Relics

by K. T. Tomb

  The portal’s darkness was suddenly replaced by a silver glow. Silver smoke began rolling out from the portal.

  Phoe felt a surge of panic. “Isn’t this the task where Thor was supposed to wrestle an old woman and couldn’t? Shit! She represents old age!”

  “Phoe, have you ever felt that you were getting old, in spite of your actual age?”

  “Huh?” She looked at her hands. She was aging by the second. She let out a scream, collapsing to her knees.

  Jonathan ran to her aid, grimacing as her hair began to fall out and her smooth complexion mottled up with age spots and deep wrinkles. Men and women of the Brotherhood had by then crept into the room, perhaps intending harm, but became distracted by the aging, which was affecting them, as well. With a wary eye on his former cohorts’ condition, Jeremy rejoined his new American partners.

  Meanwhile, Peter shook his head compassionately for Phoe. “I’m so sorry, Phoe. I had no idea you thought about aging so much.”

  Great, she thought. I am powerless to stop it now!

  In desperation, Peter moved to the middle portal. “I know this to be the second Task set out for the God of Thunder, Thor.” He didn’t need Phoe to repeat the line this time, and the look on his face told everyone that he was well aware of the demon about to arrive. Hell, the entire room shook with the monster’s approach.

  Jeremy yelled to him. “What in the hell have you done?! Is that what I think it is?”

  Peter frowned while nodding.

  Jonathan scrambled back from the portal.

  A moment later, the portal was destroyed from within by a giant serpent. Its viper-like head crashed through the barrier and was soon snapping its menacing jaws at everyone close by. Phoe sat on her knees in despair, too tired and pained to move. Her hair had thinned and what remained was white. Her skin had become a sallow patchwork of liver spots and more wrinkles than a rhinoceros, and her hands had become twisted with arthritis.

  Thankfully, the bulk of the serpent’s body remained stuck inside the portal.

  Jonathan bravely returned to Phoe while the serpent retreated. “Please, Phoe! Don’t give up—we’ll figure out how to bring you back!”

  By then, her face had aged more than seventy years. She lifted her shaking head at the retreating snake and then toward the last portal. She hobbled to it and stood slumped in front. “I can guess what the last portal’s writing is,” she said in an elderly whisper. “Jonathan... go to Peter and try to help him. Now!”

  He obeyed and ran to assist Peter, and she turned her attention to the last shot she had of being restored to her youthful state.

  “I know this to be the first Task set out for the God of Thunder, Thor.” She hobbled backward, and once her geriatric body began to recover, she limped to rejoin the others.

  Jonathan came to her, offering to carry her, if necessary.

  Her legs steadily became stronger. Her breathing became more controlled, and her hair returned to the full, lustrous black it had been before. The muscles in her body became toned again with each step. By the time Jonathan reached her, she was the young Phoe again. His eyes were as large as saucers with shock.

  “Jonathan. Do you hear a sound like rushing water?” she asked.

  “Yes, I guess I do.”

  “That’s water from the sea.”

  “Which one?”

  “Does that really matter?” she chided.

  “No. I guess not.”

  Everyone’s attention was drawn to the last portal, where water rushed in, as if a nearby water main had broken.

  Peter and Jeremy rejoined them. Peter had a look in his eye which Phoe recognized from their early days, and although she was glad to see it, she turned away. Besides, the serpent sounded like it might be preparing to make a return. Its angry roars were enough to make the Brotherhood scatter.

  “I can’t swim!” shouted Jonathan, as the water level begins to rise around them.

  “Trust me—and Peter. Together, we will make sure you don’t drown,” said Phoe, grasping his shoulder and forcing the younger Kessler to look her in the eye. “I won’t let anything happen to you! Okay?”

  He nodded tentatively. In this crazy world of illusion and stretched reality, the water began to rise swiftly. But after getting knocked down and thrown underwater, Phoe pulled Jonathan to the surface.

