Episode Two continued
Macelli's order registered at once on the concerned faces of Gregory and his pupil.
&n
High above, Niki had seen enough. "Lorenzo was right," he said arching his back against the gold mosaic wall away from the railing. "The plastic strip I took from the casket."
"What? When?" Pat expressed confusion, wanting to know more.
"They are explosives."
"Come again?" Pat's sensibilities were shocked.
"Their plan is to blow up the Vatican," Niki's voice trailed off as he made a quick sign of the cross.
"No way!," Pat protested.
As he reached for the railing to get a better look, Pat shifted his feet. For all the caution they had taken, they would be betrayed by an eight-inch piece of history from this great Basilica. It would not change the texture of the Basilica in any fashion, but it would forever change the course of the resisters as Pat's toe caught a protracted piece of marble by the post of the railing. In banging it, a loose chunk of smooth granite dislodged and teasingly teetered on the edge. Pat hurriedly reached for it to retract his clumsiness, to keep their presence still hidden.
It was too late. The solid mass of flint hurtled downward. Like a speeding projectile it fell, just missing one of the Legion's guards, crashing into the harder marble floor where they stood. The small piece of marble became many more pieces. It had not only left a dent in the floor, it had left a wake-up call to the Legion.
Four, six, eight, then ten pairs of eyes looked upwards toward the launch source of the missile. Pat and Niki could not hide. Like two ants they stood on the ledge of the great tambour knowing they had been seen, realizing already Guillaume Brunatti was on his way up via the elevator shaft inside the main pillar of the left transept. Captain Lubac and Sergeant Rene Maribault were ascending the stairs to the Cupola balcony at lightening speed.
"We're only gonna run around in circles here, Nik," Pat rasped. "There's no way out!"
"Have faith, my friend," Niki encouraged, his eyes searching for an 'Open sesame' somewhere in the magnificent gilded bronze reliefs of the wall. Below them, a golden-hued mosaic frieze beckoned them to believe in Andriopoulos' words. On the ribbon which encircled the cylindrical tambour immediately beneath the balcony was the Latin inscription in 6' foot high lettering. Though the two trapped resisters had other things on their minds, the words truly gave hope to their nearly impossible mission: 'TU ES PETRUS, ET SUPER HANC PETRAM AEDIFICABO ECCLESIAM MEAM, ET PORTAE INFERI NON PRAEVALEBUNT ADVERSUS EAM. ET TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI CAELORUM,' It was the great promise our Lord had made to the first Pope Simon Bar Jonah - St. Peter: Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I shall build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; and to thee I will give the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.
Now Niki hoped and prayed that Christ would see them through this as the Greek priest smashed his shoulder into a section of the wall he thought might be an opening. The fact that it did not give forced Niki back in a natural motion of physics. He lost his balance, toppling over the edge of the railing. Instinctively he reached and grabbed the bottom railing, hanging on for dear life. Yes, it was dear and precious, very precious, especially when hanging precariously above the dizzying perils of sure death. Even worse to Niki was the thought of the sure destruction of the resisters who remained the only obstacle to the Legion carrying out their nefarious agenda. Would the Legion really win?
As Niki clutched to his only grip on reality - the brass rail post embedded in the marble balcony, he could not prevent his satchel, slung around his neck, from tipping forward. When one clings to life, losing possessions is of minor importance. No one gave it a thought when the candle he had not secured, slipped from the pouch, hurtling downward. No one gave it a thought until impact. Once it hit the polished granite floor there was a tremendous explosion that shot flames up 75 feet, scattering the Legion members below as it scorched the marble floor and two nearby prie-dieus.
Pat saw the explosion as well for he had reacted immediately after Niki lost his balance. Desperately grabbing Niki's wrist and pulling with all his might, he cried out. "I need your other hand, Nik"
"I am trying," Niki gasped, "Hold it tight so I can swing."
Gallagher held both wrists tighter than anything he had ever clenched in his life.
"Please, God, please," Pat begged through clenched teeth. "Help him. Help me hold him. Please, God."
Pat's frenetic prayer would be heard as Niki, with a boost from the angels, swung his body twice and then raised his leg so his foot caught on the edge. He dug in his heel, hoping to God there was no more loose pieces as he got a better grip on the railing.
Below Grabe was, as usual, impatient. "They should have been there by now. Acht nehmen!"
"Always impatient, Elena," her countryman Josef Vendhem smiled sinisterly. "Vhat is ze hurry? If he does not fall, he is cornered. Nein? There is no outlet except over there at the entrance and Serrano will have that blocked." Vendhem relished seeing others foul up, fail, be finite. It empowered him in his mistaken, warped sense of self, ego, and pride - unmitigated pride.
How much weight would the railing hold? Would Niki's strength pull the railing rods out of the ancient granite? He didn't have time to wait around to see. Inching himself up, Pat acted as the fulcrum for his Greek friend by tugging and pulling on Niki's wrists until Andriopoulos was able to hoist his upper torso to the top of the railing.
With supernatural strength he rolled over the railing onto the balcony, huffing and gasping for breath as he rasped to Pat, "That was too close, my friend. Thank you."
Pat didn't have time to console his friend for he knew the two guards had arrived across the Cupola. One was coming clockwise, the other counterclockwise. Where they would meet was the problem. With panic in his voice Pat alerted Niki. "If you think that was close, don't look both ways right now."
