Then too soon, they were back to running downslope, and she didn’t dare look at anything but the ground beneath her feet. Descending and ascending and then descending to ascend again, they made their way around and up the mountain. They stopped for a moment at the top of a couloir. Looking at the steep sides and the deep bottom, Mia thought once they descended into that gully, she would never be able to make the climb back out. But after they slid down inside, instead of climbing out, they ran single file along the bottom of the trench, following the course of the couloir up the side of Mount Graham toward the summit, protected from observation by its steep sides.
They had already run a long distance in the hottest part of the day, and Mia could feel the effects of the steady climb in elevation in her lungs and muscles. Legs trembling, she desperately needed a break and some food and water. But she didn’t ask for anything because she didn’t want to give Chase an excuse to choke her. Again. Fortunately, he called a halt when they came to a fork in the couloir. He and Mia waited while Duvier and Flannery were sent up a gully off the side of the main course. The place they stopped had ancient petroglyphs carved into the surrounding orange sandstone rocks. Spirals, stars, animals such as birds, deer, and horses, human stick figures, giants with reptilian heads wearing what looked like halos, and sets of large six-toed foot prints placed beside smaller five-toed versions. She wished she knew more about the history of the people who had carved them.
After several minutes, the two security guards returned with three backpacks covered in dust from the place where they had been cached. Chase dug through the contents and handed Mia a bottle of water and some energy bars. Out of habit, Mia stopped to read the content label on the wrapping, looking for soy ingredients — even though she was so hungry she was going to eat them no matter what. Chase began making fun of her. “Look! Another dinnamu idiot in our midst! She thinks we’re going to poison her after all this trouble we’ve gone to just to spend some quality time with her!” Flannery and Duvier started mocking her as well.
Mia silently shook her head and turned her back on the jeering monsters, took a long drink of water, and simply kept quiet. What would be the point of even making an attempt to explain anything to these monsters? They wouldn’t listen or care in the least about what she’d have to say.
All too soon, the rest period ended, and the monsters picked up the back packs and once more were running up the couloir, climbing ever higher up the side of Mount Graham.
As the sun declined to a couple of hand’s breadths above the western horizon, they reached the place where the course of the couloir came to an end. After a short scramble up, they ran along a ridge that led to a gravel road that climbed directly up the back slope of the mountain. A steep muscle- and lung-burning climb of a half-mile later, they reach a locked gate blocking access to the upper portion of the road with a sign reading, “No trespassing. Property of Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope. Keep out! Violators will be prosecuted.” The two iCon security guards vaulted over the warning sign as if it didn’t apply to them. Mia thought, “And why would they pay attention to this warning when they already have trespassed into Hell?” Chase bodily lifted Mia up and over in one motion, shoving her so the landing on the other side gave her a strong choke from the noose around her neck. They all laughed at the involuntary sound she made, and began mocking her:
— “I can’t say anything right now, I’m so choked up.”
— “Oh, thank you for your help, aarggh!”
— “Heh-ugggh-ellp me!”
The two guards mimed grabbing their throat, grimacing and sticking out their tongue. But after a glare from Chase, they turned and quickly walked up the grade.
In the lower elevations, the desert had ruled. But as their climb neared the summit, Mia noticed the climate and landscape were changing. They were leaving a region with an absence of water and entering a land with an abundance of water, the change reflected in the vegetation and microclimate. They left the road and were running through a forest where the branches of the fir trees overlapped high overheard, with fragrant pine straw underfoot. The air was changing too, no longer feeling like it had been produced in an oven, smelling like dry earth and hot sand. Here, there was a cool breeze that carried the scent of moist earth, spruce and Douglas fir trees, and flowering plants. Mia could see birds and wildlife all around, including a small red squirrel that she had never seen before. The lush vegetation and varied wildlife reminded her that in medieval literature, the Garden of Eden was located on top of a mountain. And in ancient stories from China, the Middle East, and other cultures, mountain summits were the dwelling places of the gods, planted with beautiful lush gardens of fruits and flowers. Here at the top of Mount Graham, Mia could see how the idea that supernaturally blessed life bloomed in abundance on divine mountaintops made perfect sense.
Day was ending, and the sunset was spectacular, painting the columns of the tree trunks with warm colors that alternated with long, dark purple shadows on the ground. However, twilight didn’t last long, and the golden light quickly faded. Soon Mia had difficulty seeing the terrain they were running over, ruts no longer visible, and with her too-big boots, she was continually stumbling. Which was always followed by a strong choking jerk on the rope.
Still not even a glimmer of a chance for her to make an escape, no one passing by who could help her get away to safety. Just endless running punctuated by sharp pulls on her throat and wrists. Her hope of ever getting away faded along with the daylight.
