Toni played with the odd-shaped pieces, slotting them together making a solid triangle of crystal. Daphne said it looked like a prism, to which Sophie agreed. Bethany took the prism from Toni and sat upon Cain’s shoulders. Holding the prism unto the light from the spotlight, Bethany moved the prism around until the separated colours hit the six indents.
A bright green light pulsed across the surface of the plaque, each indent lit with the correct colour. The last bolt’s red light changed to green, and the final bolt opened.
The final changes to the statues occurred when the door last bolt retracted, and the door swung open. They stood close to the now open door, which revealed a well-lit small room beyond the doorway.
In the room's centre there was a table, a large storage chest sat upon it. :Much like the storage chest we found in the 2027 zone’s portal room,: Toni thought.
Before they entered the now-accessible room, they looked at their statues, each with a perfect likeness carved upon their faces. The statues right hands now held crowns of green laurel leaves.
Entering the room, Cain noticed a control panel on the wall. On the floor was a pair of foot prints, smaller than his own. Calling Toni over Cain said,
"It looks like Vince has made the control panel accessible for you or any of your sister-wives," then gave her a hug pulling her tightly to his body.
Chapter 45
Selecting New Zone
[Toni, there is breaking news about Forsaken. SPQR have held a news conference. There are six players who SPQR say have exited the game. One of the players, a female called Tracey Peddle, told reporters she had come out of Forsaken to settle a few business and personal issues before going back in.
[On replying to the reporter’s questions, Tracey said the game is so realistic down to every minute detail. A reporter asked her about how realistic is the sex, causing Tracey to blush, replying the sex was way better in the game than real life. You get to be who you want and can live your life to its fullest.
[The other five, four men and another woman said similar things to Tracey. SPQR told reporters they were installing more quantum servers to stabilise the game zones due to the huge number of full-time players.
[Enoch checked the SPQR servers and the six players have been playing a test mock-up of Forsaken on a closed system, not the full game. They also talked about you, Cain and your sister-wives. Reporters were asking questions of SPQR as to the law about multiple marriages.
[SPQR replied saying the players in Joseph and the DreamBabes will make their own choices once they leave the game. Who knows said one of the SPQR spokeswomen, they could live together in a large house, they have received over eight billion credits from playing the game.
[She blushed when asked would she like to be a DreamBabe? Being saved by Tracey saying hell yeah, what hot-blooded female wouldn’t want to be with Joseph, Toni and the gang. It is clear SPQR know they have a problem; this news conference will give them time to solve the not logging out problem. So, the internal memo to the directors and technical staff told them,] Rahab said.
{Cain you are in a shielded area and have been since you walked down the stairs, from the former hydra creature’s cage. We are 34% percent of the way with our hack on Jason’s server. I think Rahab is correct on her assessment we are wasting time, there must be a way to access the server without running the hard crack.
{We will look at Jason’s work files and see if we can find any record of him using a 32-bit code. Like most people with such long codes they use memorable events, names of loved partners or pets. Something which makes remembering the code easier.
{We are still monitoring Sophie and Lesley's locations. Marcy has taken over running their security details and she has found a site for her base. The construction company John uses has begun to build the base for her. She reported to John, it will be ready in six week to eight weeks,} Enoch said.
"We are sure the next zone we want is Mars in two thousand three hundred and seventy-eight, aren’t we? I know we spoke about the quest after Alexander retrieved it from the secret room. Of the zones left to play, France during the revolution, the exploration of Mars and sometime in the far distant future, Mars fits the bill and the time period. Is everyone in agreement that Toni should select the Mars game zone?" Cain asked.
"Alexander said, 'once we found the needle which threads the weeping eye, together as a six holding hands in order of joining, leap as one to the depth below. Think of a prime colour which often spilt, gives to one the life force of a beating organ.
"'The place you head for is dusty full of ancient things, yet the time you arrive will be seven times greater, than when you now stand. Hurry find the needle and jump to pass through, find the next clue head for the Amazons zone and the little crater city you find.'"
Sophie said, "We should all ditch the things we cannot take like before. We don't want the same thing to happen and jump and get booted out of the portal because we are carrying something to a zone we are not allowed. If we remove everything which looks like we can't use it in the future, then we place it in the storage chest, then Toni can play with the control panel."
Bethany and Lesley agreed with Sophie, while Daphne said she didn’t think it made much difference, she didn’t think Toni could select the wrong zone, anyway. Going through their inventories they messaged Myrina to take the potions from their combined inventory and all the arrows, Doru, Aspis and gladii, she needed. Myrina messaged back telling them how much she would miss them and to hurry along their next mission, then they can come back and be safe in the arms of those who love them.
Once they had cleared out their inventories, there wasn’t much left behind. They each had a pair of gladii, an Aspis and a Doru, along with some clothing, materials and alchemy ingredients. Cain noticed he was carrying over twenty-six thousand gold bars, he sent all but three thousand to Myrina, and asked her to use them wisely.
Lesley, checked the storage chest on the table and noticed there were six chameleon battle suits in a box marked Mars. Laughing as she lifted the battle suits out, saying, "How blatant could the coder not have been. If we'd have looked in the chest first we wouldn't have needed to work out which game zone we were going to.
