by S. E. Meyer
“What on earth kind of disease causes symptoms like that?” asked Nathaniel.
“This is going to sting a little,” said James as he pulled the cap off the alcohol and poured it into the wound.
Nathaniel winced. “Ouch,” he cried.
“I learned about it in med school. It’s called Kuru disease, or laughing sickness,” explained James. He squeezed a bead of glue down each side of the wound and pressed it together with his thumbs. He began to wrap gauze around Nathaniel’s upper shoulder as he continued. “And there’s only one way to get that type of brain disease.”
“How?” the priest asked, still wincing in pain.
James taped the end of the gauze and looked Nathaniel in the eye. Nathaniel winced again, this time from the look of horror on James’ face. “From eating human flesh,” he replied.
Lost In Translation
Lucas shifted the stack of papers he was carrying into his left arm and cradled them while he opened the door at the end of a long, brightly lit hallway. He entered the large meeting room, followed by Hosea and Dennis. The twenty-eight leaders of the world, along with their translators, watched them enter the room and take their seats near the UN Secretary General. Lucas shuffled several papers in front of him as he waited for the meeting to start. It was only a few minutes before the Secretary General began to speak. A hush came over the attendees as he beat the gavel on top of his desk and cleared his throat.
“Ladies and Gentleman,” he began slowly. “It is with great trepidation that I call this meeting today.” He paused for the translators. “This gathering may be our last. By all accounts, the alien planet that has invaded our solar system will soon be upon us. We have not had any communication from the one who said he would protect us. Braedon, the Annunaki leader, who was so eager to help us in our time of need, has vanished.” The Secretary General paused again and took a drink of water from the glass sitting next to him. There was a gasp from the crowd as the translators caught up. “This is a grave time in our planet’s history, and a time of foreboding for all life on this planet that we call home. Once Braedon gained control of the world’s armies, and completed the evacuations below, he amassed them in secret underground military bases. All National Guard and world peacekeepers have been pulled from their posts and the outside world has now been left to fend for itself. It would seem, ladies and gentleman,” he paused again and let out a deep breath before continuing in a louder tone. “It would seem that we have left the fox to guard the hen house.” The room was silent except for the low murmurings of the translators. The Secretary General glanced around the room before continuing. “Reports of unprecedented natural disasters have been coming in from all over the world. I have most recently come to learn that we have lost three of our underground facilities to seismic activity on a level that has never been witnessed. On top of that, our satellites have been picking up massive energy spikes deep in our oceans that we cannot explain. We can only hope, and pray, that Braedon keeps his word. Otherwise may God have mercy on our souls,” the Secretary General finished.
“Sir if I may, there might be another option.
“Yes Lucas, and what would that be?” the Secretary General asked.
“Well Sir, we worked through the night and finally managed to translate the message that we have been receiving from the Annunaki planet,” replied Lucas. There was another round of murmurings from the crowd.
The Secretary General raised an eyebrow and leaned closer in his chair. “Yes, and what does it say Lucas?” he asked.
There was a hush over the assembly as Lucas recited the poem. He also explained the longitude and latitude coordinates hidden within it. He slowly glanced around at the confused faces staring back at him. “So what does it mean?” asked the Secretary General.
“We’re not one hundred percent sure. I believe it means we need to evacuate to one of the nearest locations in this message,” replied Lucas.
“And what exactly is the basis of your recommendation?” asked the Secretary General. “You just said you are not sure of the translation and Braedon already explained to us that his father’s message would be lies. He said the Annunaki on that planet are trying to enslave us,” the Secretary finished.
“Based on my education and my experience with ancient history, I would call it a very strong hunch,” Lucas replied.
