Chapter 2 – I think I might have killed a God

After joining the shadowy Artemis corporation and fainting from a chance encounter with a deer standing on two legs, I should have known things weren’t as they seemed. Now that I’ve been around for a while, I think I’m starting to understand what this place is all about.

I had awakened with a start, finding myself exactly where I had fallen in the first place. Georg was still speaking, his eyes fixed on the mirror/portal-thing as he continued his tale, completely oblivious to my sudden heart attack.

“…. Interesting, yes? We found it years ago, going through great lengths to…”

I picked myself off the ground, cautiously scanning my surroundings for that freaking abomination of nature. Not only was it invisible to everyone here, but the thing screamed like a man and scared me half to death. I was still searching for the deer when Georg grabbed my arm.

“This way son, she’s waiting for you.”

I followed the man through even more checkpoints, haunted by the animal that stuck to me like glue. I eyed the entry ways, worried I would run into bipedal wonder himself, only to find myself in a beautiful hall with the most exquisite materials. Statues and exotic plants crowded the space as various scientists and doctors confided near a flowing stream. In the center of the hall was a massive sculpture of the God Artemis, wielding a bow with determined eyes.

“She has been more than patient, especially since you’re one of the last ones here.”

Everything about the place sent shivers up my spine. Vast display of wealth seemed to equal evil corporation in my book, but I bit my tongue.

Georg led me through more beautifully sculpted halls to a large central meeting room, one that looked towards the town proper from the cavern’s top. There a young woman sat waiting patiently, her eyes sparkling with life. She smiled as I entered the room, introducing herself as Symphony Garff, the head of the Artemis program and all of its assets. The woman was drop dead gorgeous, so much in fact that my mind struggled comprehending the sight of her that I became increasingly afraid. A feeling of dread filled my soul as she spoke, something that reminded me of the time I tripped and knocked a woman’s wig off (I trip a lot, it happens)

Long story short, here’s what she told me.

The project was secretly founded in 1948 following the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations. The founders, notably Eleanor Roosevelt of the United States followed by representatives of Canada, Lebanon, France, and India among others; sought changes to the way humanity progressed, as science had become immoral and oppressive. They created Artemis to “Shoot True” and create a new world free from dangerous hands, a new secret organization that actually was the good guys for a change. I saved some of the more interesting points:

– Objective currently is “The study of foreign entities for advancement of the human species” (not for monetary gain)

-Nearly 120 countries participate

-They are almost 50 years ahead in created technologies

-All testing is voluntary (Humane) with full disclosure of possible outcomes (Like all the ways you can die, which are quite a few)

-No knowledge or technology used for warfare or a single country’s gain

-No discrimination towards sex, race or beliefs

– All countries have five ambassadors, each chosen from varying aspects of life for a more whole opinion.

-A single president is chosen, alongside two vice presidents who vote on ties

-Any breach in conduct by any nation will lead to expulsion from the program, annexation or even total annihilation (Ever heard of Slovengham? Didn’t think so)

-All world leaders given opportunity to join

-Operatives from Artemis may cross all borders in every supporting country

-General public will only be informed of threats if necessity for survival

If you haven’t fallen asleep reading this then you are superhuman, because I fell asleep halfway through typing those points, with the Librarian kicking me out of my chair. Honestly, rudest old lady I’ve ever met. The library here sucks, but it is free after all.

Anyways, we finished the meeting with Symphony offering me a job as both an explorer and test subject. I agreed, only to be given a pile of agreements and contracts thicker than a bowl of oatmeal. I signed through them all, the entire day in that room scanning paperwork for nearly every single possible outcome. From burning alive to going insane, being ripped apart by angry crowds and finally to have my soul sucked from my body. The pay was simply too good, so I checked all the boxes.

I began training the following morning.

Boot camp was physically strenuous, so I passed the physicals with flying colors. Medical training was mentally taxing, so the exams were a piece of cake. Growing up in a broken home, I knew how to take care of myself. I could bullseye with a rifle, fashion a shelter in the wilderness, even ballroom dance if the occasion permitted. I could talk my way into nearly anything, and cover my tracks at will. I was prepared for anything they threw at me… except this wasn’t any normal test.

I was taken deep within the compound to a section referred to as The Den, perhaps referring to the contents it sheltered. While the upper floors contained many guards and turrets, the sheer number of checkpoints and fortifications located here sent chills up my spine. Men in full combat gear monitored the area with perfect precision, each wielding weapons that looked straight out of a Space Opera. Mech-suits, power armor, heck even a dog had a machine gun strapped to its back. All of this protection, and yet I didn’t have a single weapon on me.

