Story # 4.11: The End is Only the Beginning...

 

Jay walks through a passageway, guided by Rapha. Rapha looked as human as he did. An ethereal glow surrounded everything. But Jay also saw other people walking around in his area. He couldn't make out structures very well, and his vision was still blurry after waking up.

"Atlantis? What?" Jay said.

"Keep following me, Jay. I'll show you around our vessels."

Rapha took Jay into an open area, as two large doors wooshed open in front of him. The open area was a bustling metropolis of people, plants, food, and everything the human species would ever need. The area's lighting was still ethereal, with many natural tones illuminated by the light from outside windows. Beyond the windows, Jay saw something he didn't expect. A planet sat below his position, with a nearby star visible in the distance. It appeared the relative position of this "vessel", as Rapha put it, was in space.

Jay was awestruck as he looked on at the room, turning a complete 360 very slowly to take in all the surroundings. There were shops where people were trading with one another. Kids were playing and enjoying fun times in a nearby park. There was a small pond, trees blowing in a light breeze, people laughing, enjoying each other's company, and a strong sense of happiness surrounded Jay.

"This is unbelievable," Jay said.

"It usually is to people who come here for the first time," Rapha replied.

"Are we in space?"

"Yes, Jay. As I said, this is a vessel. A spacefaring one."

"So, that planet below is my planet?"

"No, I'm afraid not. We are far away from our home world."

"How far?"

"From your perspective, about twelve hundred light years. But we are moving very quickly back to our home world."

"What? Twelve hundred light years? I must be dreaming."

"You're not dreaming this time, Jay. There's no time travel. This is not a place in this world that you've been brought to."

"Then how did I get here?"

"You died, Jay."

"WHAT?"

"As I warned you about in a dream, if you went back to confront Pat, you would surely die. And you did. There was nothing anyone could do."

Jay couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mind was reeling now. He held his hands to his head, trying to process what Rapha said. But a few moments later, Jay could sense that what he was hearing was true.

"I know. Now I know, Rapha. I've died. And this...this place is the afterlife?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"What does that mean?"

Rapha motioned for Jay to follow him to another part of the vessel. As they walked along, Jay's vision improved, and he began to realize that the material making up this vessel wasn't material. There were no genuine windows, just areas you could see through into the blackness of space. It was all particles combined together, encapsulating everyone and everything onboard. It wasn't a vessel, but almost like its own star. As Jay walked, he looked down and realized that at times the floor became translucent and he could see through it. Nothing here was uniquely solid. Somehow, their bodies were interacting with essentially nothing.

"This doesn't seem real, yet it does," Jay said.

"It's very real, Jay. It's what many of your religious leaders throughout our home world's history have tried to help humans understand."

"We're supposed to understand the unknown possibilities of existence."

"That is correct, Jay."

"So, when people die, they come here to live on, in this in-between space?"

"Not everyone. Most of the beings you refer to go to another place, where they lie in wait. But with this place, we are on a mission. A journey that has lasted a very long time."

"What mission is that?"

"To free our home world. Your world, Jay. To free us all."

"From Pat."

"Yes."

"What is he, Rapha?"

"You know now what it is."

Jay thought for a minute, and then the realization hit him. "Oh my! He's the one who deceives many. Vanity on a scale never seen before and never will be seen again. The fallen angel."

"Lucifer, but it calls itself Luci for short. Or as you know it in your world, Luki."

"The evil. Saban. Wow!"

"It has many names throughout your history. So many times it has tried to destroy what has been done. Humans were meant to live in harmony, but this creature always tries to undo everything. Starting with us, right here in Atlantis."

"So this was part of Atlantis once?"

"What remains of it. Most of Atlantis still resides beneath the surface of our home world, with the Fleece being one small piece of it. Pat saw Atlantis would stay buried for millions of years, passed down only as legend and myth, rather than the truth and fact it once was in our world. Destroying Eden. Desecrating Argatha. Eliminating Mu. So many times it destroyed the civilizations that had risen from humans, with the guidance of our knowledge and ability, but humans never failed. They kept trying to recover every time against it. It's been hard to watch over for so much time."

"And you have been trying to return to our world ever since?"

"Yes. Ever since it banished us to the farthest reaches of the universe, with no hope of returning. But our resolve is far greater than our despair. We created these vessels with the raw power of stars, energy, everything made of the universe, to set us on a home course, and we're now just a short distance away. That was why I could be there briefly in a semi-human form to converse with you. Once we were back in the confines of our home galaxy, I could matriculate into a being to offer guidance again."

"I want to thank you for that guidance, Rapha. I now understand why you had to do what you did."

"It was not easy to do, Jay. Doing what we did meant providing it with the resources it needed. There was no other way."

"Yes, I know, but hopefully we can save the people on our world. Like my family."

Jay suddenly realized that his family was not with him.

"MY FAMILY!"

Jay was bewildered for a moment, as memories and thoughts showed his mind again of Linda and their children.

"They are still there, Jay."

"I had almost forgotten them."

"It's a byproduct of being here, Jay. Our spiritual center reverberates with feelings of hope, wisdom, and love. Your family is a strong force for you, so it's natural that they come back into the equation. Forgetting about them does not mean you don't care, but the natural tendency of where you are now makes you not worry."

"They are safe."

"Yes, for now. But no one on our home world will be for long, Jay."

"Because of Pat, Luki. He's going to wipe out all of human civilization once and for all."

"Correct."

"But there's one thing I don't understand: what happens to us if that is the case? If all humans die, where do we fit in?"

"If there are no more humans, there's no more us. As I said, there is another place people reside in wait, but it is entirely separate from this world. This universe we are in now. Without our link to this world, which comes through our home world we began on, we will be wanderers. No one knows what would happen if that became our new state of existence. We could go on, or we could fade out. But the link to this universe keeps everything whole. That, more than anything, is what Pat, the creature, wants to destroy once and for all."

"To destroy the soul."

"Yes."

"And no one knows what would happen?"

"Only the Father."

"How much longer will it take to get there, Rapha?"

"We are moving as fast as we can, but it may take up to three revolutions of our home world to get back there. Maybe more."

"Three years then?"

"Yes. But as I said, we are doing our best and have journeyed far to reach this point. We will be there before you know it."

"And my family there? Will they survive long enough for us to reach them?"

"That is our hope, for all humans there."

Jay was staring off at the floor, contemplating all that was going on around him. He was in an ethereal world, separated by time and space, moving faster than the speed of light, with a being of immense power, knowledge, and capability beside him, all on a quest to save humanity for one final time. It was bittersweet to think about. But Jay knew it was the only way.

"So, what do we do during this journey home?" Jay asked.

"We prepare," Rapha replied.

"Prepare for what?"

"For the final confrontation."

Jay pondered Rapha's statement and knew what had to be done.

"Then we'd better get started. We don't have much time," Jay replied.

Rapha smiled at Jay, and they began moving to another part of the vessel. They would start preparing for the inevitable conflagration that many prophets, messengers, and other prognosticators predicted throughout history. The Battle of Armageddon.

As Jay and Rapha started their journey, the seven vessels in orbit around the nearby planet streaked across space, bypassing the star holding those worlds in place. These vessels housed the armies of Rapha, coming on a white throne to show humanity the world they had forgotten. The triumph that would be was still years away, but time was of the essence to prepare everyone on the vessels to take on the greatest threat to humanity that has ever existed.

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"So, how is our patient doing today?"

A bald man walked into a medical bay onboard the Fleece. Rob was checking the patient's vital signs, with other robotic healthcare personnel assisting. The other controllers and staff of the Fleece had been eradicated from existence. Some dropped from great heights. Others were burned to death by fire. In their place, robotic servants entered and provided stability and conformity to the ways of Pat. There were now no other humans onboard except for one.

