“And?”
“And I struck pay dirt, boss. I got to the boy’s house with the early bird this mornin’. When he lit out for parts unknown, I followed and caught me a worm. The kid led me straight to their hideout. You’d never guess where it is in a million years.”
“I have never enjoyed guessing games.” Metcalf tapped an impatient finger on the table top.
“Well, sir. They’re operatin’ from an old schoolhouse tucked away back in the woods. It’s even farther out in the sticks than this place is.”
“A schoolhouse?” The preacher’s bushy eyebrows shot upward
“It ain’t no ordinary schoolhouse neither, boss. Near as I can tell, it’s just a front to cover some big doings underground.” Leroy scratched his head as a new thought struck him. “I always been meanin’ to ask why you all favor burrows so much. You Nephilim got that lab and the shooting range. And Mr. Big’s crew has got Lord knows what stashed in their bunker. Why is that?”
“I don’t care to speculate about the building habits of my enemies,” the old man protested in exasperation. “Are you quite sure this place is their headquarters?”
“A hundred per cent, boss.”
“Very good, Mr. Hunt.” The preacher allowed a tinge of approval to creep into his voice. “I want you to make note of the geographic coordinates of their lair.”
“What you got in mind to do? You can’t send a team with guns. Mr. Big would lock that place down tighter than bark on a tree.”
“Nothing as obvious as that, Mr. Hunt. I want you to go back to that den of thieves and find its surface structures.”
“Come again?’
“An underground facility must have air ducts that vent to the surface. You will identify the precise locations of these and bring that information back to me.”
“I get it,” Hun chuckled. “You gonna send some of your boys around to drop some bug spray inside that hornet’s nest?”
“Yes. I’ll arrange for a few chosen men to handle the task. They will act in concert with the rest of my Argus agents. All will strike on the very day I claim the Sage Stone. As dawn breaks in each far-flung location, my men will go forth to execute their orders.”
“Ain’t you gonna wait til you got the last doodad in your hands first?” The cowboy registered puzzlement.
“No, Mr. Hunt. The archangel Phanuel came to me in a vision and counseled me not to hesitate. He reminded me that we walk by faith and not by sight. For me to delay until I possess the Sage Stone would prove that I have no trust in the fulfillment of the prophecy. So, to demonstrate my conviction, I have given orders that the first toxins are to be released upon our easternmost targets hours before I hold the artifact in my hands. Phanuel says that this gesture will guarantee divine favor. It is of the utmost importance that the Lord smiles upon our endeavors, Mr. Hunt.”
“I ain’t a prayin’ man, boss, as you well know. But I’ll say amen to that and a hearty hallelujah.” Hunt gave a wicked grin. “It’s payback time for Mr. Big.”
Chapter 46—Suicide Mission
Joshua paced around the underground training facility as he waited for his confederates to arrive. It had been months since he’d visited this place. The target range was still utilized for practice by the compound security staff but, now that everyone had gone through basic training, the bunker no longer hosted groups of marksmen on a daily basis. Its isolated location and infrequent use made it a convenient place to hatch a conspiracy. Joshua’s abrupt excommunication had left him with limited options.
On the evening he’d first converted Enoch and Lemuel to his cause, he couldn’t fully explain his plan to them because he didn’t have one. He needed time to map out a strategy and a place to think. To that end, he ordered his acolytes to take him to the nearest ATM. Fortunately, his father hadn’t yet cut off his banking access. Joshua withdrew all the money from his travel account and took cash advances on several credit cards. Then he instructed his followers to drive him to a rental agency where he could hire a car of his own. Afterward, he checked himself into a motel about twenty miles from the compound and started evolving a strategy.
As the details took shape, Joshua realized he would need more manpower than Enoch and Lemuel to carry out his scheme. He considered various members of the Order of Argus who might be ripe to join his faction. Two stood out—Shem and Paul. Both were squarely-built, stolid men in their late-30s. Their massive physiques and dull expressions projected an utter lack of brain power. It was precisely this quality which attracted Joshua’s notice. Unimaginative men always made the best followers.
The spymaster instructed Enoch and Lemuel to sound out these two prospects. When asked for their opinions about the spymaster’s hasty excommunication, they both expressed dismay. When they were told of the diviner’s secret intention to attack the Fallen, their dismay turned to outright horror. They agreed that such a course was utter folly. After that, it was an easy matter for Enoch and Lemuel to persuade them that a better alternative existed. While his two original followers were busy indoctrinating the new recruits, Joshua had been hard at work refining the specifics of his plan. He felt quite confident that the five of them could pull it off.
He stopped pacing when he heard the hatch doors at the top of the stairs squeal on their hinges and then shut again. Heavy boots marched downward in his direction. His four adherents paused at the bottom of the stairs to regard him silently. All of them looked grim and a trifle nervous.
Joshua stepped forward to greet them. “Were you followed here?”
They all shook their heads.
“We came in separate cars, from separate
