The hum ended, sending the enormous stones pummeling back to Earth. With a loud roar, they struck the lagoon, creating an enormous splash in its wake. As the water subsided, Jules noted that the rocks remaining were pulverized and that large portions of the island were now submerged. Luckily, the WOGS standing at attention in front of him took the brunt of the deluge.
Within a few seconds, a significant portion of Nan Madol collapsed into the water, sending an enormous amount of bubbles up to the surface in response. It was as if the lagoon had suddenly swallowed it up, leaving nothing behind.
Impressed with the results, Jules looked out at the remaining island and said, “Let us continue.”
Drew placed his hand against his auricular chip as he again analyzed the holographic readouts. “Same parameters, but let’s increase the sonic pulse’s intensity by five percent this time.”
***
Orisihpa fell to her knees as the Mukulian Hall shook violently for a few seconds. Multiple crystals fell to the ground in response, shattering into pieces. The remaining crystals all turned dark as if feeding off of Orisihpa’s emotions.
Alex took her by the arm. “You’ve got to get out of here. This whole place is about to collapse.”
Orisihpa spryly got back on her feet. She smiled towards Alex. “Young man,” she said as if a loving mother. “This is where I belong. I was entrusted with the care of the hall, and here I shall stay.”
Part of the ceiling collapsed, crushing a few of the islanders. Screams of terror echoed throughout the hall.
“Now, go,” Orisihpa insisted. “Both passageways will lead you to the surface.”
In her heart, she knew that no matter which passageway they chose, no one would be safe if this hall were destroyed. Just like the stories foretold to her by her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, if the Mukulian Hall was destroyed, so would go the entire planet—what began many millennia ago would not be able to be stopped.
Their dire warnings echoed throughout her mind as she watched more and more of the crystals crash to their destruction. Those remaining continued to darken and grow ashen in color.
A large crack in the ceiling suddenly opened, sending a torrent of water into the room. A wave of rock and debris propelled Orisihpa against the wall. Alex, his colleagues, and the rest of the islanders in the hall fared no better. Thrashed by the water, they all did their best to stay afloat and not get hit by any rocky debris.
“Get to the passageway,” Alex yelled, pointing to the left exit. “Go now!”
Having to swim, Alex, Marissa, William, and Terzin fought the debris and waves until they were safely out of the hall. They could hear the room behind them rumble as more of it continued to collapse by the second.
The remaining island natives refused to leave their sacred hall. Surrounding Orisihpa, they all treaded water and began to pray in unison.
“Come with us,” Alex insisted, pointing to Orisihpa and the islanders around her.
Orisihpa turned to Alex. With a solemn look on her face, she could only utter, “We must stay.”
In her heart, she felt running would be futile. If death did not overtake her now, she knew her demise and that of her companions was but a few more moments away. The end would soon come as the oceans reclaimed the Earth, unabated by the protection once granted to the planet by the Marks.
More water began to pour into the room as the ceiling in the Mukulian Hall continued to collapse.
Realizing they could not change Orisihpa’s mind, Alex and his colleagues turned away from the hall and swam down the long passageway until they reached a flight of steps, slowly inclining up a lengthy tunnel. As they scurried forward, they were able to reach ankle-high water.
After spitting out some water, Alex addressed his friends. “Tom will be waiting for you when you get out of here.” Gazing into his vedere lens, which was now working again, he continued, “This tunnel will lead you about a mile away along the shore of Pohnpei. Get out of here as soon as you can and see what’s happening in Philadelphia. I’ll meet you there.”
“What?” Marissa asked, flabbergasted. “You’re not coming with us?”
Alex held up the shield. “Not with this. And I’m certainly not going to leave it behind. This is the key.”
“So?” Marissa said. “Take it with you.”
“I can’t,” Alex said. “Jules can track it. He’ll be able to find us wherever we go.”
“Can you do something to cloak the shield?” she asked.
“Not at this moment,” Alex admitted. “Now go. The longer Tom waits, the more chance he will be discovered.”
“Then I’m going with you,” William insisted. “I’m not leaving you behind.”
Alex placed his hand on William’s shoulder. “You’ve always been a good friend, but now is not the time for heroics. Trust me. This is something I need to do alone. I can’t risk your lives any further. You all have sacrificed enough.”
Before he left, Alex gave Marissa a kiss on the cheek and descended the steps without another word. He could hear his colleagues beckoning for him to reconsider.
After inhaling deeply, he then dove into the water and began to swim under its surface. With one hand holding the shield, he managed to swim in one breath to where the passageway met the great hall.
Peering his head above the water, Alex noted that most of the hall was submerged. He could also hear a few screams echoing towards him from the hall. Sounds of agony were intermixed with a few groans of the remaining islanders’ gurgling prayers.
Alex swam into the room. He could see Orisihpa’s body floating next to the Maternal Mark. Blood trickled down her wet hair as one of the island’s natives fought to keep her afloat. Bodies of other natives floated face down in the water while other rock and debris cluttered the once magnificent hall. A dim light continued to illumine the area, and only five stars were left shimmering on the roof—the V-shaped Hyades.
