Josie climbed down also. The water only came up to her chest. It was cold, but not too uncomfortable thanks to the body suit. She couldn’t understand how Keegan and her stickers could stand it. “You ready?”
“Lead the way,” Keegan said. She hoped there were hot tubs in the building—she would need one after this.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The building’s employees were coming in now, passing through security in the west lobby as they streamed in from the parking lot. They each waved IDs over scanners as uniformed security officers watched them.
Tezcahtlip, now in the form of Dr. Parker, was one of the employees. He was very uncomfortable in the busty woman’s form. Even with her memories, he was having a hard time with her heels and the uncomfortable bra.
“Good morning, Dr. Parker,” one of the security guards grinned. His name was Steve, and he and Dr. Parker had taken some lunches together recently.
“Good morning,” Tezcahtlip said, passing his ID over the scanner.
Steve seemed puzzled. Dr. Parker wasn’t wearing any makeup, or jewelry, and her hair looked like she’d just rolled out of bed. She appeared to have on the same clothes she wore the day before. “Rough night, Doc?”
“Yes,” Tezcahtlip said, moving on. He wasn’t about to stand around and flirt with a man.
Steve shrugged and turned to the next employee.
***
Jimmy couldn’t see anything other than bright white light.
Colonel Kenslir lowered the bright flashlight and Jimmy could see again.
“Can you remember what it was like when you had pupils?” Kenslir asked.
Jimmy could just make out the form of the Colonel in the dim glow provided by the exit sign. Then everything went white again, as Kenslir shined his insanely-bright flashlight in Jimmy and Victor’s eyes again. Jimmy reflexively raised his hand and closed his eyes.
“Don’t raise your hands, Jimmy. It’s just light. It won’t hurt.”
Kenslir was right—the light didn’t hurt. Having his eyes burn in the bright sun seemed like such a distant memory now.
Jimmy glanced over at Victor. The postcog was grinning. “What are you grinning about?”
“I don’t feel it.”
“Of course you don’t feel it,” Jimmy said. Victor was really getting on his nerves.
Victor passed something back and forth in his hands. Jimmy was confused—it was small, a key.
“What have you got there, Hornbeck?” Atlas asked, walking over. Colonel Kenslir aimed the bright light at Victor’s hands.
Victor was very excited now. He held the small key up between his thumb and forefinger. “This key is from the first missing person case I ever worked on. It belonged to a little girl that was abducted. I’ve carried it ever since me and Pam found her.”
“And?”
“I used to touch things and feel impressions from them. I had no control over it. I either had to wear gloves or not touch anything. But now... nothing. It’s fantastic!”
Kenslir was frowning. “Have you lost your ability?”
“No! If I concentrate, I can still make it out—how happy she was that we found her.”
Jimmy, Atlas and Kenslir looked blankly at Victor.
“Don’t you see? I can control it now!”
“Great,” Kenslir said, then he swung the flashlight back up in Jimmy’s eyes. Jimmy flinched again. “But let’s get back to training.”
***
They had been swimming for some time now, at least fifteen minutes. Josie figured they were about a half mile down the tunnel. And despite the cold water, Keegan was showing no signs of stopping.
Josie was used to running the stairwells in the building. She hadn’t been swimming in some time. She didn’t know how much longer she could go on.
Keegan continued on, slightly ahead of her, like a machine. A naked, sticker-wearing machine.
Josie ignored the fatigue and pushed herself. She had to keep up.
***
Tezcahtlip was now three levels below the main lobby, walking out of a large freight elevator. He glanced up at the many dome cameras hung from the ceiling as he took the long walk down the corridor. The humans had designed the corridor as a security precaution. It could be collapsed, sealing off access to the Fountain Chamber.
Tezcahtlip finally reached the door to the Fountain Chamber. It was half open, just as it was every morning. The shapeshifter slipped through the door, checking his watch—or rather, Dr. Parker’s watch.
