“And that doesn’t worry you?”
“No, it does not. The mountain sleeps, and will continue to. That is how it has always been.”
****
On his second trip out, he took Falkor with him. It was time the lizard with wings got out and stretched them. He waited until dark before leaving, and the little dragon was so excited he was bouncing off the floor. When Al opened the door and let him know it was okay to go outside, he immediately took to the skies. He was visible when moving against a variable background, but against the black of night, he simply disappeared.
His mission this evening was to see more of the temple. The information from Darius and Dusty about the king troubled him. One man with dubious intentions should not have complete control over the information and technology contained inside the outpost.
There were guards posted outside, but they were farmers and hunters, converted to the teachings of the king, and were not very alert. He kept to the shadows and worked his way to the door they used on his arrival, to find it locked. A solid shove told him he would leave significant damage were he to force it. He could get in, but he did not want to leave traces of his visit. Al moved on through the scaffolding and construction, looking for an entrance.
On both worlds he visited in the past, the outposts were embedded into the ground. One under a desert, and one inside a mountain. This research facility was no different and resided inside Vision Peak. The castle was a farce. A structure built to protect a place that did not need protection. The work forced on the townspeople was performed to inflate the ego of King Agenor, and a way to control the economy of the island.
Al wanted to procure a data block. Something they could use to gain clues to the history of Thera. His bionic legs allowed him to move quickly and silently, propelling him to a ledge with a ventilation screen hidden in a recess. In one fast motion, he ripped the cover from its fastenings and set it aside. His plan was to replace it when he left.
The metal shaft was a tight fit and required Al to crawl on hands and knees. It was an intake vent, with the night air whistling into the tunnel behind him. Unsure if the sound of the wind masked his movements or carried his noises ahead of him, he moved quietly and took his time.
The ventilation shaft he crawled through went straight for two hundred feet and then branched in three directions. He had no idea where he was, and left, right, or straight ahead made little difference.
His night vision revealed only ductwork in all directions, so he stopped for a moment to listen. While enhanced, Al could adjust his hearing to be quite sensitive, and faint voices from the duct to the right pulled him in that direction.
The tunnel came to another tee; the increasingly more distinct whispers turning to language as he reached the center of the junction. An opening in the floor, covered by a two-foot grate, looked down upon a royal guard’s ready room.
It was a small room, and Al could see the entire floor. Two men were sitting at a battered table having a discussion, with two more sleeping on unkempt beds. Extravagant uniforms hung on the wall along with a rack for charging a dozen laser pistols, with only half of the slots empty. In the corner stood two longer, much more deadly, laser rifles.
They are armed similarly to us. I wonder what other technologies they have managed to find inside the temple?
He heard part of the discussion, “…he has to maintain order. If he doesn’t, they will ask more of him than he can give. His generosity is well known.”
“Generosity? He could stand to do more for the townspeople. I do not like that we must collect tribute from people that can ill-afford it.”
“Tributes are required to support the kingdom. King Agenor has explained this many times.”
“Still…it does not feel right.”
Time was passing, and Al had to move on. As quietly as possible, he continued down the main vent while pondering the exchange, and thought it a sign of discontent in the ranks; which might work in his favor.
The next grate he came across was the main reason for his visit. Although there was only the soft glow of the indicators on the data cube readers, he could see glass cabinets surrounding the workstations that held the one-inch cubes used for the Caretaker’s data storage.
The cover was hinged and accessible from inside, which meant this passageway was intended for use when circumstances demanded it. The original occupants of the temple were smaller beings, and the opening was a tight fit, but Al slipped through and dropped to the floor with little difficulty.
He knew there was order to the database, and the beginning of Thera’s history would be on one end or the other. Al chose the end with the most dust and slipped the first in line into his pocket. He had what he needed.
Now to get out.
He had to crawl backward until he reached the intersection. With no room to turn around, his progress was slow. When he could turn around, he thought he heard music coming from one of the branch ducts and decided to investigate.
He was heading back in the direction of town and was surprised at what he found. Spread out below him was an observation room, converted to an elaborate throne room. One entire wall was a viewing screen centered on the town, and sitting on an ornate throne facing the screen was a man that had to be King Agenor.
Dressed in royal trappings, he snacked from an assortment of delicacies laid out on a side table and watched his kingdom. The music was unusual, and electronic, and flowed up and down the scale to follow the tune of its creator, long since gone. To complete the picture of decadence, a frightened young girl danced half-heartedly to its haunting melody.
An elaborate crown covered his head, but under the crown was greasy black hair that fell to his shoulders over an overstuffed red and white robe. He was not tall, nor commanding, or in the least bit royal, but he was clearly comfortable in his role. Al did not like him instantly, and there were very few people that affected him this way.
