Islands in the Sky

by Michel Savage

  The locations of each of the six energy orbs was shown upon the map, where she pinpointed the one in the lands of the Jotu.

  "Come over here and take a look at this!" Mica called out in an excited voice.

  "My, my, a map of the lost continent," Logan breathed as his attention stirred when his eyes fell upon it, "here is the ritual tree we had found near the outer banks ...and here is the route we must have taken to reach the river and the city of giants, and here is the Nida, the province of the Dwarves; as Allen put it," the professor stated as he turned a smile towards me.

  "And there," I pointed, "is Asgard, where we are now!" I mentioned as gestured towards the image of a white tree enclosed by a crystal castle.

  There were several more outposts and castles lined along the eastern lands; with but a few if any such outposts noted on the western islands. Apparently the high mountain range was an impassable barrier between the two lands during their era. Looking closely to the symbols etched upon the map, Logan went back to the model to reference the strange markings.

  "Here, this one here," the professor asserted as he examined the largest orb and the symbol marked upon it. Noting its design, Mica scoured the map and found it at the castle of Asga.

  "It's here somewhere!" Mica uttered in excitement.

  "That makes sense," Logan admitted as he rubbed his chin, "the great temple of Asgard was the most esteemed city in ancient legends, and would be granted the largest of the orbs by its supreme position among its allies," he noted.

  "This is a pretty big place, Doc," I mentioned, "is there some sort of diagram here which shows where it might be within this complex?"

  Searching around the chamber, we found nothing that hinted upon its location in or around the towers; but Mica logically assumed that we would likely find it under the foundation where it could harness the magnetic fields without interference. Her conclusion made sense, as we had found the first one at the bottom of a deep tunnel under the sunken temple of the giants. That one was in a state of low power, as if on standby before we accidentally woke it from its long slumber. Our plan now was to disable the main globe, presuming it had an 'off' switch.

  There was a rumble through the castle and shards of ice broke free from its walls as we braced ourselves from the sudden tremor. We glanced at one another in surprise, which slowly turned to awareness that the source of the quake was likely the activation of the geomagnetic conductor. As if on cue, the lower edge of the room lit up with power and several contraptions began to move; telling us the energy sphere located at this fortress had been activated.

  "Uh doc, just a question," I asked Logan as we steadied our feet after the tremor passed.

  "What is it Allen?" the professor responded.

  "So what exactly happens when all six of these energy orbs are triggered; worse case scenario?" I was afraid to ask.

  "Hmm ...that's a question that my assistant can best explain," he responded as he motioned towards Mica. With a sharp look in her eyes, she tried to illustrate the effects. Looking around the room, she realized that though this ancient culture possessed an amazing level of technology; that they likely hadn't expanded into space travel and had no global view of the earth which would offer a map of all the contents during their era. Regardless; she used several bits of metal and odd items stacked about the tables to recreate the relative position of our continents.

  "It is theorized that a polar shift merely flips the earth's magnetic poles," she offered with a glance my way to confirm I was following; so I gave her a nod that I understood, "the problems that arise during such an epic event is that cosmic radiation and solar winds would have a devastating effect on plant and animal life during that time period when the veil of our planets magnetic field is greatly weakened."

  "How long does such an event take and what could we do to counter it," I asked with a raised brow.

  "Nobody knows the true span of time it takes; it could be months, years, or decades ...its just not known; but during that period of vulnerability radiation from space would very likely cause irreversible genetic damage to the flora and fauna of the entire ecosystem. Beside the point that such levels of solar and galactic emissions we would experience would likely crash every power grid and global communication network on the planet," she added in for spice.

  "So ...that's bad," I responded.

  "Very bad," she quipped back, "the entirety of human civilization itself would need to move underground to shield us from the catastrophic effects of the unfiltered solar winds. However, we're also talking about depletion of oxygen levels we are accustomed too as our atmosphere is stripped away into space. So yes, it's pretty bad."

  "From the diagrams Mica's predecessor has shared with me in the past," Logan interjected, "was that a warming of our climate would spike during such a polar shift. Given that over 40% of the world's population lives among continental shorelines, the death toll alone would be in the billions; however, the ripple effect from the aftermath on our global infrastructure would collapse us back into the dark ages,"

  "Or beyond," Mica added to the remark.

  "So ...it's super bad," I conceded with a lump in my throat, while both Mica and Logan nodding in agreement as another aftershock from the tremor rattled the tower.

  Hunted

  As we were searching for a diagram of the tower to find this alpha orb that was noted to be present within the complex, we heard a scuffle and something break on the floor below. The three of us glanced at one another with a look of concern as I took out my pistol and crept back down the stairway while I motioned Logan and Mica to be as silent as possible. The commotion coming from below continued as I tiptoed down to the lower level. Once I got to the floor below ours I saw a shadow dash through the room as several artifacts went skidding across the floor in its wake.

  Being little jumpy, I backed up the stairway to my companions and informed them that I saw something large moving down there, and quickly suggested we should try to find a way out of the tower.

