The Prodigal Sun: A Novel

by S. E. Meyer

  “One hundred percent.” Frank showed John the sheet of paper.

  “I guess it has had some effect on me,” John acknowledged as he rubbed the back of his head with his right hand.

  “The more you practice and challenge your mind the stronger and more fine-tuned it will become.”

  “Can I ask you something Frank?”

  “Sure, anything,” Frank replied.

  “Do you know anything about what happened while I was at your house? I saw you. I mean, how is that possible?”

  “Oh, of course, sorry about that John. I certainly didn’t mean to frighten you or anything. I was just getting very anxious to get out of the lab before Adam or Brent could come back, and well, I gave you a nudge.”

  “But how, what was that?”

  “It was me John, I was there. I can’t really explain it, and it will sound crazy.” Frank lowered his voice and leaned in slightly toward John.

  “Just recently I have found I’m able to travel,” he paused “or kind of project myself to other places using my mind, almost like my very soul can go places independently of my body. I don’t fully understand it yet, but I was able to go there, somehow, while my body stayed in the lab. It takes a tremendous amount of energy though, which is partly why I was so weak when you found me. John, if I were Alice, I’m learning that the rabbit hole goes very deep.”

  Just then John felt an overwhelming sensation of love. He turned around to see Jenny at the den door, watching them.

  “That’s amazing.”

  “What’s amazing?” she asked, walking into the den.

  “I could feel you loving me. I mean, I could actually feel the emotion of your love. That’s kind of a weird sensation.”

  Jenny bent over next to John. She kissed him before turning to face Frank. “I didn’t have much to pack for you Frank, I grabbed a few of John’s clothes, but I’m not sure if they will fit. I packed everything into the car already and we’ll need to get there early to get through security. So who are you going to see in Mexi…?”

  “Shh…” Frank cut Jenny off. He paused for a minute.

  “What?”

  “Nothing I guess, I thought I heard, or felt, something.” Frank responded and then dismissed it with a wave as he began to answer Jenny’s question. “I’m going to see Dr. Hosea Lopez. He has been studying ancient languages and artifacts much longer than I. He taught me most of what I know of the ancient civilizations and I think he may be able to help. I consulted with him many times when I was trying to decipher the pyramid and he knows more than I do about the ancient people of Mesopotamia and Sumer.”

  Frank tilted his head as if he were straining to hear something. “Shit, no, not here… damn,” he whispered.

  “What is it Frank?” Jenny whispered back as a chill ran down John’s spine.

  “They’re here,” Frank said. He quickly crept over to the window and peeked through a small gap in the shades. “Look!” John moved closer to Frank and peered through the same tiny opening. John could see one exceptionally tall figure standing on the ground next to the fence at the very back of the backyard. Another tall figure was in the process of climbing over it. The second figure jumped to the ground and landed next to the first.

  “We have to get out of here.” Frank said barely in a whisper. Frank quickly moved to the other side of the house and peered through a smaller window from the side.

  “What’s going on?” asked Jenny. “Who’s out there?”

  “Shh,” answered Frank, “Doesn’t look like anyone’s out front.” Frank slid the cylinder back into the pyramid and it suddenly snapped shut. It spun around, locking into its original position. He placed it back into the cloth bag and shoved it in his pocket. “Where’s your car?”

  John leaned close to Frank’s ear. “The car’s in the garage, they’ll know we’re leaving, but if we hurry maybe we can make it” He gave Jenny a look but she was already a few steps in front of them as they made their way through the kitchen to the garage entry door.

  “John,” Frank said in a louder whisper, stopping in front of the door.. “John, where is the CD and the files you got for me?”

  “Oh, yeah, they’re right here” John reached into a kitchen drawer and pulled out the files and CD.

  “Good, now let’s go!” Frank urged.

  The trio quickly got into the car and John pushed the button on the garage door remote in his visor. “Ready or not, we just let them know we‘re leaving” John turned the key to a faint clicking sound.

  “What’s going on? John, we have to go, now!” Frank said. The garage door slowly crept higher as the small motor whirred, whining at the weight of lifting it.

  John held a look of panic. “It’s dead,” he replied.

  Frank closed his eyes. He reached over and put his hand on the dashboard as his palm began to glow with a faint blue light. “Try it again.” Frank said as he wiped a small drop of blood from his nose with the back of his free hand.

  “Come on, come on,” John said aloud as he turned the key. This time the engine slowly turned over then roared to life as the garage door reached its fully open position. John pushed hard on the accelerator and slammed the car in reverse. Two figures came running through the service doorway as John backed out of the garage. Their arms were stretched out in front of them and they appeared to be holding something.

  A gun? John thought.

  “Go, go, go” Frank yelled as they sped backwards out of the garage stall, down the short driveway, and onto the street. The two figures followed them out of the garage and stopped in the driveway. John slammed the car into drive and hit the gas again as the figures pointed their hand-held devices in their direction.

  John noticed a bright flash and the back window of the car exploded out onto the street behind them as they sped away, shattering into thousands of tiny fragments.

  “We have to get to the airport John,” said Frank, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

  John took the back way to the airport to avoid traffic as they raced towards the terminal.

