“Landon, where have you been?” she asked more quietly as he peered around, concerned they might be overheard. “I looked everywhere for you. Last night . . . the system . . . all this intel . . . it . . .” Katie Leigh spoke erratically she tried to piece everything together. Landon could see in her panic-stricken face that she’d succumbed to a massive dose of prolonged stress. Judging by her broken English, it sounded like Dr. Brighton’s plan had worked just as he’d hoped.
“Katie—”
“In the Vault . . .”
“Katie—”
“Had to tell someone . . .”
“Katie!” Landon grabbed Katie Leigh by the shoulders and shook her into listening. “Breathe.” Katie Leigh took a deep inhale that looked painful. “Good. Now, do you know where Celia is?”
“She’s inside.” Katie Leigh’s eyes turned to the metal door behind Landon, confirming Landon’s suspicions. She spoke quickly, trying to explain herself. “When I couldn’t find you, I had to tell someone. She was the only one I could think of. She’s headed to the Vault. She’s been in there for twenty minutes.”
“The Vault?”
“Yes, that’s where they’re keeping it. It’s underground. There’s some secret passage—”
“Katie, where is this passage?” Landon interrupted, trying to extract the necessary information with as much speed as possible.
“I don’t know. It was only referenced in the margin of a blueprint I found.” Katie Leigh paused, her eyes raised as she recalled the words. “In the room where squares surround, the Vault is hidden underground.”
Dr. Wells, Landon thought, thinking only he would create such an obvious riddle. “It’s under the Palaestra,” Landon said. “That must be where Celia went.” He adopted an authoritative tone. “Katie, I need you to wait here for me. Hide behind the pillar like you were before. I’ve got to get Celia out of there.”
“But there was—” Katie Leigh started before Landon stopped her.
“Katie, for once, please just do what I ask. Celia’s in serious danger.”
Without any hesitation, she closed her mouth and gave Landon an obedient look. He let go of her, spun around, and slammed his hand onto the access panel. The thin, glowing blue line oscillated up and down, scanning Landon’s hand. The light was jarringly bright in the darkness of the massive hallway. After a moment, “ACCESS GRANTED” flashed across the panel within a vibrant green bar. The metal door hissed as the lock disengaged.
As the door opened, Landon turned back to Katie Leigh and reiterated, “Remember, stay hidden. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Katie Leigh watched silently from the hallway as Landon rushed into the Olympic Tower.
The Temple looked abandoned. The screens that lined the circular room still flashed in and out as the A.R.G.O.S. system continued to monitor the globe and search for critical information that the Pallas Corporation could use, but not a soul was in the place, no commander strategizing the next mission or even an analyst diligently working late—no one. Landon passed around the Altar, the large console in the center of the room, and bolted toward the lift.
“Vault,” he huffed as his feet touched the platform.
It was a long shot, but Landon hoped the command would activate the platform and take him below the Palaestra. His command, however, failed to cause any reaction.
“Palaestra,” Landon said with a hint of disappointment.
The lift instantly began to descend. As it emerged onto the Palaestra, the lights in the dark room flickered on. White light ignited from behind the individual squares that lined the floor, walls and ceiling of the massive training room. The makeshift house and the debris from Landon and Brock’s fight had all been cleared, making the space appear cavernous and massive. It looked dauntingly large when nothing was there to fill the space.
Right after Landon stepped off the platform, it started to ascend back up to the Temple. As it passed through the ceiling, a gentle hiss caught Landon’s ear before he was left in complete silence. Even with the lights glowing underneath him, the floor felt cold against Landon’s bare skin. He carefully scanned the room, looking for Celia or some trace of her movements. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“Hello?” Landon called out. If it weren’t for the sound-dampening walls, his voice would have echoed back to him. His senses felt heightened in the empty room; there was an eerie quality about it that made him uneasy.
Realizing time was ticking, Landon strengthened his resolve and concentrated. He began walking around the room, meticulously inspecting every inch in the hopes of finding some clue. It took him more than five minutes to circle the room once, to no effect. There was nothing that gave him a clue as to how to get down to the Vault.
Landon took another lap around the Palaestra. This time, he tried to calm his mind and feel with his abilities. He couldn’t sense anything beyond the walls. They must contain ichorium in some way, he hypothesized, since that would explain the limits of his psychokinetic sense.
Landon began to unconsciously click his teeth as he pondered where the entrance might be. Perhaps it’s behind one of the panels, he thought. But there are so many!
Running with his theory, Landon positioned himself in the center of the room. He spread his legs in a readied stance, and mustering the full extent of his abilities, extended his arms out to his sides, his fingers splayed open as his palms faced the walls to his left and right. A massive telekinetic wave shot out in every direction, colliding with the walls like the blast wave of a powerful explosion.
The deep, rasping sound caught Landon’s attention. It sounded for only a second before disappearing into silence once more. Landon knew it came from his right. He turned that way and rushed over to the wall, looking for anything. Nothing appeared out of place. It all looked just as it had before, but as he passed his hand down the wall, he felt it fall in slightly as he moved from one square to the next.
