Standish watched as the drawer dropped to the ground, crashing against the mess of papers and trinkets. Leaning over, he took a closer look. It was empty except for a thick layer of dust. However, in the very center of the drawer, was a dust-free space. It was about the size of a small paperback book.
The size of a journal.
“It must’ve been Cyclone,” Standish said. “He probably found the journal and took it.”
“I suggest you find him then. Find him and kill him.”
Chapter 29
Get up. Get up already!
My inner voice screamed at my brain. I tried to blink. Where the hell was I? What happened?
I struggled to lift my head off a cold smooth surface. But a wave of dizziness struck me with the force of a thunderbolt and my skull crashed back with a thud.
The sound sickened me. Nausea took root in my stomach. Desperately, I tried to focus my mind on something else, anything else.
Bits and pieces of memories drifted through my brain. I snatched them out of the air, doing my best to stop them from floating away for good. But the recollections were vague and disconnected.
Mouthfuls of stagnant water.
The thudding of footsteps.
A sniff of cigar smoke.
I rewound my mind, searching for my last complete memory. I pictured the laboratory, the dead scientists, Standish’s arrival, and Beverly’s rescue. I recalled running and the sudden wave cresting through the tunnel. But from that moment on, everything was a blur.
I wanted to pass out, to forget the pain in my head. But that wasn’t an option. I probed my aching body. No wounds. And my weapons seemed to be in place as well.
It was a small miracle. But a miracle nonetheless.
I sensed light to my left. I blinked and saw a fuzzy, nearby orb. Slowly, my vision cleared and I recognized it as my flashlight.
Following the beam, I saw Beverly lying next to me, still as a corpse. I scrambled to her side and checked for a pulse.
Nothing. My stomach churned.
I checked it again.
Several agonizing seconds passed.
Then I felt it, beating faintly.
Exhaling, I looked around. I knelt on a concrete island located between two sets of subway tracks.
How in the world did I get here?
My eyes searched the cavernous tunnel. A massive river of dirty, oily water floated on both sides of me. The current was slow, almost languid, and carried a garbage dump’s worth of plastic bags, ripped clothing, and candy wrappers.
The ever-present concrete ledges poked out from either side of the tunnel, maybe twenty feet away. Graffiti of varying quality adorned the walls, providing some color to an otherwise bleak setting. An outdated video camera, covered in cobwebs and dust, stuck out from the western wall. I doubted it even worked.
But no matter where I turned my head, I saw no signs of life. Well, to be more accurate, there were no signs of people. Life, however, was plentiful.
It was also creepy.
Cockroaches crept their way up a pillar to my side. Frightened rodents scurried across the concrete island, squealing and slipping under my boots. Pigeons flew back and forth above me, like vultures circling their meal. I felt queasy just looking at them.
Leaning down, I shook Beverly hard.
She didn’t move.
Gently, I slapped her face.
Still no movement.
I slapped her harder.
This time, her eyes fluttered open and brightened in recognition.
Abruptly, a rat ran over her chest. Caught off guard, she scurried backward and looked around, wild-eyed. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know. But we’re surrounded by water, so the only way we’re going to find out is by taking a swim.”
She made a face. “Just what I hoped for…another dip in New York’s cesspool.”
“Thanks,” I said after a moment. “You saved my life.”
She shrugged. “I’m the one who put you in danger in the first place. And anyway, I should be thanking you. You kept me from drowning.”
“I thought you pulled us out of the water.”
“That wasn’t me.”
“Then who…?”
“Honestly, I don’t remember. I hit my head when I fell into the water. I guess we can safely say that there’s no electricity running through the third rail.”
“A good thing too.”
“Let’s get out of here.”
I shook my head. “Not so fast.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Since I met you, I’ve been manipulated, Tasered, and kidnapped. I found my friend’s dead body and searched for an alligator that shouldn’t exist. Now, I’m running for my life in the middle of a closed subway system. So do me a favor and tell me something. Just what the hell is going on around here?”
