Crystal Grotto

By B E Dennis

After the discovery of several crystal artifacts dating back 15,000 years (chronicled in CRYSTAL GIFT, the first book of the Crystal Skull Trilogy), Dennis and Susan Mathews were convinced they knew the secrets of the ancient crystal skulls. With the help of their friend and Dennis’s business partner Gary Benson, the trio gained access to the lost technologies of a long past advanced civilization. Feeling safe and secure in their new lives under the protection of the CIA, the three scientists worked to share the highly advanced ancient knowledge with the world. Haunted by strange mental images and pursued by agents of a secret shadow organization, Dennis, Susan and Gary started a race for their lives, staying only one-step ahead of assassination attempts while trying to discover the true meaning of the crystal skull and the ancient culture that left the artifacts for future discovery. The fight to discover the truth of the ancient knowledge involved the battling a secret shadow organization and the personal challenge to maintain their own sanity. Dennis, Susan, and Gary embarked on a frantic expedition deep into the Superstition Mountains of Arizona to discover the true function of the crystal skulls and the final link to a long lost ancient civilization. A culture the world calls Atlantis. With the help of Jake Roads, they battle the forces of an evil shadow group to release advanced technologies to benefit the world. All the while, no one knew of the evil lurking in the depths of an information matrix deep within the CRYSTAL GROTTO (the newest and second book of the Crystal Skull Trilogy).

Again, the story has a conclusion, but not a final ending. With the threat of an evil hiding from the world for 15,000 years, the ending of CRYSTAL GROTTO is not the end of the story. Book 3 of the Crystal Skull Trilogy (CRYSTAL GRAVE) sets the stage for the final battle to save the planet from evil domination.

• Language: English
• Publisher: B E Dennis
• Release date: Jun 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476218861

B E Dennis

B E Dennis weaves fact with fringe and conspiracy theories into plots blended into an action packed stories spanning 15,000 years. Merging the story of Atlantis and the legend of the Ancient Crystal Skulls with the conspiracy of a the New World Order and adding the technology of today, B E Dennis presents works of fiction as plausible the truth. By creating a story outside of normal conventions, fiction can resemble plausible fact. Relying on 35 years of federal government expedience and 15 years of archeological research, CRYSTAL SKULL TRILOGY and JAKE ROADS ADVENTURES present stories of fiction based on fact for plots grounded with the actual technologies in use today. Using personal expertise and experience to explore questions surrounding ancient technologies and current headlines, the action presents plausible answers in the form of fiction stories of adventure. The CRYSTAL SKULL TRILOGY is a work of fiction based on theory and fact to answer historical questions and the legend of ATLANTIS.

Book preview

Crystal Grotto

A Crystal Skull Trilogy

Book 2

B E Dennis

Crystal Gift - Crystal Grotto - Crystal Grave

Dedicated to my wife Katherine for her help and understanding.

Copyright © 2012 B. E. Dennis

Published by B E Dennis at Smashwords

ISBN-13: 978-1476218861

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Chapter 1

The planet entered a cycle of purification and rebuilding. The surface of the planet reshaped through a destructive process. This cyclical process happened numerous times throughout the history of the planet. Whether caused by external influences or the natural life of the planet, the process resulted in the extinction of most of the species of life on the planet. Along with the devastation of life, these events put an end to all advanced cultures and technology. The entire ecosystem of the planet suffered the devastation.

Periodically the planet needs replenishment, the natural upheaval signaled the beginning of this replenishment. The upheaval signaled a rebirth of the planet. The planet is a living entity. Just like childbirth, this planetary rebirth is a violent, but a necessary event. An abrupt shift in the global axis triggered this planetary rebirth. The axial shift was changing the entire planet.

The certainty of the seasons abruptly ended, the ocean levels rose at dramatic rates, and the global climates changed in less that a single season. Temperate regions of the planet changed to both ends of the climate range spectrum. The home of the most advanced culture on the planet transformed from a temperate region to a region of ice and perpetual winter. One particular satellite city that thrived in a subtropical savannah, was transforming into a desolate desert region with survival dependant on a thin life supporting ribbon of life sustaining water. The planetary changes cast the future of civilization.

Societies lacking the scientific awareness did not understand the impending disasters. The more technologically advanced cultures recognized their end was inevitable. Scattered across the planet were satellite cities of such a society. Each city and the entire culture knew their collective fate. Species of plants and animals that could adapt might survive. Clusters of humans would group together, adapt, and survive. Advanced cultures and technology had no chance of survival. It was common knowledge that the end of their advanced society was inevitable, not just a society but their complete culture. Thousands of years of peaceful advancements in technology would be lost for all time. They had the knowledge to power the planet and the technology to harness the power of the planet. Their highly advanced knowledge and technology provided no answer to prevent the inevitable natural catastrophes. The power of the planet dwarfed their scientific advancements.

With a rapidly approaching end to their society and culture, something must be done to prevent the inevitable loss of knowledge. Over the past months, there had been endless debates over perpetuating their culture. They could either leave the answer to the ravages of time or take action to create a legacy for the future. As the inevitable catastrophe approached, the debates raged on.

The majority wanted to let history and time tell the story of their society while letting their knowledge perish with the impending devastation and the ravages of time. The minority wanted to preserve their knowledge for future civilizations. They wanted to secure their legacy for the future.

