Master Masonry
Hyne is up to his elbows in master stone masons that have come from Zurich to complete the cherry on the top of his Estate in Sternenberg. This is officially the day when Schwert Haus, becomes Hyne Haus.
For the past few weeks, Master Masons have been cutting granite stone quarried on the Alpine Ridge about ten miles away to expertly build two Gate Piers at the base of his 500 foot driveway. The structures are bookends – terraced structural anchors to support massive iron gates that were cast by traditional ironworkers in Spain according to medieval specifications.
Hyne’s Gate Piers are two majestic swooping, stepped structures that are both formidable and intimidating, creations that could very well have been erected for William the Conqueror or King Louis XV of France. The gates were delivered yesterday and lifted into place by cranes. The hooked hinge assemblies were copied from the iron Gates of Versailles, and the masons required a crane to hold them in place, too, while space-age cement epoxies were used to fuse the massive iron hinge bases into openings bored into the granite by diamond-tipped drill bits. The gates are truly colossal – a grandiose architectural motif rarely seen in manor houses of this century.
Masons have positioned a matching set of two and a half foot-by-three-foot rectangular bronze plaques, also custom crafted in Spain, on the Gate Piers. Like the gate hinges, these plaques are also fixed in place by advanced cement epoxies and display large ornamental rivets in each corner. Each rivet is capped by a Templar Cross.
The left plaque contains a cast bronze bas relief of The Monarch of the Glen Stag, under which is tasteful raised block lettering spelling one word: HYNE
The right plaque displays only: HYNE HAUS
Finally, instead of installing a bronze Gate Pier Cap on each Gate Pier, Hyne commissioned two life-size stone sculptures of the Monarch of the Glen Stag casting a sideways glance. The left Gate Pier Stag looks to its right and the right Gate Pier Stag looks to its left. This configuration makes it appear that both animals are watching whoever is approaching HYNE HAUS. They are heroic stone sentries that will stand guard forever.
The electrical gate opening mechanisms and intercom pass final muster. The digital cameras are positioned and focused with precision.
Hyne steps back from the regal construction project and takes it all in.
It’s magnificent. His Master Masons have recreated something that craftsmen during the Middle Ages would take years to build. The materials are authentic and the final edifice lends a solidity – a Gravamen – to the property that speaks to wealth, solidity and permanence. This is a structure that will stand the test of time and endure anything the elements can throw at it, like the great Cathedrals at Rheims or Chartres. Hyne thanks his masterful artisans and waves to them as they drive off. They are delighted – their payday will bankroll their businesses for the rest of the year.
Hyne is about to call his Paladins to show off his entrance gate when he spies Per L’Enfant sprinting at full tilt straight towards him. He’s out of breath by the time he gets to Hyne – his Galois cigarette habit is coming back to haunt him – and his voice has a hint of a tremor. His usually unperturbed eyes clearly show that something is wrong.
“Pardonne-moi, Mon Capitaine’ – you must see this CNN report.”
He hands Hyne his IPhone. Video of war-zone carnage is being shown with the extremely agitated voice of a well-known CNN News anchor talking over it non-stop. His words are barely discernable against a background of sirens, emergency vehicle claxons and crowds running and screaming everywhere. The Reporter’s account of what just occurred is fragmented and degraded by static – but Hyne can make out some basic details.
CNN Reporting – New York City – 5:00PM EDT. Jonathan Everts Correspondent.
“At 3:00PM today a nuclear device was detonated on the New York City side of the George Washington Bridge. Department of Energy and FBI investigators have issued a preliminary statement that the device was a Tactical Intermediate Yield Nuclear Bomb of gun-type fission design, probably of Middle Eastern origin.
It appears to have been detonated in the back of a Tractor-Trailor truck as the vehicle was making its way from the George Washington Bridge to the Cross-Bronx Expressway. Most of Washington Heights, Upper Manhattan, Fort Lee, Harlem and area up to and including the East River have been vaporized.
US Army Units are being rushed in from all available facilities on the East Coast and, for the time being, Jersey City has been designated as the US Government’s main operational command and control district for managing the catastrophe. Radiation levels are climbing throughout the New York City and neighboring areas in New Jersey.
Martial Law has been declared, and all further broadcast media coverage will be by military spokesmen only for the immediate future. People are urged to stay inside their homes until further information can be provided. This reporter is being evacuated as I speak from this location.
