The Ghost City—the ruins of yet another Underworld metropolis that had been built and later abandoned by the long-vanished Aliens—had changed a lot of things in the area, mostly because big money was involved. Access to the vast and largely unexplored complex was via liquid crystal portals in the underground Rainforest. One such portal had been located below the surface a few miles outside of town. Coppersmith Mining, Inc. had acquired the mining rights to the Ghost City, but word on the street was the company had its hands full dealing with rogue prospectors, smugglers, and other unpredictable hazards, to say nothing of the wild and violent paranormal storms that swirled through the empty streets of the ancient city.
“And as we all know, when it comes to security in the Underworld, the Guild has a monopoly on the business,” Lucy said politely.
“It’s what we do,” Gabriel said, equally polite. “It’s why the Guild was founded. You could say we’re mission focused.”
“No shit. Well, a monopoly is a monopoly. Would you mind getting out of the doorway? That was my last run for the day. I’m going home now, but first I have to park the bus.”
“Sure.”
Gabriel did not step back down to the ground. Instead, he moved into the bus. Lucy stifled a sigh. There was no way she was going to get rid of him. She yanked hard on the lever, shutting the doors, and put the heavy vehicle in gear. Without a word, she drove toward the bus barn a short distance away.
Gabriel leaned against the handrail and appeared to contemplate the view through the double-pane windows. The ominous ochre-yellow light that bathed the Storm Zone night and day was growing more luminous as darkness approached. The dilapidated two-hundred-year-old buildings of the old Colonial-era town were steeped in strange shadows. Soon the fog would coalesce—the same kind of eerie yellow fog that had been waiting the night Gabriel had carried her out of the ruins and into the glare of the cameras.
“Where’s your car parked?” Gabriel asked.
“I don’t have a car. Can’t afford one at the moment. Luckily, I live in the Dark Zone. I can walk to work and back home.”
“Long walk around the Dead City to the Dark Zone.”
“Not if you cut across the ruins,” Lucy said.
Gabriel eyed her as if he wasn’t sure how to handle that comment.
“That’s a joke, right?” he said. “You don’t really walk home through the ruins.”
She rolled the bus into the big garage and brought it to a halt. She shut down the engine and turned to face him, one arm draped over the steering wheel.
“I’m sure you aren’t here to quiz me on my commuting habits,” she said. “What can I do for you, Mr. Jones?”
“I want to hire you. I’ve got a situation that requires a weather channeler.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Okay, she had not seen that coming. Had she been silly enough to wonder if he might have come looking for her because he wanted to see her again? She tried to focus.
“What kind of situation are we talking about?” she asked.
“I’m sure you’re aware of the recent discovery of the long-lost Midnight Carnival museum down in the tunnels beneath the Dead City ruins here in Illusion Town.”
“The news was in the papers and on the rez screen. Someone found a whole bunch of valuable Earth artifacts that were lost after the Curtain closed. A group called the Arcane Society bought the entire collection. They paid a fortune. Something to do with the fact that the relics were associated with the Old World history of their organization.”
The vast energy field in space known as the Curtain had opened more than two hundred years earlier, making it possible for humans to explore and colonize other planets. But the Curtain had closed as suddenly and mysteriously as it had opened. The colonists from Earth had been stranded, with the result that, two hundred years later, Old World items had become extremely valuable and had inspired a lively market in antiques and antiquities.
“As far as the members of the Arcane Society are concerned, the relics are literally priceless,” Gabriel said.
“Yes, well, it’s certainly nice to have that kind of cash to throw around.”
“True,” he said.
To her relief, he was too polite to bring up the fact that her father had that sort of cash. It was annoying to have to explain that she was living from paycheck to paycheck these days because she refused to go back to Resonance City and admit failure. Deborah would not be pleased to see her standing on the doorstep. There would be lectures about screwing up and embarrassing the family. Again. Also a lot of conversations about how weather channeling was not a worthy career for a Bell.