NEST

Chap 1: a missing piece

"So it is with full confidence that I can say that the North American tribes, in their creation myths, that the universe was governed by 4 fundamental laws, centuries before the general theory of relativity were even proposed."

The classroom was gripped by the lecture, not expecting the archeology class to amount to anything other than easy credits, the unorthodox yet intriguing testimony had them utterly captivated as the gasped, gossiped with each other, and voiced their disbelief.

"But how could they have had the knowledge of the 4 forces, that being electromagnetism, gravity, and strong and weak nuclear forces which create order out of the chaotic void that our universe has miraculously sprung from, but what source exactly has been the source of much controversy"

With that, I clicked next on the computer projection to reveal the next slide showing a detailed diagram displaying the surface and a tunnel leading underneath to an expanse of caverns.

"As you can see their any many areas of our world skewed from view, lying under the surface, a great unknown for those unfamiliar with the caverns and even seasoned spelunkers"

Beginning to pace back and forth on the elevated platform, I pointed at individual students to emphasize my point.

"In fact there have been many reports, including those from esteemed naval officers about the hidden world that lies beneath what can been seen on the surface, and the entrances to this hidden world are numerous and may shed new light on why certain areas are considered sacred gr…"

Unfortunately my lecture was interrupted by a stern authoritative voice.

"NOLAN! Are you using my class to present your fanciful theories while I wasn't looking?!"

The other voice was clearly enraged at my actions as, although I clearly had no express permission to use any of the classrooms equipment, my desire to share my findings was becoming almost unbearable.

"Proffesor Davis, I can explain" I said, frantically trying my very best to excuse myself, albeit in vain.

"This was the 2nd time this week I caught you hosting an unauthorized lecture; surely you know the process of becoming a full professor doesn't start until next year"

Davis chastised, his brow furrowed and clearly frustrated at his rather "passionate" presentation.

"No matter, you all seemed to have had your fun with this occult dribble, and to be honest; I was also quite amused by your… erm… unorthodox theories"

With that, the pretender took a step back in surprise, noticeable sweat beginning to appear on his face.

"How long were you standing outside the door?"

"Long enough to hear the gist of it and I must say, I find most of it a hard sell, if not outright insane"

Not wanting to cause any more trouble I merely bowed my head in shame.

"I understand sir"

"But enough about that, I have a REAL class to run with REAL facts, now fetch me a chai latte, and make sure it is VEGAN this time, last time I found out I was drinking one with real milk It almost gave me a heart attack" his self-assuredness bleeding from his every orifice.

"Yes sir" was all I could say as I nodded my head nervously in acknowledgement as I made my way out the door in the direction of the campus café.

I almost stumbled over a loose shoelace on the way out, the class letting out a collective chortle as the I, trying to maintain my composure in the face of all this embarrassment, bent down to tie his troublesome right shoe as continued out the door.

It's such a shame really, I thought, not many people have any respect for the merits of crypto-archeology, how there is a seed a truth hidden in every myth and how through deciphering the metaphors, find the source of every legends inspiration, the only think standing in the way of my deserved recognition was the troublesome burden of proof.

Almost slipping on the freshly waxed floored as stopped in front of the café as the try hard scholar grabbed the counter with both hands to keep my balance.

"1 chai latte with vegan creamer and foam please"

At this the female barista raised an eyebrow cheekily.

"Let me guess, for Proffesor Davis?!

"Oh well how could you have possibly guess." playful sarcasm painting my raspy voice as I still was trying to catch my breath from the sprint over

She merely let out a lighthearted she turned back to open a fresh bag of coffee beans and pour part of its contents into the grinder and turned it on with a loud, distinctive crunching whir as the seeds were pulverized into a fine powder.

In the meantime he sat down at the nearest table to, for a short while at least, to try and calm down and collect my thoughts.

Besides the familiar sounds and smells of the small college café, I was finally brought back to a certain mild tingling yet somewhat foaming sensation in a certain area between my heart and abdomen.

The strange sensation has come and gone for as long I could have formed words in my mouth, maybe ever earlier.

The post-graduate has told his closest relatives about it and how it seems to strangely ebb, flow under uncertain circumstances.