This is Jonathan Everts, CNN – Broadcasting from Brooklyn, New York.”
Hyne hands back the IPhone to L’Enfant. He leads his friend back up the driveway after closing the new iron gates behind them. His voice is solemn and measured.
“This changes everything. Find the rest of the boys and Peter Xiang-Li. Invite Lacas, too. We’ll meet in the media room in one hour. We all have to digest what is happening back in America. Thank God we’re hunkered down in these mountains. Looks like my ex-wife wasn’t Bullshitting about this nuclear event after all..”
Paying the Piper
Dirk Fremd served in the Netherlands Armed Forces as a Chief Liaison Officer to NATO Nuclear Command in Brussels. Hyne asks him to take center stage in the Great Hall. Hyne’s question:
“Just what does this USA nuke attack mean for NATO and the world powers – and what are the practical phases of what New York City is likely going through.”
DIRK FREMD:
“From the Git-Go, let’s establish a benchmark for context: The 1945 Nuclear Bomb blast in Hiroshima was a 15 Kiloton Bomb. The FBI has apparently already gone public with their “estimate” that the New York City Nuke was a “Gun-Type Fission Intermediate Range Explosive Device” – hence the yield is probably 100 Kilotons.
That’s a big bomb. Tactical Intermediate Yield weapons explode in destructive phases. Let’s go through the steps.
THE DETONATION AND FIREBALL PHASE: This happens within milliseconds. A conventional “Gun Trigger” bomb initiates a rapid fission chain reaction. The core temperature immediately surges to tens of millions of degrees, vaporizing the weapon’s casing and the immediate surroundings. This vaporizing of the environment creates an intensely luminous, superheated sphere of plasma.
THE THERMAL AND INITIAL RADIATION PHASE: This happens in seconds to minutes. As the plasma fireball expands, it releases an intense flash of thermal energy – heat – and initial radiation propagates in the form of Gamma Rays and Neutrons. This sudden “Thermal Pulse” or Heat Tsunami is capable of causing severe – Third Degree – burns and igniting combustible materials across vast distances.
THE BLAST SHOCK WAVE PHASE: This happens in minutes. As the superheated plasma and air vaporizes debris and expands outwards, it compresses the surrounding air to create a violent, supersonic shock wave. This high-pressure “blast front” travels faster than the speed of sound and causes the vast majority of physical destruction, leveling buildings and inflicting devastating traumatic injuries to humans over several miles.
THE RESIDUAL RADIATION AND FALLOUT PHASE: This happens within hours to days. As the immense heat causes the plasma fireball to rapidly rise, it pulls dirt, debris and vaporized radioactive byproducts of the blast into the atmosphere to form the iconic “Mushroom Cloud”. As these gases cool, all this radioactive material condenses on particulate matter and falls back to Earth over a period of hours and days. This causes severe, long-term health and environmental hazards downwind.
SOME BACKGROUND FACTS: To survive a “Standard” 100 Kiloton Nuclear explosion UNSHELTERED you must be at least 3 to 5 miles from ground zero. Anything closer puts you at risk of instantaneous flash blindness (translated: your retinas will cook), third-degree burns and severe blast overpressure that flattens buildings and will crush or bury you inside.
ZERO to ONE mile is the Lethal Zone.
ONE to THREE miles is the Severe Blast and Thermal Zone. At this distance, even if you survive the initial heat and shockwave, lethal levels of radiation and collapsing buildings make survival extremely difficult.
THREE to SEVEN miles is the Unsheltered Flash Blindness Perimeter and most probable deposit sector for concentrated Radioactive Fallout carried by the wind.
AT FIFTEEN PLUS miles – it’s just varying degrees of all of the above.
THE SEVEN-TEN RULE APPLIES as a general Rule of Thumb for Radioactive decay of Fallout: for every seven-fold increase in time after detonation, radiation exposure rate DECREASES by a factor of ten.
GAMMA RAYS from a pure fission/fusion Bomb destroys human cell structure within fairly well-established time sequences. Days are the usual benchmark. Any cells that survive almost always succumb to various types of cancer.
