Chapter 5 Castle Camelot

Cayce

July 20th, 2017

7:44 PM

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

As David takes point and leads us into the sewer system taking us to the breaker room, I follow his lead with the rest of Valor Team to sneak inside the MIT facility past the frontal ConDef defenses keeping everyone else out. We enter the breaker room where they may have shut the power down for this place, then take the exit out of the room that takes us into a dark hallway. Guards have to be patrolling the halls by now, so we proceeded with caution as routinely as we could.

We kept out flashlight and suppressor attachments on our guns at all times to scan the halls and watch our corners. We weren't using night vision this time since we had to conserve the battery life. Our first hall and first few corners were clear, but we'd soon catch on to ConDef guards shortly.

"Lynch, keep the choppers in position," said Cage on comm. "Including yours. We'll be back with students and staff before you know it. Can't believe we gotta rescue more college kids too."

"Wilco, Captain," said Lynch. "Can't believe they'll be more kids on my bird either. Lynch out."

"Commander, Captain, this is Dean Nelson. I'm locked in the security room and can see your team on the monitors. There are ConDef troops outside the door. They're trying to break in!"

"Sit tight, ma'am," said Cage. "I think we're almost to you. Hang on."

The five of us enter the next hallway and see two ConDef soldiers attempting to kick the door to the security room open. Before they could catch us approaching, David and Cage set their weapons free on them and take them out with headshots. The security room door was secure.

"Nelson, we're clear," said David. "It's us!"

We open the door to the room and the dean aims a shotgun at us. We withdraw our weapons to come in peace as Nelson withdraws hers. Just before she could pop a shell into our skin.

"Commander, thank you," said Nelson with a sigh of relief. "Admiral Penske always said you were the best. And with ConDef coming for my students, I need the best."

"You knew the Admiral?" David asked.

"It's a long story. To make it short, him and go back from Oregon where we grew up."

"How many of you are there?" Cage asked.

"Fewer than twenty. Most were newcomers part of the orientation we held today. Many others were either killed or escaped when they attacked. Others are being held hostage. Everyone started running for their lives when gunfire was being shot at us. We didn't stand a chance."

Nelson walked over to the monitors and sat back down to check on them as we questioned her. Perhaps she of all people could understand the situation at hand in the last five hours of being trapped here.

"How did you know Admiral Penske so well?" I asked.

"We've know each for - god how long has it been?" Nelson thought. "Forty years back in high school. Blackwell Academy was the school we went to. We've been close to one another since, but we eventually parted ways."

"Why does everyone we meet go to Blackwell?" I wondered.

"Him and I with the rest of my team were in Seattle when ConDef hit," said David. "He's a good man and a good leader."

"I've heard the news," said Nelson. "Everyone has. Didn't hear from him though. He's alive?"

"Alive and fighting. He's currently on the USCC Oregon commanding the first fleet and leading the resistance movement right now."

"Good, if we get out of here…well, just tell him to stay alive."

"What have you been up to as of late that got ConDef here to begin with?" Kristine asked. "Why are they here? What do they want from you?"

"To be honest, it's a complex story. I overheard the guards talking a lot about this top special project our engineers and technicians have been conducting for months. One of Rare Earth Element projects. The Eternium project to be specific."

"The Eternium project?" David thought. "What's that?"

"Don't know many of the details. I'm only the dean. You'll have to ask Dr. Brainer. Our curator for the project and instructor for Rare Earth Elements. If he's still alive in here, he'll be the right person to ask."

A communications radio in the room was going off with static and Nelson attempted to respond. She picked it up to know who was still alive and trapped here.

"Hang on," said Nelson. "I've been trying to get communications working."

"This is Fuller! There are students trapped in Bush Hall! ConDef troops has us boxed in! They're closing fast-"

The communication cut back to static before the man on the radio could finish. Must've been the campus's security perhaps if some are still around after the raid. Couldn't imagine if there was.

"Dammit!" Nelson snapped.

"Bush Hall?" David asked.

"Back out the door and down the hallway. I can get the security gate open."

"We'll bring them back here and make a run for the choppers."

"Thank you, Commander. I'll stay put. With luck, I can regain control of some of our systems."

Alex

July 21st, 2017

5:29 AM

Caffarella Park, Italy

Castle Camelot Museum

While Dad had left with our rental vehicle for a getaway vehicle, my little cousin and I lightly sneak our way past the ConDef goons in order to get inside the castle. Assuming Fernando, Kristen, Frank, and Rachel weren't in any danger. Despite no response from them for the reasons unknown. Possibly captured or killed by ConDef. I vote captured for optimism.

Max and I entered the castle through the hole Alkaline's men just blew through. Still laying low from any of them with none of them sighted yet upon entry. We knew they'd be in here and we knew they'd be close. We just had to regroup with the others, find that shard, and get the fuck out of here.

"Dammit, still can't reach either one of them," said Max on her phone. "Something is definitely not right."

"How long 'til this place opens?" I asked.

"We've got a few more hours before the tour buses start showing up."

"Then we better hustle. Cuz the authorities still gotta figure out ConDef is here too. Wall's been blown."

"Okay, so we know we're not the first ones here."

"As long as Joanna, Alkaline, and Ares think we're dead, we've got the element of surprise. Let's not waste it."

"Right, so we sneak in and find out where they're hold Rachel, Frank, Kristen, and Fernan."

"If they're holding them."

"Glass half full, Alex?"

"I'm just saying these guys don't seem like the hostage taking type."

"Let's just go with best case scenario for now, okay? We rescue Rachel and Frank with Fernando and Kristen and the six of us sneak back out."