Most dismissed it however, writing it off as simple anxiety, but it wasn't exactly painful or crushing as what most would claim happens, but, at times I could feel a noticeable pressure.

I tried not to think too much about it; maybe I am merely am overthinking things as I sometimes do instead taking out my journal to review my notes.

It was a rather ad hoc record than a formal research journal, albeit I make my best effort to keep whatever theories come to mind as organized as possible, despite how scattered and disjointed they might seem at first, patterns have a tendency to emerge in the most unexpected areas.

I turned through countless pages of diagrams and thesis, trying to gleam whatever pattern I could find from my years of research into the countless mythologies, most of them as of yet remaining unresolved.

Certain connections began to emerge; however once I reached a dedicated section that was drawn out in bold letters "Civilizations of the Underground" the font of course being my attempt at a somewhat fancy font, albeit not too flowery.

The mere fact that even cultures separated by a vast ocean could put so much emphasis on a whole other world just lying beneath our feet; the Mayans claimed an underworld, the Buddhists, Shangri La.

Even the most esteemed of German scientists of the mid-20th century who later went on to spearhead the golden age American space program spoke enthusiastically of an underground world with strange creatures and fauna they simply referred to as "Agartha"

These reports were later corroborated by the consistent records of the German scientific and military expeditions of the 1940's, a German U-boat captain even so far as reporting to have surfaced for air in a vast underground lake, as blue and as pure as the sky above.

Most of these reports however were aptly dismissed by the mainstream scientific and journalistic communities at the time as tall tales and propaganda, but I know better that that.

Before I could get completely get lost in intriguing possibilities, I was snapped out of my daydream by the ringing of a bell as his swerved towards the sound as I carefully reorganized and stowed my belongings into my trusty brown satchel before making my way back to the counter to pick up the order.

"Chai latte!" she shouted letting me know that the brew was made and proceeded to take the drink and receipt in hand as I gave her a sizable tip.

With a quick wave proceeded to carefully walk back to class, careful not to spill the quite expensive specialty coffee.

When I reentered the lecture hall, the somewhat large door released a loud wooden grown of old age alerting every in room I have his oh so specific blend of coffee.

But not wanting to risk getting my apprenticeship annulled, I held my mouth as I gave it to him before quietly taking my seat at my desk of in the far corner of the room as I sat back in my cheap plastic chair with a small creak, resting my head on my right hand.

I let an exasperated sigh, finally being done with what has to be the most annoying part of this gig, but if im going to get my official ceritification, this Is what I will always put up with on a daily basis.

"The bean type is Java, you know I always ask for SUMATRA" he said glaring over at my desk, the class looking up for a moment from their computers to give another collective chortle.

Oh the joys of academia.

"No matter, this will do" giving his latte another sip before back down on his much nicer desk, giving his lips a superfluous smack.

"Okay, now where was I, oh yes!"

His lecture on the other hand was, and im putting this lightly, a bit dry and derivative.

I could outright tell he was simply was rehashing what you learn from a high school social studies textbook about the Egyptian pyramids and simply added flowery and complicated words to make it sound college level.

Nothing genuinely new is being brought to their attention, nothing owhich both intrigues and captivates, in fact I could catch a few dozing off out of sheer boredom and it's a shame he's not using his full potential as a PHD grad to actually teach the less talked about, the less understood.

Anyways, there was no sense in making a scene about it, in due time I'll get my certification and then I could finally show them how you really keep them interested.

Letting off a sigh, I focused on writing the transcript of his lecture down for performance review purposes, and I'll be lucky if I even get a brief mention in it.

The day was long and insufferably repetitive, Davis droning on and on about the things that aren't even worth the tuition they paid for, at least I can take comfort in the fact I am nothing like him as I opened the final door leading outside.

The air outside was rewardingly perfect, not to hot, not to cold, it was right in the middle as the sign shown bright being blocked intermittently by passing clouds, the wind rattling the leaves with the birdsong providing a natural symphony that soothed my troubled mind after a hard day's work indulging the ego of some hack.

Oh and it seems that weird foaming pressure has subsided, finally.