The Secretary General stared at Lucas intently before answering him. “So you want me to just send everybody out there, somewhere, based solely on your own gut feelings? Mr. Goodman, do you have any idea what things are like out there right now? I barely scratched the surface when I explained it a few moments ago. There is disease running rampant, terrible natural disasters, volcanoes and earthquakes. Most of the coastal cities have been flattened. There is complete lawlessness, even rumors of people driven to cannibalism, due to starvation. I cannot in good conscience send anyone out there, especially on a hunch, Mr. Goodman. I don’t care how strong of a hunch it is. I would be sending them to their deaths,” he explained.
“Sir, based on all of our calculations, if we stay here we’re all dead anyway!” Lucas shouted as he pounded his fist on the table and then stood up.
“Mr. Goodman, you are out of order!” the Secretary warned, raising his voice as he slammed the gavel in front of him.
“No Sir, this entire situation is out of order,” Lucas objected and then pointed his finger at the Secretary General. “You are out of order! If the Annunaki from that planet were coming here to enslave us, do you really think they would even bother sending us a message at all?”
“Maybe the purpose of the message is to make their job of rounding us up that much easier. And if you don’t calm down Mr. Goodman, I’ll have you removed,” ordered the Secretary General.
Lucas took a deep breath and sat back down. “Mr. Secretary, based on everything I know, I am sure that this is the right thing to do here. It’s not just a feeling in my gut. Braedon’s explanation just doesn’t make any sense,” Lucas pleaded. He held up a piece of paper in front of him. “Based on this message, and what we have come to learn from it, our only option is to leave,” Lucas finished.
“I disagree, and I will not allow it! I will not be held responsible for more deaths,” the Secretary impatiently replied.
“At least let the people decide for themselves. The message must be sent to everyone that can still receive it. Whoever wants to stay can do so, and the rest of us can leave,” replied Lucas. “Mr. Secretary, what do we have to lose?”
“We have everything to lose. We may be the only ones who survive!” the Secretary bellowed.
“Sir, you mean to tell me that after spending weeks trying to decipher this message, that you will not even share it with the rest of the world?” asked Lucas.
“Mr. Goodman, sending out that type of message will only confuse people. It’s just not in their best interest.”
Lucas stood up again. He waved his arms in frustration as he spoke. “Mr. Secretary, who are you to decide what is in the best interests of the Human race? People should be allowed to decide for themselves. You are walking a dangerous line here, sir.” Lucas pointed his finger again and raised his voice. “You just said that you did not want to be held responsible for more people dying. Are you sure that by not sharing the message, and by not allowing anyone to leave, that you yourself are not the one who is sentencing us all to death?” Lucas finished.
There was an outburst from the assembly as Lucas finished speaking and the Secretary General began to pound his gavel again. “Order! We must have order here!” the Secretary General commanded. “Guards, remove this man!” Two guards moved from the doorway and stopped next to where Lucas was standing. They tried to grab his arms but Lucas waved them off.
“That won’t be necessary,” said Lucas. “I’ll remove myself.” He briskly walked towards the exit with Hosea and Dennis following closely behind.
“What makes you so certain you’re right Lucas?” asked Hosea as they left the room and
made their way back to the lab.
“Because I just realized something while we were in the meeting Hosea,” replied Lucas. “I mistranslated the last line of the poem.”
“What do you mean?” asked Hosea with a look of surprise.
“I translated it as ‘Go to Eridu and give the key time to mend’. I translated the phonetic sound literally. I’m kind of embarrassed actually,” Lucas admitted as he sat down at his workstation. Hosea and Dennis sat in the chairs next to him waiting for Lucas to explain. “I thought they were talking about a key when actually they meant ‘ki’, spelled k-i,” he said with a look of satisfaction, but he noticed that neither Hosea nor Dennis understood what he was saying. “The word ‘ki’, gentleman, is the Sumerian word for Earth. So the last lines of the message should read ‘Fire breathing ships of the air will descend, escape to Eridu and give the Earth time to mend,” Lucas explained, placing extra emphasis the word ‘Earth’. “Do you understand now? The Annunaki are not only expecting the Earth to recover, but they are giving us a chance to leave here while it does.” Hosea and Dennis both stared at Lucas with shocked expressions.
