Visit To A Lost World
DISCLAIMER: This story is based upon the series, Charmed, that was created by Constance M. Burge. All Charmed characters are the property of Spelling Productions. All Lost World characters are the property of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Estate. The Necronomicon and all related matter is inspired by the writings of H. P. Lovecraft.
For hundreds of years, Warlocks were forced to live under the oppressive regime of their Demonic overlords. Kept in virtual slavery, Warlocks were forced to carry out missions at the command of said Demons, no matter how suicidal those missions were. Many of those missions involved going after the witches known as the Charmed Ones. If a Warlock failed in the task, he and/or she were punished severely for that failure. However, a group of dissident Warlocks, called The Insurgents, soon arose. Led by the Warlocks known as Rex Buckland and Hannah Webster, The Insurgents aims were to overthrow the Demons, which would result in the freedom of all Warlocks. Ironically, it was the Charmed Ones that finally dealt the blow the Warlocks had been fighting for. In the aftermath of the Ultimate Battle, that decimated the Underworld leadership, the Warlocks were finally able to launch a successful revolution that finally threw off the chains of Demon oppression. After centuries of slavery, the Warlocks were finally free to choose their own destiny.
However, their were some Demons who were determined to re-establish control over the Underworld, by any means possible. Rex Buckland and Hannah Webster were now in pursuit of one of those Demons...
THE PLACE: A SECRET PLATEAU: SOUTH AMERICA
THE TIME: MAY 23, 2008 (RELATIVELY SPEAKING)
Rex Buckland stood by the tent and took in the jungle nearby. "Amazing." he said to himself. "I've heard of this Plateau, but I never thought I would get to visit it. It's just like what the book described." In his hand, Rex held a copy of a hardcover book.
"What were you saying, Rex?" Hannah Webster said as she emerged from the tent. She and Rex had arrived at this location only a short time ago.
"Just commenting on the Plateau, Hannah. Many have come here over the centuries, but few ever returned to the outside world again. This is history, where dinosaurs still flourish, it's incredible. The author of this book sure wasn't kidding when he wrote about this place."
"Still we mustn't lose sight of why we are here." Hannah said as she looked around. "Are you sure he's here."
"Yes, I am." replied Rex, putting the book back into the backpack he had on. "He has to be here, because it is here, somewhere, and we have to get to it before he does, or all is lost."
"I know..." Hannah began and then cocked her head. "Someone is coming, in fact I think it may be two or three people."
"Well then I think we should find out just who it is, before we say hello." Rex said. "Okay, Hannah, get ready."
"Sometimes it seems that we have been on this Plateau forever." Edward "Ned" Malone said as he, Lord John Roxton, and Professor George Edward Challenger, trudged through the think jungle.
"True, but it's been only three years." Challenger replied. "Just think how we have advanced the course of science. When we get back to London, the scientific community will be up in arms."
"Let's just get back to the tree house first." Roxton said as he led the way. "Marguerite and Veronica will be getting worried about us." The three men had been out in the jungle for two days now, looking for a rare plant, which Challenger claimed would help cure cancer. As always, Challenger was raring to go, and had roped Roxton and Malone into accompanying him. After having combed what seemed like half the Plateau, they had finally found samples of Challenger's plant and were now heading home.
"Yeah, I can't wait." Malone said. "I hope that..." he broke off when he spotted something at a nearby lake.
"Malone? What is it?" Roxton asked, seeing how intense the young journalist was staring at the lake.
"We're not alone here. Look at that." replied Malone and pointed to a spot beside the lake. A tent and some camping equipment were there, equipment none of the men had ever seen before.
"Well why don't we see who our mysterious visitors are." Roxton said and led the three of them towards the campsite. The tent was made of a plastic material that seemed strange to look at. "What the hell is this made of?" Roxton said as he touched the tent.
"I don't know, but..." Challenger began and then broke off as a black panther came out of the bushes and advanced on the three men.
