The 'boys', Teddy and Novius find a very different interior to the 'saucer', and Marcus and the 'alien leader' get down to an involved discussion, while Teddy takes detailed notes on his bright blue laptop.., When they finally leave the saucer, and return to the foot of the pyramid they are all in for a shock when they discover the identity of the 'spy' whom Teddy 'accidentally' pushed from the temple platform.
 |
| Main Cabin - Alien Saucer |
"Now no 'clever' remarks, Ethan, and keep an eye on Teddy, I'm worried that the jungle humidity might have got to his logic circuits.", Jim said.
"There's nothing wrong with my logic circuits !" Teddy claimed - "I was just panicked at seeing a stranger standing there on the temple platform.", Teddy explained, as Ethan sat him down near the center of the large, circular table.
Teddy then removed his blue HP laptop from his Walmart bag - opened the laptop, and in his usual, officious manner, waited for the meeting to begin.
The others then took their places on the well upholstered sofas - and also waited.
Then, instead of the 'alien leader' joining them in person, he appeared on a large viewing screen - almost identical to a terrestrial flat-screen TV.
"It is good to see you ...", the 'alien leader' began, very formally.
"And good to see you again - and I do like the new decor - and the sofas...", Ethan replied.
"Well actually, Ethan, I was talking to Marcus.", the 'alien leader' explained.
"Oh, I see... sorry.", Ethan said, obviously embarrassed.
"But it's good to see you, and Teddy.
And I am glad that you brought Novius...", the 'alien Leader' continued.
"Yes, and thank you for in getting me up to the top of the pyramid...", Novius replied.
"Yes - well it is an awkward place to get to - but at this time of night, and with few visitors here, and being in quite a deserted area - well, it is convenient for us.
 |
| Alien Saucer in 'Slo-Time' |
"So how is it that this guy, the one who fell off the temple platform, and Zac and Brody all seemed to know about your saucer ?", Ethan asked.
"Simple - because they were very close to the pyramid - but people in the nearby 'hotels' and 'village' would not see us.
And perhaps you could help us - who was the human who fell ?", the 'alien leader' asked.
"We don'r actually know at the moment - but we will remove the body when we leave.", Jim (Marcus) assured the 'alien leader'.
"So... what's this 'slo-time- thingy' ?" Ethan asked, slightly changing the subject.
"It's a little technical, Ethan, but it has to do with slowing down the speed of the 'photons' - slowing the time they take to travel when leaving an object, so that the object appears faint and blurred, and can barely be seen using normal human eyesight...
Let me show you...
And then an image of the 'Pyramid of Kukulcán' was displayed on the alien 'TV'- apparently as it appeared from outside the alien saucer, with a very faint image of the saucer seemingly floating above the roof of the temple.
"Well.. you've kinda lost me there, but it sounds 'cool'...
And I suppose that's why so many photos of UFO-thingys are so blurry...", Ethan said.
"Precisely ! - and may I say it should not be 'cool' - we have had the temperature in here carefully adjusted to the optimum for humans such as yourself.", the 'alien leader' said.
"No Mr 'Alien Leader'.
You're still misunderstanding 'cool'.
It can mean 'really good', or 'a little bit cold', depending on how it is used.", Ethan tried to explain.
"So how can I tell how it is being used ?", the confused 'alien leader' asked.
"Well, we'd have to change you into a human for you to work that out ...", Ethan replied, as the image of the pyramid on the screen faded out, and the 'alien leader's' image returned.
And then the 'alien leader' seemed to have noticed "Sigi'
"And I see you have brought again the enigmatic 'Sigi' - or should we call him 'Siegfried' ?
 |
| Sigi on the Alien Saucer |
'Sigi' as you call him, may bring new insights to your group, just like young Glen - as they are not of your time or place.
The 'alien leader paused momentarily,
"But... and I do not know if this is permitted for me to say with humans... but were not your protein filaments of a lighter shade the last time we met - more like Teddy ?", the 'alien leader' asked, for once sounding diffident.
"What's he talking about, Teddy ?", 'Sigi' asked, looking puzzled.
"It's your 'protein filaments' - your hair.", Teddy quietly explained.
"Oh, that - I dyed it - I like it darker.", 'Sigi' replied.
"And this is normal among you humans ?", the 'alien leader' asked.
