A/N: sorry about the big gap between 5 and 6! I was moving. Anyways, enjoy!
"The face of Boe is currently arriving in Osai City on Rakana and will meet with the president of the Union shortly. He is expected to stay for a week before leaving for Athulon. In other news, th-,"
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Daniel awoke from his nap and groggily made his way to the front door.
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!" The sound rang like piles being driven through his skull.
He opened the door to find Sharon and Ray. "Malone? Ryla? Why are you here?"
"Yeah, you can explain why you and O'Sullivan were the last people to talk to David Hanto before his murder," Sharon said sharply. Her dislike of Daniel was slightly less than her dislike of Marjorie, whom she believed to be a fraud. And Daniel was guilty by association.
"What? David Hanto is dead? When?!"
"Sometime Friday night. Now we're gonna have to take you down to the station. We have a few questions for you."
The ride to the station in the police hovercar was relatively uneventful, but Daniel's head was swimming with questions. "Who would kill David Hanto? And why? Did it have something to do with whoever tortured Luke Ye? Were the two somehow connected?"
When they reached the station, Marjorie was already there, waiting for them.
"Oh great, you're here. Let me guess, you had a vision," Sharon said
"No, actually, texting is a thing. I got a text. From my partner. After you showed up." Marjorie retorted. She'd had a terrible last few days and Sharon Malone certainly wasn't going to make it any easier.
"Well then, we can talk to you both at the same time. Follow me." They entered in to the main office of the Pyrana PD Central Branch. The clicking of computer keys, holomessages, and phones ringing assaulted their ears. Papers and tablets were strewn about desks. Holograms and transparent screens abounded.
"Marjorie! Daniel! What are you doing here? Sharon, why are they here?" Inspector Jong asked.
"Sir, they were the last people to talk to David Hanto before he was murdered on Friday night."
"Is that so? Well, do you have an alibi?"
"We were at the Dancing Dragon Pub until about 1 in the morning," Marjorie answered. "I'm sure that can be verified."
"Ray?"
"On it, sir!"
"Good." He turned his attention back to Marjorie and Daniel. "So how did the two of you come to know David Hanto?"
"He was a friend of the dead son of a client," Daniel said.
"Interesting. Did he give you any indication that he was in trouble?"
"None at all," Marjorie replied tartly. Although she trusted Jong, she did not trust others in the government, particularly the fake PBI agent that was currently working with the department.
"Sir, I respectfully insist that we continue this in an interrogation room," Deputy Malone said.
"Nonsense, they have an alibi." He turned his attention back to Marjorie and Daniel. "Now, does this mean that you will be willing to work with us to catch the people behind these attacks?"
"No," Marjorie fumed.
"Well it's needless to say that that's quite disappointing. You both can tell Deputy Malone about your conversation with David, and then you can go."
The two private investigators were taken into a bare, greenish-gray room with a table and four uncomfortable plastic and metal chairs by Sharon and Ray.
"Go ahead and sit," Sharon directed.
"I prefer to stand," Marjorie insisted.
"Sit, please," Sharon said icily.
"Marjorie, it's not the time for this," Daniel broke in.
Finally she sat down.
Ray then turned on a camera, "Investigation: Firefall, Sunday, Seline 21st, 7:01pm. Subjects: Daniel Lee and Marjorie O'Sullivan."
"I understand that the two of you talked to David Hanto on Friday night at around 7:00pm, the night of his death. Is this correct?" Sharon asked.
"Yes," Marjorie answered.
"Why were you meeting him?"
"None of your business."
"He knew the son of our clients," Daniel volunteered in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
Marjorie glared at Daniel. If looks could kill, he would have been dead in an instant.
"How so?" Ray asked.
"Our clients' son died 5 years ago of suicide. We're trying to find out why."
"Do you have any leads?"
"Nothing successful," Marjorie lied and shifted in her chair.
"Ok," Sharon said, placing her hands on the table and looking directly at Marjorie. "Now riddle me this, and answer honestly: why would your clients' son be linked to someone with ties to terrorist activity?"
"It's a small world after all," Marjorie snarked.
"Look, you and I both know that there are no coincidences. If you are withholding information that can stop the deaths of dozens of people, that is a crime."
