Win

  But it quickly gets drowned out by a great upswell of human noise. . . .

  “De-neb! De-neb!” the fickle crowd roars. Apparently Deneb Gratu, Winner of Stage One, has landed somewhere on the beach. From my vantage point, I still can’t see him.

  Instead, I’m powerfully aware that up on the cliffs, on one of the hovering platforms is the Imperial Box. . . . Aeson is up there now, watching me. I’m guessing, the Imperator is also present this morning, to observe me struggle in this latest ordeal, and now sits next to his son like a basilisk. I get a grim satisfaction knowing that he knows I survived the first round. And what about the others, my family and friends—are they nearby?

  I check a small gadget for time. It’s minutes before seventh hour of Ra.

  And then I look around and see it. . . .

  Like a strange nearly invisible curtain, a wall of glass, or clear plastic, or some Atlantean equivalent begins rising slowly from the sands, halfway between the water and the cliffs. It grows to a height of about fifty feet, which is also halfway between the ground and the cliff plateau level. Its length is hard to gauge, but it runs parallel to the cliffs for at least half a mile, and seems to split the beach into two sections—cliff-side and water-side.

  At the same time, two more transparent walls rise, on each side where the first wall ends, only perpendicular to it, at a 90-degree angle. They begin at the first wall and terminate at the water, forming three walls of a rectangle, with the fourth being the waterline, and completely enclosing that portion of the beach.

  I’m guessing, that’s our Game Zone. However, all of us Contenders are presently on the outside of this demarcated area, stuck on the cliff-side portion.

  How do we get in?

  There’s no time to ponder because the familiar grand choral sound of many voices rises in the open air, amplified to be heard above the sound of the surf, and the Invocation Hymn fills the expanse of beach and cliffs and sky.

  When it echoes into silence, it’s replaced by the roar of the crowds up on the plateau.

  “Welcome to Stage Two of the Atlantis Grail! The Games are Forever!” a familiar amplified voice of the announcing official rings out godlike over the ocean-swell roar of the audience.

  We stare up at the cliffs, and out beyond the clear wall at the distant water. The horizon is still in a faint haze, but the fog is lifting. . . .

  “Contenders! You are about to enter the Game Zone inspired by the values of the Blue Cornerstone—Leadership, Control, Reason, Analysis! Use these qualities to your advantage! Your Taboo Rule is as follows—firearm weapons of the Blue Quadrant are forbidden! Until instructed otherwise, you may not use any firearm weapons to fight. . . .”

  As I pay attention, I glance around warily at the Contenders nearest me, looking for familiar faces, and also just in case anyone tries something. They in turn give me equally suspicious glares. We still don’t know what’s happening, or what we’re supposed to do. And there’s still no one I know in the vicinity. But at least, this time around, we may not use guns!

  And then the crowd up on the cliffs begins to scream.

  Soon everyone around me is looking around, and then looking up.

  Far up in the sky, a black dot appears over the beach, swiftly growing in size. At first it’s impossible to tell if it’s some kind of aircraft, but it seems to be directly overhead, and is approaching, or falling.

  I crane my neck and strain to look, along with the others. As far as I can tell, with my palm raised over my eyes to block the glare of sky, the approaching object is square in silhouette.

  As I try to understand what it is I’m seeing—some kind of hovering platform maybe, or a giant cube—it gets closer and closer, resolving into a thing of three dimensions, and then. . . . Daylight falls upon four angled planes, sloping walls tapering up into a point. . . .

  Oh my God. . . .

  My mouth falls open in stupid disbelief.

  It’s the Great Pyramid of Giza.

  The falling pyramid slows its descent and comes to a hovering stop a mere ten feet above the sand, inside the area of the beach enclosed within the transparent walls. Immediately it blocks all view of the ocean and sky before us. Its base is in darkness, and it casts a wide shadow as it hangs in the air, positioned halfway over the sand, and halfway over the foaming water. The immense blocks of limestone and granite from which it’s formed are dull and pale in the growing light of morning.

