Incident 27 Read Online Free PDF Page A

control
of the tower? That, he could not allow. “Are we sure its not one of ours?”
     
    “Positive,
Kapitän. Central Command has nothing in the air.”
     
    Schmitz
ran to the bridge. He told his first officer, Friedrick Gastoff, “As soon as we
confirm the unknown object isn’t nuclear, I want it blown out of the sky.”
     
    Gastoff
looked worried. “And if it is nuclear?”
     
    They
both knew the answer to that question. If it was a nuke, they would wait for it
to pass by the major population areas and then destroy it over the ocean.
Unfortunately, they would likely get caught in the explosion, as close as they
were to Stiftung.
     
    But
Schmitz just said, “Tell me when we have confirmation.”
     
    A
few minute later, one of the officers on the bridge announced he now had a
clear radar return. Schmitz asked if it was a known nuke type. The radar
operator shook his head nervously. “I don’t think it’s a nuke. It doesn’t even
look like a missile.”
     
    What
the hell was that supposed to mean? “What does it look like?”
     
    The
operator hesitated for a moment. “A person.”
     
    “A what?”
     
    “Take
a look sir. Two arms, two legs.”
     
    Schimitz
studied the display. The unknown did indeed resemble a human being. And it was coming
in even faster than a missile. He had a sickening feeling the events of last
year were about to be repeated. He had to prevent that at all costs. “Shoot it
down.”
     
    Gastoff
nodded. The object had been close enough to lock onto for quite some time, but
they hadn’t fired for fear of unleashing a nuclear holocaust. Now, though, they
locked on and fire away with every non-nuclear missile they had. Schmitz wanted
that thing shot down, but not bad enough to utilize the final option. If he was
wrong, a finished career would be the worst of his worries.
     
    The Blitzkrieg unloaded a volley of warheads at the unknown. After thirty
seconds, a series of explosions lit up the eastern sky. “Did we get it?”
Schmitz asked.
    His
hopes were high that they had just ended a threat before it could begin.
However, movement in the direction of the smoke cut that hope short. The thing
was still coming in, and fast.
     
    He
ran out onto the deck for a better look. It was almost upon them, now, and
Schmitz could see it was, in fact, a person. It had to be another of those gods
(or whatever they were) flying in to do who-knew-what.
     
    The
dark blur slammed into the hull of the Blitzkrieg , and the ship rocked
from the impact. The whole thing tipped sideways as water rushed into the punctured
vessel. Schmitz grabbed onto the railing to keep from falling off. Aboard the
bridge, Gastoff was shouting for all hands to evacuate.
     
    The
Tru Republic’s ship, Emerald Valiance , pulled up alongside them. “D’ye
be needin’ assistance, Blitzkrieg ?” one of their officers asked in their
sing-song accent.
    Schmitz
thought about it for a moment. “It depends on how bad the damage is. For now,
you should keep an eye out for the guy that hit us.”
     
    “Oh,
it was a guy now, was it? Didn’t realize you could be taken out so easily.”
     
    “This
is not the time for jokes. Those gods—or whatever the hell they are—are back.
He’s probably going for the entrance to the tower. You’ve got to do whatever it
takes to stop him.”
     
    If
they failed, Bethos only knew what would happen.
     
    * * *
     
    From
miles away, on a deserted building in Stiftung harbor, Heimdall watched the
events unfold. A fellow god just crashed through a Murnau ship standing guard
at the Tower. Heimdall knew almost all of the players in this game, but he
didn’t recognize the man that had now put his token in.
     
    Following
the Stiftung Crisis, Bethos had stationed Heimdall here to watch over the Tower
in case someone tried to enter. Evidently the Blood Key was still out there somewhere
and could be used to open the entrance. As the god with the greatest eyesight,
Heimdall was the logical