Off to Mexico (6)
Spyral -- The Search...
Spyral looked around, trying to pierce the swimmy haze of the dimensioinal distortions
"..........er ....ereee" he could hear Mouse yell.
"This way," Rae indicating a direction to ger left.
"No," Spyral said. "It sounds more like this way," indicating a direction opposite that of Rae.
They stared at each other in consternation. They had been wandering for what seemed like hours, but was actually only minutes, a side effect of the dimensional distortion. Time was distorted also.
"We have to find some way to get a fix on her," Rae said. "It sounds like she's everywhere at once."
"It's the distortion," Spyral said. "Part of the spatial equinox that gives the wing infinite space."
"Yeah...Well, I'm gonna pretend that that makes somekind of sense right now." Rae said. "But that still doesn't bring us any closer to finding Mouse."
Spyral lifted a gilded torch holder from where it lay on the floor. "What I wouldn't give for a lead dog right now!" he said, tossing the torch holder over his shoulder. It hit with a clamour on a pile of assorted debris.
"AAAARRRRRRAAACKKK!" came a high pitched growl from behind them.
Whirling to face the pile of debris, Spyral and Rae watched as the pile of junk began to wriggle of its' own accord. Spyral drawing his sword, Rae readying her pulse rifle, they advanced on the pile of debris. In a sudden flash, a red blur soared from under the debris and hit Spyral flat in the chest, knocking him onto his back. Raes pulse rifle came up in an instant ready to blast the creature to bits.
"WHAT THE FRE....?" Spyral shouted dropping his sword and struggling to grab the creature who......was licking his face? "Thor!!" Spyral sputtered. "ALRIGHT...ENOUGH!"
"Well, that's one down, two to go!" Rae said happily, grabbing up the t-rex and giving him a big hug. "How ya doing sweety?" she asked Thor.
*I am very well now. And My Mistress? She is well?* Thor spoke.
"She's just fine! She's waiting on the beach with the others. We made it back to Mexico!" Rae said.
*Wonderful! My Mistress should be very happy!*
"Thor, Have you seen any of the others?" Spyral asked. "Mouse or Malachi?"
*Not since the movement started. I was jarred away from the others. When I realized that I must be lost, I decided that to stay in one place and wait to be found was the best course of action*
"That was good thinking," Rae said.
*Lucky your scent was so strong. That is how I knew that it was you.*
"You could smell us?" Spyral asked.
*Oh Yes. I can smell the others too, only I thought moving from my spot might have been unwise. I did not feel that I wa as lost as the others. I did not want to add to an already bad situation.*
"So you can lead us to Mouse?" Rae asked.
*Of course. She is that way* Thor said, indicating a direction completely opposite that of either Rae or Spyrals chosen course.
"You're sure?" Spyral asked.
*By My Mistress' blessing, I am certain of it!*
"And Malachi?" Rae asked.
*A bit further on. They must have passed each other and not realized it*
"Good job Thor!" Spyral said lifting the rex and giving him a pat on the head. "You ride in style for the rest of this trip," he told the tiny lizard, cradling him in the crook of his arm.
"MOUSE! JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE! WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!" Rae shouted.
"YEAH!" Spyral shouted. "AND WE HAVE A GRADE-A BLOODREX TO LEAD US TO YOU!"
"...kay!" they heard Mouses reply.
Soon the trio came upon a pile of assorted camping gear. Tents in various states and conditions. Blankets and sleeping bags thrown all around.
*Shs is there!* Thor said pointing to a squirming mass of sleeping bag.
"Mouse!" Spyral said dropping down and hurriedly stripping the sleeping bag off of her.
"SPYRAL!" Mouse shrieked with glee. "Oh I knew you'd come for me!" She hugged the one-winged angel fiercely.
"You had your doubts?" Spyral asked.
"Never!" Mouse said, hugging him again.
Pulling her back a bit and holding her by the shoulders, Spyral spoke a bit softly. "I'm so sorry,Mouse. If anything would have happened.....to you to the others......I'm so sorry!", the angel said with sincereity.
"It's not your fault....I know that!" she said with a soft smile. "You came and in for me....That's what's important. Thank You!"
"Anytime!" Spyral said.
"Rae...Oh RAE, you too?" she continued, hugging Rae with happiness. "I was so lost, but I was afraid to come out. I was afraid to move...that you might not be able to find me!"
"You can thank Thor for that," Rae said. "Without him, we may never have found you at all."
Bending down, Mouse gave the rex a big hug and a kiss on the nose. "Thank You...Thank You so much."
*My pleasure. It is truly good to see you again.* Thor responded.
Lifting the rex once again, Spyral said, "Okay, now lets go get Malachi."
They set of in the right direction, Thor pointing the way...
Raven-Kat -- As they walk
Rae whispers to Mouse, "This guy could come in handy. Do you think he'd object to staying shrunk?"
*To say with my mistress, anything*
Rae smiles. "Well, I'm not sure there's room in the Scooby mansion for a full-grown T-Rex."
*Then I will stay shrunk. If my mistress desires it*
"We'll be sure to ask her." Mouse promises. "Malichi?"
The old inventor is sitting comfortably taking apart a clock. "Oh, my. I've never seen one quite like it."
"Yeah, well could you put it back together?" Spyral asks.
"Of course." It only takes the old man a few seconds to put the clock back together.
"Thanks."
"We're going now." Rae says. "Thor, can you lead the way?"
