1 – Conduit


Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes.

- Hugh Prather

Another day in this god-forsaken institution.

The thought swam on his head as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. The cars moved on a slow procession thanks to the ongoing road maintenance, a task that was supposed to be finished last night until sudden 'unexpected' happenings hampered its progress.

During his 38 years of life in this city, Jeffrey Louis has never yet seen such a chaotic event before until last night. He was at the bar, drowning his sorrows on several mugs of beer when suddenly the soccer game on the television was replaced by an emergency news broadcast. Three security guards were murdered in the museum, the museum's delivery truck was destroyed (and the driver's corpse was nowhere to be found), and a private plane crashed outside the city. The exhibit on the museum was postponed until everything's back on track again.

Jeffrey told himself not to worry about such things, for he still has to worry about the dying relationship between him and his wife.

As the bitter taste of beer crawled down his throat, he remembered every argument, every slap, and every broken piece of glass. The blood that flowed out of his fists, the marks on his cheeks, it made him look like a seasoned warrior. Christine, his wife, hurled anything she got her hands on towards him. That fateful night when their argument reached its climax; if it wasn't for the neighbors then it would've turned out into a bloody duel with the living room as the arena and the frightened kids as the spectators.

Johnny and Cheskie, their kids, stayed with their grandparents an hour away from the house. Christine moved to her sister's apartment, Jeffrey was left alone in their abode with nothing but a thousand bucks and a handful of furniture. He survived in microwave meals and cans of Budweiser. Concerned neighbors would sometimes give him food especially after that one night when they saw him sleeping on the porch in a puddle of vomit.

Now Jeffrey struggles to get back on track. He works on cutting down his alcohol intake, he visits his kids and, whenever he and Christine would catch glances, he acted as if they neither had an argument nor a relationship. Just a simple nod, a hi or hello, then goodbye. Nothing else.

His work keeps him occupied. As an elementary science teacher in Geneva Springs Elementary School he has to keep his image tidy and respectable, as the kids see him as their second father. Well most of them anyway, for there's this one section that irks him the most.

----

As he parked his blue sedan under the shade of a tree, Jeffrey slung his body bag over his shoulder and left the vehicle. He made his way into the brown brick structure and into the hallway where kids loitered and fooled around with their peers. At 6:45 AM there's still nothing for them to do but to wait for the bell to ring.

Jeffrey went into the faculty room and nodded to his fellow teachers. He placed his bag into the locker next to his desk and proceeded to grab the things needed for the first class. With a few more minutes to spare, he sat down on the desk chair and quietly watched the teachers take their morning meals.

They were quite an unusual bunch of teachers in Jeffrey's eyes. He glanced left and momentarily watched Ms. Brands as she combed her hair.

A whore who couldn't find a healthy relationship, instead she resorts to a weekly dose of 'action'. Kind of like a monster of the week TV show, as for her it's the man of the week. Jeffrey disliked her with such passion because two of his cousins were involved in her not so colorful past.

Then there's Mr. Arturo, an obese gentleman in his 40's eating a strawberry donut. His curly hair and powdery-white face said otherwise about his orientation.

Yeah, the fat Italian instructor. Struggles to lose those flabs in the gym, yet his eyes aren't fixed on the plates he's lifting. Instead they're fixed on the rock-hard abs of his gym mates, the sweat on his face produced not by the workout but by fighting the urge not to run towards the bathroom to let off some 'steam'.

Jeffrey could go on and on with his individual 'reviews' of his fellow teachers, but that would take forever. Of course there's a few he actually admired like the math teacher Ms. Trent. Jeffrey admired her shoulder-length hair, the curves on her body, her cute face and the way she explained the formulas on the blackboard.

If only Christine was out of the way. Jeffrey always said to himself.

The bell finally rang, summoning everyone to the quadrangle for the national anthem. Jeffrey looked on the mirror before leaving the faculty room; his short hair completely put his weathered face to a full view for the entire world to see.

After the national anthem the kids went into their respective rooms. Jeffrey sighed as he forced himself to march into room 216: 7:00 – 8:00 AM, Science with the dreaded fourth graders.

Inside, the kids were as chaotic as hell, despite the fact that they're only 20 students. Jeffrey put his things on the wooden desk and cleared his throat, prompting the kids to stop and look at the figure of authority standing in front.

"Good morning kids," Jeffrey said with a forced smile.

"Good morning Mr. Louis!" the kids said in unison.

Jeffrey sat on the creaking wooden chair and flipped his record book open for the attendance. He checked the names of those present and marked the absentees with an X.

