Zap and Troy: The Legendary Journeys
folder
1 through F › Final Sacrifice, The
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
10
Views:
1,039
Reviews:
5
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
1 through F › Final Sacrifice, The
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
10
Views:
1,039
Reviews:
5
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own "The Final Sacrifice" or any of the characters depicted. I make no money from this or any of my writings
Chapter Four
Taking my car probably bought us some time; the cult most likely didn’t know what it looked like. At any rate, Rowsdower’s truck was still wherever it was when they’d captured him, so my car was our best option anyway.
We got to the lost city early the next morning. There had been a number of changes since the city first reappeared; if I hadn‘t been there for most of them I might not have recognized it as the same place. It was almost completely covered in a grid made of string, to allow the archeologists to better catalog their findings. Lights had been brought in to allow work to continue around the clock; since the buildings were clad in silver and gold this had the effect of making almost the whole city glow brightly with reflected light at all hours. Part of the city had been excavated, but most of the lower areas were still covered in a few thousand years of muck as the researchers worked their way down from the upper layers.
Mike Pipper was easy to find; we just followed the distinctive sound of his voice shouting orders to the archeology students the university had sent up to get some field experience.
“Troy McGreggor! How are you my boy?” He cast a cloudy look at Rowsdower as we spoke. Mike knew that Zap had been in the cult, and had told me once before he didn‘t trust the drifter. I guess that mistrust never really went completely away, but he seemed to tolerate Rowsdower well enough after we‘d destroyed the idol.
“I’ll tell you Mr. Pipper, we’re in trouble. The Ziox cult is back, and they’re looking for something to help them take over again.”
Mike took us to a more secluded area near his tent, then quizzed us about what we knew. There wasn’t much to say, as the cult hadn’t let much slip when they were questioning Rowsdower. Pipper didn’t know anything about this new leader, Caliban, but when Rowsdower told him they’d asked about an artifact, his face fell.
“I’d hoped they’d forgotten about that, but I guess there was no real chance of that happening,” he growled.
Rowsdower beat me to it. “What do you mean?”
“When Thomas and I were first researching the Ziox, we found references to a powerful artifact, something that could be used as a weapon. The Ziox were the most advanced people on earth at that time, and in some ways they’re even more advanced than we are today, so we knew that such a weapon might be possible. What we didn’t count on, though, was stumbling across it the way we did. At first we didn’t know what it was, because there were no pictures, and only the vaguest descriptions. We’d never even found anything that told us how it might work.
“Thomas was the one who’d figured out what we found. By this time we knew the Ziox were after us, so we split up. Thomas took the map to the city, but destroyed all evidence of the artifact. I took the artifact itself and went into hiding in that cabin where you found me last year. I destroyed all my notes and maps to the city, though, so that even if the Ziox should get to one of us, they wouldn’t be able to find both the city and the artifact.
“The two of you stopped their first attempt to regain power when you destroyed the idol and brought back the city where we’re standing. It seems they’ve regrouped, and now are trying to find the artifact to make another attempt.”
We got to the lost city early the next morning. There had been a number of changes since the city first reappeared; if I hadn‘t been there for most of them I might not have recognized it as the same place. It was almost completely covered in a grid made of string, to allow the archeologists to better catalog their findings. Lights had been brought in to allow work to continue around the clock; since the buildings were clad in silver and gold this had the effect of making almost the whole city glow brightly with reflected light at all hours. Part of the city had been excavated, but most of the lower areas were still covered in a few thousand years of muck as the researchers worked their way down from the upper layers.
Mike Pipper was easy to find; we just followed the distinctive sound of his voice shouting orders to the archeology students the university had sent up to get some field experience.
“Troy McGreggor! How are you my boy?” He cast a cloudy look at Rowsdower as we spoke. Mike knew that Zap had been in the cult, and had told me once before he didn‘t trust the drifter. I guess that mistrust never really went completely away, but he seemed to tolerate Rowsdower well enough after we‘d destroyed the idol.
“I’ll tell you Mr. Pipper, we’re in trouble. The Ziox cult is back, and they’re looking for something to help them take over again.”
Mike took us to a more secluded area near his tent, then quizzed us about what we knew. There wasn’t much to say, as the cult hadn’t let much slip when they were questioning Rowsdower. Pipper didn’t know anything about this new leader, Caliban, but when Rowsdower told him they’d asked about an artifact, his face fell.
“I’d hoped they’d forgotten about that, but I guess there was no real chance of that happening,” he growled.
Rowsdower beat me to it. “What do you mean?”
“When Thomas and I were first researching the Ziox, we found references to a powerful artifact, something that could be used as a weapon. The Ziox were the most advanced people on earth at that time, and in some ways they’re even more advanced than we are today, so we knew that such a weapon might be possible. What we didn’t count on, though, was stumbling across it the way we did. At first we didn’t know what it was, because there were no pictures, and only the vaguest descriptions. We’d never even found anything that told us how it might work.
“Thomas was the one who’d figured out what we found. By this time we knew the Ziox were after us, so we split up. Thomas took the map to the city, but destroyed all evidence of the artifact. I took the artifact itself and went into hiding in that cabin where you found me last year. I destroyed all my notes and maps to the city, though, so that even if the Ziox should get to one of us, they wouldn’t be able to find both the city and the artifact.
“The two of you stopped their first attempt to regain power when you destroyed the idol and brought back the city where we’re standing. It seems they’ve regrouped, and now are trying to find the artifact to make another attempt.”