“What I learn about that day is this: on that day in 1962 there was the Cuban missile crisis. Now if you add nine to it you get 1971, or 71. Add a nine to that you get 80. Add another nine, the third nine; you get 89, as in 1989. And on 17th, October, 1989, in San Francisco, there was an earthquake that was 7.1 on the Richter scale and caused 8 billion in damages. I read that some reports put the death toll at 62, while others put it at 68. Some put it less than that.”
“So that earthquake occurred because people wouldn’t do some type of purification?”
“Perhaps. But it couldn’t hurt could it?”
“No I guess not.”
“Natas triple-great grandfather had his followers build a temple near that site. The temple was on top of a hill where caves are. Where the altar was, he had them drill a hole down to ground level. He then had them dig a tunnel to where the hole is. And then he had them dig a large round chamber that is under the temple. In the center of the round chamber, he had them dig a circular pit where the hole is. So that the round pit would be directly under the altar. Pure water was put into the round pit and then he blessed it. A special copper cover was put over it to keep things out of it. Religious markings were then put on the copper cover. A copper pipe was then run from it to the hole in the ceiling and then up to the altar. The altar was designed to collect blood and allow it to drain into the pit. The altar resemble an upside down cross. The cross was an iron maiden. But it was design so that the person would die slowly. That way most of their blood would be collected.”
“Sick minded people.”
“Yeah… I guess hatred would do that to a person. But you don’t know the half of it.”
“I hate to ask… but…” Parker was afraid of the answer so he didn’t ask. But he was just too curious not to ask. But he didn’t have to ask. She answered his question for him.
“He kept them in a drug induced stupor and had them… had the…”
“What? What did he make them do?”
“Had the brothers and sisters practice incest in an effort to create unholy children.”
Parker shook his head in disgust and said nothing.
“He had them pray around the pit. And then one day… I guess it was sometime between his time and up until Natas’ grandfather took over… um…”
“What? What happen?”
“They removed the copper cover. You see… the air around that pit was as cold as a meat locker. And there was the smell of death around it. But the most amazing thing about it is… not one fly, or any other insect that is attracted to the smell of death would come near it. There was heaviness in the air. The feeling that you didn’t belong there. It was like, the place was haunted.
I don’t know the precise details of Natas’ birth, but what I could extrapolate was this: his parents were brother and sister; they were sacrifice at his birth along with the whole tribe. His… um… mother and father was the last to be sacrificed. He was born on that rare celestial event on 17th, of October. I also know that his grandfather took him to this village somewhere on the eastern shore Iraxxan. The people were Mea Kryysti. They were very nice and kind hearted. The type of people who hated war. But they were also deeply religious. If they ever find out about Natas’ past, they probably would have killed him. His grandfather did not stay in the village, but lived close by. Sometime after Natas became a teenager, his grandfather show up and Natas killed him. Shortly after that Natas killed the whole tribe.”
“And you found that jar at that temple. And what you called Liquid Death was the liquid in that pit. So what can it do? I mean, why is it so valuable?”
“If one drop of this gets inside of a person it would kill them. I know that because while I was at Natas’ birthplace, a tribal group of people started to attack us. The men that I was with quickly learn that if they were to stick anything in that liquid, then poke somebody hard enough to break the skin, it would kill them instantly. If a person is so badly wounded that they are beyond hope; then one drop of this liquid would save their life. It was also rumored that it could bring back the dead. But I don’t know if that is true or not.”
“So what happened after you left that place?”
“We went back to Colnynol. I told him everything that I learned. He had no reaction. I don’t know if he believed me, or was too shocked to say anything. I also learned from him that Vaistll went to take a city called Nyuu’a’nostl (new-l a na-stal), and she won’t be back for a couple of weeks. I then decided to go home. Before I left, Okuoyk and Ryyuoxx came and got me. They told me that I was lost at sea. I died because of the bitch of November… it was a storm.”
“Yeah… I kind of figured that.”
“And that’s how I ended up on Ydxx’od’omaa’s ship.” She then got up to leave. But she was acting like she was forgetting something.
“Anything else Iakuoyr?”
“Yes. Just one more thing about that jar.”
“What?”
“Hold it in your hands.”
Parker then did as she asked. He then noticed that it was very cold. It was like holding ice.
“It’s always been like that. If, and when, you go to sleep try and do one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Lie on your back; hold it in your hands, and then go to sleep. But you won’t sleep long.”
“Why?”
“You find out. Oh, by the way.”
“What?”
“The dream that you will have is a metaphor for your future. You will also understand why I couldn’t tell anybody, or show anyone, that jar.”
With that, Iakuoyr left leaving Commodore Parker intensively curious about what she meant. Yes, he will sleep. But not for long.
(4)
Commander Taylor finished getting ready for the day. After he finished his breakfast, he watched the news. After a few minutes, he turned off the TV. It was getting too depressing to watch. It was making him deeply concerned about his family. Taylor is close with both his family and his wife’s family. And he is afraid that he might have lost all of them. Torn between his family and his duty, he was confused. After a minute, he got up to try and contact his cousin who is in a near-by quadrant. It would take up to one hour to one day for his cousin to receive the message.
