“Can you meet me?”
“I knew you’d miss me soon.” Morana laughed.
“I need you to come back to my shop.”
She grinned. “Of course. Do you want to have dinner again tonight?”
“No, I need you right away.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“Just come here.”
“Of course—I’m on my way.”
“Thank you. Please hurry.”
“Can you tell me what this is about?”
“No. I can’t.” Thane hung up.
Morana started the car, made a U-turn, and accelerated. Her mind raced, sorting through the possibilities for Thane’s urgency. The tension in his voice made her wonder if he was hurt—perhaps an accident with one of the blocks. Given his extreme secrecy and the fact that he gave her an exclusive look at his block lifting demonstration, she might be the only person he’d be willing to call for help.
When she turned onto his street, she slowed to check the cars parked on his block. Only a couple of them had an unobstructed view of Thane’s house, and those cars were empty. Despite Clay’s greed, Morana knew he wouldn’t set up a law enforcement ambush on Thane’s shop. If this was a setup, snagging her quickly and quietly before she entered Thane’s property was the only way to get her, and she was ready.
She parked a block and a half away and packed her bag with a few items and tucked a pistol into a concealed holster under her belt. She hurried along the sidewalk, scanning in all directions. As she closed in on Thane’s driveway, she slipped one hand into her bag, gripping a second pistol. She turned and jogged the final steps toward the garage. She passed through the pergola and stopped at the corner of the house. The rear of the property was quiet, and she saw no smoke, no broken windows, and no evidence of a physical emergency. The garage doors were closed. Although she expected Thane to be inside, the sun’s reflection on the windows prevented her from seeing any glow behind the brown paper that covered them. She passed by Thane’s truck and went to the door. As she reached for the knob, the door opened.
Thane stood there, his face taut. He wiped tears on his arm.
“Thane, what’s happened?” she asked.
He motioned for her to come inside and then quickly closed the door behind her.
She looked around the shop. It was as pristine as ever, everything appeared to be in order.
“It’s not over,” Thane said. “I got a phone call.”
“About what?” She asked, placing her phone in the entryway bowl.
“The accident.”
“Everett Paige called you?” Morana stared at him in disbelief.
“No,” Thane said. She followed him to his work block. She sensed motion above one of the cabinets. Gus’s tail curled and flicked as he looked down at them from his perch on a blanket.
“I got a voicemail,” Thane said, picking up his landline handset. He dialed and put it on speaker.
Listen, Sykes, I don’t know how you pulled off intimidating my client, but I’ll be damned if this is over. I’d say to watch your back, but I don’t give useless advice. I’m coming for you.
The message ended.
“It’s Everett’s attorney,” Thane said.
Morana crossed her arms. “Why is he involved?”
Thane put his finger to his lips. “I don’t want to discuss it in here.”
“Why not?”
Thane pointed to his ear.
“Is he listening?”
“I hope not,” he whispered, tension etched into his face.
“How would he be listening?”
Thane shrugged, and whispered, “I worry.”
“This makes no sense to me,” Morana said. “I met with Everett and put this issue to bed.”
“This situation is bigger and more complicated than I thought. You were so effective with Everett, I was hoping you can help me with his lawyer, too. I don’t have anyone else to call.”
“Listen, Thane,” Morana said, coming around the block to stand beside him. “Of course, I will do whatever I can.”
“Thank you.” Thane wrung his hands. “I wish I had money to pay you.”
“Don’t worry about that. I agreed to help you resolve this situation. I always finish any job I take on and, obviously, this one isn’t finished. Maybe you can pay me in experiment demonstrations.”
Thane relaxed and said, “If you can help me solve this problem, I’ll give you all the demonstrations you want!”
“Deal.” Morana held out her hand, they shook.
“If I’m going to help you, I have to learn more about this attorney. Is his information included in the file you gave Clay?”
“Only his firm,” Thane said. He watched Morana as she looked up and tapped her chin in thought. “What is it you do for a living?” he asked.
“Well…” Morana paused. “Actually, I’m between jobs right now, temporarily helping Clay with a personal project. Why do you ask?”
Thane strolled around to the opposite side of the work block and fiddled with the phone, spinning it a few times. “You not only found Everett in no time, but you also convinced him to drop his claim so quickly and effectively. I wonder how you did it.” When Morana didn’t immediately answer, Thane set the phone aside and looked at her.
“That’s an interesting question,” Morana finally said, scratching her neck. “I tracked him down by using public records. I arranged to meet him face-to-face. We had a brief conversation where I explained that his attempts to pursue you for the $10,000 would be futile and costlier than the payoff. By the end of our discussion, he agreed with me.”
Thane mustered a small smile.
Morana drummed her fingers on the work block. “But I didn’t realize he was only half of the problem.” She pointed to the phone. “You need to take the voice mail message seriously.”
“I do.”
“Then let me help you with some security measures to make your garage safer. It may seem trivial, but at a minimum, we should install an additional deadbolt on the door.”
“No, that isn’t necessary.”
