EPISODE VI : The End Complete

The unit finds its way to Memphis where there is a British Army outpost. Ham bids them farewell; hesitant to venture too far into the compound. In their journey there was an opportunity to piece together some of what occurred at the Temple via Selena Kent, the cousin of Professor Coleman.

She described a jet black cat and chest they had seen moments before the Nazis arrived. Selena was lead out, away from Coleman and Nicholas and bound by a young soldier; but never mistreated.

Hours past and she was aware of something very wrong going on. Chanting could be heard, but nothing coherent. Eventually what was simply a "wrong-feeling" turned to full blown chaos as the screaming started. Whatever the Nazis were up to, she had the distinct impression it had not gone to plan. Selena could see soldiers falling back, firing their weapons indiscriminantly. The Nazi officer was first in retreat trying to cover a sinewy man to ensure his escape.

The young soldier who had tied her up ran to free her but, as he cut her bonds, a shape in the gloom pulled him away. Seconds later the electric lights cut out. She was alone in darkness as countless unnamed terrors roamed in search of prey.

Selena had been hiding for what seemed like an eternity before her countrymen showed up.

At the least this story disturbs them all. Wotek is already suffering repeated dreams from Iliana's frightened journey, convinced she is in danger.

At the base Roseby is able to talk with Wordsworth and each provide an update. Crowley's ramblings have become more and more bizarre. The main subject is Unas, a fifth dynasty Pharaoh, at the close of what is known as the "Old Kingdom" of Egypt. His vizier was Kagemni.

From what Roseby can piece together, Kagemni was trying to contact Imhotep (a powerful magician `- vizier of Djosier) in the land of the dead and, in his experiments, accidently succeeded in harnessing a mysterious power to raise the dead. It went badly for him and recently sacrificed slaves came back to life and ran amok, so Crowley postulated. What was missing from the ritual was a means of controlling the risen dead; otherwise they are not much use as a tool...or weapon.

Kagemni shared his research with Unas (since he was financing it) and, as a result, many legends surround Unas himself (Kagemni tends to be forgotten, far overshadowed by Imhotep's legacy as a master magician). Roseby has verified through contacts at the British Museum that Unas was known in legends, developed after his death, as the Slayer of Gods. Crowley believed, as only the insane can, that Unas may have travelled between dimensions and brought back artefacts that gave rise to the legends and his exploits.

At Wotek's prompt, Wordsworth asks Roseby to confirm that the girl is safe because of the vision that she is being taken to Katyn forest in the USSR by the Nazis. Roseby does not know the answer and pledges to find out.

A day passes in apprehensive rest. The troops are then rallied at Roseby's orders. It is true that the girl has been abducted and the only lead is the name: Katyn from Wotek's dreams, therefore, they must fly into Russia via Yugoslavia to find her and retrieve these Egyptian relics that have fallen into the hands of the Nazis.

Bainbridge accompanies Ms. Kent back to England, he is not a commando and she is still in fragile health.

The stopover in Yugoslavia is uneventful except that they recruit a new radio operator, Edward Redmington. In the plane Wordsworth finalises the mission and hands Hunter a sealed envelope, direct from Roseby. They have local maps but not much detail of the forest itself.

As they near Katyn with the city lights of Smolensk in the background, true to form, Wordsworth is the only parachutist that encounters problems in the drop close to the town, south of the river Dnieper. He overshoots the field and becomes entangled in underbrush. However, due to this error he discovers a number of other hidden parachutes in a stand of trees. Hunter is unable to estimate their numbers or particular direction of travel in the darkness.

They make their way over a rail bridge in the moonlight. In the depot a few hundred yards to the right they see silent carriages, some of which are fitted for carrying lumber and others which have cabins for carrying livestock...or people.

There is no movement and the facility is apparently empty except for a dull glow in a controller's cabin overlooking the train tracks.

