If there was one thing Alexandre never expected from the base in Antarctica, it was who was working there. He knew there would be scientists, but the presence of military forces? Them aside, there was someone else who he barely interacted with, but, so far, it wasn't important.
Alexandre walked the corridor where his father worked, his hands in his pockets as he proceeded forward. He nodded at a few people he crossed paths with, all the while thankful it was warm inside the base. Outside, it was pretty cold.
The corridors were plain gray, made simply with metal and several other things to protect not just from the cold, but also from any unforeseen attack. He also saw some people wearing heat vision goggles just in case something unexpected might come their way. Alexandre felt like they expected some Mipedian to show up.
Quietly thinking he stepped into his father's room. It was as plain as the others with gray color and lab equipment. To the right there was a table with many tools used by scientists that he couldn't name and a few cameras.
"Mister Alexandre has entered the room Joseph."
"Hi there son. Hope you had a good night." His father joyfully welcomed him. Joseph was a Caucasian man with brown eyes covered by glasses, short gray hair and a few wrinkles on his face and wore a white jacket with black pants. "I see you are getting use to the inward of this paradise."
"Yeah dad. Good morning you too." Alexandre snickered, "Anyway. It isn't paradise."
"I've been talking to the director and he said that I can show you a few things within the Outside Zone." His father told him.
"It's not called that dad, and you know it."
"It fits very well with what we find here." His father said stubbornly. "I'm so proud that I can finally show you this."
Alexandre crossed his arms and gazed at his father, " Will finally get some answers?"
"Hope the others aren't too bad with you. Because I can have a few words with them." Joseph suggested, ignoring his son's question.
"I rather that you spare them a thousand words when you can just cut it to two sentences." Alexandre wondered why he talked like that with his father, "Anyway, I'm ready when you are."
"Good. Good. Ica?" His father asked.
"What is it Joseph?" Responded a voice coming from overhead
"Do we have the full authorization to enter the Outside Zone?"
"Yes. You have the full authorisation to show Alexandre the relics. And please, call it by its actual name: Zone 32."
"Nope." His father replied as he spun his fingers and walked outside of his room.
Alexandre sighed and gazed at a camera, "I see he is giving you hell too."
"Yes Alexandre. I don't mind though. He had allowed me to exist, even if it isn't the same as the other seven."
"Other seven?"
"I cannot offer more information on the matter. I suggest you follow your father. He might already be near Zone 32. I am not certain if he realized you're still here."
"I'm going then." Alexandre stepped outside and began following his dad. That was the longest time he had spoken with Ica He still couldn't tell if it was more of a guy or more of a girl.
Chapter 46: The Secret Of Antarctica
Joseph stood in front of the door labelled Zone 32, holding an ID card. Without waiting, he held it near the card reader, "This is it. I am excited to show you everything that we found in the cold desert of Antarctica." His father had a large proud smile as he turned around. He then realised that no one was there, "Hum? W-where are you?"
Alexandre came up with a small smirk, "Now you realise I didn't follow you. You're way too damn passionate about it" He went by his father side and wondered, "How did you even manage to marry mom?"
"She liked my graphics." At least he got a straight answer.
His son froze in place as he gave his father a deadpan gaze, "Graphics?"
"Yeah. The pros and cons of dating me with all the details involved. She knew what she would get into when she married me. I think she has a thing for people who can make some nice graphics on a board."
"And mom is still the sanest parent I have." Alexandre sighed.
"So?"
"Nothing really important." Alexandre sighed again.
"Anyway, that's how we got together and we married the next year. Then we got you." His father proudly stated.
That made Alexandre chuckle as he put his hands in his pockets, "Yup. Anyway, we should probably get going."
"Yeah, Ica might get impatient," Joseph replied as he passed the card over the card reader. He then approached his face for a retinal scan. After this, the door opened as it concluded that the right person was in front of the door, "Remember to not touch anything in there. It's best to not leave any fingerprints."
"If one of those things we sent long ago reached here, it might have my fingerprints already." Alexandre commented.
"Naw. It already deteriorated after all those years. It isn't kept for that," his father replied, dismissing the possibility.
The two went into the corridor leading to Zone 32. It wasn't long before they reached another door.
"Behind it, are all the strange objects that aren't from our world. It is a little like Area 51, but not about aliens." His father said, waving his hand dismissively, "The strange portal/gate is what I'm interested in."
"Anyway, I'm also curious about those. I want to be certain if all of this is real or not." Alexandre said as he got serious.
His father nodded and opened the door. Once they entered inside, Alexandre saw many strange objects that already gave an otherworldly feeling compared to what they could find on earth.
Alexandre could help, but carefully looked at everything. He wasn't that surprise that the government was hiding stuff from the general public.
"Those strange objects came out of the hole that we suspect leads to Perim. It is because of them we found more in greater quantity." Joseph explained as he went to the back of the room.
Alexandre gazed around. Most of the things looked like some gems, but he noticed that they were shining a little on their own, "You think those came from there?"