"Everybody back!" Roxton yelled and cocked his rifle, ready to shoot the panther dead if it came any closer. "Right." Roxton said and raised his rifle.
"No! Wait!" A new voice cried out. Suddenly, a well dressed man stepped out of the tent. The man was young, dark haired, and had a British accent. "That is not necessary." The man then turned and addressed the panther. "That's enough, Hannah. These men are harmless."
"Hannah?" Roxton muttered under his breath, wondering if the stranger before them had gone insane. Suddenly, the black panther morphed into a young red-haired woman. "What the hell?" Roxton said with astonishment.
"Forgive me." The man said. "Hannah and I have made some enemies, and we didn't want to take any chances. My name is Rex Buckland and this is Hannah Webster." he indicated the young woman.
"Lord John Roxton." Roxton said. "This is Professor George Challenger, and the young man here is Ned Malone."
"Malone? Edward Malone?" Rex asked suddenly.
"That's right, but most people call me Ned." Malone replied. "Do you know me? Because I don't recall ever meeting you."
"Let's just say that I have heard about you." Rex replied slowly.
"Didn't think I was that well known." Malone muttered to himself.
"Now if you two don't mind." Roxton interjected. "I would like to know just who and what you're doing here."
"That is somewhat of a story." Rex said. "However, if you three will indulge us, we'll try and bring you up to speed."
A while later, Rex and Hannah had finished telling their story to the astonished trio of explorers. "Now let me get this straight." Challenger said. "You two are Warlocks, and your leaders were Demons? You came from the Underworld?"
"That's right." Hannah said.
"You mean like Hell?" Malone said. "Are they the same place?"
"Yes in some ways, no in others." Rex replied. "It's too long and complicated to get into right now."
"Anyway." Challenger resumed. "The leader of this Underworld, the Source, sent the two of you to procure the powers of three witches known as the Charmed Ones, but you failed. For that failure, the two of you were punished."
"Yes." Rex said. "It was during that punishment that Hannah and I realized that serving the Source was nothing more than slavery, and we found many a Warlock who felt the same way. Soon we were able to organize ourselves into a group, which we called The Insurgents."
"Our aims were to free our people, the Warlocks, from the oppressive rule of the Source and his Demons, and make a new life for ourselves. However, we found that harder to do than we thought. Even when the Source was destroyed, there were always others to replace him." Hannah said, taking up the story. "Ironically, it was our former enemies, the Charmed Ones, that actually did the job for us."
"What do you mean?" asked Malone.
"Two years ago, the Charmed Ones found themselves in what came to be called the Ultimate Battle, which annihilated the last of the Demonic leadership of the Underworld." Rex said. "As a result, the Underworld was thrown into anarchy. It will take them years, if not decades, to reorganize."
"As a result, we were able to launch a revolution that freed our people." Hannah added. "Most of us Warlocks have chosen to begin building a new life, in a another reality, or here on Earth. All we want is a fresh start."
"However, there are some Demons who want nothing more than to re-establish control over us." Rex said with a solemn look on his face. "Like the Demon we are tracking now."
"Just who is this fellow?" Roxton asked slowly.
"His name is Dymond." Rex said. "He used to be a Lower Level Demon. He never really stood out in the old days, however, now that the Demon leadership has been destroyed, Dymond hopes to fill that gap and make himself the new Source. In order to do that, he needs power, lots of power. That is why he is here on the Plateau."
"I don't understand." Malone said. "What could possibly be here that would help this Dymond guy."
"Does the word Necronomicon mean anything to you gentlemen?" Rex asked.
"It means something to me." Challenger said with astonishment. "The Necronomicon is a legendary, ancient book of spells. Those who possess it can use its powers to contact forces of Chaos and Darkness that exist beyond our universe. However, all copies of the book were thought to have been destroyed throughout the centuries." He paused and turned to Rex. "Are you saying that a surviving copy of the Necronomicon is here, somewhere on the Plateau?"
