The Otherlings and the Crystal Amulet

by S V Hurn

  Shaking the water from his head and body, Dimitri caught sight of a strange, dim glow from deep within the cold, musty and wet entrance. He untied the rope from his waist and secured it around a huge boulder against the side of the cave, fastening it tightly. He gave three tugs on the rope to indicate he was ready to help them across. Henry attached his end of the rope, clamping it firmly in the crevice of the jagged rock wall and, one by one, they entered what looked to be an ancient labyrinth.

  Coolie yelled, excitement in his voice, as it carried and echoed deep into the cavern, “Follow me!” They trod carefully over the slick wet surface as they advanced deeper into the cave. The glow began to illuminate their approach. “Watch your heads, looks like you will have to crawl for a while.”

  Jobar laughed. “Sometimes it’s good to be short!”

  The narrow passage opened into a huge, cathedral-sized room. Droplets of water on the stone ceiling shone like stars on a dark cloudless night, twinkling with the movement of air across their surface. Dorathy gazed in amazement and pointed up with her light rod, “The constellation Orion! Beautiful!” Her voice echoed in the void.

  At the farthest point of the cavern was an enormous pyramid that stretched to the ceiling, a glowing eye balanced at its familiar apex. The rock wall opposite the pyramid rose twenty meters high and displayed a beautiful carving of a majestic owl, perched on top of an open book holding an olive branch in its talons.

  Dorathy almost fell backwards in disbelief and astonishment. She gazed around at it all as the reality started to sink into her existence like an anesthetic, leaving her numb and void of any cognitive awareness. Finally, she whispered, “My God, they did it.”

  Henry nodded his head. “Yes, it would seem they have managed to do what they set out to do . . . but when?”

  Dorathy read Henry’s mind. “When indeed.”

  Jobar and Coolie had smiles on their faces and were practically jumping with wonderment. Jobar begged, “Do you know the meaning of it all?”

  Coolie added. “Yes, please tell us!”

  Henry paused as he gathered his thoughts. “All this that is here, came from our world, our part of space, a secret society that predicted the fall of our way of life. For generations they were painted as evildoers that wanted to take control of the planet. They knew that our planet and most of its inhabitants were doomed, that our civilization would perish. They didn’t want to control it at all, they wanted to gather the best of the best, those who could bring the most to the table and leave the planet to the rest of the growing de-evolving population. They figured it was just a matter of time and whoever was left would most likely extinguish themselves in one fatal event.”

  Dorathy continued, “They wanted their New World Order. A way of life where everyone thought the same way and wanted the same things. My father was part of their organization . . . and so was I for a while. Her voice trailed off.

  Henry now looked at Dorathy in a new light. “I didn’t know that of you. You were deemed an asset to this mission for your engineering skills and we were told to protect you at all cost. Your untimely death was necessary for this mission, and having to pick you up the way we did was an added convenience.”

  Dorathy felt a well of anger rising in her as she snapped back, “My death may have been convenient, alright, but not to me! I stepped away from their madness a long time ago. They wanted to use their ‘investments’ to leave behind humanity and I blindly fell into their trap so I could stamp my name on what had been the greatest discovery of mankind! I wanted to take it, manufacture it and put it into production, then take the credit for being oh so brilliant to have been the one to advance mankind into the new era of space exploration! The bastards played me like a deck of cards! And my arrogance allowed it!”

  Henry took a step back. “Your father was John Rosen, wasn’t he?

  Dorathy now looked at Henry as a stranger. “Yes, he was. Why? What do you know of my father?”

  Henry shook his head, wondering what he may have just stepped into. He looked at Brenda for support. “He was murdered . . . by . . . a hybrid. By a member of your Board of Directors.”

  Dorathy stared down Henry in distrust, for how could he know this about her father and how could he know about what her father had written in his journal, his suspicions about Simon, before her father was killed. Simon was a trusted friend; he could never have done that. Henry’s words caught up to her thought process: “What do you mean a hybrid?”

