Calling the Beast Page 7

  What about outside? the older man pressed. Any sign of the cops?

  No... and I've been checking, just like you ordered, his brother replied.

  Hennesey muttered a curse and gestured urgently for the rest of his men to join them. We've got trouble, he snapped. Nollan, get the kids. I want them between us and the cops.

  Ben looked startled. Gavin, I didn't see --

  They're here, Hennesey snarled at his younger brother. I don't know how they got wind of what was going down, but if we act fast, we can still pull this off.

  What about the teachers? Nollan asked. We taking them, too?

  Hennesey nodded. They'll keep the kids in line and they'll provide two more bodies to use as shields. Bartleson, you secure the museum staff in their offices. By the time you're done with that, we should have things ready to start transporting out to the van. Everybody just play it cool and do your job.

  Turning to Ben, Gavin gave his younger brother a none-too-gentle shove toward the outer room. Go help Mark collect the masks. Don't waste time trying to break the gems free. Just take the whole piece. We'll trash whatever we don't want later.

  But if the cops are already here, maybe we should just go...

  No way, little brother. I'm not leaving here without what we came for. Now move it!

  Our time just ran out.

  In the reflective surface of the display case, Ellison saw the men split up. His grim assessment of the situation took less than a heartbeat. There was no way he could get through Hennesey and the rest of the thieves in time to stop the man who'd been sent toward the classroom. Announcing his presence by rushing forward would very likely get him killed. At the very least, it would give away his position and those of the other officers in the corridor, endangering the museum staff as well.

  Yet he couldn't let Blair be taken by surprise. Frantically signaling the men behind him to move, he raised the cell phone and barked an urgent warning to his partner. With the same breath, he shouted into the headset mike. Now, Rafe!

  So, I guess I'm not the only one that figured out that something weird's going on here?

  Blair glanced down at Ryan who had settled next to him on the platform step. The anthropologist put an arm over the boy's shoulder and pulled him closer. You guys are just too smart for me, he said with a soft chuckle. And here I thought all of you were spellbound with my story-telling skills. What gave it away?

  You're good, Teach, Ryan replied, leaning into the comfort that Blair offered. He raised his voice slightly so that the grad student could hear his explanation. But I'm a pretty good observer. I saw those guys out in the exhibit hall when we came in. They were pretty scary looking. I saw the look on Amanda's face, and yours, when you came in from the hallway, and I saw you give her your cell phone. He looked down at the device on the platform, its blinking light signifying that the line was still open. After that it was a matter watching you and listening past what you were saying in the story.

  Blair gave the boy a quick squeeze. You're going to make a terrific scientist some day, Ryan... or a great cop. The grad student looked up and met Freddy's eyes, ready to signal the boy to make his trip. Without warning, his partner's voice erupted from the cell phone.

  Chief. Company!

  Before Blair could draw a breath, the lights went out and the classroom was plunged into total darkness.

  As frequently happens in the midst of a battle, time's normal, dependable rules of behavior bent and twisted at right angles, leaving the individual participants to sink or swim in its surreal currents...

  Hennesey spun toward the source of the shouts and brought up his own weapon, firing off two splattering rounds before it was fully level. He screamed at his men to open fire and dove for cover behind a marble display pedestal as the lights went out.

  Ellison flinched at the ear-shattering chatter of the semi-automatic and pulled back another step into the shelter of the corridor as the spray of bullets hissed through the air. The force of their impacts on the inner hallway wall sent shards of debris flying in all directions. A man-made dust cloud of pulverized plaster filled the air. It filled the Sentinel's lungs and sent him into a fierce coughing fit. Pain blasted through his aching skull and his vision went to black.

  Brown reached for the young Asian girl, grabbed her by the arms, and pulled her through the window as the first shots were fired inside. As he lowered Kim to the ground he called out to Amanda, urging her to climb through. Even though she was clearly terrified, she refused at first, determined to wait for the remaining children. The escalation of the firefight finally convinced her and once again, Henri found himself reaching into the darkness... grabbing... pulling...

