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This podcast may not be suitable for
young listeners. Co name Wild Hunt,

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Operation Blood Eagle, written by Da
Roberts and read to you by Cameron Buckner.

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The Wild Hunt is a unit of
the United States Army created to counter

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the threat from paranormal creatures that the
government is not willing to admit exists due

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to the level of panic which would
be caused in the general public. This

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operation exists outside the normal chain of
command, reporting directly to the Joint Chiefs

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of Staff and the President. Considered
an off the book's Black Bag Operation,

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the team is not officially known to
exist, and is still publicly referred to

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as a training division prolog oh nine
hundred hours two May Joint Base Lewis McCord,

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Washington, Lieutenant General Joshua Dalton called
a meeting to order. They were

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gathered in the largest conference room at
the headquarters of the Wild Hunt. There

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were representatives from a dozen countries with
just as many different uniforms on display,

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seated around the room. I'd like
to thank you all for coming, said

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Dalton. You already know while we're
here. Murmurs and heads were nodding around

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the conference room. Major Clark was
seated at the side of the room next

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to Lieutenant Colonel Sanders. Command Sergeant
Major Hammond was seated on the other side

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of Saunders. I'd like to know
why we're here, whispered Clark. You

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know why we're here, Dan said
Saunders, grinning. Lokay, whispered Clark.

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I know what the meeting is about, but with the General here,

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our presence is kind of superfluous.
The General moves in mysterious ways, whispered

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Saunders. Relax and have a dip, added csm Hammon, while you're at

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it, give me one. Clark
chuckled as he fished out a can of

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long cut chewing tobacco and put a
large pinch in his lip. Handing the

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can to Hammond. He grinned as
the older warrior put a dip inside contently

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while technically keeping his word to his
wife. Hammond had promised to stop buying

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tobacco. He said nothing about accepting
it if it was offered to him.

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Everyone here today is aware of the
existence of creatures that modern science does not

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recognize, began Dalton. Some of
them are cryptids or unknown animals, while

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others are straight out of folklore,
regardless of their origins and despot claims to

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be contrary. We know for a
fact that these creatures are real. They

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are real, and they prey on
humans. This is exactly why my team

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was originally founded. This is the
reason all of you are here Around the

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room, senior officers exchanged dark looks, but no one denied what he was

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saying. Due to the increase in
violent encounters, not only here in the

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United States, said Dalton, but
throughout the planet, the notion of fielding

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an international response team was brought up. Activating a smart screen on the wall

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brought up the global map. There
were numerous points in green and red illuminated

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across the globe On this map,
said Dalton. Green indicates confirmed attacks and

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red indicates confirmed human kills. As
you can see, this represents a significant

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number of human monster encounters, with
more than half being fatal confrontations that caused

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murmur to run through the group.
Most of these encounters are either in or

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close to the countries you all represent, Dalton said. Some are in places

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where none of us have any jurisdiction. We have no data on countries that

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we do not consider allies. You
will note that while we do know that

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such creatures exist, there are no
indicators in Russia, China, or the

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majority of the Middle East, Dalton
Paul's for dramatic effect. While they all

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studied the map, some of you
have had your own encounters with creatures that

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my team is fault, said Dalton, and some of you have only faced

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smaller threats. My question to you
is this, how many accounts have gone

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unreported due to fear from the witness
or the fact that no one survived to

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report it. How many deaths could
have been prevented if someone had reacted to

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the sightings, Ladies and gentlemen,
I intend to react. Odds of agreement

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from the assembled crowd. We've invited
you all here and asked that you contribute

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to an international response team, said
Dalton, one that is capable of responding

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to any Allied request on any continent, in any environment, in any weather.

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When I suggested this idea to the
Joint Chiefs, I didn't expect it

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to be accepted as quickly as it
was. It's unprecedented how quickly our governments

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agree in sent representatives, members of
special forces and swat teams, and scholars

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and detectives were selected for this team. And since the team will have to

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be far more self reliant than ever
before. We have chosen a broad range

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of skill sets to complement any mission. No one spoke. General Dalton had

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the entire room listening to his every
word. The Wild Hunt is broken up

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into four terror tatorial zones, with
four teams assigned per zone, said Dalton.

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This gives us extraordinary mobility to respond
to threats throughout the United States.

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And since we will be making Team
Odin our test team for international response,

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we will be adding a team to
the US roster to fill in for the

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interim. If this experiment works as
well as we are hoping, it will

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become a model for all the teams, with additional support from Allied nations.

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He paused to take a sip of
water. You have all been selected from

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Allied nations with teams similar in missions
to ours to become part of Team Odin,

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he said. This team will be
led by Colonel Levi Saunders and Major

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Daniel Clark. We chose Team Odin
because of their extensive experience with these types

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of threats. We've selected the following
countries to join Team Odin as the first

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international response team. Freeze of introduction, I will use their American equivalents and

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rank. Pausing for effect, he
pointed at a group and their members stood

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to be recognized. From Canada's Joint
Task Force Two, he began, I

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present Sergeant Henry du Boy, Master
Corporal William LeMay, Corporal Dicky Havilan,

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and Corporal Liam O'Connor. All four
of them have already completed a mission with

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Team Odin when they had to pursue
a wind to go across the Canadian border.

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Applause sounded from the group, and
Clark smiled. He knew they were

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all good choices. From Japan's Special
Forces Group in Special Assault Teams, said

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Dalton, First Lieutenant Etami Yuzu,
Inspector Shino Kurabashi, and former sergeant turned

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Shinto priest Ken Nakamura. There was
more applause from Peru's Special Forces and commandos,

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added Dalton, Captain Santiago Gamara and
Sergeant Alejandro de la Cruz, and

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from Poland's j W. Grahm,
Sergeant first Class Kashmir Jeraki and staff Sergeant

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Vincent Florkowski. Cheers rose from the
groups. From Norway's Special Forces, said

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Dalton. Captain Eustein mork and staff
Sergeant Anita Hagen from Germany's GSG nine.

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We have First Lieutenant Amelia Cooke,
staff Sergeant Alfred Lang, Sergeant first Class

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Dietrich Kaiser, Sergeant Boulder Wolf,
and First Sergeant Andreas Hyde. Both groups

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snapped to perfect crisp attention as they
stood. From England, said Dalton,

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Representing the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, Special
Air Service and Special Boat Service, Joint

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Special Forces Aviation Wing and the Special
Response Team of the Metropolitan Police Service,

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I present Warrant Officer Noah Davidson,
Sergeant Ryan Ball, Sergeant David Connolly,

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Petty Officer Harry Atkinson, Captain Nicole
Bailey and Inspector Teagan Miracle. The members

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of the British delegation stood as a
unit and saluted General Dalton. He returned

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the salute before continuing. From Ireland's
UGARDA Emergency Response Unit, said Dalton.

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May present, Inspector Aaron Fitzgerald and
Sergeant Thomas O'Cleary from Italy's caraban Era Corps,

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Sergeant Giovanni and de Luca, Corporal
Antonio Russo and Corporal Piero Costa from

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Spain's Special up Rations Command. Sergeant
Matteo Gotto Negro Lopez. Lopez stood and

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waved casually with a smile on his
face. The Irish stood and looked around

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the room like they were studying the
faces from Israel, said Dalton. WE

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have representatives from the sire at Metcall, the fabled Unit six sixty nine,

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and the Massad. I present first
Lieutenant Malachi Beer, Second Lieutenant Hannah Aaron,

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Staff, Sergeant Alexander Altscher, Rabbi
Benny Levin, and Sarah Majid.

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A few people exchanged concerned glances at
the mention of the Massad, and from

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the Vaticans for Turnatanum Vigilantium, or
Brotherhood of the Vigilant, said Dalton.

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I present siblings Matthias, Marcus and
Magdalena Giovanni. The triplet stood and nodded

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at the crowd. Matthias looked around
the room quickly and then smiled at Marcus.

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What whispered Marcus, I'm just happy
that there'll be an attractive woman on

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this team, he said, grinny, I get bored quickly with a group

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that was just men. Well,
Magdalena is here, said Marcus, sarcastically.

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I meant women other than her,
replied Matthias. We're descended from the

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Medici, not the Morovians. Magdalena
chuckled, and Marcus just shook his head.

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I will dismiss the members whose names
I've just called, said General Dalton.

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You can go with Lieutenant Colonel Saunders
and Major Clark. You'll be accompanying

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them to Fort leonard Wood within the
hour for team assignment and training. Senior

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staff will remain here with me to
discuss logistics and equipment. Saunders and Clark

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got up and led the group out
of the room and onto the parade ground

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at the back of the building.
Everyone for mop, shouted Clark. Quickly,

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everyone assembled in a loose formation,
each grew sticking close to each member.

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The Giovannis took a spot at the
inn and stood there, making no

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attempt to form up a military formation. Once they were settled at end place,

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Saunders strolled out to the middle of
them and looked them over. All

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right, ladies and gentlemen, he
said, pacing back and forth. I'm

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Lieutenant Colonel Levi Saunders. Welcome to
the Wild Hunt and tim Odin. We're

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still formalizing who will be assigned to
what team, so final assignments won't be

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announced until we're back at base.
Thank you all for volunteering for this assignment.

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I look forward to getting to know
you all and putting this new team

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to the test. I want you
all to grab your gear and be back

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here in thirty minutes. We'll be
heading straight to the airstrip where wheels up

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in one hour. Don't make me
come looking for you. Dismissed With that,

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they all headed for their vehicles parked
at the end of the building that

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held their baggage. Within fifteen minutes, all of them had returned, except

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for the GIV. They arrived just
before the thirty minute deadline without any personal

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gear. Where's your gear, asked
CSM Hammond. We have our own plane,

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said Matthias. I'll need clearance to
land at Fort leonard Wood. It

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has all of our gear on board. Hammond frowned and shook his head.

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He knew it was going to be
interesting dealing with the Vatican's delegation. They

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were the only group who hadn't been
invited to participate with the new international team.

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The Vatican had flexed its considerable political
muscle and had its own team placed

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on Team Odin general. Dalton had
protested, but had been overruled by secdef

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himself. All Right, folks,
roared CSM Hamon, grab your gear and

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board the buses at the end of
the parade field. Is everyone headed for

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the buses? Saunders motion for Clark
and CSM Havebn and Gideon t hanging back.

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Once everyone was out of earshot,
he turned and looked at them.

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We're going to have our work cut
out for us, he said, shaking

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his head. They might be the
best of the best where they come from,

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but it's our job to find out
just how good they are. If

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any of them can't cut it,
we'll put them on the plane back to

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whichever country they're from. Well,
some of them are academics and scholars,

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said CSM Hammond. They'll be a
sign to my team, said Saunders.

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First line combatants go to Clark and
Hernandez. We need to know if they're

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capable of running and gunning with our
best. Well, we'll hit the ground

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running first thing in the morning,
said Clark. I'm looking forward to seeing

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if Sergeant de la Cruz from Peru
is as good of a sniper as they

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claim. I hear he put a
hell of a dent in the cartel's trying

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to move product into Peru, so
much so that they put a ten million

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dollar bounty on his head. I'll
put him on the range with Valkyrie.

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If she says he's good, I'll
believe it all right, gentlemen, said

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Saunders. Let's work on team assignments
during the flight. Things are going to

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be different when we're in another country
and we've got to be ready. How

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long do we have to train before
we go active, asked CSM Hammond.

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I told them we'd need three to
six months to fully integrate and evaluate all

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of them, said Saunders. But
General Dalton wants us deployable by the end

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of the week, so that's that, well shit, said CSM Hammond.

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I guess we'd better get our asses
in gear then into the week, asked

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Clark, incredulous. We'll still be
figuring out who can cut it for weeks.

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We can't possibly be ready to deploy
that fast. Our orders stand,

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said Saunders, already argued our case
with Dalton, he was told to be

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ready by Sec Deaf. There are
a lot of eyes on us. Also,

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keep your own on the Vatican Group. I have no idea where their

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loyalties are, and none of them
have any military experience. Oh yeah,

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said Clark. What could possibly go
wrong? Careful what you wish for,

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said Saunders. We might just find
out. I don't trust the Vatican team,

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said Hammond. We won't be their
first loyalty. That's safe to assume,

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said Saunders. If they screw up
document it, I want to have

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the paper in place before I try
to toss them. Yes, Sir,

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said Clark, shaking his head.
Yeah, this is going to be great.

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Chapter one, Deep Water fourteen hundred
and thirty hours, ten may Igo

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naw Wa Lapi, Argentina. Five
people worked at a relentless pace to bring

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boxes of equipment and provisions onto the
eighty foot Burger Flushtick motor yacht. The

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gleaming white hull stood out in stark
contrast to the dark waters of log Nauelapi.

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The bustling port of the beautiful lakeside
city of San Carlos de Barloce was

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the perfect backdrop for the picturesque setting. Be careful with those crates, snapped

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a rather bookish looking young man with
dark hair and round glasses. He wore

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denim jeans with blue sneakers, a
teal t shirt with a khaki vest that

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had numerous pockets. Those cameras cost
more than my apartment, he added,

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Please don't drop them in the water. Relax, Rodrigo said in an attractive

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blonde wearing skin tight blue yoga pants, deck shoes, and a black hoodie

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with the shield logo of the River
Plate football team. You're going to give

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yourself a heart attack. Look,
Carmen, said Rodrigo. I'm the producer,

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which means I'm responsible for every piece
of equipment on this expedition. All

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you have to do is stand in
front of the camera and look pretty.

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Oh you think I'm pretty, she
replied. Rodrigo sighed and shook his head.

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Look, little brother, she said, her smile lighting up her face.

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Try to relax and calm down.
This is just the beginning of our

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seven day expedition. You're gonna have
a stroke. Well, that's easy for

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you to say, he said,
shaking his head. Casador de Monstros is

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the number one rated show in its
time slot. There's a lot of pressure

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on us to get usable footage of
Naualito. We might even get into the

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American audience with this show if we
play our cards right. Why would the

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Americans be interested in Nawalito, she
said. Most Americans have never heard of

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the monster of late Nawelapi. Then
we will get footage and tell the story,

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00:18:45,039 --> 00:18:48,839
said Rodrigo. Grinny. This could
be our ticket to real money.

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00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:52,680
If we're picked up by American television, we're set. You know, we're

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00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:57,000
not doing so bad now, she
said, shaking her head. I just

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00:18:57,039 --> 00:19:00,640
bought a condo on the river Plate, and you just bought a new Jaguar.

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00:19:02,319 --> 00:19:04,599
Not too bad for a show we
came up with in college that just

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00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,720
called on. Well, there are
only so many monsters for us to hunt

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00:19:08,759 --> 00:19:12,640
in Argentina, he said. I
want to go to America and film the

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00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:18,119
Bigfoot, of the dog Man,
or even the Chupacabra. You do realize

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00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:22,680
that the chupacabra has been seen here, right, she chiuted. We don't

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00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:26,599
have to go far to find sightings, I know, he said, But

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00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,240
to film it in America, I
want to work for the Travel Channel or

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00:19:30,279 --> 00:19:33,599
the History Channel. One step at
a time, little brother, she said,

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00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:38,359
let's worry about getting footage of Nawilito. You find the monster, now

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00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:44,319
sell it to our viewers. Our
ratings will go through the roof. Let's

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00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:48,599
just hope our crew of idiots can
pull us off, said Rodrigo, nodding

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00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:52,400
at the group who was carrying the
last of the crates onto the boat.

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00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:56,319
So what's the plan, asked Carmen. Once we leave, we'll run the

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00:19:56,400 --> 00:20:00,559
sonar down the lake, said Rodrigo. Parts of this lake are over five

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00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:06,799
hundred meters deep. There are plenty
of places for monster like Nauwalito to hide.

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We'll continue along the lake looking for
anything large enough to be the monster,

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00:20:11,839 --> 00:20:15,759
and once we find something, we
launch the underwater drones. Hopefully it

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00:20:15,839 --> 00:20:18,880
will come to the surface and we
can get footage of you in front of

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00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:22,480
it, and if not, we'll
green screen you in front of it for

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00:20:22,519 --> 00:20:26,519
the show. As long as it
doesn't try to eat us, she said,

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00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:32,799
I've seen horror movies like that.
There are no reports of Nauolito attacking

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00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:37,440
or eating anyone, said Rodrigo.
But there's lots of people who have gone

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missing on the lake over the years, she said, people who were never

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00:20:41,319 --> 00:20:45,880
found. Well, this is a
deep lake, said Rodrigo. Boats sink

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sometimes it's deep enough that divers can't
go to the bottom to find the bodies.

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So don't worry. No monsters are
going to try to eat you well.

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I hope you're right, she said
with a chuckle. Now let's get

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00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:02,279
aboard and get under way. When
we start getting usable footage, the better.

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00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:07,759
They headed aboard the motor yacht and
went below the decks to store their

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00:21:07,839 --> 00:21:11,880
gear. The boat had been rented
by the studio for a week and it

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00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:17,000
came with its own crew. There
was a captain named Miguel Sandoval, a

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00:21:17,039 --> 00:21:22,920
cook named Diego In two deckhands named
Raoul and Louis. They would take care

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00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:26,160
of the boat, leaving them free
to film and look for the monster.

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00:21:26,319 --> 00:21:30,160
The boat was big enough that they
could all sleep comfortably, even if they

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00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:34,839
had to share cabins. Carmen shared
a stateroom with Paula, one of the

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00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:41,880
videographers. Rodrigo shared another state room
with Marco, the other videographer. Their

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00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:47,039
sound technician was named Alejandro and he
was the only one of the crew that

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00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:51,839
had been with them since college.
He shared a stateroom with Tomas and the

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00:21:51,839 --> 00:21:56,680
team computer expert. Tomas would be
responsible for mixing the footage and layering the

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00:21:56,799 --> 00:22:02,240
sound into a usable product. He
was also the one who knew how to

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00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:07,119
use the sonar equipment. By the
time they had put away their gear and

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00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:11,920
returned to the deck. Captain Sandoval
was casting off and idling away from the

250
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,079
dock, and once he was clear
from the other boats, he expertly throttled

251
00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:18,599
up and headed out of the port
and into the center of the lake.

252
00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:23,960
Once they were safely away from the
harbor and into deep water, he slowed

253
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to an idol. We're in the
channel, he called down from the bridge.

254
00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,359
Time to drop your sonar. Tamas
opened one of the crates and began

255
00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:38,160
pulling out the sonar gear. The
sonar probe looked like a yellow missile that

256
00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:42,880
would be towed beneath the boat,
pinging the area with active side scan sonar.

257
00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:48,160
Once it was assembled and ready,
he plugged in the leads and secured

258
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:52,559
the sonar probe to the end of
the cable. He picked a spot on

259
00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:56,440
the side of the boat that would
allow him to deploy the sonar without any

260
00:22:56,519 --> 00:23:00,599
risk of it becoming fouled in the
propellers. Once the yellow probe, called

261
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:06,279
a fish, was in the water, Tomas activated the screen on his laptop

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00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:11,400
to begin recording the sonar data that
was being transmitted back to him. Almost

263
00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:18,160
immediately, data began flooding the screen. Tomas continued to play out the fish

264
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:22,680
and adjusted it to a depth of
fifty meters. The depth of logo Nauelapi

265
00:23:23,039 --> 00:23:29,279
ranged as far as five hundred meters
in places. Even at that depth,

266
00:23:29,319 --> 00:23:33,559
the sensitive sonar should pick out movements
of a creature as large as Naulito was

267
00:23:33,599 --> 00:23:38,960
reported to be. We're getting good
imaging, said Tomas, without looking up.

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00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:42,960
The sonar is sensitive, and if
anything that big is moving within the

269
00:23:44,079 --> 00:23:48,720
range, we will see it.
I certainly hope so, said Rodrigo.

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00:23:48,039 --> 00:23:53,559
That thing cost us a fortune technically, said Carmen. It cost the studio

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00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:57,400
of fortune. We didn't pay for
it. Yeah, but it came out

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00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:03,160
of our budget, said Rodrigo.
Here's hoping it's worth it. If now

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00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:08,160
Walito is down there, said Alejandro. Tomas will find it. I hope

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00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:12,720
we find it soon, said Rodrigo. Time is money. This logo is

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00:24:12,759 --> 00:24:18,160
more than eighty kilometers long, said
Tomas. This won't be quick, not

276
00:24:18,279 --> 00:24:21,079
if you want me to be thorough. And if we go too fast,

277
00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:23,160
we could pass right by it and
the sonar might not pick it up.

278
00:24:23,839 --> 00:24:27,839
Then let's not go too fast,
said Carmen, opening a cooler, retrieving

279
00:24:27,920 --> 00:24:33,599
a beer from the ice starting a
little early, sis, said Rodrigo.

280
00:24:34,400 --> 00:24:37,599
It's the air on the lake,
she said, smiling as she took a

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00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:42,400
sip. It just begs for a
good drink. Toss me one of those,

282
00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:48,640
said Alejandro. Me too, said
Tomas Godless Heathens, muttered Rodrigo.

283
00:24:48,759 --> 00:24:55,079
Heading toward the bridge. Climbing the
ladder to the bridge, Rodrigo found Captain

284
00:24:55,200 --> 00:25:00,440
Sandoval at the helm. How's it
going, Captain, asked Rodrigo. Weather

285
00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,400
looks good, said Sandival, without
looking away from the lake ahead of him.

286
00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:07,480
We're in a deep channel, and
if no idiots in speed boats or

287
00:25:07,519 --> 00:25:11,960
on those stupid jet skis get in
our way, we should have smooth sailing.

288
00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:18,039
What's the course, asked Rodrigo.
Already adjusted our cruising speed based on

289
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:23,319
your sonar operator's specification, said sand
ofval. At current speed, we should

290
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:27,440
reach the far end of the lake
just before nightfall. We'll anchor there for

291
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:33,000
the night and then sweep back down
the lake tomorrow unless we see something,

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00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:37,519
said Rodrigo. That's right, said
Sandoval sarcastically as he shook his head.

293
00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:44,880
You don't believe in Naulito, asked
Rodrigo. Sandoval turned toward him with a

294
00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:49,279
smile. I've been fishing and boating
this Iago since i was a small boy,

295
00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:55,160
said Sandoval. I was born just
a few miles from this very spot.

296
00:25:55,720 --> 00:26:00,400
I've never seen anything that even remotely
looks like a monster. So you

297
00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:04,039
think we're wasting our time, asked
Rodrigo, a bit perturbed. Not at

298
00:26:04,079 --> 00:26:08,039
all, said son of aal.
I've heard a lot of stories about Nahwalito,

299
00:26:08,839 --> 00:26:12,319
some from people I know to be
honest and not prone to tell tall

300
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:18,000
tales. They saw something, but
I don't know what it was. I've

301
00:26:18,039 --> 00:26:21,599
never seen it. Besides, you're
paying me to pilot the boat up and

302
00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:25,759
down the Iago while you look for
it. What I believe is irrelevant.

303
00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:29,880
I'm here to do my job and
nothing more. Well, what if we

304
00:26:30,039 --> 00:26:34,240
find it, asked Rodrigo. What
then then I will be the first to

305
00:26:34,319 --> 00:26:38,680
congratulate you, said Sondival. Then
as soon as we get back to the

306
00:26:38,759 --> 00:26:45,599
port, I'll change the name of
my business from Logo Excursionis to Nawalito Escurgionis.

