The Belial Stone (The Belial Series) (15 page)

CHAPTER 29

Havre, MT

G
ideon stood at the wall of glass at the back of his home.  When he’d realized Kensington’s role in the acquisition of the stone, he’d purchased the twenty-acre spread in Havre. Construction had begun immediately, although he had never bothered to tell Kensington where he lived.

Encased almost entirely in glass, the home was a tribute to the clean lines of modern architecture and the style of Frank Lloyd Wright.  It was an homage to the conspicuous
consumption of the modern age.

No expense had been spared.  As far as Gideon was concerned, if he was going to have to muddle through in this life, he was going to do it in comfort.

He stared at the sun as it slipped past the mountain peaks.  The sky glowed orange, with strains of pink streaking through. 
There can be beauty here
, he thought.  As the last lights disappeared, though, so too did his wonder.

He couldn’t believe Paul was gone.  They’d met two decades ago.  They’d come across one another in an airport, the international terminal at JFK.  That sense of connection was instantaneous.  Until that moment, he hadn’t realized h
ow much he had missed that link

It had been harder and harder to find his brothers as time passed.  The world got larger and chance meetings became increasingly difficult.  Before Paul, it had been three long lifetimes since he’d found a brother.
  And now, he was alone again.

Turning from the darkness, he strode back into the living room.  He looked around, his mind barely registering the stone-faced fireplace or sleek contemporary furnishings.  Instead, he pictured Paul’s body as that red-headed bitch shot him.  He curled his fists, wanting to lash out.  He should have finished her when he had the chance.  She needed to pay…painfully.

But you didn’t make her pay, did you? 

He crushed the voice down.  Her eyes seemed to follow him day and night.  They mocked him.  They knew the truth.  He pictured her sitting in that car, full of courage and determination, her eyes locked on him.  And he had felt it… Fear. 

For the first time in generations, she had made him afraid.  And he had run.

It had taken him thirty minutes to fully heal.  He cringed as he thought of himself, curled up, cowering like a wounded animal.  She had made him afraid.  By the time he’d returned, she was gone.  It had taken some time, but thanks to the Senator’s contacts, he found out she’d gone to Chandler Headquarters in Baltimore. 

“Chandler,” he whispered.  Another wrinkle.  Chandler’s involvement upped the risk.  He wondered how much Henry knew.  Had his mother ever told him the truth?

He needed to move faster.  He couldn't let fear hold him back.  But he also couldn’t let his need to defy that fear push him to make an unwise decision.  Caution.  He needed to move with caution.  He reached over and pulled his phone off the ottoman.

He dialed.  A voice answered, the Russian accent pronounced.  “Yes?”

“Old friend, I am in need of your services, and that of some of your friends.”

CHAPTER 30

Baltimore, MD

T
he golf cart glided silently through the winding, flower-lined path that led to Sharecroppers Lane.  Laney once again sat in the back, with Jake behind the wheel, while her uncle rode shotgun.

She and Jake had explained the M.E.’s findings to her uncle, Danny, and Henry before they’d headed off on their trip.  Her uncle had been quiet and distracted ever since.  She’d tried to get him to talk about his ideas on Paul and his companion, but his stubbornness had once again reared its ugly head.

Her mind was full of Drew, Tom, ancient civilizations, and superhumans.  She felt like she was trying to force together the pieces of four very different puzzles.

Looking for a distraction, she watched Danny and Henry in the golf cart behind them.  Henry let Danny drive and patiently corrected him whenever he veered off course or braked too sharply.  No matter how jolting the stop, Henry never lost his cool.   She smiled.  Danny might have had a rough time early in his life, but it looked like Henry was doing everything in his power to make the rest better.  Who would have thought a world-famous intellectual’s most admirable quality would be his kindness?

Her attention was pulled back to her uncle and Jake.  Her uncle had shaken himself from his silent thoughts.  She half-listened to him interrogate Jake on his military experience.  Occasionally, she glanced over her shoulder and, catching Jake’s eyes in the rearview mirror, gained a good-natured smile.

Jake seemed to be taking everything in stride, but she had a feeling there were a lot of emotions bubbling right under his surface.  She wished she could do more to help him.  She was at loss, though, as to what she could do.  At least, until she realized what her uncle had just asked him.  

“Okay, Uncle Patrick,” Laney interrupted.  “I think Jake’s already proven he’s more than qualified for his current job.  Why don’t you give him a break?”

“What?” Patrick’s eyes were full of innocence.  “I’m just making small talk.”

“Uncle Patrick, you just asked the man to list the weapons he’d want if ambushed by a small rebel force in a third-world country.  I think you’ve officially moved beyond ’small talk.’”

He had the good sense to look abashed.  “Just checking on the man we’ve entrusted with our safety.”