The unit enters the forest, almost in complete blackness. They angle towards a road roughly labelled on the map and seen in the distance leading from the depot into the forest. Soon Hunter and Dragomir come across the road edge and the rest of the group catch up. There is evidence of many footprints, a mass of people having walked along this road at some point in recent days or weeks.

Smith surveys down the road with binoculars and, sweeping the road as it disappears around a right bend, spies the flash of a cigarette being lit. He whispers for the others not to venture into the road. Hunter moves up and, using a starlight scope, identifies two sentries. He is certain they are German from the profile of their helmets.

Wordsworth agrees that Hunter and Smith should make their way parallel to the road and attempt to silence the guards. Moving low they hurry across the road in the dark night and reach the other side. It takes several minutes to make their way to the guardpost where they hear low conversation. Without hesitation each soldier is dispatched at the point of a hunting knife. A muffled cry escapes from Smith's quarry but is quickly silenced. Hunter holds down his man until the struggling stops and he bleeds out.

Observed through the starlight scope they signal it is safe to approach down the road. Smith checks for movement in front of them but it appears there is nothing to be seen. As the others arrive they hear a generator starting up.

Wordsworth instructs Redington to send a brief report of what they have encountered. At least if something happens to them, the Soviets can be tipped off that a Nazi unit has parachuted into their territory.

The team moves forward in the same formation. A glow from electric lighting can be seen above the trees in the near distance. They approach a huge clearing, several football pitches across, with extreme caution. Patrolling the outskirts is a soldier with a massive dog dimly framed by the illumination from lighting rigs about a hundred yards away. Dragomir freezes at the sight of it. Next to the Lieutenant the sound of static erupts from the radio, quickly silenced by Redmington. The dog handler manoeuvres the animal closer. Thinking quickly Hunter, now wearing a German helmet retrieved from the sentries, approaches Wordsworth waving his machine gun and shouting "halt!". He whispers, "pretend to be a prisoner, but speak for me in German."

Wordsworth complies, speaking loudly in German, "there appear to be two locals hiding here. We have them!" Smith also approaches, wearing the other helmet and overcoat. Dragomir and Wotek move into position.

They buy just enough time of confusion as the German soldier with a comrade and the dog move into view. Gunfire erupts and quickly brings the two men down. The dog bounds for Dragomir and he keeps his trigger finger pumping. Just as it leaps a fatal bullet brings the animal down with a whimper. The dog is as large as the one he saw from the submersible back in Plymouth.

"Men, we need to move quickly. Whoever is round here must surely have heard those shots!" Wordsworth orders the men to circle the clearing staying deep in the cover of the trees. They hear more dogs barking.

Moving to the west the ground rises, giving them a view of the scene in the clearing under electric lighting. Several large pits are shrouded in shadow, at least some of which are full of bodies, concentrically arranged around a central area where some remnants of buildings survive. It has the layout of a camp recently deserted; pole bores are visible in the ground where fence posts once stood. Uniformed figures move into the light to approach a high plinth upon which Wordsworth can identify the jet cat from Ms. Kent's description. Other soldiers are 'dusting' a substance on the uncovered bodies.

Sobbing accompanies a line of people; two men, two women and two children; marched out of a broken building. Wotek instantly recognises the girl at the end as Iliana. She is frightened but otherwise quiet. One of the men attempts dissent but is quickly silenced by the butt of a rifle.

The unit begins whispering rapidly. Smith asks Wordsworth, "What are your orders?"

Hunter believes, "we have to see what they are doing." His rifle is already aimed. Unsettlingly it appears to point in the direction of the girl.

The Lieutenant says nothing.

Three tall men appear from a second building. The leader strides toward the plinth dressed in regalia reminiscent of ancient Egypt, complete with a tall headdress. Through binoculars two ankhs can be seen; one has a traditional Egyptian shape and the second; a swastika blade. The second and third men are not so elaborately attired but similarly purposeful.

