The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time

Gage and Arthur set out to retrieve the three pieces of the Sosiqui Legacy in order to give Earth an advantage over the Cyrollans' ancient enemy, the Qou'Thalas. While investigating Shangri-La, they encountered various obstacles including an outraged Genghis Khan ready to tear Gage limb from limb for stealing his sword.


Time: November 11, 2329
Place: Launch Gantry, Temporal Security Agency; Appalachian Mountains, Earth

Michelle Visard, Agent 3, was escorted down the hallway to the prison shuttle Roma. On the way, the former TSA agent tried to make small talk with her "escort."

"So, what's Vega Thalon like?"

"I don't know, I've never been there," the guard said emphasizing the pronoun.

"It's a shame about Dr. Sinclair dying."

"Keep moving," the guard ordered. "Elliott Sinclair was a xenophobic scientist bent on destroying the Cyrollans. He deserved his fate."

Only because the Cyrollans destroyed his home, Michelle wanted to argue but knew that the guard's reasoning was sound, if somewhat one-dimensional.

"Wait!" William Daughton came running up to them. "Release her," he said to the guard.

"What?" The guard asked astonished.

"You heard me, I said release her!"

"On whose orders?"

"Commissioner Baldwin's orders." Will showed the guard the release slip that Commissioner Baldwin authorized. "The TSA has need of her abilities." The guard looked over the release form, then unlocked Michelle's hand cuffs. With a salute to Will, he walked away. "Come on," Will said.

"Will, what's going on, I thought Commissioner Baldwin wanted me locked up?"

"He did, but he released you on Gage's recommendation."

"Gage asked for my release?"

"I was surprised too, but there's a good reason. We need your language interpreting skills to translate something."

"Will…" Michelle grabbed Will's arm and spun him around. "Will, please, tell me what really is going on."

Will sighed, "All right, here's the deal. As it turns out, the aliens you saw in the past are the Qou'Thalas, enemies to the Cyrollans. The Qou'Thalas want our time travel technology as well as the Legacy."

"The Legacy?"

"I'm not sure what it is either, but according to the Cyrollan Ambassador, it could stand a difference between survival and destruction for Earth. Gage went back to one day before the cities would be destroyed in hoping of finding it. He already found one piece, but it has inscriptions that we need help translating. Your skills as a linguist could help big time."

"All right, let's do it." Michelle knew she could've said no, but she chose not to. TSA Agent or not, she had a duty to protect Earth in any way she could. Still… there were other linguists in the TSA, why did Gage ask for her and not one of them? "Will… is Gage all right?"

The young man gave her a tired smile, "Oh, you know Gage, I'm sure he's just fine."


Time: April 14, 1219 A.D.
Place: Shangri-La; the Himalayan Mountains, Central Asia

Gage tumbled out of Genghis Khan's tent. The Mongolian leader was out for blood, his blood.

"Come back, you worthless dog!" Khan insulted. "I am the great Genghis Khan! I demand that you return my sword to me!"

"Yeah, well why don't you make us, Khannie?" Arthur retorted.

"Now is probably not the best time to be insulting him, Arthur," Gage said as Khan came at him with a dagger. Gage ran by Khan and made a mad dash for the Temple. He opened the doors and ran inside, closing them behind him.

When Khan opened the doors to the Temple, he saw an old man praying by a white Buddha shrine. "You, monk," Khan called. "Did a young man run through here?"

"No," the monk replied. "I am the only one here, if you do not believe me, you can see for yourself." Khan cursed in Mongolian and left.

Once he was gone, Gage dropped the Gardener's Chameleon Disguise and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the white Buddha shrine. This Buddha had his hand to his ear like he was listening for something. The text read, "The Shrine of the God's Realm: to awaken the vane with the music of the jewel."

"Well that didn't go so well," Arthur said.

"Tell me about it," Gage agreed. "What do you think?"

"Maybe you should try approaching Khan in the disguise of someone on his level. Now since we don't have God's image in our database, let's try the Lama." Gage switched disguises and returned to Khan's tent.

"Lama Dolsden," Khan greeted. "I wanted to tell you that I hit one of your monks earlier, the young one at the bridge with the long staff and the mute tongue. He would answer none of my questions."

Gage tried to find some words of wisdom for the Mongolian leader. "Learn from it, Khan, you need to control your rage."

Khan gritted his teeth, "You are right, of course. I've been having trouble remembering your teachings. Words just don't seem to stay in my head."

"How goes it?" Gage asked neutrally.

