“Why not try some of the biggies first,” suggested Anna quietly.
“What did you have in mind?” pushed Kiya, picking up a weird vibe from Anna’s tone of voice.
“Oh, I don’t know how about the Pyramids of Egypt?” Anna offered with a mischievous smile.
“Yes! I like the sound of that one!” proclaimed Aarik with animation.
“Did you see a way to change the dial, by chance, when you were in there?” Kiya asked as an afterthought as she closed her laptop and walked over to the podium.
“No, but I’m sure the answer will present itself,” answered Aarik jovially, joining Kiya next to the podium.
CHAPTER SIX
AARIK
Aarik placed his hand on the podium and welcomed the tingling jolt he felt travel up his arm in response. He smiled over at Kiya and said on an exhale, “Coordinates of our location, please.”
Blushing, her mouth opened on an “O” before she answered, “Duh! Just a second.”
Kiya squatted down, picked up her machine and opened it across her thighs. Balancing it in place she read off the latitude and longitude of the Wardenclyffe Tower before she spouted off the coordinates for the pyramids of Egypt. She placed the laptop on the ground and left it open for easy access. Entering the zone was becoming second nature to him with each successive connection, and the answers that he sought were revealing themselves more efficiently as well.. By the time he opened his eyes, the podium reflected the new coordinates easily.
“Sure wish you could change the coordinates for me, Taylor. When...I mean if these fail to produce any results, I’ll have to get out again, to change the channel,” joked Aarik, lifting his hand from the podium and instantly missing the soothing sensation.
“I wonder if they had remote controls back then?” remarked Kiya, locking her arm with his affectionately.
“Hard not to visualize them as a lazy society, so my vote would be yes. Next time I’m in the AZOK I’ll probe around for information,” Aarik replied, heading towards the craft for the third time that day with Kiya on his arm. He helped her down into the craft and said, “Third time’s a charm?”
“Got my fingers, toes and legs crossed,” replied Kiya with a straight face.
“Then we should be covered,” Aarik asserted before he inserted the medallion into the slot and held on. When nothing happened, he sighed and stood up, preparing to cross the short distance to the podium yet again before he said, “I wonder how accurate it has to be in order to reach a destination?”
“My guess would be a person would have to be very accurate in order to end up in the right place and time,” answered Anna in contemplation.
“I used the Great Pyramid as a reference point. We could try the other two as well as the Sphinx before we move to another area of the map. My vote would be the Sphinx next,” Kiya added, as Aarik plucked the medallion from its slot and sulked back towards the podium grumbling under his breath.
“What was that, Aarik? I didn’t hear you,” teased Kiya, with her hand cupped around her ear, making fun of his child-like behavior.
“This could take forever,” complained Aarik, as he reached the podium for another round of reprogramming. He looked over at Taylor and broke out into a smile when he handed him the bag of beef jerky before he showed him the next coordinates.
“We just started, you big baby! Don’t forget to thank your best friend properly before you go in,” scolded Kiya, crossing her arms behind her head she leaned back and stuck her tongue out at him playfully.
“Thank you, Taylor, for the grub,” Aarik groveled dramatically, throwing a piece of jerky in his mouth as demonstration. Taylor looked amused with how easily Kiya had him wrapped around her finger, but didn’t say a word to rub it in only grinned and said, “You’re welcome, bro, anytime.”
Aarik glanced at the coordinates again before he closed his eyes and instinctively reached for his inner AZOK. He didn’t need to enter the zone every time, but found he had a hard time resisting the urge to connect with what felt like the ultimate knowledge center, when no one was the wiser. His powers could be limitless for all he knew and until he hit a dead end or ran out of time he couldn’t afford to pass up the chance to explore it further.
