CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
SS Headquarters, Berlin, October 31, 1940....
Adolf Hitler paced the mahogany panelled room. "And just what do we do? What do we do?" he repeated as he shook his fist at the window. The window, believing itself to be a crystal ball, was showing Hitler and his top officer what was happening around Berlin as dozens of Mussolini's planes fell from the sky.
"A decisive blow, Himmler. We used Mussolini's planes and even they were repelled by that blasted cloud cover that's been over London for the last three days. It almost appeared as if...it were alive," Schnell stated plainly as the smoke from the downed planes filled the air over Berlin. Berliners were choking and holding their noses as they ran to get away from the smoke.
"Don't tell me this is a decisive blow! We can not let a little city like London defeat the Third Reich!" Hitler shouted and shook his fist at the window again.
"I think we are merely 'distracted' for a while," Schnell responded. "We can say the lessening daylight in England caused our retreat from daily bombing."
Hitler stopped looking at the window and turned to Schnell. "And what do we say when we continue to bomb London by night?"
"We lie," Schnell replied curtly.
"We shall have to do just that," Hitler said, turning back to the scenes showing through the window. Just outside of Berlin, a bright blue biplane was suspended upside down in the air, its pilot were being shaken out of the plane. "London has not defeated us! But, Schnell, there is someone we can defeat!"
Schnell looked skeptical. "Himmler, who is this someone? We've got most of Europe and next we tackle North Africa."
"Russia."
"But we signed a non-aggression pact fourteen months ago!"
"If I can't have London, then I'll have Russia."
Schnell stroked his chin as the scene in the window showed another biplane, this one pale green in color, being relieved of its pilot; this plane was just outside SS Headquarters. "Then Russia it is. We will start planning our attack of Russia tonight."
"Good. Plan for a June assault. It will take time to get the regiments acclimated to fighting our former ally. Dismissed," Hitler said as Schnell saluted him. "And Schnell! No more German casualties in London today! Call off the daily assault," Hitler growled. "We will need to start stockpiling our supplies for the assault on Russia."
"Sir! Yes, sir!" Schnell responded as he left the room.
Hitler turned to growl again at the scenes in the window. The tall dark haired man with the tattoos on his face stared intently at Hitler and Hitler felt the first tendrils of fear in his soul.
"I am not afraid of you!" he shouted defiantly to the man in the window.
"But you are afraid, Adolf, and Ardeth Bey shall repel your forces in Tunisia. He will be part of your death, little man," a female voice told Hitler as the window continued to show various parts of Berlin and the downed planes still belching smoke where they had crashed to the ground.
"Hitler! Heed my mother's words, and mark my own words: you will not succeed with the
Third Reich. Do you wish to know how you die?" Seth's voice boomed in the mahogany
panelled room. "I'll show you anyways!"
And the scene in the window now showed Hitler, his face deathly white, lying sprawled on top of a bed in an underground bunker.
The scene was frozen in the window as Seth continued addressing Hitler, "You call your underground hideout a bunker, but its true name is a prison cell. And there, imprisoned by your own hand, you will lie dead as the Allies march to Berlin and liberate the people whom you imprisoned in the concentration camps. Yes, Hitler, I discovered your treachery when the souls of the people you mass slaughtered in the concentration camps came to me, and pleaded with me to help their survivors escape your evil."
"Oh, the irony! So obvious is the fact the Third Reich will crumble without your leadership that you will take your own life, a hypocritical and cowardly act in light of fact you designed your Third Reich to last a thousand years. What's the matter, Hitler? Too afraid to face the music? You don't trust anyone in the Third Reich to provide you asylum as the Allies march towards Berlin?"
Hitler shook his fist in rage at the scenes and stamped his feet, shouting obscenities.
And in the window's reflection, he saw himself, he saw Ardeth motion to his companions and Hitler saw the four men smile at the Third Reich's leader throwing quite the temper tantrum.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top of Shooters Hill, October 31, 1940
"Hitler is quite the little child, eh?" Rick asked as the four men watched Hitler throwing a temper tantrum.
"A baby really," Jonathan commented. "Even the darkest deeds of Seth do not compare to Hitler's evil. And Seth did not know all that Hitler is doing in Germany."
"Someone, or something, unleashed an unspeakable evil on earth," Martin commented and Ardeth nodded.
"He will die as Seth said, but not before he causes the deaths of millions," Ardeth said sadly.
