Chaos Mortalitus (10 page)

"Damn it! Ash, what have you gotten' yourself into bro?" Jason asks aloud.

"Something's wrong, you know this thing is too big. Why the hell would Ash be involved with the pyramid? Doesn't make any sense." Greg questions as the car speeds onward.

Once I touched the object something instantly began happening, something beyond the limits of imagination. A pulse shock wave seemed to hit me, not hard enough to do much, but enough to let me know something just happened. I watch the object, as it seems to activate giving off a pale glow with small traces of light beginning to shine through the dagger, almost like tiny vibrant veins. The object begins to liquefy and suddenly the metallic liquid seems to bond with my right hand. Similar to liquid mercury as it coats my appendage, forming to my features, hardening into what looks like some sort of ancient gauntlet.

The precious stone handle now the gauntlet's centerpiece as my eyes widen clouded by terror. "WHAT THE HELL?!?! WHAT IS THIS?!?!"

Something begins to happen as beams of energy very similar to thin lightning strands jet forward from the jewel in the center of my hand. I try to pull away from the release of this powerful energy, yet to no avail as the beams remain constant and I can feel the energy starting to distort my surrounding environment. Fixated at a central point, the beams output levels seem to be increasing and from the center of the energy vortex, something begins to happen. Flexing outward, the center of the vortex expands quickly into a large circle teaming with extreme power levels. The beams of lightning become increasingly volatile, intensity rising as they begin to separate into more streams.

What was once my living room has become this giant vortex of energy, completely surreal. I've seen something like this before in my nightmares, but this is no dream. This dagger or whatever it has become seems to be distorting space all around me. The opening stretches further, warping three-dimensional space all around it, as the energy produced is so radical, so spectacular yet doesn't harm me. In an instant everything becomes so dreamlike and I feel myself pulled forward, trying to stop but lose this fight. Once I am pulled into the dimensional vortex it's like I went from being a physical object to almost a thought.

Nothing is familiar as I move at a speed I cannot possibly fathom gliding gracefully through this construct. I sense the outer structure containing this energy flexing with the intense pressure from the lightning strands. The colors are brilliantly vivid yet I have no bodily control, not even completely sure I even have a body anymore. My vision fades in and out, the experience like a bad acid trip, as everything I know is broken down to a singular point. There is solitude within this otherworldly structure as I prepare to embrace death and then as quickly as it came, darkness.

The clock in my living room reads 9:53 P.M. as Angela walks inside our home, the lights still on. She carries two bags in her hand for the late dinner discussed only fifteen minutes ago. "Sorry babe, I forgot to grab drinks!" Angela calls out. "I'm sure we can make do."

No reply can be heard through the silent air as she begins to feel a strange presence. Setting the bags of food on the coffee table she walks through the house, upstairs and down.

"Ash! Babe, where are you? This isn't funny, come on I know you're here, your cars' outside." Angela says as a nervous feeling quickly surrounds her, yet she does her best to shrug it off for now. After walking the entire house she returns to the living room.

"Omega, is Ashton home?" Angela asks the computer system.

"Negative. Ashton Mortal is not on the premises."

Confused, Angela's worries begin to worsen. "Last known whereabouts Omega."

"Last vital signature was recorded at 9:49 P.M., followed by a power disruption. Vitals ceased at the time of disruption."

"Ceased? What do you mean ceased?"

"Mr. Mortal did not leave the premises, so it is likely his vitals have ceased as no health signature can be detected. Would you like me to contact emergency services Mrs. Mortal?" Omega suggests.

"No! He's not here you stupid computer! That was four minutes ago damn it, where could he be? What the hell!"

The small holographic device on the table flashes in the corner of Angela's eye. She turns and walks over to it, sitting down on the black sofa as she begins watching Tyler Morgan's video message, the same played only minutes ago. As she watches the whole video, something dreadful comes over her and nothing is making much sense as she see's the empty box on the table that housed the Artifact. Tiny impressions remain as she realizes an object has been recently pulled from the casing. "Oh my God! Ash! Oh God no!" The gravity of the situation sets in as Angela begins to panic.

No vitals can be detected because the man known to all who loved him as Ashton Mortal no longer exists. At this moment, even if you could search every inch of this universe, no trace would be found. Angela knows something horrible has happened, for she heard Tyler's message and knows her husband is missing, having a terrible feeling about what today truly means for her family. Sitting in silence trying to make sense of the last five minutes of her life, these difficult minutes that will always haunt her as the power suddenly cuts and in an instant the inside of the house is lit up with flashing lights from outside.

Without warning the door to the Mortal residence is knocked down and the living room quickly fills with fully geared soldiers, pouring in from all directions. Angela doesn't even have a minute to grasp anything when a black bag is pulled over her head and as quickly as it came, darkness.

CHAPTER: 7

DEJA VU

I feel myself lying down, the ability to move slowly returning as I regain consciousness. My vision taking a moment to adjust as I push my hands forward feeling my fingers slide into what seems like sand, not quite as coarse. Sounds that seem familiar and foreign surround me, like power lines mixed with waves breaking on a distant shoreline. Pulling my legs up, I use all my strength to throw my body upright, my head tilted back as my eyes struggle to focus. Rubbing them, my vision fully returns as smeared lights sharpen into distinct images. My eyelids peel back finally revealing an image I will never forget,
no matter how hard I try
.

There I sit, on what seems and feels like a small beach staring at a large pool of liquid directly in front of me glowing and radiant, like nothing I've ever seen. I can't say what it is, I couldn't dream this moment, for this place is like nothing I've ever experienced, not even in my nightmares.