"Yes." Rex said grimly. "This particular copy came into the possession of a cult of Demons, operating in Europe, during the 13th Century. The cult planned to use the book to destroy their enemies, however, a group of good witches tracked the cult down before they could study the Necronomicon in detail, and attacked them. So the Demons used their powers to hide the book here on the Plateau, and planned to return for it later, when it was safe."
"Yet they never did." Roxton said.
"No." Rex replied. "The cult was wiped out before they had a chance to recover the book, so that copy of the Necronomicon has been here on the Plateau, hidden and forgotten, for all these centuries."
"So how did this Dymond character find out about it?" Malone asked.
"As I said, the aftermath of the Ultimate Battle and our subsequent revolution left the Underworld in chaos." Rex said. "I imagine Dymond must have broken into the Source's private vault, where he stumbled upon the information about the Necronomicon. The Source kept records of all such things."
"You understand why Rex and I are here now." Hannah said with urgency in her voice. "If Dymond finds the book and uses its powers, he will grow so powerful that nothing on Earth will be able to stand against him. He will not only rule the Underworld, but Earth as well. He must be stopped at all costs."
"Well you can count on us." Roxton said with determination in his voice. "We'll help you find and stop this character."
"There is one thing I still don't understand." Malone said suddenly. He turned to Rex. "You said you came here to the Plateau in the year 2008."
"That's right." Rex replied.
"But our party came here in 1919." Malone said. "That was three years ago, so now, for us at least, it's 1922. How can both our groups be here at the same time, even though we come from times eighty-six years apart? Am I making sense here?"
"I think you may have figured some of this out already." Rex said. "This Plateau is a nexus point, where many regions of time and space converge. It exists in its own plain of reality, loosely connected to, but shielded from, the planet Earth. How do you think the dinosaurs survived here when they perished everywhere else on Earth? Or why this Plateau has never shown up on satellite shots."
"Satellites?" Malone asked.
"Of course, they are after your time. What I mean to say is that this Plateau is a place partially removed from normal space/time."
"Which may partly explain all the different cultures we have found here." Challenger said. "People from places and times far apart, yet they all live here side-by-side. It's clear that either they, or their ancestors, found their way here and settled the Plateau."
"Well now that we have the crash course on this Plateau done." Hannah said impatiently. "I think it's time we got started. Dymond already has a considerable lead on us."
"Right." Roxton said as he stood up. "Let's move. First I think we should go back to the tree house and fill Marguerite and Veronica in on this." Roxton, Challenger, and Malone waited while Rex and Hannah packed up their camping gear, and then the group moved out.
Miles away, the Demon known as Dymond stood in his own campsite, smiling. I should thank the Charmed Ones. Dymond thought to himself. If they had not destroyed the Demonic leadership, I would not have my chance to become the new Source. Maybe when all this is over, I will drop by and thank them, just before I destroy them! Dymond's thoughts were interrupted as a raptor leapt in front of him. "Hello there." Dymond said to the deadly dinosaur. "Come to eat me, haven't you? Well you are welcome to try!" The raptor charged, but Dymond quickly fired an energy ball that blasted the raptor out of existence. "Stupid lizards! No wonder they became extinct." Dymond said with an evil smile.
"Typical." Marguerite Krux griped. "You and I are stuck here at the tree house, while the men go gallivanting around the Plateau. Next time, we go too."
"I would hardly call gathering some plants gallivanting." Veronica Layton replied. "If you ask me, it sounds rather boring."
"Still I think we should have gone with them." Marguerite said as she walked out onto the balcony and looked down at the clearing. Suddenly, she heard the footsteps of the returning party. "Well speak of the devil, here they are now."
"Hmmmm, it looks like we have guests." Veronica, who had also come out onto the balcony, said as she spotted Rex and Hannah. "I wonder who those two are?"
About an hour later, after a quick meal, Rex and Hannah had brought Marguerite and Veronica up to speed on what was going on. "So if you two got onto the Plateau, doesn't that mean you can get off again?" asked Marguerite.
