Warning: There is some implied domestic abuse in this chapter.
Cassie Drake: A seasoned treasure hunter with the exclusive ability to carry a paranormal crystal skull.
Omaria Al-Bashir: A strong-body Egyptologist and close friend to Cassie.
Jamal Majok: An inactive Overlord agent operating in Sudan.
Alicia Bannon: An inactive CIA agent.
Winston Johnson: A British militia leader.
Extended Summary
Cassie Drake has finally recovered from her terminal illness one month ago and now she is back in the field. As if this dangerous life couldn't escape her, she becomes tangled in a plot involving Overlord agents, the CIA, and the British militia. A crystal skull has been found in Africa with ties to an ancient god said to have created the earth. Cassie is stuck between a rock and a hard place and she can't afford to play it recklessly; she made a promise to her son and husband that she would be home in time for her son's first birthday in one piece. Can Cassie play three different groups at the same time without putting herself or her friend in danger?
Chapter 1: Talking
It is at least 3,600 years old and according to legend, it was used by the High Priest of the Maya when he was performing esoteric rites. It is said that when he willed death with the help of the skull, death invariably followed.
F.A. Mitchell-Hedges, about Crystal Skulls
1926
April 2040
Maui, Hawaii
Cassie couldn't exactly put her finger on it. One minute, Derek was having a good time playing with his son, and then the next minute, his smile vanished and he puts barely any energy into playing with his son. Cassie had noticed this trend in his behavior ever since she got out of the hospital a month ago. Despite the joy Derek felt after healing her, that joy was getting short and short-lived with each passing day. She was going to get to the bottom of this.
After distracting Evan with his favorite Goldfish crackers, Cassie sat down on the couch next to her husband. She didn't want to put him in an awkward spot but it was time to talk about it now before it all came to a head.
"What's going on?" Cassie asked quickly. "What's got you so upset?"
Derek looked at her, avoiding eye contact and looking at the ground. "It's nothing."
Cassie scoffs before looking ahead. "Remember when we were little and we told each other that if we got married, we wouldn't divorce?"
"Yeah, I remember. But that was when we were fourth graders."
"We still pinky swore on it. Well, I've been looking up ways how couples can improve their relationship and I came across one common source: communication. Obviously, something is going on with you and I want you to talk to me about it."
"What difference does it make?"
"D-Man, communication is key. You and I have found dozens of keys over the years so let's focus on the keys to our hearts for a change. Come on, let's talk like a recently married loving couple would."
"There's nothing to talk about."
Cassie sits up. "Hey, there being nothing to talk about is something to talk about. Come on, hubby, talk to me. I really want to know what's got you so upset." If I can throw some ridiculous questions at him, then he'll be forced to answer and I'm hoping he gives an honest answer so we can start something. "Is it me? Is it the fact that I ate the last waffle this morning? Or the fact that I whistle Evan's favorite tune instead of singing it? Or the fact that I got three parking tickets this year alone?"
Derek looked at her. "You got three parking tickets?!"
"I consider that to be an improvement; so far, this year, I have only gotten parking tickets and not speeding tickets."
"Oh my god, even with our son being born you are still a horrible driver."
"Unlike you, I'm working on it."
"I am trying to work on it," Derek suddenly snapped. "I've been trying to work on it for a month now but no matter what ideas I come up with... I..."
Cassie scoots clsoer to him. "What's going on, Derek? What are you trying to work on? I can help you; two is better than one. Do you need help painting? Is it with work or-"
"You almost died," Derek told her, "you almost died. You almost died in the hospital; you were coughing up blood!"
Cassie reels back. "That wasn't your fault; the doctors said that-"
"The doctors didn't know anything? Whatever you had was so rare and unknown to the point that no amount of antibiotics or pills could help you. They gave up on you and decided that you were going to die. That curse from the Confederate gold, I picked up a cursed gold coin and cursed you."
"No, it was the blood from the Lemurians," Cassie rebutted. "I got some blood in my eye and I got the infection from them."
"That makes no sense? The way the doctor described the way your infection was transmitted, how it can't be passed on yet you contracted it from something proves that they didn't know what they were talking about. You were going to die and it took me finding the Golden Fleece to save your life. That gold coin, anyone who took a cursed Confederate coin ended up having their families die of some kind of illness. And then they would die too."
"Derek, you saved me' that's all that matters."
"I shouldn't have had to save you in the first place. I never should've put you in danger." A tear escaped him. "I almost made Evan motherless. I almost made Evan like his grandfather."
"But you didn't; you saved me. I'm grateful for that. Is this the only reason you were kicking yourself around for the past month?"
"I thought about a few things," Derek admitted, "I thought that maybe... you and Evan would be better off if... I..."
"Don't," Cassie quickly shut down. "Don't ever think that shit is okay with me." Her voice increased in volume as she continued to speak. "If you think that Evan and I are going to be better off without you then you are stupid. I'm sorry if I'm using harsh language but it's the truth."
Derek looked at her.
"You think you're a horrible man for believing you put your wife and son in danger for something you're not one hundred percent sure you did and you think that your solution is to abandon them? I'm sorry but if you think that abandoning your family is a good thing then you are an asshole. You made a vow to me so it should mean something. I made a vow to you so it should mean something. You are Evan's father and Evan deserves a father. If you're so worried about leaving because you're a bad person, then why not stay and be a good person?"
"But you two would be alive and well," Derek said softly, "and you wouldn't have to worry about any curse I may have brought on you."
"For better or worse," she reminds him, "in sickness and health, for richer or poor; that's what our favorite Catholic priest told us to repeat when we got married. If you leave right now, then your Golden Fleece adventure will have been for nothing. That promise we made to have Evan live a normal life despite our lives being abnormal won't ever come true." She paused. "What will it take for you to stay?"
Derek couldn't answer on time.
"Evan's birthday," Cassie answered for him. "Evan's birthday is coming up. If nothing happens to me or Evan for the next two weeks, if Evan lives to see his first birthday, then you have to stay. How does that sound?"
Derek looked at Evan before returning his gaze to Cassie. "If you and Evan aren't in any danger by Evan's birthday, then... I'll stay."
Cassie smiled. "Thank you; that's all I ever ask for you. I don't want Evan or me to lose you. Do you promise to stay if we make it to Evan's birthday?"
"I will," Derek vowed. "I promise to stay here and watch him grow up but... this fear is-"
"Of course," Cassie interrupted, "your feelings, they won't go away immediately so we'll work through them. I promise." She carefully wrapped her arms around Derek's shoulders. "Derek, I promise that we'll work through this... together. And if it helps change your mind, I have a dig in South Sudan to go to so you can spend more time with Evan and bond with him."
"Yes," Derek said without hesitating, "I like that idea."
"I promise to come back in one piece."
"Pinky promise?"
"Pinky promise."
Chapter 2: Non-Lethal
South Sudan
Cassie struggled to get to her feet. It seemed like she was struggling a lot these days. When she picked herself up, she tripped again. The sand at her feet was doing her much good in trying to keep her footing but there wasn't really much to do.
The city was in sight and had it not been for her horse abandoning her, she would've made it in less than ten minutes. She made it to the city in five minutes and when she saw the first car past her, she groaned and rested her hands on her knees.
She looked at her wristwatch. "Damn it, so close."
It seems that ever since her son had been born, some of the strength she built up in her adventuring years had abandoned her.
Omaria jogged up behind her and stopped the stopwatch in her hands. "Thirty-one minutes. It took you twenty-one minutes to clear four miles."
"Damn it," Cassie gasps, "Back in my heyday, I could've cleared four miles in twenty-one minutes. Parenthood must be tiring me out."
"Yes," Omaria agrees, "it must be parenthood."
Cassie gasps and stands up so she could take a deep breath. When OMaria offered her some water, she accepted it. "So, Cassie, now that this four-mile run is over, I think it is time for us to get back on track."
"Yeah," Cassie nods. "We're on a mission." They head into the city before them where they found the horse Cassie lost earlier and they climbed on.
They took it nice and slow with the horse to avoid accidentally hurting the horse. When they got back to their excavation site, the archaeologists digging the place up finally had their equipment delivered. The supervisor of the group said that the forklift they ordered would've taken an hour to get here and in the meantime, everyone should cool off. Cassie and OMaria decided to test out their speed and stamina while they waited and that's what lead to the race from the excavation site out in the desert. It wasn't the Sahara desert (as Cassie dreamed of exploring) but it was still worth something.
Of all the continents Cassie has been to, North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, Cassie had traveled less to Africa and Australia. She's been to Antarctica, even getting into a scuffle she'd rather not talk about, but Africa wasn't a continent she explored often. When she went to Australia some years ago, it was mostly for vacation.
Cassie grabbed her equipment and after the forklift did its job, it was time to explore this temple that Omaria pointed out on the map for them.
The temple was hidden in a mountain with giant statues made of what looked to be inhuman figures. They looked human but at the same time, something more than human. Cassie suspected they might be something of god figures so she operated under the assumption that this temple was dedicated to dietes from some African mythology so she promised not to destroy the place.
Omaria followed her in with angle head flashlights.
"You're not going to wreck the place, are ya?" the big Egyptian woman asked.
"Maybe I am, hopefully not," Cassie chuckles. "Maybe I'll get lucky this time."
"And you'll only blow up a portion of the temple?"
"I'm not going to blow up the temple!" Cassie rolls her eyes. "Jesus Christ."
The archeologists that accompanied Cassie and Omaria decided to stay outside while the duo explored the temple. In most of her experience, there would usually be traps but Cassie was smart enough to see through these traps. And bizarrely, there weren't any triggers to any traps. That made her feel even more uncomfortable.
