“He just gave it to you?”
“I guess,” Ernie said. “He told me it was a late Christmas present.”
“That’s some present,” Harley said. “I’m pretty sure they don’t sell them to civilians.”
“Anyway,” Ernie said as he fumbled with the IPA in his hands, “I was thinking that we could use it to sneak in there and find Logan.”
Max smiled. “Will it work on four people?”
“As long as we stay close,” Ernie said.
“Is it safe?” Natalia asked.
“I guess,” Ernie said. “I mean, it feels kind of weird at first, but you get used to it.”
“What do you think?” Max asked, looking at Harley.
“I’m in.”
“Me too,” Ernie said.
“We all go or none of us do,” Max said, turning to Natalia.
“No pressure or anything,” she said.
Max smiled.
“Fine.”
Ernie twisted a few of the dials before pulling the lever. The scene around them dissolved until the Grey Griffins were all that remained in focus. Everything around them went pale. It looked like an X-ray—once-solid objects were now vague outlines.
“This is awesome,” Harley said.
“We can actually walk through walls?” Natalia asked as she studied her translucent hand.
Ernie nodded.
Max walked over to the doors, but he stopped short, waiting for the guards to spot him. When they didn’t move, he turned back to the other Griffins. “Here goes nothing,” he said. There was a slight tug on his skin as he put his foot through the door, but he still passed right through. A moment later the Griffins were standing together in an unfamiliar hallway.
“Which way did he go?” Harley asked.
“I can hear them,” Ernie said, using his advanced changeling senses.
They followed Ernie into a room where at least twenty irate Templar officers in full uniform were sitting around an oval table arguing.
“You’re sure they can’t see us?” Max asked when he spotted Logan, who sat back in his chair with his arms crossed. He was the only person who wasn’t shouting.
“Watch,” Ernie said. He hopped up on the table, and then he started to dance. Max held his breath as he watched Ernie bend down to wave at an officer with a pointy beard and a shiny bald head.
“See what I mean?” Ernie said. “We’re perfectly safe.”
“At least as long as that thing doesn’t short out,” Harley said.
Ernie shrugged. “It hasn’t yet.”
Natalia walked over to pick up a pen, but her hand passed right through it.
“It takes some practice, but you can do it,” Ernie said.
She tried a few more times but gave up as a short man with a waxed mustache stood at the head of the table, attempting to talk over the other officers as they shouted. He finally gave up. “This is Colonel Hazard,” he said after a sigh. His face was red as he raised his voice. “She’s the chief strategist for this joint operation, so perhaps you’ll show her some courtesy.”
One of video screens on the wall flashed to show a map of Switzerland as Hazard walked to the head of the room. She was tall and slender, with hair like corn silk that was pulled back into a bun.
Instead of trying to talk over them, the colonel simply stood there waiting for everyone to stop talking. When the room was finally silent, she spoke. “Thank you, General Upton,” the colonel said with a nod. “And good afternoon, gentlemen. The Paragon Engine is located here, near the borders of France and Italy.”
The map tightened to reveal a large complex of buildings nestled in the green countryside.
“It used to be a government research facility, but according to our records it was acquired by someone representing Von Strife nearly twenty years ago,” she continued. “His fusion generator produces enough power to run the Paragon Engine as well as an energy shield that could repel our entire fleet.”
“What’s left of it,” a heavyset admiral said as the map rotated and zoomed in. He had been the most boisterous of the crowd when General Upton held the floor.
Hazard ignored the comment. “This joint operation will consist of two stages,” she said. “The first will be an effort to deactivate the shield. Once that has been completed, our fleet will move into a position where we’ll bombard the facility.”
“What if we fail?” the admiral asked. His comment was met with general agreement from the others assembled at the table.
“We can’t afford to fail, Admiral Lennox. If Von Strife opens a gateway to the Shadowlands, there is no limit to the number of monsters and other dark creatures that will pour into our world. At worst, we calculate that within forty-eight hours, more than half of the human population would be destroyed. Within the week, our species will be wiped from history.”
“You’re telling us there’s nothing that can be done?” Admiral Lennox said.
Colonel Hazard’s face was grave. “We have an evacuation plan for major population centers, but that will only put off the inevitable.”
“Evacuate? We have nowhere to go!”
Colonel Hazard stood with her hands behind her back as she waited for the outbursts to subside. “I have every confidence that we’ll succeed despite the odds,” Hazard said once the quarreling stopped. “In fact, we’ve just learned that Von Strife is at the facility as we speak. Once he’s been neutralized, the clockworks will fall.”
There was a rush of angry whispers.
“Are you speaking about an assassination?” Admiral Lennox asked. “Certainly we are better than that!”
“Perhaps,” Hazard said, “but we’re in desperate times.”
“This is outrageous!” Lennox said.
“I’m sorry, Admiral, but I’ve been given command of this engagement, and my decision is final,” Hazard said. She turned to Logan. “Brief your men. We’re about to go on full alert. You’re scheduled to make the jump in ten minutes.”