From the Legion's point of view victory was assured as the two guards Captain Lubac and Sergeant Maribault closed in while the two pursued ones kept leaning on the wall.
Up close and on the Cupola catwalk the thundering hooves of the Swiss boots grew louder, closer.
Like a cornered bull Pat braced himself. By God he'd take them with him if he had to die for the cause. Niki kept pounding on the wall for a hollow sound. "It just has to be here! Please, God?!? Niki was near hysteria. "Aha!"
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That was Niki's determination this night as he once again lowered his shoulder and rammed the wall, this time it gave, for he had found the hidden door. The force of his thrust catapulted Niki into the hidden contractura. Despite his state of exhaustion from so much exertion, the Greek priest had the providential sense of mind to reach back and pull Pat towards him. Just in time.
The oncoming guards had committed. No centrifugal force could stop them except the cold, deadly blade of the steel-plated halberd driven into the heart of Maribault and the shoulder of Lubac respectively -the result of each's fatal thrust. Maribault fell instantly in place; Lubac lost his balance toppling over the railing and plunging to his death with the force of an aborted missile gone awry.
The collision with the hard marble below splattered everything, blending with the red veined marble that was inlaid to signify the martyrs of the Church. Lubac did not belong to this honored list. Accordingly, he would be dispatched of as so much refuse by those he was loyal to, loyal to the end. In the end, mammon had no more use for this traitor.
"Damn!" shouted Grabe just as Vendhem screamed, "This is not good!" Both Germans were animated and upset, visibly agitated.
"Brunatti will finish them," assured Macelli, revenge bulging from the veins in his neck as he craned to watch Guillaume advance.
From their vantagepoint they could not see Brunatti forcing the door open into the crawl space where Niki and Pat had taken cover. Guillaume was prepared, pistol in hand as he probed into the darkness aiming it directly at Niki's temple, exposed by the light beaming in. But the Italian never saw the blur at his knees. Pat came barreling into him in a perfect imitation of Goldberg's spearing move, knocking Brunatti back against the railing and off balance, tumbling to his death in even more gruesome fashion than Lubac. The weight of Guillaume Brunatti torpedoed onto the already splattered marble floor below, sending the contents sprawling, the sides shattering and fresh blood anew splattering several adjoining prie-dieus and the marmoreal surface of the great Basilica. The Legion was reeling.
"That does it. The Master will be livid!" Macelli shrieked. He was on the verge of disbelief, insanity.
"What do you mean 'vill be'?" Vendhem, a true sadist, apprised.
"Now can we do it my way?" demanded the Bavarian barbarian, her eyes glowing with coals of hate.
"Si!," Macelli snapped, trying to regain his composure, wiping off the splattered blood from his cassock. "Go to the main course. Soto, clean up the mess!"
Poor Ichariak, always the servant, always mopping up the muddle of mammon, yet always obedient to a fault.
"We must finish here before Lauds and Prime. The place will be crawling with religious in two hours."
"And the two intruders?" whined Soto, looking towards the Cupola.
"Ja. They are trapped," assured Vendhem. "They are no doubt heading for the roof. There is no way out. They can not hurt us there. Soto needs help. Where is the other guard?"
"In the crypt doing as he was told," Grabe retorted abruptly.
"Get him! Sofort!"
The guard had obediently carried four crates to the crypt, putting one in each of the crypts, the final one being the Clementine Chapel. He might have just set it down and moved on had he not heard something just as he was leaving. Sister Bridie had heard someone coming and had scurried to hide behind the altar, behind the vigil candles. In her haste she accidentally bumped one of the candles on the floor, letting it roll forward. It had created a creaking noise that alerted the guard.
He came forward, knife at the ready. "Halt, who is there? Zeigen ihr!"
Sister had nowhere to hide. Frozen in place, she was discovered. Rudely, the guard pushed her out and towards the stairs of the crypt, just as Cardinal Zachmunn intercepted them at the base of the stairs.
"Oh good, you have her. I'll take it from here."
The guard suspected something, knew not to trust one who trusted in God. He raised his halberd, eyes glued on Gregory, as from the other side came the ambush. Stephen leveled a heavy candlestick holder on the guard's temple, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"I'm not one to condone violence, but in this case I'll make an exception," the Cardinal smiled in relief. "Well done, Stephen. Are you all right, Sister?"
"I be shakin' in me boots, your Eminence. I be thinkin' me time be up."
"We know that feeling, Sister," Monsignor Navarro reassured her.
"We've no time to spare. Someone else is coming. Hurry."
They headed past the NO ENTRATA sign, ducking under it, and into the darkness as Grabe descended into the crypt. She would find the fallen Swiss Guard in the hallway but he would remain unconscious long enough to keep Elena and the rest in the dark.
As Cardinal Zachmunn, Monsignor Navarro and Sister Bridie traveled deeper into the hidden tunnel, Gregory gave thanks that he had learned of these subterranean passages many, many years ago when studying the lore and legends of this vaunted place and history. Little did he realize then how vital it would be this night; an interlude of time when everyone would be looking over their shoulder, fearing the Angels of Light and Death.
Next: PART V: The Shedding THIRTEENTH CHAPTER Episode Three
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