  “What are we going to do Frank?” asked John. “We can’t go back to the house and we didn’t pack anything to go with you.”

  “Yes, well, too late for that now. You can buy some clothes when we get there. You both will have to come with me I guess. I didn’t want you to get so involved in this, but I guess it’s too late for that now too. I’m sorry I dragged you both into this mess I’m in.”

  “I actually packed clothes for all of us and put them in the trunk. Call it woman’s intuition, but after noticing those black SUV’s driving by our house several times yesterday, and seeing those creepy guys today down by your house Frank, I wanted to be prepared.”

  “Smart girl” Frank replied as John pulled the car up behind a cab next to the departures gate.

  “Frank, are you okay?” Jenny asked as she pulled a tissue out of her pocket, noticing the streak of blood under Frank's left nostril. “You’re bleeding.”

  “I’m fine.” Frank waved off the tissue. “I’ll buy your tickets at the counter. Can you make sure our luggage gets checked?”

  “Sure” John said and he headed towards a luggage cart next to the glass entry doors.

  They were in the air on time and scheduled to arrive in Mexico City around eight o’clock. The plane was almost deserted except for a few passengers littering the cabin. One family had two children with them. Their daughter was sleeping while the other child was trying to wake his sister up by poking her arm then giggling, much to the dislike of their mother, who kept saying something in Spanish and pointing her finger.

  John felt tired. More tired than he had ever felt before. His head began to swim and he felt himself nodding off in his seat. He was coherent long enough to remember Jenny putting one of those cheap, flat, and not very comfortable airline pillows behind his head. It was enough to put him over the edge and he fell into a troubled sleep.

  “John, wake up, we’re here” came Jenny’s voice
softly in his ear as the plane headed towards one of the many jet-ways littering the side of the terminal of Benito Juarez International Airport. John did not hear her and didn’t move.

  “John” said Jennifer, louder this time.

  John moved a little, but still did not wake up. Frank reached over and shook him gently. John began to open his eyes and started to come around.

  “Wow, you were really out cold weren’t you?” said Jenny, smiling now, less concerned.

  John stretched his arms and legs as much as he could in the cramped seat. The few passengers that were on the plane began to pull their bags from the overhead compartments and walk down the aisle towards the exit. John stood up and his head began to swim, his vision blurred for a few moments and then came back.

  “Whoa,” he said out loud.

  “Are you okay?” Frank and Jenny both asked, simultaneously.

  “Yeah, I think so, I just stood up a little too quickly.”

  They made their way from the plane down the jet-way. The terminal they entered was busy with people making their way to their departure gates. They needed to check in with customs and get through the security checkpoints, which was all the way at the other end of the terminal.

  “Isn’t that the way it always is?” asked Frank “it doesn’t seem to matter what flight you take, you always have to walk to the other end of the airport.”

  They had made it about halfway down the long terminal corridor when John began to slow down. He felt dizzy again and nothing going on around him was making any sense.

  “Are you okay?” Frank asked. A slight moan was all John could manage. Frank and Jenny steadied him as they made their way to the luggage carousel

  “John, what’s wrong?” Jenny asked in a worried tone.

  “What’s going…?”

  John never finished his sentence. He fell sideways, took a few steps and then fell all the way to the floor before Frank or Jenny could catch him.

  Frank knelt immediately to his side. “John, are you alright? Can you answer me?” Frank grabbed John’s wrist and felt his pulse, then he opened his eyelids and looked into his eyes.

  “John” Jenny almost yelled.

  “Shh, we really don’t want to attract too much attention.” Frank whispered, looking into Jenny’s face as he pressed his index finger up to his lips. John made a few slight movements and lifted his head up for a few seconds. Frank’s expression changed to concern as he continued to look at Jenny. “I was worried something like this might happen, I think it’s his blood sugar, we need chocolate or candy or something. Do you have anything?”

  “Shit, no, nothing like that, what do you mean you were worried this might happen?” Jenny replied, now starting to panic.

  “I’ve never started the injection process that is laid out on the pyramid and then stopped. I have always carried it out fully, according to the directions. The first three are every twenty-four hours. He’s going to need another shot, but in the meantime his body and brain have used up too much glucose. I was hoping this wouldn’t happen.”

  “What are we going to do?” Jenny asked, her face turning pale. “You don’t even have any of the serum, you said you destroyed it all”

  “I hid some in the lab and grabbed it before we left, but it’s in our checked luggage. I brought it with me just in case this might happen. Right now he needs sugar. There’s a vending machine a ways back, I remember seeing one back towards our arrival gate. Can you get something, quickly? I’ll check for our bags”

  Frank looked around and saw an armed guard looking in their direction. “Damn it! This isn’t good, we’re in a Mexican airport and John is almost unconscious. They’re going to think we have drugs. Believe me, we do not want to sit in a Mexican prison while this gets sorted out.”