  When Phoe took another breath, she could see that since the water started rising, it was carrying her and Jonathan up toward the ceiling. This was supposed to happen... there must be a way for it to end, too. Her mind could scarcely comprehend that a giant snake was drowning in a whirlpool created from a myth. None of it seemed real, except people were dying. But... if they could outlast the serpent’s death, it stood to reason that some sense of normalcy would return.

  Phoe spotted Jeremy and Peter clinging to a wall where the water’s current seemed much calmer. Getting Jonathan to doggy paddle with her, she soon rejoined the others. Jonathan would be safe. So would Peter and Jeremy. Meanwhile, the water was beginning to go down, draining through all of the portals except the first one. Until the water could drain completely, she realized that they would be stuck there. And who knew what other menace could come for them in that time?

  From a distance, it appeared to be blocked. But once Phoe swam underwater to have a closer look, she found no logical reason for the blockage. She rejoined the others again.

  “Okay. I’m stumped. Any ideas why the water won’t flow back in there?”

  Jonathan bravely immersed himself, but returned to the surface before anyone could fall into full-on panic.

  “I can’t see that well, but from what I noticed and what you told us, Phoe, I might have an idea about what was going on. Isn’t the concept of Ragnarok similar to the Christian version of the end of the world?”

  Peter looked at him, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe I missed that... but that might honestly be the connection here, Jonathan.”

  Jeremy’s face lit up; obviously delighted by Peter’s encouragement. “At the end of Ragnarok, there is a World Tree where a man and woman come out to start the world over again. It’s supposed to end where the Bible’s first chapter begins.”

  Peter looked at the water, and added his own two cents to what Jeremy revealed. “In the Bible, the world was destroyed by a flood. God promised that the world would never again be destroyed by water. Some say that’s why there are rainbows. They say that is God putting his War Bow down.”

  “I think I’ve got it!” said Phoe, excitedly. “Fire! The world is supposed to be destroyed by a cleansing fire! We need fire to activate this portal!”

  They all looked down at the water and frowned at what appeared to be an impossible task: Bringing fire into the water? Jonathan glanced at the ceiling, where a fissure had been created. “Can someone lift me up while I try something?”

  Peter agreed, and so did Jeremy. They moved over to him and while maintaining a precarious perch on a stone shelf, they lifted Jonathan to where he pulled down two rock pieces from either side.

  “Flint and sulfur! Ha-ha! It was a lucky guess, but I’ll sure as hell take it!” Jonathan laughed. He started to strike them together, but then hesitated. “This shouldn’t work, but we know much of this is an illusion. I can’t swim... but all of you can. Someone needs to take the sulfur and flint down to the portal and strike them together.”

  “What? Are you nuts?!” said Peter.

  “Maybe he is... but I get what’s supposed to happen,” said Phoe, grabbing the sulfur and flint from Jonathan. Before anyone could stop her, she dove into the water.

  She didn’t understand how it would work—it shouldn’t even be remotely possible. Striking a wet flint rock against wet sulfur, normally, would do nothing... They had arrived well beyond normal since they had first entered the corridor below the bar. While holding her breath, she struck the rocks together. A spark flashed. To her surprise and amazement, all at once, the entire perimeter of the portal ignited in a strange
blue flame.

  “Can you believe it!” she shouted, after returning to the surface. The water’s flow speed increased dramatically as it poured into the newly-opened portal. “Oh shit!”

  Before anyone could prevent it, Phoe was sucked into the portal and disappeared, leaving her three male companions in a panic to save her.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Phoe was pulled down into darkness.

  Her screams became mute in the rushing water. Fortunately, the water’s force threw her out of the flow and on to what felt like a beach. Gradually the darkness lessened, as a greenish glow from crevices in the surrounding rock walls grew brighter. A cave—though a small one—opened up before her. She moved away from the rushing water and toward the strange green light closest to her.

  The light grew brighter as she approached, revealing a large archway and a stone path leading deeper into whatever place this was.

  “Ahhhh, shhhiiiittt!”

  Phoe whirled around, surprised to find Peter, Jonathan, and Jeremy thrown onto the beach in the same manner she had been tossed just minutes earlier.

