The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two (102 page)

Mueller suddenly found himself without an appetite. He set down his fork and dabbed at the corner of his mouth with a napkin. “Yes. He betrayed me. Brought back a fake and then set off the explosion that killed my crew and destroyed my ship.”

“The Peregrine has come to our attention more than once,” Melo admitted. “He has one of the Knives of Elohim. Those blades were dipped in the blood of Christ himself. We would very much like to possess his dagger, as well as the nail.”

“I think I would be able to do more good if you were to let me go,” Mueller said. “Once I’m back in Germany, I can call upon resources to help you. All I want is to hold the nail briefly… I’m dying, you see. I want to have my sins forgiven.”

Captain Melo sipped from a glass of wine and shook his head sadly. “No. That won’t do. You see, I am not a fan of Nazis. Nor is any of The Order. We regard your Hitler as a dangerous lunatic who is pushing the entire world to the brink of disaster. So, no, I don’t plan to have you return to your Nazi ways, even if it did mean you would help us.”

“Then, what…”

“I told you what I want. I want you to swear allegiance to me and to The Order. Then you’ll become part of my crew and help me track down The Fourth Nail. When we find it, you can have you revenge on The Peregrine and get your salvation.”

“What makes you think I can help you?”

“Because you are a desperate man, one with vengeance in his heart and nothing to lose. That is the kind of person who can be very valuable to me. And when the deeds are done, I suspect you will want to live out your days in service to Christ and to The Order.”

Mueller looked away, frowning. He didn’t particularly want to join what appeared to him to be a religious cult… but he had didn’t wish to die, either. Not yet, at least. “I’ll do as you ask,” he said at last. “I swear allegiance to you.”

“And you renounce your Fuehrer?”

Mueller paused for a moment. “I do.”

Melo held out a hand. “Then welcome to the crew, my friend. Now, finish your meal and we’ll set off in search of The Peregrine.”

* * *

Elsa Mayen tried to ignore the sounds of ecstasy coming from the rear of the plane but it was difficult. Sun Koh had vanished with Käthe nearly an hour ago and ever since then Elsa had been forced to visualize what was occurring. Käthe had ceased moaning quite a while ago and was now making noises that were halfway between pleasure and pain; she sounded exhausted but thrilled.

Elsa, who was still a virgin, found herself growing warm at the ideas flowing through her brain. She was still at the controls of the ship, which was flying silently towards North America, but the atomic plane might as well have been on autopilot. Her right hand was buried between her thighs, pressing hard against her sex, and the scent of her arousal was filling the pilot’s cabin. She had just begun to bite her lower lip in pleasure when Imelda dropped into the seat next to hers.

Elsa jumped in shock, looking both embarrassed and frightened. Imelda grinned at her, having obviously seen what she had been doing.

“How much longer?” the Italian beauty asked.

“A couple of hours at this speed.”

“Really? Looked like you were going to be finished any second there.”

Elsa felt her entire face turn red and she busied herself by checking a bunch of dials that didn’t need reading. “Can I help you with something?”

Imelda placed a hand on Elsa’s upper thigh. “I think a better question is can I help you with anything?”

Elsa reached down and pushed Imelda’s hand away. “No thank you.”

Imelda shrugged. If she took offense at the rejection, she wasn’t showing it. She looked out at the window, watching the clouds as they streamed past. “What do you think about Mr. Grin? Bit of an odd bird, if you ask me.”

Elsa nodded, glad to be talking about something else besides her masturbation. “I don’t care for him very much but if Sun Koh trusts him, that’s good enough for me.”

“You sound like Käthe,” Imelda muttered. She turned to face the young girl and leaned in close, whispering her words. “I understand that he was friends with your father… but haven’t you thought about whether or not it’s in our best interests to follow him?”

“Of course I have. And I think it is.” Elsa looked towards the rear of the plane. She saw Akemi sleeping in one of the passenger chairs and Arthur Grin was seated near her, placidly looking out the window. There was no sign of either Sun Koh or Käthe. “Don’t you?”

