Contest

by David Wood

  They didn’t have to find out. Nothing happened.

  “I don’t know what that does,” Rockwell said. “This is as far as I got.”

  His cheek burned as Segar slapped him across the face. The indignity and positively surreal experience of being slapped by a B-List celebrity rendered him mute.

  “You wouldn’t believe how well sound travels down here,” Segar said. “We could hear you all the way on the other side of that spiky tube thing.”

  “I don’t know what you think you heard, but I didn’t do anything.”

  “It’s not what we think we heard,” Gold said. “You see, I habla a little Espanol, and one of those dirtbags fingered you as the big boss.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “I don’t think so,” Segar said. “Just as your compadre was ratting you out, we saw you sneak away. And we knew you were up to something— something that was worthy of a reality television show.”

  Gold took up the narrative. “We couldn’t bring a crew down here and hope to keep pace with you, but we brought our buddy Yoshi with his handheld camera.”

  He pointed with his thumb to a young man standing just behind him. Yoshi, who held a camera trained on Rockwell, waved. “We fell behind at first, Segar isn’t as young as he used to be. But we kept coming. Of course, we heard you long before we caught up to you, and Yoshi started recording the moment we heard your voice.

  Did you catch any of what he was saying, Yoshi?”

  “Let me see.” The young man made a show of playing back a portion of what they’d recorded. The screen was dark, but Rockwell’s voice came through clearly.

  ...if you actually think I would allow you to leave when I just confessed to human

  trafficking and blackmail, and after I just tried to kill you...

  Yoshi turned off the recording. “Is that enough, gentlemen?”

  “That’s perfect,” Gold said. “By the way, I was recording with my phone. You should see the look on your face.” He flipped the phone around and showed Rockwell a freeze frame image of himself looking poleaxed.

  “That isn’t me.”

  Segar punched him in the face.

  When Rockwell’s eyes cleared and his ears stopped ringing, he tried to stand, but his legs were wobbly.

  Segar raised a finger in warning. “The sensei will only tolerate a certain amount of prevarication.”

  ––––––––

  Water poured from the ceiling in a primal flood. Maddock danced to the side as a hunk of stone the size of his head fell from the ceiling. The water was rising at a rate he could not believe. Already it was at his armpits.

  “Get to the statue!” he shouted.

  Gripping their flashlights in their teeth, he and Bones swam through a hailstorm of falling rocks, swept along in the maelstrom. Bones reached the statue first. He grabbed on to Poseidon’s right arm. A moment later, Maddock caught hold of the left.

  “What’s our play?” Bones said around a mouthful of Maglite. He squinted his eyes against the downpour.

  “Any ideas on where there might be a release lever?”

  Bones pulled the flashlight out of his mouth so he could gape at Maddock.

  “Do you think I’ve been here before?”

  “I asked for ideas, because I’m fresh out.”

  Bones thought. “I’ve got it. Trident goes down, door goes down. Trident goes up...” He grabbed hold of the trident and pushed up. Nothing. Again. “Never mind. You got any ideas?”

  “Maybe we can float to the top,” he offered. He knew it would be no good.

  Water was pouring in from the underground river faster than it flowed from the chamber. Unless they could somehow pull the plug, the water would back up and they would drown.

  No sooner had that thought entered his mind than a massive upsurge of water lifted him high. He lost his grip on the statue, made a desperate grab for it but came away with the thunderstone.

  He almost dropped it, so surprised was he to find it in his hand. It was both thrilling and unnerving, but at least it wasn’t something that killed at the first touch. He had enough to contend with at the moment.

  He and Bones were rising fast.

  “What happened?” Bones asked.

  “I think the rubble from the falling ceiling must have clogged the outflow.”

  Bones looked up. “Now I know how that kid from Willie Wonka felt.”

  Maddock had an idea. He reached into his pocket, not an easy task while treading water and holding the thunderstone in the other hand.