"We suspect, we couldn't be sure, even if there more clues that it might be the case." He stopped when he showed what was at the back.
Alexandre stopped as he immediately recognised the object. It was a mugic stone made to channel muges. He approached the object and gazed at them. He could see the little bit of inscription on the top of the stones, "These are definitely Mugic." Alexandre said, realizing that it was the one the ones that were sent from the Eye of the Maelstrom long ago. He remembered sending one with his friends, when he was stuck in Perim, "Maybe…" He searched the best he could trying to see the inscription written on each of them, but didn't find it, "It's not here." he scratched his jaw. It was long ago and might not have been found. Even so, he didn't even really remember what the inscription looked like. Maybe it was here and he just didn't recognise it. He would never know.
Still, he looked at the twenty mugics on the shelves.
"Are they what I think they are?" his father asked.
The man had to admit that their two worlds were definitely connected for a long time. Still, Earth wasn't the Cothica. He had to be stubborn about it, "Yes. They are definitely mugic from Perim. Still… it's hard to believe they sent mugic here."
"Who knows if some of our things went to their world?" Joseph commented, before he offered a guess, "They're are so many things we don't understand and some we might never understand. It's one of those that I'm trying to figure out." He raised his shoulders and chuckled, "So far, nothing to explain what caused the connection other than a reckless guess. Like a dimensional portal between our two worlds or some other science-fiction thingy."
Alexandre went to observe the other objects. He could see other of the crystals and stones that seemed to contain energy within it. He wondered what they could have been used for. Some of them were obviously put into battlegear. He carefully observed them and noticed that the energy they had was pretty weak. As if they had been used up or not properly maintained. It was normal since no one could use those things on Earth.
"Dad. There is one thing I'm wondering." He gazed at his dad, waiting for him to notice him. After a few moments he got his attention and continued, "The card game? How did we make a card game with creatures that really exist now in Perim and also their previous generation." He took out his card deck and checked on his Mipedian cards, "Not only that, but also how did we got their lore mostly right?"
His father thought about it for a few seconds. He then began to grumbled before he admitted defeat as he answered, "I don't know. There is nothing logical about this. We cannot make something right before we observe or analyze. There is nothing that could be the answer scientifically. There is just no answer for that." His father gazed at a camera and asked, "Any idea Ica?"
"I'm afraid I cannot answer that. I am not made with a lot of imagination. The only answer I can provide is that there is nothing that could be an answer about it. It is something beyond your comprehension and mine. There might be more or not." Ica answered them.
"It's a lost cause to seek answers," Alexandre sighed.
His father nodded as he let his son observe the rest of what they had, "I hope you aren't interrogated too harshly."
"I'm not. They really want to know how I went to Perim to become the Messenger of the Cothica." Alexandre crossed his arms, "Haven't really told them that much yet?"
"Nothing about my fabulous invention that will never be recorded in history," Joseph asked with a small smile. It wasn't something he held his son accountable for.
"No. That one must never come back."
"Agreed."
"What is this fabulous invention?" Ica asked with a bit of jealousy.
"One that is too dangerous to exist." Alexandre replied.
"One that I won't name because of what it did. It's not like you."
"I'll put this off the record then. Nothing to report," Ica replied.
"You can tell me more of your journey on Perim if you want eventually."
"With so many eyes around?" He pointed at the camera.
"I do not mind putting this off the record. This is something I won't report if Joseph wants it. It is something that maybe shouldn't spread around." Ica suggested with obvious curiosity in its voice.
"Another time." Alexandre said, brushing the proposal off. He already told a few things to his father and didn't want to say more.
"I remember how worried sick we were when you disappeared. I couldn't work on any project. I just passed time searching around." Joseph said.
His son gazed at his surprised, "No invention to work on?"
"No. I couldn't think straight."
"Damn. If you can't think straight when I'm gone, you love me way too much." Alexandre teased with a warm smile. Thinking back, he forgot how his parents felt when he was gone. Just how they were relieved that much. He never went to the garage to check if his father made anything while he was gone or began anything. Knowing his father, he completely believed it was the case.
"You know. Maybe you can tell me about Perim once we leave. You are a Chaotic player now and you are going there." His father asked, eyes shining.
"You want to know how it is there?" Alexandre asked.
"Of course. You are our eye witness." Joseph joked. He was legitimately curious about it.
The younger man thought and asked, "After this, I want to know about the people who are stalking Cass and her child."
His father looked at him seriously and replied, "I'll try to do something about it. I am a scientist, but maybe I can do something to make everything less bad."
"Thanks."
The two walked out of the room and Alexandre spoke with his father about what he did in Perim. He held back about what he did in Kaizeph for now. That was something off the record.
AC: This is the end of this chapter.
Next: Odu Bathax and Sarah.
Odu Bathax confronted Sarah in Mount Pillar about why she was being absent and disrespectful of the Queen's generous gift, while saying a little too much.
