The Cerberus Protocol (Hellstalkers Science Fiction Horror Series) Read online

  He threw them through the doorway and rolled to the side just as the timer on the WFMD hit zero. That high-pitched whine came again, much louder this time, and then the rift collapsed in upon itself with a thunderous roar that shook the walls around them and caused half of the ceiling to come down on their heads. The ground shook and shimmied and danced the Wahtusi underneath them, but thankfully it held together. When it stopped, they climbed wearily to their feet and chanced a look around the corner. A torn and twisted pile of wreckage was all that could be seen where the rift had been just moments before.

  Another rift could appear at any moment, and if it did they would respond as necessity called for, but for now they could rest easy. They had done it.

  Together, they began to make their way back to the surface.

  Epilogue

  From his room high in the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, one of the richest men in the world stared out at the lights of the city of Dubai spread out below him, unseeing. On some other night he might have marveled at how the Emaar’s flagship project sparkled and shone, like a crown of jewels hung suspended in the nighttime sky, but tonight he barely noticed, his thoughts several thousand miles away.

  The latest report from his man in Geneva lay on the desk behind him. He didn’t need to refer to it to know what it said, for its message had been short and to the point.

  Cerberus operational, it read. Commencing phase two.

  It was, perhaps, the best news he’d received all week.

  He turned away from the window and walked over to the bar. Pouring himself a glass of two hundred year old Scotch, he saluted himself in the mirror and took a sip. The honey-colored liquid slipped down his throat with just the right amount of heat and he savored the victory it represented. He’d set his plan in motion decades ago and at last the pieces were starting to move faster, one event shepherding another forward like a long train of dominoes that had finally tipped too far and had started crashing to the ground. It wouldn’t be long now; the end game was finally in sight. All that remained was to see it through.

  And oh what a glorious end it would be!

  THE END

  Join the HELLstalkers

  Visit exotic places. Meet strange new creatures. Do your best to kill them before they kill you.

  The HELLstalker units are the toughest special ops teams on the planet, the ones who stand in the breach and say "Not on my watch. Not now. Not ever." Man's last defense against the unthinkable creatures that seek to invade our world through the breach caused by the Collider failure.

  Now you have the chance to join this elite team of warriors and help promote the HELLstalkers series at the same time!

  After basic training you will be assigned to one of the seven HELLstalker units stationed around the world and will be called upon by the head of the Cerberus Project, Darius Trent, to carry out hazardous missions on behalf of the organization.

  In return, you will receive public recognition for your efforts, promotion to higher rank, and the chance to earn all kinds of cool swag like HELLstalker merchandise, special collector's editions of the books and artwork, the chance to be a character in a future HELLstalker adventure, and more!

  Visit the the Recruitment Center and join the HELLstalkers today!

  About the Authors

  Joe is the author of more than a dozen novels, including the internationally bestselling Templar Chronicles series (HERETIC, A SCREAM OF ANGELS, A TEAR IN THE SKY, INFERNAL GAMES) , the Jeremiah Hunt series from Tor Books, and the forthcoming Great Undead War series from HarperCollins. He has also written several installments in the internationally bestselling adventure series, Rogue Angel, from Harlequin/Gold Eagle.

  He’s a former president of the Horror Writers Association, the world’s largest organization of professional horror writers, a two time Bram Stoker Award and International Horror Guild Award nominee, and a founding member of SupernaturalInk.com.

  *** ***

  Jon F. Merz is the author of roughly two dozen novels including seven novels in the critically-acclaimed Lawson Vampire series, eleven installments in the Rogue Angel action/adventure series from Gold Eagle/Harlequin, and numerous standalone thrillers like PARALLAX, DANGER-CLOSE, and VICARIOUS.

  He’s also a partner at New Ronin Entertainment, a Massachusetts-based company developing feature films, television, and multimedia projects like THE FIXER TV series.

  Read More Books by Joseph Nassise

  THE HERETIC

  Book one of the Templar Chronicles

  A former SWAT officer turns modern Templar Knight in this exciting new urban fantasy series for fans of Jim Butcher, Rob Thurman, and Patricia Briggs!

  A chance encounter with one of the Hellspawn left Cade Williams with certain unique traits, including the ability to walk between the lands of the living and those of the dead. Now, as commander of the Echo Team, the special operations unit within the Templar hierarchy, he has devoted his life to using his "gifts" to protect mankind from the things that lurk in the darkness.

  When a Templar commandery is invaded and its occupants mercilessly slaughtered, Knight Commander Williams is called in to hunt down those responsible. His investigation quickly leads him to a cabal of necromancers known as the Council of Nine.

  There's only one problem.

  The necromancers are allied with the same supernatural creature that left Cade for dead five years before. A creature so powerful that the Templars know it only as the Adversary.

