Chapter 8
March 20, 0350 ATG (After The Gate)
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- John has been acting odd as of late. I approached him several times about it already, hoping to gain some Insite into the man’s mental state, but he just blows me off and sez It’s nothing, but I have worked around Skarts for a long time now, and I know his tells. He touches his nose when he’s nervous. It’s his tick. I was asked if he’d pull through with the job when the time came. Considering that Johnathan Skarts is our only inside man capable of getting access to and performing maintenance on the M.E.D device, I just hope so. He’s our last hope. Tonight, however, I will be inside my bunker in case things go sour. If the unthinkable happens, and I, the current possessor of this journal have lost my memory, please read and know this is why we are like this. I- We had no choice.
– Author Benjamin Rotgard. “Journal of M”
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Jonas had an awkward walk back to his home. His mind was filled with a storm of thoughts all centered around the meeting between Erick and his peers. It made Jonas feel uneasy. He felt like he was constantly being watched, and for all Jonas knew, he probably was. Jonas kept telling himself that, he was too important to kill, but Nia had tried to do just that. She may longer have any further reason to do it now, but that didn’t necessarily mean jack squat in the near future. However, he had managed to secure the funding for the expedition by nearly becoming a martyr for the cause.
The question Jonas was ultimately asking himself, was, was it worth going after the library after all this? He had been kidnapped and nearly murdered because of someone’s hurt ego. Jonas was then forced to survive wolf country, and make the long trek back to Glory, where Jonas was promptly arrested. Sure, none of these events were a direct result of this pursuit, but they were loosely connected. Erick’s elaborate plan to cover their tracks allowed for unforeseen consequences and gave Nia the opening she needed to set the stage for Erick’s murder.
Jonas was jolted back to reality, when he suddenly fell onto his ass. Jonas looked up to see a man holding out his hand. “You alright mister?” Then the man pulled his offered hand back with a scowl and went about his business. “Well, fuck you too.” Jonas said irritably. By now Jonas was on his feet and had a hand on his revolver. The man whipped around. “What did you say? I know you just-” But, whatever the man was about to say died on his lips as he saw Jonas’ hand poised to pull the revolver free. Once the man realized he wasn’t going to be instantly shot, made a break for it. “Fucking hell. All this over a murder that never happened.”
Maybe in some strange way this was the universe telling him to go for it. At least, that’s what Jonas wanted to think. Hell, his life here was over. The court of public stupidity saw to that. Even with his coming vindication, there would forever be people who would think Jonas a killer. Dying for a dream was one thing. Dying to a murderous idiot was another. That settled things for the archeologist. “Fuck it.” Jonas mumbled with conviction. It was worth it.
He rounded the corner to his home to find that the previously busted door had been fixed. Jonas tried to open it, only to find it had been locked. He didn’t have the patience, nor the key to the new lock. So, Jonas went around to the back, scouting the inside using the windows along the way as a precaution. To his horror, there was a person living in Jonas’ house. It was when Jonas realized who the stranger was that relief replaced the horror. He tapped on the window to get the councilor’s attention.
Erick waved him to the back door. Jonas held many questions for the man. The chief question amongst them being, “why was Erick in his home?”, but Jonas suspected he’d have the answer to that shortly. And, true to form he did. The door was opened and Erick invited him in. A pleasant smell assaulted his nose the moment he stepped inside. “Took you long enough.” Erick scolded. “And, you’re in my house.” Jonas reminded. Erick led Jonas the dining table without responding and took a seat.
Jonas couldn’t help but notice the home cooked meal on the table. The rich and delicious aromas caused his stomach to rumble. They sat in silence eating. Jonas also took this time to organize his thoughts. He was going to ask the obvious, but stopped, opting to get to the more important questions. After all, it was pretty obvious why Erick was in his house. Erick’s place had been burnt to the ground. “I’ve been let out of jail. So, what’s next?” Erick mulled the question over. “Well, there is still the trial, I suppose.”
Jonas Kind of figured that much but let Erick finish. “The ruling will naturally be a neutral one. They won't rule you innocent, but they won’t judge you guilty either.” Erick took a drink and set the cup back down. “I know that judge. He’s a cooked piece of shit who only cares about himself. He won’t act outside his own best interest. He’ll likely just throw the case out.” Jonas didn’t like the sound of that. It left him open for the future, but it was what it was. “Ok, but what are our plans for the expedition? I’m pretty sure it won’t be so simple as we go, find it and celebrate.” Erick stabbed his steak with a fork to cut a slice. “You are right about that. They will likely throw some spies into the mix. We can’t really do much about that. I guess for now, have a list of people prepared.”
