DISCLAIMER: This story is based upon the series, Charmed, that was created by Constance M. Burge. All Charmed characters are the property of Spelling Productions. All Lost World characters are the property of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Estate.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a sequel of sorts to my first Rex and Hannah Chronicles story, Visit To A Lost World. You might want to take a look at that story first to refresh your memory.
THE PLACE: PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA
THE TIME: FEBRUARY 20, 2010
"Hannah! I think I've got it!" Rex Buckland said with excitement from his study.
"What is it, Rex?" Hannah Webster asked as she rushed into the room.
"I think I finally cracked part of the Golden Scroll." Rex replied as he held up the scroll in question. It had been nearly two months since Rex had been given the Golden Scroll by the mysterious Elemental being, Herne the Hunter. Since then, Rex had been working to translate the so-called secret language on the scroll. Now, after weeks of frustration, he had finally hit upon something.
"You've translated the language, Rex?"
"Part of it, Hannah." Rex said. "The reason it took me so long was because I didn't realize I was dealing with a language that had been virtually wiped out. There aren't many traces of this language left."
"What do you mean?" Hannah asked. "What language is it?"
"This Golden Scroll, Hannah, is written in an ancient Wizard dialect."
"The Wizards?" Hannah asked with astonishment. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am." Both Rex and Hannah knew the tragic story about the Wizards. Long ago, they had been a powerful race in the Underworld, until the reigning Source at the time saw them as a threat. Together with the Upper Level Demons, said Source had made all out war on the Wizards. In the end, the Wizards had been totally wiped out.
"I've heard stories about the Wizards, but I've never seen one." Hannah said.
"Nor should you expect to see one, Hannah. The Wizards are extinct."
"Didn't the Halliwell sisters encounter a Wizard once. I remember them mentioning it at the Halloween party. It was about eight years ago, back when the Source was possessing Cole."
"I know." Rex said. "However, from what Phoebe said, that Wizard was vanquished. So we can't ask him for information. From what I heard, he wanted to bring back his race."
"Not that I blame him." Hannah said. "Imagine seeing your whole race destroyed. I wonder, Rex, could that have been the eventual fate of the Warlocks, had we not rebelled."
"It's possible, Hannah." Rex replied. "Thankfully, we'll never have to find out now. Our race is safe."
"So, what does the scroll say exactly?"
"It mentions a place we've already been to, Hannah. The Plateau."
"You mean that one in South America, where the dinosaurs are?" Hannah asked. It had been nearly two years now since Rex and Hannah had visited that mysterious Plateau, in search of a Lower Level Demon named Dymond. Dymond had been after a copy of the powerful book of spells, the Necronomicon, that had been hidden on the Plateau centuries earlier. While there, Rex and Hannah had met the Challenger Expedition, consisting of Professor George Edward Challenger, big game hunter Lord John Roxton, journalist Edward Malone, the mysterious woman known as Marguerite Krux, and Veronica Layton, a young woman who had grown up on the Plateau. What had been even more astonishing was that the Challenger Expedition had come from nearly a century earlier, a time just after the First World War. The reason being was that the Plateau existed outside of normal space/time. Thus there it was possible to meet people from different times and co-exist with them. With the help of Challenger and the others, Rex and Hannah had been successful in tracking down and vanquishing Dymond. The copy of the Necronomicon had been destroyed as well. Upon completion of that adventure, Rex and Hannah had returned to the outside world, while the Challenger Expedition had chosen to remain on the Plateau until they could find a way back to the world of their own time.
"That very one." Rex said as he got up and went over to a book shelf. He quickly reached over a got down a book.
"What book is that, Rex?" Hannah asked.
"Ned Malone's book, Hannah. The one he wrote after he and the rest of the Challenger Expedition escaped the Plateau." In his hands, Rex held the book called The Lost World. A Detailed Account, written by Edward "Ned" Malone. In the book, Ned Malone had related all the amazing adventures he and the rest of the Challenger Expedition had experienced on the Plateau, including their encounter with Rex and Hannah.
