“What do you think?” Harley asked, turning to Max.
“Let’s not push it.”
“Agreed.”
They raced for the hatchway as the probes closed in. The door was shut, but with their IPA, it didn’t matter. Max leaped as the first drone was about to overtake them. He phased through the hatch and into the darkness, hoping the others would follow.
Once his eyes adjusted, Max could see that he was in a narrow passage that looked like it had been bombed, bulldozed, and then bombed again.
The others spilled in, and if it hadn’t been for the IPA, they wouldn’t have been able to make it through the thicket of smoldering pipe works or the snapping plasma conduits.
“They were overwhelmed,” Raven said after taking her hand from the wall.
“What about Logan?” Max asked. Through the darkness, he could see the fallen forms of THOR agents amid the rubble.
“He made it out, but he was one of the few.”
“We better keep moving.” Max was relieved that Logan was still alive, but he had to push thoughts of the fallen THOR agents out of his mind. It was overwhelming, but they had to keep moving.
Raven led them to an abyss that was impossible to cross. “It’s an elevator shaft,” she explained. “The clockworks blew it up.”
“The THOR agents were trapped,” Max said.
Raven nodded.
“Look at this,” Harley said. He was kneeling beside the remains of a clockwork with rocket launchers on its shoulders. It had a hole punched through its chest, and its innards had melted into slag. Behind the machine was a hidden air shaft.
“Two men went through here,” Raven said. She looked at Max. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Why?”
“It’s just that…” Raven’s voice faltered. “I have a bad feeling, that’s all.”
“Is there something you’re not telling us?”
“No.”
“Then let’s go.” Max was the first to disappear into the small passage. The air shaft twisted like a roller coaster at an amusement park. He held his arms against his sides and pointed his feet forward. At one point, Max was going so fast around a turn that he ended up riding along the top of the tubing.
He could hear the others screaming behind him. Then, just when Max wondered if the ride was going to end, his feet pounded against a grate that shot through the air, ricocheting off the wall and then hitting the floor.
“Whoa!” Max shouted as he hurtled through the air. He braced for impact against the wall, but his shoulder phased right through. Max ended up in some kind of storage facility with metal shelves filled with neatly stacked bins.
Moments later Harley landed on top of him, and the others weren’t far behind.
“Where are we?” Natalia asked.
“In the wrong place,” Max said before walking back through the wall and into the hallway, where he saw the sunglasses lying on the floor.
“Are those Logan’s?” Harley asked.
Max walked over to pick them up. The lenses were shattered and the frame bent. Max stopped breathing.
“Nice of you to drop in.”
A ONE-WAY TICKET
Startled by the familiar voice, Max whipped around. In the dim light, he spotted Logan tucked behind an engine of some sort. He was sitting against a pipe that was emitting a thick cloud of steam.
“Whoever you are, I know you’re there,” Logan said.
“Ernie, turn it off,” Max said.
Ernie shut down the IPA, and the world became solid once again.
Max rushed to Logan, whose side was bleeding. He forced a smile, then winced. “Now how did I know that was going to be you?”
“What happened?” Max asked.
Logan snorted and then coughed. “Clocks.”
Max looked at the wound in Logan’s side. His jacket was drenched with blood, and his skin was pale. “We have to get you out of here.”
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Logan said.
“Don’t say that.”
Logan smiled as he reached up to pat Max on the cheek. “We’re all going to meet our maker one day,” he said, coughing again. “How did you miscreants get your hands on an IPA, anyway?”
Max looked back at Ernie. “Strange gave it to him.”
“Strange?” Logan asked, frowning.
“Yeah, he said it was a Christmas present,” Ernie said.
“That’s some—” Logan coughed. “That’s quite a gift.”
“He said it wasn’t illegal.”
Logan smiled, but it faded too quickly. He closed his eyes.
“Come on,” Max said to the others. “Help me get him up.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Logan said.
“If we were using an IPA, how did you know we were here?” Natalia asked.
“I have a handy little device that can see through them,” Logan said. “Apparently Von Strife does, too. That’s the only way his machines could have spotted us.”
“Wait,” Max said. “If he can see through the IPA, then why didn’t he stop us?”
Logan sighed before resting his head against the wall. “There’s the million-dollar question.”
“Maybe he didn’t think we were a threat,” Natalia said.
“I don’t think that’s the case,” Logan said. He licked his dry lips.
“Does anyone have water?” Max asked.
Ernie uncapped his water bottle and handed it to Max, who helped Logan take a sip.
“I can help him,” Brooke said.
“Maybe not,” Logan said with a grimace. “They got me good.”
“You have to let her try.”
Logan struggled to push his rucksack toward Max.
“What’s that?” Max asked.
“The explosives.”
“And you want us to set them?”
“I don’t think we have much of a choice.”
“What about Von Strife?” Natalia asked.
“I haven’t seen him.” Logan turned to Ernie. “We didn’t see Hale or Strange, either, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t here.”
Ernie nodded.
“Are you going to let Brooke take a look at that?” Max said.
Logan sighed. “I’ll make you a deal.”
“It depends.”
“If you follow my orders without question, I’ll let her give it a go.”
