Inside of his office, Mr. Sonnac was seated at his desk, and he looked up at us as we sat down in the plush red armchairs. "Good afternoon, Ms. Ross, Mr. Mercer. The time has come to discuss your upcoming excursion back to the colonies. I'm afraid it's business, not pleasure."

Priscilla and I glanced at each other again, gray meeting amber, as Mr. Sonnac continued. "Recently, a small island community on the New England coast dropped off the map. You can disregard the tiresome government coverups - there are dark forces at play."

Mr. Sonnac then rose from his seat, and he began pacing in front of his mahogany desk. "Solomon Island is a rock with infamy - in the past, it was trafficked by the Illuminati, before they joined the rush to New York. You should be aware that we have… history with the Illuminati - acrimonious history. Of course, under the flag of truce, we have spat and made up, and now, we are the closest of enemies. All smiles above the table, and drawn knives beneath it. The Illuminati are reckless and cannot be relied upon to clean up their own messes. We must find the root of whatever doom has come to Solomon Island."

"So… does that mean I'm going a rescue op, then?" Priscilla spoke up, and Mr. Sonnac shook his head no.

"Let me stress that this is not a rescue operation - merely a scouting assignment for both of you." Mr. Sonnac said as he glanced at the both of us, but I think his eyes laid a bit longer on Priscilla. "Should there be survivors, you cannot announce that you've been chosen to deliver people from evil. Joan of Arc did, and look where that got her."

Mr. Sonnac continued as he went back to his desk. "As you very well know, Ms. Ross, our goal is the salvation of all mankind, not on a case-by-case basis. I understand that sticks in your throat, but… well, halos are fading all over town now that there is so much more at stake."

"That isn't so much the issue as the fact that you're letting a fifteen-year-old kid tag along with me." Priscilla said hotly. "I may be a thaumaturge, but I'm not a miracle worker! You can't expect him to be combat-ready with just a week of training! If you send Chase to Solomon Island with me, his blood is going to be on your hands!"

Before Mr. Sonnac could heat up the argument any further, I spoke up sharply to get their attention. "Priscilla!"

Priscilla jerked her head towards me in surprise, and I continued speaking. "I know you're worried about me, but I can't just sit back and watch everyone else risk their lives out on the front lines! Besides, this is what you've trained me for! Have a little faith in me - and in yourself, too."

By the time I finished my little speech, Priscilla's anger had faded away, but the reluctance was still there. She finally sighed as she leaned back in her comfy armchair. "Alright. I trust you, Chase."

I nodded, and Mr. Sonnac then sat back down in his chair. He gave us one last look from behind his hands as he rested his elbows on his desk. "Now that the matter's been settled, I'm asking you to leave as soon as you can - your travel arrangements have already been made at the Ealdwic Underground. I'll be in touch with you."

"Yes, sir." Priscilla and I both answered at the same time, as we got up from our seats to leave. As Priscilla closed the doors to Mr. Sonnac's, the sound of the doors slamming shut sounded ominously like a final goodbye.

As the slide of my Five-seveN clicked into place back onto the pistol frame, I then loaded a magazine into the gun and holstered it. As I entered the cozy and lived-in living space of Priscilla's apartment, I saw that Priscilla had detail-stripped her SIG-Sauer P239 into itty bitty pieces onto the rustic wooden coffee table. Next to the P239's parts was her sawed-off Mossberg 500, and as Priscilla put the last piece of the pistol into its place, she looked up to see me. "You ready to go, Daniel?"

I nodded as Priscilla holstered her pistol into its concealed-carry holster and hid the shotgun inside a duffel bag, and soon, we were walking down the streets of Ealdwic. We soon arrived at a brick building that I assumed to be one of the London Underground's stations, and as we went inside, we could see people manning rickety stalls selling all sorts of junk. Priscilla led me past them and to a flight of stairs indicated by a red arrow spray-painted along with the word: "AGARTHA."

