Well here it is Weds. so it's time for Part 3 of Those That Feed. This part sees a bit more action and a lot more information learned about what's going on. As this was written as one continous piece the end is a bit more abrupt than any of the other breaks. Apologies for that.
I'll post the next part on Sunday (or late Saturday night as before.) Oh, and Mollyig I loved the early X-Files episodes, too.
Part Three
Steve came and got us a little bit later saying that the professor finished refining the data and they were going to decide how best to get into the newly discovered chambers.
We followed him to the main computer tent where the others were already waiting. We crowded in while a generator cheerfully chugged along outside. A couple more computers sat on folding tables along with a laser printer and a larger version usually used for architectural plans or maps. A fair amount of extra electronic gear and likely backup components for the GPR also cluttered the space. Two Coleman lanterns on low added enough extra light to make things out clearly.
Professor Akeley had a large printout spread over the big printer and was pointing at something while Linda looked on and shook her head in disagreement. Apparently they couldn’t decide which tunnel would grant easier access without compromising the site or causing the tunnels to collapse.
I moved forward to get a better look at the map and what I saw really was amazing. The curves and skids of the raw data and even the colored blurs of the first refinements had given way to a much clearer three dimensional picture of the underground area. I could see two tunnels coming in from the left, a good ways apart, but converging. The closer one was slightly deeper. Both had a section of blockage that was about six to ten feet in length. Beyond, each ran roughly parallel, though some rubble and other debris was present. They opened into larger rooms that still weren’t entirely clear, even on this version. Short connecting hallways curved from one chamber to the next forming a rough circle around a central room that looked to be three times the size of any of the others.
Two things struck me. First that the central room had what looked like a number of metallic boxes or possibly tables present on one side while two pillars stood guard before what could have been some kind of altar. Second, the suggestively shaped blobs from the previous scan were missing. I pointed to the spots I thought I had seen them, just off the two main passages, and asked what happened. The professor replied that they were just echoes from slightly higher metallic content probably caused in the construction of the complex and had been filtered out.
I looked at Tara and even she seemed unconvinced by this. I was curious why Professor Akeley thought it necessary to conceal them and what they really were. Perhaps the remains of a couple of demons similar to the ones that maybe had possessed him and/or Jessica? If we could get a good look at them perhaps we could get an idea of what we were dealing with. Tara had the same notion as I saw that she was looking intently at the spots I pointed out, trying to fix them in her mind.
The professor and Linda finished their argument over which route would be the easiest to excavate and they began making plans for placing small charges of dynamite. They said once the charges went off there would be a fair amount of digging to clear the rubble from the passages. Steve didn’t think we’d finish tonight in any case.
I asked if we could watch the demolition process, glancing at Tara to check and make sure she wanted to also, never having seen this done before. She assented, as did the professor, so we would get our first look at the tunnels below.
As I write this now I think it’s sorta odd, another peculiarity in a long string, that no-one objected to the rush or wanted to proceed more cautiously. The whole group, and even the two of us, just assumed it was natural to be laying charges in the early night and then start digging. I wonder if that is the normal procedure for operations like this?
I suppose it really doesn’t matter as Professor Akeley got the dynamite out of the storage tent, along with blasting caps, some wire, and an electronic detonator. And yes, it did give me a little fright to realize we were sleeping in the same area.
He led us to a spot that looked like it had been blasted open recently. More debris than normal lay scattered about and in its midst was a rocky opening that led downwards. Another, slightly larger, gas powered generator sat under a tarp nearby. Ed uncovered it and topped off the tank while the professor made his way down the hole. I should mention that Tara was definitely giving everyone a close look, trying to get a good view of their auras. She shrugged and gave that expression which is a cross between bewildered and stumped and slight shake of the head. Nothing more revealing there.
