Outside the ship had entered the atmosphere almost effortlessly. The descent was unnerving for Monica’s stomach but exhilarating. Within minutes of landing on the ocean the ship prepared to unload its passengers at its secret destination. All flights returning to the immortal battleship near the moon were postponed until further notice.
Mekias woke up as the unloading bay opened up into the port. Miles around them was ocean, peaceful salty sea air and waves and sparsely cloudy blue skies abounded.
Avi picked up his belongings and exited the vessel thanking the dock staff. They looked up and saw that the dock’s upper platform housed more shuttles like the one they arrived in.
As the cylindrical platform docked with the ships, all fuel lines and passengers were screened quickly by station staff. Freight elevators surfaced from the water quickly and decompressed allowing passengers to enter.
“Where are we?” Monica asked.
“Have you ever been to the southern Pacific?”
They both shook their heads. Avi smiled.
“We’re on one of the, get this!” He said, “Phoenix Islands off the coast of Australia, I’m not allowed to say which however.”
Monica’s face went abuzz, Of course it would be the same name as Sheppard’s legion. He probably helped name it that way when the U.S. took these islands.
“Is this where Amelia Earhart really crash-landed? I mean you’re immortals and all and you’re secretly using those islands probably for centuries—” Her rant continued in her frantic state, “But…err…I was just curious?”
Avi shrugged, “Well I’m not that old.” He jested, “But probably? Maybe she conscripted with the Legions upon landing…”
Monica was ecstatic, the possibilities of soon meeting the world’s missing heroes was exciting.
The station staff did not wear heavy armor like the soldiers on the space station. However their padded suits and light weaponry made them menacing regardless.
As the elevators opened a signal was sent to the rest of the station. Gates that led to the elevators opened and the lines of people swarmed to enter the elevators first. The immortal bystanders allowed their mortal counterparts to enter the elevators first before them.
Avi saved space for the two archaeologists to get in with him. The elevator doors closed and decompressed as it plunged below into the water, as Monica gazed around at the people that waited at the elevators their faces were emotionless. Their stoicism was welcoming to her.
Several submarines were visible outside the elevator windows, bright lights shining over the hull revealed water-tight tunnels that allowed passengers aboard. Across each hull was the national flag of each country the sub was returning to. A plethora of Asiatic and North American countries were present with a number of larger vessels abound for South American and Polynesian lands.
“That,” Avi said pointing to the small U.S. submarine docked amidst all of its larger counter-parts, “is our ticket home.”
“A bit small isn’t it?” She asked.
“Small objects can do great things,” he thought for a second, “No pun intended of course! I was merely saying that I’ve been on that… quite a few times when I’ve returned to Earth. It can hold quite a few people comfortably.”
“It’s okay,” she said with a light push to his chest. Oh he’s strong. “We can see how small it really is soon.” She winked.
Mekias looked over at her and just shook his head toward Avi. All three of them had a good laugh as the elevator finally came to rest at a central hub deep beneath the ocean. By the time the elevator doors opened a slight gust of wind brushed against them as the ambient pressure stabilized.
A man in a dark velvet uniform appeared as the bright light of the undersea compound entered the elevator.
“Good tidings friends.” He said in English as he proceeded to greet everyone in numerous other languages until he finally said, “And good day to all those who are not from Earth.”
He proceeded to introduce himself to each traveler as they disembarked from the elevator. As he shook Avi’s hand he smiled warmly, “Mr. Brownstein it is an honor to have you here, I absolutely enjoyed your performance at the last Olympics.”
“Thanks!” Avi said cordially, “It’s good to know I have immortal and mortal fans.” He winced over at Monica briefly. “Would you know what terminal takes us to San Francisco?”
The man pointed them to the winding staircase that led deeper into the sea, “Two floors lower sir, and you will see a Phoenix legionnaire in heavy armor guarding the terminal entrance, please present your papers to him.”
Papers? Monica looked at Mekias. Did we get any papers?
Mekias shrugged back, all they had was the legion’s tabard in their hands. Hopefully it would suffice.
On the way they talked about everything that had not been discussed upstairs, deep down Avi did not mind her unyielding questioning. He had his fair share of spotlight over the past few years but relatively few women he met could connect with him the way Monica did, there was something about her. She was not so much enamored by his accomplishments as his intellect, something few women appreciated.
By the time they reached the lower platform there were people already waiting in line to board.
“How much longer…” Groaned a weary passenger.
How much longer indeed… Monica thought.
By the time they reached the submarine they were greeted by another individual, this one was more familiar. He was a Navy captain, highly decorated at that. As passengers entered the vessel he ordered his men to help carry their belongings,
By the time Monica and Mekias had reached the checkpoint for entry into the vessel the Phoenix legionnaire asked them for transit papers. Monica shrugged and displayed the tabard in her hand. The guard did not say a word. He looked at her for a moment and motioned them forward. They were watched the entire duration of the walk down the corridor.
“Why do people keep looking at us like that?” She asked Mekias.
He shrugged, “Cause we’re that baller.”