“I’m not so sure. He’s an Aryan supremacist. That means that Akemi and I aren’t on his list of who makes up the master race. I have gypsy blood in me… and you’re a Jew, aren’t you?”

Elsa’s eyes went cold. “I’m German. My father was Jan Mayen.”

“And your mother?”

Imelda—The fiery-tempered Fury of Italy

“What makes you think I’m a Jew?”

“There’s something about your features… I can’t put my finger on it. If I’m wrong, I apologize.” Imelda’s lips turned up in a smile. “But I’m not wrong, am I?”

“My mother was a Jew,” Elsa said, her words barely audible.

“That means there’s a limit to how far you can go in Sun Koh’s society. Hell, even if you were a pureblood, he thinks you should be in the kitchen, cooking his food and squeezing out his babies. That’s the perfect Aryan woman, isn’t it?”

“He doesn’t seem to mind that Käthe is a warrior,” Elsa countered.

“Sun Koh is fucking her because that’s how he can control her.”

Elsa blinked at the coarse language but said nothing.

Imelda continued. “He’s a smart one, your Atlantean prince. He knows she’s infatuated with him. And he knows you are, too. He bedded Akemi and I, too, but you could see the distance in his eyes when he touched us. We were nothing but animals to him - just warm holes for him to spend some time inside.”

“I don’t think he’s quite like that.”

“You know he is,” Imelda laughed bitterly. “The entire Axis alliance is built on the unspoken knowledge that when the war is won, we’re all going to turn on each other. You think Hitler is going to be okay sharing control of the world with the Italians or the Japanese?”

“So what are you saying?” Elsa asked. “If you don’t want to work with Sun Koh, you can ask to be dropped off somewhere.”

“I’m just saying that when the time comes… if the opportunity presents itself, we might want to take action.”

Elsa stared at the older woman, wanting to make sure she understood correctly. “Are you talking about killing him?”

“If that’s what it comes to. Maybe it won’t. But if we can seize control of the situation and make sure it comes out better for us, we should do it.”

“Have you talked to Akemi about this?”

“Not yet. She’s too loyal to Käthe.”

“And Käthe’s loyal to Sun Koh.”

Imelda nodded. “Right.”

“What makes you think I won’t go straight to Sun Koh and tell him what you’ve said?”

“Because you know I’m right. And even though you want to be a pureblooded Aryan with all your little heart, you know you never will be. It doesn’t matter if your daddy left you this plane, you’ll never be anything more than a tool for Sun Koh and his buddies to use. Maybe you’ll get lucky and he’ll sleep with you… but he’d never love you.”

Elsa watched as Imelda stood up and left the cabin. She followed the Italian with her eyes, both angry and terrified by what the woman had said. She noticed that Grin was staring in her direction and she looked away, lost in confusion.

* * *

Käthe sat up, her back pressed against the wall. She could feel the humming of the ship through its surface and she liked it. Her nude body was glistening with sweat and she looked over at Sun Koh, admiring the immaculate way he was put together. He was wearing only his trousers, sitting lotus-style on the floor where they’d been having sex only moments before. The memory of the half-dozen earth-shattering orgasms he’d given her brought a dreamy smile to her face.

Sun Koh had his own eyes closed, the muscles of his body subtly twitching. It was a peculiar form of meditation and exercise, in which he concentrated on one body part after another, flexing the muscles repeatedly until they ached under the strain. In this way, he kept every part of his body in perfect shape.

Käthe looked over at the Solar Cannon, which rested on the floor beneath most of her uniform. “When the war is over,” she asked, “What do you plan to do?”

The Heir of Atlantis continued his exercises, head tilted downwards as he began to flex the muscles in his neck. “You want to know if I plan to seize power from Adolf Hitler?”

“Amongst other things.”

“I am obviously displeased with the way his administration has proceeded. He’s dangerously close to placing his own well being over that of his race… No, I’d be willing to say that he’s already done that. Trying to kill me is a sure sign that he no longer has the best interests of the Aryan people at heart.”

