Crucible of Fear

by D. W. Whitlock

  He’d let Dark Messiah cut off all his limbs if he could just know for sure she was alive.

  “Are you okay?” Briana said.

  “No.”

  “You need to sleep. How long has it been?”

  “I can’t sleep. I can’t. I just see her face.”

  “Come, lay down. Just close your eyes for a little while.”

  Dante stood and wavered a bit, then stumbled past Briana over to the bed and fell face down on the mattress. The box spring creaked.

  Dante slept.

  CHAPTER 77

  Link

  “Hey. Wake up.”

  Dante’s whole body ached. The phantom hand was clenched in a painful fist. He opened his eyes and saw Briana standing over him, green eyes locked on the phone in her hand.

  “I got something,” she said, holding the phone out to him.

  Dante winced and sat up, closing his eyes to the bright rectangle of light. “What is it?”

  “So, Fer de lance is French. It means ‘tip of the spear.’ You look a little shaky still. You with me so far?”

  “Yeah. French. Tip of the spear.”

  “So...”

  “Of course,” Dante said. “Spearhead Data Systems. Skylar’s company. Got an address?”

  “Just a website. No contact info, no address, no listing in any business directory, nothing on social media. They don’t exist.”

  “So, we’re back to where we started,” Dante said.

  “Not exactly,” Briana said. “When I was scrolling to the bottom, I found a hidden link. It was really cool actually. When I’d scroll up and down, a portion at the bottom would reveal a small S shape. This is what it links to.”

  She held up the phone, showing a white screen with the words “server error” along the top.

  “Okay.”

  “I looked at the HTML source for the page. That link is a dot onion. It’s only accessible through a special browser known as TOR.” She tapped and swiped on the screen again. “Look.”

  Dante took the phone from her and looked at the screen. It was black with green writing, a bit hard to read, but he could clearly see the words Fer de Lance above a white box. A cursor blinked inside the box. He gazed up at her.

  “Isn’t TOR for browsing the Dark Web?”

  “From what I could find, yes. It sounds cooler than it is. It just means the connection is encrypted. It’s worth a try,” she said.

  “How did you figure all this out?”

  “Oh, I know a little about computers,” she said with a sly grin. “And Google, of course.”

  Dante paused, then typed in two words.

  Bothrops Asper.

  The cursor blinked several times as if excited.

  Mr. Ellis. I’m so glad you got in touch. Please let me help you.

  How?

  An address appeared, along with exactly where to meet, followed by a time.

  Once you arrive, we get can you somewhere safe.

  Dante handed the phone back to Briana. “Feel like taking a drive?”

  CHAPTER 78

  Eyes

  Dante rummaged around in the trunk of the Porsche, lifting the stacks of money as Briana kept an eye out. He found what he was looking for and opened a small leather bag. He removed a screwdriver and handed it to Briana. She moved off through the dim parking lot, the white stripes of her dazzle camo fading into the night.

  He opened one of the plastic bags, removed a stack of bills and slipped them into a zippered pocket on the dazzle camo. He tugged the car cover off and tossed it into a crumpled heap among the refuse that had collected along a low wall. It looked as though it had always been there.

  Dante got behind the wheel and started the car. In the rearview mirror, he saw Briana return and disappear as she crouched down. A moment later the passenger door opened and she got in, tossing the Porsche’s license plate to the floor.

  “I got a plate off an old truck that looked like it had been parked there awhile, but the registration was still valid.”

  Dante nodded and pulled out onto the street. There were very few cars out this early, sunrise just beginning to blush behind them as they drove west. The skies were clear and cloudless.

  There were no dragonflies.

  Dante noted how many cameras there were as they drove, something he’d never really taken notice of before. They were mounted to the side of power poles, hanging next to traffic lights and above business entrances. Some were perched on the ledges of buildings like futuristic gargoyles. Dante shook his head. They were all over the place. Even if only half of them were on, it was still like being under a microscope. It made his skin crawl.

  They merged onto the 101 South and drove in silence, Briana staring out the passenger side window. She sat up straighter, leaning forward to peer through the windshield.

  “We’re going to downtown?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ve always wanted to see downtown L.A.”

  “It’s not much. Nothing like Chicago, or New York.”

  “Better than downtown Cairo.”

  “Cairo? I thought you said you were from Nebraska.”

  “I am. Cairo, Nebraska. The welcome sign is a pyramid with a camel statue next to it. About eight hundred people live there, I guess. You just missed the Cairo Cornstalk Festival.”

  “Sounds nice.”

  “Just another tired, little town where old people go to die, and young people want to escape. Or at least I thought it was. It is nice. Now I can’t ever go back there.”

  “Your video wasn’t that bad, right? It was just you and a girl kissing? That’s on television all the time these days.”

  “It’s still a small town and my Dad’s the preacher there. Dark Messiah sent that video to everyone one of my contacts. That includes some teachers, Mrs. Pettis the librarian and town gossip, even the mayor from when I was Ms. Teen Cairo. My guess is the locals have burned the church to the ground.”

  “It can’t be that bad.”

  “Nebraska ain’t California.”

  “Guess not.”