"Yes, we can." replied Rex. "Hannah and I can leave the same way we got here. After this is over, if any of you want to come with us, we are willing to take you."
"Why do I feel a 'but' coming on?" Marguerite said, reading between the lines.
"The reason being is that the way we came will take us to the world of our time, 2008, not your time." Hannah said, replying to Marguerite's question. "If you come with us, you will find yourselves in a world in which more than eighty years have elapsed."
"We are not saying that you can't make the adjustment." Rex added. "Yet, consider that everyone you know in your time will probably be dead in 2008."
"Clearly this is a decision we can't take lightly." Challenger said. "We'll need to think about this."
"Right now all we need to think about is stopping Dymond from finding the Necronomicon." Rex said, looking around at the group. "If we don't, they may not be a world for ANY of us to return to."
"So how do we do it?" Malone asked. "This is a pretty big Plateau. This guy could be anywhere."
"I can use my astral projection powers to locate him." Rex replied.
"Astral projection?" Challenger asked. "You actually have that ability?"
"Yes, I have."
"Well this is incredible." Challenger said with astonishment. "I've heard of this power, but I've never met anyone who can do it."
"It comes in handy from time to time." Rex said and got up from his chair. "I'll just find somewhere private so I can concentrate." With that, Rex headed for the balcony.
"I was wondering about this Necronomicon." Marguerite said suddenly. "If it is as rare as you said it was, then surely it would bring in a lot of money. I was wondering..."
"Forget it, Marguerite!" Roxton said suddenly. "You are not going to take that book and sell it. From what Rex and Hannah have told us, it is too dangerous."
"Lord Roxton is right." Hannah added. "The Necronomicon can be a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands. It must be found and destroyed."
"Destroyed! Surely not!" Marguerite said and turned to Challenger for support. "Surely a scientist like you would want to see this book for yourself."
"Sorry, Marguerite, but I'm with Hannah on this one." Challenger said slowly. "There are some barriers we were not meant to cross. This sounds like one of them."
"I suppose you two feel the same way." Marguerite said, turning to Veronica and Malone. Both nodded their heads. "Fine." Marguerite said, folding her arms. "You can't blame a girl for trying."
"There is something I have been wondering." Hannah said suddenly. "When Rex and I told you our story, about being Warlocks and all that, none of you seemed a bit surprised. Why is that?"
"Believe me." Roxton said with a smile. "After three years on this Plateau, having seen what we have seen, nothing surprises us anymore!"
Meanwhile, out on the balcony, Rex had gone into his trance and soon his astral self was hurtling over the Plateau, looking for Dymond. After about five minutes, Astral-Rex spotted movement in the jungle below and floated down for a look. Sure enough, there was Dymond, trudging along with a determined look on his face. Astral-Rex made a note of where Dymond seemed to be heading, for a group of snow capped mountains in the distance. With that information, Astral-Rex returned to his body.
"I know of those mountains." Veronica said, once Rex had filled the group in on what his astral self had witnessed. "They are about five miles north of here."
"Well then we'd better get moving." Roxton said and began to arm himself with his rifle.
"I should point out that conventional weapons will have no effect. Warlocks and Demons are immune to bullets." Rex warned.
"That may be so." Roxton said, nodding his head. "Still I would feel safer with my gun handy."
"Very well."
"Well if there is nothing else to be said, let's move out." Roxton said and the group began to organize for the journey.
The trip through the jungle was uneventful, so Malone decided to pump Rex for some information. "I'm curious about something."
"What?" Rex asked.
"Well if you are from the future, then you must know what became of us, the Challenger Expedition, I mean. Did we ever make it back to civilization?"
"Do you really want to know?" Rex asked when he realized what Malone was asking of him. "Do you really want to know the future?"
"Well it would be nice to know that we won't be spending the rest of our lives on this Plateau." Malone replied.