Walking down the two flights of stairs, I then saw lush green vines covering the right-hand wall, and beams of bright light were peeking out from the plantlife. We walked towards the light, and I saw that the vines were growing around a hole in the wall, but instead of darkness in the hole, there was the bright light. I glanced at Priscilla, who nodded a silent confirmation of my suspicions. "Go on, then - I'll be right behind you."

"Well then - down the rabbit hole I go." I said as I nodded back, and after a brief moment of hesitation, I stepped through the portal into the unknown. I felt the air briefly resist me as I made my way through, but it soon yielded to me, and as I poked my head through the portal, everything went white.

The first thing I noticed when I had regained my senses was that it was suddenly very warm, and as I blinked the light from my eyes, I gazed in awe at my surroundings. Everything was bathed in golden light, and it turned out that I was standing atop a giant tree branch, one out of many connecting the trees towering above the void below. I then looked over my shoulder to see Priscilla come up from behind me. "Hey there. Welcome to Agartha, the Hollow Earth."

"Whoa…" I said as I continued gawking all around me. "So this is how we're getting around…?"

Priscilla nodded as she beckoned for me to follow her as she walked towards an old man flanked by two… robot things four times taller than he was. The man was dressed in a black peaked cap and a matching two-piece suit with the jacket unbuttoned. He stroked the gray mustache on his lip as we approached him, and he tipped his hat towards Priscilla as she spoke. "Good afternoon, Stationmaster."

"Hello again, Ms. Ross. I see we've brought a new Bee to Agartha." The old man said, and then seeing the look of confusion on my face, he then added. "And by Bee, Mister…"

"Mercer - Daniel Mercer."

"By Bee, Mr. Mercer, we mean one who has awakened their magic by coming into contact with one of the Bees. As you might have guessed already, Ms. Ross is also included amongst their number, with you as the newest I've seen yet." The Stationmaster said as one buzzed around us. "So what do you think of the old place, young sir?"

"I think it's just fine, though it's a bit hot in here." I answered as I took off my jacket, and the Stationmaster nodded.

"You'll get used to the balmy temperature soon enough, good sir. It's for the bees - they prefer it. Their honey is quite remarkable, though the aftertaste is a little like machine oil. Anyway, I do hope you're not here for the local service. It's running somewhat tardy. By my watch, it's…" A pause as the Stationmaster checked his pocket watch, and made a disapproving clicking noise with his mouth. "…one hundred years overdue at quarter past the hour, but judging from the cut of you, you two are more world travelers. Well, you've come to the right place."

The Stationmaster swept his arm around Agartha. "This underground realm, like the great British rail system, is the very model of efficiency. Agartha's thoroughfares sprout from the Tree of Life and connect back to the surface. Distance and time bend in here. In fact, through here, you can cross the globe in just a brisk walk."

"Are you kidding me?" I asked disbelievingly. "There's no way I can just walk to China right now without some sort of catch to the deal… is there?"

"Of course it's perfectly safe, young sir." The Stationmaster said dismissively. "No one's entirely sure how it works. Quite bedeviled the science boffins, but I'm assured they have their top men on it…"

One of the robots then stepped forward with a clanking footstep, and I thought I felt the branch shudder slightly beneath our feet. The robot then extended its arm, forming a fist above me. "Ah, I believe that this Custodian wishes to give you something. Hold out your hands, and mind your fingers."

I nervously held out my hands and cupped them together as the "Custodian" opened its gargantuan fingers, and something shimmered in the air as it fell into my palms. "Thank you…"

I then took a bit of time examining the bauble in my hands. It seemed to be some kind of orb, with one half made of brass, and the other made of glass to reveal an interior pulsing with light. I looked up to see the Stationmaster staring at the orb alongside me. "A fascinating device - consider it your anchor to the Hollow Earth. It can return you here in a flash, proverbially and quite literally."

I looked to see Priscilla holding another orb just like mine, and then the Stationmaster then straightened up and pointed down the length of the branch to another portal. "Well then. Onwards to the New England coast!"

"Thank you, sir!" Priscilla and I both said at the same time, and we began at a brisk pace towards the indicated portal. Priscilla was the first to enter the gate, and as I stepped through the portal after her, my vision went white.