  They fell into silence as a cluster of tall buildings appeared up ahead.

  “That’s downtown L.A.? It looks so much bigger on TV.”

  “Everything looks bigger on TV,” Dante said. “So, I have to ask, why did you come out here?”

  Briana continued to stare out the window. Dante gazed at her again, but she remained silent.

  “I came out here to become a singer, or so I told myself,” Briana said. “Leish, the girl I was living with, discovered me.” Briana laughed, a colorless sound. “Leish,” she said with a sneer. “Her real name’s Alicia. She was going to be my manager or whatever, but it was just a set up. Her boyfriend, Melvin Rossetti, also known as Mel Rose, somehow got into trouble with Dark Messiah, so they offered me up to do their little errand.”

  “Mel Rose?” Dante said. “One of those reality show guys, right?”

  “He was the bad boy of the group,” Briana said with a sigh.

  “I remember. His manager sent his head shot to us at least half a dozen times. Looked like a real dick to me.”

  “Leish, Mel Rose, Dark Messiah, Fer de Lance,” Briana shook her head. “What’s up with the people out here?”

  “Not everyone’s like that. But this is where people have always come to be somebody else. Start new.”

  Briana looked at the trees blur by outside, watery green smears above the reddish-brown brick wall that lined the freeway. “My boyfriend. Mark. He hit me.” Briana mumbled the last words, her throat closing up. “That’s why I came out here.”

  Dante glanced over at her for a moment, wishing he could see her through the optical camo. “I’m sorry. As a father of a daughter, that’s one of my biggest fears. Guys can be real shit heads,” Dante said.

  “Yeah. Girls too.”

  Silence filled the car again as Dante merged onto the 110 Freeway. Shadows fell over them as they drove south through downtown, Briana craning her neck to see the
tall buildings.

  “Do you think he’s part of it? Skylar Westfall?” Briana said.

  “In the beginning, I did. Now, I just don’t know. I thought Colin was behind the whole thing, especially when he put that mask on my face, but he saved my eye. Looks like he’s just a victim as well.” Dante shook his head. “Dark Messiah told me I was the first and that others would follow. This whole twisted charade ends with my death, broadcast live, me pulling the trigger. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody, but why me?”

  “Let’s hope this Skylar guy has some answers,” Briana said without much conviction. “Do you think he can actually help?”

  “I don’t know. But at this point,” Dante said, “he’s all we got.”

  CHAPTER 79

  Fireworks

  Dante pulled into the driveway of a large parking structure, noticing the camera above the ticket machine as he punched the big yellow button on its face. The ticket spat out and Dante snatched it as the striped gate arm lifted. He drove in, following the right-hand curves that led upward. There were cameras everywhere.

  Dante parked and killed the engine. There were only a few other cars on this level, none close by. Dante peered out through the windows, feeling exposed.

  “Ready?”

  Briana nodded.

  They walked to the elevator, footsteps echoing lightly on the concrete. It was quiet this early, almost peaceful, except for the occasional horn bleat from one of the many freeways that boxed in downtown Los Angeles.

  As they took an elevator down, Dante felt the camera mounted above watching them, its lens barely visible through the smoky glass dome.

  “Do these suits actually work?” Dante asked.

  “They seem to so far. Guess we’re going to find out.”

  After exiting the elevator, they followed a covered walkway past several tall buildings toward Figueroa Street. Traffic was light, mostly trucks and the orange and white autonomous delivery vehicles. Briana watched one as it drove by before tearing her eyes away. Drones of various sizes whizzed by high overhead, clutching small packages.

  None were shaped like a dragonfly.

  A few people strode by in business attire. Most paid them no attention, eyes locked on their phones. One woman glanced up and glared at them before continuing on.

  A tall building clad in white tile loomed large up ahead, its dark blue windows reflecting the surrounding cityscape.

  “That’s the Triple Seven building,” Dante said. “The mall is right up there.”

  “Hold it,” called a deep, male voice from behind.

  They turned as two policemen approached—all mustaches and hard stares.

  “Unzip and pull those hoods off,” said the taller one. His nameplate read Miller. “And get those IDs out.”

  “We have a right to our privacy,” Dante said, glancing quickly around. Cameras were everywhere. Over doors. On poles. The sky was thick with drones, all which had multiple cameras, radar, lidar, and who knows what else. Even the policemen had cameras on their chests capturing everything.

  Miller shook his head. “The law states that while wearing dazzle camo you must comply with an identity check at any time, either by private citizen or law enforcement.” He rested his hand on his baton, muscular bicep tight against the short sleeve of his dark blue uniform.

  “Listen, we aren’t doing anything illegal. We’ll just be on our way,” Dante said.

  Miller lifted his baton out of the metal loop and stepped closer. His partner did the same.

  “Last warning,” Miller said, voice hard. “IDs. Now.”

  “Okay, okay,” Dante said as he pulled a hand inside the suit, reaching behind his back to catch the lanyard attached to the zipper. His hand brushed past the Glock tucked at his lower back.

  If they find this…

  Miller raised his baton. “Slowly. You,” he said to Briana. “Don’t move.”

