The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time
After escaping from Genghis Khan's clutches, Gage and Arthur learned that Khan was taking the Siddha's Test and decided to do the same. To complete the test, one must offer the symbol for salvation to the shrines to the six Realms of Unenlightenment. Once they receive a Stone of Salvation, the Initiate must then place the stone into the corresponding Buddha statue at the center of the Temple.
In the secret attic of the Temple, Gage discovered that the Sosiqui entrusted the priests of Atlantis, El Dorado, and Shangri-La with each of the three segments of the Legacy. He also discovered that the pilgrim that had been lying prostrate on the ground since his arrival was in fact the Siddha back from the Wheel of Life. Only by answering the Siddha's final question was Gage able to transform the lotus-shaped artifact into a pyramid one.
Date: November 11, 2329
Place: TSA Headquarters; Appalachian Mountains, Earth
Chief Technician William Daughton scanned the pyramid object that Gage got back from Atlantis for the fifteenth time. Next to him, Michelle Visard, Agent 3, the first person to warn TSA of the advancing Qou'Thalas threat just crossed her arms. Commissioner Jack Baldwin leaned against the main control panel.
The three turned as Gage entered carrying the second pyramid artifact. "Excellent work, Gage," Baldwin congratulated. "While you were gone, Daughton and Michelle discovered something remarkable about the first artifact."
"We concentrated our search on the overlapping symbols," Michelle began. "With a little luck, we found formulae buried underneath several layers of encryption."
"And this is the remarkable part," Will took over. "The formulae detail the physics necessary for time travel, the very same physics that powers our own Jumpsuits.
"So the secret of time travel was buried within our past," Gage concluded. "And then Doctor Sinclair invents that same technology centuries later."
"Right," Michelle confirmed.
Gage placed the second pyramid object next to the first one. Suddenly the two started to glow. Strands of energy came together and fired a beam of light at Gage.
"Look out!" Michelle threw the two of them to the ground and the light only destroyed a diagnostic screen.
"Thanks," Gage said
"Any time."
Sections of the pyramid objects were glowing and forming a pattern on the diagnostic table. "Good Lord, what is this thing?" Baldwin muttered.
Getting up, Gage looked at the main view screen which was displaying the current position of the Qou'Thalas. "The Qou'Thalas have entered the Earth System?"
Baldwin nodded, "Nothing has deterred them. They've ignored the Cyrollan Ambassador's plea for peace talks and shrugged off any advance made by the Defense Fleet. The Symbiotry seems powerless; it's all up to us now."
"I'll find that last artifact," Gage vowed. "I won't let any of the sacrifices be in vane!" And he turned and marched out under the concerned glance of his coworkers.
Time: January 28, 529 A.D.
Place: El Dorado; Andes Mountains, Peru.
Gage appeared back on the platform in between the balloon landing and the Temple entrance. As far as general time was concerned, he had only been gone for a few seconds. Gage called up his El Dorado Chameleon Database and assumed the image of Hachayo, the Farm Boy. He then went up to the Temple.
The room inside the Temple was not very big. In addition to the gold leafs he used to make the Atlantian medallion, there were paintings on the wall, paintings that seemed to tell a story. Gage had Arthur interpret them.
"The pictograms surrounding the mural speak of the Great Story of the First Shaman. He was instructed by the Spirits of Time and Space to hide one of the three totems of tremendous power from the fury of their powerful children: two winged brothers. To aid him in this task, the Shaman called upon the power of the Element Spirits. They showed him a secret place for the Totem. Once the Totem was hidden, the Shaman beseeched the Element Spirits to guard it and they have ever since. Many generations have passed since then, but the pictograms say that the Spirits of Time and Space will beseech a young warrior to save the Totem from the Brothers, who have returned to claim it. However, the warrior would have to overcome the Elemental Guardians protecting the Totem. The rest of the mural is unfinished, Gage, I assume that's what the scribe is working on."
"I have a sneaking suspicion that the Totem is the artifact we're looking for," Gage muttered. "So we might have to learn all we can about this Great Story."
It was then that the Scribe who was working on it turned and saw Gage. "Ah, Hachayo, I should've known it was you," he said kindly. "What can I do for you, boy?"
"What are you working on?" Gage asked.
"Normally I would be working on my Pompas on a beautiful day like this." A Pompas was the drawings that covered the landscape, similar to crop circles. It was believed that ancient South American cultures actually used them as a history book. "But today I have the honor of finishing a story that has not had an ending for many generations."