  “Just so you know,” Bones shouted over the pouring water, “I do care about other stuff, not just the hunt. And other people.”

  Maddock’s hand closed on the sapphire. He pulled it out and held it against the thunderstone. “Shut up and shine your light on the sapphire!”

  “Think you can use that thing?”

  “We’ll find out.”

  Chapter 42

  ––––––––

  By the time Gold, Segar, and Yoshi had escorted Rockwell back to the main caverns, the scene was a very different one from when they had left. Law enforcement had arrived in full force: local police, sheriff’s deputies, even a few rangers from nearby Joshua Tree National Park.

  The traffickers were nowhere to be seen. All the cargo, Rockwell had never allowed himself to think of them as humans, were gathered in the main chamber.

  They had been provided food, drink, and blankets.

  Spenser spotted them first. Her flicker of a smile faded into bemusement and then concerned when she saw that his wrists were bound. She said something to Riv, who called for Grizzly and Franzen. The four hurried over.

  “Where’s Maddock?” Spenser asked.

  “There’s been an accident,” Rockwell said. He flinched as Segar raised an open hand.

  “Another lie,” Segar warned. “Rockwell has trapped them inside of some chamber. We couldn’t get there in time to stop him, but we’ve got it all on tape.

  Enjoy jail, amigo.”

  “What kind of chamber?” Grizzly asked.

  Gold gave a quick shake of his head. “We couldn’t get the door open, but we will. We’ll cut through it, blast it, whatever we’ve got to do.”

  “Damn right we will,” Grizzly said. Spenser nodded approvingly.

  “But they’re all right?” Riv asked.

  Rockwell barked a laugh. He was finished. Might as well land a parting shot.

  “All right? They’re dead! That was a flood chamber. As soon as I pulled the lever it sealed and filled with water.”

  “They can swim,” Spenser said.

  “You might be the best swimmer in the world, but I hold your head under water long enough. Well, use your imagination.”

  “Is this true?” Spenser asked Gold.

  He couldn’t quite meet her eye as he replied. “We’re not sure.”

  Grizzly let out a roar of pure rage and made a charge for Rockwell. It took the combined efforts of Franzen, Segar, and Yoshi to hold him back. They dragged him to his knees where he finally collapsed against Riv’s shoulder, eyes squeezed shut, his body trembling with rage.

  Rockwell turned and gazed down into Spenser’s blue eyes. Strangely, he saw no fear there, not even concern.

  “Sorry about your new boyfriend,” he said. “You’re pretty. You’ll find another.”

  Spenser tilted her head and fixed him with a pitying smile.

  “If you believe Maddock is dead, you’re not nearly as smart as you think you are.”

  ––––––––

  They were almost out of time. Maddock kicked with all his might, trying to keep his head, and more importantly, the stones, above water.

  “Here goes!” Bones shouted.

  “Ready.” And then a falling rock struck Maddock on the head. The sapphire slipped from his grasp.

  Moving with the quickness of a striking viper, Bones snatched the gem.

  “Got it. Don’t freaking drop it again.”


  They tried again. As he fought to tread water, Bones directed the light at the sapphire. The light passed through the gem, split into many beams. One struck the thunderstone and it began to burn in his hand, filling what little remained of the chamber, and what was left of the chamber shone with a blood red glow.

  Past experience had taught Maddock that controlling a stone of power required a connection with the force within the rock. After all, the human mind was driven by electrical impulses. He reached out with his mind, trying to connect with the stone.

  The water lifted them ever higher. Maddock still kicked, now scarcely able to keep his nose and mouth above water.

  He closed his eyes, pictured the stone in his mind. He invited the light to envelop him, its energy to fill him. His skin tingled with its warmth.

  He tried to take a breath, but water filled his mouth and nose and he came up sputtering.

  “Come on, bro! You can do it!” Bones shouted.

  Maddock tried again. He imagined the power of the thunderstone pouring through him. In his mind’s eye he pictured the vault below. He reached out with the power, imagined balling it into a fist and striking the door with all his might.