  Jenny stood up and headed back the way they had come, walking as quickly as she could without full out running. She could feel drops of sweat forming on her forehead and her heart was pounding in her chest. It was taking an eternity to get back to their arrival gate. Then she saw them; three vending machines on the right side of the terminal wall, a hundred feet or so in front of her. She ran to them as quickly as she could while digging in her pockets for change. “Thank god they take American coins,” she breathed as she dropped a dollar into the machine and hit the button requesting a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar. The machine did not respond. “Come on!” Jenny slapped the face of the vending machine with the flat of her palm. There was a whirring noise and the candy bar dropped into the slot below. She grabbed it and headed back at a full run to where Frank and John were. As she got closer Jenny felt her heart jump into her throat. There was an armed guard talking to Frank in elevated tones. He was speaking in broken English and Jenny could hardly make out what he was saying. Frank cut in as she made it to where they were standing.

  “You see, here she is with the candy bar. I told you my friend is diabetic, he has low blood sugar.” Frank smiled at the guard. “Jenny, quickly now, give him some of the candy.” The security guard began speaking into his radio in Spanish as Jenny knelt down next to John. She placed a piece of the chocolate between his lips. “I’m a doctor for God’s sake,” bellowed Frank, “here, look at my credentials.” Frank pulled his wallet out of his pants and showed it to the guard. I need to help him. I need to give him an injection.”

  “Jenny, I think those are our bags,” Frank said as he stepped closer to the carousel.

  Frank began speaking in Spanish and Jenny could only assume he was repeating what he had just told him in English. Frank grabbed his bag as it went by and laid it on the floor in front of him. He quickly opened it and pulled out a small black leather case. Frank knelt down beside John as he opened the case and pulled out a syringe and a vial.

  “Stop!” Yelled the guard as he waved his arms in protest.

  Two more guards came around the corner and they all pulled their guns from their holsters as John’s body began to convulse and twitch.

  “You are all under arrest,” said the officer in charge, grabbing the leather case from Frank.

  “We need to help him,” pleaded Jenny. She moved towards the guard holding the vials, but as she did the guard to her left grabbed her from behind and threw her to the floor beside John.

  “Enough of this!” The guard spat as he placed his knee on Jenny’s neck while the other guard put handcuffs on her. The weight of the guards kept Jenny from moving and the knee jammed into her neck sent a sharp pain down her spine. The pressure was slowly cutting off her blood supply. She couldn’t move her head and was forced to look into John’s eyes as they rolled back into his head. A string of melting chocolate left the corner of John’s mouth, turning the foam that followed into a latte colored froth. A tear welled up in Jenny’s eye, ran across the bridge of her nose, then silently dripped onto the cold tile floor next to her cheek as she helplessly watched John go into cardiac arrest.

  of castles and dragons

  Adam awoke in a cramped room with no windows or doors. There was a faint red-orange glow that dimly reflected along the smooth walls from an unknown source. He was restrained by his ankles to a chain that was anchored in the center of the room. Adam could feel the sweat running down his face trickling into large droplets before finding their way to his shirt collar. Why is it so damn hot in here? Adam thought to himself. The temperature was unbearable. Adam's head was pounding and he could feel his sweat-soaked shirt clinging to his hot skin. There was water on a small table next to him and he drank the entire pitcher not bothering with the cup next to it. I’ve got to get back to Frank. Adam thought. I will torture him to death if I have to. I need that pyramid and he’s going to tell me where it is, even if it’s with his last breath.

  “Good morning!” Traedon said, startling Adam from his thoughts. Traedon was suddenly standing in front of him but Adam could not tell how he got there. “I hope you’re feeling better, you had quite a night last night.”

  “What do you want?” Adam asked with a growl.
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  “I want answers Adam. Same as you, I would expect. Isn’t that what you want?”

  “I want to get out of here.” Adam responded.

  “Leave? No, I’m afraid that’s not possible. Once you’re here, you definitely can't leave.”

  “So, I’m a prisoner?” Where are we?”

  “You are in what you would most likely refer to as hell. Over one hundred degrees and that’s if we cool things down a bit to accommodate you, which we have.” He paused for a moment. “What no thank you?” Traedon smiled. “The perfect temperature for me is a balmy one hundred and thirty degrees but you would start to cook in that kind of heat.”

  Adam wrinkled his brow in confusion before slowly responding. “I don’t understand.”

  “You don’t understand Adam? You must, you are a Sura. Do you even know what that means? To be what you are?”

  Adam continued to stare at Traedon with a blank look on his face.

  “Well, you will learn. Soon you will know that just about everything you have understood, or thought you knew about the history of your planet and your race, is wrong, or at least a bit misinterpreted anyway.” He smiled.

  “I have no idea what you are talking about. I just want to leave.”

  “Trust me. Once you understand what is going on here, you are not going to want to leave. Joining us is really your only option.”

  “Well, I want another option” Adam declared with a sudden burst of pride

  Traedon slowly began to circle around Adam. “I see.” He responded with a smug look. After a long pause he continued. “The problem is you’re a risk, Adam, a risk not worth taking. You’ve already done some naughty things right?” Traedon hunched over slightly, moving in closer to Adam as he continued to circle his chair. “You shot your best friend in the head, you’ve stolen large amounts of money and of course there was that hooker in Vegas that died a few weeks ago? Didn’t think I knew about that did you? Oh I know, it was an accident right?