The Hypogeum Ch. 12-13

As they neared the property, Ranulf told Loki to park up as they would approach the house on foot and get as close as they could without raising any alarms. They decamped from the car and Ranulf took a firm grip of Winthrop's arm, "Shout a warning and die immediately afterwards. Do you understand?"

Sir Nigel nodded tensely.

Then all five people made their way into a filed and followed the hedgerow toward the farmhouse at a crouch. They were almost at the courtyard, when Ranulf raised his hand for them to stop. He waved Loki forward and pointed to his own eyes with two fingers. Loki nodded and commando crawled even closer to the house. He froze as the barn door flew open and an old man stormed out into the courtyard, Loki could hear shouting from inside. He could see that the old man looked extremely angry and his hands were shaking with rage as he tried to light a cigar.

Realisation dawned on Loki as he recognised the voice that was screaming was not always of pain, but in defiance. He looked around the area and could see no other signs of life. It seemed to Loki that the Hypogeum felt secure enough here to not bother with guards. A choice that Loki wholeheartedly agreed with.

Loki crawled back to rejoin the others and recounted what he had seen and heard, Ranulf especially was heartened to know that Aloysius was still alive. Both men cocked their pistols and then Ranulf told Taika and Alma to stay back and guard Winthrop before he and Loki made their way forward to engage the enemy. Loki reached the side of the house and knelt up, he glanced around the corner to see the old man still smoking his cigar as the screaming and shouting continued from the barn.

Adrian Walker threw his cigar on the floor and stubbed it out with his foot, he was very angry with Aloysius. He knew that his men were experts at interrogation and torture, but so far had gained nothing from the brute except '18559431, Sergeant Aloysius Jones' and quite a number of threats. He knew that things were now in motion and the DataVault program would be kicking into action this very day. Even as he stood here, members of the brown robes would be forming up at Stonehenge in order to offer rites and prayers to Baphomet when he made his attempt to fully enter this world. He glanced back at the barn door, before going into the house to use the toilet. He was quite an old man and his bladder was starting to make it's own decisions about when he needed to go.

As the front door of the house slammed shut behind him, Ranulf appeared from under the hedgerow and moved stealthily along the wall of the barn to the door, at the same time, Loki also made his way over. They stood with their backs to the wall on either side of the doorway. Ranulf silently mouthed a countdown from five and then both he and Loki burst through the door. There were three shots fired down silenced barrels and then three thumps as the torturers fell to the floor, dead.

Ranulf examined Aloysius and was appalled at the state he was in. His face was covered in blood from a gaping wound over his left eye that was swollen shut and his jaw had been badly broken. Both hands were bleeding severely, especially from the fingers where he had his nails pulled off and sharp blades applied to the tender flesh beneath. Although in a very broken state and in agony, he was smiling at his friends, "Wondered when you'd get here," he mumbled through broken teeth and then fainted.

Taika and Alma appeared in the doorway with Winthrop between them. They pushed him inside and then followed after. Sir Nigel moved to the side wall and sat down, eager to be other than the centre of the group's attention, he did his best to remain as quiet as he could in the hope that they forgot he was there.

Taika rushed forward and laid her hands on Aloysius head, she closed her eyes and mumbled inaudibly to herself. As she did so, the others were astounded to see Aloysius' jaw move back into place with an audible crack, his bleeding slowed and then stopped altogether and his fingernails seemed to grow back in a matter of seconds. In less than a minute, all of Aloysius' injuries had disappeared as if they had never been there, although he was still covered in blood.

Loki was agog, "I never knew you could do that!" he cried.

Taika replied, "T'was never needful, until now."

Ranulf too was disgusted, "You mean all the injuries we got from this big ape when we were training could have been cured? I seem to recall suffering weeks of pain from a broken thumb. And you could have just put it right?"

Taika grinned, "He never got you that way again though, did he? Pain can be the teacher's best friend sometimes."

The conversation was interrupted by a noise coming from the house; Loki peeked out of the barn door and was astounded to see a large group of heavily armed men streaming out followed by the old man he had seen earlier. They took up positions at various places around the courtyard and waited. The old man stood in the doorway of the house and shouted, "You may as well come out. We've got big guns here, and lots of them!"