Käthe crawled towards him, crouching behind Sun Koh. She pressed against his back. Her breasts were warm against him and he finally ceased his exercises, turning his head slightly so that he could look at her. She brought her lips close to his ear, ensuring that no one eavesdropping in the rest of the plane could hear. “I’d support you, My Prince. I’m dedicated to the cause.” She ran her tongue along his earlobe and reached around with one hand to stroke him. “I think I can convince Imelda and Akemi to join us.”

“I’m not sure we can trust the Oriental,” Sun Koh said. He was responding to her ministrations, even though they’d spent so much time coupling.

“I trust Akemi with my life. She’s in love with me, I think.”

Sun Koh pursed his lips. “And the Italian?”

“She talks tough but in the end, she’d be too afraid of being alone to turn against us.”

Sun Koh stood up, abruptly pulling away her. He pulled on his shirt and looked warmly at Käthe, though she noticed that the smile on his face didn’t quite extend to his eyes. “You are a good Aryan woman and a true warrior. I thank you.”

Käthe watched in disappointment as he left the small cabin, rejoining the others. She wondered if perhaps she had said something wrong and immediately began replaying the conversation in her mind. She found herself feeling weak again and she both loved and hated Sun Koh for putting her on such unfamiliar emotional ground.

For his part, Sun Koh had tired of their sex play and was not interested in cultivating a romance. The one woman he could regard as an equal in this time was gone and there would never be another. But Käthe was right that he had to make a definitive plan for what would occur once the Allies had been crushed. Was he prepared to seize control of the German empire? And, if so, would he seek peace with Italy and Japan… or seek their subservience?

He sat down next to Arthur Grin, disliking the knowing expression on the other man’s face. “What are you thinking, Arthur?” he demanded.

“Just that you are wise to keep these Furies under your thumb. They’re dangerous… you can tell that just by looking at them. But they are women, so that means they can be manipulated.”

Sun Koh looked out the window, not saying anything in response. He wondered if he were doing the right thing suddenly… if he was truly a creation of the Un-Earth, perhaps that was where he should return. But he had made a promise to his beloved and that was the driving force behind his actions at present. But when it was over… would he depose Hitler? Or return to Un-Earth?

“You seem troubled, my liege.”

“No. Just thinking about the future.”

“Should you need counsel…”

“Thank you, Arthur, but I don’t think that will be necessary.” Sun Koh stood up and moved to the pilot’s cabin, where Elsa was looking unusually pensive. He sat down next to her, saying nothing, and the girl seemed happy for the silence. They flew towards the United States on a mission of death, each lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

Ascott Keane sat in the middle of a pentagram, carefully drawn on the floor in salt. Keane and The Peregrine were in the cargo hold of the fishing vessel, the dank area lit only by two lanterns, placed on opposite sides of the room.

The Peregrine stood nearby, watching his friend at work. He’d seen Keane perform his ritual magic before but it was always a unique experience. There was always a strange odor that accompanied this spell craft, one that smelled a bit like cinnamon.

Keane was chanting, speaking words that were mostly forgotten by the modern world. They were ones that managed to send chills down The Peregrine’s spine, despite the fact that Max was all too familiar with the occult.

A ghostly glow began to form in the air just before Keane’s face. It solidified until the image of a skull hovered there, the deep pits where the eyes should have been beginning to flash with a golden light.

“Ascott Keane,” the skull said, its teeth clanking together with each word. “You are known to us. Why do you risk your soul by summoning us forth?”

The Peregrine straightened, feeling a growing bit of concern. He didn’t realize that Keane was putting himself on the line in this way and he wasn’t sure it was warranted.

Keane, however, didn’t blink. Staring directly at the spirit, the occult detective said, “I’m seeking the location of a mortal… a man named Sun Koh. It’s imperative that we find him, so I need to know just where he is right now but where he will be in the near future.”