307
00:26:47,079 --> 00:26:51,240
Rodrigo chuckled. I wouldn't blame you, he replied. If we get

308
00:26:51,279 --> 00:26:56,319
footage, you and your crew will
be famous. So to answer your question,

309
00:26:56,599 --> 00:26:59,799
said sond of aal I might not
be a believer, but I certainly

310
00:26:59,799 --> 00:27:03,079
hope you find it. It'll be
good for business. Well that's good enough

311
00:27:03,079 --> 00:27:07,799
for me, said Rodrigo. I'm
going below for a bit to check the

312
00:27:07,839 --> 00:27:11,200
equipment. If you need me,
just call I will, answered Sandoval.

313
00:27:11,519 --> 00:27:15,680
If you need me, this is
where I will be. Rodrigo smiled and

314
00:27:15,759 --> 00:27:21,559
headed back down to the deck.
Most of the crew was gathered around Tomas

315
00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:26,200
and the laptop. Did you find
something already, asked Rodrigo, his eyes

316
00:27:26,279 --> 00:27:30,039
open wide. I caught a blip, said Tomas. It was only there

317
00:27:30,079 --> 00:27:33,079
for a second, and then it
was gone. Whatever it was, it

318
00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:40,519
was big and moving amazingly fast.
Which direction did it go, asked Rodrigo.

319
00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,480
The same direction we're going, said
Tomas, smiling. We'll catch it

320
00:27:44,519 --> 00:27:51,000
eventually. It could only run so
far. Rodrigo looked excited as he too

321
00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:56,319
crowded around the tiny laptop. Carmen
handed him a beer and he opened it

322
00:27:56,359 --> 00:28:00,720
without comment, sipping as he watched. My God, whispered Rodrigo excitedly.

323
00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:06,759
We're really going to pull this off. No one spoke. They were all

324
00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,880
enthralled with the video, and after
several minutes of staring at nothing. On

325
00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:15,920
their return, there was a ping. What's that, asked Alejandro, Contact,

326
00:28:17,079 --> 00:28:21,680
said Tomas. Depth is just over
three hundred meters from the looks of

327
00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:26,000
it, it's about twenty or twenty
five feet long, and it's moving quickly.

328
00:28:26,559 --> 00:28:32,359
There was another audible ping on the
audio output, and then in an

329
00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:37,319
instant the image seemed to move rapidly
and shrink. Did it just vanish,

330
00:28:37,599 --> 00:28:41,519
asked Rodrigo. No, said Tomas. It just dove over one hundred meters

331
00:28:41,559 --> 00:28:45,640
in just a few seconds. It
disappeared in the clutter of rocks and plants

332
00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:51,200
at the bottom of the logo.
Shit, hissed Rodrigo. Can you say

333
00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:56,039
for certain that was nawilito unless there's
a pot of whales living in an isolated

334
00:28:56,160 --> 00:29:00,920
and landlocked freshwater lake, said Tomas. Then what else could it be?

335
00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:07,240
It was incredibly fast, and it
dove deep. It's using the topography of

336
00:29:07,319 --> 00:29:11,160
the bottom to confuse the sonar.
It knows we're looking for it, for

337
00:29:11,279 --> 00:29:15,640
the love of God, said Rodrigo. Please tell me someone got this on

338
00:29:15,799 --> 00:29:22,759
film. Every word, said Paula, smiling from around her camera. This

339
00:29:22,839 --> 00:29:26,359
thing is smart, said Tomas,
almost under his breath. How would it

340
00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:32,440
know to avoid the sonar. Probably
because this boat is loud and it hurts

341
00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:37,920
its ears, offered Carmen. Maybe, said Thomas, but this feels different.

342
00:29:37,279 --> 00:29:42,119
It's not just reacting to the sound. It's going places deliberately that will

343
00:29:42,119 --> 00:29:48,480
confuse the signal. That's not normal
behavior for an animal. It is if

344
00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:52,559
that animal doesn't want to be found, said Rodrigo. Other expeditions have had

345
00:29:52,599 --> 00:29:57,279
similar results when using sonar. We
just got better footage than they did.

346
00:29:57,839 --> 00:30:02,400
The reason no one has found this
thing is because it knows how to hide.

347
00:30:03,319 --> 00:30:06,839
If you say so, said Tomas. I just think we need to

348
00:30:06,839 --> 00:30:10,799
be careful. We don't want to
back this thing into a corner. I'll

349
00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:14,960
keep that in mind, said Rodrigo. Now let's get something more than a

350
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,519
big blip on the sonar. I
want images of Nawulito. I want to

351
00:30:18,519 --> 00:30:22,960
make the front page of every newspaper
in Argentina. There it is again,

352
00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:27,559
said Tomas, pointing at the screen. It got closer to us this time.

353
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:32,680
Let's get a camera in the water, said Rodrigo. On it,

354
00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:37,319
said Marco. I'll get the underwater
footage. Paula, you keep the camera

355
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:44,720
running on the sonar, readout Marco
quickly, unpacked the underwater rov or remotely

356
00:30:44,759 --> 00:30:49,039
operated vehicle. It was a small
submersible with multiple cameras mounted to it.

357
00:30:49,759 --> 00:30:55,400
He carefully lowered it into the water
by the tether and activated the control module.

358
00:30:56,160 --> 00:31:00,640
Once online, he ran a quick
function check before diving the tiny summercible

359
00:31:00,759 --> 00:31:06,400
into the dark water of Nauelapi.
Cameras are feeding good images, said Marco,

360
00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:10,680
but visibility is only about twenty feet. If it's out there, it's

361
00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:12,799
going to have to get close so
we can film it. So on our

362
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:18,680
contact, yelled to Mos. Everyone
turned to see if they could get a

363
00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:22,559
glimpse of whatever had caused the unusual
reserve. Tomas to react so excitedly.

364
00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:27,079
Oh my God, said Tomas.
It came within fifty meters of us,

365
00:31:27,119 --> 00:31:33,480
and then it dove deep again.
Where, asked Paula. Tamas pointed,

366
00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:37,039
and she ran to the side of
the ship and began filming, looking for

367
00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:41,200
any sign of something large enough moving
through the water. She panned back and

368
00:31:41,279 --> 00:31:45,839
forth and was about to turn toward
the bow of the ship when something rolled

369
00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:48,680
on the surface. It was only
there for a couple of seconds, but

370
00:31:48,799 --> 00:31:52,599
she knew it had been in the
frame. Whatever it was, she had

371
00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:56,720
it on film. Hey guys,
she shouted, I just got something.

372
00:31:57,279 --> 00:32:01,480
Keep filming in case it comes back, yelled Rodrigo. We'll review it later.

373
00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:06,599
I got you, she whispered,
panning the area where she'd seen it.

374
00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:12,039
She knew that the high definition camera
was recording at sixty frames per second.

375
00:32:12,599 --> 00:32:15,880
If there was any detail to be
seen, this camera picked it up.

376
00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:21,200
She could barely contain her excitement at
seeing it. If she captured the

377
00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:24,759
first high deft footage of Naulito,
then she was going to be famous.

378
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:31,200
They all were. This would propel
their show to all new heights. The

379
00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:37,319
next few hours passed with nothing on
the sonar and only fish breaking the surface

380
00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:40,240
of the lake. Paula knew there
was going to be a lot of useless

381
00:32:40,279 --> 00:32:45,359
footage, but all she could think
about was the few seconds of footage that

382
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:50,359
would reveal the thing that came to
the surface. Taking a seat in the

383
00:32:50,359 --> 00:32:54,200
main cabin, she removed the memory
card from the digital recorder and inserted it

384
00:32:54,279 --> 00:33:00,039
into her laptop. Rodrigo handed her
a cold bottle of water and sat beside

385
00:33:00,039 --> 00:33:04,799
her. Paula didn't drink, so
he'd brought her the next best thing.

386
00:33:05,759 --> 00:33:07,920
Give me a second to find the
right spot, she said, bringing up

387
00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:15,359
the video file into her editing software. Rodrigo said nothing, waiting patiently as

388
00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:19,200
he sipped on his beer, and
Tamas was still out on the deck watching

389
00:33:19,240 --> 00:33:22,680
the sonar feed, and Marco was
with him to film anything new that came

390
00:33:22,759 --> 00:33:28,359
up. Most of the others were
working on their own projects, except for

391
00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:31,640
Carmen. She grabbed a jar of
caeso and a bag of chips and then

392
00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:37,599
took a seat to watch the footage. Secretly, she suspected that Paula had

393
00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:40,160
just caught a fish on film,
but she wanted to be there if it

394
00:33:40,200 --> 00:33:45,400
turned out to be something else.
Carmen dipped a chip into the thick caso

395
00:33:45,559 --> 00:33:51,319
and put it into her mouth just
as the footage came up. Immediately,

396
00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:55,799
she choked and spat it onto the
floor. Rodrigo didn't notice, his eyes

397
00:33:55,799 --> 00:34:00,920
were fixed on the screen, and
Paula quickly paused the image and used the

398
00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:04,960
software to roll back the footage to
win The thing first crested the top of

399
00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:08,239
the water. Oh my god,
shouted Carmen. What the hell is that

400
00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:14,400
It's not big enough to be Naulito, said Paula, It's too big to

401
00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:19,880
be a fish unless it's a freaking
huge one. Rodrigo didn't say anything.

402
00:34:20,079 --> 00:34:23,480
He just stared at the image in
silence. They were looking at a partially

403
00:34:23,519 --> 00:34:29,639
obscured head as it emerged from the
water. The skin looked to be gray

404
00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:32,679
near the top and white on the
underside, and the mouth seemed to be

405
00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:37,719
full of serrated teeth that came to
a nasty point. The eye that seemed

406
00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:43,280
to be in the process of nictating
as a second eyelid rolled away from the

407
00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:50,000
black lifeless eye. Is that a
shark, asked Rodrigo. Paula rolled the

408
00:34:50,039 --> 00:34:53,039
film to the next frame. It
was moving fast. She got a decent

409
00:34:53,119 --> 00:34:57,360
image of what looked to be gill
Slitz, just like on a shark.

410
00:34:58,079 --> 00:35:01,000
Gil Slitz, she said, pointing
out the screen. That's not any fish

411
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:06,320
that's supposed to be in this lake. Rolling forward, she saw it as

412
00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:09,559
it slipped back beneath the dark water. Just for a moment, they could

413
00:35:09,599 --> 00:35:15,719
see what looked like a shoulder and
a part of the upper arm that looks

414
00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:19,880
almost like a person, said Rodrigo. What is it? Is it a

415
00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:23,960
shark or is it a man?
The next frame was almost obscured by water,

416
00:35:24,159 --> 00:35:28,920
but they could see part of what
looked like a tattoo. Freeze there,

417
00:35:29,159 --> 00:35:34,760
said Rodrigo. Paula froze the film
with the image centered. It was

418
00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:38,360
blurry and partially obscured by the water, but it was a tattoo. Can

419
00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:43,239
you make that out? Said Rodrigo. I tried to clean it up a

420
00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:46,400
little, said Paula. I don't
expect much. It could take days at

421
00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:50,440
the lab to clear it up completely, but I'll do what I can.

422
00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:55,880
Paula played with the sharpness and contrast
and then the saturation in hue. After

423
00:35:55,880 --> 00:36:00,440
several moments, she was able to
clear it enough to see it was some

424
00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:05,360
type of shield motif with what looked
like a trident in the center, and

425
00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:09,239
above it was the letters M E
K. What the hell is that,

426
00:36:09,679 --> 00:36:14,679
asked Carmen. What the hell are
we looking at? I don't know,

427
00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:20,159
said Rodrigo. But it's not Naulito, No, it's not, agreed Paula.

428
00:36:20,679 --> 00:36:23,199
This is something new. This is
something out of a horror movie.

429
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:29,760
Paula isolated the image and did a
screen capture of it, and then took

430
00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:34,880
the partial image and ran a search
for possible matches. When the results came,

431
00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:38,280
they all froze, stared at the
screen. The shield image was a

432
00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:43,760
unit patch from World War II.
It was a unit of the German Marine

433
00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:51,159
Einsatz Commando, the comp Schwimmer Groupe
of the Kriegsmarine. This can't be possible,

434
00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:55,079
said Paula. That's a unit crest
from Nazi Germany, like the Craigs

435
00:36:55,079 --> 00:37:00,559
Marine version of the US Navy Seals. No one is going to believe this,

436
00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:04,039
said Carmen. They're going to say
we faked the video. This is

437
00:37:04,159 --> 00:37:07,800
completely unbelievable, Not as much as
you might think, Big Sister, said

438
00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:13,639
Rodrigo. I took a history class
in college. The professor claimed that at

439
00:37:13,679 --> 00:37:17,559
the end of World War Two a
lot of high ranking Nazi officers fled Germany

440
00:37:17,599 --> 00:37:22,760
and came here. Supposedly they were
helped by Juan Piron. There is a

441
00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:29,400
theory that Hitler survived Berlin and came
here. How asked Carmen. They found

442
00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:35,119
his body in the bunker. Hitler
had numerous body doubles, said Rodrigo,

443
00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:38,920
duplicates that were surgically altered to be
able to pass him for security reasons.

444
00:37:39,519 --> 00:37:43,920
They think the real one made it
out of Germany and lived in a house

445
00:37:44,199 --> 00:37:47,679
on this very lake in analco it's
at the far end of the lake.

446
00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:53,199
He supposedly survived until sometime in the
nineteen sixties when he died, leaving Eva

447
00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:59,280
Braun with two daughters. No way, said Carmen. That's not possible,

448
00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:05,880
is it. It's very possible,
said Rodrigo, Maybe even likely. Nazi

449
00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:09,039
artifacts are discovered just a few years
ago in a house not far from here.

450
00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:14,840
Then, what the hell is this
thing in the water, asked Carmen.

451
00:38:15,760 --> 00:38:19,320
I wish I knew, said Rodrigo. But if it has a tattoo,

452
00:38:19,639 --> 00:38:22,199
then it only makes sense that it's
a human, maybe a man in

453
00:38:22,239 --> 00:38:27,760
a suit. That's not a suit, said Paula. I've never seen a

454
00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:31,960
wet suit with gill slits. Besides, hypothermia would set in within minutes.

455
00:38:32,519 --> 00:38:37,480
That water is too cold to dive
in for any length of time. No

456
00:38:37,519 --> 00:38:40,320
one is going to believe this,
said Carmen. And we're not going to

457
00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:45,400
tell them, said Rodrigo. Not
just yet. We need better footage to

458
00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:50,320
back this up. I don't want
to go public with anything until we're sure

459
00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:53,920
we're not being hoaxed. This could
all be an elaborate fake to fool our

460
00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:58,599
show. We've been all over the
local news, saying we would be filming

461
00:38:58,639 --> 00:39:02,400
here. This could be local trying
to ruin our reputation. So for now

462
00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:07,760
we keep this to ourselves. Okay, all right, said Paula. Fine,

463
00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:12,719
said Carmen angrily. But this is
too big to sit on forever.

464
00:39:13,599 --> 00:39:16,639
Oh. I intend to use this
footage, said Rodrigo. And if we

465
00:39:16,679 --> 00:39:22,719
can find a hidden Nazi connection to
the Inaliko house, then we've just stumbled

466
00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:27,719
on to a much bigger story than
Nawalito. This could be picked up by

467
00:39:27,760 --> 00:39:34,119
every television station on the planet.
This could change history. Paula began making

468
00:39:34,159 --> 00:39:37,920
copies of the files and placing them
in their secure drive on the cloud.

469
00:39:37,519 --> 00:39:42,880
What are you doing, asked Rodrigo. I'm making back up, said Paula.

470
00:39:43,239 --> 00:39:45,480
The last thing we want is to
have a power surge and wipe out

471
00:39:45,519 --> 00:39:50,440
our data, or for water to
short something out and lose that footage.

472
00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,920
I'm making a copy of everything from
this point on, full back up to

473
00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:59,280
the cloud. That's a good call, said Rodrigo, taking out his cell

474
00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:04,599
phone. Who are you calling,
asked Carmen. I'm calling one Carlo in

475
00:40:04,719 --> 00:40:07,239
bus Aires, he replied. I
want him to look at the footage and

476
00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:12,800
do some research on the history.
If there really is a Nazi connection to

477
00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:15,800
this area, I want to know
as much about it as possible. Well,

478
00:40:15,800 --> 00:40:21,800
that's probably a good idea, said
Carmen. Two hours later, they

479
00:40:21,840 --> 00:40:25,880
were slowly motoring through the remote area
of the lake when Tomas called for everyone.

480
00:40:27,639 --> 00:40:30,239
I've got a son our contact.
He shouted, it's big and it's

481
00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:36,159
coming right at us. Every One
crowded around the small screen and saw a

482
00:40:36,239 --> 00:40:42,480
large blip moving rapidly toward the boat. This thing is huge, exclaimed Rodrigo.

483
00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:45,360
Is it going to ram us,
asked Carmen, looking around nervously.

484
00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:52,199
Then the blip broke apart into about
a dozen smaller blips. Shit, hissed

485
00:40:52,199 --> 00:40:57,960
Thomas. It's just a school of
fish. If they're fish, they're pretty

486
00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:01,559
big fish, said Alejandro. Two
or three meters I'd guess, said Tomas.

487
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:06,440
Do fish in this lake get that
big? I don't know, said

488
00:41:06,519 --> 00:41:12,159
Carmen. Could they be dolphins or
something? Dolphins are saltwater sea creatures,

489
00:41:12,320 --> 00:41:15,320
said Tomas. This is all fresh
water with no access to the ocean.

490
00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:21,239
It can't be dolphins. One of
the blips swerved and came right at the

491
00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:24,920
sonar fish just as it reached it, the signal cut out and the screen

492
00:41:25,039 --> 00:41:30,280
went black. We've lost contact with
the sonar array, said Tomas. What

493
00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:35,599
the hell happened? I'll pull it
in and see, said Alejandro, grabbing

494
00:41:35,639 --> 00:41:38,920
the cables and starting to pull the
sonar back to the boat. He began

495
00:41:39,039 --> 00:41:44,280
cranking the winch that would pull the
cable back. This doesn't feel right,

496
00:41:44,519 --> 00:41:50,360
Alejandro said, it's too light.
Tomas left the computer and came over to

497
00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:53,480
help. Looking down into the dark
water, they saw the cable in coming

498
00:41:53,559 --> 00:41:59,559
into view. The sonar array was
gone. The cable had been snapped in

499
00:41:59,599 --> 00:42:02,920
the so our fish had either been
destroyed by impact or was on its way

500
00:42:02,960 --> 00:42:07,239
to the bottom of the lake.
It's gone, shouted Tomas. Turning back

501
00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:13,639
toward the others, Alejandro saw something
floating on the water where the cables had

502
00:42:13,719 --> 00:42:16,880
just emerged, and, leaning down, he tried to reach it. The

503
00:42:16,880 --> 00:42:21,119
deck of the boat was only a
few feet above the water and the surface

504
00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:24,760
was just out of his reach.
Leaning farther out, he looked quizzically as

505
00:42:24,800 --> 00:42:30,719
his reflection appeared distorted. His features
appeared washed out and gray, and his

506
00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:35,360
eyes seemed black as the water.
He stared at the odd face that was

507
00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:38,559
staring back at him without blinking.
He cocked his head to the side,

508
00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:44,840
and it mimicked the movement. He
reached out, and just as his fingers

509
00:42:44,840 --> 00:42:49,480
were about to touch the odd reflection
of his hand, the gray hand shot

510
00:42:49,519 --> 00:42:52,880
out of the water and grabbed his
wrist. The hand was far larger than

511
00:42:52,960 --> 00:42:58,280
his own and wrapped around his forearm
and nearly covered it from wrist to elbow.

512
00:42:59,280 --> 00:43:02,039
He opened his to scream, and
it yanked him down into the dark

513
00:43:02,119 --> 00:43:08,039
water with tremendous force. He didn't
have time to shout a warning. As

514
00:43:08,079 --> 00:43:13,239
it pulled him deeper and deeper into
the water. He strained to hold what

515
00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:17,039
little air he'd managed to take in
before he went under. The cold was

516
00:43:17,119 --> 00:43:22,000
painful, and he felt like a
million needles were poking into his skin.

517
00:43:22,199 --> 00:43:25,599
When it was dark enough that he
could barely see a foot in front of

518
00:43:25,639 --> 00:43:30,119
his face, the creature pulled him
up in front of it. The monster

519
00:43:30,239 --> 00:43:35,800
looked gray as an overcast sky,
but darker on his back than on its

520
00:43:35,920 --> 00:43:39,239
chest. It was twice his size, and he knew it wasn't human,

521
00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:45,119
and when it smiled, it revealed
a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. The

522
00:43:45,159 --> 00:43:50,800
thought struck Alejandra that they were just
like shark's teeth. That couldn't be right,

523
00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:53,679
could it. This thing looked almost
human, but it still had features

524
00:43:53,719 --> 00:43:58,880
of a shark. His lungs were
burning, and he tried to kick to

525
00:43:58,960 --> 00:44:02,360
the surface, but it held him
fast. Just when he felt his lungs

526
00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:07,599
were going to burst, the smile
on the creature's face faded, and he

527
00:44:07,639 --> 00:44:10,880
saw the dark eyes roll back into
its head, just like a shark before

528
00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:16,119
it attacked. He opened his mouth
to scream, but he felt those serented

529
00:44:16,159 --> 00:44:21,239
teeth sink into the flesh of his
throat. He felt the warmth of his

530
00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:24,719
blood as it poured out of him, slightly heating the water. First one

531
00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:29,079
and then another, and then three. More of the creatures tore into him,

532
00:44:29,159 --> 00:44:34,199
ripping flesh from bone and biting off
smaller bones like fingers and toes,

533
00:44:34,760 --> 00:44:37,800
hands and feet, And even though
he was close to passing out from the

534
00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:43,960
lack of air and loss of blood, he understood he was being devoured by

535
00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:47,519
a pack of sharp men, and
that thought terrified him more than dying.

536
00:44:49,119 --> 00:44:52,639
He wasn't sure why, but he
didn't live long enough to ponder it.

537
00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:58,719
Seconds later, the creatures dropped the
bones and other remnants, letting them fall

538
00:44:58,760 --> 00:45:02,400
into the dark depths below. They
swam in place for a moment, looking

539
00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:07,039
back and forth at each other,
before turning their attention upward. There was

540
00:45:07,079 --> 00:45:12,679
a boat full of food just waiting
for them. They were hungry. They

541
00:45:12,719 --> 00:45:22,320
were always hungry. Chapter two Choice
Words thirteen hundred hours, fourteen May,

542
00:45:22,679 --> 00:45:30,199
Fort leonard Wood, Missouri, USA. Clark was standing beside the parade field

543
00:45:30,199 --> 00:45:34,440
behind the team offices. He was
covered in sweat and dirt, having just

544
00:45:34,519 --> 00:45:38,480
completed the obstacle course. Teams two
and four were running through their paces in

545
00:45:38,519 --> 00:45:42,960
the field in front of him.
Some of them were running, while others

546
00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:47,679
were performing pt or physical training in
the sand pits. Team one in three

547
00:45:47,719 --> 00:45:52,880
were at the firing range. For
the last thirteen days, they'd been running

548
00:45:52,920 --> 00:45:57,960
Team Odin through Hell, and so
far none of the troops from the other

549
00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:02,760
countries had complained to fall out or
quit. They were all physically fit and

550
00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:07,880
competent with weapons. That much was
already known. Now it was time to

551
00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:14,239
push their endurance. How's the looking, boss, asked Gideon, handing Clark

552
00:46:14,280 --> 00:46:16,960
a bottle of water. Thanks,
Sir, Major, said Clark, accepting

553
00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:22,079
the water with a nod. After
taking a long pull from it, he

554
00:46:22,199 --> 00:46:25,039
sighed and splashed some of it on
his face before looking over at Gideon.