  Henry continued, “Simon was not who he had appeared to be.”

  Dorathy crossed her arms, holding herself, as she suddenly felt desperately alone. “And how do you know this?”

  Brenda stepped forward. “Because I was the one who was forced to download the consciousness of an unknown man into Simon Bedford’s body and mind. That is the man who really killed your father.” Brenda thought about that awful day. “I was blackmailed, and he threatened to kill my mother if I didn’t do it. He wanted to take control of the Rosen fortune to manipulate you and the rest of your unwitting followers.”

  Dorathy was taken aback. “Oh my God, my father’s suspicions were correct. I always had such a hard time believing Simon could have done such a horrible thing, but the investigation showed nothing.”

  Brenda added, “Simon’s consciousness is still intact somewhere deep within his brain. It’s as if he was overwritten by a foreign entity. Simon’s body was ultimately made immortal by use of synthetic DNA and Simon has been trapped in a kind of purgatory hell . . . not alive and not quite dead. A constant battle is being waged between Simon and the man who took control of Simon’s mind and body.

  Dorathy’s eyes glazed over and she shuddered at the thought of such a horrible existence. She thought of her father and his goals of establishing the New World Order and this unknown man who had tried to stop it. Now standing peering up at the pyramid, proof of their success, it was clear this man had failed. She looked up to the All-Seeing Eye as it witnessed the rise of the Illuminati’s power. “They found the way to create their New World Order and here is the proof.” They peered up at the pyramid of ages, their gaze resting on an inscription upon its surface that read, Novus Ordo Seclorum, meaning a new order for the ages.

  Jobar and Coolie were astounded by the information, but what was truly astonishing was the lack of communication within the team. They stood and looked at each other while listening to all the madness that was utterly confusing to anyone not of the human’s world.

  Jobar finally said, “Back up just a moment please . . . did you say New World Order?”

  Henry’s gaze slowly drifted from Dorathy down to Jobar. “Yes, what of it?”

  Coolie shook his head. He knew where Jobar was going with this train of thought. “No way, Jobar. There cannot be a connection . . . can there?”

  Jobar hesitated, momentarily, while he collected his thoughts. “The established government that has been controlling this sector, and many others, has a very similar name as you already know. But what intrigues us is that its name and its origin have been under debate for centuries. Its very existence has been highly suspect.”

  Henry realized at that very moment. “Of course, . . . it has to be some kind of offshoot created by a faction of the Illuminati that settled here. Some of them must have stayed behind while the rest continued their mission. They emerged as the governing force, aligning the sector’s inhabitants, overthrowing any authority that may have been here initially and replacing it with their New World Order . . . or New Western Ordinance.”

  Jobar and Coolie were not surprised by the realization. Jobar said, “It is all starting to make sense now. Most of the worlds in this sector and others don’t even recognize the fact the NWO came to us from beings from far off and they brought order where there was war and chaos.” Jobar continued, “This lost city whereabouts has always been speculated about amongst seekers. The frozen planet above us has very little to offer and is so far off the beaten track, that simply put, no one really car
es anymore, and a long time forgotten. Regardless of its allure of inaccessibility of the secrets held below, and no one knows of this cave and for those who may have wandered upon this map as we did, they would have never known its true meaning unless they were a true Portal Seeker.”

  “Yes, Coolie added, “Just another cave with meaningless inscriptions left behind by a long- forgotten civilization. Everyone thinking there was nothing left of any real significance.” He continued, “I’m sure there have been a few poking around for clues and trying to make a connection over the centuries, but no one has been able to say without a doubt that it all started here inside this frozen rock.”

  Dorathy nodded. “Yeah, like the lost city of Atlantis. Everyone thinking they had found it here or there, but no one could ever say without a doubt, they had found it or whether it ever had actually existed in the first place.”