“We’re at the end of the line, anyway.” Jake pulled into a parking spot at the end of Sharecroppers Lane.

Laney shook her head over her uncle’s tactics and caught Jake looking at her.  He gave her a wink before leading them over to the sidewalk. 

Laney stopped next to her uncle and Jake as they waited for Henry and Danny to join them.  

“Does Dr. Radcliffe work in one of these cottages?” Patrick asked, looking around.

Jake smiled.  “Nope. We need to walk a little to get to his lab.

“Actually, Dominic’s lab also houses his living quarters,” Henry said as he joined them with Danny.  He started leading them down a path that curved away from the cottages.  “He wanted everything in one spot.  Just one of his little eccentricities."

Danny kicked at a rock in the pathway.  “People just don’t understand him.”

Patrick walked next to the young man.  “Sometimes, people can be cruel when they don't understand someone.”

Danny glanced over at him and nodded.

Laney watched the interchange from behind with a smile.  Her uncle had just taken Danny under his wing.  Life might be completely off-kilter right now, but there was one thing that remained unerringly consistent: her uncle’s empathy.

The grounds became less landscaped as they made their way farther down the path.  At one point, they started pushing branches out of their way.  If it weren’t for Henry’s sure-footed stride, Laney would have thought they were lost. 

Finally, they broke through into a little clearing.  In front of them stood a small, squat brick building that looked like a utility shed for a power plant.

Laney stopped next to Jake.  “This is Dr. Radcliffe's lab?”

“Yup.  I was inside only once, before Radcliffe moved in.  I'm curious to see what he's done with the place.”

Laney looked back at the ugly building.  “Yeah.  I'm sure he's made it real homey.’   

Jake chuckled. 

Henry walked up to the door and flipped open the key pad to its left, inputting a series of numbers.  He placed his eye up to the plate. 

Laney glanced at Jake.

“A retinal scanner,” he replied to her unasked question.

After a loud click, Henry pulled the door open and beckoned everyone in.   Laney and Patrick shared a look before starting forward. 
             

“Guess we’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy,” Patrick whispered as he followed her into the dark building.  

CHAPTER 31

T
he room remained dark until the door slammed shut behind Patrick.  Bright incandescent lights flickered on, bathing the room in a greenish tint.

“Well, this isn't creepy at all,” Laney muttered. 

There was nothing there.  It was just a concrete-lined room with one door behind them and what looked like a vault door on the other side.

Henry walked to a panel next to the giant steel door and placed his hand on the plate.  A green glow traced the outline of his hand.  With a blast of air, the door popped open a few inches.  Henry grabbed onto the long handle and pulled the door wide.  Fluorescent lighting hung over a circular hallway which angled sharply down into the ground.

“Huh,” Jake grunted, nodding his head.

“Huh, what?”  Laney asked.  “What is this place?”

Henry answered as he ducked his head to walk through the tunnel.  “It’s a bomb shelter.  Dr. Radcliffe’s lab is actually located forty-five feet under us.”             

Patrick almost tripped over the threshold at Henry's words.  Laney reached out an arm to steady him.  “A bomb shelter?”

“Dom’s just security conscious, that’s all,” Danny said as he walked through the tunnel.

Patrick smiled at him.  “Well, he should feel pretty safe here, then.”

Danny gave him a timid smile before continuing down the long path.

As she stepped into the tunnel, she remembered her uncle's Dorothy comment.  And she had to admit, she felt a kinship with the poor girl.  And Alice, too, for that matter.  Both had been uprooted from their lives and dropped into a new, magical world. Of course, she thought with a smile as she watched the men around her, Dorothy was probably more appropriate, with Jake as the Lion, her uncle the Tinman, Henry the Scarecrow, and Danny as Toto. 

The tunnel continued on a downward angle for another hundred yards.  At the end, Laney stepped out into a room, almost identical to the one they had first entered. 

She stared at the mammoth door across from them.  “Another blast door?”

Henry nodded as he input numbers into the security panel next to the door.  This time, he placed his right index finger on the glass panel.  A green light lit up above the door.  It clicked open.  Jake stepped up to hold it open for the group.

The whole setting had a surreal quality to it.  The long white halls, the eerie green lighting, the faint musty smell.  She glanced at Henry, who was walking ahead.  He had to almost double over to fit in the tunnels.  Why was this place even here?  She knew the Chandler Group was involved in complex international issues, but did that really require a bunker?  As she continued down, she realized she was both literally and figuratively in over her head. 

“You okay?”

She glanced back at Jake, his eyes concerned.  A small butterfly flitted across her chest.  She barely knew him, and yet for some insane reason she trusted him.  And she didn’t trust easy.  But something about Jake just put her at ease.  She felt as if he would protect her.  And for someone as self-reliant as she was, that was pretty unusual.  Not to mention a little unsettling. 

