Timber took Canyon down the hall and through a set of double doors. Inside was a half-gym with one basketball hoop and a set of bleachers along the far wall. Walking inside, Canyon caught latent layered scent impressions of sweatand enthusiasm, adrenaline and aggression, competition and comradery, plus lots offoxenandfoxen-human mixes, all ages.
Timber went straight to the wall behind the basketball hoop and knocked on it. “Look at the floor and the ceiling here and here,” he said, his voice echoing. “I think this wall moves.”
Canyon agreed.I bet there’s a switch hidden somewhere. Spread out.
Shortly, Timber found a digitally locked switch behind the bleachers. Canyon got to work with Predator. Like the retinal scanners, the replay attack didn’t work, but after some digging, he was able to find and manipulate a back door in the code. The lock beeped and the wall in front of them split smoothly open, pulling away to each side, revealing another wall behind it.
“Look at that,” Timber said, backing away.
Canyon whistled. A stylized depiction of the head of a red fox filled most of the wall, like a school mascot. The fox was facing them straight on and snarling, its eyes were glowing blue. Above the image were the words, THE CRIMSTONE ACADEMY, and below were the words, HOME OF THE CUNNING AND CRIMSON.
Canyon held Predator up and took several pictures.
“Predator,” he said, “Google ‘the Crimstone Academy’.”
:Nothing found—displayed on the screen and was recited in Lego Batman’s gravelly voice.
Canyon was confused until he heard his brother holding back laughter.
“Stay out of Predator’s settings, fuckwad.”
Timber gave him a thumbs up, still laughing.
Canyon shook his head. “What about Crimstone?” he asked Predator.
:It seems to be a made-up word that does not pertain to any investigations—
“Does not pertain to any investigations,” Timber repeated in his best batman voice, inspecting the image on the wall.
Move,Canyon told him.I need pictures.
When Canyon was done, they triggered the switch to close the wall halves, which slid together with a hollow thunk that made Canyon look up and think about the second floor.
Upstairs,he said.I think maybe…he trailed off, imagining the space in his mind. He left the gym quickly and Timber followed. Upstairs was a large open room with classrooms to one side, a long, bare wall to the opposite side, and large windows along the other two walls, with empty desks placed in rows. Canyon went straight to the longest wall and knocked on it.
It feels small up here,he told his brother.I bet there’s something hidden.
Timber nodded thoughtfully and then helped him knock on the wall. They searched together until Timber found a moveable panel, and behind it, another digital lock.
“Yeah, buddy,” Timber whispered.
Canyon hooked Predator up to the lock and got to work. The security on this lock was excellent, but Canyon and Predator together were all-powerful. After several tries he managed to get past.
BEEP.
A door appeared in the paneling and slowly swung inward. They hit the light switch. Floor to ceiling bookshelves lining every wall, each stuffed full with books of all shapes and sizes. In the middle of the room were long tables and utilitarian chairs, plus a vintage card catalogue cabinet.
“A library?” Timber said.
Small one.
At one end of the long narrow room was a desk topped with office equipment. Behind it stood three filing cabinets and one armoire-sized safe.
Timber went to the safe and knocked on it. “What do we have here?”
Canyon went for the books instead, reading the titles. He found math, physics, botany, and English textbooks, plus homesteading books, and children’s early readers, plus some fiction. At the last shelf, every book he saw caught his eye. He read through several titles.
Conversations with Rhen