*Of course. I can smell my mistress from here. That way*
Mouse2000 -- Mouse is so happy
to see Rae and Spyral that she's not watching where she's going and bumps into Thor. "Ooops, sorry" she mutters. Good thing this petite bloodrex know which way is out, cause this Mouse is completely confused.
KaraS -- Meanwhile....
Soldiers of the priesthood of Quetzalcoatl are marching toward the beach. If they get the prisoners back to the temple in time for the sacrifice they will be well rewarded. If they fail to bring the prisoners in time they will be the sacrifice. They are highly motivated and fierce.
Spyral -- The Return....
"Sixth!" Artickat spoke in a hushed tone as the soldiers of Quetzacoatl approached. "Who are they?"
"They look like Aztec soldiers," Sixth said increduously. "But they aren't around anymore...." she continued shaking her head.
"Well, they look pretty alive to me," Kara said, her eyes focuing on the gold-tipped spears the soldiers carried. "What are we gonna do?"
"I don't know," Sixth replied. "It's hard to even think this but....either they're in the wrong time...." she paused looking at the other two girls and Sweetie, "Or WE'RE in the wrong time!"
"Whaddya mean WE'RE in the wrong time?" Sweetie said, hopping to stand in front of Sixth. "HOW THE HELL COULD WE BE IN THE WRONG TIME???? Where the hell did you and that stupid carpet get us? We're supposed to be in Mexico....the idol.......WHAT THE HELL ARE WEEEEEEeeee!" the bird was cut off as he felt the jab of a hard point poke him in the back. "THE HELL ARE YOUUUYIIEEEA!" Sweetie shouted, then caught himself, now noticing the group of heavily armed soldiers.
"Sweetie, just shut up!" Sixth whispered harshly, as the Aztec soldiers, who stood no more than a meter in front of them, looked the 'Scaper crew over. "Everyone just stay cool," Sixth relayed to the group.
"And if they don't?" Artickat asked.
"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Sixth replied. "I'd hate to have to open fire on an already extinct culture."
The Aztec soldier that seemed to be the leader of the group moved forward, gesturing wildly to the group. He shouted in harsh language and pointed to the group, then to his soldiers, then to the group again.
His intention seemed clear: The soldiers were to take the 'Scapers captive.
"Sixth.....Sixth, what do we do?" Kara whispered.
"Get ready for something bad!" Sixth replied.
As the soldiers started to move forward, the very air in front of them seemed to first shimmer, then begin to fold and unfold in on itself. The startled soldiers leaped back in fear, as Sixth felt a tugging on her finger.
"They're coming out!" Sixth said.
The group of Aztec soldiers stumbled back clumsily in panic as Mouse, Malachi and Spyral emerged from the maelstrom of dimensionally shifting air and space. Then, as Rae emerged, the black feathers of her hair standing tall in the storm of their return, the Aztec soldiers gasped as one, immediately fell to their knees and began to chant in unison.
"Umm....Did we get back at a bad time?" Spyral asked, as Rae and the others looked on at the chanting soldiers.......
Sixth Sense Dreamer -- “Anyone know what they’re saying?”
6th whispered to the others, as the Aztec warriors bowed before Rae. Slowly everyone shook their heads, except for Malachi.
"Wait..." he said "I think...I think I can make some of it out..." he listened intently as the others looked warily on.
"Hmmmmmm..." Malachi scratched his chin. "It seems that they think we are sent from the gods,incarnations of them, if you will..."
"Not Again!" Kara groaned.
Malachi continued, "Apparently they think Rae is a gift from Chicomecoatl, a Maize goddess...this is apparently very good luck for them." he paused and said something to the warriors in a halting language. The warriors all gasped as one, and one of the men jumped up and started babbling away to Malachi, flailing his arms wildly and pointing to each of the Gang. The old man tried his best to translate. "Apparently they are having a drought, and prayed to the gods to send them a good offering...And we have appeared, sent from the gods...I am apparently from Huehueteotl, the 'Old God'" Malachi chuckled and continued, "Kara here is from Xochiquetzal, the goddess of Love, and our Dear Spyral is from her consort, Xochipilli, the Flower Prince..."Malachi chuckled again as Spyral pulled some fake flowers from his hair that had gotten caught there in his rush back from inside his wing. "Mouse," Malachi pointed to where she was sitting, Thor still in her arms. "Is from Itzpapalotl, an agriculture goddess...they say she must be from her because of the Dragon she is holding..." Malachi listened again. "Artic...seems to be from Xilonen, another corn goddess. It's because of your fur. It reminds them of corn silk..."He looked at 6th and chuckled.
"What?" 6th asked "Who am I 'from'?"
Malachi only laughed harder. "You...you...Ha,ha... Sorry...You're from Tlazolteotl." he laughed again."You're...from the goddess of sex..." he trailed off as 6th smiled.
"Well, at least they have good taste..." she began.
"No, you see, you're from the 'Eater of Filth'" Malachi laughed a bit harder, as the others looked at 6th's shocked expression.
"Huh?" she said, and they all started laughing.
"I don't think that's a bit funny!" 6th cried out. Malachi tried to explain.
"You see, when people are about to die, they come to you and you cleanse them of their sins. You eat their filth."
"I wonder how she does THAT exactly?" giggled Kara.
All of a sudden Malachi sobered up and a grim expression came over his face as he listened to the warrior talk.
"What?" Spyral asked him.
"Well, he says, it's a good thing that we have 6th with us. We were sent to be an offering to our respective gods..."
"Offering?" squeaked Mouse, squeezing Thor tighter.
"Apparently, we are going to be sacrificed tommorrow at sunrise to ensure a bountiful crop for the people..."Malachi grew pale and silent, as the warriors climbed to their feet, and motioned for the gang to come along with them.
