Lifting my hand, I brushed it against the siding. Shivers ran down my spine. I could almost feel the history and pain that the car had brought on all those who’d touched it. Rictor and his brothers killed the lab assistants while using the Omega to steal the Bell. They themselves, along with Hartek, died when Cartwright hijacked it. The Sand Demons then spent the best years of their lives living like hermits, watching over the car, always wondering if someone was about to steal it from them.
Am I the next to fall under the curse? Or will I break the cycle?
I walked to the front of the car. Holding my breath, I boarded the Omega, as if that act would somehow ward off its curse. But my effort didn’t last long. As I strode into the interior, I exhaled loudly.
The seats were punctured with small holes and splattered with bloodstains. Closing my eyes, I could almost picture the gunfight between the Rictors and the Sand Demons.
I turned my attention to the back half of the subway car. A wide thick blanket hung from the ceiling, cutting off my view into the rear portion.
I knew Beverly was behind me, but I could no longer feel her presence. The blanket dominated my attention. While unremarkable on its own, it carried heavy symbolism for me.
It was the last remaining barrier between the Bell and me.
I walked over to it. As I grasped its coarse edge, I wondered what secrets I’d find on the other side. Would the Bell look the same as I’d imagined it? Could we destroy it?
I pulled the blanket out of the way. My beam lifted, casting into the space.
I froze.
The flashlight fell from my fingertips. It bounced on the floor and rolled. I felt a sudden reverence as if I stood before the Almighty Himself.
“Oh my God,” Beverly whispered. “Is it…?”
“It’s not touching the ground,” I replied dumbly. “The damn thing’s floating. It’s floating in mid-air.”
Chapter 55
My brain wrestled with my eyes as I stared at the large floating object in front of me. I couldn’t comprehend the thing, couldn’t rationalize it. And yet, I knew my eyes weren’t lying.
My wildest impulses rose to the forefront, eager to accept the miracle at face value. But my analytical side slammed them to a halt. Adopting, a cold, methodical viewpoint, I began to study the object in earnest.
It was quite similar to the drawings I’d seen in Hartek’s journal. Shaped like a bell, it measured about six feet tall and four feet at its widest point. Its outer surface appeared to be constructed from some sort of brownish-colored metal. More than a dozen ring-shaped attachments sprouted out from various places along the metal exterior. At first glance, they looked like part of a suspension mechanism, used to hoist the Bell into the air. But another look at the free-floating object stopped that theory cold in its tracks.
Although the Bell stood perfectly still, it seemed to have a life of its own. It crackled slightly and emanated the occasional spark of electricity. I heard faint buzzing and hissing noises that when combined, sounded a bit like a large beehive.
Twisting my head, I searched for invisible wires or some sort of platform that might explain the Bell’s defiance of the law of gravity. After a brief search, I noticed the high-voltage electrical cables I’d seen outside the Omega. They poured in through an open window and branched off, disappearing into numerous ports on all sides of the Bell. At first, they seemed like a promising explanation to the mystery. But almost immediately, I realized that the cables were slack and not supporting a single pound. If anything, their presence actually added weight to the Bell.
I recalled the rigging installed in Hartek’s laboratory. At the time, I’d thought it was designed to keep the Bell off the ground for the purpose of experimentation. Now, it struck me that its real purpose might’ve been to keep the Bell from floating away.
I shook my head, trying to make sense of it. Clearly, the object weighed a ton. So, how was it able to hover in the air like that with no visible means of support?
“When I first laid eyes on that thing, Hartek called it the Ark. He told me that God himself lived inside of it.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Cartwright standing behind us. His face appeared flushed and he looked harried. But I caught a wistful, childlike flash in his eyes. Despite more than three decades, it was clear the Bell’s magic hadn’t diminished for the grizzled old Sand Demon.
“More like the Devil,” I replied. “How’s it able to stay afloat?”
“I don’t know. My friends and I knew everything there was to know about subway systems. But we weren’t scientists.”
Beverly waved her hand to the side. “What do those cables do?”
“I don’t know that either. But Hartek warned us to keep it operational at all times to avoid an explosion. And part of keeping it operational is maintaining a constant flow of electricity.”
“Where do you steal your power from anyways?” I lifted an eyebrow. “Somehow, I doubt you’re paying your own electric bill.”
“All of these tunnels are wired for power. Years ago, we modified Beach’s electrical systems to fit our needs. Then we hooked everything up to the underground power lines that run above us. I won’t go into the details but there’s very little chance that our, uh, adjustments will ever be noticed. And if they were discovered by some fluke chance, no one could ever trace them down here.”
“What about power outages?”
He shrugged. “The Bell can last several hours without power. In any event, we have numerous back-up options at our disposal.”
“You spent a lot of time and energy protecting this thing.”
“We didn’t exactly have a choice,” he replied tightly. “It was either that or risk an explosion. It wasn’t easy, I can tell you that much. There were some moments, especially early on, where I thought we’d fail. But somehow, we always found a way to keep the Bell operating.”
“But how can you be sure Hartek wasn’t just delirious?” I asked incredulously. “What if he meant to tell you something else? For all you know, you wasted over thirty years of your lives for nothing.”
“Don’t you think we debated that a million times?” His voice grew angry. “Of course not, since you already have all the answers. Well, here’s a news flash for you. We never knew anything about the Bell. So, we did the best we could. And we must’ve done something right since the damn thing hasn’t blown up yet.”
I looked back at the Bell. No matter how hard I tried, my brain refused to accept it. Sure, it was real. I could see that with my own two eyes. But it was also irrational, even impossible. In order to square it with my own sense of reality I needed an explanation. Scientific, supernatural, a trick of the eyes, anything.
Anything but the unknown.
Turning around, I slipped between Beverly and Cartwright. Then, I walked past the blanket and through the aisle. After exiting the Omega, I turned left and began walking. I followed the tracks to where they joined the groove and then, all the way to the mouth of the tube.
I stopped just short of the entrance and peered inside. I couldn’t see the explosives, but I knew they weren’t far away.
Kneeling down, I touched the tracks. They seemed to be in good shape. Unfortunately, without electricity they were useless to us.
I look around and noticed a small air flue, similar to the one connected to the bunker. Unfortunately, the Omega was top-heavy. Even if we figured out a way to seal it with the tube, I doubted that anything less than a gale force wind could budge it.