by Kip Hartzell
“Play log.”
John’s haggard face appeared on the screen. “We’ve started a new calendar for our time here on Earth, we call it, Atlantis Exodus Day. It is year 1022.096 since Atlantis escaped, I’ve decided to send an updated occurrence in the signal we have been sending out for the last thousand years. If you receive this message, Atlantis, you’ll know we are still alive. The specifications on our survival tactics are forthcoming on a separate data stream. I’ve decided this part of our project a little more personal.
“It took almost three months to reach the bottom of the cave mentioned in the previously sent update. We recovered the bodies, and laid them to rest with full respect. The repairs to the defense grid power point are complete and it has been resealed. Upgrades to the disrupter shielding around the agoam crystal core generators has been tedious, but successful. It will be more difficult to access those power points in the future. Several vampire and werewolf bodies were recovered for study. Rhe-A discovered that the Vampires were highly susceptible to ultraviolet radiation, which explained why they lived underground, and only came out at night. One thing she noticed, was their telekinetic ability was sacrificed to the point that they could mentally move themselves, but not much else. Rhe-A also found out that the lycanthrope disease could also be activated by the gravity cycle of the moon and sun, coupled with the reflection of photons off of a full moon. Xen had to be restrained during this time, since he decided not to undergo any of the radical treatments. Rhe-A is still hard at work on an injectable inhibitor so he can have more self-control.
“The deaths of my crew still haunt me, as does all the people I’ve lost over the millennia. I only hope their sacrifice will be justified in the end. I’ve ordered our new weapons to be equipped with a cellular disintegration mode. I have tried to live a pacifistic life style, but times have changed drastically, which requires drastic measures. I have tired of losing good people because I’m afraid to hurt, or kill, something with or without intelligence. We may degenerate into something our barbaric Cousins might recognize, but we must defend ourselves from total extinction by all means necessary, or be forgotten in the chronicles of time.
“We, as of yet, have not recovered the key. It is therefore, not safe to return to Earth. We have not seen the Destroyers since they arrived over one thousand years ago, but we keep a wary eye out for them. If you are still alive, which we believe is so, because we are still alive, do not approach until we’ve secured the defense grid key. May Enlightenment guide us, John-Anee-Athain, former Captain of Atlantis.”
Jay noticed a time skip in the program as it continued its report.
“Another six months has gone by, and no sign of the key. The search continues. V’Rella infiltrated the primitive commune of the Medusans, and successfully convinced them she was a, Seer, and their fate lie in distant lands. She told them if they took her potion they would wake up in a new life. It took dozens of shuttle flights to move the several hundred Medusans to their new home four hundred miles to the north of their current location. Some refused to go, but the majority who did, are living free of war for the first time in their collective memories. I am happy for them. V’Rella returned to the TSD soon after the mission was over.
“I find myself wandering the underground station, dubbed Earth Station Chrysalis by the majority. The place has tripled in size since we cocooned ourselves here more than a thousand years ago, Aztek-Alon’s hideout is now buried forever, and all Atlantean evidence removed and stored for future recycling. I have finally realized, as has many others, that I am not needed, and most of the duties for observation and recording can be done by automation. Most of our time is now spent waiting. A small skeleton crew will be left to oversee the automated systems. They will cycle out every few of years. I like being out of the TSD, but just waiting to grow old doesn’t appeal to me either, so I have given in, and will return to the device until I am needed again.”
John and Athene-A came back, as Jay leaned back in the chair and exhaled loudly.
“Something bothering you, JJ?”
“Oh, this whole thing is bothering me.” He swiveled around. “How long have you been here, on Earth?”
“Approximately twenty-five thousand years. I could give you exact numbers if you gave me exact parameters, for instance; do you want to use the Christian calendar, Julian calendar, Hindu, or Chinese calendars, perhaps Mayan.”
“Didn’t that one end?”
“No, they finally determined it was infinite, and that anymore effort in counting was a waste of time.”
“Ha, so, it appears the skull key is the main focus here, but I’m still confused on the clues we’re searching for.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the eons, is patience. We’ll get there.”
A light on the console flashed. “Jay, would you wave your hand over the lit crystal.”
Jay did so, and Aidan’s face appeared in 3-D above the console. Jay involuntarily scooted back. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”
“Honored Councilors,” the booming voice started, “the mission was a success. We created a rock slid from the nearby hillside. The area is buried in rock. No casualties and security was maintained. It will take them, depending on determination, a month to dig it out.”
“Very good, thank you. Return to base and take some time off.”
“Sounds boring. Do you have anything else?”
“Be careful what you wish for, no, but stay close. I may need your help again.”
“Understood, Aidan, out.”
“Speaking of the site, I think I should get back. I’m already tired.”
“Oh, I forgot about your lower stamina.” John walked over a cabinet and pulled out a pill. “Here, take this, it will refresh your body.”
“This little thing?” Jay said, as he took it between his fingers, trying not to crush it.
“It’s all you need.”