555
00:46:25,679 --> 00:46:30,639
He was just as dirty and sweaty
as Clark, only Gideon seemed to be

556
00:46:30,679 --> 00:46:36,400
thoroughly enjoying himself. So far,
so good, said Clark. Valkyrie says

557
00:46:36,440 --> 00:46:39,159
De la Cruz is wicked with a
sniper rifle. He's going to be a

558
00:46:39,159 --> 00:46:44,559
hell of an asset. That's good, said Gideon. What about the Japanese

559
00:46:44,599 --> 00:46:47,599
contingent, Well, I can't speak
for the two on teams one in three,

560
00:46:47,760 --> 00:46:52,119
said Clark, but Nakamura is outstanding. I think he could run for

561
00:46:52,280 --> 00:46:57,920
days. Good, said Gideon.
I don't think we're going to be disappointed

562
00:46:57,960 --> 00:47:00,639
with the skill level of any of
these people. I think our only real

563
00:47:00,719 --> 00:47:05,519
test will be in a fight.
How they handle combat will tell us everything.

564
00:47:06,079 --> 00:47:08,760
But then it'll be too late,
said Clark. That has been the

565
00:47:08,800 --> 00:47:13,880
dilemma of every commander since the time
of the Roman Army, said Gideon,

566
00:47:14,039 --> 00:47:19,119
with a sardonic smile, probably even
before. I'll take your word for it,

567
00:47:19,159 --> 00:47:22,880
said Clark, returning the grin.
So what's next, asked gid.

568
00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:27,639
In Break them up into teams,
said Clark, hand to hand combat drills

569
00:47:27,639 --> 00:47:30,440
in the pit. You take one, I'll take one. Gray Eagle gets

570
00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:36,119
one, Murdock gets one, her
Dandez gets one. In Sergeant Major Reese

571
00:47:36,159 --> 00:47:38,960
gets one. Give them a short
break so they can hydrate before we get

572
00:47:39,039 --> 00:47:44,039
started. Got it, boss,
said Gideon, nodding. I'll make it

573
00:47:44,119 --> 00:47:49,639
happen. Before he walked off,
Specialist Wilder walked out of the office building

574
00:47:49,639 --> 00:47:52,880
and approached Sorry to interrupt, sir, she said, but do you know

575
00:47:52,920 --> 00:47:58,320
where to find Colonel Saunders. I
hear he makes great fried Chicken said,

576
00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:01,639
get in, smirking as he walked
off. You bastard, chuckle Clark,

577
00:48:01,960 --> 00:48:06,079
I'm never going to get that out
of my head now. Well you can

578
00:48:06,119 --> 00:48:09,440
blame Margolin, said Gideon. He's
the one I heard it from. Wilder

579
00:48:09,519 --> 00:48:15,119
chuckled as Gideon walked away. He's
at the range with teams one in three,

580
00:48:15,280 --> 00:48:19,400
said Clark, shaking his head.
Why what's up? They want him

581
00:48:19,400 --> 00:48:22,079
and you at headquarters on the double, Sir? She said, all right,

582
00:48:22,119 --> 00:48:24,880
I'll send for him, said Clark. Did they say one? They

583
00:48:24,920 --> 00:48:30,559
wanted us to report? General Dalton's
plane is scheduled to land in a few

584
00:48:30,599 --> 00:48:35,159
minutes, she said, glancing toward
the headquarters building. My best guess,

585
00:48:35,159 --> 00:48:37,599
Sir, is that they want you
there. As he arrives, their exact

586
00:48:37,679 --> 00:48:44,440
words were most ricky tick got it, said Clark, thank you. Wilder

587
00:48:44,519 --> 00:48:49,360
headed inside, while Clark glanced around
and spotted a familiar face, Margolin.

588
00:48:49,639 --> 00:48:52,920
He shouted. Margolin's head popped out
of the crowd, and he headed for

589
00:48:53,039 --> 00:48:58,719
Clark. Snapping to attention, he
fired off a quick salute. You call,

590
00:48:58,880 --> 00:49:02,239
sir, said Margolin. Yeah,
said Clark. Go grab the Honvey

591
00:49:02,280 --> 00:49:06,920
in front of my office and go
to the range. Get Colonel Saunders and

592
00:49:06,960 --> 00:49:09,719
get him back here as fast as
you can can. I assume that he

593
00:49:09,760 --> 00:49:14,760
won't have time to stop for some
chickens, Sir, asked Marglin. Clark

594
00:49:14,840 --> 00:49:19,159
suppressed the chuckle. No, we
most certainly do not, said Clark.

595
00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:22,960
I need him here in ten minutes, now go. Margolen ran to the

596
00:49:22,960 --> 00:49:27,599
front of the building. Seconds later, he heard the engine of the Humvey

597
00:49:27,719 --> 00:49:31,440
start up. Clark started to turn
toward him when he realized what he'd done.

598
00:49:32,079 --> 00:49:36,280
Margolin knew the fastest way to the
range was through the woods, not

599
00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:38,960
by the road. The road would
take him at least ten minutes to get

600
00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:45,119
there. Clark pressed his hand against
his forehead as the humvee bounced through the

601
00:49:45,159 --> 00:49:50,239
grass and shot across the parade field, scattering soldiers in its weight. He

602
00:49:50,280 --> 00:49:53,960
didn't run over anyone, but he
came close a few times. Bouncing onto

603
00:49:53,960 --> 00:49:58,239
the track, he headed down the
foot trail that they used to march to

604
00:49:58,280 --> 00:50:01,559
the range on. A good thing
was that he shouldn't have any trouble getting

605
00:50:01,559 --> 00:50:06,880
Saunders back in the allotted time.
Well, shit, muttered Clark, I

606
00:50:06,920 --> 00:50:10,800
need to remember to be more specific
with that idiot. Heading to the office,

607
00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:15,360
Clark briefly considered grabbing a fresh uniform
and a shower, but thought better

608
00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:20,320
of it. He knew that they'd
better be heading to the HQ as soon

609
00:50:20,360 --> 00:50:23,480
as Saunders arrived. He took a
moment to wash his hands in his face,

610
00:50:23,519 --> 00:50:28,280
and then got another bottle of water
to drink. Four minutes later,

611
00:50:28,599 --> 00:50:32,400
Margolen bounced back across the parade field
and parked in front of the office building.

612
00:50:34,239 --> 00:50:37,000
As Clark exited the building, Saunders
was climbing out of the humvee.

613
00:50:37,519 --> 00:50:42,760
Did you authorize him to drive through
the goddamn parade field, asked Saunders,

614
00:50:42,880 --> 00:50:47,800
jerking his thumb at Margling. Margoline
only smiled innocently well sort of, said

615
00:50:47,880 --> 00:50:52,360
Clark. Next time, I'll have
to be more specific, Saunders sighed,

616
00:50:52,880 --> 00:50:57,960
commands Sergent Major Hammond climbed out of
the back seat with a bewildered look on

617
00:50:58,039 --> 00:51:02,159
his face. He put his cover
and sharp Margolin a sour look. All

618
00:51:02,280 --> 00:51:06,800
right, what's the goddamn important that
you had to send evil Knievel here to

619
00:51:06,800 --> 00:51:10,519
pick me up? Asked Saunders.
That little bastard almost killed us, said

620
00:51:10,559 --> 00:51:15,599
Hammond, shaking his head. Almost, Command Sergeant Major, said Margolin,

621
00:51:15,719 --> 00:51:22,519
grinning. Almost. They want us
at HQ, said Clark. General Dalton

622
00:51:22,559 --> 00:51:27,280
should be here any minute. Well, let's go, said Saunders. As

623
00:51:27,320 --> 00:51:30,039
they headed for the headquarters building.
Clark took out a cell phone and sent

624
00:51:30,119 --> 00:51:35,400
a quick text. Slipping his phone
back in his pocket, he grinned but

625
00:51:35,480 --> 00:51:39,840
said nothing, and moments later,
behind them, they heard Margolin shout seriously,

626
00:51:39,960 --> 00:51:45,480
sir fine. He glanced back and
saw Margolin drop and start doing push

627
00:51:45,559 --> 00:51:50,920
ups. Clark took out his phone
and showed the screen to Saunders and Hammond.

628
00:51:51,639 --> 00:51:57,159
He sent Margolin three words, embraced
the suck. The three of them

629
00:51:57,199 --> 00:52:00,719
were chuckling as they walked into headquarters
and were direct acted immediately to the conference

630
00:52:00,800 --> 00:52:07,679
room. Once inside, they saw
Colonel Boutrou and Lieutenant Colonel Stratton already there.

631
00:52:07,320 --> 00:52:12,280
They were wearing their Class A uniforms. Good, lord, Levi,

632
00:52:12,679 --> 00:52:15,960
said Boudreu, you look like shit. Warn't you in your dress uniform?

633
00:52:16,679 --> 00:52:21,239
Well, I was under the impression
you wanted us hear fast, said Saunders.

634
00:52:22,000 --> 00:52:25,360
We were in the field training with
our teams. Stratton shook her head

635
00:52:25,360 --> 00:52:30,519
and said nothing. We can go
shower and get into our class as,

636
00:52:30,760 --> 00:52:35,199
said Saunders, we'll be back in
about an hour. That won't be necessary,

637
00:52:35,280 --> 00:52:37,679
said Boutrou. You're already here,
and the General will be coming through

638
00:52:37,679 --> 00:52:43,280
the door any second. The door
at the back of the room opened silently,

639
00:52:43,360 --> 00:52:46,840
and General Dalton walked in. Clark
started to react and call everyone to

640
00:52:46,960 --> 00:52:51,840
attention, but Dalton silenced him with
a sharp look and a quick chop of

641
00:52:51,840 --> 00:52:55,440
his hand. Were you rolling in
the dirt like a dog, asked Stratton

642
00:52:55,599 --> 00:53:00,519
snidily. No, I was leading
my men, said Saunders. You don't

643
00:53:00,559 --> 00:53:06,440
do that from an air conditioned office. Clark started to jab Saunders in the

644
00:53:06,559 --> 00:53:08,440
ribs to give him my heads up, but it was too late. The

645
00:53:08,519 --> 00:53:14,519
General was standing there listening. You
disagree, Levi, She snapped, I

646
00:53:14,559 --> 00:53:17,119
don't see why the general thinks so
highly of you and Clark. You're just

647
00:53:17,280 --> 00:53:22,639
mavericks. Neither of you went to
the academy. I graduated third in my

648
00:53:22,760 --> 00:53:27,280
class at the Air Force Academy.
Well, whoop de fucking do, said

649
00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:30,639
Saunders, As I said, you
don't lead from an office. I noticed

650
00:53:30,679 --> 00:53:34,599
you took one as soon as you
could. Come to think of it,

651
00:53:34,679 --> 00:53:37,480
you never let a ting. Some
of us lead men into battle and some

652
00:53:37,519 --> 00:53:43,320
push paperwork. We both fucking know
which one you are. You're never going

653
00:53:43,360 --> 00:53:45,360
to get to full bird if I
have anything to say about it, she

654
00:53:45,480 --> 00:53:52,079
snapped, I prepare your fitness reports. Is that a threat? Snapped Saunders,

655
00:53:52,159 --> 00:53:55,480
his anger rising Take it how you
want it, she said, never

656
00:53:55,519 --> 00:54:01,119
play rock paper scissors with your career. Paper always wins. I frankly don't

657
00:54:01,119 --> 00:54:06,599
give a fuck about, snarled Saunders, and Clark grabbed him by the shoulder

658
00:54:06,639 --> 00:54:10,519
and pulling him back. Then it
was Command Sergeant Major Hammond's turn to talk.

659
00:54:12,480 --> 00:54:15,800
Listen, Lieutenant Colonel said CSM.
Hammond. I've served with some of

660
00:54:15,800 --> 00:54:21,280
the best Army has to offer,
and I'd follow Colonel Saunders to helen back.

661
00:54:21,719 --> 00:54:25,280
Now, I don't say that lightly. Stratton's face turned red in anger,

662
00:54:25,280 --> 00:54:30,599
and she started to say something else
when General Dalton interrupted. I think

663
00:54:30,679 --> 00:54:35,159
that's quite enough, he said,
stepping forward. There was iron in his

664
00:54:35,320 --> 00:54:39,039
tone and thunder in his words.
Everyone froze and looked at the General.

665
00:54:39,159 --> 00:54:45,239
Snapping to attention, Lucian said,
General Dalton, do you feel the same

666
00:54:45,239 --> 00:54:51,239
as Lieutenant Colonel Stratton. Boudreau glanced
at Stratton before speaking. No, Sir,

667
00:54:51,280 --> 00:54:55,679
said Boudreau, I do not.
Dalton held Boudreau fixed in his gaze

668
00:54:55,880 --> 00:55:00,199
like he'd skewered a bug with a
needle. For a moment, he turned

669
00:55:00,239 --> 00:55:04,400
and faced Stratton. He walked over
and stood in front of her, and

670
00:55:04,400 --> 00:55:07,679
then began rubbing his chin with his
right hand, making certain she saw that

671
00:55:07,800 --> 00:55:13,119
he wore no academy ring. I
think we all know how you feel about

672
00:55:13,119 --> 00:55:16,559
men and women under your command,
said Dalton. General. She stammered,

673
00:55:16,639 --> 00:55:21,800
I didn't mean for me to hear
you finish. Dalton. Well, I

674
00:55:21,920 --> 00:55:27,599
did your smug attitude and dismissive tone
toward these men bothers me bothers me a

675
00:55:27,639 --> 00:55:31,000
lot. Stratton started to say something, but Dalton cut her off with a

676
00:55:31,000 --> 00:55:37,360
glance. She swallowed hard and said
nothing. In case you haven't noticed,

677
00:55:37,440 --> 00:55:40,559
I don't wear an academy ring,
said Dalton. I'm a Maverick too,

678
00:55:42,119 --> 00:55:45,079
Joined is an enlisted man and was
given a battlefield promotion when I was with

679
00:55:45,199 --> 00:55:52,480
Special Forces. Stratton's eyes grew wide. She could see her career dying before

680
00:55:52,519 --> 00:55:57,039
her eyes. I've been in more
combat than I care to mention, said

681
00:55:57,119 --> 00:56:00,320
Dalton, some of it in actual
wars, but most of it in black

682
00:56:00,400 --> 00:56:06,599
bag operations that never formally existed.
I've been shot seven times, and I

683
00:56:06,599 --> 00:56:10,159
have plenty of scars and ribbons to
prove that. But there's only one person

684
00:56:10,320 --> 00:56:14,800
in this room that I have to
salute, and it is not you.

685
00:56:15,079 --> 00:56:21,199
Clark fidgeted and glanced at Saunders.
Hammond said nothing, but seemed amused at

686
00:56:21,239 --> 00:56:24,800
what was unfolding in front of him. Now, I normally don't handle this

687
00:56:24,920 --> 00:56:29,519
kind of thing in front of my
subordinates, said Dalton. But since it

688
00:56:29,559 --> 00:56:32,840
didn't seem to bother you when you
were berating the men who had obviously just

689
00:56:32,960 --> 00:56:37,840
returned from the field, I'll make
an exception. Until I made general I

690
00:56:37,920 --> 00:56:42,920
look just like them, and when
my men trained, I trained. That's

691
00:56:42,920 --> 00:56:49,519
how leaders do it. Leaders,
Stratton not managers leaders. These men are

692
00:56:49,599 --> 00:56:53,719
leaders. Their troops follow them into
death itself. You can't get that kind

693
00:56:53,719 --> 00:56:59,159
of loalty behind a desk, and
if you ever left yours you might understand

694
00:56:59,199 --> 00:57:04,119
that. But sir, she pleaded, I'm the team executive officer. I

695
00:57:04,119 --> 00:57:07,960
have a lot of paperwork to handle. Yet you haven't gone out for PT

696
00:57:07,199 --> 00:57:10,920
with any of the teams once in
the last two years, said Dalton.

697
00:57:12,599 --> 00:57:16,159
Don't bother asking how I know that
I see more than I ever talk about,

698
00:57:16,239 --> 00:57:20,960
and I hear far more than you
would believe. That's because I lead

699
00:57:21,039 --> 00:57:23,320
my people. I don't command them. I lead them. I go to

700
00:57:23,400 --> 00:57:28,840
PT with one of the teams that
Lewis McCord once per week. That's four

701
00:57:28,880 --> 00:57:31,320
teams, so I go four days
a week. Do I need to make

702
00:57:31,360 --> 00:57:37,800
that mandatory for all senior staff?
I think I will. Dalton let his

703
00:57:37,880 --> 00:57:40,280
words hang in the air for a
long moment, glancing around at each of

704
00:57:40,320 --> 00:57:45,840
them and locking eyes for a few
seconds. Clearly you do not understand that

705
00:57:46,000 --> 00:57:51,280
concept, said Dalton. I won't
have that in my unit. You are

706
00:57:51,360 --> 00:57:54,760
dismissed. I want you cleared out
of your office and on my plane within

707
00:57:54,840 --> 00:57:59,639
the hour. I'll personally take you
to report to the Air Force Chief of

708
00:57:59,679 --> 00:58:02,920
Staff. We're all going to have
a little chat about you. Dismissed.

709
00:58:05,320 --> 00:58:08,840
Stratton stood there like she'd been physically
slapped in the face. All the color

710
00:58:08,960 --> 00:58:14,559
drained from her face and her eyes
began turning red, I said, dismissed,

711
00:58:14,960 --> 00:58:20,719
snapped Dalton. Stratton turned and left
the room. My apologies, gentlemen,

712
00:58:20,880 --> 00:58:23,840
said Dalton, nodding at the others. I simply can't abide that kind

713
00:58:23,880 --> 00:58:28,800
of behavior and an officer under my
command. Now, let's have a seat

714
00:58:28,800 --> 00:58:32,519
and I'll brief you on the situation. They all took seats at the conference

715
00:58:32,599 --> 00:58:37,320
table in silence, and once they
were seated, Dalton leaned back and took

716
00:58:37,320 --> 00:58:44,119
a deep breath. Four days ago, he began a television crew and Argentina

717
00:58:44,360 --> 00:58:50,159
embarked on an investigation searching for a
late monster that legend claims lives in the

718
00:58:50,280 --> 00:58:55,559
late Nawelapi in Argentina. They call
it Novlito and reported date back more than

719
00:58:55,599 --> 00:59:00,760
two hundred years. They captured footage
of but it wasn't the lake monster.

720
00:59:01,360 --> 00:59:05,000
They didn't know what it was,
so they sent it to their lab,

721
00:59:05,480 --> 00:59:07,719
and when the lab went to follow
up with them, they couldn't be reached.

722
00:59:08,760 --> 00:59:13,039
Another boat was sent to look for
them. So far they found no

723
00:59:13,159 --> 00:59:16,960
sign of them. They were on
a boat, asked Clark. Yes,

724
00:59:17,119 --> 00:59:22,960
it's an eighty two foot Burger flush
deck motor yacht to be exact, said

725
00:59:22,039 --> 00:59:27,840
Dalton. So it's unlikely that a
boat that big went down without getting off

726
00:59:27,880 --> 00:59:30,039
of may Day. Still no one
can find the boat or the crew.

727
00:59:30,880 --> 00:59:35,320
Well, where do we come in, asked Saunders. I mean this seems

728
00:59:35,360 --> 00:59:39,239
like a simple search and rescue.
So far it gets better, said Dalton.

729
00:59:40,079 --> 00:59:45,800
Divers were sent from the Argentina military
to look for bodies or signs of

730
00:59:45,840 --> 00:59:50,039
wreckage, but the lake is over
fifteen hundred feet deep in some places.

731
00:59:50,679 --> 00:59:54,400
Even on sonar they found nothing.
And then a team of a group passe

732
00:59:54,599 --> 01:00:01,519
on de Buzo's Tacticos or APBT from
the Actrical Divers group of the Argentine Navy

733
01:00:01,840 --> 01:00:07,559
was sent in. Now, this
is a highly trained special forces unit and

734
01:00:07,639 --> 01:00:12,079
ten of them went in the water
and they all vanished. One was able

735
01:00:12,079 --> 01:00:16,039
to get off a garbled call saying
that they were under attack. Everyone exchanged

736
01:00:16,039 --> 01:00:22,280
glances. Did the lake monster get
them? Ask Hammon, No, said

737
01:00:22,360 --> 01:00:25,519
Dalton. The footage that the television
crew sent to their lab before they vanished.

738
01:00:25,639 --> 01:00:30,880
Seems to indicate something else entirely.
Dalton tossed a file in front of

739
01:00:30,960 --> 01:00:36,239
Saunders. He opened it and pulled
out several eight by ten glossy photos,

740
01:00:37,119 --> 01:00:38,800
laying them out on the table so
they could all look at them. They

741
01:00:38,840 --> 01:00:44,719
all began looking intently at the images. This looks almost like a man,

742
01:00:45,000 --> 01:00:50,400
said Saunders, almost, said Dalton. Is it some kind of sharp ass

743
01:00:50,519 --> 01:00:53,880
Clark? Not with a tattoo on
its arm, said Hammond, pointing at

744
01:00:53,960 --> 01:01:00,480
the picture. Bingo said Dalton,
do any of you recognize that tattoo?

745
01:01:00,880 --> 01:01:04,280
Well, I've never seen it before, said Saunders. But it looks military.

746
01:01:04,400 --> 01:01:08,360
But who's military? It's German,
said Dalton. Or more to the

747
01:01:08,400 --> 01:01:13,800
point, it was German. It
belonged to the Count Shrimer groupe of the

748
01:01:13,920 --> 01:01:21,920
kriegs Marine Nazi Marine Einset's commandos.
Nazis said Clark frowning in a lake in

749
01:01:22,039 --> 01:01:28,679
Argentina. Gentlemen said Dalton. What
I'm about to tell you is classified top

750
01:01:28,800 --> 01:01:35,679
secret. Our intelligence agencies don't think
Hitler died and the Furer bunker in nineteen

751
01:01:35,760 --> 01:01:40,480
forty five, no one interrupted.
Instead, they think he was smuggled out

752
01:01:40,519 --> 01:01:45,599
of Germany using the rat lines,
said Dalton. The rat lines were escape

753
01:01:45,719 --> 01:01:50,119
routes that were set up by friendly
governments near the end of the war.

754
01:01:50,960 --> 01:01:55,599
It was codenamed Odessa, and there
was another one called Die Spein or Spider

755
01:01:55,719 --> 01:02:01,000
in German. They smuggled high ranking
Nazis out of Germany and spirited them away

756
01:02:01,079 --> 01:02:07,760
to places like Argentina, Brazil and
several other countries. It's believed that they

757
01:02:07,840 --> 01:02:12,440
killed one of Hitler's body doubles to
throw everyone off. We know that an

758
01:02:12,519 --> 01:02:16,639
unknown number of high ranking Nazi officials
were smuggled into Argentina with the help of

759
01:02:16,719 --> 01:02:22,000
Juan Pedron. The Israelis have captured
a couple there in the nineteen seventies.

760
01:02:23,199 --> 01:02:29,880
Everyone to exchange glances, and no
one wanted to interrupt the general. Now

761
01:02:29,880 --> 01:02:34,719
we think that Hitler continued a lot
of his activities from a protected compound on

762
01:02:34,800 --> 01:02:38,719
the lake, said Dalton, in
a place called the Analco House. Our

763
01:02:38,719 --> 01:02:44,639
best intel tells us he died in
the nineteen sixties, leaving behind Ava Braun

764
01:02:44,760 --> 01:02:49,559
with two daughters. Now this is
unconfirmed, but the sources are credible.