Angela sits in a room trembling, dark with poor lighting, save the once again flickering light as this interrogation chamber has seen many faces. Terrified at what she does not understand, where she is, where her husband is and more importantly who these people are. The door opens and a figure enters the room, walking over to the light and sitting down in front of Angela. A face she recognizes as a sense of normalcy returns, if for only a moment. "Jason! Thank God you're here! What are they doing with me?" She asks hoping this is all some sort of mistake. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Angela, this is very serious ok, I need you to listen to me carefully. The men that have brought you here are no joke, they are looking for Ash and they need you to tell them where he is now. They have allowed me to talk to you, to try and get you to cooperate. Please tell us what we need to know." Jason explains with a look of concern in his eyes.

"You son of a bitch!" Angela fires back. "Who do you think you are talking to me like this! I have rights!"

"Try to understand, this is a national security matter, it's not a game." Jason replies. "They can take your rights from you."

Tears begin to pour from Angela's eyes. "You can't do this to me, I didn't do anything wrong, I just want to know my husband's ok."

"Do you know where he is Angela?"

"No! I don't have a fucking clue what's going on! I walked in the front door with dinner and he was nowhere to be found, but I know he didn't leave the house. I watched the video Tyler had sent and then you guys are busting down the door and throwing a bag over my head. Some friend you are!" Angela screams trying to fight back the tears.

"Greg and I are your friends, try to understand the position we're in. We love you and Ash very much, but I can't control what he gets into. I don't see how he could have knowingly been affiliated with Tyler Morgan." Jason says rubbing his shaved head.

Just then the door to the interrogation room opens once more and another figure enters, walking over to take a seat next to Jason. Angela has never seen this man, but knows this is a dangerous situation. "Mrs. Mortal I presume, my name is Jonathan. I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind."

"Why are you doing this?" Angela demands. "What did we do?"

"Well that's what we're here to find out dear. We need to know what your husband has done with the Payload and where he has gone." Jonathan replies.

"I already told you people, we haven't done anything wrong! I don't know where he is! I stopped to pick up food on our way home from the art show. When I got there, he was nowhere to be found and now I'm here."

"So tell us why your family is involved in the first contact with extra-terrestrial life then Angela." Jonathan says peering back at her.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, I don't know anything about aliens! I just want my husband back! You know where he is, I watched Tyler's message." Angela replies growing irritated.

Jonathan is silent, his presence daunting. "I'm not sure that was a smart thing to do, Mrs. Mortal."

No explanations, no words, no sanity left for this situation as I stare with a lost gaze and today it's finally happened, I've lost my mind all together. Both arms planted at my sides in this sand like material as I glance down, running the granules between my fingers. They're smooth, like very tiny crystal shards as the glowing body of liquid in front of me is calm with an eerie silence. Pure white as subtle tints of color reflect off the surface, the pool having the look of liquid energy, the best description I can gather as it seems to be draining into a larger area. Climbing to my feet looking no other direction but forward, I begin to follow a crystal pathway to an outlet where the liquid flows freely. Coming to an edge, I am quickly taken back as I stare out thousands of feet down toward the sounds I heard only minutes ago. Violent crashing below as the waterfall from my perch pours into a giant moving ocean of energy. Rogue waves coming from all directions, crashing into each other with epic explosions beyond imagination. This ocean stretches outward as far as the eye can see, its storm seemingly eternal as I sit at the edge of the crystal path.

My feet hang freely, for it's a long way down from this position so high above the violence below. My psychedelic surrounding does little to phase my mood, for I've already accepted that I've lost my mind. I could easily sit here forever watching this vision put before me, this agitated ocean and its unforgiving currents, doomed to thrash eternally I imagine. Somehow in this moment of my life, better yet this hallucination, I've forgotten so many things. The man I once was, Ashton Mortal, the precious dream I thought never to wake from. Then in a rush it floods back to me, Angela, I swore I'd never leave her, that our son would have his father.

Sitting on the edge madness with my hands held together in front of my face, my lips pressed against them and my eyes wide as tears flow gracefully and I can't help but wonder if I've died. "Forgive me Angela…God I loved you so much. I feel this ache in my heart with you gone. Forgive me sweetheart, I wanted to be there, I want to be with you always." I say with a heavy heart, crying.

Time and its relevance at this point mean nothing to me, either I'm so far gone mentally there's no hope for return or I'm dead. All signs point to Angela being gone forever so I sob, crying with pains of atonement in the face of eternity. Feelings of despair surround me as I finally feel like a character in one of my paintings and I suppose now I am. Just then a gust of wind hits my backside drawing my attention. I turn my focus back to the shoreline surrounding the large calm pool of energy I awoke by realizing if only I had looked behind myself earlier, maybe this agony wouldn't be so intense.

Beyond the shoreline the crystal granules that make up the beach begin to shift, transforming into white sands with a very tropical feel. Vast mountain ranges and expanding lush terrain surround my position, with a strange sky filled with celestial objects like nothing I've ever seen. Staring ahead, I see a beautiful large valley with enormous monuments riding each side of the open area, perfectly carved mountain lines, some things looking so amazingly familiar, others very alien. Leaving the sand after a short walk, I begin hiking the lush green valley toward the large monuments, not far away.

I come to the first, a large statue stopping me dead in my tracks, a human figure standing fifty feet high or so. Carved out of a dark colored crystal, the figure wears a cloak standing straight up hands held in a prayer position. The figure's head bowed down a bit offers a soft gentle looking face, with a hood pulled over the back of its head. Directly in front of me, a large plaque with writing that I begin to read aloud.

"I am all things, you are everything I can never be, as this journey ends not this day, this hour, yet begins its long road forth. Through all things to come, together we become all things known and on that day might the truth of all universes be known. Might the dreams of all life be realized, for our journey continues so rest my friend. Till we meet again. For the dreams of Vexicus."