Without Vili and his brothers, the Aesir would have never advanced past their anguish and to where they are today. Ve and I did the fighting. We did the things other Aesir were too fearful to do. Yet, Odin got most of the credit. Sure, he rallied the Aesir, but he acted more like a babysitter than warrior. He gave the Aesir courage, but we gave them strength. I wonder how my actions today will be remembered—as my own or as an extension of Odin himself?
Why does that matter? Securing the longevity of my people should outweigh my legacy…and yet…
Vili pushed the negative thoughts out of his head and focused on the road. Finally. Vili saw a human producing an irregular heat signature. He gathered his jacket and gloves, to hide his metallic arm, and ran downstairs. I won’t fail.
* * *
Vili stepped out of the two-story inn and noticed it was probably the only two story building for kilometers. All that lay outside the town’s perimeter was mountains, snow, dirt, and the sea.
A stone walkway led from the inn to a small strip in the center of town, which contained the majority of the entertainment and stores. It also connected to the only road leading into and out of town. Vili moved toward the strip of stores and spotted the young man walking toward a pub. His red hair fell slightly below his shoulders; he sported a small beard and looked to be only slightly taller and more muscular than the other men Vili had seen.
Vili held his breath as the man continued to move through the street. He looks so…ordinary. A face I’d forget in an instant if he wasn’t my mark. The man’s skin, thanks to the virus modulating his metabolism, swam in a cavalcade of color that only Vili could detect. He’s oblivious to his potential, bubbling below the surface, itching to erupt. Whether he’ll like it or not, he’s destined to be the seed from which I grow an army on Earth…I just need to make contact.
The Descendant entered a small and newly renovated pub, and Vili soon followed. Vili, much taller and broader than the average man in the area, drew a few stares as he entered. He grabbed an empty seat next to the young man at the bar. How the hell do I even begin?
“What brings you this far north?” Vili asked, unsure of what else to start with. “Sight-seeing?”
The young man replied in a tone that struck Vili as both simultaneously stern and considerate. “Something like that.” He smiled. “I can’t say for certain. Maybe it’s all this talk about aliens, but I felt like I just needed to get away from home.”
“And where’s home?”
“Ireland—I’m Lugh by the way.”
“Vili. So, why’d you leave home?”
“It started to feel…stuffy there. Maybe too much familiarity. I don’t know. I’ve never felt that way before.”
And you won’t feel that way in a week—the virus will have run its course by then. “Strange.”
“Yeah I guess I just needed to get away from civilization, and this is as good of a place as any to do that.”
Is he rationalizing his migration? I wonder if the others will do the same.
Vili noticed the bartender coming over: an older, burly and clean shaven man with a sharp part in his hair. “What can I get you?”
“Two of whatever’s the cheapest on tap,” Lugh said.
I like him. “Next one’s on me.”
* * *
Lugh and Vili continued to speak about life—mostly Lugh’s—for the next hour. Vili learned that Lugh was fluent in multiple western European languages and studying law at a school in Germany. He noticed Lugh’s posture began to sag as he shifted more of his weight onto the bar table. I need to wrap this up before this kid passes out.
“So where are you staying around here?” Vili asked while wiping drops of beer off his beard.
“I left in such a rush that I haven’t worked that out yet.”
“Lucky for you, there are some vacancies at the inn around the corner.” Or there may not be. I just need to talk to you without prying ears and eyes.
“Really? Great. Let’s pay and head out. I’m exhausted.” Lugh turned to the burly bartender. “Can we close our tabs?”
“Alright boys, here you go.” The bartender said as he handed them their checks.
Vili pulled out the few gold coins he had and paused. Looking around the room, he realized he hadn’t seen anyone else pay with gold. Our intel said gold was still a universal currency…If I need to obtain the various forms of paper currency on Earth that’s going to take a while. Vili glanced at the card Lugh was holding. It would have been ideal to use cards that mimic their electronic transactions, but that information was too specific and suspicious to request. We were lucky enough our anthropologist was able to get the Council to share basic information about markets on Earth for her bogus study.