"So, I take it we're going back there?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, we are." Rex said as he packed both the book and the Golden Scroll into a knapsack he kept in the study.
"I wonder if we'll see them again." Hannah said. "Ned Malone and the others."
"I don't think so, Hannah." Rex replied. "In his book, Mr. Malone makes no mention of a second encounter with us. Surely he would have mentioned that event if it had occurred."
"Yeah, I'm sure he would have." Hannah said, nodding her head. "Rex, how come no one knows much about that Plateau? If Ned Malone wrote a book about it, surely someone must have gotten curious."
"Well, Hannah, although Ned Malone's book was a best seller, the publishers insisted on calling it a work of fiction. Also, Professor Challenger wrote a journal about the Plateau, but the Scientific Community refused to take it, or him, seriously. As for the others of their party, they were made large money offers from various rich people to reveal the location of the Plateau. They all refused to do so. Still, things did work out for them. Soon after they got back to civilization, Lord Roxton married Marguerite Krux and Ned Malone married Veronica Layton."
"Well, I'm glad things turned out well for all of them." Hannah replied.
"I am too, Hannah. It seems that being stranded on that Plateau did have some fringe benefits for all of them."
"However, I can't blame the Scientific Community for being skeptical, Rex. It does sound unbelievable. A Plateau full of dinosaurs where people from different times can meet. If I didn't already know about magic, I'd probably be skeptical myself that such a place could exist in our modern world." Hannah said.
"Exactly, Hannah." Rex replied as he headed for the study door. "Come on, we have supplies to pack and organize before we head out, plus I'll have to make some phone calls, in case someone needs to cover my classes. Let's get busy!"
THE PLACE: THE PLATEAU, SOUTH AMERICA
"Well, it looks just the same." Hannah said as she looked around the jungle. Tropical trees could be seen in all directions, and the occasional roar of a dinosaur could be heard as well.
"I imagine it would." Rex replied. The two former Warlocks, both carrying knapsacks of essential supplies, such as clothes, food, and water, had arrived just moments before and were getting their bearings. "If memory serves me, the tree house that Professor Challenger and the others lived in is this way." The two of them set off in the direction Rex had just indicated.
Strange being back here. Hannah thought to herself. Twenty minutes later, they had arrived at the tree house. "Looks empty." Hannah said.
"It is." Rex replied and then translocated the two of them up into the tree house. The inside was full of vines and branches, clearly indicating that no one had lived there for a very long time. "As I suspected, Hannah. This time, we have probably arrived on the Plateau in line with our own time, 2010."
"Well, you did say that we probably wouldn't see them again." Hannah said and then she spotted something on one of the wall beams. "Rex, look at this!"
"What is it, Hannah?"
"They carved dates into this beam. It seems they kept track of their time here on the Plateau."
"What is the last date carved?" Rex asked.
"June 15, 1924." Hannah replied.
"It fits. According to Ned Malone's book, that's the day they escaped from the Plateau."
"So, they were here for five years." Hannah said. "They must have had a lot of interesting adventures, both before and after their encounter with us."
"They did, according to the book." Rex replied. "You should read it sometime, Hannah."
"I think I will, once we get back." Hannah said. Strange, but for me and Rex, it's only been two years since we were last in this tree house. Here on the Plateau, however, that was nearly a century ago. This place is weird, to say the least. she thought.
"According to the Golden Scroll, we have to head for that mountain range north of here." Rex said.
"You mean the mountains where Dymond found the cave that the Necronomicon was in?" Hannah asked, remembering the final encounter with the Lower Level Demon at the foot of the mountain range in question.
"Yes, Hannah, those same mountains. Mind you, what we're looking for is farther up the range than that cave."
"Well, what are we standing around here for, Rex?" Hannah asked with a smile. "Let's get going!"
