Chapter Thirteen
"What we must fight for is to safeguard the existence and reproduction of our race and our people, the sustenance of our children and the purity of our blood, the freedom and independence of the fatherland, so that our people may mature for the fulfillment of the mission allotted it by the creator of the universe." — Adolf Hitler
Thank God for private planes.
It wasn't a blasphemous statement; as long as she could remember, Heinkel had hated public transportation. For some reason, she'd never understood the appeal of crowding into a small space filled with unwashed bodies. Not to mention the screaming babies…Better to avoid the situation altogether. Still, a plane—even a private one—was far worse than a bus or the subway, given that its passengers were much more likely die in the event of a crash. Clutching her crucifix, Heinkel mumbled a prayer under her breath to St. Joseph of Cupertino, the patron saint of aviation.
It wasn't easy to book a flight to Rome on such short notice, even with her connections, but Heinkel had managed (with only a minimum amount of threats). Now, though, she regretted her own efficiency; it was getting harder and harder to remember why she'd been so eager to board this flying death trap. The plane shook as the craft encountered a pocket of turbulence; and Heinkel gripped the seat rest with white knuckled fingers, swallowing hard to force back the bile threatening to claw its way up her throat.
When the shaking (finally) stopped, she took a deep breath, fingers uncurling as the prospect of imminent death receded. Hopefully Greta was doing better than she was. Much to Heinkel's surprise, Oliver had volunteered to look after the animal during her absence. At first, Heinkel was skeptical, but eventually she agreed. After all, no one else was volunteering for the task. Seras would do it, but the draculina could hardly take care of herself, let alone an animal…
The plane jolted again, and her stomach gave a sickening lurch. Torturous as the experience was, at least the flight wasn't a long one (though it certainly seemed that way). Eager as she was for the plane to land, though, infiltrating the Archives was a far more daunting task than surviving the trip there. Not only must she penetrate the heightened security surrounding the Church's repository of secrets, Heinkel had to do so alone—which meant that if she were captured, no one would come to save her.
Even had they wished to, it was impossible for Protestants to enter the Holy See undetected; and if they somehow managed this incredible feat, they would never leave alive. The Church's forces may be depleted, but its remaining soldiers had congregated in Rome, intent on defending the Holy Father; anyone who dared challenge them would be swiftly and brutally eradicated. Besides, entering the Vatican without permission was tantamount to an act of war. Heinkel's actions could be dismissed as the plotting of a rogue agent, but this explanation would not suffice if the others came to rescue her.
While she had faced long odds before—it was practically part of the job—this mission was different; one mistake could mean her death. The knowledge that no one had her back was unsettling. I'll just have to make sure I don't get caught. Raising her chin, she tried to project a confidence she didn't feel.
By the time the plane touched down, though, Heinkel's stomach was in knots; Yumie was surely laughing at her from heaven. As soon as the door opened, she flung herself onto the pavement, grateful to be on solid ground once more.
The runway was deserted, the pilot having vanished into the night; despite his curiosity about his mysterious passenger, he knew better than to ask questions. Thankfully, the airstrip was private: meaning Heinkel could avoid the hassle of airport security. Smuggling her weapons through the metal detectors was always a pain…However, it seemed she must contend with a welcoming committee; less than a hundred yards away and closing rapidly were three people in clerical robes, all heavily armed. Unholstering and aiming her weapons in one smooth motion, Heinkel swore under her breath. How had they known she was here? Had her contact betrayed her? Then again, the pope did have spies everywhere…
Shifting into a fighting stance, she drawled, "Beautiful night, isn't it?"
The group's leader, a young woman in a nun's habit, stiffened. "Silence, traitor." When Heinkel merely raised a brow, she snapped, "You are alive only by the grace of the Holy Father. This is your only warning: surrender or die."
Guess that answers that question.
Tempting as it was to kill the bitch and her lackeys, Heinkel was reluctant to kill fellow Catholics. However, that didn't mean their insolence would go unpunished…She grinned.
Nothing like a good fight to get the blood going.
"Only three of you? It seems I've been underestimated."
The nun sneered. "Brave words from someone who's about to die."
By the time she fired at Heinkel, though, the former Iscariot agent was already moving: neutralizing her first opponent with a shot to the abdomen, the second with a bullet to the chest. The nun was hit in the leg, the bullet shattering her kneecap; the woman screamed, gun clattering to the pavement as she fell. Clutching the wounded appendage, she alternated between sobbing gasps of pain and cursing Heinkel, who ignored her. Tempting as it was to shoot her a second time, she needed at least one of her attackers lucid enough to talk.
"Now," Heinkel crossed the pavement in several strides, kicking the gun out of her opponent's reach with practiced ease. "how did you know I was here?" Even with the Vatican's heightened security, the pope shouldn't have been able to detect her presence so quickly.
The nun moaned. "Goddamn you."
I don't have time for this.
Drawing back her leg, Heinkel gave the woman's wounded leg a swift kick; the nun let out a cry of pain, though she stifled it by biting her lip, teeth sinking into the flesh until it bled. Glaring at Heinkel through watering eyes, she snarled, "Go ahead and kill me; I won't tell you anything."
"I guess we'll have to do things the hard way."
Before Heinkel could begin the interrogation, though, the sound of footsteps approaching made her whirl around. Shit. Rendering the nun unconscious with a blow to the forehead, she vanished into the night—though not before telling the startled security guard to call an ambulance.
