The Conspiracy of Hearts and Daggers

Chapter Ten

The waters of Kaliva Tay, the life's blood of the island which runs through the Aqua Life Terrace, charging it with energy from hydraulic lifts, elevators and escalators to soothing harmonics that echo throughout. The architecture of the Aqua Life Terrace both in its exterior as well as interior is curvaceous with an abundance of cultural heraldry such as squirting turtles, to hanging fish, clamshell pools both large and small all textured in vibrant coral motifs.

Amidst the splendor, the so-called soothers who were tasked with healing their guests at the Aqua Life Terrace wrapped in their togas carried prince Randor in his green robe towards a large entranceway. The large entranceway was framed by a purple marble doorway with a red oval symbol in the archway showing several circles in the middle connected by lines all of the prince's admiration of his surroundings turned to awe as he passed through the extraordinary threshold.

The soothers stopped on a platform which overlooked many large domed structures inside a massive room filled with a watery mist. On the front of the platform were guard railings to protect those who looked over the towering peak at what were large, rounded buildings.

Hanso and Scopes who were behind the soothers carrying prince Randor at last joined them up on the platform.

"What a sight to behold.", remarked Randor who was still in awe.

Hanso glanced at who he thought was the real Mensa, expecting his teacher to explain things to Randor. Yet, Mensa seemingly just stared off into space.

Mensa at first hesitated but finally did he speak on what Randor was overseeing.

The platform also stood between two manufactured water falls with rocks jutting out of it. The rushing water was at first loud though now became unto ambient background sound which was oh so soothing.

"What you are looking at below are the seven healing temples, displayed as the symbol above the entranceway. The healing temples displayed as they are represent a rippling effect in the water when a pebble is tossed into a pond or lake.", Hanso modestly explained.

"Then I expect the middle temple must house the memory room as it is in the center of all things.", Randor surmised.

The two soothers holding Randor in the air shake their heads in support of the prince's postulation.

Randor smiled in satisfaction when he saw the soothers in agreement with him.

This was until Hanso had to elaborate on the prince's assumption," The middle temple houses the mind matrix, an AI that runs the Aqua Life Terrace as well as monitors each of the temple's rooms as they are in operation. The one smaller temple on the right holds within it the memory room. While on the left side of the center temple is dedicated to bodily movement and performance. You will most likely visit all three temples during your stay at the Aqua Life Terrace."

"I look forward to it.", Randor said appraisingly.

Hanso was about to ask the prince if there was anything else of interest before they proceeded when Scopes interrupted him," I believe that we have wasted enough time already, let's go."

A visibly upset Hanso waved the soothers on as they supported the prince on the platform overlooking the misty falls. Hanso reassured them with a smile that he as well as Mensa were right behind them. The soothers who aided the prince waited on the platform. When Scopes started to walk forwards, Hanso put his hand out in front of him to stop him.

"What are you doing?", Scopes asked in his guise as Mensa.

"We must speak before we continue. I must ask if you if you are feeling all right? Your behavior has been unusual to say the least.", Hanso stressed concernedly.

"Remove your hand.", Scopes firmly demanded of Hanso who only saw him as his kind teacher.

Scopes could easily overpower Hanso, perhaps toss him from the platform's ledge down the waterfall. Yet, Hanso was needed so no violence would be used on him yet. The moment was tense until Hanso obeyed who he thought was Mensa and let him pass. Hanso then joined the group on the platform's edge when he called out to no one in particular, "Take us down."

In reply to Hanso the portion of the platform everyone was on started to descend down. As the lift lowered down, it left in its wake a shaft that would have to be filled in upon the columns return back up again. Once fully descended the soothers carried Randor to a solidly built staircase that brought everyone eye level with the mid temple.

Now the collapsed piston column would rest until needing to be ridden back to the top.

The mid temples prodigious size was partly hidden by the watery mist as were the others surrounding it.

A bridge overlooking a bed of cool water led to the temple's location. There were even living breathing life flying then flopping back into the bed of water. The beautifully colored streaks of silver, green and blue that cut in and out of the water were called Starlin.

After making their way across the bridge onto an island of solid rock base the party proceeded towards the towering temples.

The party came to a fork in the road which led in three directions, forwards, left and right. Though just as Hanso had explained earlier it was the left path that the party continued on.

"The memory room lies in that temple.", Hanso said as he pointed to another towering entrance way in shape and form as the first which led into this enclosure. The entranceway even had the red oval shaped symbol with eight dots spaced out connected together by lines on it.

On the beach which Consol Ari house resided, the proprietor of said house was scrounging around to obtain branches, tree limbs as well as seaweed for tinder. Evelyn Powers directed Ari as he brought forth the salvaged items. There were two piles of wood being formed one for kindle which were smaller pieces while longer pieces were carefully selected by Powers. The carefully selected wood for which Powers collected was placed in a smaller pile with the much bigger pile being that of splintered off kindle.

