Patrick Carman - The Black Circle - 39 Clues 05

They arrived at an elevator and boarded. Dan had imagined some sort of high-speed watercraft, so he was surprised when the elevator went up instead of down. It opened on the roof of the State Kremlin Palace."Here we are," said Nataliya."That's the Shark?" asked Amy, but Dan was already running toward it.

"It is the fastest helicopter in Russia. She will do three hundred."The Shark was twice the size of a normal copter, completely black, with a rudder that looked like a shark fin."No way!" said Dan.

"Three hundred miles per hour? That's, like, a world record!""Many world records such as these have long been broken." Nataliya smiled. "We Lucians keep the best toys for ourselves."Dan ran a circle around the Shark and tried to pry open one of the doors."He's excitable, isn't he?" asked Nataliya."You don't know the half of it," said Amy.

Nataliya put her arm around Amy and drew her close. "You show great promise. Grace would have been proud of you."Amy gave her a watery smile.

"Now you must go," Nataliya said. "What? I don't understand," said Amy. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"I can't.""But... why n-n-not? And how are we supposed to fly this thing? We're not pilots!"

"I will fly you by remote control. I'll get you there safely. But I can't go with you.""No way!" yelled Dan, bounding over next to them. "It's like the best video game ever!""I don't understand!" Amy protested."If I could, I might hunt the clues myself. But you read about my uncle.

You know the struggles he faced."Amy nodded. Alexei Romanov had been a hemophiliac.

The slightest cut would leave him bleeding for weeks."I suffer the same fate," said Nataliya.

She put her hand in the white pocket and Dan imagined a red stain of blood appearing on Nataliya's snowy jacket."A skinned knee or elbow, a bloody nose or a simple cut -- if I start bleeding, it doesn't stop.

Even with medicine, it's too dangerous for me." Nataliya held out the keys and Amy took them, nodding sadly."I'll be in constant communication," said Nataliya. She smiled. "Put on the headphones and get ready for the ride of your life."It was time to head into the Lucian black circle.

CHAPTER 14

Riding in the Shark made Amy scream with terror. Dan, she assumed, was screaming with joy."Wait until Hamilton hears about this! It's untoppable!"The Shark was stunningly loud at top speed, and Nataliya was pushing it as fast as it would go from her location beneath the Kremlin."I love flying the Shark," Amy heard Nataliya say into her headset."But you're not really flying it," yelled Amy, trying to be heard over the sound of the blades.

It was a scary sensation, flying in a helicopter without a pilot."You don't have to yell, I can hear you perfectly," said Nataliya. "From where I'm sitting I might as well be flying the Shark.

My control room for the Shark is quite amazing. It's a replica down to the leather on the seats, with wraparound monitors on every side. Front, back, bottom, top -- it looks and feels as if I'm really flying the Shark. The only thing missing is the wind and the noise."

"You're lucky," said Amy. "It's rough up here, and loud, and s-s-scary.""No need to be the slightest bit afraid, Amy. The Shark knows I am its boss.""What's up, sis?" screamed Dan, bouncing up and down in his seat. "No throwing up in the Shark or we throw you overboard!""Close your eyes," said Nataliya.

Amy obeyed and tried to calm down while Nataliya spoke softly to her."I rarely leave the Lucian surveillance center. It's like being trapped underground, but flying the Shark feels like I've escaped my cage. I've never been to where you'll be going tonight. I've only heard about it. You're going to the place where my ancestors were gunned down in the upheaval of history.

What you find there, I fear, will not be pretty."Nataliya fell silent, letting the words sink in as Amy tried to keep from getting sick."I read all about the Amber Room," said Amy. "Can you believe it's been hidden here in Russia all along? There are a lot of people searching for it."

"We Lucians are good at hiding things. And now we've put a black circle around the Church on the Blood.

What's a black circle?""It means no Lucians except those given direct permission expressly from Vikram Kabra are allowed to enter."

"How will we know what to look for?" asked Amy."There is but one clock inside the room.

Set the time for midnight, then one, then midnight again. The face of the clock will open.""I can remember that.""You're a smart girl. I'm sure you can."The rest of the trip passed in silence as everyone watched the sun setting in the western sky. The closer it came to the horizon, the faster Nataliya pushed the Shark toward the Church on the Blood.

The noise in the cockpit became almost deafening as the great helicopter struggled to maintain speeds approaching three hundred miles per hour.The church was located on a small hill of grass in an otherwise sleepy section of town.

At this hour, there were few people walking and even fewer cars to contend with. Nataliya announced that given the lateness of their arrival, she would land them directly in front of the church itself. It would be quite a spectacle, but at least there wouldn't be very many people to see it."We may be too late," Nataliya said into her microphone.

"There's a door in the floor between your feet. You and your brother, get in there and hide. Quickly!"They were over the church now, descending toward the empty parking lot as the darkness approached.

"You'll need to enter the church through the door at the back using the gold key. Once inside, look for the trail of amber on the floor.

The orange key will reveal a set of seven dials. Set them all to amber, with alternating diamonds and hearts. This will open the last door and you'll be inside. Don't be alarmed by what you see. As I have been told, you must first pass through the tomb.

Beyond the tomb you'll find the Amber Room."Dan and Amy didn't comment on what had just been said.

There was only one tomb Nataliya could be referring to, the resting place of the six executed Romanovs. Amy's guidebook said they had been moved to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

But the Lucians were powerful, especially in Russia. They must have decided to honor their dead more privately."Do you see Irina anywhere?" asked Dan."The monitors don't show anything," said Nataliya. "But that doesn't mean she isn't here. Irina isn't the type to stand in plain view."

"We're getting inside the hatch," yelled Dan."You'll find a flashlight you can use," said Nataliya.

"But don't turn it on until you're under the church or someone might see you. There's a monitor down there. Turn it on and you'll see the parking lot. Keep an eye out for a moment when you can escape. Good luck!"Nothing more could be heard above the noise of the massive black propeller as the Shark came down.

Night had arrived at the Church on the Blood.* * *

"Set a perimeter at a quarter of a mile, Braslov," Nataliya said. She had called Braslov, a surveillance technician who worked three doors down from her own, in the Lucian headquarters.

"I've come in a little fast and landed in the parking lot of the church.""So I noticed," Braslov answered. "I already made the calls.

"Nataliya was so immersed in the images of the Church on the Blood she couldn't help feeling like she was sitting in the Shark instead of the safety of a Lucian stronghold.

"Irina saw you and contacted me a few minutes ago," Braslov continued. "The area will be secured."

"Thank you, Braslov.""You're in the hottest Lucian spot on earth. Don't get burned."The lights of an approaching police car came into view even before Braslov was through warning Nataliya. A second car followed. The Lucians controlled every level of security in Russia.

The agents were fond of sitting around a big table at the Lucian headquarters, coming up with reasons for keeping people out of sensitive areas. The most effective tended to be hazardous spill alerts, which kept people out of designated areas and were often used in black circle situations. They'd been even more careful than usual with the Church on the Blood, which they had just designated a radioactive zone. The police cars were a backup, just in case anyone was curious enough to take a closer look at a giant helicopter.