“What’s in there?” I asked a nearby guard.

His voice sizzled through the air, morphed in tone from his breathing apparatus.

“Whatever you bring back Palmer.” (A Palm was a name for anyone who traveled the realities, something to do with holy lands and pilgrims)

I swallowed as a large vault door slithered to the side, lights flashing and gears grinding as more halls were revealed before me. The smell of oil and stale air filled my lungs as I moved into the vault, followed by a burly fellow at my side. I passed both security and people in lab coats, diving deeper into the compound where the whole issue with the God began.

The Den’s main purpose was to experiment, observe, and contain the anomaly’s found from both beyond our world and just across the street. Artifacts, entity’s, even people (With respectful compensation and amenities much greater than anything I ever owned) were housed within its chambers, all constantly monitored by the greatest minds in the world. A simple walk down the hallway was enough to haunt my dreams for days to come.

A cat with human teeth, ever smiling with unblinking eyes. It appeared to float, shimmering in the air before disappearing. I was rightfully afraid, as this was not wonderland and in no way was I Alice.

A portrait of a withered tree, surrounded by sensors and cameras behind a wall of Plexiglas. Simply staring at the image made me consider planting a tree of my own, something only compounded be a sticker slapped on the nearby wall, proclaiming “Happy Earth Day!”

A man without a face, following my movement as if all-seeing. His baldness continued to where his eyes should have been, masking what emotions SHOULD have been upon his face. I stared at him for quite some time, realizing I could hear soft humming emanating from the figure. I left quickly after that.

A small stair case, simply waiting in a vacant room. I had an urge to climb it, but there really wouldn’t have been a point since it went literally nowhere.

A moose, who I had taken to be a deer for some strange reason.

The reason for me entering the place was simple. As I was to be exploring the vast reaches of the unknown, the project needed to know how I would react with unexplained phenomena. Out of thousands of options, they chose something they considered “Safe.”, something they thought they understood.

Boy were they wrong.

Before me was a box (Or rather a jar, translation from old Greek is weird), one that they believed they had understood. It had been opened before by some mad lad, and according to legend that’s why a lot of bad stuff happened. They understood it to be “Harmless”, setting it on a table without any additional precautions, thinking to analyze the way I studied the thing. Why fear? The damage was done, the box was used, so obviously tampering with the thing won’t create more problems. They had a full armed escort just outside the door, scanners, cameras, and an entire continent’s economy to stop any threat.

What could go wrong?

I went wrong.

I took a single step then tripped.

I fell through the table.

I fell through the “box”.

I broke Pandora’s Box.

Now I know what you’re thinking… why? Well it’s quite simple, the boots they gave me didn’t fit me. Think of It, enough munitions to obliterate the known universe, yet lack the genius to add laces. Slip-ons, one size fits best, really?

The box (Vase, whatever that thing was) shattered against my shoulder in a puff of ancient dust, coating the room in a thick darkness that continued to grow. I stood in absolute terror, seeing a man clothed in ancient apparel appear out of nowhere, wielding a spear that seemed to sizzle in the dark. He roared in an ancient tongue, jabbing the thing at me before leveling the weapon towards my body. Terror snapped through my frame at the sight of the glistering figure, his body enveloped in light as if he were a star. Simply seeing the figure made my mind threaten to tear in two, the light invading every ounce of my being like a growing cancer.

I tried to run; I really did.

But those stupid boots.

You see, I didn’t plan on tripping, and I had no clue that the God was older than the queen of England. In the darkness I failed to see his wrinkles and obvious lack of teeth, instead focusing on the lightning and extreme glow. It didn’t occur to me that the creator of Pandora’s box was the Greek God Zeus, likely angering him in the accident.

As I am writing this after that horrible incident, the old fellow is undergoing surgery to salvage his pacemaker. WOULD YOU BELIEVE IT, THE GOD OF THUNDER NEEDS A PACEMAKER TO SHOCK HIS OWN HEART!?! Anyways, despite destroying the thing, I did tango with a God, so I finished my training with flying colors. The bosses felt like “nearly” killing an old man was good enough, so win win, right? (I think the poor guy is a goner, so I really think I might have killed him) I would write more about my second meeting with the frighteningly gorgeous director or my following encounter with the two-legged deer, but the Librarian is coming back. Oh, I’ll have to explain what her deal is, if that is even possible.