Not long after, Rex and Hannah were standing at the foot of the mountain range. "There's the cave that the Necronomicon was in!" Hannah said as she pointed to the cave in question. It was at this spot that Rex and Hannah, assisted by the Challenger Expedition, had fought and vanquished Dymond. The copy of the Necronomicon had been shredded by a blast from Lord Roxton's gun.
"Ah, that must mean we're on the right track." Rex replied. "Look, Hannah, there's a path leading up into the mountains. Let's follow it and see where it leads us." The two former Warlocks began following the path, which led them steadily upward.
"It's getting colder." Hannah said as she began to shiver. Indeed the temperature had dropped and it was even beginning to snow.
"Well, we're moving into a higher altitude. We better put on the winter jackets and other gear that we bought with us." Rex and Hannah stopped and quickly donned the gear in question.
"That's better." Hannah said, feeling much warmer. The two of them proceeded up the path, wondering just what they would find at the end of it. After another hour-and-a-half of walking, the two of them reached what appeared to be a flat summit.
"Hannah, look!" Rex said with astonishment. Scattered across the summit were what appeared to be the ruins of a ancient city.
"Looks like this place has been deserted for centuries, Rex."
"So it does." Rex said as the two of them moved through the ruins. On some of the walls, writing could be seen. Rex moved over to one of the walls and took a closer look. "Unless I'm mistaken, Hannah, this writing is the same as that on the Golden Scroll!" Rex quickly pulled the scroll out of his knapsack and began comparing the writing on the scroll with that on the wall.
"So are the writings the same?" Hannah asked.
"They are." Rex replied. "Both Wizard dialects. Clearly, this city was built by Wizards."
"But how? And when? I thought they had been wiped out."
"That, Hannah, is the question of the day. Perhaps we'll find some answers here." Rex moved along the wall, stopping here and there to study the writings, with Hannah following behind. The two of them reached and turned a corner, and were stopped by what they saw in front of them. A campsite lay before them, with two men in it. The first man, who had dark hair and appeared middled aged, was sitting at a set-up table, typing on a lap top computer. The second man, who appeared younger with blond hair, was tending a camp fire, preparing what appeared to be a meal. "Uh, hello." Rex said to the two strangers, once he and Hannah had gotten over their astonishment at seeing other people here.
"Well, bless my soul." the middle aged man said with an British accent even thicker than Rex's. "Fellow human beings, here at the back end of beyond. I'm Dr. Cabot Rowland, from the Department of Paleontology at Oxford." Rowland then indicated the blond haired man. "This is my assistant, George Baker."
"Hello." Baker said, also with a British accent.
"Hello, I'm Rex Buckland, and this is my common law wife, Hannah Webster." Rex said and the introductions were quickly made.
"Hang on, are you the Rex Buckland and Hannah Webster that Ned Malone mentions meeting in his book he wrote about this place?" Rowland asked.
"Yes, we are." Hannah replied.
"That's not possible." Baker said, shaking his head. "That happened almost ninety years ago. You can't be those same two people."
"Oh, George, weren't you paying any attention at all when I was telling you about his place?" Rowland snapped. "The normals laws of time don't apply here."
"I'm sorry, Dr. Rowland, but parts of this are still way beyond my comprehension."
"You'll have to forgive George." Rowland said to Rex and Hannah. "Even after all we've seen since we've been here, living dinosaurs no less, he's still skeptical!"
"Well, this place does defy normal science." Rex said. "In fact, the incident involving us meeting the Challenger Expedition happened only two years ago, from the perspectives of Hannah and myself. So, you've read Ned Malone's book about this Plateau."
"Indeed I have." Rowland replied. "I've also read Professor Challenger's journal about this place. When I was a boy, he came and gave a lecture at my school. He was quite elderly by then, but the spark in his eyes could clearly be seen when he talked about this place. He was the reason I chose to enter the field of Paleontology to begin with."