  “What in the hell is this place?” asked Peter, standing and looking around at the strange green light.

  “I don’t know,” she replied, motioning for them to join her. “This entire experience has been one continuous mind-fuck. But I bet we’re getting close to an answer... some kind of a resolution. At least I hope so, ‘cause I am about to lose it!”

  “What if we are about to find the very thing you’ve come for?” Peter asked in a low tone. Jonathan nodded supportively, while Jeremy rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disgust.

  “It had better show up soon,” she said, releasing a low sigh. “The Hammer of Thor had better show itself very soon!”

  “We’re ready to follow you,” said Jonathan. Peter and Jeremy nodded.

  She led the way along the pathway which was just wide enough to allow them to travel single file. The strange greenish glow, which was almost like some sort of subterranean worms, seeped in between the rocks jutting out along every side, illuminating the path—including the passageway’s ceiling, roughly fifteen feet above their heads. After traveling forward for some time, a thick black mist greeted them, quickly surrounding them all. It grew so dense that they could barely see one another, and they held onto each other’s shirts while Phoe continued to lead the way.

  Just when she began to panic, the fog cleared, as if reacting to her latest state of mind. They were no longer in the passageway, but stood in a large empty room. Eight members of the Brotherhood blocked the only visible exit. Something golden glowed brightly in another room just beyond the eight hostile figures, six males and two females.

  One of the women stepped forward. “Ich habe Angst sie werden nicht in der Lage sein, fortzufahren. Sie haben uns viele der Bruderschaft. Jetzt ist Herr Riddick steht mit Ihnen. Er ist nicht erlaubt, die Technik, die wir mit ihm. Dies ist unsere finden.”

  The woman’s words affected Jeremy and Jonathan, and they fixed Phoe with worried looks.

  “What did she say?”

  “We can’t leave here alive,” Jonathan replied in a subdued tone. “They feel that since Jeremy betrayed them and many have died today, we must stay and take their place.”

  Jeremy slapped the back of Jonathan’s head.

  “Ow!” Jonathan flinched.

  “That’s enough!” said Phoe. “Tell them they can’t stop us from achieving our goal, and we’re not about to stay here. Oh, hell, I’ll tell them myself!”

  She ran toward the woman who had made the announcement. The woman pulled out a gun. Phoe propelled herself into the air right before she reached the woman, kicking her in the chest and taking out two males standing close by. Looking up, she yelled, “Jonathan! Peter! Get in the room behind me! There’s something in there!”

  Jeremy launched himself into the rest of the Brotherhood. “Run and join Phoe—I’ll be there as soon as I can!”

  Jonathan and Peter bowled over the other woman, who was of slighter build than the first one. When they caught up with Phoe, all they could do was stop and stare at the same object which brought her to a mesmerized halt.

  In the middle of the room, suspended roughly ten feet above a chasm was a shimmering golden statue of Thor with his arms at his sides. A primitive work, it obviously came from the ancient Norse tribes. The statue appeared to be standing on a crystal dais that somehow floated in the air. Lying beside Thor’s feet was an object crafted from an unusual type of metal...

  “Oh, my God! Is that his Hammer?” whispered Phoe in awe.

  Mjölnir wasn’t golden like the statue. But it made sense. It carried a soft blue glow.

  Jeremy joined them, and the beaten Brotherhood hovered near the doorway, obviously dismayed when he kicked the pile of guns he took from them into the chasm, keeping one automatic rifle for himself. Peter whistled when, after a minute, a tiny report came back up the chasm to indicate that the weapons finally landed on something.

  “How do we get it?” Phoe asked the question to no one in particular, but then looked at her companions for the answer. “If we try to jump to reach the platform and miss, or slip...”

  “Maybe it’s like that movie where they have to do the leap of faith,” suggested Jonathan.

  Peter eyed him disdainfully. “I would expect more from you than pulling a Hollywood stunt out of your suggestion box,” he said, but then smirked. “You’re starting to sound like Phoe.”

  Jonathan grinned at the comparison.