Landon halted and turned. Sliding his hand around the square, he felt a small lip of space separating it from the ones around it. It was the slightest of variations, but compared to the smooth, seamless transitions of all the other squares, it was unmistakable that this one had moved.
He put both hands in the middle of the panel and pushed with all his might. Although the panel did not move at first, Landon could feel it starting to give under his pressure. With the same rasping sound, the square moved backward, recessing deeper into the wall.
An opening in the wall started to emerge on Landon’s left. Excited, he pushed harder, moving the panel back until it clicked into place. Track lighting along the floor flickered on, revealing a secret staircase that led far below the Palaestra floor.
Landon rushed down the steps, his feet slapping against the metal stairs. As he descended deeper underground a low constant sound behind him caught his attention. He paused, looked back over his shoulder and watched as the panel he’d moved finished sliding back into place, concealing the entrance once again. The path was much darker now with only the small ribbons of light on the floor to guide him and a pale light emanating from a passage at the base of the stairs signaling his destination.
When he reached the bottom, the space opened up into a dark cave with low ceilings, but cut into the rocky walls, a massive metal door waited ominously. Tiny floodlights around the edge of the door gleamed off the grooves of the metal and lit the room. Landon approached with caution. He’d found the entrance to the Vault, but he couldn’t believe such a place existed right under his nose.
Investigating the area, he looked for a way to open the door. He expected to find some kind of scanner like the one outside of the Olympic Tower, which might let him in, but he couldn’t find one; he looked for a voice-activated lock, a biometric scanner, even a prism lock like one he’d watched Cortland crack in one of his earlier training sessions, but still
he found nothing. Landon ran his hands over the grooves of the rocks and around the edges of the door, hoping something would reveal itself. There didn’t seem to be any way inside.
Landon cursed. He attempted to use his abilities to see if he could sense some hidden lock, but was instantly halted by the ichorium. The entire cave seemed to be coated in the stuff, especially the door, restricting Landon’s abilities to the closed space around him. The sensation was oddly suffocating.
Growing desperate, Landon resorted to the only alternative he could think of.
“Celia! Are you in there?” Landon banged his fist against the door as he shouted to her. He hoped she would hear him and let him in—if she was even in there. The sound of his hand banging on the metal reverberated off the walls and surrounded Landon in a deafening clatter. He waited to see if Celia would respond, but nothing came. He tried again, pounding on the door as he yelled, “Celia! Let me in!”
Landon paused again, letting the cave return to silence as he waited for Celia to reply. After a minute, he was about to knock on the massive metal door again, when a bodiless arm shot out of the door and held his hand in place with a forceful grip on his wrist.
Landon jumped with surprise, but before he could pull away, the hand yanked him forward. Landon slammed his eyes shut. He’d experienced it before, but passing through a solid object still freaked him out. Although the first time, when Celia pulled him through his dorm room door, felt effortless, like walking through a mist, the phasing process this time was uncomfortable. Landon felt immense resistance as if he was being forced through a block of gelatin or a wall of heavy-packed snow.
“What are you doing here?” Celia sounded agitated. “Do you want everyone to find me?”
Landon hesitantly opened his eyes, and was awestruck by where he’d emerged. It was like something he’d only seen in movies. The Vault was full of metal lockers; there were rows upon rows of them, like a library, but with a bank safety-deposit-box kind of vibe to it. These rows extended as far as he could see, flanking a central walkway. Landon stood at its head.
The floor was lined in the same light panels as the Palaestra, which cast white light up from the ground. Massive columns of steel and stone supported the ceiling, which appeared to be no more than jaggedly cut rock unchanged from when the Vault was carved out of the stone.
Landon gazed slack-jawed at the place, trying to take it all in. He was both in awe of the enormity of the place and horrified at the idea of all the secret and nefarious things that probably filled its holds.
“Landon, what are you doing here?” Celia asked again, forcefully.
Her voice pulled Landon back and the reason he’d been searching for her returned with force. “You have to get out of here,” he said emphatically. “This whole thing is a trap.”
Celia peered at him with skepticism, her eyes glaring at him just over her the high collar of her heavy, black utility jacket—her Artemis uniform. The entire bottom half of her face was concealed behind the stiff, cylindrical collar.
“I’m serious, Celia. The alarms could sound any minute. This whole thing was planned by Dr. Brighton so he could get what he wants and they can catch you.”
Celia seemed unaffected by Landon’s news. “And why would you care?” she asked, sounding irritated. “You said you were done with me.”
“Yes, but that was before—”
“Before what, Landon?” Her voice rose with her anger. “Before you realized I was telling you the truth?”
Landon cowered into himself. “Yes,” he answered meekly.
Celia turned and stormed down the aisle, leaving him standing at the door. “Leave me alone, Landon,” she said forcefully as she walked away. “I can take care of myself.”
Landon, paralyzed with regret, watched as Celia moved deeper and deeper into the Vault. He wondered if he should just do what she asked and head back, leaving her to her fate. There was no hope of saving her if she wouldn’t listen to reason. Landon shook his head as he realized he couldn’t accept her dismissal.