Pat leaned down and looked at the human sitting there in front of Rob, as they finished up some needed testing for visual acuity and hearing. All functions had to be assessed after a lengthy regeneration phase. No one had ever been brought back to life from such severe injuries, and the lapse of time since death. But this was a different situation altogether. A body and life weren't simply being reborn. An indwelling was also taking place with the essence of another creature.

Pat requested that the person in the chair be allowed to stand up. When they stood up and faced Pat, Jay was standing before him. Jay's body had been restored to perfect working order. But the person inside Jay's body was no longer him. Pat smiled with pride at what he was seeing.

"So, tell me," Pat began talking to the person within Jay. "How are you feeling, Britton?"

Jay's face began to smile quite happily. Finally, they spoke, "I feel ready to take on the world."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear, Britton. It's good having you back."

Britton's essence consumed Jay's body, and he was now her. All three of them, Britton, Rob, and Pat, were united again. The unholy trinity, who would unleash the final apocalypse to come. They would conquer the world as Rapha, Jay, and Rapha's armies approached. The final showdown was about to begin, and the humans remaining on Earth, nearly nine billion in all, would be caught squarely in the middle, fleeing and serving Pat's cause. The time had come for the Beast to reign.

To be concluded in Season 5 of Dreams...

Story # 4.9: The Beast

Pat looked across the table at Mike. That look grabbed Mike's attention.

"You need something, Smiley?" Mike asked.

"No, not really." Pat smiled back at him.

Then suddenly, Mike felt this pressure in his chest. He was feeling intense pain. Mike stood up, clutching his chest as the pain grew worse. Inside Mike's body, his heart was being crushed by an invisible force. Mike collapsed to his knees, looking up at Pat standing above him.

"You don't look so good, Mike. Do you need some help?"

Mike's mouth was agape as his heart was squeezed to the size of a dime. Mike lurched forward and collapsed to the ground, deceased. After Mike fell down dead, Seth returned to the room, walking through the door. He saw Pat standing over what he presumed was now a dead colleague in Mike and drew his gun on Pat.

"Don't you move, buddy!" 

Pat just looked at Seth and smiled.

Suddenly, a force grabbed Seth's arm and wrenched it sideways, snapping his arm at the elbow like a twig. Seth dropped the gun, but then the force hurled him across the room head-first into the wall. The impact was so hard and quick that it caved in part of Seth's skull instantly, killing him just as fast. Pat and the Fleece had given Seth and Mike a second chance at life, but now their lives were over. Pat looked at the two dead bodies as he proceeded to the door. He looked back at them, grabbed the handle to close it, and said, "You two gentlemen, take a nice long rest now."

Pat smiled and shut the door as he left.

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Rob was still with Larry, who was with Linda and Jay's children. Larry called Rob's name, grabbed his attention, and let him know he would go to the bathroom quickly. Rob nodded in agreement.

When Larry left, Rob persuaded the kids to come down the hall to the Artifact Room with him. The kids hadn't been there in a while, and Rob told them he would show them some cool stuff they hadn't seen yet. The kids were excited and couldn't wait to go. Rob moved them quickly to the door and headed out. As they left, Rob depressed something in the wall that triggered a device within. He then closed the door behind him.

When Larry came back out, he was now in an empty room. Larry called out the names of the kids and Rob, seeing if they went into another room. After searching the quarters and finding none, Larry decided to exit the door and check out in the hallway. But as Larry exited, something strange happened to him.

As Larry walked out, he saw Rob standing at the far end of the hall, with the kids behind a wall to his side. Before Larry could finish what he was saying, he stopped and couldn't speak any longer. Whatever Rob had done, it triggered a device in the door frame with nanofiber spikes. As Larry exited, the spikes penetrated throughout his body, slicing through everything. Larry didn't feel well now and looked down to see his arms fall off, followed by his legs, and before the rest of his body collapsed in a pile of pieces, Larry was gone. Rob stood at the far end of the hall to be sure Larry was killed, and he accompanied the children to the Artifact Room. The children were not aware that Larry had been killed by Rob and were blissfully skipping and joyful as they headed down the hallway.

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Linda got up from behind the structure to investigate the handbag. There was no sign of the deceased guard in the room now. His essence and that of Britton were now in the handbag before her. Linda was perplexed by the object. She didn't understand what it was or what it meant. But she knew it had to be bad. However, she was afraid to touch it. Before Linda could reach for the handbag, though, the alarms of the Fleece began sounding. The elite special forces team started running from the Artifact Room to assist in another part of the Fleece. Linda looked back to see the guards running with their weapons. Linda saw Dr. Blake and Dana and yelled for them to come to her.

Dr. Blake and Dana ran over to Linda's position, as one guard, and Dr. Kelly remained at the console.

"What is it, Linda?" asked Dr. Blake.

"I followed the guard here after whatever happened, and he turned into this," Linda pointed down at the ground to the handbag.

Dr. Blake and Dana looked down at the object.

"You said he turned into this?" Dana asked.

"Yes, I can't explain it."

"Then this thing has to be important. We have to do something with it."

Dr. Blake reached down and grabbed the handbag. When he did, the object's weight was too much for him to lift, and after a few seconds of trying, energy began radiating up Dr. Blake's arm. Linda and Dana stood back as Dr. Blake yelled out. It was too late to help him, however. The energy was consuming every inch of Dr. Blake's body. From Dr. Blake's vantage point, he felt like his essence was being ripped from his body. Finally, all the fluid, blood, and any other liquids in Dr. Blake's body were absorbed, and he turned into a white, salty substance. Dr. Blake appeared like a statue for a split second, then his body collapsed into dust on the ground.

Dr. Kelly yelled at Dana and Linda, "DON'T TOUCH THAT THING! GET BACK HERE NOW!"

Linda and Dana didn't question anything after what they had just seen. They ran back to Dr. Kelly's position. Dr. Kelly was manning the controls and monitoring Jay, who was still sleeping. The guard covered the flank of the console, watching the path to the main doors of the Artifact Room. The alarm claxon was still sounding overhead.

"What is happening?" Linda asked.

"Pat is free," Dr. Kelly replied.

"What? Oh my! My children! My children are out there where he's at now!"

Dr. Kelly turned to face Linda. "We have to get Jay back awake. We need him. Then we can get your children. But you must calm down and be patient momentarily, Mrs. Trent."

Linda was in full panic mode and trying to calm down before she hyperventilated. Dana hugged her and assisted Dr. Kelly with a manual method to awaken Jay.

Linda knew Jay had to wake up; she couldn't leave him there any more than she could have left her children had the roles been reversed. But she had to get to her children. Linda didn't know that her children were on the way to her.

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Pat strolled around a corner in the Fleece, only to be greeted by a hail of gunfire. Guards were firing automatic weapons at him and hitting his body. But the bullets were having no effect. Pat just kept on smiling at them. Pat moved slowly and purposefully toward the guards, even as they ceased fire to reload their weapons and began firing again. Pat was unstoppable. Whatever he was, it was beyond what this world could perceive. He was more than human. More than a superhuman. He was the embodiment of power. The bullets were simply passing through him, making an impact only to continue straight through, hitting the wall and structures behind Pat. At one point, guards came up on Pat's flank to fire at him from behind, but were struck by the bullets passing through before they had time to react. As the guards continued firing and exhausting their ammo, Pat moved steadily toward them and finally was only a few feet from them. Once he was, Pat stopped and looked dead at them without a smile. Instantly, all the men surrounding him dropped dead on the ground. Pat caused bleeds in their brains, killing them immediately. Pat then proceeded down the hallway to the gantry that would take him to the Artifact Room.