765
01:02:50,320 --> 01:02:54,519
Attempts to get agents close to that
area to investigate have all failed, all

766
01:02:54,639 --> 01:02:59,960
right, said Clark. Let's say
that's true. How does that apply to

767
01:03:00,119 --> 01:03:02,400
the thing in the water. Well, I'm getting to that, said Dalton.

768
01:03:04,079 --> 01:03:07,559
Now we suspect some of the genetic
experiments performed by the Nazi scientists were

769
01:03:07,599 --> 01:03:13,719
continued in Argentina. We know for
a fact that Joseph Mingele made it to

770
01:03:13,880 --> 01:03:19,159
Argentina. Our best guess is that
they were attempting to create the perfect underwater

771
01:03:19,280 --> 01:03:23,480
soldier by splicing the genes of a
shark with a human. They believe that

772
01:03:23,519 --> 01:03:28,239
thing in the image used to be
a human, and we also suspect that

773
01:03:28,280 --> 01:03:31,280
there's more than one. Well,
that's not good news, said Clark.

774
01:03:32,079 --> 01:03:38,039
No it's not, said Dalton.
The Argentinan government has requested our assistance.

775
01:03:38,639 --> 01:03:45,159
They decided since it could possibly involve
non human creatures killing their citizens, then

776
01:03:45,199 --> 01:03:49,760
they would call in the experts on
hunting things that aren't human. All right,

777
01:03:49,880 --> 01:03:54,159
said Saunders. When do we leave? We'll begin mobilizing the team immediately,

778
01:03:54,320 --> 01:03:58,480
said Dalton. But I want to
put some boots on the ground before

779
01:03:58,519 --> 01:04:00,760
that. Clark, pick a few
of your people to go with you.

780
01:04:01,480 --> 01:04:05,840
The area is in Patagonia, so
it's very remote. There are a few

781
01:04:05,840 --> 01:04:12,920
small towns there. It's considered the
honeymoon destination of Argentina. So take a

782
01:04:12,920 --> 01:04:15,360
few of your people down there and
act like tourists. Poke around and see

783
01:04:15,360 --> 01:04:20,119
what you can find out, and
under no circumstances are you to engage hostels.

784
01:04:20,920 --> 01:04:24,880
Wait for the rest of the team
to arrive. It's going to take

785
01:04:24,920 --> 01:04:30,000
several days to get Team odin to
Argentina with enough equipment to operate. I

786
01:04:30,119 --> 01:04:33,559
want your team in the air within
the hour. The Argentina and government will

787
01:04:33,599 --> 01:04:38,039
have someone to meet you when you
land and take you to your destination.

788
01:04:39,000 --> 01:04:42,320
All right, sir, said Clark. I'll make it a mixed group so

789
01:04:42,360 --> 01:04:45,800
we look like couples there on vacation. That's a good call, said Dalton.

790
01:04:46,400 --> 01:04:49,719
I'll leave who you take to your
discretion. There will be a plane

791
01:04:49,760 --> 01:04:54,840
waiting for you at the airstrip.
They already have their flight clearances and we'll

792
01:04:54,880 --> 01:04:58,239
be ready to depart as soon as
you get there. Yes, Sir,

793
01:04:58,360 --> 01:05:01,320
said Clark, nodding at saund I'll
go pick my team and get moving.

794
01:05:03,000 --> 01:05:09,239
Dalton and the others started discussing logistics
and equipment as Clark exited the room.

795
01:05:09,920 --> 01:05:13,679
As he walked down the hallway.
He could see Stratton clearing out her desk.

796
01:05:14,559 --> 01:05:16,360
He tried not to make eye contact, but she glared at him.

797
01:05:16,400 --> 01:05:21,559
As he passed. Exiting the building, he began trotting toward the parade field

798
01:05:21,559 --> 01:05:26,559
where the team was going through hand
to hand drills, and Gideon saw him

799
01:05:26,599 --> 01:05:30,199
coming and call for all exercise to
stop. He could tell by the look

800
01:05:30,239 --> 01:05:34,800
on his face that something was going
on. Nodding at Gideon, Clark addressed

801
01:05:34,800 --> 01:05:40,519
the entire team. Folks, the
balloon is going up, he said,

802
01:05:40,719 --> 01:05:44,320
We're being activated for a mission.
That's all I can tell you for now.

803
01:05:45,239 --> 01:05:47,760
All of Team Odin will be going, but I need the following personnel

804
01:05:47,840 --> 01:05:54,159
immediately. We're going to be the
Advanced CAAT team. And if I call

805
01:05:54,239 --> 01:05:59,159
your name, fall out and come
with me. Gray, Eagle, Valkyrie,

806
01:05:59,599 --> 01:06:03,639
rooms Stone, Shield, Maiden,
and Raven. They all fell out

807
01:06:03,719 --> 01:06:09,800
and headed for Clark. Murdoch shouted, Clark, you've got team too until

808
01:06:09,840 --> 01:06:14,239
we rendezvous on the site. Got
it, boss, said Murdoch. The

809
01:06:14,280 --> 01:06:17,360
group headed for the barracks, walking
quickly. Once they were away from the

810
01:06:17,400 --> 01:06:23,239
team, Clark spoke up Shower in
pack. He said, grab your full

811
01:06:23,360 --> 01:06:28,639
kit, but dressing Sivvy's we're wheels
up within the hour. What's the destination,

812
01:06:29,079 --> 01:06:32,199
asked Gregel. I'll tell you everything
once we're in the air, said

813
01:06:32,239 --> 01:06:38,079
Clark. Congratulations, we're all couples
now. Our cover is a group of

814
01:06:38,119 --> 01:06:44,480
couples on vacation. Gregel, you
and shield Maiden are now together. Runestone,

815
01:06:44,639 --> 01:06:47,559
you and Raven are now a happy
couple, and Valkyrie, you're stuck

816
01:06:47,639 --> 01:06:54,480
with me, Hua, shouted Runestone
with a wink at Raven. Valkyrie smiled

817
01:06:54,519 --> 01:06:59,400
and said nothing. Raven said Clark. My apologies, but you're going to

818
01:06:59,440 --> 01:07:01,840
have to leave age here. He'll
have to stay in the kennel until this

819
01:07:01,960 --> 01:07:05,199
mission is over. Now. I
know he doesn't work with anyone but you,

820
01:07:06,039 --> 01:07:10,719
Yes, Sir, said Raven.
If we need him for the team

821
01:07:10,800 --> 01:07:14,960
deployment, he can go with Cadusius. He helps me in the training sessions.

822
01:07:15,440 --> 01:07:18,119
He could bring him down with the
team. That's outstanding, said Clark.

823
01:07:18,199 --> 01:07:23,719
Let's make that happen. I'll send
Cadusius a text once we're done here,

824
01:07:23,840 --> 01:07:26,800
she said, nodding. All right, let's move, folks, said

825
01:07:26,840 --> 01:07:31,679
Clark. The clock is running,
and Dalton once us in their asap thirty

826
01:07:31,719 --> 01:07:36,119
minutes later, they all emerged from
the armory carrying bags containing their gear.

827
01:07:36,960 --> 01:07:43,559
They had all freshly showered and were
wearing civilian clothing. Two humvies were waiting

828
01:07:43,599 --> 01:07:46,960
to take them to the airstrip.
Let's roll, said Clark, climbing into

829
01:07:46,960 --> 01:07:53,159
the lead humvy. Valkyrie and Gray
Eagle climbed into the back of the same

830
01:07:53,239 --> 01:07:58,360
humvy, while the other three climbed
into the second. The humv drivers immediately

831
01:07:58,400 --> 01:08:01,280
fired up the engines and headed out
of the parking lot. As they were

832
01:08:01,280 --> 01:08:04,880
going out towards the highway, Clark
turned in his seat to talk to Gregel

833
01:08:04,960 --> 01:08:10,039
and Valkyrie. I don't want to
tell you too much until we're in the

834
01:08:10,079 --> 01:08:13,719
air and I can brief everyone at
the same time, he said. But

835
01:08:13,840 --> 01:08:16,479
this one is insane. You're not
going to believe it when I tell you.

836
01:08:17,359 --> 01:08:20,880
Let me guess, said Valkyrie,
grinning. We're going to a remote

837
01:08:20,920 --> 01:08:27,000
desert island resort to bask in the
sun for two weeks. Not even close,

838
01:08:27,239 --> 01:08:30,840
said Clark, shaking his head.
Well a girl can dream, she

839
01:08:30,000 --> 01:08:35,119
replied with a chuckle. Unfortunately,
said Clark, we never get sent to

840
01:08:35,239 --> 01:08:41,399
nice vacation places. It's always the
remote, rugged and cold places. This

841
01:08:41,560 --> 01:08:45,960
place is cooler, but hopefully we
won't see any extreme weather. Well that

842
01:08:45,000 --> 01:08:49,840
would be nice for once, said
Valkyrie. Maybe next time, said Clark,

843
01:08:50,079 --> 01:08:55,159
I'll put in a request for a
monster attack in Bora Bora or Balley.

844
01:08:55,840 --> 01:08:59,319
Wow, a place I could wear
a bikini instead of body armor,

845
01:08:59,479 --> 01:09:04,039
she mused. Now that'll ever happen, Major, said the driver. We're

846
01:09:04,079 --> 01:09:10,399
almost to the airstrip. Thank you, corporal, said Clark. As they

847
01:09:10,439 --> 01:09:14,359
pulled through the gate, they expected
to see a military aircraft waiting for them

848
01:09:14,399 --> 01:09:18,479
on the tarmac, but instead there
was a gleaming gulf Stream G six fifty

849
01:09:18,920 --> 01:09:25,720
er. The only indication that it
wasn't a normal civilian aircraft was the fact

850
01:09:25,720 --> 01:09:30,279
that it was painted dark green and
had Army insignias on the fuselage. The

851
01:09:30,359 --> 01:09:34,680
humvees stopped less than twenty yards from
the gulf Stream, and they all exited

852
01:09:34,720 --> 01:09:41,279
with their gear. A captain in
Army Class B uniform with a name tag

853
01:09:41,319 --> 01:09:45,399
that read Cooper was waiting for them. He saluted Clark and handed him a

854
01:09:45,479 --> 01:09:51,680
thick Manila envelope. Thanks, said
Clark. What's in this, travel orders,

855
01:09:51,840 --> 01:09:59,279
said Cooper. Plus authorization documents from
SECDIFF giving you authority to operate internationally.

856
01:10:00,359 --> 01:10:03,800
Clark nodded and tucked the envelope under
his arm. That's not our usual

857
01:10:03,880 --> 01:10:08,880
transport, said Clark, pointing at
the Gulf string. Uh, this is

858
01:10:08,960 --> 01:10:14,399
General Dalton's personal transport plane, explained
Cooper. He left a few minutes ago

859
01:10:14,479 --> 01:10:17,800
and to see one thirty with Lieutenant
Colonel Stratton. The General felt it would

860
01:10:17,800 --> 01:10:21,680
be good for her to experience how
the troops travel. Besides, there's no

861
01:10:21,840 --> 01:10:27,680
jet better suited to get to your
destination as quickly as this plane, short

862
01:10:27,680 --> 01:10:30,800
of a fighter jet. All right, said Clark. Let's get aboard and

863
01:10:30,840 --> 01:10:34,920
get in the air. The pilot
is ready to depart as soon as you

864
01:10:34,960 --> 01:10:39,840
give the word, said Cooper.
Good luck. Major Yeah, said Clark,

865
01:10:39,960 --> 01:10:45,039
we might just need it. They
exchanged salutes and everyone climbed aboard the

866
01:10:45,159 --> 01:10:47,279
jet, and once they stowed their
gear, they all took a seat and

867
01:10:47,319 --> 01:10:53,760
got comfortable. Major Clark said the
pilot. I'm Captain Lincoln, I'm your

868
01:10:53,840 --> 01:10:57,960
pilot. Just let me know when
you're ready. We're good, said Clark.

869
01:10:58,119 --> 01:11:00,560
Take off as soon as you're cleared, all right, said Lincoln.

870
01:11:01,039 --> 01:11:05,239
Please face your seats forward and buckle
your seat belts until we are at cruising

871
01:11:05,279 --> 01:11:10,760
altitude. We'll make a brief stop
at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida for

872
01:11:10,880 --> 01:11:15,880
refueling and to pick up your cover
documents and passports. Please send an email

873
01:11:15,960 --> 01:11:19,039
to General Dalton with your specifics.
Well, I'll send that now, said

874
01:11:19,039 --> 01:11:24,840
Clark, taking out a cell phone. Outstanding, said Lincoln. We'll be

875
01:11:25,000 --> 01:11:30,439
taxing as soon as the tower gives
us clearance. Clark sent the email while

876
01:11:30,479 --> 01:11:33,359
the others adjusted their seats and buckled
in, and by the time they were

877
01:11:33,399 --> 01:11:39,279
finished, the plane was already taxing
toward the runway. Within minutes, they

878
01:11:39,279 --> 01:11:44,359
heard the wine increase as the engine
spooled up, and then they began accelerating

879
01:11:44,359 --> 01:11:48,479
down the runway, and moments later, the landscape of Missouri was rapidly falling

880
01:11:48,479 --> 01:11:58,279
away from them as they climbed into
the sky. Chapter three Fair Winds,

881
01:12:00,119 --> 01:12:06,479
hundred hours, fourteen May, Buenos
Aires, Argentina. The Gulf Stream touched

882
01:12:06,520 --> 01:12:12,399
down on the military runway just outside
of the main airport in Buenos Aires.

883
01:12:13,399 --> 01:12:16,159
Instead of stopping at the edge of
the tarmac, they were directed to taxi

884
01:12:16,239 --> 01:12:21,039
directly to a hanger. Once they
were inside, the big hanger doors rolled

885
01:12:21,079 --> 01:12:27,960
shut. Someone's being very cautious,
said Valkyrie looking at the window. Does

886
01:12:28,000 --> 01:12:32,039
this seem odd to anyone but me? Asked Greyagel. Clark opened one of

887
01:12:32,039 --> 01:12:38,920
the pelican cases and tossed handguns to
everyone. They all checked their guncrafter Industry's

888
01:12:39,000 --> 01:12:44,199
blocked fifty GI conversions, loading around
into the chamber and clipping the holster onto

889
01:12:44,239 --> 01:12:48,520
their belts. Something's very wrong here, said Clark, nodding at Gregel.

890
01:12:49,520 --> 01:12:54,760
Everyone grabbed a position behind their seats
and kept their weapons trained on the door.

891
01:12:55,319 --> 01:12:59,279
After a few minutes, the door
was opened from the outside. Clark

892
01:12:59,319 --> 01:13:02,000
glanced out the WAW and saw three
men at the entrance of the aircraft,

893
01:13:02,079 --> 01:13:10,079
all carrying Breuger tom At APC nine
submachine guns. They're Argentina and Special Forces,

894
01:13:10,079 --> 01:13:13,960
said Clark. Look at their guns. They're six behind the vehicles,

895
01:13:14,000 --> 01:13:18,560
said Valkyrie were trapped. Fuck hissed
Clark. One of the three men at

896
01:13:18,600 --> 01:13:24,520
the door stepped up to the aircraft. He was wearing Argentina and Combat fatigues

897
01:13:24,560 --> 01:13:29,439
with a perfectly formed dark green beret. Sit at a jaunty angle. Clark

898
01:13:29,479 --> 01:13:32,640
tightened his grip on his pistol and
brought it up behind the seat. Major

899
01:13:32,760 --> 01:13:39,239
Clark, the man said in thickly
accented English. Clark noticed that while he

900
01:13:39,319 --> 01:13:44,239
was carrying the BTAPC nine, it
was hanging from a single point strap around

901
01:13:44,279 --> 01:13:47,399
his neck and he did not have
his hand on the weapon. Clark motioned

902
01:13:47,399 --> 01:13:50,399
for the others to stand down,
and he put his pistol away as he

903
01:13:50,439 --> 01:13:56,800
stood. I'm Clark, he said. I apologize for the security measures,

904
01:13:56,920 --> 01:14:00,439
he said. I understand why you
would be apprehensive. What's going on,

905
01:14:00,840 --> 01:14:06,920
asked Clark. Permit me to introduce
myself, he replied, I'm Captain Louise

906
01:14:08,079 --> 01:14:14,960
Vasquez, six hundred first Commando Company
Captain, said Clark, nodding. Please,

907
01:14:15,000 --> 01:14:17,600
if you will come with me,
said Vasquez, motioning off the aircraft.

908
01:14:18,680 --> 01:14:24,079
Clark hesitated for a moment before nodding
at the others. They put away

909
01:14:24,079 --> 01:14:28,359
their weapons and then grabbed their bags
and followed Vasquez off the plane. He

910
01:14:28,479 --> 01:14:30,479
led them to a large conference room
at the far end of the hangar,

911
01:14:30,920 --> 01:14:35,840
and inside were platters of food and
coolers filled with ice and drinks. Please

912
01:14:35,920 --> 01:14:42,680
have a seat and relax, said
Vasquez. Welcome to Argentina. Why all

913
01:14:42,720 --> 01:14:47,560
the security, asked Clark. There
are certain factions that do not appreciate having

914
01:14:47,560 --> 01:14:53,960
American military here, he explained,
But we were invited, said Clark.

915
01:14:54,680 --> 01:14:58,560
Of course, said Vasquez. My
men and I are signed to help you

916
01:14:58,640 --> 01:15:01,920
in any way that we can.
We understand the delicate nature of your mission

917
01:15:02,000 --> 01:15:06,359
and the need for operational security,
but you might not find everyone here will

918
01:15:06,399 --> 01:15:11,960
be so supportive. Well, why
would we need a security detail, asked

919
01:15:11,960 --> 01:15:15,399
Clark. No one is supposed to
know we're here. All I can tell

920
01:15:15,439 --> 01:15:20,159
you is that there are factions within
our government that are resistant to any outside

921
01:15:20,199 --> 01:15:26,720
militaries coming on to Argentine soil,
said Vasquez. It is best if no

922
01:15:26,800 --> 01:15:30,560
one is aware of you being here
until the rest of your unit arrives.

923
01:15:30,159 --> 01:15:33,359
Then it will be too late for
them to do anything. Wait, said

924
01:15:33,399 --> 01:15:41,039
Clark. You said factions within your
own government. Argentina is old, answered

925
01:15:41,119 --> 01:15:45,720
Vasquez, many secrets and old alliances. I'm afraid I cannot tell you much.

926
01:15:46,199 --> 01:15:50,159
Certain things are just not spoken.
I am a soldier and loyal to

927
01:15:50,239 --> 01:15:56,680
my country, I understand, said
Clark. Perhaps we could arrange to have

928
01:15:56,760 --> 01:16:00,880
the team in your uniform so it
would appear that you settle the problem on

929
01:16:00,920 --> 01:16:04,960
your own. Perhaps that might be
possible, said Vasquez. It would certainly

930
01:16:05,039 --> 01:16:10,399
quiet some concerns I knew some of
the men who vanished. I know how

931
01:16:10,399 --> 01:16:14,159
good they were. They were some
of the best we have and when I

932
01:16:14,199 --> 01:16:17,000
saw the pictures that were captured by
the television crew, I knew it was

933
01:16:17,039 --> 01:16:21,319
something outside our training. If we
send in more men, we would lose

934
01:16:21,399 --> 01:16:26,119
them. That's why I'm happy to
have you here. So what do we

935
01:16:26,159 --> 01:16:29,880
do now, asked Clark. How
will we be able to function if we

936
01:16:29,960 --> 01:16:33,479
have to watch our backs from your
government. Your cover is still in place,

937
01:16:33,640 --> 01:16:38,359
said Vasquez. If you will bring
out your passports, we will stamp

938
01:16:38,399 --> 01:16:42,560
them so it appears that you entered
the country correctly. Once that is done,

939
01:16:42,640 --> 01:16:45,000
you will appear to be normal tourists, at least until the rest of

940
01:16:45,039 --> 01:16:50,760
your team arrives. Everyone took out
their passports and one of Vasquez's men went

941
01:16:50,800 --> 01:16:56,600
around stamping them all. Now,
are any of you a pilot, as

942
01:16:56,800 --> 01:17:00,880
Fasquez? Well, depends on what
needs to be flo said Clark. I'm

943
01:17:00,880 --> 01:17:04,720
not certified on rotorcraft, but I
can fly small planes. I have my

944
01:17:04,840 --> 01:17:10,279
license in the States. I can
fly small plains as well, said Gray

945
01:17:10,319 --> 01:17:15,800
Eagle. Could you fly something like
the plains flown during World War Two?

946
01:17:15,119 --> 01:17:20,199
Asked Vasquez. I could, said
Clark. Why what do you have in

947
01:17:20,239 --> 01:17:26,159
mind? You are tourists, said
Vasquez, smiling. You can take the

948
01:17:26,199 --> 01:17:30,640
plane to Nahwallawapi without raising suspicion.
Tourists charter flights there all the time.

949
01:17:31,399 --> 01:17:34,399
All right, said Clark. Take
us to the plane. We'll do the

950
01:17:34,479 --> 01:17:40,760
rest. Just as long as you
realize something, said Vasquez. Once you

951
01:17:40,840 --> 01:17:44,840
were at the lake, we cannot
protect you. People there are quiet around

952
01:17:44,880 --> 01:17:49,119
strangers. Be careful who you speak
to, and trust I understand, said

953
01:17:49,159 --> 01:17:53,279
Clark. We only have to be
on site for a few days before the

954
01:17:53,279 --> 01:17:58,239
rest of the team arrives. For
your cover as tourists, said Vasquez,

955
01:17:58,600 --> 01:18:03,399
we have booked accommodation at the Corinto
Sol Lake River Hotel in Via La Angastora.

956
01:18:04,119 --> 01:18:08,279
Since you are supposed to be married
couples, we booked three rooms.

957
01:18:08,760 --> 01:18:12,159
You check in as soon as you
get there. All of this is courtesy

958
01:18:12,159 --> 01:18:15,159
of the Argentine government. We have, as you say, picked up the

959
01:18:15,279 --> 01:18:21,039
tub. It's the tab, said
Clark, Gay asked Fasquez. Picked up

960
01:18:21,079 --> 01:18:26,760
the tab, said Clark. Ah
gracias, said Vasquez, I do not

961
01:18:26,840 --> 01:18:32,119
quite fully understand American idioms and slang. He handed Clark a packet containing their

962
01:18:32,239 --> 01:18:38,399
check in confirmation and flight plan.
Thank you, said Clark, nodding very

963
01:18:38,439 --> 01:18:42,560
well, said Vasquez. We will
take you to the plane. Good luck,

964
01:18:42,600 --> 01:18:45,760
and I hope you stop this creature
before more lives are lost. Then

965
01:18:45,800 --> 01:18:49,520
get us to that plane, said
Clark, nodding. If you will come

966
01:18:49,560 --> 01:18:54,520
with me, said Vasquez, turning
and heading for a covered vehicle near the

967
01:18:54,520 --> 01:18:58,640
back door of the hangar. Clark
took a moment together his gear and caught

968
01:18:58,680 --> 01:19:01,640
Gray Eagle's eye. He held back
and started helping Clark with his bags.

