Legends of Amacia: Mysteries of Tiamat

“Is that your phone?” Harry asked, hearing the ringing from Hannibal’s pack.

Hannibal opened his pack, retrieving the ringing phone. It appeared to be a flip-phone just a shade larger than a normal cell phone made of a material unknown to Harry with a small antenna on it. “Yeah, it’s me,” Hannibal replied as he opened up the phone. “It’s a call from my people at Tiamat.”

Pushing a button on the phone, Hannibal put it to his ear and said, “Talk to me.” He listened intently and his face fell. “Was anyone hurt?” he asked into the phone. Hannibal listened a few more seconds and his face grew grim. “Were you able to secure the place?” he queried. A few more seconds passed and he said, “Good. I was concerned that they were going to try something stupid like that. You were able to seal it so they couldn’t get to it, weren’t you?” A brief pause ensued, and then he stated, “Okay, bring it to me. Don’t let anyone get near it. Do you understand? See you this evening.” Hannibal snapped the phone shut and swore. “The damned fools,” he snapped. “I warned them not to try anything.”

“What was that all about?” Harry asked in a concerned tone.

Hannibal looked at him grimly. “Apparently, there has been a paradigm shift in the local government’s view of our excavation at the Temple,” he declared. “It seems that a local militia decided that they wanted what was inside the Temple and raided the site trying to get to the treasure cave. A gun battle ensued and ten of my people were killed along with thirty of the militia. I had anticipated this would happen so I had my people set up a booby trap that would seal the place in such an emergency. I had hoped that it wouldn’t be needed but now it seems that I was wrong.”

“You mean to say that the Temple is sealed up forever?” Harry asked with dismay.

“No, not forever; before I came back from over there, we discovered a hidden entrance on the other side of the mountain, higher up and completely camouflaged,” Hannibal explained. “Only two people know where it is – Dan…the man I was talking to on the phone, and I. He’ll be here this evening with some research on the Library. Apparently, he has uncovered something significant that he didn’t want to talk about on the phone.”

“So you can continue the exploration of the Temple and the Library,” Harry surmised.

“Yes,” Hannibal stated, “however, at this point we will have to be careful. This incident wasn’t just a coincidence. We’ve had problems with the government officials for some time and I suspect that this particular incident was sanctioned from the higher levels of the Indonesian government. This isn’t over by any means. We may have to seal the place permanently if this kind of problem persists. There are things in the Temple that could be potentially catastrophic if they fell into the wrong hands.”

“What do you mean catastrophic?” Harry asked with a hint of skepticism on his voice.

Hannibal sighed, pondering how to answer. “We found things in there that bordered on the fantastic,” Hannibal began, rubbing his jaw and chin with his fingers. “How do I put this? We found highly advanced machinery in there, vast areas of machinery that stretch for miles. In one place, we discovered a portal generator that can literally take you anywhere you want in the entire universe. I saw things in that portal that defy description or explanation. I saw other planets, beauty beyond human comprehension. I saw other species on the various planets, some beautiful and graceful beyond words and some, unspeakably ugly and malevolent. On one planet, I saw with the portal, giant insects, spiders, etc..., much like the spiders and scorpions we killed while exploring the Temple were its primary inhabitants. If this portal were used in the wrong manner by the wrong people, the entire planet could be overrun with aliens.”

Harry and Mary looked at each other in disbelief, and then gazed at Hannibal. He saw the look. “Think I’m making this up, huh? Well, watch this,” he said confidently, picking up his phone and pressing a button. He waited a few seconds for the connection. “Dan? This is Hannibal. Is the Temple secure?” Hannibal queried.

“Yes,” Dan replied through the phone. “Our little booby trap effectively sealed the main entrance to the Temple. I double checked it this morning.”

“How about the militia, have they gone?” Hannibal asked.

“Yes, for now. It looks like they’ve given up for now. Our little firefight seems to have made them think twice about doing it again,” Dan answered.

“What about our people? Are they safe?” Hannibal asked again.

“Yeah; work continues in the Library and the machinery is secure. No one is going to get in here now. The silent hole is guarded and heavily mined,” Dan reported. “If anyone tries to get in that way, they’ll be dealt with severely.”

“Good. Now how about the portal…how’s the research on it going?” Hannibal asked.

“Very well; Selina and her father have been invaluable. But there are things I would like to tell you face to face. It’s not something to be said over the phone,” Dan answered.

“Good, very good; is Selina there with you?” Hannibal asked.

“Why yes, she is. Why did you want to know?” Dan replied.

“Are things secure enough for you to come now?” Hannibal asked.

“Yes, I believe so. Do you want me to come now?” Dan queried.

“Yes, and bring Selina along with you. I have some friends I’d like her to meet,” Hannibal instructed. “Home in on this signal.”

“Okay Hannibal, we’ll be there in five minutes,” Dan said.