Well, about time to get into my plain looking minivan to head back to my cramped studio apartment, chomp on some ramen, and try to focus on the finer things in life.

That is until I felt a hand on my right shoulder.

"Ahh, so we meet at last!" the voice from said matter of factly.

Startled by the sudden touch, I turned around, putt my hands behind me on the car door to stop me from falling backwards.

"Wh.. whoa… what the heck" I snapped back.

"If its money you want man, sorry I'm broke!"

The man was dressed up quite well and appeared to be in his 40's which is odd sense he didn't seem to show any signs of age.

Besides his luck with genetics, he had somewhat long hair and a bit of a tan with a navy blue blazer and leggings, complimented by a dark maroon vest and tie.

His hair had a singular braid in it tailored with bright red beads, a bit peculiar, but not unheard off, in fact it's quite modest compared to the outrageous braids I've seen the stoners on campus wear.

He merely offered me a look of bewilderment before letting off a small chuckle.

"Well you're an observant one, that's for sure, that's a good trait to have, albeit it offers no permission to be paranoid"

His manner of speaking was a lot more formal than I was used to, but from what I could tell he wasn't trying to be pretentious, albeit It was a refreshing contrast to the lazy short hand social media slang I hear from the immature, shallow art students.

"Anyways, I am a personal associate of Professor Davis and I have heard the gossip surrounding your surprisingly insightful lectures"

Well word of mouth travels fast, so I wouldn't be surprised someone would come around to actually thank me for my countless late knights trying to link together the seemingly disjointed evidence into a passable thesis.

I was a bit flattered, in a weird way, to be complemented by a person I'd least expect Id find in a community college parking lot.

"Well not many take it seriously, but most don't know how it all ties together like I do"

The sharply dressed man merely let off another lighthearted chuckle at my enthusiasm.

"Let them deny it, it is a simple fact of human nature that they can't accept what they don't yet fully understand."

"…and I hope they will understand one day" I responded enthusiastically, my spirts lifted at the fact I was being taken seriously for once.

"Well" he said letting off another lighthearted chuckle, his upbeat attitude feeling like massive cinderblocks were almost melting off my shoulders.

"How would you feel if told you I can help you on your little quest of yours, because I found what you deep down were always looking for, and I know exactly how to find it"

His voice turning to a strained whisper near the end.

At that moment I got stars in my eyes, with not much else to lose, I could see no reason why he would need to lie about something as huge as this.

"Are you serious!?" I asked rhetorically.

He merely gave a short snicker.

"You are willing to do whatever it takes to discover worlds unknown even if the rest of world sees you as mad for doing so, and now my friend that determined spirit of yours is about to pay off, here it is, the missing piece the finish the puzzle"

Shortly after his short speech, he reached into of the inside pockets of his blazer and pulled out

His phone… and after quick tip tak of the tactile feedback of the phone, I heard the notification sound on my own device.

Reaching into my own pocket and opening my messages, I could see a somewhat large JPG file was sent.

Upon opening the file, I was stunned at what I saw.

The margins were decorated in a mysterious language that doesn't seem to match any known earth language.

The picture itself showed a quite accurate map of North America followed by a series of dashes and dots overlaying it with a series of arrows pointing towards a location somewhere in the wilderness of the great southwestern deserts.

"This is… exactly what I needed" I said under my breath, trying to keep my childish excitement in check in order to not make a scene.

He simply let another chuckle escape his lungs.

"Of course it still requires a bit of deciphering, but you always knew the door was there, I have merely just offered the key"

I looked back up to make eye contact, an accomplished smile painting my face from one side to the next.

"I…I don't know what to say other than…thank you"

"You are always welcome" he humbly replied as he leaned a bit forward before resuming his somewhat stiff upright stance.

"It was nice meeting you…erm"

"Nolan…Nolan Burton"

"Ahh yes… I'm terribly sorry for forgetting to ask for it… formalities can slip my mind at times"

"and as for yours?" I asked a bit bemused at this point.

He gave a short awkward pause and smile before giving his response.

"You can just call me… Tom… just Tom"

I nodded in acknowledgement, not sure why he doesn't want to share his last name with me.

