by R J Johnson
Kline, on the other hand, couldn’t have looked any more in his element. His whole general attitude was different too. He’d been walking with an easy confidence ever since he’d taken possession of a second stone, and Tate wasn’t sure if he liked the change. Before, Kline’s moods could be counted on to switch in an instant, but he was never like this.
“Are you coming, Mr. Tate?” Kline called from the car. Tate looked back at the pilots, who had exited the cabin and were standing outside to get some fresh air after their eighteen-hour flight across the Pacific Ocean.
“Keep the jet fueled and ready to depart on a moment’s notice,” Tate ordered. The pilots nodded and waved over to the waiting fuel truck as Tate lit a cigarette. That was a blatant violation of FTA regulations, of course, but Tate didn’t think the Zambian version of the FTA would catch up to them in time.
“Time is wasting!” Kline called out again happily. Tate made his way over to the waiting Suburban and jumped in with their boss. “How long to the mine?”
“Two, maybe three hours, depending on the roads,” the driver replied in accented English. Kline nodded and rapped his knuckles on the back of the driver seat.
“Let’s go, then.”
The Suburban sped off the runway and moved onto a road, heading west towards the mountains.
Tate looked at his boss, who was opening up his folder of documents, examining each one until he found the one he was looking for.
“So long as I’m your number two in this little scheme to take over the world,” Tate began, “do I need to know what’s in that little treasure chest of documents I’ve seen you carry around for the last seven years?”
Kline looked at him for a moment with a critical eye. Then a slow smile spread across his face, as if he were a proud parent watching a child in a pageant.
“I suppose you’re right; you really ought to know what these are,” Kline began. He spread them out in front of him so Tate could get a better view, handing a few of them over.
“Gently now,” Kline scolded as he handed them to Tate. Tate took the ancient-looking documents and was surprised to find that they felt less like paper and more like leather. The scrawling on them was quite legible, and…
“Is this English?!” Tate asked in wonder. “It’s got to be fake; the manuscript looks…”
“Thousands of years old, I know,” Kline nodded with him. “It’s no fake, believe me. I’ve had it tested several times, by a dozen different labs. Both the ink and vellum it’s printed on are quite legitimate.”
“Why…” Tate asked himself, examining each one. “How did someone write like this thousands of years ago?”
“The power of the stones, my friend,” Kline answered smartly. “The stones draw themselves together. They want to be united.”
“For what purpose?”
Kline sat back, his jaw jutting out in slight annoyance. “That I do not know yet. What I do know, and what I’ve learned, is that the person who discovers the stone is able to choose the power. I know that the more the stones are used, the more they are drawn together.”
“How can you tell?” Tate asked.
Kline shifted with a thoughtful expression. “Have you ever smoked, Mr. Tate?”
Geoffrey thought of his chain-smoking days in the 80’s, back during his first tour, and nodded.
“You don’t any longer. I’ve seen your health reports.”
“Gave it up before I started working for you. Tried everything, but the gum finally helped me kick it.”
“I commend you for the effort. They say it’s harder to quit than heroin. Do you remember what your cravings were like?” Kline asked, leaning forward and staring into Geoffrey’s eyes. “Remember the pull a cigarette had on you? The feeling of how ‘just one more’ wouldn’t matter, how the sweet taste of the burn seduces you into having another?”
Tate nodded. For the first time in ten years, he wished for a cigarette.
“It’s similar to that,” Kline said, leaning back in his chair again. “This stone we recovered from Joshua Tree has settled those urges somewhat, but I can feel another pulling me towards it, begging me to use it for my own purposes.”
“The cravings have begun again, then?” Tate asked. No wonder his boss had been such an asshole in Joshua Tree; he’d needed his version of a fix.
“They are not as…violent, I suppose you’d say.” Kline inhaled deeply and tilted his head back. Tate saw a tremor run through Kline’s body. A flash of anger, maybe, but Tate thought he saw pleasure there too. He remembered the fate of the construction crew, and he could only guess at how much Kline had enjoyed whatever “influence” the stones held over him.
“Before, I hadn’t found a stone since World War II, which made my cravings impossible at times. As I grow stronger, this new stone is showing me how the power complements me. It’s even showing me how it can help me dominate my enemies. How I can use it to achieve everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”
Tate sat back and looked at his boss in awe. He’d certainly be better off on the man’s good side, he decided. That his boss had managed to keep from killing him all this time was a wonder.
Kline inhaled again and nodded.
“I can feel the third stone here. We’re close, closer than I’ve ever been. With a third, I know I can remain in complete control. And then, Mr. Tate, we shall take care of that nuisance Alex McCray and seize his stones. And from there, we seize the world.”
Tate smiled at his boss and nodded. He’d follow this man to hell and back.
Because if he didn’t, he’d probably end up in hell just the same. Only poorer.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Your FIANCE?”
“Calm down, Alex,” Scott said to his best friend. Alex’s face was cherry red. Off to the side, images of the carnage Collier had unleashed on the SDPD played across their hotel room screen.