“But you were trembling after listening to it.”
“That was more anger than fear.”
Morana came to him and took his hand. “I’m concerned about your safety.” She pointed to the entryway. “What if he kicks your door in, what will you do?”
“I would defend myself.”
“How?” Morana asked. “Please don’t be offended, but physically, you’re not…”
Thane laughed. “I’m less vulnerable than you think.”
“Do you carry?”
“Pardon?”
“A gun—do you have a gun?”
“No, nothing like that.”
Morana let go of his hand and leaned onto the block. “All I’m trying to do is keep you safe while I help you resolve this dangerous situation with Everett’s lawyer.”
“Follow me,” Thane said, leading her out of the garage. He pointed to a place for her to stand a short distance from the door.
Morana went there and folded her arms.
“Wait there,” Thane said. “Don’t try to see into the garage.”
Thane went back inside and closed the door. A moment later, the large garage door opened to ankle height, a red brick slid out, and the door came down to rest on it. Gus squeezed out under the door and ran to the side fence, scaled it, and disappeared to the other side.
Morana fought the urge to move closer.
Within a few seconds, a burst of air rushed out from under the door, scattering the fallen twigs and leaves that had accumulated against the door. A small dust cloud grew and faded across the driveway.
She heard Thane’s footsteps approach the entry door and it opened.
“Come in,” he said.
She stepped inside, looked toward his work area, and covered her mouth to
muffle a gasp.
Thane closed the door behind her and locked it.
A section of the garage’s foundation larger than a vehicle hung suspended in midair. The smaller work block rested atop the larger block. Together, they formed a two-tier pyramid hoisted to within inches of the ceiling. Below them, a crater mold was deep enough to be dark at the bottom.
Morana stood transfixed by the massive tonnage that levitated, perfectly still. She noticed a thin wire draped from the bottom corner of each block to a black box mounted in the ceiling. The faint hum had resumed.
“Follow me,” Thane said, “It’s safe.” He walked toward the edge of the mold.
Morana broke from her trance and approached him, staying back a couple of steps.
“You’ve already seen my work block that I use as a desk,” Thane said. “This larger one is called the Gateway block.” He squatted, on the edge of the mold and hopped down into it. The edge came up to his chin. He looked up at Morana and said, “Come in with me, and I’ll show you more.”
Morana squatted, keeping her eyes on the huge Gateway block as though she expected to fall at any moment. She dangled her feet inside the space and scooted closer to the edge. She recalled how the smaller block had shaken the entire garage and rattled the windows when it fell only a few inches. Thane had hoisted this block that looked 10x larger well above her full height.
Thane watched Morana assess the obvious risk against his assurance. “If you want to see more of my work, you’ll need to trust me,” his voice echoed. He turned and went to the distant corner of the Gateway block’s mold. A thin string of lights outlining a square blinked on around his feet. The lights cast speckles on his legs and the nearby crater wall.
“What… is this?” Morana asked.
“I’m safer than you think. There’s much more to see. I’m offering you an opportunity, but if seeing more isn’t worth the risk of stepping under 80 tons of suspended rock, you can leave—taking my word for it.”
Morana took a final look up at the massive block and shuddered. Despite Thane already being in the block’s mold, everything about stepping under it felt unreasonable. “Thane, I want to see whatever you are willing to show me, but I don’t mind admitting that this scares me.”
Thane slipped his hands into his pockets. “I can’t prove that you are safe unless you accept some danger.”
“And if you are wrong?”
“It would be too quick to hurt.” He smiled.
“Not funny, Thane.” She took a deep breath and hopped down into the space. The edge of the crater came to just below her shoulders. “I feel like a bug under a big shoe,” she said, hurrying to Thane’s side.
“Stand closer and stay within the boundary,” he said, pointing down to the lit outline.
She moved to within a couple of inches of Thane and faced him. He seemed perfectly comfortable with her having invaded his personal space.
He looked up at her face and said, “You will feel movement. It is important that you don’t panic.”
Morana hooked her arm through Thane’s. A sharp click came from somewhere near their feet. The square they stood on began to descend. Morana squeezed Thane’s arm as they descended, swallowed into the darkness.
“Ouch,” Thane said.
“I’m sorry,” Morana said, loosening her grip on his arm as they sank deeper into the pitch blackness of the shaft.
“Be sure to not touch the walls of the shaft. The interference could cause a rapid drop.”
Morana pulled him closer, staring upward as the lit opening above them shrank. “What are we on?”
“It’s a lift block. It’s like an elevator without the safety features.”
“That’s not encouraging,” Morana said, resuming her grip on Thane’s arm.
“It doesn’t require an elevator’s safety features, as long as we follow the rules.”
“I’m feeling compliant,” Morana said. “Where are we going?”
“To a special place.”
After they had descended about fifteen feet, the lift block slowed to a stop. Thane clicked on a flashlight, illuminating the shaft wall. A black panel the size of a wallet had come into view. Thane pressed it, and the lift block descended the same distance again until another black panel appeared. He repeated this process nine times, with each press of the panel, they traveled deeper from the surface. The shaft’s opening shrunk to a distant square of light above them.
