CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
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The sky was entirely dark by the time they got to Anza. The tiny town consisted of little more than a few houses and trailers, a diner, a gas station, a DQ, a health center and a hardware store/laundromat. The SUVs pulled in to the far, unlit edge of the diner parking lot.
“Where are you?” Kemble barked to Tris on his phone. “Okay. Meet us at the diner.”
The gravel parking lot of the diner was huge—as if they expected a hundred cars instead of the three clustered by the entrance. Kemble pulled up at the very edge, outside the range of the weak light poles near the windowless beige building. The sign wasn’t lighted. They could barely see that it advertised breakfast, lunch and dinner. They got out and stretched their legs, several glancing surreptitiously up toward the comet. The world turned inexorably toward the Talisman moment. Tammy shuddered.
“They’re just pulling into town,” Kemble announced. Doors slammed as others got out of the second SUV. Tammy peered down the highway.
But all she saw was a huge truck hauling something on a trailer. The other Tremaines seemed oblivious to the truck, but Tammy couldn’t take her eyes off it. What it was hauling? Another truck? No…
The truck was hauling a tank. She could see the huge gun in its distinctive silhouette. The brakes gave a screeching wheeze as the truck and trailer turned into the parking lot from the highway. Luc Marrec was driving and Tris rode shotgun.
Everyone just stared. The truck’s engine cut, giving way to the silence of the desert.
“What the hell?” Dev whispered.
“Oh, boy, just what we need,” Lan scoffed. “An old tank.”
Marrec and Tris jumped down, looking pleased with themselves, though it was a little harder to see in Luc’s scarred face.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Kemble asked, disgusted.
Tris looked affronted. “You said you wanted a distraction for the front door. What better distraction than a Sherman M4?”
“Not bad,” Daddy said.
“You’ll never get that truck near a canyon in the middle of the San Jacinto desert,” Dev observed skeptically.
Tris grinned. “We leave the truck at the road. This baby’s got sixteen-wheel drive.” He patted the giant track that looped the wheels. “We just drive right up and blast the front door.”
“They’ll see that coming a mile away,” Kemble said, a calm voice covering his anger. That had Luc and Tris stumped.
“I can paint it with a better camouflage,” Kee said, her eyes alight. “I’ll make it look just like the desert behind it.”
Tammy could see the family start thinking seriously about using a World War II tank.
“Have either of you actually ever driven a tank?” Drew asked, as though it was an aside at a cocktail party. But Tammy could tell that her mask of indifference was cracked over her real anxiety. Drew’s eyes flickered as she sorted through visions even as she spoke.
“Well, no,” Tris said, giving Marrec a sideways glance. “I got it on the flat bed, but that’s about it.” Then he cast a nervous look at Daddy. “We’ve got an instruction manual. It’s a little the worse for wear.”
Luc brandished a black binder around a sheaf of loose papers, and raised his brows.
To Tammy’s surprise, Daddy stepped forward. “I don’t guarantee anything.”
They all held their breath as he flipped through it, eyes scanning text and pictures. Not because they wanted someone to drive the tank so much, but because they all wanted so much for Daddy to be able to call on his Adapter skills again. Daddy’s head dropped to his chest, and Tammy’s heart sank with it. But then he took a breath and looked up, examining the tank. “Is the Browning functional?” he asked, nodding to the big machine gun on the turret.
“Haven’t tested it,” Luc said. “Got plenty of ammo though.”
“And plenty of ammo belts for the forward 30mm’s,” Tris added.
“Shells for the 75?”
“Eight,” Tris said. “Luc stole those separate.”
“Where did you get this?” Tammy couldn’t help asking.
“Patton Museum over at Chiriaco Summit,” Luc grunted. “I knew of this place.”
“And you just drove off with it,” Dev said, half-laughing.
“Well, first we had to steal a truck,” Tris demurred.
“I’m surprised it even runs. Is it up to a desert trek?” Greta’s brows raised in disbelief.
“Tris can power it,” Luc said. “Me, I think it doesn’t have to technically ‘run.’”