"Are we under arrest?" Marjorie learned forward.
"No."
"And is it true that under Article 5, section 12 of the Constitution of the Pheonician Union that we are allowed to have a lawyer in interrogation?"
Sharon sighed. Marjorie was impossible to deal with. "Yes."
"And is it true that since we are not under arrest that we are allowed to leave?"
"Yes."
"Then I choose to leave."
"Fine," Sharon seethed.
"Let's go Daniel. We're done here,"
As they exited the room, Sharon turned to Ray. "Go ahead and turn off the camera."
"Done."
"They're hiding something."
"And that surprises you?" Ray observed.
"Yes it does. You know she likes to show off. Or at least hint at what's happening. Marjorie was way more tight lipped than usual."
"She must not trust us."
"No, it's not us that she doesn't trust." She whispered to Ray, "It's the 'PBI.'"
He nodded. "This is a troubling development."
It was at this moment that Jong came into the room.
"Ray, Sharon. There's a case that you might be interested in." He handed them tablets.
"A missing persons case?" Ray asked.
"In addition to Firefall?" Sharon mentioned. They were already overwhelmed with work.
"No, this is part of Firefall now. Clara Oswin Oswald, human, 28, texted a coworker that she was being followed by a mysterious stranger a few days before her disappearance. Detectives in Almi District entered her apartment and what they found is of interest to us. Swipe to page 15 in the file."
Sharon stared in shock and awe at the electronic screen. "We need to get there asap. Is CSI still on the scene?"
"Yes. If you leave now you'll get there before rush hour."
Of course, traffic decided to be heinous, and they arrived at the small one-bedroom apartment around 6:30pm when Numai was just set.
"I'm going to talk with CSI," Ray mentioned. "You can go check it out."
Sharon went into the bedroom. The soft twilight was ever so briefly casting its light onto the wall. She clicked on a flashlight.
"Unbelievable!"
The whole wall was taken up with pictures of people pinned into it, from drawings to old photos and newer pictures, with bits of colorful string between them. It was nearly indecipherable. "Clara Oswin Oswald, what did you find?"
And then she saw it: Daniel and Marjorie's photographs, with several of the strings attached. "Why are you two here? Of all people?"
And then she saw herself. "What is going on?"
At that moment she heard footsteps from the window, and turned to see a figure dressed in leather hovercyclist clothes. She drew her weapon. "This is an active police investigation scene! Get on the ground!"
The person raised her hands in the air. "That's not a good idea."
"Are you threatening me?"
"No, I came to warn you."
"About what?"
"Do not follow Clara Oswald. She does not want to be found. At least by the police, that is."
"I have a sworn duty to this city to protect it and the people who live here, including my family. If that means following Clara Oswald, then I will."
"Then I have tried and I have failed to help you."
Sharon paused for a moment and inquired, "Who are you?"
"I'm simply a mother trying to save her son. Surely you can relate to that. You have a child right? A five year old?"
"How do you know that?"
"That doesn't matter. Listen Sharon, take the next few days off. Spend them with your husband and children. You never know when it might be the last time you see them. Especially in this line of work."
Dread and guilt filled Sharon's soul. That was one of her biggest fears.
"Now listen to me," the figure said. "If you really want to understand what's happening, you will not tell anyone you saw me. They won't know this conversation even happened because I've pulled us into a pocket dimension for the moment. They haven't heard you. The protection of your children and city would be compromised if I am found as well."
"They wouldn't believe me anyways, would they?"
"No, they wouldn't."
Sharon sighed. "I hope you save your son." She genuinely meant it.
"I hope so too."
Sharon blinked and the hovercyclist disappeared.
It was at that moment that Ray turned on the light. "This might help-woah."
"I...I don't understand," Sharon trailed off.
"This is...strange," he agreed.
Sharon took out her phone,took a panorama, and turned towards the door.
"I have to go. It's late and I need to read Julia her story."
"You ok? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Yeah," she said flatly. She headed down the steps and into her car. The cyclist's words would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Marjorie and Daniel took a cab home. "The bombers and Luke Young are connected, aren't they?" Daniel asked.
"That's what it's beginning to look like."