As a practical matter – the Americans are going to scream bloody murder. It’s going to be Nine-Eleven on steroids. They’re going to launch Nukes against somebody – ANYBODY – to get revenge. This is the “Chicken is running around with its head cut off” phase. This is DEVCON FOUR. This is MIDNIGHT on the Nuclear Clock. This is the worst possible case scenario.
I’ve got nothing else to say.”
Dirk Fremd slowly lowers himself back into his chair. His face shows what’s in his mind. Emotional exhaustion. Fear. Sadness.
Hyne knows everyone is looking to him to Captain the Ship. Now is not the time to show weakness. He speaks with authority. He is resolute.
“Alright. Things are going to Hell in a bucket over there – but we are here. We’re safe on this mountain. We have food. We are in a traditionally Neutral country. No matter what happens, I doubt Switzerland is going to take sides and be bullied into any rash actions. We’re safe here.
SO – FOR THE MEANTIME – WE LIVE EVERY DAY AS IT COMES. WE PRAY. WE HUNKER DOWN AND STAY INFORMED. OUR TECH AND COMMUNICATIONS ARE FIRST RATE. LET’S USE EVERYTHING WE HAVE. LET’S ALL KEEP OUR EYES OPEN AND KEEP EACH OTHER INFORMED.”
Hyne spends a restless night – probably like everybody else in Hyne Haus.
He breakfasts with his news and computer monitors focused on recent events. There’s nothing but bellicose language coming from the White House in Washington, DC. His Paladins look a bit haggard from tossing and turning all night when they file in for coffee and morning chow.
At 11:00AM reports come flooding in from everywhere – the USA has just hit Iran with two Intermediate Tactical Nuclear Missiles. For the first time since the Second World War the United States has let the nuclear genie out of its bottle. Baghdad is gone. So is the Holy City of Qom.
Hyne turns away from his hash browns and sausages. His men grip their mugs and drink their coffees staring off into space. Suddenly, his IPhone rings. It’s Doctor Albrecht Beuline – his Swiss lawyer in Zurich.
“Monsieur Heinlen? Can we meet in Zurich tonight? At my offices? There are developments regarding your Citizenship papers – for you and the others – and certain persons that request a conference with you…bring Peter Xiang-Li, please? I would be ever so grateful…..”
Hyne has his helicopter – a new Airbus ACH160 – whisk them to Zurich. Internal Swiss Helicopter traffic is not under restrictions – probably to facilitate government Ministers attending meetings during this frantic and unprecedented emergency. Zurich Airport (ZRH) has suspended all commercial flights.
Within two hours everybody is seated at a huge conference table in the law firm – or Anwaltsburo – of Stiernen, Augsburg & Beuline on the 31st floor of Bahnhofstrasse #443 in Zurich, Switzerland. Doctor Albrecht Beuline enters the richly appointed room with two efficient-looking Swiss Paralegals laden down with papers and gets right down to business.
“Gentlemen! Thank you for coming. We are dealing with paperwork that must be filed here in Zurich by the end of business today, so we are running against the clock – so to speak.
Through the Good Offices of Vatican in Rome and the efforts of Cardinal Sechelle-Bellocq of Zurich, I am happy to report that your Citizenship will be approved by the Federal Assembly – the Swiss Parliament – by 5:00PM today. I must, however, file within twenty-four hours of their Parliamentary Resolution designating all of you Citizens of Switzerland a Document called a “Verzichte” that memorializes your formal renunciation of your respective National “Birthright” Citizenship. Your personal Counsel, Peter Xiang-Li, has already given his approval to the form and content of this document.
The Document clearly states – “Ich verzichte offizielle auf meine Staatsburgerschaft”. Translated: “I officially give up my Birth Citizenship.” This formality is a requirement in all cases wherein Swiss Citizenship is awarded by Swiss Parliamentary Resolution to persons “Sponsored” by another sovereign nation – in your cases, The Vatican. You all owe the Holy See a great debt of gratitude.
This formality must be signed in my presence as your Swiss lawyer and Notary Public – and I must personally record it with the Federal Authorities. After I do so, you all will be Swiss Citizens. I will try to expedite a Passport for each of you within the week.
Are there any questions? If not – please execute the document before you and I will witness and Notarize your respective signatures. I will appear before the Federal authorities tomorrow at 10AM to complete the recording process. By 11:00 AM all of you may commence celebrating. I will send everyone a confirmatory Text.
