Authors: Mark Henrikson
Professor Russell turned
his head as footsteps once again approached from behind. Deep down he knew it was Dr. Andre, but he couldn’t push aside the sliver of hope that it was outside help. Help that was coming to deliver him and his people from the madman he considered a friend just a few short hours ago.
“Do not get excited; it is just me again,” the stale voice of Dr. Andre chimed. The good doctor walked around to face the professor head on. “You looked like you were about to pull a muscle trying to look behind. If you would like to have a word with me just ask. I am happy to accommodate your comfort.”
“In that case, I’ll take a queen sized bed and a release from this paralysis beam,” Frank barked.
“Now there are limits to what I am willing to do,” Dr. Andre replied. “Walking around to the front of my friend so he does not have to careen his neck is easy enough to do. Lugging a mattress through the tunnel and hoisting it up and down the ladders on my own is a bit much.
“As for releasing you from captivity?” Dr, Andre continued. “I spent months luring the three of you here. Now that the trap is successfully sprung I cannot let you go before our objectives are met. That would make no sense.”
“What makes no sense is trapping us here,” Professor Russell protested. “We’re just searching for answers to age old questions. If you wanted to thwart our discovering the new chambers, why not simply deny our dig request? You’re the director of the Egyptian Organization of Antiquities. You had the authority to stop us before we even got started.”
“I do have that authority, but that is not the point,” Dr. Andre stated. “The chambers in the Great Pyramid and Sphinx have been hidden for ages. Keeping them concealed is not hard. The tough part is controlling the circumstances in which they are discovered and revealed to the world.”
“Why is now the time to come out of hiding? Why were we targeted for this?” Professor Russell pleaded. “We’re just an archeology professor, a research assistant, and a washed up pilot. How is incarcerating us going to play a role in revealing these discoveries according to your controlled timetable?”
Professor Russell paused for a few seconds to gather his composure. The stress and danger of the situation was getting the better of him. “You know what. I don’t even care about all that. I just want to know how this situation ends for the three of us.”
“How do you eat an elephant?” Dr. Andre asked from out of nowhere.
Professor Russell cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brow. To say the question was unexpected was like calling the Grand Canyon a small hole in the ground. He recovered quickly from his surprise to deliver his response. “One bite at a time I suppose.”
“Exactly,” Dr. Andre said. “Now let me ask, how do you reveal the most shocking news the world will ever hear?”
“By extension of your previous analogy, one small news release at a time,” the professor slowly responded.
“You mean a little news tidbit like a three person team goes missing while working on a research project at the Great Pyramid?”
“Working the media is tricky business,” Professor Russell cautioned. “These days any piece of news or short video can go viral and reach the entire planet in no time.”
“Oh, we are not going for the mass media outlets here,” Dr. Andre replied. “Certain people know the three of you are here. We will start by getting their attention.”
“Who’s we?” Alex demanded.
“In due time my dear.”
“We have nothing but time in here. We’re already your captives and know your precious secret. What’s the harm?” Alex asked.
“You know what we want you to know, and . . . “
Dr. Andre’s reply was interrupted by the soft hum of machinery starting to move. Everyone in the chamber snapped their attention to the locked door, which was now in the process of opening.
A glowing halo appeared around the circular vault door as light from the other side shined through. The pace of the door opening was painfully slow. It was as if the mechanism knew it protected something of profound interest and was reluctant to let it go.
While the opening grew wider, the light differential dissipated to the point Professor Russell could see into the chamber and noticed the back wall was covered from floor to ceiling with sophisticated computer and display equipment. As the door widened further, a metallic cube with an orb emitting a soft blue glow came into view.
The professor’s visual intake of the room came to an abrupt halt when he made out the silhouette of a person. The individual stepped out of the chamber to reveal a stern young man in his mid thirties dressed in desert print military fatigues.
Dr. Andre looked just as surprised as his captives to see the door slide open and a live person step out. Contrasting with the doctor’s shocked expression; the mystery man addressed Dr. Andre as if they were old friends.
“Oh boy, this wasn’t supposed to happen so soon,” the man said casually as he looked at the three captives. He then paced over to Dr. Andre and the two exchanged a warm embrace. “It’s good to see you again old man.”
“It is indeed,” Dr. Andre replied. “Why are you here though, did something go wrong with the probe launch?”
“There were some hiccups to work through, but in the end the reactor did power up and is safely on its way. The signal is intact and strengthened, but the frequency was detected by our NSA friend,” the mystery man reported. “The agent was about to torture information out of me so I had no choice but to take the cyanide pill.”
Dr. Andre put a sympathetic hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I am sorry it came to that, Valnor. You know as well as I that it is not considered suicide under those circumstances.”
This man, apparently named Valnor, brushed aside the words, silently turned and paced toward the captives. He appeared to head for Professor Russell, but abruptly came to a stop in front of Frank. “Your boss is a very bad man.”
“Now wait just a damn minute,” Professor Russell exclaimed upon hearing the insult.
