Zeus (Frozen Origin)

by Dawn, Crystal

  Her alarm went off, she’d forgotten to turn it off when she had woke early. Shit happens and it happens often. Today they would explore all the way to the bottom. Something told her that secrets were hidden way down deep if she could just figure out where they were placed. She had gotten a weird vibe off the gods since she had met them, well once she had stopped creaming her jeans over Zeus. That god was too distracting and distracted soldiers ended up dead. It was funny how quickly she had gotten use to calling them gods or males, but maybe it was because they looked divine.

  Cleaned and dressed, she hurried down the hall hoping not to be the last to arrive today. No matter how long it took, she intended to clear all three levels that were left. She arrived last again except for Buzz who she wasn’t sure intended to show since she hadn’t made it mandatory. Everyone finished eating so it was time to leave without Buzz. They swung by medical to get an update on the gods recovered from the large cell downstairs. Doc indicated she wanted to speak to her privately so she led her to an office at the end of the lab.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this before. Sierra, these men are not fully human. I don’t know for sure what they are but once we got them up here, cleaned them up, and fed them, their rate of healing was phenomenal. Everyone of them has not only survived, but they are now in better health than I am.” Doc looked at her with a combination of consternation and excitement.

  “So what is your theory?”

  “Whatever the unknown DNA that was added to theirs is, it has some unbelievable abilities which will take some time to understand once we find out what they all are. You know what this could mean to the human race? Future generations could have extended and improved lives, we might even be able to adapt it for use on fully grown humans. The possibilities are endless once we get a handle on exactly what we have here. Think of the diseases we could cure, an end to birth defects, it would be unbelievable.”

  “Just how do you plan to do that?”

  “Well we’ll need to take samples, there’ll be some experiments necessary, but it’s all for the good of humanity as a whole.”

  “You can do whatever you want to as long as you get volunteers who understand exactly what you plan to do to them and why.”

  “But Sierra, they’ll never agree.”

  “That’s their choice, their right to accept or reject being lab specimens. I wouldn’t want to do it and I wouldn’t ask it of anyone else. That is policy until someone else changes it. I honestly have to say I hope no one will. If they do, we’ll not have done these guys any favors freeing them.”

  Doc’s excitement dimmed a little as she seemed to think over what Sierra had said. “I guess you’re right. I’ll exclude the information from the reports. I can’t vouch for those that have helped me here, but if anything comes to light it won’t be because of me.”

  “It’s the right thing to do, Doc.”

  “Yeah, why does the right thing always rain on my parade?”

  “You’re a good person, Doc. Sometimes it hurts no matter what you decide.”

  Sierra and Doc walked out to the lab where the others waited for them. If she didn’t know better, she would say that was a look of approval on Zeus’ face but there was no way he could have heard the conversation she and Doc had just had. She shrugged it off while she listened to Doc explain to Zeus how all his men were healing well. Zeus never corrected her about calling them males rather than men which might mean he was beginning to understand setting them apart from the average man might draw unwanted attention to their differences whatever they might prove to be or she was just making too much of such a little thing.

  There were three levels left to explore so they started with what was called sublevel two. Even though the top level was partly submerged, it was considered above ground. Now they would see the levels that Origin had added which should give them some insight into what Origin intended when they took over the facility. They rushed down the stairs, excited to get on with their work. They were immediately greeted with lab equipment that Origin had apparently not bothered to move telling her that it might not tell them much. No paperwork or computers were left to give them any information and she intended to have Doc come down to see what the lab could have been used for.

  The next level was set up half as residential, half as offices. The last level was the most interesting because part was set up, or at least appeared to be, like a school including dorms, the other part like a nursery. This may have been where young gods were raised and educated. It was obvious from talking to any of the gods that their education was above that of the average person. Zeus had told her that all of them were at a minimum bilingual and most spoke three or even four languages because Origins had sent them out on missions around the world. Each god was also trained in two careers incase they had to go undercover in a country or if they had to be abandoned for a short while until they could be recovered. Origin didn’t believe in losing their gods, they always tried to recover them. That was just one more reason finding the tortured and dead on the second level had been not only shocking, but surprising.

  These males were highly intelligent, skilled, strong, and would make great strippers. Maybe that last part wasn’t something to consider. She glanced at Zeus who tended to stay near her noticing the way his muscles flexed and the beauty of his form. It was odd but the more time she spent with him, the less she noticed the masculine perfection of the other gods. They faded into the background no more significant to her sexually than females would be even though some were nearly as handsome as he was. If she was honest, right now she wanted nothing more than to push him down on the small cot in front of him and have her wicked way with him. It was so unusual for her to be this way that it made her worry that she had an estrogen imbalance or something equally worrisome. She would check with Doc tonight before she turned in to see if she was ill. Maybe she had a shot or something that would get her back to normal and stop the kinky dreams. With that decision made, she got on with the exploration on the last level.