"And now you're here." Rex said.
"Of course, this place is a paleontologists dream!" Rowland said. "Dinosaurs, living, breathing dinosaurs! Not just some bones dug up in a quarry somewhere, but the actual living items."
"I see why someone like you would find this place fascinating, Dr. Rowland."
"But there's more, Mr. Buckland."
"Please, call me Rex." Rex said
"And call me Hannah." Hannah added.
"Only if you two call me Cabot." Rowland replied. "Now, where was I?"
"You just mentioned that there was more here, Dr. Rowland. I mean, Cabot." Hannah said.
"Indeed I did." Rowland said and went on. "There are also civilizations here on this Plateau. Ancient civilizations that were cut off from the outside world for centuries. Dead ones, like the one here, but also ones that still thrive to this very day! Imagine it, finding such civilization here, now, in 2010. The Scientific Community will be turned upside down when I publish my findings."
"Well, don't forget that Professor Challenger attempted to publish his findings when he left this Plateau. They weren't received as well as he had hoped." Rex pointed out.
"That's true." Rowland said. "However, poor Professor Challenger did not have 21st Century equipment at his disposal. I've brought along video cameras, lap tops, and a satellite link-up so I can communicate with the outside. As you can see, Rex, I'm well prepared."
"So you are." Rex said.
"Believe me, when I get back to civilization, I'll be... I mean, the annals of science will be forever rewritten!" Rowland boasted.
Hmmm, I wonder what he was going to say originally. Rex thought. He talks a lot, but I get the feeling that Dr. Rowland here is not being totally honest with us. I should keep an eye on him.
"Say, I have a great idea." Rowland said. "Why don't you and Hannah camp alongside George and myself. We can set up a rotating watch, in case some of our reptilian friends get too close."
"Well, I don't see the harm in that." Rex replied. "Hannah?"
"Works for me." Hannah replied.
All the better to keep an eye on you, Dr. Rowland. Rex thought.
"Right, it's settled then. We'll have some dinner and then prepare to turn in for the night."
A short time later, Baker had managed to get Rowland alone. "Are you sure it's wise letting them camp with us, Dr. Rowland?"
"Of course it's wise. Why ever not?" Rowland asked.
"What if they find out the truth? The real reason why we're here?"
"Ah, George, you worry too much." Rowland said with reassurance in his voice. "These two seem like reasonable people. I'm sure we can come to some accommodation with them. Trust me, George, everything is under control."
FEBRUARY 21
Hannah awoke to find the sun slowly rising over the mountains. Looking around, she saw that Rex had gotten up earlier and was examining the writings on one of the walls. She quickly got up and joined him. "Find anything?"
"Not yet, Hannah." Rex replied. "It might take me a little while to translate this language."
"It won't take you as long as it did the Golden Scroll, will it?"
"No, Hannah, it won't. Now that I have a grasp on the basics of the Wizard language, it shouldn't take me long to figure out the rest. Where are our two new friends?"
"They're still asleep." Hannah replied, indicating back in the direction of the camp site.
"Good, now I can be honest with you, Hannah. There is something about Dr. Rowland that just doesn't quite ring true." Rex said.
"You mean you think he's a fake?" Hannah asked.
"No, he's clearly a scientist." Rex replied. "However, something tells me that his interest in this Plateau is not just confined to that of science alone."
"What do you think he's up to, Rex?"
"That, Hannah, is something we're going to have to find out."
"Find out what?" Rowland asked as he appeared on the scene.
"Oh, just what this writing is all about." Rex said quickly.
"Ah, yes." Rowland said as he walked over for a closer look. "Mind you, this is not my field, but I've never seen this language before."
"No, I wouldn't have expected you would have." Rex replied. "I mean that this language is very rare."
"You know a lot about languages then, Rex?" Rowland asked.