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Rob and the kids entered the Artifact Room, proceeding down the path to the position where Jay was sleeping. Linda turned to look toward the path as the armed guard raised his weapon in the same direction. Linda could hear what sounded like kids and tried to get the guard to lower his gun. Then Linda's children came into sight, with Rob not far behind.

Linda ran to her children as the guard followed, rifle still in hand. Linda embraced her children, who were giddy with excitement about being back in the Artifact Room. However, Rob did not stop to check on her. He proceeded past them, headed toward Jay's position. The guard turned to Rob and held up his rifle, ordering Rob to stop. Suddenly, another shockwave shot out, this time from Rob, and knocked the guard backward into a nearby structure. Linda ducked down with the kids to protect them. She got back up after ensuring her kids were okay and checked on the guard. The guard was okay but stunned by the wave. Then Linda looked in the direction of Rob. Rob walked right past Jay's position and headed down the path the deceased guard had taken. Linda assumed he was going for the handbag.

Linda helped the guard up, and they all moved to the console where Dr. Kelly and Dana were still trying to awaken Jay. The kids were now starting to get scared. They didn't understand what had happened or why Rob wasn't with them. Linda looked at the guard and told them she thought Rob was going for the object, the handbag on the path. The guard proceeded to follow Rob to find out.

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Pat entered the area that takes you to the Artifact Room, but an ambush awaited him. The elite special forces team from the Artifact Room set a perimeter with explosives and remote-controlled automatic weapons while the team of five men hid from sight until they could strike. They had footage of what Pat had done to the other guards and wanted to set a trap for him. When Pat opened the door, the explosives ignited. An explosive force of 250 lbs of explosives ripped through the area away from the Artifact Room, destroying the staircase, ripping out walls, and leaving nothing but a plume of billowing smoke. Those in the Artifact Room felt the vibration and shaking caused by the explosion.

The elite special forces guards got into positions and readied their weapons, none believing that Pat had been killed until they confirmed it. One guard got closest to the blast radius and started peering through the smoke, only to be greeted by Pat's hand. Pat grabbed his face and ripped the flesh and muscle clean off. As the guard screamed in pain and agony, Pat shoved his fist through the man's chest and ripped his heart completely out, killing him instantly. 

Then another guard fired a grenade launcher at Pat, exploding the round as it hit him. Another guard walked up with a minigun and began opening fire. The minigun's rate of fire was so quick that 100 rounds were fired every five seconds. More grenades were being launched, significantly damaging the area outside the Artifact Room. A risk of collapse was imminent for the structures above. But then the guards ceased fire momentarily to observe the damaged structures suddenly being fixed back in place. The weapons had no effect on anything. Even the area in the blast radius was immediately repaired. Pat used his power to fix the Fleece damage and make the guards' efforts useless. The guards saw this and decided to return to the Artifact Room to make their final stand.

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The guard yelled for Rob to stop, but Rob did not listen. The guard stopped beside the carousel where Linda had hidden before, yelling for Rob to stop. Just then, the carousel activated and began to spin. Rob walked up to the handbag and picked it up, holding it securely in his right hand without incident. Unlike Dr. Blake, Rob was not affected as he stood on the ashes of the former scientist.

The carousel began spinning faster and faster until it was going at an unbelievable speed, totally distracting the guard. Finally, the intensity of the speed was so volatile that the force generated by the carousel pulled the guard into it. When the guard hit the ride in the carousel, a blood splatter in all directions showed his body had been destroyed.

Rob only stood there, staring at the remains of the guard that flew out into the rest of the Artifact Room. He walked back to the console where Dr. Kelly, Dana, and Linda tried to awaken Jay.

"It's no use. Nothing will awaken Jay. We have to move him now!" Dr. Kelly yelled as he and Dana ran out to lift the recliner and wheel Jay away.

The recliner allowed for portability that none hoped they would ever have to use. Moving the recliner in case something bad happened was a last-ditch effort. Something awful was happening, and they had little time to react. 

Dr. Kelly lifted the back of the recliner as Dana prepped the portable leads to continue monitoring Jay remotely. Linda looked down the pathway to see Rob approaching, the handbag still in his right hand.

"Dr. Kelly! We have to go now!" Linda yelled.

"We are going!" Dr. Kelly lifted the recliner and began rolling it forward. Dana was right behind him, and Linda pursued with her kids. Rob did not quicken his pace. He continued progressing down the path, pursuing them. As Rob passed the console's location, the elite guards ran up to find that everyone was gone. 

One guard pulled out a tracking monitor and saw their location, which had them in motion. They were going past the Orb to the other side of the Artifact Room. The guards began moving in that direction until one of them stopped in their tracks. One guard saw the other stop and yelled for the others to wait. From the look on the guard's face, who had stopped, the leader told them to continue moving. It was too late for that guard. Although the others began running, the one guard stopped to see what was happening. The guard stopped in his tracks and was lifted up into the air, dropping his gun and equipment. Then, without warning, the guard began to scream as his body was crushed inward. Soon, the guard's body erupted in blood and bodily fluid as his face, chest, and bowels smashed inward. The guard there turned and ran as fast as he could after seeing this. As the affluence that had once been the guard collapsed to the ground, on the other side of some artifacts, Pat entered the room and proceeded along the path to find them.

Dr. Kelly continued wheeling Jay's body forward on the recliner as he was still unconscious. The five of them came upon an old tomb from the Middle Eastern region of the planet. In Anderson's time, it was once a tomb in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Kelly and Dana put Jay inside the tomb and then proceeded to roll the stone outside of it in place to seal it. After sealing it, they darted off as Rob closed on them. 

The five ran off into a section of the Artifact Room known as The Beast. These artifacts were relics of a country known as the former Soviet Union and its weapons of war. Everything from personnel carriers to tanks to missiles was present from prior wars fought thousands of years ago. Dr. Kelly motioned for the five to enter one of the tanks to provide greater protection. After lowering both children into the tank, Linda climbed down. Before Dana could climb down, bullets began showering parts of The Beast area, one hitting Dana in the side. The guards had come upon Rob and were opening fire. But Rob was deflecting the rounds in all directions. As Dr. Kelly stood on the ground around the tank, he was hit by a ricochet in the neck. Dr. Kelly was bleeding profusely from his neck now, holding his hand over the spot of entry to try and slow the bleeding. However, Dr. Kelly's efforts were short-lived as the wound was mortal. He collapsed to the ground while still holding his neck, looking up briefly at Dana, who stopped her movement as she entered the tank. Dr. Kelly motioned for her to close the hatch. Dana made a face of empathy for Dr. Kelly, knowing his life was about to end, and then closed and sealed the hatch. Dr. Kelly was now face down on the ground, the life draining from his body rapidly. As he closed his eyes, he could no longer hear the rifles firing. He heard the men screaming in agony as the elite troops were destroyed one by one as Rob approached. Pat was not far behind.

Dana was lying beside Linda as they began to inspect her wound. The bullet had gone through her lower left abdomen. Linda started putting pressure to help the bleeding, but Dana would need medical attention. For now, they and the children tried to be as quiet and still as possible so as not to give away their hiding place.

Rob approached the area of The Beast. Dr. Kelly was lying beside the tank that Rob could see, now deceased. A puddle of blood was forming under his body. Rob looked around the area, but could not locate the other four that had been with Dr. Kelly. Pat's footsteps were approaching slowly and powerfully. Rob turned to face Pat as he approached.

"Hello, Dad." 

Pat smiled, "Hello there, son. I see you found the good doctor. Too bad he's already dead. I was looking forward to killing him myself."

Rob handed Pat the handbag.

"I'm not sure where the others have gotten to, though."

"You still haven't perfected that skill, have you, son? Not to worry, though. What you seek is directly..."

