The Campbell Chronicles
Chapter 25
The group appeared above Mount Kibo in Africa, and Wanda gently lowered them onto its peak. Snow crunched underneath their feet as they landed, and shivers ran through the group as the thin, cold air caressed their bare skin.
Turning, Nicholas spread his arms wide. Air spun around everyone's forms, slowly conforming to their bodies before shifting into thick coats and scarves.
David leaned over to Bailey, "I really need to learn how to do that."
Bailey nodded while shifting Yolanda in her arms, marveling at the feel of the soft blanket that now wrapped around her form.
David glanced down at the avatar of the red, "Do you want me to take her?"
Bailey raised an eyebrow, "Which of us is empowered by the moon?"
David raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, I was just asking, but you should know," he glanced up at the grey sky, thin clouds hiding the sun's light, "the moon is not out right now."
"Smartass," Bailey shot back, the corner of her mouth twitching in an effort not to smile.
Gaia Rosenstein stared around her with wide eyes. Through the earth, she could see past the desolate Mountain covered in snow to the desert beyond and short grasses even further beyond where things she had only heard about lived, but the earth whispered to her were real, like elephants, giraffes, and leopards, to name a few.
She jumped as Pamela touched her shoulder and looked at her fellow redhead. For some reason, she felt a connection to the woman. One that reminded her of the family she lost. To feel that connection so soon after awakening and learning what happened scared her, but for her sanity and to keep her heart from shattering further, she clung to it like a drowning woman.
"What do you think?" she asked softly.
"It's beautiful; the earth has shown me much more than I can see with my eyes." She snorted, and Pamela raised an eyebrow. "I just watched what the earth tells me is a meerkat poke its head out of the ground; it's cute."
Pamela nodded and looked into the distance. "Hopefully, Nicholas's plan Will succeed, and we will be able to recreate the beauty of this world."
Gaia glanced back at the green-haired man and watched the one called Wanda approach him while Mai and Jade gravitated toward one another; she turned back to Pamela, "Do you think we can trust him? The earth tells me we can, but I've just met him."
"You've known me for about the same amount of time."
Gaia bit her lip, and Pamela squeezed her shoulder.
Typically, unless empowering an avatar, the elements only have rudimentary thought, but that doesn't mean we can't trust him. They have an instinctual insight into a person's heart.
Pamela looked away from Gaia. "But you also have to be careful; the elements do not think as we do, and sometimes they will drive us to do terrible things." Pamela shook her head. "No, that's not right; I can't blame the green for the things I've done to protect it." She looked back at Gaia. "I'm telling you to be careful and consider your actions with wisdom, not just knowledge."
"What's the difference?"
"Knowledge is how to do something; wisdom is when or how to use it. The same principle could be applied to power."
Gaia stared at Pamela as the earth whispered a bit of the woman's past to her. Nodding slowly, she turned, and together, they stared out into the distance, using the elements to watch the animals move across the plains.
Wanda stopped before Nicholas, her hands on her hips, her green eyes narrowed, and her Auburn hair flowing behind her in the wind, "All right, what's going on with your powers? You just transformed wind into matter."
"The divine energy that swept over the earth has allowed me to peer into the elements and witness their connection to matter and energy. My powers are again changing, filling in the gaps left behind by my reality-warping abilities." Nicholas's brow furrowed in thought, "Unfortunately, this time, I have no family to guide me or spirits to reforge my body."
Wanda grabbed his hands, "We'll get through this together."
Nicholas looked down at their intertwined hands, "One step at a time."
"One step at a time," Wanda repeated.
Jade leaned over to Mai, "So, what do you think about all this."
"If they speak the truth, it will be nice to create with my powers instead of destroy."
Jade bit her lip, watching Nicholas approach Pamela and the girl at her side. 'How can someone steeped in death create?'
Nicholas approached Pamela and Gaia, focusing solely on the young woman in the red dress. Stopping before them, he inclined his head to Gaia, "I apologize about our first meeting. I was just so focused on my objective that I forgot the tragedy you just went through."
"I know you are still adjusting to how the world has changed, and I hate to ask, but could you tell me if there are any hidden structures within this mountain?"
Gaia glanced at Pamela, who gave her a nod.
Ignoring the dust on her dress, she dropped to her knees and placed her hands on the earth. She closed her eyes and sent her will into the rock beneath her hands.
Inside her mind, the world exploded in shades of gold, showing her every tunnel, every cave, and every animal trail made through or on the earth near her. Her mind sank until she found a round tower-like structure near the mountain's core.
She could tell by the feeling it gave off that it was not formed naturally. It radiated strange energy and the earth that made up its form whispered of its creation. She opened her eyes, "There is something near the center of the mountain."
Nicholas inclined his head, "Can you take us there?"
Gaia closed her eyes.
After a moment, she opened them and nodded, "I can, but it will be more like a sphere moving through the earth if I lose control…"
Pamela placed her hand on her shoulder, "You won't."
Wanda moved beside Nicholas, "Because we will be there to help you."
Nicholas gave a sharp nod of agreement before turning his attention to the rest of the group, "All right, everyone gather up and stick close."