  Startled by the sound of the firefight erupting inside the museum, Banks waved the SWAT personnel forward. Following in their wake, Simon forced his leaden limbs to move, even though in his heart, he feared that their desperate efforts would be too late to save the innocents inside.

  Trapped in a false night filled with the drum rolls of deadly thunder and the ghostly peals of children's laughter, the anthropologist struggled to control his own fears. Blair knew he should say something -- do something -- but it was nearly impossible to form a coherent thought, much less a plan of action.

  His own pulse thundered in his ears, nearly obliterating Freddy's frantically hissed demands for guidance. At his side, he felt Ryan press closer, trembling and starting violently in response to each gunshot.

  I promise I will let no harm come to any of you...

  The words from the story he'd been telling the children rang strong and clear in his mind, and Blair stiffened.

  I made the same pledge... I have to see this through... I have to do whatever I can to keep the kids safe... I just have to remember that like Berran, I have help waiting in the wings...

  The Sentinel knows our plight...

  '... a panther can see in the dark.'

  Jim...

  The Guide gasped as the safety lights flared to life. Their soft, warm glow and the knowledge that his Sentinel was close by, fired a renewed sense of hope and purpose within him.

  Blair surged to his feet, pulling Ryan upright with him. He spun the boy around and gave him a push toward the wooden speaker's podium. Remember the turtle, Ryan, the fledgling Shaman hissed. He can defeat any enemy as long as he remains within his shell.

  The boy's eyes widened for an instant and then he bolted for the hiding place that Blair had indicated. The anthropologist turned and snatched up his own spirit rattle, while at the same time gesturing for Freddy to stay where he was. Blair dropped into a half-lotus position on the carpeted platform step and saw Freddy flatten himself against the wall only a heartbeat before the classroom door was thrust open.

  Ellison feared for an instant that he'd been struck by one of the flying bullets, but abruptly realized that he must have experienced a sensory spike just as the main lights went out. The strobing spots he was seeing in front of his eyes were the flashers on the emergency lights kicking in.

  Cursing the loss of the few seconds of complete darkness when he might have made a move into the inner chamber, the Sentinel lurched to his feet. His ears rang painfully. His mouth and throat burned. His sight was sluggishly adapting to the strange amber-colored light that dimly illuminated the corridor, and he had no memory of how he'd ended up on his knees in the carpeted hallway. Still trying to wrest his uncooperative senses back on-line, he staggered the two steps to the arched opening.

  One of the other cops was crouched against the inner wall at the threshold of the opening directly across from Jim, ready to provide backup. Ellison signaled for him to hold his fire. The detective snuck a quick look into the smaller exhibit room and barely managed to pull back in time to avoid another fusillade of bullets.

  Cascade PD! Jim yelled. Drop your weapons and --

  A new burst of gunfire sent a rain of deadly missiles thudding against the corridor walls, drowning out his demands. A return volley from Jim's own side of the corridor
answered the assault. The detective checked to make sure that the other officer had decent cover and then looked around for the rest of the team that had come in with him. A quick glance down the corridor revealed an officer stationed behind each one of the partially open doors.

  At least the museum staff has some protection...

  Any comfort that thought brought with it fled when he remembered that the same wasn't true for his partner or the children who were still with him.

  Damn, I need to know what's happening over there...

  The Sentinel peered out from behind the cover of the wall, targeted his sight on the opening to the corridor at the opposite side of the room, and cranked up the volume on his hearing. The piggybacking trick worked like a charm, allowing him to cut through the noise levels. He picked up a faint whisper and eagerly zeroed in on it.

