Zap and Troy: The Legendary Journeys

We were all silent for a moment. I can’t speak to what the others were thinking, but I was dizzy from the implications. The Ziox had almost taken over once before, and we were sure we’d stopped them. Suddenly here we were facing the fact we’d have to do it all over again. Only this time, they were mad about having been beaten, too.

Rowsdower was the first to recover. “So what are we going to do? Destroy the artifact?”

“No, I’m afraid the artifact can’t be destroyed,” Mike replied. “Everything we found about it says that to attempt to destroy it would bring death to he who tried.”

“So what can we do?” I asked.

There was another moment of silence while we considered the possibilities. Nothing I could come up with seemed likely, at first. I wondered what my father would do, and thinking of him led me to an idea.

“Maybe we don’t have to destroy it,” I said. Maybe we can bury it again, someplace where the Ziox can never get to it!”

Rowsdower looked at me, a knowing sort of glint in his eye. “What you got in mind, kid?”

I got in my backpack, where I’d put all of my father’s papers that we’d brought. I was looking for one folder in particular.

“I think my father may have had the same idea. I found this with his things, but never knew why it was there.” I’d found the folder and pulled it out triumphantly.

“ ‘ Lemon Mine?’” Mike growled. “What the heck is that? We never did any research there.”

“That’s what was confusing me,” I said. “I couldn’t find any connection between this mine and anything else my father did. It was just an abandoned mine in the middle of nowhere.”

“Maybe you’re on to something Troy,” said Mike. “Your father knew the artifact couldn’t be destroyed--heck, he was the one who did all the translations. But it would have been just like him to keep thinking about it, even when we’d split up. He’d have wanted to find a way to keep it out of the hands of the Ziox no matter what.”

“So…what, we take the artifact into the mine, hide it and hope that no one ever wanders in?” Rowsdower asked.

I was beginning to get truly excited. “No, look! There’s an inventory of mining equipment, and even explosives! We could bury the artifact so deep and under so much rock that no one would ever be able to find it! Dad wrote here that the mine had been completely forgotten for years until he stumbled across it, so we don‘t even have to worry about some mining company digging it up by accident!”

Rowsdower had taken the inventory and the map, and was looking them over. “I know a little about explosives from…before…and this stuff is pretty stable. It should still be ok to use. And this mine sure looks deep enough. But I don’t know if we have enough time. I’m sure those were cult members in those black cars we saw on our way here, and we don’t even have the artifact yet.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “I already told you I took the artifact when Thomas and I split up. You don’t think I’d be so stupid as to leave it unguarded when I’m here, do you?” He motioned us into his tent, where he proceeded to move around a few things, finally exposing some planks on the floor. He lifted one end of the planks, revealing a hole dug in the earth beneath. There was a grubby-looking shape in the hole. All I could see was brown paper and twine--certainly it didn’t look like a dangerous weapon, but I guess looks can be deceiving.

Mike took it out of the hole; Rowsdower and I held our breath as he unwrapped it. It was so quiet in the tent, in fact, we could hear cars on the nearby road. They seemed pretty loud, but I figured it was just my adrenaline.

The artifact was made of what looked like pure gold, and was covered in Ziox writing. It was about the size and shape of an American football, but it was covered with strange protrusions and a number of holes that looked like a finger or a key might fit in each of them. Mike saw my interest in the writing.

“Your father translated all this, but it never did help us any. It’s all warnings against trying to destroy it, nothing about how to use it. Not that we would have tried using it, but it might have told us something about what we were up against.”

I was going to tell Mike that I wouldn’t have wanted to use it anyway, but I was interrupted by gunfire. What I’d thought were cars on the highway had been cars driving into the city. I could just bet that the drivers had been wearing black ski-masks.

An unnaturally deep voice boomed out across the lost city. It seemed familiar, but there was no doubt that this speaker, however much they might sound alike, was not Satoris. It could only have been the new leader, Caliban.

“Rowsdower! I’m disappointed in you Rowsdower. It was obvious you’d bring the boy here next. I expected better from you. But give us the artifact, and all of your past transgressions against us will be forgiven. If you don’t, you and the boy will be the first to see exactly what the artifact can do to those who stand in opposition of the only race created in perfection!”

Mike had dug an old shotgun out from somewhere. “Go on, get to the mine!”

I could tell what he had in mind. “Mike, we can’t leave you here, you’ve got to come with us.”

“Troy, there’s a couple dozen archeology students out there. You think the cult is just going to let them go?”

“He’s right Troy,” Rowsdower told me. “I used to be one of them, and there’s no way they’d let a few college students get in their way.”

“I’ll buy you some time, Troy. Maybe I’ll even be able to get this Caliban character off your back. But you have to hurry.”

I wasn’t sure how to react. “Thanks Mike. We’ll come back once we’ve blown up the mine.” I’m not sure he’d heard me though, as he was already on his way out of the tent, and there was another burst of gunfire from somewhere near the temple in the center of the city.

Rowsdower had put the artifact in my backpack, which he now handed to me. He’d already put on his own, and was holding my car keys. “C’mon kid, let’s get moving.”

It was still before noon, and it was less than 24 hours since Rowsdower had showed up at my front door. It had been a day of hard admissions, but at this point one more probably wasn’t going to hurt. As we snuck out to my car I whispered.

“Rowsdower?”

“Yeah kid?”

“I’m scared.”

“Don’t worry kid, I’ll keep you safe.”

It was what I’d hoped to hear. We got in my car. As we left for the Lemon Mine, I couldn’t help but look back.

Mike Pipper was nowhere to be seen. The morning sun shown brightly off the gold and sliver on the buildings, a beautiful sight I never tired of seeing, even now at this dangerous time.

I hoped I’d get to see it again.

Soon.