Greta was still new to all this. She didn’t realize Tris could power anything mechanical with energy he drew from the earth and make it go, no matter its condition. Handy. Everyone looked at each other, not quite believing, but knowing they would try this crazy scheme.
“Okay,” Kemble said, decisively. “Change in plans. Senior?”
“It’s set up for five, but we don’t need a commander,” Daddy said. “I can give operation instructions as well as drive. We’ll need a gunner and a loader in addition to Tristram.”
Daddy sure sounded like he knew what he was doing. Tammy’s heart clenched. She wanted him back so badly.
Kemble took a breath. “Well, I have to be at the front door to the compound to disable the security, so I guess I can load.” He glanced to Luc. “You up for gunner?”
Luc just nodded, once.
“And I’m along for decoration, so to speak.” Kee slipped under Daddy’s arm and squeezed him. Tank or no, once the first shot was fired, the frontal assault was the most dangerous place to be. Who knew what powers would be ranged against them?
Tammy looked up to the sky. The comet was imperceptibly out of kilter now.
“Let’s get going.” Daddy looked to Michael, who had his map partially unfolded.
“Southwest,” he said, pointing. “Tammy can confirm that I’ve got the right canyon when we get closer.”
Daddy looked around at the family. “I’m so proud of you all.”
Mom stepped up beside him. “Remember,” she said into the quiet. “Once we’re in, get to the site of the ceremony as quickly as possible. Tamsen will know where Thomas is, and he’ll be at the ceremony. So Tamsen, you give directions over the com.”
“Earpieces in,” Kemble ordered. There was much fumbling, and adjusting.
Were they up to this? The expressions on the tense faces around the circle said probably not. But they scattered to their vehicles and pulled out onto the highway, going south.
*
The halls of the Clan compound were empty now. Everyone must be up in the hangar, where Duncan said the ceremony would be held. Thomas trudged between Duncan and Jason as they made their way to the elevators. He was wearing a long white cape that covered his shoulders, tied at his throat, and left everything else bare. At least it covered him. Mostly. He had a feeling it wouldn’t for long once they reached the hangar. Duncan made him drink a foul-tasting draught. Said it would help with what he had to do. So Thomas could only hope that it was what Jason had promised to keep him erect long enough to get to his moment of opportunity.
His body felt numb. But in his core, stretching from his head down through his loins, there was a bar of iron. At least that was the way he imagined it. That core was his resolve. It was the only thing that was real, well, besides Tammy and the need to save her. Everything else—what would happen to him here tonight, his life in the monastery, his parents—all that was an illusion. He needed that iron bar through his body and his mind. He vowed to preserve it, and the numbness around it, as long as he possibly could.
The long hours of waiting were over. He had always wanted a purpose. Well, now he had one. It meant death and that death would only mean something if he saved Tammy and her family from the evil that was Morgan.
That’s when he felt it. Some part of him died. The rest came alarmingly to life.
Tammy. She was near and getting closer. In fact, she was very, very close. How had he not felt it before? Because he was so bent on stifling all feeling, stiffening his resolve?
She had come for him. Alone or with her family. It wouldn’t matter. Not with all the Clan ranged against them. Tammy in danger—it was almost like a pain, the feeling was so sharp. He staggered. Jason strode up from behind and took his arm, roughly, his blue eyes looking a warning. Then he must have seen the panic in Thomas’s face.
“Get a hold of yourself, kid.” Jason gave him a rough shake.
Thomas shook his head, looking around frantically as if he could see Tammy somewhere in the garishly lighted metal hallway.
“Nothing’s changed,” Jason said grimly. He shook him again. “Do you hear me? Nothing’s changed.”
Jason knew he was feeling Tammy’s presence!
Thomas swallowed. But Jason was right. The stakes hadn’t changed. Now the danger to Tammy was more immediate than Morgan’s somehow-future retribution. What if his fire burned her? What if the power Morgan unleashed killed her? What if one of the Clan killed her? All paths in his mind led to one end. He found himself searching Jason’s stony expression for answers, but all he saw was hardness.
