Legend of the Book Keeper (16 page)

“Okay, from here on out we speak only in whispers. Follow me.” Sally walked over to a table at the far end of the diner. A large red “Out of Order” sign was taped to its mustard and coffee-stained surface.

Stretching out her arms, she grabbed hold of the table. With a grunt she twisted it hard, the blood vessels bulging in her plump forehead. It didn’t budge. She whipped several beads of sweat off her brow and brought her arms to her hips. “Silly little thing is wedged on tight! Gosh, this thing hasn’t been used in centuries.” Randilin stepped forth meekly to offer his help, but an icy glance from Sally sent him scurrying for cover behind Cody and Jade. “Oh Randy, don’t you be disguising yourself as a gentleman now. I’m perfectly capable of handling this myself.” She pulled her sleeves up above her stocky elbows.

With another deep breath she grabbed hold of the table and heaved with all her might. There was the sound of cracking; and the table began to move. Cody watched in amazement as ground below the table began to rotate in a circle. Jade grabbed her head as the sound of scraping rung in her ears. Sally continued to corkscrew the table until they heard a loud popping noise. With one final grunt she pushed the table aside. Where the table had once stood was now a hole.

A thick murky air filled Cody’s nostrils. “Wow . . . it’s . . . an underground tunnel?” he proclaimed, bewildered. Randilin huffed, and tossed a flashlight at Cody’s face, who caught it just in time.

“Well, you didn’t bloody well expect us to skip merrily though the front Gate of Area 51 now did ya, you dimbo.” Flicking on his own flashlight, Randilin motioned for them to follow him down, “and be careful, this ladder is rather . . . old. You fall down here and you save us the trouble of burying you. Now snap to it.”

The ladder felt fragile under Cody’s feet. Looking down there was only darkness. With a loud thud the entrance of the tunnel was re-covered, leaving the foursome engulfed in blackness. Cody began his descent. He started counting the rungs of the ladder but abandoned his efforts somewhere after passing 362. The light from their flashlights struggled to fight though the density of the air. Randilin had led the way, followed by Cody and Jade. Sally had taken up the rear. The ladder swayed underneath their steps, sending a rattle down the wooden structure like a shiver down a spine.

After what seemed like an eternity, Cody felt the muchwelcomed solid ground underneath his foot. Jade and Sally landed beside him with two soft patters. Cody held his flashlight out and illuminated the path in front of him.

The corridor was not wide. Cody could stretch his arms to both sides and place his palms flush on the cold rock sides. The walls were not rough, but smooth as though sanded by ocean waves.

“Let’s go.” Although spoken in whisper, Randilin’s voice was amplified as it echoed down the narrow passage. The convoy set out down the pathway in single file. Any initial excitement stemming from the pending break-in to Area 51 was dulled by the mundane march. Two hours came and went and Cody began to feel a cramp forming on his side. The thick air had made it a challenge to maintain steady breathing.

“Ouch!” The shout exploded down the corridor. Cody’s left pointer finger throbbed. Randilin threw a glance toward him that clearly communicated several nasty cuss words all at once. Cody pointed his light toward the wall. There was a deep rut in the surface that had jammed his finger. He followed the path of the rut up the wall. Jade gasped behind him. It was not a rut at all: it was a carving.

Carved into the wall was a large “A.” It matched perfectly the marking on the cover of the Book. Below the letter was an inscription. Cody recognized the letters as that which he had seen in the Book during his ill-fated reading. As with that time, he could not translate the meaning. To the right of the “A” were two dashes, similar to the Roman numeral II. Randilin’s finger shot up to Cody’s lips, as if in anticipation of his questioning. “Fishbowl,” he whispered. Without another sound he pointed his flashlight to the end of the passage. There was a second ladder—they had reached the other side at last.

Cody’s heart began to pound. If they had reached the end, then it meant that he must now be standing directly below Area 51. He felt Jade’s cool breath pulsing on the back of his neck. Even in the dark he could tell she was frightened. Cody clenched his fists; the time for questioning was over. He was ready for some answers. He grasped the ladder firmly and began his ascent—each rung inching him closer and closer to Area 51.

Future War, Iron Décor

T
he monitor screen was still—as always. Wilson reclined in his chair, severe boredom seizing control of every fiber in his plump, disproportionate body. He lazily brought a coffee mug to his lips. The sparse liquid not soaked up by his bushy mustache tasted unappealing on his tongue. Cold. He checked his watch. Still two more hours until he was free from his night-watch duties and once could again enjoy a steaming hot java. They weren’t paying him enough for this.

The idea of working in Area 51 had exhilarated him. The reality had failed to live up to his ideals. He sacrificed all connections to the world in order to stare at a security monitor day in and day out. Twelve years into the job he now understood his position to be a mere formality.

He checked the monitor again. His coffee cup went soaring into the air. He craned his neck toward the screen.
Could it be?
On the screen he watched a floor tile jiggle and pop to the side. Out of the hole four figures in black coats emerged, quickly scurrying from sight. Wilson stared at the monitor bewitched, his world becoming surreal. This was the moment he had been dreaming of for twelve years! Adrenaline burst through his veins. Puffing out his chest he reached his hand for the alarm switch.

He paused. In the reflection of the monitor screen he saw another cloaked figure. A crest symbol covered the front of the cloak.
Stenciled underneath was a singular word: CROSS. He never got a chance to dissect the meaning. Two arms grasped the side of his head and he felt quick pressure.