969
01:19:02,560 --> 01:19:08,119
Something's going on here, whispered Clark. I want that plane checked out thoroughly

970
01:19:08,199 --> 01:19:12,680
before we left off. Yes,
sir, said gregel softly. I'll see

971
01:19:12,680 --> 01:19:16,520
if I smell any explosives, and
then check the engines. As they climbed

972
01:19:16,520 --> 01:19:20,479
back into the back of the vehicle, Vazquez closed the tarp so that no

973
01:19:20,479 --> 01:19:25,359
one could see who was in the
back of the vehicle. Moments later,

974
01:19:25,439 --> 01:19:29,960
the engines started and they headed out
of the hangar. Get your weapons ready,

975
01:19:30,039 --> 01:19:33,199
said Clark, leaning in so they
could hear him without him speaking loudly.

976
01:19:34,439 --> 01:19:40,640
Everyone began unpacking their gear and quickly
putting their kits together. Clark pulled

977
01:19:40,680 --> 01:19:45,359
out his AA twelve and loaded a
magazine of flatchets. Everyone began unpacking their

978
01:19:45,399 --> 01:19:50,159
gear and quickly putting their kits together. Clark pulled out his AA twelve and

979
01:19:50,239 --> 01:19:55,840
loaded a magazine of flaquettes, knowing
that they would punch through most body armor.

980
01:19:56,680 --> 01:20:00,279
Valkyrie left her sniper rifle in its
case and started low voting her HKU

981
01:20:00,399 --> 01:20:05,159
n P fifty Runstone, Shield,
Maiden and Raven have the same weapon.

982
01:20:05,920 --> 01:20:12,159
Gregel unpacked and assembled his Wilson Combat
four fifty eight so calm with the tricon.

983
01:20:12,359 --> 01:20:16,039
Hey, cog get ready, folks, said Clark. Something's wrong here,

984
01:20:16,079 --> 01:20:20,880
and I don't trust these guys.
Everyone nodded an agreement. Be prepared

985
01:20:20,920 --> 01:20:25,800
for anything, said grey Eagel.
When those flaps open, we might be

986
01:20:25,880 --> 01:20:30,439
looking down the barrels of rifles,
or they could be planning on our plane

987
01:20:30,439 --> 01:20:35,239
accidentally going down, added Clark.
Gregel took out his phone and began studying

988
01:20:35,279 --> 01:20:39,479
it. After a few minutes,
he held up the screen to show Clark.

989
01:20:40,680 --> 01:20:45,000
It showed a subdued green black military
patch. What's this, asked Clark.

990
01:20:45,960 --> 01:20:50,560
Unit insignia for the six hundred and
first Commando in the Argentine Army said

991
01:20:50,600 --> 01:20:56,199
Gregel. That's not the same patch
that Vasquez had on his shoulder, said

992
01:20:56,239 --> 01:21:00,520
Clark. I no, said Gregel, it was this one. He swiped

993
01:21:00,520 --> 01:21:04,920
the screen and another image appeared.
Yeah, said Clark, that's the one

994
01:21:04,960 --> 01:21:11,479
he was wearing. What is it. It's Argentine military intelligence, said Gregel.

995
01:21:11,840 --> 01:21:15,039
He's not who he claims he is. Well, shit, whispered Clark.

996
01:21:16,279 --> 01:21:19,640
They rode in silence for almost an
hour. When they felt the vehicle

997
01:21:19,720 --> 01:21:25,399
began to slow, Gregel and Clark
made small slits in the canvas so they

998
01:21:25,439 --> 01:21:29,640
could peek out of the side of
the vehicle. They were clearing a checkpoint

999
01:21:29,680 --> 01:21:33,920
and being waved through by military personnel. They had just entered a secure facility.

1000
01:21:35,000 --> 01:21:40,840
Once clear, they accelerated back to
highway speed. Ten minutes later,

1001
01:21:40,960 --> 01:21:45,319
they took a left and began slowing
down. They felt the driver down shift

1002
01:21:45,359 --> 01:21:48,119
and knew they were soon going to
come to a full stop. Peering through

1003
01:21:48,159 --> 01:21:53,399
the slits, they saw that they
were on an airstrip. If they were

1004
01:21:53,439 --> 01:21:56,920
just going to shoot us, whispered
Valkyrie, then I doubt they would have

1005
01:21:56,960 --> 01:22:00,840
bothered to take us to an airstrip. Then my money is on the plane

1006
01:22:00,880 --> 01:22:03,960
being sabotaged, said Clark notice.
They asked if we had a pilot.

1007
01:22:04,279 --> 01:22:09,920
They didn't offer to fly us anywhere. The truck bounced to a stop and

1008
01:22:09,920 --> 01:22:15,279
they heard excited voices speaking in Spanish, and Clark understood enough to overhear someone

1009
01:22:15,359 --> 01:22:19,079
ask if the plane was prepared and
ready to go. They received an affirmative

1010
01:22:19,119 --> 01:22:24,359
answer, and then the voices approached
the back of the vehicle. When it

1011
01:22:24,479 --> 01:22:30,279
opened, there was a smaller contingent
of security personnel. Captain Vasquez was there

1012
01:22:30,359 --> 01:22:33,640
and e motioned for them all to
exit the vehicle. They climbed out and

1013
01:22:33,720 --> 01:22:38,680
kept their weapons on their slings instead
of packing them back into the bags.

1014
01:22:39,319 --> 01:22:43,159
Clark wanted them to see that they
were not going to be led like lambs

1015
01:22:43,199 --> 01:22:46,720
to a slaughter. There is your
plane, major, said Vasquez, pointing

1016
01:22:46,760 --> 01:22:53,239
as he smiled. Clark turned and
saw a surplus aircraft from World War II.

1017
01:22:54,079 --> 01:22:59,119
Holy shit, he said, that's
a Catalina pby. Yes it is,

1018
01:22:59,319 --> 01:23:02,800
said Vasque, grinning. It's a
relic. No, it's an antique,

1019
01:23:02,880 --> 01:23:08,000
said Clark. It looks like it's
in great shape. Though this one't

1020
01:23:08,000 --> 01:23:11,960
belong to a drug dealer, said
Vasquez. He's in prison and won't be

1021
01:23:12,079 --> 01:23:15,439
needing it. We created documentation to
put the plane in your name, Major

1022
01:23:15,479 --> 01:23:18,520
Clark, and when this is over, you can keep it if you like.

1023
01:23:19,520 --> 01:23:23,319
I just might take you up on
that, said Clark, grinning.

1024
01:23:24,319 --> 01:23:28,800
Your flight plan has already been placed
with our civilian air traffic control, said

1025
01:23:28,880 --> 01:23:32,239
Vasquez. You left Florida yesterday and
flew down the coast. Once you're in

1026
01:23:32,279 --> 01:23:36,520
the air, fly out over the
bay and stay below the radar. Military

1027
01:23:36,560 --> 01:23:43,239
aircraft are already aware of this.
You won't be challenged. Once you're safely

1028
01:23:43,319 --> 01:23:45,920
out to sea, turned back toward
the shore, and climb high enough that

1029
01:23:46,000 --> 01:23:49,800
you will be seen on radar.
That should have plenty of fuel for the

1030
01:23:49,840 --> 01:23:54,880
trip to Lago Nahwalwapi. Well,
that's a good plan, said Clark.

1031
01:23:55,960 --> 01:24:00,359
Clark admired the plane for a few
minutes before coming to his senses. Let's

1032
01:24:00,399 --> 01:24:03,840
get our gear stowed, he said, nodding at the others. While they

1033
01:24:03,880 --> 01:24:10,119
were placing the gear inside, Gregel
walked around the aircraft, inspecting the fuselage

1034
01:24:10,439 --> 01:24:14,800
using his enhanced sense of smell,
and then he climbed up onto the ladder

1035
01:24:14,880 --> 01:24:19,199
and opened the engine cowlings, inspecting
the fuel lines and linkage gables. Once

1036
01:24:19,239 --> 01:24:24,199
he was sure that both engines were
in good condition. He climbed down and

1037
01:24:24,279 --> 01:24:29,760
headed inside. Clark stowed his gear
and then headed for the cockpit to begin

1038
01:24:29,880 --> 01:24:33,319
pre flight. It was still dark
and if they could be in the air

1039
01:24:33,359 --> 01:24:38,119
before the sun came up, then
no one would be able to tell where

1040
01:24:38,119 --> 01:24:42,800
the plane came from, unless it
was air traffic control at the airport.

1041
01:24:43,279 --> 01:24:45,760
Once he was in the pilot's seat, he began checking his fuel gages and

1042
01:24:45,800 --> 01:24:50,800
other instruments, and after a few
minutes, Gregel climbed into the copilot seat.

1043
01:24:51,439 --> 01:24:56,479
Did you find anything, asked Clark, still checking instruments. No,

1044
01:24:56,920 --> 01:25:01,039
said Gregel. I didn't find any
scent of low sieves at all. Did

1045
01:25:01,079 --> 01:25:05,199
you visually check the fuel level,
asked Clark, Yes, Sir, said

1046
01:25:05,239 --> 01:25:10,560
Gregel. Unless they filled it with
water, we should be fine on fuel.

1047
01:25:10,800 --> 01:25:13,920
And for when I remember, these
things have about a three thousand mile

1048
01:25:14,079 --> 01:25:18,239
range, it's only about one thousand
miles to the lake. Fantastic, said

1049
01:25:18,239 --> 01:25:24,079
Clark. Let's get this old girl
in the air. Clark began the startup

1050
01:25:24,199 --> 01:25:29,920
sequence while Gregel cleared their flight with
the tower First, the starboard engine was

1051
01:25:29,960 --> 01:25:34,880
brought online and a loud idle before
the port engine was engaged Soon both engines

1052
01:25:34,920 --> 01:25:41,239
were roaring with power and idling smoothly. I love this plane, said Clark,

1053
01:25:41,239 --> 01:25:44,720
grinning. Makes me feel like Jake
Cutter in the Tails of the Gold

1054
01:25:44,800 --> 01:25:48,520
Monkey, only that plane was a
groom and seaplane. Well you need now

1055
01:25:48,680 --> 01:25:53,319
is a one eyed dog, said
Gregel, And one of those cool hats

1056
01:25:53,319 --> 01:25:58,760
a Cutter wore, said Clark.
Hang on. Clark reached under his seat

1057
01:25:58,760 --> 01:26:01,479
and searched for anything that might be
down there. Damn it, he muttered.

1058
01:26:01,760 --> 01:26:05,720
I guess that was too much to
ask. You honestly thought there would

1059
01:26:05,760 --> 01:26:11,279
be one of those hats under your
seat, asked Gregel. No, said

1060
01:26:11,319 --> 01:26:15,079
Clark, grinning. Well maybe,
Gregel shook his head. But if I

1061
01:26:15,159 --> 01:26:18,319
keep this plane, I'm buying one
of those hats, said Clark, reaching

1062
01:26:18,359 --> 01:26:25,319
for the controls giving power to the
engines. They began taxiing out to the

1063
01:26:25,399 --> 01:26:29,640
runway, and once they reached the
end, Clark turned the aircraft around and

1064
01:26:29,680 --> 01:26:33,119
set the brakes. They could feel
the power of the engines rumbling through their

1065
01:26:33,239 --> 01:26:40,359
seats. You ready, asked Clark. Gregel nodded. Clark released the brakes

1066
01:26:40,399 --> 01:26:45,119
and began increasing the throttle. The
old aircraft streaked down the runway, gathering

1067
01:26:45,239 --> 01:26:49,560
speed and generating lift. Clark could
feel it getting lighter and began pulling back

1068
01:26:49,640 --> 01:26:54,680
on the wheel and felt the nose
come off the ground. Moments later,

1069
01:26:54,760 --> 01:27:00,359
they were climbing into the sky.
Clark was careful to stay below radar level,

1070
01:27:00,439 --> 01:27:03,199
and he banked out toward the bay. The flight was smooth and steady,

1071
01:27:03,239 --> 01:27:09,279
without any signs of problems with the
aircraft, keeping the running lights off.

1072
01:27:09,279 --> 01:27:13,119
He avoided the harbor lanes so he
wouldn't fly directly over a freighter.

1073
01:27:14,119 --> 01:27:16,359
I'm going to put her down once
we're away from town, said Clark,

1074
01:27:17,000 --> 01:27:21,520
Why, asked Valkyrie, poking her
head into the cockpit. I have a

1075
01:27:21,560 --> 01:27:27,199
bad feeling that there's a surprise waiting
for us outside the harbor, explained Clark.

1076
01:27:27,560 --> 01:27:30,239
Maybe a missile, frigate or something. You don't trust these guys,

1077
01:27:30,279 --> 01:27:35,000
do you, she asked. I
have this nagging feeling that something is wrong,

1078
01:27:35,239 --> 01:27:41,000
said Clark. They were awfully glib
about telling us there are factions of

1079
01:27:41,039 --> 01:27:45,000
their government that don't want us here. And then there's the fact that unless

1080
01:27:45,039 --> 01:27:47,880
he was part of the mission briefing, there's no need for their security team

1081
01:27:47,920 --> 01:27:53,079
that met us to know the full
nature of our mission. That's just bad

1082
01:27:53,199 --> 01:27:57,279
opsie. Also, they gave us
a plane that was confiscated from a drug

1083
01:27:57,319 --> 01:28:00,560
dealer, A plane, I might
add, it's close to eighty years old.

1084
01:28:01,479 --> 01:28:04,720
Planes this old go down all the
time and no one bats an eye.

1085
01:28:05,800 --> 01:28:10,720
Trust your instincts, sir, said
Gregel. I found that you are

1086
01:28:10,800 --> 01:28:15,119
rarely wrong when you're in the field. All right, said Valkyrie. What

1087
01:28:15,199 --> 01:28:18,359
do you want us to do once
we're on the deck, said Clark.

1088
01:28:18,560 --> 01:28:23,520
I want to recheck everything. We're
missing something. I'm sure of it,

1089
01:28:23,600 --> 01:28:28,000
either a bomb, a tracker,
or sabotage. We're missing something. I

1090
01:28:28,159 --> 01:28:30,880
just know it. If it's there, said Valkyrie, we'll find it.

1091
01:28:32,359 --> 01:28:36,920
The false light of dawn was starting
to color the eastern horizon, turning the

1092
01:28:36,960 --> 01:28:42,239
water to an odd mixture of gold
and purple. They were away from any

1093
01:28:42,279 --> 01:28:45,319
occupied part of the harbor, so
Clark began to cut power and angled for

1094
01:28:45,399 --> 01:28:50,720
a landing on calm water. Everyone
grab a chair, said Clark, we're

1095
01:28:50,800 --> 01:28:57,199
landing. Two minutes later, they
were gliding through the water as Clark angled

1096
01:28:57,199 --> 01:29:00,680
them in near a long, wooden
dock that came out from a dark section

1097
01:29:00,800 --> 01:29:04,119
of the shore. This looks abandoned, said Clark, we'll pull up to

1098
01:29:04,159 --> 01:29:10,000
the dock and give this thing a
proper going over. Cutting the power,

1099
01:29:10,039 --> 01:29:14,000
they drifted the last few feet toward
the dock, and Grego went out through

1100
01:29:14,000 --> 01:29:16,560
the hatch above the cockpit of the
aircraft and leaped over to the dock,

1101
01:29:16,800 --> 01:29:20,840
taking the anchor line with him.
He took it off quickly and reached for

1102
01:29:20,920 --> 01:29:26,359
the pouch on his belt and grabbed
the small flashlight. He clicked it on

1103
01:29:26,520 --> 01:29:29,880
and climbed onto the roof of the
plane and then up onto the wings,

1104
01:29:30,239 --> 01:29:33,520
and from there it was just a
matter of opening the engine cowlings. The

1105
01:29:33,560 --> 01:29:39,399
engines were pinging hot and he could
smell the oil and metal scent. Careful

1106
01:29:39,399 --> 01:29:43,439
not to touch the hot metal,
he began shining the light around the interior

1107
01:29:43,560 --> 01:29:46,960
of the cowling. He found nothing, and he decided to try one more

1108
01:29:47,039 --> 01:29:50,880
area. He laid on his back
and slid to the edge of the cowing

1109
01:29:50,960 --> 01:29:55,520
and opened the bottom panel and he
shined the light inside, and he saw

1110
01:29:55,640 --> 01:30:00,399
something out of place. There was
a dim red light attached to a block

1111
01:30:00,439 --> 01:30:05,319
of semtext with an electronic detonator.
Looks like he was right, whispered Gregel,

1112
01:30:06,520 --> 01:30:11,720
activating his calm. He whispered Fenraer
to thunder God, he said,

1113
01:30:11,960 --> 01:30:17,560
we have confirmation over copy on my
way, said Clark. Clark climbed up

1114
01:30:17,640 --> 01:30:21,800
onto the wing and headed for Gregel. Leaning down from the opposite side of

1115
01:30:21,840 --> 01:30:26,680
the big engine, Clark popped off
the cawing and looked where Gregel was shining

1116
01:30:26,720 --> 01:30:30,840
the light. Damn it, he
hissed, I fucking knew it. Can

1117
01:30:30,880 --> 01:30:34,159
you disarm it? I think so, said Gregel, Just so long as

1118
01:30:34,159 --> 01:30:39,000
they don't hit the detonator while I'm
working on it. Do you think there's

1119
01:30:39,039 --> 01:30:43,359
one on the other engine, asked
Clark. I think it's safe to assume,

1120
01:30:43,479 --> 01:30:45,800
said Gregel. The charge is big
enough to shear off the wing,

1121
01:30:46,079 --> 01:30:50,560
rupturing the fuel tanks in the process. We'd have been scattered all over the

1122
01:30:50,600 --> 01:30:55,880
South Atlantic. Go ahead and disarm
them, said Clark. We're going to

1123
01:30:55,920 --> 01:30:59,399
finish searching the rest of the plane
for plans B, C and D.

1124
01:30:59,680 --> 01:31:02,920
Just in case. That's a good
call, Sir, said Gregel. I

1125
01:31:02,960 --> 01:31:05,920
should have these taken care of in
a few minutes. What do you want

1126
01:31:05,920 --> 01:31:10,680
me to do with the Semtex when
I'm done? Hang on to it,

1127
01:31:10,720 --> 01:31:14,319
said Clark. We might need it
to return the favor before this is over.

1128
01:31:15,039 --> 01:31:16,840
Let me know when you're done.
I'm going to have the others keep

1129
01:31:16,880 --> 01:31:20,840
searching while I call all Father with
an update. Good thing, I brought

1130
01:31:20,880 --> 01:31:26,560
my sat phone. While the others
searched the aircraft from top to bottom,

1131
01:31:26,680 --> 01:31:30,840
Clark climbed onto the deck and walked
a short distance away, Activating the SAT

1132
01:31:30,880 --> 01:31:36,159
phone, he punched in a code
and hit sin. The encryption protocols engaged

1133
01:31:36,279 --> 01:31:42,159
and he waited while a secure link
was established. After a series of clicks,

1134
01:31:42,159 --> 01:31:45,319
it began ringing. Go for all
Father, said the voice of Saunders.

1135
01:31:46,239 --> 01:31:49,479
All father, this is thunder God, said Clark. We have a

1136
01:31:49,520 --> 01:31:55,479
situation and we're not even on site
yet. What's going on, asked Saunders.

1137
01:31:56,439 --> 01:32:00,199
We were met at the airport by
Captain Vasquez and a security team of

1138
01:32:00,359 --> 01:32:05,720
Argentine military intelligence, said Clark.
We were taken to a plane that we

1139
01:32:05,720 --> 01:32:11,199
were to fly ourselves to the lake. That wasn't what we agreed on with

1140
01:32:11,239 --> 01:32:15,760
the Argentine government, said Saunders.
Your contact was supposed to be Major Alfonso

1141
01:32:15,880 --> 01:32:20,319
Guerrera of the six hundred and first
Commando Company. They were going to take

1142
01:32:20,319 --> 01:32:25,880
you to the lake by helicopter.
We were asked if we had a pilot,

1143
01:32:26,000 --> 01:32:29,880
said Clark. Both Gregil and I
are raided on prop plane, so

1144
01:32:29,920 --> 01:32:33,520
we said yeah. They gave us
an old Catalina PB wine and told us

1145
01:32:33,520 --> 01:32:38,760
to follow a specific flight plan that
would take us out over the ocean before

1146
01:32:38,800 --> 01:32:42,560
popping up on radar. I had
a bad feeling, so I put it

1147
01:32:42,600 --> 01:32:45,720
down in the base so we could
check the plane. So far, we

1148
01:32:45,800 --> 01:32:50,399
found two bombs planted on both engines, and they just claim you went down

1149
01:32:50,520 --> 01:32:56,159
in an old plane, said Saunders, exactly, said Clark. Have the

1150
01:32:56,199 --> 01:33:00,520
feeling that they want us to appear
on radar and to contact argent Teen Air

1151
01:33:00,600 --> 01:33:04,560
Traffic Control to establish who we were
and where we came from. Once we

1152
01:33:04,600 --> 01:33:08,840
did that, I think they were
going to detonate the engines and just send

1153
01:33:08,880 --> 01:33:13,479
us into the ocean. I don't
know who you made contact with, said

1154
01:33:13,520 --> 01:33:16,079
Saunders, but I just got off
the phone with our contact down there and

1155
01:33:16,119 --> 01:33:21,199
they said they never contacted you.
As soon as we landed, said Clark,

1156
01:33:21,359 --> 01:33:26,880
we were directed to taxi into a
hangar and they shut it down with

1157
01:33:27,039 --> 01:33:30,560
the security team. We were expecting
them to just open fire on us.

1158
01:33:30,119 --> 01:33:34,000
They might have had they not found
us armed. I don't think they would

1159
01:33:34,000 --> 01:33:40,000
have been able to hide a firefight. If the real Argentine military were nearby,

1160
01:33:40,159 --> 01:33:44,119
said Saunders, then it would have
attracted a lot of attention. Well

1161
01:33:44,119 --> 01:33:46,560
that's the thing, sir, said
Clark. I think they were military.

1162
01:33:47,079 --> 01:33:51,840
The base they took us to was
a military facility. Then there are factions

1163
01:33:51,920 --> 01:33:57,439
moving against each other, said Saunders. Well do we scrub the mission,

1164
01:33:57,760 --> 01:34:01,000
asked Clark. I can X fill
a meeting ediately. We've already got possession

1165
01:34:01,000 --> 01:34:05,880
of an aircraft. Did they let
the General's plane leave a firm? Said

1166
01:34:05,920 --> 01:34:11,399
Saunders. They refuelled and left Buenos
Aire's within twenty minutes of landing. That's

1167
01:34:11,479 --> 01:34:15,920
confirmed. I'll brief Colonel Boudreau and
we'll contact Asgard. It's his call.

