The setting of the painting was not a cavern. It was a vintage twentieth-century laboratory. The uniforms, lab coats and eyeglasses worn by those gathered around the Oracle were clearly in the style of the late 1950s or early 1960s. But the most arresting aspect of the picture was the wealth of detail the artist had inserted into the scene.

Just as the Old Masters had used classical iconography to make certain the viewer understood the story the artist was depicting, whoever had painted the mid-twentieth-century Oracle scene had added symbolic elements that made it obvious the setting was one of the lost labs.

Victor recognized that much of the equipment and many of the instruments were standard-issue, clunky-looking mid-twentieth-century technology, but much of it had been radically modified. A chart on the wall was labeled Paranormal Light Spectrum. The logbook on a workbench was titled Determining Resonance of Waves Produced by Crystals with Paranormal Properties.

The most disturbing element in the scene, however, was a pyramid-shaped structure composed of glowing crystals. The pyramid was large enough to accommodate one individual. There was a door. In the picture the door stood open, revealing an interior that was lit with ominous energy. It was obvious that something very dangerous was about to emerge.

Victor was convinced the picture was an artist’s rendering of one of the lost labs—the only such image he had ever found. The details in it made him certain it had been done from a sketch or a photograph, or quite possibly from memory. The Oracle’s prophecy was written in elaborate calligraphy across the bottom of the picture: Here there be monsters.

There was no signature, at least not a traditional one. But the painting resonated with a paranormal vibe. He was certain the artist had been a strong talent who had infused the picture with a psychic signature.

When the labs were closed down the order had been given to destroy all the official photographs, drawings and related records. But an unknown artist who had evidently had access to a lab had succeeded in capturing and preserving a small bit of truth.

Victor was convinced the scene was the Vortex lab.

He turned away from the painting. “You know me, Lucas. I’ve always got a theory.”

“You’re thinking maybe Vortex wasn’t the only lab that may or may not have succeeded in weaponizing paranormal energy. You’re wondering if Griffin Chastain and Crocker Rancourt also managed to produce some weapons.”

Victor rose and walked to the window. He gazed down at the hotels and casinos that lined the Strip. It was early morning. The town was never closed, never completely silent or dark. But this was the quietest time of the day. It was the one time when a man could appreciate the vastness of the surrounding desert. It had a way of putting things into perspective.

“Tell me the truth,” he said after a while. “Think I’ve finally gone down the rabbit hole? That I’m a full-blown conspiracy theorist? That I’m ready to sign up for one of the Puppet cults?”