  "What did you see?" Mica inquired with more of a spark of enthusiasm than the occasion called for.

  "I'm not quite sure," I noted to her clear disappointment, "but I it was big and fast," I answered, "it's best we not dally here and find a way higher up where we can get a door or create a blockade of some sort."

  We had already been through encounters with giant bats, enormous spiders and other strange creatures, and I was trying to be precautious about encountering something equally unfriendly. The level immediately above in the research lab where we had been studying the models of the orbs was a large vaulted chamber that connected to a skywalk, bridging between several adjacent towers. Going for the doorway, we turned as we heard a strange high pitched clatter coming from behind us on the landing; sounding similar to a rattlesnake. Creeping slowly up over the last step we saw a strange creature that appeared to be an oversized hound covered with white and grey patterns across its scaled hide; with tufts of fur riddled across its back were there lifted several sharp erect needles from its spine when it saw us.

  I almost dropped my gun at the frightful sight of it, and Mica couldn't help but let out a stifled yelp of fear as the creature let out a horrific hiss from between the rows of sharp tusks lining its jaw. It glared through deep red eyes shifting between the three of us like a predator sizing up its prey. I took a stance and fired a shot, but missed in my haste. The ricochet caught the edge of a metal table and the bullet zipped past its head. Instead of scaring it away, this attack appeared to enrage the creature. Its spinal ridges stood erect and began to vibrate, causing the source of the quickened high pitched rattle.

  Logan and Mica stepped back against the far wall as I tried to steady my feet to take another shot, but the beast seemed to anticipate my act of aggression. Its blood red eyes gleamed towards me alone as it singled me out as the immediate threat and darted behind cover. The thing was quick, and its low profile made it hard to follow as it slunk among the pedestals and tables spread across
the chamber.

  Tom hadn't brought any extra bullets with his holster, so I was trying to be conservative with the ammo, realizing I only had another handful of shots before we would be left helpless. The beast launched itself upon one of the tables to get a look at us, and just as quickly jumped back down for cover as I turned my aim its way. Its gleaming lidless eyes were horrible to behold, giving it the soulless look of a snake.

  "Mica, go for the doorway and get out of here," I hissed under my breath toward my two companions as I motioned Logan to follow her.

  They took cautious steps towards the exit to the skywalk just as the beast began to turn its head my way. The door pivoted open on a central point as Mica edged her way through it with Logan close behind while a gust of cold wind blew through the chamber from the open portal. The chilled air coursing through the room drew the creature's attention back towards my two companions, and the beast could see its newly found meal was attempting to flee

  Once again it pounced upon a nearby table to gain the high ground, and turned toward Mica and the Professor as they made their escape. Positioned between us, I realized I couldn't take a shot while they were both in the line of fire; so I did something stupid and picked up a small sculpture lying upon a stand and heaved it at the monstrosity.

  Hitting on its rump, the beast turned to hiss at me again in annoyance while its spines rattled. Its glare and its stance told me I was now considered first on the menu, so I backed off down the stairway just enough until I was sure I could turn my back and make a run for it. I had learned that predators were excited by the flight of prey, so I took the chance that this scaled hound would pursue me rather than my friends. My bet paid off.

  "Run for it!" I yelled over to Logan as he and Mica slipped out onto the bridge.

  I scampered to the level below back into the chamber with the orbs and various contraptions, looking for a place to hide. I tripped and knocked over several items on a nearby table while trying to regain my balance; completely losing all initiative of cloaking my path. The creature cautiously made its way down the steps, smelling my fear as it lingered in the stale air.

  I tried as best as I could to be covert and as quiet as I possible but my heavy breath and racing heartbeat had become obstacles to achieving that end. I crouched behind a far table that attached to the back wall, only to realize that I had likely corned myself. Peering around the edge, I sought another avenue to make my way past the lizard-like hound and back up the stairway. When I noticed the beasts long bare tail slink behind a nearby table, I scurried back the way I came in.

  It took only moments for the demon dog to notice I had fled once again, and came scampering in hot pursuit as its talons slid upon the glassy floor. Dashing up the stairs, I toppled over several objects from the talbes to fling behind me in a vain attempt to slow the creature down. As I reached the top landing I turned just in time to see the creature leap for my throat. In a flash, I tripped on the last step and came down hard on my back as the beasts belly skimmed past my face as it missed its mark.

  In a moment of dread I realized that I had dropped the gun and reached out to grab it. Glancing back for but a split second, the face of the creature filled my vision; its sharp fangs clacking as its spines rattled as I lay there frozen in fear. Suddenly the scaly mutt gave out a strange cry as its head jerked backward; so I took that opportunity to grab the pistol off the floor and scampered to my knees.

  I looked up to see Mica standing a meter away as the beast glared at her. There was a long metal lance sticking out of its backside which had partially crippled the beast. By the pale look which washed across her face in that frozen moment, Mica could tell that she had only seconds to live as the creature turned vengeful for the injury she had inflicted upon it.

