39
After breakfast, plans were made for the art heist. Switchblade, of course, would lead the small crew. They had tools but the work would be slow. Especially considering they had to try to keep the noise to a minimum.
Chase, Switchblade, Mel, and Amos gathered around a work station as Mel tried to get the computer system to jump into a WR program. She wanted to see the work orders for the crew continuing to make so much racket that most of the underground’s residents were now hiding in their rooms. But there was no report to be found—not by the undetectable supercomputer.
Mel pulled up a holographic image of the town, something she’d accomplished using the cameras positioned at street level. She could temporarily program the cameras to show past images when needed, just like Chase had learned to do with the exoself. But she couldn’t redirect a satellite. Life here had been safer before the killswitch had taken away Chase’s power. Now they’d take a chance every time they went up.
The holograph showed four men going in and coming out of the museum. They carried wood planks and large pieces of plasterboard. Materials that would be useful in building a new wall to replace the one that was about to get knocked down.
“I need to be a part of this team,” Chase implored. “I can’t let them go without me. It was my idea. Besides…”
“What is it, son?” Amos asked.
“That painting sort of belongs to me, I think. More than anyone else. I want to be the one to move it.”
“How do you figure, Charlie?” Switchblade rubbed his head and dropped his hands to his knees. “We was hiding behind it before you showed up.”
“Mel, I told you about the dreams. They led me here. God brought me to Blue Sky Field by showing it to me.”
“What do you mean he showed it to you?” Switchblade asked.
“I was searching for an actual field. You can ask Molly—I told her that’s where I was going. But she sent me here. And I found what I was looking for in the painting.”
“Amazing,” Amos said.
“Don’t mean you own the thing.” Switchblade grabbed a duffle bag off the floor. “But I see why you want to be in on this. It’s OK with me. Kinda used to you being my sidekick.”
Chase exploded out of the chair and folded his arms. “I’m your sidekick?”
“Yeah, I thought it might go the other way. But now that you lost your super powers you can see how I would be the logical choice for being in charge over a has-been gameshow host. You ain’t got no experience in covert operations.”
“Covert—like knocking down a wall? I think I’ve had plenty of experience. The exoself didn’t get here all by itself, you know.”
Mel leapt to her feet. “If you two can’t get along, then you can both stay here.”
Amos snickered. Chase smiled. Switchblade put his arm around Chase’s shoulder and pulled him to the bolted door.
Mel huffed and then laughed. “Chase Sterling…Redding, you keep a VPad on you and answer me if I call you.”
“Yes, ma’am. Don’t tell my mother what I’m doing. She’s even stricter than you.”
Mel hurried to his side and wrapped her hands around his bicep. “I mean it. I can’t just type a message to your brain anymore. You stay in touch.”
Switchblade unlocked the door and pushed it open. “If he needs to talk to you, I’ll let him use my VPad. If you need to talk to him, call me.” Switchblade’s tone rose higher and he wagged his head back and forth. “But don’t be carrying on about how you miss him and you hope he’s all right.” He went through the door and recovered his deep voice. “The men got work to do and we don’t need none of that.”
Mel stomped into the tunnel. “I just want to be in touch, that’s all.”
Chase took her by the arm and spun her around. He kissed her hair, lifted her off her feet, and set her down on the other side of the doorway. “I’ll let you know if we need anything. Go make room somewhere for the paintings.”
She faced him. “OK, boss.”
He raised his brow.
“Sorry. You were bossing me and it slipped out.” She grabbed him around the neck and kissed him. “I’ll tell the rest of your crew you’re going up.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you in a little while.”
Chase followed Switchblade into the dark passage and up the winding stairs. Footsteps echoed behind him. One of the five men chosen for the job swung a laserlight, and Chase appreciated the glow it offered. The others caught up as Switchblade pushed the painting out of the way and crawled through.
The first thing to do was secure the door. Switchblade nailed old plywood over it so that if the workers on the other side wanted in, the crew on this side would at least have a couple of minutes to retreat. But there’d be no hiding—not for long—with a gaping hole in the wall.
The men went to work removing the artwork from the walls. The pieces all slid free without a struggle, except for Ciel Blue Domaine. Switchblade used a screwdriver to remove the hinges that held the painting to the wall. Chase and two other men held it as it broke loose. They eased it to the floor.
“Now we’ve got to make a hole big enough to get them through,” Chase said.
“Seriously?” one of the men asked. “Let’s just chop them up and throw them in the hole we’ve already got.”
“Leo’s right,” Switchblade said. “It’d save a lot of time. Those workers could come in any minute.”
“No way we’re destroying them,” Chase said to the man named Leo. “Start cutting the wall.”
“Look, I know you’re the most important thing to happen to the underground, but we don’t follow your orders, Mr. Sterling,” Leo said.
“Charlie, we could make clean cuts and put the pieces back together when we get them in,” Switchblade said.
Chase shook his head. “The way I got cut up and put back together? This painting—”
“I know. God used it to lead you here.” Switchblade picked up a laser saw and powered it. “We’ll get it through in one piece.” He aimed the silent beam at the plaster and made a clean cut.