Jay walked into camp to all manner of excitement. He removed his shirt, and then threw it in his tent as he went by. He mused up his hair, while walking up to the crowd. “What’s going on?”
A young Asian man turned to him. “A rock slide buried the ruins. The Professor is having a breakdown.”
Jay pushed his way further through the mass of people to see the Professor pounding on a pile of rocks with a pick-axe. He approached the crazy man and stopped him in mid swing. “Professor, Professor, what are you doing?”
The man’s eyes were wild and bloodshot. He settled, and focused on Jay. “We must get inside.”
“We will Professor, but not today. Come, let’s gets some rest and plan a strategy for tomorrow.”
The Professor was exhausted and relented. Jay led him through the crowd, on the way to his tent. Jay reassured the group that the Professor was okay, and herded them off to their own tents.
A little later, he lay is his own tent trying to rest, but something was wrong, he couldn’t put a finger on it, but something was bothering him, and where was Shelly.
The summer dawn was inspiring, while it dissipated. Jay looked over the beautiful countryside and took a deep breath. He spotted the Professor near the rock slide, with the only satellite phone in the area, stuck to his ear. Jay could hear him talking to the home office as he walked up.
The Professor hung up and said, “Good morning, Jay.”
Taken aback, Jay hesitated, the Professor had never called him by his first name. “Good morning, Professor.”
“I’ve convinced the home office to send in heavy equipment and a company to stabilize the area, should take a few weeks. In the meantime, the area is to be evacuated for safety. Everyone gets a paid vacation. The transports will be here late this evening.”
“Sounds prudent.”
“You are agreeing with me? I must’ve been a real spectacle last night.”
“I’ve seen worse.”
“Well, hmm, maybe we could just forget about that little diatribe.”
“Of cours
e, Professor. Have you seen Shell?”
“She got a call from her mother. She was to meet her in Athens a few days ago,”
“Oh, she didn’t say anything.”
“Well, you know Ms. Masters. Come, let us get everyone prepared for the trip to Athens.”
Chapter Nine: Fire God
“Thanks for picking me up, Gramps,” Jay said, to the man driving the beat-up taxi. “I thought I was never going to get away.”
“My pleasure.”
“I wish we weren’t pressed for time. I’d still like to see some more sights.”
“You should have seen them in their day. Magnificent feats of engineering, for human Cousins anyway.” He smiled.
They drove out of town along an old dark road. They came to a cliff, and John kept driving.
“Whoa, what are you-”
The car went off the cliff, but didn’t fall. Jay was trying to back up, but had no place to go. The car stopped inside the shuttle’s cargo compartment. John shut it off and got out. “Are you coming? You can stay here if it makes you feel safe.”
“Very funny,” Jay said, climbing out. “How about warning me next time.”
“What, and miss the look on your face.”
“Still, not funny.”
Jay watched John from his spectral view point he was now getting used to. He observed John spending time modifying equipment to fit his situation. After the long preparations were completed, he had Portis-Akari drop him off near the site located close to where the two continents on the other side of the world came together near the equator. Giving him instructions to only monitor him, and not to bring any of the Command Council personnel out, unless it turned into an emergency.
The shuttle touched down softly. John exited, stopped to breathed in fresh air, and admired the beautiful green sight of the jungle. He waved off Portis, as he closed the hatch and watched the ship rise above the jungle trees, and zip away. Walking into the wilderness, gave him memories of his home planet, Terrah, where, on an outing such as this, he discovered the secret to his people’s survival. This may not be so dramatic, but it felt good to get out, and not be responsible for anyone but himself. To be free to explore, and appreciate this young world around him.
He glanced at his handheld, cinched up his pack, and wondered into the dense trees. Would he find the skull after all this time, or would he just be on vacation? There had been scant hints of rock shaped skulls in the area from orbital satellites, and rumors from locals. The chances of finding it was slim, but the chance had to be taken.
Jay, once again, felt time speed up through the machine. The sun on the horizon rose quickly, then slowed, giving the impression of two days passing. John was setting up his portable tent, which started out the size of a fist, and then grew to house up to five people. He would plug in his personal cloaking unit at night to encompass the homestead, just in case. He spent hours reading as the rain beat against the tent. After it stopped, the jungle would come alive with animal, insect, and bird sounds. He lay there for hours, just listening.
Early the third morning, he packed up and headed north to be consistent with his grid search. He watched his handheld, turning his personal cloak on and off to conserve power. He would do this when he was near large predator animals. At one point, late in the evening, a pair of jaguars strolled by him. One stopped and sniffed the air, the animals became apprehensive, and skittered away, continually staring in John’s invisible direction, until they disappeared into the jungle.
John checked in with Chrysalis once a day, updating his, and their information.
On the fifth day, John was rested, Jay could feel that his Grandfather was starting to lose hope, his half circular pattern had brought him near a river, where he stepped out into a clearing, his handheld registered humanoids nearby. He took the opportunity to observe. Cloaked in invisibility, he saw two newcomer Cousins picking berries, and digging for roots. Their dark matted long hair was damp, as well as their animal skin dresses.