  The zipper slid down Dante’s back and he felt the air evaporate the sweat beaded on his neck.

  “Okay. Now the hood,” Miller said. “Nice and easy. No sudden moves.”

  Dante lifted his hands and slipped his fingers into the edges of the hood and pulled the two sides forward, exposing the top of his head.

  Everyone flinched as a loud series of pops echoed out behind them. Miller crouched and pulled his gun while his partner stood by, dumbfounded. They all watched, rooted in place as red fireworks shot up from the top of a parking structure and exploded above, raining down a shower of sparks.

  Miller turned back and frowned. “Your lucky day,” he said. The two policemen jogged off toward the parking structure as the firework show raging on.

  “That was close,” Dante said as he zipped his suit closed again.

  “I don’t think it was luck,” Briana said.

  “Come on let’s get out of here.”

  They fled down a wide set of steps to the sunken top level of an open-air shopping mall. They fast walked past several stores before descending an escalator to the dining area. Weaving their way around the many blue umbrellas that dotted the space, they sat at a table under the only red umbrella to wait. The entire place was deserted. No cleaning staff, no employees behind glass storefronts prepping for the day. Nobody.

  Off in the distance, the fireworks gave a few final pops before coming to a stop. A sudden silence descended as if a great woolen blanket had been thrown over the mall, rendering the air close and still.

  “This is weird,” Briana said, her hooded head peering around.

  Dante checked a digital clock in the window of a Gold’s Gym. 6:43 AM. “Five more minutes, then we go.”

  A siren wailed somewhere far off, impossible to tell where as the sound echoed off glass and concrete. The summer heat was building and Dante felt sweat creep down his back. Briana tugged at her camo, causing the striped pattern to jitter. A crow cawed from above, its large wings flapping as it landed on the upper level and began to march back and forth, head bobbing.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Dante said, rising to his feet.

  “Look,” Briana said, her voice awed. “Maskcreants.”

  Figures appeared, flowing in by the hundreds from all directions. They filled the mall in a matter of minutes, all clad in dazzle camo. Some milled about in small groups, others sitting at the tables while the majority kept a steady stream of movement along the storefronts, between planters and umbrellas, up and down stairs and escalators.

  “Follow me,” said a voice nearby. It sounded neither male nor female, but a strange mixture of both. One of the camo suited figures held out their hand low and to the side, waving them on.

  “Stay close, single file,” they said.

  Dante and Briana stood and followed the figure past store fronts before joining the flow leading up the escalator to the street.

  “Keep following,” said the figure. They did two turns around the upper level, Dante feeling as if he was trapped in some bizarre rapids. The flow redirected out toward the street, dazzle clad figures pouring out onto the four lanes of Figueroa.

  “This way,” said their guide.

  Dante gazed to either side as they streamed across the street, bright morning sun causing him to squint. Autonomous trucks blocked the flow of traffic. Up ahead was a nondescript two-story tan building. A white door, the numbers 712 mounted above, was set in a vertical strip sandwiched between the tan building and Bank of America branch. Their guide stopped near the door. Dante and Briana slipped in next to them.

  “Stay here for a moment,” the guide said.

  Dante watched through the steady stream of dazzle cameoed figures as a car drove by, the occupants’ mouths slack, staring in awe at this bizarre spectacle. One had their phone held up, capturing the moment. It made Dante feel nervous, exposed. He watched the car as it continued down to a corner where the Bank of America stood. A security guard inside lifted a walkie-talkie to his lips.

  “This is no good,” Dante said.

  “What are we waiting for?” Bri
ana said.

  “Wait,” said the figure, holding up a staying hand.

  There was a loud click from behind the white door nearby. Tires screeched from down the street, followed by the sound of crunching plastic. The white door opened inward.

  “Now!” the figure said.

  They followed their guide through the open doorway as smoke billowed up from two autonomous trucks locked together by ragged gaps in their plastic hulls. Darkness enveloped them as they slipped inside and the door sealed shut behind them.

  CHAPTER 80

  Fer De Lance

  A strip of lighting winked on, illuminating a short hallway. Bare concrete floors and cinder block walls led back to a door at the other end. The whispers of their feet came to a stop as their guide halted and turned.

  “Rest here for a moment.”

  Dante slipped both hands into the camo, pulled the zipper down then yanked his hood off, prosthetic arm whirring as he aimed the Glock.

  “Where’s Abigail,” Dante said.

  The figure’s arms went up. “Let me explain.”

  “Listen, Skylar. I’m sick of all this cloak and hacker bullshit. Pull that fucking hood off and tell me where she is or I’m going to kill you.” Dante’s heart jackhammered in his chest, his face slick with sweat.

  “Dante…” Briana said.

  “Stay out of this.”

  Skylar unzipped the suit and slid the hood down. A matte black mask was on his face and Dante raised the gun higher. The younger man pulled the mask off and dropped it to the floor. “I don’t know where she is. Not yet. We’ve been trying to find her ever since the airport incident. These people who have her, they’re very organized, very good at this. They locked me out of your network and all your devices. I had to be very careful of when and how I contacted you. If you had just plugged in my flash drive that day we would’ve been back in and could’ve stopped this cold.”