“So what do we do?” asked Hosea.
“We have to get out of here. We have to get to Peru, to the place where the Gods are engraved, but first,” said Lucas, and then looked over at Dennis. “Dennis, is there any way you can hack into the communications system and broadcast the message to anyone left out there that may still be listening?” asked Lucas.
“Maybe. I suppose it’s possible, but it’s going to take some work,” replied Dennis.
“I think leaving here is going to prove more challenging,” said Lucas.
“Why is that?” asked Hosea.
“Because none of us can fly a plane and without the support of the Secretary General it’s going to be damn near impossible to get off this sheet of ice,” explained Lucas. “We’re going to have to convince someone to help us.” Lucas held a grave expression as he looked at Hosea and Dennis. “The problem here, gentleman, is I’m afraid we don’t have much time.”
A Brother's Betrayal
The hum of the incinerator grew louder as it prepared to discharge. Traedon turned to face the doors as he impatiently waited for the machine to burn his prisoners into dust. He continued to focus his mind on the doors, keeping their locks secure. As he anxiously licked his lips, an olive colored, scaly hand reached over the control panel from behind him and turned it off. Traedon whipped around to find Enki standing there. “What are you doing Uncle?” he asked as Enki finished powering down the machine.
Inside the room John felt the incinerator stop charging. “You feel that?” he asked.
“It’s getting quieter,” replied Frank as he cocked his head to one side and strained to listen.
John was also listening, but he was trying to hear what was going on outside the large double doors. He heard voices and focused intently on their conversation.
“No Traedon, the question is what are you doing? You fool. We need them alive. Don’t you understand? She is the key to our success against Braedon,” Enki hissed.
“No, I don’t understand. Why keep them alive?” asked Traedon.
“Maybe the Elders were wrong about you. Maybe I have placed my faith in the wrong brother,” replied Enki.
Traedon wrung his hands together nervously. “What would you have me do Uncle?” he asked.
“Let them go. It’s the only way.”
Traedon wrinkled his brow in disbelief. “What? I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
John had heard enough. He knew he needed to take full advantage of the momentary distraction. “Frank, I have an idea, but first I need your help to get these bindings off of me. If we both focus on that, I think I can get my hands free,” explained John. They both closed their eyes and John’s bonds began to glow. “Focus Frank, don’t stop. I think we’re almost there,” John encouraged. John’s bonds finally fell to the floor and he felt his strength rush back to him. So that’s what has been draining me of my strength, he thought. John strained once again to hear what was going on outside the room they were in.
“Don’t think Traedon, just do what I tell you,” insisted Enki.
“What is going on here?” a voice boomed from behind them. Traedon and Enki turned around to see Braedon standing there.
“Well, speak of the Devil” said Traedon in an irritated tone.
“What are you doing? She is in there, isn’t she?” asked Braedon. “I can feel her.” His eyes flashed blue as he moved closer to his brother. “You were going to kill her?” he raged.
Inside the room, John spread his legs to ensure he had solid footing and then outstretched his arms. He pointed a palm at each of the two electrodes and then closed his eyes. He felt out with his mind, finding the control panel, and then he restarted the machine. The hum returned and once again echoed through the room.
“What are you doing John?” asked Frank. “You’re going to kill us all!” he shouted.
John ignored him and once again listened intently to the conversation going on outside the room as the machine charged.
“What are you doing?” Braedon asked again as the control panel lit up and the hum from the incinerator gained strength. “Get away from there!” he roared as he grabbed Traedon by the throat and threw him to the floor.
“I did what you should have done a long time ago,” Traedon croaked as he rubbed his throat. “I’ve been down here doing your job. I’ve been protecting the weapon, while you have been gallivanting all over the world, looking for the female and shirking your responsibilities. She has been nothing but trouble, brother!”
