Katie was silent, clearly thinking hard.
“C’mon, it’s the best lead we’ve got by far,” James said.
“Okay...” Katie said, though she still sounded skeptical. “Say it is there and we somehow find it. I still don’t get what the connection between the stone and the missing Supers is.”
“That’s because these pricks won’t explain themselves to us,” Rocky said. James was surprised to hear so much frustration in his voice. “They tell us to risk our lives back there, going after the stone, and then they just leave us in the dark? It’s like they don’t trust us.”
They were both right. What was the point of finding the stone if they didn’t know how to use it to find Derek and the other Supers? Calico still seemed to believe there was a connection between the two, but he refused to tell them what it was.
Why? What was really going on?
James took a breath, his mind made up. He was sick of secrets, sick of lies. It was time to strike off on their own and stop relying on everyone else to give them answers, to save them. But before they did that, there was one secret he needed to see, one he was sure would help them find answers or at least give them some direction. The one place in this base they weren’t allowed to go.
He looked at Rocky and Katie. “I think it’s time to find out what’s behind that door.”
Chapter 28
They planned it as carefully as they could. The next day, when they went back to the room to read through the folders, they left the door wide open. They sat in the same seats as last time—James with his back to the door, Katie on the right side of the table, Rocky on the left. Katie moved her chair ever so slightly toward James so when she leaned over, resting her elbow on the table, she could see through the door and down the hallway that led to the kitchen. Rocky, meanwhile, positioned himself on the other side so he could see the locked metal door at the end of the hall. With both of them as lookouts, they could spot anyone approaching the room.
A few hours later, Afectrus brought them lunch, repeating how grateful the Supers were for their hard work. When she left, she made to close the door.
“Oh, actually,” James said, stopping her. “Could you leave that open? It gets really stuffy in here, hard to work.”
“Oh.” Afectrus hesitated, and for a moment, James was sure she would deny his request. But if she did, the bluff would be called. Finally, she said, “Of course,” then smiled thinly before walking away.
Perfect.
They worked slowly for the rest of the day, leaving plenty of folders so they would be able to work the entire next day. James barely bothered reading the pages in front of him.
The next day, they waited until Afectrus brought them lunch again. She eyed the open door as she left, but she said nothing. Then it was a waiting game. James stared blankly at a single piece of paper, one eye on Rocky. An endless time later, Rocky met James’s eye and nodded. James knew it meant Tonitrus had just walked through the locked door, into whatever room lay beyond.
James’s heart pounded. According to Rocky, Tonitrus always exited to the left, away from the room they sat in. That meant as soon as he exited, James could make a move toward the door. It would be tight, but it was their best bet.
A quarter hour passed. Tonitrus was nowhere to be seen. James began to worry there was another entrance somewhere and they were just wasting their time. The whole thing might be a waste of time, anyway, but James had to know what was behind that door. If they were really going to abandon the Supers, he had to know everything they knew.
Fifteen minutes later, he got his chance. Rocky’s eyes widened, and he quietly said, “Go!”
James launched himself backward out of his chair. Katie would have warned him if someone was coming down the other way, so he knew the hallway was clear. As he rushed forward as quickly as he dared, keeping his feet light and silent on the floor, he saw Tonitrus’s boot disappear around the corner. The metal door swung open and hung for a moment as it reached its apex, then began to shut. Praying Tonitrus would be far enough away, James surged forward, reaching his hand out.
Just as the door swung shut, he reached it. It squished his fingers painfully against the frame but didn’t close. He glanced to the side, but Tonitrus was nowhere to be seen. He cracked open the door and saw only darkness within. He slipped inside and let the door close lightly behind him.
While he waited for Katie and Rocky, James surveyed his surroundings. There wasn’t much to see. He stood at the top of a rickety metal staircase that led down, illuminated by several dim, hanging bulbs. The walls here were carved stone, and it felt considerably colder than the room he had left. James shivered. It was a completely different world than the bright, clinical base he was used to. This felt like a cellar, cold and dingy. What could the Supers possibly be keeping down those stairs?
There was a knock on the door, followed by a five-second pause and then two more knocks in rapid succession. Their signal. James pushed open the door, and Rocky and Katie slid inside.
“Well, this is creepy,” Rocky said, much too loudly.
“Shh!” Katie shushed, and James had to agree. He was pretty sure all of the Supers were accounted for now that Tonitrus was upstairs, but it was still best to be quiet. They had no idea what awaited them.
“We have to be quick,” James whispered. One of the Supers could