  Imagined it shattering.

  And suddenly he was no longer the one in control. The pictures in his mind turned shades of red and gold. He didn’t understand, couldn’t explain, but he saw through the stone that surrounded them. Saw the empty chambers as inky blots.

  And then he saw the fault lines.

  They ran through everything, their lines burned like fire. The thunderstone was acting of its own will now. Its scorching red energy poured out of the chamber and along a deep fault line. Where it ended, Maddock couldn’t say.

  He went under again. Felt Bones grab him by the belt and lift him up.

  “I think the closing credits are about to roll.”

  “Let’s hope there’s a post-credit scene.” With one last desperate grab he reached for the power and nudged it toward the door. A whip-like strand of energy curled out from within the thunderstone and cracked against the door. Beneath the dark water, Maddock could sense the door crumbling, felt the fault line shift.

  Wham!

  His head struck the ceiling. He opened his eyes and was surprise to realize they were in an air pocket.

  “What happened?” Bones asked.

  “I guess it didn’t work.”

  And then the bottom dropped out. Maddock and Bones found themselves being carried down into a whirlpool as the water drained from Poseidon’s Vault.

  “I think you just flushed us down the toilet,” Bones yelled.

  “Yet you haven’t said ‘holy crap’ once,” Maddock shouted back, still holding on to the thunderstone.

  “I was saving that for last,” Bones said.

  They were being swept along at a dizzying clip. Poseidon’s trident appeared above the rapidly falling surface of the water. Then his head and shoulders.

  “Here it comes!” Bones yelled. “Holy crap!”

  Maddock just had time to hold his breath before he was sucked down below the water and into the darkness. And then a thought came to him.

  If the water is taking us back the way we came, that means it’s going to carry us right back into...

  Visions of the spiked tube through which they’d come filled his mind. There was no time for fear. He felt himself being swept upward, felt the familiar twist of oxygen deprivation. His throat burned. Lights flashed before his eyes.

  And then he was flung from the passageway like a cork from a champagne bottle. He flew through the air and much sooner than expected landed flat on his stomach. His body was beyond feeling any pain by this point, but the salty taste of blood in his mouth told him he had not stuck the landing.

  Miraculously he still held on to the sapphire and the thunderstone. The latter still burned bright red. He raised the stone and felt the world shift crazily beneath him.

  “What the hell?”

  He quickly took in the scene. He was lying on top of the spiked tube. The tremors from the shifting fault line and the powerful surge of water had caused it to shift to the side. Down below, water still poured out of the passageway and down into the abyss below. His heart dropped.

  “Bones?” He tried to push himself up to his hands and knees, but that caused the tube to shift.

  “Holy freaking crap, Maddock! Stay still. You’re going to roll that thing right over me.”

  Bones clung to the groove in the stone that formed the track in which the tube rolled. It was all he could manage to hang on as the water poured in all around him.

  “Get out of the flow of the water!” Maddock shouted.

  “That’s what I’m doing.” A minute later, Bones had worked his way out of the path of the water and had managed to climb up onto the ledge. He now sat with his back to the wall, catching his breath.

  “We’ve got a big problem,” he finally shouted. “You can’t pull me up onto that thing without it rolling over and taking us both down.”

  Maddock looked around. Bones was right. They needed to find another way.

  “Look, Maddock,” Bones said. “I can climb out of here. I’ll just work my way down to the end and climb across. I’ve made plenty of climbs like that.”

  “It’s a blank wall. No hand holds.”

  Bones took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You like her, don’t you?”

  Maddock nodded. “A lot.”

  “Then get the hell out of here. Go find her. I’ll catch up.”

  Maddock shook his head. “It’s like Rockwell said. A true believer only knows one way to do things. We leave together.”

