Chapter 9

Ashton sat alone in Quetzalcoatl. Merlin hated that he had started to call the mecha knight that as well. The hum of the machine continued to be the teenager’s only means of reminder that he was inside a machine. Without the hum, the silence could be incredible maddening. Most of the time it felt as if he flew above ground other than the slight feeling of stomping.

Sitting in the chair, it felt weird. In the simulator and in his experience in combat, it was always a fight. This was the most time that he had spent inside Quetzalcoatl since it had been fifteen-minute affairs where he had sliced and diced through the other machine men. Here he was just walking across acres of land just trying to avoid stomping something.

“I really wish that I had something other than that hum,” said Ashton.

No one was going to contact him. His only contacts so far in this first patrol had been Tlaxcala citizens watching him. Some had even been leaders wearing elaborate capes while most of the citizens wore the loincloths watching from the distance. Some just cheered. Others looked at it as a god among them.

In a way, Ashton understood where Merlin came from in his fears of him using the flight mode. The locals already thought he was the god Quetzalcoatl in the machine knight. If he suddenly had the robotic warrior transform into the winged serpent mode to fly once, that would create a bunch of stories and gossip.

The idea of flying in flight mode had its draw despite the flaws.

‘I wonder if I could get it up to as fast as a F-14,’ thought Ashton as he looked at the button that would start the transformation process. And then Ashton caught from the corner of his eye another crowd of locals cheering him.

Though the controls for the machine knight could easily control direction, it was the control crown that allowed Ashton to use the arms easier. With his mind, he willed the right arm to wave at the crowd.

Ashton sitting on the control chair of the machine knight watched the small crowd of around twenty people cheer him. However, in the jungles, there were other eyes watching these crowds.

Juan sat eating a meal with Joe and oddly Circe. She had prepared a meal from ancient Atlantis. It appeared to be quail in an interesting sauce along with a bread that was spear shaped and about the size of a thumb. Circe would dip in a bit of the sauce of the quail. There was also a potato melody with carrots. Juan thought that they were kind of like a nugget, but there was nothing inside. It was just deep-fried bread.

Joe had eaten it all incredible quick. “That was a decent meal, Madam Circe.” Joe noted as he released a bit of a bleach. He held his hand in front of his face.

For Juan, he didn’t really care about food. The big issue for him was that it was only necessary for keeping alive. That’s it. He really hadn’t eaten much his whole life, and to him, it was odd why so many cared so deeply about food.

“It is appreciated that someone enjoys my cooking. I’ve had men complain about my cooking too much,” smiled Circe.

Joe laughed. “Why would anyone fear your food?”

Circe narrowed her eyes as she took a bite of her food and chewed. Then finally swallowed before answering. “Oh, there are rumors that I liked to turn men into pigs. You might have heard of them. I am a witch of Atlantis.”

Juan looked at the meal that was still only half finished. Joe didn’t seem to care as he asked a question. “Did you know Homer?”

Circe laughed. “I will say that he exaggerated how much I did with Odysseus, but that was an interesting love affair that I had on my island. Queen Penelope was a lucky woman.”

Juan looked at Joe trying to see if he suddenly sprouted a snout or suddenly had a fused hand. Circe looked at Juan and laughed. “Do you really think that I’d make you two into pigs when I need you at the moment. Plus, I have been eating of the same food, Juan.”

That comforted Juan who ate a bit more, but he had never really enjoyed food. That got him to ask a question. “What happened to that island?”

Circe looked sour. “Merlin destroyed the island because he was tired of me turning men into pigs that came to my island. The root that I used was only on that island. I told him that I would stop, but he decided with his little tugboat that it was better to put an end to transforming men.”

“Sure, I lied about it, but it still hurt that I didn’t get a say in saving that last bit of Atlantis.”

Juan continued to nibble as Joe asked a question. “Wait the island was an outpost of Atlantis?”

Circe nodded. “What you think that I was living in squalor for millennium. I had a great thing going on my island. Plus, I am still hurt that Merlin cared enough to blow up the old resort island.”

“Where does Merlin stay most of the time?” asked Juan.

Circe laughed and then got sheepish. “I can’t track him. Most of the Atlantean satellites are gone, and to be honest, I have no idea what happened to our Moon Colony. I know what was left after the Merlin’s people destroyed the colony and Atlantis. However, there was probably maybe twenty ships left. One was Merlin’s ship. Another was a transport owned by a paranoid prophet. The eighteen other ships disappeared into deep space.”

Juan seemed interested. “Didn’t you say that most of the Atlantean and Murau fleets go fight some sort of snake aliens?”

Circe nodded. “The Naga were from a planet in another galaxy. They arrived and stopped Atlantis and Murau from continuing a world war. However, after defeating the invasion fleet, a Naga traitor, who probably is still alive in your days, told both Empires that it was possible that they were planning another invasion. The Murau had already been preparing a force to go use one of the Naga wrecks to go directly to their wrecked home world. That was when the Archons figured out that they could take over the whole world by mass mind control.”

“Wait? What?” said Joe.

