Tomb



  SWE’s McLaughlin City Series

  Book 1

  Written by B.A. Savage

  Tomb

  By B.A. Savage

  Copyright 2005 by B.A. Savage

  ISBN #: 978-1-1054-8021-8

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  An Original Publication of Savage World Entertainment.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever, except for use of quotes for review purposes. For information please contact: [email protected]

  Printed in the U.S.A.

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  Chapter One

  The evening sun basks over the conference room sized dinner table. The light reflecting off the polished extravagant silverware emanates an eerie glow onto the remains of a beautifully set dinner. The leftover portions of a roasted hog, stacks of fried chicken, platters of thickly sliced steak, and a pan of baked salmon makes up the center. Surrounding it are various partially or fully eaten side dishes of candied yams, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, pan fried noodles, potato salad, and macaroni salad to name a few.

  Seated at the table are ten individuals all as different as night is to day. Standing at the master end is a man in black slacks, black muscle shirt, and with a black cloth covering from under his nose to the neckline of his shirt. His eyes are pure black with no pupils but they do appear to have a reflection of the candle on the table. Another man walks in wearing a monk-style robe. Black, bald, and seemingly in his 30's, he takes a place next to the man already standing at the master end.

  "Welcome, how was dinner?" Each individual guest provides some sort of a response.

  "Good, would anyone like dessert?" A few shake their heads either in agreement or disagreement, while others voice their personal choice.

  "Let's get to the damn point!" says one of the guests, as he slams both of his fists on the table. Silence overtakes the room.

  The Host says "Sure Mr. Explode. You're right. Enough of the small talk, everyone knows everyone by now, I'm sure."

  A man who is overly handsome and dressed in some royalty-style get up says, "No, not everyone knows everyone. Who's the mute? We have been here almost six hours and she hasn't spoken a word...”

  "...Yeah, and what's up with the face mask and completely hidden identity bit? Body looks good, but I want see the face too” continued the identical twin of the handsome man, also wearing a matching outfit.

  "Well Zarr and Razz, too bad you can't use your special ability to read each other's thoughts on her instead or you might already know the answers to your questions,” replied The Host.

  "Humph." Zarr and Razz sigh.

  "She, ladies and gentlemen, is Shadow; she is on hire from the Katsuya Corporation. She..." added The Host until he was interrupted.

  "Katsuya Corporation?" interrupted a short, stout and rugged looking man with a face full of hair, and sporting lumberjack gear.

  Another man wearing tan khaki's, Hawaiian shirt, and mirror-like sunglasses answers, "Yeah Rugged, it's a camera company,”

  "Why do we need anyone from a capitalist camera corporation?” asks Rugged with rage in his voice.

  "You idiot! You need to get out more. It's a front for the Japanese mafia,” snapped the man in the sunglasses.

  Slamming the palms of his hands on the table, The Host takes back control of the situation, "Enough!" This gets everyone’s attention focused back on him.

  "Back to the issue at hand, the reason you have been gathered here. Each of you has been asked to join this venture because each of you are world renowned treasure and relic hunters, each with their own unique talents or abilities which will help ensure the success of this mission."

  He surveys the room, "Each of you will be paid one million dollars, half will be paid tonight and the other half will be paid upon completion of the mission. You will also be able to keep all the spoils of the trip that you may happen to pick up. All I ask in return is one item. That item is the Stone of Sunfire." A few members seem to have heard of it, but most seem to have no clue as to what it is.

  "It seems that some of you have never heard of it. Well, I'm not surprised. It’s rumored to have only been seen by a handful of people, and the place it was last seen is considered a myth. Only a few believe it exists, Atlantis. Since proving Atlantis exists, which has been next to impossible to prove, the Stone of Sunfire is sort of a myth of myths."

  In a jokeful manner, the man in the sunglasses says, "So you want us to find Atlantis? Good luck.”

  "No, Mr. Bebida Blood. Fortunately an even less known myth, told among several tribes in South America tells a tale that during the brief time of turmoil rumored to occurred before Atlantis sunk, a very skillful thief sent by King Foymama stole this item and returned it to him," says The Host.

  Tripwire, a skilled adventurer and expert on ancient traps and devices asks, "King Foymama? The King of Greed?"

  "What's so special about this king?" asks Gladiator, a very muscular, all American male wearing blue jeans and a "USA Pride" T-shirt.

  "Glad you asked," continues The Host, "Foymama let his wife, the queen, run the kingdom while he sent spies and thieves to steal valuable treasures and artifacts from other kingdoms. He also led several expeditions himself. Foymama's main interest was in mystical objects, items rumored to have some kind of magical forces within. He used some of these items’s power to grow richer and more powerful. Then news came from one of his spies that several powerful armies were joining together to steal back their treasures and plunder much more. Being driven by greed and not wanting to lose his priceless artifacts, which was the largest collection the world had ever seen, King Foymama used the Horn of Calling to summon the Demon "Poss Chandela" and begged to be able to keep his treasures forever inside the tomb he built specifically to spend his afterlife with his immense treasure. The next day when the attacking army arrived there was no sign of the tomb, it had vanished."