"Will you tell me the story?"
"It is the oldest story known to us. It is a long tale, Hachayo, and unfortunately I don't have time to tell it. You see the Shaman often, ask him next time you see him."
"Why has the story never been finished?"
"All of the past Shamans before have had dreams of the story, but the Spirits have never revealed the ending. It has been unfinished for generations. But soon we will know."
"How will you know what to draw?"
"The Shaman, he dreams his visions in the Ritual of Seeing and then he confides them to me what he has seen so it can be chronicled for all our people. You know our Shaman, ask him about such things when you see him next."
"I will. Thank you."
"Thank you for the visit, Hachayo."
From what Gage could get off of the murals in the Temple, the Shaman flies over the Totem's resting place in a balloon. Gage figured that he needed to trace the path of the First Shaman to find the Totem.
Gage exited the temple and returned to the spot where he landed. To the right was a dirt path. He followed it around the perimeter of the Temple to the adjoining mesa. A large stone building complete with a balloon on the balcony loomed up a hill. That must be the Aviary where the Shaman lives, Gage figured as he stepped onto the mesa and began ascending to the hill.
"Stop where you are!" Gage saw a guard standing at a niche in the stone wall. A balloon was dangling behind him. "Sorry, Hachayo, but you can not visit the Shaman today. You must return to your farm, it will soon become dangerous for you to be on the Central Mesa.
"But why can't I see the Shaman?"
"The Shaman is inside the Aviary completing long rituals, he is not to be disturbed!"
Senor Scowls is taking his post seriously," Arthur commented. "We need to either sweet talk our way past him or figure out a diversion."
"Why would it be dangerous to be here?"
"There is nothing to worry about, as long as you go back home, you will be safe. Enemies are coming that mean to hurt our people, but the Warriors of the Wind and Flame are ready and will defend our city bravely."
"I think we need to get rid of the guard somehow," Arthur whispered. "We want to see the Shaman, but the guard won't let anyone pass."
"What is a Warrior of Wind and Flame?"
"A Cloud Walker, an Aviator. Only the strongest of our people can join the Warriors of Wind and Flame. We call upon the fear of Kuaqula the fire spirit and the breath of the air spirit, Kohabota, for the burning air that lifts our balloons into the sky!" With each word, the guard got more and more excited.
"Maybe we can put the guard to sleep," Arthur offered. "Gage, go talk to him about your love life… oh wait, I forgot, you don't have one."
"Is that your balloon dangling off the side of the cliff?" Gage asked.
"Yes, it is my Cloud Piercer, my war balloon. When the time comes I will use it to join my brother's in battle and fight for our city!"
"Well you convinced me," Gage lied. "Good-bye."
"Farewell, Hachayo, remember what I have told you."
"Gage, you're not going to let some measly guard stop you, are you?" Arthur asked as Gage stepped out of the guard's sight.
"No, I'm not, Arthur." Gage ducked in between the stone wall and a bush. On the other side of the stone wall was where the balloon was tied, to a metal pole. Gage removed the knife he got from the Greenhouse in Shangri-La and used it to cut the rope. He then dove around the corner. The guard had disappeared from view. When Gage stepped up to the spot where the guard used to be, he saw the guard literally hanging for his life from the balloon's tether rope, cursing in a foreign language.
"Hang around," Arthur joked.
Gage continued on his way up the path and into the Aviary. Inside there were only two doorways, one leading to the balloon and the other being blocked by a guard.
"How did you get in here?" The guard asked. "This is no place for boys. Go back to your farm, Hachayo."
"Goquar, stay your hand, allow the boy in," another voice commanded. An old man with snow white hair and brown eyes dressed in a ceremonial cloak walked up and put a reassuring hand on the guard's shoulder. "I have a need to speak with him. Don't worry; I do not believe he is armed." The guard reluctantly nodded and left. The old man, the Shaman, led Gage into his sanctuary. After scanning the Shaman's image and despite his better judgment, Gage sat down Indian style on the floor. "So, Hachayo, have you come to hear a story?"
"Shaman, please tell me about the Spirits."
The Shaman nodded nostalgically, "Ah, the old teachers. There have been six. Most only know of the four elemental spirits, fire, earth, air, and water. But the other two, they are different."
"Tell me about the other two Spirits."
"Most will find this difficult, but I have a feeling you would understand. The two other Spirits are Time and Space. Time consumes all, Space encompasses all; together they are all. They show me what was and what is to come in the Ritual of Seeing."