"Before Pat could finish, however, a voice called out to them both.

Pat turned to look behind him in the direction from which the voice came. It was undeniable to Pat and Rob, but especially to Pat. He had heard it a lot of late, and knew exactly who was yelling his name.

"If you want me, you're going to have to find me," yelled Jay.

Jay had awakened not long after being placed in the tomb by Dr. Kelly. He exited the tomb and proceeded to another part of the Artifact Room. Jay's plan was to lead Pat away from his family.

Pat looked back at Rob, "Stay here and keep looking. You will find them. And change your appearance to something more masculine."

With that, Pat walked away to pursue Jay. Rob's form began to alter as he grew more chiselled and muscular. He was a man now, fully grown in a three-piece suit. His form had shifted in an instant from a boy to an adult. Rob began walking around the area of The Beast to find Jay's family and Dana.

As Pat moved on, the handbag began to mold into Pat's hand, becoming one with his body. Now the power was within Pat.

Pat strolled along the path back into another part of the Artifact Room, thinking to himself, Let the games begin.

Jay responded back in Pat's mind, Let's.

Story # 4.8: Something Wicked...

Jay's body lay there in the Artifact Room as he slept away. Dana was monitoring his condition from the console, and Linda looked on patiently, waiting for her husband to arouse.

Dr. Kelly and Dr. Blake were discussing things, and the elite guards took a break as Jay had been asleep for hours during this excursion. It had been quiet, but Linda remembered what Jay said. It was too quiet.

Looking at her husband, she saw Jay's face twitch. She had been chewing on her fingernails but stopped when she saw this movement. There was no change on any of the monitors connected to Jay, and the movement could have been normal for a sleep pattern.

But Linda kept watching intently as this movement gave her pause. She had a feeling this was something different. After that thought, Jay's whole body twitched quickly, almost shaking for a second or two. This time, the monitors detected the movement, and everyone began paying attention to Jay's status.

"His whole body just twitched. His pulse and blood pressure went up momentarily but then came back down," Dana said, continuing to monitor.

The elite guards got back into their positions, having their rifles ready. Dr. Kelly and Dr. Blake were watching again. Jay's body began to move with more twitches, lasting longer each time.

"I wonder what is going on over there?" Dr. Blake asked.

"There's no telling," was all Dr. Kelly replied.

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Pat was still sitting in the interrogation room, with Mike in the room with him. Seth had gone to the restroom briefly and would return soon. Pat had his eyes closed, something Mike noted and wondered if Pat might actually be sleeping.

Pat was doing nothing but sleeping. He was patiently waiting, too, for whatever was about to happen next.

Pat could sense the activity taking place in the Artifact Room. It didn't distress him. It excited him. He was closing his eyes to focus better on what was happening in the room. He could sense a presence and power he hadn't seen in a long time.

Rob and Larry were playing a game in their quarters down the hall from Pat's room with Linda and Jay's kids. But when the others were preoccupied, Rob could feel something, too, as if it was behind him. He momentarily looked over his shoulder while the other's attention was diverted.

Rob and Pat had a connection, and the connection was being exploited at this moment. Rob could feel the presence and the power just as Pat had. He, too, had not felt it in a long time.

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Back in the Artifact Room, Jay's movements became consistent and continuous. The twitches were happening in intervals, all across his body. Dr. Blake was trying to monitor Jay more closely to see if something about the medication to induce sleep had caused the reaction or if something else was at work. Finally, the twitching of Jay's body stopped.

Jay lay there silently, with no activity other than the steady rates of his vital signs. He was in no distress. The guards stood around Jay's position, ready to act if needed. Linda was concerned. She wanted to know what was happening to her husband. No one had answers. But finally, a response from Jay occurred.

Without warning, Jay slowly rose out of the recliner, sitting straight up with closed eyes. His body moved to the edge of the seat, putting him in a full, upright seated position. No change occurred in his vital signs. He was simply sitting up.

The guards raised their weapons, ready to act again if needed.

Everyone looked on at Jay, holding their collective breath.

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Rapha took Jay into another dream to explain to him about Pat. He took Jay to a distant past beyond the time Jay had seen in the Atlantean civilization. This time was hundreds if not thousands of years earlier than the latest time Jay had been to before.

"Pat is not a human."

Jay was astonished, "Then what is he?"

"The sentinels were designed to protect planets. They carried a device that allowed them unlimited power to wield against adversaries that might seek to harm the species present in individual worlds. The people of your planet referred to them as handbags in ancient texts."

"Handbags! Yes, I've heard of this. What do the handbags do?"

"They are not handbags. They are a device that contains the power of gods."

"What gods? Like the God?"

"No, but something believing itself to be close."

"Wait, you said, designed? What do you mean by design? How was Pat designed?"

"Pat is a creation like no other. This being, entity, machine is artificial in nature. It has no beating heart, no lungs, no mind. It is quite literally something from nothing. The being you call Pat is made up of the matter of the universe, and its essence can enter anything at any time and become anything it wants. It is the perfect weapon against all marauders and has wielded its power many times on your planet."

"So, he..."

"It is no he."

"The being Pat is like a spirit?"

"Even more than that."

"What's more than a spirit?"

"In your world, there have been those who referred to them as angels."

"Angels?"

"But this creature, this thing, fell from grace long ago. It has been here in your world for as long as humans have existed and keeps your world separated."

"Separated? From what?"

"From your ultimate glory."

"What is my ultimate glory?"

"To go beyond this world."

***********************************************************************************

Jay's body continued holding in the seated position, with all eyes on him. Jay's eyes had never opened. No more twitching. But suddenly, Jay stood to his feet, eyes still closed.

Everyone in the room jumped, and Dana let out a yelp. Others looked at her as she apologized. As everyone watched, Jay's eyes clearly showed deep REM sleep, moving side to side as you would expect. So how Jay was standing was inconceivable. But finally, Jay moved toward one of the guards. The guard wasn't sure what to do or if he should use his weapon. Finally, he lowered that weapon and pulled out a tazer device to stun Jay and possibly wake him up. The lead guard insisted on his subordinate doing so. They didn't want to harm Jay.

But before the guard could get the tazer out, Jay grabbed the guard around the throat. Jay hoisted the guard up in the air, over his head as the strong grip of the guard's neck began to choke him. The other guards encircled Jay and ordered him to lower the guard, or they would be forced to shoot. Another guard was getting a stronger tazer to use on Jay.

Jay was not releasing his grip as the guard slowly lost consciousness. Finally, the other guard with the tazer aimed and fired at Jay. The electrodes began shocking him, forcing Jay's body to release its grasp. Both men fell to the ground. But the damage had already been done. One guard assessed both men and confirmed Jay was still alive and unconscious, but the other guard he had been choking was deceased. Linda held her hands over her mouth, gasping at the thought her husband had just killed another person. The guards picked up Jay's body and took him back over to the recliner, reconnecting the electrodes and devices that had ripped off when Jay stood up and moved from the seat. But as they reconnected, Jay, the deceased guard, sat up. Dana screamed when she saw the man sit up, prompting everyone to look in that direction. Then the deceased guard rose completely to his feet and opened his eyes. His eyes were no longer eyes but light filling the orifice that had been his eyes. Before anyone could react, a shockwave shot out in all directions, knocking everyone to the ground. 

Linda, stunned by the shockwave, started rising back up. She leaned up from the floor and saw the deceased guard walking off into the Artifact Room. Linda looked around her and realized everyone else was still trying to get their bearings from the shockwave. So, she jumped to her feet and followed behind the deceased guard.

***********************************************************************************

Rapha showed Jay this other reality, the earliest reality. There, the creature Jay knew as Pat was all-powerful, all-knowing, and nearly invincible. But vanity was its flaw, and when humans came along on the planet, they began to find ways to subdue the creature.