Avi jumped down into the sub below ahead of them, Monica climbed down first and turned around to greet the captain who eyed the tabards in their hands.
“Ma’am. Sir.” He said as they climbed down. “It is an honor to have Phoenix legionnaires aboard this vessel. I met Commander Artanis personally during this vessel’s naming ceremony and launch. He is indeed the finest man I have had the pleasure of meeting.” He shook both their hands vigorously and welcomed them to the submarine’s galley.
The majority of the submarine’s weapon systems and torpedo bays seem to have been removed in place of several noise dampening shielding and other technologies used to increase its stealth.
“Is this like a luxury submarine?” Mekias asked.
The captain smiled as he led them to their quarters. “If you put it that way, yes. The crew quarters were not changed but the passenger quarters were increased in size for more privacy. Our reactors have been enhanced by immortal engineering and our galleys do cook a lot more than just a soldier’s diet. The reason being, the ship is commissioned by the Immortal Legions for transporting personnel to continental mainland.”
The captain assigned each of them a room, replete with most hotel amenities. The hallway of this part of the deck seemed to have enough rooms for nearly thirty people.
Monica could see Avi just a couple doors down from them.
She did not have much to unpack. She laid her belongings on the bed and left the room to investigate the rest of the vessel.
Avi crossed paths with her outside her door. She humbled herself telling him she was not trying to pry into his business. He said nothing of it and asked if she wanted to join him in the galley.
They walked down the hallway and took seats amidst the circular tables. The vessels’ chief steward approached them and asked for meal requests based on the ship’s inventory, there did not seem to be much but something was better than nothing.
“So how do you know Mekias,” Avi asked her.
She shrugged, “I work with him, he’s kind of my superior but we really work together.”
“I see.” Avi sipped the water in his glass slowly. “And I assume you’re not used to sea?”
He could tell Monica’s demeanor upon entering the ocean station. She was hesitant about something, but unbeknownst to her it was more about Avi than travel.
She laughed as she played with her hair, “Yep, just hate travelling by water.”
“Fair enough,” Avi finished, “I’m a swimmer so I can’t really complain.”
“You’re that Israeli swimmer, right? The one that won every gold medal?”
“Every medal? I wish. I doubt my lean shoulders would do anything for me on the track.”
I think they would. She hesitated to drool over his stature.
Avi gave her a confident stare.
“So what do you do?” He said as he broke the silence.
“Archae— I mean.” She looked at him shyly, “Yeah I’m an archaeologist.”
Oh God, he must think I’m crazy, perpetually single, and keep a bunch of cats for company.
“That’s really interesting! Hell, no wonder you were asking me all those historical question. How do you like your job?” He asked.
Score!Oh Avi, you’re so much more interesting in person. Swoon—
“Um, I like it. It’s mostly biological anthropology but I do a lot of cultural anthropology on the side.”
“I don’t know what any of that means but I’m loving the sound of it. Any places you visit that you really like?” He asked.
“I love Africa, but I like Middle Eastern anthropology too.”
She seemed to have piqued Avi’s interest. “Do you know of Commander Dar Lamaj?”
“I know her by her first name Daria, yes, why?”
“Wow, not many can call her by her first name.” He said with a laugh, “Well she was one of the only immortal commanders who did not come from Africa, in fact she was from I believe ancient Lebanese settlements.”
“Wow, so how did she become a commander of a legion?”
“Well,” Avi added, “Her story is a little more interesting than Commander Sarah’s, she was originally sent to kill Sheppard.”
Circa 20,000 BCE
Ancient Lebanon, Southern Anatolia
Crossroads to the World
Sheppard and Jo had been travelling through the lush region of ancient Anatolia for days now. At the time, the Ice Age had covered much of the northern lands leaving the middle latitudes much greener than they would be years from now.
The age of tribal chieftains and nomads was slowly waning and the immortals vigilantly watched the world to ensure they would survive this new age. Thousands of years of civil war and death plagued immortal kind but their history was now secured. This was their time now, after the ice.
For over sixty-thousand years Sheppard had wandered the Earth. He was an eternal child of the earth. And for a time he cared little for what others thought of him. He only wished to see how far he could go, how far he could reach before his time was to come.
“Sheppard?” Jo asked.
He shook his head trying to return from his distant daydreams. With their homeland secured they had both embarked on their final journeys to search the world for the last of their kind.
Merchants, or at least the beginnings of what seemed like tradesmen, would soon control the world. And Sheppard wished to be there when they did.
Acting as travelling tradesmen themselves they were able to fool mortals and move effortlessly through settlements. Their camels carried sacks of beverages chilled in caskets of snow.
“Beer?” Jo asked.
“Anything finer?” Sheppard added.
“You and that drink… You may have discovered it by accident but do you think the mortals will too? Or are you going to give it to them and hope they don’t drink themselves to ruin like you did not too long ago?”
Her tone was out of line, but she had freedom and power unbecoming of any other woman in their empire. But she was indebted to him regardless, she had been spared a fate worse than death.
But unlike her, Sheppard had changed little since then. Sheppard was still the warrior-king. Forging an empire out of his people, a stalwart and vigilant nation prepared to face any challenge that may yet come to them.