They came across a hidden door that could only be opened by pushing the door open and the two of them managed that. After they pushed the door open, they found themselves in an ancient hallway with steps leading up. Cassie and Omaria saw a torch that looked like it could still be of use and when Omaria lit the piece up with her smoking lighter, dozens of other tortures running up and down the hallway lit up, therefore, making the use of their angle head flashlights useless.
"Man, we're going to save a lot of flashlight battery with this," Cassie chuckles. "Thank god for ancient torches still lighting up after all these years."
"Yeah; it seems like the ancient humans knew more about being environmentally helpful than modern-day humans."
"Like what they say: 'You can't beat the classics'. But there's also another saying: 'out with the old, in with the new'. That's a paradox."
"Yeah… like time travel is a paradox," Omaria grunted as she nearly tripped on a step but caught herself.
"Hey, big girl, be careful."
"Yeah."
After they made it to the top, they continued down the hallway with the torches leading them to the path. They stopped suddenly when they saw a pit stopping them in their tracks.
"Is this it?" Omaria asked. "We got hyped up for all those traps for nothing? Just this?" She sighs heavily. "Finally, I can relax for right now."
Cassie scans the pit and calculates the distance of the pit. Fifteen feet across and the bottom of the pit is bottomless. A fatal fall perhaps? She looks up. Well, well, well, it looks like there's something for me to swing across.
Cassie takes out her grappling hook and launches it up. She snags the wooden beam at the top and swings across. Once she was secure on the other side, she tossed it back to Omaria.
"Try not to break the wooden beam above," Cassie tells.
"It's okay, I'll make myself as light as a feather." Omaria tugs on the rope before swings. She gasps and goes wide-eyed when she realizes the beam gave away. She made it to the other side, her feet touching the ground but she was going to fall into the abyss. Cassie grabs her by the front of her shirt and pulls her in but even with all the upper-body strength Cassie had within her, pulling a big, muscular girl like Omaria was difficult.
She managed to pull Omaria to solid ground and help the big girl to safety.
"Good god," Omaria pants. "This is my punishment for stepping on that ladybug this morning."
"Nah," Cassie shook her head and took the grappling hook. "You and I have known each other since we were thirteen and fourteen; you've always been a big girl."
"True, true," Omaria clicked her tongue. "Except when I was fourteen, I was heavy with fat. Now I'm heavy with muscle."
"And that's quite an improvement; you are a lot stronger than I am and that's saying something." She pats her friend's shoulder. "You should tell me your workout routine."
"Oh, simple; don't skimp out on the raw eggs."
"Thank you, that is some very sound advice."
Omaria was about to say more before she cut herself off. "Whoah. Look at that."
Cassie turns around and sees a big room in front of her, one where a pedestal stood in the center. And resting on this pedestal was a bronze skull of some kind about the size of a human skull.
"What is that supposed to be?" Cassie asked aloud. "Who is that skull supposed to represent?"
Omaria stepped forward. "I'm not sure; a contact of mine said that this temple is dedicated to some kind of ancient being from one of the African mythologies."
"But it looks like a regular skull, one made of bronze," Cassie commented. "It doesn't look anything special." Cassie looked around the room to check the place out.
The walls surrounding the pedestal all had designs of a snake of some kind that Cassie couldn't make out. Upon closer inspection, she realized the snakes on the wall looked to be puff adders, giant puff adders, which made her think back to her Ys adventure with that giant Basilisk snake that could turn one to gold with a sneer.
Cassie stayed ten feet away from the pedestal before grabbing her grappling hook. After uncoiling it, she whips it around a few times before she threw the hook part at the skull. She missed the first time but managed to snag the skull a second time. Once she was sure that she had a good grip, she tugged and realized the weight of the skull.
"Holy crap, that statue kinda feels like a boulder." She tugs against it to make sure what she was feeling was correct. "Yep, a little heavy."
"Here," Omaria grabbed the rope, "I'll help ya."
Once both girls got a good grip on the rope, they counted to three before they tugged as hard as they could. The bronze skull came flying at them and both girls quickly held their hands out to catch it but the skull slipped through their fingers and fell to the ground and fell apart.
"Crap!" Cassie curses. "What the hell." She quickly shuts up when she saw the contents of the skull at her feet. "What the hell?"
It looked like the bronze skull fell apart and in its place was a skull made of pure crystal. Cassie gasped and tilted her head before realizing that the bronze around the skull was merely a protective shell. "Omaria, are you seeing this?" She kneels and grabs the skull and lifts it with both hands, the weight of the skull suddenly feeling as heavy as paper.
Did the bronze shell around the skull make it heavy?
"I thought crystal skulls were of Mayan origin," Omaria said with furrowed brows. "Columbian or something."
"Yeah," Cassie nods, "most crystal skulls found are usually in South American countries like Honduras or Brazil so for a crystal skull to be found in Africa is a first."
"Cassie, this will be a historical find," Omaria declared, "you found a crystal skull in Africa!"
Cassie stood with the crystal skull held tightly in her grasp. "Yeah, it is. It seems to be made of the same type of quarts found in the Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull." Cassie looked at the shape of the crystal skull before noting its size. "Huh, the eyes are a little misplaced and the mouth is a little wider. Not only that but the skull looks to be slightly bigger than the average human skull. And the teeth, the teeth are too big for regular human teeth."
"We can study it when we get outside."
Cassie couldn't agree more and she quickly gathered her stuff before leading her friend back the way they came. Luck was on their side when there was another wooden beam for them to cross and they planned for Cassie to swing over first so when Omaria swung over next, she could grab her and pull her to safety.
After they got through that conundrum, they went back the way they came and made it through the opening from earlier. Cassie walked out, her head held high with the crystal skull under her arm and a smile on her face.
"Ladies and gentlemen, guess what-"
A five-foot-eight 43-year-old woman with sandy hair and blue eyes stepped in front of her. She didn't recognize her and Cassie immediately shut up. One made Cassie's suspicions flare up was the fact that this woman was wearing a red tie.
Who the hell wears a red tie in this heat?
"Cassie Drake?" the woman asked in a Brooklyn accent, are you Cassie Drake?"
Cassie tucked the crystal skull into her chest in a similar way to she would hold Evan to her chest. "Yes."
"Alicia Bannon." She shook hands with Cassie before taking out a bottle of hand sanitizer and using it on her hands. "I see you have what we're looking for. Thank you, you saved us a lot of time and effort."
Cassie made sure her grip on the crystal skull was unbreakable. "What the hell is going on here?"
Omaria stepped forward.
Alicia sizes Omaria up and down and smiles, licking her lip. "Big girl, you are. I'm better your mother hated you for not being more ladylike."
"You know nothing about my mother."
Alicia turned to Cassie. "Miss Drake, would you kindly come with us? If it makes you feel any better, you can use that crystal skull of yours as a security blanket if you want."
"Who the hell are you?"
Alicia smiles once more. "As much as I would love to tell you, I'm under a legal obligation to say nothing."
"Legal obligation?"
"Yes, Cassie. You're coming with me, right now."
"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."
"Cassie…" Alicia reaches a hand out before it it slapped away by Omaria. "Filthy germs." She uses hand sanitizer once more before glaring at Cassie. "If you or your gorilla friend here harm me, there will be legal repercussions. So I suggest you stay on my good side or else I will use every resource in the CI-" She shuts up. "Ooh, almost gave it away."
Chapter 3: Old and New
Sometime after her companions had been called off by Alicia, Cassie, and Omaria were loaded into a truck (with a gun pointed to the heads, mind you), and driven someplace by Alicia and her partner. Her partner looked miserable during the drive there and looked like he was about to pass out from sleep. She didn't know what to make of Alicia's partner and only knew one thing about him: his name was Grant Olsen.
After they drove into town where innocent bystanders were going about their day-to-day lives, Cassie and Omaria were taken out of the car and escorted into a two-story building.
Cassie kept the crystal clutched tight to her chest, not letting go for a single second before heading upstairs.
They walked into an office where an African man wearing a familiar jacket stood, his back turned to the treasure hunters and looking out a window.
Alicia and Grant stepped through. "Jamal, we got your old companions with us."
Cassie looked at Jamal. "Do we know each other?" The jacket of his was looking more and more familiar with each passing second. And when it hit her why this jacket was so familiar, Cassie goes quiet.
Jamal clicked his tongue and turned towards the visitors in his office, smiling at Alicia and Grant before looking at Cassie. Saying nothing, he went over to his desk and poured himself a cup of coffee. Once his mug was full, he gently scooped up sugar with a spoon and poured it into the mug. However, deciding that he wanted more, he grabbed three more scoops of sugar and poured it into his coffee before mixing it. The sounds of the metal scraping against the glass echoed throughout the room, sounding like a bell being chimed every half a second.
Cassie looks down at the spoon as Jamal finishes before he slowly lifts the spoon up and puts it in his mouth. He sucks on the spoon carefully and lovingly, his eyes dropping as the delicious taste and aroma of Arabic coffee sat on his tongue.
"Hungry?" Jamal asked. "Thirsty, perhaps?"
"Jamal, we got what you wanted so let's get this over with," Alicia urged.
Jamal looked to his right to see a plate with some kind of cover on it. Removing the cover, he reveals a piece of what looked like apple pie. Using the same spoon from the coffee cup, he scoops up a piece and brings it to his mouth, his tastebuds spiking up as the flavor hits his tongue.
"Please, have some food to eat," Jamal insisted. "Never take food for granted. You never know when you'll never taste something so delicious again." He looks at Cassie. "Ahh… Cassie Drake; it's an honor to meet the woman, the myth, and the legend herself. I am Jamal." He rolls up his sleeve to reveal a serial number. "Agent 711932 reporting for duty."
"Overlord," Cassie whispers. "What the hell is going on here?"