“Celia, wait!” he yelled as he ran down the aisle to catch her. “I’m sorry, okay? I should have listened! You were right!”
She spun around with unbelievable speed. Her finger was raised and pointing at Landon, who skidded to a stop. “What’s changed, Landon? What?”
“Brighton, . . . he drugged me. . . . He’s the Prince. . . . He knows you’re Artemis. . . . He’s known all along,” Landon explained between deep breaths.
Celia’s severe expression remained unchanged. “Listen, I’m not leaving until I get what I came for.” She paused. “I’ve waited too long to know why Project Herakles is so important.”
Landon glared at Celia with apprehension, but could see her unwavering purpose in her eyes. He turned his head down and weighed his situation. He knew it wasn’t smart for them to linger any longer, but Celia wasn’t going to leave until she had the files for Project Herakles in her hand. He too wanted to know about Project Herakles, but that wasn’t his first priority at the moment. The trap could go off at any moment, leaving them stranded. Maybe if we find it fast, we can get out in time. Deciding there was nothing he could do, Landon said with pleading sincerity, “Let me help you then.”
Celia peered into Landon’s eyes. After a long moment, she said nonchalantly, “Ok,” and then once more turned around and headed down the central aisle, moving farther and farther away from the exit Landon wished they’d return to.
After getting over the shock of her agreeing to his help, he hop-skipped to catch up to her and then followed hesitantly behind her. “So, what do you need me to do?”
“Help me find it,” she said matter-of-factly, without turning to face him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
PROJECT
HERAKLES
Landon scoffed as worry and apprehension ensnared him. Was she serious? This place is huge! It could take a lifetime to find the files for one project.
“The Vault’s divided up into sections.” As she continued to walk, Celia motioned up to a nearby row of cabinets. Landon followed the line of her arm up to the nearby row of lockers they passed. Engraved into the metal was a prominent “B.” “If we figure out how it’s broken up we can narrow down the hunt.”
Landon covered his mouth as he scoured his brain for some logical way to go about their investigation. It was a ridiculous thought to haphazardly search the rows of material. Landon thought back to what he knew of Project Herakles. His first mission! Landon envisioned the folder, the papers he had rifled through, the owl symbol on the folio, but nothing that would help. Then a memory sparked in his mind.
He remembered the vials he’d collected from the case in the Metis Labs laboratory on the forty-seventh floor. Each had been labeled with a string of letters and numbers. He had thought they just identified the project, but now he realized that it might also be a file coding system. This place is like a library, he thought, as the epiphany grew in his mind. He turned to Celia.
“All the samples I took back at Metis Labs . . . they all started with a PH . . . PH-LW-BS001 . . . PH-LW-Isolate . . . PH-BioEnh #014.” Landon stared down at his empty hand as if he was reading right off the labels. “I thought it just meant Project Herakles, but it might also be how they are filed. If the files are in here, I bet ‘P’ is the best place to start.”
“All right, let’s go!” Celia started down the central aisle. Her head swiveled to the left and right as she read the letters on the end of each row.
Landon followed close behind, similarly reading the labels that identified the section. In retrospect, the location seemed obvious, but part of him wondered if it could be in “H” or if there was some other filing system completely unrelated to the labels on the samples. The research was from the Gymnasium originally, but he did steal those vials from Metis Labs, after all. Perh
aps they altered the labels and use a different filing system.
Celia stopped abruptly, and Landon trotted up beside her. She was looking up at a row to her right; the letter “P” engraved clearly at the top of the case. Looking at the next row, Landon saw the same letter engraved at its end . . . and that of the next . . . and the next . . . and the next. There were several rows, and even though they had a starting point, Landon doubted they’d find the right locker quickly enough.
“You take the last row, I’ll take the first,” Celia ordered before rushing in to start her search. Landon watched for a moment, as she hurriedly opened one locker after another, slamming each shut with a grimace. Realizing that watching her was not helping, he headed for the last row labeled with a “P.”
There were five rows that made up the section. Landon stood at the back of the final row, staring at the top locker as he prepared himself for the daunting task of finding the correct locker among so many—the one locker containing the intel on Project Herakles. He reached out and pressed the locker. With a faint click, the front panel released. Landon pulled the door back and looked inside. There was a strange metallic object sitting on top of some files.
He pulled it out and examined it for a moment, turning the strange contraption back and forth in his hand. It was round—about the size of a softball—and it had a band of blue light around it with a few round spots on the top that looked like buttons. Landon, deciding to put aside his itching curiosity, returned the object to the locker and pulled out the folders upon which it rested. The tab of the first one read, “PTE,” and when he opened the folder, “Project Target Explosion” was written across the top of the first page and “TOP SECRET” stamped in prominent red.
Feeling time ticking away, Landon shoved the folders back into the locker, clicked it shut, and proceeded to the one below it. Inside he found another collection of objects resting atop a stack of folders. Landon didn’t bother with the items this time and just pulled out the first folder. The tab had “PTG” handwritten on the tab and “Project Time Gap” typed on the cover page.
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