Khan sighed, "My search for the Siddha's secret goes poorly. I will waste no more time here answering riddles."

"Who is this Siddha?" Gage asked.

Khan chuckled, "Still testing me, huh? Well I remember the tale. Biwa'wa was a monk who studied here over a century ago. Somehow he abused his powers of faith. He died soon after and was denied Nirvana because of his corruption forcing him onto the Wheel of Life. You and the other monks seem to think that he will return some day."

Gage tried to phrase his next question carefully, trying to hide his naïveté. "What is your opinion of the Wheel of Life?"

"Wheel of Life? Bah, I never did believe in reincarnation, but I know that the secret of transmutation is connected with the Wheel of Life and the Six Realms of Unenlightenment. I thought, perhaps, the six shrines around the monastery were connected with the Siddha's secret. But I couldn't find it."

"What is transmutation?"

"It is the ability to turn one element into another, lead into gold. I need it to arm my horde. The rebellions in the East have been draining my resources and my campaign is becoming desperate. And now, my search here has failed."

"If anything in this place seems like a long lost alien technology, it would be transmutation," Arthur commented. "I don't think the Sosiqui came to Shangri-La to teach the monks a profound way of milking yaks."

"Tell me what you know of the Siddha's Secret," Gage requested.

Khan chuckled again, "Always questioning what I have learned, you are stubborn. The Siddha was supposed to have discovered transmutation."

"I must go now, good luck with your search, Khan."

"Thank you, Lama, I take your blessing in good faith."

Gage left Khan's tent and pondered what he just learned. Khan's views, while one sided, gave Gage an idea. If the Siddha hidden his secret here at Shangri-La, perhaps he did hide it within the six shrines. Gage took out the orb he received from the Pretas Shrine in the Greenhouse. Perhaps the orb was also connected with the Siddha's Secret. He needed more information. He needed both sides of the story. Gage switched from the Lama to Khan. He then went to visit the Lama.

"Khan, I must admit, I am pleasantly shocked to see you," the Lama said. "I had thought from your last outburst that you've given up on the test, thank you for proving me wrong."

"Tell me more about the test."

"You seek the Siddha's Secret, you have discovered that it is hidden here somewhere. But only the Siddha or someone as virtuous as him can claim the secret. So you must travel the true path, to follow the steps of the Siddha."

"Who or what is the Siddha?"

"There have been only a handful of monks who have found the inner strength to become a Siddha. The last Siddha to grace this monastery lived here a hundred years ago. Old myths say that Siddhas were men of great devotion who could perform miracles of faith. But most people, driven by material wealth, only care to learn about the Siddha's power of transmutation."

"Transmutation?"

"You would know it as the power of the Philosopher's Stone, the ability to turn lead into gold, or one element into another."

"Where is the Secret hidden?"

"Myths of the last Siddha say that his powers of faith twisted his humility. His pride prevented him from reaching Nirvana upon his death sending him back on the Wheel of Life. My master once told me that the Siddha hidden his Secret somewhere on the grounds of this monastery so he could retrieve it when he returned. No one knows where."

"How will the Siddha return?"

"If he died before escaping the Wheel of Life, then he is still being reincarnated to one of the six Unenlightened Realms. One day, he may be reborn into the Human Realm and return here."

"What is the True Path?"

"That is not an easy question, Khan. The world you know as reality is clouded by illusion, shrouded in deception and vice. Only by walking the True Path can one pierce falsehood and achieve the peace needed to escape the Realms of the Wheel of Life. The first step on the path is to meditate at the six Shrines and find their purpose. As Buddhists, we need to alleviate the suffering of all those in the Unenlightened Realms." Fortunately for Gage, he had already been to the shrines.

"Tell me about the Realms," Gage requested.

"Which Realm do you wish to know about?"

Gage asked about each of the Realms except for the Pretas, which he already learned from the Gardener. When he asked about the God's Realm, the Lama replied, "This is the Realm of the high gods. It is for the extremely vane and self-centered. The Symbol for Salvation is the music of the Holy Mantra."

When Gage asked about the Hell's Realm, the Lama replied like he was uncomfortable with talking about it, "Hell, truly an awful place. This is the domain of the wicked and sinful. Those tortured for the actions of the past suffer in both intense heat and freezing cold. The Symbol for Salvation is the purifying heat that burns away all sins."

When Gage asked about the Animal Realm, the Lama replied with a question, "What is the source of all misery?"

Gage recalled reading about misery on the side of the mountain just below the monastery. He answered, "The answer is ignorance."