Professor Akeley certainly moved about with a bit more ease now that the sun was down. He must have walked this route many times before as the lack of light didn’t seem to bother him. Maybe he is possessed by something that can see in the dark. I know I stumbled over small rocks several times, and once Tara’s weight almost knocked me over as she caught herself on my shoulder. At least I’m useful for something.
When the generator chugged to life a faint yellow glow from a string of bulbs lit our way downwards. We all moved to catch up with the professor. Steve told us that there must have been an exit to the subterranean complex here, and that it hadn’t been that hard to blast their way in once they knew the tunnel got close to the surface. He also complained that they had had to go back to UCS several times to get the extra supplies to make exploring the site possible.
As the cold rock surrounded us and our footsteps reverberated in the gloom, I couldn’t help but feel a shiver down my back. Something felt unnatural here, though I couldn’t identify what. Tara must have felt it to ‘cause she moved closer and her hand found mine. We examined the walls near one of the bulbs but could find no chisel or tool markings whatsoever. They didn’t seem to be made from the metallic rock material, but still had an odd look that I couldn’t place. After walking for some time we came to a passage crossing ours. Steve explained that to each side there were some dwelling areas, or at least that’s what the professor believed they were, and that the group found most of the interesting artifacts to the right.
Jessica asked if we would like to see the area and said that there were a number of symbols and inscriptions in one of the rooms. Professor Akeley was working on trying to translate them, but so far had made little progress. I gazed at my girl and we both had that, “Oh yeah, we are so there,” look. I have picked up a number of demonic languages and I believe Tara knows a few, too. Maybe that would give us a clue as to what was going on.
Jessica led us off while the rest went to catch up with the professor. There were no lights down this way so we had to use our flashlights. As we went Tara questioned Jessica about things the two had done, obviously trying to see if there were any gaps in her memory. From the steady flow of responses and Tara’s sorta dejected tone she must have provided the right answers.
We came to an opening on the right but Jessica continued until we came to another aperture. We went into a room that was maybe twice the size of Buffy’s living room. The floor and walls were made from an odd black-gray rock that emanated a chill and I realized that it was much colder than outside. The floor wasn’t smooth or flat, but undulated in some strange pattern I couldn’t quite see. It didn’t look like time or geologic pressure were responsible.
The wall to the right had a series of odd niches and holes in it, like for storing stuff, while the one to the left was covered with different symbols. We went over and examined the writing. I couldn’t see any sign of how it was carved, nor did I recognize the language. It had a few similarities to the marks on the discs the professor had found, but still seemed different somehow. Tara had a similarly furrowed brow, though after a moment her face lit up with a little smile and she told me she thought this might be a magical script. None of the runes or glyphs were familiar, but the way some of them were aligned seemed to possibly indicate a spell.
I have some knowledge of cryptograms from working with Giles on ancient orders’ grimoires and thought that if I brought my laptop down, I might be able to come up with a translation. I excitedly explained this to Tara but Jessica got a funny look on her face and said that the professor was already trying and had sent copies to the university linguistic department and they hadn’t been able to make any progress yet.
“Better leave it for them to wrestle with,” she finished.
I said, “Fine,” and left it at that, though I thought she was awfully quick to dissuade me. Tara smiled at me as if to say that she knew I could crack it if I tried. I smiled back and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She didn’t even blush.
We went and looked at a couple of other rooms that were basically the same as the first except with no writing. I didn’t notice anything else of significance, and Steve showed up and said that the charges were planted and it was time to go above ground.
The explosion was muffled and very subdued. I thought it would be louder or cause the ground to shake more. Nope. The rest of the team went back below to start clearing the rubble while Tara and I retreated to the storage tent ostensibly to turn in for the night. After we were certain everyone was engaged in their work underground, we gathered up the supplies Tara would need.
When everything was assembled, Tara asked if I was certain I wanted to go with.
“I’m sure I’m sure,” I replied more assuredly than I actually felt. “Besides, if anything really is out there, you’ll need someone watching your back.”
