The Lost Sentinel

19 Going crazy.

Tan P.O.V

In my room, I change into my loose black pants, a tight black fitted shirt so that the cloth doesn’t snag on lose objects that I might come across. I put on my black boots and then my gloves.

I feel like myself immediately.

I walk out to of my room, and make my way to the control station. There I find Laz and Rhine hard at work. The screen is split into two, showing different views of the what looks likes the Mayan ruins.

“Yes!” I shout pleased to see that we are going to drop down there. I know this is all serious but I can’t help but feel excited. Its note every day that I get to go to one of my favourite destinations. My other destination is Bali, but it’s not on the list of places that artefacts can be found.

Maybe one day I’ll go, I think as I stare at the top of the Chichén Itzá.

“Here,” Laz says throwing an ear piece at me and one of the devices that Rhine gave to Blake and them. He hands Hanika another one. I stick mine into my ear and put the device in my pocket. “I have everything set up. I am ready when you are,” Laz says already turning to the screens. He punches a few keys, and then an x-ray view of the top of pyramid appears on the half of the screen. The computer is scanning from level to level. “If there are any precious stones or metal in there they will show here.”

“how about other artefacts made of word or clay?” I ask because it wouldn’t do if we missed anything.

“I’m working on it. You know to develop that kind of software takes time. Don’t pressure me,” Laz says with a stressed sigh.

I raise my hands in surrender.

“It will be done,” he adds.

“Good,” I say. I turning to Hanika. “Are you ready?” I ask her. She looks to be fine from our small argument.

Well, she has no choice, because it would seem we are all stuck together.

“Sure,” she says moving her hairs from her ear to place the earpiece in her ear.

“Did you do something about the tracer the alien placed on me?” I ask Rhine.

“I’m working on it,” he says turning to look at me. “Be safe out there.”

I nod, and then Hanika and I walk out of the control room. We make our way to the door that leads outside. The door opens and I stare down at the top of the pyramid as the spaceship hovers over it.  We drop down on top of the pyramid.

And then the ship lifts off leaving us there. I take a deep breath of the fresh air. And look around us. The pyramid is hit by a spotlight changing colours – from purple, red to blue, and then blend of things I can’t see are projected onto the stones.

Fuck…that’s bright. I blink my eyes as I am blinded for a second.

I open them hoping they will adjust to the bring light.

“Let’s go,” Hanika says dropping down to the landing where the steps end.

How did she adjust so quickly to the light? I ask myself with a shake of my head. I drop down too.

We look around us, and then wait for Laz to tell us where to go.

“Laz?” I call out his name when he doesn’t say anything.

“Wait. I am seeing some confusing things. I am just waiting for the scan to show a different view,” he says sounding like he’s punching some keys.

I look around us, alert just in case some aliens show up.

“It’s on the steps. It doesn’t look like you have to go inside. I’ll send you an image.” he says. And for a few minutes all I can hear are keys being punched.

The device in my pocket beeps. I pull it out and then look at the image Laz sent me. I hold it out comparing it to my surrounding.

“I see it,” I say returning the device to my pocket. I walk down the few steps and then pull at the stones carefully. The move easily. I thought maybe we would have to fight with them.

I guess this is some kind of hidden compartment.

Hanika comes to help me, and within minutes we’ve made a hole.

“It wasn’t buried that deep,” I comment since this seems like the easiest find. Well, thanks to Laz or we would still be looking for whatever is down there.

Hanika hits it with a flashlight. All we can see are shadows as the light from the flashlight is overpowered by the light coming off the spotlight. I reach in with my left hand, even though I can’t see inside. My fingers come in contact with something that feels like stone. Groves are etched into it, so it feels uneven on the surface. I try to pull it out so I can see what we have found. Just as I am about to pull it out, something grips my arm tight.

I jerk in fright, but I can’t loosen my arm.

“What?” Hanika asks aiming the flashlight inside. But we can’t see anything still. I reach out with my right hand with the intent to pull whatever has a grip on me off my left hand. But whatever it is, moves from my left hand to my right hand.