As Hitler's image faded out, Rick said, "Martin? Could the Bracelet cause someone to remain invisible long enough to kidnap Hitler?"
"Someone could try," Martin replied as Evie and Alex came up Shooter's Hill to where the four men stood.
"Is it over? Is it really over?" Alex inquired of Ardeth, his voice full of hope.
"For the time being. Hitler is evil and I think he will continue to bomb London and the surrounding countryside on an intermittent basis," he told the youngster, who, in response, hugged him.
Ardeth could not quite hide his smile as he hugged the youngster back.
"I think I could live with that, intermittently, though I'd prefer no bombings at all," Evie said, looking over the devastation fron the top of Shooters Hill. The citizens of London were out on what remained of the streets, looking up at the sky clear of the smoke trails from RAF fighters and Messerschmidt bombers. They were clearly confused but quickly smiles came over their faces.
Londoners were pointing at the sky, and nudging each other. A soft golden light settled down over London and its inhabitants.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nighttime, October 31, Ardeth is standing on a hilltop in the grounds of the Carnahan O'Connell estate
"You have done well, my earthly son," Nuit told Ardeth as she blew a kiss of wind upon his brow.
"Your task has been hard, Mother," he replied, "but tasks performed for the Gods are never easy."
"Your words echo those uttered by the Great Imhotep thousands of years ago. But you have completed your current task," she responded and Ardeth knew there would be more tasks ahead of him.
Strangely, he found he didn't mind the upcoming tasks. He had found an inner strength which he didn't know he possessed. The accumulated training of his people from the last three thousand years protecting the city of Hamunaptra (and what the city contained) didn't measure up to the emotions he now experienced as he looked out over the now-quiet city of London.
He knew the upcoming nights would be tough for Londoners--when the Luftwaffe would appear on the horizon in pitch dark.
But London would never fall and the Third Reich would eventually crumble because London would still stand majestic, if burnt-out, and her skyline would rise again.
Nuit echoed his thoughts. "London will never fall, thanks to you and Martin. Had not Martin figured out Taita's clever puzzle of the Bracelet, the city would have fallen next week when London was to have been flooded. The Gods of Egypt give their eternal thanks to you, Ardeth Bey."
"The Gods are welcomed, Mother," Ardeth replied as the golden light of Nuit faded to be replaced by a tall flame-haired blue eyed man dressed in long flowing golden robes. His face was strong, the chin square, the nose almost aquiline.
"Greetings, Ardeth Bey. I am Seth. I wish to apologize to you. Had I known of Hitler's plan to destroy the Afterlife of Egypt, and known about his concentration camps, I would have helped you in your journey to London instead of impeding it as I did."
Ardeth was quiet a moment, then replied. "It was an arduous task. But I accept your apology."
Seth continued. "It was not my idea to create Hitler. I had intended to use him for my instrument, but I failed to use a protective spell. The Gods believe he was birthed by Evil itself--an evil born of another mythology. Maybe that is why he went out of control."
"A wayward spell on a ushabti," Ardeth observed.
"That is what Imhotep noted as well," Seth told Ardeth, who raised his eyebrows. "Things get around in the Underworld."
"So I noticed," Ardeth replied. "I would like to know how you would have flooded London."
"Ah," Seth said and hung his head a moment. He then raised his head and looked in Ardeth's eyes. "My father could explain this better, as geology is more his taste. The Thames' estuary is unique, for the sea waters at high tide reverse the flow of the river. The waters flow quite a distance upstream. I would have helped the high tide to innundate London."
"I trust your father was horrified when you told him?" Ardeth asked.
Seth nodded his head. "If you have need of help in returning to Egypt, or to London, quickly, merely ask. My mother and I will assist you--safely, this time. The Gods, including myself, are trying to find a way to stop Hitler once and for all," Seth said. "Again, I extend my apologies. Oh, one other thing," Seth said and Ardeth raised both his eyebrows.
"It was not my doing which caused the death by drowning of Hildred and Ewan. I checked with the other Gods to see if anything could have been done to prevent their deaths. There was nothing to be done."
Ardeth nodded as the image of Seth faded out. For a moment, Ardeth saw his remote ancestors Kysen, Khuta and Khuta's infant son. The relatives gazed at each other for a moment, and Ardeth thought how much he resembled Khuta, then the overcast night sky of London was visible to Ardeth's dark eyes.
He turned and walked down the hilltop towards the O'Connell manor house, his black robes swinging around his ankles.
