“Not at all, Daniel,” Professor Robbins said. “I have to catalog everything before I leave.”
The two men were propped on the rail of the third-floor balcony, overlooking the main lobby. The wait staff was busy clearing the tables while another crew broke down the stage.
The professor was staring intently at the massive tyrannosaurus skeleton at the far end of the lobby. It seemed to be staring down at everyone as they worked, as if it were waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
“Isn’t it funny how things that don’t look very dangerous can be deadly?” the professor asked. “While things that look as if they are ready to kill, like our dino friend over there, are no more harmful than a wooden chair.”
Daniel laughed. “How much have you had to drink?”
The professor smiled warmly. “Not much, my friend. Just the ponderings of an old man, I suppose.”
“Well, to answer your question, yes,” Daniel said. “It is funny. And some of the most beautiful can be the most dangerous. But what’s brought it up? It’s kind of some dark territory to be going to on your big night.”
“I know,” Robbins said. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about the rumors.”
“Rumors?” Daniel asked.
“Don’t pretend you haven’t heard,” the older man replied. “As much as I tried to keep it all under wraps, it got out somehow. I must have overheard at least three people talking about it tonight.”
“I didn’t want to say anything,” Daniel said. “Look, Professor, it’s nothing to worry about. Strange things happen anytime a group has to stay out in the wilderness for a long time. Your group has been camping at the base of that volcano on and off for a decade.”
“Two people just up and vanished, Daniel,” Robbins said. “They didn’t take anything with them. They didn’t leave anything behind. They were just gone. That’s more than just strange.”
“And you’ve done everything you could,” Daniel replied. “What more could you have done?”
“That’s the question that will plague me forever,” Robbins said. “Or until they turn up. I thought about shutting the site down.”
Daniel pointed in the direction of the exhibition hall. “After a discovery like the one in there? You found a skeleton that shouldn’t exist! You found a medallion unlike anything anyone has ever seen. And you proved the existence of a civilization no one believed in. You can’t shut it down, Professor. It’s too important.”
“Those are the same words my investors used,” he said. “I’m heading back to Greece next week. I just pray that nothing else like that happens again.”
Daniel looked at his watch. “It’s getting late. I have to get Tyler home. You’re sure you don’t need a lift? I can have a car take you when you’re ready.”
“Maybe in a while,” Robbins said. “I believe I’ll take a look around while your crews are finishing up with the cleaning. I don’t usually get to spend any time in a good old-fashioned museum.”
“I’ll tell the guard staff to leave the lights on until you’re done,” Daniel said, patting the older man on the shoulder. “And a car will be waiting for you out front. Good night, sir.”
“Good night, Daniel,” he replied.
__________________________________________________________________________
The car pulled up to the curb about a block from the museum and Anya switched off the engine.
“I don’t understand how you plan on doing this,” she said. “The cleaning crew is still in there, not to mention the normal security staff. The place is also covered in surveillance cameras.”
“Do you think this is not something I have done before?” Raloam asked. He was pulling off the jacket that was part of his suit and loosening his tie. “I will handle this. Drive in a five-block radius around where we are now. Do that three times. Then park across the street from the east side of the building.”
“Okay,” Anya replied. “Good luck.”
Raloam looked at her and gave her hand a slight squeeze. “It will all be fine.”
Anya gave him a small nervous smile. “I hope so,” she said.
He got out of the car and threw his tie on the seat. He reached into the back and pulled out his long, tattered raincoat, and pulled it over his shoulders. He looked more like the guy that he usually was. Except this version was clean-shaven and had on nice pants. He closed the door, ducked into the shadow of the building beside them, and was gone.
Anya let out a long, slow breath and blew the bangs out of her face. This was going to be a long night.
__________________________________________________________________________
Professor Robbins stood solemnly and stared at the paintings lining the walls of the museum’s east wing. He was just down the hall from the room where his exhibit was. A vase from ancient Rome had caught his attention, and now he was enraptured by the artwork of many of history's great Italian artists. He could not claim to be much of an art expert, nor did he know meaning of every symbol hidden in the details. He was not versed in much of the information about the artists themselves. But he enjoyed looking at these pieces.