"Yes, I do. It's my field actually. I teach a course called Ancient Languages And Cultures at Stanford University." Rex replied as he gestured to the wall. "Cracking a new language is a challenge I greatly enjoy."
"Well, that's interesting." Rowland said. "In his book, Ned Malone mentioned that you two were Warlocks. He said that you both had strange powers. Of course, that goes without saying. What I mean is that on this Plateau, I would expect anything."
"Well, that was true, but not anymore." Hannah said.
"What do you mean?"
"She means that we're no longer Warlocks, Cabot." Rex said. "It's a long and complicated story."
"Ah, in other words, you'd rather not discuss it. Perfectly understandable." Rowland said.
"That's it exactly, Cabot. No offense."
"None taken, Rex." Rowland replied. "I always respect a man's desire for privacy."
"So, is there anything we can help you with?" Hannah asked Rowland.
"No, not really. I had just come over to tell you two that breakfast is ready. George and I have plenty of food, we can share."
"Well, Hannah and I did bring our own supplies. However, we'd be happy to accept your invitation."
"Jolly good, let's go eat then." Rowland beamed.
Breakfast consisted of toast, bacon, and eggs, and Rex and Hannah found themselves enjoying it. "I must say, Cabot, that you do come prepared." Rex said as he finished his food and washed it down with a cup of coffee.
"Well, Rex, this is not my first field expedition." Rowland replied.
"You travel a lot then?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, Hannah, I do. I've been to fossil digs all over the world. Canada, the United States, China, here in South America. My ex-wife once commented that in all the seven years we were married, I never unpacked my bags. Sadly, my marriage was a casualty of my constant travelling to all corners of the globe."
"I'm sorry." Rex said.
"Ah, don't be sorry for me, Rex. It was well worth it." Rowland replied. "I loved her, but my love of paleontology was there first. The excitement of finding a new fossil always drove me on. Of course, being here on this Plateau tops them all. Now I can study real dinosaurs. No doubt many ideas we had about them will go out the window."
"I can imagine they will."
"Think of it, Rex." Rowland continued. "Somehow, the dinosaurs here survived the disaster that wiped them off the rest of the Earth. Why?"
"Well, this Plateau does exist outside of normal space/time, remember." Rex said.
"I know, but still the question is why? How did this Plateau become this way? How come the outside world has never found its way in here, aside from an odd civilization or two? How can you and Hannah have been here nearly ninety years ago and yet be here now? Those are the answers I am seeking." Rowland said. "And I won't leave here until I find them!"
"It might take you a long time then." Rex said. "I get the feeling that this Plateau will not give up its secrets so easily."
"So be it then." Rowland said with determination. "Like you, Rex, I enjoy a good challenge. I get the feeling that this Plateau will be the ultimate challenge of my career. Now, Rex, let me ask you a question. Why do these ruins spike your interest?"
"Well, as I said, ancient languages is my field." Rex replied. "These ruins contain a language I have been studying."
"I see." Rowland replied.
I'd rather not mention Herne and the Golden Scroll. Not yet at least. I still have my doubts about this fellow. Rex thought.
"Well, there are also thriving civilizations here too." Rowland continued. "Native South American civilizations that somehow escaped being conquered by the Spaniards and the Portuguese when they arrived here centuries ago."
"Again, Cabot, this Plateau exists outside of normal space/time. That is probably the reason why it was never conquered back then, or now for that fact." Rex said. "I happen to know that no orbiting satellite has ever photographed the Plateau. And perhaps it's just as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Can you imagine what would happen if the outside world at large ever found out about this place? They'd come smashing in here and ruin it. Their intentions may be good at first, but in the long run, money and greed would win. They'd turn this place into some tacky tourist trap. What chance would the dinosaurs, or any of those civilizations you mentioned, have then?"
"Surely not, Rex." Rowland said. "No one would want to ruin this place."