Meer observation told him that one was really pregnant and could deliver any day. He thought about children and sighed at not ever having any, and may never. The two talked softly as the handheld made quick work of the translation. Then the pregnant one stopped, moved her hand up and down her oversized belly, then doubled over in pain. The other woman came to her aid. Setting down some large elephant ear shaped leaves to make a bed. She then laid the pregnant woman down, and tried to comfort her.
John watched, and recorded the miracle of life. The pregnant woman let out several screams as the other tried to keep her quiet. John thought this odd until a silent warning popped up on his handheld. He moved in the direction of the warning. The blinking got rapid as he moved a large leaf plant to the side, to reveal a huge black face with large green eyes. John jumped back as the panther collided with him, knocking him down. They both got up quickly. The cat looked confused as it stared at nothing. John remained still and quiet.
Another scream was heard in the distance and the panther bolted toward the sound. It was driven by the smell of blood, and an easy kill. John followed the panther as fast as he could, having flashbacks of the time before, where two women were in trouble. The situation did not turn out well for them. He was not going to let that happen again. He pulled out his stun pistol, but couldn’t get a clear shot because of the foliage.
He made the clearing in time to see the smaller woman with a large stick waving it at the panther in a pathetic attempt at an attack. The big black cat leaped into the air, John fired. The cat went wide sliding across the damp grass to a stop. The woman stood there in amazement staring at the end of her stick. She crept close to the non-moving predator, poking at it with the stick.
John ran up closer, happy his shot was on target. The woman with the stick raised it toward John. The pregnant woman began screaming wildly, John wasn’t sure if it was the pain, or fear. They could both obviously see him. The big cat knocked his cloaking modular off his belt, and once he left its realm of influence-became visible to the naked eye.
His seven-foot frame towered over the five-foot-high woman. The fear was present, but the smaller woman did not leave her friend. John put his free hand up, putting away his pistol, and then raised it too. “Are you alright?” He asked, slowly waiting for the translation.
Another scream, as a trail of blood ran off of a large leaf and soaked into the ground. The woman with the stick moved to her friend keeping a wary eye on the giant in front of her. She tried to comfort her, but something was obviously wrong. John pulled out his handheld and examined it. He needed to be closer. He slowly moved. “May I help?” He asked, while he moved even closer. The young woman raised the stick as her friend cried out. She was torn and confused, then came to a decision to trust, and then lowered her spear.
John knelt down and ran the handheld over her. The baby was twisted. He punched in some parameters, and then reached for his med-kit, filled an injector, and touched it to her neck. She flinched, but relief was almost immediate.
“What is that?” The young woman asked.
“Something to relieve some of the pain. Now, the baby has turned, we need to straighten him out.”
“Him?”
“Yes, it’s a boy. Now push here.”
“Who are you?” she asked, doing what she was told.
“My mane is John,” he said as he worked, “What’s yours, and hers?”
“I am Anataka, and this is my blood sister, Nanona.”
“Nanona!” John loudly said, “I need you to push now.”
She acknowledged his command, but was very weak.
“Anataka, push here-harder.”
It wasn’t long before the baby crested and began crying. John held the infant long enough to admire him, and then handed him to Anataka. He quickly lasered the umbilical cord, cauterizing it in one fell swipe. He removed the excess and took a small towel out of his pack and handed it to Anataka. She wrapped up the child and gave him to a wary, but happy mother.
John cleaned up, put his equipment away, and sat back on his heels. Anataka was young, but she was a woman. She sat there, sad, and almost in tears.
“What’s the matter?” John asked, concerned.
“There’s so much blood. She will catch the sickness and die.”
John smiled. “No, she won’t. I gave her a little something to prevent that. Now, be happy.”
She looked up and smiled. John noticed for the first time how pretty she was. Her raven black hair matched her deep dark eyes and tan complexion. If she were taller, she could easily pass as an Atlantean, except for the eyes.
Her eyes got wide as she stared at him. “You are a God.” She immediately got on her knees and put her forehead on the ground.
“No... no... I’m not,” John said as he pulled her up. “I’m just a tall person with tools. Nothing more.”
“Oh, but you are special.”
“Some might not think so,” John snickered.
Anataka relaxed. “It will be dark soon. If we don’t get back to the tribe. We will not survive the night.”
“How far is your tribe?”
“A long walk, that way,” she said, pointing up river.
John studied the situation. “Nanona should not be moved, and I can’t leave the panther defenseless,” he said, turning to look at the beautiful animal as it slowly breathed. “So, we’ll make camp.”
“We cannot, we have no protection, and why protect the panther? It would surely kill us.”
“It may be a killer, but it only does what its designed to do, survive. We do the same thing. When it wakes, it will move on.”
She skeptically looked at him. John studied that look, and could swear he had seen it before. He shook it off, and began setting up his tent.