Dragomir, scanning the outskirts of the camp for more dog teams, sees a soldier heading toward what looks like the commanding officer. The others have seen him before, particularly Smith, as the man who killed Captain Frost. There is clearly some concern as men are dispatched to try and find the missing patrol. In general the Colonel seems uncomfortable at the whole situation. Dragomir has his eyes on a flat bed truck as a means of escape if everything goes wrong. An inevitability.

The high priest yells in a guttural tongue and a flash of light passes from the sky into the cat. Beams radiate out from its eyes toward and in search of the pits, both where uncovered and buried bodies lie, alike.

The atmosphere is more tense as the priest forces the first man in line down to the ground before the plinth. A superimposition of the cat howls as a chisel-like implement is bored into the back of the prisoner's head. Movement in the pits is evident. A low moan erupts all around as if the very Earth is coming to life.

Wotek casts an accusatory glance at Wordsworth, "we must act or Iliana will be killed." Smith brings his weapon to bear on the lead priest. Wordsworth finally raises his hand to begin the rescue when machine gun fire rips into the trees beside him. Redmington is hit and the others disperse. Smith is already running down using whatever trees can be used as cover and lands shots into one of the three priests. Hunter lays down fire to the North where a dog team is clambering through the undergrowth and then begins to take out soldiers.

A second and third prisoner have already been killed as the priests attempt to complete their ritual under fire.

Wotek is right behind Smith, heading for the girl. The British commando leaps over a writhing zombie pit but, upon clearing the other side, is tripped by an arm that darts out to clasp his leg. Wotek kicks the head of a body as he skirts the edge of the pit and dives for Smith's hand, frantically clawing the ground to prevent being pulled under. It is too late; fingers pull back his head and he is wrenched out of view.

Nazi Sonderkommandoes have forgotten about shooting down the attacking force and busy defending themselves against the unleashed horde of undead.

Dragomir avoids the open pit and brings down a few soldiers on his way to the truck. Dogs are barking madly and breaking free to run for the woods.

Wordsworth and Hunter shoot their way toward the high priest who has taken another victim. All priests are shot but continue their work in view of the intense eyes of the jet cat. Then, the plinth shudders and the stone animal falls into a bag held by Wordsworth. The nazi-priest roars, answered by a pistol in the face. A full clip is emptied, spraying Hunter with gore.

Wotek falls over attempting to retrieve Iliana and watches in horror as the last standing priest grabs her. His hand presses against her forehead and, briefly, all zombies turn at once to acknowledge him...to be commanded. "Töten Sie sie!!" he shrieks just as his brain explodes. A luger comes into focus behind him, wielded by Colonel Hoffmann. The officer pulls away the little girl and helps Wotek to his feet. "You must leave!"

They are being overwhelmed by the hordes when a metallic ring sounds and half a head goes flying past Wotek, now holding the girl. Smith is wildly swinging a shovel and beating a path through the undead. Wotek almost laughs as his friend approaches. In the pit Smith had encountered the zombified visage of Merric who showed a moment of recognition and hesitated enough for Smith to obtain a weapon. A shovel of zombie slaying.

An engine rumbles and Dragomir arrives, reversing over several corpses. The unit climbs aboard. Wordsworth and Hunter have retrieved tablets from the chest by the plinth and they are also carrying the cat. Hoffmann lifts the girl into Wotek's arms and steps back into the fray. He will not go with them.

The gypsy floors the accelerator and ploughs through random bodies, now beginning to move faster as they adjust to newfound life.

From the deck they can see Hoffmann firing repeatedly, tears tumbling down his cheeks and reciting the Lord's Prayer. The last clip is emptied, but before he is overwhelmed a final shot rings out and he falls, taken in the chest. Smith lowers a rifle. His self-imposed Nemesis is dead. Yet the man who killed his mentor and Captain died with honour.

The truck speeds out of the forest. The zombie army, now uncontrolled and serving only chaos spreads out in all directions.

Thirty thousand men of Poland were put to death in Katyn for supposed opposition to Soviet authority. Now they would have their revenge.

In the distance Smolensk sleeps unaware.