Chapter Twenty six
Veronica stared at Menzel. “Okay,” she hissed. “I’m a CIA officer. My name’s Erin Rodgers.” She looked at Johnny, “I’m sorry John.”
Johnny looked at the floor and shook his head. “I don’t understand; you’re a reporter.”
“No, I was undercover as a reporter with the Washington Post. The Agency officers don’t go undercover as journalists, but in this case it was appropriate.”
“And you and me…, that was all a sham?” he asked with a faltering voice. “This was what you were going to tell me–wasn’t it?
“Oh, how heart wrenching.” Menzel mocked.
“It was no sham. I was going to tell you.” Veronica said, ignoring the German. “The Agency sent me to find out about you. They told me you were a subversive risk to the US. When I got to know you I realised there was something wrong. I was then to observe you and Günter as you were considered a threat to the tests. I was also to report back on the neo-Nazis. The government, no matter how dark the department and these gentlemen are not what you would call: good bed-fellows.”
“But, wait a minute; I met you before I had the visions!”
“It was because of the articles you wrote for Time and Nexus. Don’t you see? They must have been too close for comfort.”
The metallic voice of a PA system reverberated around the cavern: “Please clear the area around the Bell. Nonessential personnel will now leave the test hall.”
“Right, over there.” Menzel said to Johnny, Erin and Michael, as he pointed to the side of the control room. “As I’m such a good person, I’m going to let you watch the experiment before I have you killed.”
The lights in the cave dimmed, and a spotlight illuminated the UFO. An eerie blue light shone from the large window of the control room where white coats and blue overalls jostled for a view.
The atmosphere around the black craft crackled and hissed. An electromagnetic field, thought Johnny; his Higher Grade Physics coming in handy at last.
There was a flash of light and standing before them was the Angel of Death. She was just as Johnny had remembered: grey wrinkled skin, dirty shoulder length fair hair, a thin body draped in black, shabby clothes.
“What do we have here?” she asked in a rasping, mocking voice.
“Where do you come from?” the PA system asked.
She cackled, revealing pointed, yellowing teeth
“I come from beyond nothingness. I come from nowhere. I come from everywhere. I come from eternal damnation; where I will take you all, you sons of whores!”
She then rose into the air and spun as she stretched her arms out to form a crucifix shape.
After a moment the cavern shook–violently. Bits of rock dislodged from the ceiling and fell around Johnny and Erin. Menzel and his thugs ran into the control room.
“Cut the power!” shouted a tall, thin man in a lab coat.
“I’m trying sir,” said a younger blond-haired man sitting in front of a computer, “but it’s as if whatever that is out there’s blocking my attempts.”
Johnny signalled for Erin and Michael to run to the elevator. The doors were closed; so he slammed the call button with the palm of his hand, but nothing happened.