“Very good,” Hannibal said as he laid the phone down. Then in a very stern tone, he said to Harry and Mary, “What you’re about to see must not leave this room. Men will kill for this technology. It’s not meant for this evil world. The temptation to abuse it is too great.”

Harry and Mary nodded in agreement that what they were about to see would be kept in confidence. “That isn’t any ordinary phone, is it?” Harry asked. “It looks like a phone, but not like any phone I’ve ever seen before.”

Hannibal smiled broadly. “Very perceptive Harry,” he replied. “You’re absolutely right. Dan is in the heart of the Temple under at least three thousand feet of solid rock. No ordinary satellite phone could reach down there. This phone is technology from the Temple. It’s my communication link to them.” As he was speaking, the open area of the living room in front of them began to shimmer and suddenly, a glowing sphere appeared in front of them. Harry and Mary recoiled in fear. “Don’t be afraid,” Hannibal cooed, seeing their fear. The sphere glowed brilliantly, then faded away to just a glowing ring large enough for a man to walk through it.

Abruptly, two shimmering forms appeared within the ring. Then Dan stepped out of the ring with a large brown satchel. “Hi Hannibal,” Dan called out. “Selina will be along in a minute.” As he was speaking, Selina stepped out of the ring and the ring disappeared in a blink.

Harry and Mary sat there dumbfounded as Hannibal cut off the phone and rose to greet Dan and Selina. He shook Dan’s hand and turned to Selina, giving her a friendly embrace, which she returned in kind with an added kiss on his cheek. She looked Hannibal in the eye, asking, “Are you all right? You look a little shaken.”

“I’ll tell you about it later,” Hannibal replied softly as he turned to Harry and Mary. “Dan, Selina. These are my friends: Harry and Mary Clint.” A broad smile crossed Hannibal’s face as he watched Harry and Mary’s reaction to the portal and Selina.

“So you’re the infamous Harry,” Dan crowed. “Hannibal has said so much about you, much of which is good. I’m please to meet you.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Selina purred. Harry and Mary sat there in a state of total shock and disbelief.

“Please forgive them Selina, they’ve never seen your kind before,” Hannibal apologized.

“That’s okay. I remember you had the same reaction when you first saw me too,” Selina said in a smooth, melodious, purring voice.

Finally, Harry rose from his seat. Before him stood a being nearly six feet tall that looked like a cross between a human and a cat. Selina was stunningly beautiful, with large, bluish-green catlike eyes on a face that was a perfect meld of human and feline. She had long, dark brown hair pulled back into a long, braided ponytail that hung midway down her back to just below her shoulder blades and her catlike ears poked out slightly from under the hair. Her body was slender and lean, powerfully built and covered with a soft, silky silvery gray fur that shined in the light. She stood there wearing jeans cut off at the knees and a tank top tee shirt with her hands on her hips. Everything about her formed a perfect meld of human and feline: perfectly proportioned, right down to the clawed hands and feet. She emanated a profoundly strong and confident, yet gentle presence. Selina held out her hand to Harry and purred, “Don’t be afraid. I don’t bite; at least not today.” Her smile revealed her canines slightly. Harry hesitated, and then slowly extended his hand and grasped hers in a firm handshake that she returned.

After a brief shake, he let go and turned to Hannibal. “I don’t believe it,” Harry said in shock. “You weren’t lying. Not only have you discovered a means of instantaneous transport anywhere, you’ve also made contact with an apparently friendly alien species. This is unbelievable.” As he was speaking to Hannibal, Selina went to Mary, squatting down in front of her.

“It’s okay Mary. Don’t be afraid,” Selina said, slowly extended her hand to Mary in a non-threatening manner, as she would to a little child. Mary sat there, petrified. Selina looked into Mary’s eyes as she slowly placed her hand on Mary’s knee, purring, “It’s okay.” Gradually, courage came back to Mary as she looked into Selina’s eyes. She inched her hand over to Selina’s in a manner that suggested she didn’t know if it was all right to touch her.

“Go on. Touch me. I’m flesh and blood just as you are. The same God that made you made me,” Selina purred. Mary finally touched Selina’s hand and astonishment filled her face.

“Your fur is so soft,” Mary finally said. Selina glanced at Hannibal and smiled. “And you’re so beautiful. I could never imagine that such beautiful and imposing creature existed in this world,” Mary complimented.

“Why thank you, Mary,” Selina answered, placing her other hand on top of Mary’s hand while looking deeply into her eyes. “You’re so kind. It’s a trait not seen too often in your species. It’s a distinct pleasure to see this.”

Harry stood there in utter amazement, looking at Selina. “What is she? Where did she come from?” he asked Hannibal. Selina heard the question, stood up, and turned toward Hannibal and Harry.

“Why don’t I let her tell you,” Hannibal declared.