Mr. Hyne – may I meet with you in my Office after you execute your document. There are some personal matters I wish to discuss with you.”
In Doctor Beuline’s antechamber are three familiar faces. Everyone rises up off their chairs to acknowledge Hyne’s entry into the room like he’s a conquering hero.
Dr. Marina Vorshilovka is the only one smiling. She’s obviously happy to see him hale and hearty – and looks lovely. The others, however, look grim.
Pyotr Grushakov, Chief Executive Officer of the BratvaRus; and,
Chief Hetman of the BratvaVarang, Igor Timoshyenko.
Monsieur Grushakov thanks Doctor Beuline, who quickly exits the room. The Swiss lawyer no doubt wants nothing to do with what they’re all about to discuss.
Grushakov addresses Heinlen as spokesperson for the group.
“Congratulations on your new citizenship. You got out of New York just in time. The shit is really hitting the fan…….
I to welcome you back into our Orthodox Bratva – and your Orthodox Roots. We have heard of your exploits and services rendered to The Vatican. Most impressive. May you be eternally blessed by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Chief Hetman of the BratvaVarang, Igor Timoshyenko, assures me that – given their exquisite familiarity with this beautiful Country, Sternenberg and Zurich in particular – the BratvaVarang will have no problem providing Security for you and your men. They can easily access your most excellent signals technology at Hyne Haus to keep in contact and regularly sweep your hardware for hostile incursions, digital and physical. And they can set up a substation operations center for undercover security operatives on your appurtenant agricultural Estates so surreptitious patrols and eyes-on surveillance can be established 24/7. The BratvaRus and BratvaVarang has small outposts like these throughout Switzerland. We work hand-in-hand with their Federal Security Services to keep the intel-hungry Americans at bay. Our focus is more Euro-Centric, committed to maintaining a multi-polar world. The Americans just want to eat everybody’s lunch.
The BratvaRus can and will guarantee all security agreements and arrangements the BratvaVarang provides – but I ask something else:
“Will you agree to act as a backchannel contact between the Russian Federation and Washington, DC – and between the CIA and the Russian State Security Services, the FSB? Recent developments require us to keep our lines of communication open. You have a wealth of familiarity with the financial firmament and law enforcement in America.
For example, the lawyer that handled the affairs of Simon Magus at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York City – Jonanthan Avery – is the brother of Taylor Avery, the Director of the CIA! You had much contact with him – as did Peter Xiang-Li, your personal Consiglieri. Such connections are priceless! We need your intimacy with American culture. You speak their language – their idiom. You understand their nuances – when they are being truthful or evasive. Your years as a police officer makes you uniquely qualified to identify liars and direct us to reliable confederates. Intuition and insights are everything in this business! Help us! The stakes have never been greater!
I would not ask you this if you did not – today – renounce your United States Citizenship. I know that you are a man of character and presume that when you signed that “Verszichte” Document – the renunciation of your previous national affiliation – a few moments ago, it was the equivalent of Hernan Cortez burning his boats on the Mexican shoreline of the Aztec Empire. There’s no going back for you, is there Hetman?”
Hyne looks directly into his eyes. His voice is calm and clear. He is more certain of the words he speaks than at any other time in his life.
“No, Monsieur Grushakov. There is no going back for me. I am done with The United States of America. I am disgusted with it.
The USA is a country in the death grip of decline that has betrayed its heritage and Constitution. It is the slave of a cursed and extremist Old Testament Tribe in the Levant! Worshippers of Baal and Moloch – and a psychopathic false-God they call Yahweh! The USA is a Judas, a whore who has sold herself into unholy bondage in return for 30 pieces of silver from the Synagogue of Satan! I am a Swiss Citizen now – but my Blood is Rus and my soul is Orthodox Christian!
I will help you. This is my new life.
I will be happy to perform whatever tasks the BratvaRus and BratvaVarang ask of me. Your blood is my blood! My roots are Keivan Rus! I am Varangian Rus! I swear this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.”
*Vampyre Slayer Hyne and his crew return – after a short summer hiatus – in the 4th Book of this Series: Warren: Dark Future*
*NO PART OF THIS WORK PRODUCT IS AI*
Copyright, 2026 – Jon Croft
www.bogironfoundry.com
Email: vlchek1@gmail.com
