Return to Atlantis

Chapter 36 - Yield

Alec had followed her to this hall after taking out the two guards at the entry. He made some noise, waited at the corner, as one of the sentry came about to investigate the ruckus. He quietly pounced on the unsuspecting guard to unconsciousness and as the remaining sentry came looking for his comrade, Alec repeated the tactic.

He then snucked into the hall and chanced upon this alien conversation in the hall where Ava stood. Obviously he missed a lot and could not understand a single word.

Without much thought, he barged in and grabbed Ava's wrist by force, determined not to let her have her way this time.

"Sorry, folks, she can't stay to chat,"

It was a dumb and futile attempt at rescue that he will mule about later.

Ava Kinski had made it very clear to him not to meddle with her affairs, and yet here he is. He knew for certain that Ava is no helpless damsel. Yeah, she is not one anyone has to worry about. And yet he feels that she needs all the help she can get. Help from what? He had no idea. Well maybe from her self.

To his surprise, she didn't recoil. She only looked up at him thoughtlessly with an all too unusual passive expression. This sudden frailty knocked him off his heel. His reaction was to probe in her eyes and see if anyone was there.

"Ah, your Guardian has finally turned up," said Lynx in the alien language.

Alec ignored the incomprehensible comment. "Ava, time for us to go,"

"You might want to reconsider that," Lynx seemed to suggest, speaking in English.

"ALEC!"

That was Lindsey's voice amplified over some microphone inside the room. It got him to a halt.

"Hey, Alec!" it was Phil's this time.

He looked around the darkness, calling out with concern. "Lindsey? Phil? You okay?" then glared at Lynx. "Where are they? You better not harm them!"

"What senseless bravery you have," Lynx said, bemused.

"Who are these beings, Lynx?" inquired the Zhinra king in the alien language.

"They are Eleejah's people, your majesty," Lynx replied.

Phil's voice came again. "Alec, thanked God you're alive!"

Lindsey came in. "Yes, we thought you---," the voice was cut off.

"Lindsey!" Alec called in alarm.

"Do not worry," Lynx spun around to walk back to where he stood a while ago; beside the portal. "They're alright. Trust us. We Zhinras keep our word,"

"Where are they?!"

"They're watching us right now. They are not harmed. We only want the 'key',"

Alec grimaced at that. "What key? You've killed thousands already. We fought against you for years now yet you never told us about any key! We are not hoarding any key. Earth never had any peace all because of this key that we had no idea about!

He wasn't done. "And now that you've finally assaulted Earth, did you get your key? Did you finally get it?"

"We definitely did," came the response, but Lynx looked perplexed for a moment before commenting. "I suppose Travan kept you in the dark about her true identity, but you ought to know who we are after,"

Alec stopped short of himself. "W-who what? She what?"

"What does he mean 'who'? The key is a person?" Sanders said in reaction from the other room. He, Phil, Lindsey and Garullo were kept in a room before a monitor that displays the ensuing events in the portal hall. They can hear everything but have been barred from joining the discussion.