Dead Matter

“They’re alive,” I said.

“Thank God,” Co

I didn’t have the heart to tell him his laugh was still coming off as a little bit whack-job. Instead, I kept my eyes on the two creatures, watching as the second one began moving as well.

“They’re guarding something,” I said, “but surely not that art piece. What, then?”

“That’s for us to find out,” Co

“Screw the bat,” I said, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a roll of Life Savers. “I’m going with Plan B.”

“Which is…?”

Co

“If those are some kind of guardians, then they’ve got to be guarding something. And I refuse to believe they just like hanging out by that hideous installation because they like it. I’m going over there using a little restraint and subtlety for once.”

“Geesh, kid,” Co

“When my foolishness got Jane into this mess in the first place,” I said, feeling a twinge of guilt.

“By all means, then, lead on.”

“Nothing like taking the direct approach,” I said, and headed straight for the accumulation of blocks, cubes, and gears. I raised my fist and knocked on one of the blocks of wood. It was solid, and the flesh of my hand did little to make a sound against it.

The second I started thumping on it, the statues came fully to life. From where I stood next to their stone bases, the size of their bodies was even more imposing. Claws and talons formed at the ends of their arms and legs. I stood there, caught somewhere between impressed and terrified. The two of them hooked their talons into the edges of their stone pedestals as they bent down to grab for me, their stone claws reaching out. If Co

I looked back over my shoulder. The two statues had leapt off their pedestals and, despite being made of solid stone, raced after us with far more agility that I thought possible. I turned and ran faster, only to find Co

About fifteen feet up, my arms started to burn with the effort. I had closed the gap with Co

“Keep holding on, kid!” Co

It was easier shouted than done. I did what I was told and dug my fingers firm into the fabric as it continued pulling at me. Above, there was a tearing sound as Co

“Pull!” he shouted and yanked at the fabric still clutched in his hands. It rolled over the statue and when it finally came free of the creature, I realized what Co

Co

Once we arrived, we stood there marveling at it. “It’s not an art piece,” I said. “It’s a door.” As art it had been hideous, but as a locking mechanism, it was the most ingenious and extraordinary structure I had ever seen. Blocks of wood, steel, and glass were interlocked in a pattern of gears that looked like the interior of a giant watch.

“So now what?” Co

“I have no idea,” I said, ru

Co

I studied the door, hoping it might suddenly make sense to me, but it was beyond my comprehension. “Give me a week,” I said, slipping off my gloves, “and I might solve this Rubik’s Cube by traditional means, but I’m going with something more nontraditional.”

I put my hands on one of the large metal gears that stuck out, letting its coolness sink into my hands before pushing my power into it. The electric snap of co

“Hurry it up, kid,” Co

“Don’t rush me,” I said. “I’m psychometry-ing as fast as I can here, Co

“Sorry,” he said. “I’m sure the homicidal statues will understand.”

“Not helping,” I said, pushing myself into the vision of the next step. One of the glass blocks needed to be slipped over and down to release the next metal gear. I did as I saw. Co

“C’mon, kid,” he said, helping me back to my feet. He reached into my inside coat pocket and pulled a roll of Life Savers out. He snapped it in two and handed them to me. “Let’s get moving. I don’t know if they know how to get in here, but I don’t want to stand around here to find out, either.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled through a mouthful of candy.

We were in a dark corridor that led to a point of light about thirty feet from us. Co