"What is the Ritual of Seeing?"
"When I fly over the pompas in my balloon, the Spirits show me a place that no other eyes could look upon. The Dream Place, I see the ancient lines traced by our forefathers moving across the plains like snakes until I see images of yesterday and tomorrow."
"Please speak of the four element spirits."
"They used to live among us long ago. They showed us how to master our lands with knowledge. They showed us how to bring water to our plateaus and make wells. They showed us how to harness fire and air to fly into the skies! Then they left."
"Where?"
"To the dream place. They still speak to me in the Ritual of Seeing.
"Please, Shaman, tell me the story."
"Very well, long ago Spirits of Time and Space begot the four element spirits. Together, they bore many children including twin brothers. Two great birds, who each found mighty tribes. When the Spirits disappeared, The Brothers fought across many lands for the right to inherit the sacred Totem."
"The Sacred Totem?"
"Yes, this Totem was said to contain the secrets of the Spirits of Time and Space. Fearing that the Brothers would abuse its Power, the Spirits asked a young man in the village to help them."
"Doesn't this sound eerily familiar?" Arthur asked.
Gage nodded, it sounded like the stories he discovered at Atlantis and Shangri-La.
"Why did the Brothers fight?"
"They would not share in the inheritance of their elders, both arrogantly believing the other to be unworthy of claiming the totem."
"You spoke earlier that the spirits asked a young man to guard the totem. Who was this man?"
"He was the first Shaman. Before the Brothers came to the Village, the Spirits of Time and Space broke the totem up into three pieces and gave the Shaman one of them to hide. Knowing the Brothers' power, the Shaman pleaded with the Element Spirits for guidance."
"Did the Spirits guide the young man?"
"Yes. The Spirits of fire and air lifted him into the sky and showed him a hiding place. Once there, he bid the spirits to guard the Totem and they have ever since. This happened many generations ago and yet… there is still more."
"More? More did he say?" Arthur quipped.
"Where was the hiding place?"
"Somewhere near the Temple concealed by two elements and guarded by the rest."
Another dead end, "Tell me the rest of the story."
"The brothers never found the Totem. They left to search for it far away. Ever since, the Shaman of each generation dreamed of the Brothers' return. But I have had a new dream of the story's end and of another young man."
"And who is this young man?"
"You, Hachayo!" Gage gasped, "Yes, the young man is you, the Spirits have seen something special in you. It is your destiny to save the Totem from destruction! For it has a great purpose! You will finish the story!"
"But how do I save the Totem? I don't even know where it is."
"You must do as the First Shaman did, call on the Elemental Spirits for guidance, they will aid you as they did the First Shaman. You'll also need the talisman I gave you, do you still have it?"
"Uh… of course," Gage said.
"Good, you will need it. You will know what to do with it when the time comes.
"How does the story end?"
The Shaman lowered his head solemnly. "Our city dies. Our warriors all perish in battle valiantly. The Brothers will spare nothing, only one shall survive: the man who will save the Totem from destruction."
"What is the Totem?"
"It is an object that contains the great knowledge of the Spirits. It is meant for all of their children, when they are grown and ready.
"Thank you, Shaman." Gage got up and left the Aviary. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the story meant. The Spirits were the Sosiqui, the warring Brothers are the Cyrollans and the Qou'Thalas and they'll show up tomorrow to fight over the Totem a.k.a. the segment of the Sosiqui artifact. It also explains the three connected triangles found on the murals in the other two time zones. "Okay, what we need to do is trace the path the first Shaman took to hide the Totem. The question is how do we do that?"
"Perhaps it has something to do with that talisman the Shaman mentioned."
"That's right, the talisman!" Gage needed the talisman and there was only one person whom he could get it from: the real Hachayo. But getting it won't be easy. Gage needed to assume the disguise of someone that Hachayo would trust, yet not become protective of the talisman if asked for it and there was only one image in his database that would fit both of those categories: the Shaman.
"He's still asleep?" Arthur asked as Gage walked up to the sleeping farm boy disguised as the Shaman. "What did he do, hit the snooze button on his sun dial? Hey, since he's asleep, I have a gag: warm up the well water and put his hand in it." Arthur snickered.
"Hachayo," Gage called. Hachayo lazily opened his eyes. When he saw Gage as the Shaman, he jumped up.
"Shaman, I had the dream you spoke of, I saw everything you told me I would see!"
"Tell me about it," Gage said trying to get into character.