Lugh saw the confusion on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“How much is this in gold coins?” Vili whispered.
Lugh burst out laughing. “You’re kidding, right?”
Vili noticed the other patrons at the bar, including the bartender, were joining in as well. He stayed silent and a veil of hostility fell across his sharp features. Laugh now. You’ll be begging for my help later.
“No worries friend—I’ll pick up your tab. Is the inn taking your gold? Ha! I wonder how much you’re over-paying!”
Lugh closed the tabs with the bartender, who continued to shake his head and chuckle.
They left the bar and headed toward the inn. The moon had chased the sun out of the sky as they drank. Streetlights struggled to illuminate the surrounding area better than the full force of Earth’s satellite. The rustic stone walkway wore a damp exterior from rain earlier, giving it a slight shimmer.
Vili shook off his pang of inferiority. “Lugh, what do you think about all this alien talk?”
Lugh pondered for a minute. “Well, if it was a prank then it was a well-orchestrated one. I’ll admit it didn’t feel like a prank—at least not totally. On the other hand, I don’t really see any evidence of experimentation.”
“Wouldn’t some experiments require the subjects to be ignorant of the observers?”
“Sure. I suppose that’s true. But if there was some alien race powerful enough to observe or experiment on us in utter secrecy then why would they be interested in us in the first place? What would they gain from observing a less advanced race? We should mean very little to them.”
“Which is why you make such great subjects.”
“Why are we talking about this as if it’s true? And ‘you’ make great subjects, as if you aren’t human?”
Vili gave the area a quick look to ensure no one was around and replied. “I’m not, and we’re talking about it because it’s true.”
“Ha! How much have you had to drink? It’s one thing to say we aren’t completely alone in the universe, but another to believe every word of that message and claim you’re an alien.”
“What if I could prove it to you?”
Lugh smiled and opened his mouth to speak, but instead inhaled and tilted his head. He paused a moment before replying. “Okay. How would you do that?”
“Four ways: the technology I have on me, my advanced biology, my cloaked ship in the mountains over there, and knowing that by the end of tonight humans will be able to use basic optical telescopes to prove they aren’t alone in the universe.”
“There is no way I’m going with a stranger in the dark, to an unpopulated mountain range, to look for an alien spaceship without a very good reason.”
“Ha. Understood. Want to walk to the beach? It’s only a few minutes from here. I’ll show you my advanced technology and biology. After that, I guarantee you’ll want to see my ship.”
“Uhh…okay…why can’t you show me here?”
“Others will find out when the time is right, but for now it can only be you.”
Lugh put his hands in his pocket and shuffled his feet while breaking eye contact. “Look man, I applaud you for the unique approach—I’m sure these pickup lines normally work—but I, uhh, am the wrong typ
e, if you know what I mean.”
Vili had no clue what Lugh meant—he wasn’t sure how to respond.
“There’s no need to be embarrassed or anything—you seem like a cool guy…”
Vili began to doubt he was fully fluent in the language—Lugh’s responses didn’t follow logically from what he was asking. Whatever the reason, Vili was getting tense. “What the hell are you talking about? I don’t have time for games. Is my language unclear?” Vili spoke slowly and signed with his hands to help convey his next sentence. “I will prove to you I’m not of this Earth.”
“What? You’re serious? You’re…” Lugh trailed off. He looked over at the partially lit beach. He mumbled to himself and bit his lower lip. “It’s within yelling distance…What the hell? Sure. It’s either be convinced I’m hanging out with an alien or get some much needed rest. Who would ever pick the latter?”
The two walked in silence over to the harbor. Mountain ranges carried the coastline out to the sea on either side of the town, before tapering off. Waves slowly rolled over the sharp rocks that replaced sand this far north. Boats were docking for the night along the beach and a couple stood far off in the distance, holding each other and staring out over the ocean.