He was searching for a way to control the podium without having to be near it, but instead of receiving the answer he sought, he was shown an ancient map of earth which indicated the location of cities where terra jump stations could be found. He smiled to himself and changed the channel simultaneously before he stowed the jerky under his arm and headed back to the craft with renewed energy. He plopped down next to Kiya, placed the jerky on the seat between them and winked at her as he placed the still glowing medallion into the slot and tried to prepare himself for the ride of his life.
Aarik watched on in wonder as the craft hummed with vibrant energy. It was enveloped in a field of swirling electricity that was almost fluid in nature. The hair on his arms, electrified by the air, stood straight up as the auditorium faded to a world of color and light. He reached for Kiya’s hand, but stopped himself at the last second when he remembered the horror stories of the men on the ship of the Philadelphia Experiment and decided to heed the mythical tale. He looked over at Kiya and found her holding her hands out toward the electric waves in fascination. Just as he was about to call out a warning to keep her hands in the vehicle, his vision tunneled to a bright white light before it flashed brilliantly with all the colors of the rainbow and went dark.
He thought the experience might have left him blind, but as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light he rejoiced when he was able to make out an ancient chamber filled with several docking stations just like the Terra Locke in Vos’rok and knew they were successful on their first jump across the world. He chanted the words to power up the lights and gasped at the splendor of the room. The limestone walls adorned in gold and colorful hieroglyphs untouched for thousands of years was every archeologists dream.
The sand-covered floor was a stark reminder he was in another part of the world. Kiya interrupted his thoughts when she climbed on top of him and while straddling his legs she planted a large kiss on his lips. She leaned back and said on a sigh, “Was I right? Did you take us to a chamber under the Sphinx? In fucking Egypt?” Giggling, she tried to scoot off him, but he wrapped her up in his arms and said, “Not so fast!” Pulling her back in for a deeper kiss, he released her slowly and then answered her question in a feminine voice, “I think it screams ancient Egypt. Don’t you, darling?”
Kiya laughed, swatted his arm before she demanded, “Well, are we?”
“Yes. We are located in a chamber under the left paw,” admitted Aarik, grabbing his medallion and slipping it around his neck before he stepped out of the craft to get a better look at their surroundings.
“Left? How do you know we’re under the left and not the right?” asked Kiya, as she walked up to the gold-plated wall and ran her fingers along it, perusing the paintings like she was spell bound.
“My last trip inside the AZOK, I saw a map that showed the location of the ancient Terra Locke’s from around the world, and it indicated the chamber was under the left paw,” recounted Aarik slightly disappointed that their craft was the sole vehicle in the room.
“How many cities were on the map?” questioned Kiya excitedly.
“Dozens. Two or more on every continent,” Aarik replied, mirroring her emotion. Looking over at Kiya he was surprised to find a look of disdain covering her face. His face sobered before he asked, “Why the long face?”
“You just reminded me of all the places they could be and how far behind we are in coming up with a plan to stop them,” Kiya replied shaking her head in disappointment. “I mean how far do you think we’re going to get, stuck in a government facility with an evil bitch watching our every move?” Kiya spit out as she turned to face Aarik with her hands on her hips.
Aarik walked toward Kiya, holding his hands out in a soothing manner. When he had her attention he sp
read his arms out and looked around the room dramatically before he said, “From the looks of it I think we got pretty far from the stuffy underground facility in Long Island, New York AND the wicked witch. I mean we’re on a freaking different continent in a beautiful golden cavern under the Sphinx, after teleporting across the sea on a bed of electricity for god's sake! I think before we know it we’ll have traveled around the world, learning everything we need to know along the way at exactly the time we were meant to know it. I firmly believe everything happens for a reason and even though it might not seem like we’re making any progress I feel like we will succeed if we stay on our current path. We can’t go in blind, not knowing anything about our enemy.”
“I know. I know. You’re right. I should take stock in the little things because eventually they’ll add up to something that matters,” conceded Kiya, spinning around on her heel she kicked her foot out against the ground in frustration. She stalked toward the only exit in the cavern before she turned back around and asked, “What happens if we don’t learn what we need to know fast enough?”