“Well then you’ll have to be looking a little higher,” she gently chided me and I felt her soft arms encircle me and her lips press against mine. “I’m glad you’ll be there, though, just in case.”
I hugged her once more and then we broke apart. I helped carry the materials and we made our way out to center of the depression, a short ways from where they had used the GPR earlier. I moved off to sit beside one of the boulders. I had a good view of the area and held one of those rock pick things in my lap, you know, better prepared than not.
Tara measured out a circle and then closed it. I heard her say a prayer to the Goddess and then start her ritual. It was harder than I thought it would be. She was confident and sure in her movements. Her voice rolled richly through the intonations and I could feel the energy responding to her call. She was so beautiful out there, the moon lighting her hair and face. I wanted so much to be there with her, to hold her hand and feel our energies merge, the magic flow through us. When we had worked spells together the power raised was always greater, I would feel her essence surrounding me and it was like nothing could ever separate us. It was always so intense and yet words really can’t describe how good it felt, so radiant, like everything flowed out from us.
I could feel tears form in my eyes and Tara’s form blurred. It had been months since the craving to use the magic hit me this hard. It hurt, and it felt like a part of me was missing. Like I would never be able to truly connect with my love again. Somewhere in the back of my mind the urge whispered to me to go down there and join her. What would be the harm in using a little white magic?
Tara’s arms were outspread and her chin tilted up to the sliver of the moon. She invoked Isis to strip away all illusion and let her see the land’s spirit. A soft, pale yellow glow spread around her and I wished with all my soul that I could be with her. The whisper became a scream. I remembered all the times we had done similar spells together and I longed for the past so much that I doubled over. Tears flowed freely down my face and I think I shook with the need. I may have called her name through clenched teeth.
I don’t know how long this lasted. All I know is that I did not rush down to her and that after a while the craving ebbed and I found myself lying on my side in a fetal ball. It felt like a great weight was lifted from me and that now I could finally breathe easily once more.
I heard a distinct buzzing noise coming from where Tara cast her spell. I rose up and immediately noticed that whatever power she had raised was now entirely gone. In the darkness I thought I saw two hulking forms moving around where my girl should have been. Of Tara there was no sight.
I groped around and my hands quickly found the pick and flashlight. I grabbed both and unsteadily stood. My heart screamed to yell out and charge down, but I knew the only chance I had to save her was to get closer and surprise the demons.
As I moved closer I saw that both were about the size of a cow with many back-jointed limbs holding their bulk up. Wide wings vibrated behind them causing a soft thrumming, which allowed me to move faster. I got within about ten feet or so unnoticed and could see that Tara was lying on he ground between them. I couldn’t stand it anymore and clicked on the flashlight, bellowed and charged.
I didn’t falter for a second though the light revealed two monstrosities more alien and otherworldly than any demon I’d ever seen before. They were strangely crab like, a sort of pinkish crustacean shell covering a tapering body. They had six legs supporting them and a couple shorter limbs ending in nippers that were manipulating some silver curling device. Where their heads should have been were round mounds covered with very short tentacles that waved and now pulsated different colors.
I swung the pick at one and it sunk into the demon’s body with a cracking noise and a thunk. The creature jumped back taking the weapon with it, still embedded in its side. It lowered itself and then launched into the night with a hideous shriek and rush of air.
The other whirled around on me but the flashlight beam caught it on its celia like tentacles and it too lept back, dropping the silver object, and then rose clumsily into the air. I kept sweeping the flashlight around and up while kneeling down and shaking Tara. She started to come around, moaning and rubbing her head. The two creatures swooped back towards us, but the light seemed to keep them at bay.
“Tara, Tara, do the big tinkerbell spell, quick!” I exclaimed.
She rose groggily and tried to take in her surroundings. She saw the two demons dive down towards us and gave a small yell. She appeared shaken and confused with a wildly fearful look in her eyes. She didn’t seem in any condition to use magic. I could have done it easily enough. The tinkerbell spell was simple and quick; the changes I had made not extensive.