"Uh, guys? Fight, flee, or follow?" 6th asked.
"IF we fight they'll kill us." Rae said softly, noticing how outmatched they were.
"If we run...well...they probably know how to throw those spears quite accurately." Kara murmured.
"I guess we follow..." gulped Spyral.
"Ok, we follow...I'm sure we can get out of this somehow..." 6th said as they all started forward. *I hope* she thought.
Sweetiepie Parrot -- Arrival at Tenochititlan
Sweetiepie had flown up when he had been jabbed by the spear and circled above the group while Malachi translated for the Aztec soldiers. He watched the soldiers search their captives and confiscate all of their belongings. When the soldiers moved the group into the jungle, off toward Tenochititlan, he followed. It was a slow trip, the 'Scapers were none to eager to be sacrificed by the Aztecs and were dragging their feet. So it was easy for the small parrot to keep up. The trip lasted several hours while Sweetiepie racked his brains, trying to think of some way to save his friends. But nothing came to him before they reached the city's gates.
Tenochititlan was an imposing city. The enormous temple pyrimid stood in the center while street after street of homes and shops and parks and such stretched out from it's base. The gang had to walk through the city to get to the temple and their passage created quite a commotion. All along their route, people bowed and pointed and got out of their way. The 'Scapers looked like they could do without all the attention. They looked nervous and frightened. Sweetiepie didn't blame them. Being sacrificed to Aztec gods was not his idea of a good time either.
Finally they reached the temple in the middle of the city. There was a commotion at the gate as the captain of the guards who had captured them talked to the guards at the gate. Then the whole party disappeared inside.
*Ok, what do I do now?* Sweetiepie thought to himself.
He spied an open window and zoomed down to enter the pyramid and see about rescuing his friends.
Raven-Kat -- “Malchi, translate for me.”
Rae shouts.
"Okay." Malachi responds. "But why are you shouting?"
"Cause I hate being sacrificed. You need a BETTER reason? Now translate. 'My people. We are not sacrifices to the great gods, but messengers from them!'"
Malachi translates, and the Aztecs stop and stare.
"Good." Rae raises her hands and tries to look imposing. "'If you want the crops to grow again, you must cease this practice of sacrifice. The gods have warned that it will be your undoing.'" Rae grins. "Also, in a few years, a group of people calling themselves the 'Spanish' will come."
"Rae, what the hell are you doing?"
"You must resist them when the time comes. Their leader is a demon called 'Cortez'. He seeks only your destruction, but it CAN be averted. You getting all of this Malachi?"
"Oh, yes. They seem quite impressed."
"Good." Rae smiles. "Tell them that if they fail to heed my words, they will be destroyed."
"Rae, can you back this up?"
"Every word. I have found some pilfered aztec artifacts on the Pirate ship and Aztec history used to be a favorite of mine. Just work with me."
KaraS -- The aztec guards looked at each other....
in confusion. The woman with feathered hair like Quetzalcoatl was warning them of a disaster! If they could understand what she was saying that is. A messinger was sent for the Great High Priest of the Feathered Serpent God. The Great High Priest soon arrived.
"What is going on here?" the Great High Priest demanded (in Aztec). "Take the prisoners to the central chamber to be prepared for the sacrifice."
"Oh most noble Great High Priest," the leader of the guards said. "The Woman with hair of Ebony Feathers warns us of a great disaster. She says that a terrible invader will come and destroy us. These messengers of the gods have been sent to us to help us prepare for this terrible tragedy."
The Great High Priest looked the 'Scapers over. They were certainly an odd looking bunch! Surely such strange beings WERE messengers from the Gods themselves.
"Oh holy messengers." the Great High Priest said. "We thank you for the warning. We will prepare for the coming of this great evil. We will treat you as honored guests. You may have any food or clothing you desire. Our servants are yours to command. Tomorrow at dawn we will send you back to the Gods from which you come. Until then be happy in the splendor of our temple."
Then the Great High Priest turned to the leader of the guards and whispered. "Take the messengers to the central chamber NOW. Get them anything they want but do not let them leave. Tomorrow they will be sacrificed as planned. If they aren't on top of the pyramid tomorrow morning, you will be. Do I make myself clear."
"Yes oh Great High Priest." said the leader of the guards. "Oh great messengers," he gestured to the 'Scapers. "Come this way and enjoy refreshment and leisure."
"What did that guy in the headdress say?" Rae whispered to Malachi.
"He was going pretty fast." Malachi whispered back. "But I think he said that tomorrow they were going to let us go. Until then we will be their guests and enjoy food and drink."
"Oh good." Sixth said. "We will be honored to be their guests and leave in the morning." She smiled and bowed at the Great High Priest.
As the leader of the guards moved off the 'Scapers followed, certain that all was well....
Spyral -- Matters are worse.....
The 'Scapers were led to a very ornate central chamber inside the Great Temple. Hundreds of candles lit the chamber, casting thousands of tiny reflections in the carvings of gold and silver, which lined the walls of the chamber. Intricate paintings of all colors covered the floor and ceiling, made up of strange unrecognizeable symbols.
The leader of the Aztec soldiers escorting them, suddenly began babbling to Malachi, and gesturing to the surrounding room, as if in an explanation of some sort. Malachi began arguing heatedly with the soldier in the strange Aztec tongue. The soldier only smiled, nodded, then turned and led his soldiers out, leaving the 'Scapers alone in the strange quiet of the chamber.
"What did he say?" Mouse asked. "What is this place?"