She smiled.  “Just a little amazed at where the last twenty-four hours have taken me.”

He stepped next to her and squeezed her hand.  “We’ll get through this, Laney.”

She heard the pledge in those words.  Her heart beat a little faster.  “Promise?”

He pulled her to a stop, turning her to look at him.  “Promise.”

Time seemed to stop for a moment.  And Laney had the insane urge to kiss him.  His eyes were locked on hers and then shifted down to her lips.  She leaned forward just a fraction.

“You two coming?”  Patrick called from the end of the tunnel.

Laney jumped away from Jake like a teenager.  Jake reached out to grab her before she hit her head on the rounded edge. 

Slick, Laney.  Real slick.

She could feel the blush beginning to spread across her cheeks.  Damn her complexion, which hid nothing.  “Be right there.”

After all the security precautions, Laney was expecting to find a mad scientist and a dark, dank lab.  But when she stepped through the opening, she was surprised to find herself in a brightly-lit entryway that could be found in any home.  There was even a hall closet for coats, an umbrella stand, and crisp white wainscoting halfway up the pale blue walls. 

Henry led them into the room just past the entryway.  Laney stopped short, stunned by the incredible sight.  The room was massive, easily a hundred feet long, fifty across, and the ceilings were at least twenty-five feet high.  It contained a living room area with a comfortable-looking leather sectional, and a large flat-screen TV.  The kitchen was a mix of dark, sleek wood and stainless steel appliances.  And the bedroom section looked right out of an IKEA catalogue. 

And there were plants everywhere - hanging from the ceiling, in pots along the ground, and there was even a good size greenhouse in the back corner, lit by ultraviolet lights.  Except for the absence of windows, it would have looked right at home in Manhattan.

Jake let out a low whistle.  “Now this is a bomb shelter.”

Laney grinned.  “I guess Dr. Radcliffe has done a lot with the place.  I have to admit, I was picturing something more along the lines of Dr. Frankenstein’s lab.”

“Shall we?” Jake extended Laney his arm.

With a smile, she placed her hand around his arm.  They joined the others, who had congregated around the large island in the kitchen. 

Henry raised a coffee pot as the two walked over.  Laney nodded.  Danny and Patrick were already pulling sandwiches from the tray onto their plates.

“Help yourselves,” Danny said.  “Dom and Maggie always like to have something for people to eat when they come visit.”

Laney settled herself into one of the high island chairs and had just pulled a turkey sandwich onto her plate when a female voice spoke.

“Good, good.  You’re all eating.”

Henry walked over and hugged the striking woman who had stepped into the kitchen through a door Laney hadn’t noticed.  Although her hair dark hair was streaked with white, there wasn’t a line on her face, making her age impossible to estimate.  She had a strong, muscular build, was at least six feet tall, and intelligence shone out of her face like a beacon. 

“Laney, Patrick, I’d like you to meet Dr. Margaret Shandone.  She is Dom’s extraordinary partner.”

Dr. Shandone waved away the words.  “Oh, please.  Call me Maggie.  Dom’s finishing up.  He’ll be right out.” Her eyes twinkled as she shook Laney’s hand.  “He tells me you have an Atlantis problem.” 

“We’re really not sure.  But right now, that’s where all the signs are pointing,” Henry replied diplomatically.

Maggie walked over and gave Danny a hug, ruffling his hair as she released him.  “So, you’ve come to pick Dom’s brain.  I have to tell you, I haven’t seen him this excited since his arguments about the naïveté of a theory of everything were supported.”

“I resent that, Maggie.”  Dom bounded into the kitchen, a big smile on his face.  “I was not that excited about string theory.”

Dom shook hands with Henry, who, in turn, introduced him to Laney and Patrick.  Now, this man was more of what she expected.  Dom's salt-and-pepper hair sprung out from his head like it was trying to escape.  His dark eyes were magnified by thick lenses.  Baggy cargo shorts, an incorrectly buttoned shirt, and a brown sweater vest completed the outfit. 

He kept tugging at his collar.  He reminded Laney of Max, when Kati had forced him into a dress shirt for Christmas.  She liked him already.

“Ah, lunch, excellent.”  Dom pulled a sandwich off the tray, and sat next to Danny, who gave him a grin.  “Did you have a chance to read that book I sent you?”

Danny nodded.  “It was good, although I think the author is off base about all five superstring theories really being a single unitary theory.”

Dom clapped Danny on the shoulder.  “I thought the same thing.  Maggie here was trying to justify it by saying he was arguing for a paradigmatic shift in our interpretation of transformation duality.” 