Chase grabbed an old-fashioned handsaw and began cutting the beam behind the plaster. Leo grumbled as he joined the other men in breaking out sections of the wall in chunks large enough to put back. With some new plasterboard and a little paint, nobody would know the wall hid a passage that went down into the cavern.
As they worked Chase explained his dreams, and his recent induction into the family of believers, to Leo and the other men. They seemed to understand that Chase needed to keep the focal point of his visions intact.
“I got wind of it last night—about you getting saved,” Leo said. “People were talking. Then Amos started in on all that wedding stuff. So, you and Melody getting married?”
“I haven’t proposed to the lady,” Chase said. “Someday. I hope.”
“No point in waiting if you ask me. Might not be a someday.”
Hours passed as boards were removed and laid aside to be put back in place later. Mel called Switchblade’s VPad twice. Chase assured her they were doing fine. Sandwiches were shared during short breaks. The noise from just beyond the room continued until the day grew old and the crew left.
With the wall all but removed, the paintings were put through to the other side.
Switchblade pulled on his cap and dark glasses. “I’m going up to see what I can find to repair this mess.”
“I’m coming with you,” Chase said.
“No, you’re not. You and the guys get those paintings down the stairs. Which, by the way, won’t be no easy feat.” The big man shook his head. “Meet me back here in an hour and we’ll rebuild the wall. You and me can get it all beautified from the inside. Then we’ll come in through the alley.”
“You sure you’ll be OK?”
“Just bring me some supper.”
“Will do.”
Switchblade headed up and Chase and the others headed down. Each of the men carried one of the smaller paintings to the stai
rcase and into the underground. Others, waiting at the unbolted door, took the artwork.
Chase went back up with Leo. The other men left to eat their well-deserved dinner. More than two men maneuvering the largest of the paintings down the winding stairs wouldn’t work.
“Thanks for understanding my need to keep the art from being cut up,” Chase said as he and Leo grabbed hold of the heavy wooden frame.
“Don’t know that I understand. But we put the needs of others ahead of our own,” Leo told him. “If we didn’t, we’d be fighting all the time down here.”
“That’s foreign to me,” Chase said. “To the old me, anyway. I used to brag on how I helped so many people, but truth is I spent most of my life seeing what I could get out of it for myself. Now I’m starting to understand what you mean. But don’t you resent it sometimes?”
“Like right now? This thing weighs a ton.” Leo smiled as he strained and blew out a breath.
“I’m sorry I lost the upper body strength.” Chase huffed. “Really sorry.”
“You just keep your end up.” The two sidestepped through the tunnel. “As far as resenting it when I don’t get my own way, I figure after what’s been done for me, I can’t complain. I gave up my own agenda a long time ago. So did you, brother. Look at all you’ve given up for us. You didn’t owe us anything. And yet, here you are.”
Peace flowed into Chase at the words of a man who’d been doing this Christian thing long enough to know how it worked. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Leo asked.
“Just thanks.”
As Switchblade had warned, getting the big canvas down the spiraling stairs was not easy. Chase nearly dropped it a couple of times. But they got it through the door and into the compound. Setting it down, both men dropped to the floor and leaned against the wall.
Mel was there this time—Chase hadn’t taken time to look for her when he brought down the smaller paintings. She sat beside him, a look of relief on her face. Which disappeared when he told her he was going back to help Switchblade repair the wall.
“We can’t leave it that way, Mel. Switch is seeing what we can use that won’t be missed. We’ve got to close up the wall.”
“I’ll go with you,” Leo said. “You’ll get it done quicker with another set of hands.”
“I appreciate that,” Chase said.
“Well, you at least have to eat before you go,” Mel said.
“We’re coming,” Chase said. “I told Switch I’d bring him some.”
She got up and pulled on Chase’s arm. “I’ll fix him a plate.”
Chase pushed up off the floor and took her by the hand. Leo followed them to the dining hall. The people sitting at the long tables smiled when Chase entered. They seemed to wait in silence for something. Chase looked around the room. The paintings—the smaller ones—adorned the walls.
“How on earth did you get them hung so fast?” Chase asked Mel.
“We had the hooks up and ready before you brought them down. What do you think?”
He led her to the nearest table and took a seat. She sat beside him. “It’s perfect,” he said. “Now we can all enjoy them.” A few people applauded and the rest joined in. Chase’s mom brought him a plate of corned beef and cooked apples.
Chase shoveled in a forkful of the steamy fruit. Maybe he could get by on little sleep, but thankfully he hadn’t lost his need for food.
“So, who’s been up?” he asked. “Corned beef is new to the menu.”
“I went,” Mel said.
Chase dropped his fork. “What? I can’t believe you went on a food run.”
“Somebody’s got to carry on with that sort of thing now that we don’t have any contacts up top. Michael and Joseph went with me. And we did all right. I don’t think we have anything to worry about as long as the Feds aren’t in the area.”
“But—”
“We all have to work together.”
“You don’t go up without me. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” she said. She bent near and kissed him. The giggling started before she backed away.
“Go fix that plate for Switchblade.”