"Yeah, right. Sneak back out."

"It could happen."

"Mm-hm."

The first room we enter is one completely occupied by armed ConDef guards everywhere. We immediately take evasive action hide ourselves behind a corner before we're caught.

"Ah, shit!" Max hissed. "Already?! Ugh, just what we needed."

"How many are in here?" I asked.

Max scanned the room with her time vision to identify every guard in the room around every corner. The room was packed with ConDef on every floor top to bottom.

"Too many," said Max quietly. "Do we really want to take on this many?"

I turn my head away from Max to see an open window where we could escape without detection. And that's where we go to next.

"Let's get out that window," I whispered. "We'll leave these guys be."

We stealthily sneak out through the window like sneaking out of the house away from the guards where we were safe. The window takes us outside a little courtyard where the moonlight shined. There weren't any ConDef posted in the area, but our safe wouldn't last long. We had to hustle.

Max found a door to get back indoors where there was lock cuffed to the nob. She shoots it open with her pistol so we could step inside. We walk inside back indoors across some halls down to another locked door to get through only this time, it was locked from the outside and there was no way to shoot it open.

"Ah, its locked," said Max pulling against the door. "Of course."

"Why don't you wait here," I said. "I'll see if I can do anything about it."

While Max waits by the door, I run down the halls to look for a way to shoot the lock from the other side. I could see light being waved around and it was a sign of guards on patrol. I hide behind the corners and take one guard out by slamming his head against the wall for a knockout. I take care of the other guards by hand by either strangling them death or giving them a knock behind the head.

When I'm around the other side, there's an open window where I can see the locked door Max was behind. She calls back to me so we could make eye contact from the distance.

"Alex, over here!" Max shouted.

"Back up, I'll shoot the lock!" I shout.

I aim carefully with my pistol to shoot the lock through the window and it breaks open with one bullet. Max is let out and runs straight back outdoors. As soon as I try to walk back out, now I was locked behind a closed door. With lock cuffed to the other side as well.

"Ah, shit, come on," I said. "Max, help me out!"

My cousin shoots one bullet on the lock to break it open and then I'm let out. Walking back outdoors with her.

"This place is crawling with soldiers," said Max. "Rachel and the others could be in real trouble."

"Where the fuck could they be?" I wondered.

The two of us walk back inside down more hallways in the castle. When walking down, we could hear more footstep from ahead just as soon as we were about to walk around a corner. But as soon as we had our guns raised on the people stumbling in front of us, they weren't ConDef guards. They were our good old pals Rachel, Frank, Fernando, and Kristen. Who all raised guns at us at first too.

We lowered our weapons with a breath of relief. Almost shooting each other's faces off.

"What the fuck," I said.

"Why aren't you in Greece?" Rachel asked.

"We were in Greece," said Max. "We came here to rescue you?"

"From what?" Frank asked.

"We thought you'd be captured."

"Or worse," I said.

"Wait, why?" Rachel asked.

"Well, Alkaline ambushed us on Mount Olympus," said Max. "And they got the Power Shard."

"Yeah, we figured they must've followed you too," I said.

"Well yeah," said Frank. "They're definitely here."

"Yeah, no kidding," I said.

"So we might want to think about keeping it down a little," said Kristen. "Where's Bryan?"

"He's out driving on the 4x4 we rented to find us a getaway vehicle on the way out," said Max. "What happened to you four? We've been trying to reach you for over twenty-four hours."

"Oh right," said Fernando. "I need to top up my minutes."

"You're using a pre-paid phone?"

"Gringa, those data plans are a complete rip-off."

Max turns her head around to every other person who couldn't pick up the phone to get an answer from them.

"What? Mine's busted," said Kristen.

"Again?" Max thought.

"And mine has to recharge," said Rachel. "So does Frank's."

"Look, just forget all that," said Fernando. "You'll never guess what we discovered."

Fernando pulled out a booklet of some kind out of his pocket and opened to the pages of interest. Assuming it was vital to our Ark of Genesis mission.

"I've got it all in here," said Fernando. "Not only did Arthur's spy network stretch all the way over here, they were all part of some hermetic cult. The British Occult Secret Service, the School of Night, the Hellfire Club, the Order of the Golden Dawn, the Order of Saint Loomis, the Herd of Whales, they're all connected."

"So people from the Saint Loomis order like King Arthur," began Max. "Merlin, Lancelot, Percival, Gawain, as well as people from the herd like Ezra Prescott…"

"…and Jeremiah Blackwell, and Christoph Carter, and even Ezekiel Blackwell, they were all in on it throughout the generations. But for them it was all about the power. Controlling their enemies through espionage, deception, fear."

"Hey, guys?" I said interrupting.

"Wait," said Max. "So Joanna and her crew-"

"Are the same secret order thousands of years on," said Fernando. "Which we already know. But here's what we didn't know. Just like the British secret service, Saint Loomis, and the herd, and so forth, ConDef was once pronounced the successor as well. And recently too."

"Really? Well, that sorta makes sense since Joanna is working with ConDef."

"Will you cut to the goddamn chase please?" I asked.

"Yeah, we really need to keep moving," said Rachel.

"Sure, sure," said Fernando. "Here, look. 'Sicut superius, et inferious.'"

"Superius…inferious…", thought Max. "As above, so below."

"That's the key to all of this."

"We need to get to the highest point of this castle."

"Thus, the stairs."

Fernando points at the direction of the stairs that are right in front of us to take. Guess I should be glad I taught Max little Latin to under the mean of the words in that booklet. As above, so below. Cliched, but provoking.

"Well done," said Max.