"Oh yes - although not everyone does it...", Teddy replied on 'Sigi's behalf.
 |
| Tony Stark at the Villa Athena |
Teddy - you gave this 'Tony Stark' the information that I provided about the sarcophagus, as you call it ?", the 'alien leader' asked, trying to get back to business.
"Oh yes - and he said thanks very much.", Teddy replied.
"That's good - and shall we ever meet this Tony Stark human ?", the 'alien leader' asked.
"Quite possibly...", Jim (Marcus) replied, being deliberately non-committal.
Jim was obviously loth to involve Tony with the 'aliens' before discussing the matter with him, as he needed Tony's expertise and technical resources for his many on-going projects.
"That is good to hear....
And was this 'Tony Stark' able to use this information that we provided successfully ?", the 'alien leader' asked.
"Possibly...", Jim replied, once again being somewhat non-committal.
The 'alien leader' then paused for a moment - obviously considering his next approach.
"Now - what we would like to know is what you all thought about the Maya - having seen the remains of their culture and their way of life...
You know about other ancient cultures - your own - Greece and Rome, and the Egyptians, and you had a brief look at Germany more recently, and of course the 'Native Americans', and life in the United States in 'your present' - so how do the Maya compare ?", the 'alien leader' asked...
"Well that's difficult to answer.
I am no scholar, as you probably realize, so perhaps you should ask Novius...", Jim (Marcus) suggested.
Novius looked to Jim for his approval, and seeing that Jim was happy for him to answer the question, Novius began :
"It's a difficult question...
As Teddy has suggested to us, on a number of occasions, the Maya are in many ways a mystery.
On the one hand they are intellectually advanced, with their calendars, numerical system, system of writing, astronomy, and certain aspects of of their technology - particularly their architecture.
There are odd anomalies, however.
It's strange how their cities are sited in jungle areas, where the soil is poor and agriculture is difficult - and the estimated populations of ancient Maya cites have been calculated to have been very much larger than present populations - which makes little sense.
Also there are technological anomalies, such as the lack pulleys, wheel-based transportation, or metallurgy, and the fact that they never used arches or domes.
To make matters worse they had no domesticated animals, or 'pack animals'.
To my mind, however, the main problems that the Maya had were psychological.
In certain aspects of their lives the Maya were 'obsessive'.
Now in the 'time' from which I came, we would put this down to 'supernatural' causes - but living in this time, I have learned, from the progress that has been made in the study of the mind, which is now referred to as psychology, that such attitudes as the Maya had can be generated by malfunctions in the brain - which can have many causes." Novius explained.
The 'alien leader' thought for a moment....
"That is interesting, Novius, but as we understand you to be a man steeped in your own culture's mythology, religion and philosophy, we would suggest that you consider another cause for the cultural and political leaders of the Maya to be 'obsessive', as you have described them - other than psychological causes.", the 'alien leader suggested.
"So, what do you mean by 'obsessive' ?", Jim asked Novius, intervening, and unsure of where the conversation was going.
 |
| Mayan Calendar |
The Maya insisted that the 'world began on August 13, 3114 BC.", Novius said, justifying his contention that the Maya were 'obsessive'.
"And do you believe that they were correct ?", the 'alien leader' asked.
"I think it's unlikely - but the point is that the Maya didn't even exist on that date - a date that's not only unlikely, but also ridiculously precise - and, in order to compute that date, the Maya had to create a complete and unique system of mathematical notation - and, in addition, they had three calendars - a solar calendar (Haab'), a religious calendar (Tzolk’in), and the 'Long Count Calendar'.
There is also, however, a 'Venusian Calendar', and a 'Lords of the Night' calendar - among others...
The whole system is far too complex to explain here, but it's the sort of convoluted system that could be invented by what's known as an 'autistic savant'.
And to explain briefly an 'autistic savant', it's been suggested that individuals with certain forms of 'autism' are biased towards detail-focused mental processing, and that this cognitive style predisposes individuals to 'savant talents'." Novius explained.
"Now why does this make me think of Franklin ?
Perhaps he's really Mayan... in disguise...", Ethan murmured.
"Continue please, Novius...", the alien leader prompted, ignoring Ethan'a muttered comment about Franklin.
"From what I have gathered, the Maya - and other Mesoamerican cultures, used astronomy and the resulting calendrical calculations as a means of ordering their everyday lives, agricultural activities, political decisions, and religious observances
These calendrical calculations also influenced the building of temples, and their festivals and ceremonies - and this included making war on their neighbors and conducting sacrifices...
