As the ramp came to an end, ahead of him were hundreds of barred cells. It was a prison. Each cell held two to four captives. The people inside were dirty, sickly, and starving. Their hair and teeth had fallen out from lack of proper nutrition, sunlight, and exercise. Many had been beaten almost beyond human recognition. They were the living dead.
People called out to him for help, pleading to be released. They burst out crying. Though they couldn’t understand him, he touched their outstretched hands, assuring them he would be back.
It wasn’t long before Steven realized the full scope of what was before him. The cells were but one small part of a massive underground bastion.
Never before had Steven seen such a sorrowful sight.
Fully realizing that it was far too large to search alone, he decided to try a different tactic. Minutes later, calling from cell to cell, he finally found an elderly man who spoke English; his instructions led him to the prison’s control room.
With the push of a single button, he unlocked every cell simultaneously, swinging their doors open. The able-bodied were the first to leave their cells. Their eyes darted to and fro with caution as they exited. As Steven walked, calling out Phillip’s name, he told those he passed to get out, to escape.
Steven passed a weapons room. It held both ancient weapons and modern, swords and rifles. It had torture devices that looked like something out of medieval times and armor that looked shiny and new. He took note of an ornamental Anunnaki statue adorning the center of the room.
But his search was for Phillip, and he quickly passed the room by. His breath abated as he came to Enlil’s torture area.
Macabre devices alluded to centuries of untold horrors. A cold chill raced through him, and he forced himself to put the images they conjured up out of his mind. The smells were strong; the ground red with layers of blood. There was a surgical table, with a large machine hovering above it, in the air. Steven believed it to be the table on which they had castrated Phillip.
The next chamber was a large research facility. Much of the room held large vats of bubbling, blue liquid. They were incubators.
Steven swallowed. His heart lurched. He stepped up and around the nearest one, until he faced the creature it held inside.
It was one of Enlil’s pure Anunnaki females. Though she physically looked different from Ashlyn, she too was beautiful. In shock, he took a step back, his eyes moving from vat to vat. Each held a female, all of them looking identical. They were fully-grown, close to being released. His blood turned cold, even as his mind raced for answers.
Enlil created the males first. We were simpler, less complicated. He remembered Victor’s enthusiastic discussion about Ashlyn. Even he had said that compared to Ashlyn’s anatomy, he was boring. The females are more complex—the reproductive system alone makes them harder to recreate. Makes sense. Create the males first, and then focus on the females.
Tynabo didn’t give us our cravings—that’s part of the Anunnaki physiology. All Tynabo did was keep a copy of the genetic materials they were giving to Enlil, so they could build their own Anunnaki. Ashlyn and I.
But—Enlil was surprised by Ashlyn’s ability to read minds. And he didn’t understand how I was able to throw the energy orbs—so some of our abilities are not Anunnaki. That part was from Tynabo! It all seems so clear.
Steven looked at the vats around him. Enlil was so close to seeing his plan realized. He had exhausted all the resources here. He was going to move everything from here to Earth, utilize its resources, and continue his plan.
As anxious as he was to find Phillip, he took the time to find the controls. His finger hovered over the terminate button, sad that he was about to kill all of them. Anunnaki or not, they were women. They had never held any love for humanity. They would be loyal to their creator. He couldn’t allow them to reinforce Enlil’s army.
Steven hit the button.
They all began to awaken as the oxygen tubes feeding them abruptly stopped. They all turned and looked at him. They pounded against the glass, drowning.
Steven wasn’t sure what he had expected to happen—but seeing the horror of their death twisted his stomach. He felt intensely sorry for them. He turned, not wanting to see their pain.