The tiny clock in his visual display told him it would soon be light and time to go, so he backed to the intersection and made his way out. He was surprised to see the power indicator in the periphery of his vision displayed a reading of ninety-five percent. He knew he used more energy when enhanced, but it always surprised him. When he arrived at Thera, it was at ninety-nine percent. He would need to be more careful in the future if he wanted his power pack to last.
His exit went unnoticed until he wound his way through the scaffolding and stepped out into the open to make his getaway. From behind him, a man yelled, “Stop!”
Freezing, he slowly raised his hands.
There was a screech from above, and the startled thump of someone receiving a blow. The voiced yelled, “What the—.”
While his antagonist was distracted, Al took off. Within seconds, there was nobody to see. When he approached the door to the Forman’s home Falkor materialized, his tail wagging and by all appearances someone expecting praise.
“So that was you back there wasn’t it?” asked Al.
The little dragon’s head bobbed up and down as if he knew what Al was saying.
“I think maybe you understand more than you let on. Thank you Falkor—good dragon.”
Al opened the door and went inside, the lizard with wings bouncing happily as it followed him inside.
****
“I don’t think I like your King,” declared Al. “He seems way too comfortable.”
Dusty and his father sat at the table with questions in their eyes. “What did you see?” asked Darius.
“I saw they were well armed and sure of their superiority. Did you know your king sits on his throne and watches the goings on in your town?”
“He can see us?” asked the boy.
“Yes, Dusty, he has something called a camera, and he has several of them somewhere on the mountain. He can look at the entire town or zoom in to view a single house.”
For a moment there was disbelief, then what Al meant became apparent. Darius nodded and said, “That must be how he knew
when we were gathering together or not working fast enough.”
“He has no more right to the temple than anyone else. Your people are being taken advantage of by a man no better than any of you. There are machines inside that can create whatever you desire. The extra food you pay for and Dusty’s flashlight that cost you so dearly is produced in a matter of minutes and cost him nothing.”
They talked for a while more, going over the indiscretions of King Agenor and his disciples until Darius dared to ask this question.
“I have a friend who is very keen on matters of science and lives only four houses down. Can I introduce him to you? He too thinks the king is not what he proclaims to be, and this man can be trusted.”
This island was the last, most viable place to bring his people. Al needed this to work and believed there was enough room for all three cultures to co-exist if conditions were improved. There was also the rest of the planet. He thought it possible there might be another landmass across the ocean.
The beginnings of a plan began to form in Al’s mind, and he decided he needed allies. “Okay. Have him come by tomorrow for dinner. Tell him you are cooking up something special, but say no more. We will need to explain this carefully.”
Al thought more co-conspirators were required. “Do you have other friends that think like you?”
“Yes, there are some. But very few will speak aloud their concerns. We thought the king had spies everywhere, but if he has a window over our town, he would not need many.”
****
The neighbor came as requested and on time. Darius greeted his friend at the door. He stuck his head out, looked around and ushered him inside. The man was shorter and heavier than their host and looked to be around forty. As soon as he spotted Al sitting at the table and facing the door, he stopped; frozen.
The new arrival was not expecting more guests, and this one he did not recognize. “Um—hello?”
Darius intervened and made the introductions, “Timothy Reiler, this is Al Clark. He has come to us through the sacred chamber.”
Timothy took a step backward and stared open-eyed at his friend, then at Al, and back to Darius. Darius tilted his head and smiled.
“That is not possible! No one comes from inside the chamber but the Traveler—you saw him come from inside?”
“Dusty and I both witnessed it.”
Timothy fell to the floor, and Al stood up to say, “Whoa, wait a minute! I am not what you think. Here, take a seat in this chair and we’ll explain it to you.”
Al told the story again, this time, assisted by Dusty and his father. Timothy listened intently and occasionally asked a question. In time, he was introduced to Falkor and was appropriately amazed.
Timothy joked with Darius later in the evening, “An alien visits and brings his pet dragon. If you would have told me this casually, say at the shop, I would have believed you were not right in the head.”
When the conversation slowed down, and it became late, Al expressed his problem. “I need to go back to my planet and bring back some help. We will have to break into the temple again, where I can show Darius how to work the controls. When I come back, I’ll bring four or five people with me to help—and believe me; they can be quite helpful. To do what I have in mind, we need more people and firepower.”
Timothy asked Al, “You have access to weapons?”
“Yes, more than enough. We will avoid using them, of course, but we must have something to show we mean business. While I am gone, I need you three to very quietly and selectively recruit more people to our cause.”
“How many do we need?” asked Darius.
“Not many initially, three or four maybe, but you must be certain the king doesn’t discover what you are up to.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“Only a few days.”
Timothy asked the question foremost on all their minds. “What are we going to do upon your return?”
“First, I need to know one thing. Have you ever seen or heard of there being any large dinosaurs on the island?”
“Dinosaurs?”
“Yes, big scaly monsters that walk on their back legs and eat people.”
They thought it a funny question to ask but shook their heads in the negative.