"What's changed Malachi?" Spyral asked. "Why do I suddenly not feel so secure in our future?"
"This is some sort of preparation chamber," Malachi replied.
"Preparation for what?" Kara asked.
"Our future, or rather our lack of one," Malachi responded grimly. "Apparently they were not as impressed with Raes speech as we thought. This chamber is for us to prepare ourselves with prayer to our respective Gods and Goddesses. They will return shortly with the ceremonial clothing that must be worn during the ritual sacrifice. They will also bring clothes for us to wear to tonights feast."
"Feast...What feast?" Sixth asked.
"COME BACK!" Rae screamed at the retreating soldiers. "Malachi, tell them to summon their high priest, that we must speak! I command it."
"That will do no good, Child!" Malachi said to Rae. "The high priest might as well be the leader of the village. If he says we die tomorrow, no one will question him."
"Tonite is a time of celebration, for tommorow we shall be the sacrifice which will once again bring joy to the God Quetzacoatl, and therefore bring prosperity to the land," Malachi continued. "Apparently, this feast is a very important part of the ceremony. It is to celebrate out lives, their beginnings.....and their endings. We are heroes of a sort to these people. We are being granted a great honor."
"Yeah, well they can keep the Damn honors and let us go!" Atickat said. "We gotta get out of this."
"Easy," Spyral said. "Now the sacrifice doesn't happen until dawn. That gives us the rest of this day and the whole night to figure a way out of this. Now that's more time then we've had to find a way out of the other situations we've managed to get into."
"We can't fight them," Sixth said. "There are way too many of them....they would overwhem us before we got ten steps away."
"They are a very fanatical people," Malachi said. "Any one of them: man, woman or child will gladly give their life for their Gods. Never doubt that." He looked at the 'Scapers in turn. "They will die to keep us here."
"Did anyone notice just how far they brought us in here?" Rae asked.
"I don't know...." Sixth replied. "It was kinda difficult to tell whether we were going up or down. Those twisting corridors....." she trailed off.
"We could spend hours trying to find our way out," Spyral chimed in. "As long as they have us in here, they have the advantage."
"Or not," Mouse said. "I don't know if anyone else noticed, but only a few of the soldiers accompanied us in here, and I didn't see anyone else in the corridors while they brought us here."
"Yessss..." Malachi agreed, his hand to his chin. "If this were a sacred place, very few would be allowed to enter. A handful at best."
"So how does that help our situation?" Kara asked.
"That means that We have the advantage as long as we are in here," Sixth replied.
"I see where you're going," Spyral said. If we could somehow seal the entrance to the temple......"
"With Us in here!" Artickat asked. "You want us to seal ourselves INSIDE of the temple?"
"That may just buy us some time," Rae said.
"Not much though," Mouse said. "With the workforce they have, they could easily have us dug out by morning."
"And anyway?," Sixth continued, "How do we go about blowing the entrance to the temple?"
Raven-Kat -- I’m glad you asked that!
Rae reaches into her bag and pulls out two bundles: dynamite and C4. "I don't know very much about how they work. What would be better, guys?"
Spyral frowns. "Where did you get those?"
"On the Mexican boat. Before the pirates."
"You know." Mouse tells Rae. "There's a commandment about that, Rae."
"Hey! I don't steal, I PROCURE. Now let's blow the joint." Rae giggles.
Mouse2000 -- Y’know, traditionally
these pyramids always were built with a "back door" so the workers could seal the tomb, leave, and feel certain that no one could get in the front. We just have to find that door - look around the chamber, guys, for a door of some kind!
Sixth Sense Dreamer -- “Don’t you guys think....
that while we're here, and we have some time, we could look around and just see if maybe that idol is here?" 6th asked.
"I mean, if you're all sick of the idea of getting the idol by now, I completely understand, but...well, we have some time, and there aren't any guards around...we could just look around a bit. If we found it, and then blew the joint, we could just go home!" 6th looked at the others.
They all looked at her.
"Um...C4 works better in my opinion, Rae." 6th finished lamely
Raven-Kat -- C4 it is.
Rae grins at 6th. "It's not that we don't want to get the thing so muh as it's that... Okay, we DON'T want to get the thing. Let's just topple the pyramid, put an end to the sacrifices, and get out."
"Put an end to the sacrifices? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?"
"Oh, yes, quite decidedly out of my mind."
Mouse2000 -- As Rae checks out the C4
Mouse takes the opportunity to look around. She is entranced by the unearthly beauty of the flickering candles against the painted stone walls. She looks around, and up in the corner, she sees a black square hole. “Guys, look at this!” she gasps. The group minus Rae runs over and looks at the hole.
“Too high to get to,” says Spyral.
“Big enough to get through if we could get to it,” Kara ponders.
6th, Arctic and Malachi look around to see if there is anything to climb on, but it seems that everything is too heavy or bolted down.
Mouse looks at Rae. “Are they shaped charges?” she asks. Rae says “Actually they are...why do you ask?” Mouse thinks out loud “If those are shaped charges, then they are designed to generate the energy in a specific direction. We could position them in the door way between the end of the corridor and us, and then set them off when the soldiers are just inside. Messy, yes, but those soldiers will never get out to take us. And it would only destroy the small, front part of the pyramid and we should be safe in here. We also will be stuck in here, but if I’m correct, that hole is a ventilation shaft - it goes outside. We could use a smaller charge to break that statue there” Mouse points to a large, tall statue of Quetzacoatl in the corner “we could direct the statue to fall under that hole - and then we could climb out!”