"I imagine the first Europeans that set foot in the Americas said the same thing." Rex replied. "However, we all know how that turned out. They saw the native inhabitants as primitive and needing help. Never mind that it never occurred to them to ask said natives if they wanted help, they just assumed they did. How many cultures were wiped out, conquered, or forced to abandon their long time traditions because of this ignorance? Too many. This Plateau is unique, Cabot, in that it preserves animals and cultures that would have never had a chance in the outside world. No one has the right, in my opinion, to come in here and change that."
"Rex has a point." Hannah added. "Did you read what we said to the Challenger Expedition in Ned Malone's book?"
"Yes, I recall that you mentioned that your people, the Warlocks, were slaves to Demons. And that after the Demons were defeated by some witches called the Charmed Ones, you had a revolution and freed yourselves. Was that true?"
"Yes, it was." Hannah replied. "We know what it's like to be a conquered people."
"Mind you, the Demons never had the 'good intentions' of the European colonists." Rex said. "However, no matter the intentions of the conquerors, good or bad, conquered is still conquered, plain and simple."
"It was only when we took our destiny into our own hands and freed ourselves, and our people, that we truly knew freedom." Hannah added.
"Ah, so you two can sympathize with the natives on this Plateau." Rowland said. "You don't want what happened to your people to happen to them."
"Yes, that's true." Rex replied. "In my book, it's okay to come here for scientific research and such. However, to come here to conquer and impose your civilization and values on people that do not need or desire them, that is wrong."
"Hmmmm, Rex, Hannah, you've given me much to think about." Rowland said as he got up and slowly walked away.
I hope we have, Cabot. I hope we have. Rex thought.
Later that day, Rex was back at the wall, studying the writing, while Hannah stood nearby. Both Rowland and Baker had taken themselves off elsewhere. "Hannah, I think I understand now." Rex said as he stood back from the wall.
"You understand what is written here?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, it tells quite a story, Hannah." Rex replied. "Apparently, a great many Wizards foresaw the coming holocaust against their race and left the Underworld before the then reigning Source and his Demons began the purge. Vowing to start anew, they began to look for a new home. The Elementals helped them, which explains why Herne the Hunter would possess a scroll with a Wizard dialect on it. It was the Elementals that guided the Wizards to this Plateau, where the Wizards built this city."
"I'm guessing the Source in question never knew about this." Hannah said.
"That is correct, Hannah, he didn't, nor did any of his successors. Anyway, once they had settled here, the Wizards decided that from then on, they would devote themselves to preservation of life, all life. They felt the dinosaurs deserved a chance, so they used their magic to open time portals to Earth's prehistoric past and brought some dinosaurs through."
"So the dinosaurs that are here now are the descendants of the dinosaurs the Wizards brought here." Hannah replied.
"Exactly." Rex said and continued. "The Wizards also allowed some primitive cultures to find their way here and flourish, untouched by the outside world. However, when the Europeans began arriving in the New World, the Wizards feared that all they had preserved here would be lost if this place were discovered. So, they decided to protect it in the only way they could. Using their magic, they gave up their physical beings and became a gestalt."
"A what!?"
"A group mind, Hannah. The Wizards became one collective mind. This mind then merged with the Plateau. In a sense, the Wizards became the Plateau itself. Thus they were now able to use their magic to disconnect the Plateau partially from normal space/time, isolating it from the rest of Earth. That solves the mystery as to why this Plateau exists the way it does, the Wizards made it so."
"So, Rex, if I understand you, this Plateau is alive?"
"Yes, Hannah, it is." Rex replied. "It's alive and sentient. It knows what goes on here. No doubt, it will allow an expedition or two to visit it, such as the Challenger Expedition decades ago, and Dr. Rowland and his friend now. However, I get the feeling that it will not allow any mass migration from the outside to come in. That would destroy everything the Wizards built to protect here, and I get the feeling they will not allow that to happen."
"Do you think we should tell Cabot about this?"