  And immediately recoiled, slamming hard against the wall, slapping his hands over his ears, his face contorted in agony. He'd been wide open when another round of gunfire battered against his abused eardrums, but it wasn't the weapon's explosive retort that had him nearly writhing in pain, it was the sonic vibrations that were mixed with it -- waves of sound that rose and fell in clashing frequencies, and resonated impossibly into the enraged cries of wild creatures.

  Jim shook his head sharply, trying to rid himself of the chaos that shrieked across the normal auditory band and zoomed into the ultrasonic. He found himself struggling to ride the crest of that wave, surfing across a seething mass of emotions that were so primal that he found his own lips curling back in a silent snarl. Just when it seemed he couldn't stay afloat any longer, the distinctive scream of a panther ripped through the din, silencing all of the other voices.

  Uncertain as to what to make of what he'd just experienced, but fearing the worst, Ellison looked around desperately for the cell phone, hoping to establish contact with his partner through a more conventional method. Jim groaned aloud when he saw the shattered remnants of plastic littering the floor. The electronic lifeline that had connected him to his partner had been severed by a stray bullet.

  Gritting his teeth against his own rising panic and the instincts that pushed at him to fight his way to his partner's side, the ex-ranger forced himself to look at the situation objectively.

  We're pinned down for the moment, but Hennesey hasn't got much more leeway. He can't go past us and Simon's got to have the front sealed up by now. We could probably sit out this siege until they ran out of bullets, if Blair or one of the kids wasn't certain to end up in the crossfire at some point...

  As if Jim's thoughts had prompted Hennesey into action, the thief flowed to his feet, yelling for his man to bring out the hostages. When there was no immediate answer from the direction of the classroom, he fired off another round and dove for the cover of another display case.

  Pinned down by the gunfire of the other four men, Ellison growled in frustration and rage. He knew exactly where the man was headed and he was still unable to do anything about it. He'd been relieved that so far there had been no sign of the kids or his partner being dragged into the middle of the fray at gun point. Relieved, but surprised. The man Hennesey had sent to retrieve them had to have made it to the classroom by now. There was no reason for a delay, unless...

  Unless Sandburg had pulled another rabbit out of his hat.

  I wouldn't put it past him to try to take out the guy on his own, especially if he's trying to protect one or more of the kids... But with what? Blair's unarmed except for that razor like tongue of his... Granted, that's a pretty powerful weapon under most circumstances, but against a semi-automatic?...

  Blair got one quick glimpse of the towering, man-shaped form silhouetted in the threshold before he closed his eyes. Seated on the platform step, he gripped his own spirit rattle tightly, and prayed that Freddy would stay put behind the door.

  What the -- What's going on here!

  The grad student had intended to act surprised at the man's entrance. The angry shout made his 'startled' reaction an easy thing to pull off. Blair's head snapped up, his eyes opened and he turned slightly toward the man.

  Huh? He sincerely hoped the blank expression he had summoned was clear in the faint amber light and not lost in shadows.

  Nollan took two steps forward into the room. I said what's going on! Where the hell are the kids?

  Blair filled his reply with all the brightness and innocence he could muster. The kids? Why, they're -- he started to gesture toward the space in front of him and then stopped abruptly as if shocked himself to find the room empty of the children in question. He lurched to his feet and stared at the man in the doorway in dismay. They were right here a minute ago! I swear they were!

  The thug took two more steps into the classroom, clearing the edge of the door, but he still wasn't far enough inside for Freddy to slip past him -- which was what Blair fervently hoped the boy would do as soon as he got the opportunity.

  Don't play games with me, punk! Nollan hissed, his gaze sweeping the shadow filled corners of the room. I know they're here... I heard 'em just before I opened the door...

  Blair slowly turned in a slow circle, making an exaggerated show of listening for the missing voices himself. The tape he'd made earlier was still playing, but it was at the point where only the rattles were audible. That meant he only had a few more moments before the trick was revealed.