  Meanwhile, Phoe, ignoring the exchange, ran through several mental pictures and various scenarios for trying to get to the statue without dying.

  Jonathan, Peter, and Jeremy—along with the sullen faces of the Brotherhood guardians gathered in the doorway—stood watching her, as if expecting her to somehow solve the impossible puzzle. None of them had even the slightest idea or suggestion.

  “Wait a moment,” she said, reaching for a handful of change from her fanny pack. Phoe tossed the coins to different areas of the room. The coins disappeared without making a single sound. “Well, I’ll be damned...”

  The realization hit her hard. The gas. The machine that invaded dreams. The serpent. The flood... Everything was so fantastic and daunting to overcome, but they hadn’t stopped them from getting that far!

  Phoe looked up at the golden statue and the Hammer of Thor again, just sitting there for the taking. If only? Yes!

  “It’s too easy and the answer’s right in front of us.”

  Peter wrinkled his brow as he studied her with an unvoiced question frozen on his lips.

  Phoe stepped back several feet into the previous room. “Clear a path for me.”

  “Are you sure about this?” asked Peter, whose brow held a deep crease in it, not fully understanding what was about to take place.

  “As sure as I’ll ever be about anything in this place... sure enough!” she retorted.

  Everyone moved away from the doorway. Phoe took a deep breath and sprinted toward the statue. Gritting her teeth, she worried she wasn’t running fast enough.

  There’s no turning back now!

  Leaping from the ledge, she twisted her torso, allowing her to grab the Hammer of Thor. Catching the handle by her fingertips and pictured herself thrusting the weight of the Hammer in front of her, carrying her to the other side where she tumbled and rolled. But she pulled her hand back at the last moment. The only thing that matched her vision was tumbling to the other side. Her feet dangled over the edge until she pulled herself up, hearing cheers from everyone but Peter.

  Confused, he asked, “Why didn’t you get the Hammer?”

  “It would have been suicide,” she told him. “I don’t know how much the Hammer weighs. It could have thrown me off and sent me down into the pit. At that last moment, I realized that life is far more important. Perhaps, that’s the theme of this whole underground playground.”

  “Are you frigging serious?” He laughed. “I mean, that’s fine...
you mean far more to me—well, and certainly everyone else too—by being alive. But, this is a three-sixty change in thought for you, isn’t it?”

  “I guess it is,” she said, suddenly feeling a bit timid. “It seems like every lesson we have learned has been about deceit or surviving tests that shouldn’t have even existed. Lies and hidden truths. I’ve come to value life much more than any treasure.”

  “Life is the greatest treasure of all,” Peter agreed. “Well, I’ll be...”

  He pointed behind Phoe, where the wall suddenly faded from view, revealing a staircase heading up. They were going to get out of there alive after all... a lesson learned?

  “Looks like you’re right,” said Jeremy, who joined Peter and Jonathan as they strode to where she waited.

  Phoe smiled and led the way up the stairs. The journey to find the Hammer of Thor was over. They would leave empty-handed but with a new perspective on life.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  The trip back to the United States was a somber affair. There was a tone of sadness as Phoe, Jonathan, Jeremy, and Peter quietly discussed what might’ve been. Unsure what to tell Simon, Phoe ignored the special hotline which constantly rang until the jet landed in Taos.

  “It’s been a pleasure, Phoe,” said Jeremy. “I’m staying on board with Jonathan, as we are headed to the headquarters for Kessler Industries. That’s where I’ll be working. If you ever need anything, I suppose you can contact me there, and I’ve got your address and number in case I discover something you might find... interesting.”

  Phoe eyed him suspiciously.

  “What? You’re the only one who knows how to expertly explore the internet?”

  He laughed.

  “You should try harder to be ‘un-findable.’”

  “I hope the two of you will stay in touch,” she said, giving a goodbye hug to both Jonathan and Jeremy.

  They watched her leave the plane with Peter. Waiting for them on the tarmac were two separate taxis.

  “Well... I guess this is it, huh?” Peter mumbled.