Ice Storm (25 page)

"Just relax. Close your eyes. Go to sleep." Holly smiled. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you from now on."

Chapter 69

"It's a hidden panel," Jenner twisted his beam, tracing the edges of the wooden slats. "Pretty impressive bit of craftsmanship actually. It blends right into the floor."

Indeed, the slats looked perfectly normal. But on closer inspection, I noticed a slight separation between them and the rest of the wood.

"A hidden panel." Trotter exhaled. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

I held out my arm, blocking his path. "Hang on a second."

He glared at me. "Pete's down there. I can feel it."

"Listen—”

"It's the only thing that makes sense," he continued. "Don't you see? This is why no one knew about him. He's been underground all of this time."

"We can't rush into this. If he's down there—and that's a big if—then someone put him down there."

"You're talking about the Whitlows."

"That's the most likely scenario."

"I don't care." Trotter started forward again.

Again, I blocked his path.

His voice turned icy. "Get out of my way, Cy."

"Something's not right."

"What do you mean?"

I waved at the empty table. "You saw Beverly. She was out, unconscious. There's no way she went anywhere without help."

Trotter frowned.

"There was no reason for Dutch to move her. And even if he did, he wouldn't have closed the panel behind him." I shook my head. "No, something else happened here."

"Agreed." Trotter slammed his fist into his palm. "So, let's get down there before it's too late."

I hesitated for a moment. Then I brushed my hand over the panel. My fingers touched a metal ring. I glanced at Trotter and Jenner. Raised my finger to my lips.

They nodded.

I pulled the ring. The panel lifted noiselessly into the air. A soft breeze wafted over me. My ears detected banging noises as well as the hum of working machinery.

I removed Roy's pistol from my belt and glanced into a hole. It looked to be about twenty feet deep with a ladder running down one side. At the bottom, harsh halogen light illuminated a concrete floor.

"I'll go first," I whispered. "Aaron, you follow me. Dan, you stay here. Wait for Pat."

Trotter shook his head. "I'm going with you."

I studied him for a moment. His arms trembled. His hands quivered. I didn't like the idea of him having my back. But I knew he wouldn't stay behind either.

"Okay," I mouthed. "You bring up the rear."

I swung my legs into the hole. Quietly, I placed my boots on a rung.

The humming and banging noises grew louder as I descended the ladder. I kept my gaze locked on the ground. I didn't see anyone. But I did notice a section of wall jutting out into the room. I stepped off the ladder and positioned myself behind it.

A horrible, wrenching scream filled the air.

My blood froze.

Hold on, Dutch. Just hold on a little longer.

Chapter 70

The Sno-Cat sped up. It flew over several small snow banks, landing with a jolt each time. Roy Savala didn't care. He just kept his foot pressed to the pedal and his eyes locked on the landscape.

For the thousandth time, a wave of fear swept over him. He didn't mind dying. It was a part of life. But he couldn't die yet. First, he needed to complete his life's work. He needed to enter the Ice Pyramid. He needed to explore it, to understand it, to reveal it to the world.

He needed to shift the paradigm.

An image popped into his brain. He saw Ben's eyes—dead and unblinking—staring at him. He tried to ignore them, to excise them from his mind. But it didn't work. His stomach started to hurt. How had everything gone so wrong?

It came out of nowhere, a lone object in a desert of snow and ice. Roy's insides turned to jelly. He stomped on the brakes. Twisted the wheel. But he was too late.

The vehicle crashed into the Ice Pyramid. Roy slammed into the steering wheel. His head hit something hard and he slumped back into his seat.

He wheezed for air. His ribs had already been hurting from the fight with Reed. Now, they felt broken. He took a few seconds to check the rest of his body. Painful lumps sprouted out from his face. Blood poured from a large cut on his forehead.

Roy opened his door. Gingerly, he stepped out of the vehicle. His back ached. His left knee stung every time he put weight on it. He took a few practice steps and nearly passed out. His knee felt like it'd been twisted into a knot.

Roy felt his forehead. The blood was no longer flowing but it still caked much of his face. He knew he needed medical attention. But that would have to wait.

