Chapter Thirty
Thirty
“I may have neglected to mention this,” Sophy said, “but I’m not what you’d call an outdoorsy person. For example, I don’t go camping, and I never take long hikes while carrying a hundred pounds of bottled water on my back. This forced march had better be worth it.”
“You are very hard to please,” Luke said. “Here I am, giving you a scenic tour of a stunning landscape that is said to be a true natural vortex, and what do I get in the way of thanks? A lot of whining.”
“I happen to be very good at whining. You could say it’s a talent.” She stopped to catch her breath and adjust the straps of the pack. “Are we there yet?”
Luke halted beside her. “This is far enough. We’re almost a half mile out of range of the artificial lights in the compound.”
She turned to view the scene below. For the last quarter mile or so they had been hiking up a small but steady incline.
They were now at the far northern edge of the valley, close to one of the canyon walls.
The sky was illuminating rapidly, but the sun was not yet visible.
The red rock cliffs were still shadowed with the remnants of night.
She stilled and cautiously heightened her senses. At first she heard only a few birds greeting the predawn light. But in the next moment she was aware of the deep chords of an ancient music.
The currents that stirred her senses would never be mistaken for human-generated energy.
She knew she was listening to the beating heart and the lungs of the earth itself.
Currents of power strong enough to generate earthquakes, cause volcanoes to erupt, and control the tides that oscillated just beneath the surface.
That same power made it possible for life to thrive in the deepest ocean trenches and on the highest mountain peaks.
It thrilled and chilled, leaving her awash in wonder and awe.
“Oh, my,” she said in hushed tones. “Do you feel that?”
“You don’t need any talent to pick up that kind of energy,” Luke said.
“This really is a vortex site.”
“No doubt about it,” Luke said. “Which makes Hatch’s efforts to mask the background vibe even more interesting. Why bother if the whole point of establishing an art colony on the site was to use the energy to inspire artists?”
She glanced at him and saw that he was studying the compound in the distance with rapt attention. Focused. Probably connecting dots, she thought.
Bruce had been investigating the scents around a nearby rock. He lost interest, sat down, and yawned.
“Looks like the only one who isn’t impressed with the vortex energy is your pal,” Sophy said.
Luke took his attention off the compound long enough to glance at Bruce. “Maybe that’s because animals have a closer relationship with the natural world. They don’t try to control it. They accept it and live with it.”
“That’s a very philosophical insight.”
“For a CIA assassin? Thanks. I’m taking an online class in philosophy.”
“If you keep throwing that CIA thing in my face I may be forced to hire my very own hit man.”
“Noted.” Luke turned to examine the canyon wall. “There it is. I knew there had to be one.”
“One what?” she asked.
“A perimeter fence. I told you, the art colony is a fortress. It is only logical that Hatch would control all access points.”
She swung around. “I don’t see a fence…Oh. Right.”
The barrier was little more than a nearly invisible wire strung along the canyon wall.
“Not much of a fence,” she said. “Think it’s electrified?”
“No, but if you go beyond it you should assume alarms will be triggered somewhere back in the compound. You can bet some of Hatch’s people will be out to investigate before you get very far.”
“Are we going to set off the alarms?”
“No. What we’re looking for is back in the compound, not out here.”
“Understood.” She paused, hearkening once more to the beat of the planet.
“The vibe does explain why people have been drawn to this place over the years. And probably why they don’t hang around.
Energy like this is exhilarating for a while but it’s also disturbing.
I’m sure that over time it would affect the senses. ”
“How?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Maybe it would cause anxiety. Insomnia. Restlessness. The vibe in these canyons is just too powerful for humans to tolerate for an extended period of time. People might not be aware of it on the conscious level, but deep down they couldn’t help but react to it.”
“Hatch is aware of it. That’s why he’s using all the high-tech lighting to mask the vortex energy. There’s only one reason why he would blow a fortune on a third-rate art colony staffed with teenagers and retirees.”
“He needs the vortex energy for whatever he’s working on, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, and that is not good news. The connection is the weapon—Kaleidoscope—not art.”
“What about the hypnotic suggestion tiles?”
“I’m not sure where they fit in yet.”
She adjusted her glasses. “We know the Kaleidoscope program got its name because the weapons were constructed with mirrors and crystals.”
“You’re thinking of those polished tiles.”
“Yes. They look a lot like mirrors.” She paused. “There was a crystal behind the one in the doughnut sculpture.”
“I know.” Luke turned back to watch the morning sun top the canyon walls and flood the valley. “This answers one question—the natural energy currents in the area feel stable. The instability we sensed in the art colony is localized.”
“Do you really think Hatch is trying to build some new Kaleidoscopes?”
“More likely they are trying to scale up the basic concept and make a much more powerful version of the guns.”
“But according to your grandfather that wouldn’t be possible without the six crystals—” Sophy broke off, shocked by her own words. “Wait. Do you think that Hatch and his pals have Pandora’s box?”
“It would explain why Bea went missing. Anyone trying to use those crystals would need a strong talent from the Harper bloodline to unlock them.”
The terrible irony of the situation struck her like an ice bath. She clapped a hand over her mouth because she did not know whether or laugh or cry.
“Oh, shit,” she got out. “I don’t believe it. I mean, I do believe it, but this whole thing is unbelievably screwed up.”
“What am I missing?” Luke asked.
She managed to pull herself together. “You’re right, if they have Pandora’s box it explains why they went after Bea. But they must have been downright thrilled when I showed up.”
“Why?”
“Bea is a Harper in every way that matters, but not by blood. She has no DNA connection to the family. She was adopted at birth. She doesn’t have the family talent required to unlock the crystals in Pandora’s box.”