And that was his answer. He straightened, and felt for his resolve. He would be as hard as Jason was. The steel bar inside him grew hot. He had his fire. It would have to be enough. But the timing was now even more crucial. He had to disrupt the ceremony before Tammy was captured, so she wouldn’t be caught in his fire. But it had to be close enough to the actual formation of the Pentacle that the Clan couldn’t recover from the disruption and resume. He told himself he still had time. She wasn’t here yet.
But she was coming.
*
Tammy couldn’t help but look up to the black velvet sky as she got out of the SUV, awash with stars out here in the desert. The comet streaked toward its destiny, trailing fire. Was there time to save Thomas? She could feel him, just over the small rise ahead. The rise was the alluvial fan of scree from a long-ago collapse of the canyon wall to their right. The Clan compound was one canyon over in the series of water-carved grooves in the mesa above them. Dev and Lan were unloading weapons from the rear of the SUVs. All the guys knew guns. The Tremaine girls all had been taught to shoot too. Maggie grew up on a ranch in the desert, so she was in. The surprise was that Greta knew how to shoot. She said she’d learned for a role in one of her movies. The only holdouts were Jane and Mom. Michael and Luc were the real experts, of course.
Dev and Lan passed out each member’s chosen firearm. Then the family gathered silently to wait for the semi to make it to where the dirt road petered out. It was slower than the SUVs. God, it was noisy! The Clan must know they were here, though the compound was still more than a mile away. The semi hit the brakes with a loud wheeze and came to a halt. The metallic behemoth on its trailer, painted in a desert camouflage, loomed above them. Tris and Luc hopped out of the cab. The gang was all here. They all looked around the circle. Tension bound them together, yet made Tammy feel more alone than she had ever felt.
Suddenly, Drew fell back against the side of the SUV with a little grunt of distress. Her eyes flickered back and forth. She’d been having trouble all the way over here with the visions, and apparently it was getting worse. Michael put his big arms around her and held her upright. “What’s the matter, honey? You see anything new?”
She turned big eyes up toward her husband. “The blackness isn’t empty.”
Tammy felt the same dread everyone else was feeling. For the first time, no one wanted to ask Drew for details. Tammy narrowed her eyes, thinking. Couldn’t that also mean that their future wasn’t blank?
Kemble made one more try. “You should stay here, Jane. Tammy, in view of what Drew saw earlier, you should too.”
“We’re both going, Kemble,” Jane said firmly. “Remember what Brina said. The whole family together.”
Everyone looked to Mom, who nodded apologetically. “Together.”
Kemble rolled his head around on his neck then looked to Daddy.
“I never argue with Brina,” he said, a twinkle in his eye, even in this dire circumstance.
Mom snorted.
But now the dread in the air felt like it hung around their shoulders.
“Okay,” Kemble grumbled, then gestured toward Daddy. “Time for last instructions.”
“Your show, son. I’m just here to drive the tank.” If Daddy could get some of his powers back, anything was possible. She was not going to think about what would happen to her, or what was in the blackness Drew saw. She must focus on Thomas. She stood up straighter, and with the rest of her family, looked to her oldest brother.
Once, Kemble would have wilted under the pressure of stepping into his father’s shoes. But now he just set his jaw and nodded once.
“Com check,” he said, his voice low and stern. “Check, check, check.” Everybody adjusted their earpieces and nodded.
“Everybody not in the tank, circle up over this rise to the mesa above and come into the canyon from the back side. Stay back until I tell you the security system is down.”
Marrec cleared his throat. “Excusez-moi, change in plans.”
“What?” Kemble barked. Others turned shocked looks at Marrec.
“Me, I think you need someone in the tank who can Find Thomas once we get under the Cloak, to ensure you can reunite.” He looked at Kemble, shrugging. “You take Michael. I will go with Tammy.”
Marrec thought they should hedge their bets in case Tammy was killed before she could locate Thomas and tell everyone else over the com. That was sobering.
Kemble gritted his teeth. “You’re right. Michael, you’re gunner.”
Michael’s expression turned grim. He didn’t want to leave Drew. But maybe Marrec also wanted that. If Michael were worried about protecting Drew, he wouldn’t focus on the mission. Michael was a good soldier. He patted Drew’s shoulder. “You’ll be okay, baby.” As he passed Marrec on his way to the tank, he growled, “You damn well better take care of her.”