"Well it was very nice meeting you too Tom, but I have to get back home and put the final piece to unlock that door.

"As did I" he said as lightheartedly as his introduction "But I also have other business to attend to, but I assure you our paths will cross again in due time"

And with that he just turned around in place and began walking away.

"I assure you, you will be quite surprised what you find" was the last he said to me before heading off to whatever he needed to do, a somewhat more sinister sounding chuckle escaping his mouth, but I guess I could be reading too deeply into it.

Upon getting back into my car and turning the keys into the ignition, I looked back to see that strange, but helpful person for one last time.

Where did he go? I saw him head off in that direction only a few seconds ago…

Shaking my head, I waved it off as I made my way back to my humble abode in a high rise complex downtown.

My apartment, was to be honest, a quite drab and lonely place, I really do wish I could have a cat or small dog to keep me company but, unfortunately, our slum lord has a strict no pets policy.

So, just like another day, I as greeted to nothing but the distant whooshing sounds of traffic and the occasional horn sounding when someone gets cut off, thankfully it quiets down a lot right when I need to sleep, that is until an occasional sound of a gunshot catapults me out of bed in 3 in the morning.

Sitting down in my comfortable office chair, I booted up my computer and transferred over the file in my phone onto my PC before pinning the picture to the right side of the screen before opening up journal filled with my personal notes.

After initially deciphering the syntax patterns of the symbols, I compared it to the apparent binary code over to where the arrows were pointing and I letter at a time was made clear to me.

H

A

L

L

O

W

N

E

S

T

Hallownest?

Then there was the binary as it translated into two pairs of numbers separated by the occasional space.

Piecing together the fact they were coordinates, I entered the first pair as latitude and the second pair of digits and longitude.

Typing it into the search bar of a mapping program, showed patch of desert in the southwest, but unlike the surrounding desert in the satellite image, this apparent stretch was obscured with a quite sizable dust storm, using the history bar didn't help, as it seemed to have persisted regardless of what year I set it too.

If I'm going to see whatever is out there, I'm going to have to see it from the ground, from the looks of it; it was miles from the nearest town or road with high-mountains on all sides.

Saving the image and the coordinates, I went over to my closet and began to pack everything I needed for the trip in a large hiking back pack, double checking to make sure I wouldn't forget anything that may save my life.

This reminds me.

Making sure the magazine and chambers were empty and with loud snap of the charging handle back into its resting position as in gently placed it in its own specialized pocket along with a box of cartridges.

Lastly, after zipping I attached to one of the outside clips holds a special place in my heart,

It was a rather antiquated dreamcatcher my grandmother said was passed down through the generations of our family, long before Columbus even set foot in the new world, and now as she was in her final years, she made it prudent to pass it onto me.

How strange, that despite its age, it looked entirely pristine, how it managed to be so ageless escapes my understanding.

I remember my nightmares fondly, they were all the same and happened on a daily basis and remarkably vivid.

First it was black, I was floating, no other sound or being in sight other than the fact it was very cold,

and then the screaming started, screams of torment, agony, frustration...abandonment, there pale grey silhouettes smashing into a pile of their own kin with a loud CRUNCH.

Then after a short while, a dark, wraith like entity appeared in front of me, just staring at me with an unshakable gaze of 2 glowing bright white eyes.

Immobile and helpless, it grasps my body with its black tendrils, I try to cry, call for help, scream, and cry.

But nothing came out, not even the smallest of a whimper.

"Welcome home..."

Those 2 words, was all it said with an airy whisper before opening its maw to swallow me whole, only for me to wake up in my bed in a cold sweat, crying, that certain foaming pressure almost threating to explode out from me before slowly subsiding.

The day she gave me the heirloom, the nightmares stopped and never came back.

Feeling both comforted and reassured, I put on my backpack, tugging my luggage case behind me that contained my desert wardrobe and sand protective gear as I made my way back out.

Making sure all the lights and appliances were off, I waved my little hole in a wall a fair goodbye as I hope to not see it again for a long time.

The flight into Salt Lake City was rather uneventful, despite the slight layover.