Anders, check. Jeffrey's eyes fixed on the fair-skinned kid who happens to be the son of the most prominent archaeologists in the city.

Bravura, check. The cute redheaded girl with an addiction to Hello Kitty merchandise.

Breene, check. The adopted son of the principal himself, a spoiled wise-cracking tub of lard with chocolate stains on his lips that seem to be a permanent fixture, a public reminder of his questionable hygiene.

Jeffrey continued until he checked the last student on the list.

Yale, check. Thin girl who always looks out of the window in utter boredom as if her parents dragged her everyday into the classroom. Just like the 80% of the population here, the girl despises going to school.

"Okay kids. Remember what we talked about last Friday?" Jeffrey rubbed his hands together.

Harry Breene raised his right hand, "I do! You'll be going on a one week leave for the Bahamas!"

Son of a bitch, Jeffrey again forced a fake laugh then said, "No, and that wasn't me. It's Mr. Rodriguez going on a trip for the week."

Harry frowned.

"We're going to have a quiz today, so get your papers out and I hope you studied for this ridiculously long 1 to 100 exam," Jeffrey said in a mocking tone. The kids uttered their displeasure in unison. But of course they have no choice.

Jeffrey smiled, this time not faking it, "Just kidding! It's 1 to 200."

----

The hot desert winds slapped his face as the green 4x4 raced through the dunes. At this time of the day, the Sun burns ever so bright above the skies without even a single fluff of cloud to cover the heat.

The vehicle stopped in front of a chain-link gate, the driver motioned to one of the guards to open it. The trek then continued into the heart of a huge excavation surrounded by chain-link fences, wooden watchtowers and patrols of armed guards.

A huge cavity in the ground revealed a partially buried construct made of stone. Around it, diggers with equipment ranging from shovels to towering excavators worked on unearthing the said object. Olive-green tents scattered around the site provided shelter In case the weather decides to interfere with the dig while rectangular security outposts made of reinforced steel ensured that no threats impede their progress.

The 4x4 parked in front of one of the tents along with other vehicles used by the personnel.  Dr. Carl Anders stepped out and relished the feel of the sand on the ground. At the age of 50, Dr. Anders' love for archaeology never faded, and the recent surge of newfound objects buried under the earth kept him going.

He walked into the tent and found his fellow archaeologist and friend, Dr. Nina Reynolds. She wore a white shirt with blue denim pants and brown leather boots, her smooth face with a long black hair defied her age in terms of beauty. Dr Anders cleared his throat, interrupting her typing on a computer.

"Morning, Nina," Dr. Anders said with a smile.

"Morning yourself," she answered with a smile of her own.

As their eyes met, Dr. Anders was reminded of their colorful past as partners both in archaeology and romance. From the pyramids of Egypt to the frigid wastes of Siberia, the pair went through it all and braved every single danger their career tossed towards them. But the hardest obstacle they faced was their failing relationship. They tried to be together, but complications served as barriers between their hearts. Barriers that can never be broken despite whatever they try to do.

And now they cover those old wounds with smiles and hugs, archaeology being the only flame that they have in common.

Nina wrapped her arms around Carl, the latter responded in kind. Afterwards she pulled him towards the computer, and then pointed at the monitor which displayed a three-dimensional image of a pointed object.

"The ground penetrating radar gave us an image of what we're digging out," Nina said.

Carl's eyes darted between Nina and the monitor. What he saw on the computer resembled an Egyptian obelisk: four sided with a pointed tip. But this time the obelisk doesn't have any inscription on the sides, only a smooth stone surface.

"An Egyptian obelisk?" Carl asked.

"Not exactly Egyptian, but yes it is an obelisk. It doesn't have inscriptions, but it has symbols on the tip itself. And, judging by the reports of the diggers, it has several cracks, indicating great damage."

Carl nodded his head. In his mind, he was boggled with the discovery. Since last month the discoveries around Geneva have spiked. Given the city's weird geography, a small patch of desert surrounded by greens and rivers, the amazing finds just add to the colorful and mysterious past of Geneva.  

The historical records around the globe have inconsistent and incomplete articles about Geneva's history. Some say that the city was actually two huge cities at first, some say a cataclysmic event brought the change in geography, some say that the mysterious rapid expansion of the forest completely overran the desert.

Carl hoped that the recent findings would shed a better light on the dark history of this city he grew up to love.

"What's the progress of the dig?" Carl asked as he stroked his newly-shaved chin.

Nina sat in front of the computer and responded without looking at Carl, "They're pretty much working hard. I'd say we only have three days before we completely unearth this beast."