As everyone formed a tight circle around Gaia, the young redhead shifted nervously. Pamela moved beside her and began weaving a sphere of vines around the group.
The earth around the group shifted and churned as fleshy vegetation rose from the earth, forming an onion-like shape around them. Golden energy flowed across the vines as the sphere sunk beneath the earth.
–XX –
As the group sank beneath layers of grey rock, Wanda turned to Nicholas, "Why did you ask Gaia to do this? You can manipulate the earth and plants."
"I can, but none of my powers are as strong as those of the actual avatars. Besides, Gaia needs to realize her power and start finding a way through the time she lost."
Wanda inclined her head, "So you did this to show Gaia her strength and hopefully begin to move past her loss."
Nicholas stared ahead as they reached the center of the mountain, and the vines sank into the rock. "She is only just awakened; it will be a long time before she is ready to deal with her loss;" his eyes flicked around the group. "Hopefully, the people around her will become a new family for her. Since despite their different abilities, nature is always interconnected."
Stepping forward, Nicholas created a ball of fire and threw it into the air. It soared high, its flickering light revealing a large cavern. Reaching its apex, the ball exploded, bathing the chamber in light as orange embers hung in the air, burning like stars.
Before the group sat a large circular tower, like something out of a medieval castle; sporadic cracks were spread through the grey stone blocks, a testament to the power of the passage of time.
Nicholas strode forward with purpose, the others falling into step behind him.
"Thank you, Gaia."
The young woman nodded, her eyes locked on the tower.
"There's no door," Bailey spoke up from her position near the middle of the group.
No sooner had she spoken than the stone rippled, and an archway cloaked in darkness appeared. Everyone paused less than a foot away from the archway as Nicholas continued. Pausing with one foot over the threshold, he turned to the group.
"Are you coming or not?"
"Why does the light, not Pierce the darkness?" Bailey asked with narrowed eyes.
"It's not magic, even though it feels similar," Wanda commented, approaching the arch with a hand outstretched.
Everyone jumped as Gaia moved forward, her eyes locked on the arch, her voice distant, "The stone speaks of such wonder," she turned to Nicholas, her gaze far away, "Is this what we can do if we work together?"
Nicholas reached out with his mind but staggered backward as the weight of the earth pressed down upon him. Shaking his head, he focused on Gaia, staring into her vacant gaze, "If you are seeing Brigadoon, I hope to create something better."
Nodding slowly, Gaia turned and entered the archway with Nicholas and Wanda right behind her. The rest of the group shared a look before following after the other three.
–XX –
The group entered a small circular space. Lines glowing with blue energy covered the inside of the tower, forming an intricate design on the floor.
Wanda moved forward, running her finger along one of the lines. "This isn't magic." She turned to Nicholas, "What is this?"
A small smile curled the corners of Nicholas's mouth, "The people of Brigadoon learned to combine their unique abilities to create some truly marvelous devices." Kneeling, he pressed his hand into the floor and scraped it along the design they stood on, leaving small smears of blood behind.
Members of the group grimaced at his actions but watched as the blue lines etched into the stone turned yellow, and a male voice echoed throughout the tower.
"Mutant DNA detected, searching for genetic markers to verify access."
The yellow lines along the walls flickered before turning green.
"DNA verified, direct member of the Campbell line, member identified, Nicholas Campbell."
Light blazed from the lines, forming into the head of a man of Indian descent. He had wavy dark hair that grayed at the temples and Brown eyes that held supreme confidence. Like he knew he could handle any situation.
"Hello, Nicholas."
"Grandfather Forge," Nicholas choked, eyes shining with unshed tears.
Forge looked around as Wanda moved beside Nicholas and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Who are your friends?" Forge's eyes flashed, "According to the data I'm gathering, many years have passed, and Brigadoon is all but forgotten." His gaze settled on Nicholas. "Did our people survive the Exterminators?"
"According to Tiffany Campbell, the survivors on Earth either went to Mars and left with Hector to journey deeper into the universe or integrated with existing civilizations."
Forge's eyes flashed again as he took in the data, "And you, why have you come here now?"
"I was bathed in exterminator energy and then trapped in a piece of their armor for billions of years. I have only recently begun to recover from the ordeal, but the experience altered my powers and prolonged my recovery."
Forge looked down at him, his lips pressed into a thin line, "I thought I sensed alterations."
Nicholas waved his hand, "Not important. Recently, divine energy has come to the earth and begun changing things. Mutant powers are growing stronger, and creatures of legend are emerging worldwide, endangering the planet's ecosystem."
"I plan to use the archive on Mars to terraform the planet and teleport the creatures of legend there," Nicholas's eyes hardened, "There are also elements on Earth that are targeting mutants."
Forge's eyes flashed again, and his floating head slowly moved back and forth, "It seems no matter where we go, we can't find peace."
The lines the group stood on flared as green energy washed up and down their bodies.
"I have scanned each of your companions, and you contain most of what is needed to terraform Mars, but you are missing the element of life."
Nicholas stared at his grandfather, his jaw firm, his eyes full of determination, "I will take care of that one."
Forge stared at him for a long moment before he nodded, "Fine."
The lines around the walls flared as a sphere of opaque energy surrounded the group.
In a flash of light, they disappeared.