"Then why aren't we helping the police, Marjorie?"
"We need surprise on our side. And I don't trust that fake PBI agent. Something very strange is happening and we need to exercise caution."
"We've worked with them before. It doesn't seem right leaving our friends in the dark."
"Like it or not, it's the logical thing to do. Speaking of which, it's time we talked to Luke's ex-girlfriend. I suggest we run by her workplace in the morning."
The next morning was hot and muggy, as per usual in Pyrana. Thick fingers of moisture wafted their way up from the puddles on the concrete sidewalks, twisting and turning through the suffocating air. Fat dewdrops clung to palm fronds and greenery. Red fire lilies were beginning to bloom all throughout the city, and spreading to fill the entire Archipelagan region.
Our private detectives were currently headed to the Red Dragon Pub in the North Central District. This part of the city was a very lively one, full of young urbanites, artists, boutiques, bakeries, and restaurants. Vendors stood at the corner selling everything from umbrellas and sunglasses (must-haves in the tropical climate of Pyrana) to every type of food imaginable. Strings of lanterns, signaling the arrival of the New Year, were hung between buildings and on palm trees. Even at 9 in the morning, the streets were bustling with people of many species rushing to work and the cafes were filled to the brim with those trying to get a bite to eat.
The pub itself had an outside patio shaded by a trellis. The vine that creeped over it had frond-like dark green leaves. Round red-orange flowers with black spots towards the center dotted the greenery, and electric fans with brown wicker blades lazily turned. Inside the pub it was dim. Booths lined the left side, while the bar was on the right with red cushioned bar stools pulled up underneath the counter. On the walls were various street signs and old pictures, some of which were autographed by singers and famous people. One sign simply read "Bad Wolf." A young woman dressed in denim jeans, a fitted black T-shirt, and black Converse came out from the back. She had long black hair and amber-gold eyes.
"Sorry, we're closed now. We don't open 'til noon."
"You forgot to flip the sign," Marjorie noted. "Of course, that's understandable, given your late night. You even slept here, I see, Kita."
"Who are you and how did you know that?"
"I am Marjorie O'Sullivan, and this is my associate, Daniel I. Lee. We are private detectives. Your eyeliner appears to have smudged, which may have happened after a long night, or sleeping. However, you seem somewhat alert, indicating that you most likely did have some sleep. I would guess 3 hours, enough for one REM cycle."
"Okayy…so why are you here and how did you know my name?"
"We are in the employ of the parents of a certain Luke Young, who we understand that you were involved with, correct?"
Kita froze. It had been a long time since she had let herself think about her dead ex-boyfriend. She did not want to go through the same hell again.
She turned away to hide her face and replied softly, "The police ruled it was a suicide."
"There was more to it than that. We think that someone was hunting him. We want to find what he was hiding. We want to know how he died, and put away the people who hurt him."
She whirled back around and shouted, "And what makes you of all people think that you can do this when the police couldn't find anything else out?!"
Daniel stepped forward and gently countered, "Over the past year and a half that I have worked with Marjorie, I have never seen her be unable to find something out. Believe me, you're in good hands."
Kita's expression softened. "Ok. I'll talk to you. But I need some breakfast. There's a café across the street we can talk at."
So our trio headed to the Aranola Café. It was a cute little place, with checkered red and white tablecloths over round tables. Sunlight streamed through the large windows. Potted plants were bursting with orange, red, and yellow flowers. After they ordered, they began to talk.
"Did Luke act differently around the time of his death?" Daniel asked after taking a sip of his coffee.
"Yes. He was constantly distracted. And paranoid. He kept on worrying that someone was going to kill him. He thought some person or organization was chasing him."
"Did he mention a name?"
"Yeah. He mentioned an 'EKLA' once."
"Did he tell you anything about this EKLA?"
"He said to run if anyone ever mentioned it to me."
"EKLA," Marjorie mused. "I swear I've heard that before." She paused to take a quick sip of coffee. "Did Luke ever mention a Sector 6?"
"The urban legend? Maybe once or twice. He was getting kind of delusional towards the end there."
"Ok. So when did he start acting strangely?"
"About a month or two before he died?"
"Was there any particular event that you remember? Somewhere he went? Something he read?"