1168
01:34:16,000 --> 01:34:20,159
If we Charlie, Mike or pull
the plug, I'll contact you back within

1169
01:34:20,199 --> 01:34:25,760
the hour. Stay put until I
called copy that, said Clark, out

1170
01:34:26,920 --> 01:34:30,119
breaking the link. Clark put the
sat phone in standby mode so it would

1171
01:34:30,119 --> 01:34:34,720
alert them when contact was resumed.
Heading back to the plane, he put

1172
01:34:34,760 --> 01:34:39,960
the phone into a pouch on his
hip and Gregel was just climbing down from

1173
01:34:40,000 --> 01:34:44,760
the top of the wings. What's
a good word, asked Clark. Gregel

1174
01:34:44,840 --> 01:34:49,399
tossed him two one pound blocks of
semtext. They used semtex instead of C

1175
01:34:49,680 --> 01:34:54,600
four, said Gregel. That's why
I didn't smell it. They wanted it

1176
01:34:54,640 --> 01:35:00,319
to go unnoticed in an inspection,
simtext is completely odorless. There's enough to

1177
01:35:00,359 --> 01:35:04,760
turn the entire plane into chaff.
They didn't want anything recovered. Two pounds

1178
01:35:04,760 --> 01:35:10,119
of semtech, said Clark, glancing
at the blocks. That's enough to make

1179
01:35:10,119 --> 01:35:14,399
a hell of a boom. They
weren't taking any chances. Well, what

1180
01:35:14,439 --> 01:35:18,000
did all fathers say, asked gre
Eagel. We're on standby for the moment,

1181
01:35:18,119 --> 01:35:23,520
said Clark. He's briefing Asgard.
Honestly, as much as I was

1182
01:35:23,560 --> 01:35:27,720
intrigued by those pictures, I think
we should scrub the mission. We already

1183
01:35:27,760 --> 01:35:30,279
had one faction try to kill us. What the hell is going on down

1184
01:35:30,279 --> 01:35:36,159
here anyway? Nazis, said Greagel. What do you mean, asked Clark.

1185
01:35:38,279 --> 01:35:42,000
If the image we saw is linked
to the Nazis, said Gregel,

1186
01:35:42,279 --> 01:35:45,439
and there are enough high ranking Nazis
that fled Germany and made their way here,

1187
01:35:46,000 --> 01:35:49,720
then it would be reasonable to assume
that they used their goal to gain

1188
01:35:49,800 --> 01:35:56,000
political power and influence. So you
think that in addition to the creature in

1189
01:35:56,039 --> 01:36:00,560
the picture, said Clark, that
we might encounter actual Nazis descendants, for

1190
01:36:00,640 --> 01:36:05,439
sure, said Gregel. It is
possible that some of the actual expatriates could

1191
01:36:05,479 --> 01:36:10,800
still be alive. If that thing
in the water was once a person,

1192
01:36:10,960 --> 01:36:15,880
said Clark. Then god knows what
kind of other experiments they've been performing.

1193
01:36:15,840 --> 01:36:20,880
That's reasonable to assume as well,
said Gregel. They performed all sorts of

1194
01:36:20,920 --> 01:36:27,880
inhuman experiments in prisoners and even their
own people. It isn't outside the realm

1195
01:36:27,960 --> 01:36:31,840
of belief to think that they could
have extended their lifespans. And that means,

1196
01:36:32,079 --> 01:36:38,920
said Clark, his eyes going wide, that Hitler himself could theoretically still

1197
01:36:38,920 --> 01:36:43,279
be alive, said Gregel. We
have no proof of that, said Clark.

1198
01:36:43,439 --> 01:36:46,520
That's a big elite, but not
an impossible one, said Gregel.

1199
01:36:46,960 --> 01:36:53,000
If they perfected any sort of genetic
manipulation that could extend life, then he

1200
01:36:53,039 --> 01:36:58,720
would be their number one priority.
Well, that changes this entire mission profile,

1201
01:36:58,880 --> 01:37:01,279
said Clark. We're not here to
hunt them, I want to,

1202
01:37:01,640 --> 01:37:05,520
don't get me wrong, but that's
not our mission. But that is exactly

1203
01:37:05,560 --> 01:37:10,840
where the mission might lead us,
said Gregel. If they're behind it,

1204
01:37:10,920 --> 01:37:14,720
do we just stop the entire problem
or just the thing in the water.

1205
01:37:15,960 --> 01:37:18,840
You pose an excellent question, said
Clark, but I think the answer to

1206
01:37:18,880 --> 01:37:24,319
that is way above both of your
pay grades. Gregel nodded in agreement.

1207
01:37:25,039 --> 01:37:28,760
Hey, boss, said Valkyrie,
climbing up out of the hatch above the

1208
01:37:28,800 --> 01:37:32,000
cockpit of the plane. We're all
clearing here. No explosives, but we

1209
01:37:32,079 --> 01:37:35,680
did find a tracker stuck under the
instrument panel. You want me to kill

1210
01:37:35,720 --> 01:37:40,439
it? In for a penny,
In for a pound, whispered Clark,

1211
01:37:40,520 --> 01:37:45,279
turning to face her. He smiled
and waved kill it, he said.

1212
01:37:45,600 --> 01:37:49,119
By now, they already know we
didn't follow their flight instructions. They might

1213
01:37:49,159 --> 01:37:54,600
not take too coldly to that.
She replied. Honestly, said Clark,

1214
01:37:54,800 --> 01:37:59,520
I'm counting on it. The sat
phone on his hip buzzed and he took

1215
01:37:59,520 --> 01:38:03,520
it out. He'd received a text
message. Two words fill the screen,

1216
01:38:03,800 --> 01:38:14,479
and they caused Clark to smile.
Charlie Mike. Chapter four, Nauelapi,

1217
01:38:15,720 --> 01:38:21,560
oh seven hundred hours, fourteen May, Lake Nauelapi, Argentina. Clark banked

1218
01:38:21,560 --> 01:38:26,319
the plain to starboard and leveled out. On the horizon. They could just

1219
01:38:26,399 --> 01:38:30,359
make out the end of the lake. They could see a small city ahead,

1220
01:38:30,399 --> 01:38:33,720
but beneath them were miles and miles
of trees and mountains. There it

1221
01:38:33,760 --> 01:38:39,479
is folks, he said, smiling, Igo Nauelapi. The town we're about

1222
01:38:39,479 --> 01:38:45,119
to pass over is San Carlos dead
Barriloche. Are we landing soon, asked

1223
01:38:45,159 --> 01:38:48,199
Valkyrie. Not just yet, said
Clark. We're going to the far end

1224
01:38:48,239 --> 01:38:54,279
of the lake. Our destination is
via La Sangostura. We'll land in the

1225
01:38:54,359 --> 01:38:58,199
lake there. How soon, she
asked, leaning up to get a better

1226
01:38:58,239 --> 01:39:01,800
look through the windshield. Maybe twenty
minutes, said Clark. I'm going to

1227
01:39:01,880 --> 01:39:05,439
drop down to one hundred feet off
the deck and slow down. Let's all

1228
01:39:05,479 --> 01:39:10,079
get a good look around and see
if we can see anything. I'll see

1229
01:39:10,119 --> 01:39:13,600
what I can spot, she said, ducking back into the passenger compartment.

1230
01:39:14,439 --> 01:39:17,520
Do you think we'll see anything from
the air, asked Gregel. Maybe,

1231
01:39:17,560 --> 01:39:21,279
said Clark, maybe not. It's
worth checking. You never know when something

1232
01:39:21,359 --> 01:39:26,920
might get caught off guard. I
could imagine it's not every day that a

1233
01:39:27,000 --> 01:39:30,760
seaplane flies over this lake, said
Gregel. You do see the irony in

1234
01:39:30,840 --> 01:39:34,439
this, right, sir? You
mean that we're here looking for a monster

1235
01:39:34,600 --> 01:39:40,119
that could have Nazi ties, said
Clark. While flying in an airplane from

1236
01:39:40,159 --> 01:39:44,760
World War Two. I suppose we
could be in a P fifty one Mustang

1237
01:39:44,840 --> 01:39:48,239
instead, said Gregel. Now we
wouldn't all fit, said Clark. But

1238
01:39:48,319 --> 01:39:53,159
I don't see any place to land
to be seventeen around here, so the

1239
01:39:53,199 --> 01:39:57,720
sea plan was probably our best choice, although I'd give a month's page just

1240
01:39:57,760 --> 01:40:01,079
to fly one of those P fifty
ones. But still, said Gregel,

1241
01:40:01,520 --> 01:40:05,600
if there were any Nazis or their
supporters, I don't think the irony would

1242
01:40:05,600 --> 01:40:10,920
be lost on them. I hadn't
considered that until you mentioned it, said

1243
01:40:10,960 --> 01:40:14,560
Clark. Oh, well, we
might as well flown it. Nothing we

1244
01:40:14,600 --> 01:40:17,920
can do about it now. This
might make us something of a target,

1245
01:40:18,119 --> 01:40:23,039
said Gregel. I think that target
has been on us since we landed in

1246
01:40:23,079 --> 01:40:27,800
Buenos Aires, said Clark. Fair
enough, said Gregel. You want to

1247
01:40:27,840 --> 01:40:30,640
take the stick for this landing,
asked Clark. Sure, said Gregel,

1248
01:40:30,720 --> 01:40:36,000
Thank you, sir. Gregel gripped
the controls and Clark released, bringing his

1249
01:40:36,159 --> 01:40:42,560
hands into the air near his head. Adjusting his altitude, Gregel leveled off

1250
01:40:42,600 --> 01:40:45,000
at one hundred feet above the ground
and banked out toward the middle of the

1251
01:40:45,079 --> 01:40:50,600
lake. Novelapi was over fifty miles
long and more than six miles wide at

1252
01:40:50,640 --> 01:40:56,520
its widest point before you land,
said Clark. Take us north of the

1253
01:40:56,600 --> 01:41:00,479
town. I want to circle over
the house they call in Lalco. I

1254
01:41:00,600 --> 01:41:02,479
just want to get a peek from
the air. I have a feeling it's

1255
01:41:02,520 --> 01:41:05,840
the closest we're going to get to
that house. Yes, sir, said

1256
01:41:05,880 --> 01:41:13,359
Gregel. Clark got out his binoculars
and began glassing the horizon. He was

1257
01:41:13,399 --> 01:41:17,399
searching the area of water near Ennalco. Took him a moment to locate it.

1258
01:41:18,239 --> 01:41:20,800
They were getting close to that end
of the lake, and soon they

1259
01:41:20,800 --> 01:41:25,399
would be able to see with the
naked eye. There was a flurry of

1260
01:41:25,439 --> 01:41:30,319
activity around the house. He continued
to watch until they were close enough that

1261
01:41:30,399 --> 01:41:34,039
he no longer needed the binoculars.
The house appeared to be built in the

1262
01:41:34,119 --> 01:41:39,920
old Bavarian style and looked nothing like
the houses and the small towns they'd flown

1263
01:41:39,960 --> 01:41:43,880
over. This looked like it would
have been more at home in the Bavarian

1264
01:41:44,039 --> 01:41:47,880
Alps than in the mountains of Argentina. And furthermore, it was far more

1265
01:41:48,000 --> 01:41:54,279
than just a large manor house.
There was an entire complex there, all

1266
01:41:54,279 --> 01:41:58,600
built in the same style, and
he could see fields where food was grown

1267
01:41:58,640 --> 01:42:02,439
and a small herd of cattle.
Clark watched as they seem to be taking

1268
01:42:02,520 --> 01:42:08,359
several people into the house under guard, ushering them from two black SUVs.

1269
01:42:09,399 --> 01:42:13,319
None of them appeared to be in
restraints, and the guards were more concerned

1270
01:42:13,319 --> 01:42:17,760
with watching the surroundings than restraining the
people. This was a security detail.

1271
01:42:18,640 --> 01:42:23,920
He only got a brief glimpse of
the people they were escorting. It appeared

1272
01:42:23,920 --> 01:42:28,680
to be three couples and one man
with a briefcase. They were all dressed

1273
01:42:28,680 --> 01:42:32,399
well, and the security detail was
all wearing clothing that, while it wasn't

1274
01:42:32,439 --> 01:42:39,359
a uniform, certainly was worn like
one khaki pants over tactical boots with a

1275
01:42:39,399 --> 01:42:43,399
khaki shirt. The pants and shirt
were both pressed, and they all had

1276
01:42:43,479 --> 01:42:48,439
black leather pistol belts with AMMO pouches
and a pistol in a holster. In

1277
01:42:48,520 --> 01:42:55,359
their hands were HKG thirty six assault
rifles. Looking around the house, he

1278
01:42:55,399 --> 01:42:59,079
saw the man standing on the small
balcony at one end of the house.

1279
01:42:59,560 --> 01:43:02,079
He appeared to be in his late
sixties, with iron gray hair that was

1280
01:43:02,159 --> 01:43:08,279
kept military short and combed straight back. He leaned against the railing and took

1281
01:43:08,319 --> 01:43:13,520
a deep breath of the mountain air
with a smile, he excelled. Moments

1282
01:43:13,600 --> 01:43:17,000
later, another man emerged from the
house behind him, and Clark could see

1283
01:43:17,039 --> 01:43:20,920
him speaking to the older man,
who slowly turned to face the newcomer.

1284
01:43:21,720 --> 01:43:26,680
The older man clasped his hands behind
his back as he began walking toward the

1285
01:43:26,720 --> 01:43:30,800
house. As the older man passed
the other man, Clark could see that

1286
01:43:30,880 --> 01:43:34,600
he was much shorter than the younger
man. No way, whispered Clark,

1287
01:43:35,039 --> 01:43:41,119
Sir, said gregel It can't be, said Clark. What can't be,

1288
01:43:41,279 --> 01:43:45,319
Sir? I just saw a guy
that fits the physical description of Adolf Hitler,

1289
01:43:45,640 --> 01:43:50,079
said Clark. Only he looks like
he's in his sixties. Hitler would

1290
01:43:50,119 --> 01:43:54,880
be well over one hundred by now. He didn't have the mustache, though,

1291
01:43:56,000 --> 01:43:59,920
unless they found a way to slow
the aging process, said Greg.

1292
01:44:00,600 --> 01:44:02,840
Besides, the mustache would be one
of the first things I'd get rid of

1293
01:44:02,880 --> 01:44:06,760
if I was trying to blend in. It just can't be him, said

1294
01:44:06,800 --> 01:44:12,560
Clark. It can't be. Can
we afford to assume it isn't, asked

1295
01:44:12,560 --> 01:44:18,079
gregel. No, replied Clark hesitantly, we can't. A few moments later,

1296
01:44:18,119 --> 01:44:23,600
they came in low and slow over
the Analco house and then banked wide

1297
01:44:23,640 --> 01:44:27,760
to the south. Clark could see
two men standing in the front of the

1298
01:44:27,800 --> 01:44:31,479
house watching the aircraft as it passed
over. They were close enough to see

1299
01:44:31,479 --> 01:44:36,359
that both men were physically fit with
blond hair. They wore their khakis pressed

1300
01:44:36,439 --> 01:44:41,479
the same as the security detail had, and they both had the pistol belt

1301
01:44:41,520 --> 01:44:45,439
but no rifle. Gregel brought the
plane around and lined up for a landing

1302
01:44:45,479 --> 01:44:50,920
in the lake near the small village
of Via La Angostura. Beginning his descent,

1303
01:44:51,039 --> 01:44:56,000
he brought the plane down smoothly and
easily, avoiding the fishing boats that

1304
01:44:56,039 --> 01:44:59,920
were on the lake. Once down, he guided the plane along the road

1305
01:45:00,199 --> 01:45:03,560
shown by the GPS unit on his
phone. Moments later, he cut the

1306
01:45:03,600 --> 01:45:08,640
power and coasted up to the dock
that belonged to the Cordon Tosso Lake and

1307
01:45:08,800 --> 01:45:13,560
River Hotel. As he was shutting
down the engines, Clark climbed through the

1308
01:45:13,560 --> 01:45:16,960
cockpit hatch and jumped across the dock, taking the mooring lines. He tied

1309
01:45:17,039 --> 01:45:21,000
up the aircraft to prevent it from
drifting away from shore, and while he

1310
01:45:21,119 --> 01:45:25,720
was tying off the lines, two
people came walking quickly toward him from the

1311
01:45:25,800 --> 01:45:30,399
hotel, Senor Clark, said one
of the men. I am Hector,

1312
01:45:30,600 --> 01:45:34,720
the house manager. Welcome to the
corn Tosso we've been expecting you and it

1313
01:45:34,800 --> 01:45:39,439
is not every day that we have
guests arrived by seaplane, especially one as

1314
01:45:39,439 --> 01:45:43,479
beautiful as yours. Well, thank
you, said Clark, pulling the lines

1315
01:45:43,560 --> 01:45:47,600
tight. I'm Daniel Clark. Thank
you for meeting us here. Everything is

1316
01:45:47,760 --> 01:45:53,359
prepared for your stay, said Hector. Do you need any assistance with your

1317
01:45:53,439 --> 01:45:57,000
baggage? I think we can get
it, said Clark. Do you have

1318
01:45:57,079 --> 01:46:00,119
our keys or do I need to
come to the front desk to check in?

1319
01:46:00,920 --> 01:46:03,479
There will be no need for that, said Hector, handing Clark several

1320
01:46:03,560 --> 01:46:09,199
keys that were marked with their room
numbers. Since you already appeared in advance,

1321
01:46:09,239 --> 01:46:12,680
we took the liberty of signing you
in. Your rooms are all on

1322
01:46:12,720 --> 01:46:15,039
the top floor for the best possible
view of the lake and the mountains.

1323
01:46:15,520 --> 01:46:19,760
Is this your first visit here,
yes, said Clark. We wanted some

1324
01:46:19,880 --> 01:46:25,840
place you need for your honeymoon,
asked Hector. I was told you were

1325
01:46:25,880 --> 01:46:29,920
celebrating your honeymoon and your friends came
with you. Yes, said Clark.

1326
01:46:30,239 --> 01:46:33,359
They should be out in a moment. The door to the plane opened and

1327
01:46:33,439 --> 01:46:39,199
Gregel came out first. Clark was
relieved that they had all concealed their weapons

1328
01:46:39,279 --> 01:46:44,640
inside suitcases. Valkyrie stepped out and
walked over to Clark. She slipped her

1329
01:46:44,720 --> 01:46:48,199
arm through his This is my wife, said Clark, grinning. This is

1330
01:46:48,399 --> 01:46:54,199
Miranda, Miranda. This is Hector. Nice to meet you, said Valkyrie,

1331
01:46:54,239 --> 01:46:59,079
grinning. You are a very lucky
man. Signor said Hector. You

1332
01:46:59,159 --> 01:47:01,880
your wife is very, very beautiful. Well, thank you, she said,

1333
01:47:02,119 --> 01:47:06,840
leaning her head on Clark's shoulder.
Clark smiled but said nothing, and

1334
01:47:06,880 --> 01:47:10,840
he reached for his wallet. He
took out a twenty and gave it to

1335
01:47:10,880 --> 01:47:14,760
Hector. I think we can take
it from here, said Clark. Thank

1336
01:47:14,840 --> 01:47:19,319
you for all your help. The
Cornos restaurante is open until midnight, said

1337
01:47:19,359 --> 01:47:25,239
Hector, but room service is available
all night. The bars opened until three

1338
01:47:25,239 --> 01:47:28,319
in the morning. Of course,
for such honored guests. We can make

1339
01:47:28,359 --> 01:47:32,439
exceptions in the hours and the menu
should you require it. Can we rent

1340
01:47:32,479 --> 01:47:38,079
a car to go sight seeing,
asked Valkyrie. Of course, said Hector,

1341
01:47:38,159 --> 01:47:41,640
smiling. Just call the front desk
and we will arrange it and bill

1342
01:47:41,720 --> 01:47:45,119
it to your room. Thank you, she said. Hector smiled. And

1343
01:47:45,199 --> 01:47:49,159
gave them a short bow. I
hope you enjoy your stay, he said,

1344
01:47:49,199 --> 01:47:53,960
and then turned on his heel and
headed back up the dock. Once

1345
01:47:53,960 --> 01:47:58,039
they were out of earshot, Clark
glanced at Valkyrie with a wry smile.

1346
01:47:58,720 --> 01:48:01,640
Sorry, boss, she said,
grinning, just selling the cover story.

1347
01:48:02,640 --> 01:48:06,520
Now that's not it, he said, with a chuckle. I almost introduced

1348
01:48:06,560 --> 01:48:11,760
you as Valkyrie. Took me a
moment to remember your first name. Well,

1349
01:48:11,800 --> 01:48:15,000
let's hope Amanda doesn't get mad at
me for playing your wife, said

1350
01:48:15,079 --> 01:48:18,000
Valkyrie, grinning. Well, as
long as we don't consummate the marriage,

1351
01:48:18,199 --> 01:48:24,000
said Clark. I think she'll be
fine. I don't know, mused Valkyrie.

1352
01:48:24,199 --> 01:48:27,720
No guy ever dated flew me away
in his private plane to a beautiful,

1353
01:48:27,760 --> 01:48:30,880
far away country to stay in a
gorgeous hotel on the shores of a

1354
01:48:30,960 --> 01:48:35,119
lake with a view like this.
If this wasn't a mission, it would

1355
01:48:35,119 --> 01:48:40,520
be the most romantic thing anyone has
ever done for me. Clark shook his

1356
01:48:40,600 --> 01:48:45,039
head and shouldered his bag. Glancing
over at Gregel, he shrugged and gave

1357
01:48:45,119 --> 01:48:49,079
him a slight smile. Gregel returned
the shrug and picked up his bags.

1358
01:48:49,680 --> 01:48:54,079
I wonder if they have a pool
said Valkyrie as she headed up the dock

1359
01:48:54,119 --> 01:48:58,840
toward the hotel. Hey, I'm
not married, said Runstone, grinning and

1360
01:48:58,880 --> 01:49:02,239
looping his arm through through Ravens as
he carried both of their bags. Best

1361
01:49:02,239 --> 01:49:06,520
of luck to you both. Though
they all headed inside and up to their

1362
01:49:06,600 --> 01:49:11,079
rooms, and although they were all
on the same floor, none of the

1363
01:49:11,159 --> 01:49:15,920
rooms were adjoining. Clark unlocked his
room and opened the door. It was

1364
01:49:15,960 --> 01:49:19,279
a large suite with a hot tub
in the room. Through the large windows

1365
01:49:19,399 --> 01:49:25,399
was a magnificent view of the snow
capped Andy's Mountains and a wide expanse of

1366
01:49:25,439 --> 01:49:29,479
the lake. And Valkyrie walked over
and flung open the windows, allowing the

1367
01:49:29,560 --> 01:49:33,479
cool mountain air to flood the room. Wow, she said, this view

1368
01:49:33,600 --> 01:49:39,880
is amazing. Clark looked around the
room. There was only one bed,

1369
01:49:39,920 --> 01:49:44,279
but there was a small sitting area
with a couch. He mentally decided that

1370
01:49:44,359 --> 01:49:47,600
he'd take it and let Valkyrie have
the bed and then there was no chance

1371
01:49:47,600 --> 01:49:54,239
of unintended contact or temptation. I'll
take the couch, he muttered. Well

1372
01:49:54,279 --> 01:49:58,279
suit yourself, she said, flinging
herself on the large king's size bed.

1373
01:49:59,159 --> 01:50:02,479
Oh my god, this bed is
amazingly soft. Can I just stay here

1374
01:50:02,520 --> 01:50:08,279
for the rest of our stay.
Clark chuckled as he put the bags down

1375
01:50:08,319 --> 01:50:13,279
beside the large bureau. All the
furniture looked to be handmade, probably by

1376
01:50:13,319 --> 01:50:17,800
local artisans. The woodwork was beautiful. Hell Clark said, I wonder if

1377
01:50:17,840 --> 01:50:20,560
I could buy a set of this
furniture and have it shipped back to the

1378
01:50:20,600 --> 01:50:26,800
States. Well, ask Hector,
said Valkyrie, chuckling. He'll probably have

1379
01:50:26,800 --> 01:50:30,079
a set charge to the room and
loaded into the plane. Clark just grinned.