He came out of his trance of deep thought when he heard what sounded like footsteps coming from the room he had started. He turned and looked back in that direction. He thought he saw movement but decided it was just the shadow of a person who had just walked through the doorway. The guards were conducting rounds, or one of the cleaning crew members was trying to give him a subtle hint. They probably wanted him gone so they could get back to business as usual.
He shrugged and walked back down the hall, intending to say goodnight to whoever had just gone into the exhibit and to head for the elevator. He came to the doorway and leaned over to peer inside.
There was no one there.
The exhibit hall where his items were displayed was a large, nearly empty space. It was about thirty feet in diameter. There were four display cases in the actual floor space. The two located to the left of the door contained large pieces of ancient pottery. The one at the center of the room contained the medallion he had talked about earlier in the evening. A fourth one on the right side had several photographs of objects still being uncovered at the site. In addition to these were two large cases that ran along the length of the back and left walls. These cases had various pieces of pottery, jewelry, tools, and even fragments of what were believed to be weapons.
On the right side of the room was the showcase of the exhibit, The piece of black rock holding the skeleton frozen inside. It was standing on a small platform with a velvet rope attached to four stanchions to prevent people from touching it.
Other than that, there was just the professor.
He immediately turned and looked back out into the hallway. There was no one there either. He could have sworn he had heard someone. He was even sure he had seen something.
“Hello?” he called down the hall. “Is someone there?” He looked up at the security camera peering at him from the ceiling. He waved at it.
“Mr. Robbins,” someone called from the air. It sounded like an intercom though he did not see one anywhere. “Are you alright?”
“Yes,” the professor said. “I thought that I saw someone.”
“I don’t have anyone on your floor right now, sir,” the voice said. “Where did you see someone?”
“In the exhibition room,” he replied. “But there’s no one there.”
“I’ll send someone up, sir,” the guard replied.
He nodded and walked back into the room where his treasures were.
__________________________________________________________________________
The doors were locked from the inside, but that did not concern Raloam. He knew the wait staff and the cleaning crew were still inside. That meant the main locks had not been activated yet since the doors would have to be opened again in a little while. Even if the place had been locked down tight, he had a pretty good feeling he would still be able to get inside. He had gotten in and out of tighter places than this.
He crouched low behind a dumpster and watched patiently as a cook and a waiter took their cigarette break outside the roll-up door of the loading dock. They stood and talked casually for a few minutes before finally throwing the smoldering butts down on the concrete platform, grinding out the ember with their shoe. As they walked back inside, one grabbed the chain on the pulley and let the door slide back into place.
Raloam listened carefully for the sound of the locking chain but did not hear anything. It was what he had thought would happen. They did not want to unlock and unchain the door every time they went out for another cigarette, so they left it unfastened until they got ready to leave for the night.
It was too easy.
He glided carefully through the shadows to avoid the security cameras for as long as possible. It was inevitable they would capture his image sooner or later. But the longer he could remain invisible, the simpler this task would be.
When he reached the loading dock platform, he grabbed the roll-up door and pulled up on it gently. It raised about half an inch.
He smiled.
He pulled the door until it was eight inches from the ground. Then he laid down on the platform, slid inside, and lowered the door.
The stockroom of the museum was mostly empty. The inventory was all out in the exhibition halls. There were a couple of forklifts and some pallet jacks. A messy break area was on the other end of the room, and a small office was on a balcony above it. Most of the lights were turned off. There was just enough light for a guard to be able to get a quick look around when he came through on his rounds.
The cleaning crew would be here in a matter of minutes. They would be hauling all the tables and chairs from tonight’s dinner into this room to be picked up in the morning. Raloam needed to stay on the move.
He slipped out the door and found himself in a hallway that looked a lot like hallways in a hundred office buildings all over this city. This was the administration area of the museum. None of the ornate lighting fixtures or fancy carpet would be seen here. The accountants and HR personnel had their offices in this area.
He had been studying the layout of this building for weeks. He knew where to go. He moved his way down the dim hallway until he reached a double set of fire doors. Pressing the handle down on them, he hoped an alarm did not go off. It did not. At least there was not one he could hear.
On the other side of the doors, the décor changed a great deal. A set of restrooms were on the right followed by another hallway. This one had paintings on the walls and there was the sound of a waterfall coming from the distance. He had made it into the display area.