  You're right, he murmured. I can't hear their voices anymore, but I can hear their rattles... He bent down and with his right hand he picked up Freddy's rattle which was the closest to where he stood. He stared down at the dragonfly pattern and then at the wolf's face that was painted on his own gourd and shook them tentatively. The he took a deep breath and faced the angry thug once more. You don't... you don't think it worked, do you? he asked excitedly.

  The man's expression started to change from anger to confusion. What are you babbling about?

  Blair's answer poured forth in a rapid stream that was half nonsense, half academic doublespeak, his arms waving dramatically, the two gourds rattling like angry snakes.

  The story! I was telling them a story about this ancient Shaman and spirit animals and how they could act from the astral plane, well not really the astral plane, but from another reality, and there was this legend that they could turn you invisible, which of course you and I know isn't possible, but --

  Invisible? Nollan's expression even more dumbfounded. You're telling me that the kids are invisible?

  Blair took a step closer to him, gauging the distance between them. They must be... I mean, you can still hear their rattles, can't you? That means they're still here, but for some reason we just can't see them.

  Even in the dim light Blair could see the man's eyes suddenly narrow in suspicion.

  Hey, I know it wasn't my skill as a story-teller that made them disappear, Blair dissembled quickly as he heard the noises on the tape fall silent. It must be something about the rattles. Here... take a look for yourself.

  And in a lightning fast move he flung the dragonfly rattle at the man's head. It sped toward its target as if it were alive. Blair lunged after it, hoping to close the distance between them before the thug could react.

  But the timing was off. The moment the rattle left his hand, the classroom suddenly echoed with a loud electric guitar rift. Already in flight himself, Blair immediately recognized the music. He had time for one instant of regret that it had been one of Jim's Santana tapes that he'd sacrificed to the cause before he collided with Nollan.

  The sudden change in music had jolted the thug out of his confusion and he'd managed to bat the gourd away with his left hand, sending it flying off into the shadows. The defensive action had shifted him off-balance for a second and had entangled the gun he had concealed in the folds of his coat. That delay was the only thing that saved Blair from taking a bullet in the chest. Instead, the barrel of the rifle caught the anthropologist under the chin as Nolan swung it around in a punishing arc.

  The blow sent Blair flying
backward. He crashed into the tables and chairs that they'd pushed aside earlier and landed hard on his side on the floor. Gasping for breath he rolled to his stomach and tried to get to his hands and knees. A sharp kick in the ribs dropped him to the carpet again. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he forced himself to look up -- straight into the black hole that was the end of Nollan's gun. He froze.

  I'll rattle you, punk! the man hissed angrily. Now where's the other teacher? Where are the kids?

  The answer hit him in the back of the knees as Freddy launched himself from where he'd been hiding. Nollan toppled over Blair who rolled out from beneath the bigger man just in time to avoid being trapped by the thug's heavy body. In a move that would have done his police detective partner proud if he'd been watching, the observer scrambled to his knees and slammed the wolf's head rattle against the back of the thug's skull. The gourd exploded on impact, scattering seeds in every direction. But it did the job. Nollan slumped bonelessly to the floor.

  Blair hissed a 'stay put' order to Ryan and lurched to his feet. Grabbing Freddy by the arm, he towed the boy out into the corridor.

  A familiar racing heartbeat suddenly thundered in Ellison's ears, underscored by the soft strains of a piece of music he knew nearly as well.

  The Sentinel's first reaction was one of overwhelming relief. His Guide was still alive. But when he realized where Blair was, and that he wasn't alone, relief turned to fear and a need to act.

  Jim glanced anxiously at the officer across from him, hoping that the possibilities for a way out of the stalemate looked better from his angle. The man responded with a grim shake of the head, then ducked into the open to shoot back at the cornered thieves. Risking a quick scan of his adversaries Jim picked up two distinctly different moans of pain. Give it up, Hennesey! Ellison called out, hoping to distract the man from whatever his partner had planned, or at least long enough for Simon and the SWAT team to offer some assistance. You've got two men down already. You want your brother to be next?