Max hesitated, his eyes narrowed. “No tricks.”
“Fine.”
Max extended his hand.
Logan took Max’s hand to accept the deal. Logan instructed Max and Harley on how to set the bombs that would blow up the Paragon Engine. When he was convinced they could do it without blowing themselves up instead, he sent them off and asked Natalia and Ernie to go stand watch. Raven hung back with Brooke as she tried to heal Logan.
“That’s amazing,” Natalia said. She was standing with Max, Harley, and Ernie on a causeway that overlooked the Paragon Engine. The machine’s core shimmered with waves of energy as scientists and clockworks scuttled about like ants at a picnic.
“I’m going down,” Max said, backing onto the ladder that led to the floor below.
Harley was next, then Natalia, with Ernie taking up the rear. Once they were all on the ground, the Griffins made their way through the network of activity until they came to the base of the Paragon Engine.
“Is that the Brimstone Key?” Natalia asked, pointing to a large cylinder made of meteoric iron. It acted as the bridge between the engine and the main power conduit from the fusion generator.
“I think so,” Harley said after a brief glance. He set his pack down and went to work, pulling out the adhesive putty before setting three bombs on the ground.
“What about Von Strife?” Ernie asked.
“I haven’t seen him,” Max said as Harley handed him a bomb.
“Maybe he went through already.”
“If he did, he kind of forgot his army,” Harley said before standing
up with a bomb in his hand.
“Either that or Natalia was right,” Max said. “Maybe he’s just looking for his daughter.”
Harley stuck the bomb onto the Paragon Engine. Then he punched a code before turning the dial, while Max did the same with his bomb.
“What if he took Hale and Strange with him?” Ernie asked. “If we destroy the Paragon Engine, we’ll never see them again.”
“We don’t even know if he’s gone through,” Harley said as he prepared the last bomb. “Besides, this way Von Strife won’t be able to send any more changelings away.”
Ernie grabbed Harley’s wrist. Harley tried to pull away, but he couldn’t. “I’m not going to let you kill them,” Ernie said. “Not this time.”
“Listen to me,” Max said. “You’re not the only one who cares about them. We all do, but if we don’t shut it down now, Von Strife will never stop.”
“I’ll stop him,” Ernie said.
“How?”
“I don’t know, I just will.”
Max placed his hand on Ernie’s shoulder. “It may not seem like it, but saying good-bye to Robert was hard on all of us,” Max said. “I have nightmares about what happened, but we did the right thing…. And we’re doing the right thing now.”
“What about Hale?” Ernie asked, looking defeated.
“Let’s hope Von Strife is the only one who went through,” Max said. “Either way, we’re going to save a lot of lives.”
Ernie shut his eyes, lowering his head as he let go of Harley’s wrist. Then the IPA flashed, and the phase-adjusted world faded away. They were now visible to all the clockwork soldiers around them.
“What’s going on?” Ernie asked. He was shaking the IPA as though that would make it work again.
It didn’t.
Max activated the gauntlet, unleashing a stream of energy at the nearest clockwork, scorching its iron hide. The mechanical soldier fell back, but another took its place. A clockwork with four arms ran at Harley, who managed to duck out of the way, but the machine turned around to take another swipe.
It closed in on Harley, and Max leaped. He caught the clockwork in the chest with his gauntlet, and a blue light erupted as the clock’s protective casing crumbled. It staggered and fell to the floor. Then its eyes faded.
The sound of gears turning echoed throughout the chamber. The surface of the Paragon Engine shimmered before revealing a field of stars that shined brightly in the night sky. Max could feel the hair on his head and arms rise as he watched Ernie unhinge one of the clockwork’s arms with a screwdriver he had found.
Ernie was a blur of motion. The clockwork had no idea what was happening until it was too late. It lost one arm and then the next. Ernie dismantled one of its knee joints, sending the clockwork tumbling to the ground.
Natalia screamed as one of the clockworks closed in on her. Max tried to help, but he felt something tug at him. He looked up at the Paragon Engine to see a strong wind rip Ernie’s helmet from his head. It tumbled through the portal and disappeared with a flash. One of the clockworks was sucked through, a moment later, Ernie followed.
“No!” Max fought against the pull of the Paragon Engine, but he was losing ground. Natalia cried out before she was sucked in. Harley reached out to grab her ankle, but in the process he lost his grip.
When Harley disappeared, Max lost his will to fight. He closed his eyes, and then he was gone.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
The only survivors were Logan, Brooke, and Raven. The other THOR agents had fallen in combat, but when the rescue team found them, Brooke didn’t want to leave—not until someone went through the portal to retrieve her friends. She sobbed as she tried to break free from the THOR agent who led her away, even though she knew there was nothing they could do.
Brooke had overheard that most of Von Strife’s employees had fled the facility. Those who hadn’t were arrested, but none could so much as remember his or her name. It was as though their memories had been erased.
Most of the clockworks, including the machines that had attacked the Griffins, had been shut down by the time the rescue team arrived. The few that still worked were service models that performed mundane tasks like emptying trash cans and sweeping floors. The only explanation Brooke could think of was that Von Strife accomplished his objective.
