Nightmare Passage

Modified on 2012/04/25 23:05 by Kerrick Categorized as Books, Deathlands

   My mouth is split open by the god of the air
   With that metal spear he used to split open the mouth of the gods
   I am the Powerful One. I shall sit beside her
   Who is in the great breath of the sky!

   - The Book of the Dead
   (Spell 23)

   As the story begins, the companions are on a boat offshore from the Kings Point Naval Station, having just rescued Ryan from a sinking sub. As they head for shore, they're attacked by a speedboat with some of Admiral Poseidon's men. JB tosses a grenade into their boat, and the companions get away. They head for the gateway buried in the base and use it to jump.
   They arrive in a redoubt used for what was obviously genetic experimentation. Mildred finds a journal and a CD. The rest of the group goes to bed, but she stays up viewing the videos on the CD, which talk about Mission Invictus. Meanwhile, Ryan can't sleep, so he goes to take a shower. While he's in there, Krysty, under Akhnaton's influence, goes in and has sex with him.
   The next day, they leave the redoubt and walk for a bit before finding Fort Fubar and its sole occupant, a man named Danielson. Not long after, a group of Akhaton's elite guard, the Incarnates, arrive to take the "red-haired woman" (Krysty) back to Akhnaton. The companions, of course, refuse and kill them all.
   Danielson says that he wears an ankh to resist Akhnaton's influence, and gives it to Ryan. They leave Dean and behind take one of the chariots to Aten to see what they can see.
   They get inside the city, then more Incarnates ambush them and take them prisoner. Ryan, JB, and Doc are put to work building the pyramid and working on chariots; Mildred goes to live with the female slaves; Jak escapes; and Krysty goes to become Akhnaton's new mate.
   Jak runs into a guard and kills him, but is wounded in the process. He's rescued by Kela, the daughter of Akhaton's chief advisor. She and Akhnaton's daughter, Nefron, are working on a plan to overthrow Akhnaton, and they see the companions as prime opportunity. Meanwhile, Nefron gets word to Mildred and Krysty. JB makes a few spare ankhs for the others, which Doc manages to pass around.
   On the night that the capstone is due to be placed, Jak is set down a shaft to trigger a deadfall. Krysty is inside with Akhnaton; when the capstone is lowered, they'll use the channeled power of the pyramid to become gods. Instead, Ryan interrupts and attacks Akhnaton, then Krysty summons her Gaia power and kills him. Jak accidentally triggers the deadfall, collapsing the pyramid, but the trio gets out safely.
   With Akhnaton dead, Nefron has no further use for the companions and is content to let them leave. They head back to the redoubt and jump away.

DEATHLANDS, OUTLANDERS, EARTH BLOOD, and JAMES AXLER are all the property of Gold Eagle / Worldwide Library, and are used here strictly under Fair Use guidelines.