"I don't understand, Rapha. If humans then could defeat Pat, why is he here now?

"Because it had help."

"What sort of help?"

"You have met one of them, the one like a boy."

Jay looked shocked at Rapha, "Rob! Rob is his son."

"That creature is a mere extension of the other. They are one and the same."

Jay was confused but began to connect the dots. That's when he had a realization, "But you led us to Rob? You allowed the connection with the Anderson Loop because you did away with it afterward. Does that mean you are helping, Pat?"

"No."

"Then why did you do that? Why did you allow it?"

"It was a means to an end."

"You like saying that, don't you?"

"You cannot completely understand everything I am doing, but you will later."

"What it sounds like is you are letting him do this! Have you been letting him do this all ten times? Destroying civilization, after civilization, over and over again?"

"Those civilizations made their choices. All must live with their choices."

"And some of those civilizations asked for help. They begged and pleaded for help. Is this how you help them? To be on the brink of extinction?"

There was a long pause.

"Yes," was all Rapha replied.

Jay was angry beyond belief. He wanted to attack Rapha but couldn't because Rapha wasn't there in front of him. Only people in a dream world. One particular one standing before him as he watched was a woman. A woman who embraced Pat. Ironically enough, the woman looked like Britton.

"Is that? No, it can't be! Was Britton with him, too?"

"That is no human either. That creature is the embodiment of the other. They are all one and the same. Three in one."

Jay couldn't believe what he was seeing. This whole situation had been some sort of power play and game. It had wreaked havoc on Jay's life. Destroying his career. Taking him from his family. Sending him through abuse after abuse. Ripping his very soul from his own body. Nothing Jay had experienced through this whole ordeal had ever been as it seemed. He didn't know what to believe. He didn't know where to turn. Rapha was letting him down. His friends hadn't helped him. His colleagues abandoned him. Even his family....my family! 

Jay was in full panic mode now. Whatever was going on, Jay knew his family was in jeopardy.

"Let me out of here! I WANT OUT OF HERE NOW, RAPHA!" Jay screamed at the top of his lungs.

"That creature is already there. It is too late."

"That's why I have to go back, NOW!"

"The ones you call Pat, Rob, and Britton are all there and will conquer all with their vessel."

"Vessel? What do you mean vessel, like a ship?"

"Yes."

Jay thought for a minute as it all started coming together. "The Fleece. The Fleece is their ship. That's how it moves."

"It is time to move on from that."

"It's time to move on from this. Send me back now, Rapha!"

"If you go there, you will surely die."

"I'm not going to let my family die!"

"What good will your family be if you die?"

"I can't leave them there with them! Send me back now!"

Jay kept screaming for Rapha to send him back to his world as darkness consumed all around him. Jay was alone, as alone can be. Rapha watched, waiting for the opportune time to send Jay back to his world, but it would come at a great price.

***********************************************************************************

Linda was running up to the deceased guard as they came to a stop in front of her. Linda stopped and ducked behind a structure nearby. The nearby structure was a carousel from an amusement park. As she kneeled there watching, the deceased guard began to shake and convulse. His illuminated eyes were shown brighter and brighter until the light from them began to take over his entire body. His body was changing, too, growing older by the second as it began to decay. Finally, the light became intense, and the body it was in disappeared. The light rushed towards the ground, forming a structure on the floor. Linda looked down to observe a small bucket-like object. It had a handle and squared off base. The object Linda was seeing was none other than one of the handbags mentioned by Rapha.

Back when Rapha first appeared, he had disembodied Britton, seemingly killing her. But death was not the end result. Britton wasn't human but a variation of Pat, the Sentinel. Britton knew what Rapha would do to her and allowed it to happen. Rapha also knew it was a means to an end. Once Britton was disembodied, she waited patiently for the right pieces to be put in place to launch her true attack. While Rapha tried to show Jay the truth, Britton entered his body and released herself into our world. The handbag is a weapon that will allow Pat to complete what he needs, for the time of the Beast to reign has finally come.

***********************************************************************************

Pat sat there, still with his eyes closed. Then, a smile came across his face. He opened his eyes.

In the room away from Pat's, Rob also smiled. Then they both said in unison.

"That's three."

 

Story # 4.7: The Sentinel

Altogether, Jay had made seven trips back in time during his nocturnal ventures, as they came to be known. The central computer of the Fleece provided a listing of the items retrieved and the loops from which they were retrieved. The list is as follows:

Loop 8 The Annunaki Civilization retrieved a necklace from an individual known as The Tormentor.

Loop 7 The Toba Civilization retrieved a ring from the pharaoh's wife.

Loop 3 The Bosk Civilization retrieved a javelin device after a pursuit by sentries from the Monarch's Palace.

Loop 2 The Gamma Ray Civilization retrieved two tablet devices activated in the Artifact Room.

Loop 4 The Malthusian Civilization retrieved chemicals from a lab after the fall of that civilization.

Loop 5 The Wonderland Civilization retrieved basaltic rocks from the remains of the caldera eruption.

Loop 6 The Ice Age Civilization retrieved ice cores from a frozen wasteland after the fall of the civilization.

Loop 9 was no longer accessible, the Anderson Civilization. Most of the artifacts in the room were already from that civilization. Many felt the final three trips yielded nothing of value, nor did they make sense as Jay was risking his life to journey back. 

Jay had only one more loop to visit, the first one Rapha took him to in the first dream in the Artifact Room before disappearing. Loop 1: The Atlantean Civilization. Jay wanted to return there but didn't know what Rapha might have in store. Rapha had been so vague that Jay had grown tired of listening to him. The last few dreams had been uneventful, having gone to civilizations left in ruins, much like the Anderson loop. So, Jay was concerned he would get a cold dose of reality if we returned to the Atlantean Civilization again.

"Ready for dreamland again?" Dana asked Jay.

"Not really. I'm pretty nervous about what will happen this time. The last few have been quiet. Too quiet."

"Just relax, you know you have Rapha there. I don't think he would really put you in harm's way."

"Really? I've only been eaten by a giant, shot at by sentries, nearly froze to death, and almost got disemboweled and burned. I think he has no problem putting me in harm's way."

"Yeah, but you handled it well," Dana said, adding a smile afterward.

Jay was not amused.

Linda was standing right there listening and concerned herself.

"This is the last one you can go to, right?"

"As far as loops, yes, but this would be the second time I've been to that one if Rapha takes me there. He said I have to keep doing this for as long as it takes."

"Well, let's hope this is the last one...maybe."

Once again, Jay was not amused.

A voice came over the loudspeaker, "Let's prepare for sleep intervention."

"That's my cue. Good night, ladies."

Linda leaned down and gave Jay a kiss. Then Linda and Dana made their way behind the safety console. They looked on as Jay began to fall asleep in the chair.

"I really hope this is the last one. I have a bad feeling about this one."

Dana looked at Linda and said, "I have a bad feeling, too."

Linda looked at Dana as they both were deeply concerned about what was coming next.

***********************************************************************************

"Rapha!"

Jay yelled out into the darkness surrounding him. There was no reply. There was no other sound and no echo. It was like a vacuum chamber devoid of oxygen. But Jay could still hear himself. He wandered through the darkness, feeling like a disembodied spirit. He pondered if this is what purgatory feels like or even hell. Jay contemplated a lot of things during his travels. He realized there had been a messenger in every civilization, as Rapha suggested. Someone with an unbelievable ability to reason, evaluate, teach, and sacrifice. The sacrifice was always about self, never about sacrificing others. These individuals were selfless and willing to give their lives for everyone. They went by many names, HeSu, Joway, Jesus, Hason, just to name a few. In Jay's civilization, this person's name was JusWah. Although traveling back in time in the dreams, Jay never got to see the ancient past of his own civilization. All he was seeing was the much more ancient extinct civilizations. Jay wondered, what am I still missing?