  It was a nondescript door that stood out in her mind because it looked too innocent and unassuming. It was almost as if a great deal of thought had gone into hiding it out in the open. The lock was a good one and the padlock added to it seemed like too much for the closet that it would likely turn out to be. Zeus and Ares stood back waiting for her to decide how she would get into the space the door protected. They had made good time with their exploration and it was barely past lunch with just this last space to explore. She was too stubborn to leave it for later but she had none of the tools with her that would gain her the access she desired.

  “Any suggestions, Gentlemen?” Sierra asked of the two gods. Most of the others had gone back upstairs as the search took a turn to the boring with no new discoveries or hidden secrets revealed.

  “We both have a natural talent at opening doors.” Zeus said before offering to give it a try.

  She nodded and waved her hand toward the door in acceptance of his offer so he strode to the door immediately. He had no equipment unless you counted his superior strength so she was prepared for failure not paying close attention to what he did. It was the click indicating the lock was now open that caught her attention as he just seemed to turn the knob before throwing open the door. She knew something was going on here but the stairway going down into an unknown level that the computer files hadn’t mentioned and the blueprints didn’t show, engaged her curiosity. Zeus insisted on leading the way which no longer surprised or irritated her since she seemed to be accepting him, which was another surprise.

  “Ares, guard her with your life.” Zeus said making her wonder what the hell he thought was down there. Ares nodded as he looked around as if he expected us to be overwhelmed by an unknown enemy. We made our way down into what was a small basement, maybe too small for the satellite to recognize as hollowed out. The smell of earth and dampness tickled my nose neither pleasant nor offensive but just there. Once we were at the bottom of the steps she saw t
hat this area had not been enclosed until she saw a door that separated one area from the rest. It was more like a dug out area than a level or even a basement except for the wall with a door in it. The ceiling was the floor above with no improvements, the floor and all but one wall was dirt.

  “We will check out the room but I want you to run if there is any trouble.” Zeus said to Sierra.

  She laughed like it was the biggest joke. “Are you nuts? This is what my job is, to check out this facility making sure it’s safe for the others who are coming soon.”

  Zeus and Ares once again seemed to communicate without speaking a word which was driving her crazy. “Damn it, if you two are going to talk say it out loud.”

  “Brother, if I do not come out of this alive, see to my female for me.” Zeus said to Ares.

  “Do the same for me so my mind will be at peace.” Ares said to Zeus.

  “What in the hell is all this about?” She asked not caring who told her as long as someone did.

  “When we were young, the teachers whispered about a dangerous place below the floors that hid a great danger. There were many rumors; it was said to be the tomb of Cronos our father, the resting place of a great beast, some even said it was the place where dangerous materials were stored by Origin and our creator. No one was ever brave enough to venture there to find out for sure and eventually as young do, we forgot all about it. Now it seems that at least part of the stories are true, there is a secret place under the floor.” Zeus said with a neutral look on his face. She could sense no fear or deception on his part making her wonder what the hell she was in the middle of this time.

  Common sense said she should call in back up but she was reluctant to endanger others if there was a real threat. She was also a little doubtful that the room was anything but a storage room. Maybe they would finally find some of the records that would illuminate Origin’s plan and background. Speaking of illumination, it was time for the flashlights they had brought with them to be useful. It was clear Zeus and Ares intended to move forward so she headed toward the door with them. A shiver ran over her as Zeus’ hand touched the door knob causing a clicking sound as it unlocked. There was something to his ability to open locks that she would try to remember to discuss with him later. For now, her attention was strictly on the task at hand especially since the dangers they faced were incalculable.

  He opened the door cautiously as a stale smell oozed out of the enclosed area. Ares stepped up next to Zeus shining his light in through the door. Sierra tried to look in but she couldn’t see anything. Once the door was fully open it was clear that there was something in the room so she pushed up against Zeus in an attempt to see. He put his arm around her waist pulling her close in a protective fashion. She couldn’t deny how good and right it felt to be at his side. This wasn’t a feeling she needed to get use to nor did she need to be encouraging him since she would be gone soon. The thought made her feel sad but she kept telling herself it was for the best. Once they stepped through the door, the interior of the room took her breath away. There was a large platform that looked to be made out of gold containing what she would call a sarcophagus. There were pictures all over the walls of the room which looked like it was a naturally formed cave of some kind that had been turned into a tomb.

  It was surprising that the tomb was full of intact artifacts that no doubt had great value. It made her wonder if the greatest value might not be in the contents of the golden casket in the center of the room. Was this the answer to the question of where the mystery DNA had come from? If so, how was it viable after all the years that had passed? It just seemed impossible that it could be. She got on her com and called for some of her team mates, especially Doc. It wasn’t long before several of Zeus’ gods appeared making her wonder how he communicated with them when he had no com. The questions just kept multiplying while the answers were few and far between.

