February 17, 1945
Somewhere outside Nürnberg, Germany
Martinn Seyss would never be comfortable around the hulking rings of scarred metal. The thing was ripped straight from the pulp papers his brother had loved before the war but he was fairly certain this beast’s purpose was not to entertain. It loomed over the entire cavern as a foreboding alien presence and served as constant reminder of the completely desperate nature of the operation he had been drafted into. In New York, London, and Moscow the atmosphere of victory that had once blanketed Berlin was poised to explode in celebration, but The Reich was only wounded. She still had weapons at her disposal.
The fourth hour of his watch passed with seemingly the same fanfare as every other for the last month. He sat down and settled in for another night of inactivity among the barely audible machinations of the innumerable equipment scattered about. A chilling draft stabbed for his body and seized him in its violent grip. He regained his composure and wearily returned his gaze to the device. The soulless eyes of a pale waif gaped back in its place and, slightly below, the dagger-on-swastika adorning his collar glowed in the darkness of the cave. Thule.
He snapped to attention. “…Sir! Forgive me; I did not see you enter.”
The officer said nothing and instead set about his own task near a large console. Before Martinn could even consider another word he was bombarded by a new light source across the chamber. The massive concrete barrier on the far end of the hall slid open and revealed most of the base staff including a few officials he had never seen before. The generators throbbed to life and unnatural illumination flooded the area. The team spread out among the instrumentation like a hive of ants while the Commander and a guest in a wheelchair approached the central platform.
Seyss had never expected the day to arrive. He still did not know what was going on or why, even with the added weight of the double lightning strikes ornamenting his collar. He did know he was witnessing a very important day in the history of the Reich and he would perform as trained. Working with the fanatics in Thule and Ahnenerbe was never easy but it would always be more attractive than a Soviet prison camp and the Commander’s dominating presence made it hard to refuse any request.
The bewildered corporal removed the key from a briefcase at the foot of his chair. Heinrich Himmler unceremoniously grabbed the item without any kind of acknowledgement. Martinn locked eyes with the other man. He was a shriveled excuse for a human. His corpulent skin hung in sacks and a pointed beard remained as the last refuge of hair on his body. He must of have been reading the young non-com’s thoughts because he spoke directly to him before leaving.
His lips did not move but nonetheless a deep Russian voice overwhelmed Seyss with its clarity and presence. “Move out of my way, worm, lest I be forced to crush your existence into some even more pathetic excuse for life.” A green amulet smoldered in his hands. A quick explosion of energetic fire knocked Martinn over and paralyzed him into a catatonic state. The Slav moved past him and took up a position directly over the machine.
Now reduced to the position of a simple observer, the events unfolded around Martinn in an unfamiliar agony. Himmler turned they key and the machine burst into life. At first no glorious spectacle, only a low groan, but the behemoth creaked to life. The rings gained momentum and began their inexorable rotation. Sparks flew from the pit and created dazzling shadows in the darker corners. The staff turned their attention to the elderly visitor and awaited the moment of truth.
The amulet flashed brighter than ever before. An eerie chant drifted around the cavern, seemingly emanating from no particular spot. A tangible buildup of energy in the room raised the hairs of all onlookers until the final beat tore through the room. The platform shuddered and a blue portal ripped itself into existence.
The rhythmic pulsing of the amulet was replaced by violent thrashing. Himmler and the Russian screamed in glee. Sparks of ethereal light erupted through the fabric of the spinning disk and annihilated the matter in their path. Random strikes gave way to a systematic search for the link to this world.
Time slowed to a standstill. The confused team fled in panic and the mystic attempted to sever the link. It was too late. The gateway hit its mark. The voice cried out in agony but was silenced instantly. In its place there was only blackness.
The portal convulsed violently, constricting and expanding. It surged forward in one last attempt at life, recoiled back in failure, and then finally exploded in an unholy fury.