SS Headquarters, Berlin, October 31, 1940....
Adolf Hitler paced the mahogany panelled room. "And just what do we do? What do we do?" he repeated as he shook his fist at the window. The window, believing itself to be a crystal ball, was showing Hitler and his top officer what was happening around Berlin as dozens of Mussolini's planes fell from the sky.
"A decisive blow, Himmler. We used Mussolini's planes and even they were repelled by that blasted cloud cover that's been over London for the last three days. It almost appeared as if...it were alive," Schnell stated plainly as the smoke from the downed planes filled the air over Berlin. Berliners were choking and holding their noses as they ran to get away from the smoke.
"Don't tell me this is a decisive blow! We can not let a little city like London defeat the Third Reich!" Hitler shouted and shook his fist at the window again.
"I think we are merely 'distracted' for a while," Schnell responded. "We can say the lessening daylight in England caused our retreat from daily bombing."
Hitler stopped looking at the window and turned to Schnell. "And what do we say when we continue to bomb London by night?"
"We lie," Schnell replied curtly.
"We shall have to do just that," Hitler said, turning back to the scenes showing through the window. Just outside of Berlin, a bright blue biplane was suspended upside down in the air, its pilot were being shaken out of the plane. "London has not defeated us! But, Schnell, there is someone we can defeat!"
Schnell looked skeptical. "Himmler, who is this someone? We've got most of Europe and next we tackle North Africa."
"Russia."
"But we signed a non-aggression pact fourteen months ago!"
"If I can't have London, then I'll have Russia."
Schnell stroked his chin as the scene in the window showed another biplane, this one pale green in color, being relieved of its pilot; this plane was just outside SS Headquarters. "Then Russia it is. We will start planning our attack of Russia tonight."
"Good. Plan for a June assault. It will take time to get the regiments acclimated to fighting our former ally. Dismissed," Hitler said as Schnell saluted him. "And Schnell! No more German casualties in London today! Call off the daily assault," Hitler growled. "We will need to start stockpiling our supplies for the assault on Russia."
"Sir! Yes, sir!" Schnell responded as he left the room.
Hitler turned to growl again at the scenes in the window. The tall dark haired man with the tattoos on his face stared intently at Hitler and Hitler felt the first tendrils of fear in his soul.
"I am not afraid of you!" he shouted defiantly to the man in the window.
"But you are afraid, Adolf, and Ardeth Bey shall repel your forces in Tunisia. He will be part of your death, little man," a female voice told Hitler as the window continued to show various parts of Berlin and the downed planes still belching smoke where they had crashed to the ground.
"Hitler! Heed my mother's words, and mark my own words: you will not succeed with the
Third Reich. Do you wish to know how you die?" Seth's voice boomed in the mahogany
panelled room. "I'll show you anyways!"
And the scene in the window now showed Hitler, his face deathly white, lying sprawled on top of a bed in an underground bunker.
The scene was frozen in the window as Seth continued addressing Hitler, "You call your underground hideout a bunker, but its true name is a prison cell. And there, imprisoned by your own hand, you will lie dead as the Allies march to Berlin and liberate the people whom you imprisoned in the concentration camps. Yes, Hitler, I discovered your treachery when the souls of the people you mass slaughtered in the concentration camps came to me, and pleaded with me to help their survivors escape your evil."
"Oh, the irony! So obvious is the fact the Third Reich will crumble without your leadership that you will take your own life, a hypocritical and cowardly act in light of fact you designed your Third Reich to last a thousand years. What's the matter, Hitler? Too afraid to face the music? You don't trust anyone in the Third Reich to provide you asylum as the Allies march towards Berlin?"
Hitler shook his fist in rage at the scenes and stamped his feet, shouting obscenities.
And in the window's reflection, he saw himself, he saw Ardeth motion to his companions and Hitler saw the four men smile at the Third Reich's leader throwing quite the temper tantrum.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top of Shooters Hill, October 31, 1940
"Hitler is quite the little child, eh?" Rick asked as the four men watched Hitler throwing a temper tantrum.
"A baby really," Jonathan commented. "Even the darkest deeds of Seth do not compare to Hitler's evil. And Seth did not know all that Hitler is doing in Germany."
"Someone, or something, unleashed an unspeakable evil on earth," Martin commented and Ardeth nodded.
"He will die as Seth said, but not before he causes the deaths of millions," Ardeth said sadly.