The others look at Mouse with unconcealed doubt. “Yeah right!” they say in unison. “Well, I saw it done in a movie once....” Mouse adds.
Suddenly a flapping sound is hear, and SweetiePie appears from out of the ventilation shaft.
“Thank God I found you guys! Do you know how long I’ve been looking for another entrance?”
“Sweetie!!!!” the Scapers cry.
“In the flesh...” SweetiePie answers, cocky as ever.
“Well, that answers one question - that is definitely a ventilation shaft. What’s up there Sweetie?” Arctic asks.
“It’s like a big ladder - the blocks have enough room between them that even you girly girls should be able to climb out, then it’s just a matter of climbing down the outside of the pyramid. There are even stairs on this side, so you shouldn’t have any problems.” Sweetie answers.
"Couldn't we just use the C4 now to break off the bottom of that statue and climb out without killing anyone?" Spyral asks.
"I guess we could, but I think some sort of a diversion is better... give us time to get up and out before anyone really knows what happened, and we might just stumble upon that idol in a passageway off that vent." Mouse muses.
Sweetiepie Parrot -- Looking for the gang
Sweetiepie had been flying around in the pyramid for quite awhile, looking for the Scooby Gang. Where the Hell could they be? It was nerve wracking, trying to find them and staying out of sight of the Aztecs at the same time. Then Sweetiepie had discovered the ventilation shafts. He had flown up one and discovered the exit. Then he had flown back down the shaft until he heard some familliar voices. When he had arrived, he had come upon them discussing the best way to place explosives to destroy the temple!!!
"Um, guys. We can't destroy the temple. The golden jaguar's in here somewhere and we still have to find it." Sweetiepie said.
The 'Scapers looked at him with murder in their eyes.
"I don't care about that stinking idol." Rae said with heat. "Let's just blow this joint, literally, and get back home."
"After all you've been through to get it, you'd give up the chance to find the jaguar when we're THIS close?" Sweetiepie said with surprise. "Once we find the jaguar, escape will NOT be a problem. It grants wishes, remember. If it likes you it will do just about anything for you."
"If it likes you???" Sixth said. "I thought it was a golden statue."
"Oh it is." the bird replied. "Solid gold with eyes of emeralds the size of your thumb. It's a very beautiful thing." Sweetiepie landed on Sixth's shoulder. "And it knows it too. It's very vain. Flattery works well on it. And with so many cats in the group we should have a big edge. It'll like artic and Rae. If one of them asks it nicely escape will be no problem."
Sweetiepie looked around at the group.
"So what do you say? Shall we go find us a jaguar?"
Raven-Kat -- “I say we vote on it.”
"And my vote is uh-uh, no way. Don't frell around with magic you don't understand. Don't needlessly complicate an escape by praying on contingencies. And DON'T pilfer ancient temples. That's my take on things, but I'll abide by what the group decides. Guys?"
RagnarRB -- As the gang debated
A sturdy rope dropped out of the airshaft. Tied on one end as a weight was a stone with an arrow carved into it...pointing up and a :).
KaraS -- “Let’s go for it!”
"It would be a shame to have come this far and been through so much to find the jaguar only to leave it behind when we are so close." KaraS said. "I'm really curious about it. C'mon Rae, let's go look for it. Sixth, everyone else, what do you say?"
"And what's the deal with this rope?"
Raven-Kat -- “Only one way to find out.”
Rae looks up the shaft but can't see all the way up. "Someone's going to have to climb it. Sweetie, hop on my shoulder. We can keep each other honest."
"Rae!" Sweetie protests.
"Come on. We can have a lovely bird-to-bird on the way up." Sweetie perches on Rae's shoulder and Rae begins scaling the rope. (Eeeek! Gym-class flashback!) About half way up, she asks, "Sweetie, why do you REALLY want the statue? If you lie to me, I'm not going to help you. But if you tell me the truth, maybe I can."
"Well..." Sweetie begins.
Spyral -- What next?.......
"Okay," Sixth says. "Artickat and I will go see about setting the explosives in the doorway. Mouse, you, Spyral and KaraS hold down the fort.
"Gotcha!" Mouse says.
Watching Sweetie and Rae ascend the rope, and disappear into the ventilation shaft, a glimmering caught Spyrals attention from the corner of his eye. As he turned toward the glimmer it, he lost the sight of it.
"What is it?" Mouse asks.
Spyral doesn't answer, simply turning back to the direction of the two climbing the rope and peering out of the corner of his eye once again.
*THERE!* The soft glimmer returns. Carefully moving his head so as not to lose it again, Spyral sees the glimmer coming from a section of the of a wall painting of a magnificent rendering of Quetzacoatl, in the guise of the great Thunder Bird. More exactly, the birds eye.
"Spyral?" Mouse inquires, following the angel towards the painted image. "Spyral, What is it?"
"The eye," the angel says simply. "I think it's a gem or something."
"Hey!" Kara spoke. "What are you two doing?"
Stopping before the wall, Spyral reached up to the eye of the bird God. Carefully he wiped away the light coating of dust covering it, revealing a magnificent emerald, cut in the shape of a four sided pyramid whose top, instead of peaking, folded in on itself.
"WOW!" Artickat said. "Think we could get it out?"
"I don't know but....Hey! It moves," Spyral said, giving the gem a slight turn.
"Wait, are you sure that's a good...." Kara never finished.
A loud high pitched wail seemed to fill the room, as it was bathed in an unearthly red glow. A large gust of wind seemed to blow from everywhere at once, sending candles flying from their places, fluttering the clothing of the three 'Scapers.