Jamal looks at the crystal skull. "I never knew it was made out of crystal." He takes another bite of the pie. "When I had my men scavenge that cage, some of them fell into pits they didn't see but they all described seeing some kind of skull there." He opens a manilla folder on his desk. He taps on a picture of something Cassie couldn't see.
"Cassie Drake, how well-versed are you on African religion and culture?"
"I know enough."
"I don't doubt that you do." He pours a second mug of coffee for Cassie. "Would you like sugar?"
"Sugar, cream, and an extra shot of whip cream."
"Coming right up." He reached into his drawer and pulled out a can of whip cream and used it on Cassie's coffee.
"You just happened to have whipped cream in your drawer?" Grant asked. He is then slapped in the face by Alicia.
"What did I say about talking?"
Grant looked at her, saying nothing. "Sorry."
"The next time you open your trap, you will be."
"We are in my office," Jamal spoke up, "there shall be no violence in my office."
"I brought you the skull," Alicia told, "I've fulfilled my end of the deal so can we finish this up?"
"Let me ask you something, Mrs. Bannon, if I may?"
"Yes."
"Did you retrieve the skull or was it Cassie Drake here?"
"What difference does it make?"
"Plenty. I hate business partners who try to take shortcuts. Did you retrieve the skull or was it Cassie Drake?"
"It was Cassie Drake…. But I-"
Jamal held a hand up. "Then you are still within my obligation. We have a contract and I expect you to fulfill that contract. You owe me a big favor and I'm cashing in on that favor. Cassie Drake brought me that skull, not you, so you are still working for me."
"With all due respect, Jamal, I'm useless."
"That's not for you to decide, Mrs. Bannon. You are aware of the consequences should you try and deceive me, yes?"
Alicia pressed her lips together and looked at the ground. "Yes."
"Excellent. The sooner we are all on the same foot, the better." Jamal turns to Cassie and approaches her. He watches anxiously as she sips some of her coffee and he sits down in a seat in front of her. "Cassie Drake, as much as it is an honor to meet you, I'm afraid that you have been caught up in an unfortunate business deal."
"What are you talking about?"
"This whole ordeal with the crystal skull was supposed to be between me and Mrs. Bannon here; you weren't supposed to get involved. But you are." He sits up and looks at Omaria. "Where are my manners; I forgot about your friend, Ms. Al-Bashir here. Coffee? Tea, water, sparkling water?"
"Pass."
Jamal laughs. "Oh please, I must insist you have something to eat. Food and drinks are taken for granted today and are never really savored. If you were in the situation I was, then you wouldn't be denying my offer."
"What's your situation?" Cassie asked.
"I was held out by a genocidal group. They tore my family apart and dropped me in a well, nearly dying of dehydration and starvation. If it hadn't been for Overlord, I would've died. And to this day, ever since Overlord saved my life, I've never taken a single scrap of food for granted."
"What are you trying to do with the crystal skull here?"
Jamal chuckles. "Well, that is between me and my client here." He smacks his knees. "Tell me something, Cassie Drake, has anyone come into contact with the crystal skull ever since you touched it?"
"No."
Jamal claps his hands. "Excellent. We're already off to a good start." He gets out of his seat and went back to his desk. "Now, as much as I don't want you to be involved in this little business arrangement because you have told the crystal skull, you have no choice but to."
"What are you talking about?"
Jamal looked at her. "Well, if only to avoid collateral damage with innocent people in the future, I guess I can talk." After finishing his apple pie, he went into the fridge and pulled out German chocolate cake. "Tell me, someone as smart as you, Cassie Drake, you must be familiar with Nhialic, are you not?"
Cassie's eyes widened. "Yes. Nhialic is the supreme god of the Dinka people. Legend has it that they created the earth and they dwell in the skies."
"Of course." After pouring Omaria a glass, he handed it to her before heading back to his desk to enjoy his cake. "With you knowing everything, it makes my job that much easier."
"What could Overlord possibly want with Nhialic? How is this crystal skull connected to Nhialic?"
"This isn't an Overlord operation. I may be an Overlord soldier but I am not on active duty. This is nothing more than off-duty Overlord agents helping out with these fellow CIA operatives."
Cassie's eyes widened. What, CIA?
"Shut up," Alicia hissed.
"Oh," Jamal chuckled, "my bad. Sorry, all this sugar must be making my lips loose."
"I'm going to jam my gun down your throat."
"Do that, and you'll have active Overlord agents all over you, Mrs. Bannon. To make life easier for both of us, we both can comply without any escalating violence." He turns back to Cassie. "Anyway, you want answers with the crystal skull, unfortunately, I cannot provide any at the time. But I will tell you the necessary information so you can survive. If you die on an unsanctioned operation by my hand or got innocent people killed, then it's a Code: Black for me." He put a hand on his chest. "There's so much more food for me to try so I'm not dying anytime soon."
"Just get to the point," Cassie rolled her eyes.
"That crystal skull, I must ask: was it covered in bronze?"
"Yes, how does that matter?"
Jamal clapped his hands. "Then it's settled; the myth is true."
"What myth?"
"The myth that the missing head of Nhialic bears a terrible curse."
"What are you talking about?"
"According to some old legends from people who claim to have found the temple, folklore says that Nhialic put a curse on a statue that he incarnated himself in."
"Incarnated?" She wipes her forehead. "So, just to be clear, legend says that Nhialic reincarnated himself into this statue and placed a curse on it?"
"Yes. The first statue of Nhialic to be built, thieves would sell it off to make quick bucks. So, Nhialic made it so that if any part of the statue's body was stolen, the thief would be burned."
"Then why haven't I been burned?"
"Because you were the first to touch it in years. The first person to touch the statue part in at least five years, they are obligated to leave the statue alone or return that missing statue part. Should the person try to put the statue part in other people's hands, the trader would be burned. Therefore, if you were to give me the skull right now, I would be badly burned. It's not something I welcome but-"
"That's just a story," Cassie told, "there has to be some kind of rational explanation."
"That crystal skull belongs to a god and therefore, it must be returned." He sighs regretfully. "That means, as much as it pains me to admit, we need your help, Cassie Drake."
"Why?"
"Because you are the only one capable of transporting the skull. Had you not broken that bronze shell that the legends say surrounds the skull, none of this would've happened." Jamal sighs in a way that resembles a regretful smile. He clicked his tongue before looking up. "Unfortunately, you're too deeply involved in this mess. Now you have to go with us."
"Bullshit," Omaria snapped, "you Overlord bastards are the worst. There's no way that you would go this far for a skull."
Cassie looks at her. Omaria is more of a believer than I am so she would be less likely to call Jamal's bluff, which means she must be bluffing.
"If this thing can burn people, then logically, it should burn everyone," Omaria reasoned. She reached out and touched the crystal skull with her bare hands and her eyes widened. "Damn it!" she hissed and took her hand back. Her hand had turned a light red color that resembled a rash as she clutched his gingerly with her unaffected hand.
Oh shit, Cassie mentally gasps. The legend is true. I'm over here, touching this crystal skull with my bare hands, unaffected, yet Omaria touched it with her bare hands and got burned.
Jamal decided to speak up. "Well, as you can see, the legend is true. That means-"
Cassie chucked the crystal skull at Jamal.
Chapter 4: Fruitless
Jamal screamed at the top of his lungs as the crystal skull connected with his right cheek and jaw and burned him. Instinctively, he caught the crystal skull as it fell into his inner arms but the skull burned through his clothing. He dropped the crystal object and it fell at his feet, making him regret not wearing steel-toe shoes because the crystal skull clamped down on his big toe on his right foot.
Alicia pulled out a gun to attack, Omaria was quickly on her and using her body physique to her advantage, trapped the shorter woman to the ground, pinning her using her body weight.
Cassie jumps up and punches the still-burning Jamal in the face before knocking him flat on his desk. She pulls him forward, punches him again, and drags him off the desk. Omaria kept Alicia busy and she punched the woman across the face a few times. he looked to her left, saw one of the manilla folders fallen to the ground, quickly retrieved it, put it over Alicia's face, and punches her as hard as she could in the nose.
"No," Grant whispered as he stepped back. "N-no... please... no more. No more hitting. Don't... don't hurt... m-her." He grabbed Omaria's shoulder. "Please don't... no more hurting."
Cassie grabbed the crystal skull and jumped out of the window behind Jamal's desk. Omaria knocked Grant's hand back and made a run for the window. She stopped for a few seconds, grabbed something, and then hurled herself out the window.
Cassie and Omaria landed on a tarp but the tarp gave way when Omaria's weight broke through it. They fell through and landed on a table full of fruit. Cassie and Omaria quickly pushed themselves off the table and made a run for it.
"What have we done?" Omaria asks as they push through the market, minding the innocent bystanders around them.
"Uhh... give us a way out?" Cassie bumped into a pregnant woman's shoulder and apologized. "We got to get out of here."
"That was an inactive Overlord agent," Omaria reminded, "chances are, he doesn't have a backup."
And as luck would have it, several people from the building the two explorers escaped with had exited the building. Cassie could tell that these people were Western given their Caucasian status and given that Alicia and Grant were Caucasian, it wasn't a stretch to assume they were with them.
The corrupt CIA agents, numbering in six, chased after the duo. Cassie stopped herself from running into a food cart before she put the crystal skull down, picked up a watermelon, and threw it at one of the advancing agents. The agents ducked and attacked Cassie. Three of them ganged up on er. Omaria punched one of them as hard as she could in the nose, breaking their nose and knocking them out cold.
Cassie throws a couple of oranges at the two incoming CIA agents while Omaria dealt with the remaining three agents. Cassie grabbed more and more oranges to throw at the agent sand when she ran out, she used apples. When the apples ran out, she used grapes... which proved to be fruitless.
