by Mikayla Lane
“You can’t be serious,” Deanna said with a chuckle.
“Dead serious. I can’t say I’m convinced, but what some of the others guys put together is pretty creepy stuff,” Dog admitted.
“There really have been people who’ve disappeared when the hum stutters?” she asked, even though she didn’t believe the incidences were related in any way.
“Planes too. It doesn’t actually stutter. It’s more like a massive surge. We think it works like a pressure relief valve and prevents the energy from building to dangerous levels,” Dog explained.
“Why didn’t the government just tear it apart and find the source?” she asked, shocked that she hadn’t heard about this earlier.
“The original mission was to study it and try to determine if it was an ancient site or alien technology. It took years just to accurately measure the thing, inside and out. The fear always was and still is, that changing anything about the way this thing is built can alter whatever is causing the hum. We assume it’s power or energy, but it could be a bomb or an alien ship,” Dog explained.
“Let me guess, the mission changed when it was sold out to the corporate slugs,” Deanna said with a shake of her head as she stood. “So, we have no idea what can be unleashed if that idiot starts pulling blocks?”
“Nope, not a clue,” Dog agreed.
Deanna paced the small room.
That hike back to civilization is sounding better and better, she thought.
“No wonder why Mike wouldn’t tell me any of this. We could be sitting in the middle of a time bomb! That definitely would have impacted my decision to come here,” Deanna muttered.
“I’ve been here 24 years, and nothing has happened so I think we’re safe. But I also don’t believe that we need to be pulling any blocks out of here until you’ve had some time to learn a little more about the place. It only took you two weeks to find a door we didn’t know was there. If we give you a few months there’s no telling what you’ll find,” Dog said with a grin.
“I appreciate your faith in me, but I don’t think any of it is going to matter to Mike and his board of directors,” Deanna said with a heavy sigh.
“Harry tells me you think it’s alien. What do you figure is going on here?” Dog asked, changing the subject.
Deanna shook her head and continued pacing.
“If it’s alien, there’s no telling what we’re dealing with. If it’s reacting to attempts to break into the room, then why let us find it at all? Why not electrocute us when we were going at the mural with the chisels? It doesn’t make sense,” she said, her mind turning the questions over in her mind.
Dog scratched his balding head before sitting heavily on the floor and leaning back against the opposite wall from the door.
“Maybe we should let Mike try drilling it and see if it really is intelligent?” he suggested with a chuckle. “Maybe it’ll do more than knock him out.”
“I think he’d be too afraid to mess up his manicure,” Deanna said with a snort. “Besides, he has a never-ending string of idiots he can sacrifice instead.”
“All right, girl. Enough chatting, let’s get to work trying to figure this out,” Dog said as he stood and dusted off his backside. “I’m going to set up a few more instruments.”
“Do you need me out of your way?” she asked.
“No, you’re fine where you are. Just don’t touch the door,” Dog warned.
“If it’s intelligent, I wish it would just do something!” Deanna muttered.
She stopped pacing, and Big Dog backed away from the door when the hum abruptly changed and began thumping. They looked at one another questioningly before they both shook their heads in denial that they’d caused it.
“Do you think it heard you?” Dog whispered as he moved to stand beside her.
“I don’t have a clue,” she whispered back then took a hesitant step towards the door.
“Get back here,” Dog snapped at her in concern.
“Maybe it’s talking to us,” Deanna replied, slowly walking to the door as the thumping sound continued like a heartbeat around them.
“It can’t be. I’ve been cursing at this damn place for 24 years and the son of a bitch ain’t never responded back!” he argued, unsure if she was right or not.
Unwilling to let her be near the door by herself he moved behind her to set up his equipment and record the strange new cadence the hum had changed into.
“Please, please, please open,” Deanna whispered as she placed both of her palms flat on the door.
When several minutes passed, and nothing happened Dog released the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.
“Whew!” he said with a laugh at himself. “Not sure what I would have done if it had opened! Probably would have pissed . . . Oh God!”
Deanna shrieked and jumped back when the door began to slide open, but stayed close enough to see that there was another tunnel behind the door.
“We need you guys to come up here,” Dog whispered into the radio.
“We got problems out here!” came the crackling reply. “We got an intruder! Stay inside the pyramid!”
Deanna and Dog looked at one another before turning to look at the door.
“You don’t think . . .?” Dog asked her, wondering if the intruder had anything to do with the door opening.
“I intend to find out,” Deanna said before she took off down the tunnel towards the entrance.
*****
Haruki had known before he dropped from the transport that something was wrong. He could feel his energy begin to vibrate erratically when they were a hundred miles out from the location, and it only increased the closer they got to where he was going on foot.
He studied Trick, who was piloting the transport, to see if he noticed anything unusual. When the Tezarian appeared to be unaffected, Haruki decided not to mention anything.
“We’re here. You sure you have everything?” Trick asked as he put the craft in hover mode.
Haruki secured his pack and checked his weapons before he nodded at Trick.
“I’m a go!” he said then threw himself out of the door.