Taylor hasn’t heard from his cousin in five years. His cousin had some type of a job opportunity. Taylor did, and did not care about the time delay in contacting his cousin. He just wanted to hear from someone in his family. He felt lonely, cut-off, and isolated. Most of the other members of Task Force ZH-3C felt the same way. But he was the only one who had a relative near-by.
But the sad thing is; after his cousin got that job opportunity, all contact with him was lost. It was not like his cousin to disappear and never call his family. The last message that his cousin sent said that he just arrived and that he is doing okay. But he forgot to give them any contact info. No info on which planet, or star system, or even the name of his employer. They would have hired a private detective but there is nothing to go by.
With the Yellowstone eruption, Taylor is afraid that this might be his last mission. He wants to find out what happened to his cousin before he goes on his mission. He wants to hear from him, before it is too late. After all there is still the chance that he won’t survive his mission.
(5)
Commodore Parker was standing in the men’s restroom in Project 21 headquarters washing his hands. He turned his head slightly to the right because he thought he heard someone behind him. When he finished washing his hands, he heard it again.
“Is someone there?” He left after he didn’t hear a reply.
After he took a few steps from the men’s restroom, he heard something coming from behind him.
“Hello. Is someone there?” Yet again, there was no reply.
Parker started to walk down the hall and he started to feel cold. As he took a couple of steps, it got cold enough for him to see his breath. He then heard something behind him yet again. This
time he didn’t say anything he just turned and look. As he did, the room got dark. The lights didn’t go out, they just got dimmer. With fear rising in his blood, it got very cold. To him it felt like it was forty below zero. He then saw something on the floor in front of the men’s restroom.
What he saw was something that was dark, circular and rotating. He couldn’t believe his eyes at what he was seeing. Whatever it was, it started to look like a hole in the floor. And then he heard it. It was a sound that sent a chill down his spine. It was a ghostly, eerie, supernatural sound that sounded like a thousand voices (both people and animal) crying out from the grave.
Parker stood there paralyzed with fear. His fear became a knot in his throat as he saw what came out of that hole. It looked like an upside down, black, elongated teardrop. Then he saw another one and another one. They kept on coming. He saw hundreds of them and then thousands of them. And all the while, he kept on hearing that same eerie ghostly sound.
Parker stood there in shock and horror. Whatever those black things were, they were spiraling around in a vortex that was eight feet high. He then saw them merge into a humanoid shape. As soon as the humanoid shape was finished forming, both the hole and the vortex disappear. The humanoid shape had no facial features. Whether its eyes were closed, or whether they just formed, Parker saw two red eyes, with no pupils, staring back at him. And they were glowing.
“PA…R…KER!” It said in that same type of ghostly sound that came from the hole. Parker turned and ran for dear life. But he couldn’t hear it chasing him. When he made it to the elevators, he turned and looked at it. He saw that it moved in an unnatural way. It took a step and then Parker saw that it became a blur, and then it moved a couple of feet closer to him; all within a second. Parker stood there frantically pushing the elevator button.
Parker, scared to the point that he was crying, was leaning into the elevator door. With his eyes widen with fear as it was within reaching distance, the elevator door opened and he fell in. He quickly got up and pushed the button for the lobby. Whatever it was, that was chasing him, Parker could hear that it got into the elevator shaft and was now on top of the elevator. It laughed in a deep guffaw way that sounded like both an echo and like it was played backwards at the same time. Then it said his name.
“Who are you!? What do you want with me!?” Parker screamed out of fear. He looked in disbelief as he saw its hand come through the elevator’s roof. When it did that, it was like a ghost moving through an object. Parker could only shake his head and hold out both of his hands to it in a way that said, ‘No. Please don’t.’
The elevator door opened and Parker fell out backward. He then quickly got and ran to the exit of the building. He could hear the dark entity laugh at him. It was as if though it was toying with him.
“Help me! Help! Somebody please help me!” Parker screamed out. But nobody came to his rescue. He then turned and saw it walk through the glass door of the lobby. The door reacted as if someone poured liquid nitrogen on it and then heated up too quickly. With that, Parker ran for his dear life. He ran until his right knee gave out, which was a few blocks. He then rolled over to face it.
Down the street, near the entrance of Project 21 headquarters, he saw that it was still standing there. It slowly walked towards him. No one could see the dark entity, only Parker could. Cars went through it as if the dark entity didn’t exist.
Parker got up still facing it, turned around, and started to run. As he did, he saw a black blur coming from his left side and then stopping in the alley. Parker then turned and looked at it. In the alley Parker saw two street punks robbing, and/or raping, a woman. She was sitting down on the ground against a dumpster. One of the men lean forward over her, she then pulled a knife and stabbed him in the neck. The other street punk then shot her dead. The street punk than turned around and saw the dark entity standing behind him. The dark entity than reach out with his left hand, placed it over the corpse of the two dead people, and one of those black tear drops came from them and enter into the dark entity. Parker than realized what he was dealing with - an angel of death.
