Chapter 12
For the fourth time in his life, Ecco had combined his own powers of song with the machinery of a sunken land to travel to the past. This time, though, he had others with him. No creature as far as he knew could travel with more than one at a time through the tri-dimensions, yet five just did. For a brief moment he and Trellia crossed paths with Kitnee, Tara, and Radero. An exchanged glance of eyes and no more was done—for both groups were headed towards other destinations.
The prehistoric waters of Origin Beach were cluttered with life, and torrentous as that life constantly fought and evolved with ferocity. It was here sharks dominated. It was here that the great Basilosaurus claimed the sea as the first whale. It was here that Mesyonichids were learning to sing and swim.
And now, a rip opened in the middle of the bay and three new creatures appeared as if by magic, which scared a few of the giant beaked fish swimming in the perimeter.
After the singers recovered, Tara opened her eyes and stared, bewildered. Kitnee decided to spyhop, shoving his sleek black head above the waves. Radero was almost scared stiff; what could be lurking in these waters, so dark and cold?
And it was cold, the sun was just thinking of rising in the east. The three dolphins had reached the pre-dawn of a day recently inherited by mammals.
"Well, I'd say this place will be less than comfortable," Tara observed. Radero nodded.
Kitnee, the orca, slipped back into the sea. "I see mountains and beaches, and many strange creatures there as well."
"Here too, don't forget here," Radero pointed out as he observed a trilobite crawling on the sandy bed below.
He rejoined Tara, and they both decided to spyhop as well. The ocean surface was gray, as the sand and coral beneath. Among the singers were small islands where plants grew.
"Does anyone remember why we did this again?" Tara asked rhetorically.
Kitnee decided to answer her anyway. "We came to gather the Glyph crystals to take them back to our time. Radero, do you remember your song?"
He stared. Radero was somewhat frightened of the orca above him, mainly because of size. But he knew respect very well, and never showed it. "Um...yeah, I do."
"Good, we will need that," Tara replied.
"We shouldn't linger, or we may not know what will come after us. I heard tales of giant sharks and ancient songless whales, twice as ferocious as my kind," Kitnee warned.
Tara turned to him. "You are an orca, the famed Sniper Singer—what could defeat you?"
Kitnee laughed nervously. "You'd be surprised. Let's find those Glyphs."
"Right."
Radero whispered quickly to Tara. "Are you sure we're safe with him?"
Tara reassured the calf. "Believe me, child, if you could have seen what I'd seen a Sniper Singer do, you'd have never asked that question."
"What did it do?"
Tara smiled. "If I remember correctly, I and Ecco once saw a whole pack take on a Great Blue Singer. And one even managed to flip a Great White into the air."
Radero gasped. "You mean a demon dolphin conquered the White Death?"
Tara quickly hushed him. "Only porpoises call them demon dolphins. We call them Sniper Singers, or orcas. Show respect, will you?"
Radero nodded quickly and glanced at Kitnee.
So, the three singers swam swiftly through the brightening currents. Along the way, many amazing creatures could be seen and found with sonar in the sand, swimming among the plants, and hiding in the rocks. Kitnee managed to scare off some of the smaller Hungry Ones, and even a strange one with an undercurved lip full of teeth. Just as surprising as the present seas where these that once existed. They didn't, however, dare turn up in the open oceans, for fear of an encounter with the giant Megalodon, or the Basilosaurus.
They didn't find Glyphs there, anyway. Whilst the three traveled they found and collected as many as they could with the Caller's Song. And even if sung by a young calf like Radero, it proved to be just as bewildering. The sharks stopped feeding and the cone shellfish seemed to dance about with the ammonites as they swam. The crystals they opened and collected fused together into one, which followed the young Glyph Caller itself as if alive.
For hours they swam and collected, refusing to take a break except for air and food. They guarded the fused Glyph with all their determination until nearly dusk.
After they swam through five banks, the singers were pretty sure they had found all of the Glyphs they could. They knew because whenever they were near one the collection glowed brilliantly. They sang to the Glyph, and it told the number left they had to collect.
The group rested in the zone known as Dark Waters. Radero watched the Glyph, while the other two watched him.
As soon as they started again, though, they Glyph glowed slightly. It stated there was only one to find—out in darker, deeper waters where Megalodon was said to prowl, along with the Songless One.
"Oh no..." Kitnee muttered.