“I’ll show you the tech first,” Vili said, wasting no time. He removed his jacket and gloves to reveal his carbon alloy arm. Vili had never really reflected on what his arm looked like; it was as if someone had precisely cut a metal arm into cross sections three centimeters thick and then sealed them all back together. Realizing he was standing still, Vili shook off his own, accidental gaze and demonstrated his arm’s full articulation.
“That’s incredible. I’ve never seen a replacement limb that functional before,” Lugh said not quite in disbelief.
To demonstrate his strength, Vili picked up a stone in his right hand and gripped it so tight that it broke into two pieces.
“Holy shit! You sure you’re an alien and not a robot?”
“I can see I piqued your interest,” Vili said more matter-of-factly than with excitement. “Now for the biological augmentation demonstration.” Vili took one of the broken stones and cut a deep gash on his left arm. Lugh jumped back.
“You’re psychotic. What are you doing?” Lugh stared on, his eyes wide and jaw dropped, as Vili’s gash started to mend itself. Within a minute or two there was no evidence of a cut on his arm.
“Should we go see the ship?” Vili said, confident he could move this along quickly.
“This is too weird. If you are an alien or some other…thing….why are you so set on proving it to me?”
“You heard the message. I said some humans would be hearing from me shortly: you’re one of those humans. Actually, you’re the first one I’ve found. I’m looking for individuals that will help me—and Earth—with something that will ensure the survival of both of us.”
Lugh’s eyes glazed over and he shook his head. “Let’s pick this up in the morning. I need sleep and at this point I can’t tell if I’m hallucinating.”
“Fair enough. Let’s head back to the inn.”
* * *
As it turns out, the inn did have extra bedrooms and Lugh requested one on the first floor—as far away from Vili’s as possible. Exhausted and a little sick, Lugh dropped his bag on the floor and collapsed into bed. Shouldn’t aliens look different than humans? Why the hell did he bring gold to Earth? And then Lugh sunk into a dreamless sleep.
Act I, Chapter 14
The Huaca
Location: Pachacamac, Peru
Who knew I’d end up needing to explicate the Huaca psyche? What can I recall…they were second to the Anunnaki in terms of aggression toward Olympia during the Fracturing. An amphibious race with wide genetic diversity, they had many distinct features; most Huaca had a cone shaped head, typically covered in a few large growths or many small ones. The growths held gases and nutrients so that the Huaca could survive during famines or hibernate in inimical environments.
They had a patch of skin on the inside of their throats that acted as a filter to whatever they swallowed. Whether it was liquid or gas (or sometimes solids), the patch filtered only molecules their body needed for respiration. Excess was stored in the nubs protruding from their heads. The rest of the contents exited via gills on the sides of their necks. Their “mouths” typically ended in a fleshy beak-like feature and weren’t used for food consumption.
Most Huaca didn’t feed themselves in ways Olympians were accustomed; instead, they would immerse themselves in nutrient baths and their body absorbed what it needed. Moreover, some specific Huacan lines evolved to feed off radiation. Because of their method of calorie consumption, their skin was the most delicate of all the core forms. It was surmised that much of their research went into toughening their skin and strengthening armor. Overall, they were more circumspect than the bellicose Anunnaki.
They had very small torsos and four identical limbs, which allowed them to flawlessly switch between walking on two, three, or four “legs”—an interesting challenge on the battlefield. Even so, the Olympians handled them quickly in the beginning of the war. Or so they thought. Perhaps the depth of Huacan machinations and deception was underestimated. – In Vino Veritas, page 114, note 2.
* * *
Athena was in the cockpit as Atlas flew them in the small, generic Linter that was utilized by Olympian researchers long-ago on Earth; its design went as far back as eight thousand years prior. They had just left the Bandurria facility and were now flying to Pachacamac.
Atlas looked over from the controls at Athena. “Do we ever plan on leaving this region? It was the Huaca that ran their experiments around here, right? You think they are back on Earth?”
“Possibly.”
“What makes you say that?”