Continuing on his search for Phillip, he went deeper into the complex. It was near two more hours before he discovered Enlil’s living quarters. It was massively large and as lavish as he’d expected. His eyes fell upon a large stone bowl, perhaps six meters across in what would have been Enlil’s living room. Steven had to stand on his tiptoes to get a look over the rim, to see what was inside. His eyes went wide with terror and he screamed out in anguish. Though his stomach churned, he forced himself to look at the dismembered, half-eaten, skeletal frame of a castrated male child that lay at the bottom of the bowl. It was a child Phillip’s size, with dark blonde hair like Phillip’s. Steven screamed as he thought of his son’s innocent face. Forgive me, Renee. Please, forgive me, for not having brought him home to you!
Inundated by his emotional pain, Steven slid to the ground, sobbing. He lay there, not knowing how to cope. He seethed with hatred. He pictured the look on Renee’s face, imagining the day when he had to tell her what happened. The loss was more than his grief stricken soul could bear, and his mind sought relief in the depths of sleep.
When he awoke, though his heart was heavy with grief, he set off to find Christie. As Steven turned back, throwing a last glance at the bowl, his anger raged. He turned into the dragon and incinerated everything.
Upstairs, back in his human form, Steven wandered through the throngs of people that thought of him as God, each wanting to touch him, each calling him Enki. After having seen Phillip, the last thing Steven felt like was a god.
Steven went back to the original barracks where he had first met Christie. Inside, a dozen humans sat on the floor, quietly conversing. “Christie,” said Steven putting his hand out at waist level. “Christie?”
A young man responded, “Christie! Christie!” His head bobbed, smiling. His arms waved, motioning for Steven to follow. Outside, the man led him to yet another building. Inside, the man rolled aside a large wooden barrel in the far corner of the room. Under the barrel, he pulled out several floorboards, revealing a narrow stairwell.
With a wide smile, the man urged Steven to follow him. Eventually, the narrow tunnel led them to a bluff that overlooked a small underground city. Word spread fast and by the time Steven reached the center proper, he was surrounded by hundreds of curious on-lookers, both human and even a few Neanderthal. His guide, after motioning for Steven to sit and wait, darted off into the crowd. People crowded around him, reaching out to touch him, smiling afterwards for having been so privileged.
The city was primitive and reminded Steven of the pirate city, Tortuga, that he had seen depicted in the old movies. He admired the people. Even under the watchful scrutiny of Enlil, they had managed to hew a city out of little more than mud and stone.
From somewhere up ahead, Steven heard the voice of his guide, telling the people to move. Steven stood. A moment later, his guide appeared and with a wide smile, presented Christie to him.
Dropping to one knee, Steven put his arms out to her.
The crowd was silent, sentimental.
Christie ran to him burying her face in his chest. They hugged tightly, letting their tears speak for them. Her embrace reminded him that he would never hold Phillip like this ever again.
Steven finally gathered himself. “Christie? Ashlyn and I would like very much to have a little girl of our own. We’ve been hoping that you might come live with us. Do you think you would like that?”
Christie’s big eyes filled with tears as she nodded, yes.
They hugged each other tightly. It was if nothing else in the world existed.
A man approached. He had been patiently waiting, not wanting to interrupt. “Sir, my name is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.”
“Is that your given name?”
�
�No, I was a geologist back on Earth. He was my favorite poet, and since I’m familiar with all his writings, well—it was sort of natural. The people here like to hear me recite his works. My given name though, is Erich Guerling.”
“Erich? From the moon? From Hoagland Cen-Comm?”
“Yes—do I know you?”
“Steven Sherrah. Admiral Sherrah. We—”
Steven never got to finish as Erich grabbed him and hugged him in a tight embrace. Tears streamed down his face. “My friend, I have thought of you often. I wondered if you were still alive. Do you have word of Earth? Did anyone survive?”
“A few—six thousand of us. We destroyed Enlil’s fleet a few months ago as well as his three destroyers when we arrived here. Earth is safe, for now—he doesn’t have any ships left.”
“Do you remember the promise you made me?” said Erich. “You gave me your word that you would avenge us!”