  He closed his eyes, tried to reconnect with the thunderstone. Its power was fading, but he could just manage to touch it. As he had before, he saw the stone in his mind, searched for a fiery line that would indicate a fault. He didn’t find one, but what he did find was a jagged crack beneath the surface of the wall where Bones sat. Someone had plastered over it. If he could just...

  He imagined the crack becoming wider. It pulled apart. The plaster crumbled and fell onto Bones’ head. He looked up in surprise and his eyes were suddenly alight.

  He immediately turned and clambered to his feet. Maddock had opened a jagged crack in the wall, perfect for climbing. Bones set to, scaling the wall with surprising vigor. When he had reached the top, he looked back.

  “Your turn. Just make sure you get over here before I fall.”

  Maddock tensed. He had never been any good at this sort of thing. He rose unsteadily to his feet, the tube shifting crazily beneath his feet.

  “I can’t look at this,” Bones said

  Faltering step by faltering step, Maddock struggled to maintain his balance atop the pipe as he slowly rolled it toward Bones.

  A tremor shook the chamber and Maddock slipped. He regained his footing and his balance just in time.

  “Any time this week!” Bones shouted. His feet had slipped and he was holding on for dear life.

  Maddock wanted to hurry, but he knew that could lead to a fatal mistake. He steadily worked the pipe to the side. The gap between himself and Bones continued to close. He was getting the hang of this.

  Twenty feet.

  Fifteen feet.

  Ten feet.

  “Losing my grip here!” Bones shouted.

  “Almost there.” Maddock couldn’t take his eyes off his friend. “Hold on.”

  “Can’t! Gotta jump.” Bones pushed out to the side. He flew through the air, arms and legs splayed out like a skydiver. He seemed to hang in the air for a moment.

  The force of his landing arrested the pipe’s movement and sent Maddock staggering to the side. He waved his arms, felt that fluttering sensation that comes when you’ve tilted your chair back just a bit too far. And then he regained his balance.

  “You all right?” he asked Bones.

  “Yep. Had to save myself as usual. Now, you think you can maintain your balance while I stand up?”

  “I thi
nk that depends on how awkwardly you stand.” He braced himself while

  Bones pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. The pipe wobbled.

  “Don’t tip us over,” Bones warned.

  “Same goes for you.”

  “Ready? Three... two... one.” In one quick motion Bones sprang to his feet. The pipe rolled to the right.

  Maddock felt like Fred Astaire, nimbly moving his feet to keep himself balanced. Bones was struggling to get into sync with his partner.

  “Dammit to hell, Maddock. How many times have I tried to get you to go to Beerfest with me?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Maddock shouted, desperately trying to maintain his balance atop the rolling pipe. Down below the deep chasm beckoned.

  “They have log rolling contests! We could have been practicing!”

  “I think you mean a lumberjack contest,” Maddock said as the rolling pipe began to slow.

  “What did I say?” Bones asked as they finally came to a stop.

  Maddock’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Now let’s get the hell off this thing and head back to the surface. There are several beers and one blonde with my name on them.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Bones said. “But don’t let Spenser hear you say that. I want to tell her myself.”

  “You know I was just...” Maddock didn’t get to finish the thought. Another tremor rocked the chamber. Stalactites plummeted down from the ceiling to smash against the pipe. The very foundation trembled and the pipe came out of its groove. Slowly, it began to roll.

  “It’s going to fall!” Bones shouted as he tried to shield his head from falling rock.

  “Run!” Maddock yelled.

  They ran. Maddock felt the world tremble, felt the pipe rolling out from underneath him. He leaped into darkness.

  They ran.

  Chapter 43

  They had almost reached the surface when they heard voices. Footsteps approached. Flashlights bobbed in the darkness.

  “What’s that red light up ahead?” It was Spenser’s voice.

  “It’s us,” Maddock called.

  Spenser let out cry and hurried to him. She didn’t bowl him over this time. Instead she pulled him close and kissed him deeply. Maddock pulled her close, sagged against her.