Cracks in Reality (Seams in Reality Book 2) (42 page)

"Then we'll kill them and move on."

Phillip put his small fists on his hips. "This makes no sense. You won! You have the treasure, and you humiliated your adversaries. Why can't you be satisfied? Is the stress undermining your ability to think clearly? Too much mind-control? You haven't been sleeping well."

"You've become very opinionated lately." Blake stared at the boy. "We will definitely deal with that issue at the first good opportunity. Now let's get back to work. We have to pack all our ill-gotten gains in the trucks."

Chapter Nineteen

Describe this black sergeant," Tonya said.

"He was older and fatter than the others," General Ross said. "He stood out like a sore thumb. When I walked past him, he spoke to me, and the words... stuck. I was suddenly trapped in a nightmare. When you walked in, I felt much better. What happened to me?"

"I'm not authorized to answer that question, but I will tell you that man was Blake Blutstein. He caused all this trouble. We need to find and kill him. By the way, how did you end up at this silo? I'm sure it wasn't your original destination."

"We received last minute orders."

"The orders had the proper codes," Fernandez explained.

Tonya shook her head. "Somebody in your chain of command is compromised. You'll have to test everybody who touched those orders."

"I'm still confused about what happened to the general. A minute ago, he was clearly out of his mind. Now he seems better, and you didn't do anything."

"I wish I could explain, but I'm not allowed."

"I can't explain it either," General Ross said as he stood up, "but I'm ready to resume my command. Untie me."

Fernandez narrowed his eyes.

"He's fine," Tonya said. "Trust me. I have particular expertise in these matters. That's why the BPI sent me here."

He eventually nodded. The guards untied Ross, and he rubbed his wrists.

Everybody went outside. Ross looked at the lines of corpses lying on the dirt, and he frowned.

"Our next stop is the scene of the crime," Tonya said. "Show us where Blake snatched his treasure."

Ross led the group to a shed at ground level. It contained a steel staircase which went down into the earth.

Andrew looked around with enthusiastic interest as they descended into the silo complex. He had expected a dark, dirty hole, but the place was clean and well-lit instead. The concrete walls had obviously been thoroughly scrubbed. All the pipes and fixtures were brand new. There wasn't a speck of dust on the floor, and the giant blast doors gleamed.

"Blake really cleaned this place up," Andrew murmured.

Tonya nodded. "He always knew how to stage a show. Keep your eyes open. He may have left some surprises behind."

He nodded.

General Ross and Major Fernandez had brought ten other soldiers along as escorts. In addition to the three sorcerers, Agent Garcia, Agent Floyd, and Tungsten were in the mix. Footsteps echoed from the walls as the unwieldy group made its way through tunnels.

Tonya smiled at Andrew. "You did a nice job with the general," she whispered.

"Thanks," he said.

They eventually reached the silo. It was a vertical tube over a hundred feet tall with concrete walls. The remnants of the original scaffolding were still attached to the walls. The floor was a white circle about forty feet across. The silo was completely empty.

"The stuff was here?" Tonya said.

"392 physical containment units," General Ross said. "25 tons of material. Gone."

"Nobody saw what happened?"

"Some of our soldiers were in the silo," Fernandez said, "but they vanished with the PCUs. Nobody heard a sound."

Andrew climbed down a flight of stairs to reach the floor of the silo. Except for a few drops of blood, it was perfectly clean. He looked at the curved walls with a feeling of bewilderment. A concrete lid covered the top of the silo. The narrow tunnel appeared to be the only way in or out.
Nice trick,
he thought.

Charley joined him.

"It's a magic box," she whispered.

He furrowed his brow at her. "What do you mean?"

"Like the kind magicians use to make stuff disappear. There must be a secret panel or something."

Andrew walked over to a wall and pounded it with his fist. "This is solid concrete! They built this silo to survive an atomic bomb."

"That's what Blake wants you to think," Charley said. "Remember, he spent millions of dollars here, and I bet it wasn't just to scrub the walls."

He looked at the walls again. It didn't seem likely, but it was possible there was a hidden mechanism.