"That is enough for now.", Powers mindfully told Ari as the elderly man might overexert himself in the hot sun.

"You can rest for now my dear.", Powers told Ari as he wiped his brow of sweat.

Powers eyes widened with anticipation as she looked at the large pieces of wood that she had half assembled on the sand. The half-assembled wood was in the shape of a skeletal body of a torso, legs, feet, arms and hands. The only missing piece as it seemed to be added to the skeletal body was a head.

Powers having not pried in on Scopes wondered if she should do so at this time. She wanted to check on his progress at the Aqua Life Terrace. For Scopes had been instructed by Powers to obtain a rendering of prince Randors face. Powers wanted to place Randors likeness upon the effigy of him for her spell. A spell that would prepare him for her seduction once night fell.

At the memory room it teamed with all manner of instrumentation built to test Randors recognition. There were puzzles, mazes, different booths, monitors, monitoring systems as well as a halo shaped visor with three differently shaped as well as colored eye designs on it.

"It was like a tri-klops.", Scopes thought to himself as he examined it closer.

As Scopes could see on the visor the three eyes were uniquely different from one another; there was a round red eye, a squared blue eye and a triangular yellow eye. The vizor was attached to a chair yet the eyes could rotate to be around the face of the wearer one at a time. There was a screen in front of the chair for which was used together with the visor to produce some kind of visual effect thought Scopes.

Hanso noticed who he thought was Mensa examining the pattern processing vizor. Though his attention was divided between what Mensa was doing and Randor being physically checked by the soothers.

Randor, who could also see who he thought was Mensa, asked," Is Mensa prepping that machine for me to start on?"

"Not likely, that particular machine is a little advanced for you at this stage. I am going to place you in a booth where you will sit in front of a mirror. When ready I will ask you to make a facial expression in that mirror. The mirror will capture not just one, but a series of facial expressions asked of you to perform. Once done your reflections will be perfectly transferred into photocopies to be used later on.", Hanso explained.

When the soothers were done checking Randors vitals he was assisted up and towards the booth he was just told about.

Randor was then placed inside a tall rectangular blue booth which looked like a magicians magick box. Once inside, the outside portion of the box where Randor was facing turned into a mirror. It was a one-way mirror that allowed Hanso to see Randor without the prince being able to see him. In this way could Hanso examine Randors facial expressions in real time as they were recorded by the mirror within.

Upon seeing Randor seated inside the booth Scopes curiously came over from where he was to investigate matters.

Suddenly a kind voice queried from nowhere," What kind of facial expression would you like Prince Randor to perform first?"

As Mensa did not answer, Hanso quickly obliged the kind voice of the room, "You can choose at random. We are a little delayed and need to proceed."

"Very well...", the kind voice replied,"...let me surprise you.", the voice answered.

Isolated inside the booth Randor looked at himself in the mirror. He was startled when he could see that his face was somewhat gaunt. Randor blew his sunken cheeks out like a puffer fish in the hope that when deflated his cheeks would fill out. They did not, however.

"I must ask you Prince Randor to stop blowing your cheeks out.", the AI generated voice told Randor, who stopped immediately.

The voice then asked Randor,"Can you make a smile with your face?"

"Why yes.", Randor curtly replied.

"Please just make the gesture.", the AI prompted.

Prince Randor doing as he was told brought a gentle smile to his face.

"Thank you. Now smile with your teeth showing.", the voice told Randor.

Randor effortlessly complied by giving a broad smile which showcased his clenched teeth.

A machine by the wall nearby began to whir, which caught Scopes attention. On the machine was a display screen which showed in little boxes both smiles performed by Randor from inside his booth. Scopes then saw two more faces captured on the screen as the voice proceeded in asking Randor to make a confused face which was soon followed up with a bored face.

Scopes was becoming impatient as the voice continued to ask Randor to make more faces. After Randor was asked to perform a sad face, Scopes blatantly told the AI voice, "You can stop asking Randor to make faces now. Let us have Randor proceed to the next exercise."

Hanso was taken aback by who he thought was Mensas lack of patience gestured at the two soothers to prepare to open the booth. The inside of the booth quicky concealed its two-way mirror once again then with a click unlocked the booth door for the soothers to open up.

After Randor was helped out of the booth by the soothers...the AI generated voice directed only one person," Hanso, would you please go stand near Prince Randor and his soothers."

As Hanso went over to go stand where the soothers and prince Randor were standing. Scopes in his illusionary guise as Mensa noted the AI voice uncomplying to his original command asked, " What is the delay?"

