“The weapons,” Jake said. “So they weren’t just a legend after all.”

“Medical devices,” North said.

“Right,” Jake said quickly. “Medical devices.”

“I thought there would be more of them,” Brianna said. “I count five artifacts.”

“Keep in mind that Loring removed at least three that we know of,” North said. “The crystal device that was used to try to murder my dad, the light grenade that Sierra and I encountered back at the start of this case, and another artifact that the Puppets used when they attacked us in the garage. All of the relics probably came from this vault.”

“There wouldn’t have been a lot of devices to begin with,” Zeke pointed out. “The Bluestone Project was shut down while the engineers were still trying to figure out how to overcome the tuning problems. Everything we’re looking at here is probably a one-of-a-kind prototype.”

“And they are all apparently tuned to your vibe, North,” Jake said. He got a speculative expression. “That’s why Loring was never able to use any of them. Why he was desperate to get his hands on the tuning crystal that was intended to be used by Crocker Rancourt. The way things stand now, you’re the only one who can activate any of these machines.”

North looked at him. “Which means I’m the one with the best chance of figuring out exactly what they were designed to do. Let’s get them packed up. The sooner they’re safe in a Foundation vault, the sooner we can all relax.”

“We’ve still got a couple of Puppets to pick up,” Brianna said.

“Ralph and Joe,” Sierra said.

“After we remove the artifacts we’ll report Loring’s murder to the local police and the Foundation cleaners stationed in Seattle,” North said. “By now the Puppets will be disorganized and highly unstable. If they do still have some of the artifacts, they won’t be able to use them, at least not effectively. It shouldn’t take long to find them.”

He waited until he and Sierra were done before he asked the question that he’d been wanting to ask.

“Well?” he said.

“The answer is yes,” she said. “The energy on the basement door is the same that is on your glasses. Whoever poisoned the crystals murdered Loring.”

CHAPTER 46

Three days later . . .

Sierra stopped just inside the heavily shadowed entrance of the Fogg Club. She gripped the balcony railing and surveyed the strobe-lit crowd. Fierce rock music reverberated across the room, adding energy to the already hot atmosphere.

She smiled. “Reminds me of the Vault. Is everyone in here connected to the Foundation?”

“Not everyone,” North said. He did a quick scan of the room. “Even though the owner doesn’t advertise, a few tourists and locals occasionally manage to stumble into this place or the Area Fifty-One club a couple of blocks away. It’s another bar and casino that caters to the Foundation crowd.”

The bartender looked up and saw Sierra and North. He raised a hand in a friendly greeting and went back to pouring drinks.