I couldn’t do it, though. Not with Tara half sitting before me scared with her eyes darting about. I refused to hurt her or cause her pain again. Instead I helped her fully to her feet and we made our way towards some of the bigger boulders. I figured that would make it harder for the creatures to get at us. I heard the buzzing get louder and pointed the flashlight in that direction while hunching over lower, one arm thrown over my love’s shoulders in a vain attempt to protect her.
I felt something hard slam into my side and shoulder, sending me to the ground. The second came immediately after the first, its thick, tentacle like tail trying to knock the light from my hand. It failed, but only just. I tried to regain my feet but everything spun around me and bright white spots appeared. I ached and though the urge to cast a spell slammed over me like a wave, I don’t think I could have given in if I tried.
That’s when I heard Tara’s clear, bell like voice intoning the words to the tinkerbell spell. A moment later the area around us lit up with a bright golden light. The demons had begun to descend on us again, but veered up and off into the night, their strange heads changing colors rapidly as they departed.
I breathed a sigh of relief and tried to rise, but stumbled and painfully landed on my knees. Tara’s soft hands closed on my arms and she helped me stand while asking how badly I was hurt. I replied that I had just been knocked about and would be fine in a few moments, which proved to be the case. Still, she worried and fussed, brushing the hair out of my face and holding my arm. I confess that I forgot that she might have been hurt as well and just moments earlier had been lying on the ground.
After a few minutes we carefully made our way back towards the camp, always looking up in case they returned. As we went, we discussed what the creatures might have been. I thought they were demons, but Tara seemed to think that they were something else. She said they felt more unnatural and their auras were cold and almost plantlike. I of course suggested the dread demon petunia but she didn’t think that such a thing would fly through the air or look like a mutated crab or shrimp. She shuddered and I recalled her allergy to, and hence dislike of, shrimp.
I asked her what happened with the ritual and she was quiet for a moment. We were almost at the camp now, but no-one had seen the light spell. They were all probably still below clearing the passage.
When she spoke at last it was with a faraway tone as if she were trying to distance herself from the event. She explained that the land had no spirit. It was scarred, torn and blasted by some force that stripped away the very life it should’ve had. She told me she had even gotten an impression of a rocky, primordial landscape bent and twisted by savage geological forces. Gases vented from ground while volcanoes erupted in distance.
“Will, it was so clear,” she whimpered softly. “A-and, there was something else present. It s-saw me and moved towards me, hungry, insatiable, its need echoing off the rocks. I-I never saw anything yet I felt it, coming, flowing, engulfing me. That’s when I must’ve passed out.”
I tightened my arm around her waist and leaned my head against hers just to let her know I was there, that nothing had happened to her. Something had clearly frightened her and I resolved that I would find out what was going on no matter what.
We were both exhausted at this point and by the time we got back to our tent Tara was almost half asleep already. We lay down and quickly fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.
The next morning I woke up with my head nestled on her chest. One of her hands absently stroked my tangled hair. I lay there and enjoyed the contact and the rise and fall from her breathing. Sometimes I’m nearly overcome with how lucky I am. I love just lying together with no cares or worries, just the feel of her stomach under my arm or her forehead pressed against my cheek. I never did truly sleep well while she was gone.
Unfortunately the call of nature became too urgent and I got up though my sweety slumbered on. It’s odd how she can sometimes continue to caress me even in her sleep. I wonder if she knows she’s doing it? The others weren’t up either so after taking care of morning necessities, and I also have to admit to being a thoroughly modern girl who loves her plumbing and facilities, I went back and updated these entries again.
Tara slept while I wrote and I figured she was just exhausted from the night before. When I finished I decided to take my computer and go have a look at those symbols again. If they really were some sort of spell, then maybe I could decode them quicker than the University. I did know a thing or two about spells after all.
