Chapter 283: Finding The Stones

The subterranean research division on Sub-Level 4 smelled of cleaning alcohol, ozone, and old paper.

In the center of the brightly lit laboratory, the ancient piece of animal hide lay inside a climate-controlled glass case. Dana stood beside the terminal with two senior Association researchers, their faces lit by the pale blue glow of the scanning monitors. The crude resin markings on the weathered hide had been isolated, translated, and compared with modern maps.

The double doors opened, and Eric walked in, followed closely by Nicholas, Selena, Zero, and Vixen.

"Is the translation solid?" Eric asked, his gravelly voice carrying through the quiet room. "We need to be certain before we start moving people around."

"It’s as solid as it gets," Dana replied, turning around with a tablet in hand. She looked exhausted, her hair pulled back into an untidy bun, but her eyes were sharp with excitement. "The script on the hide is broken English, but the sounds and structure are consistent. Archon Ikar didn’t leave a poem or a manifesto. He left a record of what happened and a guide for survival."

Dana swiped across the screen, projecting the translated parchment onto a large wall monitor.

The crude, childlike writing stood out against the digital map.

"Here is the timeline," Dana explained, pointing to the first jagged line of text. "Fifty years ago, Ikar arrived in our solar system with a single command from the Dominion Council: seed Earth’s atmosphere with the catalytic plague to awaken humanity’s biological energy, let the biomass develop over several decades, and then harvest the high-yield Qi for their empire. But during the initial descent, Ikar mutinied."

"He realized what the harvest actually meant," Selena added, crossing her arms as she studied the projected words.

"Exactly." Dana nodded. "The notes confirm that he deliberately broke the ship’s communications array, cut himself off from the fleet, and crashed in the deep Sahara. But he knew the Dominion fleet would eventually trace his descent. If they found the ship with its core intact, they could restart the main beacon and harvest the planet in an instant."

Dana swiped to the lower section of the hide, where seven landmasses had been roughly drawn.

"So he dismantled the ship’s engine," Zero said, his dry voice cutting through the hum of the monitors. He reached over his shoulder and tapped the pommel of his longsword, where the purple plague gemstone rested. "He took the seven master power stones that fueled the dreadnought and scattered them across the world."

"Seven master stones across seven continents," Dana confirmed. "By scattering the power sources, he accomplished two things. First, he left the dreadnought useless in the sand, preventing anyone from activating it from space. Second, he buried the energy signatures deep enough that the fleet couldn’t find them with normal scans."

"And the coordinates?" Nicholas asked, stepping closer to the display. His dark blue eyes settled on the first group of markings drawn over North America. "Where is the first one?"

Dana zoomed in on the continent.

Beneath the jagged lettering—"STONe... UNdEr... ROoT... OF... MACK-E-NAW"—was a rough crosshair centered on the Appalachian Mountains.

"Right here in our own backyard," Dana said, tapping the screen. "Deep beneath the central Appalachian range. Fifty years ago, around the time the plague first broke out, that entire region suffered massive, unexplained cave-ins. Several old coal and mineral operations were permanently abandoned because the ground simply collapsed into deep fissures."

"And the energy readings?" Selena asked.

"Abnormal seismic pulses and dense pockets of dormant plague energy have been coming from those exact fault lines for the past forty-eight hours," Dana replied grimly. "Ever since the strike team recovered the shard from the clone’s chest in the rail yard, the activity beneath the Appalachian Mountains has doubled. The fragment in B’s chest and the stone in the mountain are calling to each other."

"Which means whoever put that shard in the clone already knows about the Appalachian site," Eric concluded, his expression hardening. "They may have already sent people into the mountains to find the main stone."

Eric turned toward the four heroes standing before him.

"We’re keeping the team small," Eric said. "Nicholas, you’re leading. Selena will handle communication and keep everyone connected. Zero, you know these stones better than anyone because of your blade. Vixen, your spatial abilities will be important if the ground collapses or we need to get out quickly."

"What about Nectron?" Vixen asked, looking around.