He shut the door. The snow eased off just a bit. But the wind picked up its pace, slamming into him with daunting force.

He cocked his head. He heard heavy winds. And there was something else too.

A loud purring noise burst through the blustery weather. Roy rotated his head. But he couldn't determine its point of origin.

The purring noise ceased. Wind and blowing snow filled the void.

He relaxed as he caught sight of a second Sno-Cat. Davis and Zoey sat inside it. They'd been following him ever since he'd fled Kirby.

A rushing noise pierced the air. It sounded like water tumbling down a gigantic waterfall. His nerves stood on end. Slowly, he lifted his chin. His jaw dropped.

For months, the Ice Pyramid had fought him. It had stubbornly resisted all of his efforts to shed light on its secrets. It had been immensely frustrating. At times, he'd even considered giving up on it.

The queasy feeling in his stomach subsided. Feelings of destiny formed within him as he stared at the slight gap. The west side of the pyramid wasn't a typical wall. It was a massive gate. He could scarcely believe it. It was almost as if the Ice Pyramid knew of his presence, of his efforts to save it.

Ignoring the dizzy feeling in his head, Roy hobbled forward. He felt strong, confident. His fear vanished. Everything was going to be okay. Nothing could stop him now.

Nothing could keep him from his destiny.

Chapter 71

"Time's almost up." Holly's voice sounded strangely sweet. "Since you're obviously not going to fall asleep like I suggested, you might as well know you've got about five minutes before the process is complete."

Graham shuddered.

I glanced into the room. I was amazed at the sheer amount of stuff in it. I saw tables covered with flickering monitors. Large pieces of machinery. Strange containers with brass plates mounted on their surfaces.

A large circular structure sat against the opposite wall. It looked like an above ground swimming pool. A concrete platform was positioned directly behind it. It rose six feet off the ground and appeared to be some kind of observation area.

A long table rested on the platform. Several additional monitors sat on it. Cables connected them to the vat. Other tables and desks were situated around the center table. Instruments and notebooks were piled high on them.

My eyes flew to the giant vat. It was made from some kind of thick transparent material. It blurred my vision but I could still see Graham through it. He was naked and shivering. His skin looked blue. His one good eye, from what I could tell, was glazed over.

Holly stood next to one of the computers. Her eyes studied the monitor. Rupert knelt near one of the cylindrical containers. He seemed to be working on it.

As quietly as possible, I extracted my pistol.

"Pete?" Trotter jumped off the ladder. He dashed into the room and skidded to a halt in front of one of the containers. He studied its brass plate. Then he pounded on the container. "Pete? Are you in there?"

Holly's eyes widened.

Rupert spun around. He rose to his feet, wrench still in hand.

So much for surprise.

I lifted my pistol and pointed it at Holly. "You okay, Dutch?"

"I'm …" He swallowed. "I'm fuckin' freezing."

"Warm him up." I aimed at Holly's forehead. "Now."

She recovered quickly. "I need you to trust me."

My finger tightened around the trigger.

"I'm not a killer, Cy. I think you know that."

"Then what the hell are you doing to him?"

"I'm preserving his life."

"You're insane."

"He's old, brittle. He won't last forever, not in this condition. You know that. That's why you asked me those questions about cryonics." Her eyes took on a strange sort of warmth. "But I can extend his life. I can make sure he lives to see the distant future. I've already lowered his body temperature. His breathing, heart rate, and metabolism have slowed to a crawl. Just let me complete the process and load him into one of my cryocontainers. Someday, when old age is finally cured, I'll revive him."

"Unless you can't."

"I can. I just need time to figure it out."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Trotter sink to his knees. Tentatively, he lifted his hand to a cryocontainer. His fingers touched its polished surface. His shoulders started to quiver. Sobbing noises escaped his throat.

I twisted my head slightly. Beverly lay on one of the tables. She looked unconscious. Jenner was sneaking to her side. I quickly looked away, hoping Holly hadn't seen him.

I nodded at Trotter's cryocontainer. "Who's in that one?"