  At crouched to leap upon her I had fired two shots into its torso. The creature turned once to glare at me in dismay, as if surprised by the wounds it had received, and suddenly fell to its side upon the table. We both stood there stunned for a moment as we slowly approached its corpse; wondering what it was I had just killed. I was about to say something to Mica when the creature twitched. Out of a nervous reaction I emptied another bullet into its body as I nearly jumped out of my skin in panic.

  "I think its dead now..." Mica whispered as she stepped over to calmly lower my trembling arm as I stood there aiming at it.

  "What the hell is this thing?" I asked, but knowing full well she had no clue either, "Where is Logan?"

  "The walkway outside connects between three towers, and he's attempting to gain access into one of them now; but I came back to see if you needed help," she explained.

  "Well ...ah, thanks," I stuttered, looking for the right words, but completely failing, "you saved my ass there."

  "This is certainly a strange genetic mix," Mica noted as she dared to get closer to the animals corpse to examine it, "it has the basic features of a large canine, yet has an extended snout like a crocodile, along with scaled plated skin like a reptile; but possesses hair like a mammal," she began to speculate at how this creature could have evolved into such a complex monstrosity upon this isolated wasteland.

  I pulled out the silver lance from the beasts limp body while noticing the fine rune lettering along its shaft, and remarked on its features and how sharp it was.

  "Where did you find this nasty little toy?"

  "There are two other spears like it set in the middle of the bridge," Mica remarked, "and it was better than having nothing as a weapon, so I grabbed one before I came back inside."

  "Huh, it might be a lightening rod of some sort, I would imagine," I speculated.

  "Maybe so in centuries past when the land mass was near the equator, but electrical storms are very rare here at the poles," she noted to my lack of education on the fact.

  "Well, either way, it made a good pig-sticker," I returned with a raised brow as I admired the end of the bloody pike.

  "We should go find Logan and see if he found a way into the other tower," Mica noted as I holstered my gun and took the pike with me in case any more of those things showed up.

  Exiting out the pivoting door, we found the professor huddled at one of the entry doors of another tower. It was obvious he wasn't having much luck trying to gain entry. We wandered up to his side to see what the problem was.

  "Ah, is that beastie still running loose in there?" he inquired with a worried glance back towards the doorway.

  "Allen shot it," Mica answered, not taking the glory for having saved my life, "...are both these entries jammed?"

  "I tried the other one already, but they are both locked by some means, and I can't seem to figure out how they operate," the professor noted as he referred back to the door we had used as an egress onto the bridge.

  As he turned back around, he noticed the long silver lance I was carrying and snatched it from me. Turning around back to the center point of the causeway, he began to inspect the other two rods which stood inserted at the central circle. Observing the posthole for the missing rod, he inserted the lance back into its original rest. Taking out his tuning fork, he struck one of the rods and all three of them began to twist in their sockets.

  "Ah, now we're getting somewhere," the professor gloated as he waited patiently for the system of this ancient technology to reveal itself. I was guessing that he was hoping the doors to the other towers would pop open to allow us entry, but instead the sky bridge began to descend.

  The plunge of the bridge was wrought with snags as the mechanisms which operated the lift had become blocked with ice as it ground itself through to our discomfort; leaving us stumbling to keep our feet. Looking over the edge, I was praying that the thing wouldn't fail and plunge us to our deaths. The rift at the bottom spun open just before we set down; leaving packs of snow to fall inward as we were showered with ice. The lift entered a shaft into the depths of the frozen glacier in which the entire fortress was entombed.

  The causeway suddenly came to a stop, leaving us stranded in darkness. Flippi
ng on our flashlights we took a look at our surroundings as light flakes of snow continued to drift down upon us from the opening far above. We heard the groan of ancient machinery trying to open a sliding panel along the wall of the landing, but the deck was packed with chunks of ice.

  "Come over and help me with this," I called to Logan in an effort to clear the seams around the doorway.

  Mica grabbed one of the silver lances from the lift and began stabbing at the frozen debris. Realizing they made perfect ice picks, I followed in her lead and tossed Logan the third one from the bridge. After several minutes we had broken enough of the ice away for the door to allow it to function and the curved panel slid back as far as it could. We lurched back in surprise when a gush of hot air spewed from the opening, turning itself into a thick mist as it hit the cold air outside.

  Making our way inward, we crossed a barrier of crystals lining the walls and floor which activated the panel door to secure itself once again; locking us in. The temperature was far higher within the passage than anything we had experienced before, and had a strange smell to it I found hard to identify. Mica distinguished its source, having been on so many expeditions in the past in her field.

  "It smells like rich soil, like the deep Amazon," she stated as we walked the wide curved path down the tunnel.

  As we approached a bright light near its end, we started crossing several plants of different colors rooted among the floor. Their numbers increased as we approached their source, as thick wooded vines stretched out; clinging to the walls and ceiling of the corridor. We shielded our eyes as we entered through the open portal, only to be amazed by what we saw before us. A vast chamber of crystal covered only by a thin sheet of snow, was covered in rich plants growing wild like a greenhouse that which had run amuck after untold centuries.