  I stand, frozen with shock, my hand over my mouth, while other Contenders around me crowd forward to observe, approaching the walls of clear material beyond which the pyramid floats. . . .

  “Behold, an ancient structure from Earth!” the amplified voice of the official announcer says. “It has been built long after we departed ancient Atlantida, but it retains the traditional Atlantean engineering and materials, and will serve as the arena of action for the events and Challenge of Stage Two.”

  The giant stadium screens hovering along the cliffs come alive with feeds, showing close-ups of the pyramid from various angles—apparently the nano-cameras are activated and are now among us and transmitting the micro-details live.

  In that moment I come alive also.

  My pulse pounds so hard that it feels like my head is about to explode, my breath catches, and suddenly I am dizzy with boiling anger.

  Buffeted by the wind, I turn around and face the cliffs and the Games audience and all those Games officials up there.

  “An ancient structure? Are you kidding me?” I exclaim in outrage, waving my hands about, to gain their attention, momentarily ignoring the fact that the nano-cameras are filming me just fine. “This is not just some ‘ancient structure,’ this is possibly the greatest ancient treasure of Earth! It’s the last remaining Wonder of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World! And you have it flopping about in the air like a weather balloon!”

  My voice rises higher and I am now yelling at the top of my very powerful voice, while the Contenders all around are staring at me with fascinated attention. “Do you even realize what this is? What priceless historical value it has? It’s the Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as the Pyramid of Khufu, or Cheops!” I point with both hands furiously at the great stone monument hovering over the sand. “Yes, the Great Pyramid! Do you know how great it is? It’s made from over two million and three hundred thousand huge blocks! And each of those blocks weighs a ton! Two and a half tons, to be precise! You think this is funny? The Great Pyramid is not a toy to be used in your Games! How dare you treat one of Earth’s oldest historical treasures this way? What if something happens to it, what if it falls apart? Did you bring it all this way across the universe so that you can defile it in such a barbaric manner—”

  “Hey, Lark! Gwen Lark! Shut up already!”

  I hear my name being called, and whip around to glare at whoever it is . . . and it’s Brie Walton. Brie comes toward me, pushing her way through the crowd of Contenders. She’s followed by Chihar Agwath the Scientist, Zaap Guvai the Animal Handler, and what looks like most of my original team. Oh good, they’re alive, they made it, my mind registers momentarily.

  But I’m so worked up that I’m not paying attention to whoever else is there, as I resume my furious tirade at the Games audience up on the cliffs. “You can’t do this!” I yell. “The stones of the pyramid might seem immense but they’re fragile enough that if they collapse, they could crumble, and then—”

  “Holy crap on a stick, Lark, just shut up, girl!” Brie exclaims, grabbing me by the arm. “Quiet!”

  “Don’t tell me to shut up!” I shout. “That’s the Pyramid of Giza they have there! Do you understand? The Great Pyramid! Our Great Pyramid!”

  In that moment the audience up above responds with a mixture of laughter and some mild chanting of my name.

  “See, they’re laughing at you,” Brie hisses in my ear. “They don’t get it. Stop it!”

  “I don’t care!” I hiss back. “This is way more important than me or the Games or my standing with
them! This is the greatest historical monument, a fragile ancient memento of Earth—”

  “Yeah, yeah, nerd weirdo, I get it,” she replies, and her sarcastic annoyed voice acts to calm me on some unexpected level. “Not so fragile if they think they can use it in the Game Zone. Okay? Calm down, nothing’s gonna happen to your precious pyramid anytime soon. You, on the other hand, are acting crazy, and that reflects badly on you, here and now. . . .”

  I go silent, but find that I’m shaking. Brie continues to try to calm me down, so I take deep breaths and tell myself to get a grip.

  She’s right, there is nothing I can do.

  And so I glance and nod greetings at Zaap, Chihar—and yes, there’s even willowy Kokayi Jeet the Entertainer, right behind them, giving me a casual wave and a white-toothed grin. Everyone looks worn out and not as well rested as I do, and I can see unhealed bruises and scratches over their exposed skin—which yet again reminds me of the fact that Aeson’s Imperial resources give me a significant medical and tech advantage over the average Contender. Well, at least everyone’s uniform appears clean. . . .

