Beverly shook her head. “You’re our best chance. You’ve read far more of that book than either of us. You read, we’ll push.”
I didn’t like it. It made sense but I still didn’t like it. I looked at Diane. “How’s your stomach?”
“I’ll manage.”
Glancing back at Beverly, I shrugged. “Let’s get to it then.”
Beverly and Diane threw their combined weight behind the Bell. Soon, it started to shift forward through the tube. Although it still floated, its growing weight was cause for concern. What happened when it finally fell victim to gravity?
As the two women pushed the Bell, I focused my attention on Hartek’s journal. I flipped through page after page, scanning them with my flashlight, searching for clues.
Red Mercury is a superconductor.
I stopped on the page and quickly read the surrounding notes. I saw something about a property called the Meissner effect. I flipped a page and read some more. Although I didn’t understand everything, it appeared that the Bell’s anti-gravity properties were due to Red Mercury itself, which was subjected to extremely low temperatures and manipulated with magnets inside the Bell.
I read more. It seemed that when the Red Mercury and magnets moved together, they started to both attract and repel each other. The magnets, which were positioned above the Red Mercury, levitated. As they rose, the Red Mercury rose with it.
I turned it over in my mind, trying to understand the inner workings of the particle accelerator. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I almost missed the sound of splashing water.
But as it grew louder, it grabbed my attention. I realized we were nearing the giant alligator’s home.
My ears perked. Pounding footsteps. And they were running toward us.
Not now! I need more time!
Stuffing the journal under my arm, I leaned my back into the Bell and helped push it through the tube. Fifty feet separated us from the next station. But it was a temporary refuge at best. We couldn’t stay ahead of them forever, especially not with the Bell gaining weight with every passing second.
We lumbered into the station. Something whizzed over my head and slammed into the opposite wall. Immediately, I veered to the side, pushing the Bell away from the tube’s mouth.
Beverly turned and fired a few shots over her shoulder. The footsteps retreated.
I looked around, trying to formulate a plan. We couldn’t reach the opposite tunnel, not without stepping in the path of gunfire again. And the station itself offered no means of protection.
My eyes crossed the space. We needed to destroy the Bell and escape. But how?
A crazy idea popped into my head.
Immediately, I spun to the side of the Bell and shoved it across the station. The abandoned tube lay in front of us, its metal grating warning us away.
By entering it, we could buy ourselves a few seconds. And if I could figure out how, we could destroy the Bell and escape into the underground river. It wasn’t a great option.
But it was the only option.
There was nowhere else to go.
Nowhere but back into the monster’s lair.
Chapter 62
“Are you out of your mind?” Beverly shot me an amazed look. “We can’t go in there.”
Grunting, I turned around and shoved my back against the Bell. It felt strangely warm against my bare skin. “We don’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Not this time.”
“We can hole up in the corner,” she said. “Use the Bell as a shield. With a little bit of luck…”
“We’re as good as dead if we stay in here.” Sweat poured down my face. “And you know it as well as I do. We’d be cornered with no means of escape.”
“We’ll be cornered in there too.”
I grinned at her.
She frowned. “Wait, you’re not thinking…”
“I hope you know how to swim.”
“I do. Unfortunately, so do alligators.”
“Hopefully, it’s somewhere else. We’re going to figure out a way to destroy this thing and escape into the water. With any luck, it’ll take us clear out to the East River.”
“I swear to God this is the worst plan I’ve ever heard.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Diane limp to the grating and begin fiddling with the metal wires. A few seconds later, metal screeched against metal.
As the grating creaked open, Beverly slid to the side and helped direct the Bell toward the abandoned tube. We passed through the gate and Diane hobbled in behind us. I heard a light swinging noise followed by soft rattling. Moments later, her silhouette appeared at my side.
“I retied the wires,” she whispered. “As tightly as I could. It should give us another minute or so. Now get back to that book. I’ll push from here.”