Before Steven could reply, Erich added, “I’d say, you’re off to a good start.”
“Thank you, Erich. Is there anything you know that might help me defeat Enlil?”
“If he has weaknesses—they are unknown. He is very powerful. We have all heard about how he was hurt—a knife in the eye. That was the first weakness that anyone has ever seen.”
“Erich, where are all the guards? They are all gone.”
“They were killed, most of them anyway. When you were fighting with Enlil, the people rose-up, following Enki’s instructions. Many of our people were killed, but our numbers were great, and we overcame the Igigi and his Elite Guards. When Enlil returned, he was angry as never before. He killed most everyone in the city above. After he left, we took them outside the city.”
“Why had they not always lived here, in safety?”
“If we were all to disappear, they would search for us and find us. So long ago, the people here compromised, sending the old and weak to the city above. Those who are healthy and young, stay here—and in other underground cities around the planet, to live. Their sacrifice ensures that we survive.” He paused for a moment. “May I ask, Admiral—are you also Enki? You fit the description of the man who is said to have fought Enlil.”
Steven nodded.
“Everyone thinks Enki is a god. They say you have his ability to shift form?”
“Yes—that is a lonnng story.”
“And the woman who threw the knife? She is with you?”
“Yes. She is fighting for her life right now, but I am hopeful. Erich, how did you survive—you were out of air?”
“I was, but their ship got to me, bringing me aboard before I died. After the carriers dropped the Uttu on Earth, they left orbit, bringing me here. The first weeks were the worst, but after they realized how little I knew, they turned me out to work.
“The people brought me below. I have been here ever since. I have a wife and two sons.”
Erich looked around, his eyes meeting those of the people around him. “The people here believe you are the promised Messiah. You are aware of the prophecy?”
“Prophecy? No.”
Erich smiled. “For thousands of years, it has been prophesied that a man named Enki would come. It is said that he is a man born from the ocean, but commands the stars. That he was once mortal, but is now bestowed with eternal life—wielding the power of the gods.”
Steven swallowed. The last thing he wanted to be was a fulfiller of prophecy, even if all the words did find meaning in him. “And what does it say happens to this Messiah?”
“That he will travel to Hadaesia to do battle with the serpent—and that in the end he must sacrifice himself if his people are to live.”
“I think that story has already been told.”
“It’s true, it is similar to our biblical version, but—the version which I have told you is the original version. It has not been convoluted as Earth’s version was.”
“I’m not a religious man, Erich. You have the wrong guy.”
“I don’t think so. The prophecy is not religious. Not here on Hades. It is merely the telling of a vision, written down by the Anunnaki long ago. It was Earth that formed religions based upon the tale. Not these people. We are not divided here by differing beliefs. Nor are these people looking for selfish personal gain as our leaders and so-called men of faith on Earth were.
“The story has been handed down generation after generation, not one of them daring to change a single word.”
Erich’s words spoke volumes. His saying that the prophecy had been a vision was very telling. Though Steven was not ready to accept it as gospel, he capitulated to the will of the people. “So be it. If it’s a messiah they want—they have it!”
Erich turned around to the crowd, and raising his arms into the air, shouted, “Enki, ta messiah dath commen!”
The crowd cheered wildly, throwing their arms into the air, dancing around in circles.
Shrugging his shoulders, Erich said, “The people are yours to command.”
Steven nodded. “The serpent will be returning with a large army, you must instruct all who haven’t, to vacate the city above. Whomever Enlil finds up there, he’ll kill. I’ll leave the where do I put everyone, in your hands.
“I’ll take care of Enlil. He’s mine! Erich, I have one other question for you. Why have the children, like Christie, not always been down here and kept safe? Why was she up above where Enlil could kill her?”
Erich exhaled a long breath. “Enlil takes—”
“You mean kills!” said Steven, cutting him off.