“Wait, what’s she talking about?” Max whispered.
“It sounds like they’re sending a team of THOR agents to assassinate Von Strife,” Harley said.
“You heard what she said about that place,” Max said. “It’s a suicide mission.”
Natalia put her hand on Max’s shoulder. “He’ll be fine.”
“I’ve got to talk to him before he goes,” Max said.
“What are you going to say?” Harley asked.
“I don’t know, but I’ll think of it when I get there.”
LOST
Logan was already at the jump station by the time the Grey Griffins arrived. He was talking to Colonel Hazard as the other THOR agents stepped onto the circular platform.
“If the Paragon Engine is unattainable, you’ll still need to hit your other objectives,” Hazard said.
“Understood,” Logan said. “We plan on being here for Stage Two, right on schedule.”
“I have every confidence that you will,” Hazard said. “And Commander—”
“Sir?”
“I’ll see personally to the children’s safety. That goes for the baron’s daughter as well.”
“Thank you, sir,” Logan said. “That means a great deal.”
“Godspeed, Commander.”
“Wait, how do you turn that thing off?” Max asked as he reached for the IPA.
“Max, don’t!” Harley said, grabbing Max’s arm before he could reach the device. “We have to stay hidden. If they see us, they’re going to lock us up somewhere.”
“But—”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Harley said. “Besides, Natalia’s right. He’ll be fine.”
Max watched Logan salute before he gave the order to activate the jump platform. Soon the sound of gears and hydraulics echoed in the chamber. A switch was thrown, sending purple plasma arcing across the Tesla coils. There was a flash, and then the THOR agents were gone.
Instead of going back to class, the Griffins went to the one-room sc
hoolhouse where they used to meet for their Relic Hunting class. Max figured nobody would look for them there, but he hadn’t expected the wave of emotion that hit when he smelled Strange’s pipe tobacco.
“We can go somewhere else,” Max said as he looked at Ernie, whose face was stuck in a blank stare.
“That’s okay,” Ernie said.
“Remember, they can’t kill him,” Harley said.
“I know,” Ernie said. He walked over to sit at Strange’s desk.
“We’re going to find him, Ernie,” Max said. “That goes for Hale, too. I don’t care what it takes, but we’re going to bring them home.”
Ernie looked up and smiled, but he still seemed sad.
“I’m serious,” Max said.
“Thanks.”
Max looked at the clock. “Logan’s been gone almost three hours. Don’t you think he should be back by now?”
“It’s hard to say,” Harley said.
Max jumped in his chair when the first siren sounded.
“What’s going on?” Ernie asked.
Max was the first one at the window. Students, faculty, and even service clockworks were evacuating the buildings as Templar soldiers were herding them into the subway depot.
“They failed,” Max said. His expression was blank, his voice even. It was a statement of indisputable fact. This was, after all, the evacuation plan that Colonel Hazard had spoken about. There was no other explanation.
“You don’t know that,” Harley said.
“Yes, we do,” Max said.
“Then Logan is…” Natalia’s voice faltered.
Max closed his eyes as he pictured Logan, the man who had kept him from harm from the moment that Max drew his first breath. A world without Logan didn’t seem possible. Max was numb. There were no tears, no sorrow. Emptiness. That was all that remained.
“Should we go with them?” Ernie asked as he watched the Toad brothers disappear into the shadows of the subway depot.
“I can’t leave him down there,” Max said.
“What are you talking about?” Natalia asked.
Max turned to Ernie. “I need you to give me the IPA.”
“Why?”
“What if he’s still alive?” Max asked. “What if they abandoned him?”
“Max…” Natalia said, but when she saw his eyes, she stopped.
“Can I borrow it?”
“No,” Ernie said, “because I’m going with you.”
Max shook his head. “Look, it’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t care,” Ernie said. “You’re not going alone.”
“You can’t make it without the jump station,” Harley said. “I saw how they work it, so either I go with you or nobody’s going.”
“Well, you’re not going without me,” Natalia said.
“Then it’s settled,” Harley said.
“Look, you guys,” Max said, but Ernie cut him off.
“The Grey Griffins stick together, no matter what,” he said.
Ernie activated the IPA, which allowed them to reach the jump station without being stopped. Thanks to the evacuation order, it was deserted.
“What if you mess up, and we end up at the bottom of the ocean or something?” Ernie said, turning off the IPA.
“I guess we’ll find out in a minute,” Harley said as he walked over to the control panel. He quickly verified the coordinates for where Logan and his THOR agents had jumped to.
“Wait,” Natalia said. “We need Raven.”
“Why?” Harley asked.
“Because we don’t know where we’re going,” Natalia said. “She’ll be able to talk to the walls, and they’ll tell her where to go.”
“I don’t want to risk any more lives,” Max said.
“You don’t have much of a choice,” Natalia said.
“We don’t even know if she’ll go,” Max said.
“She will.”
“How are we supposed to find her?”
“Leave that to us,” Natalia said, putting her hand on Ernie’s shoulder. “If we’re not back in ten minutes, go without us.”
