39 Clues - 05 - The Black Circle (13 page)

be in constant communication," said Nataliya. She smiled. "Put on the headphones and

get ready for the ride of your life."It was time to head into the Lucian black

circle.144CHAPTER 14Riding in the Shark made Amy scream with terror. Dan, she

assumed, was screaming with joy."Wait until Hamilton hears about this! It's

untoppable!"The Shark was stunningly loud at top speed, and Nataliya was pushing it

as fast as it would go from her location beneath the Kremlin."I love flying the Shark,"

Amy heard Nataliya say into her headset."But you're not really flying it," yelled Amy,

trying to be heard over the sound of the blades. It was a scary sensation, flying in a

helicopter without a pilot."You don't have to yell, I can hear you perfectly," said

Nataliya. "From where I'm sitting I might as well be flying the Shark. My control room

for the Shark is quite amazing. It's a replica down to the leather on the seats, with

wraparound monitors on every side. Front, back, bottom, top -- it looks and feels as if

I'm really flying the Shark. The only thing missing is the wind and the noise."145"You're

lucky," said Amy. "It's rough up here, and loud, and s-s-scary.""No need to be the

slightest bit afraid, Amy. The Shark knows I am its boss.""What's up, sis?" screamed

Dan, bouncing up and down in his seat. "No throwing up in the Shark or we throw you

overboard!""Close your eyes," said Nataliya. Amy obeyed and tried to calm down while

Nataliya spoke softly to her."I rarely leave the Lucian surveillance center. It's like being

trapped underground, but flying the Shark feels like I've escaped my cage. I've never

been to where you'll be going tonight. I've only heard about it. You're going to the

place where my ancestors were gunned down in the upheaval of history. What you find

there, I fear, will not be pretty."Nataliya fell silent, letting the words sink in as Amy tried

to keep from getting sick."I read all about the Amber Room," said Amy. "Can you

believe it's been hidden here in Russia all along? There are a lot of people searching for

it.""We Lucians are good at hiding things. And now we've put a black circle around the

Church on the Blood.'""What's a black circle?""It means no Lucians except those given direct permission expressly from Vikram Kabra are allowed to enter."146"How will we

know what to look for?" asked Amy."There is but one clock inside the room. Set the

time for midnight, then one, then midnight again. The face of the clock will open.""I

can remember that.""You're a smart girl. I'm sure you can."The rest of the trip passed

in silence as everyone watched the sun setting in the western sky. The closer it came to

the horizon, the faster Nataliya pushed the Shark toward the Church on the Blood. The

noise in the cockpit became almost deafening as the great helicopter struggled to

maintain speeds approaching three hundred miles per hour.The church was located on

a small hill of grass in an otherwise sleepy section of town. At this hour, there were few

people walking and even fewer cars to contend with. Nataliya announced that given the

lateness of their arrival, she would land them directly in front of the church itself. It

would be quite a spectacle, but at least there wouldn't be very many people to see

it."We may be too late," Nataliya said into her microphone. "There's a door in the floor

between your feet. You and your brother, get in there and hide. Quickly!"They were

over the church now, descending toward the empty parking lot as the darkness

approached."You'll need to enter the church through the door at the back using the

gold key. Once inside, look for the trail of amber on the floor. The orange key will

reveal a set of seven dials. Set them all to amber, with alternating147diamonds and

hearts. This will open the last door and you'll be inside. Don't be alarmed by what you

see. As I have been told, you must first pass through the tomb. Beyond the tomb you'll

find the Amber Room."Dan and Amy didn't comment on what had just been said. There

was only one tomb Nataliya could be referring to, the resting place of the six executed

Romanovs. Amy's guidebook said they had been moved to the Peter and Paul Cathedral

in St. Petersburg. But the Lucians were powerful, especially in Russia. They must have

decided to honor their dead more privately."Do you see Irina anywhere?" asked

Dan."The monitors don't show anything," said Nataliya. "But that doesn't mean she isn't

here. Irina isn't the type to stand in plain view.""We're getting inside the hatch," yelled Dan."You'll find a flashlight you can use," said Nataliya. "But don't turn it on until you're under the church or someone might see you. There's a monitor down there. Turn it on

and you'll see the parking lot. Keep an eye out for a moment when you can escape.

