Gabriel counted to three and jumped.
The Shadow creature was already there. It slammed into the ATV at the same time that Gabriel hit the ground. He landed hard and tumbled a few times. Fortunately, the rain soaked earth was soft and it absorbed most of the impact.
As soon as he stopped rolling, Gabriel crawled to his feet. He was covered in mud from head to toe. The four-wheeler was lying on its side a few yards away. Pieces were scattered out in every direction. The Devil was perched on top of the vehicle’s remains, shrieking, hammering with its hooves and rending the body apart in its massive jaws.
It shredded the seat, sending a plume of foam padding into the air. Then it moved on to the plastic fenders and made short work of them. Unsatisfied, the creature stalked around the machine, tearing off bits of fiberglass and metal and then tossing them angrily aside.
Gabriel waited breathlessly for the EGG to go off, but nothing happened. It had been at least twenty seconds -four times what was on the timer. Either the EGG was faulty, or it had been broken in the crash. Either way, they were going to have to make a run for it. He took one last look at the Devil as it ripped the front tires off their rims, and then ran in Jodi’s direction. Unfortunately, the creature noticed.
“Look out!” Jodi shouted. Gabriel dropped to his knees and spun around, expecting to see the monster bearing down on him. His hand went to the pack, fumbling for the pistol. Maybe this time it would work… maybe if he unloaded the full magazine into the monster, that would be enough R9-11…
The Devil took three large strides towards him and then paused, sniffing the air. A whistling sound erupted at its feet. The noise rose, climbing in pitch and volume to an ear-shattering crescendo.
Gabriel threw himself to the ground, shielding his face from the explosion. He yelled at Jodi to cover her eyes, but there was no telling if she heard. The EGG erupted in a thunderous explosion accompanied by brilliant violet light. The ground shook as the pulse wave radiated away from the epicenter. The Devil shrieked, and then its body disintegrated.
A moment later, it was over. Gabriel got back on his feet and stumbled over to the blast area. Rings had formed in the soft, muddy ground, much like ripples in a pond. “It worked!” Jodi shouted. She ran past him and began searching the ground next to the ATV. “There’s nothing left of the EGG either! Cool!”
Gabriel surveyed the smoking ruins of the four-wheeler. “I thought the Jersey Devil was mythological,” he said.
“Nothing’s mythological,” Jodi said. “Do you really think people would make up stories like that just to get attention?”
“The thought had occurred to me.”
“Uh huh. Tell me, what would happen if you went back to school and told everybody about this creature? What would everyone say?”
“They’d say I was crazy,” Gabriel said. “They’d probably lock me up in a mental institution.”
“Exactly. Does that sound like a good way to get attention?”
Gabriel shook his head. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
“Nobody ever does.”
“Well, we’d better get going. That thing might not have been alone.” Jodi’s eyes widened and she scanned the horizon.
“Yeah,” she said. “Hurry, grab the packs. I know the way from here. We just need to hike around this mountain.”
Just inside the woods they located a deer path that wound down into a narrow valley. The forest grew dense and dark around them as they walked, and the air took on a deep, earthy smell, sweet with the odor of fresh rain and fragrant wildflowers.
Gabriel had an overwhelming urge to stop and catch his breath, but he knew he might just lie down and fall asleep if he did. He could tell from Jodi’s stumbling pace that she was as exhausted as he was. It had been a rough morning. They were still in shock. Their minds hadn’t caught up with all that had happened. It was just too much to take in. They weren’t just physically drained; they were tired emotionally as well. It was the thought of the safety of the mansion that gave them the strength to continue.
The children pushed on, leaping over fallen logs and torrents of gushing rainwater, until they finally made it around the edge of the mountain. Then the forest gave way and the valley opened up in front of them. A breathtaking patchwork of farms and fields stretched out ahead, occasionally painted by flowery meadows and lush, green vineyards. Patches of forest sprouted out of the rolling hillsides, obscuring all but the rooftops of the scattered country homes.