“Yes, sir,” she said again, and she left him there. He watched her go then found his mother had taken the seat beside him.
“You love that girl.” Mom smoothed down Chase’s hair like she did when he was a kid in need of a comb.
“I do. I think I’ve loved her for a long time. Just took a while to convince myself.”
“When you get back tonight, come to my room. Even if it’s late,” she said. “I have something for you.”
40
Carrying a plate of corned beef and apples for Switchblade, Chase followed Leo, who had the laserlight. They entered the room where the paintings had hung. No need to climb through a hole in the wall—the wall was nearly gone.
No sign of Switchblade. He should have been back from his unlawful supply run. Chase set the plate on the floor. “Come on,” he said. “We’d better go look for him.”
Chase cracked the door—Switchblade had taken down the boards they’d nailed over it. The construction crew hadn’t ventured this far.
Leo handed Chase the laserlight and followed him to the museum’s front room with its view of the dark town.
“I can’t believe this,” Chase said. “Where did he go?”
Switchblade filled the open doorway. “I’m right here. Don’t get yourself in a tizzy.”
“What are you doing out there?” Chase demanded.
“Fresh air, brother. I need it.”
“Did you get the stuff?”
“Enough for our little building project. It’s piled in the hall. You walked right past it.”
“Then get in here. Let’s get busy.”
Patching the old chunks of drywall with the tape and plaster made easy work of rebuilding the wall. Blue paint didn’t match the aged green of the rest of the room, but Leo thought it best to put a coat of the latex over the repair job. Enough remained to add some blue to an adjoining wall, which gave the appearance of an unfinished project. Hopefully, the workers wouldn’t get to this part of the structure before the new paint smell diminished.
With the wall put back together, permanently cutting off access to Blue Sky Field, Chase and his cohorts headed out the front door of the museum and stuck close to the buildings as they slinked to the alley at the end of the street. No one was out—it was the middle of the night.
Chase had called Mel with Switchblade’s VPad to tell her when to scramble the camera links. The refuse bin held a full load and it took all three men to push it aside. Once they’d crawled into the tunnel, moving the bin back into place was even harder. Switchblade and Leo leaned against the wall, puffs of frigid air escaping their lips. Chase got his second wind. There had to be a breaking point for this endless energy.
“Good work,” Switchblade said when they got to the old stairs leading downward. He patted Chase on the back and gave a quick punch to Leo’s arm. “I’ll see you men tomorrow.” He reached the compound and disappeared in the darkness.
“See you, Chase,” Leo said.
“Yeah. Goodnight.” Chase faced the hall leading to his mother’s room. “Thanks for your help.” He nodded as Leo went the opposite direction.
Before he got too far into the compound, Mel ran toward him with a laserlight in her hand. She threw her arms around him.
“I thought I could get to the tunnel before you got back,” she said. “I don’t know my way around this far out.”
“You didn’t have to come. You should be in bed asleep.” But he was glad to see her. He kissed her and stroked her soft hair.
“Like I could sleep not knowing if you made it back. Did everything go as planned?”
“Does it ever?” He took her hand and started walking.
“Oh no. What happened?”
“Switch pulled a disappearing act—took a stroll in the moonlight. That’s all. The repair on the wall looks good, as long as nobo
dy looks too close. Come on, I’ll walk you to your room. I told Mom I’d stop by when I got back. I’m sure she’s waiting up for me.”
“Okay, but first I want to show you something. Come to my work station with me.”
He followed her lead and she flipped on the lights above the computers. Chase found the reason Mel had brought him here. High on a wall, overlooking the worldwide command center of the Underground Church, Ceil Bleu Domaine hung in its new location.
Chase gazed at the painting and squeezed Mel’s hand. “I’m so glad we didn’t tear it up. I’ll never get tired of looking at it.” He stood before it. “This is where it belongs—right here where we hold everything together.”
“I’m glad you approve.” She lifted up and kissed his cheek. “Now you can take me to my room.”
They entered the hallway. “Are you tired, Chase? At all?”
“No. I feel as wide awake as when I got up this morning after three hours of sleep.”
“I wish I could tell you what’s going on in your body,” she said.
“Don’t look so worried. It’ll be all right.”
She nodded as they neared her door. He kissed her goodnight. Or good morning—what time was it anyway? Then he kissed her again. “I’ll try to sleep in.” He let her go.
“You do that and you’ll miss breakfast.”
“Let me guess—corned beef and cooked apples.”
“That’s right. You’re gonna want some of that.”
He walked backward as she spoke. “I’ll see you there.” He smiled, turned around, and headed a few doors down the hall to his mother’s room. A quiet knock brought her to the door and she let him in.
“Oh, son, I’m glad you’re back. I was getting worried.” She sat on the end of her bed and pulled a small leather pouch from under the mattress.
“It took some time, but we got the wall rebuilt. Nobody will know what’s behind it.” He sat beside her. “What have you got there?”
“I wasn’t able to hold on to much when I came underground. But I managed to keep a few things.” She spread open the drawstring top of the bag and pulled out two rings. “Mine and your father’s. Our wedding rings. I want you to have them.”
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