Mask of Lies

The Artefact

He took a step back, wracking his mind how to get away from this. He saw the ice pick which has been snatched from him on his first attempt against Seth.

It was high time to try again. Seth laughed and waved his spear hand at him.

Evan dashed towards it, slid deliberately, the spear whooshing over his head, missing him. His fingers tightened against the ice pick and once Seth turned, he ran to the fallen snowmobile, propped himself against it to take a risky leap at the creature.

He plunged the pick in the purple eye and taking advantage of Seth's part blindness, he clawed his nails against his skin and climbed on his back.

As Seth removed the pick, Evan clenched both hands together and hammered Seth's head hard. Seth threw the pick away, agitated madly at the pain.

He would pay for that. Using his speed, he reached behind his back in the split of a second, grasped Evan's waist and threw him away. Evan groaned as his shoulder hit the ice. But he didn't have time to feel how painful it was when he saw Seth taking a leap, the spear directed at him. Crap.

He rolled quickly, not realising the edge was just centimetres away and he saw himself losing complete balance.

In this unforeseen free fall, he tried to get a hold on the vertical ice face but it was too smooth. He spotted the rope dangling at the side, managed to catch it but it snapped right away and he hit the illuminated purple floor beneath. Instant darkness.

The glow was even more intense. Sylvia narrowed her eyes and the light was beautifully blinding.

Something emanated a strange but wondrous scent, captivating her. It took her a few long seconds to get adjusted to the new environment.

And when she saw what it was, she was mesmerised. A pyramid like structure made of a radiant purple material was floating in the air between three thin poles. She approached slowly, reached to touch it and Tolland warned, "These poles have suck scientists' lives."

She restrained the reach. She contented herself to observing this out of this world object. There was a hole on the top of the pyramid, its diameter seemingly the same as that of the artefact. Tolland yelled, "Do it, Sylvia."

This was like nothing she had seen before. She hesitantly entered the area between the three poles.

As she was about to slide the artefact in the hole in the pyramid, she heard a sudden thump behind her.

She instantly turned, her eyes widened in fear, her heart skipped a few beats.

She cried, "Evan! No...!" She rushed to where he had fallen, pushing Tolland violently out of her way when Seth leapt inside and landed right before her, blocking her.

His voice boomed, "Hand me the artefact, Sylvia and I'll let you go."

Tears were already forming in her eyes and she frenziedly shouted, "Why do you have to do this?! Why!?"

Seth raised the spear to pierce her heart, his mind on the artefact and then he stopped when his suffocating human mind simply refused.

"Why damn it? What good does it do?"

He viciously looked at his father who was petrified and then he gazed at her, "This man you're protecting is the one who's seeking this power to annihilate humanity and replace them with our advanced species...from another dimension. He's the cruel one."

She wiped her tears before they could fall. She looked up at him, more than confused and said, "I've worked for him a countless good times to know that his intention was and is always good."

Seth looked at the pyramid behind and related, "Your parents were good people. Clay Johnson was a good man. I was a good man. But how can you say the same thing about the bastard who murdered all of them."

"I don't believe you."

"Why would I lie? He murdered them, Sylvia...out of his thirst for this energy."

He pointed to the artefact and added, "Let me kill him and you can put it back in its place. I'm also dangerously falling under the vicious control."

She was reluctant. This being looked nothing like a human but he was still the son of the president.

And if a son wanted to kill his father to save the world, what could she do in her position?

Trusting her heart, she pressed her hand against his arm and breathed deeply, "Let him be punished under the law."

Seth roared at her, "The law?! He'd get away."

She strongly said, "I swear to you I'll not let the man who killed my parents walk away so easily. This is not about you anymore. This is about me." She was disgusted as she looked at the president.

She handed to Seth the artefact and she said, "And I'll bring out the truth to your mother."

Seth hesitated as the artefact rolled in the palm of his hand. He turned to his father, "You'll pay. I leave you in the right hands."

He added as he walked to the floating pyramid, "There are many like him, Sylvia. Find and stop them. Our future is dark. Thank you for showing me the way."

And he instantly lowered the artefact back in the pyramid. The light brightened suddenly and Seth vanished in purple particles, his molecules absorbed in between the three thin poles.

She looked at it for a moment, cast a glance at the president who was extremely relieved and she instantly ran to Evan.

She threw herself by his side, pressed her ear against his chest, held his wrist to determine his pulse and it was really weak... Tolland laughed heartily as he fetched the ice pick to start the climb, "Thank God it's over! You did an amazing job. I'm calling out Amundsen Scott Station for help."

She coldly said, "Let me do the talking."