Jade’s senses were overloaded. Every inch of the building was screaming out for her attention. She had expected to emerge from the hole onto the far outskirts of a military base. Instead she had found herself in some sort of giant hanger. The room was absolutely massive. Jade estimated the ceiling to be around thirty stories high and the room equal to at least four football fields—and not an inch was wasted.

The room was bursting with objects like a forsaken attic. Metal crates, engraved stone obelisks, and glass-encased display cabinets filled the room like a city skyline. The chamber looked to Jade to be more of a museum than a top-secret military intelligence base. Various artifacts such as tall stone statues and pillars looked surprisingly similar to the ones she had seen in the British Museum the last time she had visited her father. There was one object in the giant space that held her gaze. The crown jewel of the room: a towering stone statue, fifty-feet high. What captivated her was not the immensity of the structure or the masterful sculpting; it was the shocking familiar
ity of it. The aged sculptor did not depict a human at all. Jade immediately recognized the great, ominous jaws; how could she ever forget them. She felt a rush of terror—the statue was of the Beast.

The sight of its grotesque beetle-like back brought vomit into her throat. Cody appeared to have come to the same realization; the color had drained from his face.
PSST!
Both their eyes followed the sound back to Randilin, who was crouched down low behind a tall glass-encased shelf of stone tablets. Scanning the room Jade found Sally with her back pressed against a large granite monument a dozen feet from the dwarf’s position. She was waving them forward.

Elevating the balls of her feet off the ground, Jade scurried from her hiding spot toward Randilin’s location. She had never been very graceful. Her mother had constantly scolded her for her resistance to “be a lady.” Dresses and makeup had no appeal to her. She allowed herself a quick smile as she recalled the memorable day her mother enrolled her in dance class. It had been disastrous. She had danced with the elegance of a clubbed-foot rhinoceros. Her teacher had literally fallen on her knees
begging
her mother not to bring her back. That was the end of her mother’s ‘lady-izing’ attempts.
Always a daddy’s girl
she thought with pride.

By the painful expression on Randilin’s face, Jade concluded that her attempted stealth was every bit the atrocity she expected from herself. Cody reached them with the silence of a morgue.
Show-off
, Jade groaned bitterly. Sally quickly held out the palm of her hand motioning them to freeze: the coast was no longer clear. Muffled voices engaged in tired conversation but Jade couldn’t pinpoint their location. She leaned her back against the shelving. Inside of it were tablets that looked exceedingly ancient. While the language seemed incomprehensible, at the top of each tablet were recognizable scripted ‘A’s.

She leaned forward for a closer look—and lost her balance. Instinctively, she grasped the sides of the shelf for stability but immediately wished she hadn’t. The shelf began to wobble back and forth. Jade looked helplessly to a stone tablet teetering hazardously on the top shelf, inching closer to the edge with each of the shelf’s tremors. With one last sway, the stone tablet tipped and came freefalling toward the ground. Jade let out a muffled shriek and covered her ears.

In the next instant, Randilin was on top of her. Disdain dripped like rain from his face onto hers. Jade’s eyes slowly worked their way down his outstretched arm. He had caught the tablet inches from the floor. For the next few minutes nobody exhaled. Jade fought to hold her breath. She could feel her face turning purple and her eyes beginning to haze.

At last, another whistle from Sally broke the silence and Jade found herself scurrying alongside Cody and Randilin to join up with her. They had reached the corner of the room. Peering out from behind the cover of the stone block, Jade saw a long hallway the size of a six-lane highway. The lights were off and the hallway was empty. She checked her watch.
5 a.m
.
Soon this place will probably be bustling with activity
.

Randilin’s thick arms folded around Jade’s shoulder and pulled her into his side. Cody was likewise entrapped by the surprising strength of the dwarf. “We only have one shot at this, kids. If you want to be stupid and waste your own lives then be my ruddy guests. However, for the sake of the Book, I want you to listen to me. I’m going to count to ten. When I say ten I want you to run your flabby hindparts off. Understand?
NO
stopping under
any
condition.”

Cody and Jade nodded their consent. Randilin began his count. “One . . . Two . . .”

Jade looked back down the hall, wondering where their run would lead them. “Six . . . Seven . . . Eight . . .” It was now or never. Jade lowered herself into a running stance, “Nine . . .” The muscles in her leg tensed. “Ten!” Jade took off.

Her arms swung like pendulums, propelling her forward. She kept her eyes focused straight ahead. Her peripheral vision caught the sight of doorways lining the side walls, but she dared not stop and look as they shot past. Instead she ran with all her strength. Despite her determinacy, she had fallen to the back of the pact.
Wait? Where’s Cody!
She slowed down. He was nowhere to be seen.
Oh, you idiot!

Horrified, she turned around. There was Cody, standing transfixed in front of one of the doors. She looked ahead; Randilin and Sally were still sprinting away.
Why can’t you EVER listen, Cody!
Jade twisted and raced back down the hall toward Cody. The door in front of him appeared to have been accidentally left slightly ajar. The temptation had seemingly proven too great; Cody’s arm was extending slowly toward it.
Nooo! Stop!
She lunged forward—but she was too late. Cody’s hands made contact with the door. A loud alarm exploded through the intercom: Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!