"Even if we didn't work out where to go opening a storage box with clothing for Mars, sort of gives the destination away." She took them out and they all stripped and dressed in them, gone was the look of ancient Greeks, they all looked to be from the future, a future and destination beyond their time.
Dressed in the chameleon battle suit, Toni placed her feet on the foot prints. She stood still as something projected a virtual control panel which floated in front of her. Toni was pleased to see the control panel was identical to the previous one from the 2027 zone. Her hands moved over the controls as she made the selections.
First, she used the number of travellers option and selected six, moving the controller across to the correct number of travellers wanted. An indicator light at the side of the travellers option flashed several times, before staying a deep green. Next, Toni tried selecting the 2027 zone as the destination. Moving the controller across its light continually flashed a cherry red colour.
Laughing to herself and moving the controller back, she chose Mars 2378. Pushing the controller across the indicator flashed once then stayed a deep green.
After the destination indicator light turned and stayed green, a cartoon style instructional video was projected on the wall behind Toni. They each turned, as six cartoon figures stood in the room like they were watching a cartoon figure at the control panel.
One figure used the controller and a door to the side of the room slid open, revealing a wide shaft with stairs running around the outer edge.
A countdown timer appeared showing forty-five minutes in the cartoon as the six figures walked up dozens of flights of stairs in the stairwell. On the screen the timer sped forward as the cartoon figures climbed the stairs exiting through a door on the top landing. Where the timer showed eight
minutes.
They watched as the cartoon figures walked hand in hand, their numbers shown for the first time on the back of their clothes; as they walked out onto the needle. Water which flowed from the eye had stopped.
They continued to watch as the video played what would happen if they made jumps as individuals, couples and in a line, they all ended in the death of the jumpers; as ghost figures floated from the pool at the bottom of the jump
Watching as the final jump played, showing them holding hands in a circle one through to six. They watched as the cartoon figures let go of their hands after the jump, six ghosts floated down to the pool. Another failure so the tiny figures tried again, keeping a tight hold of their hands. They splashed into the pool and the video stopped playing.
"Looks like we have forty-five minutes to climb the stairs and jump into the pool. I didn’t notice any number on the back of my or any of the chameleon battle suits, did any of you?" Toni asked.
"Do you think we should work out the order before you activate the controller?" Lesley said. Cain agreed, and they stood holding hands in a circle. Bethany who stood between Lesley and Daphne holding their hands. She looked at her hands and noticed the battle suit had a trim of green around each sleeve, so too did Lesley and Daphne.
Looking at Cain, his left arm had a green trim but where he held Toni’s hand it was red. Bethany pointed the colours out. Toni facepalmed as she said,
"Cain came across Sophie before me, they made the first party. Let’s swap places Sophie, and see if we all turn green, rather than reds and greens," Toni and Sophie swapped places, and they tried again. All their sleeves had green trim once they held hands.
Sharing a group high five, they each took a drink and made sure everything was ready for them to travel up the stairs to the weeping eye falls. Toni placed her feet on the foot prints and activated the virtual controller. Six travellers selected: Destination game zone - Mars 2176, selected: activate portal: selected. Three green lights flashed on the virtual control panel, then a click and hissing noise of a door opening. Toni noticed the control panel as it faded from existence.
Needle Jump
The hidden door from where the cartoon projected, opened with a click and a hiss as the virtual control panel Toni used faded from sight. Daphne was first through the doorway and entered the large stairwell. Sophie followed giving Daphne a tap on the behind as she walked up alongside her.
Cain walked through into the stairwell last, he looked up trying to see the top although the stairwell was lit the top was in deep shadow. Asking if any of his wives could see beyond his vision, none of them see more than the deep shadows.
{I think the stairs are an optical illusion. We are not deep enough underground to warrant enough flights of stairs to take half an hour to climb them,} Enoch said.
"Toni, could you use your Wind skill and float upwards, if I throw you from a jump?" Cain asked.
"I know I can use Wind magic to slow our falls, never thought about using my Wind skill to fly high," Toni replied. Cain laid a full length of the thin climbing rope on the ground, fastening it on his waist. Letting out a surprised scream as Cain wrapped his arms around Toni’s thighs, lifting her off the ground. Toni laughed, as she wrapped her arms around Cain’s neck.
The others stood on the bottom step, ready to help where they could. Cain bent his knees and built up the power he knew they contained. He pulled Toni closed to his chest and told her to hold on tight before he released the power in his thighs. Cain’s legs propelled Toni and him upward, passing stairs and landings as his jump pushed them over forty feet high. Although Toni was expecting Cain to throw her higher when it happened it took her by surprise, and caused her to scream like a whistle on a train.
Cain threw Toni higher by an extra eight feet before she used her Wind skill, which lifted her another ten feet heading toward a landing. Her feet cleared the railing handrail as she crashed into the outer wall and landed in a pile on the landing. Standing and shaking herself down, Toni pulled some of the rope up then she fastened it around the handrail and a floor beam. Turning to look, Toni noticed she was standing on the top landing there were no more stairs going higher. Looking up, she noticed a glass dome covered the circular stairwell, while behind her was a simple metal door.
