Week 36.5 – Hole Cards

Previously: Cole just told Twain and Yi Fan that one soldier escaped their attack on the City of the Moon, and will probably summon the Czar. And now…

“I did!” Yi Fan said. “I mean, that one did try to get away in a jeep, but I smashed it!”

“He was thrown clear,” Cole said, as the metal surrounding them–the rifles, the chain-link fencing, the smashed vehicles down the slope–began to make its presence more firmly known in his mind. “He was taking off down the hill when I came up here.”

“Why didn’t you stop him?” asked Twain.

“Because I didn’t want him to die?” Cole said. “Plus, how was I supposed to do it? My powers aren’t working, remember.”

He reached out a hand at one of the rifles nearby and concentrated. Nothing happened for a moment, then one end of the weapon lifted a couple of feet, swayed and dipped, then dropped again.  “They’re coming back, though.”

“Well, that’s going to make it tight,” Twain said. “The Cup needs an hour to charge, and that’s only if I’m right about the cave.”

“I can try to stall him, if it comes to that,” Yi Fan said.

“Right,” Twain said. “Let’s get moving then.”

The gate securing the cave’s entrance was held in place by a thick chain with a padlock. Twain tested the chain link fence to make sure it wasn’t electrified, then started to climb. When he was halfway up, Digger grabbed the lock and pulled it open, then opened the gate. Twain dropped back down. “Why didn’t you do that before I started climbing?”

“What’s funny about that?”

[blockquote type=”blockquote_quotes” align=”right”]He reached out a hand at one of the rifles nearby and concentrated. Nothing happened for a moment, then one end of the weapon lifted a couple of feet, swayed and dipped, then dropped again. ..[/blockquote]As they approached the cave entrance, Cole said, “You guys go on ahead. I’m going to stay out here.”

“Claustrophobic?” Digger asked.

“No,” Cole said. He waved his fingers at the fence, and the chain link shivered in response. “Just going to work on getting my mojo back.”

Digger nodded. “Well, yell if you need us.”

Digger sighed in relief as they entered the cool darkness. Even though his powers weren’t aligned with operating underground anymore, he hadn’t forgotten what it was like. Being down here did make him even more aware of the lack of his former senses, however. Without his enhanced vision or seismic sense, he felt somehow blind and cut off. Was this the way Cole had felt when he was unable to sense metals? “So what’s the deal with this cave, anyway?” Digger asked.

“I told you before. We can get more of the crystals like the one we took from Caveat here,” Twain said. He pulled a flashlight out of his pack and turned it on as they descended into greater darkness.

“You think,” Digger said.

“I know,” Twain said.

“How can you be so sure?” Digger asked.

“Because I can feel them, up ahead,” Twain said. “A lot of them.”

“You can feel them?” Digger asked. “Since when?”

“Since… Well, that’s actually a long story.”

You have something else to talk about while we walk?” Digger asked. His eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness.

“No,” Twain admitted. “It started when I accidentally had brain surgery.”

Well, we all knew something was wrong with his mind, right? Don’t miss the rest of Twain’s explanation in our next episode!

To read from the beginning, click here…