"True, but the future is very tricky." Rex pointed out. "Every decision made, every choice taken, changes it. If I told that none of you made it back, you would always wonder about the next time you got in danger, if this is when you were destined to die. On the other hand, I could tell you that you all make it back to civilization, and that could be just as dangerous. You could make a rash decision, thinking that you will make it back home alive and could get yourself, or the others of your party, killed."
"So what you are saying is that even though you could tell us whether we make it or not, you're not going to."
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Malone." Rex told the young journalist. "You see, what is the present to you is the past to me. I can't risk changing history."
"You know all this sounds like something I heard from an author I interviewed years ago." Malone said with a small smile. "You may have heard of him, his name is H.G. Wells..."
Meanwhile, some miles ahead, Dymond had reached the mountains and now stood before the entrance to a cave. Unless I am mistaken, this is it! the Demon thought with glee as he entered the cave. Soon I will have the power to rebuild the glory of the Underworld! After more than an hour of wandering through seemingly endless tunnels, Dymond had finally found the chamber he was looking for. It was carved out of the caves around it, and it had an alter in the center. As Dymond approached the alter, he saw a very old book resting on it. "That must be it!" The Demon chuckled as he picked up the book. It was old and fragile, but still readable. Dymond then noticed some words carved into the cave wall beyond the alter. Moving closer to see what they said, Dymond read the following.
THAT IS NOT DEAD MAY ETERNAL LIE,
AND WITH STRANGE AEONS EVEN DEATH MAY DIE
Dymond smiled when he read the inscription. "That confirms it! I have it! I have the Necronomicon! Now the Underworld, all worlds, will belong to me! I will be ever more powerful than all the previous Source's put together! HA! HA! HA!"
Rex, Hannah, and the Challenger party had finally reached the mountains and had spotted the cave. "Looks like we're here." Rex said to the others.
"I don't see Dymond." Hannah said as she watched the cave. "I guess he must have already gone inside."
"Well then we have to go after him." Rex said as he started towards the cave. "We don't have any time to..." he broke off as Dymond emerged from the cave, carrying the Necronomicon in his hand. "Uh, oh. This does not look good." Rex said, under his breath.
"You're too late, Buckland!" Dymond shouted triumphantly and held up the old book for all to see. "The Necronomicon, and all its secrets, are mine! Soon I will become the new Source, and nothing will stop me! Not you, not the Charmed Ones, not anyone!"
"Dymond, listen to me." Rex began. "You don't know what you're dealing with. The Necronomicon could unleash powers greater than anyone realizes. You could destroy us all."
"Nonsense, this is magic, like everything else." Dymond countered. "It can be controlled, I WILL control it."
"Yes, and then what?" Hannah asked. "You'll put us Warlocks all in chains like we were before the revolution that freed us?"
"What revolution!?" sneered Dymond. "The only reason you traitors got free was because the Charmed Ones destroyed all of the Demonic leadership!"
"That may have been the catalyst." Rex shot back. "However, the revolution was a long time in coming. We Warlocks will no longer bow to the will of Demons. We have earned our right to choose our own destiny."
"Oh yeah? Well we'll soon see about that!" Dymond declared, holding up the Necronomicon.
"Okay, that's enough!" Roxton said as he raised his rifle and pointed it at Dymond. "Why don't you just put that book down and back away."
"Go ahead and fire away!" Dymond said, not even bothering to hide the contempt in his voice. "Surely Buckland told you that your weapons cannot harm me."
"True." Roxton replied. "But then who said anything about shooting you." With that, Roxton fired his rifle right where he had been aiming for, the Necronomicon. The bullets blasted into the old book and blew it to pieces.
"Wha...?" Dymond asked with astonishment as he watched the shredded remains of the book blow away in the wind.
"Well done, Lord Roxton!" Rex said. "Excellent shot!"
"What a waist." Marguerite said, under her breath, still thinking of the money the Necronomicon could have brought them.
"CURSE YOU ALL!" Dymond shrieked. "YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!"
"That's enough, Dymond." Rex said. "It's over. Why don't you give up."
