Felipe trusted Oliver with a gun far more than Ansley only because he knew he wouldn’t use it, though he would never say that aloud. As they crossed the street and walked in a silent procession along the length of the institute’s neighbor, Felipe stared at the moon. He wasn’t sure if he preferred moonless nights or the full moon for cases like this. It was bright enough to illuminate the people in the windows and the debris behind the building, but the full moon was when things went awry. Despite the first floor being dark, Felipe motioned for the others to drop down low enough that no one passing by the windows would see them.
The coal cellar hatch was tucked between two small sheds, hiding it from view of the windows in the wards.Convenient for removing things you don’t want people to see, Felipe thought as he unlocked the hatch and opened it slowly enough to keep the hinge from squealing. The three men climbed down the steps and waited at the door as Felipe tapped three times with his knuckle, not daring to knock louder. He was about to do it again when the door cracked open. A sliver of Joe’s face appeared before he stepped back to let them squeeze through the gap.
Even in the near darkness, Felipe could see the tense lines around Joe’s eyes and mouth. The airmancer looked between them and swallowed hard as he locked the door. In the few days since they last saw him, his features had become haggard and grey. Felipe hoped it was from nerves and not because the doctors had forced him into unwanted treatments.
“Did anyone see you?”
“No, and we have your money,” Felipe whispered, handing Joe a bundle from inside his jacket. “As soon as we finish, you’ll leave with us. We have a steamer parked on Broadway, about half a block away in case we get separated. All we need you to do is show us where the storeroom door is and keep a look out for me. Can you do that?”
“You promise you’ll get me out? I can stay at the...you knowuntil it’s safe?”
Ansley impatiently sneered. “Yes, now let’s go. No one is cheating you as long as you don’t cheat us.”
With a twitch, Joe seemed to return to himself as he straightened and gave Ansley a withering glare. “As long as I’m not keeping watch for him.”
“You’re not.”
“Good, but you all need to be quiet. If anyone hears you, they’ll come to reprimand me. We aren’t allowed to talk while working.”
Their footsteps fell softly across the checkered linoleum as Joe led them through the empty kitchen and into the hall. The only sounds in the basement were their footfalls and the puff and gurgle of the pipes running along the walls. Quickly unlocking the utility room door, Joe ushered them inside. In the bowels of the institute, Felipe felt the weight of the darkness press around them for the first time. An oppressive stillness hung over the institute as if it held its breath in anticipation. There were dozens, if not over a hundred, people within those walls, yet Felipe felt nothing. It was as if their energy had been snuffed out. Oliver’s fingers brushed his a second before Joe clicked on the overhead lamp.
Even with the bulb on, the room was bleak. A night working alone could be a refuge, but in this place, he doubted anyone would rejoice in being forced to work in the shadows and oppressive silence. The boiler sat in one corner while the massive incinerator squatted in the other. Carts full of garbage lined the wall, but in the far corner, Felipe could make out a bracketed steel door marked,Storage. Kneeling in front of the door, Felipe unrolled his lock picks. It looked like a standard door, heavy duty but nothing that couldn’t be cracked.
Felipe motioned for Joe to come over as Oliver carefully lit and shuttered their lanterns. “Can youfeelthings with your powers? Like if I asked you to send a little air to the other side of the door, could you feel around the edges for wires or alarms?”
“You want me to feather duster it? I can do that.”
“Gently,” Felipe emphasized as he stepped back.
Putting his cheek against the door, Joe shut his eyes. A breeze rustled against the hem of his dull, blue uniform as air zipped through the narrow gaps. Joe’s brow furrowed and his fingers moved in time with the air on the other side as he concentrated. After a long moment, he nodded and straightened.
“There’s a wire, probably an alarm running along this side. It feels like it’s right here,” Joe explained, pointing to a spot three quarters of the way up the door and against the jam.
“Can you undo the wire?”
Joe shook his head. “Not without seeing it. I’m afraid I’ll set it off if I hit it wrong.”
“Where do you think it is?” Ansley asked.
When Joe indicated the spot again, Ansley placed his hand over the door and drew in a long breath. The air around them grew hotter and drier as Ansley channeled his power through the door. The skin on his hand whitened as his arm shook, and sweat beaded on his forehead only to turn to slush. Realizing what he was doing, Joe put his hand over Ansley’s and stoked his power with his own. A meadow of icy flowers bloomed across the metal door from Ansley’s hand until a plink sounded on the other side as part of the alarm hit the floor. A shudder ran through Ansley’s body as he exhaled a puff of condensation. Staggering back, he peeled his mottled, red palm off the door and cradled the frostbitten flesh against his chest. Joe stepped closer, but when Ansley shot him a glare, the man turned away with his hands raised in surrender.
“Will the alarm become a problem when it melts?”
“No, just pick the damn lock, Galvan,” Ansley growled.
Oliver looked from Ansley to Felipe, lingering on his former lover’s hand, but Felipe shook his head. It wasn’t worth helping someone like Ansley if you were going to get bit for your trouble. Inserting the wrench and pick, Felipe proceeded slowly by sound and feel. At the snick of the lock, he smiled. He worried there might have been a hidden deadbolt or chain, but he had come prepared for that too. Slowly opening the steel door to keep it from squealing, Felipe peered into the dim hall. Lights hung every few yards, illuminating the tiles and bare, stone walls, but the quiet hung so thickly, Felipe doubted any other soul lurked nearby.
“Oliver, Ansley, you look for the passage upstairs. I’m going to investigate the rest of the basement. If there is any sign of danger, get out. This isn’t worth risking your lives over.” Felipe’s eyes lingered on Oliver as he tugged on the tether twice. When he nodded, Felipe added, “And stay together. The last thing we need is anyone lost in this labyrinth.”
As Oliver followed Ansley out, he caught Felipe’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Felipe watched them go down the hall until they were out of sight. His heart clogged his throat. He didn’t want to be separated from Oliver, especially when danger haunted the back of his mind like a specter. He knew too well what could happen to inexperienced investigators, but he had to trust Oliver’s competency. He would be okay.
When he finally turned, he found Joe watching him with a half-smile. “You and he are—?”
“Yeah, both kinds of partners.”
“That’s nice,” Joe said, and Felipe thought he meant it.
“When we get back, would you be willing to help us make a sketch of Dr. Thorn? We think he’s in the wind.”