Meanwhile, Ecco and his descendant, Trellia, appeared with a flash in the epicenter of the ancient seas. No different from the present were these seas; the only difference was a greater sense of mystery and lore. Ecco wasn't surprised; but Trellia quickly leaped from the ocean surface to survey. The lands were unchanged, save for a metallic, towering structure on the north horizon—shining gold in the sun. Trellia quickly floated back down.
After Ecco made sure he still had the Elder's Stone with him, he decided to spyhop. He slipped his sleek, starred brow above the surface and saw the Flying Singer above.
"This place is quite interesting, Ecco. It's no different from your time...yet I believe I see an intact Atlantis to the north."
Ecco laughed and tail-walked just to show off. "You haven't seen anything yet, Trellia. You thought Atlantis was beautiful back home, it's rapturous when intact."
Ecco's dolphin mood refused to leave him, but Trellia remained serious. "Ecco, remember...we are about in the same time when the Vortex attacked. We must catch the Glyph Caller's soul, and no more."
The smile in Ecco's ebony eyes evaporated along with the glow on his stars. "Yes, I suppose we should continue the mission. It is tempting to play while we are here, though. We are in the dolphin's paradise."
"Paradise or not, we won't save our Earth by playing. We should go, Ecco."
"Admit it, though, you want to play."
Trellia grimaced. "No, I don't. Now let's go!"
Ecco nodded and led the way north. Trellia remained airborne to watch the city grow as they moved closer. On the way, Ecco couldn't help but wonder how the others were doing.
After a few minutes they had reached the bay of the Atlantean City. Trellia could see the golden-silver buildings for miles from the air; and it was breathtaking.
The dolphins then stopped at the front entrance, a gate that rose from the coral underwater to about ten feet above-water. Trellia sped back under the surface and joined her ancestor.
"What did you see up there?"
She was mostly speechless, voice wavering as she tried to describe it. "I saw large structures, buildings. Far as I can see it stretched, and there was a towering spire in the center. I even thought I saw humans!"
Ecco nodded. "They and the dolphins built this city upon the coral. Its power is not greatly knowledgeable, but mostly hypothesized. Even great energy surrounds the gate of Atlantis, a power hidden so no other could penetrate. But now the power seems to be turning downward. Due mostly, I guess, to the Vortex attacks."
Trellia looked thoughtful. "Is there a way in?"
"I guess..." Ecco was interrupted. He glanced around where they were.
"What's wrong?" Trellia inquired.
"I thought I heard...Trellia, move!"
Without hesitation she darted downward. Charging like a bullet just above her was a Hungry One with unusual leopard-like markings.
"A shark?" she asked.
"I should have warned you about those. They guard the gates here. If you try charging them they duplicate. Follow me."
Ecco quickly led Trellia around to a hole by the gate. They slipped inside the city.
Trellia admired her surroundings as they swam along the buildings. They swam past small golden fish, including angelfish with small yellow heads. Schools of these roamed every crevice and crack in the structures.
"We should be nearing the area where dolphins live. Expect to see a few humans, too." Ecco informed. Trellia nodded in agreement.
When they arrived, there was a murmured excitement in the center waters near the tower. A few dolphins, many of them lacking any markings whatsoever like the rest, swam about listening to each other in an attempt of comfort. Trellia, too, was quite nervous.
Above the dolphins, some huddled on the balconies and windows, were many humans, males and females and a few children. They had lived with the dolphins here and therefore understood them, so they paid attention to the commotion. Soon there was a hushed silence.
The largest, a dolphin with three stars on his head and a stripe going from his eyes to his fins, started his announcements.
"My fellow singers, I have returned from the Elder's quarters with devastating news. He have struck ill some time ago as you know, and has now died."
Many of the humans above gasped in surprise, and held their children tightly. This was the same Elder, of the humans, who was to protect them and the city's power.
The large dolphin continued. "As you all know, the virus unleashed upon us by the Vortex has robbed our kind of their divine powers of song and lasting immortality. Some of you, those marked without markings, are the ones who were affected. Your children will be born never knowing the peace we had with what we used."
Ecco and Trellia listened intently as they sneaked in to hear this. They could hear some dolphins cry, and also one for protection of her unborn calf.
The leader proceeded. "I and my children are the only ones left unaffected. Because of this, we all are now left defenseless against the Vortex armada."