“Good—in that case, we are going to dethrone the king, open the temple to all, and set you free!”
Chapter Five
There was one more excursion he needed to make before he returned to Avalon. A trip out to the remote side of Thera to see how livable it was. After Timothy had left, and Dusty and his father went to bed, Al and Falkor went to investigate.
They cleared the town without incident. With Falkor flying invisibly overhead, and Al following the shadows, they made their way to the other end of the island. They found it was remote, well forested, and beautiful; with a clear freshwater lake smack in the middle.
We could live here, thought Al. The moonlight illuminated the waving grass in the open areas and sent beams of light through the trees to the uncluttered forest floor. The wildlife chirped, clicked, and howled, but Al saw nothing he would label as dangerous. Yes, this could work.
“What do you think Falkor, could you live here?”
“The little dragon had only a dry, deserted desert for comparison, but he expressed his consent by flapping his wings and bouncing up and down. They were taking in the scenery, with the dragon perched next to him on a fallen tree, and Al laughed.
He sat on the log with his senses heightened, taking in the wonderland around him. A slightly perfumed breeze gently wound past. The smell of ripe berries ten yards away and the fluttering of insect wings as they went about their business. When he was enhanced, he was alive. A new chapter was about to begin, and he looked forward to it. This magnificent landscape would make a perfect place to call home.
Yes, I think this will do nicely.
****
The next day, when it became late enough, Al would attempt his escape from Thera. But first, Darius insisted on a going away party. He and Dusty wanted Al to leave in style.
Just before sunset Timothy arrived, carrying a musical instrument that was older than anything in town which he handled as if made of glass. Similar in size and design to a violin, it was crafted of a highly polished blonde wood, had five strings played with the fingers, and reminded Al of a high pitched guitar. Timothy played the instrument beautifully, and the house filled with music written by and for a civilization far from Earth. Still, the music was hauntingly familiar.
The four conspirators had a good dinner and washed it down with the local wine. Falkor received plenty of attention and food and drink of his own. There were gifts for Al.
Darius contributed a white hat, a bright colored shirt, and a pair of tan shorts to replace the drab outfit Al was wearing when he arrived. Dusty gave him a pair of big blue sunglasses. Glasses from the temple is what he said. Timothy topped them all and produced a tiny vial of alcohol and a stemmed glass complete with a little stick umbrella.
He put on the shirt and shorts and stored the hat, sunglasses, and drink in his backpack. When they believed it was late enough, they made their way to the temple, and the teleporter. Al decided to forgo taking the trip to Avalon while enhanced; the memory of the last experience still fresh on his mind. Normal mode would do just fine.
The door they used when he arrived was the entrance to a stone foyer, constructed outside the actual Caretaker door, and allowed the occupants to block open the original door that required an access badge.
Dusty acted as a diversion. He told the guards posted at the front doors he heard something around the corner, and they followed, literally taken off guard.
They found the doors locked, and a disappointed Al whispered, “I guess we’ll have to find another way in.”
“Mr. Clark. I am not only a blacksmith, but a locksmith, and I am the one that made this lock.” Darius took two small metal rods from his pocket and said, “Give me but a moment.”
&n
bsp; Falkor could be heard squawking not far away, leading the hapless guards on a wild dragon chase.
As Darius promised, the entrance was opened, and they rushed inside, closing the doors gently behind them. For three heartbeats they listened, hoping for silence, and were rewarded with the sacred chamber and its amphitheater being dark and empty.
Quickly Al programmed the Avalon coordinates into the control panel and opened the door to the teleport box. He instructed Darius on which buttons to press and then stepped around to enter the chamber.
He was going back to Avalon with good news and bad, but he was finally on his way back to his wife, his family, and his friends. In his excitement, he almost forgot something. With his arms up he said, “Wait a second.”
He put on the hat and the sunglasses, emptied the vial of alcohol into the glass and added the umbrella.
“Okay, now I’m ready. You two be careful, and I’ll see you in a few days. Do you know what you need to do?”
Timothy glanced at Darius, and Darius supplied the answer. “Assemble more help, make note of the guard’s schedules, and take care of Falkor. Is that about it?”
“I think you have it. All right, let’s do this.”
Al stepped into the sacred chamber, and Darius activated the device. In a flash of light and the blink of an eye, Al disappeared; his molecules already halfway home.
Chapter Six
The first thing Elizabeth did when she saw her husband was run to him and give him a big hug. His son-in-law, Christopher, was right behind her smiling, obviously pleased to see him. They were excited, and both talking at once, until Elizabeth said, “We need to get you upstairs where we can talk. Why are you dressed like that? Never mind—hurry before someone sees you.”
She wanted to get the details of his journey before he answered a thousand questions from everyone else. They took a roundabout path through the equipment crowding the cavern floor, to reach the lift unnoticed. As soon as the lift left the ground she told Al to lie down, to hide him from below.
Thera Page 4