“Almost there,” he whispered to himself.
The exhibition hall that held tonight’s display was on the third floor. He could not use the elevator. It had most likely been turned off for the day and would not work without a security card. The stairs were not a choice because the doors from the stairwell would probably be locked from the outside. He would be trapped inside once the first door closed behind him.
That only left climbing.
Once he reached the sound of the waterfall, he found himself about to enter the lobby. He looked up at the tyrannosaurus, grinning at him with its jaws full of sharp, white teeth. He looked over at the area that had been used earlier for their dinner. Some of the tables were gone but the crew was still busy breaking everything down. He looked up and saw the second-floor balcony, and then the third-floor balcony above it. Beyond that was a glass ceiling. The rest of the building could not be seen from here in the dark. The effect made the lobby three stories high but still gave plenty of room for exhibits on the other two floors. The entire lobby had been designed to hold the dinosaur bones.
Raloam slouched behind a pillar and quickly moved to hide behind a plant next to the elevator. He checked that no one was looking. Everyone was gone at the moment. No doubt they had taken another couple of tables to another room where they would be loaded on a cart to go into the stockroom he had just come from.
He took in a quick breath, set his foot up on the huge pot next to him, and launched his body as high as he could go. His other foot reached out and connected with the elevator housing, propelling him further. His outstretched arms grabbed the railing of the balcony. He somersaulted, landing perfectly on the carpeted floor.
Raloam pressed his body as close to the wall as he could and looked around quickly to be sure there were no guards on this floor who could have seen him.
He was halfway there.
He peered over the balcony. None of the crew had yet returned. Without hesitating he jumped onto the railing and sailed into the air toward the tyrannosaur skeleton. He caught the main cable that held the bones together and spun around it, using his momentum to sling himself back to the balcony. This time when he climbed over the side he was standing on the third floor.
He ducked into the shadows of one of the dark corners. Voices were coming from the main exhibition hall, so he slowly moved his way in that direction. When he was finally within sight of the door, he could see a guard standing in front of it talking with an older man. The older man was the professor that had made a speech at dinner.
“What’s he still doing here?” Raloam muttered under his breath.
__________________________________________________________________________
He crouched low behind a dumpster and watched patiently as a cook and a waiter took their cigarette break outside the roll-up door of the loading dock. They stood and talked casually for a few minutes before finally throwing the smoldering butts down on the concrete platform, grinding out the ember with their shoe. As they walked back inside, one grabbed the chain on the pulley and let the door slide back into place.
Raloam listened carefully for the sound of the locking chain but did not hear anything. It was what he had thought would happen. They did not want to unlock and unchain the door every time they went out for another cigarette, so they left it unfastened until they got ready to leave for the night.
It was too easy.
He glided carefully through the shadows to avoid the security cameras for as long as possible. It was inevitable they would capture his image sooner or later. But the longer he could remain invisible, the simpler this task would be.
When he reached the loading dock platform, he grabbed the roll-up door and pulled up on it gently. It raised about half an inch.
He smiled.
He pulled the door until it was eight inches from the ground. Then he laid down on the platform, slid inside, and lowered the door.
The stockroom of the museum was mostly empty. The inventory was all out in the exhibition halls. There were a couple of forklifts and some pallet jacks. A messy break area was on the other end of the room, and a small office was on a balcony above it. Most of the lights were turned off. There was just enough light for a guard to be able to get a quick look around when he came through on his rounds.
The cleaning crew would be here in a matter of minutes. They would be hauling all the tables and chairs from tonight’s dinner into this room to be picked up in the morning. Raloam needed to stay on the move.
He slipped out the door and found himself in a hallway that looked a lot like hallways in a hundred office buildings all over this city. This was the administration area of the museum. None of the ornate lighting fixtures or fancy carpet would be seen here. The accountants and HR personnel had their offices in this area.
He had been studying the layout of this building for weeks. He knew where to go. He moved his way down the dim hallway until he reached a double set of fire doors. Pressing the handle down on them, he hoped an alarm did not go off. It did not. At least there was not one he could hear.