"What the hell is that?" Mouse screamed, covering her ears.
"I don't know!" Spyral returned. "Is it me or is everyone elses hair standing on end?"
The very air in the room seemed to churn with static electricity. Small discharges seemed to randomly pop from the walls of the chamber.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" KaraS screamed.
Spyral looked towards the entrance to the room, in time to see Sixth try to enter the room, only to be knocked back by some sort of force field that seemed to have formed in the rooms entrance.
Artickat seemed to be shouting to them, but it was lost in the terrible high wailing.
Suddenly, the red light began to coalesce like a small cloud just above the three 'Scapers. The three all looked up to it, a mere second before a focused beam of light flashed down to envelop them. A blinding flash....and they were gone. Small tendrils of smoke wafted slowly from where they stood only seconds before.
The glow, wind and wail ended just as suddenly as it had begun..
"NOOOOOO!" Artickat screamed, running to the place where the three had stood.
Sixth could only stand and stare as the haze slowly faded away. "ohmigod......." she whispered.
Sweetiepie Parrot -- “Well,” Sweetiepie sighed
"The thing of it is, I don't really WANT the jaguar for anything. I just have to free her."
"What?!?" Raven_Kat said. She stopped climbing the rope and turned her head to look at the bird on her shoulder.
"It's true." Sweetiepie said. "The jaguar is being held against her will and I have to get her free. This isn't really a burglary here. It's a rescue operation."
"How can we "rescue" a statue?" Rae asked.
"She is no more a normal statue than I am a normal parrot. There's the soul and mind of a beautiful woman stuck inside all that gold. It's my job to save her."
"And the wishes?" Rae asked. "Is that just a lie?"
"Oh no." Sweetiepie replied. "She really can grant wishes. And if you help me save her I'm sure she'll grant a few for you. But greed isn't my prime motivation here. The girl needs help. I HAVE to help her."
"Why?" Rae asked.
"I made someone a promise. And it's a promise that I just CAN'T break. If you guys take off without completing the mission I have to stay and try to save her by myself. I'll probably end up dead, but there it is. I HAVE to try."
"Why didn't you tell us this before?"
"I didn't know you too well back in the rooftop lodge." Sweetiepie admitted. "I thought the hidden treasure angle was the best way to get you to help me out. Later I figured out that being honest, telling you the truth, would have been better. But having lied to you, I didn't know how to tell you the truth without loosing your trust and your help. I'm sorry Rae. I really am. But this was just too important..."
"Well," Rae said. "I can't speak for the others. But I think...HEY!"
Suddenly, there was a thunderous noise from below and a rumble as the pyramid was shaken by an explosion. Raven clung to the rope as dirt and chips of rock fell on her from above. The rope slipped and seemed like it was about to fall and drop her and the bird back down the shaft, but after sliding about a foot and a half it held. Raven clung to it gasping for breath. A tremendous spike of adreneline had just poured through her system.
"Oh no." Rae gasped. "Did the explosives go off early? Are the others all dead?"
"You stay here princess." Sweetiepie said. "I'll go check it out."
He flew back down the shaft to see what happened to the others.
KaraS -- With a bang and a flash....
the red light shone on Spyral, Mouse and KaraS. The light sank deeply into their bodies, desolving molecular bonds and returning their bodies to their component atoms. Then the atoms were whisked away to another room in the pyramid and reassembled. The red light dimmed and disappeared, leaving the three standing in a dimly lit room.
"Woah!" gasped Spyral. "We were dead there for a second. Luckily we were returned to a living state before our souls could start their journey."
The girls looked at Spyral in stupifiction.
"Say what?"
"Um, never mind. Where are we?"
The three looked around the room in wonder. It was a treasure room. Everywhere was the gleam of gold and emeralds and silver. The dim light glanced off of statues and wall-mounted masks and chains and other treasures, bouncing and reflecting in a dazeling manner. All the walls were covered with treasure. There was no door. They were sealed in.
"Ok." Mouse said. "How do we get out?"
"Can we get out without being dead for a second again?" Kara asked nervously.
"I don't know." Spyral said. "I can't even find a way to activate the teleportation device from this end."
"Hey guys, look at this." Mouse said. She had found a golden cage on what looked like an altar. Inside the locked cage was a golden statue of a jaguar with emerald eyes. The cat had been depicted in a seated position with it's tail wrapped around it's feet. It was about a foot tall.
"Is that.....?" Kara asked.
"What else could it be?" Spyral asked.
Quickly, Spyral unlocked the cage and reached in to remove the jaguar. The jaguar, moving like lightning, jumped out of the cage between Spyral's hands and disappeared into the piles of golden treasure on the floor at the edge of the room.
"Oh great!" Mouse said. "Now how do we find it?"
"Here kitty kitty." KaraS said. "Come here kitty. Good kitty."
The jaguar appeared at the top of an elaborate golden statue and leaped (there's that word again) to the top of an elaborate mask hanging on one wall. It scrambled up, way out of reach.
"Come here cat." Spyral said. He tried to climp up the statue himself to retrieve the jaguar with no success. The jaguar hissed at him from up near the ceiling.
"What could I possibly have done to deserve this?" Spyral asked retoricly.
From a dark corner, two gleaming red eyes looked at the intruders. The demon regarded them, Spyral particurlarly, with glee. It had been cast out of Hell by it's superiors and forced to guard the treasure in this room by the Aztec priests. It was not a happy camper. It wanted to go home. Surely, with the right coin it could buy it's way back into Hell. And the soul of a mortal angel would be just the perfect bribe....