Each and every calendrical date was related to a particular 'god', and usually a direction, along with a positive or negative force.
 |
| Shape-shifting Jaguar God |
The Maya religion was incredibly complex, and about two-hundred individual gods have been identified by scholars.
Many of the Maya gods were 'shape-shifters', and so the precise number of gods, as derived from recovered sculptures, frescoes and other objects is difficult to ascertain.
'Shape-shifting' was a phenomena that was ascribed to some humans in addition to many of the 'gods'.
It is significant that the form most often taken by the 'shape-shifting' gods was the jaguar
The Maya word for jaguar is 'b'alam' - which can also mean 'priest' or 'sorcerer'.
 |
| Return of the Jaguar Gods |
There are at least six recognized 'jaguar gods' in the Maya pantheon according to scholars - the most powerful of these 'jaguar gods' was the 'Jaguar God of the Night Sun', and because of the jaguar's ability to see in the night, the Maya believed that jaguars were able to move between 'worlds', and was a being of both the astral sphere and the earth.
Like the Toltecs, from whom the Maya believed they were descended, the Maya were haunted by the belief that, at the end of the next 'Calendar Round', the 'Jaguar Gods' would descend once again from the stars to the earth.
Now, in addition to worrying about the return of the Jaguar 'God's, the Maya were also constantly concerned about not getting their dates wrong, and perhaps performing some act, and engaging in some project that was not protected by, or approved of by the appropriate 'god' or 'gods'.
This way of thinking is, in terms of modern human psychology, described as 'obsessive compulsive' behavior, and so the Maya were burdened by beliefs and a mythology which was in many ways worthy of a paranoid schizophrenic... and their art aptly expresses this...", Novius proposed.
At the foot of the 'Pyramid of Kukulkan' Zac and Brody made an interesting discovery - although they were not entirely sure what it meant..
They heard Teddy squeaking from the temple platform, heard a cry, and then watched as a body bounced from step to step, eventually landing in a limp and mangled heap a few feet from the base of the pyramid.
"What the fuck !", Brody muttered - not sure what to do next.
"Well he's obviously dead, but we should check out who it is, to begin with.", Zac said.
They approached the body cautiously - although the chances of the person getting up and offering them any resistance after falling about eighty feet on a series of stone steps was highly unlikely to say the very least.
"It's odd - he's wearing a dark suit, at least it was dark before it was splattered with so much blood.", Zac remarked as he looked own at the body.
"Not exactly holiday wear...", Brody commented, trying, quite unsuccessfully to lighten matters.
"Well if he's another one of these CIA jerks, we need to look for an identity card.", Zac said.
"But shouldn't we 'phone Jim ?" Brody asked.
"No - Jim might be in the middle of some serious negotiations, and anyway there would be no point in him coming down here now.", Zac wisely pointed out.
 |
| Identity Card |
"That's handy - a wallet, and what feels like some form of identification - but it's all very bloody and, like the rest of him, mangled.", Zac muttered as he struggled to extricate the items.
"Well it is a long way to fall - and down stone steps - and so many...", Brody said - rather unnecessarily.
"So here it is...", Zac said, flicking on his torch.
They both studied the crumpled, bloodied card for a few moments.
"Well it's not CIA, or anything American.", Zac stated confidently.
"No... 'looks foreign to me.", Brody suggested
"Russian I would say.", Zac guessed.
"So what would a Russian be doing climbing up this pyramid so late at night ?", Brody naively asked.
"Spying - no doubt...", Zac replied.
Of course Jim and the others knew nothing about the 'interesting discovery' that had been made at the foot of the pyramid by Zac and Brody - no one knew, except the 'alien leader' and Teddy - but then they were equipped with the means to know many things of which others had no knowledge.
"So you're saying all these Mayan guys were really crazy ?" Ethan asked Novius.
"No - not as such, but over the centuries they had developed beliefs that in the end, to them, were not very helpful.
The 'alien leader' then rejoined the conversation...
"Now during our last meeting we spoke of some 'aliens', as you call them, that Ethan named as the 'nasty ones'.
 |
| 'Armantium' |
These were 'aliens' who were seeking 'power' in order to obtain some essential material for their own technological civilization.", the 'alien leader' began.
"And what was that stuff ?", Ethan asked - speaking a little out of turn.