Carl didn't respond. Instead he gave Nina a pat on the shoulder before leaving the tent. He walked on the trail made by one of the excavators towards the huge cavity at the middle where the obelisk is being dug out. Huge machines stood around like long-necked beasts, scooping up huge volumes of sand while their smaller counterparts did the same.

He sat on the sand and put his chin on his hands. Not minding the heat, he watched the dig with gusto.

----

The rusty metal door groaned painfully as he pushed it open. Utter darkness greeted his eyes, save for a few bits of sunlight coming from the narrow slits on the aged walls. The warehouse smelled of rust and his every step on the metal floor echoed throughout the vast structure.

Suddenly, red laser beams appeared out of thin air. About twenty of them raced towards his chest, completely painting him with red dots. A lone figure stood a few feet in front of him, wearing a full black outfit. Only his gloves were visible.

"Show me," a young male voice said.

Without hesitation he dug his right hand into one of the pockets of his vest and produced a pendant with a small flawless sapphire orb hanging from it, the orb clutched by four metal claws.

The young man gently took the pendant and inspected it carefully. He nodded his head in satisfaction, "Perfect, Wade."

Wade bowed in respect. The young man then snapped his finger, causing the red beams to disappear. Wade cleared his throat then asked, "What's the next assignment?"

"So far our plans are in motion. The interlopers haven't made a move yet. The public is confused. We still have our cover intact. We can still move freely in the dark."

He continued, "Stay put for a while, Wade. I'll send you your next task once it's available."

Wade nodded his head, "I understand."

The young man slowly stepped into the darkness without uttering a word. Wade walked away without looking back. He closed the door of the warehouse and left the premises.

----

Jeffrey yawned as he faced the stack of papers in front of him. Alone in the faculty room with nothing but the voice of Karen Carpenter blaring from his computer's speakers, Jeffrey prepared himself to check and record the results of the quiz earlier today.

Jeffrey started his task.

The results of the first few papers weren't promising.

50/200.

43/200.

24/200.

Goddamn kids, do they ever learn anything?

He felt bad for giving them a 200 item quiz, but on the other hand he did announce last Friday that there will be a big exam today. Obviously these kids wasted away their weekends in front of the computer or in front of the television.

60/200.

"Fotosinthsis? What the hell?!" Jeffrey's reaction became audible after reading the answer from one of the kids. He was surprised to see that some of his students still don't know how to properly spell stuff.

10/200.

185/200. Anders, a really intelligent kid. Much like his dad.

0/200.

Breene. Your father may be the principal, but that's not an excuse for you to not score even a single damn point in the quiz!

At the last paper, Jeffrey was taken by surprise. The exam doesn't have even a single answer, only the student's name, nothing more.

Sarah Yale.

Jeffrey didn't notice her not answering her paper. He looked at the other side of the paper and saw lots of drawings of different shapes and sizes. Apparently Sarah just doodled her way out of the one hour quiz.

Last week, Sarah was caught drawing on the blackboard and on her armchair. Jeffrey also caught her once drawing in her notebook instead of copying the lecture on the board. She is indeed quite the artist, but her love for drawing sometimes gets out of hand.

That was the last straw. Jeffrey noted to himself to call the girl's parents for a meeting. Such behavior is intolerable, and he couldn't just sit idly as Sarah just draws her way out of his lessons.

Then Jeffrey decided that he can call her parents now. He didn't want to prolong it anymore. He reached for the phone on his desk and dialed the number of Sarah's dad that's written on a sticky note.

Jeffrey cleared his throat, "Yes, hello Mr. Yale. I'm Jeffrey Louis, the Science teacher of your daughter Sarah."

The response was simple: the dad cut off the call.

Bitch! Jeffrey then dialed the number of her mother.

"Yes, hello Mrs. Yale, my name is Jeffrey Louis and I'm Sarah's Science teacher." Jeffrey said while trying his best not to sound annoyed.

Jeffrey thought he heard sobs from the other line as she spoke, "Yes, Mr. Louis. How can I help you?"

"Ma'am, there's a matter I would like to discuss with you about Sarah. She—"

Jeffrey did hear sobs, "Sarah? Why?"

"Well, she did not answer a 200-item quiz today; instead she just drew funny symbols on the paper. She was doing this since last week; she just keeps on drawing things and not listening to the lesson."

A moment of silence then she answered, "Please come over to our house, Mr. Louis. We need to talk about this, personally."

Then she hung up.

Jeffrey nodded his head, "Okay… That would be better."

He turned off his computer, put Sarah's paper into a folder then left the building. He got into his car and drove away towards the Yale residence, a thirty-minute drive away from the school.