Summoning America

Chapter 87: Piece of the Puzzle

"It is," Mina said. "Have we failed to preserve it sufficiently?" She asked, concerned about the Emissaries' reactions.

"Oh, no, no. You've done an excellent job, rather!" He rushed to the perfectly preserved fighter, marveling at its condition. "How long has this been here?"

"For tens of thousands of years. Legend suggests that this artifact has remained here since before the arrival of the Mu continent," Wol answered, joining the Emissaries as they gawked at the artifact. He and Mina watched the Emissaries converse among themselves with great interest.

"This looks exactly like a Hellcat," one of Dr. Jackson's colleagues pointed out.

"No," Dr. Jackson replied. "It IS a Hellcat," he said, pacing around the World War 2 era plane. "This... This is conclusive evidence of my theory that we are indeed the Emissaries! There's been a lot of great hints in the past, like the similarities between our flag and the flags depicted in Elysian historical texts – or... Or pictures from Topan and Esperantoan texts!" He exclaimed. Lowering his voice to increase the dramatic effect of his discovery, he continued, "But this, now this, is the missing clue! The final piece of the puzzle!"

Confused by the Emissaries' ecstasy over uncovering their own history, Mina asked, "Dr. Jackson, do your people have no recollection of your heroism here? I know it has been thousands of years, but surely something must have been preserved?"

Dr. Jackson shrugged, "Not that I'm aware of. I've heard rumors of the military frolicking off in strange environments, time travel, and all the like. Most of these rumors... A lot of Americans have simply written them off as conspiracy; too far-fetched and ungrounded to have ever occurred." He then had a new consideration as he listened to himself speak. "And... this technology – this aircraft right here – is from just under eighty years ago. I bet there are records of whatever happened here, but the government has probably kept it hidden."

Mina's heart churned for the secrecy, slightly offended that such heroism has not been honored. "Why would they do such a thing? Why would they keep the victories of your heroes a secret?"

"Well, as far as I know, there has been no conclusive evidence of magic – much less dimensional travel – on Earth. A tale like this would've created a lot of chaos, I suspect. But, now that we do have evidence, maybe we can finally start telling stories that should be told."

—-

Washington D.C.

President Lee felt his world spin as he listened to Dr. Jackson's live report from Qua Toyne. "Good Lord, and you're sure of its authenticity?"

"As sure as can be, Mister President. Thing is still surrounded by some strange magic bubble, which I've asked the Lean Know Guardians to maintain for now."

"Wow," Lee said, speechless. He rested his head on his hand as he leaned back in his chair, still processing the information. "How'd the plane even get there?"

Dr. Jackson shrugged, "The Guardians didn't seem to know, sir. I had Dr. Nakamura analyze it, since he's got a specialty on World War 2, and he said that there was some extensive fire damage to the engine. Likely scenario, plane got hit by a fireball and had to glide down. Whatever task force was summoned there couldn't repair or destroy it, so it's been sitting there ever since."

"And so, that plane has been sitting there for longer than the Giza Pyramids have been on Earth?"

"That's correct, Mister President. My research team also investigated the surrounding area, and the Guardians brought us to an abandoned warehouse. It seemed like there was an attempt to establish some sort of permanent base here, but whatever task force was here instead left in a hurry. They did establish some oil mining operations, which would explain some of the ancient ruins found in Quila."