“You!” Alex said, whirling around and pointing a finger in his best friend’s face. “All this bullshit about me keeping secrets and you didn’t tell me she was engaged?!”
“Alex, stop it!” Emily said firmly, wiping her face and turning away from the screen. “It’s not his fault you didn’t know I was engaged. It’s not like we’ve had a lot of time to really catch up here.”
“I’d like to think that you’d include that in the highlight reel of your life over the last six years,” Alex fumed. “Got to Chile, kicked ass, got my dream job, and oh, by the way, I’m about to get married to a guy who has a stone of his own!”
The screen blazed with another bright light as Collier threw a particularly large ball of flame towards an oncoming SWAT vehicle. As the cameras washed out, Alex ran to the window, hoping he could spot the battle from their room.
“We’ve got to stop him,” Alex said sullenly. He shifted into his battle gear (or what he had come to consider his battle gear) of jeans, t-shirt and black leather jacket. He then moved to the exit of the room, when Scott dashed after him, followed by Emily.
Christina, left alone in the room, watched them go. She looked at the screen again as Collier finished blowing up the SWAT vehicle and killing the police officers inside.
“Fuck that,” she muttered. She picked up a phone and dialed room service.
Alex, Emily and Scott ran down the hotel hallway, where they made their way to the bank of elevators. Alex pushed the call button and waited impatiently as his friends caught up.
He whirled towards Emily, looking at her with suspicion. “How the hell does…”
“Max…” Scott finished for him. Emily shot him a look.
“Max,” Alex rolled his eyes, “have a stone?”
“Do you think I know?” she asked incredulously. “I’d like to think that’s something that comes up during a first date; ‘I like kittens, long walks on the beach, I’m a Pisces and, oh yeah, I can control fire!’”
“You’d think,” Alex said sarcastically. The door to the elevator opened, revealing a pleasant elderly couple who looked like t
hey were heading for a nice night out on the town.
Alex, Emily and Scott piled into the elevator, Alex still clearly steaming.
The elderly woman looked at Alex and Emily back and forth and smiled gently. She whispered to her husband, and he grinned while they shared a knowing glance. Young couples always think every fight is the end of the world.
“Look, I know you’re pissed, but I think we have bigger things to deal with,” Emily pleaded. “It’s important that you know: I didn’t know anything about it!”
The elderly woman smiled, obviously anticipating a show.
“I don’t care that you didn’t tell me about your fiancé. Hell, you’re right, I should have expected as much,” Alex confessed, the anger draining from his face. “I was a dead man, after all.”
The elderly woman started at that and nudged her husband. The look on both their faces said, This is better than cable.
“But come on,” Alex continued, “it’s one hell of a coincidence that your boyfriend…”
“Fiancé,” she corrected him.
“Fiancé,” Alex said, annoyed by the reminder. “…just happens to have a magic stone too!”
“Uhh, guys…” Scott said, eying the elderly couple, who still looked enraptured with the argument.
“Oh, let me tell you something, you arrogant asshole!” Emily fumed, “What the hell do you think I’d say if Max asked me the same thing about you? Suddenly my one-time boyfriend has a stone that can heal any wound he has? I don’t know where or how the hell he got that stone...”
“It’s not as if I have any better answers,” Alex reminded her. “You’re the only one who’s been in the crystal chamber and seen the aliens for yourself.”
“I told you,” she shouted, her eyes flashing, “I didn’t actually see any aliens…”
“Guys!” Scott shouted. Alex and Emily stopped their arguing and looked at him. Scott pointed towards the elderly couple, who both stared at them slack-jawed.
“Perhaps we could put that stuff on hold for now,” Scott suggested.
The doors of the elevator opened out to the lobby. Alex stepped back in embarrassment and deference to the elderly couple.
The man cleared his throat. “I think we’re going to stay in for the night, actually…”
“Good call,” Alex said, then looked to Emily and Scott. “Ready?”
“Wait!” Emily cried out. “Where’s Christina?”
“Staying behind,” Scott said. “I knew she was the smart one.”
They dashed out into the street, heading down towards the Federal Reserve Bank, which was a few blocks away. Alex only hoped they’d been in time to stop Maxwell Collier from destroying the city.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Collier couldn’t remember a time when he’d been happier. The police had retreated, hoping to seal off his exits by putting up stronger roadblocks and bringing in heavier weapons.
Moving towards an abandoned police vehicle, Collier rejoiced to see the crowds fleeing in terror. Ignoring the sheep for the moment, he moved to put his money into the remaining vehicle. If he’d learned anything from his encounter with Rachel and YouTube earlier, it was that video of his deeds would be posted worldwide for everyone to see within minutes.
He piled the stolen money into his truck, stuffing the rear of the vehicle as full as he could. He frowned, chiding himself again for not thinking his bank robbery all the way through. Being a criminal mastermind was apparently harder than he’d been led to believe. Nothing in his academic life had ever prepared him for a life of crime.
He shrugged. Learning on the job was how most people did it, so why not him?
For a second he thought he heard his name on the wind, and he looked up to see a trio of figures running against the crowd. He wasn’t sure if they were aiming to take him down or if they were just a bunch of gawkers out for a closer look. But why take the risk?
