Dawn of the Epoch

Chapter LXXXIV - The Coverup

“What do we do with them all?” Hunter asked.

He addressed the question to the group, but he looked at Virgil while he said it.

“That is the question.” Virgil replied. “It is your decision to make. This is your world, not mine.”

Tiyana scoffed, “That’s a lot of responsibility to put on us. Do you at least have a suggestion?”

Virgil looked contemplative, “There was a time when we, the Aempyreans, freed vast numbers of enslaved yzorak-al’ghul. Back then, we had the help of a human king. His wisdom is still hailed even today. We turned the yzorak over to him and he turned them into a diligent workforce. They built magnificent structures and he took care of their needs. They are lost without direction.”

“These people have families and friends.” Hongo added.

“Indeed. Returning them to their kin is an excellent choice, but it must be done carefully.” Virgil replied.

“What do you mean?” Tiyana asked.

“We cannot allow anyone to find this place.” Virgil responded. He went on, “There are secrets buried here that must remain buried.”

At that, the hair on the back of Hunter’s neck stood up. He felt a burning desire to begin excavating, collecting, and investigating.

Tiyana responded, “Oh, I see what you’re saying. We need to get them out of here and release them. We also can’t be connected with them. We don’t need to get ourselves hauled in for questioning. We would probably wind up in a Siberian prison. Powerful people would want answers.”

“Answers that we either can’t give or shouldn’t give.” Hunter added. He went on, “How do we get them to move?”

The yzorak-al’ghul that Malacoda and Shenouda had left behind were purposeless. They meandered about. They showed minor curiosity at the conversation of the quartet. Otherwise, they did nothing.

“I know how.” Hongo said.

“Well?” Tiyana asked, after Hongo failed to elaborate.

Hongo went on, “I saw the ropes that they used for the prisoners. They are in the cells. We can use them on the ghouls.”

“They will go willingly enough.” Virgil added.

Tiyana jumped in, “Alright, so we wait until Malacoda’s clearance level drops, then we leave. We tie up the yzorak and lead them out. The prisoners can walk just fine on their own. We also have to deal with the drill. It could fall back to the surface, like Malacoda said.”

Virgil replied, “You deal with the drill. Hunter can help you find it. Vito, Hongo, and I will handle the yzorak and the prisoners. Hongo and Vito will lead them to our camp. I will follow behind and mask the trail. I will ensure that no one finds it.”

“Okay then,” Tiyana began. “Hunter and I will find the drill. I am pretty sure that I can get rid of it. I can program it to go straight down. As far as I can tell, it will keep going until it melts in the earth’s core. The rest of you will take the prisoners and ghouls to the camp. That leaves just one question.”

“What’s that?” Hunter asked.

“How do we stop anyone from finding this place again? Once we free the ghouls in Bobbio Pellice, the military will be swarming all over this area.”

“Leave that to me.” Virgil answered. “As I said, I will follow behind and mask the trail.”

“Yeah, but Virgil, they are going to find it eventually. They aren’t stupid.” Hunter said.