Kita leaned in, worry creasing her face. "You're not working with the cops, are you?"
"No, not on this case," Marjorie replied.
Kita relaxed. "See, Luke and I used to go caving." Such activity was illegal in most parts of Pyrana. "And right before he started acting strange he said he found something underground. He said that there was a message in the Beach Room under Mona Pyorra and he was going to show me, but never got the chance. I went to go check it out myself, and found nothing."
"Do you think that you could show us?"
"Yeah. I'm off tomorrow. Do you have any gear?"
"I have some from college," Daniel mentioned.
"I have gear as well," Marjorie nodded.
"Great. Let's meet outside the pub at 10am tomorrow. We'll drive from there."
The blue-green daylight side of Corba hung in the black void of space above Captain Thra's Blue Falcon. White clouds swirled on the surface. The nighttime side was dotted with the yellow lights of cities and towns that dotted the land. The moons Tyla and Solas hung in the distance. The binary stars Cykos and Makas were behind them. Inside the Blue Falcon, Arzan leaned back in the copilot's chair.
"Do you remember the first time you were in space?" Arzan asked Thra.
"Not really. Daza'ri go to space young, just as we learn to wield the twin knives young." Thra was tall, olive-skinned, with dark hair and brown eyes.
"Understandable," Arzan commented. The Daza'ri fascinated him. The colony ship carrying them from Pangaea landed on a planet orbiting a black hole, which meant fewer generations passed for them between the cataclysm and the time the Union formed. Shortly after the formation of the Union they escaped the black hole and took up residency among the stars.
"Do you remember the first time you were in space, General?"
"Yes. I felt so amazed, yet so small, and lonely. It was a reminder of how far I've come."
Suddenly a transmission came through. "Delta 229, this is patrol ZA1255, do you copy?"
Thra spoke into his headset, "Patrol ZA1255, this is Delta 229, copy"
"Delta 229, please state where you're coming from and your business on Corba."
"Patrol ZA1255, we left from Torr 12 hours ago. We are visiting friends on the ground."
"Delta 229, you have not been selected for search. Enjoy Corba."
"Thank you Patrol ZA1255." He turned to Arzan, "Alright, let's land. The spaceport already transmitted me the entrance coordinates."
The stingray-shaped spaceship turned such that Corba was below it and began to enter the atmosphere. Thra engaged the anti-gravity thrusters to slow their descent. They passed over lilac oceans, green savannahs, and barren deserts, eventually landing off a peninsula in an inland sea in the city of Malaka. Malaka was much drier than Pyrana. Short olive-like trees dotted the city. Hills and cliffs were common in the seaside city. When they landed, it was a beautiful spring day. The binary suns, the yellow star Makas and the red dwarf Cykos, were high in the sky. They climbed out through the bottom hatch of the Blue Falcon onto the storage platform, then made it through customs without incident, and were met by a woman in a long black and white striped skirt and a green tank top. She had fair skin, light brown hair, and green eyes
"Hey! Tom and Ky! Over here!" she called to them using their aliases.
"Ella, nice to see you!" Thra smiled.
Ella led them out of the (airport?) and the trio ducked into her slick silver flying car. When they were settled, she asked, "You both have your fake ID's and passports, right?"
"We've had them since Torr," Thra confirmed.
"Good. We have a safe house near the outskirts of town, in a neighborhood filled with other Gai'ri. You'll be in good hands."
"Thank you, Ella," Arzan imparted. "You are serving the cause well."
"No, thank you General. You have brought hope to us after Gaios."
After an hour of driving, they arrived at a town built into a steep hill overlooking the ocean. The houses and businesses were built of stone with dark green plasticine roofs. The streets were too narrow for cars, so they parked at the bottom of the hill and walked up. It was late afternoon, so most people were at work, save for a few tourists exploring it. They finally reached a townhouse that was built into the hillside, and Ella let them in.
"I'm back!" she called, adding, "with guests."
"Mommy! You're back!" a young boy ran down the stairs and jumped into Ella's arms. He looked to be around 5 years old.
She laughed and said, "Oh you little munchkin, you, it's good to see you! Now where are you father and sister?"
