Project Solaris 2: Hero Rising

by Chris Fox

  He paused then, letting his gaze roam the lot of us. I knew what he wanted, so I finally just asked. "What would that be?"

  "The Hall of Records, first mentioned by Edward Cayce in the 1940s," Bridget broke in. Steve shot her an annoyed glance, but she continued as if she hadn't noticed. "It's reputed to be a repository of knowledge, much like the Library of Alexandria. Cayce claimed that it was the last storehouse for the Atlanteans."

  "So you're searching for Atlantis?" Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow. He shot me a look, and I didn't need telepathy to know that he thought we were wasting our time.

  "Far from it," Steve supplied, seizing the conversation once more. "Atlantis may or may not be myth. In the absence of any real data, we simply can't know. What we do know is that there are cultures older than anything modern science has discovered. Ruins in Turkey date to over 9000 B.C.E., for example. That's a good four millennia before writing was discovered, or before we'd first harnessed the power of agriculture. We have no idea who built those ruins, or why."

  "...And that has what to do with this repository?" Jillian asked. Her tone was dangerously flat.

  "More than you might think," Steve gave back, staring intently at Jillian. "A similar culture likely existed here, and they left behind one of the world's greatest monuments. One that we've falsely attributed to the Egyptians."

  "Oh?" I asked, leaning against the wall. I was still drenched in sweat, and definitely wished the room had more chairs.

  "The Sphinx is far older than originally assumed," Steve continued, leaning forward and steepling his fingers. "Research conducted in the mid 90s by Robert Schoch and John West concluded that the enclosure and the Sphinx itself had both endured centuries, possibly millennia, of water erosion."

  "How is that possible in the Sahara?" I asked.

  "The Sahara wasn't always a desert," Bridget broke in excitedly. "Our current climate has changed a great deal over the last ten to twelve millennia. Back then, this was all savannah. Africa was a far wetter place, and if the Sphinx existed, it could have experienced just the sort of water erosion Schoch theorized. It would also have meant that widespread agriculture would have been possible here."

  I glanced at Jillian, but she just shrugged. None of us knew anything about this, but then that was why Usir had assigned us an anthropologist. I turned back to Steve. "So if the Sphinx belongs to this older culture, you think it's a clue to this...what did you call it, the Hall of Records?"

  "Precisely," Steve said, smiling. "Cayce claimed that the Hall lay somewhere under the paws of the Sphinx. Most people assumed that to be nothing but nonsense, but when Schoch conducted his research, he found something odd. There is a cavity under the paws, roughly twelve meters by nine meters. It's a mere five meters under the surface."

  "If that chamber exists, why hasn't the Egyptian government excavated it?" I asked, genuinely curious now.

  "They've been petitioned many times, but they feel that Schoch's evidence is inconclusive. They don't want to risk damaging such an important monument over what they feel is a hoax." Steve folded his arms, adopting a pensive look. "Unfortunately, I haven't found any way into the chamber, assuming it really exists. Nor have I found any additional information about it. There are a lot of rumors, but only Cayce's testimony can be validated, and that was nothing more than a vision. He could have made the entire thing up."

  "Obviously we can't just drill into the rock," Bridget said, leaning forward in her chair. "It would be too loud, and far too conspicuous. The answers we need are frustratingly close, but still out of reach."

  "Can you get us access to the Sphinx?" I asked, glancing at Jillian. She gave me a knowing smile. Her abilities could get us into that chamber.

  "Sure," Steve said, shrugging. "There are tours heading there constantly. We can be there in two hours if you like."

  Chapter 12- The Sphinx

  We boarded an aging red bus just outside the hotel, with a conveniently colorful picture of the pyramids on the side. It wasn't as crowded as I'd expected, and the five of us were nearly alone toward the back of the bus. I studied the city as we rumbled up a wide street that could have belonged in Los Angeles, threading past skyscrapers, mosques, and a very modern hospital.

  There was very little conversation, though Marcus and Summers spent a great deal of time whispering. Summers' head rested against Marcus' shoulders, and he wore a half-smile. The behavior, especially hers, seemed out of keeping, but I suppose that kind of near-death experience could definitely change a person.