I took the laptop and went to the passage below without encountering anyone else. I wondered how late they worked last night? The generator was off so I used my flashlight to follow the tunnel until I came to the chamber with the writing. It took a while to customize the keyboard to input the symbols, but once that was done things went pretty quickly.
I was just about finished when I heard movement behind me and was so startled I almost dumped my computer on the floor. I was worried one of the demons might be wandering about out of the light, but it only turned out to be Professor Akeley. He glared at me and asked what I was doing. I replied that I had wanted to try my hand at deciphering the symbols since I had some experience at it and loved a challenge. He stated that UCS had already done that and that there was nothing of great value in them. They were a hunting record similar to primitive cave paintings and could be ignored. I got the sense that he was lying to me, though I had no basis for this conclusion.
He went on to say that our time would be better spent getting through the last blocking rubble in order to reach the area beyond. He had an odd look in his eyes and I realized that he hardly ever blinked. I wanted to question him about the first few times he explored the tunnels but his intense gaze kept me quiet. I got distinctly unsettled, like he was measuring me for some sort of experiment or something. Fortunately Steve came by and said that they had hauled the piece of slag above and that Linda wanted to try and get a core sample to determine the center’s composition. This drew the professor’s attention and he almost screamed that she shouldn’t damage the rock and sent Steve to tell her that immediately. I took to opportunity to leave as well.
When I got back to the storage tent Tara was finally up and dressed, her hair pulled back away from her face. I related what had transpired below. She asked if it were time to call Buffy, given the creatures and everything, but I thought we could hold off. Buffy was busy with Dawn and still had her new job to worry about. Besides I thought we could handle the situation as long as we were alert and careful. So far no-one had been hurt. Tara looked dubious, but agreed for now.
We went out to look at the new rock that so captivated the professor’s attention. Linda and Ed were examining it over by the main pavilion and it certainly gave me the creeps. It was about eight foot tall and kinda barrel shaped. Five short protrudrences projected from the bottom almost like the supports for a stool. Two rough flanges jutted out from middle half and a few more round, almost base relief trunks, stretched out of the top and down the sides. The metal rock had horizontal striations and waves that made it look like the stuff flowed from one side to the other.
Tara wanted to know what the Hell it was, and I couldn’t help but agree. She put her hand on my shoulder and swayed a bit, and replied that she was just startled when I asked what was wrong. Neither Ed nor Linda knew what it was, only that they had found it amidst the rubble below and that the professor had been pysched about getting it out in one piece.
Ed thought it looked like the metallic rock had been sprayed over an object and then hardened. Maybe some sort of statue or storage device? Whatever the case, Steve had stopped Linda from trying to cut through the material to see what was beneath. We ate lunch and speculated on the origin of the fossil or whatever it might be, but neither of us had any good ideas. The others, except for Professor Akeley, joined us about halfway through. Jessica also took an instant disliking to the thing and said it reminded her of some hideous creature from a nightmare. I let that go till the rest were finished and departed before pressing her for more details.
She reluctantly told us that a couple of nights ago she had dreamed of strange barrel shaped creatures with wings and odd clusters of limbs, bulbs, or knobs at the top and bottom which fought with some winged shrimp-like creatures with a fine cluster of short antennae where the head should be. The creatures flew about and strange beams from metallic or crystalline devices carried in their alien arms burnt the air. That was all she could remember, though she had awoken suddenly, drenched in sweat. Ever since that time she felt drained and run down, not quite herself.
Tara and I exchanged a look, obviously this was too big a coincidence to be, well coincidental. Tara acknowledged that this morning she had dreamed of the strange demons that attacked us last night, and that they did seem like the ones Jessica described. In Tara’s dream the creatures had been trying to help her with the ritual. She got the sense that she just needed to do it again and everything would be clear and all right.