  Jobar insisted, “Many people have tried to find the origin of this map and its significance, but all have given up. None of them ever had you to enlighten them . . . you hold the answers to this place and its mysteries that have eluded us. I am confident now that we can find the portal!”

  CHAPTER 35

  The tall grass brushed against her knees as Athena approached Alex. She repeated herself. “You were right Alex; you were right about everything. “My mother was killed by the Illuminati.”

  Alex tilted his head in disbelief. “Athena, my God are you all right?”

  Athena chuckled. “Well other than the fact I’m dead, I’d say I’m doing pretty well now that I’m here with you.”

  Alex got up and hugged her a long while. “How long have I been away?”

  Athena smiled, “Just a minute or two . . . but my whole life . . . I missed you so much Alex.”

  Alex was aware of his circumstances. “I know time has marched on, but it seems so insignificant, as if time doesn’t even exist here.”

  Athena cocked her head to one side. “Yeah, I know, sort of weird, as if time never existed. We know it has marched on relentlessly but in a flash it’s gone. Shaking her thoughts, she backtracked. “Look, I need to tell you what has happened while you were away.” Athena lowered herself into the grass, crossing her legs.

  Alex followed her lead and sat next to her. “Tell me, my sweet girl, what has transpired.”

  She shook her head. “God, where do I even start? Alex, Mom was needed for this mission not because of her brilliant engineering skills but because she holds the key to a device—she was the chosen one. Her DNA carries the code, a code buried beneath the code the Otherling left with us. Not all of us have it, but she does, and she can find the path to this place.”

  Alex leaned in. “What are you talking about?”

  “Listen to me Alex, they are leaving Earth behind. Our planet and everyone left behind is doomed and they know it. They are in search of the beings that they believe put us here.”

  Alex shook his head. “No. Why kill your mother? Why not just take her if they needed her so badly?”

  “Alex listen, her DNA . . . they would have had to alter her. Her DNA is intact, but she is alive because of her donor’s blood. She is a part of them now. “But she can survive in either dimension. She holds the key Alex . . . she is the key.”

  Alex looked like someone who had been punched in the gut. “Oh my God, Athena, my worst nightmare . . . she will find her way back to us and I will be with whoever picks me up—gone for a lifetime.”

  “Alex a lifetime isn’t that long, but perhaps there is a way . . . maybe they will find you before they find the gateway to this reality. Space is a pretty big place Alex, finding the road here will be difficult. We must believe that it will take some time.

  “Yes”, Alex said, realizing his dilemma. “Time is something that seems to be irrelevant.”

  CHAPTER 36

  Her voyage to the outer region was a grueling one and Silas’s tolerance level was dwindling. Kore swore a slew of obscenities yelling, “Get me down to this hellhole of a rock so I can get to the bottom of this convoluted derangement!”

  Soon after touching down on this small, cold, desolate planet a local scavenger came to investigate, approaching on the back of a domesticated rock crawler with shaggy fur and weathered scales. He shouted, “Hey! You can’t park that pile of rubble here, we’re about to excavate this area for remnants!”

  Kore exited her ship, her cloak blowing around her as if a dust devil was approaching. “I can do as I like, and I can have you arrested for trespassing!”

  At that moment he saw the emblem on her ship. “Oh! Pardon me . . . I was not aware . . .”

  Kore cut him off sharply. “I am looking for a ship that came here recently, and if you can tell me where it has gone, I will forgive your behavior.”

  The old-timer shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t get many ships here anymore, which is why I think you might have interest with this one. “Two scruffy-looking deep space miners that came here a day ago with the sole purpose of logging in. I allowed them to stow their ship on the abandoned airstrip about ten clicks from here. Another very strange ship, the likes I have never seen before, came in for a brief landing and before I had a chance to investigate, the two miners boarded it and they left . . . very unusual for these parts.”