He hit the ground with a soft thud and immediately scanned his surroundings. He saw there were no immediate dangers and dropped to his knees, pressing his palms against the ground.
“What are you?” Haruki whispered in wonder as energy poured into his cells, feeding his power.
Feeling giddy with the excess energy, he stood and tried to shake off the rush and orient himself. It didn’t take long to realize that the direction he was heading would bring him closer to the source of the energy.
More than a little curious and full of more energy than he could ever remember having, Haruki took off at a run through the forest. He’d gone several miles without stopping or slowing and was amazed to notice that he wasn’t the least bit tired. If anything, he became more energized the closer he got to the location he was sent to do reconnaissance on.
Knowing the potential dangers of dehydration, Haruki slowed to a stop near a small stream. He pulled off his pack and knelt at the water’s edge and cupped his hands to take a long drink. When he was done, he sat back and looked around the area.
Opening his pack he pulled out his map and located where he was going and approximately where he was. Since he had no idea what to expect when he got to the location, Haruki made sure that his map wasn’t marked in any way. If he did run into trouble, he was going to pretend to be a lost hiker.
He folded the map, put it back in his pack and pulled out a protein bar when he felt a flutter in his mind.
“Are you OK?” Ainsley whispered through the shengari’.
“I am doing wonderfully,” he said with a smile. “How is the packing going?”
“I’m already done. Mikal and Chance are letting me stay in your old room while the suite is being finished. He said you wouldn’t mind. You don’t do you?” she asked nervously.
Haruki chuckled and shook his head, even
though he knew she couldn’t see it.
“I have nothing that a young girl cannot see. But you must promise me that you won’t touch the weapons until I can teach you how to use them,” he replied, wondering if he should have Mikal take them out of the room. Just in case.
“Mikal and a few of the others already took them out. I wasn’t going to go through your stuff, though. Have you found anything?” she asked, her hope bleeding through her voice.
Haruki thought of the strange energy still coursing powerfully through him and knew he couldn’t frighten his new daughter by mentioning it before he knew what it was.
“I’ve found a lot of breathtaking landscapes and a variety of animals. It’s been very pleasant,” he told her. He really had enjoyed the place so far.
“Do you think you might be back early?” she asked, her voice filled with hope.
As much as he wanted to go back to her as soon as he could, Haruki had a bad feeling that this trip wasn’t going to go as planned. Whatever the source of the power flowing in him, he had no doubt it would entail a shitstorm of trouble.
It always does, he thought.
“I don’t know, honey. There’s a lot of ground to cover, but I promise that I will do everything I can to get back as soon as possible,” he said as he repacked his bag and pulled it over his shoulders.
“Please be careful,” Ainsley whispered.
“I promise I will. Now get settled into my room until the suite is ready and listen to your aunts and uncles for me. I love you,” Haruki said as he saw the mountain he was heading towards in the distance.
“I love you too,” Ainsley replied.
The moment Haruki knew she’d cut off communication, he took off at another run. He was determined to get to the mountain ahead of schedule, deal with whatever problems he knew would arise and hopefully get back to Ainsley on time.
Early is definitely out of the question, he thought as the power increased with each long stride he took towards the mountain.
The closer he got to his destination the more Haruki learned to shed the excess energy and use it to increase his abilities. He was stunned at the fluidity and instant response to his commands. He’d never had so much control of his power before, and it only made him more curious as to the source.
Hours later, he was on his belly looking at a large metal wall on the side of the mountain. If that wasn’t strange enough, he could clearly make out tire tracks in the vegetation around the wall and right up to it.
Haruki lowered his binoculars and rolled onto his back with a sigh.
I knew this was going to be a shitstorm, he thought, running a hand over his face. He wasn’t the least bit thrilled to be proved right.
He flipped back over and studied the metal wall, noting the roll-up door and a regular one. Haruki knew whoever built that wall and installed the doors had the means to haul the materials out here. It was an attempt to conceal the source of the power now thumping in sync with his heartbeat.
He briefly considered calling his brothers, but with no real information to give them, and three newborns at home it seemed pointless. Besides, Haruki didn’t want Ainsley to be worried about him.
Picking up the binoculars again, he scanned the area for another way to get closer to the door without being noticed. Haruki quickly found a potential path, shoved the binoculars in his pack and began the long hike to go around the backside of the mountain.
The 19 hours of sunlight, typical for this time of year in the interior part of Alaska, worked in Haruki’s favor, and he made it around the mountain just as the sun was setting. He quickly noted the high-tech surveillance cameras and motion sensors surrounding the area near the door.
I’m not getting near there without being caught, he thought in frustration.
Haruki closed his eyes, took a deep breath, concentrated on the strength of the energy thumping through him and knew without a doubt the source was coming from inside the mountain. Opening his eyes, he looked back at the area around the door and tried to think of a way to get closer.
Haruki didn’t know why, but he had to get inside that door. Whatever was producing the energy coursing through him was somehow beginning to whisper to him. He didn’t understand the words, but he was compelled to listen to them until he did.