"Nectron is staying in Grayland," Eric answered. "With B locked in the holding vault down in Sub-Level 9, we need someone strong guarding headquarters in case rogue syndicates try to break him out. The four of you will be the main team."

"Understood," Nicholas said calmly. "We travel by air to the base camp, take ground vehicles into the foothills, and hike the rest of the way."

Before Selena could open her tablet to arrange the flight, the reinforced double doors of the research lab flew open with a loud clatter.

"Hold the elevator! The media vanguard has arrived!"

Everyone in the room turned.

Julie marched through the doorway dressed in brand-new outdoor hiking gear, complete with a beige utility vest, matching boots, and a rose-gold camera mounted on a motorized gimbal. A large solar-charging power bank hung from her belt.

"Julie," Selena said, her voice immediately filled with exhaustion. "How did you even get down to Sub-Level 4? This is a restricted research sector."

"I followed the nice maintenance man who was bringing down fresh coffee," Julie replied cheerfully, giving Selena an innocent wave before turning the camera toward Eric. "Director Eric! Look at that stoic, heroic leadership! Tell the viewers, how does it feel to launch humanity’s greatest historical treasure hunt?!"

Eric slowly raised a large, calloused hand and pushed the camera downward until it pointed at the floor.

"Julie. Turn that off."

"It’s for historical posterity!" Julie protested, hugging the gimbal to her chest. "Do you realize what we have here? We aren’t just fighting street muggers or clearing petty warehouse gangs anymore! This is the Global Quest! Seven stones, seven continents, one team of legendary heroes saving Earth from cosmic doom! It’s a multi-part documentary masterpiece!"

"It’s a classified operation, Julie," Selena said, stepping between Julie and the main display. "We’re going into an uncharted and unstable underground area filled with mutated plague beasts. You will be a liability."

Julie gasped, deeply offended.

"A liability?! Supervisor Selena, I am an essential asset! I have high-definition low-light lenses, four spare battery packs, and real-time editing capabilities! Plus, the public needs hope! If they see Phantom and the strike team conquering the wild, morale will skyrocket!"

Julie immediately scurried around Selena and planted herself in front of Nicholas. She looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes.

"Phantom! Tell her! You know content is the lifeblood of the modern hero economy!"

Nicholas looked down at her, his expression completely deadpan.

"Did you pack extra water?" he asked.

"Six bottles of premium mineral water and two boxes of strawberry energy chews!" Julie answered proudly, patting her vest pockets.

"Can you carry your own bag through five miles of rough mountain terrain without complaining every thirty seconds?"

Julie hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting toward the ceiling.

"...I can make it four miles without complaining!"

"Forty percent," Nicholas said flatly.

Julie’s jaw dropped.

"Forty percent?! We agreed on thirty in Egypt!"

"Forty percent because of the humidity," Nicholas said without blinking. "And if you drop your camera down a ravine, nobody is going down to fetch it."

Julie stared at him, her face turning pink with frustration, before letting out a dramatic groan and throwing her hands into the air.

"You are an absolute extortionist! Fine! Forty percent of the ad revenue! But I get the first exclusive interview when we pull the green rock out of the mountain!"

"Deal," Nicholas said, turning toward the door. "Grab your gear."

"Yes!" Julie pumped her fist in triumph, completely ignoring the collective sigh from Selena and Eric.

Zero shook his head slightly, a faint amused breath escaping from beneath his dark cowl as he adjusted his sword belt. Vixen chuckled and stretched her arms above her head.

"Well, at least the hike won’t be quiet."

"All right, move out," Eric ordered, clapping Nicholas on the shoulder. "The transport jet is fueled on the lower runway. The local mountain guides have already prepared heavy all-terrain vehicles at the base camp near the Appalachian foothills. Reach Sector 4, locate the stone, and bring it back before whoever is operating out there digs it up first."

"We’ll get it done," Nicholas said.

With the assignment finalized, the team turned and walked out of the laboratory, heading toward the subterranean elevators.

The mission stretched across the entire globe, but their first destination was simple. The first piece of humanity’s survival was buried deep beneath the mountains, and Nicholas had no intention of letting anyone else take it.