"Daddy and Lena went to get food. Grandma's in the kitchen."
"I'm here now, I'm here," a healthy and strong looking elderly woman hummed as she came into the hallway. She was short, with curly grey hair and green eyes that matched her daughter's. "Welcome friends, it's an honor to have you in our home. My name is Jala." She introduced herself and smiled.
Arzan replied, "Aya, thank you for hosting us," remembering to use the polite Gai'ri term for a female elder.
"It is my pleasure. Now, would you like some tea? You must be tired after that long trip."
"Yes, tea would be wonderful, thank you."
"I will take some as well," Thra answered.
"Good. Tom, do you have a moment," she asked, leading Arzan into the kitchen.
When they were away from the child, she explained, "General, a message came in yesterday. A Sector 6 agent is working with the Pyrana PD. They have found what remains of the body of David Hanto. Colonel Lyla says that everything is under control and going according to plan."
"Good. Any word on O'Sullivan and Lee?"
"They have not found the key yet."
"Give them time. They'll find it all right. We just have to get it before the government gets to it. And then EKLA will bring victory and pride back to our people. We will return from this exile to our fallen kingdom."
The two detectives met outside the Red Dragon at precisely the time agreed upon.
"Rough night?" Marjorie asked, eyeing Daniel while they were waiting
"Yeah," he replied tiredly. "I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep."
"Hey Daniel?"
"Yeah?"
"Remember the night I was so high that I threw the microwave out of the window?"
"Yeah."
"Remember how you told me that I needed to go to rehab when I was sober the next day? I'm returning the favor now. Go see someone about your sleep. I'm concerned about you."
"Ok."
"I mean it. Don't just ok me."
"I'll make the appointment today or tomorrow."
"Good."
At that moment, a hovercar with bright red peeling paint pulled up.
"Good to see that you two are here," Kita greeted them while getting out of the car. "This is my younger brother, Riku."
"Heyyy! Hey there! I've heard about you two," a young man of about 22 announced excitedly. He was tall with dark hair tied up into a bun and amber-gold eyes. "You helped my best friend's grandma find her cat! And busted the Slitheen drug runners! At the same time! What!"
"Wonderful, a fan," Marjorie lamented sarcastically. She had a love-hate relationship with recognition.
"Anyways, the car is all packed and ready to go. You can put your packs in the trunk," Kita said. They loaded everything into the red flying car and took off above the city. Traffic at this time was not as horrendous as it normally was. They were able to get on Highway 76 without a problem, soaring over the city until the exit for Mona Pyorra.
"Have you all ever visited the ancient Imperial ruins in the caldera?" Riku asked. The ancient Imperial capital was built in the caldera of the extinct volcano.
"A while back," Daniel answered.
"Yes," Marjorie responded.
"It's pretty amazing. I got to go on a dig up there once. It was really cool!"
"You're double majoring in archaeology and computer science with a minor in history," Marjorie intuited.
"Yeah. Wow you really are sharp."
"That's one way to put it."
They finally parked about 3/4ths of the way up the mountain near one of the many trails in the preserve.
"The entrance is about a quarter mile up the mountain from here. It won't take long to get there," Kita informed them.
They began their trek through the rainforest to the caves. Enormous trees crowded around the trail, reaching up to the sky. The dense canopy darkened the sunlight. Giant ferns and smaller trees dominated the understory, while vines crept up into the taller trees. Flowers of all colors dotted the foliage. Carnivorous plants with pitchers large enough to hold a medium sized dog gaped hungrily for food. In the treetops six-armed ape-like creatures swung from tree to tree, hooting at a snake-like reptile with small legs. Salamanders crawled on logs searching for the many diverse insects that made their home in the forest. Pterodactyl-like reptiles roosted in the treetops.
"No birds," Marjorie observed. That was perhaps the most alien quality about the forest.
"They all died in the cataclysm," Riku explained. "I've always wanted to see one in the wild. I've only seen them in the zoo,"
They finally came to a rocky overhang above them that a tree was growing on. Thick roots twisted and turned down the side over their heads.
"Ok, here we go, helmets on," Kita directed.