^T^ Hey, I’m on the top landing, it is only twelve feet higher than you jumped lifting me Cain. ^
^C^ We can’t see you from down here, hang on I’ll jump up and use your rope for the last few feet. Try shouting down to us, see if we can hear you. ^ Cain bent his knees and leapt back up. Pulling on the secured rope as his legs pushed him high into the stairwell, Cain jumped and without Toni in his arms he reached the top landing. Hanging onto the handrail, Cain received a kiss from Toni. With her rope running through his left hand Toni moved out of Cain's way and helped him over the handrail.
"Guess you didn’t want to shout," Cain said as he landed next to Toni and pulled her into a hug. Toni told Cain "I did, I shouted three times telling you to come back up as I'm lonely without you. There must be a piece of code stopping sound and light mimicking a tall stairwell.
< Bethany, Lesley, I'm going to drop two new lengths of rope, please fasten yourselves to the ropes. I’ll jump back down holding the ropes which will pull you all the way up. C > As they stood near the doorway two coils of rope landed on the floor of the stairwell. Lesley checked Bethany’s knot while Bethany check Lesley's double knot. Laughing to herself Bethany messaged Cain,
^T^ Got them both, now for Daphne and Sophie. I’ll jump down using the two ropes while you jump up. Meet me half way and our joint weight will pull them to the top. ^ Toni dropped the two coils back down the stairwell and climbed over the railing and waited to jump.
^C^ OK, they are ready. I have them and I’m jumping in 3, 2, 1.^ Cain jumped his arms around Daphne and Sophie who held the ropes, while Toni leapt from the landing and help on to both ropes. As Sophie and Daphne hung around Cain’s neck with an arm each holding the rope in their other hand. Cain grabbed the falling Toni, wrapped his right arm around her as Daphne and Sophie let go of his neck. Cain and Toni reached the floor, Bethany’s AI, Naomi told Enoch, Daphne and Sophie were standing on the landing and have nearly unfastened their knots.
Ten seconds later Cain jumped higher and Toni grabbed hold of the handrail as they pulled themselves up and over to stand on the landing. Toni checked her HUD timer and noticed the jumping up exercise had taken seven and a half minutes. As Cain, Toni and Lesley coiled up the three lengths of rope, the door on the landing opened.
A gust of cold air blew into the warm staircase, making Sophie shiver as Daphne said, "Wow, nice cold fresh air." They each stepped out of the doorway and travelled up the short path to the needle, while the eye which was devoid of water peered down on them as they walked. Set into an alcove built into the side of the mountain was a small altar, with two marble figurines upon its top. Bethany said as she looked at them, these look like Cybele and Athena.
Lesley pointed out that under the altar something looked like a miniature travel-post, touching it. Calling up the travel-post interface, Lesley noticed she could only choose the temple sites of Cybele on the island and Athena on the mainland.
Toni messaged Violetta and asked her to see if she could access the travel-post on weeping eye falls the mountain. Four minutes later Violetta replied, she could see a travel-post named needle, could that be where you are? Toni thanked Violetta, and told her to keep well. Violetta said her lump was showing, which caused Toni to laugh.
^T^ Cain, Violetta is showing, it won't be long before more babies are born, adding to your offspring. I love you, you know that right? Do you think once this is all over I could have a baby with you i
n the real world? Or maybe twins the first time. ^ Daphne checked her HUDs countdown timer, it showed they had over thirty minutes to jump into the portal. She walked twenty-two yards from the altar to where the needle jutted out into the flow of the weeping eye waterfall, the others joined her.
Cain stood waiting for his DreamBabes and replayed the message Toni sent, asking about a baby in reality or maybe twins. :I think I should be scared right now, jumping into another game zone and the woman I love is asking to have a child or two with me. I'd be a fool to say no. What do you think Enoch?: said Cain.
Cain shook his thoughts away as the others came closer to him near the tip of the needle, the surface was smooth from the constant wear of the weeping eye falls. Holding out his hands, Sophie took his right hand as Daphne took his left hand.
Toni joined her left hand to Sophie’s right, and her right hand to Lesley's left hand. Bethany made the circle complete as she joined hands with Lesley and her left hand while Daphne held her right hand. Cain looked and the trim on all the battle suits sleeves were all green.
"Bunch," shouted Cain over the slight wind. They all bunched together as Cain stood at the very edge of the needle. Lifting their hands they got closer to each other as Cain said, "Step off, Now."
As one they stepped off the needle and fell as a group still holding hands. Toni squeezed Sophie’s and Lesley’s hands tighter, as the pool at the bottom of the water fall sped toward them.
Daphne was the first to scream out in joy, soon they all shouted as they neared the still pool seventy feet below. A pulse of azure light burst up from the pool, changing into a blinding white colour. As the light touched Cain and his DreamBabes they vanished from the game zone, leaving behind Cain’s concubines, the Amazons and their allies the VETS, to help the game's new AI, Cybele and her EI for the game zone, Athena.
Forsaken 337 BC Page 57