"That 'stuff', as you put it, Ethan, was 'Armantium' - a name given to it by your Mr Stark, although we have another name for it.", the 'alien leader' replied.
"Oh yes - I remember - the nice white glittery stuff.", Ethan said.
"Yes - ", the 'alien leader concurred.
"But in order to obtain access to this 'Armantium', as you call it, these 'nasty aliens' had to be in a position of power over the people who lived in the areas where this invaluable mineral might be found.", the 'alien leader' explained.
"Which are ?", Jim asked, by now intrigued.
"There are, in fact, many deposits of this mineral, but few have been exploited as advanced technology is required in order to distinguish 'Armantium' from various minerals - such as quartz.", the 'alien leader' began.
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silicon dioxide. The atoms are linked in a continuous tetrahedra. Quartz, although superficially similar to 'Armantium', is actually the second most abundant mineral in Earth's continental crust.
 |
| Meteorite Strike |
"Of course...", the 'alien leader replied.
"The mineral that you call 'Armantium' is mainly found in the area that you now call Mexico, to the South of Palenque, which you have already visited, and in Egypt, to the West of Armant - which you have also visited.
It can also found in various unrelated sites, as a result of large meteorites striking the earth in the distant past, because, like Iridium, with which it is often found, it is not a mineral native to this planet - and is therefore very rare."
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of the planet. Meteorites vary greatly in size - the larger ones creating an impact crater.
The 'alien leader' continued to speak...
"But to keep to the point - the 'nasty aliens' quickly realized that humans were gullible - and 'loved a good story' .....
And so they spun endless tales about themselves - characterizing themselves as 'all powerful creator gods', and for the Maya, as ravenous 'jaguar beings' from the stars - among other things - and ensnared those humans in the complexities of the intricate paths of the celestial bodies, and the minute recording of time itself.
"But to keep to the point - the 'nasty aliens' quickly realized that humans were gullible - and 'loved a good story' .....
And so they spun endless tales about themselves - characterizing themselves as 'all powerful creator gods', and for the Maya, as ravenous 'jaguar beings' from the stars - among other things - and ensnared those humans in the complexities of the intricate paths of the celestial bodies, and the minute recording of time itself.
 |
| Maya Priest-King - 'Lord of Time' |
 |
| Ancient Egyptian 'Divine Pharaoh' |
In the end the unfortunate Maya looked upon themselves as the 'Lords of Time' - but still feared the return of the 'Jaguar Gods', while the ancient Egyptian rulers were deceived even further by becoming convinced that their Pharaohs were 'human gods' descended from the constellation of Orion - a seeming contradiction in terms - and so came to believe that they could live forever - or as it was described in ancient Egypt - for 'Millions of Years... personified by the neter Heh'
For both groups, the 'reward' for allowing themselves to be misdirected was for the most part gold, but also some relatively useless 'knowledge' - while the 'aliens' took in return the infinitely more valuable 'Armantium'.
And those 'nasty aliens' also 'fed' off the fear, eroticism and negative emotions of the humans that they had deceived - as they still do", the 'alien leader' skillfully explained.
"Clever...", Ethan commented.
"Yes... very interesting - but how do we know that you are not 'spinning tales' to us , like the 'nasty aliens' did to the ancient humans ?", 'Sigi' boldly asked.
"Well - to begin with we, unlike other 'beings' which humans have come into contact with - we say very little about ourselves.
We leave you to decide who and what we are...
Also, there are other 'non-earthly' sources of 'Armantium', as you call it, of which we have knowledge, so we have no need of your resources.
We do make you an offer, however, which is that we will not interfere with Marcus and his 'friends' taking possession of the 'Armantium' to be found on this planet, as long as only they have access to, and knowledge of that precious resource....
It is that simple...", the 'alien leader' stated.
"Yes well, in the way that you put it - it doesn't sound very simple to me...
And you really must ask Teddy to give you some lessons in English grammar... ", Ethan said - and the alien leader actually smiled.
"And why are you making such a generous offer ?", Novius asked, after having quietly listened the the 'alien leader'.
"Well perhaps your response actually helps to answer your last question....", the 'alien leader' replied, inscrutably.
"And what do you man by that ?", Novius asked, obviously puzzled.
"Few humans have experienced the world in the way that Marcus and his friends, including you, have - and because of that you all have very different attitudes to so many things.