Now that the sun was no longer shining, the temperature quickly dropped to the mid-forties. Dressed only in the thin layer of the black body suit, Mia was chilled to the bone in spite of the exertion of an afternoon-long marathon run. Full darkness and still they kept going and going. She felt trapped in an unending nightmare of an ordeal that had no beginning or ending, an eternity of running and climbing in boots that were too big, trying not to twist or sprain an ankle, straining to keep up and prevent her neck from being broken or her trachea crushed by a strong yank on the rope — all while her shivering body was being pushed beyond the point of exhaustion. If the trek lasted much longer, she would not be able to keep going, not at any speed. The endless climb, endless physical exertion, plus each previous horror, fear, discomfort, stress, the effects of the chemicals they’d given her during the mind-uploading experiment — all of it had taken a toll on Mia. She was physically fit because of her conditioning regimen for fencing and had a lot of stamina to endure many challenges, but at this point, she was completely played out. All her reserves, mental and physical, were depleted, completely drained, brain and body both about to shut down. It didn’t matter whether she was on Earth or not. She knew she had no hope whatsoever of escaping or finding help of any kind. Her next step might lead to a blackout and a fall to the ground, and she worried that she wouldn’t be able to rouse herself, let alone get back up on her feet again, no matter what how hard the rope around her neck was yanked on.
Had it all happened in just one insanity of a day? She thought, “Yes, in just one long and horrible day.”
Too exhausted to notice the others had stopped, she took three steps beyond them, then stumbled to a stop herself. They had arrived. But where were they? She peered through the darkness, trying to see ahead. They were standing in front of a sheer rock face that went up over one hundred feet above her head. Without saying a word, Chase morphed, then pinned her under his arm in a fierce grip, and he and the security guards jumped — flew — straight up and landed on a rocky ledge high up on the cliff face. In the dark night, Mia could see the even darker mouth of a cave straight ahead. What was worse, she sensed the presence of a dark and violent evil flowing out of its depth toward her, and she tried to step backward away from it. Clawed paw placed between her shoulders, Chase shoved her straight ahead into the large cave opening. Mia’s head snapped back, and she gasped at the unexpected force propelling her forward. No idea
where she would land, she was falling head first into the darkness, and with her hands tied, she was unable to do anything about breaking her fall.
24 | Cave
With a sudden jerk, Mia put her hands up to protect her face, but she was no longer falling, no longer in any danger. But obviously she had fallen earlier because there was a large knot on her forehead, tender to the touch. “Did I pass out from exhaustion?” she thought. The last thing she remembered was being shoved into the sinister blackness of the mouth of the cave. But now she had been untied, the rope removed from her neck and wrists, and she was in the center of the cave, lying on her back on top of a eleven foot long, four foot wide stone table with a shallow trough running near the perimeter, edging each of its four sides. Beyond the stone table near the back of the cave, there was a small fire burning. Seated around it, Chase and the two security guards were laughing and eating a lizard-y looking something that they had cooked on a spit over the fire.
Trying to clear her mind, she sat up shaking her head. Mentally, everything was muddled, even though she was fully awake. She tried going back over the events of the day, but things didn’t make sense, and it was nearly impossible to think rationally and logically process what had happened to her. Had she really been submerged in a tank and had her brain experimented on, with researchers attempting to upload her mind to a computer and then harvest her thoughts? Had she really been carried through portals and gateways between this world and the unseen realms, taken on a day trip to Tartarus and back? She knew that it had really happened because her hair still smelled like the chemical milk bath from that tank she’d been in, and she was still wearing the ridiculous black body suit. That meant the men around the campfire in the back of the cave were actually dangerous supernatural beasts and gargoyles, not the human beings they appeared to be.
Placed on a corner of the stone table near her were three power bars like the ones she’d had earlier and an extra-large bottle of water. Completely famished, she ate them so quickly that she didn’t even notice the strange and bitter taste they had until chewing the last bite. She drank the entire bottle of water all at one time — at first to wash the odd taste out of her mouth, but then she drank because she was so thirsty.
Swinging her legs over the side of the stone table (which was so high up her feet dangled and didn’t touch the ground), she untied the boots she was wearing and tried to pull them off. They briefly stuck, but then came off with a jerk. She could see her feet were a mess of blisters, cuts, and blood, but she thought it would be okay to walk barefoot. Leaving the boots on the stone table, and moving gingerly, she lowered herself off the stone table and began exploring the sandstone cave, staying away from the group by the fire. Ancient petroglyphs carved into the sides of the cave flickered in the firelight. Drawings of monstrous giants loomed over fragile stick people, who looked like young children in comparison. With her fingers, she traced the outlines of one particular story etched into the wall. A rider on a horse was standing in front of a wide doorway topped with a star (a stargate?), facing a giant so tall his head was higher than the rider’s, even when mounted on the back of a horse. In spite of the difference in size, the brave cavalry rider pointed a spear directly at the giant, valiantly defending the stargate. The giant stood with both hands on his hips as if laughing, his body language demonstrating that he considered the rider no threat to him in the least. The end of the story wasn’t given in the drawing, no outcome indicated. Just an enduring picture of the conflict between the two adversaries about to battle each other.
She thought about the artists who created these stories so long ago, their history of the terror they experienced when white-skinned, red-haired, six-fingered giants invaded their villages, carrying off everyone they found, children, women, grown men, who all ended up as a meal for the monsters. So horrible. Being at the mercy of those giants (who had no mercy) must have been overwhelming. Building homes high up on the cliffs was a very sensible defense against these gargantuan cannibals, a way to create a sanctuary. Mia took a closer look at the drawings of the giant footprints. Each one had six toes. Who did that remind her of?! Under her breath Mia recited, “Fee, fie, foe, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman, Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.”