1380
01:50:30,479 --> 01:50:33,319
Looking around the room, he noticed
that there wasn't a phone or a

1381
01:50:33,359 --> 01:50:39,600
television. Huh, he said,
no TV, no phone. I wonder

1382
01:50:39,640 --> 01:50:45,720
why, because this is the honeymoon
suite, said Valkyrie, grinning. There

1383
01:50:45,760 --> 01:50:49,199
are chocolates and champagne on the table
by the window. They aren't expecting us

1384
01:50:49,239 --> 01:50:55,159
to spend much time watching television.
Oh, said Clark, that makes sense.

1385
01:50:56,399 --> 01:51:00,920
Valkyrie reclined back on the bed and
kicked off her shoes. Clark smiled

1386
01:51:00,960 --> 01:51:03,359
at her and opened his mouth to
say something. When his phone vibrated.

1387
01:51:04,359 --> 01:51:09,159
He took it out and he had
a text from Gregele. He unlocked his

1388
01:51:09,199 --> 01:51:13,399
phone and read the text. Be
careful what you say. It read.

1389
01:51:13,840 --> 01:51:17,720
Our room is bug shit, mouthed
Clark, turning the screen and showing it

1390
01:51:17,760 --> 01:51:23,600
to Valkyrie. She read the message
in her eyes open wide. Should I

1391
01:51:23,680 --> 01:51:28,359
remove them, asked Gregel. Clark
thought about it for a moment before texting

1392
01:51:28,479 --> 01:51:31,800
back, not yet, he sent. For now leave them in place and

1393
01:51:31,920 --> 01:51:36,920
just watch what you say. Warn
Runstone and Raven copy that was the reply.

1394
01:51:39,279 --> 01:51:43,479
Turning to Valkyrie, Clark slipped his
phone back into his pocket. Why

1395
01:51:43,479 --> 01:51:46,039
don't we get everyone else and go
and have an early lunch, he said,

1396
01:51:46,199 --> 01:51:49,840
I'm starving. Then maybe we can
get a car and go sight seeing.

1397
01:51:50,520 --> 01:51:54,359
Oh I could eat, she said, reluctantly, getting out of the

1398
01:51:54,399 --> 01:51:58,600
bed and slipping her shoes back on, And I'd love to look around this

1399
01:51:58,800 --> 01:52:02,880
town. Clark took out his pistol
and slipped it into his jeans with an

1400
01:52:02,960 --> 01:52:09,319
inside waistban holster, and then slipped
three extra magazines into his jacket pocket.

1401
01:52:10,000 --> 01:52:12,640
Ready when you are, my dear, he said, with a wink.

1402
01:52:13,680 --> 01:52:16,479
Clark put the bags into the bureau
and put a zip tie round the handle.

1403
01:52:16,880 --> 01:52:20,720
Then he'd know if anyone tampered with
it. As they headed out the

1404
01:52:20,760 --> 01:52:27,119
door, Valkyrie slipped her fingers through
Clark's and held his hand. You're enjoying

1405
01:52:27,159 --> 01:52:30,479
this, aren't you, whispered Clark. A little bit, she whispered back.

1406
01:52:31,319 --> 01:52:35,600
Clark shook his head and knocked on
Gregel's door. Gregel opened the door,

1407
01:52:35,640 --> 01:52:39,600
and Clark could tell from his posture
that he had a gun behind the

1408
01:52:39,680 --> 01:52:43,479
door. Let's see if we can
get an early lunch, said Clark,

1409
01:52:43,520 --> 01:52:46,359
and then maybe do a little recon. That's good idea, sir, said

1410
01:52:46,399 --> 01:52:50,239
Gregel. All right, knock off
the seer shit until we're back with the

1411
01:52:50,319 --> 01:52:56,720
team, said Clark softly. It
might blow our cover. Gregel nodded,

1412
01:52:57,039 --> 01:52:59,920
and after a moment he opened the
door all the way and Clark could see

1413
01:53:00,039 --> 01:53:03,199
he was adjusting his pistol in the
small of his back. She Old Maiden

1414
01:53:03,279 --> 01:53:08,119
walked out of the room with a
smile on her face. Did you see

1415
01:53:08,159 --> 01:53:13,279
the view, she asked, smiling
broadly, Yes, replied Valkyrie. This

1416
01:53:13,479 --> 01:53:19,159
place is amazing. Clark knocked on
Runestone's door and heard an excited voice.

1417
01:53:19,600 --> 01:53:26,359
Just a minute Clark glanced at Gregel
and reached for his pistol. Moments later,

1418
01:53:26,560 --> 01:53:30,359
Ronestone opened the door and leaned out
from behind it. He wasn't wearing

1419
01:53:30,399 --> 01:53:34,239
a shirt. Uh yeah, he
said, what's up, sir, are

1420
01:53:34,239 --> 01:53:40,720
we interrupting something, asked Clark,
raising one eyebrow. Well, she opened

1421
01:53:40,720 --> 01:53:43,520
the curtains and fell in love with
the view, he said, grinning.

1422
01:53:43,880 --> 01:53:47,520
And when I told her that it
was Iago, Nawelapi and the Andes mountains,

1423
01:53:47,600 --> 01:53:53,359
well, one thing kind of led
to another. It is a romantic

1424
01:53:53,479 --> 01:53:57,880
view. What can I say?
He said it in Spanish, said Raven

1425
01:53:58,000 --> 01:54:01,199
from across the room. We're going
down to the restaurant to get some lunch,

1426
01:54:01,239 --> 01:54:04,560
said Clark, grinning. Come join
us when you're done, Aye,

1427
01:54:04,600 --> 01:54:09,520
sir, said Runstone. What can
I say, sir? It's the Latin

1428
01:54:09,640 --> 01:54:14,000
air in my Latin charm. She
couldn't resist. We'll be down in about

1429
01:54:14,079 --> 01:54:18,319
half an hour, or maybe an
hour, corrected Raven. We'll wait for

1430
01:54:18,399 --> 01:54:21,960
you in the restaurant, said Clark, chuckling, as they headed down the

1431
01:54:23,000 --> 01:54:27,319
hallway. Well it is a great
view, said shield Maiden. And he

1432
01:54:27,359 --> 01:54:31,159
does have a hot accent, said
Valkyrie. Alvarez is from Sandy Ago,

1433
01:54:31,439 --> 01:54:36,119
said Clark, chuckling, not Argentina. Well I don't think it matters,

1434
01:54:36,239 --> 01:54:41,720
said Gregel, shaking his head.
How did you locate the bugs, asked

1435
01:54:41,720 --> 01:54:45,840
Clark. It's the scent, said
gre Eagel. They're easy to find.

1436
01:54:45,920 --> 01:54:50,239
Most electronics have a very distinctive smell. All right, said Clark. Anytime

1437
01:54:50,279 --> 01:54:55,000
you locate more, would you let
me know, No problem, said Gregel.

1438
01:54:55,479 --> 01:54:59,119
If you find any in public areas, either point them out or just

1439
01:54:59,199 --> 01:55:03,640
eliminate them, said Clark. Got
it, said Gregel. Taking the stairs

1440
01:55:03,680 --> 01:55:09,119
instead of the elevator, they arrived
in the lobby. The ground expanse of

1441
01:55:09,199 --> 01:55:14,640
the fourier was accentuated by all the
handcarved woodwork of the trim desk and furniture.

1442
01:55:15,439 --> 01:55:18,359
A chandelier made of antlers hung above
the center of the room and gave

1443
01:55:18,399 --> 01:55:24,039
the place a feeling of a rustic
lodge. A warm fire was crackling in

1444
01:55:24,119 --> 01:55:29,680
the large stone fireplace that was the
centerpiece of the room. The concierge behind

1445
01:55:29,680 --> 01:55:33,159
the desk saw them and smiled broadly. It wasn't Hector, but he acted

1446
01:55:33,239 --> 01:55:36,960
like he knew who they were.
Coming around the desk, he opened his

1447
01:55:38,079 --> 01:55:42,479
arms like he was about to embrace
them all in one large hug. Welcome

1448
01:55:42,560 --> 01:55:46,399
to the Corntos So Leake and River
Hotel. Signor is signor to Clark,

1449
01:55:46,600 --> 01:55:53,159
he said, excitedly, I am
the concierge Ernesto, we are happy to

1450
01:55:53,199 --> 01:55:57,239
have you and your party here.
How can I make your stay and experience

1451
01:55:57,279 --> 01:56:00,960
you will never forget? Well,
Clark said, We're gonna grab some lunch,

1452
01:56:01,039 --> 01:56:04,520
but we'd like to rent a car
afterward. Can we get one that

1453
01:56:04,640 --> 01:56:10,039
all six of us can fit in? Of course, Signor said Ernesto.

1454
01:56:10,600 --> 01:56:14,920
It will be ready by the time
you were finished dining in our fine arrestaurante.

1455
01:56:15,199 --> 01:56:18,399
Although it is early for lunch,
we can accommodate you. Today's specialists

1456
01:56:18,479 --> 01:56:24,760
freshly caught paco alas broces, grilled
to perfection and served with sliced tomatoes,

1457
01:56:24,920 --> 01:56:30,600
potatoes and fried onion rings. What
is paco alas brass, asked Valkyrie.

1458
01:56:30,119 --> 01:56:33,920
It's a fish related to the piranha, said Clark. It's grilled on a

1459
01:56:33,960 --> 01:56:39,000
wood fire, and it's really good. Have you been here before, Signor

1460
01:56:39,359 --> 01:56:44,920
asked Ernesto. You certainly know you're
Argentina and cuisine. I've never been to

1461
01:56:45,000 --> 01:56:47,279
this lake before, said Clark,
but I spent a few weeks in Buenos

1462
01:56:47,319 --> 01:56:53,079
Aires a few years back, ah, said Ernesto, smiling. Then you

1463
01:56:53,239 --> 01:56:57,800
have not had it properly prepared for
the best chef in all of Argentina.

1464
01:56:57,920 --> 01:57:01,039
Works here. You will think you're
hase buds have died and gone to heaven.

1465
01:57:02,039 --> 01:57:08,600
I'm sold, said Clark. I'm
having the special Garassia. Sernesto hasacido

1466
01:57:08,720 --> 01:57:13,960
mucha ayude. Ernesto nodded and bowed
slightly, and then returned to his desk.

1467
01:57:14,600 --> 01:57:17,239
I didn't know you spoke Spanish,
said valkyrie. Is that the only

1468
01:57:17,359 --> 01:57:21,800
language you speak? Uh? I
speak Spanish, German, Pashtu, and

1469
01:57:23,000 --> 01:57:27,600
Italian, said Clark, and a
little Hungarian. How did you learn so

1470
01:57:27,640 --> 01:57:32,119
many languages, she asked. I
learned language easily for some reason, said

1471
01:57:32,199 --> 01:57:36,159
Clark. I learned Spanish as a
kid because my best friend, Ricardo was

1472
01:57:36,159 --> 01:57:42,000
from Mexico. I picked up German
from my grandfather, and Pashtu I had

1473
01:57:42,039 --> 01:57:45,359
picked up in Afghanistan. And Italian
because I had the hots for an Italian

1474
01:57:45,399 --> 01:57:48,600
girl when I was in the Army. I learned to speak it so I

1475
01:57:48,600 --> 01:57:54,319
could ask her out. And she
wasn't interested. You learned a language for

1476
01:57:54,479 --> 01:57:57,680
her, and she said no,
asked Shi, old maiden, I would

1477
01:57:57,680 --> 01:58:00,680
have gone out with you just for
speaking a town. Italian is such a

1478
01:58:00,720 --> 01:58:05,319
beautiful language. Yeah, but they
also have the best cuss words, said

1479
01:58:05,359 --> 01:58:10,640
Clark. Grinning. What about you, Gregel, asked sield maiden. How

1480
01:58:10,640 --> 01:58:15,039
many languages do you speak? Gregel
drew in a breath and let it out

1481
01:58:15,079 --> 01:58:19,840
slowly. I speak Lakota, he
said, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Apache,

1482
01:58:19,880 --> 01:58:24,880
and I can carry on a conversation
in French. I'm not fluent, though

1483
01:58:25,520 --> 01:58:30,079
I know enough Spanish to order a
beer in Tacos. They all headed into

1484
01:58:30,119 --> 01:58:33,279
the restaurant and were seated by the
pretty young hostess. They were given a

1485
01:58:33,359 --> 01:58:36,840
large table with a view of the
lake. Once Clark explained that they had

1486
01:58:36,840 --> 01:58:42,000
two more guests coming to join them
shortly. Oh my god, I could

1487
01:58:42,079 --> 01:58:45,920
retire in this place, said Valkyrie. Looking around this place is gorgeous.

1488
01:58:46,840 --> 01:58:50,359
Don't get too caught up in this
place, said Clark. If this place

1489
01:58:50,479 --> 01:58:55,319
is a hotbed for German expats,
then we might not want to come back,

1490
01:58:55,760 --> 01:59:00,399
especially once they realize we're not here
on vacation, said Valkyrie. But

1491
01:59:00,479 --> 01:59:05,840
I can enjoy it while at lasts
that you can, agreed Clark. The

1492
01:59:05,880 --> 01:59:11,159
waiter breathed to the table and set
menus along with the glasses of water in

1493
01:59:11,159 --> 01:59:14,439
front of each of them. We
have two more joining us, shortly,

1494
01:59:14,600 --> 01:59:17,479
said Clark. Of course, Signor, said the waiter. My name is

1495
01:59:17,600 --> 01:59:21,239
Christian. Can I get you all
something to keep you until the rest of

1496
01:59:21,279 --> 01:59:27,279
your party arrives. Last time I
was in Argentina, said Clara, there

1497
01:59:27,359 --> 01:59:31,199
was a beer I was quite fond
of. Do you carry Orktomunda, see

1498
01:59:31,199 --> 01:59:36,800
Signor, said Christian. It is
one of my personal favorites. Clark glanced

1499
01:59:36,840 --> 01:59:41,680
around and they all nodded. We'll
take four of those, said Clarke.

1500
01:59:41,800 --> 01:59:45,760
We'll order when the others get here. Of course, Signor, said Christian,

1501
01:59:45,960 --> 01:59:49,640
gliding away toward the kitchen. Moments
later, he returned with four large

1502
01:59:49,720 --> 01:59:54,840
mugs of dark red beer. As
he sat them on the table, another

1503
01:59:54,920 --> 02:00:00,600
server placed two large baskets of fresh
chips and four bowls of salsa. Enjoy,

1504
02:00:00,880 --> 02:00:03,239
said Christian. If you need anything, I will be close by.

1505
02:00:04,399 --> 02:00:09,119
Gregel picked up his beer and took
a long pull. This is good,

1506
02:00:09,279 --> 02:00:13,720
he said. He was surprised.
It's also like seven and a half percent

1507
02:00:13,800 --> 02:00:18,439
alcohol, cautioned Clark, So go
easy. Three beers and four baskets of

1508
02:00:18,560 --> 02:00:24,640
chips. Later, Runestone and Raven
joined them. Her face was flushed and

1509
02:00:24,680 --> 02:00:28,119
her hair was pulled back in a
ponytail when it had been down before.

1510
02:00:28,960 --> 02:00:31,600
Nice of you two to finally make
it, said Valkyrie with a sly grin.

1511
02:00:32,680 --> 02:00:36,560
Gregel was completely unaffected by the alcohol, but he could tell the others

1512
02:00:36,560 --> 02:00:42,880
were beginning to show signs. Clark
had deliberately started drinking less and eating more

1513
02:00:43,000 --> 02:00:46,760
chips. After the second beer,
Valkyrie and shield Maiden both seemed to be

1514
02:00:46,800 --> 02:00:51,600
a bit more tipsy, and Runestone
pulled out Raven's chair for her before taking

1515
02:00:51,640 --> 02:00:57,000
his seat. Well, I didn't
want to rush things, said Runestone with

1516
02:00:57,039 --> 02:01:01,199
a wink. The waiter whisked up
to the table and place menus another round

1517
02:01:01,199 --> 02:01:05,119
of beer and more chips on the
table. When you are ready to order,

1518
02:01:05,319 --> 02:01:09,520
he said, backing away from the
table. Just awave to me.

1519
02:01:10,800 --> 02:01:14,399
An hour later, they all emerged
from the restaurant and headed for the front

1520
02:01:14,439 --> 02:01:18,319
desk. Ernesto handed Clark a set
of keys for a vehicle and motioned at

1521
02:01:18,359 --> 02:01:24,239
the front door. It is a
green SUV park just outside, said Ernesto.

1522
02:01:24,600 --> 02:01:29,560
Gracias, said Clark. They headed
outside and Clark tossed the keys to

1523
02:01:29,640 --> 02:01:33,640
Gregel. I think you'd better drive, he said. Gregel caught the keys

1524
02:01:33,640 --> 02:01:39,119
and headed for the driver's side,
and Valkyrie slid into the passenger side.

1525
02:01:39,159 --> 02:01:43,960
Scooting over to the middle of the
bench seat. Clark took the passenger side,

1526
02:01:43,960 --> 02:01:46,039
and the others climbed into the back, with Runestone in the middle.

1527
02:01:46,479 --> 02:01:50,760
He was smiling like a schoolboy.
I like this arrangement, he said,

1528
02:01:50,800 --> 02:01:56,560
glancing in both directions. We don't
get too comfortable, said sheild maiden,

1529
02:01:56,600 --> 02:02:00,760
grinning. I'm supposed to be married
to Gregel. Remember my pretend husband might

1530
02:02:00,800 --> 02:02:05,760
get pretend jealous. Well that drew
chuckles from everyone but Gregel, who just

1531
02:02:05,800 --> 02:02:10,720
shook his head. Take us down
to the village, said Clark. I

1532
02:02:10,720 --> 02:02:13,359
want to get a look around a
bit, and then we'll follow the road

1533
02:02:13,439 --> 02:02:16,600
down past at Alco I'd like to
see how close we can get to it

1534
02:02:16,640 --> 02:02:27,960
without getting chased off by security.
Chapter five, recon ten hundred hours,

1535
02:02:28,039 --> 02:02:34,520
fourteen May, Lake Nawelapi, Argentina. The little village looked like it was

1536
02:02:34,560 --> 02:02:40,439
taken straight from a story book.
There were open air markets and vendors selling

1537
02:02:40,520 --> 02:02:46,079
everything from clothing to fresh fruit,
to freshly caught fish to sunglasses. Clark

1538
02:02:46,119 --> 02:02:50,560
felt the pang of remorse at not
being able to stop. He also noticed

1539
02:02:50,560 --> 02:02:56,720
all three women were looking back with
wistful smiles on their faces. If they're

1540
02:02:56,800 --> 02:03:00,319
still open. When we finish our
recon said Clark, we can stop and

1541
02:03:00,439 --> 02:03:04,600
check it out. That seemed to
cheer them up. As they headed on

1542
02:03:04,720 --> 02:03:11,680
through town. There were several restaurants
and bars, along with craftsmen advertising hand

1543
02:03:11,720 --> 02:03:16,319
crafted furniture, leather works, and
custom tailored clothing. Hell, no wonder

1544
02:03:16,359 --> 02:03:20,760
they snuck out of Germany to come
here, said Runestone. This place is

1545
02:03:20,800 --> 02:03:27,880
almost paradise. I don't see a
single Starbucks coffee place, said raven looking

1546
02:03:27,920 --> 02:03:33,399
around. I stand corrected, said
Runestone. Now it's paradise. If it

1547
02:03:33,439 --> 02:03:38,560
were paradise, said Valkyrie, it
would be a beach warm enough where I

1548
02:03:38,560 --> 02:03:43,079
could wear a bikini or better yet, no bikini. Can I change my

1549
02:03:43,199 --> 02:03:46,760
vote, said Runestone, grinning.
Raven elbowed him in the ribs, and

1550
02:03:46,800 --> 02:03:51,399
he grunted and mocked pain. I
was just kidding, he said. Now

1551
02:03:51,439 --> 02:03:57,880
you're taking this fake marriage stuff seriously. You weren't complaining a couple of hours

1552
02:03:57,920 --> 02:04:02,960
ago, she retorted, said Clark. She's got you there. As they

1553
02:04:03,039 --> 02:04:06,600
left the small village and returned to
the highway, they followed the shore of

1554
02:04:06,720 --> 02:04:11,920
Nauelapi out of town. Soon,
the trees on both sides of the road

1555
02:04:12,039 --> 02:04:15,880
were thick enough that you couldn't see
more than a few feet beyond the edge

1556
02:04:15,920 --> 02:04:18,680
of the road. Along the left
side, just at the edge of the

1557
02:04:18,720 --> 02:04:24,880
trees was a tall barbed wire fence
with signs approximately every thirty feet, and

1558
02:04:24,920 --> 02:04:30,880
they read no trespassing violators will be
shot in bold letters in English, Spanish

1559
02:04:30,960 --> 02:04:36,319
and German. As they were driving, Greygel slowed and pointing to the left.

1560
02:04:38,119 --> 02:04:42,279
If my mental map is correct,
he said, the Analco house should

1561
02:04:42,279 --> 02:04:45,000
be straight through the woods in that
direction. Well, I can't see a

1562
02:04:45,039 --> 02:04:48,960
thing, said Valkyrie. The woods
are too thick. Well, I think

1563
02:04:49,000 --> 02:04:53,600
that's the idea, said Clark.
Keep driving. I don't want to get

1564
02:04:53,600 --> 02:04:59,159
them too suspicious. Through gaps in
the trees, that could see a trail

1565
02:04:59,359 --> 02:05:02,159
just inside the the tree line that
followed the edge of the property. If

1566
02:05:02,199 --> 02:05:05,680
they hadn't been watching, they would
have missed a green jeep that drove down

1567
02:05:05,720 --> 02:05:11,760
the trail in the opposite direction.
I bet that trail runs around the entire

1568
02:05:11,800 --> 02:05:17,520
property, said Clark. They can
drive the entire perimeter. Gregel continued driving

1569
02:05:17,720 --> 02:05:21,960
and a few hundred yards later they
saw a driveway turning to the left onto

1570
02:05:23,039 --> 02:05:28,479
the property just inside the trees.
Was a gate blocking the driveway with six

1571
02:05:28,680 --> 02:05:32,039
armed guards at it. They were
all dressed like the others, in khaki

1572
02:05:32,119 --> 02:05:39,399
shirts and pants and tactical boots.
They were also all carrying hk G thirty

1573
02:05:39,399 --> 02:05:44,159
six assault rifles. There were four
more of those green jeeps part behind the

1574
02:05:44,239 --> 02:05:48,800
gate. They could see where the
trail crossed the driveway behind them. Gregel

1575
02:05:48,880 --> 02:05:53,720
kept his eyes straight ahead so the
guards wouldn't think they were checking the place

1576
02:05:53,800 --> 02:05:57,600
out. The others in the back
seat were staring openly, but they were

1577
02:05:57,760 --> 02:06:02,279
behind tinted glass. The guards watched
them pass by with board detachment, but

1578
02:06:02,319 --> 02:06:06,279
Gregel saw one of them make a
note of the license plate. They're taking

1579
02:06:06,359 --> 02:06:12,399
down our plate number, said Gregel. Also spotted cameras in the trees above

1580
02:06:12,439 --> 02:06:16,199
the gate, said Runstone. I
saw cameras, said Clark. Whatever else

1581
02:06:16,279 --> 02:06:20,880
is going on, The guards are
well trained. Where to said Gregel.

1582
02:06:21,920 --> 02:06:27,039
Just keep going, said Clark.
I studied the map. Take the first

1583
02:06:27,119 --> 02:06:32,079
left and look for us. Sign
for Belnio deirno Iago Espejo. There's a

1584
02:06:32,119 --> 02:06:35,279
beach there. We can stop for
a while. I want to make sure

1585
02:06:35,319 --> 02:06:39,800
they don't see us return for a
while. They're already suspicious of us.