He summoned a full ball of flame and threw it towards the trio.
The blazing ball hit its target, guided there by Collier’s hands.
Surprisingly, the man in front charged through the flames without a mark on him. Collier looked in surprise, then threw another series of fireballs.
Through the haze, Collier couldn’t be quite sure of what he saw next, but where the man had been, a large wolf was now rushing toward him, darting through the flames as quickly as Collier threw them. The pavement exploded in front of the wolf as he bounded closer.
Collier frowned and decided if the wolf wouldn’t burn, he could at least make himself tougher to get to. Whirling around, he concentrated hard on the street. It glowed red, and as the wolf trod over it, the concrete burst into flames under his paws, drawing satisfying howls of pain.
The two people following the wolf cried out in pain too as the flames spread out to catch them.
Now Collier could be sure the wolf creature was a shapeshifter, as it shifted back into a man in front of him. Looking at Collier in frustration, the man then glanced back toward his friends, who were trapped within the circle of flames.
Collier gave him a mock salute as the man shook his head and stepped back to help them.
Taking his chance to escape, Collier jumped into his truck, then floored it and tore through the streets. The police had set up a roadblock, but that was no matter. He concentrated, his brow furrowed, and the roadblock exploded in a blast of satisfying flames and carnage. The police tried to fire at him as he drove through, but he made sure their weapons were useless.
Above, a helicopter circled, following his vehicle through the canyon of downtown buildings. He gunned the engine and flew down the freeway, pushing the needle of the cruiser’s speedometer to the edge. He darted in and out between commuter cars, blowing up anyone who got in his way, leaving roadblocks for anyone who might try to follow.
The cruisers fell behind, but the helicopter remained stubbornly on his tail. He looked up, hoping to make it burst into flames, but nothing happened. Apparently, he reasoned, his power had a certain range.
He saw a bridge ahead front of him and came up with a plan. Concentrating on the parked cars sitting on the side of the bridge’s roadway, he made them explode in a brilliant curtain of flames.
The helicopter pilot was unable to pull up in time as one of the vehicles clipped its side. He valiantly tried to regain control of the airborne vehicle, but to no avail; the helicopter crashed on the road a short distance behind Collier. With a quick glance over his shoulder, Collier nodded to himself.
He celebrated inside the truck cab and thought about how he was going to spend all his money.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Alex ran towards Emily and Scott, desperate to free them from the flames and molten blacktop. Emily was already burnt badly on her right side, where one of Collier’s fireballs had obviously hit her. Alex’s stomach sank.
“Are you guys okay?”
“Emily’s hurt,” Scott said, his voice sounding stronger than he probably felt. “She’d got a little burn, so if you could…”
“Yeah…” Alex concentrated on Emily briefly, healing her. She didn’t look up at Alex, only rubbed her skin where a third-degree burn had been only moments before.
“Wanna shape-shift into something that can help us outta here, by the way?” Scott asked. Alex shook himself back to reality. What’s wrong with me?
“Sure, of course.” Alex concentrated briefly and shifted into a huge elephant. He stamped down on the flaming blacktop, his healing stone protecting him from burning himself. He then stepped through the smoky flames and knelt down, letting Scott and Emily climb up on his back. He moved through downtown as the elephant until they could take shelter in a nearby alley.
“Elephant, huh?” Scott asked him.
“They never forget,” Alex said, shifting back to his normal form. They hopped off his back as he did so.
“Actually, that’s an urban legend,” Scott began. Alex ignored him and looked at Emily.
“Are you okay?”
Emily was crying. Alex didn’t think he’d ever see that again, but she was clearly upset.
“Of course I’m not okay, you dick!” Emily said slapping him. “My ex-fiancé shows up after supposedly being dead for six years, my second fiancé turns out to be a psychotic pyromaniac, not to mention that my life and career is basically over because of you and these stupid goddamn stones!”
“I didn’t think you and Alex ever actually made it to being engaged, if that makes it any better,” Scott said.
Emily’s eyes pleaded with Alex, looking at him. “Whoever that was out there, that wasn’t my Max. My Max was sweet and kind and nice to me.”
“I think the stones do a lot more than just give us powers,” Alex said, airing a suspicion he’d had since coming back into contact with the stones.
“What are you talking about?” Scott asked.
A police cruiser sped by the alley with sirens blazing, clearly headed toward the scene of the bank robbery. Alex heard more distant explosions and decided that they ought to get out while the getting was good.
“Not now. Back to the hotel,” Alex said firmly.
Alex stepped forward to take Emily’s hand, but she rejected it and began walking quickly ahead of him and Scott. Scott looked at her, then back at Alex.
“Whatever happened, we can figure it out together,” Scott said, hoping to reassure his friend. “I don’t think we expected this to be easy.”
“I don’t think I expected this either,” Alex replied. He turned and moved down the alley after Emily, hoping that her explanation would be just as good as his.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ododa sent everyone home for the week, saying that a thorough inspection of the site would have to be done before they could go back to work. The crew protested until he added that they would still earn full pay while the mine was out of commission.