The Maternal Mark’s glow faded by the second.
Will this mean the end of the planet? Were Orisihpa’s predictions true?
Alex did not have the answer, but with such commitment by Orisihpa and her colleagues, he had no reason to doubt her word. Alex looked at the shield and pondered its significance to this whole predicament. The further he delved into this mystery, the more questions arose.
A loud rumble abruptly echoed throughout the room as the roof completely collapsed. Rocks came crashing down, engulfing the entire area. Alex had barely enough time to take a breath and submerge himself before being pounded by a barrage of debris.
All went dark in the room except for a faint glimmer scarcely radiating from the Maternal Mark. Alex could barely see his hand in front of him because of the dark, hazy mist and bubbles that obscured his vision. Stones surrounded him, and neither exit was in sight.
His chest felt tight as his rapidly beating heart quickly began usurping most of the oxygen in his blood.
Relax, Alex thought, and concentrate.
Letting his muscles go limp, Alex calmed both his mind and body before making any further movements. Floundering under water would prove counterproductive. He had only one opportunity to escape from this room without drowning. If he acted too rashly, his prospect for survival would be lost.
Let’s hope this works in here, Alex prayed. He hoped that the electrical interference once caused by the crystals would no longer be present as most of them had been destroyed.
Reaching into one of his pockets, Alex grabbed his weatherometer. Designed to withstand harsh climate conditions, this instrument was also waterproof.
Taking out the weatherometer, Alex held it close to his face in an attempt to discern the holograph displayed above it. Fortunately, the image was not only visible in the murky water but it also helped shed some light in the dim surroundings. He then pressed his thumb on the pen-like device and the holographic image of clouds once projected above it changed to small arrows pointing in certain directions.
Fantast
ic, Alex thought. Using the instrument’s parameters originally designed to measure wind speeds and directions, he instead switched its settings so that it now assessed the water current in the room.
Alex noted that despite the turbulence, the general direction of water flowed in three directions. Alex surmised that these were the two exits and the initial hallway of the other room from which they had entered.
Alex took the shield and placed it under his left arm while still holding the weatherometer. With the instrument now about a foot from his face, he used its light to help guide him towards where the arrows pointed. Rocks significantly impeded his retreat. Swimming around, and even under these boulders, he slowly made his way to the exit that had not been used by his friends.
The closer he approached, the more the arrows unified in the same direction. Alex’s lungs began to burn as if he had inhaled sulfuric acid vapors. Fighting the urge to breath, he removed a few small rocks blocking his path and popped his head through the exit.
Fortunately, no further obstacles infringed the path ahead of him. However, with his head already touching the top of the passageway, there was still no air in sight. His muscles began to ache as their lactic acid levels rose precipitously.
Every movement felt like an enormous chore. His vision began to blur and his head pounded. There were but moments left before consciousness would evade him.
With one final thought Alex grabbed an electromagnetic pulse stun gun from a pocket while dropping the weatherometer. He then placed the shield firmly against his chest, securing it between his arms. Taking the gun, he maneuvered it in front of the shield and grabbed it with both hands.
With barely enough power to even hold the shield or gun, Alex pressed its muzzle on the shield and fired. Pain radiated through his body as if he had stuck his finger into an electrical outlet. Again and again he pulled the trigger, jettisoning him through the water and further up the hallway.
As his consciousness faded, Alex could feel cool air wisp over his back. With his muscles now frozen, the buoyancy of the shield managed to turn his face up as the world around him went black.
Chapter 20
Chapter_20
Marissa continued to worry about Alex’s safety. She thought she had lost him once before, over a year ago. The memories of the event came back now to haunt her: The sight of him laying dead in her arms. The holographic readouts of total organ shut down. His cold, ashen face. It was like it was all happening again. She turned back, hoping to see him running up the steps.
William, too, carried with him a sense of remorse. He could not stop feeling that he had abandoned his friend. He knew Alex would never do the same to him. William recalled how Alex helped him pass his organic chemistry class in college and somehow also managed to tutor him to high-honors in calculus. He couldn’t forget how Alex funded his original research project on retroviruses. The research was an overwhelming success, spring boarding his career upwards and his reputation internationally.
Overwhelmed with guilt, Terzin fell to her knees and began to weep uncontrollably. “I have failed,” she cried. “Humanity will perish, and it’s all because of me.”
“There was nothing you could’ve done differently,” Marissa assured. “You are not the one to blame.”
“My mother guarded the Mark,” she continued though pouring tears. “My grandmother guarded the Mark. For hundreds of generations my ancestors did the same.” She looked up at Marissa, “They all successfully guarded the Mark, no matter what happened. All but me.”
William pondered how many years a few hundred generations must be. He fathomed that it had to be over 10,000.
How old is humanity? he contemplated. Maybe Alex and Marissa were right about that flood thousands of years ago? The sincerity in Terzin’s voice made him believe the authenticity of her claims.
“This is not your fault,” Marissa said firmly. “The blame lies directly on Jules Windsor’s shoulders. You saved the Mark. You brought the Mark to Nan Madol. What could you have done differently?”