-----------------------------
I N D E X
November 3, 1899
August 17, 1588
Seventh day of Hekatombaion rising, 480 BC
March 22, 1499
Somewhere outside Nürnberg, Germany
Martinn Seyss would never be comfortable around the hulking rings of scarred metal. The thing was ripped straight from the pulp papers his brother had loved before the war but he was fairly certain this beast’s purpose was not to entertain. It loomed over the entire cavern as a foreboding alien presence and served as constant reminder of the completely desperate nature of the operation he had been drafted into. In New York, London, and Moscow the atmosphere of victory that had once blanketed Berlin was poised to explode in celebration, but The Reich was only wounded. She still had weapons at her disposal.
The fourth hour of his watch passed with seemingly the same fanfare as every other for the last month. He sat down and settled in for another night of inactivity among the barely audible machinations of the innumerable equipment scattered about. A chilling draft stabbed for his body and seized him in its violent grip. He regained his composure and wearily returned his gaze to the device. The soulless eyes of a pale waif gaped back in its place and, slightly below, the dagger-on-swastika adorning his collar glowed in the darkness of the cave. Thule.
He snapped to attention. “…Sir! Forgive me; I did not see you enter.”
The officer said nothing and instead set about his own task near a large console. Before Martinn could even consider another word he was bombarded by a new light source across the chamber. The massive concrete barrier on the far end of the hall slid open and revealed most of the base staff including a few officials he had never seen before. The generators throbbed to life and unnatural illumination flooded the area. The team spread out among the instrumentation like a hive of ants while the Commander and a guest in a wheelchair approached the central platform.
Seyss had never expected the day to arrive. He still did not know what was going on or why, even with the added weight of the double lightning strikes ornamenting his collar. He did know he was witnessing a very important day in the history of the Reich and he would perform as trained. Working with the fanatics in Thule and Ahnenerbe was never easy but it would always be more attractive than a Soviet prison camp and the Commander’s dominating presence made it hard to refuse any request.
The bewildered corporal removed the key from a briefcase at the foot of his chair. Heinrich Himmler unceremoniously grabbed the item without any kind of acknowledgement. Martinn locked eyes with the other man. He was a shriveled excuse for a human. His corpulent skin hung in sacks and a pointed beard remained as the last refuge of hair on his body. He must of have been reading the young non-com’s thoughts because he spoke directly to him before leaving.
His lips did not move but nonetheless a deep Russian voice overwhelmed Seyss with its clarity and presence. “Move out of my way, worm, lest I be forced to crush your existence into some even more pathetic excuse for life.” A green amulet smoldered in his hands. A quick explosion of energetic fire knocked Martinn over and paralyzed him into a catatonic state. The Slav moved past him and took up a position directly over the machine.
Now reduced to the position of a simple observer, the events unfolded around Martinn in an unfamiliar agony. Himmler turned they key and the machine burst into life. At first no glorious spectacle, only a low groan, but the behemoth creaked to life. The rings gained momentum and began their inexorable rotation. Sparks flew from the pit and created dazzling shadows in the darker corners. The staff turned their attention to the elderly visitor and awaited the moment of truth.
The amulet flashed brighter than ever before. An eerie chant drifted around the cavern, seemingly emanating from no particular spot. A tangible buildup of energy in the room raised the hairs of all onlookers until the final beat tore through the room. The platform shuddered and a blue portal ripped itself into existence.
The rhythmic pulsing of the amulet was replaced by violent thrashing. Himmler and the Russian screamed in glee. Sparks of ethereal light erupted through the fabric of the spinning disk and annihilated the matter in their path. Random strikes gave way to a systematic search for the link to this world.
Time slowed to a standstill. The confused team fled in panic and the mystic attempted to sever the link. It was too late. The gateway hit its mark. The voice cried out in agony but was silenced instantly. In its place there was only blackness.
The portal convulsed violently, constricting and expanding. It surged forward in one last attempt at life, recoiled back in failure, and then finally exploded in an unholy fury.
-----------------------------
I N D E X
November 3, 1899
August 17, 1588
Seventh day of Hekatombaion rising, 480 BC
March 22, 1499
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