Parker watched as the street punk slowly backed up into the street and then stopped when the dark entity stopped. The dark entity rose up its right hand and pointed to its left. The street punk than turned to his right and screamed when he saw that he was fixing to be hit by a bus. The dark entity moved to the street punk dead body and than collected his soul.
“PA…R…KER…I…COME FOR…YOU.” It said.
Parker than shook his head in horror. He turned to run, but before he could take a step the dark entity, moving as fast as a blur, cut him off. Parker than turned to run in a different direction, but once again, before he could take a step the dark entity moved to cut him off. Each time Parker turned to run in a different direction the dark entity promptly cut him off. It then became a circular blur that surrounded Parker preventing him from going anywhere.
“Please.” Parker said pleading with it. He watched as a face formed on the blur. The circle started to close in on Parker with the face getting closer to him.
“What do you want from me?” Parker said as he dropped to his knees. He was crying out of fear and frustration.
“PA…R…KER.”
“Please don’t.” Parker cried for his life and his soul.
“I…WANT…YOU TO…WAKE UP.” It said confusing Parker.
“What?” Parker said still trembling with fear and crying.
“WAKE UP!” It shouted.
With that Commodore Parker woke up in bed. He was still lying on his back. As soon as he woke up he felt something blew air into his right ear. He then flew out of bed and put his right hand on his ear. He looked at what could have caused it and saw only that jar that Iakuoyr gave him. He was deeply confused by that. It couldn’t have been the cause of what blew air in his ear. But it was the only thing on his right side. Nothing else could have explained it. What’s more, when he fell asleep he was holding the jar in his hands.
Parker looked at the time, it read 08:22 hours. Roughly one hour of sleep and there was no way he could fall back to sleep. He then decided to get off Galactic Prime, go to his office, and then maybe he could get some rest. But there was no way he was going to stay another moment on that ship. Not after he had a dream like that.
(6)
Between 08:30 to 10:00 hours, each of the members of Task Force ZH-3C and Commodore Parker did something that will forever alter not only their lives, but the lives of everybody in the galaxy. Only the decisions of Commodore Parker are his, and only his to make. He can choose the pathway for himself and for the entire galaxy. For Task Force ZH-3C, the decisions that they will make may tear the whole team apart out of fear for the fate of their family.
Vaistll and her family decided to leave within that time period and stay at her room at the Roosevelt. Ramirez decided to head back to Roscadia to spend time with Maria Sadowayj. All of them (including Commodore Parker) were on the same shuttlecraft.
Parker and Vaistll’s family were tired and sleepy. Parker was tired for the obvious reason, but for Vaistll’s family they found it too hard to fall asleep on anther ship. Zyynuma mentioned that, ‘After 5 ½ years on a ship that is nothing more than a death trap, it does make it hard for one to fall asleep on another ship.’
While they were on that shuttle craft two events occurred that, by themselves are unimportant, but it had a significant impact upon the decisions of everybody. The first event occurred when Iakuoyr got up and whisper into Parker’s ear, ‘In your dream… when death comes for you… it does not mean what you think it means.’ That comment reconfirmed the decisions that Parker had already made concerning what to do with Ydxx’od’omaa’s wife and what Iakuoyr gave him. The other event was a phone call that Ramirez got from Sanchez.
Sanchez called Ramirez to inform him of Wexler idea of getting the team together for moral support. She felt that it would be necessary to have Hayes there as well since the team likes him more than the
y like her. She also mentioned that she told Wexler that if they don’t show up than she would order them to. Ramirez was touched by Sanchez actions and he gave her his approval.
When everybody showed up it became apparent from the beginning that the majority of the team didn’t want to go on the mission, they wanted to go home to be with their family. Sanchez, Caparzo and Choy were there. Neither one of them said anything. Their minds were already made up - they were going. Caparzo was going because he had no other choice, but he never said why. And nobody pushed him into answering why.
But what greatly surprised and shocked them was Bryce. He didn’t like anything that he was hearing. He found that what they were saying about abandoning the mission as disgraceful. He got into a heated and lengthy argument with several of them. He mentioned that his wife is ‘up the duff,’ and that when he came out of cryo-sleep he’s been having this constant feeling that he will die on Golden Hyperion, but he is still going. They thought that he was crazy because he is abandoning his family to go on a mission knowing that he believes that he will die on that mission. Bryce added that he didn’t want to do anything to dishonor her or his children. After they chewed him out for saying that, he added that, ‘If you run in the face of evil… you will only bring it home with you. And by doing that… you will dishonor those whom you love.’
Bryce asked Sanchez if he could be excused and she said no. She said that she wanted him to hear what she had to tell to everyone. She said that, she too will be going. She then gave a speech about dishonor, completing the mission vs. going home, her past, why you should never run in the face of evil, and most important of them all: the importance of sacrifice in order to achieve a greater good. Everybody was taken back by what she said. It really did move them. But not enough to change their minds.
Her speech was heartfelt and beautiful. It made them felt a little guilty about their selfishness, causing them to momentarily, question their motives. Sanchez heartfelt speech, changed everybody view of her. She earned their respect but not by that much. It didn’t cause them to like her.
The Cross of Mithras Vol. 1: EOD Operation Welcome to Hell Page 30