Valnor stole a glance at the professor, “Working for you is just a cover identity. He’s a National Security Agent and reports to a very naughty individual.”
Frank said nothing as Valnor continued to stare right through him. “You’ve kept your boss well informed. He’s on his way to Egypt as we speak.”
Frank cracked a slight smile that didn’t go unnoticed. “I wouldn’t feel too special if I were you. He’s coming to clean up your mess; it’s not a rescue mission.”
“He’s an extremely capable individual,” Frank defiantly stated. “He’ll accomplish both objectives.”
“Just so long as he comes to Egypt,” Valnor said quietly. “I lent him my lucky ball cap and I intend to get it back.”
He then turned around and walked back into the chamber behind the newly opened door, and returned to view pushing a moving dolly in front of him. He looked over at Dr. Andre. “Come on, let’s get these people inside the chamber so we can prepare for the agents arrival.”
Chapter 59: Let Him Howl
“
Gallono, make sure
the tunnel entrance is concealed so it’ll pass unnoticed if Pharaoh’s men decide to stay and snoop around,” Hastelloy ordered with a gruff voice. “If it’s discovered, you are under orders to kill every living thing you see. No one is to know this tunnel exists.”
“Understood, sir,” Gallono reluctantly replied. “With all due respect though, if a battle takes place here I should be fighting it with you, not hiding underground. Tonwen and Valnor are big boys. They can handle babysitting duty on their own.”
“This is not playtime Gallono. Keeping the Nexus safe is all that matters and I need my best man fulfilling that duty,” Hastelloy stated in a forceful tone that eliminated any notion of further questioning from the commander.
Hastelloy made his way to the building’s front door. “Besides, it’s not going to be much of a battle anyway,” he said over his shoulder. He then bent down and hoisted a hefty backpack over his shoulders and stepped out into the day light.
Mosa and the rest of the exiles were already gathered in the village center carrying what little belongings they found in the village on their backs. The concerned look on every man, woman and child in the crowd let him know the dire situation was not lost on anyone.
“Follow me,”
Mosa shouted as she led her people to the east, away from the village and the tunnel Hastelloy was so desperate to conceal.
Hastelloy brought up the rear of the marching column. They kept an impressive pace and marched for almost the entire day, only stopping for a mid day meal.
To the group’s detriment, a deep and wide rut was carved into the sand by the hundreds of feet shuffling over the surface. If the desert had a week, the sands could shift enough to cover their tracks. As things were, only a blind man wouldn’t be able to follow their path. The bottom line was Pharaoh’s army would be coming and everyone knew it. That fear most certainly contributed to the hastened pace of the march.
Halfway through the second day of marching eastward the group passed through a narrow canyon which opened on the other side to a vast body of water. The jagged rocks rising above the sandy beach on the opposite shore were barely visible as ghostly shadows over the horizon.
Hastelloy motioned for Mosa to join him in a secluded corner. She didn’t have to utter a word, the look on her face said it all - ‘what now?’
Hastelloy activated the holographic display of his navigation unit and zoomed it into their location. He tapped a few buttons that caused the water to become transparent and reveal a relief map of the sea bottom. The other
shoreline was roughly five miles across, and despite the appearance of a vast and deep body of water, the depth was only about fifteen feet.
Hastelloy tapped a few more buttons on the device causing it to zoom to a miniature image of the shore they currently stood upon. He memorized a particularly odd looking cluster of rocks that stood at the beginning of the optimal path across, and then turned the navigation unit off. He looked up and quickly spotted the formation in real life.
Hastelloy lead Mosa to the cluster of rocks. “This is where the path begins,” Hastelloy said as he placed a disrupter rifle among the rocks. He knelt and pressed his eye to the laser sighted scope. He depressed the trigger half way and followed the laser beam across the body of water to the other shoreline. Once satisfied with the alignment, he stacked rocks all around the rifle to hold its aim firmly in place.
“When I give the signal, hold this trigger all the way down and then press this button,” Hastelloy instructed as he pointed out the rifle’s trigger and fire lock button. Following an affirmative nod from Mosa, Hastelloy sprung to his feet.
He grabbed the second disrupter rifle, slung it over his shoulder and began jogging toward the canyon. He glanced back to give Mosa her final instructions. “Bring everyone over to this point. I’m going to keep a lookout for Pharaoh’s army.”
It took no more than fifteen minutes for the group to gather at the crossing point. This gave Hastelloy enough time to scale the canyon walls to gain a better view and a more defensible position. Hastelloy was about to give Mosa the signal when a low rumbling sound from inside the canyon caught his attention.
First he saw a thick cloud of dust rising in the distance. Soon he saw row upon row of horse pulled chariots approaching. The walls of the canyon were narrow enough that only three chariots could fit across, which hampered the army’s approach.
Hastelloy looked back at Mosa and the exiles. They stood defenseless and pinned against the water’s edge. Most had looks of desperation on their faces. Others appeared to resign themselves to the imminent death about to befall them.