Braedon began pushing buttons on the machine’s control panel. “What’s going on here? I can’t stop it!” Braedon shrieked. “What have you done to this thing? It won’t respond!”
Traedon held a confused expression, but it was Enki who spoke. “He didn’t do anything to it. In fact we just shut it down right before you arrived,” he explained.
“Then what is going on here? She is my wife!” yelled Braedon. He frantically continued to try and shut down the machine as Enki stepped in to help. “We have to shut it down, now!” Braedon roared.
Inside the room John steadied himself as the hum of the machine rose to a deafening volume and the electrodes began to glow. Just as the machine was about to discharge John sent a blue arc from each of his palms and intercepted the power of the machine. John’s body lurched forward, convulsing from the intense power of the weapon discharging through him.
“Oh my God, do something Frank, it’s killing him!” yelled Jenny.
John opened his eyes. They were glowing a fierce blue, along with the rest of his frame. The machine stopped and everything went quiet, but John continued to glow. A wispy blue outline of electrical haze hovered around him as he planted his feet. He stretched out his arms again, this time towards the door. He cocked his head to one side and once again strained to listen.
“You fool!” bellowed Braedon. “You will pay for this. You will pay dearly brother!” he continued to rant. “Open those doors,” he ordered, and then turned back to Traedon. “When those doors open, if she is not standing there, safe and sound, I will kill you at once, and without hesitation,” Braedon snarled.
Enki nodded at the two guards in front of the doors. “Open it,” he said and then moved in front of them. Braedon grabbed his brother by the shoulder. His rage towards Traedon was so strong it consumed him. It blinded him from feeling outward with his mind to see if anyone inside was still alive. He pulled Traedon in front of the doors next to their Uncle. The three watched, along with the two guards, as the doors slowly began to swing.
The first thing Braedon saw as the doors split apart was John standing in the middle of the room, facing him with outstretched arms. The shock of what he saw distracted him for half a second, delaying his time to react. “Run you fools! Get out of the way!” Enki warned. His eyes were wide as he turned to jump aside.
John fixed h
is eyes on the space between the doors, and Braedon just beyond. He could feel the energy wanting to leave his body. John coiled his muscles then flung his arms forward. He felt the power run down his arms and flow from his open palms. The intense force exploding from John’s hands blew the doors off their hinges and sent them crashing into the five Annunaki standing in front of him. The large steel doors swept them along the floor, crushing them against the far wall, thirty feet away. John let his arms hang at his sides as he clenched his fists. He continued to look straight ahead with an intense gaze; his eyes held a persistent electric blue glow. John snapped his hands open and the bonds fell from everyone behind him. He slowly turned around to see everyone’s bewildered faces. Frank ran up to him. “John, are you okay?" he asked as he looked into John’s blank expression. “John!” Frank repeated. The rest of the group kept their distance as Frank tried to get John’s attention. Jenny finally moved closer.
“John. Can you hear me?” she asked him. John finally blinked and then slowly nodded.
“Did I just do that?” John questioned in a whisper as he slowly came around.
“You sure did,” marveled Frank. “I can’t believe you’re not dead. I never would have dreamed that you could harness that kind of power,” he added in awe.
John’s expressionless face changed to shock. “Frank, the weapon. We have to realign it!” he said. “We have to do it now, before they wake up,” he urged.
“Wake up? You mean they’re not-” asked Ben and then trailed off.
“No,” replied John. “They’re not dead. Only incapacitated for the moment. We have to act quickly!” he said as he ran through the twisted metal of the door-frame in front of them. The others followed quickly behind. John stopped for a moment outside the doors and picked up two weapons; the Annunaki rifles that had fallen from the guard’s hands when John introduced them to the doors. “Here Ben, take one of these,” said John as he handed him the alien weapon. He turned and handed the other one to Jason. “Take up the rear and watch our backs,” ordered John.