Most humans would thoughtlessly snatch at any opportunity to obtain power and wealth, but Marcus is thoughtful and hesitant - so that is why he has been 'chosen'.
'Armantium' offers to it's possessor power and a danger beyond imagining - and Marcus can feel that.
And that is why he questions, and hesitates in the presence of our offer.
"Well I think I can see the power it may give someone - but I don't really understand what you mean by danger...", Glen said.
At that moment the image of the 'alien leader' faded from the 'TV screen', and the 'leader' himself walked into the chamber.
Jim rose to his feet.
"It's good to see you in person.", Jim said.
The 'alien leader nodded in acknowledgement.
"I feel that my presence might emphasize the seriousness of my words at this point...", the 'alien leader' said, solemnly.
"In the wrong hands this gift that we offer could cause a disaster to your planet beyond human imagining.
At that point the chamber became totally darkened, and a huge hologram slowly appeared over the central circular table.
Teddy squeaked quietly, realizing that he was directly under the frighteningly realistic holographic image of planetary annihilation - but he was a brave little bear, and just tapped away at his laptop, describing as well as he could what was happening.
Everyone else looked on - horrified.
"And you would do that to this planet if the wrong people took possession of the 'Armantium' ?", Novius asked.
"No - humans would do that to themselves...", the 'alien leader' said austerely...
"And how would this happen ?", 'Sigi' asked.
"Two possibilities...", the 'alien leader' began.
"First, 'Armantium' is a compound that contains what are known as 'hyper-elements'.
Such 'hyper elements' have not, as yet, been discovered by your physics.
In certain circumstances, such 'hyper-elements' can be highly unstable - with extreme consequences.
 |
| Tony Stark |
Equally, the fact that 'Armantium' can have 'time distorting' biological attributes could cause unintended results.
We wish therefore that you take control of current deposits of this mineral on this planet, and that all developments are circumscribed at the highest level of secrecy within your purview, under the auspices of the 'Athena Corporation' and 'Stark Industries'.", the 'alien leader' explained.
'Stark Industries', later also known as 'Stark International' and 'Stark Enterprises' is an American company - owned and managed by businessman Tony Stark. The company was founded by Tony's father, Howard Stark. 'Stark Industries' was founded by Isaac Stark, Sr. in the 19th century and later taken over by Howard Stark and then by his son Tony, after his death. 'Stark Industries' is a company that develops and manufactures advanced technologies.
"I don't understand what that means...", Ethan muttered.
"I do...", Teddy said.
"And I'm beginning to understand where all this has been leading..."
And so the hologram gently faded.
"Yes... so what next ?", Jim asked quietly.
"Next we upload information into Teddy's data bases - which he will take to 'your Mr Stark'.
And when you leave, we will help you dispose of the human that Teddy so correctly 'disabled' earlier...", the 'alien leader' said.
"So, my friends - you may leave the same way that you entered - and we will be contacting Glen in the near future...", the 'alien leader' concluded.
"Ever felt you'd been told to 'get out' ?", Ethan grumbled under his breath, as they all quietly left.
"Yes, he was a little abrupt with us...", Novius observed.
"Well I hope we get 'beamed' back down - otherwise we're going to have a problem climbing down in the dark - and I don't know how Novius is going to manage.", Glen said, as they emerged onto the temple platform.
"Yes, well I think that's OK", Teddy said, as he noticed that his fur had started go all spikey and 'sparkly' once again.
And so they 'beamed down', narrowly missing Zac and Brody, who were standing looking at the body that had only recently landed at the foot of the pyramid.
'Only recently', of course, because time outside the pyramid had not been passing at the same rate as time inside the saucer - and this, it seems, was the usual case when such meeting with the 'aliens' occurred.
"Hi guys ! - So who has Teddy 'knocked off' - as it were ?", Ethan said to Zac and Brody - trying to make light of the rather macabre situation - as the group materialized at the foot of the pyramid
"Some Russian dude, Zac thinks...", Brody said.
"So what would a Russian be doing at the top of a Mexican pyramid so late at night ?", Glen asked.
"Funny you should say that, because that's exactly the same question that Brody just asked", Zac said. (keep in mind the time paradox).
"Yes, well he swore in Russian as he fell, so Zac's probably right - he is Russian !", Teddy said.
"So what made you two think he was Russian ?", Jim asked.