"Congratulations, you are one step closer to completing the path. The Animal Realm is a kingdom of ignorance. Although swift and savage, the animals lack intellectual cunning, the ability to learn. Here is the Salvation Symbol for the Animal Realm: the Book of Knowledge." The Lama reached into one of the cubbies and took out a bound book and placed it in Gage's lap.

The Lama seemed glad to talk about the Human Realm. "Yes, our world. It is a realm of illusion, where most people don't realize that their existence is undesirable. But the Human Realm holds the most potential to reach Nirvana. To do so, one must achieve humility. The Symbol for Salvation is the alms bowl of the pauper, the humblest of objects to control pride."

Gage finally asked about the Asura's Realm. "The mighty Titans dwell in the Asuras Realm. They care only for war. The Asuras fight an ever-losing war against the gods to win the gods' glittering Realm. The only salvation the Asuras understand is a large flaming sword that burns with truth."

Finally, Gage said good-bye to the Lama. He turned and went to the Blue Buddha Shrine. The text said that it was the Shrine of the Human Realm. And the Lama said that the Symbol for Salvation was the alms bowl of the pauper, a beggar.

Wait a minute, Gage thought. Padros was an Atlantian beggar! Gage removed the bowl he got at Atlantis.

"I wonder," Gage muttered. Gage placed the bowl on the outstretched hand of the Buddha. The other hand opened to reveal a blue orb, a perfect companion to the yellow one he got in the Greenhouse.

"If what I suspect is true," Gage said. "The Siddha's Secret is the piece of the Legacy that we're seeking and these orbs must be the key to getting it. Let's go retrieve the other four."

Gage wanted to retrieve the stone from the black Buddha shrine in the steam tunnels but how to do that? The Lama said that the Symbol for Salvation was fire and you can't carry fire, not without getting burned. Gage sighed and took out the map of the steam tunnels.

He gasped. The steam vents were represented by fire on the map. Could that be the fire he needed? Gage looked around and saw a grate on the other side of the room. He quickly climbed down the ladder into the steam tunnels. Using the map for guidance, Gage configured two of the steam vents to project heat into the black Buddha room. When Gage moved the final door into place completing his solitary path, Arthur announced rather excitedly. "I'm detecting a definite shift in temperature. You did it, Gage!" Gage traced his way back to the black Buddha. The statue was now a melting pile of yak butter. In the middle of the mess was a gold chalice with a black stone. "Great, we found the Holy Grail too, this is just a red letter day," Arthur said sarcastically.

Gage traced his way back to the steam vent closest to the Greenhouse. From there, he took the only passageway he hadn't taken yet. This passageway led to a side grate. Gage kicked it open and climbed out. He was now on the southern path. The yaks and green Buddha shrine could be seen. Gage inserted the Book of Knowledge into the slot near the bottom of the statue. The slot slid shut and the green Buddha's hand opened revealing a green stone.

Gage made his way back through the steam tunnels up to the prayer hall. He left the prayer hall and went down to the plaza. Careful not to be seen by Khan, Gage inserted Khan's sword into the hand of the red Buddha statue. The sword vanished in a burst of flame and a red orb revealed itself. Gage took the red orb, crept past Khan's tent and headed over to the temple. He had five orbs, but he still needed one from the white Buddha statue. But like the black Buddha, the white Buddha did not have an outstretched hand, but rather the hand was held to its ear like it was listening for something.

To awaken the vane with the music of the jewel.

The Buddha was listening for music.

Gage backed up and his hand touched a cylinder behind him.

"A deep 'Om' was played."

"Whoa, what was that?" Gage turned around and saw several cylinders hanging from a bar. Upon touching one of the cylinders, the 'om' was played again.

"Jeez, when did Andy Warhol start designing Tibetan Camble Soup Juke Boxes?" Arthur cracked.

Gage started to turn the cylinders to play the Buddhist mantra. When he got to the 'Pad' cylinder, it made a rather loud creaking sound.

"Don't worry, Gage, all we have to do is go to the nearest thirteenth century Drug Store and pick up a can of WD-40 or maybe stop by a Himalayan Mobile On-The-Run store for some oil."

Oil!

Gage removed the bowl of olive oil he used as part of his disguise to get into the Atlantian temple. He poured it into the cylinder and turned him. This time, the cylinder gave off a 'Pad' sound. Gage finished playing the mantra and the white Buddha's hand opened revealing a white stone. Now that Gage had all six stones, he could probably use them to get access to the artifact.