Inside the chamber, the technicians, all of them female, were cleaning up, servicing the platform the stone soldiers had been lowered into the Fountain on.
The Fountain—it was an amazing well of mystic energy that Tezcahtlip had been surprised to learn of. Nothing like it had existed in his era. Built on what the humans called a ley line. Carved from the rocks by humans over hundreds of years and filled with water seeping from the limestone running under the area.
The Fountain was the site of thousands of blood sacrifices and dark rituals millennia ago. A place drenched in the lifeforce of humans. Tezcahtlip wished he could drain the Fountain of all that power. But it didn’t have a heart.
The shapeshifter circled around the chamber, nodding and smiling to the humans as they worked. He smiled because he knew that in a very short time, he would be eating them all.
***
Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt. In fact, Jimmy could barely feel it. And now it was his turn. He carefully squeezed his trigger.
The small pistol in his hand barked out a single lead round, the bullet hitting Victor’s chest where he stood only a few feet away. The postcog flinched.
Jimmy smiled.
“Victor, you have got to learn to accept this,” Kenslir said. “Do you feel the bullets?”
“Yes, sir, I do.”
“And do they hurt?”
“No, sir. They’re just startling.”
“Do you flinch when it rains?”
Actually, Victor did. But he wasn’t going to admit that in front of Jimmy. “No, sir.”
“Then stop it. You don’t have anything to be afraid of anymore, so stop being scared.”
Captain Smith, Atlas, walked over, holding a blowtorch. A long jet of blue flame was coming from the end. “Kane! Hold out your hand.”
Jimmy immediately did so, putting his left hand into the flame. His stone hand immediately began to grow warmer, but it didn’t hurt. The temperature continued to rise, but the blue flame wasn’t harming Jimmy’s hand. Eventually, Atlas pulled the torch away.
“Didn’t feel a thing,” Jimmy boasted.
Kenslir looked to Victor. “Your turn.”
Victor slowly held his hand out. He hesitated then put his hand in the fire, then quickly pulled it back out.
“No!” Atlas said, frowning.
Victor swallowed—a weird sensation when there was no longer any moisture in his mouth or throat. He put his hand back in the flame, not noticing the Colonel had circled around behind him. The torch was hot, but it didn’t hurt. Victor smiled.
A gun suddenly fired from behind him and a bullet struck Victor in the back of the head. He felt the lead projectile fragment as he spun around.
The Colonel was standing there with his own sidearm aimed at Victor. He fired again—this time sending a round into Victor’s forehead.
Victor squeezed his eyes shut and tried to dodge the bullet, but it fragmented between his eyes.
Kenslir sighed and holstered his pistol. “Victor, you have got to get this right.”
Victor opened his eyes and looked down at the floor, embarrassed. That was weird too. His cheeks no longer flushed with warmth when he felt the emotion. Being made of living stone was definitely different.
Kenslir stepped back and nodded to Jimmy. “Keep at it until you two get it right.”
Jimmy smiled and aimed his pistol as Victor turned back around. At this rate, he was going to be a crack shot by lunch. Assuming they got a break then. The
y might not need to eat, but surely the Colonel did.
***
Finally, Josie had stopped. She just couldn’t keep up. They were nearing the three-quarter mile mark. Her lungs hurt and she was cold.
Keegan swam only another twenty feet before noticing. She stopped, turned and swam back over to Josie, then floated in the water.
“You all right, honey?”
Josie gritted her teeth. “I haven’t been swimming in awhile.”
Keegan floated there, lightly treading water—something the petite, short Agent could do that Josie couldn’t in the shallow water. “Well, don’t stop moving—this water is so cold, you’ll get a cramp.”
To hell with this, Josie thought. Lady Godiva could have her little victory. Josie was going back to her room and taking a hot shower.
“I’m done.” Josie turned and started walking back the way they came, slowly, through the chest-high water. She’d keep moving, but she didn’t have it in her to swim any further.
Keegan smiled, happy with her small victory. Her happiness was short-lived.