"I was in your balloon flying over the city. The lines on the pompas moved, they formed pictures, animals, and people! And I heard many other Shamans, they told me to look to the Temple."
"What did you see at the Temple?"
"I saw the Spirits, they said they knew where the Totem was… then I woke up from the dream."
Gage thought this was amusing, but knew he had to get back on track. "Hachayo, do you still have the talisman I gave you?"
The boy immediately gripped something around his neck, a flint arrowhead. "Yes, why, do you need it? You told me I could have it!"
Gage had to phrase his request carefully. "Hachayo, I'm going to have to take back the talisman for a while, I need it for an important ceremony."
Hachayo seemed to sigh in relief. "Of course, my Shaman." He removed the necklace from his body and gave it to Gage.
"Thank you, Hachayo, I must go now."
"Good-bye, Shaman, I can't wait to hear more stories."
Gage headed back to the central mesa. Disguising himself as the farm boy, Gage crept into the Aviary. When the Shaman's bodyguard was looking the other way, Gage stealthily made his way up to the balloon landing.
The Shaman's balloon was the only balloon in the plaza and it was unguarded. This seemed too good to be true. Gage climbed in and studied the heating element which was just a block of flint.
Wait a second, Gage thought as he removed the talisman from his Jumpsuit's temporal pocket. The tip of the talisman was also flint. And if Gage recalled his high school science, when two pieces of flint are struck against one another, they produce sparks, or miniature fire! Gage strike the flint block with the flint talisman. As predicted, the sparks lit the heating element which produced hot air filling the balloon. The balloon started to rise.
Gage breathed a sigh of relief. He was approaching the home stretch as Arthur put it. Gage was barely able to stifle a yawn, discovering Agent 3 and the succeeding events have been very draining. In fact, Gage could barely keep his eyes open.
In his mind, he saw a wind mill, the very one from Atlantis, he saw the top of the Shangri-La temple, a marching army, countries attacking each other with nuclear weapons, the old Pegasus Machine activating, approaching his past self for help in being cleared of historical sabotage, Agent 3 attacking him in his own apartment, a space battle between the Cyrollans and the Qou'Thalas. He also heard things, every day mundane sounds, people walking and arguing, laser fire, church bells chiming, kids laughing. He felt an overwhelming sense of peace and prosperity.
"Gage… Gage!" Gage opened his eyes. "Earth to Gage, confirm reception!"
"Sorry, Arthur, what were you saying?"
"Nothing, it looked like you zonked out for a moment there."
"I guess I fell asleep." Gage wasn't sure how long he was out but even if it was only for a few seconds, he couldn't stop now. He looked over the edge of the balloon and activated his telescanners. He first zoomed-in on several Nazca lines, one of the shapes looking vaguely like the TSA logo. No clues there, Gage then turned to look at the Temple. The skylight on the roof was arrow-shape and had four strange faces on it. The faces resembled a human, a bear, a cat, and a bird. Gage recorded the image but didn't figure it would be helpful.
Gage then saw a strange shape to the right of the temple. He zoomed in and saw an arrow-shape pool. The Nazca lines formed two giant birds, poised for combat.
Two brothers fighting over the pool.
"That's it!" Gage cried. He descended the balloon and left the Aviary. He made his way around the outer perimeter of the Temple and trekked his way through the jungle down to an arrow-shaped reflecting pool.
Near Gage's foot was a Couatl serpent with a triangular-shaped indentation. The perfect fit for a triangular-shaped talisman.
Gage inserted the talisman into the pedestal. There was a low hum as the pool drained revealing three obelisk pillars in the center with a series of strange heads jetting out from the wall.
"He's single, he time travels, he parts water, ladies and gentlemen, I give you… Gage Blackwood!" Arthur made a sound like it was a lot of people cheering. Gage stepped down a flight of steps and studied the heads. "I think what we have here is a primitive version of the popular arcade game Whack-a-Mole," Arthur cracked. Gage pressed on one of the heads, the man-shaped one. The head depressed for a moment then popped back out, this time with glowing eyes.
"I see," Gage said. "It's some sort of combination lock."
"Yes, this art piece says so much to me, it's as if the heads are saying 'here no evil, speak no evil, see no evil, but the other twenty-one of us are going to have fun.'"
"Not quite what I was thinking, Arthur," Gage said as he brought up the image he took of the Temple roof. The heads must be a key on how to open a hidden temple. Gage pressed the heads in the order that they appeared on the Temple roof. When he depressed the final head, the center of the stair case folded down to reveal a hidden passageway with another stair case.