Jonas groaned at that. “That’s a near impossible task.” And it was. Jonas was an archeologist. His job made him a huge target for a wide variety of groups. The only people that would be able to help would be those wanting to stab him in the back once his usefulness came to an end. They both heard Shit pitifully whining from beneath the table, and Erick tossed the wolf pup a piece of meat. “I suppose you don’t have anyone?” Erick paused. “I do, actually, but it would deplete me of those I can trust. It will leave me blind and unprotected.” Jonas hated to admit it, but Erick had a point. Jonas sighed. “What about Peter?” Jonas asked, remembering the man and his odd comment.
Erick paused mid food toss to the begging puppy’s disappointment, then said. “That could work. He’s a burnt asset at this point, and I wouldn’t have to-” The crooked councilor saw Jonas glaring at him and he coughed. “To have him not be killed and help him escape with his life to start over.” Erick continued unconvincingly. Once Jonas eased up on the death glare, Shit finally got her long-awaited meal. “Yeah, I can see we don’t have many options. I heard the telegraph network is almost up and running. As long as You give me Peter, you can keep him updated on their schemes, and I can be better prepared for the inevitable. Very few will have ill intentions.” Erick nodded in agreement. “And, I should have your projected rout and estimated arrival times.” Erick said, pensively. “It will also give me time to reach out to my other contacts.” Erick raised an eyebrow at that. “Look, my contacts are spread too far out.” Jonas defended.
They spent the rest of the evening scheming and planning. There were points in which Jonas wanted to ask about what Peter meant by “They were counting on him”, but the officer’s words were so out of pocket that Jonas wasn’t even sure it was worth asking about. There was also the fact that Peter would be tagging along, and that meant he’d have plenty of time to ask. There was also the fact that knowing wouldn’t really swing things in his and Erick’s favor. In the end, all they could do was lesson the blow of the inevitable betrayal. Erick may have held the cards getting this far, but they were ultimately helpless to fight the tide going forward. There was going to be a lot of death for sure, but this was going to be a hunt for the ages. It got Jonas’s blood boiling with excitement.
The next few days were a blur. Jonas’ trial was over, and the expedition had been publicly approved. The trial went about as Erick foresaw. Erick was called to the stand as a surprise witness, which absolved Jonas of any wrong doings. He was even painted as a hero, which was why the bought and paid for Jury couldn’t decide how to proceed. They likely gave their anonymous verdicts as guilty as dictated by their payout by Nia, but Judge Decathis gave a neutral ruling, causing some of the jury to convey looks of fear and anger. They no doubt were afraid they would lose the money they had been paid. This had caused Erick limitless, but what was the judge going to do about it? Hold the murder victim in contempt of court?
Stolen novel; please report.
Jonas had to admit; it was pretty funny. He may not have been able to express it the way Erick had, but Jonas had partaken a little with a snicker or two. What fallowed, was Jonas receiving a summons to stand before Glory’s regional council, where Jonas made a case for the expedition. This had been agreed upon in front of his prison cell, and even though this was a dog and pony show for the public, it still needed to happen. Bureaucracy had its place in all of this, and any red tape that needed cutting had a process that needed to be adhered too. Jonas just, grit his teeth and embraced the suck.
The council was quite generous in their funding. Jonas was to receive eight wagons, and ten guards. He also got additional help in the form of mining professionals, which were just miners. One wagon was a chuck wagon for cooking and other meal-based needs. A mobile kitchen was a must for long journeys, lasting a potential 8 to 10 months. The other seven wagons were supply wagons with basic defenses in case of bandit attacks. They were also well stocked with supplies. That meant food for him and the others, water for him, the help, and the horses, and weapons and ammunition for when things got out of hand. There was also mining equipment for the inevitable excavation.
All of this cost a literal fortune that made Jonas’ head spin. The wagons cost $800. The horses and supplies $1,600, and the man power, $1500. Jonas had no doubt that his inevitable betrayal was included in the final price, which he would have thought would have caused at least a few of them to flinch but it hadn’t. Even though the expedition totaled out to Three thousand nine hundred dollars, they gladly paid it. They paid it, because they wanted what was hidden in the Dessert Mountains. Knowledge was power, and as Jonas was quickly learning through Erick, that power was control.
Jonas did force one concession. He wanted Peter to be part of the expedition. The council put it up for a vote. It was the one thing during this whole procedure that caused the members of the ruling council to actually argue. Erick was naturally all for it. He argued that it made no difference to the ultimate outcome of the expedition. Nia argued that he was only an officer and lacked the grit and background for such an undertaking. The council was split right down the middle. However, there was one individual that had remained silent throughout the arguing and bickering.