Evil — the giants were nothing but evil. She identified with these artists who had drawn this record. She was surrounded by bloodthirsty giants too, with no means for escaping or defend herself. No spear, no mighty steed to ride. She had nothing. And worse still, no one coming to rescue her. That settled it. She would have to rescue herself. There was no doubt about it — she had to leave! She needed to escape! Now! Waiting even one second would be too late.
Swaying for a moment, she collapsed to the floor. But she didn’t black out, didn’t stay down. Adrenaline was flooding her system, driving out every rational thought. She immediately tried to get back up because the only thing she understood at that moment, the only message getting through to her brain was, “Run! Run! Get out of this place now! You are in danger.” In reality, there were no words to this command overwhelming her brain. Instinct was SCREAMING at her body, “DANGER! FLEE! NOW! ” Her body tried to obey that demand, and she got up again, a little steadier this time.
One of the giants got up from his place near the fire and stalked toward her on long legs. What was he doing? Making a grab for her arm! The rational part of her brain recognized the giant as Chase Amunson, but her logical thought function had caved in, and rationality had climbed into the back seat to let instinct drive the bus solo. Her brain was entirely filled with only one notion — RUN! The giant was going to pull her head off, suck her blood, and gnaw her bones!
She pulled her arm away from Chase and tried to run, but her body had no strength and she sank to one knee. The offending hand with six fingers came back into view again, making another grab for her arm. She started clawing, biting, and kicking at the hand trying to capture her, reacting exactly like a gazelle confronting a lion trying to disembowel her. A cannibal was about to eat her alive! A zombie was about to make a sandwich out of her un-tin-foiled brain! Life or death! ACT NOW! It would be death if she allowed herself to be captured!
She heard a sound, a wailing shriek. Somewhere in the part of her brain that ordinarily comprehended reality was the recognition that she herself was making that sound. Someone else was bellowing the word “Pollyanna!” at her, a word that was meant to open a door to grant entrance and control of her mind, but none of that parlor magic functioned in a brain governed solely by instinct. A monster grabbed her! A giant lifted her up! Striking out frantically in every direction with legs, arms, knees, elbows, and head all at once, she arched her back to resist, flinging her weight backward to escape from those clutches. Her right elbow connected, and she felt and heard something go crunch. That stopped the hands trying to grab her, and she was dropped onto the stone floor of the cave.
She crawled over to a small recess in the cave wall just inside the entrance where she could protect her back, and nothing could sneak up behind her. Squatting, vigilant to make sure no one was trying to attack her, she remained on her feet while curled up into a small ball, gripping her ankles, rocking back and forth, back and forth, over and over and over, foaming at the mouth a little and sobbing loudly.
The security guard Flannery stood next to Chase. “What did you do to her, Talmai? Of a truth, she is broken now for sure. You will never be able to get anything out of her brain in this state, ancient bloodliner or not.”
Chase growled, “Me?! She — she! Bintah kelba! You — khuum pomukh! You! Shut! Up! She broke my nose! Asiptah!” Chase gingerly felt the damage. “You know that bottle of knockout drops we keep here, the one we use because nobody likes screaming kids. Screaming adults either, for that matter, or the way they can cause a commotion just when you’re trying to have a quiet little ritual around the stone table. Kima parsi labiruti, right? So I just put a little s
omething something in the power bars, to get her to cooperate with me. To join, become one with us, voluntarily. The mind control we have in place does not make her agree to align with us, never has. It only makes her obey my commands.”
Flannery said, “Well, that plan didn’t work out very well, did it. Leave her alone for a while. Maybe she will pull out of it.”
Duvier, the other guard still sitting by the fire, shouted, “The great Talmai, nose broken by a sag duggahei human, and a female at that! Hahaha!”
Chase boomed, “Cezary says I can’t kill her, but I can certainly kill you! And will, if you ever repeat this incident — to anyone!”
Duvier put both his hands up, no longer laughing out loud, but obviously still getting enjoyment out of thinking about the situation. “You got that right! We won’t have to repeat it. Everyone will get the point the first time we tell it!”
Mia fell asleep to the sound of Chase growling.
25 | Spring
Some time later, head splitting, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, Mia woke. At first, she stared straight ahead, eyes open, but with an absolutely blank mind, nothing whatsoever registering. Then after several minutes, she rubbed her eyes, then looked at her arms in surprise. She was bleeding. Long claw marks covered her arms, had ripped up the body suit. How peculiar it was that the wounds hadn’t hurt until she’d seen them. What had happened?
Deeper in the cave, one of the logs on the fire crackled and snapped, drawing her attention to the three sleeping nearby. She wasn’t sure she knew her own name, but every cell in her body wanted to get away from whoever was next to that fire. She looked around and saw the dark cave opening. She didn’t like leaving the warmth or the light inside the cave, but safety was her highest priority now, so she quietly moved outside into the cold night air.
No Geek Rapture for Me_I'm Old School Page 31