Good luck!"Nothing more could be heard above the noise of the massive black propeller

as the Shark came down.Night had arrived at the Church on the Blood.* * *"Set a

perimeter at a quarter of a mile, Braslov," Nataliya said. She had called Braslov, a

surveillance technician who worked three doors down from her148own, in the Lucian

headquarters. "I've come in a little fast and landed in the parking lot of the church.""So I noticed," Braslov answered. "I already made the calls."Nataliya was so immersed in

the images of the Church on the Blood she couldn't help feeling like she was sitting in

the Shark instead of the safety of a Lucian stronghold."Irina saw you and contacted me

a few minutes ago," Braslov continued. "The area will be secured.""Thank you,

Braslov.""You're in the hottest Lucian spot on earth. Don't get burned."The lights of an

approaching police car came into view even before Braslov was through warning

Nataliya. A second car followed. The Lucians controlled every level of security in Russia.

The agents were fond of sitting around a big table at the Lucian headquarters, coming

up with reasons for keeping people out of sensitive areas. The most effective tended to

be hazardous spill alerts, which kept people out of designated areas and were often

used in black circle situations. They'd been even more careful than usual with the

Church on the Blood, which they had just designated a radioactive zone. The police cars

were a backup, just in case anyone was curious enough to take a closer look at a giant

helicopter.Nataliya panned her cameras around the lot and saw the dark figure of Irina

emerge from a stand of149trees. She walked with a stiff confidence, hands in her coat

pockets, a woman in charge of her surroundings. A moment later, Irina was standing at

the cockpit door, staring into the dark interior of the Shark."You couldn't land

somewhere a little less conspicuous?" asked Irina. "This kind of event makes problems

for us."Anyone else would have thought Irina was talking to herself, but Nataliya heard

the message loud and clear."I apologize, Irina. But I thought it was necessary to get

here as quickly as possible. I've never pushed the Shark quite so hard.""She is a lovely

beast, no? I look forward to flying her again."Nataliya watched as Irina peered into the

Shark, then back at the church."Why so focused on two American brats?" asked

Nataliya. "They seem hardly a threat. I've been tracking them from the start, just like

all the other teams, and I don't see anything special. They're hopelessly behind.""Don't

underestimate them," said Irina. "They've outsmarted me before."Irina turned back

toward the Shark."Let me have a look inside. I haven't taken her for a ride in

months."Nataliya knew all too well how keen Irina's senses were. The slightest mistake

on the children's part150might lead to disaster. She pressed a white button and the

cockpit door unlocked. Then she watched as Irina pulled open the door."Keep an eye

out with al those cameras of yours, won't you?" said Irina."Absolutely."Nataliya

switched to the inside camera and watched as Irina studied the inside of the Shark for

anything suspicious. Everything appeared to be in order, so she moved to the back and

examined the seats. Still nothing."I hope I didn't break something," said Nataliya. "I

pushed the Shark getting here so fast."Without warning, Irina disappeared from view.

Nataliya swung the inside camera from side to side, then down to the floor, where she

saw Irina lifting the trapdoor. Nataliya's heart thrummed like a hummingbird. It's over!

We're caught!But nothing happened. Irina dropped the trapdoor and stepped out of the

Shark without a word."I'm going inside. You keep a watch out here."Nataliya breathed

a short-lived sigh of relief. At least Dan and Amy hadn't been discovered. She could

only assume they'd used what little time they'd had to escape into the church unseen.