“There’s the estate,” Jodi said, pointing. At first, all Gabriel saw was an expanse of forest to the south. Then he noticed the roof of the mansion and the nearby barn. They looked much smaller from this vantage.
“Let’s go,” he said.
Half an hour later, they climbed the fence at the far edge of the estate. They jogged down a narrow wooded slope, and the armory came into view. Jodi gasped. It was demolished. The front door had been blown of its hinges and smoked rolled out of the roof.
“We’re too late,” she said. “The estate’s been attacked.”
They crept stealthily up to the doorway and peeked inside. The air reeked with the smell of explosives, and Jodi pinched her nose.
“They’re gone,” Gabriel said. “The place is empty.”
“What’s that awful smell?”
“They used plastic explosives. C-4. I’d know that smell anywhere.”
“You know the smell of explosives?” Jodi said. “Who are you?”
Gabriel frowned. “I don’t know.” He stepped through the enlarged opening that used to be a doorway and surveyed the disaster. Jodi stepped in behind him.
“It’s ruined!” she said. “They destroyed everything!”
Gabriel’s face was dark as he glanced over the debris. The weight equipment was all smashed and overturned, some of it still on fire. The practice weapons had been torn from the shelves and lay scattered about the floor, and the exercise mats were shredded and smoldering. Worst of all, the weapons cabinet was destroyed, and apparently, emptied. He stepped closer and kicked away some of the broken glass.
“They took it all,” he said. “All of Reeves’ guns, his equipment… even the ammo.”
“Oh no,” Jodi said. A look of horror came over her face. She grabbed him by the arm. “Gabriel, do you think they got in the house? Julia was in there alone!”
They abandoned the armory and ran through the orchard towards the mansion. When they reached edge of the woods, Gabriel caught Jodi by the arm and pointed. “The front door’s been blown open, just like the armory,” he said. “Notice the windows? The bars aren’t even down. I don’t see any lights, either.”
Jodi was perplexed. “The security system wasn’t on? That doesn’t make any sense. Julia, of all people, would have had the security running. Especially after we told her about the dragon.”
“Maybe. Unless she was so upset about Reeves that she just didn’t think of it.”
“You might be right,” Jodi said. She glanced at the smoke rolling out of the kitchen windows. “This could be a trap. The shadowfriends might still be in there.”
“Only one way to find out,” Gabriel said. He dropped his pack and scanned the area. “Maybe you should stay here.”
“Forget that! I’m coming with you.”
“Fine. I’ll take the front and you take the back. I’ll meet you at the library.”
“Deal. Should we take the pistols?”
Gabriel considered it. “I don’t think so. They’re loaded with R9-11 rounds. If anyone’s still in there, they’re most likely human. If we point one of these guns at a shadowfriend, they’ll probably just shoot us.”
“Good point. Okay, I’ll meet you inside.”
With that, they split up. Gabriel gave Jodi a few minutes to get in place behind the house. When he was sure she’d had enough time, he crouched low and rushed up to the front entrance. He braved a quick glance through the opening and saw no movement inside. He took a breath and plunged in, somersaulting through the doorway.
>
Gabriel came up in a kneeling position along the wall. The house was dark and silent. Nothing. He peered into the kitchen, and then up the staircase. Nothing. He shot a glance down the long hall towards the library. As far as he could tell, the house was empty.
Gabriel slipped around the corner and made his way down the hall towards the library. There was no movement, no sound except the beating of his heart. He glanced through the windows in the swinging library doors and found that room empty as well. Jodi came around the corner and shook her head.
“There’s nobody here.”
Gabriel nodded his agreement. “Guess we’d better check the basement.”
Upon entering the library, the children were surprised to find that other than a few broken windows, it was wholly intact. “I guess shadowfriends don’t like books,” Gabriel said.
Jodi cracked a smile. “Yeah, the morons stumbled onto a whole library… probably scared the life out of ‘em.”
Then they turned around and saw the fireplace, or what was left of it.