“How much further?” Morana asked, loosening her grip on him.
“Approximately four meters,” Thane replied. Moments later, an opening slid up beside them. Thane aimed the flashlight into the open space of a chamber the size of a small bedroom, completely encased in the same rock as the shaft walls and the blocks up in the garage. A thin string of pinpoint lights like those around the edge of their lift platform blinked on, lining the ceiling’s edge. The lights illuminated the bare chamber with an ambient, yellowish glow.
Morana lifted her foot to step off the platform, but Thane stopped her.
“Wait,” he said. Another click came from a place near their feet. Morana looked down, trying to determine what caused it. Thane’s hands were out of his pockets, resting comfortably at his sides.
“Look up there,” Thane said, pointing up.
Morana did so and saw the square opening of the shaft slowly dim and then go black as the large Gateway block descended in the garage. When its bottom edge reached the top of its mold, air rushed down through the shaft, rustling their clothes and Morana’s hair. When the Gateway block came to a stop in its mold, the flow of air stopped.
Thane stepped into the chamber first and held out his arm for Morana to join him. “Welcome to my sub-lair,” he said.
“Wow,” Morana said. She reached out and touched the wall and then the ceiling.
Thane moved to the opposite side of the chamber and flattened his hands on the wall, rubbing in circles along the gritty surface.
Morana pivoted, taking in every detail about the space. The walls were comprised of the same solid rock as the blocks in the garage. When she looked closer, she noticed that they had been placed so precisely that their hairline seams were barely visible.
“What do you think?” Thane asked.
“I’m so overwhelmed, I almost don’t know what to ask,” she said.
Thane smiled. “This is a place I’ve created. There’s no evidence of its existence above ground. I appreciated your concern for my security when we were talking a few minutes ago,” he pointed up. “…but assault and burglary aren’t a concern for me when I’m down here.”
Morana sensed motion and turned to the shaft they had just exited. The opening to the lift was gone, and a solid square column of rock accelerated upward through the shaft.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
Thane said, “There goes our ride,” he laughed. “Whenever I’m in the sub-lair, I raise the lift block to eliminate the shaft’s airspace. Filling the shaft prevents any possibility of detection of my route to the sub-lair by anyone on the surface.”
“Unbelievable,” Morana said. “I knew you valued privacy, but I underestimated your preparation for it.”
After about a minute, the rock within the shaft slowed to a stop, and with a barely detectable bump, it locked. Morana went to it and touched it. It was difficult to distinguish the column of rock that had filled the shaft from the wall blocks on either side of it.
Thane said, “There’s something about the absolute subterranean isolation that appeals to me. Does that make you uncomfortable?”
“No. This is fantastic.” Morana patted the wall. “I love it. I used to work in an underground facility not long ago.”
“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I want to ask that you not share anything you see down here.”
“Of course I won’t,” Morana said. “This is worth protecting at any cost.” She drew her finger across the rock that now filled the lift shaft. “H
ow can the rock below the lift rise to fill the shaft if you aren’t on the lift to press those panels?”
“The shaft-triggers are only necessary if the lift is carrying more weight than its own.”
“Amazing,” Morana said. “So, there’s a place below us deep enough to house a block that can fill the entire shaft?”
“We’re over a hundred feet below ground. But we’ve descended only halfway to the floor of my work.”
Morana reached up to the string of lights. She gently tapped a bulb with her fingertip. “So, how do you get power to this… sub-lair?”
Thane pointed upward. “Most is provided by the solar panels mounted in the backyard, supplemented by the garage’s wired power. Eventually, I’d like to develop an independent power source for the sub-lair.”
Morana pivoted and said, “I’m stunned.”
“I thought you would be.” Thane smiled wide enough to show teeth.
Morana laughed. “So, did you expand an underground cave that already existed?”
“No, I quarried every square inch of space you see down here.”
“How?”
“Block by block.”
“Where do you take the blocks?”
“I discard them.”
“Where?”
“Sorry, I can’t tell you that. But I will tell you that I use my truck, and the block discards are well hidden. If anyone discovers them, they would only generate more questions than answers.”
He pointed to the corner of the chamber where three knee-high rectangular blocks were stacked against the wall. “I’m able to remove three of those per night, one at a time. Each is approximately a cubic meter, weighing 3,474.48 pounds, the payload limitation of my truck. Depending on the day, I can quarry and clear four or five cubic meters.”
Morana remembered that, aside from the relatively new bed liner, the worn truck looked like it was running its final miles. The fact that Thane claimed to have moved the immense tonnage of rock by making multiple trips with his small beat-up truck only impressed her more.
“Where are your tools?” she asked, knowing that the question was likely on the cusp of what Thane was willing to disclose.
“Stored away.” Thane motioned toward a narrow opening that Morana hadn’t noticed at the end of the chamber.
Prey for Us Page 11