On the other side of the doors, the décor changed a great deal. A set of restrooms were on the right followed by another hallway. This one had paintings on the walls and there was the sound of a waterfall coming from the distance. He had made it into the display area.
“Almost there,” he whispered to himself.
The exhibition hall that held tonight’s display was on the third floor. He could not use the elevator. It had most likely been turned off for the day and would not work without a security card. The stairs were not a choice because the doors from the stairwell would probably be locked from the outside. He would be trapped inside once the first door closed behind him.
That only left climbing.
Once he reached the sound of the waterfall, he found himself about to enter the lobby. He looked up at the tyrannosaurus, grinning at him with its jaws full of sharp, white teeth. He looked over at the area that had been used earlier for their dinner. Some of the tables were gone but the crew was still busy breaking everything down. He looked up and saw the second-floor balcony, and then the third-floor balcony above it. Beyond that was a glass ceiling. The rest of the building could not be seen from here in the dark. The effect made the lobby three stories high but still gave plenty of room for exhibits on the other two floors. The entire lobby had been designed to hold the dinosaur bones.
Raloam slouched behind a pillar and quickly moved to hide behind a plant next to the elevator. He checked that no one was looking. Everyone was gone at the moment. No doubt they had taken another couple of tables to another room where they would be loaded on a cart to go into the stockroom he had just come from.
He took in a quick breath, set his foot up on the huge pot next to him, and launched his body as high as he could go. His other foot reached out and connected with the elevator housing, propelling him further. His outstretched arms grabbed the railing of the balcony. He somersaulted, landing perfectly on the carpeted floor.
Raloam pressed his body as close to the wall as he could and looked around quickly to be sure there were no guards on this floor who could have seen him.
He was halfway there.
He peered over the balcony. None of the crew had yet returned. Without hesitating he jumped onto the railing and sailed into the air toward the tyrannosaur skeleton. He caught the main cable that held the bones together and spun around it, using his momentum to sling himself back to the balcony. This time when he climbed over the side he was standing on the third floor.
He ducked into the shadows of one of the dark corners. Voices were coming from the main exhibition hall, so he slowly moved his way in that direction. When he was finally within sight of the door, he could see a guard standing in front of it talking with an older man. The older man was the professor that had made a speech at dinner.
“What’s he still doing here?” Raloam muttered under his breath.
__________________________________________________________________________
“I’m sorry,” Robbins said as the young security guard put his flashlight back on his belt. “I guess I’m just seeing things.”
“That’s not a problem, sir,” the younger man said. “That’s why I’m here. I need to get back to the lobby now.”
“I’ll go with you,” the professor said. “I’ve caused you enough trouble for one night.”
The two men walked down the hallway toward the elevator together. As they went, the professor had the distinct sensation of being watched from the dim light of the corners of the abandoned rooms. He felt a shiver go down his spine. He stopped and turned. Of course there was nothing there. He chalked it up to the lateness of the hour.
They arrived at the elevator and the guard pressed the button. After they had waited for a minute or so there was a beep from the radio on the younger man’s hip. He pulled it off of his belt and pressed the button.
“Jones,” he said, identifying himself.
“Stu,” a garbled voice called from the handset. “Are you still up on three?”
“10-4,” Jones replied.
“Cut that out,” the voice called. “You’re not a cop. Some of the motion sensors down on two just went off. It’s probably just a glitch but I need you to check it out.”
“10…,” Jones started and then caught himself. “Okay. I’m on it.” He put the radio back on his belt and turned to the professor. “Can you see yourself down, sir?”
“I’d like to go with you if that’s alright,” Robbins replied.
“That’s not necessary, sir,” the guard said. “The motion sensors go off all of the time. It’s usually nothing, but we have to check out every instance or else there’s no use in having them. You go on back down to the lobby. I’ll take the stairs.”
The elevator doors opened and Robbins nodded. He stepped inside and the young guard watched as the doors closed again.
__________________________________________________________________________
“That’s not a problem, sir,” the younger man said. “That’s why I’m here. I need to get back to the lobby now.”
“I’ll go with you,” the professor said. “I’ve caused you enough trouble for one night.”