“Put your hands up real slow.”
Haruki didn’t even flinch at the sound of the voice behind him as he put his hands in the air.
“Dude! Thank goodness someone found me! I’m lost and need some help getting back,” Haruki replied without turning around.
“Stand up and turn around,” the gravelly voice ordered.
Haruki stood slowly, leaving his pack on the ground and turned towards the voice. He was only a little surprised to find two men in camouflage with rifles trained on him.
“Who the hell are you?” the one on the right demanded.
“I’m Hito Tanaka. I live in Nome. I was out here to hike and got lost. Is there a ranger station in there?” Haruki said, using the cover story and name he’d come up with before leaving.
“Take his gun and look through his pack,” the man on the right ordered the other one.
Haruki kept his hands up as the man on the left grabbed his gun then reached down and took his backpack. He kept his eyes trained on the man on the right as his pack was ransacked.
“He’s got nothing,” the man said as he stood holding the bag in his hand.
“Why are you armed?” the one on the right demanded as he pointed his rifle at Haruki’s hip where his gun had been.
“Dude! Are you fucking serious? This is Alaska! Do you know what’s out here? Of course, you do! You’re armed too,” Haruki shot back, acting irritated even though he was calm and alert.
“You didn’t walk all the way from Nome. How did you get here,” the one on the right and apparent leader demanded.
“Geez, man. What the fuck? Like every other person, I parked at Denali State Park and hiked this way. I was supposed to be out of here by now, but I got lost and haven’t been able to get back. How about you just point me in the right direction and I’m outta here,” Haruki suggested.
“That’s a two-day hike, and you don’t have a tent,” the leader pointed out.
“Yeah! What part of I got lost, did you miss?” Haruki snapped back. “Who the hell are you people? If this is private property, it’s not marked! I’m sorry. Point me back to Denali, and I’m gone.”
The leader laughed and shook his head while he jerked his rifle towards the right and the clearing below.
“Move. Now,” the man demanded.
Haruki didn’t doubt that he could take out the two men with ease. The problem was he didn’t know how many more were in the mountain, and he felt compelled to get inside and discover the source of the energy that was still thumping in sync with his heartbeat.
Since he’d stepped foot on the mountain, Haruki had felt an unnatural urge to find the source of the energy. The whispers of something ancient chanting in his mind grew louder the longer he remained. He didn’t know why, but he felt if he stayed just a little longer he’d be able to understand what the whispered words were saying to him.
Without arguing, Haruki made his way down the mountain until he stood in the clearing in front of the metal wall.
“Why the hell are you bringing him here? You know damn well it’s catch and release!” one man whispered behind Haruki.
“Shut up and get him in there,” the leader ground out.
“Fine, it’s your ass,” the other one said as he moved to the regular door beside the roll-up one and opened it.
“Get inside,” the leader ordered Haruki, jabbing the rifle into his back twice.
Haruki walked in the door with an overwhelming feeling of expectation, and he knew that whatever he was going to see would forever change his life. The last thing he ever expected was the largest, darkest pyramid he’d ever seen.
It was built within a hollowed out mountain, and Haruki studied the walls, noti
ng the way they appeared melted. It looked as if something had melted the rock so the pyramid could be built inside. The door was only fifty feet from the corner of the base and gave him a perfect view of the dark granite used to make it.
“What the fuck?” he whispered in awe as he craned his neck to see the top.
Haruki wasn’t sure which was more impressive, the structure itself or the massive crystalline capstone sitting atop it. He could feel the thumping increase and his heartbeat followed the new rhythm. Moments later, the crystal began to pulse with a dim light before a bright beam shot out of it, striking him on the head.
Haruki never saw the butt of the rifle come down on the back of his neck before he crumpled to the ground.
Chapter Four
Deanna ran outside in time to see the beam of light hit the strange man before Dale viciously hit him in the head with the rifle. She cried out in horror at the brutality and ran towards them as the light from the capstone blinked out as quickly as it came.
“Why did you do that?” Deanna cried out.
I didn’t sign up for this, she thought in anger as she knelt at the fallen man’s side.
Deanna sucked in a breath at her first real look at him. His almond shaped eyes were closed, his jaw was solid, and his shoulders were broad. When she’d seen him from the pyramid, she noted how tall he was and gently caressed her hand over his close-cropped hair. She felt a tingle run through her at the contact and stared at his handsome face and full, kissable lips.
“Get the hell away from him,” Dale ordered her.
“No! He needs medical attention,” she snapped back, unwilling to let go of the injured man.
“He needs to explain what the hell he is! Now get away from him,” Dale snarled and pointed his rifle at her.
“What are you talking about?” Deanna demanded angrily as she ignored the gun and ran her fingers along the back of the man’s head looking for the injury.
Deanna looked up in surprise when Dog smacked the weapon out of Dale’s hand and pointed his own rifle at him.
“You know better than to aim a gun at one of us,” Dog warned Dale, his eyes flashing in anger.