Finally, Cassie picked up the skull and used it as a weapon. He knocked the first agent out after kicking him in the groin to get him on his knees and dropping the skull on his skull. As for the last agent, he threw a punch at her. Cassie blocks with the skull, making him burn his fist and level him open to having the skull strike him in the jaw.
Omaria had pretty much taken down all three of her opponents and knocked most of them out flat.
Cassie removes a pistol that one of the agents had on them and quickly pockets it. When the bystanders saw the gun, they quickly ran away. Cassie quickly gathers magazines and she orders Omaria to grab a gun off of one of these guys. Omaria took a gun and ammo and the two of them ran off.
"That was easy," Omaria said as they jogged away.
Cassie jumps into a jeep, puts the skull in her lap, and begins hotwiring the car.
"Those weren't Overlord bastards," Cassie told Omaria, "they were with Alicia and Grant, those thugs who chased us."
"How do you know?" Omaria asked as she jumped into the passenger seat.
"In all of my encounters with Overlord, they always seem to be native to the country they're in. Those thugs chasing us were not natives to this country, given their Western features so that means... inactive Overlord agents are working with corrupt CIA agents."
Omaria spoke up and said, "Or... the corrupt CIA agent is working for these inactive Overlord agents." Her brows raise. "What in god's name are those CIA agents doing in South Sudan?"
"I don't know; it doesn't matter. What matters is that this crystal skull that burned you goes back to where it belongs."
"It didn't burn me," Omaria chuckles. She reaches out and touches the skull, reeling her hand back once more as she hisses in pain. "Damn it!"
"Stop touching!" Cassie starts the Jeep up and drives off. "Why do you keep touching it?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to figure out how it's-" She touched the skull again and winced. "OW!"
"STOP TOUCHING IT! What are you, some kind of masochist?" She looked Omaria in the eyes, who was looking at her sheepishly.
"You know, I managed to grab some old documents from Jamal's desk. Some interesting stuff." She was referring to the contents from the manilla folder that were hidden in the front of her pants. "We can read it on the way to wherever you're driving."
"Gppd, good; I have a feeling we're going to want to stay one step ahead of these bastards."
"Yeah."
XXXX
"You're not mad?" Alicia asked as she held an icepack to her nose. "Cassie Drake just burned your face?"
If that wasn't proof enough, then maybe the marks left behind on the right side of Jamal's face were, especially since his face look like melted candle wax. He held a washcloth of warm water over his face and looked at himself in a travel-size mirror he packed. He clicked his tongue. "Well, as long as I can still taste food, then this is nothing to be inconvenienced by. My face may be ruined by none of my skills or abilities."
"She burned you," Alicia warned before looking at Grant. "And you... you let it happen. What the hell is wrong with you?"
Grant avoided eye contact with her. Alicia, I didn't-"
She slaps him. "I didn't ask you to talk right now."
Grant looked at the ground, blinking rapidly and locking his lips. "Sorry, Alicia."
"You're going to be." She removes the ice pack from her nose and checks herself on her phone. "I should be alright."
"Your nose is broken," Jamal points out, "good, you won't be able to smell the shitstorm your crew is about to go through." He looks out the window. "We sent six of your guys out to bring back Cassie Drake and Omaria and they were incapacitated already? Clearly, the stories I heard about her weren't completely exaggerated. I underestimated her. I can assure you that something like that won't happen again."
"She's got a headstart on us, damn it!'
Jamal chuckled before pulling out his phone. After scrolling through several things, he smiled before showing Alicia a map on his phone. "It looks like Cassie's acquired one of our vehicles."
"You put a bug on one of the jeeps?"
"Of course," he smiled proudly. "I may have underestimated Cassie but I didn't underestimate her ability to steal things. I had my men put a bug on every car within a one-hundred-meter radius of this building."
"What's the plan?"
"We're going to get Cassie and we're going to force her to come with us to Nhialic's temple. We'll use Al-Bashir if we have to."
"They took out six of our guys."
Jamal nodded. "I'm well aware of that... which is why we need to hit her with a group. A big group. A very big group."
XXXX
The drive back to the temple was going well so far, except for the fact that every opportunity Omaria got, she would always try and touch the crystal skull, despite being fully aware of the fact that the crystal skull will burn her. Cassie was ready to about lose it but instead of snapping at her, she asked very calmly, "Are you a masochist?"
Omaria snickered. "I guess you could say that." She looks at her friend. "Can I be honest with you?"
"Only if you don't lie."
"I kinda like being burned." She looked away sheepishly.
"I thought you had pyrophobia?"
"Only when I imagine it's my lover burning me. My partner and I, we like candles."
"So?"
"I like hot candle wax against my skin. He was reluctant at first but when he saw that I liked it, he-"
Cassie shook her head. "No, Omaria, let's keep those details to a minimum. Let's keep this rated T."
"Please, I've been dying to tell someone."
"About your sex life?"
"Yeah, sure."
Cassie looks ahead. "Fine sure, let's talk."
And so they did.
After they finished, Cassie looks ahead and checks the GPS on the dashboard. "We should almost be back to the temple."
Omaria flips through the papers found in the manilla folder. "Cassie, are we just going to return the crystal skull back to the temple and be gone?"
"That would be the idea, but-"
"But Overlord and those corrupt CIA agents know its location." Omaria makes a fist. "If Overlord is working with the CIA, then that means they have the resources of a global intelligence agency at their disposal. They could very easily order forklifts here to unearth the temple. And then use those same forklifts to pick up the crystal skull without burning themselves."
"Damn it," Cassie hisses, "why do the bad guys always get the good shit?"
"Money and power, honey." She pauses when she finds something eye-opening in the manilla folder. "Holy crap!"
"Hey, that's my line, Mars," Cassie chuckles.
"Cassie, you are not going to believe this."
"Doubtful; I'm skeptical of almost nothing nowadays."
"Those CIA agents working with that Jamal guy are here on an illegal operation. Black operation, unsanctioned, and more importantly, not known to their superiors."
Cassie looks at her. "Okay, so... what does that mean?"
"Technically, these CIA guys are inactive. Inactive Overlord agents working with inactive CIA guys; get the picture?"
"Okay," Cassie nods, "so that means they don't have the full resources of the CIA at their disposal. But still, they're still dangerous." She slows the jeep to a stop. "I can't believe I didn't figure this out until now but going back to the temple isn't an option."
Omaria rolls her eyes. "Duh."
"But I don't know where else to go. And what are the chances that there are more CIA operators back at the temple."
"So we'll turn around."
"And go where?"
Omaria shrugs. "You're the one driving, not me."
"But you know this area better than I do."
Omaria breathes hard. "There should be another temple two miles due east here, one that's already been unearthed by explorers. It's been deemed worthless so we can try there."
"Alright, we'll go there then. Give me directions."
Omaria thought of something. "Then again, I saw the coordinates for the temple of Nhialic in here. It seems like Overlord already found the temple so if you want-"
"Directions to the nearest temple, please?"
She nods. "Sure."
And Omaria gave Cassie directions on where to go and when they least expected it, they made it to the temple. Luck was not on their side when they discovered that the temple was not abandoned given the numerous jeeps parked all around the vehicle. Before Cassie could say or do anything, she feels a gun push into the side of her temple.
"Hello, mate," a deep British voice spoke, "make one move and I will blow your brains out."
Cassie looked at the gunman and rolled her eyes. "Sir, if I had a penny for every time someone said that I would be rich." She carefully took her hands off the wheel.
Omaria too rolls her eyes. "Another gun being pointed at us?"
Cassie shrugs. "Must be Monday."
Chapter 5: Monday
"Wait," Cassie urged as she carefully stepped out of the jeep. "Wait, wait, wait."
"I'm waiting," the British man confirmed. He waved his gun to Omaria. "You, lass, get out as well."
Omaria climbs out and was about to do something when more gunmen came and held her at gunpoint.
'What's going on here?" Cassie demanded. "Who the hell are you people?"
"I will be the one asking questions here, lass," the British man told. "Are you thieves?"
Cassie looked at the temple and saw several British people coming out, each carrying an empty sack. Cassie assumed that these guys were graverobbers and were disappointed to come up with nothing from the temple. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just a photographer out here to get photos for National Geographic."
"Yeah, and I'm Mary Poppins."
"You certainly got the voice for it."
The British man looked to be about thirty-five and was tall, taller than Cassie by half a foot, and had long red hair that hadn't been combed through recently and an unkempt beard.
When the British man forced Cassie to turn around, he found her wallet and ID. He read her ID. "Your name is Cassie Drake? Born June 6th, 2014?"
"Yes," Cassie nods, "what's it to ya?"
The British man took out his phone and looked something up. "No freaking way; you're not Cassie Drake." He pocketed hsi phone before pushing the gun into the back of her head. "You are not Cassie Drake."
Damn it, he must've seen my Wikipedia page. Why do all the famous people have to have Wikipedia pages? "What makes you say that?"
"Cassie Drake is an archaeologist, not a graverobber."
"So you admit to being a graverobber?"
One of the British people holding OMaria at gunpoint spotted something in the jeep. "Holy shit, a skull. It's a crystal skull!"
The British leader turned to the man. "Finally, we found something that might be worth something."
The British man went around the jeep to pick it up but only ended up screaming. "What the hell! Crikey!" he cried. He looked at his burning hands before turning to Cassie. "What have you done?!"
"I didn't do anything!" Cassie told. "Not my fault you're so pale as a ghost something as lukewarm as a crystal burned you."
"That is not lukewarm; that is burning." The British graverobber put a barrel to Cassie's mouth. "Why don't you touch it, toots."
"Sure thing." Cassie took a step forward and touched the crystal skull. "See, lukewarm, nothing more."