Gage entered the temple. The center of the main room was indented into the ground about twenty feet and over fifty feet in diameter. It also contained a pillar that rose all the way through the ceiling. To his right was a mural of the Buddha entering the six Realms of Unenlightenment holding the Symbols for Salvation for each Realm.

Gage walked down a flight of stairs to the center of the temple. The mural that he saw on the wall was depicted on the floor, but obviously on a much bigger scale. Walking around the main pillar, Gage saw a white Buddha statue inserted into the pillar. This white Buddha, however, was positioned differently. In one hand it was holding a lute, a musical instrument similar to the harp while the other hand was cupped and outstretched like it was waiting for something small and round.

Like a stone.

Gage removed the white stone from his temporal pocket and placed it in the Buddha's hand. There was a shifting of gears as a flight of steps rose up. This must've been how the Siddha's test worked. You obtain a stone from a Buddha shrine by offering the symbol for enlightenment. You then place the stones in the corresponding Buddha statues in the central column and a flight of steps would rise to the next level. The Legacy must be at the top.

Gage also noticed scripture on the stairs. Arthur said that they depicted the trials and tribulations of the Siddha Biwaw'wa.


The inscriptions speak of the path of the Siddha Biwa'wa. Denied Nirvana by pride, the Siddha Biwa'wa found himself in the Realm of the Gods, complacent in their heavenly heights. Only with the Buddha's song-filled voice was he able to escape into the next realm: the battlefield of the Asuras Titans.

The Titans know nothing more than to fight the Gods for their glittering realm and fight amongst their selves. Biwa'wa found himself caught within the frenzy; until he followed the light of Buddha's flaming sword. The Titans cowered before it as Biwa'wa escaped and entered the Kingdom of Animals.

In his new form, he hunted with animal cunning forgetting all of Buddha's teachings. But something inside him stirred when Buddha appeared and offered him the Book of Knowledge and he learned once more. He escaped but found himself in the bowls of Hell.

Biwa'wa heard the howls of the damned echoed the very hatred they were punished for. Terrible flames licked over him by day; by night he shivered within the hells of cold. The the Buddha showed him the purifying fire that cleansed his sins sending him traveling to the Realm of the Pretas.

Then he found himself among the Pretas, tortured creatures tantalized by all things material. Biwa'wa never felt such hunger until the Buddha descended again and let him tasted the spiritual fruit. Biwa'wa wanted no more. The Buddha finally allowed him to return to the Human Realm

Humbly, Biwa'wa would have to begin the path anew to regain his former peace. He would need to overcome the vice of pride, the pride that made him think he was better than others, so his atonement would only end by helping another. Then the Siddha could be at peace.


Gage found himself with no more stones in his inventory and no more Buddha statues to put them in. He looked towards the top of the pillar and saw a giant golden lotus. "A jewel in the lotus," Gage said. "Om ma ni pad me hum."

The petals of the lotus started to spin around. They then lowered to become steps. Gage climbed up and found him self in an attic-like chamber. The walls were painted in a light blue. Two of the walls had painting and writings on them. A third had a golden lotus-shaped object and the fourth simply had a pair of eyes with a red lens in between them.

One of the paintings showed a picture of three men (the Siddhas, Gage assumed) surrounding a pyramid-shaped object. Gage took particular notice that one of the Siddhas had long dark hair, brown eyes and a delicate face. "That man at the center looks kind of familiar," Gage commented.

"Yeah, I think I've seen that man before too… do you think Michael Jackson is really that old?"

"If I'm reading this mural right," Gage said ignoring Arthur's comment. "It shows the Siddhas transforming a pyramid-shaped object into another form!"

"Are you kidding me? Nuts, fine, more work! Now watch Arthur transform from simply annoyed to pretty bloody ANGRY!"

"Arthur, stop shouting."

"I AM NOT SHOUTING!"

"Arthur!"

"Oh, sorry, Gage." Gage looked at the lotus object. The image within the pyramid-shaped object in the mural was also depicted as lotus-shaped. That meant that the object was the artifact they were looking for. But Gage had a feeling that the Qou'Thalas won't accept a Legacy consisting of two pyramid-shaped artifacts and a lotus-shaped artifact. There must be a way to transform it. Perhaps the other mural had a clue.