Chapter 24
The shadowfriends had disengaged the sliding mechanism in the fireplace by wedging crowbars between the stonework and the wall. The end of the fireplace was tilted outward at an awkward angle, and chunks of stone and wood lay on the floor by the entryway. The elevator inside was standing open.
“I don’t like this at all,” Jodi said. Gabriel didn’t speak. They entered the elevator and hit the button for the basement.
“What’ll we do if they’re still down there?” Jodi said.
Gabriel checked his pockets, ultimately producing his pocketknife. “Not much,” he said with a grimace.
As the elevator slowed, Gabriel and Jodi stood to either side of the door so that they were somewhat concealed. Finally, the elevator came to a gentle halt and the door slid open. Gabriel peered around the corner and scanned the room.
The place was empty. D.A.S., it appeared, had been abandoned. They stepped out of the elevator. Jodi took a deep, shuddering breath and Gabriel realized she was crying. He threw his gaze around the room. The place was in ruins. The damage that Gabriel had done was nothing compared to this. The computer monitors had been smashed across the floor and circuit boards lay scattered about the room. The desks were overturned, the wood bashed in, and the chairs broken.
Only the giant monitors on the wall appeared to be functioning correctly. They alone remained steadfast amidst the chaos, ticking away the time and the weather just as they always had.
The children made a slow circuit through the basement, checking every room. The entire place had been vandalized. The backup systems were demolished. In the networking room with the phone and internet servers, the computer parts had been brutally dismantled and then thrown into a massive pile. Occasional sparks erupted from the mess, and Gabriel observed a puff of smoke here and there.
Julia was nowhere to be found. After checking every room, they went back into the lobby, and Gabriel leaned up against the edge of one of the desks. It was lying on its side. “What now?” he said.
“I don’t know. I didn’t think… I never thought this would happen.”
As they spoke, a clicking sound in the corner of the room caught Gabriel’s attention. He spun around. A section of the wall moved inward and slid away, revealing some sort of secret passage. It had been totally invisible a moment before. Now, it was a wide-open doorway. Julia and Pete came stumbling out, eyes wide and faces pale.
“Are they gone?” Pete whispered. Gabriel nodded.
Jodi threw her arms around them. “I thought you were dead!” she said.
“We’re not,” said Julia. “But we came close. It’s a good thing Reeves thought to put this safe-room in here, or they would have had us.” They went silent at the mention of Reeves’ name. A look of grief flashed across Julia’s face, and then vanished. “We’ll have time to mourn later, children. For now, let’s just let the Coast Guard do their job. Like it or not, we have our own work to do.”
“What can we do?” said Gabriel. “They destroyed everything!”
“Not everything,” Pete broke in. “Most of our redundant systems are still functional. Even the security system should still work. Unfortunately, they did get some important hard drives.”
“Wait a minute,” said Gabriel. “If the security system is working, then how did they get in?”
“Somebody shut if off,” Julia answered. “It was manually disabled this morning before the attack began. By the time Pete and I realized what had happened, it was already too late. So we hid, and hoped you two wouldn’t show up while they were still here.”
Gabriel swallowed hard. “D.A.S. was sabotaged? You don’t think… I didn’t do it, did I?”
“I don’t know,” said Julia. “The security cameras feed directly into the hard drives, which they took, so there’s no evidence. I think we’ll have Mr. Oglesby take another look at you, just in case.”
Jodi gave Gabriel a sympathetic look and then turned back to Julia. “So what are we going to do?” she said.
“Well, first of all we’re going to clean this mess up. Pete why don’t you get on the phone and get Flannigan over here? Once we’re sure everything’s working, we’ll decide what to do next.”
Gabriel went to work, and tried not to think about the fact that the mess he was cleaning might have been his own fault… again. He’d already been responsible for destroying thousands of dollars worth of equipment and assaulting both Reeves and Julia. What if this was his fault as well? What if he’d disabled the alarm? The thought made him sick.