Although my initial inclination was to do just that, I resisted it. We decided that our best course of action was for Tara to get a little more rest since she still felt fatigued, while I worked on decoding the symbols. I gave her a peck on the cheek and then went to the computer tent to plug my laptop into the generator there. I spent the next several hours making little progress and becoming increasingly frustrated. I began to think that maybe the professor was right and that I shouldn’t have bothered. Still, I couldn’t accept that these were merely primitive hunting records. All my instincts said that some important information was recorded on that wall.
My girlfriend, Goddess it feels so wonderful to be able to write that once again, joined me just before dinner. She still looked paler than normal and felt rundown, but took an immediate interest in my progress, or lack thereof. Although she doesn’t know much about computers and mathematical ciphers, I’ve always valued her input and insights that more often than not point me in the right direction. So, I spent the next twenty minutes explaining what I had tried, each dead end, and how nothing had worked. She listened attentively, asking a few questions and, bless her, not falling into a coma even once.
She figured I was going about it the wrong way. She was pretty certain a spell was involved so if we could determine what type I might be able to narrow down the meaning of some of the runes.
I thought about that and put forth that the central area was situated in a big circle, around a central point. She added that the thing found last night looked like maybe an explosion had covered it with the metallic rock. If that was the case perhaps the spell created a barrier to keep something in? Maybe it had failed for a moment and that is what caused the blast.
Now that made sense, and it occurred to me that following that line of thought I could reprogram one part to...OK, here I fear she did go catatonic. She smiled an understanding smile and said she would go check on Jessica and make sure she was doing all right. I probably mumbled some agreement, already lost in coding for the new direction.
I vaguely recall Tara coming back later with some food and telling me that the rest were still removing rubble and that it was going slower than expected. The professor now thought they wouldn’t get through until the next day and seemed thoroughly upset at the delay. He had also been examining the barrel shaped rock for quite some time as well. I’m sure I grunted an agreement and then went back to work. I was close and didn’t want any interruptions. Perhaps it might have been better if I had been interrupted, but then things rarely go that easily for any of us Scoobies. I do wish Giles was here to hear what I found. His knowledge and advice would have been very useful.
Tara was back as the symbols were finally starting to fall into place and I began to make out what was written. There were still some gaps and I’m not entirely certain I got everything right, but what I did translate was enough to send a chill throughout my body and remind me how small and insignificant our planet is. I considered not telling my sweety what I had uncovered, but that would’ve been another betrayal, even if I did think it was for her own good. So, as the sentences and paragraphs formed on the computer screen, I read them aloud to her.
One section of the wall was a record for future travelers to the location. It covered a conflict between two ancient groups of beings, one called the Mi-Go and the other referred to as the Elder Things. The Elder Things came here first, unbelievably at a time when the earth was still but a newborn planet, barely forming. The text is clear but I must have mistranslated something. To think that some race might actually have had a hand in shaping the planet’s development and maybe even the growth of life here is shocking and changes much of what scientists believe about our world’s development.
The beings set up some sort of base in which to create new servants for a war with other strange creatures inhabiting planets around distant stars, perhaps even in other galaxies. At the time the earth was not populated and it allowed them a controlled area in which to experiment. What exactly they were trying to create is not clear, but they had some success before their foes discovered the site and sent a great wave of energy from the stars which destroyed everything. It appears that the Elder Things forgot about, or dropped, the whole line of investigation, and that when their descendants returned to a still young earth thousands of years later, they did not continue their previous explorations.
Here Tara interjected that this didn’t seem to be any set of primitive hunting records like the professor dismissed so quickly. I agreed and noted that the spell involved was something that seemed to invoke an energy barrier much stronger, and stranger, than the one I had used to keep the Knights of Byzantium at bay. If the university had translated the writing they should have at least noted the religious connotations to that part and the scientific tone of the rest. It read almost like a lab report concerning a vast experiment. At the very least it showed a very advanced intellect and an inquisitive and curious species.