The other mural actually had scripture on it which Gage had Arthur translated, "The infinite Buddha came to our monastery long ago with the knowledge of three secrets: life, time, and matter. He spoke of the True Path, a way to live by his virtues so that we could also share in his perfection. And he taught the Siddhas of matter, that everything in the universe was composed of one energy that could be perceived, understood, and controlled." So the Sosiqui entrusted the monks of Shangri-La with the power to transform matter. That must be how Gage could turn the lotus artifact into a pyramid one. But who did he know who could do that? Only the Siddhas were taught such ability.

Gage finally looked through the lens. He could see pass the ravine and the pilgrim that was still face-down on the ground. Gage suddenly had a realization. He looked at the mural depicting the Siddhas. One of them looked just like the pilgrim.

Everything clicked into place. The pilgrim was the Siddha, who has returned from the Wheel of Life. He must have the power to transform the lotus into its true form! Gage grabbed the lotus artifact and ran down the stairs.


Outside, Gage approached the pilgrim disguised as the Dob-Dob.

"You are the Siddha," he said, more as a fact than a question.

The pilgrim sat up, "You have nearly completed the True Path. Now, for the final step, you must do one more thing: you must shed all the trappings and illusions that surround you."

Gage was confused by that comment so he temporarily dismissed it, "What are you seeking?"

"What most seek when they come here, enlightenment; to join with the great Buddha and experience Nirvana. But before I can transcend, I must achieve something I could never grasp: humility. I must confront my pride. Are you a humble being?"

"Actually, I haven't given it much thought, I don't know."

"Well then, Traveler, always ask your self the questions you can not answer and continue seeking. There are answers here, everywhere."

"Tell me about the monastery."

The Siddha gestured his hand to the prayer hall and temple. "This is the monastery of Shangri-La. The monks here have achieved complete inner serenity. I have traveled many long months to get to this place, but the true journey begins here at Shangri-La itself. Physically traveling here was simple compared to the task imposed by the True Path."

"Tell me about the True Path."

"Most people walk about in a word of illusions, clouded by vices and deception. But there is a path that cuts through all illusions, a path of deliverance. It is a path that begins with understanding the virtues of the spirit and embracing its truths."

Gage removed the lotus artifact from his temporal pocket. "I've finished the path and have the artifact. Can you transform it to its proper form?"

The Siddha took the artifact and set it down, "I can not transform this to its proper form until you have completed the path. To finish the path, you must be true to yourself. To be true to yourself, you must be true to others. Shrouding one's self in illusions deludes others and leads you off the path."

Gage turned inward to talk to Arthur, "Arthur, did the Siddha say anything that might suggest a final step?"

"Yeah, when you first spoke to him, he said to shed all the trappings and illusions that surround you."

"Shed all the… you don't think he means…"

"Whoa, Gage, keep your shirt on (no, seriously, keep it on, I don't think I should be the one to see your fleshy hide), we'll figure something out before it comes to that." Gage and Arthur were both silent as the Siddha waited patiently. "Call me crazy, but I think the Siddha knows who you really are. Why else would he speak to us this way? It's as if he knew all along that we were looking for something. If I'm right, he's asking you to drop your Chameleon Disguise." Gage was nervous about revealing his true image to someone from the past, but at this point Gage was willing to try just about anything. The image of the Dob-Dob faded to reveal the Chameleon Jumpsuit's true form. The Siddha, to Gage's surprise, wasn't shocked or scared at seeing it. In fact, he looked satisfied, like Gage just proved something.

"I have dropped my disguise and completed the path," Gage announced. "Can you transform this for me?"

The Siddha nodded, "You have completed the True Path, Traveler. You are indeed worthy." The Siddha placed his hands over the lotus-shaped artifact. The artifact began spinning. As it spun, it got smaller until it became a pyramid object. The object floated into Gage's hands. "You have journeyed far, Traveler, and you have completed the True Path by honoring the ancient virtues. And you have saved my soul by allowing me to help another. I am on a new path now, I am eternally grateful. I wish you peace, Traveler, and success."

"And I wish the same to you, Siddha, farewell, and thank you." Right in front of the Siddha, Gage jumped back to the TSA.


Main Cast
Gage Blackwood, Agent 5: Jerry Rector
Michelle Visard, Agent 3: Michele Scarabelli
Arthur: Matt Weinhold
William Daughton: David Fenner
TSA Guard: Eric Dallaire

Shangri-La Cast
Pilgrim/Siddha: Ping Wu
Genghis Khan: Francisco Viana
Gardener: Arsenio "Sonny" Trinidad
Lama: Koji Kataoka
Dob-Dob: Khin-Kyaw Maung