A tight knot formed in Hastelloy’s stomach as the reality of his decision was upon him. The greater good could be served in several ways. Everything about to happen was against his natural instincts, but deep down he knew it was right.
Hastelloy redirected his gaze back to the approaching chariots. He took in a deep breath, held it, and then pulled the trigger. A thick fiery blast leapt from the business end of the disruptor. The blast impacted just in front of the lead row of chariots. The drivers randomly veered away from the impact
crater causing a crash, and a massive pileup of horses and metal. The rumbling came to an abrupt halt.
During the chaos, Hastelloy stole a moment to give Mosa the go ahead signal. He shot a blast from the disruptor into the water in front of the group of exiles. All the water in a fifty foot radius was vaporized revealing wet sand below. The surrounding sea waters filled in the hole immediately, but the signal was unmistakable.
Mosa didn’t waste a single second. She depressed the trigger and a prolonged beam leaped out and hit the water. Like a curtain parting at the start of a play, the water in the path of the beam vaporized leaving a ten foot wide path of dry land. From Hastelloy’s elevated perspective, he was able to see the curtain of water pull apart all the way to the other shore line. Mosa then pressed the firing lock button, let go, and the rifle continued to blaze a trail across the sea for the exiles to flee through.
“Don’t be afraid,”
Mosa shouted to her people.
“You will be safe, now get going. Quickly, and don't touch the beam.”
The last bit of instruction was probably not necessary, but it never hurt to be thorough. Hastelloy was relieved to see the exiles not wasting time grappling with their fears. Either out of devotion to Mosa’s god or fear of Pharaoh’s army, they simply obeyed the order to move out.
Satisfied things were progressing with Mosa and her flock, Hastelloy turned his attention back to the approaching army in the canyon. The overturned chariots were righted and the stray horses reconnected to their hitches.
For a moment Hastelloy contemplated firing his disruptor right up the middle of the canyon floor to eliminate the entire army in one shot. Then prudence got the better of him. The relatively advanced civilization created around the construction of the pyramid wouldn’t last without a strong army to protecting it. He needed the sigma species to begin its technological march forward as soon as possible so Hastelloy spared Pharaoh’s army.
He aimed his disruptor about 100 feet in front of the army and fired a prolonged blast. The fiery beam hit the rocky ground with explosive force. Slowly Hastelloy moved the beam closer to the soldiers. From their point of view it must have looked like a pillar of fire was marching toward them.
Realizing the futility of their situation, the army made haste to turn their rides around and exit the canyon. The last to leave the scene was Pharaoh. He defiantly stood his ground and cursed the approaching wall of fire, even as the flames grew closer and the heat began to singe the hair on his arms and chest. Just in time, he backed down and left the canyon as well.
With his defensive work on top of the canyon walls complete, Hastelloy scaled his way back to ground level and walked over to Mosa. She stood alone on the beach admiring the energy beam.
“I take it Pharaoh won’t be bothering us anymore?” Mosa asked without turning around.
“I managed to talk him out of it.”
“Shall we make our way across then?” Mosa prompted
.
“Ladies first.”
Side by side, the two entered the corridor. When they were about fifty feet in, the screaming rants of a madman were heard from the cliff tops behind. They both turned and looked on top of the canyon wall to see Pharaoh standing on the peak alone.
“Mosa. Curse you Mosa. Curse you and your people for all eternity,”
the madman hollered.
After a moments pause to listen, Mosa said dismissively, “Let’s go. He can howl at the moon for all the good it will do him.”
Finally Hastelloy and Mosa reached the other shore and were greeted by cheers, music and dancing of a people celebrating their first moments of true freedom. When the water would only be waist deep, Hastelloy turned around and pulled the disruptor rifle off his shoulder. He brought it up to his eye and looked down the scope to sight the other rifle still barricaded into the rock formation.
Hastelloy dialed the power emitter up to full and pulled the trigger. A second later the rock formation exploded into miniscule fragments and the energy beam parting the waters ceased. Instantly, the clean waters of the new land wash
ed over him and Mosa.
Mosa quickly ran ashore into the waiting arms of her people, but Hastelloy remained waist deep in the sea. He pressed a few buttons on the butt of the disruptor rifle. A high pitched whine soon became audible and grew in volume and intensity. Hastelloy flung the rifle as far as he could into the sea and then made his way to the shoreline. A soft thump and a fifty foot tall water spout gave evidence to the weapon’s destruction.
Hastelloy approached cheering masses. The day’s march was long and grueling. It was now time to celebrate with a feast.
He removed the backpack from his shoulders and set it on the ground. Hastelloy opened the front flap to reveal a small metallic cone that stood about two feet high. He gathered a handful of sand and poured it in the top hatch. Moments later a stack of thin disks of bread were dispensed out the bottom.
He handed the stack to Mosa. “We call this manna. It’s not much for taste, but it’ll provide all the necessary nutrients we need to survive. I need some volunteers to distribute it while I make enough for everyone. We’ll be able to live on this until we find a permanent place to settle.”