“You’re right,” He responded lightheartedly, “But I have faith in mortals you know, they don’t get to live too long. Why not let them enjoy it?” He stowed away some of the caskets and smiled toward her, “I won’t give them the good stuff just yet, how about that?”
She smiled back, “Okay… but we’re still here to do a job.”
“That we are.” He pointed into the distance, “That settlement ahead is along the way, our ships had mapped the coastlines many years ago but they’ve changed somewhat as the ice receded. As of yet it is our best option—What?”
She was grinning uncomfortably at him, she tried to cover her face, “Nothing! You just haven’t changed at all since we last met… It’s never stopped you. Has it? You would travel to the ends of the Earth over and over again and into the sky god’s domain just to know what lies there.”
She was envious of him and his journeys. Every time Sheppard had summoned her to accompany him in his travels she cherished every minute of his company. But whether or not she knew it, he had plans for her.
“By the way Jo, try not to act too conspicuous. Mortals have not seen these beasts do things like…” He looked down as the camel continued forward, “well this.”
The settlement ahead was, by their reports, a crossroads for mortals travelling both north and east from the western lands. If they sought to find their people, the rumors of the travelling nomads passing through the settlement were their greatest source of information.
Though the settlement had few if any permanent structures it was still quite large and organized for this period in history.
A small bazaar-like alley was the primary outlet for the region and was home to vagabonds and thieves in the village.
“You remember what I’ve taught you, haven’t you?” Sheppard had trained her personally in the art of war whenever he was with her.
“Yes, don’t worry about me,” she said with a wink, “I sparred with Solb nearly every day while you were gone. And just so you know I’ve beaten him on more than one occasion.”
Sheppard shook his head in shame, “He would let you win.” She threw sand off of her garb at him in jest. “Regardless, keep alert. The men of this world are more dangerous than the wilds.”
Their caravan entered the settlement just minutes later and was acknowledged the inhabitants. Many stared uneasily, parting the crowds, as the desert beasts from the south strode through their settlement with humans on their backs.
They continued through to the bazaar and swiftly dismounted, leaving their belongings on the beasts.
“Do you think it’s safe to leave them like this?”
Sheppard smiled and continued forward. Don’t worry.
They walked underneath the animal skin quilts that acted as shade for an outdoor tavern and sat down amidst the travelers of the settlement.
Sheppard and Jo watched as a small group of men emerged from behind a merchant and snuck up to the unsuspecting camels. They seemed ready to kill the beasts for food or hide.
As they approached, one of the men was immediately struck in the groin by the camel’s hind legs.
He faltered, covering himself in pain. Before the others could react the other camel rushed toward the downed man and knocked him back onto the ground with a pummel from its front legs. Both camels about-faced and took turns kicking the fallen man while groaning in unison.
The first camel then planted its front left leg onto the man’s abdomen and lowered its face in front groaning in victory softly. The other hunters understood the gesture and retreated with their leader in tow.
The camels nodded towa
rd the bazaar’s residents and returned to patrolling the street.
“You really have a way with animals don’t you?” Jo said.
“I like animals. They don’t talk back to you like humans do.” He smiled and did not say anything else.
The settlement was sufficiently roused by the act enough that Sheppard could engage the travelers.
“As long as you watch my back,” Sheppard began, “I’ll have yours, be ready for anything.”
She followed him through the settlement. Behind her men stared at her.
“Who do you think we should ask?” Sheppard asked.
Jo looked around the area, “I don’t know, I am doubtful that any of these men would know but.” She saw the man in the corner of the outdoor rest area. He had been apathetic, stoic to everyone else around him, “He might.”
Sheppard understood and turned toward the man. But before he reached him he felt a firm hand grab him by the shoulders. Long nails dug into his skin, it did not hurt but the sensation was noticeable.
Beside him stood a young woman, shorter in stature, but firm and resolute in stance.
She stood poised to strike him, her other hand holding a small container of what looked like water. Her hair flapped wildly in the dry humid winds.
“You need to give us something if you wish to keep your animals like that.” She gave them both strange looks as she spoke in the local mortal dialect.
Jo covered herself underneath the cowl of her ancient immortal robes and walked past Sheppard to the table near the edge of the structure.
Sheppard obliged her demands and handed sacs of the foreign beverages to her. He figured these would be sufficient payment enough for the moment.
“Compliments of the people of the West.” He responded impeccably in the local dialect and removed her hand from his shoulder to rejoin Jo.
The woman quickly opened the sac and sniffed and sipped the contents, her eyes grew wide. She quickly closed the container and disappeared into the crowds.
Sheppard joined Jo at the edge of the settlement, the taupe animal skins that acted as the roof for the tent-like structure covered a large area of the settlement. Several mammoth-bone pikes jutted from the ground acting like columns for weaved animal skins held above the settlers. But there were no walls to guard the inhabitants from the gusts of sands that blew during the day causing many to cover their heads up to their eyes leaving little to identify them with.
Origin: Eternity's End Page 10