  "Then how the hell are we supposed to find it?" asks Explode in his typical angry way.

  "The same tribe I heard the tale from is the Cristah tribe, who are the actual descendants of the Foymama tribe. They carry with them the Ranakan, the Stone of Awareness, which can be used to reveal the tomb. That's where you, Natural Hack, come in. Your tracking skills with your laptop are legendary. I will supply you with all the data on the tribe including their last location."

  Natural Hack nods in agreement and adds, "Just call me Hack."

  The Host asks, “Rugged, I do believe you are familiar with the Kung! tribal language and their use of clicking sounds to communicate, correct?"

  "You are correct."

  "I know I am. They use a very similar style. It should be no problem to figure out, I did."

  Zarr asks, "So how much is this Sunshine or Firestone thing worth anyways?"

  Razz adds, "I was thinking the same thing."

  Zarr replies, "I know, that's why I asked." They both smile at each other.

  "It is priceless. But so are many of the treasures in Foymama’s Tomb. To guarantee that someone does bring it back to me or that the mission was a failure because of misinformation, I've planted a mole. O
ne of you has been a business associate of mine for quite some time and is being paid 10 million dollars to be my eyes and ears. So if one of you does find the item and tries to run, I will kill you, which is of course after I’ve killed several family members. I found you once and I will find you again."

  During this whole spiel, The Host made eye contact with all at the table and his facial expression and tone of speech didn't change one bit.

  For the second time in minutes, silence controls the room. Everyone seems to be looking at each other with accusing eyes. The only ones not looking around are Gladiator, who had been refilling his plate at a regular pace during the whole briefing, and Xiona Chang, who has been silent since dinner was placed on the table.

  Gladiator notices several eyes on him. Noticeably uncomfortable, he says with a mouthful of steak, "What? I'm not a mole. I've never seen this man before in my life."

  Then all eyes turn toward Xiona, who in her red traditional Chinese evening dress was already stunning to the eyes. Now she finds eyes looking at her quite differently. She looks up at everyone, yet says nothing.

  The Host interrupts this awkward moment, "Enough worrying about that. Each one of you needs your rest. Sleep well. I must be leaving now. If you need anything, my servants will be glad to assist you."

  The Host walks off, followed by his apparent bodyguard. Down the hallway and out of earshot, The Host stops and says to his companion, "Kain, you're probably wondering "why don't I go, instead of sending them"? After all I'm more qualified and skilled than all of them put together."

  Kain says nothing, with the flames still visibly burning in his eyes.

  "Simply, I have other plans instead of being stuck in there for 200-300 years if the mission fails, and who knows, it might be even longer than that before anyone enters the tomb again."

  Kain still stands silently.

  "What's that you say, Kain? The mole? Who is it? I planted no mole, I planted something much better, distrust. If the stone is there and I believe it is, then if even only two survive, it's guaranteed to be returned because of the fear of the mole. If more than two survive, I will be truly surprised, and as you know I haven't been surprised in years. Tomorrow will be very entertaining for you."

  Chapter Two

  Mr. Blood walks into the same conference room as the night before to find that he's the last one to come to the breakfast table. Standing at the master end is Kain, but noticeably missing is The Host.

  "So what'd I miss?" asks Bebida.

  "Nothing much, Gladiator has already devoured seven pancakes, six sausages, about ten eggs...um did I miss anything?" asks Razz.

  "Yeah, four glasses of OJ and five glasses of milk," adds Zarr.

  "Don't forget the four biscuits," laughs Gladiator with his mouth full.

  "So nothing much then?" asks Bebida.

  "Nope, not really but we now know who the mole is," says Tripwire.

  Hack, who has been dealing with these acquisitions all morning, frustrated, yells, "I'm not the damn mole!"

  "Sure you’re not!" Then why the fuck did The Host put you in charge?” charges Explode.

  "I'm not in charge! He came in last night to give me the data on the tribe and left me instructions to share with everyone, since he couldn't be here today."

  "So what was he wearing?" asks Rugged.

  "Fuck you!" Hack yells across the table.

  Laughter echoes around the room, lifting some of the tension.

  "Anyways, let's hear those instructions," says Bebida.

  "Good, we were waiting for you to come down. I've tracked down where the tribe is located using my connection to a Global Positioning Satellite, don't ask how. Anyways, we are to leave at 1200 hours by helicopter, which will drop us off 10 miles away from the tribe's present location."

  "10 miles? Why so far away?" asks Bebida.

  "Because this tribe has a leadership structure that is quite unique and no central home. All in this tribe are equal, with the exception of the one responsible for the stone. He serves as Chief, then after roughly one week, a different person receives the stone and leader role. And with no central home, there's no telling who has it all any given time," explained Hack.

  "So?" questions Bebida.

  Xiona answers, "These tribe members don't sleep in close quarters, with only about twenty members of this tribe, they have been found sleeping separately almost one mile away from the nearest member."