As Hitler's image faded out, Rick said, "Martin? Could the Bracelet cause someone to remain invisible long enough to kidnap Hitler?"
"Someone could try," Martin replied as Evie and Alex came up Shooter's Hill to where the four men stood.
"Is it over? Is it really over?" Alex inquired of Ardeth, his voice full of hope.
"For the time being. Hitler is evil and I think he will continue to bomb London and the surrounding countryside on an intermittent basis," he told the youngster, who, in response, hugged him.
Ardeth could not quite hide his smile as he hugged the youngster back.
"I think I could live with that, intermittently, though I'd prefer no bombings at all," Evie said, looking over the devastation fron the top of Shooters Hill. The citizens of London were out on what remained of the streets, looking up at the sky clear of the smoke trails from RAF fighters and Messerschmidt bombers. They were clearly confused but quickly smiles came over their faces.
Londoners were pointing at the sky, and nudging each other. A soft golden light settled down over London and its inhabitants.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nighttime, October 31, Ardeth is standing on a hilltop in the grounds of the Carnahan O'Connell estate
"You have done well, my earthly son," Nuit told Ardeth as she blew a kiss of wind upon his brow.
"Your task has been hard, Mother," he replied, "but tasks performed for the Gods are never easy."
"Your words echo those uttered by the Great Imhotep thousands of years ago. But you have completed your current task," she responded and Ardeth knew there would be more tasks ahead of him.
Strangely, he found he didn't mind the upcoming tasks. He had found an inner strength which he didn't know he possessed. The accumulated training of his people from the last three thousand years protecting the city of Hamunaptra (and what the city contained) didn't measure up to the emotions he now experienced as he looked out over the now-quiet city of London.
He knew the upcoming nights would be tough for Londoners--when the Luftwaffe would appear on the horizon in pitch dark.
But London would never fall and the Third Reich would eventually crumble because London would still stand majestic, if burnt-out, and her skyline would rise again.
Nuit echoed his thoughts. "London will never fall, thanks to you and Martin. Had not Martin figured out Taita's clever puzzle of the Bracelet, the city would have fallen next week when London was to have been flooded. The Gods of Egypt give their eternal thanks to you, Ardeth Bey."
"The Gods are welcomed, Mother," Ardeth replied as the golden light of Nuit faded to be replaced by a tall flame-haired blue eyed man dressed in long flowing golden robes. His face was strong, the chin square, the nose almost aquiline.
"Greetings, Ardeth Bey. I am Seth. I wish to apologize to you. Had I known of Hitler's plan to destroy the Afterlife of Egypt, and known about his concentration camps, I would have helped you in your journey to London instead of impeding it as I did."
Ardeth was quiet a moment, then replied. "It was an arduous task. But I accept your apology."
Seth continued. "It was not my idea to create Hitler. I had intended to use him for my instrument, but I failed to use a protective spell. The Gods believe he was birthed by Evil itself--an evil born of another mythology. Maybe that is why he went out of control."
"A wayward spell on a ushabti," Ardeth observed.
"That is what Imhotep noted as well," Seth told Ardeth, who raised his eyebrows. "Things get around in the Underworld."
"So I noticed," Ardeth replied. "I would like to know how you would have flooded London."
"Ah," Seth said and hung his head a moment. He then raised his head and looked in Ardeth's eyes. "My father could explain this better, as geology is more his taste. The Thames' estuary is unique, for the sea waters at high tide reverse the flow of the river. The waters flow quite a distance upstream. I would have helped the high tide to innundate London."
"I trust your father was horrified when you told him?" Ardeth asked.
Seth nodded his head. "If you have need of help in returning to Egypt, or to London, quickly, merely ask. My mother and I will assist you--safely, this time. The Gods, including myself, are trying to find a way to stop Hitler once and for all," Seth said. "Again, I extend my apologies. Oh, one other thing," Seth said and Ardeth raised both his eyebrows.
"It was not my doing which caused the death by drowning of Hildred and Ewan. I checked with the other Gods to see if anything could have been done to prevent their deaths. There was nothing to be done."
Ardeth nodded as the image of Seth faded out. For a moment, Ardeth saw his remote ancestors Kysen, Khuta and Khuta's infant son. The relatives gazed at each other for a moment, and Ardeth thought how much he resembled Khuta, then the overcast night sky of London was visible to Ardeth's dark eyes.
He turned and walked down the hilltop towards the O'Connell manor house, his black robes swinging around his ankles.