Can I tell him about the experiments? If this is known by the Council then it’s highly classified—I didn’t even know about it—and if not then it should be. Atlas already broke my trust once, and in a big way. I’ll fill him in only if absolutely necessary. “The intruders landed in Nazca and the facility in Bandurria appeared untouched by Olympia. There may be many labs on Earth that Olympia never inspected—or didn’t even know about—but the fact that the closest site to where the intruders landed was undisturbed by Olympia makes me think it’s not a coincidence.”
“What research could the Huaca have left behind that was valuable enough to spark another war?”
“No idea.” Except for the experimentation on Olympians.
“Well, I guess it’s not too far-fetched. The Huaca became irrelevant early on in the war.” Atlas paused. “They were all but extinct by the time I was ordered to go into hibernation. Did any of that change by the end of it?”
Athena’s heart briefly stung as she was reminded of Atlas’ treachery during the Fracturing. The sensation subsided and was replaced with disgust. “No.” The gall to casually mention his “mission,” as if it wasn’t punishment for his horrific betrayal.
Atlas shifted in his seat and grunted.
They said nothing else the rest of the way. The only noise came from the Linter’s comm receiver, which they kept tuned in to the human broadcasts.
* * *
Arriving in the region surrounding Pachacamac, Athena watched as Atlas keyed the autopilot and allowed the research vessel to guide them to an underwater passage. The ship barely disturbed the surface of the surrounding ocean as it gracefully dove to find the entrance below. At the ocean floor, the autopilot landed in a non-descript spot and a dome-shaped structure rose from the right and closed on the other. Once the dome was hermetically sealed, the disguised platform they were on sunk into the ground; the ocean water that was with them in the dome spilled onto the floor and disappeared through vents. Athena realized they were on a conveyer belt that was moving toward the underground facility on the coast. Within minutes, their vessel was docked in the hanger and they were preparing to exit.
“Atlas, stay here and continue listening to the human bro
adcasts—we need to stay abreast of current events on Earth.” There has to be some form of remote communication…here. Athena handed Atlas a bright yellow earpiece while hooking a separate one onto her right ear. It was loose and clearly meant to fit a different species’ ear, but it would have to do. “These should allow us to communicate while in the lab. Let me know if anything worth note is mentioned.” Athena heard Atlas’ grunt of assent first in the air, then a split-second later echoing in her earpiece. Satisfied the devices would function, Athena headed toward the heart of the facility.
This hanger was much larger than the one at the fertility lab, and it had clearly been ransacked. There were at least 30 ships parked and almost none of them looked functional. Most were severely damaged and a few were in multiple pieces. Even the walls, which stretched much higher into the air than Athena was expecting, bore the marks of a violent confrontation. More gold markings as well… Athena took note as she walked toward a ramp on the other end of the 250-meter-long room. Why did Olympia destroy this facility, but not the other? Were the Huaca more complex than we thought?
I doubt it—they are all but extinct in the galaxy. Maybe whoever’s on Earth is trying to bring back their civilization. Or maybe they were hiding until the Fracturing was over and they are now re-emerging from natural hibernation.
Athena reached a ramp to exit the hanger. At the top, she was met with a wide, long hall that ended in a dead-end. There must be at least 20 other rooms here.
Athena inspected the first opening on her left. She could tell at one point a two foot thick sliding door closed off this room—and the others—from the main hallway. All of them were wrecked. As if something ran through them…
The first room she entered was a communication and monitoring station. There were screens, once-functioning interactive holograms, delineated worker stations, and lots of chaos. The room’s walls had deep gashes in them of various sizes and the floor was cracked. It would take sophisticated weaponry to cause this much damage. I don’t recall Olympia ever calling an especially large attack on any bases on Earth…at least I can read bits of the language here. Athena saw Huacan language mixed with syntax similar to what she saw at the fertility lab, as well as some symbols she had never seen before. Pretty complex operation if they are using a combination of multiple novel languages to communicate.
The Gods Who Chose Us Page 12