  Kore’s impatience was begging to rise as if lava flowed through her veins. “I will ask you one simple question and you better have the correct answer for me, or you will regret it. Where did this ship go?”

  The poor old scavenger did not possess the answer she was looking for but did have a clue to offer. “I believe they were on a ‘Portal Quest.’ They logged in and requested to be logged off. They left in the other ship . . . of course I responded with a demand of my own and the old miners paid handsomely.”

  Kore bit back her temper. “If you are unable to tell me where they went, tell me where you THINK they went . . . and I will reward you by leaving you with your life intact!”

  He nervously rubbed the dirt and sand from his goggles. “I think they went to the eighth planet of this system. It’s an icy rock, but has been deluged with ‘Seekers’ over the years and these fellas seemed to fit the description of Seekers in search of the same old fairytale. No one ever finds anything but the tunnel and no one ever has been able to break though the force field to gain access to the interior of the planet. Many have tried but failed miserably. Others have tried to climb down through crevasses in the ice but have lost their lives in the process. Years ago, I made a nice little profit taking adventurous clients to The Rock, but the place has lost its allure and now not too many are even aware of the fascination it used to have. Too bad . . .”

  Kore cringed at the thought of yet another journey. She stared out into the approaching twilight, the planet’s moons just rising over the horizon. “If you are wrong about this you will regret it!” She turned on her heel and marched back into her ship.

  “Take me to the eighth planet of this forsaken sector!” Silas punched the coordinates into the console without uttering a word. Over the years Kore had heard stories of the mysterious Travelers and the theory of their origin. She sat in the cockpit staring out into the vast nothingness as the space around her bent and became distorted. She tapped her long jagged fingernails on the hard surface of her seat controls and said, as if anyone was listening, “Maybe now I can finally get to the bottom of this.” Silas glanced over and then continued with his tasks; he thought it best to ignore and only answer when spoken to, not wanting to give a hint of what they might find. He had a feeling about this with thoughts of a distant past slowly creeping in on him. She sat back and crossed her arms. “How much longer?”

  Silas took control of the ship. “We are on final approach and dropping into orbit momentarily.”

  She leaned forward against her restraints. “Take us down. I want to get a good look around.”

  The ship was hovering just a few hundred meters above the surface when Silas motioned to the console and said, “I’m getting a reading that shows
there is an opening to the interior of the planet on the southern pole.”

  Kore’s mind was churning over the data coming in on the panel in front of her and she hesitated. “Prepare for a slow descent, enter with caution at sub-speed. That desert dweller spoke of a force field.” Silas did as instructed, all sensors on maximum. The ship started to advance down into the darkened tunnel, exterior lights reflecting off the surface of the frozen rock. She was clutching her seat waiting, when without warning the ship shuddered as it bounced upward and sideways, hitting the smooth rock surface of the tunnel, scraping metal against rock.

  Kore screamed, “Level her out and back away! Is there any significant damage?”

  Silas ran his hands over his console with lightning speed. “No, everything seems to be in running order.”

  Kore sat and pondered the idea of blasting their way through the force field but was sure that technique had already been attempted. She growled, disappointed. “We will wait here for them to exit; I want their ship and you’d better not let them get away—I want some answers!”

  Silas was one of the best pilots in the New Western Ordinance and was well-respected throughout the fleet. Most everyone he knew admired him for his talent, exceptional good looks, and his intellect, but when it came to his duty as Prime Minister Athanatos’ personal pilot everyone pitied him. All were at a loss as to how he secured placement in service to such a horrendous creature. It was rumored that a dubious past had something to do with it, despite his untarnished career record. Silas sat in his cockpit with an uneasy feeling. His mind drifted to the past, images haunting him as they crept over him. He thought of what he must do; his long wait was coming to an end.

  His response was a simple, “Yes Ma’am, I will do what is necessary.”

  CHAPTER 37

  Henry and the rest of them could put everything together now. It was apparent what had happened so long ago.