but the human figure had sprouted three heads. Maybe jackals, like Anubis.”

“Well, this is starting to sound promising,” said Rico with a pleased smile. “We may have discovered exactly what we came here for. Everyone, be very careful not to touch anything when we go in. Don’t even make a sound.”

*

The doorway, if in fact it was one, looked no different than any other part of the wall to Betsy. Hard as she looked, she could see no seam in the wall that would hint at something beyond. The painting of the three-headed dog was not overly large, but it didn’t quite match with the others on the wall, as if the paint was not the same kind, and the artist had not been the same person.

Wordlessly, Rico stepped up to the wall and touched the middle head of the dog painting, and an audible click sounded. Then stone sliding against stone. Dust flew up all around them, and finally the entrance popped open.

He placed a finger to his lips, and then motioned for everyone to follow him down the stone steps. They didn’t need to light the way, since all of them were werewolves and could see in the dark better than a normal person would. It was cold and dark but no signs of danger presented themselves as the group moved downward. They reached the bottom without incident, and they were now deeper under than pyramid than any explorer had documented before.

This part of the pyramid was clearly not a tomb. The usual treasures and sarcophagus were not present. Instead a large altar stood in the center, and on it was placed a golden platter covered with smallish, hand-sized stones.

“It can’t be that easy,” Betsy commented, and Rico shushed her, but not before her voice had triggered the trap he’d been worried about. A huge pendulum, the end of which was a razor-sharp, curved blade, swung across the room. They would either have to wait until the thing swung back and forth, moving down each time, until it finally cut into the floor, stop it somehow, or risk crossing its path to get to the stones.

As soon as the blade hit the floor, Rico took the opportunity to surge forward and grab as many stones as he could, stuffing them into a small box he’d brought along. Just as swiftly, he moved away again, narrowly avoiding being hit when the trap suddenly reset and the blade began to swing again.

He held a finger to his lips and pointed at the stairs, and they all took his meaning and headed up again. When they were back in the outer pyramid again, he cast Betsy a chastising glare, and she looked contritely back at him.

“That took longer than it might have done,” he commented. “But at least we’re all in one piece. Now, we head back to base and wait until night falls once again.

“Maybe you should give us each a stone now,” Gabriel suggested. “It never hurts to be prepared.”

“I will give stone to you two, but the rest we ought to keep until we know who we’re sending in at any given time,” Rico decided. “It’s very important to arm whoever that is, or they may never return to tell us what they’ve discovered, right?”

“Yes, of course,” Gabriel agreed. “But will we not be going in as well?”

“Not into the smaller temples,” he said. “I don’t see the need. We will send in recon, and when they return to tell us what they found, we will decide at that time if it’s worth our time to go inside. But for now, we return to base so I can get a better look at the stones. Who knows, we may be able to make more and outfit everyone in the camp, or make armor for them as I said. Only think how much stronger our defenses would be then.”

“I don’t know if you are aware of this, Rico, so I think I will emphasize it yet again,” said Gabriel with a frown. “I miss my children. I would like to get back to them as soon as may be. I hope that this study of the stones is not slated to take up even more time.”

“Boss, I do understand your situation,” he told him. “But if we don’t prepare for this war the right way, we may never fight it at all.”

“War,” Gabriel repeated the word. “I hadn’t thought of it as a war, but I suppose that must be exactly what it is. And one that has some very high stakes for myself and my wife.”

“What are you saying, Gabriel?” Betsy wanted to know. ”We can’t be at war.”

“Then what would you call it?”

“A disagreement?” she asked lamely.

“No, ma bella, this is a war, just as Rico says,” he told her. “We must treat it as such if we are ever to succeed. He knows what he is talking about.”

“This discussion is getting us nowhere,” Rico pointed out. “Everyone back into the truck and we’ll at least analyze the stones’ structure. We’re going to need to rest up before we head out again either way.”

The ride back was almost completely uneventful as well. Just as they were about to park, however, Rico was stopped by local law authorities for a few minutes. They never bothered to check inside the truck, and after a few minutes they let him go. Gabriel and Betsy wondered why until everyone had gone inside again.

“What was that all about?” Gabriel wanted to know as soon as he’d caught up with Rico in the doorway out of the garage.

“Oh, that?” Rico said causally. “Nothing much, they just wanted their weekly bribe.”

“Wait, what?” Gabriel gasped. “Are you telling me the cops here expect protection money?”

“Something like that,” Rico smirked. “The world can be a pretty strange place.”

Gabriel laughed. He couldn’t help it. Betsy, who had been right behind him and heard the entire exchange, couldn’t help but join in as well. “I guess the world is a lot more similar than I first suspected,” she said between giggles.

“Get some rest, you two,” said Rico. “I will put this under the analyzer. It will take it a few hours to make any sort of a determination about its contents. I admit, I’m fascinated to discover what we will find.”

“Yes, we will do that,” said Gabriel. “I did not realize how tired I am, but I am feeling more exhausted than I have in years. I wonder if everything that has been happening is catching up to me. What about you, Betsy? Are you tired also?”