The AI ignoring Scopes questioning of its performance then states," I only identify in this room collogues, Hanso, soothers Iso and Jado alongside patient prince Randor. Please identify the other stranger attempting to direct me."

Hanso, quicky comes to the defense of Scopes who he has yet to see as he truly is," Are you in need of repair, that is Mensa!"

"I apologize for having to perform this function kind Hanso.", the voice cautions before unleashing an intense flashing light throughout the room!

The strobing effect of the light is so intense that all four men scream, save for one man. Randor fights unconsciousness as the soothers scream as they too fight the strobes effects on them while holding the much weaker prince upright.

Randr finally screams out just before he passes out in the soother's arms," That is not Mensa...!"

Unaffected by the staggering light show in the room, Scopes tears off one of the visors in which he was admire ring from its hook up! Scopes then tears off rag covering his face where his vanished eyes should be to then put on the visor to once again conceal that portion of his face. The visor fits comfortably on Scopes face and as he looks over to the machine with the screen that still displays some of Randors facial expressions he becomes frustrated at not knowing how to make the machine feed the images out as photocopies! Instead, in a panic Scopes rushes out of the memory room altogether!

Hanso keeps himself upright by holding onto the side of the booth where Randor was put inside of. While the two soothers lay over Randor in his prone position. The hyper flashing is finally turned off by the AI when Hanso tells it," I have seen what you have been observing all this time. Though my head throbs...it is a relief to know that imposter was not the real Mensa."

"I rationalized some form of optic illusion was preventing you from seeing the imposter as he was. My intention was not to harm you but allow you to see the imposter as he really was. I reasoned that a more powerful impulse affecting the optic nerves would snap you out of the illusion of the mysterious interloper.", the voice esxplianed.

"Don't let this man escape...!", Hanso weakly pleaded.

"I have already alerted the islands authorities. In the meantime, the platform lift has been shut down, in effect keeping the imposter in this area.", the voice positively concluded.

Unaware of the goings on at the Aqua Life Terrace, inside the hanger room at Consul Aris estate, the real Mensa was using a micro-blow torch from inside a hidden compartment of Duncans helmet to free the man himself from his salted sea bonds.

"Arrrrgghh...", Duncan painfully screamed as he looked away from the sweltering torch as Mensa used it methodically to cut free his wrists.

Despite the being turned on its lowest setting the torch still singed Duncan. When Mensa first freed Duncan using the torch from his feet being tied together the soldiers boots acted as shielding from the heat.

"We are ...almost...there...!", Mensa said as he finally burned through Duncans seaweed bonds. Instinctively, Duncan felt the looseness of his bonds to where he then burst his wrists apart to free them once and for all!

Duncan gently rubbed his wrists to the place he felt he got burned. Thankfully, there was no major pain or numbness at the wrist's location. Mensa turned off the micro-blowtorch before concealing it inside the helmet once more before handing it back over to Duncan.

Duncan double checked all his hidden compartments on his helmet before putting it back on his head.

"There is not much daylight left, I better get going.", Duncan then told Mensa.

"Let us go together.", Mensa said.

"I would advise against it as there will most likely be violence outside. You will be much more safe staying in here.", Duncan affirmed.

"Then let me offer you something.", Mensa said before taking off bronze necklace from around his neck. Duncan watched as Mensa holding the rounded medallion on the necklace before pinching a mechanism to pop it open. Duncans eyes widened as Mensa showed him a red image of eight circles lined together horizontally.

"Is...it him...?", Duncan asked in wonder.

"The best parts of him. He made it before he died. Take it.", Mensa gently persuaded.

Duncan extended his open palm to receive the most precious of gifts as the necklace was handed off to him.

Duncan was about to re-seal the medallion before tucking it underneath his yellow shirt before Mensa told him," You have not activated it yet."

"Activate what?", Duncan asked.

In answer Mensa stated," The link to both of our greatest teachers' minds."

Duncan was begging to realize what was in his hands before asking, "It cannot be as simple as what I think it is? To open the link to his mind."

Mensa went on to explain to Duncan, "So, I did what you asked before freeing you. Uisng the micro tools from inside your helmet, I reconnected the door to this rooms alarm system. You are counting on my impersonator re-entering this room through the front door in order to trip it. Once done, the security of this island will respond but what of other contingencies there anything that you have not considered?"

"It is going to be nightfall soon. If my plan has any chance of succeeding, then I have to leave now.", Duncan firmly stated.

Mensas only reply was, "We both know his name."

A light finally sparked inside of Duncans mind before he spoke one name," Rohad."

The inside of the medallion gave off a red glow as the eight circles flashed! The medallion was suddenly alive in Duncans hand!

.