Certainly, Rapha had shown and guided Jay through a lot. But Jay had something nagging him inside. What was Pat really? He knew there was much more to Pat than what he had seen. Pat had knowledge and abilities that defied reason. His smugness was beyond tolerable. His arrogance was profound. Pat truly believed no one could lord over him. So, who was Pat, really?

Then Jay thought about the Tormentor. The being that knew his name in the past. He started thinking about the sentries that chased him. They all had helmets that blocked their faces from view, but their pursuit was relentless. It was as if the sentries could...read his mind?

"Wait a minute? They could! Those sentries were knowing my moves before I made them. Just like they were reading my mind."

Then Jay thought about the pharaoh's wife. She was seductive. But she also reminded him of someone else. Someone he knew. Britton.

The only time Jay didn't feel something familiar was when he met the man on the mountain. That was someone completely different and seemed to be like Rapha.

But the other times, everything felt like it had in the Anderson Loop and when he arrived at the Fleece. It was all too familiar. That's when Jay had an epiphany.

"What if. No, it can't be. But what if the sentinel is..."

Suddenly Jay was standing in a park in a large city. He was back in the open field again. But this time, several people gathered around another person. This person had their back to Jay. He could tell the person was talking to the others but couldn't make out what they were saying. Jay moved closer to them, realizing now Rapha had taken him back to the Atlantean civilization.

As Jay drew closer to the person, he could make out their characteristics. It was a man standing with his back to Jay. The man was also bald. Seeing his bald head, Jay stopped his movement and just stared. Suddenly, the man turned and faced Jay.

It was Pat. He was dressed in the attire of the other people. But what was odd to Jay was that Pat looked right at him.

"Hello again, Jay."

Jay couldn't believe it. Even in this past civilization, Pat knew who Jay was and could interact with him normally.

"You're here?"

"That I am, Jay," Pat said, showcasing his patented smile.

"But how?"

"You ask that because you think I'm human, Jay?"

"What are you?"

"What do you think I am?"

"A god?"

Pat laughed out loud, "I'm a lot more than that, Jay."

"What's greater than a god?"

"A being that believes they are greater than any god."

Another voice started speaking to Jay. It was Rapha.

"Rapha, what is Pat?"

"As you deduced, the sentinel."

"He and the Fleece have always been here?"

"Yes. They are always together, as the sentinel is always in command of their ship."

"Ship? The Fleece is a ship. Like a spaceship."

"Yes."

"So, Pat is going to use the Fleece to destroy humanity? Is that what you've been trying to tell me?"

"Yes." 

"Then what are all the items that I recovered?"

"Those, Jay, are for me," Pat spoke up.

Jay looked back at Pat, "For you? Why?"

"Because I need them to make the Fleece do what it needs to do."

Jay couldn't believe what he was hearing. Pat would use the objects he recovered to use the Fleece to destroy his own world.

"But, you made me get those objects, Rapha. Why? You made me help Pat! Why would you do that?"

"As I said before, it was a means to an end."

"And to that end, Jay, I'll be seeing you. Thank you for completing all of those tasks for me. It was just what I needed. Now, if you will excuse me, I'll be going back to your world and leaving you here," Pat said as he smiled and laughed at Jay, then put his finger beside his nose and vanished.

Jay then woke up but realized immediately he was not in the Artifact Room. He was in the black void again. This time, he could see his body and look as he did in his world, even lying on the chair. But he knew he was still in the dream world. 

"What is happening? I have to wake up!"

Jay laid back down and tried to wake himself up again, but even after laying there trying to fall back into a trancelike sleep, he would simply reappear in the void.

"No. I'm trapped here."

"You are not trapped."

Jay heard Rapha's voice.

"Then what is happening, Rapha!"

"I'm keeping you here for now."

"Why?"

"Since you have realized what Pat is, I can explain more why this being is."

Jay was intrigued. "I'm all ears."

With that, Jay was about to learn one of the greatest secrets of all time. The only question was, could he handle it?

Story # 4.6: The Task Master

"Welcome back."

Jay was back in the dream world, with Rapha acknowledging his return.

"That was intense, Rapha."

"Yes, and it will only become more so."

"I have some questions first."

"Speak."

"How many more trips are needed?"

"As many as it takes."

"For what purpose, Rapha?"

"You know the purpose."

"Yes, the overall purpose is to save humanity, but what do the things like the necklace do?"

"They provide a means to an end."

Jay sighed, growing frustrated by the conversation.

"Do not let your frustrations get the better of you. In time, you will understand."

"How much time?"

"Again, as long as it takes."

Jay looked down at the nothingness around him, then looked back up.

"How did the Tormentor know my name?"

Rapha was silent for a moment.

"Why do you think the Tormentor knew your name?"

Every response by Rapha seemed vague, or a question was redirected to Jay. He let what he was thinking slip out at this moment.

"I don't know why."

"Yes, you do. You just haven't realized it yet. You're choosing to look away, as many humans do. But you know why."

Jay understood that some. He knew the Fleece itself had been around for a long time, so something else might have also been around for a long time. Rapha had spoken of a sentinel from Earth. Jay had taken that to mean the Fleece, but perhaps it was a literal being instead.

"I guess there's only one way to find out, right? On to the next task," Jay said with some apprehension. In the last task, he was basically eaten. What would happen next?

***********************************************************************************

The team stood by in the Artifact Room, waiting for Jay to wake up. Jay arose from his slumber, much less dramatically than the last excursion. However, Jay sat up, holding a cat as he arose from his chair. Much to the team's astonishment, this wasn't what they expected to see come back with Jay.

One of the elite soldiers lowered his rifle momentarily and asked, "Is that a cat?"

The cat meowed at the soldier.

Dr. Kelly approached Jay, "You brought a cat back with you this time?"

"I stole a ring from a pharaoh's wife and attached it to the collar it was wearing. It was the only thing I knew to do to get the artifact here."

Dr. Kelly stared at Jay. The soldier standing beside the doctor began to chuckle. This laughter prompted another soldier to laugh, followed by others in the room, including Dr. Kelly, joining in.

Eventually, even Jay smiled as the cat patted his nose with its paw.

Another soldier said, "That cat just bopped his nose!" That led to a large amount of laughter. 

Dr. Kelly laughed and took the cat from Jay, "At least you didn't wake up screaming this time."

"Yeah, I'm happy about that," Jay replied.

Linda approached him, smirking. "So, Jay, how did you get the cat from the pharaoh's wife?"

Jay was leaning back in the chair again, "Very carefully."

"I'll bet. Getting anything from a pharaoh's spouse has to be done carefully. They can also be quite seductive. Did she seduce you so you could get her cat?"

Jay just stared at Linda, then slowly pulled his eye cover back down to lean back more and go back to sleep.

Dana walked up to Linda, giggling. Linda gave her an intense look, to which Dana could tell she was pretty mad. 

"Just remember, Linda, he's sleeping during all this."

"He better not be sleeping with anyone during all of this, or he'll wish he stayed there."

Linda turned around and walked back to the control console briskly. Dana raised her eyebrows and looked down at Jay. She pursed her lips and giggled more, especially as she looked at Jay.

Jay was lying there but wasn't asleep yet and had heard what his wife said to Dana. He knew nothing sexual happened, but it was kind of funny seeing Linda's reaction. He loved getting a rise out of her sometimes but never pushed it too far. But for the moment, he had a smile on his face.

***********************************************************************************

Jay was twitching this time as he slept. He groaned a few times, too, as his brain patterns indicated extreme movements.