If I had the money, I would have scheduled a charter flight to the area, but where is an overworked and underpaid intern such as myself am supposed to find that kind of money?

Being the closest I can fly, it will have to do; besides, I got a good deal on first class seats so no need to do after flight palates for leg cramps.

Then after getting a decent rental now came the hard part, the driving.

The freeway gave way to the 2 lane backroads before I was inevitably forced onto narrow and poorly maintained backroads of loose dirt and gravel.

Then I hit an expected snag, it seems no road leads directly into the area.

In fact, according to the map I'm still at least 20 MILES from where the anomaly could be seen from orbit.

So I guess this I were I'm going to have to walk, about 5 hours if I keep my best pace.

That's not too bad, although I might have to reconsider a day free of cramping.

Putting on a pair of goggles and boots with a brown scarf and a long-sleeved protective overcoat with my utility backpack on my person, I began the long walk to finally see just what that certain dust storm is hiding.

The trek across the vast expanse of desert was proving to be my limit, the hours rolled by as I kept a steady pace, the only sounds to be heard being the gusts of wind and the billowing of sand among the dunes as whatever smull grasslike vegetation that was left when I began my walk now gave way to nothing but rocks and sand.

Then there It was.

It was large swirling mass mass of dust that seemed to be small cloud over the horizon proved to smallow its entirety as I approached closer and closer to it.

Strange, it wasn't dissipating outwards like how most dust storm usually behave, instead the dust continued to blow sideways, possibly rotating in a 100 mile wide clockwise motion similar to that of a hurricane, almost seeming to be contained by some unknown force.

Well this is it.

Placing my goggles over my eyes and my scarf over my face with a small filter mask over my mouth, setting down a locating beacon right at the storms edge, I crossed the threshold into a whole new undiscovered frontier, hidden from view for longer than it should have.

To my surprise, the winds weren't that fierce, but the dust created a haze that obscured my vision to little more than a few hundred feet in all directions as the fine grains rested on the bottom crevasses of the polarized lenses, shaking my head at regular intervals to keep the sand from obstructing my field of view.

Stopping I looked down at my handheld console to see the homing beacon giving a steady signal pointed right behind me.

So far so good, I just have to keep a straight line and ill eventually reach its center.

Not faltering, I continued deeper into flowing fog of dust and sand.

I don't know how else to explain it, but almost when I was just about to give up and turn back and set up camp for the night, the dust began to subside and the air almost appeared to lighten.

The fog grew gradually thinner and thinner, albeit the wind maintained a moderate speed from, behind me?

For unexplained reason, the winds suddenly changed direction and I was now met with a push from the back, almost as if the storm itself was helping me along.

Then what came into view truly had me awestruck.

What appeared to be a simple rock in the distance could now be seen to be… a statue, but it was unlike any I have seen or studied about in any textbook, only mentioned in isolated legends and poems.

Making sure the wind didn't suddenly push me right into its visage I stood right in front of it, reaching my hand out to feel the engravings.

It showed remarkable handiwork, every edge and line being absolutely flawless and perfectly smooth, save for the fact of the large crack that ran down its middle as I looked up.

The statue had the appearance of what seemed to be some sort of beetle with the limbs stretching outward in a sign of welcome, the face covered by some sort of mask.

Then, looking past it, I was completely stunned at what laid before me.

It was a stone path, it has long sense appeared to have large parts of it covered up with sand, but a discernable trail of cobblestone was there nonetheless as I continued to walk forward down its length as the trail led towards an insurmountably high cliff, the formation stretch as high as 100 feet from where I stood.

It looked insurmountable, but luckily the trail snaked upwards on the cliff face.

There didn't seem to be any guard rails though, so I was going to have to be extra careful as I made my way upwards.

Strange, I could have sword I could have seen something zip by my peripheral vision, looking behind me, I was greeted by nothing other than the wind in my face and the footprints I left in the sand.

Hearing something seeming to land with a discernable thud, I looked back towards the trail ahead to be met with a being that caused me to lock up in shock.