1586
02:06:41,319 --> 02:06:45,600
A few minutes later, the road
forked and Gregel took the left. It

1587
02:06:45,640 --> 02:06:48,880
wasn't long before they saw the signs. Pulling off the road and on to

1588
02:06:49,000 --> 02:06:54,359
the driveway, they found an area
of beach that looked almost like something out

1589
02:06:54,399 --> 02:06:59,640
of a tropical vacation poster. It
was complete with a wooden pier that stretched

1590
02:06:59,640 --> 02:07:03,720
out into the water. Only the
trees were coniferous instead of palm trees,

1591
02:07:04,000 --> 02:07:08,920
and they could see the mountains in
the distance. Here's your beach, ladies,

1592
02:07:09,119 --> 02:07:13,039
said Clark. You can enjoy yourselves
for a little while. I want

1593
02:07:13,039 --> 02:07:16,520
to wait at least an hour until
we drive back past the gate. As

1594
02:07:16,560 --> 02:07:20,600
they climbed out of the suv,
they saw a small shop that sold swimsuits

1595
02:07:20,640 --> 02:07:27,039
and equipment. Valkyrie glanced at Clark
and he took out his wallet, handing

1596
02:07:27,079 --> 02:07:30,960
her his credit card. She grinned
mischievously. Go grab yourself some suits and

1597
02:07:31,079 --> 02:07:35,680
enjoy the beach for a bit,
he said, chuckling. Valkyrie, Raven,

1598
02:07:35,760 --> 02:07:41,319
and shield Maiden all headed inside the
shop. You're going to be broke,

1599
02:07:41,520 --> 02:07:45,159
said Gregel. I get reimbursed by
the Army for expenses in the field,

1600
02:07:45,279 --> 02:07:49,760
said Clark, grinning sure, said
Gregel, But will your wife wonder

1601
02:07:49,760 --> 02:07:55,199
why you bought three bikinis and swimming
gear during a mission. Eh, you

1602
02:07:55,279 --> 02:07:59,399
might have a point there, said
Clark, the smile vanishing. I'll have

1603
02:07:59,479 --> 02:08:03,720
to explain that, I'm sure.
A few minutes later, the women emerged

1604
02:08:03,760 --> 02:08:09,000
carrying beach bags with their clothing them
and they were all wearing very skimpy bikinis

1605
02:08:09,039 --> 02:08:15,520
and carrying beach toils. It's a
little cooler than I prefer said Valkyrie,

1606
02:08:15,640 --> 02:08:18,720
handing Clark's credit card. But I'm
going to take the wind. It's just

1607
02:08:18,800 --> 02:08:24,399
shy of eighty degrees according to my
phone. That's good enough. Let's get

1608
02:08:24,439 --> 02:08:28,479
some sun girls. We'll meet you
down there, said Clark, heading for

1609
02:08:28,520 --> 02:08:33,560
the food vendor shack. Are you
hungry already, asked Gregel. We just

1610
02:08:33,880 --> 02:08:37,000
ate now, said Clark. I'm
grabbing some beers to take down by the

1611
02:08:37,039 --> 02:08:43,239
water. I want to drink while
we discuss our options. Clark emerged from

1612
02:08:43,239 --> 02:08:46,600
the shop a few minutes later carrying
a styrofoam cooler full of ice and beer.

1613
02:08:48,159 --> 02:08:52,000
They didn't have, Ortemundo, said
Clark. I got Patagonia Wheat.

1614
02:08:52,159 --> 02:08:56,119
I knew you liked that American wheat
beer. That should be good, Yes,

1615
02:08:56,199 --> 02:09:01,840
sir, said Gregel, Boulevard Wheat. Well, this is as close

1616
02:09:01,880 --> 02:09:03,800
as you're going to get down here, said Clark. Now, let's go

1617
02:09:03,920 --> 02:09:07,920
sit with the girls and discuss our
strategy, and for God's sake, try

1618
02:09:07,960 --> 02:09:13,760
to look like a tourist, Gregel. Once they were all together and sitting

1619
02:09:13,840 --> 02:09:18,520
in the sand, Clark made sure
that no one else was within hearing range.

1620
02:09:18,600 --> 02:09:22,840
Before handing out the beers and picking
up a stick, he began sketching

1621
02:09:22,880 --> 02:09:26,960
in the sand. All right,
said Clark. This is crude, but

1622
02:09:26,000 --> 02:09:31,359
it'll have to do. He began
sketching a map of the area that they

1623
02:09:31,600 --> 02:09:35,840
just passed through. The lake is
here, he added, drawing another line.

1624
02:09:35,319 --> 02:09:39,520
That means that all of this land
from the edge of the town to

1625
02:09:39,600 --> 02:09:43,720
the motocross place we passed belongs to
the owner of Lanko. We've seen the

1626
02:09:43,840 --> 02:09:50,159
security. The question is did they
patrol inside the perimeter? I would,

1627
02:09:50,279 --> 02:09:54,520
said Gregel, cracking open his first
beer. Random patrols with roving teams,

1628
02:09:56,279 --> 02:09:58,920
as would, I agreed Clark.
From the look of the guards I've seen,

1629
02:10:00,159 --> 02:10:03,279
they look like prose. I think
we can safely assume they patrolled the

1630
02:10:03,399 --> 02:10:09,840
interior. Valkyrie rolled over on to
her stomach and lowered her sunglasses so she

1631
02:10:09,840 --> 02:10:13,039
could look at the map without leaving
her beach towel. These woods are so

1632
02:10:13,239 --> 02:10:16,680
thick, she said, There's not
a single place I could set up and

1633
02:10:16,720 --> 02:10:20,359
get a line of fire on the
house. The only place I can think

1634
02:10:20,399 --> 02:10:24,880
of where I could is from the
lake. That poses an entirely different set

1635
02:10:24,920 --> 02:10:30,600
of problems. I'm not looking to
have to engage a target, said Clark.

1636
02:10:30,920 --> 02:10:33,960
I just want eyes on it.
I want to know what's going on

1637
02:10:33,079 --> 02:10:39,079
in there. What about the creatures
in the lake, asked Rumstone. Well,

1638
02:10:39,079 --> 02:10:41,319
my gut tells me they're connected to
whatever it was I saw on that

1639
02:10:41,439 --> 02:10:46,800
balcony, said Clark. One will
lead us to the other. Valkyrie took

1640
02:10:46,840 --> 02:10:50,800
out a tube of sunloation and handed
it to Clark while she studied the map.

1641
02:10:52,600 --> 02:10:56,600
He shrugged and began applying it to
her back. I think I've got

1642
02:10:56,640 --> 02:11:00,840
something, she said after a moment. What's that, asked Clark, starting

1643
02:11:00,880 --> 02:11:03,479
on her legs. If we can
take a boat out, she said,

1644
02:11:03,840 --> 02:11:09,319
I can get a scope on that
house and monitor their activity. Yeah,

1645
02:11:09,479 --> 02:11:13,720
said Clark, But if they wonder
why boats anchored in direct line of sight

1646
02:11:13,760 --> 02:11:16,800
with that house, then we might
see the Shark men faster than we plan.

1647
02:11:18,840 --> 02:11:22,159
That's a good point, she said. I don't think we're quite ready

1648
02:11:22,199 --> 02:11:26,640
for a confrontation. No, Clark
agreed. We're gathering info only. We

1649
02:11:26,720 --> 02:11:33,319
don't engage unless we have to.
What about a clandestine insertion, asked Gregel.

1650
02:11:35,279 --> 02:11:39,800
Clark glanced up at that he'd been
applying sunscreen to the back of Valkyrie's

1651
02:11:39,800 --> 02:11:45,079
thighs. He saw her flick her
eyes in his direction and smile. One

1652
02:11:45,199 --> 02:11:48,720
or two of us could slip inside
their perimeter and get as close as we

1653
02:11:48,800 --> 02:11:52,119
can to the house, said Gregel, wiping his hands on the beach Towel,

1654
02:11:52,199 --> 02:11:56,680
Clark picked up a stick and poked
them out. If we went in

1655
02:11:56,760 --> 02:12:00,640
here, he said, pointing at
the place just outside out of town,

1656
02:12:01,279 --> 02:12:05,640
we could slip in without having to
drive past the gate guards again. Another

1657
02:12:05,760 --> 02:12:09,560
pass, and I'm sure they'll make
a move on us. That depends,

1658
02:12:09,600 --> 02:12:13,520
boss, said Runestone. If they've
got infrared sensors in the trees, you

1659
02:12:13,560 --> 02:12:18,920
won't make it far or dogs dog
will fuck up a recon faster than anything

1660
02:12:20,600 --> 02:12:24,039
we already know. They have cameras. It's not a stretch to think they

1661
02:12:24,079 --> 02:12:28,119
have infrared. He's right, said
shield Maiden. If I were planning a

1662
02:12:28,159 --> 02:12:33,840
defense at that place, I'd have
censers and dogs, Especially if who we

1663
02:12:33,880 --> 02:12:37,239
suspect is in that place is correct, they'll have the best defenses money can

1664
02:12:37,279 --> 02:12:43,039
buy. I never saw any indication
of dogs, said Clark. But that

1665
02:12:43,119 --> 02:12:48,520
doesn't mean they're not there. We
could ask around, suggested Raven. I

1666
02:12:48,680 --> 02:12:52,520
bet that would get back to them
before we found out anything significant, said

1667
02:12:52,560 --> 02:12:56,279
gre Eagel. We have to assume
that this town is fully infiltrated. They've

1668
02:12:56,279 --> 02:13:01,119
been here since the end of World
War Two. They surely would have made

1669
02:13:01,199 --> 02:13:05,520
friends here if nothing else. The
locals would know what would happen if they

1670
02:13:05,640 --> 02:13:11,640
talked shit, said Clark. Getting
in there might be tougher than I thought.

1671
02:13:11,920 --> 02:13:15,560
Well, we might not have to, said Valkyrie. What do you

1672
02:13:15,600 --> 02:13:18,520
have in mind, asked Clark.
We go to a local bar, she

1673
02:13:18,640 --> 02:13:22,319
said, grinny. Those guards have
to go somewhere when they're off duty.

1674
02:13:24,079 --> 02:13:28,159
If there are anything like every other
soldier in the world, they're going to

1675
02:13:28,279 --> 02:13:33,319
want two things, alcohol and pussy, said Runestone, grinning crude. But

1676
02:13:33,520 --> 02:13:39,239
he's not wrong, said Valkyrie,
rolling her eyes. So we find one

1677
02:13:39,279 --> 02:13:43,279
and get him a drink, said
Shield Maiden. Soldiers blab all kinds of

1678
02:13:43,319 --> 02:13:46,159
things when they're drunk. So which
one of you guys can hold your liquor

1679
02:13:46,199 --> 02:13:50,359
the best, asked Valkyrie. Well
that would be me, said Gregel.

1680
02:13:52,159 --> 02:13:56,479
No fucking way, said Runestone.
Ain't no damn army ranger gonna out drink

1681
02:13:56,520 --> 02:14:01,279
a seal. That's not why,
said Clark. Alcohol doesn't affect him.

1682
02:14:01,920 --> 02:14:05,520
Oh yeah, said Runestone, I
forgot about the wolf thing. No offense

1683
02:14:05,600 --> 02:14:11,319
meant by the ranger crack. Gregel
smiled and chuckled softly. None taken,

1684
02:14:11,479 --> 02:14:16,680
he replied. All right, said
Clark. Let's pick a bar that hopefully

1685
02:14:16,720 --> 02:14:20,960
has a few of those guards in
it, and then let the games begin.

1686
02:14:20,960 --> 02:14:24,920
When do we head back to town, asked Graven. We'll stay here

1687
02:14:24,960 --> 02:14:28,560
for a couple more hours, said
Clark. We don't want to get to

1688
02:14:28,600 --> 02:14:33,279
the bars too early, and we
want to give enough time before we passed

1689
02:14:33,319 --> 02:14:37,319
that gate again. We want them
to think we're just stupid tourists. Clark

1690
02:14:37,359 --> 02:14:41,520
down the rest of his beer and
shoved it back into the ice, the

1691
02:14:41,560 --> 02:14:45,600
tip of the bottle down. Then
he pulled out a second one and opened

1692
02:14:45,600 --> 02:14:48,239
it, kicking his foot out.
He destroyed the map and leaned back on

1693
02:14:48,359 --> 02:14:54,119
the towel, placing his hand on
Valkyrie's back. We've got company, he

1694
02:14:54,159 --> 02:15:00,399
whispered. No one makes any sudden
moves. Gregel adjusted his posture and the

1695
02:15:00,439 --> 02:15:05,560
air two cents were heading their way. Both wore strong deodorant and used some

1696
02:15:05,640 --> 02:15:11,239
type of scented soap. Roonstone got
onto his knees and grabbed the suntan lotion,

1697
02:15:11,479 --> 02:15:16,840
getting ready to cover Raven's back.
From his new position, he could

1698
02:15:16,840 --> 02:15:20,920
see the men that had caught Clark's
attention. Two men, both wearing black

1699
02:15:22,000 --> 02:15:26,520
ball caps with black T shirts over
blue jeans with black tactical boots. Both

1700
02:15:26,600 --> 02:15:33,720
men wore dark sunglasses and walk like
soldiers, instinctively falling into every step with

1701
02:15:33,880 --> 02:15:37,760
each other. As they approached,
Clark leaned in close to Valkyrie, pretending

1702
02:15:37,800 --> 02:15:43,119
to kiss her on the cheek.
Instead, he whispered, all position myself

1703
02:15:43,159 --> 02:15:46,600
where you can reach my pistol.
You say the sexiest things to a girl,

1704
02:15:46,680 --> 02:15:52,880
she replied, winking and sliding her
hand under his shirt. She rubbed

1705
02:15:52,880 --> 02:15:56,119
her hand up his back and then
back down, resting it on the grip

1706
02:15:56,159 --> 02:16:00,119
of the handgun. Clark smiled at
her and then turned to face the to

1707
02:16:00,279 --> 02:16:05,159
newcomers. Something I can do for
you, fellas he asked. As they

1708
02:16:05,199 --> 02:16:09,760
stopped just behind the towels, joh
said, the one on the left,

1709
02:16:09,319 --> 02:16:15,319
are you with the Americans who arrived
in the old seaplane. Clark noted the

1710
02:16:15,359 --> 02:16:18,520
German accent in his voice and could
see the short crop blonde hair beneath the

1711
02:16:18,560 --> 02:16:24,439
ball caps. That's us, said
Clark. Where did you get that museum

1712
02:16:24,560 --> 02:16:28,760
piece? Asked the man. I
want it in a poker game in Borneo

1713
02:16:28,880 --> 02:16:31,559
a few years back, said Clark, grinning. I restored it and now

1714
02:16:31,559 --> 02:16:37,000
I'll travel all over with it.
Would you entertain the idea of selling it,

1715
02:16:37,239 --> 02:16:41,959
asked the man. I don't think
so, said Clark. Besides,

1716
02:16:41,000 --> 02:16:46,399
even if I did, I wouldn't
go cheat. My employer would like to

1717
02:16:46,440 --> 02:16:50,520
pay whatever you ask said the man. He's interested in it. He's something

1718
02:16:50,559 --> 02:16:56,399
of a collector of vintage aircraft,
specifically from that time period. I'd have

1719
02:16:56,479 --> 02:17:01,120
to think about it, said Clark. I have been instructed to invite you

1720
02:17:01,200 --> 02:17:05,920
to dinner, said the man.
He heard you were on your honeymoon and

1721
02:17:05,959 --> 02:17:09,079
would like to have you join him
for dinner at his estate in an Uncle.

1722
02:17:11,159 --> 02:17:15,079
He would of course welcome your friends
as well. You can discuss your

1723
02:17:15,120 --> 02:17:20,680
magnificent aircraft. Then Clark glanced at
Valkyrie, and she met his gaze but

1724
02:17:20,000 --> 02:17:24,680
kept a poker face. Shrugging,
she smiled at him. It's up to

1725
02:17:24,760 --> 02:17:30,120
you, she said, I know
how much you love that plane. Well,

1726
02:17:30,280 --> 02:17:33,280
we can at least hear him out, said Clark. I mean it

1727
02:17:33,319 --> 02:17:37,040
would be rude to refuse his hospitality. What time should we be there and

1728
02:17:37,120 --> 02:17:41,799
how do we find it? On
your way back to town, said the

1729
02:17:41,840 --> 02:17:45,799
man. Watch the right side of
the road. You will see a guarded

1730
02:17:45,840 --> 02:17:50,319
gate before you get back to the
village. That's the entrance. Security will

1731
02:17:50,360 --> 02:17:54,239
be aware of you and escort you
to the main house. Dinner is at

1732
02:17:54,280 --> 02:17:58,559
seven, and if you prefer we
could send a car for you, well,

1733
02:17:58,559 --> 02:18:01,200
that would be fine, said Clare. Then we shall pick you up

1734
02:18:01,200 --> 02:18:05,239
at six point thirty, said the
man. How should we dress, asked

1735
02:18:05,239 --> 02:18:11,479
Clark. I've never been invited to
an estate for dinner. Dress formally,

1736
02:18:11,719 --> 02:18:15,879
said the man. Jacket and tie, at the very least, tuxedo if

1737
02:18:15,879 --> 02:18:20,559
you have one. If you didn't
bring any formal well, I'm certain he

1738
02:18:20,639 --> 02:18:24,639
will understand. We'll be there,
said Clark. Thank you, said the

1739
02:18:24,719 --> 02:18:28,639
man. I'm certain he will be
thrilled to know you accepted his invitation.

1740
02:18:30,200 --> 02:18:33,319
We will see you at dinner.
With that, the two men turned and

1741
02:18:33,399 --> 02:18:37,799
walked away. Clark waited until they
were getting back in their vehicle before he

1742
02:18:37,879 --> 02:18:43,159
spoke. Does anyone else find that
to be an odd coincidence? Asked Clark.

1743
02:18:43,879 --> 02:18:48,520
They already know who we are,
said Valkyrie. Are they're interested in

1744
02:18:48,559 --> 02:18:54,040
that plane? Finished Gray Eagel.
One thing is certain, said Clark.

1745
02:18:54,120 --> 02:18:58,159
There's no way they'll let us inside
that place armed. Also, we need

1746
02:18:58,200 --> 02:19:01,879
to get back to town, wh
i asked Valkyrie. We need to get

1747
02:19:01,879 --> 02:19:05,280
to a tailor and see if they
can do a rush job on tuxedos and

1748
02:19:05,399 --> 02:19:11,760
dresses for all of us, said
Clark. Suitably motivated, the girls gave

1749
02:19:11,840 --> 02:19:16,479
up their sunbathing and gathered their supplies. They headed back to the suv and

1750
02:19:16,559 --> 02:19:20,520
only paused long enough to throw away
the empty beer bottles, putting the rest

1751
02:19:20,559 --> 02:19:26,200
in the back. They all climbed
inside and headed back into town. The

1752
02:19:26,239 --> 02:19:28,559
two men who had approached them were
at the gate when they drove by,

1753
02:19:28,559 --> 02:19:33,600
and waved at them, and Clark
waved back and motioned for Bregel to slow

1754
02:19:33,680 --> 02:19:37,680
down. The one who had done
all the talking walked out to the road

1755
02:19:37,719 --> 02:19:41,520
to speak with them. Clark noticed
the guards all tightened their grip on their

1756
02:19:41,559 --> 02:19:45,000
weapons. We're going to head into
town and see if we can get some

1757
02:19:45,040 --> 02:19:48,600
suitable clothing, he said. Can
you recommend anyone who might be able to

1758
02:19:48,639 --> 02:19:54,280
get it quick enough? Of course, the man said, smiling. Go

1759
02:19:54,399 --> 02:19:58,600
back to your hotel. Your concil
can have the people brought it to you.

1760
02:19:58,200 --> 02:20:01,719
It should be no problem. Told
them you had been invited to dinner

1761
02:20:01,840 --> 02:20:05,600
at innn uncle. I'm certain that
they will make sure that you are taken

1762
02:20:05,639 --> 02:20:09,479
care of, thanks, said Clark. We'll do that. We'll see you

1763
02:20:09,520 --> 02:20:13,639
in a bed. Clark stuck his
hand out to shake the man's hand,

1764
02:20:13,639 --> 02:20:18,920
and he was surprised how tightly he
gripped his hand. The man smiled as

1765
02:20:18,959 --> 02:20:22,159
he firmly shook his hand. Knowing
his right bicep, Clark could make out

1766
02:20:22,200 --> 02:20:26,799
a tattoo that had been covered until
he lifted his arm with shape. It

1767
02:20:26,879 --> 02:20:31,639
was a shield with a trident in
the center. At the top were the

1768
02:20:31,719 --> 02:20:35,479
letters M E. K. That's
cool tattoo, Clark said, nodding.

1769
02:20:35,920 --> 02:20:39,399
Thank you, said the man.
It's a unit tattoo from my time in

1770
02:20:39,440 --> 02:20:45,680
the military. I'd love to hear
about that, said Clark. Perhaps tonight,

1771
02:20:45,840 --> 02:20:48,479
said the man. We can exchange
stories over drinks. Were you in

1772
02:20:48,520 --> 02:20:54,520
the military, yes, said Clark, us Army. I served in Afghanistan

1773
02:20:54,639 --> 02:20:58,319
and Iraq before I got out.
I would be very interested in hearing about

1774
02:20:58,319 --> 02:21:03,479
your time in uniform, said the
man. My name is Eric Haines.

1775
02:21:03,319 --> 02:21:09,959
I look forward to exchanging stories.
He released Clark's hand and did something completely

1776
02:21:09,079 --> 02:21:13,879
unexpected. He clicked his heels together
as he tipped his hat to the women.

1777
02:21:15,799 --> 02:21:18,360
Good day, ladies, he said. Backing away from the suv,

1778
02:21:20,799 --> 02:21:24,920
Gregel drove away, and they watched
Hines stare after them until they rounded the

1779
02:21:24,959 --> 02:21:28,639
bend in the road. Son of
a bitch, said Clark. He's the

1780
02:21:28,680 --> 02:21:33,760
guy. What do you mean,
asked Valkyrie. Did you see his tattoo,

1781
02:21:33,879 --> 02:21:35,879
he asked, Well, I heard
you mention it, she replied,

1782
02:21:35,879 --> 02:21:39,639
but I didn't see it. It
was the same tattoo in the picture,

1783
02:21:39,840 --> 02:21:43,760
said Clark, The same tattoo on
the arm of the creature that attacked the

1784
02:21:43,799 --> 02:21:50,159
film crew. I think we just
got confirmation of the connection, said Gregel.

1785
02:21:50,920 --> 02:21:54,959
Shit, get us back to the
hotel while they're getting our clothes ready.

1786
02:21:54,319 --> 02:22:01,760
I need to call all father,
it's the video on your screen for

1787
02:22:01,840 --> 02:22:07,159
the next part of this audio book. This has been co named Wild Hunt

1788
02:22:07,319 --> 02:22:13,319
Operation Blood Eagle. Written by Da
Roberts, read to you by Cameron Buckner.

1789
02:22:15,120 --> 02:22:22,920
Print copyright by Da Roberts. Audio
production copyright by Cameron Buckner. Reproduction

1790
02:22:22,159 --> 02:22:28,840
of this audio is prohibited in any
form without written approval under the US copyright

1791
02:22:28,959 --> 02:22:33,719
laws. Stay tuned to the Dixie
Cryptied podcast for more full length audio books.