They reached into their backpacks and pulled out climbing helmets with headlamps on them. Kita took the lead, showing them where to squeeze through a break in the roots and into the cave. It was damp and dark. Drops of water kept falling from the roof of the cave onto our group.
"This leg will continue until we reach the Secret River. From there we'll go to The Domain of the Dead. The Beach room is a few chambers over," Kita informed them.
"The Domain of the Dead. That doesn't sound morbid at all," Daniel halfway joked.
"Wait 'til you see it. Anyways, there's one last thing I need to do."
Kita took out a lighter and lit the flame. After a whiff of sour grapes, some of the rocks in the ceiling began to glow red.
"They're reacting with the byproducts of the pyrzonium flame," Marjorie observed. The smell of sour grapes was a dead giveaway. "I've never seen anything like it."
"There are a lot of things down below that are nearly unthinkable on the surface, " Kita said darkly"
The tunnel started out like a normal cave, but as they went further and further cut stones and ancient writing began to line the walls..
"Ancient High Imperial!" Riku pointed out. He immediately grabbed his phone and booted up the translational software, which translated from the Ancient High Imperial characters to the letters of the Nu language that was spoken in the modern Phoenician Union. ""We're all gonna die. Bad Wolf. Ru was here. The circle is broken.""
"The circle is broken?" Marjorie asked
"Yeah, that's what it says."
"Do you know what that means?"
"Well there are a lot of different theories behind it, but, basically, we don't know."
"What theories?" she inquired.
"So the ancient cultures of the era believed that time was cyclical instead of linear. That events happened over and over again. Well, something broke a cycle. The most popular theory is that the cataclysm broke the crop, ocean, and weather cycles. But some think that a person-a king, or someone of importance-was killed and the ancestral lines stopped. Most likely the Archipelagan lords, since the last of them died in the outbreak during the Cataclysm. But some scholars think that there was another, more important person who died."
"Interesting,"
"Hey, come look at this," Daniel pointed to a black mark that was in the shape of a flame.
"Fire," replied Kita "You'll see that a lot down here."
"The Imperials practically revered fire," Riku explained. "It was central to their culture. They believed that Ri were forged from fire deep underground, that it was the source of life itself, before the first Ri crawled out of the mud. The grad student I worked with in my research did his dissertation on fire symbolism among the Ancient Imperials."
They walked along the passage until they came to a lava tube with water rushing down it. Cool mist wafted upwards.
"There's a steel cable that was rigged up here a long time ago. You're gonna have to clip yourselves onto it and walk on the side," Kita directed them.
There was good reason for the cable. The path on the side of the tube was very narrow. Eventually they reached a dryer tunnel that forked off the river tube. This one was lined with skulls and bones, much like the catacombs of Paris. They walked for about another 10 minutes until they came to an enormous cavern.
"Welcome to the Domain of the Dead," Kita announced in a hushed voice. In the center of the room was a large lake with hundreds of perfectly preserved dead bodies floating in it just beneath the surface. Daniel walked gingerly up to the edge. They were dressed in intricate robes with red, black, and gold, the colors of the Imperials. On their arms and faces were dark purple bruises, a telltale symptom of the necroma virus. My own body was somewhere in that pool.
"How long have these people been here?" Daniel asked.
"About 5000 years," Kita replied. "They're Imperials. Wealthy ones. All the poor people were burned in mass graves. The wealthy people were dumped here until someone could bury them. The only problem was that there was nobody left to bury them."
"They're necroma victims. What a horrible way to go. I guess that many of these people drowned in their own blood. Their organs are probably soup."
"And that is exactly why nobody has moved the bodies and why it is very illegal for us to be here," she grinned darkly.
Marjorie was on the other side of the cave. She was examining an almost equally grotesque sight: a skeleton of a large and long-extinct avian-like species was propped up on a throne made of bones.
Kita walked over and read, "Here's the King of the Dead."
"Intriguing," Marjorie noted. She then walked behind the macabre setup to look at the wall behind it, which had thousands upon thousands of names written on it. "And what is this?"
"People write the names of their lost loved ones here."
Daniel came up and chimed in, "Ok, I know you two seem to be enjoying this, but this place is giving me the creeps. Let's keep moving."