"Yes, Hannah, we should. As I said earlier, I get the feeling that our friend has a lot more than a scientific interest in this place. We at least should warn him of what we found."
"Well we better find him and explain the situation." Hannah said and the two Warlocks headed off in search of Rowland and Baker.
Rowland's camp site was still deserted. "Where are they?" Hannah asked. She and Rex had spend the last ten minutes searching for their newfound companions.
"They must be here somewhere." Rex replied. "Let's keep looking." The two former Warlocks expanded their search area.
"Rex, look at this." Hannah said and pointed to a building that she and Rex had not yet entered. "Maybe they're in there."
"Right, let's take a look." Rex and Hannah entered the building in question and were stopped short at what they saw. Lined along one wall were cages, each containing a baby dinosaur. The opposite wall was stacked with native artifacts, no doubt taken from other locations on the Plateau. "I see I was right about Cabot." Rex said, shaking his head.
"Right about what?" Rowland's voice said from behind them. Rex and Hannah turned around and saw Rowland standing there, in his right hand, a gun was pointing at them. Baker stood a foot or two behind Rowland, also holding a gun. "Tell me, Rex, what were you right about?"
"About your interest in this place being more than just scientific." Rex replied as he gestured to the cages and artifacts around them. "Care to explain all this."
"Rex, you don't understand, I am a scientist." Rowland said. "However, I am also a realist. Oxford has made some drastic budget cuts to my department, the cost of my expeditions were rising higher and higher. I quickly realized that if I didn't get some more money fast, I would not be able to pursue my love of paleontology any more. I would be confined to some stuffy office, or maybe some boring teaching job. No offence, Rex."
"None taken." Rex replied. "So, you think that looting this place will provide you the money you need."
"It's more than that, Rex." Rowland said. "I can also use the money to open a vacation resort here on the Plateau. Who wouldn't pay to see real live dinosaurs?"
"Shades of Jurassic Park." Hannah said sarcastically.
"That's it exactly, Hannah." Rowland replied. "Can you imagine the money that will come rolling in as rich tourists flock here from all over the world. I'll make a fortune, and thus will be able to fund future expeditions."
"And what about this Plateau and its inhabitants, Cabot?" Rex replied. "What happens to them?"
"I'm sure that the tourists can be made to understand to leave things alone."
"Dream on." Rex said. "It seems you didn't hear a word of what I was telling you earlier today. Even benevolent interference from the outside would ruin this place."
"Ah, Rex, I disagree. Besides, I want to cut you and Hannah in as well. Did you realize that all the members of the Challenger Expedition were made offers from rich sponsors to reveal the location of this Plateau. They all refused, passing up the chance to become very rich."
"Well, perhaps they realized that some things are more precious than money, Cabot." Rex replied. "Veronica Layton, who became Mrs. Edward Malone, grew up on this Plateau. She would no doubt have understood how unique it is. Sorry, Cabot, I must decline your offer."
"Me too." Hannah said. "Rex and I will not be a party to you destroying this place."
"Besides, Cabot, you can't do it." Rex said.
"Rex, please don't make me do something I don't want to do. I don't want to be a murderer." Rowland said, looking down at his gun.
"Cabot, you didn't understand me." Rex replied. "I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, I'm saying you can't do it. The Plateau won't let you."
"I don't understand.
"This Plateau is alive, Cabot, it's a living, thinking being. Hannah and I uncovered this little fact not too long ago. I don't think it's going to take kindly to you looting it, or turning it into a tourist trap."
"That's nuts!" Baker said, laughing. "I'll believe a lot of things, but a living Plateau, no way."
"None the less, it's the truth." Rex said. "I can show you the writings myself."
"Writings only you can understand." Rowland said, shaking his head. "I'm afraid..." Rowland got no further as he was enveloped in a bright light and collapsed. Seconds later, the same thing happened to Baker.