But they were anything but safe.Irina Spasky was about to join them in the Church on

the Blood.151CHAPTER 15Dan was rubbing a sore shoulder as they stumbled through

the interior of the church."Still hurts, huh?" whispered Amy."Falling out of a helicopter

and being crushed by your big sister will do that to a guy. I'm just glad I didn't land on

my head.""That makes two of us. Next time, think twice before pressing the red

button.""It got us out of there!" Dan protested.Two seconds after the trapdoor in the

Shark had shut, Dan had pressed a glowing red button that dropped the floor out,

sending them both tumbling out onto the pavement before Irina got close enough to

see them."Let's just find the Amber Room and get out of here as fast as we can," said

Amy. "We don't want to come face-to-face with Irina again.""Do you see anything that

looks like amber?" asked Dan. There were small lights here and there, and all152the

colors inside the church seemed to melt into the white marble floor."Let's try up there,"

said Amy. She started walking down the middle aisle that separated the pews. It was

eerie being in a church at night, especially one with a tomb underneath it, and Amy

shuddered at the thought of what might jump out from the shadows. Dan thought the

pews looked like rows of black teeth.The floor was worn and grooved at the front of the

church. Looking down, Dan was the first to see what they'd been looking for."Amber

squares."Burnt-orange tiles were beginning to appear every few feet between the

marble."It looks like a trail of blood," said Dan.They followed the amber tiles around the

altar and down a flight of stone steps. A cold wisp of air brushed Dan's cheek as he

opened the door at the bottom of the stairs and peered down a darkened

passageway.The underground hallway led twenty feet in one direction and then turned

into the shadows. They walked, careful not to make any noise, until they stood at the

cross of a T. The walls turned to concrete slab, and Dan had the distinct feeling they

were about to enter the restricted area."I think we should go that way," said Amy,

pointing to the left. At the end of a long hal way, a murky bulb shed light on an orange

door bolted to the concrete153wall with thick iron hinges. It looked like it belonged in a

bank, not a church."Why am I so n-n-nervous?" said Amy. The orange key was shaking

in her hand."I don't know, maybe because we're about to enter a tomb at night in a

place called the Church on the Blood?""You're n-n-not helping," said Amy."Give me the key. I'll open it."Dan inserted it into a keyhole to the left of the vault door and turned

his hand. A panel slid open and revealed a set of dials. The four symbols from a deck of

cards appeared randomly, and Dan quickly turned the dials to diamonds and hearts.

The door clicked open."Here we go," said Amy, taking a deep breath as Dan pulled the

heavy door forward just enough for them to sneak through. The air was cool and dank,

as if they were walking on packed earth.It was dark down there and Dan couldn't feel a

light switch on the wall. He flicked on their one flashlight."Should we close the door

behind us?" asked Amy."Better not. What if we get locked in? I don't want them

discovering our bones in ten years." Dan's thoughts flashed back to the cave in

Korea.Cobwebs hung from a low-slung ceiling as they made their way down wide steps.

When they reached the bottom, Amy lost it."Dan, I d-d-don't think I'm-I'm-I'm

..."154Dan grabbed his sister's hand and pointed the light into the tomb, shooting the

beam into every dark corner. It was a big space, and it was filled with dusty old coffins.

On the far wall, in the deepest corner of the tomb, sat one final door."This place is

awful," said Amy. "People were gunned down in here, killed in cold blood."She

instinctively leaned toward the door they had entered, but Dan wouldn't budge."Amy,

we're right here. What if it leads to something about Mom and Dad? Just hold my hand

and close your eyes if you have to. I'll get us there. Trust me."Dan cracked a crooked

smile, but his eyes were as nervous as Amy's."C'mon, Amy. A history paper is scary, but

this?"For once, Amy let her brother lead and followed his instructions without

argument. She closed her eyes, shuffling past six coffins filled with brittle bones. Dan

kept the flashlight beam focused on the door until he'd managed to crisscross his way

around a maze of the dead."Hold the light," said Dan. He didn't want to let go of her

hand, but he needed to turn the knob on the door. Amy reached out her hand and felt

for the flashlight, keeping her eyes sealed tight."Don't open your eyes yet," said Dan.