Tara wondered why the professor lied and I pointed out that he obviously had something to hide. Yes, it could just be nervousness about revealing too much of his find before everything was verified, but that didn’t feel right to either of us. He was too eager to press forward and acting strangely. We both figured we would have to confront him with what we now knew sooner rather than later. Maybe we could make some sense out of what was going on then.
We turned back to the translation and I continued piecing together the parts we could make out. It seemed that countless years later, the Mi-Go somehow learned of the earlier experiment and created a complex and machine designed to reach back through time and steal the research of the ones who had become their enemies. The wall indicated that they had succeeded, but that the Elder Things from the earlier period came through whatever gate they created. A terrible fight occurred and a great deal of attention was brought to the location. The Elder Things desired to eliminate the Mi-Go threat and unleashed some weapon similar to the one that originally destroyed their own outpost, but much stronger.
Here the record grows unclear, or again my translation is less accurate, but it seems that the Mi-Go’s worship leaders brought the intervention of their gods, Nyarlethotep and Yog-Sothoth, to shunt the Elder Things’ cosmic attack off into the distant future. Tara asked if it said when the energy actually struck the earth. I shivered as the wall record did not relate it ever having reached its target and seemed to hint that it was still journeying through some warped space-time fold till it finally arrives at its original destination. The Mi-Go did not know when it would actually strike but hoped to be gone before then, the Earth, or at least this base, seemingly not worth the effort to protect.
Despite the successful defense of their complex, both against their otherworldly and past enemies, the delvers feared the results of the experiment. Something stalked them in the night, maybe in their dreams, and they referred with fear and loathing to Those That Feed. They tried sending a message to someplace called Yuggoth, but felt they did not succeed. They were cutoff and alone, members of their group became sluggish, then catatonic, and eventually were devoured leaving a crazed shell behind. The Mi-Go scientists tried radical surgery, removing the central nerve cluster from the body and then placing it in a special metallic cylinder for transport back to Yuggoth. Unfortunately not even this drastic action seems to have saved those afflicted.
The remaining members feared to leave the Earth because it might allow the freed creatures to travel with them. So, to prevent the other race’s creations from escaping and destroying all the Mi-Go bases on Earth, or elsewhere, those who survived gathered in the Room of Obeisance. There they enacted some horrific grand ritual that ended with them sacrificing themselves to their dark gods in order to empower the runes and underlying machine of investigation that remained. The terrible techno-magical event created some sort of barrier that would prevent Those That Feed from ever getting loose. It left them trapped in a primordial world halfway between their time and that of the ritual. At least that was the idea as put down. I guess it must have succeeded, fantastic as it sounds.
It was a strange and bizarre tale, and I may have botched some of the details. Various sections I couldn’t decipher, though Tara thought they had specific religious connections given the repetition of Yog Sothoth and Nyarlathotep in them. She said they might be supplications or perhaps even ways of invoking the gods. Again I felt a chill as I recalled Professor Akeley speculating on what beings an ancient starfaring race might worship. The descriptions of the sacrifice hinted at terrible and malevolent deities more like Hell Gods than the natural ones Tara and I call on, well which Tara calls on anyway.
Always thinking, my girl observed that Those That Feed sounded like vampires. She pointed out that vamps fed on your blood, you become drained and listless and eventually a demon takes over your dead body. This might even be the way vampires came into the world in the first place! I agreed and said that it would be really bad if the archeology team accidentally let a bunch of alien vampires loose through exploration of the area.
Tara shook and exclaimed, “Alien shrimp vampires!” Though she did smile afterwards and wondered which race we had encountered last night. They had an aura that was cold, distant and muted, very much like the flash she had sensed about the professor. I speculated that if the Mi-Go’s message to Yuggoth actually got through, maybe they were the ones who are finally returning now? However, Tara pointed out that must have been thousands, if not millions, of years ago and why hadn’t they returned earlier? It did sound like they could travel through space very quickly, probably faster than light somehow.