The lights in the tunnel suddenly went out.
CHAPTER THIRTY
All in black, with heavy flack vests, knee and elbow pads, helmets and automatic rifles, Argon’s security guards were firing their weapons at the intruder. Their bullets glanced off some bright red scales, and penetrated others.
Ketzkahtel roared at the stinging caused by the gunfire and turned in a circle, using his tail to sweep the detachment of security guards on the roof off their feet. Then the dragon swept forward, pinning two men down with one clawed foot each, and breaking the spine of another with his wide jaws.
The fourth guard climbed to his knees and began firing into Ketzkahtel’s dragon back.
The shapeshifter spun in place again and unleashed a stream of fire at the guard, igniting him. The man screamed and tried to leap to his feet as the flames encompassed his body.
Ketzkahtel charged forward and turned his head sideways and bit the man around the waist. He picked the flaming, squirming, screaming guard up and shook him, shattering his spine and killing the man instantly. Then he dropped the flaming corpse to the surface of the helipad.
Sprinkler-like heads popped up around the helipad and began pumping out water. The guard’s body was quickly extinguished.
Ketzkahtel turned and looked around at the large roof top. It was a hundred feet wide and maybe a hundred-and-fifty feet long. A small structure on the north side, with two freight elevators and stairwell door was the only thing rising above the level of the helipad on the south side. The roof was otherwise featureless. Save for the eight dead guards Ketzkahtel had already killed.
He briefly wondered how many more would they send to him.
***
Warning sirens and flashing lights were on in the Fountain Chamber and the huge blast door was cycling shut. The technicians were hastily stowing equipment. Tezcahtlip stood quietly to one side, at the back of the chamber, by a security door.
“Dr. Parker!” Dr. Crone yelled from a few feet away. “Don’t just stand there!”
Tezcahtlip looked at the older woman and smiled. Not a friendly, warm smile. The smile a tiger might give its prey before attacking.
In seconds, Tezcahtlip transformed into such a beast—his sabertooth form—shredding the clothes of the dead Dr. Parker.
Dr. Crone’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the buffalo-sized beast and its foot-long fangs. She was too scared to scream.
Tezcahtlip pounced, covering the distance between them in a single bound easily. He landed on Dr Crone’s chest, knocking her flat and breaking most of her ribs. Then he began to rip her apart with his claws and fangs.
The other women had noticed. Now they were all screaming and headed for the closed blast door in a mad panic.
***
Despite their animosity toward each other, Keegan and Josie were holding hands. Josie hoped that was all she was touching in the pitch black of the tunnel. She was so cold now she wasn’t sure.
“What’s going on?” Keegan asked. Was it fear or the cold Josie heard in her voice?
The busty agent had swum over to Josie as soon as the lights went out and grabbed at her.
“I don’t know,” Josie answered. She wondered when the emergency lights would come on.
Lights. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten. Probably because of the cold.
Josie pulled her hand free from Keegan’s.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Keegan asked, just possibly a little panicked.
“Just hang on,” Josie said. She reached behind her and pulled at her suit’s zipper.
When she heard the sound of the zipper, Keegan briefly wondered what the girl was doing. Did she have to pee?
As soon as she had the zipper halfway down her back, Josie reached in and got the small plastic bag she’d been carrying, tucked under the suit over the small of her back. She quickly squeezed on the bag, turning on her cellphone inside it.
“A cellphone?” Keegan asked, surprised when the device lit up.
“Yeah, I actually had somewhere I could put one.”
“I hate to break it to you, honey, but you won’t get a signal down here.”
“I thought it would come in handy as a flashlight,” Josie said, aiming the smartphone ahead of her. The dim glow from the face of the phone did help.
***
Colonel Kenslir and Atlas were arming themselves. They were strapping on web belts, each with two pistols on their hips. Kenslir already had a harness on, supporting twin Bowie knives on his chest.
“What about us?” Jimmy asked.