  "It's nice seeing them happy," Jillian said, her hand finding mine. She gave me a warm smile.

  "Yeah, I'd say they deserve it after everything we've all been through," I replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

  We'd finally stolen a march on our enemies, or so it felt. Even the knowledge that there might be a spy in our midst wasn't enough to dampen my spirits. We'd rescued Janaki, and thanks to Osiris we had a starting point. If we could find this Hall of Records, maybe we could learn more about the Black Knight satellite.

  "It isn't much further," Steve called. He'd donned a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap that he somehow managed to make stylish. It might have been my imagination, but he sounded a little annoyed. Maybe that was because he'd insisted Bridget stay behind, probably so he could flirt with Jillian and Summers. Summers had Marcus, and Jillian was with me, which meant his charms were wasted. Ha-fucking-ha.

  The bus emerged from between a pair of large apartment buildings onto a wide lane. A row of large buses, vans, and a smattering of cars clogged the roadway ahead of us. It wasn't hard guessing why. Before us loomed the Great Pyramids of Giza, far more majestic in person than I'd ever have imagined.

  "The tallest one, the pyramid built by Khufu, is over forty-five stories tall," Steve said, gesturing at the grand structures. "It's nearly fifty centuries old, the oldest structure of its size in the entire world. Amazing, isn't it?"

  "It is," I said, transfixed by the view. The bus inched forward, winding traffic toward a large parking lot where people were debarking.

  The Sphinx was considerably less impressive, at least from a distance. I could only make out the head, which was worn to the point where I could barely make out facial features. It was tiny compared to the pyramids themselves, but if Steve was right about the Hall of Records, it was both far older and far more important than the more majestic pyramids.

  "This way," Steve said as the bus rumbled to a stop. He slipped over the railing and dropped to the ground, shouldering a pack once he'd landed. He waited for the rest of us to join him before continuing. "The Egyptians take the security of their monuments very seriously. We'll be passing by armed guards, but don't be alarmed. Mohn has spoken with the minister of antiquities and they're aware of our presence."

  The warning seemed unnecessary. I could see several guards armed with assault rifles. They scanned the crowds ceaselessly, but without much concern. Most of the people in the crowds were European or American, though there were quite a few Asians as well. The Sphinx must receive thousands of visitors daily if this crowd was any indication, so I doubted we'd warrant any sort of special scrutiny.

  "How close will they let us get?" Jillian asked, as we began moving toward the line of tourists threading into the Sphinx enclosure.

  "Right up to the structure itself. We can go down between the paws," Steve said. He fished out a laminated badge, and held it over his head. Steve walked right past the line of people waiting to get in, stopping in front of one of the guards. The guard briefly eyed the badge, and then gestured for us to pass. I could see the enclosure ahead of us, a narrow ramp leading down towards the Sphinx's paws.

  Steve led us past a thread of tourists, most of whom were using phones or cameras to record the experience. I could feel the myriad signals drifting from those devices, a hundred connections to the Internet. That sensation I'd gotten used to, but there was another set of signals. One I tried to avoid. Those were thoughts and emotions, the men
tal broadcast every mind gave off. They were weaker than the cell phones, but strong enough that if I let them, they'd drown out anything else I was paying attention to.

  "You okay?" Jillian asked, leaning in closer and glancing at me over the top of her sunglasses. I read the concern there.

  "Yeah, crowds are just a bit overwhelm--" I began, trailing off as a thought flitted across my consciousness.

  It wasn't my thought. It belonged to someone in the crowd. Someone who was staring right at me. That thought was tinged with malice, smugness, and more than a little anger. I stopped, sifting through the sea of thoughts as I tried to locate the person.

  "What is it?" Marcus asked, pausing next to me. He released Summers' hand and began scanning the crowd for threats. Summers did the same, but facing in the opposite direction. They stood back-to-back, their long partnership welding them into a single unit.

