Page 64 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm

“Well, I must say I am impressed,” Phoebe said as they jogged away from the dogs, heading farther into the warehouse. “The three of you make quite the team. And, Shinji, that was you calling on the Coatl’s powers, wasn’t it? How exciting! It seems my meditation techniques are working.”

“Yeah,” Shinji replied, and shrugged. “Breathe in, breathe out. Easy.”

Of course, it wasn’t that easy, but Shinji understood his magic a lot more now than he did before. And it was only possible through the help of his friends. Once he stopped trying to do everything himself, things made a lot more sense.

“That’s great and all,” Roux said, “but we still have to find that idol. If you haven’t noticed by now, this place is huge. It’ll take forever to find it.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Phoebe told him, and tapped her finger to the side of her head. “Remember when I said I had a photographic memory? All we have to do is go to the end of this aisle, turn left, follow that aisle, turn right, turn right again, walk three aisles over, turn left, duck under the stairs to the upper level, walk four more aisles, turn down the aisle marked ‘underwater accoutrements,’ turn left at the split, and then go all the way to the end. The lockbox will be on a shelf at the end of the aisle. See? Easy-peasy, right? Anyone could find it.”

“Um. Sure.” Oliver winced. “We’ll just follow you.”

Afew minutes later, they stood in a narrow aisle, staring at the shelf at the end. A single lockbox sat in the center of the metal frame, nestled between rusty tubes and a box filled with copper buttons. The lockbox blended perfectly with the other items on the shelf. If they hadn’t been following Phoebe, they would have walked right past it. A bulky iron padlock hung from the door, covered in dirt and rust.

“Huh,” Oliver commented, looking skeptical as they stared at the tiny safe. “You know, considering this is holding a sacred idol for the possession of which a mythological creature is going to flatten a city, I was expecting something a little…grander. So, who’s going to open it?”

“It’s not electronic,” Lucy said. “Tinker won’t be able to unlock it.”

Roux chuckled. “Good thing you guys have me, then.”

Digging into his pocket, he pulled out an ordinary-looking wire that had been twisted around into a bent pick.

“Padlocks are easy,” he muttered, sticking the pick into the keyhole. “I used to practice on the bikes chained up around town. Combination locks are a little harder, but you just gotta get the feel for them.” He grunted, frowning as he fiddled with the padlock. “Problem is, this thing is so rusty, finding the right angle is…Ha. Got it. As Phoebe would say, easy-peasy.”

With a faint click, the lock opened. Shinji held his breath as the door swung back. Inside, the safe was empty, except for a small, stone statue, carved in the likeness of a boar. An odd thrill went through him. It was definitely the idol he’d seen in his vision—the one the soldiers had stolen.

Roux wrinkled his nose.

“That’s it? That’s what the Storm Boar is throwing a temper tantrum about? A hunk of rock shaped like a pig?”

“It’s not the size,” Phoebe said. “It’s what it represents. Clearly, that idol is the physical representation of the connection between the people of the island and the Storm Boar. Obviously, it is very important to him.”

“Well.” Oliver sighed. “We’d better get it back to him, then. Shinji, why don’t you grab the idol so we can get out of here?”

Shinji hesitated, remembering a tiny novelty shop in Africa, and the statue of a winged snake on a dusty shelf. “The last time I grabbed an idol, I got stuck with a magic tattoo,” he said. “I don’t know if I can deal with two guardians.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Phoebe assured him. “This is a completely different situation. Back then, the Coatl wanted you to return his stolen idol to the temple. Now the Storm Boar wants you to return his stolen idol to the heart of the storm.”

“How is that a different situation?” Lucy asked. “It’s almost exactly the same!”

“Oh.” Phoebe paused, thinking about that. “You’re right! Well…” She glanced at Shinji and smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Shinji grimaced. “Okay, fine.” Looking at the idol, he started to reach for it, but before he could grab it, Roux’s hand shot out, quicker than he could respond, and snatched the figurine from the safe.

“There,” Roux said triumphantly, holding it up. “I’ve got it. Now can we…?” He stiffened, eyes going wide, before he started jerking and spasming wildly. “Aaagh!”

“Roux!” Phoebe cried as Lucy screamed. Shinji’s stomach twisted hard, and he started to reach for the statue, to snatch it out of Roux’s grip. Maybe if he grabbed it instead of Roux, the power of the Storm Boar wouldn’t affect him as much.

But then Roux abruptly stopped shaking. Raising his head, he gave them all a mischievous grin. “Got ya.”

Lucy punched Roux in the shoulder. Shinji would’ve done the same, but he knew how much Lucy’s punches hurt. “Don’tdothat!” Lucy scolded, though she seemed to be holding back a smile.

Oliver actually snorted a laugh, shaking his head. “Hilarious,” he said begrudgingly. “Shaved a few years off my life, but nicely done. Now, can we get out of here, please? Before we get attacked by any more drones, cameras, robot dogs, or security guards shooting lasers from their eyeballs?”

Before Shinji could answer, the lights overhead flickered. A moment later, a growl of thunder shook the very walls around them, making Shinji’s skin prickle.

“Storm’s coming,” Oliver muttered, sounding much graver now. “All right, everyone, let’s get serious. We really are nearly out of time.”

Shockingly, they made it outside and back over the fence without any further problems, though Tinker did have to warn them about the drones still flying around the yard. Outside, the wind had picked up, smelling of rain and the coming storm. Above them, the sky was pitch-black, but over the ocean, lightning flickered ominously against the horizon. As Oliver had said, the storm was on its way.

---