'His identity card - Zac managed to get it out of his inside pocket - but there's so much blood and guts on it that it's difficult to read - and it's not in English.. but Zac thinks it looks Russian.", Brody explained.
 |
| Russian KGB Badge |
(Teddy could take video, still photos, night-vision, x-ray images, ultra violet, UV - you name it... with his eyes.)
So Teddy started to scrutinize and record the crumpled and bloodstained identity card.
"Well, it's Russian - and it says 'Комитет государственной безопасности' - or abbreviated - KGB.", Teddy said.
"OK, so what does all that mean ?", Brody asked.
"In English ? - roughly 'Committee for State Security'.
"Now hold on.... Shouldn't we be doing something about the rather messy corpse first ?", Jim said - interrupting.
Fortunately, however, the 'aliens' took care of the corpse, and the mess (by 'beaming up' all material with matching DNA), so there was no evidence left of the accident.
"So, Teddy - tell us about this guy"., 'Sigi' whispered, as they quietly walked from the foot of the pyramid to the gate that led to the 'Hotel Mayaland'.
"Well most of the name is obscured - but I can make an educated guess that his first name was 'Vladimir' - a very common Russian name for boys.
It's a Slavic name, meaning 'renowned prince', although I don't think they have princes anymore in Russia, or any other Slavic countries for that matter...", Teddy began.
"Vladimir also has vampirish connection, as 'Dracula' is based on Vladimir III, otherwise known as 'Vlad the Impaler'.", Teddy continued.
"Well what about that - you killed a vampire !", Brody teasingly added.
"I didn't kill anybody ! - I told you before - it was an accident !", Teddy retorted angrily.
 |
| Main Lobby - Maya land Hotel |
"OK - so just calm down -
We're coming to the hotel, and I don't want us to draw any attention to ourselves."
So, on passing through the gate separating the archaeological site from the hotel, they entered the main lobby of the 'Mayaland Hotel', and settled down on the sofas and ordered snacks and coffee.
"I think we all need some refreshment, and a rest - so far it's seems to have been a long night - and a difficult one.", Jim said.
"So, Teddy, tell us more about this Russian 'Committee for State Security' that you mentioned earlier...", Novius asked.
"Of course, Novius...", Teddy responded, trying to be particularly amenable after his earlier 'flare-up'.
 |
| Emblem of the KGB |
As a direct successor of preceding agencies such as the Cheka, GPU, OGPU, NKGB, NKVD, it is attached to the Soviet Council of Ministers.
It is the chief government agency carrying out internal security, intelligence and secret police functions.
Unlike the American CIA, the KGB is a 'military service', governed by army laws and regulations, in the same fashion as the Soviet Army.
Now the operative who appeared to be following us, was undoubtedly a KGB agent - and his identity card indicated that he was a майор КГБ, or Major in the KGB.
As to why he was following us - well - according to reliable sources, the Soviet Union takes 'UFOs' very seriously, and the KGB and the Soviet Defense Ministry has dedicated units collecting and analyzing information about 'paranormal activity'.
Soviet military experts even claimed to know how to 'summon' UFOs and how to make contact with them - and all information relating to UFOs and 'aliens' is 'classified'.", Teddy explained.
"Thanks for that information, Teddy - that's very interesting, but perhaps we should call it a night, for the moment, and discus recent events later, and somewhere more private...", Jim said.
"So Teddy - I think it's time for bed...", Jim said.
"Well - there's no point in telling me - I don't sleep...", Teddy said, as he allowed Ethan to pick him up from the 'coffee table' - and it really was a 'coffee table' as everyone was actually drinking coffee.
So Jim, Ethan and Teddy wished the others a good night, and then they then went to the elevator, and Teddy had his nightly ritual with the elevator buttons, and they returned to the first floor and their suite.
"Now I'm really confused with what happened tonight.", Ethan said on reaching the suite, as he sorted out Teddy's pillows.
"And in what way, exactly ?", Jim asked.
"Well, there's the business about the Russian, for one thing, and also all that weird stuff that the 'alien leader' was going on about - you know, that 'Armentium-thingy'.", Ethan said.
"OK, so what's the problem about the Russian ?", Jim asked, trying to clarify matters.
 |
| Emblem of the CCCP - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics |
I think it was one of those things that Faunus left out when I arrived here...", Ethan said, sounding rather pathetic.
"I can help here - but it's late, and I know how you humans get 'grumpy' when you don't get enough sleep, so I'll just tell you a little bit for now, and perhaps Novius can fill in the details at some other time.", Teddy suggested,.
