Read Online Bones of Angels by Christopher Forrest - Free Book Online Page B

held a rifle aimed straight at the acolytes, who screamed in terror.
    Shrieks, in fact, could be heard on all floors of Whittington Manor.
    The five trembling acolytes ran helter-skelter down to the basement.
    “We must leave, my master!” exclaimed Brother Simeon. “Unholy spirits possess this house.”
    “We have what we came for,” said Father Reynard tersely. “To think I am surrounded by cowardly brethren! Tell Gerasimus that we’re leaving. And make sure that he brings Whittington. The Professor might yet be persuaded to help us once we’re near the bones of Michael.”
    “Yes, my master,” said Simeon.
    “Where are the two military intruders?”
    “I believe they made it onto the second floor.”
    Reynard headed for the nearest stairway.
    Ops Center
    Aboard the Alamiranta
     
    “I’ve lost the COM link to Hawkeye and Quiz,” said Touchdown.
    “Is there a problem with the satellite feed?” queried Caine.
    “Negative,” said Touchdown. “The feed is very strong on my end. The satellite is fully operational.”
    DJ swiveled in her chair. “The bandwidth of the signal began to fluctuate when those orange energy readings appeared on the holographic display. Electromagnetic interference is jamming the signal to our men.”
    “And exactly what are those damn orange readings?” asked an irritated Catherine Caine.
    “Just what Quiz said they are,” answered DJ. “Ghosts. Paranormal investigators report such electromagnetic interference frequently when investigating hauntings.”
    Archbishop Donovan had been standing off to the side, observing the Ops Center team at their stations. “Our own covert agents have occasionally encountered the same phenomenon,” he said. “The Church of England is not as heavily invested in the idea of ghosts and demons as the Catholic Church — just consider its exorcism rituals, which are very well established but seldom spoken of in public. There are those of us in the Anglican Congregation, however, who place a bit more credence in such matters. However, we believe them to be of a more spiritual nature than paranormal.”
    “Which also predisposes you to hunt for the bones of angels,” Caine said with droll wit.
    “Guilty as charged,” said the Archbishop with a disarming smile.
    “Give me a few minutes,” said Touchdown. “I’ve got an idea.”
    Caine looked confidently at the Archbishop. “He usually does.”
    Whittington Manor, The East Wing
    Long Island, New York
     
    Two robed acolytes entered the hallway where Hawkeye and Quiz had entered the mansion. They fired their semi-automatic pistols straight ahead.
    Hawkeye and Quiz had crouched on either side of the hallway. Aiming their sidearms up and to the center of the hall, they squeezed off two rounds apiece. The acolytes dropped, their robes billowing around their fallen forms. Spots of blood grew in size on the fronts of their religious habits.
    “Hawkeye,” said Touchdown urgently, “I think you should know that — ”
    Hawkeye and Quiz both felt a tingle of electricity flow from their backs down into their legs. They fell to the floor, having been tasered from behind by two more of Reynard’s followers.
    “It’s only a mild shock,” Reynard explained, appearing before the stunned Titan operatives. “I wanted to know who else was trying to make contact with Professor Whittington.”
    Hawkeye took a deep breath and shook off the shock. Climbing to his feet, he leaned forward, hands braced against his thighs. “I’m . . . ”
    Hawkeye took a deep breath. Then another.
    “I’m waiting for an answer,” said Reynard. “Who are you?  More operatives from the Church of England?  If so, you should know that your Beta Team is now quite dead — at the bottom of the bay a few miles south of Manhattan.”
    Hawkeye suddenly charged forward at the disfigured cleric, driving him into the wall. Reynard responded by slamming his two fists against Hawkeye’s cheek bones.
    Hawkeye staggered backwards