  The audience up on the cliffs continues to express amusement in waves of mixed noise. But except for a brief pause during which I ranted, the Games officials have chosen to ignore my outburst, and now our instructions continue.

  “Contenders! The ancient Earth structure within the Game Zone is a three-dimensional space in which you will spend the next four days.”

  And as the echoing words of the announcer grow silent, and we all stare, something is happening with the pyramid. And by something, I mean there’s movement.

  The great stone blocks are slowly moving apart in all directions—up, down, left, right. Each of the immense blocks floats away from its adjacent pieces, as though they’re magnets and their polarities have been suddenly reversed to repel their neighbors. The stones separate to an average distance of three feet from each other, which increases the overall containment volume of the pyramid space.

  Now I understand why the transparent walls have been erected! The new, loosely “separated” pyramid now fills much of the enclosure, and looms almost twice its original height. The blocks of stone stop moving and now bob gently in the air, spaced apart in a strange aerial mosaic.

  “The pyramid will remain in motion for the duration of Stage Two,” the Games official voice says, accompanied by the oohs and ahs of the audience. “The block configuration will change every hour, so you will need to keep moving in order to not get crushed. The only exceptions are the stones designated as Safe Bases which you will recognize by the four colored beacons installed on them. Safe Bases will remain stationary throughout, allowing you a place to rest and sleep. . . . Stay on any other interior stone for as long as you dare. However, you may not occupy the same exterior stone for more than two hours because they will become Hot Zones, forcing you to relocate or perish. . . . Once you take your first step onto the pyramid, you may not set foot on the ground or in the ocean water until Stage Two is over. Always remain on the pyramid stones—fall, and you will be disqualified. . . .”

  “Okay, so no beauty sleep for four days,” Brie grumbles.

  “Unless we’re lucky enough to get a Safe Base stone,” Kokayi the Entertainer retorts.

  “We?” I glance at them. “We’re allowed to keep our same team together, right?”

  “Oh, yes,” Chihar says behind me. “Look around you, My Imperial Lady. Everyone is looking for their former team members even now. It is easier to continue extending trust to known individuals than to form new alliances every time.”

  “Good.” I smile. “I wasn’t sure if that was the case, but I’m glad to work with you guys again.”

  “You know, I’ll still kill you later,” Zaap tells me seriously. “But now, we work together again. Better this way.”

  “Of course.” I give the boy an equally serious look.

  “Contenders!” the announcer continues. “You will have access to sewer drains on the ocean side of the structure. And you will be served water and meal rations on the land side of the structure. You will cease all Games activity every day during Noon Ghost Time and Midnight Ghost Time to permit the official Game Zone cleanup.”

  “Gee, and I was just gonna toss the bodies into the ocean and hope the sharks take care of them,” Brie mutters again. “Wait—do they have sharks on Atlantis?”

  “I’ve no idea.” I shudder, thinking that’s just what we need to amp up the degree of difficulty, a shark-infested ocean. . . . Ugh.

  “If they do,” Brie continues with cheerful mockery, “they’re probably bigger and better. Cause everything’s bigger and better on Atlantis, isn’t that right, Lark?”

  I sigh and don’t answer. Because the Games official is finally telling us the most important instruction—what we’re supposed to be doing in this stage of the Games.

  We all shut up and pay attention.

  “Your Challenge for Stage Two is to unlock the Blue Grail located on top of the highest stone of the pyramid, and retrieve it from its cradle which is bound with a Symbol Lock. Ancient Symbol clues to solving the mystery code are located in various stones all throughout the pyramid. Find the Symbols, earning ten AG points for each, and learn the correct sequence to unlock the Challenge item. Without knowing the correct code sequence, you may not remove the Blue Grail from its place, or it will activate deadly traps around you—”

  The audience on the cliffs picks up an excited bloodthirsty roar.