Tonya and Tungsten joined the apprentices on the floor.

Charley turned to Tonya. "I'll find the secret door with the Raven, but we need to clear the room."

Tonya faced the soldiers. "Get out, all of you. We have to do some work here."

"We can't just go." General Ross said. "This is our operation."

"If you stay, there will be significant consequences personally and professionally. You may find out what's in the boxes."

Ross took a long look at the three sorcerers.

"I can't go," he said eventually. "I'm ultimately responsible for the success of this mission, but it will just be me. Major Fernandez, get our people out of here, and make sure they stay out."

"Sir?" Fernandez said.

"You heard the order."

"Yes, sir."

Fernandez led the other soldiers out of the silo. A moment later, Andrew heard a blast door close with a heavy clang.

"Now it's just us," Ross said.

Tonya nodded to Charley. "Begin."

Andrew gave the Raven to Charley. She walked over to a wall, put her hand against the concrete, and began to use her magic.

* * *

Blake detected another spell in progress, and it was closer than the last one.

He looked over at the surveillance monitors. Tonya, Andrew, and Charley were in the silo, and the latter was obviously scanning the wall with physical sorcery. He was surprised she had that skill. Learning such a sophisticated and difficult spell usually happened late in an apprentice's training if at all. Tonya watched with an approving smile.

"We're running out of time," Phillip said. "If we don't leave soon, we'll have to fight them."

"I know!" Blake said.

The sorcerers had General Ross with them, and clearly, they had released him from mind-control. A very large, very muscular BPI agent was also part of the group. He looked like a serious fighter. Two other less impressive BPI agents stood off to the side.

Blake still had his six assassins with him in the secret chamber, so he wasn't helpless if a gunfight broke out. Simply shooting his enemies wasn't part of his plan though. Any idiot could kill with a bullet. Blake wanted to capture Andrew and Charley alive and force them to join him. Blake also wanted Tonya to feel the pain of their loss when she realized what he had done.

Blake sighed. "OK. We'll go. I'll snatch the apprentices later."

He and Phillip went to the back of the domed chamber where a steep staircase led to the surface. The narrow passage had a low roof, forcing Blake to duck. A string of bare bulbs provided light. Some sand had fallen in, making the steps a little slippery.

The two sorcerers emerged onto the dark desert above. A hill blocked their view of the missile silo complex, but Blake could see some extra light in that direction.

Three MK23 cargo trucks were parked on the dirt with engines running. The six wheels on each vehicle had extra-wide tires designed for traversing soft sand. The headlights appeared to be off, but the bulbs actually emitted infrared light suitable for night vision goggles.

The middle truck held the treasure, and Blake detected eight tiny seams radiating black energy. Mounds of documents filled most of the cargo space. The emptied PCUs had been left behind. A hard shell enclosed the back of the truck so nothing would blow out in the wind.

The front truck held supplies such as food, weapons, armor, spare clothes, and camping gear. Blake intended to spend the next few weeks living in the desert, camping during the day and driving at night. The vast empty stretches were the perfect place to hide. Camouflage netting would cover the trucks when the sun was out. He would eventually end up in Mexico, but he needed to find a safe way across the border first.

The truck at the back of the convoy was mostly a spare in case one of the others broke down, but some bulky overflow items were stored in the cargo area. Blake was pretty sure the sleeping bags, folding chairs, and air mattresses were there.

The six assassins were busy preparing the trucks for travel. They were all veteran soldiers with wilderness survival skills. Blake and Phillip were in expert hands.

Blake remembered he needed to make a call. "Get me the satellite phone," he said. "Somebody dig it out."

After a minute, an assassin delivered the satellite phone to Blake. The phone was much heavier than a regular cell phone, and it had a long, thick antenna sticking out the top.

Blake took a sheet of paper out of his pocket. He looked up the number for Max, the accountant who worked in BPI headquarters. Even though weeks had passed, Blake still had control over Max.

After several rings, Max answered in a sleepy voice, "Yes?"

"This is the friend who came to your house," Blake said. "Do you remember me?"