"Well, I guess you could say we're 'headed' in the right direction," Arthur joked. Gage slammed the side of his helmet. "Ow! How did you find my groin, Gage?"
Gage descended the stairs to a hallway but he didn't get very far before he was assaulted with a fireball. Gage quickly jumped back to the stair case. Gage kicked him self, the Shaman said the First Shaman asked the four elemental spirits to guard it. The Earth spirit protected it by guarding in the ground, the air spirit protected it by providing fog cover, and the water spirit protected it by the pool, so that was the fire element spirit.
"Wow, that was a close one," Arthur commented. "It looks like we're not going any further until we put out that fire."
"Any ideas how?"
"Well let's think about this: the Shaman said that you would need to call upon the elemental spirits as the first Shaman did. Not to put words in Shaman-Palooza's mouth, but he probably meant you need to use the elements to get to the Totem. You already used fire and air when you went up in the balloon; you used earth when you used the talisman and pressed the buttons so that means…"
"That means the only element I'm missing is water. But how can I…?" Gage looked back up at the entrance. He returned to the wading pool. When he exited, the door didn't close back up and as long as he didn't press any of the heads, it wouldn't. The water disappeared when Gage inserted the talisman into the pedestal so if he removed it…
Gage returned to the top and removed the talisman. Water began filling the pool again but instead of filling all the way to the top, it went down into the inner tunnel. Steam erupted from the tunnel's entrance. Gage inserted the talisman once again.
"Way to go, Gage!" Arthur congratulated.
Gage went back into the passageway, this time, he wasn't assaulted with fire.
"Here's gourmet food for thought," Arthur said. "The Shaman thinking you were the farm boy Hachayo confided that he had a dream about the boy. The Shaman said he saw Hachayo save the Totem from destruction and said he had a great destiny. Gage, you were disguised as the farm boy when you met him, do you think he really dreamt about you?"
"I don't know, Arthur, it definitely makes me feel more relieved though, it meant that we're not really changing history because we were destined to do it."
Gage came out into an underground chamber that was covered with scripture. Gage had Arthur translate them all.
Ever since the Spirit Teachers first gave our Shamans the gift of dream seeing, our people have been entrusted with recording stories of the past and stories that will come. We have seen that the wrath of the Brothers expands across many generations. Far, far into tomorrow, more years than can be counted by generations, the Brothers will return for a final battle, when all of the totems have been brought together. Our Shamans have had many murky dreams about this oncoming conflict. Though the outcome of this conflict is uncertain, the fate of the world will be decided.
The City of Earth and Water was the first city the Spirits of Time and Space visited. They taught them the power of life, but there city was consumed by the Brothers in a battle of fire and wind.
One terrible day in the shadows of tomorrow, the brothers will come to our city to search for the Totem that would allow them to see time as our Shamans do. They will destroy our city. But our culture, our stories, and our Totem will be saved by a brave warrior.
One day in the shadows of tomorrow, a distant mountain city will be visited by the Spirits. Because of their focus, their priests were taught the power of matter. After learning from the all-powerful spirits, these holy men could transmute the elements. Then the brothers came demanding the power of matter and another tribe will be destroyed.
"Somehow, the Sosiqui predicted all this would happen," Gage said. "You were right, Arthur, the Shaman's vision didn't show the farm boy, it showed me." Gage laid his hand on the tongue of the Couatl Serpent on the dais. The tongue slid open and a pyramid-shaped object popped out.
"That must be the artifact," Arthur said hastily. "Hurry and grab it, Gage and I'll jump us back to TSA." Gage took the artifact and initiated a time jump back to the future. But as he did, he failed to notice one of the scripture which read:
One day in the shadows of tomorrow, the brothers will return for a final battle, a battle which will decide the fate of all. Only through the return of the Chosen One, and the learning of the three attributes love, honor, and forgiveness, will the brothers finally be defeated and peace will once again reign throughout the land.
Main Cast
Gage Blackwood, Agent 5: Jerry Rector
Michelle Visard, Agent 3: Michele Scarabelli
Arthur: Matt Weinhold
William Daughton: David Fenner
Comm. Jack Baldwin: Daniel Mann
El Dorado Cast
Hachayo: Jeremiah Najera
Scribe: Andrew Roa
Aviary Guard: Frankie Avina
Aviary Captain: Raoul Trujillo
Shaman: Bill Trillo