"Okey dokey..", Ethan said, and settled back on the bed, while Jim sat on the end of the bed and listened.
"Okey dokey..", Ethan said, and settled back on the bed, while Jim sat on the end of the bed and listened.
Teddy then cleared his throat which, as we had said before, was completely unnecessary, and began...
"Russia is one of the biggest countries on this planet, consisting of 6,612,073 sq miles, and encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass.
It is the ninth-most populous country and the most populous country in Europe, with a population of 145.5 million.", Teddy explained.
"So it's bigger than the United States ?", Ethan asked.
"Oh yes... much bigger", Teddy replied.
 |
| Arms of the Tsar of Russia |
"Those living in what is now known as Russia became christians in around the tenth century, but it was not until the nineteenth century that Russia began to become a 'modern', industrialized country.
Until 1917 Russia was ruled by a person who had the title of 'Tsar'.
The term is derived from the Latin word 'Caesar' - in Greek: Καῖσαρ - Kaîsar - which was intended to mean 'emperor' - a ruler with the same rank as a Roman Impersonator.
The last Tsar - Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov - was murdered, along with his wife and children, in 1917 by members of a political group known as the 'Bolsheviks' - Russian for 'Majority' - who later became known as the 'Communist Party' which was led by Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov - who called himself 'Lenin' - a name taken from a novel by the Russian author Tolstoy.
 |
| Lenin and Marx |
He based his ideas on the writings of Karl Marx, a German who created a pseudo 'religion' known as 'dialectical materialism' - which was a corruption of Hegelian philosophy.", Teddy explained, only to be inevitably interrupted by Ethan.
"You know, Teddy - I'm not really understanding very much of this...', Ethan said nervously.
"Well don't worry Ethan - I'm sure that we can get Novius to explain a lot of this to you when things settle down and we get back home.", Teddy said.
"So what about this 'Armantium-thingy'...", Ethan then asked.
"Now that's also complicated, but it's something you already know a little about.", Teddy said.
"OK - then fire away and let's get this over with - it is getting late.....
So Teddy began on his second little talk - and this time all about the 'aliens', Armantium - and related matters.
"So we first learned about Armantium when Tony removed the 'lapis' panels from the sarcophagus that we found in the pyramid at Armant.
Apparently it formed some kind of a lattice - similar to a 'neural-network' connected to the gold framework that provided the support for the 'lapis' panels.
Now this 'Armantium' is a kind of crystal that's not naturally found on this planet.
It can be used as a source of power, to rum machines, or as an explosive - like in a bomb.
It can also affect time and space - and so it s dangerous if used in the wrong way.
Now for reasons that the 'aliens' didn't explain, 'Armantium' is very rare, although there seems to be quite a lot of it on this planet - brought here by meteorites.
Other 'aliens' - not all of them very 'nice', came to this planet in the past to find Armantium which they wanted in order to travel between stars and galaxies.
In coming here, they 'messed up' history a bit by spreading silly stories, and giving the early inhabitants - like the Maya, ancient Egyptians and other groups knowledge that was either incorrect, or was not very good for them in other ways.
Accidentally, it seems, they left behind an artifact that we call a sarcophagus.
The 'aliens', who have contacted, us knew about this, and because it seems they trust us, they allowed us to find the sarcophagus, and also told us where we could find more 'Armantium' - but we had to keep it a secret....", Teddy explained.
"Ah... so that's why they keep meeting with us - it's all part of a 'secret-squirrel' plan...", Ethan said.
"Exactly... but now it think it's time to go to sleep...", Jim said.
"OK - but why didn't the 'alien leader' just say that, instead of all that other talk, and a big, frightening hologram-thingy ?", Ethan said, as he got undressed for bed.
"Well - he is an 'alien' - so we must make allowances.", Jim said.
"OK - well goodnight...", Ethan said, sleepily.
The morning after the meeting on the pyramid, Ethan is upset, and wants to leave Mexico.So Jim has a difficult decision to make.Also, having vital information uploaded into Teddy's database from the 'aliens', for Tony Stark, Jim needs to get Teddy back to Tony as soon as possible.
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All text - © Copyright Peter Crawford 2022
All Images - © Copyright Vittorio Carvelli 2022
Graphic Design - © Copyright Zac Sawyer 2022