It had what appeared to be some long, sharp, bladed weapon pointed at my throat, it wore what appeared to be some sort of red overcoat that flexed and waved with the wind and instead of a face, all I could see was a expressionless mask with two large pointing horns protruding upwards with eyeholes that seemed to be a constant pitch black, regardless of the environment.

My thoughts giving way to panic, I followed the very first instinct that came to mind and turned and ran.

It had to be the fastest I have ever run in my, for all intents and purposes, I really have seen enough.

But before I could get very far, my feet were tripped up by some mysterious thread that caused me to fall face first onto the cobblestone road, the thread receding just ask quickly as it appeared.

If it wasn't for my goggles taking the impact, I would have definitely had a good bruise on my forehead.

Getting back up onto one knee I was met with the same sight as before, the blade of whatever it is pointed at me as the creature looked down on me with a piercing gaze.

She shouted something at me in some bizarre language I couldent quite comprehend.

"What do you want… I don't understand"

Then pausing for a bit, the eyeholes of her mask seeming to flex into a confused look before speaking in a much more familiar language.

"Do you understand me now traveler?"

The voice was distinctly feminine and smooth, her English being spiced and accent that feel somewhere between dialect of Navajo and Latin.

I quickly nodded my head, still terrified at the fact that her weapon threatened to piece me at any moment.

"Good… strange… I haven't really thought I would ever meet anyone else who spoke that tongue, despite the fact that I was taught it was important for me to learn it."

The mere fact she knows how to speak English just raised a whole new series of questions, but what's important now is just what exactly she wants from me.

Then the eyes on her mask shaped into a look of concern as she looked passed me onto something on my pack.

"…..can it be…."

She then motioned her blade towards the charm that was hanging off the side of my pack, despite the dust, despite the wind, it inexplicably maintained its pristine condition, almost as if its protecting itself.

"You….you want to see it?" I asked nervously as she gave me a nod of approval as I slowly moved one of my hands over to the carabiner clip.

"Just be certain you make no other sudden movements and don't even think for a second I can't sense that you have a weapon on you, I can tell by your hesitation, any sudden movements will only welcome your swift end."

Wincing at the biting insight, did I make it that obvious, albeit she woul think of it as some sort of a blunt dagger with a strange handle.

"first your weapon!" she ordered as I quickly complied as I revealed to her the colt 1911 that was hugging my side as undid the holster and threw it at her feet.

I had to admit she was remarkably observant.

"Now if you don't mind" she said gesturing with her free left hand to hand over the charm.

Being as slow and careful as possible as i unclipped it and slowly handed it over to her as she held it gently by the top loop as she gave a similar expression I made to when I first layed my eyes on the statues.

That is, what was the closest she could make to a look of surprise, given her lack of any other features besides the chill inducing gaze of those two black eyes.

After a few seconds of eyeing the dreamcatcher, she finally spoke up.

"…this is a weaver's protective charm… but how did you… unless"

She shot me gaze, her "eyes" opened all the way In sheer bewilderment.

"Your strange mask…take it off.." she ordered with a slight worried tone, which was quite peculiar given her earlier stoic demeanor.

"Uhh sure… It's not much to look at but" I quipped before taking off my goggles and lowering my scarf to take off my filter mask.

Upoun seeing my scuffled visage, She instantly took a step back, and then another.

"you….you're…. no… …"

I stood up from where I crouched looking confused at the sight of having someone who moments before had me at their mercy now suddenly beginning to stagger back at the sight of my face.

Before I can ask what was troubling her so much…. She regained her previous stoic composure and raised her nail once more.

"You're coming with me … now!" she flatly ordered, almost yelling.

With no other choice, I trying to at least carefully put my goggles and facemask back into my backpack before slowly raising my hands above my head.

"I'll be holding onto this… strange weapon of yours until further notice… and lower your hands, I know by the fact of doing so you have no other weapons on you."

Her demeanor stayed cold and formal as she slowly walked back towards the cliff face.

"Follow me closely…for your own safety…"

I complied as we began our walk up the winding path up the cliffs, the outcropping almost seeming to howl with the wind.

I could only guess about where she could be taking me or what lie beyond the wastes below.

Did that strange man who gave me the missing piece know anything about this?