Max paused. "Yes."

"I want to know all about BPI credit card transactions in and around Tucson, Arizona. Stay on your computer and watch for new transactions starting right now. If any go through, call with the information. Here is a number where you can leave a message. I'll check for new messages often." Blake read a number from the paper. "Understand?"

"Yes."

"Good bye." Blake ended the call.

Phillip came over, but it was hard to see the boy in the darkness.

"I still think you're being foolish," he said. "What happened to your vision of a new era for all sorcerers? You're endangering it with greed."

"With Andrew and Charley at my side, that vision will be much easier to achieve."

"We should be fleeing."

"I'd say you're welcome to your opinion," Blake said, "but that's not true. You're allowed to have my opinions only. We shall capture the apprentices, add them to the team, and then we will flee."

* * *

"What is she doing?" General Ross said.

"Searching for a secret door," Tonya said.

Charley was moving slowly along the wall of the silo with her right hand against the surface. Her left hand clutched the Raven against her chest. Andrew sensed her energy surging and shifting as she probed the concrete. He was very proud of her.

"What kind of nonsense is this?" Ross said. "Why does she have that little stone statue?"

"You wanted to see the secret," Tonya said.

"I don't see anything except a girl wiping a wall with her hand!"

Tungsten, Agent Garcia, and Agent Floyd were standing on the far side of the room with uneasy expressions.

Ross turned to them and said, "You look like respectable federal agents. Maybe you can explain."

"I don't think I'm allowed, sir," Tungsten said.

"There is something familiar about you."

"I'm Tungsten."

"Oh." Ross's eyes widened. "You made quite a reputation for yourself on the base."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now you're working for the BPI. Good. You can give me a soldier's perspective. What am I looking at?"

Tungsten grimaced. "Umm."

"General!" Tonya said. "Please, be quiet. Charley needs to concentrate."

"On what?" Ross said angrily.

She walked over to Charley and put her hand on the Raven. Tonya suddenly appeared to be twenty feet tall, and sheets of flame covered her body.

"On sorcery, damn it," Tonya said in a booming voice. "The dark arts. Meta-physical magic. Get it? Now shut up."

Ross backed up, and his face turned white. He looked like he might crap his pants. Andrew smirked.

Tonya stepped away from the Raven, and her appearance returned to normal.

Charley continued to work as if nothing had happened. After a few minutes, she stopped and concentrated on one spot.

"There is a split here," she said. "The concrete on one side isn't as dense as the other."

Andrew hurried over for a close look. He saw a vertical crack in the wall so straight and thin it was almost invisible. It clearly wasn't part of the original construction.

He searched for a similar crack somewhere else, and he found one on the other side of the silo.

"Now how do we open it?" he said.

"Like this," Charley said.

She put her palm against the wall, and her energy level spiked. Andrew didn't know what spell she was doing, but it was obviously very difficult. She scooped out a chunk of concrete with her hand, and it crumbled into dust.

"Cool," Andrew said. "I wish I could do that."

The BPI agents murmured nervously. General Ross stayed back with them.

It was slow, hard work, but Charley managed to create an opening. A dark, empty space was on the other side of the wall.

"We need flashlights," Tonya said.

"I'll get them." Ross ran up the stairs.

Charley continued to widen the opening. It looked like she was pulling out scoops of wet sand. Chunks of rebar broke off as easily as the concrete.

Ross returned after a few minutes with his arms full of assault rifles. Tactical flashlights were mounted on the rifles. He handed out the weapons, but he didn't have quite enough, so Tonya made do with a pistol which Tungsten gave her.

Andrew shined his flashlight through the opening. "It's a tunnel," he said, "a big one."

"Impossible," Ross said.

"Take a look."

Ross peered through the hole and frowned. "Blake did that?"

"He had a whole construction crew here for weeks," Tonya said.

Charley eventually widened the hole enough for everybody to squeeze through.

"I'll go first," Tungsten said. "Andrew, you're my wing man."

"Me?" Andrew responded with surprise.

"You'll tell me if you detect any sorcery."