By the time Natalia and Ernie returned with Raven, there were three minutes to spare. But there was a problem—they’d brought someone else, too.
“What’s she doing here?” Max asked when he saw Brooke.
“It’s nice to see you, too,” Brooke said.
“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that—”
“Look,” Natalia said. “There’s a good chance that Logan is injured, and Brooke may be the only person who can help.”
“So now she wants to help?” Max said, letting his temper get the best of him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Brooke said.
“You’re the one who’s been ignoring me, not the other way around.”
Brooke’s face flushed.
“Why are you being a jerk?” Natalia asked.
“Me?”
“Do you even know why Brooke was avoiding you?”
Max was glowering.
“Because she was embarrassed, that’s why.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Max said, turning to look at Brooke.
“She’s right,” Brooke said. “After everything that happened with the Reaper, I don’t know… I thought that you’d look down on me or something.”
“Why?”
“Because I couldn’t handle myself.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” Max said. “It took an entire team of THOR agents to capture that thing. It almost killed me, too.”
“I hate to interrupt whatever this is, but I hear footsteps,” Harley said. “Everybody on the platform.”
There was a bang at the door.
“Let’s go,” Max said.
“Just about there,” Harley said as he fired the last switch to activate the jump station.
The door opened as Max jumped onto the platform, Harley right behind. Colonel Hazard burst through the door with a dozen soldiers behind her, but they were too late.
The Grey Griffins were gone.
HOPELESS
The jump station delivered them beneath the shadows of a massive building surrounded by a thick wall of trees. The air was crisp, and the stars were already shining overhead.
“Why do I feel like I was jammed through a strainer and then put back together?” Ernie said.
“I don’t know, but you need to get that IPA working before someone sees us,” Harley said, spotting a camera overhead. “I’d feel a lot better if we were ghosts.”
Ernie fumbled with the controls of the IPA as a large truck rumbled down the drive toward where they were hiding.
“Let’s go,” Harley said through gritted teeth.
“I’m trying,” Ernie said as the IPA slipped from his hand. Somehow he managed to catch it before it hit the ground. He looked up to see the truck’s lights were shining on him. Ernie entered his code, and there was a strange humming sound. A moment later, they disappeared as the truck rolled by.
Raven placed her hand on the wall of the building before closing her eyes. “This is definitely where they landed,” she said. Then she squinted, as though straining to hear a voice from far away. “There should be a sewer grate in the back of the building. That’s how they got in.”
Max had Raven lead the way. Despite the IPA, they kept to the shadows as best they could, dodging behind bushes and running when there was no cover. It wasn’t long before they found the grate.
“It doesn’t smell like a sewer,” Harley said.
“Let’s hope that’s a good sign,” Max said, grabbing hold of the iron bars to remove the grate. He lowered himself into the darkness, and the others followed.
The chute dropped them into a narrow passage that was, fortunately, not a sewer. They made good time as they passed into an elevated corridor that led them down another hatch. Clockwork drones were everywhere, scanning the passageways as they looked for intruders.
“I know those things can’t see us, but they st
ill freak me out,” Ernie said.
“Me too,” Max said, patting him on the back. “Let’s hurry up and get this over with.”
They climbed down a ladder, passed through a maintenance corridor, and entered a hangar filled with helicopters, winged clockworks, and mobile artillery.
Men in grey uniforms inspected the vehicles while Assembler clockworks welded, torched, and upgraded what looked like Dreadnaughts. Covered in thick armor, the massive clockwork war machines were nearly twenty feet tall, with wide chests and small heads. Some had rocket launchers attached to their arms, while others were equipped with Gatling guns fixed to their shoulders. They all looked deadly.
“What if Hale is stuffed inside one of those?” Ernie asked.
“We need to find Logan first,” Max said.
“He’s right,” Natalia said. “But if we can, we’ll come back and check, right, Max?”
Max nodded as Raven knelt to place her hand on the ground. “The THOR agents passed through here, and they hadn’t been spotted yet,” she said.
They pressed on, passing through another hatchway and then around a corner before they entered the heart of the facility. It was nearly as wide as a football field, with intersecting bridges crossing a chasm so deep they couldn’t see the bottom. The room hummed with the roar of invisible steam engines and titanic gears as clockwork soldiers patrolled the bridges in squads of ten.
“We need to go that way,” Raven said, pointing to a door on the far side of the chamber. It was several flights down, and the stairs didn’t have rails.
“Let’s move,” Max said.
They kept to the center of the bridge as best they could. More than once they had to phase through squads of marching clockworks. Everyone managed to make it down all three flights of stairs without spilling over the edge, but as they crossed the last bridge, they heard what sounded like angry bees following them.
“What are those?” Natalia asked.
Five iron spheres with mechanical arms and lighted eyes had risen from the depths below the bridges. Streams of blue swept across the ground as they closed in.
“They look like my probes on steroids,” Harley said, “and they’re probably looking for us.”
“It doesn’t matter, right?” Ernie said. “We’re ghosts.”
Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles #2: The Relic Hunters Page 21