“You’re right,” she admitted. “I owe you an explanation. Unfortunately, I’m short on facts. Jack and Ryan kept me in the dark most of the time.”
“You must know something.”
“For over three decades, Jack has searched for something called
die Glocke
. It’s his obsession. I don’t know much about it. But I do know that it’s some sort of weapon. And not just any weapon. It’s a strange, horrific weapon capable of killing thousands of people. He swears it will revolutionize warfare.”
“It’s over thirty years old. How revolutionary can it be?”
“It’s rated Priority Alpha. Only a handful of ShadowFire projects have ever received that ranking. Jack has directed every available resource to finding and recovering
die Glocke
. He’ll kill anyone who gets in his way as well as anyone who’s outlived his usefulness.”
“Like me?”
“Like you. Jack needed you to help him find the laboratory. Once you succeeded, you became expendable.”
“Is that why you cut me loose?”
She nodded. “After we found the dead bodies, I knew we were on the right track. I had to tell Jack but as soon as I did, I knew he’d kill you.”
“I don’t get you.” I shook my head. “You tried to keep me out of harm’s way but continued to help search for a weapon that could harm thousands of others. What gives?”
“I wasn’t just trying to find
die Glocke
. I was trying to destroy it.”
“Why?”
“For the last few years, I’ve helped ShadowFire wage war across the globe. No matter what, I’ve always convinced myself that the good we did outweighed the bad. And part of me still believes that. But
die Glocke
changed everything, including Jack. All of a sudden, he started seeing the world in an entirely different way. It’s as if he’s on the verge of gaining untold power. Power that he intends to wield against his enemies. And if
die Glocke
is as deadly as I think, well, I can’t allow him to have it.”
“Sounds risky. What if you found it but couldn’t destroy it in time?”
“I knew he’d find it with or without me. Better that I help him and maybe give myself a chance to blow it up.”
“I guess you’re not as heartless as I thought.”
“Thanks…I think.”
I thought for a second. “Okay, I assume you know about the alligator and the underground river?”
She nodded. “When we crawled through the bedrock tunnel, I heard running water. I knew right then there was an underground river in the vicinity. And when I saw the bodies in the sewer, I realized we were dealing with an alligator attack. I took some tissue samples while your back was turned. Tests showed the presence of several metal compounds including significant traces of thorium dioxide and beryllia, or beryllium oxide.”
“Thorium dioxide? But that means that the water is…”
“Yes,” she said. “It’s radioactive.”
“How radioactive?”
“The traces are small. Too small to cause much damage as long as exposure is kept fairly short.”
“Any idea why those particular chemicals were used?”
“Unfortunately, no. Thorium dioxide can be used as a nuclear fuel. It’s also a stabilizer for arc welding, electron tubes, and aircraft engines. Beryllia is utilized in rocket engines and semiconductors.”
She brushed her hair from her face. “Our people found other chemicals as well, including heavy doses of mercury in its purest form. Mercury is far more common in industrial usage, although I don’t know why Hartek used it.”
“That explains the so-called disease that ravaged the colony,” I said thoughtfully. “It’s mercury poisoning. I saw an outbreak of it while working a hunt in Japan. The symptoms are a good fit with what we’re seeing here. Discoloration and shedding of skin, loss of hair and teeth, brain damage, even death.”
“And the radiation would only add to their troubles. If consumed in small, consistent doses, it would weaken their immune systems and cause vomiting and loss of appetite, among other things.”
“Those chemicals might explain the alligator attacks too. The gator could’ve lived off fish that somehow survived in the river. The mercury would’ve killed off large amounts of the fish and contaminated the rest, stunting their growth and damaging their gills. Eventually, the gator would’ve faced a food shortage.”
Beverly nodded. “It makes sense.”
“What’s our next step?”
“Your next step is to leave town.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, first your face looks like it just went a few rounds with a gorilla. And second, it’s far too dangerous down here for a civilian.”
“You can’t go back to Chase.” My eyes tightened. “He’ll know you helped me escape.”