I had to give her credit. When Chase arrived in the station, he’d find it empty. Between the closed grating and the darkness of the other tube, it would take him a few extra seconds to realize where we’d gone. If we were really fortunate, he might even divide his forces in order to search both tubes.
As she took my place, I grabbed Hartek’s book from under my arm. Silence fell over the tunnel and I began to read. But my mind drifted and I had trouble concentrating.
The Bell was many things to many people. It was a particle accelerator to Hartek. An object of reverence and fear to the Sand Demons. A tool of revenge for Chase.
It could create Red Mercury. Red Mercury, of course, had its own multiple identities. It was a superheavy metal. A ballotechnic explosive. A superconductor.
But that last identity was collapsing before my eyes. With every passing second, the Bell appeared to sink closer to the ground. I guessed that it was only a matter of minutes before it touched the bedrock.
As I flipped through the pages, it became increasingly apparent to me that Red Mercury’s superconductivity was not only the key to the Bell’s anti-gravity properties.
It was the key to everything. Red Mercury first became dangerous when it entered a superconductive state. But since it existed as a superconductor within the Bell, I knew that wasn’t enough to cause an explosion.
So, how did it become a superconductor in the first place? And what triggered it to detonate?
“Cyclone!”
Chase’s voice roared through the passageway. I sensed his rage, his hatred. He was close.
I couldn’t let him have the Bell. But I didn’t have the slightest idea how to destroy it. A vague notion came rushing into my brain. The underground river was deep and its current was powerful. Even better, it ran at an angle, descending steeply into the earth. If I could get the Bell into its clutches, it might drag the particle accelerator far below ground. When it inevitably exploded, the additional space and bedrock that separated the Bell from the surface could save lives.
Of course, that assumed that the river led deep underground. In which case, Beverly, Diane, and I were royally screwed.
“Enough with this nonsense, Cyclone,” Chase shouted. “This is a waste of time and energy. Leave the Bell and your weapons behind. Come out here and I promise I’ll let you live.”
Beverly glanced at me, her face glistening with sweat. “You know he’s lying, right?”
“Yup.”
It wouldn’t have mattered to me if he’d been telling the truth. I wasn’t about to run away. Not again. Not ever again.
For three long years, I’d been haunted by those poor souls who’d died under my watch. I’d tortured myself. I’d given up everything and everyone I’d held dear to me. I’d left home, undergone a career change, and pledged myself to doing good works.
But as I looked back on that time, I no longer saw myself as someone who sacrificed or sought forgiveness. Instead, I saw someone who ran away from his past. I supposed that was the reason for my recurring PTSD episodes. And the fact that I hadn’t experienced one since I’d stopping running only bolstered my theory.
I needed to stop the Bell from hurting anyone ever again. Then I needed to figure out a way to save Beverly and Diane. If I could accomplish those two things, maybe I could finally put my guilt to rest. Maybe, just maybe, the nightmares would end.
This time for good.
Assuming I live that long.
“I see the river,” Beverly announced breathlessly. “It’s about twenty feet away. No sign of the gator.”
At least one thing had gone our way. Now, we just had to get the Bell into the water and hope the current carried it underground. Then we could swim after it and hope for the best.
It wasn’t much of a plan but it was better than nothing.
“Stop. Don’t take another step.”
I froze. A strong beam illuminated my body, casting my shadow onto the ground. Turning around, I saw Chase. He stood twenty feet away, the Smith & Wesson in his hand.
No.
Not now.
I could hear the gushing water of the river behind me. It sounded like it was just several feet away. We’d come so close.
Only to fail at the last moment.
I shoved the journal discretely into my satchel. Two soldiers stepped forward and quickly disarmed us, throwing our weapons in a small pile on the ground. Then they steered us toward the western wall. As my body was shoved into the bedrock, Chase walked forward.
He stopped in front of the Bell and studied it for a moment. His trembling fingers rose into the air and caressed its side. The Bell appeared to flinch at his touch. Silently, it dropped another eighth of an inch closer to the ground.