Daddy went to stand with Tris and Michael, followed by Kee. Kee hesitated and turned. “You should know that I can paint the reality of the tank into a picture of the desert behind it, but I can’t make the picture evolve seamlessly as the tank moves. It will look like a jerky movie. They’ll be able to tell something’s wrong if they look closely.”
“We’ll just have to hope they’re too busy to notice,” Kemble said.
Tammy hated to think what they might be too busy with. Hold on, Thomas. Just hold on. Please. She arranged herself with Mom, Luc, Jane, Drew, Greta, and Lan. Maggie ran over to the tank to hug Tris. Dev did the same with Kee. Kemble came over to Jane, visibly trying to suppress the worry in his expression.
“Why I let you talk me into letting you come, I don’t know,” he whispered, hugging her bulging body to his chest.
“Because your life wouldn’t have been worth living if you hadn’t?” Jane asked in her sweet way.
Mom just looked across at Daddy, tears welling in her eyes. They didn’t hug. Maybe after a lifetime of love they didn’t have to. Or maybe this meant so much to them that they didn’t dare. They stood to lose their whole family tonight. Well, except for the babies. And the kids wouldn’t last long in Morgan’s world, no matter how hard Mr. Edwards tried to protect them.
“It’s past time,” Kemble said, his voice rough. He glanced to the sky. “Remember, back door group, Maggie Calms anybody who tries to stop you, inside or outside the compound. Tamsen, you’re on point for giving directions.”
“And I, who may otherwise be useless, know how to use this,” Luc said, brandishing a military-issue automatic rifle.
“Nobody fires unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Kemble warned. “And keep in contact through the coms.”
The group assigned to the tank clambered up to the trailer and then up the side of the tank, using the U’s of metal that formed a kind of ladder. And the group on foot started up the canyon. It would be a hard hike to get up around the back of the compound. It must be near midnight. They didn’t have much time.
*
The air in the tank was close. How did they get five guys in here, Michael wondered as he squeezed his bulk through the hatch. Good thing Kee was little. They’d unfastened the chains that held the tank onto the truck bed and pulled down the ramps. Senior took his place in the left front seat and yanked the periscope down. This model of tank had ditched the windows. He motioned Kee into the right side seat and pulled down a periscope for her too. Kemble climbed up into the turret and Michael followed.
“See the shells?” Tris called. “To your right.”
“Yes,” Kemble said, grimly.
“Better put one in the hole now,” Senior called. “Michael, find the firing pedal.”
Michael sat and felt around with his foot. “Got it.”
“You flip the switch right in front of you and then depress the pedal. The gun ejects the casing automatically once you fire and resets the switch. Then Kemble reloads and taps you when he’s ready.”
Michael peered into the sighting mechanism. “The periscope is equipped with infrared.”
“They all are,” Senior announced.
“I’ll point my periscope backwards so I can see how to camouflage us,” Kee said.
Tris slid in through the hatch and raised his eyebrows as he found the gunner’s area below him already filled with two big bodies. “Where do you want me?”
“Take the commander’s seat at the top,” Senior called up. “There should be a machine gun there, as well as one for Kemble. And one down here for Kee if they spot us and we don’t need camouflage anymore. Ammo should be stored in the ready racks, more in the floor.”
“Me?” Kee squeaked, then cleared her throat. “Show me how to fire this type of gun, Dad,” she said in a lower register, her mouth set.
Michael nodded to himself. Senior seemed to have gotten at least some of his Adapter powers back. How else was he so sure what to do from just a quick glance at the manual? Michael looked at Kemble and then up at Tris. Tris nodded once and his gaze went distant or inward, Michael didn’t know which. The engine of the tank began to growl.
“Sherman IV is a Ford GAA,” Senior called up. “8-cylinder, liquid-cooled, gasoline-powered. Well, Tris-powered tonight. It’s got 2500 horsepower.” He pulled a lever. “Engine was originally made for airplanes. Great tank for deserts.”
The tank backed down the ramp off the truck trailer, clanking.
“Hold on to something,” Tris growled, his eyes refocusing. “Let’s see just how fast this thing can go.”