“No!” I scream as I feel something heat up my hand…. it’s hot. I grit my teeth as my hand feel like it’s on fire.

Hanika kicks me in the chest, and fall back my hands slipping out of the hole. I turn to my front staring down at my hands.

There is a weird looking mask stuck to my glove. The tips of my finger glow with a strange light that has a black smoke puffing out.

This can’t be good.

“Oh s**t,” Hanika says pulling out her sword. It screams as if sensing blood.

“What are you going to do with that?” I ask her staring at the flame of her sword.

“Not every artefact has good energy. I can’t let you absorb that,” she says pointing at the mask that’s hurriedly melting on my hand. 

“Are you going to cut off my hand?” I ask in horror.

“No. Just this,” Hanika says swinging her sword. She hits the mask. The power of her sword shatters the mask into a cloud of dusk. And it all lands on my hand. The glove melts away as the dust settles on my flesh.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Hanika P.O.V

Oh s**t…

That was a bad idea.

I watch in horror as the dust melts the glove and then settle on his skin. Its glows with that strange smoky light. It puffs around his hand and seeping into the strips on his skin.

Oh damn…he’s already absorbing it.

I watch in horror as the cloud disappears around his hand. His body suddenly jerks as the power hits him. He arches his back, his literally levitating off the ground and into the air.

I stare at his arm and I see the strips growing up to his elbow in strange shapes that look creepy. They look like snakes and monsters… creatures of nightmares. His body is lowered to the ground and he stares up into the sky in a daze.

“Tan,” I say stepping close to him. He sits up zombie like and turns to me. His eyes glow red, and smoke comes out of his nostrils. He drags himself to his feet. His hands hanging loosely like a doll. He doesn’t look like he has control of his own body.   

“Tan!” I shout wanting to get through to him. But he stands there staring at the landscape below. I follow his eye line. And that’s when I see them the aliens crawling down below.

I didn’t hear them coming.

I pull out my sword. But Tan jumps right off the landing and lands down there.

The dark smoky glow of his arm trails behind him as he runs full on towards the aliens. I take the steps two at a time as I run after him.

Oh s**t… I come to a stop as he runs right through them. The power he absorbed turning him into a killing machine. He moves so fast I can barely follow his movements.

He laughs manically as he rips through the aliens like they were nothing.

He kills them all, leaving a line of bodies in his wake.

I watch in awe, because I haven’t seen something like that since Master Gin. He had been a strong fighter, looking at Tan now, I can tell that he’s going to become that and more.

After he’s done killing the aliens he turns and faces me. His red eyes narrow on me, and I know whatever power is in him, its craving for more power. And I am the next best thing. I know a lot about objects that crave power. My sword is the same way. It needs to feed, and it owner has no choice but to give into its hunger.

I am yet to harness my sword’s full power. But I am afraid of the hunger that lives within it. Sometimes its all-consuming and I can’t hold it back.

I wonder what that kind of power will do to Tan.

The mask was buried right at the entrance of the temple. Its need for power must have pulled people from far and wide.

Shit…

“Don’t,” I say as he moves towards me.

“No one tells me what to do,” he says taking off in a run towards me.

Fuck it, I say to myself he going to come at me anyway. I might as well blow some steam. We will deal with him harnessing the mask’s power later.

 I pull out my sword and meet him half way. The fight if epic. I breathe hard as he slams into me like a sledgehammers.

We fight for what feels like forever, because we are evenly matched.

With the power that he has absorbed now, he is at my level.

I relax enjoying the fight, because finally there is hope for us. He is becoming strong, although this might not have been good energy to absorb, he can harness it none the less.

I’ll have to teach him.  

I swing at him, and he flips back easily. He lands on his feet laughing. He stares at me, and then his eyes suddenly go back to normal.

He can control it…thank God.

“You’re back,” I say to him.

“Yeah,” he says to me before swaying and dropping to the ground.

He passes out.

“Learn to pace yourself,” I say walking to him with a shake of my head.

He’ll learn eventually, I think as I pull out my device to call Rhine.