Grand Adventures Along the Anova Trail with Mason and Bella

Just Call Me Mac Part 6

Just Call Me Mac

It was a crisp clear day as Mason and Bella walked the entirety of Tiwinaku, scanning discreetly due to the considerable number of tourists at the site. Likewise, they milled around Puma Punku when a tourist sporting two cameras wearing a blue windbreaker and a tan flop hat approached them. "This is a marvelous day, is it not?" spoke the stranger. "It certainly is. Just beautiful." said Bella. "When you're through scanning the premises, perhaps you'd like to join me for a spot of tea?" he said with a grin. "I beg your pardon." said Mason stepping between the stranger and Bella. "I wager there is superb tea aboard that lovely ship floating just above us. N'est-ce pas?" The two began to laugh then Mason asked, "Etes-vous avec l'entreprise?" (Translation: Are you with the company?) "Indeed I am. My name is Machiventa. You may call me, Mac." he said raising his camera to take their picture.

"Father in Paradise!" exclaimed Bella smiling for the photo. "Shhh...let's not expose our presence to the good people of Earth so quickly." whispered and chuckled Machiventa as he walked over and gave Bella a hug and shook Mason's hand firmly. "I received word from your Grand Sovereign that you two would be visiting our wonderful planet and asked if I would introduce myself. I said it would be my honor." he said. "The honor is truly ours." said Mason who was visibly giddy. "I understand you drive my Cayenne. How is the old rhino?" asked Mac to a startled Mason. "That was yours?! For the love of Pham, I had no idea! Running great! Still mean as ever." laughed Mason. "Finish up your examination of the site, I want to see that ship of yours." said Mac with an eager grin. "Certainly! I am thrilled you are here. I have so many questions of you." said Bella as the three strolled about sneaking scans and talking until the site closed for the day. "You'll love our ride, QM Fine set us up with a sweet Range Rover. Come, let's go and find a good spot to get picked up." said Mason as Mac nodded affirmative.

Several kilometers West of the archeological site, Mac said, "This is a sweet SUV. I like it. Before we go to the ship, take a right up here." "Is there a road? I don't see one." asked Mason. "Should be one right. Here. Now." Mac said as he stared at his Facebook page. Mason turned onto a dirt road then flipped on the floodlights. Mason looked into the rearview mirror and said, "Any place in particular Heir Mac?" Mac looked up and said, "You're doing just fine. Keep on this heading for 900m then stop." Mason arrived at a fork in the road then stopped. "Just go straight about 100m." "Going off road, hang on!" laughed Mason as he plowed on through high grass and brush to arrive at a stand of trees. "STOP! OK, everyone get out." said Mac. Mason and Bella looked at each other and giggled. Standing together in the lights of the Range Rover, Mac held up his smart phone and opened an app with a directional finder. Turning around in a circle until the finder made an audible, *ding*; Mac smiled at the couple and said, "Alright, check this out." Mac pressed the [ACTIVATE] button and waited. The ground began to tremble then a stone cylinder broke through the ground and rose up a few meters and stopped. "Come on, you'll love this." said Mac gleefully. As the trio approached the cylinder, a sliding door opened to present a lighted lift pad. They entered and Mac pressed the down arrow. "Crazy, right?!" Mason smiled in disbelief and Bella lowered her head and snickered. "This is amazing!" Mac laughed and said, "Oh, you just wait."

The slow-moving lift pad stopped at what only seemed a dozen meters down. Then, the unmistakable feeling of forward motion that felt much swifter for at least a minute. Then, the lift pad slowed then hissed to a stop. After a bit of heavy clanging sounds, the door slid open to reveal a large narrow room made of polished megalith stone that looked to be filled with incredibly old workstations with several inches of dirt covering them. Recessed lighting in the floor shown vaguely through the quarter of a meter-thick silt left over from the original disaster of the first upheavals several hundred thousand years ago. This only added to their bent posture as the ceiling was not particularly high to begin with. "This place has power?" asked Bella of the obvious. "It does. A Frequency Excited Energy unit from a scavenged Anovan cargo ship. Immensely powerful and very well made." Mac replied as he looked about with his flashlight.