The British graverobber's eyes widened. "What? No, it can't be." He looked to the leader. "Winston, you saw my hands turn red."
"Get back in line," the British leader identified as Winston ordered.
"Sir, I'm serious; it burned-"
"Get back in line!" Winston took out a Capri Sun out of his breast pocket and took a sip. "Before I lose my patience." He pocketed the pouch. He turned to Cassie. "Listen, you Cassie Drake imposter, what is that crystal skull doing here?"
"I found it, here, in South Sudan," Cassie shrugged.
Winston clicked his tongue. "Do you think I'm stupid? Since when have there ever been crystal skulls in Africa? The only time a crystal skull has been found has always been in Central or South America, not Africa. You stole it from South America and then brought it here, thus, proving that you are not Cassie Drake."
This guy is not going to budge. If this guy is some kind of graverobber, he'll most likely kill me and take the skull. And if I die and he can't pick up the skull, I will have been killed for nothing. I won't make it to Evan's first birthday. I need to convince him that I'm valuable to him alive.
"Okay," Cassie hesitated, "you got me; I'm not Cassie Drake. Like you, I am a graverobber. But that crystal skull in there, it's not just a crystal skull; it's the crystal skull of a god."
"What are you going on about, lass?"
"There's a legend in Africa, the Dinka people, I'm sure a man of your caliber has heard of it. There's a story about someone called Nhialic who created the earth. While it may be a story, there are people here who believe it. They say that the Nhialic god reincarnated himself into a statue made of pure crystal but his head had gone missing. Since there are no crystal skulls in Africa, I stole one from Honduras and brought it here."
"Why?"
"Do you know how much money someone would pay to obtain a statue that an ancient god is said to be reincarnated into? Even if it wasn't real, the statue is made of pure crystal. Think about how much a statue made of pure crystal would be worth. I'm sure this would make up for the lack of artifacts you found in this temple."
Winston looked at the skull. "I don't believe you."
"There are some folders in the jeep that show the location of this decapitated crystal statue. Have a look-see."
The graverobber from earlier grabbed the manilla folders from inside and looked through them. "Shit," the graverobber exclaimed. "She's not lying; Temple of Nhialic is in here. It appears that it is located somewhere in Sudan."
"South Sudan?" Winston inquired.
"Naw, regular Sudan."
"Well then, if that's the case, then there really is no incentive to keep you alive." Winston pulls the hammer.
"The crystal skull burned you?" Cassie suddenly asked. "What was going through your mind when I touched it?"
The graverobber looked at Cassie. "That you must've set something up."
Cassie stroked the crystal skull in the driver's seat once more. "Would you like to carry it, Winston?"
Winston cocked his head. He reached down to grab the crystal skull with one hand. He screamed and dropped it to the ground. "What the hell?! It burned me!" He looked at his hands, which began to sizzle. "What did you do?"
Cassie picks up the object. "I didn't do anything." She strokes the crystal skull once more. "But I'm sure you'll agree that I'm the only one who can touch it."
"You probably set something up inside the crystal skull so that whenever you touch it, it doesn't burn you." He holds his hand out. "In fact, I'm willing to bet if you're touching it, the trap won't go off so that means as long as you're touching it and I touch it, it won't-"
SIZZLE!
"AAH!" Winston snatched his hand back. "What the hell?" His eyes widened as he realized that Cassie's hands had been on the crystal the entire time when he got burned. "No, how is that possible?!"
"I told you it burned me," the graverobber from earlier confirmed.
Cassie smiled. "If you're familiar with the crystal skulls, then you're aware that they have some kind of paranormal ability. This skull's ability is that it burns everyone who touches it, with the sole exception of the first people who touched it. Because I'm the first one to have touched this skull in half a decade, I am immune to the crystal skull burning me, which means I am the only one capable of transporting it."
Winston shoves her back, making her drop the skull. He removes his Capri Sun from his breast pocket before removing his shirt. He pocketed his gun and wrapped the shirt around the crystal skull, carefully picking it up before the skull burned through the cloth and burned him once more.
"As I've said," Cassie Drake smirked, "I am the only one capable of carrying this object. So the way I see it, we're in a conundrum. A pickle, a quandary, a Mexican stand-off."
Winston drew his gun on her. "What do you want?"
"The crystal statue of Nhialic," she answers without a second thought. "I want you to take me over to the Temple of Nhialic in Sudan so I can use this crystal skull to complete Nhailic's incomplete statue."
"And in exchange..."
"You can have the crystal skull," Cassie declared, "I just want to live." She looks over her head. "Oh yeah, and if you hurt my big friend right here, you won't get anything out of me. I want her alive and unscathed."
"We should just waste both of you," Winston considered, "but whatever that crystal skull is made of, only you can carry it." He picks himself up and looks down at the ground but kept his gun trained on Cassie. "In theory, that crystal skull should be enough to make us a fortune... but an entire statue made of pure crystal... that will just about do. We sell the statue at the right price, we'll have more than enough money to gear up."
Cassie tilted her head. "Gear up for what?"
"There's a war coming," Winston explained, "and it involves our dearly beloved Majesties of England."
"Oh," Cassie gapes, "so you're some kind of supplier or-"
"We're patriots of England, making sure that our country has enough money to build up our military for when the war starts."
"What war?"
"There's a war coming. I don't know when but there is a war coming."
Cassie rolls her eyes. "I don't care. Look, if you help me get to the Temple of Nhialic, you can keep the statue and I'll walk away, unharmed."
"Deal," Winston nods. "But the first sign of trouble... and we'll kill you."
Cassie nods sternly. "Of course."
I don't want to do this but I need to survive this encounter, no matter what. I've got Overlord, CIA, and these British guys on my tail so playing recklessly isn't an option.
Don't worry, Evan, mama is coming home to your first birthday party. Mama PROMISES.
Chapter 6: Imposter
Cassie and Omaria didn't want to make any sudden movements as they sat down patiently in the back of the truck the British militia had with them. Cassie kept the crystal skull in her lap, her arms wrapping around it tightly like it was her baby, her own Evan. She was missing Evan with each passing second and regretted going on this job. She shook her head.
No, it's not like I went on this mission willingly; I went to Africa on a legitimate dig with my crew so I can do some digging and exploring of ancient ruins and I wound up getting involved in this three-way battle. I didn't INTEND to be captured by these British guys. But now that I am, I have to make sure I do well to make it out alive. I HAVE to, for Evan's sake. I HAVE to live, for both Evan AND Derek.
Omaria was sitting opposite of her, surrounded by militia armed with pistols, ready to blow her away for any given reason. Cassie looked up at Omaria, who looked to be nervous. Who wouldn't, Cassie wasn't. In her defense, however, Cassie was used to being held at gunpoint that it became a regular occupational hazard for her. Omaria has been on a few adventures with her, encountering some gunmen like this type but Omaria didn't see this as a typical Monday, more like a dreadful Monday.
That's why I gotta play it safe so we both can live.
She clenches her fists when she thought of something.
My plan was to lead the militia into any booby traps the Temple of Nhialic had but so far, of the two temples I've seen so far, none of them had any fatal traps aside from pits. I haven't been in the second one but given that the militia managed to explore it almost freely and not a single one had mentioned a casualty or a scratch, there must not have been any traps set up
If there are no traps in the Temple of Nhialic then I am in big trouble. I HAVE to figure out a way to shake off this militia, otherwise, they might kill me once they're done with obtaining this crystal statue.
Winston, who was sitting beside her, noticed her anxiety. "Imposter," he called out, "are you going to tell me your real name?"
Cassie looked at him. "It's Cassie Drake."
Winston smirks. "Still going with that lie, aren't you."
"Yeah."
"Wow, you're committed. Well, so am I."
Cassie sits up. "Um, Winston, just out of curiosity because I'm such a curious cat yet to be killed by curiosity, what will happen once you have the crystal statue? Will you let me go as promised? Me and my friend?"
Winston looked at her. "As promised, I will let you and your friend go." He sighs. "This could've been bad, considering that someone might've died at this point."
"You're not a killer, Winston?"
"I am," Winston told after a split-second hesitation, "I very much am a killer. Would you like me to demonstrate?"
"No." He doesn't have a very good Poker face. Then again, neither do I. "Your Majesties, the royalties you are unofficially serving, how to you intend to give the money to the kingdom?"
Winston smiled. "Well, if its crystal statue is real as you say..." he paused to drink from his Capri Sun pouch, "then I'll sell this statue to the highest bidder. After that, I will make a generous donation to the charity ball that's coming up in a few weeks, a very generous donation might I add. I suspect that my Majesties will use this to fund their military and put the armed forces and Royal Guards up on permanent guard duty, ready to attack when this war breaks out."
"How do you know that they'll fund the military?" Cassie asks. "The kingdom of England seems pretty well-funded, considering they are of royal status. And this war you keep talking about, how do you know it's coming?"
"I've heard some voices being whispered and thrown around. There are people gearing up overseas, across different continents. Organizations, even."
Omaria furrows her brows. "What, like Overlord?"
Winston looks at the Egyptian woman. "Something like that, lass."
"What do you know about Overlord?" Cassie questioned.
"They're a bad lot, mates. Terrorists, worldwide terrorists."
"That's barebone public information about them."
Winston's smile suddenly vanished, his face becoming as pale as a ghost. His eyes stared into Cassie's, evolving into glares that wanted to stab daggers into her soul. He suddenly raised his gun and pointed it between Cassie's eyes.
"You're part of Overlord!" he yelled. "Terrorist bastards!"
Omaria sat up. "Wait, it's not what you think; we're not part of Overlord!"
The graverobber from before, who called himself Ridley, aimed his gun at Omaria. Everyone aimed their guns at the girls. "Yes, you are," Ridley confirmed. "That document I found, it had Overlord's insignia printed on several papers."