Then she suggested that maybe the message did get through, but to the wrong people, creatures, whatever, and so got misfiled or lost, or maybe it was buried for political reasons. Some alien equivalent of an historian might have stumbled on the record and thought to check it out. I confess to being shocked at the level of cynicism Tara demonstrated. I thought she was always so upbeat and optimistic and commented so.
She told me that my evil ways had jaded her and I teased that I would withhold those evil ways till my sweet and innocent Tara came back. She responded that it was too late for that, but maybe she would use some of her own evil ways on me so that I forgot all about sweetness and innocence Tara.
Before I knew it my beautiful blonde had her arms around me, her lips and tongue sought mine with a most uncharacteristic aggressiveness. Maybe it was just a reaction to the unbelievable tale we had uncovered, I don’t know. Whatever, a shudder wracked me and a few tears of joy left my eyes. How could I have done anything to ever jeopardize this? She sat in my lap and smothered me with kisses, caressed the line of my jaw with her tongue, gently nibbled on my ear while her hands pressed me tightly to her. And that’s when the camp chair supporting us gave way and we tumbled to the ground.
We both started laughing and just as Tara offered to rub my now aching butt, Michael stuck his head into the tent to see what was going on. We both blushed and then collapsed into another fit of giggles at his wide-eyed and bewildered expression. He gave us a skeptical gaze, as if to doubt our sanity, cautioning us not to break anything important. He left us and Tara lay her head on my chest, one arm draped over my hips, the other lying alongside one of mine, our fingers slowly stroking and tracing each other’s.
Her head rose and she looked into my eyes with a wistful look combined with something I hadn’t seen before.
“Goddess, Wil, I can’t believe how good this feels,” she began. “To be here with you, us, together, happy. I, I never stopped missing you. The thought that I might never touch you, feel your kiss or embrace, hear that wonderful Willowbabble was almost more than I could take. My schoolwork seemed so cold and shallow, nothing made any sense or meant a thing. I didn’t really care about the future, about anything. It was so hard to get on with living,” She paused for a moment, her hand gripping mine tighter, and a fierce resolution pushed the wistfullness from her face. “I will never, ever, let that happen again. I’d rather we were both dead.”
I thought at first she wasn’t serious, but quickly realized she meant exactly what she’d said. I swallowed once, “Without you I might as well be dead. You’re the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me. I’d do anything, give up anything, to be with you.”
We kissed again, and it felt so good and right to have her weight suddenly shift on top of me, to press along the length of my body. Her heat softly crushing me. We stayed this way for awhile, and I couldn’t help but think that she was right. I still don’t know exactly what transpired in May, but if I were ever to lose her, it would kill me too.
Before we started losing articles of clothing Linda came in and made some sort of embarrassed exclamation. I’m not sure who turned the darker color of red, her or us. Anyway, looking properly chagrined we disentangled and sat side by side facing her. She said that Michael told her we were in here and that we should know that Jessica collapsed in the tunnel below. Professor Akeley said it was his fault for pushing everyone too hard and had her put in one of the side chambers to keep her cool while Steve brought down some blankets and a pillow.
I was instantly all worried and concerned and wanted to go check on her right away, though Tara seemed reluctant to go below. Maybe it was just the residual creeps from what I’d translated but she definitely looked afraid. Linda added that the professor thought it would be a good idea if Jessica’s friend were beside her and that maybe Tara could help make sure she was OK.
That made sense to me, but on second thought seemed a bit more considerate than the professor had been while we were here. He seemed so driven and unconcerned by people’s limitations or frailties. It also unnerved me a bit that he specifically wanted Tara present. Of course with the odd aura around him and the chance that he was possessed by something who wouldn’t be uneasy? Maybe the strange creatures we saw last night had some sort of mind controlling power or device? At this point I wouldn’t be surprised. Still, Steve and the others didn’t seem to be affected so maybe Jessica really had just overexerted herself?
TBC...
Edited by: Garner at: 7/28/02 2:24:12 pm
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