"What the heck!?" Hannah said.
"Don't worry, they're only stunned." the middle aged balding man, who was holding what appeared to be a staff, said as he materialized in front of Rex and Hannah. "We've been keeping an eye on what was going on here, Mr. Buckland."
"You're one of the Wizards from the gestalt." Rex said, putting the pieces together.
"Yes, I am." the Wizard replied. "However, I wasn't there in the beginning. I only joined the gestalt about eight years ago."
"That means you're the Wizard the Halliwell sisters met." Rex replied.
"But I thought that Wizard was vanquished." Hannah added.
"I was." the Wizard said. "I tried to become the Source, and ended up vanquished. When my physical body was destroyed, my spirit was guided here, to this Plateau, where it became part of the gestalt. I found out that was not the last of my race. My brothers are here, part of this Plateau, as I now am. I'm not alone anymore."
"Yes, I just uncovered that fact. Also, it was a Golden Scroll that led me and Hannah here."
"Ah, yes, the Golden Scroll." the Wizard said. "The Elementals were trusted allies of our race, it would be fitting that one of them would be given the Golden Scroll."
"It was Herne the Hunter." Rex said. "He gave it to me because he said I was the Worthy One."
"As you are, Rex Buckland." the Wizard said. "You were the one that broke the chain and led the Warlocks to freedom. Thus the Underworld was forever changed. Just as my people began a new existence long ago, so your people do now. The Golden Scroll will help you. There is much more knowledge contained on it than you know. When the time is right, you will uncover it."
"So I guess that means more work translating that scroll." Rex said with a sigh.
"Well, you did say that you translated only part of it, Rex." Hannah said.
"Yes, I did say that."
"Trust me, it will be worth it." the Wizard said.
"I guess you know what Rowland and his friend had planned then." Rex said.
"Yes, we do know." the Wizard said. "However, we planned for this eventuality. The outside world has grown too much. Even slightly removed from Earth as it is, this Plateau could still be discovered and exploited by those such as Rowland. We can't let that happen." The Wizard raised his staff, and the cages vanished, releasing the baby dinosaurs. The artifacts also vanished, returned from where Rowland had taken them from.
"So, what's the solution?" Rex asked.
"This Plateau is partially removed from the planet Earth. It is time to make it permanent. Farewell." With that, the Wizard raised his staff again, and everything vanished in a bright white light.
THE AMAZON JUNGLE, THE FOOT OF THE PLATEAU
"What happened?" Hannah said as she looked around. She, Rex, and their supplies had suddenly found themselves moved.
"He removed us from the Plateau, Hannah." Rex replied. "Them too." he gestured nearby, where the still unconscious Rowland and Baker lay, also surrounded by their provisions.
"What gonna happen now, Rex?"
"That." Rex said and pointed at the Plateau. As the two former Warlocks watched, the Plateau began to shimmer and slowly fade away, leaving only the jungle behind. "It's gone, Hannah. The Wizards have permanently removed the Plateau from Earth. Now no one can reach it, at least no one who is not magical."
"Ohhhh, what happened?" Rowland groaned as he and Baker came to. Quickly, he realized where he was. "The Plateau! Where is it!?"
"It's gone, Cabot, forever." Rex said. "It's on another plane now, protected from those like you who would exploit it."
"No, that can't be! I'm ruined!" Rowland howled.
"No, you're not." Rex said. "You still have your field notes. You can publish them. That will make you some money, not much, but enough to tide you over. Be a scientist again, Cabot. That was your chosen field, put science first and personal fortune second."
"Well, it seems I have little choice now. Perhaps there is something a can salvage from all of this."
"Perhaps." Rex said and turned to Hannah. "Come on, Hannah, our work here is finished. Let's go home." The two former Warlocks gathered their supplies and walked away, leaving behind one Cabot Rowland, who now had to contemplate his future actions.
REX AND HANNAH WILL RETURN!