"He's really moving expediently in this dream. It's raising his heart rate and blood pressure substantially," Dr. Blake said as he continued monitoring Jay's condition.

"Anything like loop one, with the necklace?" Dr. Kelly asked.

"No, nothing like that. It's more like he's running and jumping."

Linda was growing concerned. What could he be running from?

Finally, Jay awoke quickly, sat up even quicker, and threw an object toward the control console. A large javelin-like device pierced the impenetrable glass encasing the console and lodged in it. The object just missed Dana and would have killed her had it gone entirely through.

Jay stood beside the chair, with the elite soldiers aiming their weapons at him.

"Are you ok? All of you!"

Jay was frantic because he knew he had thrown the javelin device.

Dr. Kelly interceded, "Yes, everyone is fine. Just minor damage to the glass encasing. What was going on there?"

"I was being chased by sentries," Jay replied, drenched in sweat as he peeled off some of the electrodes.

"Sentries?" Dr. Kelly asked.

"Yes, sentries of the loop three. They called themselves the Bosk, the KL type two civilization. Much more advanced than we are today. As you said."

"Really? How advanced?"

"I was running from them on a flying device of theirs. I had to steal that javelin as part of my next task. But I got into a chase where I was trying to learn how to fly that thing. I went up as high in the air as nearly ten thousand feet. It was terrifying. I'm afraid of heights."

"Well, that explains the vital sign readings then," Dr. Blake added.

One of the soldiers finally dislodged the javelin from the window and started walking toward Jay with it. "This thing is wicked."

The soldier handed the javelin to Dr. Kelly, who began examining it.

"So what does this thing do besides be a possible weapon?" Dr. Kelly asked.

"I don't know. Just another task Rapha wants me to complete. But I need a break and something to eat," Jay said, showing signs of physical exhaustion.

"Go shower and spend a few hours with your wife and family. We'll start again at 2100."

"What time is it now?"

"0715."

"That sounds great to me."

***********************************************************************************

After spending the day with his family, Jay was back in the seat again, sedated to fall asleep and convene with Rapha.

Rapha had yet to return to a physical presence, even in the dream world. Jay typically started somewhere in a dark void. But for this excursion, he was in a desolate wilderness. In the distance, he saw a mountain and what looked like the clamoring of people gathered nearby. 

From where Jay stood, he saw a brilliant light shining at the top of a pillar of fire and cloud ranging downward to the top of the mountain. Jay was perplexed. He had never seen anything like it. 

"Come to the mountain top."

Jay heard the voice calling to him and knew it was Rapha, but it originated from the pillar of fire and cloud. 

Jay began moving toward the mountain, heading up its slopes to find the origin of Rapha's voice. From one vantage point, he could see thousands of people below on the outskirts of the mountain as if they were waiting. Jay continued to climb until he reached the location of the pillar. He waded through the dust to the edge of the cloud. While moving toward the pillar, a light showed brightly, illuminating the area of the mountain he was in and a man standing before him.

Jay could only see the man's backside, wearing a flowing robe-like attire, with brown, grayish long hair. As Jay approached him, with his arm up to shield himself from the light, the man in the robe turned around to face Jay. Jay couldn't make out the man's face very well, as the light was so intense it blocked out features. But then the man spoke to Jay.

"I was told to give you these."

The man extended two objects toward Jay. Jay looked at them, but again, the brightness of the light removed any detail. He took the objects from the man and tried to look back at him.

Jay could see a faint smile on the man's face before the man spoke one last time, "Now go."

Jay listened to what the man said and turned to make his way back down the mountain. The man watched Jay leave as the pillar of cloud grew in luminosity. A voice said, "You have done well, my good and faithly servant."

***********************************************************************************

Jay awoke back in the Artifact room to a gasp. He began looking around at what was in his hands. Now that he could see the objects, he tried to discern what he was holding.

Dr. Kelly and Dr. Blake, Dana, and Linda approached Jay.

"What are those?"

Jay looked down at the two objects he was cradling. As he pulled them away from his body, it became clear they were tablets of some kind. But not stone tablets, electronic ones. The glass of the screens was clearly visible, similar to the devices of today. But the tablets were black, with no power to them.

"That almost looks like an iJot," Dana said, a little confused.

"Where did you get these from, Jay?" Dr. Kelly asked.

"I was on a mountain with this large pillar of cloud and fire. There was this intense bright light, making it hard to see anything. This older man in a robe told me he was told to give them to me. Before that, I heard Rapha's voice coming from the cloud. It was odd. I've never seen anything like that or like these devices. But whatever they are, they don't seem to work."

Then, the two tablets roared to life, with images forming on them like nothing any of them had ever seen. The images almost lifted off the tablets themselves, but no one could understand what they were or meant."

"Those things just turned on," Linda said.

"For what purpose, though?" asked Dr. Blake.

Jay and the others do not know that Jay was given the original tablets handed down to Moses at the beginning of civilization for the second loop after the fall of the Atlanteans. Many years after the fall, society was trying to rebound from the disappearance of the Atlantean civilization. The Ten Commandments. Oddly enough, Rapha was there. Although none of them could understand it, one person in their world did. Pat was sitting alone, in chains, in his room, a smile creeping across his face.

"That's two," was all he said.

Story # 4.5: The Tormentor

In ancient Sumeria, the Annunaki ruled all. These giants were all-knowing and all-powerful. They could fly, lift immeasurable objects both physically and mentally, and were dead set on ruining the lives of humanity. The ancient city they currently occupied was lit up by energy from the leader, adorned in the necklace Rapha had mentioned. Although this creature's name was Anuk, they were known as The Tormentor. 

The Tormentor was massive. This creature's muscles were bigger than any human could comprehend. The strength it showed was beyond measure, picking up the strongest of humans and devouring them like popcorn from a bucket. The Tormentor had many tattoos on their arms, legs, and torso. Their hair was thick but coarse. Their face was chiseled and scarred. It was anyone's guess where scars on this beast's face may have originated, as no one on Earth could harm it. And when the Tormentor spoke, the sound echoed across the land.

"BRING ME YOUR SACRIFICES!"

The Tormentor yelled across the landscape, prompting other Annunaki to round up humans scurrying across the city's roads. Lights illuminated the ancient city that remained from the ruins of a prior civilization.

The Annunaki arrived unexpectedly after the collapse of the Toba civilization, which was equally as advanced as the Smithville civilization. These beings had been watching human civilizations for centuries, even millennia ago. During the Atlantean civilization, the Atlanteans conquered the Annunaki, which was deemed barbaric. The Annunaki had been subjugated to a remote part of the Milky Way Galaxy, never to threaten humanity again. But after ages of traversing the galaxy to return to Earth, the Annunaki arrived just as human civilization was reeling from the effects of the Toba caldera eruption. All earth defenses and power grids were destroyed, and the governments of that time were helpless due to the devastating impact of the eruption. But through the soot and ash, the Annunaki landed on Earth and immediately destroyed whatever remained of human civilization at that time. Only segments of Earth remained livable, as the Annunaki reigned fire down on humans with our own weapons. The civilization then also possessed nuclear weapons and energy, and the Annunaki obliterated whole cities with our advancements. It was a devastating calamity, reducing the human population from 8.5 billion to barely over 150 million. The survivors that remained were subjugated by the Annunaki as slaves. Their sole purpose was to serve the Annunaki.

When the Annunaki arrived, however, the Tormentor was not among them. Seemingly, out of nowhere, the Tormentor established dominance over the rest of the Annunaki. The Tormentor killed the leader who conquered Earth and established their rule over all. They built the city from the remains of the ancient civilization's capital in what is known as Mesopotamia. The Tormentor did as they pleased there, with all Annunaki and humans obeying. But tonight, everything was going to change.