Raven-Kat -- Something’s happened!”
Sweetipie comes streaking back up the air-shaft.
"Tell me." Rae says.
"Spyral, Kara, some of the others, they vanished!"
"Drenn. Crap! CRIKEY!" Rae slides back down the rope. "I should see if I can help. If you want, you can check out the top, or come with me." Rae slides more quickly down the rope, only avoiding nasty rope-burn because this is adventure-movie land.
"Rae!" Sixth shouts. "Did Sweetipie tell you?"
"They disapeared. Yeah. But how? Tell me how."
"They touched those gems, and, vanished in a flash of light."
"I think they were vaporized." Artic added.
"Frell." Rae muttered. "Okay, where did the laser come from?"
"Laser?"
"If they were vaporized or disinigrated, there must have been a laser. But I don't see any holes in the wall where a laser could come from. It might be some kind of transport device." Rae reaches for the gems on the wall.
"Or it could get you killed!" Sweetiepie squwaks.
"Then you should probably stand back." Rae suggest in her most reasonable voice. She waits until Sweetie and the others are well back, pulls out her pulse-rifle, and starts to depress the gems. "If this doesn't work, uh I love you guys and I'm sorry." Rae depresses the gems and vanishes with a flash.
Sixth Sense Dreamer -- 6th, Sweetiepie and Artickat
stared at where Rae had just been standing.
"well...You'd think if they'd been disentegrated they'd have left a smoking crater, or a pile of ashes or something." 6th said.
"So what do we do now?" Artickat said.
"Well, I'm going to give Rae some time to find the guys...If there's anything to find...And if she is still alive...frell! I hate not knowing what's going on..."6th trailed off as she looked around.
"Ok, Artic...what we need to do is keep ourselves busy. Let's get the C4 in place, then we can...um, create a nice baracade in here, in case that doesn't work, and we need a standoff point...Sweetiepie, do you think you could fly up and see where that rope goes...it may be the only way out of here, and I don't want us walking into a trap. I mean, someone must have dropped that rope down here, and since WE are, or were, all here, I want to know who did drop that rope down for us..."
"Gotcha!" Sweetiepie said, asn winged is way back up and into the shaft.
"Be careful!" 6th yelled as he flew away.
"Yell if you need help!" Artickat cried after him. She turned to 6th. "What about the others?" she asked.
"Well, Rae went after them. If I was stuck somewhere, I'd want Rae to come get me...Let's give them some time...who knows? Maybe they found that Jaguar...If we get set up and ready in here, and they're still not back...I'll start looking for a return button or something...But I think our main job would be to get this room attack ready. There's enough junk in here that we can probably shove around to give some good protected angles for cover fire, but FIRST, let me show you how to use C4..." 6th slung her arm around Artic's shoulder, hoping her cheerfulness covered her worry for her possibly vaporized friends.
Raven-Kat -- “Woah. Wild ride!”
Rae materializes in the room full of treasure and sees Spyral, Kara, and Mouse trying to coax a gold jaguar down from a pile of treasure. "Hey, all!"
"Rae!"
"That our friend?"
"Yes, but it won't come down."
"Hmmm." Rae frowns, then walks to where the jaguar is standing. "Excuse me, miss. You wouldn't be in need of some rescuing, by any chance?"
*Most definitely. And there is a demon behind you*
"Crap!" Rae spins around, firing her pulse rifle. "Uh, guys. Little help, here."
Spyral -- “DEMON!!!!!”
The sound of the word sent cold chill racing up Spyrals' spine and he whirled at the high piched grating metal squeal of the demons voice.
"What the Hell?" Mouse asked.
"Exactly...." Spyral muttered under his breath with disgust.
"Well, well, well....An angel of only one-wing," it snarled. "What happened lap-dog? Forget to bring the Master his paper?"
Rae opened fire immediately on the little creature, her pulse rifle echoing loudly in the doorless room. The demon skittered aside with inhuman reflexes, and cast out his hand toward Rae. Large dark and sharp thorns flew from the palm of his hand toward Rae.
"WATCH IT!" Spyral yelled as he dove, knocking Rae out of the line of fire, the large thorns missing both of them by mere inches and impacting on the rear wall.
"Care to try again bird girl?" the demon asked.
"Who are you?" Spyral snarled at the small demon, as he helped Rae to her feet.
"That is of no consequence of yours. What is of your mind is that with you, I may return home." the demon spoke.
"I will go nowhere with you Hellspawn. But I will see that you harm no other on this plane" With that, the angel reached into his wing and pulled out his gleaming blade.
The demon smiled a mouth full of crooked and sharp teeth that seemed to give small sparks as he gnashed them together. "Other than you, White wing? For when I finish with you. I shall take my time with them..." the demon motioned to the ladies.
Raven-Kat -- Rae throws down her pulse rifle
And takes a step behind Spyral. "Okay, big guy, uh, sir. Let's just talk about this, okay? Talk?" As she speaks, she's rifling through the contents of Spyral's wing.
"Rae, that tickles!" Spyral hisses through clenched teeth.
"Laugh and he'll kill us both. Just ignore it." Rae whispered back. She continued speaking to the demon as Mouse and Kara take cover. "I'm sure we can come to an, ah, an equitable solution."
Rae finds what she's looking for, a jar full of holy-water and slowly pulls it out, waiting for an oportunity.
"The only equitable solution we can come to, mortal, is if you hand that angel over to me and your death is quick."
Rae affects surprise. "Did you say MORTAL? Oh, that's cute. That's funny. That's REAL funny. But it ain't true."