Chase glanced at me with awe written across his face. “How is it floating like that?”
I shrugged. “Magic?”
“Very funny, Cyclone. Now, before I let you go, is there anything else I should know about it?”
You prick. You know you’ve got no intention of letting us leave. You just want to know everything we do before you kill us.
Diane cleared her throat. “There is one thing you might want to know. This Bell of yours is about to blow up.”
I seized the moment. “She’s right. It’s highly unstable. And when it explodes, it’s taking all of us with it.”
“I’ve had enough of your lies.”
“I’m not lying. Why do you think we were running this way in the first place? We were going to force the Bell into the water and hope that the current dragged it deep underground.”
Chase nodded. “Okay, I believe you.”
“You do?”
He pointed at the Bell. “See those ports? Those are for high-voltage cables. My guess is that electricity keeps it stable. Am I right?”
One hundred percent.
“No,” I lied. “Nothing will keep it stable. Our only option is to reduce the explosion’s impact.”
Chase studied me for a moment and then turned to a few soldiers behind him. “We need power now. I want four of you to move the Bell into the station and load it onto our cart. The rest of you return to that wrecked car and gather those high-voltage cables. Get this thing stabilized before it explodes.”
I heard scuffling as the soldiers started to move. A small part of me said to just give up. If Chase’s men managed to repower the Bell, it would save lives, at least temporarily. On the other hand, once he repowered the Bell, he’d have a permanent supply of Red Mercury. And I already knew what he planned to do with it.
I was outnumbered, unarmed, and with my back literally against a wall. I couldn’t run anymore. I couldn’t do anything.
My head started to hurt. Bright colors appeared in my field of vision. My emotions surged.
I glanced to the side and my eyes lingered on Beverly’s face. Her eyes were bright and full of fire. I shifted my gaze to Diane. Despite the loss of blood, she looked confident and determined. I looked back at Chase. The departing soldiers momentarily diverted his attention.
I felt stabbing pains in my head. My body started to go limp. I was about to pass out, a fate from which I’d never awaken.
It was now or never.
With a mighty battle cry, I leapt toward Chase. My body smashed into his. Instantly, my headache vanished. My emotions focused. My vision returned.
His hand slammed into the wet bedrock and he dropped his weapon. Gunfire reverberated from all directions as we rolled toward the water. We tussled for a moment but as I leaned over to punch him in the face, something caught my attention.
Two beady eyes rose out of the river and turned to look at me. Then more eyes popped up and did the same thing.
It was the alligator.
And it wasn’t alone.
Chapter 63
The largest pair of eyes twitched as they examined me. I remained frozen, poised above Chase, fist cocked at the ready. Behind me all activity had ceased. I heard no footsteps. No scuffling noises. No words. I heard nothing but heaving chests.
Nothing but quiet terror.
A creepy inkling spread through my body. I was the prey. And the gator was sizing me up.
Bubbles churned and fizzed. The gators weren’t thrashing about so it struck me that something was going on just beneath the river’s surface.
I blinked.
My skin prickled.
Something had changed in the last second. I was sure of it. The largest eyes loomed before mine, seeming bigger and…
Wait. They don’t look bigger.
They are bigger.
My heart froze. With no apparent movement, the gator had drifted close to the bedrock shore. In less than a second, it would be within striking distance.
I rolled to the south, taking Chase with me.
Water roiled as the gator charged out of the river. Powerful jaws snapped at my skull. I sensed the gnashing teeth. I felt the breeze and smelled the creature’s foul breath.
As I continued to roll, I sensed the gator veering off to the side. Then I heard the sickening crunch of sharp teeth plunging into flesh and bone. Bloodcurdling cries erupted, bouncing off the bedrock walls and into my ears.
Shoving Chase out of the way, I leapt to my feet. My head spun to the side. The gator’s jaws were clamped around a leg. Vigorously, the beast shook it back and forth, dragging a shadowy person along with it. It was one of Chase’s soldiers.
And she looked terrified.