“It’s all right now,” he said. “It’s dead.” He was referring to the large creature that lay dead before them. He slung his rifle over his back.
“You have us at a disadvantage, I’m afraid,” said Sara.
“My name is Lee Edwards,” said the stranger. “You are the troubleshooter that I was expecting, right?”
“Of course,” replied Sara, before Zoey could say anything.
“I must admit that I was only expecting one of you.”
“This is my assistant,” said Sara. “Given the hostile environment, I thought the extra pair of hands would come in handy.”
“I guess,” said Lee. “And you are?”
“This is Zoey and I’m called Sara.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Zoey weakly.
“It’s a miracle your friend survived that attack. Let’s get her to a warmer area.”
Edwards led the way as Sara and Zoey followed. On a private channel, Zoey asked, “So, now what?”
“It looks like our mysterious opponent is still one step ahead of us. But we are in the right place, I’m sure of it now. Keep on your toes.”
The ground rumbled under their feet; Zoey clasped at Sara to maintain her balance. “What was that?” Sara asked Edwards.
“The sun’s gone,” he replied. “The planet’s orbit is decaying. Any moment, it could collide with another planet or an asteroid field.”
Lee led them through the snow until they reached a large mountainous region at the end of the forest. Built on top of the incline was the temple of Khyber Gorah. The temple was massive and stretched upward, covering a great deal of the mountain. Unfortunately, snow and ice covered most of the temple, which time had started to eat at its stone walls. It looked more like a castle than a temple to Zoey.
As they approached it, Zoey could make out the large doors, easily three times their size. A small crack was left open between the two doors, just enough for them to squeeze in.
Immediately, the heat hit them full on. Lee had set up a number of heaters plugged into a portable generator. Sara and Zoey removed their jacket and face coverings as they looked around. The small antechamber within the doors had a flight of stairs that led to another door; this one was smaller and shut tight.
“It’s taken a long time just to thaw out this much,” said Lee as he sat by the fire he had set up in the middle of the room. Sara and Zoey joined him, enjoying the sudden change of temperature. Lee removed his jacket to reveal a face covered in dirt and a week old stubble. He was only a couple years older than Zoey, but he looked much older. “I know that you may be put off by my name, but there’s nothing to worry about.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Sara.
“I assumed you knew about the allegations against my father, Paul Edwards.”
“Who was he?” asked Zoey.
“Dr Edwards worked with a group of scientists, who were terrorized by one of their own,” said Sara. “That man named himself The Spectre and wanted to use the device they were creating to seek revenge those who had wronged him.”
Lee could not cover the surprise look on his face. “How did you know that?”
“I happened to meet your father shortly before his death,” said Sara. “Richard and I were helping him in exposing the Spectre.”
“By Richard, you mean Rick Daring?” asked Lee. Sara nodded. “Then, you know that my father was innocent.”
“Of what charges?” asked Zoey.
“After the whole incident, the media claimed that my father had assisted the Spectre in his deeds and was partial to blame for everything. Of course, they never gave any solid proof to back their claim, but then again, they didn’t need to. Everyone believed them.”
“Couldn’t you give them any evidence to prove otherwise?” asked Zoey.
“They wouldn’t listen. So, after I finished my bachelors, I took this job when no one else would, to prove that we Edwards are a reputable bunch.”
“I’m afraid this could be more serious than just your good name,” said Sara gravely. “My friend was just kidnapped by members of an organization called the Cabal, the same people who created the Spectre debacle. They hoped to force me to help you uncover whatever remains in this temple. We’re dealing with manipulation on a grand scale.”
“And you think that they also smeared my father’s name in order to get me to come here?” Sara nodded. Lee thought this over and eventually shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here now, and I have a job to do.”
“That’s the spirit,” said Sara.
“I can’t believe it,” said Zoey. “We’re on a dying planet due to the manipulations of a secret society, and you’re telling me that things could be worse.”
“Well,” said Sara. “They could.”
“If I may interrupt,” said Lee. He took them to the door leading inward. He turned the large round mechanism in the door, and it slid open. Sara could hear gears grinding within the walls. The next room was built into the mountain, where a natural chasm separated them from continuing onward. Withering rope bridges had long ago fallen apart, leaving no way across except for one. A select number of heaters lined the room, keeping the temperature at a decent level.
“I’ve just finished a new bridge across,” explained Lee. “They used this in case invaders ever broke into the first section of the temple. They’d just cut the bridges and separate themselves from their attackers.” He indicated a new bridge crossing the chasm.
The three of them climbed onto the new bridge, feeling rather sound under their feet. “You did this all by yourself?” asked Zoey.
“No,” said Lee. “I came with four androids, but they’ve all broken down because of the cold.”
“Is it bottomless?” asked Zoey of the crevice.
“I really don’t want to find out,” replied Lee.
The ground rumbled again, this time much more aggressive.
“It’s getting worse,” said Lee needlessly. They held onto the railings helplessly as the shaking continued. The artificial bridge was not holding up as well as they were. They could hear the structure creaking and cracking.
“Move it!” yelled Sara as they started to run across the bridge. Lee was the first to make it to the other side, followed by Sara. Zoey was not so lucky as the bridge fell apart under her feet, and she was sent spiraling into the darkness of the pit below.
Click Here to Go To The Next Chapter
Written by J M Emmons. The story and all characters are copyrighted by J M Emmons.
No comments:
Post a Comment