The man’s name was Jorey, Jorey Mires. It struck Jonas as odd that Jorey was even there. His role was very superficial at best. His only real purpose, was to serve as a tie breaker and represent the council as its face, but even as that wasn’t the case, Jorey had chosen to attend regardless. He always kept eye contact with Jonas, never blinking and never looking away. It was like the councilor was an educated man of science and Jonas was an interesting bug he’d found. Jorey eventually broke eye contact with a slight frown and interjected himself into the debate, Speaking for the first time. “Perhaps we put it to a vote. In case of a tie, I will vote yes.” Jonas couldn’t help but notice the man’s slight grin as the others were forced to vote in Erick’s favor, but for whatever reason, Erick found Jorey’s intervention to be troubling.
Jonas leaned back in his chair, wondering what all the little details of the day’s events could mean, and how it would or might affect the expedition. In the short term, they had gotten everything they wanted. In the long term, nothing really changed. It just felt… off somehow. Jonas wasn’t the only one. Erick also shared his unease, but end the end, Jonas just shoved all his worries to the back of his mind. That was a problem for future Jonas. For now, he and Erick had won. It was a time for joy, not mulling over hidden machination. The thought of the adventure even excited Jonas.
He was going to make history as the Archeologist that found the largest repository knowledge known to all of mankind. Jonas was suddenly reminded of his family heirloom and picked the artifact up off the side table. His father had passed this odd little thing down to Jonas as his father’s dad before him. No one knew for sure its origins, but it was always speculated that it was part of a great find by one of his ancestors before the great forgetting.
Jonas spun the object over to the side with the lustrous green metal shining through the busted stone. That was when the Archeologist heard the door open, causing the man to jump. Standing in the doorway was Erick with a ponderous look dominating his face. “I’m surprised you’re still awake.” Erick said, looking down at Jonas’ artifact, the glinting greenish metal catching his attention. “What happened to it?” Erick probed. Seeing as it was too late to stash it from view, Jonas explained, “While I was in Wolf country, I dropped it. It turns out, the stone is a fossilization around the metal itself.” Jonas broke out into an explanation about the stone. “It is true fossilization, so the object has to be at 10,000 years old at the very minimum. Or, so I’ve read. I’m guessing the conditions were just perfect enough to preserve the metal.” Erick just looked skeptically at the thing, but didn’t argue, and opted to skip past the idea of its age. “What kind of metal do you think that is?” “Well, I don’t know, Erick. I found a book talking about orichalcum, but Atlantis was never found.” He went on to explain the mythical city and even cited a reference book.
The Archeologist got up and pulled a dusty old book out of the side table. “The council gave me approval to keep this one, since it holds no real info of use, and can’t be verified. It talks all about the ancient city. It was believed to have once stood where the eye of the Sahara sits now.” Jonas said flipping the book open and took out a very old photo of a man standing next to an ancient looking stone portal like gate. He was holding what looked like Jonas’ artifact. “Is that your dad?” Erick asked. “No. No one in my family knows. It was taken before the great forgetting, but it has always been in the family, much like the book. Jonas kept the photo but handed the book to Erick. “You sure?” Erick asked, holding the book gingerly. “I am sure. Besides, It’s the least I can do for all you have done to help push my dream closer to reality. Pluss, I know it had to kill you to see your library burn.” Jonas also fished out the certificate of authorization and ownership. “Don’t lose that.”
The two sat in comfortable silence when Erick spoke up, “I took the liberty of sending a telegram to Rockstone.” Jonas raised an eyebrow. “I know the ruling Lord councilor there. She’s going to run interference while your there for basic repairs.” Jonas nodded. “That will give me time to reach out and see if my contact in Rockstone knows or has heard anything unusual about the happenings there.” Erick nodded at that. “Jonas?” “Yeah?” Jonas responded. Erick suddenly looked troubled, but got up and headed to the door. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”
Erick left the room and made his way to the guest bedroom. He was sweating, and his throat was parched. It wasn’t because of the heat or a lack of water. It was guilt. Looking down at the precious book gifted to him, a feeling of guilt was twisting and gnawing at his gut. He couldn’t tell Jonas. Not yet, anyway. Erick hadn’t lost his whole library, but that wasn’t the source of his guilt.
No, the source of his guilt was a singular photograph. Erick sat on the bed and pulled it out of a research journal that belonged to a member of his family before the great forgetting. In the photograph, there was a group of people standing in a research lab. Behind them stood a gate much similar to the one in Jonas’ photo, but what Erick almost told Jonas about, had to do with who was in the photo. The man looked eerily similar to the man in his friend’s picture, and by extension, Jonas. He put the photo back into the journal, and pulled out an other-worldly; thin and metal card with a chip on the end. “I guess its time for me to do my part.” Standing up, Erick slipped it into Jonas’ wallet with a note. “Good luck Jonas. You’ll need it.”