“Yes, Enlil kills—one child each seven days. It is his requirement. If we refuse, then he takes one hundred adults instead as punishment. I didn’t like it when I was brought here either. I never will, but it has been the way these people have survived for millennia. It’s similar to many ancient Earth civilizations, the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas.”
Kukulcan, Quetzalcoatl—feathered serpent, thought Steven. It was probably Enlil then too. It all fits.
“They have turned it into an honor, a heritage of sacrifice in exchange for life. As for Christie, Enlil had long ago taken notice of her. She was pretty, healthy, female. If we had tried to hide her, he would have noticed. It was too late to bring her below.
“Admiral, I don’t mean to defend the way they do things here—but it’s hard to hold to an ideal when you have someone as vicious and ruthless as Enlil watching your every move.”
“I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand,” said Steven. “It’s a choice I hope I’ll never have to make. I don’t think I could.”
“As do I, my friend. I have two sons. Even though they live here below, I have to live with the guilt of those who do make the sacrifice.
“I worry every time my sons become ill, that they will become one of the chosen and sent above.”
Steven’s eyes displayed his heartfelt empathy. “Goodbye, my friend. I hope to see you again.”
Taking Christie’s hand, Steven headed topside. Back in the square, he needed to prepare Christie for what she was about to see. “Christie, I want you to know that I love you and that I would never hurt you. Do you believe me?”
“Yes.”
“Good, because I do love you very much.” Steven poked her playfully in the belly button. She giggled for what was likely the first time in a long while. “I’m going to play a kind of game with you.”
“Are you going to change into something else?”
Children, they are always one-step ahead of you, thought Steven to himself. “You saw me change?”
“It was scary, but I knew that you weren’t bad like Enlil.”
“You’re right. The first time I changed form, it kind of scared me too. While I’m flying you home, I’ll tell you how I did it all right?”
“You’re going to fly with me?” A smile lit up her little face.
“Yeah, is that okay?”
She returned a hardy nod. Steven stepped away, giving himself room.
“Your dragon awaits, Princess.” Stev
en lowered his neck for her, and Christie hopped on. “Hold on tight! Here we go!”
Christie was as excited as any child could be.
With her arms wrapped tightly around Steven’s neck, he carried her slowly into the air and headed home. She giggled in delight almost the entire way. Phillip would have loved this.
“Where do we live?”
“It’s like a castle with a beautiful garden.”
“A castle? Like the one Sleeping Beauty lived in?”
“Yup! We’ve got a butler, too.”
“What’s a butler?”
“A friend, a helper.”
“Where’s Mom?” Her not-so-subtle question shocked him.
“She’s not feeling so well right now, and the butler is watching her until I get you home.”
“I’ll help Mommy feel better!” Christie squeezed his neck and kissed him.
A few minutes later she called out, “There’s home!”
Her eyes went wide as she beheld the glistening diamond wall of the castle. Landing outside the wall, Steven changed form.
“Keeper, I have returned with my daughter.” In Steven’s eyes, Christie saw his love for her. Her hand tightened upon his.
“Enter, my children!”
Chapter 23
Four weeks later, Ash was still unconscious. Physically, she looked perfect, but The Keeper explained that though she might appear healthy outside, it was inside, that the real damage had been done. Steven hardly needed the Keeper to apprise him of her condition though, for as Ashlyn grew stronger, so had the life force within Steven returned and grown strong.
Steven used the time to train, to strategize, and let The Keeper guide him.
Christie was like a butterfly, spending much of her time fluttering about the garden exploring. She’d even found a pet turtle that she’d named Max, after her father. The Keeper loved talking to her. He was genuinely intrigued by her innocent view of life.
Steven had often questioned The Keeper about Enlil’s extended absence, surprised that he had not yet returned. Nevertheless, when the day came that The Keeper notified him that Enlil’s ships were inbound to Hades, Steven felt nervous, anxious. He wished Ashlyn were at his side.
Ashlyn Chronicles 1: 2287 A.D. Page 35