  Everyone looks at Xiona, some shocked that she knew that, others surprised she talked.

  Bringing the attention of everyone back to himself, Bebida asks, "So, we are performing a dragnet to make sure none escape?"

  "Exactly. Cause if the one with the stone escapes, it might take days or even weeks to find him. And now we have on our side the element of surprise." answers Hack.

  Rugged asks rudely, "So where's The Host at, Hack?

  "I don't know. Why don't you ask Kain?" retaliates Hack.

  The massive monstrosity doesn't move.

  Looking at Kain, Rugged replied, "Um...I'll pass."

  Explode stands up swiftly, "Want me to ask him?!"

  Zarr, still seated, reaches out toward Explode, "I would think twice about that, big fellow. Something seems very odd about that one there."

  Razz extends his arm also and adds, "Yes, I agree. Haven't you noticed the fire in his eyes is still there from last night, yet there is no flame that it could be reflecting?"

  Zarr says, "I was just thinking the same thing."

  Razz replies, "I know you were."

  They both look at each other and smile.

  Explode now notices the flame but still says, "So, I'm not scared of no punks with trippy contacts!"

  Xiona stands up, "It's not about being scared; it's about being smart. Something I can tell most at this table lack.

  As she gets up from the table and starts to exit the room, Explode yells, "Shut up, mole!"

  Hack asks calmly, "Can we all get back on track please? The helicopter will be ready for departure soon."

  The remaining guests look at Explode.

  Explode is wondering why everyone is looking at him, "What?"

  No one says anything. Finally Explode sits back down, while Kain remains the same.

  "Don't worry about Xiona's part. I'll brief her on the copter. Okay here's the plan..."Hack continues.

  Finally, every member seems focused, including Gladiator, who has finally stopped eating.

  Chapter Three

  "Now!" yells Hack, from the cover of some bushes. A split second later an explosive device lands in the center of what resembles a central activity area of the tribe. A minor explosion is followed by plenty of smoke and villagers trying to flee.

  "Bingo!" yells Tripwire, as four tribe people are slung up into the air and trapped in a net.

  Two other villagers are double-arm clotheslined and dropped by Gladiator as they try to run into the bushes. "Oh yeah! Man, I really miss wrestling."

  The smoke is clearing. Hack asks, "Is that every one of them?"

  Razz, as he holds a villager, answers, "Yeah."

  "I believe so,” adds Zarr, who also is holding one.

  Shadow walks out of the bushes into the clearing with a villager already bound.

  "Yeah, that's all of them, counting the six we caught on the outskirts," says Hack, as Xiona comes out of the brush with those six shackled together.

  "So how we are supposed to know which one has the stone?" asks Rugged.

  "I don't know aren't you the language specialist?" replies Hack.

  "Um...oh yeah," Rugged turns toward the closest villager and asks in the tribe's native tongue, which he has been learning from the previous six hostages.

  The villager replies back with similar clicking sounds.

  "What'd he say?" asks Hack.

  "Just like the other villagers, he says he doesn't know what I'm talking about."

  Bebida adds, "It sounds like a damn old broken typewriter, you sure he understood
you, old man?"

  "I'm pretty sure he did, it's not a difficult language to understand, but most of you Americans are tone deaf from years of the boob tube and loud rock music," fires back Rugged.

  "Hey, I'm not an American and I have no clue what either of you two said," states Tripwire.

  Visibly frustrated, Hack says "Does it really fucking matter who else understands what? Just fucking ask him again, okay?”

  "Yeah, whatever. Damn capitalist pigs," says Rugged. He then turns around and repeats his previous question to the villager.

  The villager gives what sounds like the same answer.

  "Well?" asks Hack.

  "He still says he doesn't know what we are talking about."

  Explode pulls out his gun from his leg strap, aims and shoots, "I bet he understands this!" The villager that Shadow was holding drops to the ground dead with a hole in his chest.

  Xiona yells, "What the hell are you doing?"

  Explode yells, "Shut the fuck up, bitch!" He turns his gun toward her but before he could make the full swinging motion, a ninja star knocks the gun out of his hand and another star sticks into the leg holster where his gun was, only inches away from his family jewels.

  "If you ever aim a weapon at me or speak to me in that tone again, your gun won't be the only thing falling to the ground," threatened Xiona, now holding in front of her a sword, gripped with both hands.

  Explode is pissed, but realizes he's in no position to argue. He removes the star from his leg and throws it to the ground.

  Some of the villagers are now crying and struggling to no avail to be close to their fallen fellow tribe member.

  "Maybe now, we'll get some damn answers," says Explode.

  "Yeah, you're probably right," said Bebida, as he dipped his fingers in the fresh wound of the dead villager. He sucks the blood off his fingers, while standing in the face of another villager. Bebida smiles exposing some of his fanged teeth, "Just maybe, you're right."

  Gladiator is standing nearby with the two he captured, who are now tied to a tree. "Awe, you're fucking sick, man!" He then turns and vomits in nearby bushes.

  "Hmmm," Bebida smiles as he looks at the dead body, "A fresh new taste."