"Pete Cook," she replied. "He used to work here."

"Why?" Trotter turned toward her. His eyes were red and puffy. "Why him?"

"We didn't have a choice. Once he found his way down here, he threatened to expose everything. We couldn't let him leave." Holly studied Trotter's visage. "You knew him, didn't you?"

Trotter wiped his face on his sleeve.

"You're the one he called," she said.

"That's right."

She glared at Rupert. "This is your fault."

"How is it my fault?" Rupert retorted. "You're the one who dropped the needle."

Her eyes softened as she swiveled back to Trotter. "We were going to inject him with a drug, something to keep him calm and docile during the process. But he escaped."

Trotter stood up. His face was bright red.

"Look, I know you're angry with us," Holly continued. "And I don't blame you. But Pete's not dead. He's in suspended animation. Someday I'll revive him along with Dutch and Jim."

I glanced at her in surprise. "Jim is down here too?"

She pursed her lips.

I turned toward Graham. He was no longer moving. "Reverse whatever you did to him. And do it now."

"I can't."

"Do it." I thrust the pistol in her direction. "Or I swear to God I'll kill you."

"I don't want to die," she said. "But like you, I'm not afraid of it either."

"Maybe you don't fear death." I twisted the gun toward Rupert. "But I doubt you want to go on without your husband."

"You won't do that. You're like me. You could never kill someone in cold blood."

I looked around the room. My eyes happened to fall on one of the cryocontainers. It looked a little different than the rest, thanks to a couple of pillows situated around its base. But otherwise, it was identical to the other containers.

It was constructed from shiny metal and outfitted with a small control panel. Four sturdy wheels separated the container from the ground, allowing for easy mobility. Numerous cables extended from it to the ceiling.

Looks like I was right. This place is leeching all of Kirby's electricity.

I hiked over to it. "Who is this?"

Holly didn't answer.

"Someone important to you?"

She hesitated. "Yes."

"He died?"

"He's in suspended animation."

"What happened to him?"

"Stage IV pancreatic cancer."

"All that talk about saving lives was bullshit. The truth is you only care about reviving one life." I stared at the cryocontainer. "His life."

"That's not true," Holly protested. "I don't want anyone to die. Why do you think I go to all this trouble?"

"And you're sure it'll work?"

"Of course."

"Then here's the deal. Let Dutch go." I grabbed some of the cables. "Or I'll shut this thing down."

A look of pure horror came over her face. "You'll kill him."

"He's already dead."

Holly's face twisted into something horrible.

"Last chance."

"If you do that, I won't cryopreserve your friend here. I'll just let him die." Her face relaxed. "The way I see it, we're at an impasse."

I glanced at Graham. His cheeks looked sallow. His eye was now closed. His head sagged toward the vat's icy waters. "Maybe not." I raised my pistol. Took careful aim.

Holly dropped to the ground and rolled under a table.

A couple of blasts reverberated in the room.

"You missed. An easy shot and you missed it." She stood up, clutching a pistol. "We've got guns too you know, courtesy of our corporate partner. I'm going to send you straight to hell."

On the right side of the vat, water started to trickle out of the fresh bullet holes. The acrylic material cracked. Spider webs appeared across the surface. The vat bulged.

I smiled. "You first."

Chapter 72

The vat exploded.

Rupert tried to scramble out of the way. But the rushing water caught him first. It swept his feet out from underneath him. His head slammed into the middle cryocontainer and he sagged to the floor.

A wall of water crested through the room. I hopped onto the nearest table and knelt down, steadying myself.

The water surged toward me. Right before it hit the table, I leapt forward. The water seized the table from under my feet, dashing it against the wall. Sparks soared into the air. The humming noise vanished. The light buzz of electricity disappeared. Then the lights died.

My boots splashed into the thin layer of icy water. The bulk of the water surged back on me. It swept past my thighs. I felt a sudden freezing sensation. Several seconds passed before I could move again.

I looked around for Holly or Rupert. But I couldn't see anything in the inky darkness. I considered turning on my flashlight but thought better of it.