"Never!" Dymond said, regaining his self control. "You may have destroyed this copy of the Necronomicon, but there are other copies somewhere, and I'll find them! However, none of you will live to stop me!" With that statement, Dymond conjured up an energy ball and hurled it at Roxton.
"Look out!" Malone shouted and shoved Roxton to the ground. The energy ball passed harmlessly over them and blasted into a nearby rock.
"What the hell was that?" Roxton asked, picking himself up.
"Your death!" Dymond said and began to conjure another ball. However, before he could hurl it, Rex quickly produced a dagger from his backpack and hurled it at Dymond. The dagger thudded into Dymond's chest. For a few second, nothing happened, but then Dymond seemed to burst into flames. "No! This can't be happening!" the Demon shrieked. "I am destined for greatness! I am..." Dymond got no further as he suddenly exploded into a puff of black smoke and disappeared.
"I don't get it." Malone said and turned to Rex. "I thought you said normal weapons wouldn't work."
"They wouldn't." Rex replied. "However, the Dagger of Hagroth is hardly a normal weapon. It is one of the few weapons made by a human that is capable of killing a Demon. It's a long story." Rex slowly picked up the dagger and returned it to his backpack.
"Looks like our work here is done." Hannah said slowly.
Some time later, the group was heading back towards the tree house, when Rex and Hannah stopped. "Well this is where we part company." Rex said to the Challenger Expedition. "The route Hannah and I will take back to our world lies in another direction. My offer remains if any of you want to come with us."
"I think I can speak for all of us." Challenger said. "I think that you two belong in your time, and we belong in ours."
"I agree." Roxton said. "Our own world, with our friends and family, is still waiting for us. We have to try and get back to them."
"I thought you would see it that way." Rex said. Good-byes were quickly exchanged, and soon Rex and Hannah turned and headed off into the jungle.
"Well I guess that's that." Roxton said after a few minutes.
"Still, you have to admit the visiting the future would have been interesting." Malone said. "It would have made a heck of an article!"
"I wish we could have learned more from them." Challenger commented. "I am especially curious about these Charmed Ones. From a scientists viewpoint, meeting them could be very interesting."
"Ah, George." Roxton said, clapping Challenger on the back. "Once a scientist, always a scientist." Soon the group resumed their trip back to the tree house.
"Well, Rex, you took quite a chance, asking if any of them would come with us." Hannah pointed out as she and Rex headed towards the route home.
"I know." replied Rex. "Yet, I knew they would decline. After all, it's part of history." With that, Rex pulled out the book he had shown Hannah just after they had arrived on the Plateau. The book was titled The Lost World. A Detailed Account, the author of said book being one Edward "Ned" Malone. "It was all in this book, Hannah. The adventures they had here, and at the end, the way they finally made it back to their own world. Quite ingenious, if you ask me. The book also mentions whom they ended up marrying."
"I was wondering, are we mentioned in that book?" Hannah asked. "If Mr. Malone wrote a detailed account of their time here, surely he would have mentioned us."
"Why, Hannah, what do you think brought us here to begin with?" Rex said and smiled at the look on Hannah's face.
"You mean?" Hannah asked with astonishment.
"Yes, it's right here." Rex said as he opened the book. "Chapter Fifteen tells about two strangers, calling themselves Rex Buckland and Hannah Webster, who came to the Plateau to stop a Demon called Dymond from finding the Necronomicon. It was all pre-destined to happen."
"You mean you knew what was going to happen all along? Hannah asked. "Rex, that's incredible!"
"Yes, I did. However, Hannah, if you were in any danger, I would have told you." Rex said as he placed his hands on her cheeks. "You know what you mean to me."
"Of course." Hannah replied. "So what happens now."
"Now, Hannah, we go home." Rex said. "As to what happens after that, well who can say. Perhaps tomorrow will bring another adventure our way. One never knows. Let's go." The two Warlocks resumed their journey through the jungle, towards home, and whatever adventures may lay beyond.
THE END, FOR NOW THAT IS