  In order to stop the killing, Cade will be forced to face his own personal demons. Not just those deep inside his heart, but also the one that left him scarred, body and soul.

  The same demon that has already beaten him once before...

  Learn more at Shades of Reality or view it in the Nook Store

  A SCREAM OF ANGELS

  Book two of the Templar Chronicles

  The men of the Echo Team are back for another action-packed Templar adventure!

  Three years ago an archaeological expedition led by Vatican scholar Juan Vargas discovered something unusual on the shores of the Dead Sea. Early the next morning, Father Vargas, and the artifact he uncovered, disappeared without a trace.

  Until now.

  An injured and badly dehydrated Father Vargas wanders out of the New Mexican desert, telling a wild story about a secret research installation and bloodthirsty demons hunting men through its halls. When word of his survival reaches the Vatican and those in charge of the Templar Order, the Echo Team is called in to deal with the situation. Their orders - investigate the facility, determine exactly what happened there, and deal with any infernal presence that might exist.

  But the being they encounter there beneath the desert sands has found a way to break the bonds of Hell itself and doesn't plan on going back easily. This time, their foe might prove to be too much for even Cade and the men of Echo Team.

  Learn more at Shades of Reality or view it in the Nook Store

  A TEAR IN THE SKY

  Book three of the Templar Chronicles

  When Knight Commander Cade Williams discovers that his wife, Gabrielle, is not truly dead, but held in some kind of arcane stasis between the lands of the living and the lands of the dead, he vows that nothing will stop him from freeing her soul from the prison surrounding her.

  But his vow is tested right from the start when an old friend calls on him to help protect the city of Boston from the ancient scourge that threatens to destroy it, leaving Cade with a heart-breaking choice: Do his duty and save the innocent lives he has sworn to protect or forsake them all in order to rescue the one for whom he would brave the walls of hell itself?

  Learn more at Shades of Reality or view it in the Nook Store

  Read More Books by Jon F. Merz

  THE FIXER

  Book one of the Lawson Vampire series

  MEET LAWSON.

  A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance - the secret existence of a race of LIVING vampires
that have evolved alongside humanity for thousands of years.

  A FIXER.

  Part-spy, and part-commando -- James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home.

  COSGROVE.

  The name's enough to make Lawson go ballistic. The last time they tangled, Cosgrove butchered fifty people. Now he's back in Boston and the Council wants him dead. But Cosgrove has other plans.

  TALYA.

  An ex-KGB assassin with secrets of her own, and skills to match Lawson, she wants revenge and doesn't care who knows it.

  THE SARGOTH.

  An ancient legend. A whispered myth. And if Cosgrove has his way...an inevitable reality.

  Get your copy in the Nook Store

  THE INVOKER

  Book two of the Lawson Vampire series

  Meet Lawson. A cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance between vampires and humans, he is part cop, part spy, and part commando -- James Bond with fangs. Lawson mixes shrewd cunning with unmatched lethality to get his job done. He tries his best to dismantle conspiracies, dispatch bad guys, and live long enough to get home.

  In The Invoker, a case of mistaken identity lands Lawson in the role of protector for a young boy with the power to conjure the spirits of dead vampires. But a power-hungry member of the vampire governing body, the Council, wants that power for herself and she'll do anything to get it - even if it means hiring an ex-Fixer named Petrov to kidnap the boy. From the blood-slicked streets of Boston to the skyscraping Himalayas, Lawson will need to call in every favor and on every friend if he hopes to ever see Jack alive again.

  Get your copy in the Nook Store

  THE DESTRUCTOR

  Book three of the Lawson Vampire series

  Meet Lawson, a cynical, wise-cracking vampire charged with protecting the Balance - the secret existence of a race of LIVING vampires that have evolved alongside humanity for thousands of years. Destined from birth to defend his people, lawson is a Fixer - part-spy, part-commando...James Bond with fangs.

  They call her Shiva after the Hindu god of destruction. Part-vampire and part-lycanthrope, her ability to change her appearance at will makes her one of the most feared assassins on the planet. Now Shiva is coming to Boston to assassinate the leader of the vampire governing body, the Council. And there's only one Fixer alive who can stop her: Lawson. But is Shiva really just coming to Boston to take down a target? or is her mission something far more sinister?

  Get your copy in the Nook Store

  THE CERBERUS PROTOCOL

  Copyright 2011 by Joseph Nassise and Jon F. Merz

  Cover art by Brad Cooper

  Title logo design by Taylor Aldridge

  Lettering by Neil Jackson

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

  Table of Contents

  THE CERBERUS PROTOCOL

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

  Join the HELLstalkers

  About the Authors

  Read More Books by Joseph Nassise

  Read More Books by Jon F. Merz