“Quit being such a sour puss and stop worrying so much. Do you need some food? I thought I was the only one grumpy without it. I brought the jerky if you want some,” Aarik responded jovially, as he headed in her direction with his eyebrows raised in question.
“No, I could use some more coffee, but that will have to wait till we get back,” Kiya added with a humph and a slight twinkle in her eye as a smile spread across her face.
“We won’t stay long, but I’d at least like to explore the cavern before we head back and bring in reinforcements or maybe we’ll go to another location instead,” added Aarik, as he stepped around Kiya, slapping her butt and making her squeal as he walked through the door and turned on the hallway lights.
“Such a cool trick! Not sure I’ll ever get used to it, but hey it’s not like I’m complaining,” Kiya said with awe in her voice. “Did you see anything on the map that would indicate Th’ael didn’t end up in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?” Kiya added touching his back as she followed closely behind him toward another room at the end of the hallway.
Aarik passed through the arched doorway and gazed up at massive crystal obelisks bordering the doorway on the inside, marveling at their size and beauty. The light from the hallway bled into the room providing minimal light, but ancient cuneiform writing could be seen etched into the obelisk with extreme precision. He wished Taylor was there to crack the riddle of what this room had once been used for as he walked further in tracing the script with his fingertips along the way.
“Wow. Just like the obelisks from Mexico on level eight,” Kiya whispered in awe, turning in circles as she entered the room to take it all in. “Are there any lights in here?” she said, squinting towards the back wall.
Aarik reached for the lights and when he came up empty, he pulled off his backpack to look for a flashlight while he answered her, “Nothing I’m afraid. Gimme a second, I’ve got a flashlight in here.”
“I’ve got my phone as well,” replied Kiya, as she walked further into the room ahead of him and pulled it out.
Kneeling to the ground, he rustled through his pack in search of his flashlight and turned it on the moment he pulled it free. As he was sweeping the light around the room he paused mid–sweep, his eyes focused on the intricate design of the floor in front of him. Aarik shoved the flashlight between his shoulder and head and reached for his medallion. Looking between the two he marveled at how close the swirling designs matched, including the beautiful amethyst gem in the center, only the floor version was on a much larger scale. The dark gem, flush with the floor, sparkled in the sparse light. The swirling metallic lines were surrounded by words that differed from the inscription on his medallion, making him wonder even more what purpose the room had in the past.
Aarik looked up in search of Kiya, to call her over, just as her cell phone illuminated the back wall. She inhaled sharply and began a juggling act with her phone trying not to drop it. Aarik stood up and rushed forward, grabbing it at the last moment before he asked, “What is it?”
She swallowed hard, pointed her finger towards the back of room before she said, “The back wall took me by surprise. It’s covered in six sided crystals that look eerily like the one around my neck.”
He raised his flashlight toward the wall and walked forward in a trance. The wall was like the inside of a gigantic geode, ranging in color from deep purple to white and twinkled in the light. He raised his fingers toward the wall and felt a hum of energy emanating from the crystals. He looked over his right shoulder, to ask Kiya to come closer so she could feel the power, and the blood in his veins stopped.
Out of the corner of his eye he witnessed two men dressed in loincloths similar to Th’ael’s attacking Kiya from behind. As she slumped to the ground from a blow to the head time seemed to slow down. His first thought was how could he not have heard them coming, before he shook his head, chastising himself for thinking about his pride and not about what was important. He opened his mouth and poured the anger he was feeling into his voice, with the intention of knocking them out, as one of them picked up Kiya like a sack of potatoes and attempted to run away with her over his shoulder.
The look of bewilderment on the man left behind to deal with Aarik was priceless as the power of his voice dropped both assailants to the floor a second later. Aarik could tell they were not expecting him to have powers similar to theirs, which gave him an element of surprise this time around, but he was pretty sure they wouldn’t underestimate him the next time. Rushing forward he scooped Kiya up and, cradling her in his arms, he raced toward their craft to make their escape. Entering the Terra Locke at a full run, he scanned the room and thanked his guardian angel the goons were alone which would hopefully give them time to flee.