Terzin stopped crying and attempted to compose herself. Dripping wet from the water, with her long hair strewn across half her face, she looked physically and mentally beaten.
“Let’s keep moving,” William insisted, knowing that was exactly what Alex would say right now under these circumstances. The longer they delayed, the more they risked their lives—and Tom’s life.
“It looks like the tunnel comes to an end just ahead,” he pointed.
“Almost out of here,” Marissa said to Terzin. “Maybe there’s something we can still do in Philadelphia.”
This prospect provided Terzin the hope she needed to continue. As they walked further up the hallway, William nudged in front of them and ran the rest of the way, seeing what appeared to be a major obstacle ahead of them.
“This is not good!” he yelled back towards his companions.
“What is it?” Marissa asked, losing sight of William as he ascended the stair’s sharp incline at the end of the tunnel.
“There’s no way to get out,” he exclaimed frantically. “We’re trapped. This tunnel leads to nothing but a rock ceiling. What moron designed such a thing?”
Marissa ran up the steps behind William only to discover the validity of his words. There was no exit. She was met only with the same slightly glowing whitish-brown stones that created this passageway.
William pounded on the ceiling, hoping he could find some means of escape. Marissa took a much gentler approach and began to dig her fingernails along the rock, attempting to uncover a crack or crevice indicating a door.
“This is it,” William said. “The is literally the end.”
He pounded his palms against the rock a few more times. “I wish Alex were here,” William finally blurted.
So do I, Marissa thought.
William rethought his words for a second. “It’s not that I want him here trapped and destined to die with us in this tunnel. What I was trying to say is that—”
“I know what you meant William,” Marissa responded. “Say no more.”
“I doubt Alex would have been much help,” Terzin commented as she seemed to glide up the steps.
Despite his despair, William again noted how beautiful she looked with her hair gently strewn across her face. For a moment, he almost forgot about rotting to death in the tunnel.
Terzin joined Marissa and William at the top of the steps. Slowly, she placed her right palm against the ceiling and began rubbing its underbelly. “Think of these rocks as living and breathing entities.”
William’s infatuation with their new friend slowly began to fade. I’m not in with any rock-loving hippy, he thought. Doesn’t matter how beautiful or mysterious she is.
“These rocks resonate at an inherent frequency derived from the crystals inside them,” Terzin explained. “Every rock is different based upon its composition.”
She now put her other palm on the ceiling and ran them both across its smooth face. “Your mind also resonates at certain frequencies and projects an aura around you. However, unlike the rock you can change your mind’s frequency at will.”
Maybe Terzin is not that much of a hippy, William conceded. He remembered that Alex had mentioned on numerous occasions that human consciousness lies at a subatomic, quantum level. And at that level it generates a quantum field corresponding to one’s own thoughts and emotions.
The rock above them began to vibrate and then slowly slide to the side. Sunshine beamed into the tunnel as clear, fresh air filled their lungs.
“You did it,” William said in amazement. “You actually moved the rock.” He paused a second while he peered into her eyes. “You’re amazing.”
Moving the rock had provided Terzin a brief sense of purpose. She smiled back at him, amused by his boyish attitude. “You learn a few tricks as a Keeper.”
William blushed.
I hope Alex is all right, Marissa thought, feeling a bit guilty that she survived while his very existence remai
ned in question.
As the three exited the tunnel, they found themselves at the far end of Pohnpei, near the beach. Surrounded by jungle, they peered through the trees, wondering when Tom and the stratoskimmer would arrive.
A cool breeze floated through the jungle as the scenery next to them began to blur. The further distorted it became, the more in focus became the image of a stratoskimmer with its stairs descended.
“Let’s go,” Marissa whispered, as all three dashed towards the ship. As they ran, each had the same eerie feeling that they would be struck down by a striker craft overhead before they were even on the beach. Each felt a great sense of relief upon finally entering the stratoskimmer.
“Strap in,” Tom said, as the three scurried into the cockpit. “I’m going to bring us fully out of stealth so that I can depolarize the engines at maximum capacity.” A cowboy at heart, he relished the thrill.
“Have you done this before?” William asked hesitantly.
“Once,” Tom said, adjusting the readout on the dashboard.
“When?”
“Today!” Tom responded enthusiastically as he pushed the two side buttons on the edge of the steering wheel.
The ship violently jettisoned forwards, sending all their heads directly against the seat behind them. The G-force was overwhelming and made breathing an enormous effort.
“Yes!” Tom yelled at the adrenaline rush.
The blue skies instantly disappeared as the blackness of the outer atmosphere filled their windshield.
“What about Alex?” Marissa insisted as the G-force on her body diminished. “We left him on the island. We’ve got to go back!”
“Don’t worry,” Tom assured. “He told me to open a secure line once we are in stealth. Pressing his thumb on the steering wheel, he said, “Alex. Mission successful. All safe and secure. Status report.”
They all impatiently waited for a response. Any response. After a few seconds, Tom repeated the message once again, but they received the same absent reply.
The Final Reality (Alex Pella, #3) Page 14