The two men walked down the hallway toward the elevator together. As they went, the professor had the distinct sensation of being watched from the dim light of the corners of the abandoned rooms. He felt a shiver go down his spine. He stopped and turned. Of course there was nothing there. He chalked it up to the lateness of the hour.
They arrived at the elevator and the guard pressed the button. After they had waited for a minute or so there was a beep from the radio on the younger man’s hip. He pulled it off of his belt and pressed the button.
“Jones,” he said, identifying himself.
“Stu,” a garbled voice called from the handset. “Are you still up on three?”
“10-4,” Jones replied.
“Cut that out,” the voice called. “You’re not a cop. Some of the motion sensors down on two just went off. It’s probably just a glitch but I need you to check it out.”
“10…,” Jones started and then caught himself. “Okay. I’m on it.” He put the radio back on his belt and turned to the professor. “Can you see yourself down, sir?”
“I’d like to go with you if that’s alright,” Robbins replied.
“That’s not necessary, sir,” the guard said. “The motion sensors go off all of the time. It’s usually nothing, but we have to check out every instance or else there’s no use in having them. You go on back down to the lobby. I’ll take the stairs.”
The elevator doors opened and Robbins nodded. He stepped inside and the young guard watched as the doors closed again.
__________________________________________________________________________
Raloam watched the professor get on the elevator. When he was gone the guard walked down the hall, past where he was hiding, and on toward the other side of the building. He was sure he was the one that had set off the motion sensors on the lower floor. He was just lucky that the other two men had been on this floor or the security office would have noticed that he had set the sensors here off as well.
Raloam took his chance. He walked quickly down the hall in a slouch until he got to the main exhibition hall and ducked inside. There were security cameras trained on most of the exhibits here, but there did not appear to be one focused on the spot by the wall where he was right now. He took this opportunity to look around.
The thing he had come for was right in front of him. But the item against the right wall was what had his attention. The blackened bones of a man frozen for thousands of years in a case of black volcanic rock. The skull was protruding from the rock just enough so that the ancient human appeared to be grinning maniacally at him.
“Not my fight,” Raloam said to himself. “Not anymore.”
He turned to the display case containing the medallion that the professor had been so proud of. The parts of it that still looked like gold were glistening under the bright bulb mounted over it. The rest of it had become corroded and green. He looked at it closely, barely making out the two indentations under the jewel on the front. Two small places that looked like they once held smaller jewels themselves but were now empty.
Raloam took his coat off and wrapped a big part of it around his arm. He held his breath and punched the display case with all his might. The glass shattered into thousands of shards that flew to all parts of the room. Immediately the electronic beeping filled the air. The police station a few blocks away would already be getting a report. He grabbed the medallion and ran out the door, into the hallway leading to the east side of the building.
If he had not taken off so quickly, he would have noticed that deep inside the black rock that used to be the recesses of the skeleton’s eyes, there was a dull glow that was slowly becoming brighter.
Raloam took his chance. He walked quickly down the hall in a slouch until he got to the main exhibition hall and ducked inside. There were security cameras trained on most of the exhibits here, but there did not appear to be one focused on the spot by the wall where he was right now. He took this opportunity to look around.
The thing he had come for was right in front of him. But the item against the right wall was what had his attention. The blackened bones of a man frozen for thousands of years in a case of black volcanic rock. The skull was protruding from the rock just enough so that the ancient human appeared to be grinning maniacally at him.
“Not my fight,” Raloam said to himself. “Not anymore.”
He turned to the display case containing the medallion that the professor had been so proud of. The parts of it that still looked like gold were glistening under the bright bulb mounted over it. The rest of it had become corroded and green. He looked at it closely, barely making out the two indentations under the jewel on the front. Two small places that looked like they once held smaller jewels themselves but were now empty.
Raloam took his coat off and wrapped a big part of it around his arm. He held his breath and punched the display case with all his might. The glass shattered into thousands of shards that flew to all parts of the room. Immediately the electronic beeping filled the air. The police station a few blocks away would already be getting a report. He grabbed the medallion and ran out the door, into the hallway leading to the east side of the building.
If he had not taken off so quickly, he would have noticed that deep inside the black rock that used to be the recesses of the skeleton’s eyes, there was a dull glow that was slowly becoming brighter.
No comments:
Post a Comment