Spyral looks at Rae over his shoulder. "Say what?"
"You heard me, angel-face. I said... DUCK!" Rae shoves Spyral to the ground and lobs the jar of holy water at the Demon.
It shatters against his head and streams of smoke appear from his body...
KaraS -- The Demon and the Angel
KaraS and Mouse backed up as far as they could as the Demon and the Angel squared off to fight. They climbed up a pile of treasure and hid. Raven_Kat backed off too but stood with her pulse rifle at the ready, in case Spyral should need help.
Spyral and the Demon circled eachother warily, looking for an opening. Spyral had his sword and shield. The Demon had it's razor sharp claws and dagger like teeth. It moved quickly, sometimes on two feet, sometimes on four. The uneven ground didn't seem to bother it. It scrambled over the open floor and piles of treasure with equal ease. Spyral, however, was having a difficult time with the terrain, tripping and stumbling over scattered golden objects d'art. They circled in silence, each one concentrating on gaining the advantage.
It was stuffy and hot in the treasure room. Spyral was soon panting for breath, sweat gleaming on his brow. The demon was uneffected by the heat.
Suddenly, striking like a snake, the demon pounced. It grabbed Spyral's shield and ripped it from his arm. Spyral dealt it a stunning blow with his sword, but the blow glanced off of the demon's chittonous exoskeleton without harming it. Now Spyral held his blade in both hands, circling, looking for an opening.
It was clear that Spyral was at a serious disadvantage. He was on unfamilliar terrain while his enemy was intimately familliar with the chamber. But more seriously, the angel was mortal, stripped of many of his angelic powers while the demon, though a minor member of his species, was at full demonic strength.
The demon made a sudden dash, slipped around Spyral's side and jumped on his back. The demon bit down hard on the angel's wing.
Spyral screamed as blood spurted from the gash.
The demon laughed, a low, hollow sound.
Spyral tried to reach back, over his shoulder, to grab the demon but he overbalanced and slipped on a stray piece of treasure. He hit the floor heavily and his flaming sword went clattering off into a corner. The demon scrambled on top of the fallen angel and started to choke him with it's long, scaly hands.
"Spyral!" Rae shouted. "Stay down!"
Rae tried to aim her pulse rifle at the demon but couldn't get a clear shot without getting Spyral as well.
But Spyral was to busy to hear her. He was trying to pry the demon's fingers from around his throat. He tried the knee in the groin manuver but the demon was uneffected. Spyral rolled over on top of the demon but the demon still didn't let go. It's long claws were piercing Spyral's neck and anchoring the choke hold. Blood seeped aroud it's claws and soaked into Spyral's shirt. They rolled over again so that the demon was once again on top. Spyral's single wing beat the ground like a dying bird's. His struggles were getting weaker.
In desperation, Raven_Kat fired off a shot above the struggling pair, hoping to at least destract the demon. But the demon only laughed again.
"Wait your turn pretty one." it hissed. "Soon I'll rip this weakling's soul from his body and feast upon his heart's blood. Then it will be your turn to play. We can take our tiimmeeee. Won't that be fun? When I've finished with all four of you I'll take you back home with me. Then we can play anytime I like for as long as I want."
The demon laughed it's hollow laugh again.
"Do you have a good voice pretty one? How do you sound when you scream? Let's find out."
With that the demon gave Spyral's head a good whack against the stone floor. The angel slumped bonelessly, throughly unconcious. The demon pried it's hands free from Spyral's neck and licked his blood from it's claws. Then it curled up on Spyral's chest, preparing to spring at Rae.
Raven_Kat stood steady her rifle pointed at the demon. If she fired at just the right instant she could catch it in the air and (hopefully) fry it between the time it left Spyral and impacted on her. It was a slim chance but Rae wouldn't risk Spyral's life by trying to hit the demon while it was sitting on his chest.
The demon wiggled it's butt like a cat about to pounce. Rae's finger tightened on the trigger.
Suddenly, there was a golden streak impacting the demon's back. Using the same manuver that the demon had used on Spyral, the golden jaguar struck the demon from behind and sunk her daggerlike golden teeth and claws into it's neck.
Now it was the demon's turn to scream as it's own acid blood splattered on the floor. The jaguar clung tightly and continued to gnaw at the demon. They rolled across the floor, ending up against the far wall. Then the jaguar sprang free.
Rae, sensing her chance, fired the pulse rifle and kept her finger down on the trigger. Bolt after bolt of yellow light hit the demon. It's jaguar inflicted wounds started to glow as the rifle's energy entered the demon through the holes. Then, with a scream of agony, the demon began to desolve. It's armor cracked and came off in ragged chunks and it's soft inside fried in the energy and demolecurlarized. With one last shriek the demon was gone. All that was left of it was a few ragged shreds of exoskeleton and some acid burns on the floor.
And one badly injured angel.
Kara and Mouse scrambled down from their treasure perch and flung themselves down beside Spyral.
"Is he breathing?" Mouse asked.
"No." KaraS said. "His throat's crushed. I'll have to do mouth to mouth." She bent down to perform medical aid to her fallen comrade.
Then the jaguar appeared. She nuzzled the angel with her nose and a soft golden glow enveloped him. He started to cough and groan.
"Oh, did you get the number on that truck?" he moaned.
"Yeah." Rae said briskly. "Number it gone."
Mouse and Kara helped Spyral sit up. He was no longer at death's door but he didn't look well either. The jaguar jumped up on his lap and began to purr.
"Well," Rae said. "It's time to blow this pop stand. But we still don't know how to get out."