And so they did. The beach room was a few tunnels over. When they got there it was a medium-sized cavern with a still glowing blue lake. The blue light cast shadows on the walls.
"So this is it," Kita announced. "This is the beach room. He said that there was a message in here."
Marjorie began to search the room, but could not find anything obvious. It was Daniel who found the first clue. He noticed a slightly darker patch of rock on the wall, so he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned it.
"Hey look at this!" Something was burned into the wall. He then took a spherical, palm-sized holoprojector out of his backpack and set it to project on the burn markings on the wall. He then started walking backwards until the water of the lake was up to his knees to get a better look at the markings.
"What does this even mean?" Daniel questioned.
"What does it say?" Kita asked.
"It just says, 'DOCTOR, HELP.' Question is, Doctor who?"
"Daniel, throw me the sonic screwdriver!" Marjorie said. He obliged, and she caught the red and silver instrument and soniced the markings again. "They're 5000 years old," she marveled.
"What?" Daniel asked. "That can't be right. The message is written in English!"
"That doesn't make any sense," Kita remarked. "English wasn't even a thing back then."
"That can only mean one thing then," Marjorie deduced. "Time travel. Whoever wrote this message was a time traveler."
"What?" Daniel and Kita chorused, in equal disbelief.
"This is evidence of time travel. Question is, has the message reached this Doctor, and if not, how will it?"
Suddenly Riku came in the room. "Oh wow that's cool!" He pulled out his phone and said in a singsong voice, "This is going on Instagram!"
"That might just be our answer," Marjorie noted.
"Can we just rewind to the part where you said time travel?" Daniel broke in.
"Yes, I said time travel. Time travel is real."
Daniel came out of the water and walked up to Marjorie and whispered to her. "Time travel is real?"
"Yes, time travel is real," she whispered back. Kita and Riku watched the exchange in fascination.
"You can't be serious."
"Serious as a heart attack."
"You're messing with me."
"No I'm not."
"It goes against the laws of physics."
"Depends on the physics you're using."
"So this is real?"
"It is," she said, steadying him with a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me."
"Ok. So time travel is a thing," Daniel said. He straightened up. "So exactly who wrote the message?"
"Anonymous did," Riku pointed out.
"What?"
"No, literally, it was Anonymous. My translation software on my phone is translating the Ancient High Imperial right beneath it to Nu. It literally translates to Anonymous, or Nobody. Your man or woman here is Nameless."
"And so the plot thickens," Marjorie mused. "We have a nameless time-traveling messenger and a nameless doctor, who may also be a time traveler. The messenger, who was probably from High Imperial times, may have become stuck in the past, and saw everything fall to pieces. So they try and get in touch with this Doctor for help."
"So what about Luke?" Kita asked. "He discovered this too. Why would it get him killed?"
"Time travel would be a powerful thing," Daniel noted. "Maybe he found a way to do it and somebody else wanted it."
"Or maybe somebody already messed with the past and doesn't want it to be found out," Riku hypothesized.
"All intriguing theories, but we'll need to get more evidence. We've done all we can here. I'll need time to think this through," Marjorie commented. And so they left the cave.
Ella's husband Hugh and their daughter Jula arrived in the afternoon with groceries. They had a nice dinner, with a main dish of a pork-like meat, hanta grain with a green sauce and bean-like vegetables on top. Dessert was a bread pudding like mixture with red arana berries from the countryside. After the children went up to bed, Arzan began to talk.
"Again, thank you for letting us stay at your home."
"We would do anything for the cause. It is an honor to have you here," Jala replied, smiling widely.
"If only more Gai'ri families were like yours."
"It's a shame that many of our brothers and sisters have become so…comfortable," she agreed.
"They have forgotten the sting of defeat and the pains of war. They have been placated by lies. But soon enough we will expose the truth, and there is nothing our oppressors will be able to do to suppress it. I myself am a living testament to their inability to control the truth."
"So is it true then?" Ella asked. "What they say about you?"
"Yes, it is true. I am a time traveler. I was born in the midst of the Global War 5019 years ago. The powers that be ensured that I fell through the cracks of time and space to Saraba. I will rain terror on the descendants of that nation which almost destroyed my people. Vengeance will be mine."
