Free The Defiant: An Unbeaten Path by John W. Vance Page B

the man I was back. You said there isn’t time to waste, so let’s do this.”
    Anatoly was about to speak but Michael interrupted. “And please don’t drug me again. I’m here and I want to help,” he said, but in his heart he was still wary, and as his memory returned, he would be open with prejudice.
    What Michael said made Anatoly crack a smile, which was unusual for him. “Viktor is the head of a group called the Union of Salvation. They were a defunct group that had been instrumental in Russian politics and affairs for over two hundred years. In fact, some claim they were the ones who sowed the seeds of revolution before the Bolsheviks. They now have been resurrected by Viktor and their aims are greater. They wish to dominate the world and create some sort of utopia. The problem we have is their utopian visions require a drastic reduction in the world’s population. What you’ve seen happen has been all of their making, but they feel in order to control the world, they need one item, and this is where you come in. Open the folder.”
    Michael did and the first thing he discovered was group of photographs, most of them old. He picked them up and began to shuffle through them.
    Anatoly remained quiet and watched him process the images.
    “These aren’t stirring anything in my mind. Um, this thing Viktor is after, it looks like a relic. What is it?”
    Anatoly frowned at Karina and answered, “That, my friend, is the Spear of Destiny. It goes by other names like the Holy Lance, the Holy Spear, the Lance of Longinus or the Spear of Longinus, but fact is, those photos are of a replica that is housed in Austria.”
    “I’m sorry, I don’t recall any of this,” Michael lamented.
    “It will come back,” Karina said as she touched his leg.
    “What is it?”
    “The Spear of Destiny is the name given to the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross.”
    “I really hate that I don’t recall this, but it does seem familiar. I don’t understand; why would Viktor and his Union of Salvation want a relic?”
    Karina stepped in and answered, “Because it holds powers. Those who are in possession of the spear will have total power and be able to control their destinies.”
    “I’m sorry, but this is a joke, right?” Michael asked.
    “No, Michael it’s not a joke, it’s very real. Many have sought after its power and many have held it in their hands. Men like Constantine, Charlemagne, Frederick Barbarossa the First, Herod the Great, Maurice the Manichean, Theodosius, Alaric, Theodoric, Justinian, Charles Martel, Heinrich the First, and Adolf Hitler.”
    Michael was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the story and was beginning to wonder if Anatoly and Karina were crazy and members of the tinfoil-hat club. He then began to become concerned about his own sanity, as apparently he believed in this. He then looked at the world around him and decided that it couldn’t be any crazier than what was happening to everything.
    “I do know how hearing this sounds, but you hold the key to all of it,” Anatoly flatly said.
    “The coordinates?”
    “Yes, Michael, you are the only living person who knows the whereabouts of this powerful relic.”
    Michael looked at both of them and asked, “How is it that I’m the only person?”
    Anatoly looked at Karina and said, “Tell him.”
    “You have nothing to fear, trust me.”
    “Tell me.”
    “We had them all killed. You, however, did something that no one else had done before. You had it inscribed on something, and only you know where that item is.”
    “How is it that I’m a party to this whole thing? I’m a CIA agent.”
    “Michael, you’re much more than that, my friend, much more.”

    Vista, CA

    The first thing that hit Vincent was the smell of what could only be described as death . He’d encountered the smell before in hospitals and overseas in triage facilities. Then he saw Bridgette’s husband, Ron. He wasn’t sure if the smell added to