Winston spoke up and said, "Given how organized Overlord is, how in god's name could a pair of graverobbers get their hands on Overlord documents? Pretty peculiar if you ask me." He snaps his fingers. "It all makes so much more sense now, why you guys are a bunch of thieves. Shooting you right here would actually be an honor to the great kingdom of England." He took another sip from his Capri Sun pouch. "Wouldn't you say so, imposter?"
"You don't want to do that," Cassie urged. "If I'm dead, how will you get the crystal skull to the statue?"
"I'll answer that question if you answer one for me: what does the CIA get to do with this operation?"
Cassie narrowed her eyes. "CIA?"
"Ridley told me about the CIA being involved in this operation from the papers he showed me. Overlord, CIA, you've got some explaining to do, terrorist."
"What?" Cassie gasps. "First you call me an imposter and now a terrorist? You seriously need to make up your mind!'
"Whose side are you on? Tell me, whose side are you on?"
XXXX
"Well, well, well," Alicia spoke as she looked down at her phone, "you are not going to believe this." The information on her phone left her so stunned she forgot how hot the temperature of the garage was.
Jamal took a spoonful of pudding. "Try me, Alicia."
"That little tracker you put on the piece of paper-"
"The staple."
"The staple... guess what; it's traveling in the direction of the Temple of Nhialic."
Jamal paused. "Well, what do you know; it looks like Cassie Drake is returning Nhialic's head. But, I must wonder what Cassie Drake's intentions are, considering that she should be more than aware of the fact that Overlord knows the location."
"Could it be a trap?" Grant suggested.
Alicia slapped him. "Did I tell you to talk? No, I didn't, so shut your trap, bitch."
Grant stared at her.
"I'm suspicious," Jamal admitted, "Cassie Drake must be up to something. And I must figure it out."
"We should intercept her," Alicia told, "once we intercept her and get the skull back, we should be even like Steven, right?"
Jamal clenched his lips. "I'm not so sure about that. I'm all about making sure a contract is fulfilled so if Cassie were to be the one to complete my mission and not you then you will still be in my debt." He finished half his pudding cup before turning to her. "Now, I want to make sure you get the best deal possible when you're in a contract with me, which means you will deliver upon it when I ask you for a favor, no matter how big or small. I am not sure if you'd rather have Overlord or the CIA paint a target on your back should I leak what your team has been doing but I can assure you you don't want either side coming after you."
"I know," she snaps, "just shut up. Just give me a favor to do and I'll be gone."
Jamal smirked. "Good, then you will help me with Nhialic's statue."
"Then let's get a move on," Alicia urged once more.
Jamal nodded. "You're right." He finished his pudding cup before tossing it in the trash. "Given Cassie Drake's current location, we should be able to get to the Temple of Nhialic if we leave right now and head to the airport, we should be able to reach the temple in time before Cassie Drake does. Tell your men to get ready."
"I will."
"Good."
The inactive Overlord soldiers and corrupt CIA operatives geared up before they got on a plane to Sudan.
Chapter 7: Bonding
"Wait," Ridley suddenly called out, "it would be counterproductive to actually kill Cassie Drake here."
"And why would it be counterproductive to kill this imposter, Ridley?" Winston demanded.
"Well, obviously she had files on her that somehow involved both the CIA and Overlord. Maybe there's some credibility in what she is saying. Listen, mate, if we kill her, then we could attract all those Yankee CIA bastards. And if she's connected to Overlord, they might want a little payback."
"There's no guarantee that will happen though," Winston told, "I seriously doubt it."
"But... can you risk it? What if she is involved with the CIA or Overlord? Do you want to risk it? Besides, I thought we were here to get this crystal statue, not to kill."
"But if she's a terrorist-"
"And if she isn't?"
Winston looked at Ridley and pursed his lips together. He looked back at Cassie, who was staring definitely at Winston. Winston gave in and shrugged. "I guess you have a point; if she is connected to dangerous people then it's better to not draw attention to ourselves."
"Good," Ridley smiled, "it's all about being smart." He sank back into his seat. "I can't believe I was actually going to draw a gun on you to stop you from killing her."
Winston holsters his gun. "You were?"
"Why, of course; I didn't want no blood on your hands, mate." Ridley looked at Cassie.
Cassie looked over at Ridley. He called me by my full name. No one is on a full-name basis with me except...
Ridley rolled his sleeve up on his right arm to scratch his forearm and for a brief second, flashed a very familiar serial number.
Cassie's eyes widened. Ridley is a member of Overlord? She looked him in the eyes, his eyes glaring back at him. He must be a sideline soldier.
Ridley smirked. You should be thankful for what I've done, Cassie Drake, I saved your life so we can benefit from you. If this statue truly is the statue of a god, then Overlord would want it. I know the leader would approve; he might pet me on the head and say 'good little Ridley'. Aww man, I can't WAIT for him to pet me on the head.
Omaria looked over, sitting next to Ridley on the seat, and looked ahead. She looked at Cassie and when she was sure that her friend was watching, she began mouthing words to her.
'He saved your life; he could be in your debt'.
When she was sure no one was looking, Cassie mouthed a response back. 'He's an Overlord bastard.'
Omaria looked at Ridley and mouthed a curse word.
Cassie pressed her lips together. I am SO glad I taught Omaria how to lipread. But right now, I'm also grateful this Overlord bastard saved me. But... if he is a hidden agent or a sideline soldier, then he might not do anything with Winston. So far, while Winston seems a little pistol-crazy, he hasn't tried to actively kill me and he only got hysterical AFTER he believed that I was a terrorist. Even so, he's still dangerous. As much as I don't want to, he is holding a gun to my head, which makes him an enemy.
I am praying desperately that there are traps in the Temple of Nhialic so I can lead them into the trap. Just one more hour and we should be there.
XXXX
Maui
Derek's idea of bonding with his son mostly consisted of taking his son out in his stroller for a walk around the park. He wanted his son to be immersed in the raw beauties of nature. The grains of sand on the beach, the breaking of waves on the ocean, the caw of those disgusting birds leaving disgusting droppings behind on cars, and the jungle, full of green.
While he didn't take his son to the jungle for safety reasons, just getting out of the house was good for him. He walked Evan around the island for a bit before they came to a couple of shopping centers, where Evan finally woke from his sleep. Derek looked at his son and noted that he was looking bored. Evan wasn't the kind of baby to cry after waking up so he didn't protest when his father picked him up.
"Evan," Derek began, "I know you miss Mommy right now but I promise to figure out something fun to do with you. Now, I know that you're a baby and you like doing nothing but there's gotta be something you like." Evan looks at his father and babbles while touching his father's curly hair. "You just love my hair, don't cha?"
He put Evan back in his stroller and pushed him forward. "There's a movie theater; maybe we can see something together." He headed over to the theater and checked out the showtimes. Currently, the only thing that seemed worth watching was a movie franchise that came out almost eighty years ago. After picking a movie, he went to go buy a ticket.
"How can I help you?" The desk clerk saw Evan and smiled. "Aww," she cooed, "she's cute."
Derek sighs. "He."
"Oh, my bad."
"Nah, it's okay. My wife dressed him up in pink one time. And even got him a pedicure; I did not like it one bit. So I figured it was time for us to bond." He pulled out his wallet. "James Bond."
"Two tickets for the James Bond movie marathon." She handed two tickets after Derek paid and the two of them went inside to enjoy themselves a marathon of James Bond movies.
XXXX
Sudan
After taking a plane ride and now taking a ride in the back of a large cargo truck, Alicia and Grant sat down together in the back of the trailer surrounded by several other Overlord soldiers along with the CIA operatives they brought with them on the operation.
Normally, given how much Alicia slapped Grant, one would think that they wouldn't bother sitting together but the two of them had been inseparable, despite the abuse she puts him through. Grant was slowly clenching his fists, his knuckles glowing white as he became painfully aware of the fact that Alicia was beside him.
He looks at her. "I've been meaning to ask: how's the new man in your life?"
Alicia looked at him. "He is perfect. Unlike you, he could actually take care of me."
"If you hadn't been such a bitch, I could've taken care of you."
"You should've taken care of me, to begin with. You only have yourself to blame, Grant."
"No, I think you're blaming me, Alicia, because you keep slapping me. You're slapping me because you're pissed off at me. Alicia, I may not have been the best boyfriend for you but that doesn't mean you should slap the living shit out of me."
"You're a man; you should be able to take it."
"No, I shouldn't be able to take it just because I'm a man. Men have feelings too."
"Shut up," Alicia rolled her eyes.
"What does your new man provide for you that I don't?"
"Money, protection, a place to raise my child and-"
"Our child..." Grant hissed.
"We were never married and he has my last name. You're lucky I don't make you pay child support."
"No, you just think that since I couldn't take care of you, to begin with, I would be wasting your time with child support."
"That's right."
Grant looked ahead. "Could you please ease up on the slapping though; it hurts a lot."
Alicia glared at him. "Give me a better reason why I should."
Grant's brows raised. "Because I'm a masochist and I like it when you hit me?"
Alicia stared at him. "We both know who was cracking the whip when we were in bed."
He shrugs. "Eh, it was worth a shot." He hugged his knees to his chest. "How's Brian doing by the way?"
"I don't know; ever since this black ops operation, I haven't been home in three months."
"It's your fault," Grant snapped, "it's your fault we got into this mess in the first place. You just had to get your guys to slaughter that village."
"They were genocidal bastards," she reminded, "every single prick we killed was committing genocide. Do you like genocide, Grant?"
"It wasn't any of our business and then you made it our business."
"A humanitarian friend of mine was in that village; I had to do it. I had to avenge her."