  “You have approximately 100 hours or four days to accomplish this. Whoever solves the Symbol code and unlocks the Blue Grail by the end of the thirteenth hour of Khe on day four will be declared the Winner of Stage Two!”

  “Well, crap,” Brie says, staring at the pyramid floating in pieces before us on the other side of the transparent wall.

  Everyone on the sand around us looks thoughtful. Contenders standing in small groups converse with each other quietly.

  But this is it—there isn’t going to be any more instructions and no more idle time.

  A familiar sound of bells rings from the cliffs, sounding three times.

  “Contenders! You now have one hundred heartbeats to cross the barrier and enter the Game Zone of Stage Two, or be disqualified from the Games of the Atlantis Grail! Your time begins now!”

  Chapter 56

  “Enter the Game Zone?” Brie exclaims. “What? How do we cross the barrier?”

  And just like that, my pulse begins pounding like crazy. . . .

  Everywhere around us Contenders start running toward the clear wall.

  We run also, and I can hear Chihar counting heartbeats out loud in an even voice. Only a few feet and we reach the barrier. Everyone is pounding at the transparent surface which is hard as glass or plastic, and up-close appears to be an inch thick, probably unbreakable.

  “What do we do?” Contenders exclaim, as people search for a way in, for secret hatches or trapdoors that might create an opening in the barrier.

  Heartbeats pounding. . . . Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two. . . .

  I feel the cool glassy surface of the barrier, with a kind of crazed despair, as my team members run their hands over the wall. “Crap! Crap!” Brie keeps saying.

  Then, from every direction grappling hooks and other climbing devices emerge. Agile and acrobatic Contenders throw lines over the wall, which slip and slide, and occasionally connect with suction, so their owners start to rappel upwards. . . . Others take out hand suction cups and use those to manually climb the smooth surface, scaling it to drop over to the sand inside, or jump directly to the nearest hovering blocks of the pyramid. . . .

  I feverishly search inside my equipment bag for something, anything. . . . It’s no use, I’m not a good climber, and my nets and cords are primarily intended as weapons. Wait, I do have a grappling hook gadget, but it’s a gun—and firearms are not allowed!—and since I’m not allowed to shoot, I’d have to throw it manually, and I can’t throw that high over the wall with accuracy, at
least not under such time pressure, with only heartbeats to spare—no!

  In an absolute panic I freeze. I can’t be disqualified so stupidly, not now!

  But Chihar grabs my arm and points to the ocean. There I see people running along the wall toward the water. “We go around the wall! Quickly!” Chihar says to me and the others.

  Immediately I understand. The barrier ends at the waterline, so all you have to do is wade into the water a few feet and step around it! Ridiculously easy!

  We begin to run.

  Heartbeats pounding. . . . Seventy-nine, eighty, eighty-one. . . .

  We reach the end of the gently sloping beach, where the sand turns hard and soaked with ocean water. Just a few steps more!

  Eighty-two, eighty-three, eighty-four. . . .

  I am at the end of the barrier which cuts off just three steps into the surf. I wade in, feeling an icy shock, and my nice new shoes immediately fill with water. I feel it rising, washing around my calves, as I splash around the barrier and step onto the sand on the inside of the Game Zone, right after Brie, while Chihar and Zaap follow me seconds later. Then I get to watch with amazement as Kokayi grabs the end of the wall with his hands and then does a strange sideways leap, swinging his lower body up and around in a roundhouse circular maneuver, bypassing the water and landing with his feet perfectly dry, on the inside of the Game Zone.

  A few dozen more Contenders follow our example, and there’s much crazy last-minute splashing in the water, as we all make it inside, with heartbeats to spare. A few people do what Kokayi the Entertainer did, and perform a similar acrobatic aerial swing maneuver to avoid stepping in the surf and getting their feet wet. Lucky them!

  “Wow, that was close!” Brie stomps with her own soaked feet on the hard sand.

  The bells sound three times to signify the hundredth heartbeat.

  I turn around to look at the transparent wall and there are a few people still on the other side of the glass, just a handful, running toward the surf, looking grim and desperate. They were too slow, and are now disqualified.