A murmured agreement in the crowds, then: "I have one other update now. A message of hope, for the Glyph Caller is back with us."
Back in the prehistoric era, Kitnee observed where their fused Glyph said the last one was: in the open seas.
"Something wrong, Kit?" Tara inquired.
"I thought I heard him say, 'oh no'" Radero observed.
Kitnee stared ahead as he answered. "The last Glyph is located in the deeper side."
"So? Sounds like an adventure," Radero stated, trying to imitate Ecco.
The orca stared at the young naïve dolphin. "So, that's the domain of the Songless One! I heard the stories...you think my kind is the most ferocious, try facing that creature. He will tear us!"
"Kitnee, calm down," Tara tried comforting, "I think we can get past him."
"If we do, what about the ancestor of the White Death, Megalodon?" he replied.
Tara had nothing to say to that, but Radero did. "Wasn't that just a story?"
Kitnee sighed. "Perhaps it is. But an arrogant attitude like that will get you killed."
Radero whimpered a little, and Tara shot him a poisonous look.
"Alright, we will proceed, but we must be cautious," he stated.
The Singers nervously agreed. With Kitnee in front and Radero next to him, guided by the Glyph, and Tara behind they made their way from the bay to the deeper waters, staying near the surface.
Soon, the bay was far behind them. No longer could they see coral, but black ascending from underneath. The three singers couldn't stop thinking that something could ambush them from below. They kept quiet so they could hear everything.
Suddenly, two events broke the silence: A low-pitched deep rumble, and the Glyph reacting to the last one, just nearby. The dolphins abruptly stopped.
"The last crystal lies below us..." Kitnee whispered.
"I was wondering, do we really need every Glyph?" Tara asked nervously.
"I'm scared," Radero said with a nervous squeak.
"That makes three of us," Kitnee confirmed, "and yes, we need every Glyph."
Another rumble shook the waters around them. Kitnee sighed in unison with Tara. "Take a deep breath, and stay close to me."
The singers approached the surface and each refilled their breath. Then downward they faced, slowly approaching the last Glyph. The fused one behind them blinked faster and faster as they got closer and the water turned darker. It was reminiscent of traveling through the dark passageways of the City of Forever.
The closer they came to their Glyph, the more worried they felt. The low rumbling sounds echoed below them on the sand bed, and it was much louder now.
Finally, the dolphins saw a faint glow in-between some boulders on the bottom.
"That must be it!" Tara whispered, "Let's get it out of here."
But before Radero could get it, the singers heard the origin of the low-frequency rumble right next to them: Swimming slowly along not thirty feet away was a Songless One; a sixty-foot long Basilosaurus. It looked enough like any singer except for two small fins near the tail, the nostril in-between its nose, a snout longer and wider than a dolphin's, and teeth that would scare an orca.
"Mm...maybe it doesn't see us?" Radero whimpered.
"Shh!" he scolded. They watched as the massive whale-like animal powered slowly next to them.
Then, the great whale stopped. It turned its head in different general directions, then aimed its eyes directly at the singers. They froze.
But they had forgotten about the Glyph, and its reaction to the one still on the seabed. It flashed rapidly, lighting up the singers in their area.
The beast's growl murmured through the water, its eyes a dark yellow. When it caught sight of Kitnee, Tara, and Radero, it opened its mouth wide and charged.
"EVERYONE MOVE!" Kitnee roared. The singers abandoned the Glyph and swam back towards the surface as fast as they could.
But it wasn't enough. The Songless One was right behind them, an impenetrable wall of muscle and teeth. The beast snapped at their flukes.
Then, Tara had an idea. "Don't swim straight, zigzag! Side to side, NOW!" she shouted. She and Radero split off from Kitnee in different directions.
The beast wavered for only a moment before charging on; in the very direction where Kitnee swam!
"We can't leave him back there!" Radero shouted.
"I know, but our priority now is to protect you, now keep swimming!" Tara felt awful about her friend, but she knew this was best. Oh, Ecco's going to kill me, she thought.
Once the two Bottlenose Singers were safe in the Bay of Isles, they listened for any sign of Kitnee. They heard nothing.
Tara lowered her head and whispered in mourning. Radero did as well.
"We need a way to that Glyph," Tara said after a moment.
"Yeah, but how?"
"I know how," a voice above them said.