"You recruited your own, unauthorized team into wiping out a village of genociders and you got caught by Overlord. Now, we're indebted to the world's largest terrorist organization."
"I want to be out of this deal just as much as you do!" Alicia hugs her legs to her chest.
"Why did you recruit me? If you hated me so much, why did you recruit me?"
"I didn't; I was going to recruit someone else but he ended up getting sick so I had no choice but to recruit you."
"Aww, I feel special."
"You're not, Grant."
"Die in a ditch, Alicia."
"Not today, Grant, not today." Alicia picked herself up and walked away.
Grant watched her retreating form and stared at the back of her head. Now that she was gone, he felt like he could breathe for the first time in a long time. If it wasn't the crystal skull or Cassie Drake that was going to kill him, it was definitely going to be his ex.
Chapter 8
The Temple of Nhialic, Sudan
Cassie and Omaria finally made it to the Temple of Nhialic, as detailed in the files Overlord had. Cassie was suspicious. After remembering that Overlord had already found the location of the temple, she suspected that there would be Overlord agents guarding the place. She was hoping that would be her ace in the hole for getting out of there. But no, her luck had turned rotten like an apple on her. There were no Overlord agents here and the temple was completely unguarded.
And that's what made her put up her guard.
If Overlord agents are looking for the crystal skull of Nhialic, then why would they leave this place completely unguarded? Jamal would suspect that I might arrive at the temple so why not put guards up? Unless... there ARE guards here and they're hiding and waiting.
Her eyes widened. Holy crap; if what I suspect is true... then that means... I'm surrounded by the British militia, the corrupt CIA operatives, and the inactive Overlord agents. She gasped and looked around. I'm completely surrounded. The only thing I got to look forward to is that I'm the only one able to carry this crystal skull so I believe I could be of us. And as long as I bargain for Omaria's life, I can keep her alive as well.
After Cassie and Omaria were shoved off the truck, they landed in front of the Temple of Nhialc, which looked eerily similar to the first temple that the two of them explored two days ago. The only difference was they were deep in the Sahara desert, completely isolated from humanity and the heat was already getting to them.
"Wow," Winston gasped, "now that is a temple." He takes a sip of his Capri Sun. "Astoundingly beautiful." He snapped a picture of the place. "Now I can add this to my picture album for when I sell this crystal statue. The more authentic an object's culture and history is, the more likely someone will want to buy it."
"I know, I know, I've had my fair share of black market dealers. Arms dealers, Neo-Nazis, among others."
Winston looked at the temple door. He approached it and looked at the language written on the front door. He looked around for a handle and he found none. He decided to push the door open before he paused. "What if the door is booby-trapped, lass?"
Omaria spoke up. "Losing your nerve? You're afraid of a big bad harmless door? Man, people have weird phobias nowadays."
Cassie scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Says the girl who is terrified of fire."
"Fire burns," Omaria justified.
"You live in the desert; you should be used to sunburns."
"And you live in Hawaii; why aren't you tanned yet."
Keep stalling, Cassie thought, keep stalling and maybe those Overlord bastards will show up.
I don't know what Cassie is going on with keeping me talking but I'm sure she has a plan, Omaria thought. Just have to go along with it.
Cassie rubbed her lips. "I'm trying to stand out as the only person in Hawaii pale as a ghost; makes Halloweens feel much more spooky."
"Who are you trying to scare with your pale skin? Old ladies and blind children?"
Winston rolled his eyes. "What are you two chatting about? Help me open these doors so we can get this done and over with."
The two girls looked at him. Cassie smiled and said, "What's wrong mate?" she put on her British accent. "Don't know how to open the door? Failed 'Opening Door 101' in college? How embarrassing."
Winston rolled his eyes again. "Quit fooling around."
"You keep rolling your eyes like that, your eyes will get stuck in the back of your head."
Omaria spoke up. "If his eyes are stuck in the back of his head, he won't see anything... considering how empty his skull is."
"Open the door!" he barked.
Cassie and Omaria flinched. They decided that now was the time to stall once more. They headed over to the door but as soon as Cassie was about to open it, Omaria grabbed her shoulder.
"It's okay, I'll open the door." She taps the muscle on her arms. "I'm a big girl; I can survive arrow attacks." Without missing a beat, she kicks open the door with a solid kick and goes into a crouching position. The hallway the temple had was very spacious and like the first temple, had unlit torches lined up leading to a door that was barricaded by a statue of a tree.
Walking inside, the British militia covered every inch of the temple, each one armed with an assault rifle and ready for anything.
"Nice, nice," Cassie laughed. She and Omaria high-fived.
Winston glared. "The two of you seriously need to..." he trailed off when he saw three trucks driving up on them. He drew his gun from his holster and ordered his men to grab Cassie and Omaria.
Jamal, Alicia, and Grant came piling out of the trucks along with at least a dozen and quickly flooded through the entrance of the temple.
Guns were drawn from both sides, the British militia and Overlord-CIA group drawing on them. The room was too small for anyone to hide and there were two thin pillars in the room so taking cover wasn't an option either.
Jamal came walking into the room, a Snickers bar in his hand. He smiled at the sight before him and took a bite of the candy bar. "I don't know who your guars are... but I'm sure that you guys did not receive an invitation to be here."
Winston drew his gun, Jamal was faster. "Please, let's not there be bloodshed if we can avoid it."
"Who the hell are you guys?' Winston's eyes widened. "Are you... CIA? Overlord?"
"No... we're a group of extraterrestrials known as 'MICE'." Jamal laughs. "What do you think?"
Winston glares at Cassie, who was being held hostage by Ridley. "You lead them here on purpose! You imposter!"
Cassie smiled. "Are you talking to me or Ridley here?"
"What?"
Ridley shrugged. "No idea what she's talking about, Winston, mate."
Cassie clutched the crystal skull tightly, ready to use it as a weapon when the time called for it. "Let's get this over with, please."
"Shut up," Alicia demanded. She looked to the militia leader. "I recognize you; you're that militia leader from London going around stealing artifacts to sell for your kingdom, right?" She holds her pistol up and pulls the hammer. "You're a nuisance. I can shoot you right now."
Winston waved his aim to her. "I don't go down that easily." Without looking, he gestured to Cassie. "Tell me, how did this imposter tell you about our location? Does she have a GPS on her? How?"
"We already knew where'd she be," Jamal answered, "she can be very predictable." He bit down on the Snickers bar once more. "I know this 'imposter' as you call her but I don't know you. What do you want, good sir?"
"He wants the crystal statue," Cassie answered. "As soon as he learned that this was the crystal skull of Nhialic, he wanted to take it for himself and sell it. He is trying to fund England to prepare for some kind of war that's coming."
"What war?" Alicia demanded. "Does it involve America? I doubt it, considering our President Eric Vale has managed to avoid war for these last few years."
Jamal smiled suddenly with wide eyes. "I voted for Eric Vale."
"Yeah, yeah, we're all Republicans here," Cassie rolled her eyes, "let's talk politics later."
"Ah, that's right."
"Leave," Winston demanded. "We got here first."
"but we found this place first."
"And I'm the only one who can carry the crystal skull," Cassie reminded them. If I play my cards right, I can get the two groups to turn on each other. "So, it looks like I have the power."
"Cassie Drake was ours first," Alicia snarled.
"And the imposter is in our hands," Winston replied, "along with her friend." He nodded to Omaria, who was being held at gunpoint by a British militia with a shotgun. "Imposter, if you're the only one who can carry the crystal skull, then it means you are the only one who can decide whose worth working for. But I would suggest choosing wisely."
"Call me crazy... but I have a plan in which all of us benefit."
Everyone listened carefully.
"Step one: I take this crystal skull to the statue. Step two: I reunite the crystal skull with the statue. Step three: the British militia can take the crystal statue of Nhialic, and then the Overlord bastards can buy it off of them, the CIA will fulfill whatever debt they have with Overlord, and Omaria and my friends all leave alive."
Jamal looked at her and nodded. "It seems like a good plan." He looked at Winston. "Then again, why would I buy something when I can easily snatch it?"
"We can pay for it," Alicia said, "we buy the statue, give the statue to you, and then our deal with you will have been fulfilled."
"If you ask me, that sounds like a 'win-win-win-win' situation." Cassie paused. "Seriously, how many situations come out with a 4-win title victory? Seriously, we should cherish these times when we can say 'win' four times."
Jamal looked over at Alicia. She looked back and nodded.
"If I can help it... I would rather any unnecessary bloodshed; I do love these candy bars." He finished the Snickers bar.
Cassie clutched tighter on the crystal skull and very slowly lowered it to her left hip. She mentally counts how many enemies surrounded her on all sides and she bit her lips before she spoke again. "You know... these people thought I was with you guys. They actually thought I was part of Overlord or the CIA and they believed that I was lying when I said my name was Cassie Drake."
Jamal chuckled. "How ridiculous."
"She is not Cassie Drake," Winston declared, "Cassie Drake is not a graverobber. This imposter is a liar and a schemer and if it weren't for the crystal skull in her hand, I would-"
"Kill her?" Omaria suggested. "You would kill her?" She looked at the Overlord agents for any visible reaction. "Winston made death threats to her, said he would kill her."
Jamal stared at Winston. "I'm sorry, but I don't like the idea that you are making death threats against Cassie Drake. After all, Cassie Drake is an Omega target and if I killed her or put her in harm's way, I would earn myself a Code: Black." He pulled the hammer back on his pistol. "We all would receive a Cold: Black."
The Overlord agents and CIA operatives tensed up and they all armed up and cocked their firearms, ready to kill the British militia while the Brits did the same thing.
Good thinking, Omaria, Cassie mentally praised.
With everyone's guard up, it was time to attack.