  Once she was through with this tomb if that was what it truly was, she intended to get some answers from the gods that were rescued from the second floor. Zeus had been as surprised as she was when they had found them, but he knew them because he had been raised with them. He would probably want to be present when she questioned them, he might even protest her right to question them at all. She knew she could get him to agree but she really didn’t want to use this attraction between them to get her way, it wouldn’t be fair to him to let him believe they could ever have a relationship. His males that had appeared now surrounded the casket and were lifting the lid. Maybe she should have paid better attention to what they planned to do because she wasn’t sure that was a smart idea. They had just moved the lid off and over when a screaming voice said, “Nooo.”

  Doc had finally made it down to them where she wasn’t approving of what was happening. One of the rescued gods was dogging her every step. Sierra wondered who he was as she remembered him growling at Doc when she came in the cage to help him. Maybe it hadn’t been an ‘I’m going to rip your throat out’ growl but more of a ‘hello sexy’ type. It would take time to figure these gods out but time was the one thing she didn’t have.

  “What the fuck, Sierra. They shouldn’t have touched anything much less opened what looks like a sarcophagus without a team here to insure nothing was contaminated. How could you let this happen?”

  “How could I stop it? We’ve told them they rule here, it’s not our place to step in and take over. Whatever they’ve found here, belongs to them.”

  Doc whispered, “You know that’s not how things will go down. As soon as our people find out about this, they’ll be here to take over.”

  “Then that’s something we need to stop by making sure they don’t find out. I’ll call the rest of the team, tell them it was just a stockpile of outdated equipment and the gods are going through it to see if there’s anything useful.”

  “I know you’re pretty big on honor and all that, but there’s more to this. You’re so protective of them, that big guy’s really gotten to you. Have you…?”

  “Have you? I noticed you seem to have a big guy of your own.” Sierra said nodding toward the rescued guy that clung to Doc’s side like a shadow. He was standing back but he hadn’t wanted to. Doc had insisted he let her talk to Sierra without him at her side.

  “Hades has just developed a slight crush on me because I helped him when he was ill. He’ll get over it soon enough.”

  “Sure he will.” Sierra said with a smirk. She looked at the male in question seeing the look on his face that made her wonder had he heard their conversation. How was that even possible as quietly as they had spoken. She got on her com telling the rest of her team not to bother to come down to join them, it was a false alarm because there was nothing exciting down there. Doc was right and she would have to reevaluate her actions and motives. Normally she would have felt bad but followed orders anyway reporting all findings and relevant information. She was becoming a bad soldier but she didn’t know why, yeah, she did know why. She glanced over at Zeus who was watching her closely realizing she was way too attached to a guy she didn’t know, hadn’t slept with, and would soon be leaving behind. She so should have found the time to have some hot monkey sex with him because she had to admit she wanted to more than she wanted anything else in life right now.

  Doc headed over to the oversized coffin. “Sierra, come quick.” She said in an urgent tone. Sierra sprinted the short distance to look into the sarcophagus in complete shock. She had expected a mummy or given the noticeable moisture in the air, a skeleton, but neither were present. What she was looking at was a male creature that looked like he had just gone to sleep. She could see a vague resemblance to the gods in this male, but this one didn’t look human and would never be able to blend in. Where the gods topped out at the six foot eight that Zeus said he was, this one was at least seven feet. He was bigger, bulkier and there seemed to be something attached to his back though she couldn’t see what. A blanket of feathers lay beneath him from his ankles to his shoulders and his face looked
alien with ridges on his nose, slightly pointed elongated ears, and skin that was a light blue. There was no telling what his eyes might look like but they seemed proportionately larger than a human’s. They also seemed more rounded adding to the alien look of the magnificent creature she examined.

  He wore what looked like a loin cloth made out of an unusual material she couldn’t identify. It had intricate embroidery in rich colors. He had on an armband that was made of gold and of good workmanship. He wore a hoop earring on one ear, it was gold also. His chest was uncovered, his feet bare, and his raven hair long and braided. Primitive weapons had been placed at his side, a bow and arrow, a spear, a large round shield with a golden dragon emblazoned on it, and an ornamented dagger, its handle looked like ivory. A pouch lay beside him which when Sierra picked it up and opened it, was filled with ancient looking gold coins. The markings on them were unfamiliar and the coins were different sizes. It was like he had prepared for a long journey to the afterlife, but arrived here ready to wake instead. She knew nothing about him but felt a twinge of fear that made her hope he wouldn’t wake.

  Beneath the feathered blanket he was laid out on were furs. The outside of the boxlike container was painted and covered with scenes of hunting and fighting with Cronos actively participating in both. She didn’t know what to make of him or the drawings on the cave walls. She pulled out her cell phone which she was in the habit of carrying even though it was useless here, and took pictures she would send to a friend who was an archeologist as soon as she had a chance. She was careful not to include Cronos in any of the pictures.