With matching grins, Dom and Danny rolled their eyes at the end of the statement.  Laney couldn’t help but laugh.

Maggie shook her head.  “Don’t drag me into this.  Besides, I think these good people are here to talk about a different topic.  You’ll have to excuse me, though, I need to finish up a few more things in the lab.”  With a quick kiss to Dom’s cheek, Maggie disappeared back the way she’d entered.

Dom glanced around the group seated around the island.  “Ah, yes.  You want to know about Edgar Cayce.”

Henry perched his hip on the counter and crossed his arms.  “As I explained on the phone, Dr. Priddle seems to be basing his entire claim on Cayce’s assertions about Atlantis and something called the Belial Stone.”

Dom bounced in his chair as he spoke.  Energy radiated out from the man.   “Now, Cayce was an interesting character.  He was a psychic, born in 1877.   A devout Christian, he seemed to have an extraordinary gift, or more accurately, gifts. While in a trance-like state, he could diagnose people’s illnesses.  He was reported to have been very accurate.  Some of the treatments he recommended are now actually recognized by the medical community.  He also did life readings for people about their past lives.”

Patrick interrupted.  “He seems an unusual choice for someone to base their academic work on.”

“Not at all, not at all.” Dom waved his hand with his words, sending part of his sandwich flying across the island.  Henry sighed, shifting out of the way to avoid the airborne turkey. 

“Cayce was an amazing man.  He was not a fluke. He was the real deal.  He predicted that a sign to Atlantis would appear in 1968 or 1969, and then voilà the Bimini Road appeared.”

“But wasn’t that proven to be naturally-formed beach rock?”  Laney asked.

Dom swiped the comment away, his hands flying with his words.  “The skeptics are saying that, but who’s to say the Atlanteans didn’t make use of a natural formation?” 

Danny had to duck out of the way to avoid being hit.  Laney smiled as Patrick pulled Danny’s chair closer to his own to get him out of the danger zone.

“And that can't explain the ancient anchors that have been found all over the Bahamas, indicating a seafaring civilization thrived there,” Dom continued.

Henry gestured with both of his hands for Dom to calm down.

Dom's hands stilled.  “Sorry.  It’s just such an exciting topic.”

“We understand, Dom.” Patrick smiled.  Her uncle took all personalities in stride, even eccentric professors.  “But why would Drew think the Belial Stone was buried somewhere?  From what he wrote, he seemed to believe that it was intentionally hidden.”

Dom nodded and his face turned serious.  “I’m sure it was.  According to Cayce, a group of Atlanteans, known as the Sons of Belial, converted the stone into a weapon and began using it to destroy the rest of the Atlanteans, who were called the Children of the Law of One.”

Jake raised an eyebrow.  “The Children of the Law of One? Really?”

“Horrible name, right?  But when Cayce talks about Atlantis, he’s actually talking about the creation of mankind.  The Children of the Law of One were the good.  They believed in living in harmony with nature and being companions of the creator.  Many wouldn’t even fight, not even to defend themselves.  Peace and kindness were their primary goals.”

“And the Sons of Belial were the bad.”  Laney was struck by the similarity to the Hebrew War scroll.  In it, there had been talk of an end-of-times battle between the Sons of Belial and the Children of the Light.  Could the Children of the Light been the same as the Children of the Law of One? 

Dom nodded.  “Unlike the Children, the Belial’s goals were acquiring and maintaining power.”  He grinned.  “They were the original SOBs.”

Jake shook his head.  “Okay, so we’re talking about pre-historic hippies and an ancient weapon of mass destruction.  Who could take this seriously?  I mean, there’s no evidence of any of this.”

Dom stared back at Jake.  “Are you kidding?  Ancient tales are littered with stories of powerful crystals.  Krishna and Zeus are just two examples of tales of gods with powerful weapons that utilized crystals.”

Jake shook his head.  “Yeah, but those are stories.  There's no proof.”

“How about the evidence of a nuclear explosion in Rajasthan, India eight thousand years ago?  Or vitrified stones found all over the world that date back through antiquity?”

Patrick's tone was thoughtful.  “In my homeland of Scotland, there is a tale involving the God of War, Belatucadros.  He was said to have used a staff with a crystal at the end that emitted an intense burst of energy.  And ancient stone forts in Northern Scotland have vitrified stones that could only be created by an intense, focused heat of temperatures greater than 1000 degrees Celsius.”  

Dom smiled at Patrick with a nod and jumped up from his chair.  He opened the fridge, his voice now muffled by the door.  “And, in modern times, we’re beginning to explore crystals as a potential power source for an array of weapons.  Over the last fifteen years, researchers around the globe have been experimenting with diamonds as a source for laser weapons.  They’ve been found to transmit heat and light incredibly effectively.  And they’ve been successful.”