“I’m not going back to him. I’ll watch him from a distance. When he finds
die Glocke
, I’ll make my move.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No you’re not.”
“Three years ago, I started running and I’ve been running ever since. Well, I’m tired of running. It’s brought me nothing but problems. So, like it or not, I’m coming with you.”
A thought flashed across my brain. Kneeling down, I removed my satchel and felt around inside. My fingers closed around leather and I withdrew the book from the bag.
“What’s that?” Beverly asked.
“A journal. Karl Hartek’s journal.”
I opened it up and examined the pages. The water had caused some damage but large portions of the journal remained readable. Grimly, I closed it and placed it back in my satchel. Somehow, I knew that Standish would come looking for it.
And when he does, I’ll be ready.
Beverly sighed. “Okay. You can stick with me for now.”
“What’s our next move?”
“We go back to the laboratory. Maybe we can figure out a way to eavesdrop on the operation.”
“Sounds good. But first, we have to make a pit stop. We need to help Ghost and the colony. That is, if it’s not too late.”
Chapter 30
Something clicked in my brain as I retrieved my flashlight. My chest loosened and for the first time in many months, I felt lighter on my feet. I couldn’t explain the feeling. Didn’t even want to. I just didn’t want to lose it.
Standing up again, I doused my beam. “We’re south of the layup yard.” I pointed to the other end of the tunnel. “Unless I miss my guess, we need to go that way.”
“Before we do, should we, I don’t know, test the water again?”
“What for?”
“Electricity.”
“We fell in once and we’re still alive. Chase must’ve disabled it.”
“But maybe he turned it back on.”
She had a point, but I wasn’t in the mood for logic. Placing my palm on the ground, I hopped off the platform.
Moments later, my lower half plunged into the water. The cold, swirling liquid shocked me to my core and I felt my teeth chattering. “We’re good to go.”
Quickly, I waded to the western concrete ledge and climbed onto it. Then I helped Beverly clamber up behind me.
Questions peppered my brain as I paced down the narrow ledge. What was
die Glocke
? And why did Chase want to find it so badly?
I shivered involuntarily as water dripped from my sopping wet clothes. In the back of my mind, I knew I needed to get dry and warm. But the never-ending barrage of questions easily overwhelmed those thoughts.
Were they searching for us? And if so, were we making a mistake by staying in the tunnels?
I was drowning in unanswered questions. Reluctantly, I threw up a wall in my mind. Further speculation was pointless. I needed to get to the layup yard and get Ghost and his colony to safety. After that, I could worry about everything else.
I hurried forward. Soon, we passed the 28
th
Street station followed by the 33
rd
Street station. Shifting direction, we jogged toward the yard.
A short while later, the ledge forked, heading off in two different directions. I selected my path and picked up my pace. As we drew closer to the yard, I increased my focus. Every detail from the surrounding area caught my attention.
Small waves of shimmering, grimy water.
A trashcan, filled with free Metro newspapers, balled-up Kleenex, and soda cans.
Coughing and sounds of movement.
I dodged around some I-beams and caught a glimpse of the yard. It looked dry, thanks to a makeshift barrier that someone had constructed out of rotten wood and other scrounged materials.
Stepping over the barrier, I entered the layup yard. My muscles tightened. My breath caught in my throat.
Bodies were everywhere.
“What’s wrong? Why are we stopping?” Beverly stepped around me. “Oh my God. What happened…?”
The stench of blood and death hovered in the air. Turning on my flashlight, I wandered into the yard. The beam illuminated faces. Faces I’d barely known.
Faces I’d never forget.
I spotted movement and headed for it.
“Didn’t I…didn’t I tell you to go away?”
I shivered as I knelt down next to the Ghost. The yard was like an icebox. I peeled back his shirt. It only took me a moment to realize that his wounds were fatal. “What happened?” I asked.
“Help me up.”
I helped him into a sitting position. As I propped him against the nearest wall, he shot me a determined scowl.
“They…they’re after
die Glocke
.”
“You know about
die Glocke
?”