Holding Kiya made it difficult to program the podium, but once he managed, he readjusted his grip around her and hurried to place her inside before settling in next to her. Aarik yanked the medallion from his neck, breaking the chain as he powered it up and fumbled to insert it into the craft. Watching the doorway for a sign Th’ael’s men were awake, he inhaled deeply to calm his nerves and concentrated on his hands as he willed them to work. The feeling of accomplishment after hearing the metallic click of a successful insertion was short-lived when Th’ael’s men stumbled through the doorway.
Aarik panicked as he remembered they could easily follow their retreat, with the location programmed into the podium, basically painting a large bullseye directly to their secret location. In a last ditch effort, he astral projected himself to the podium and attempted to change the destination precisely after their craft was in motion to New York and prayed he timed it correctly and didn’t send them into another dangerous situation or worse, rip his soul apart as his body rematerialized back home without his soul attached. As the electric plasma surrounded their craft and his vision tunneled he pulled his soul back in as the terracraft whisked them back to America.
The second they materialized in the air of the underground Terra Locke in New York, Aarik flipped around in his seat half expecting to see Th’ael’s men hot on their tail and sighed heavily when no one appeared to be following them. Taking a few calming breaths he celebrated his accomplishment at creating a makeshift remote control to the podium, until he remembered Kiya was hurt and turned in his seat to assess her injuries. Not wanting to move her for fear he had already caused her more harm, with all the manhandling he did in his rush to save her earlier. Pushing her hair back away from her face, he looked for blood or any sign of significant damage.
When nothing glaringly stood out, he nudged her gently to wake her up. Kiya stirred slightly and her breathing increased, making Aarik concerned she was bleeding internally or something equally bad. He was about to lift her into his lap so he could take her to the medical clinic when the little minx sprang into action, hitting him directly in the Adam’s apple, causing him to fall back in the seat clutching his throat in surpri
se.
CHAPTER SEVEN
KIYA
Kiya came to slowly and, not wanting to bring attention to herself, kept her eyes closed as she listened for any signs of where her captor might have taken her. The last thing she remembered before being knocked out was someone covering her mouth from behind when Aarik walked away from her to explore the back wall. When she started to fight back they whacked her in the head and it was lights out. The mere thought of being captured brought about an overwhelming sense of panic and, fearing her increased heart rate could be heard for miles, she tried to focus her attention on slowing her breathing and racing heart.
Looking outward, away from the inner turmoil of her predicament, the only sound she could make out with the ringing in her ears was her captor’s heavy breathing and, while she waited for him to make his next move, she prepared herself to fight back. She hoped they hadn’t left the Sphinx yet and could only determine that, at a minimum, she was sitting on the bench seat of a terracraft. She didn’t know how long she’d been out, but if there was a chance to get away, either before they left or her captor delivered her to Th’ael, she needed to take it. She wasn’t ready to die, and having her willpower overtaken by Th’ael was just as bad in her mind, so she started to count down from ten, mentally preparing herself to go bat shit crazy on his ass the second she reached zero.
Kiya jumped slightly when her captor poked her in the arm and, believing she was fighting for her life, she struck out with as much strength as she could muster and hoped her aim was true. When her fist connected with flesh her eyes sprang open and, as the man fell away from her, the escape route in front of her narrowed her vision. She wasted no time making her escape, scrambling over him until her captor yelled out in anger stopping her in her tracks, “Dammit, Kiya. What the hell did you do that for?”
Kiya gazed down at Aarik with a look of confusion and, when her eyes proved she wasn’t crazy and somehow he had saved her, she shook her head and laughed out loud. Covering her face in embarrassment she uttered, “I’m so sorry. I thought you were the bad guy and I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.” Lifting her head, she was relieved to see him smiling up at her.
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