Julia told Gabriel and Pete to stack the bags of broken computer hardware behind the house for recycling. She almost said that Reeves would pick it up later, but caught herself mid-sentence. The boys tried to comfort her as her eyes watered up, but Julia refused to dwell on it. “Work to do,” she reminded them. “Lots of work to do.”
Mr. Oglesby arrived shortly thereafter and attempted another hypnosis session with Gabriel. When Gabriel awakened, Mr. Olgesby informed him that nothing had changed. “There’s nothing there,” Olgesby said. “If you sabotaged D.A.S., I don’t know how. You have no memory of doing it, subconscious or not.”
“Assess the risk,” Julia said. “What should we do?”
“I can’t see how it could have been Gabriel. I suppose it’s possible that the Shadowlords have come up with a new trick, but if so, it’s beyond my understanding. Personally, I don’t see him as a risk.”
“Well then,” said Julia, “how does Gabriel feel about it?”
All eyes turned on him, and Gabriel wanted to shrink and disappear. He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid,” he said. “You know what I can do. But I wouldn’t ever hurt you guys. Not on purpose, anyway.”
“That’s good enough for me,” said Julia. “Besides, beggars can’t be choosers. We don’t have enough manpower as it is.”
“Speaking of which,” said Mr. Oglesby, “What is it that you’ve got planned? I know something’s going through that mischievous brain of yours.”
“I object to that, Mr. Oglesby,” Julia said. “Though I do have a plan. The next time the Shadow strikes, we’re going to be there.”
“And how exactly do you plan on knowing where they’ll attack?” he said.
“We already know,” Julia said. “There’s only one possibility.”
Pete snapped his fingers. “The hard drives!” he said. “Every D.A.S. operation is allowed to know about the existence of two other agencies. In our case, that was London and Canada. London has already been attacked. That must be how the shadowfriends found us. Canada must be next!”
“My thoughts exactly,” said Julia. “Does the plane need gas, Jodi?”
She shook her head. “We filled it this morning.”
“Good. Pete, do you mind manning the fort a couple days? We’re going to need you on intel and communications.”
“Sure.”
“Excellent. Jodi, get on the phone to Canada and let them know we’re
coming. Tell them to be on high alert for the next forty-eight hours. We’ll drop you off at home on the way out of town.”
“No!” Jodi shouted. “I’m going with you!”
“Jodi, I’m sorry but this isn’t like spending the night. We’re leaving the country, and this could be dangerous.”
“What have I been training for all this time? I can take care of myself, you know that! And you need me! If you leave me here, I might as well quit D.A.S.!”
Julia looked her up and down, weighing the situation. Finally, she sighed. “All right. I shouldn’t do this, but unfortunately, we need all the help we can get. But you’re staying out of trouble. You’ll stay on the plane while all of this goes down, and you do exactly as I say, understand?”
“I promise!”
Chapter 25
The take-off on the muddy lake was a bit rough, but not nearly as bad as the landing had been. Jodi set a course over the Pacific Ocean hoping for a smoother flight. She explained to Gabriel that D.A.S. had a special military clearance that allowed them to fly internationally.
“Then the government knows about D.A.S?” Gabriel said.
“Well, not exactly. It’s not common knowledge -D.A.S. has friends in the government, but the government doesn’t officially know what we do.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t you want the government to know, so they could help?”
Jodi laughed. “You can’t tell just anyone about the Shadow, Gabriel. Either you’ll make them think your crazy, or you’ll scare them to death. Can you imagine the panic, if the public found out?”
“Yeah, I guess. So does D.A.S. have this special clearance from every country?”
“A lot of ‘em. Of course, if we do have trouble, we’ve got other ways of disappearing.” She grinned mischievously.
Gabriel was reminded of a story Reeves had told him. “Bending light” he said. “You figured out how to bend light? Like in the Manhattan Project?”
“Not me,” Jodi laughed. “And don’t ask me to explain how it works. All I know is, if I hit that big red button next to the throttle, this plane vanishes. No radar, no laser, you can’t even see it unless you’re right next to it.”
Shadow Born Page 12