“Use your fists,” Kenslir said, filling the ammo pouches on the web belt with fresh magazines for the twin stainless steel M1911s he now had. He wasn’t sure what good the pistols would do—but there were no special munitions on this floor, and no heavy weapons. It was better than nothing.
Victor was putting his shirt back on—a black fatigue shirt to match his pants and boots. The boys had removed their shirts prior to the live fire exercise, and aside from their pants and boots, they had nothing else on them.
“You know how to fight, right?” Atlas asked. He had selected a large axe from the wall of edged weapons in the training room. It also held swords, spears, and martial arts weapons Jimmy couldn’t even name.
“Can I have one of those?” Jimmy asked, pointing toward a Samurai sword.
“Know how to use it?” Kenslir asked, tucking away the last of the pistol magazines.
“You don’t need a sword, Kane,” Atlas said. “You’re made of living stone.”
“Then why do you have an axe?” Victor asked.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Tezcahtlip had killed all the women in the chamber and consumed their hearts and most of their internal organs. Now he was working on the security door. Not the one that led out of the Fountain Chamber. He wanted through the one in the back of the Chamber, that led to a secure storage area.
The door finally bent and burst inward, coming off its hinges. Tezcahtlip shifted into the human form of Sergeant Alanis. It would be easier to walk into the storage room in human form.
The room was medium-sized, lined with lockers and small safes. Tezcahtlip crossed to the one in the rear that was his goal. Instead of ripping the door off the safe, he worked the combination lock, using Dr. Parker’s memory of the combination to open it.
Inside the small safe, Tezcahtlip found his prize—a metal box, slightly larger than a basketball, with a handle on top. He pulled the box free and gingerly carried it out of the storage room, toward the Fountain.
Standing at the edge of the water, Tezcahtlip popped the latch and opened one face of the box. Then he tilted the box and let the head inside roll out.
The head, covered with short, tendril-like appendages splashed as it entered the water. It sank quickly from sight, down into the thirty foot depths of the Fountain of Youth.
Tezcahtlip stepped back and waited, licking his
lips. This would be the most delicious heart yet.
The water in the Fountain pool briefly churned. Then a hand broke the surface of the water, gripping at the edge of the pool. A woman’s hand.
The woman pulled herself out slowly, climbing from the healing waters. Even Tezcahtlip was struck by her beauty.
The woman was just over five feet tall. She had thick black hair hanging down, nearly to her waist, covering large breasts. She had slender legs and arms, and delicate fingers. And the most beautiful face Tezcahtlip had ever seen. The shapeshifter was mesmerized.
The woman looked down at her body, running her hands over her legs, her arms, her stomach. She felt her face and smiled. Then she looked at Tezcahtlip.
“σας ευχαριστώ,” The woman said in a language Tezcahtlip had never heard before.
Then she stopped smiling. Her face took on a look of confusion, then panic. Her eyes began to glow yellow. Her hair began to shrivel up, falling off her head while her skin wrinkled and became leathery, almost scaled. Tendrils sprouted from her weathered scalp, thickening into tentacle-like appendages that moved and swirled on their own.
The woman screamed, again feeling her face with her wrinkled, clawed hands.
Tezcahtlip smiled, shedding his human form and swelling into his fur-covered giant’s body. He stepped forward quickly, closing the distance with the regenerated Medusa.
The gorgon hissed and glared at Tezcahtlip, her eyes flaring with bright yellow light. But Tezcahtlip was unaffected. He was a giant, not a mortal.
The shapeshifter rammed his hand into Medusa’s stomach, and reached up behind her ribs. He grabbed her heart and ripped it free in one quick pull.
The gorgon had a look of surprise on her hideous face. She looked down at the gaping hole torn in her chest, then up at Tezcahtlip, who took a bite from the heart and chewed it slowly, savoring it.
Medusa started to hiss again, but fell to a crumpled heap on the floor instead.
Brothers in Stone (Stone Soldiers #2) Page 14