  "I don't know," I said, low enough that I hoped only they could here. "I felt something. Someone in the crowd--"

  Time slowed to a crawl. One of the guards turned to face us, a man with a tan uniform and a thick, black beard. He raised his assault rifle in our direction, and it began to roar as bullets streaked in our direction. They caught Jillian in the face and chest, knocking her from the ramp and into the enclosure below. I knew there was no way she could have survived that, even with our regeneration.

  Time sped up again. There was a moment of vertigo, and the guard was suddenly several feet away. He was no longer facing us, and showed no sign of firing. Jillian stood next to me, seemingly unharmed.

  "You okay?" Jillian asked, leaning in closer and glancing at me over her sunglasses. It was a moment of complete deja vu. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I'd just experienced the exact same set of circumstances, and if I was right that meant the guard was about to--

  "Get down!" I roared, tackling Jillian to the dusty stone. Marcus dropped to one knee, but Summers was too slow.

  The guard turned to face us, his assault rifle belching a hail of slugs that caught Summers in the back. She was flung forward, collapsing to the stone next to us in a shower of blood. The crowd around us erupted into screams, some fleeing into the Sphinx enclosure while others ran back the way we'd just come.

  Chapter 13- Brawl

  I was still deciding how to react when Marcus roared, thrusting a hand at the guard who'd fired. The man's neck jerked sharply to the right, and his body slumped limply to the ground. A hot flash surged through me, and I turned to growl at Marcus. He seized me around the waist, pulling me behind him as he raised his free hand.

  Another burst of gunfire sounded, the slugs bouncing off the invisible shield that Marcus had erected between us and the remaining guard. The rest of the crowd continued to flee, and the area around us was quickly deserted.

  "Help Summers. I'll deal with this asshole," Marcus growled, eyes fixed on the guard.

  "No," I snapped, seizing his shoulder. "They're being controlled. We need to find the real threat. Hold him off while I find whoever is doing this."

  Marcus' eyes flashed. He snarled at me, but turned back to face the guard. Another torrent of bullets ricocheted off the shield Marcus had erected, and he slid back a few inches from the force. I needed to do something quickly.

  "Steve," I roared, grabbing the man by the arm. His eyes were wild, but he turned to look at me. "I need you to focus. We have to find out if there really is a chamber under the Sphinx's paws. Get down there and find the most likely spot."

  "What about him?" Steve asked, gesturing at the guard firing. He winced at each new flurry of bullets.

  "Focus on finding that room. We'll take care of guards." I gave him a shove toward the enclosure, and he started trotting down the steps.

  "What about me?" Jillian asked. She scanned the area, looking for threats.

  "We need to get Summers to safety," I said, kneeling next to the blonde. I wasn't a doctor, but her wounds looked bad. "She's breathing, at least. Hopefully her healing takes care of the rest."

  "David, we need to end this guard and do it quickly. We don't even know who's attacking us," Marcus growled through gritted teeth.

  "Give me a second," I said, opening my mind and scanning the area with a wholly different set of senses. Minds appeared all around me, little beacons giving off faint pulses of bright light.

  "We don't have time," Jillian said, pointing. A figure was streaking towards us, with a body unlike anything I'd ever seen. It glittered in the sunlight, refracting the light like some some sort of diamond. She was definitely humanoid, but her body was clear crystal.

  Cracks spread with every footstep as she charged toward us, vaulting over a few frightened tourists and landing in a crouch near Marcus. She launched an uppercut, but Jillian was already moving. She caught the woman's hand, which went ethereal a split second before passing through the space Marcus' head occupied. Jillian reversed her motion, using the crystalline figure's momentum to knock her to the ground in a shower of dust.

  A flash of green came from behind and above me, and Jillian's training saved my life. I instinctively rolled to the right, dodging the blast. The green light vaporized a large swathe of the rock I'd been standing on, obliterating stones that had existed for millennia. I reached instinctively for the most powerful offensive weapon I had, the little golden boomerang I'd taken from the grew men. A wave of green energy shot from the device, and the figure ducked back behind cover. I couldn't be sure, but the face looked familiar. It was the Latino kid I'd first seen back in Tuolumne, then later when we'd rescued Janaki.