Chapter 9: Reunion
Cassie picked her time to attack very carefully. With Ridley's gun being jammed into her temple, she devised a plan in her head. In half a second, she thrust the crystal skull in Ridley's crotch, burning him and smacking his hand away just as he squeezed the trigger on reflex. The bullet from Ridley's gun hit one of the CIA operatives and all hell broke loose.
The three factions all fired.
The temple, which had been quiet and collecting dust all these years, now had flashing lights in the form of gunshots lighting up the place and all the peaceful silence accumulated over the years came to a shattering end with the continuous gunshots. And while the temple floor may not have been extremely clean, it definitely looked clean enough before blood splatted on the floor and made a muck of the place. There were no decorations on the floor, no carpet or anything. So there was nothing for the fallen bodies to destroy when they hit the floor. And the smell of the temple, it smelled clean and fresh, despite being sealed up all these years but the smell of gunpowder infected the air.
Cassie wrestled with Ridley and rotated as bullets came flying her way. Ridley's back acted like a good meat shield but his dead weight collapsed on her and made her fall to the ground, Ridley's body covering her like a blanket.
Omaria, being much bigger than her hostage taker, pounced on her and also used her as a meat shield but she had less muscle mass to take in more bullets so once she was done, Omaria hid behind one of the thin pillars for cover and kept her head down and ears covered.
Winston, with several bullet holes in his chest from various caliber bullets, collapsed flat on his back, his shirt wet with blood and juice from his leaking Capri Sun pouch.
Alicia fell on the seat of her pants and Grant fell on top of her. Their blood mixed together as their bodies entangled and the last thing they saw was the glare of the other person.
Jamal lasted the longest of the group and was the last to go down but he was painfully reminded that like any human, he could go down if shot. Contrary to popular belief, getting shot in the shoulder is fatal and Jamal was shot multiple times in both shoulders and the last bullet to go in him went through his neck. He collapsed to the ground, his tongue hanging out and eyes rolling to the back of his skull.
Silence, just as the temple should be.
Cassie pushed Ridley's body off of him and Omaria finally moved away from the pillar. The temple floor, which had nothing but wooden floors, was now covered with twenty-four bodies of Overlord agents, CIA operatives, and British militia.
"That was intense," Omaria gasps at the bodies.
"Yeah," Cassie nods, "a little more adrenaline running than my usual adventure but yeah." She looks at her friend. "Hey, smart thinking with what you did."
Omaria shrugs. "Oh, it was nothing much; I just figured you were trying to light a fire under their asses so I decided to pour in more gasoline."
Cassie nodded. She picks up the crystal skull, which managed not to get any blood splattered on them and she moved towards the barricaded door. "Let's get this crystal skull back to the statue and the hell out of here."
"My thoughts, exactly."
And like clockwork, the two girls explored the temple, which, much to Cassie's bittersweet relief, had no traps. Had it not been for that shootout, then she would've had a very difficult time shaking off her enemies. She was extremely lucky opposing factions showed up to complicate things because it meant that all their enemies were dead and the only ones alive were her and her friend.
Unlike the original temple, there was no pit for them to cross so when they walked into the main room, which was barebones save for the torches Omaria lit up earlier, they saw a headless statue made of pure crystal with an abnormally large body sitting on a throne made of, what looked to be, clay.
"Nhialic," Omaria gasps. She presses her hands together in a praying manner. "It is an honor to meet you, Nhialic."
Cassie decided to show respect and after putting the skull down at her feet, she pressed her hands together. "Yes. And if what the legends say is true, thank you for creating this world." She picks up the crystal skull and carefully walks over to the statue.
"Wait," Omaria paused, "are we sure this is Nhialic? Because I noticed a few contradictions. For example, Nhialic is supposed to be part of the Dinka people's religion and the last time I checked, Dinka live in South Sudan; this temple is located in Sudan."
"And Nhialic lives in the sky," Cassie remembered. "Every story has an element of truth to it and maybe a lie but... as we've proven a few times... sometimes, legends can reside in different countries."
Omaria thought back to a previous adventure. "Like the lost Tomb of Antony and Cleopatra? Cleopatra is Egyptian yet her tomb was located in Saudi Arabia."
"It would explain why her tomb was hard to find; everyone was looking in the wrong country." Cassie looks ahead. "Maybe... the Dinka people built this temple out here in Sudan as a way of protecting Nhialic's statue from those looking in South Sudan." Cassie clutches the skull. "Either way, it's time for this skull to go home."
She approaches the crystal statue carefully and holds the crystal skull out. As soon as she gently set the skull on the neck of the statue, the statue almost became too heavy for her to carry. She pulled her hands back and touched the statue. "Wow."
Omaria walks over and touches the statue. "Damn it!" she winces and caresses her burning hand.
"Magnets," Cassie marveled, "the skull must be connected by some kind of magnet on the statue, therefore, making it extremely difficult for it to be removed."
"Thank god for science. Now can we get out of here?" She kisses her burning hand.
"No worries." She turned to walk away before she stopped. "Hey, I just realized something... this is the first adventure we went on in a while where we come out unscathed." She smiles. "We didn't even get so much as a papercut." Her smile widened.
"Except me," she gestures to her hand.
Cassie chuckled, "But if I recall, you like getting burned. Strange, how a girl who fears fire likes getting burned. And wax play, really?"
"Well, when it comes to wax play with my partner, Niko always makes sure-" She clamps up. She blushes brightly before smiling awkwardly. "I let it slip, didn't I?"
Cassie flinched. "You... and Niko... he's the one who did all those things to you?"
"He's good... very good." Omaria smiles proudly.
Cassie laughed and gestured for the door. "I knew the two of you were going to hit it at some point. Share all the gritty details of your relationship when we get out of here."
Omaria shrugs. "Sure, no problem."
Chapter 10: First Birthday
Maui
Cassie couldn't be happier to finally be back home. And when she opened the door, Derek was sitting there on the couch, rocking a sleeping Evan to sleep. Cassie smiled and went to hug them without saying a word.
"Derek," she smiled. "And my little prince." She kisses Evan on the head. "How were your little playdates with this little man?"
Derek smirked. "We saw a couple of James Bond movies at the movie. He fell asleep during Quantum of Solace."
"Yeah, I'm sure he did." Cassie sits down on the couch. "So... that deal we made... about you staying instead of leaving..."
Derek looked at her, regret on his face before it slowly softened and a somewhat bright face replaced it. "Yeah, that deal we made, I'm... I've decided that I will stay."
"Are you?" Cassie asked. "Are you for real?"
"These guilty feelings aren't going away anytime soon, and I still think that you two would be better off without me, but-"
"We'll work through your guilty feelings together. That way, you can be happy once more." She grabs her hand. "Hey, you don't have to carry this guilty all by yourself. After all, no man is an island and... as I've just learned from this expedition I went on, it's better for someone to have your back. Your partner can really surprise you."
Derek looks at her. "What happened."
Cassie smiled awkwardly at him. "Wel..."
And she told him everything.
Derek's eyes widened. "Are... you... f-"
"Not that word in front of Evan," Cassie warned.
"...freaking kidding me?"
"It's not like I asked for it. The only reason I told you this is because... I don't want there to be secrets between us. And I didn't intend to put my lie in danger' it just happened." Cassie throws her hands up before they fell on her knee. "But you see, the point I'm trying to make is that we're always going to have dark days and it's better to face them together. Who knows. What if you leave me and I get kidnapped? Evan will be all alone. Please, if we're trying to protect the other then let's do it together so Evan can be semi-normal."
Derek looked at her before looking down at his son. "We've dug ourselves a deep hole."
"Well... we've been digging for a very long time." She held her hand up. "But... if anything, we dig together, Derek, together."
And without even realizing it, their conversation and debate was over. They simply sat down on the couch together, cradling Evan in their arms, and rested their heads on the other.
XXXX
The day of Evan's first birthday came and a lot of people were invited, mostly from Cassie's closest friend group. The Priest and Bethany made an appearance, so did Erkin and Joshua, and unsurprisingly, Omaria and Niko came as a pair. A pregnant Angie, Simon, and Tiffany also attended. And Evan's grandparents, cousins and aunts, and uncles, were all ready to celebrate his first birthday.
They were outside near the beach where Cassie originally lived with Vicky a long time ago, the wind offering a nice breeze against the warm sun. They set up a couple of tables and some shade on the beach so they could sing 'Happy Birthday' to Evan.
Cassie had Evan bouncing on her lap as Omaria (unsurprisingly) lit the candle on the cake.
This is everything I could've asked for, Cassie mentally told herself. A husband, son, friends, and my parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles all coming together to hang out. Through everything that happened to me, I finally earned the right to sit down with my son and have him bounce on my lap as people sing Happy Birthday to him.
The singing was drowned out to Cassie's ears as her smile, which had come to her face naturally went away. The natural smile she had was now a forced smile, one to save face.
But look at everything that happened to us in the last six months. From November 2039 to April 2040, our lives have been in danger at one point or another. Far too many times, I almost died and Derek almost died. We didn't want to go on these adventures yet we were forced into them. I knew that there were going to be enemies out there that had bones to pick with us but the corrupt CIA and British militia really hammered in the fact that there will ALWAYS be enemies out there... and I will ALWAYS be in their crosshairs.
She felt a tear escape her eyes. She wanted to say it was a tear of joy because her son turned one but she knew the truth.
I've always wanted to get into the dangerous part of this treasure-hunting life but now that I have, I can't escape it. I will always have to look over my shoulder for possible enemies. I will always have to live with the fact that if my luck runs out, I may never see my son ever again.
"Make a wish, Evan," Omaria told after the singing was over.
I wish I never got into this life.
Cassie blows out the candle for Evan.
But that wish is never going to come true.
The End of Chapter 17
A/N: I saw 'Dial of Destiny'.