Circe laughed in her skintight suit. “Mind you, I was part of the religious caste. Even before the end of Atlantis and the resetting of the world, my caste had been destroyed. That’s why I had to help end the world.”

“And yet you work with Chronos,” said Juan.

Circe laughed. “And you are working with the Aztecs who murder our fellow humans to satisfy gods that they don’t understand. As an exiled Atlantean, you make compromises.”

Juan realized that Circe probably always had her own agenda, but if he got what he wanted what did it matter if she would betray him at some point. Circe oddly had straight hair- it never got frizzy. She mentioned that Atlantis was actually in Africa apparently in the desert. The Sahara had been created by the Murau fleet that had redirected the waters of the Mediterranean apparently.

Circe looked at the stars. “And I expect an incredible angry fleet to appear someday that will either be Murau or Atlantean that will probably attack this planet. No one will ever understand their anger except possibly Merlin or myself. They were supposed to have a portal back to Earth instantly. The Archons cut the portal.”

She looked at the moon. “That was on the Moon, and my guess is that when the Murau fleet attacked it destroyed the device along with the Moon Laser.”

“So where was the fleet going?”

Circe looked at Joe. “They went to the home world of the Naga. It’s somewhere in another galaxy. But once the portal was cut off, the fleet had to rely on the slower faster than light speeds. Somewhere out there, the Murau fleet that left Earth has probably already rendezvoused with the slowly lumbering remaining force.”

And then her wonder and dread turned to a smile. “But maybe I’ll die before then because I play a long-term dangerous plan.”

She laughed which unnerved Juan. Joe seemed to ignore the whole conversation as he was satisfied with his meal. Juan missed Hector at that moment- he knew to be on edge unlike Joe.

That was exactly when a Jaguar warrior appeared wearing one of Circe’s Babel devices. He bowed to Juan who rose.

The warrior spoke into the strange device. “Lord Juan, the winged serpent has been seen marching around the capital of the Tlaxcala. It gets incredible, close to us the jungle that we have been using to go through to avoid their patrols.”

Juan smiled. Then he picked up his own device. “Excellent. I want you to prepare a force that can make fire quickly in that jungle. However, send additional troops to continue to monitor the patrols. It will take us two days to get to that jungle.”

The Jaguar Warrior nodded. He quickly left.

Circe followed Juan as Joe finally got up with her. “Well, it looks like your plan is starting to come together. You should go ahead and do it,” said Circe.

Juan chuckles. “My plan will work. It doesn’t matter if the machine this Ashton has is a superior machine that was denied me.”

Joe looked unsure of the plan again. “We should probably wait for the upgraded machine man of that kid Jesse.”

Circe shook her head. “It will probably be a week before it is ready along with young Jesse. Young Bill watches his recovery along with overseeing the modifications to the machine man under Chronos’ guidance, but trust me Jesse will be much more powerful after he recovers. Chronos will appreciate a quick victory.”

Juan wondered still how the nitwit that he had first met had suddenly become so intelligent, but considering what Circe had indicated that the boy had become someone else especially when Juan had met him. And Juan knew that Circe probably told the truth about the mind control that Atlantis had been planning. Juan decided that was most likely what had happened.

In the humid night air, he realized that his plan had to work. Or else, he’d probably be altered to be different just like Bill or worse, and then what would happen to his plan? Juan would win this fight. There was no other choice in his mind.

Circe smiled as the two walked to their machine men. All was going according to plan. Soon the problem that had arisen would be wiped clean, and she would walk off with the part that she needed.

Sure, she’d have to deal with a minor annoyance, but the rest of Chronos’ mind had been splintered and destroyed. And that’s a probably years from now that she’d have to worry about any problems. To Circe, she would get ready to capture the other three priests that were needed while Merlin got distracted.

She needed to meet with her spies inside Tlaxcala to find where the priests that had brought the time travelers to this time. Being a woman outside of time, she knew how they felt. However, none of them understood how she really felt unlike her friend Merlin. Sure, they were on other sides of this strange battle.

‘Give a century, and I will be able to enjoy a meal again with Merlin,’ thought Circe. Everything will have to go according to plan, and she’d have a place to host him again.

Smiling wildly, Circe went towards her flying skiff. Stairs appeared when she got close allowed Circe to walk up to the deck. She walked into the hallway with the emblems of the Religious Caste of Atlantis along with pictures of the Witches of Atlantis. Quickly she shut the door and relocked the entrance.

Circe looked at the picture. She was the last of her order, and that was the most important aspect of her knowledge. Her quarters were behind the cockpit, but for now, she would go get her skiff going towards the city.

Walking into the cockpit, she pressed some button on the console to her right as she brought up a sphere that showed the Earth. There were errors all over the globe especially as Murau reappeared again only to disappear. Circe would have to do a global scouting of the current world, and then she could sleep for a bit in her secret cave.

Looking at Murau for a moment, Circe sighed. “It was easier when it was just the Murau.”

Quickly she spun the globe to where she wanted to go. She’d put her skiff underwater in a river and come into the city of Tizatlan on foot in a cloak. Being disguised helped her strike easily.