The problem was that nobody knew what that objective was, including Raven. She had attempted to get the walls, machines, and every inanimate object she could find to tell her, but they were silent. Either they didn’t know, or like the employees, their memories had been wiped clean.
At least no monsters or dark faeries had poured through the Paragon Engine, which meant that a gateway to the Shadowlands hadn’t been opened. Still, Brooke had seen video footage taken from the facility showing the Grey Griffins—her friends—being pulled through the Paragon Engine before it was shut down.
It was over a week later, and she was still having trouble sleeping. Every night, she lay in bed looking at the ceiling as the realization that her friends were lost forever burned in her mind. Then late one night a light caught her eye. It had come from the lamp on her writing desk. The lamp flickered like the erratic beats of a moth’s wings. Figuring it was just a short in the cord, she pulled her blankets off and walked over to unplug the lamp from the wall.
She bent down to unplug it, but then her jaw dropped. “That’s funny,” she said. The lamp hadn’t been plugged in.
As Brooke stood up, all the lights in her room started to flicker. Brooke moved to the mirror, where she could see the hair on her head standing on end. It was as if her whole room was charged with electricity.
Then she noticed frost creeping across the edges of the mirror as the surface turned ghostly blue. Brooke gasped when her reflection faded and was replaced by an image of Max, with the other Grey Griffins standing behind him.
“Brooke, is that you?”
“Yes,” she said. “Where are you?”
“How long have we been gone?”
“A week.”
“That’s impossible.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll have to explain later,” Max said. “Look, I think we found a way back, but we need help.”
“Anything.”
“Tell your dad to initiate the Omega Option. He’ll know what that means.”
She nodded.
“You have to hurry. When Strange finds out we’ve escaped, we won’t have much time.”
“Wait, did you mean to say Von Strife?”
“It’s the same person.”
“What?” Brooke said. She shook her head as her mind raced, trying to grasp what Max had said. Had he just told her that Obadiah Strange, one of the teachers at Iron Bridge Academy, was actually Otto Von Strife in disguise? It was impossible.
She frowned and then tilted her head. She had so many questions that she didn’t know where to begin. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a chance to ask any of them.
“We have to go now,” Max said. “Send word to our families. We’re coming home.”
“Max, wait!” Brooke said, desperate to hold on to the image. She needed to know that it was real, that she wasn’t dreaming, but Max was gone.
THE BRIMSTONE KEY
DEREK BENZ & J. S. LEWIS
LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY
New York Boston
THE GREY GRIFFINS
THE LEADER: Max Sumner
After his grandfather’s mysterious death, Max learned that his wealthy family was a part of the secret Templar society. He became the Guardian of the Codex Spiritus, an enchanted book that holds monsters, evil faeries, and other dangerous creatures captive within its magical pages. The Codex can change shapes, from a book, to a ring, to a gauntlet capable of channeling Max’s family power: Skyfire!
THE INVENTOR: Harley Davidson Eisenstein
Built like a linebacker and incredibly smart, Harley is a technological prodigy who designs gadgets critical to any successful monster hunt
. Unlike Max’s wealthy family, Harley and his mother are barely getting by. But he’s not bothered; he knows that happiness isn’t measured by how much money you have in your bank account.
THE SLEUTH: Natalia Romanov
Fearless,fiery, and intensely smart, Natalia uses her keen observational skills and her analytical mind to solve any mystery. As a part of her sleuthing kit, Natalia carries a Phantasmoscope that allows her to see into the faerie spectrum. Since a close friend betrayed her, Natalia has had a hard time trusting other girls. She feels more at home with the Griffins than with anyone else.
THE CHANGELING: Ernie Tweeny
Ernie became a changeling after a transfusion of faerie blood, which gave him super speed, rapid healing, and enhanced eyesight. But there’s a catch: whenever Ernie uses his powers, he becomes more faerie and less human. Despite that risk, he has vowed to fight evil as his superhero alter ego, Agent Thunderbolt.
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
The Knights Templar is an ancient society that has sworn to protect mankind against unseen dangers like monster invasions and zombie uprisings. In recent months, the Templar were nearly exterminated by an army of werewolves called the Black Wolf Society. They are slowly rebuilding their strength.
THE NIGHTMARE
TERRIFIED, MAX SUMNER FORCED HIMSELF TO WALK down the long corridor. Water dripped from the ceiling, as an eerie light flickered through tattered sheets of plastic strung across the end of the hallway.
Max didn’t notice the fallen bicycle until it was too late. He tripped, cutting his shin. But he couldn’t turn back. Not now. The front wheel spun as he walked toward the light. When he finally reached the ragged sheeting, Max pushed it aside and stepped through. The temperature plummeted and breath rose from his mouth like a ghostly serpent.
Crunch…
Max looked down at a rotted yellow bag half-filled with decaying newspapers and swallowed hard. Then he heard the faint whistle of drills, and Max was certain that the stench in his nostrils was blood.
He passed a discarded sneaker, then a baseball cap with the name JOHNNY GEIST written on the lining of the bill.
Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles #2: The Relic Hunters Page 22