  That confirmed our attacker's identity. It was Dick, which explained how and why the guards were firing on us. He was mind-controlling them. Two could play at that game. I turned my attention to the guard, focusing my attention into a laser-like beam. I slipped into the guard's mind, the world going dark as I was surrounded by thoughts and memories.

  Hello, David, came an amused voice. It looks like you've been practicing.

  I turned to see the spectral figure of Dick, his dark hair showing the first spots of grey. Even his mental projection wore an immaculate black suit. He gave me a cruel grin, eyes glittering. Then I felt something forcing its way past my defenses, and realized in horror what I'd done. The guard's mind had been a trap. Dick wanted me to over-extend myself, and I'd walked right into his little trap.

  You're mine, Dick said, dickishly.

  I fled back to my body, slamming my defenses into place. Dick followed, battering at the gates of my mind. I don't think he'd expected me to react that quickly, which was the only advantage I had at the moment. We were getting our collective asses kicked, and we needed an advantage. I had just the thing.

  I concentrated, sending a signal to the mothership in high orbit above us. I commanded it to approach, and also commanded it to alert Kali. It was a calculated gamble. The ship appearing over Cairo would almost certainly alert the grey men, so we needed to get away from here, fast.

  "David," Jillian's voice was high pitched and out of breath. "We're losing. I'm not sure how long I can keep her busy."

  I shot a glance Jillian's way, seeing her dodge a swipe from the crystalline woman. The punch cratered the wall, sending sharp, stone shrapnel everywhere. It bounced off the crystalline woman, through Jillian, and straight into me. I winced as a rock sliced across my cheek, staggering back a step. I nearly toppled into the enclosure, just barely catching myself.

  There was no time to think. I aimed my boomerang at the crystalline woman and fired a full-strength blast. The light refracted crazily as it struck, sending off green beams in all directions. The blow didn't appear to hurt her, but the beams destroyed everything they touched. The stone she was standing on melted, and she toppled into the enclosure below.

  "Let's move," Marcus roared. He twitched his left hand, and the guard who was still firing occasional bursts in our direction dropped bonelessly to the ground. Marcus scooped up Summers and started rushing down the stairs towards the Sphinx. He left a trail of bright, scarl
et drops in his wake. Summers was bleeding badly.

  I rushed down the stairs after him. Another green beam came from above, vaporizing more stone near my left shoulder.

  "Slow down and watch your footing!" Jillian yelled. A familiar rush of cool energy washed over us, and we faded from sight. It made descending the stairs treacherous, but it also provided more time to do so since our enemies could no longer see us.

  "Dick will still be able to feel our minds. We don't have much time," I said, wishing I knew of a way to cloak us from Dick. I didn't. He had a lot more experience with telepathy and mind control, whereas I was learning on the fly. I was outclassed, and I knew it.

  We stumbled our way into the enclosure, which was somehow even hotter than up above. The rocks around us radiated heat, and I could even feel it through my shoes. I wiped sweat from my cheek, quickening my pace now that we were on flat ground. The blasts of green energy had stopped, and there was no sign of the crystalline woman. That scared the piss out of me, because it meant Dick was regrouping. That probably meant he knew why we were here, and was waiting to hit us until we had our figurative pants down.

  "Steve," I called as we approached the paws of the Sphinx. The structure towered above us, six stories high and thankfully blocking the sun. "Over here."

  Steve looked up from where he'd been kneeling, scanning the area where my voice had come from. He couldn't see us, of course. "David? This is the spot where Doctor West theorized the chamber lays. If he's right, it's directly beneath me."

  "Thanks, that's exactly what we needed to know," came a feminine voice from above. Even as I looked, the crystalline woman leapt from the top of one of the paws. She landed next to Steve, wrapping a glittering hand around the back of his neck. She turned in our direction, though she didn't seem to know where we were. "Come on out, David, or I snap your friend's neck. All we want is access to the satellite. You lot can walk away once we have what we want."