"BRING THEM TO ME NOW!!"

The Tormentor bellowed these words as his guttural voice drowned out even the loudest screams. The Annunaki rounded up hordes of humans, all running from them like roaches trying to find a hiding place. Amid the crowds stood Jay. Jay looked out of place with his clothing, even in the dream world, but no one noticed with all of their fear and panic. Jay was only fifty yards away from the Tormentor. The Tormentor laughed as the other Annunaki soldiers brought him the latest humans to sacrifice. A deep, terrifying laugh, like the kind a horror movie would present. Jay was trying to figure out how to plant himself in the forefront of the humans being gathered so he could get close enough to the Tormentor to snatch the necklace.

The necklace was a powerful energy source, glowing purple on its center crystal. The other crystals were illuminated in lighter shades of red, green, blue, and yellow, but none as bright as the purple stone in the center. The purple stone allowed for zero-point energy, thus an endless storage supply that could power surrounding electrical devices. There were still remnants of lighting from the prior civilization that had been converted by the Annunaki for use in this newer city they had created. The humans perceived the necklace as magical, but Jay knew it had similarities to the energy sources he had seen at The Fleece. It had an energy force similar to the orb. But how would Jay get close to it? The crowd was pushing him in the wrong direction. The force of the crowd was growing more substantial but for a good reason. Then it happened.

"You! You will be a great sacrifice!"

Jay looked up to see an Annunaki soldier standing over him, snatching him up to put with the captured others. Jay was in. It was a matter of time before he would be taken to the Tormentor.

The group Jay was in was placed in a primitive cage on wheels and hauled over to the location of the Tormentor by another Annunaki soldier. There, the Annunaki soldier dumped the cart of all its human inhabitants, Jay included, as they landed on the ground in a collective thud. Jay looked up as he lay on the ground to see the Tormentor standing directly above him. The Tormentor looked down at the humans that had been gathered. He reached down immediately and grabbed a human female, who began screaming wildly. As the Tormentor hoisted the woman up, her screams grew louder and more intense. Finally, the Tormentor bit her head clean off and began chewing on it. Jay could hear the crunching of her bones from her skull beneath the Tormentor's teeth. Jay looked down and cringed, closing his eyes as he heard the crunching. Then the Tormentor threw the rest of her body in its mouth and devoured her whole being seemingly in an instant. The Tormentor wiped its mouth with its arm and looked down at the humans below.

"Ah, you."

Jay could feel their eyes pressing down on him with an intense look. He looked back up to see the Tormentor staring down at him. 

"I know you."

Jay was shocked. How could it know me? But before Jay could think anymore, the Tormentor snatched him up just as the woman had been. As Jay grew closer to the Tormentor, he ready himself to do one thing, grab the necklace. But before Jay could get close enough to try and grab it, the Tormentor stopped moving Jay towards it and stared at Jay instead. Jay looked at the face of the Tormentor, staring back at him. The Tormentor had a smirk on its face and finally spoke, "I'm going to enjoy this, Jay."

What? How did it know his name?

But before Jay could say anything, the Tormentor shoved Jay entirely in his mouth. Jay, however, dove downward a bit and wrapped his hands around the Tormentor's throat. This caught the Tormentor off guard as Jay pulled on the necklace with all his might. Jay pulled and pulled and finally heard a snap. However, it wasn't the necklace; one of Jay's legs had been bitten in two. The agony of the pain was so intense that Jay forgot for a second what he was doing, then grabbed for the necklace again. Just then, the Tormentor bit down into Jay's other leg, and Jay could feel the crunching of his own bones. As Jay screamed in agony, he felt a clasp give, and then another and another. The Tormentor took what was left of Jay and shoved him into its disgusting, wretched mouth. All Jay could feel was the beast's tongue and teeth as this creature's jaw clamped down to consume him. Finally, Jay saw nothing but black.

***********************************************************************************

"What's happening to him?!?"

Linda yelled as Dr. Blake tried to stabilize Jay in some way back at the Artifact Room of the Fleece. 

"His vitals are all over the place!" Dr. Blake yelled as he continued to try to help Jay.

"Dr. Blake, he could seize!" Dana shouted.

By this time, Larry had joined the group and held his hands on his head, worried about his friend. "Can you wake him up?"

"I'm trying," Dr. Blake replied.

Then, finally, Jay sprung awake on his own and bellowed out a loud, terrifying scream. Everyone else, including some of the elite guards, screamed and lurched backward. Jay flung an object across the room away from him and fell onto the ground.

"It's over. He's fully awake now," Dr. Blake said, shutting down the system.

"You don't say," Larry replied sarcastically.

Dr. Kelley came over to Jay along with Linda and Dana.

"Dr. Trent, are you okay?" asked Dr. Kelley.

Jay was panting and trying to catch his breath. Finally, he spoke, "I am now."

"What was happening?" Linda asked.

Jay took one big breath and then looked around the room. He sighed in relief when he saw the object lying on the ground. Jay then began to chuckle and laugh.

"I was being eaten. That's what happened," Jay said.

"Eaten? Eaten by what? A shark?" Larry asked.

"I wish. A shark would have been better. This was something else."

"What was it, Dr. Trent?" Dr. Kelley asked.

"Some beast of a man, they called him the Tormentor."

Dr. Kelley leaned back some, "From the Annunaki?"

"Yes. And I had to retrieve that over there."

Dr. Kelley looked toward the object Jay had thrown, and guards now surrounded it. The guards moved so Dr. Kelley could see. Jay had retrieved the necklace before the Tormentor finished eating him.

"You stole the Tormentor's necklace, Dr. Trent?"

"That I did, Dr. Kelley."

Dr. Kelley turned back to Jay and looked at him. For a change, Dr. Kelley was almost smiling.

"That is unbelievable," Dr. Kelley said.

"Rapha told me we needed it. So, there it is. What for, I don't know. Hopefully, he'll tell me next time."

Linda spoke up with this statement from Jay, "Next time? No, Jay! This is too dangerous. You were almost having a seizure here."

"I don't know if that would be advisable, Jay. You could have died here, even while in the dream," Dr. Blake said.

"Take some time, Dr. Trent, and then we'll begin again," Dr. Kelley said.

"Okay. You've got it," Jay replied.

"Okay? Have you lost your mind, Jay?" Linda couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Linda, I said I have to do this. I'm the only one that can. Rapha is there. He is helping me. I have to trust that."

"No! No, I'm not going to watch you die."

"Linda, I'm still here. Rest assured, Rapha is protecting me. Just please trust me on this."

Linda was shaking her head but did not want to listen to any of this. But Jay kissed her on the cheek as she pulled away slightly. He then walked past her to grab some water nearby. Linda just stared at him, angry and terrified all at once. She didn't want her husband to die for whatever was happening, not even for everyone else on Earth. Linda just wanted her family back together again. But she could see in Jay's eyes his determination to understand what this was all for and that he would never quit. Although she was scared, she was also proud but would selfishly never share those thoughts.

They all stood in the Artifact Room, clamoring over what had occurred. Food was brought in quickly to allow Jay to eat before he would return to the dreams again. He had been asleep for four hours before his violent arousal took place. Once he recovered from this dream, he would start again right away. This is a mission from Rapha to help save humanity from extinction. Where Jay would go next was anyone's guess. But Jay hadn't shared one small detail, but a remarkable detail. The Tormentor knew Jay's name, and Jay had to discover why that was the case.

Pat sat in the interrogation room, where Seth and Michael guarded him. He tapped one of his fingers on the table as if patiently waiting for whatever happened next. Finally, Pat looked slightly towards the wall behind Seth and Michael and thought, "One down."