All of the knowledge of the culture was stored in a crystal matrix within a grotto deep within a remote peak. The majority decision ordered the grotto or cavern sealed. The knowledge matrix was ordered to be sealed but not destroyed. The majority order also mandated that no direct actions would be taken to perpetuate the knowledge. The minority plans needed to find an ambiguity in the mandate. Carefully devised plans were developed to do just that.

Despite the majority consensus, the minority group of scientists took measures to avert the loss of their achievements. The group devised a plan that would not go against the strict definition of the majority ruling while still fulfilling their desire to leave their legacy for the future. According to their plan, as a group, they concealed clues in the form of a marker to instruct the future a method to access the complete sum of their knowledge. The marker, a sort of time capsule, contained a graphical set of instruction to unlock the whole of their technology and science. A message devised to withstand the ravages of time. A message that would remain hidden until the planet healed and woke from the great and long slumber. Once the message was hidden, the debates continued. Should the knowledge of the society be shared with other societies in the distant future or should the flame of their knowledge diminish with time?

There was the slimmest of chances that their plan would work, but the chance did exist. This group wanted their legacy to survive. They were determined that their knowledge should be passed on to future generations. Generations that would certainly grow and flourish in the centuries to come. Similar small groups were frantically working in concert to develop similar plans at each of the cultural outposts. The hope was that at least in a single location, the plan would succeed.

Beyond hiding a message for future generations, there was a single passionate minority follower that decided to take the plan one-step farther. Knowing that the marker itself may not provide the complete path to the sum of their technology, this individual devised a corresponding plan to perpetuate their legacy. This individual planned to make the ultimate sacrifice any person could make, the sacrifice of life.

Hours before the impending chaos associated with the inevitable destruction of the civilized society, that passionate member of the minority group initiated his final desperate act. He hoped a single man could succeed to insure survival of the knowledge. Knowing that this course was in contradiction to the decisions handed down by the ruling majority of the society and would cost the man his life, he proceeded. In the event the marker they had left would be found in the future, that was only one piece to share their knowledge. A single written message may not be enough. More was required. The knowledge and their legacy were significant enough to demand a guardian for all times. A guardian bound by the solemn oath to perpetuate the good in humanity, an oath forbidding manipulation or interference. To guarantee his obeying of the solemn oath, the transfer programming excluded transference of the man’s own beliefs. The programming went so far as changing the identity of the guardian to be. His new name would be Alpha, the one and first.

Starting in the knowledge chamber below the statue of the seated lion, the self-appointed guardian painstakingly programmed a crystal transfer mask along with a crystal skull. The two items were essential to this and the next step of his plan. Knowing that he was making the supreme sacrifice for the future, the lone man started to implement the final stage of this plan to give the complete sum of knowledge to a future generation. He made a conscious decision to sacrifice his life. Not only was his life on the line, his decision was contrary to the decision made by the majority of the society. He was about to embark on actions that were technically possible, but risky and untested. Actions with the potential to corrupt the legacy he was trying to preserve.

After programming the mask, he set to the laborious task of focusing his energy and consciences into the knowledge of the society. His consciousness was transferred to the crystal matrix in the sacred grotto. By working with the crystal skull, he was able to focus his complete consciousness into the knowledge repository. The plan was completed over the span of a few hours. Once the process was started, it could not be interrupted without life threatening results. When he completed the transference task, he sealed his own fate. A single individual made the ultimate sacrifice to perpetuate the future of an entire culture.

Staying in close proximity to the mask, he was able to replace the skull in the proper storage area. With sufficient energy remaining in the transfer mask, he then traveled a maintenance passage to place the mask in a secured hidden location. After securing the mask, he struggled to keep his thoughts focused on exiting the underground maze of passageways. As he moved away from the physical proximity of the transfer mask, he disconnected from the energy and essence of the mask. Disoriented by the ordeal, he wandered aimlessly through the labyrinth of chambers and corridors of the underground system. Unable to remember the task he had just completed or the reason for being in the underground system, he continued to wander. Only his body remained. He did not recognize sights, sound, or smells of his surroundings. By chance, his path took him to the main corridor, a part of the system that should be as familiar as his own home. Without the mental essence that defines a living being, the place was now new and completely foreign to him. He continued to wander until he fell to a swift and merciful death in one of the many traps constructed to guard the subterranean chambers. A trap designed to allow the achievements of a greatly advanced culture to fade, diminish, and finally die to the ravages of time.

With the impending disasters, his death and sacrifice would go unnoticed. His life would not be given in vain. He had completed his appointed task and preserved the potential for rediscovery for all times.

Expecting the future to be set by the actions just completed, little did anyone know, there was one other. One driven by an evil agenda, who completed a plan that had the potential to change the course of humanity for all time, an individual who wanted to survive the certain natural disasters into the future. He was unsure of the future once his plan was implemented. He knew his future was certain death if he did not follow through with his quickly conceived plan. He also had no idea how his plan would play into the future of the planet.

*****

Since the beginning of civilization, the human species survived and explored. Being a higher level of intelligence, the human species dreamed and strived for the goal of improvement. As individuals fought to achieve their individual and their collective dreams and goals, the good and bad of humanity surfaced. In each society and each culture, there are good people. It is also human nature that there is evil that counters the good. Through civilization, the good in a society attempts to hide the evil that counters a higher civilization. Even in a culture that lives in peaceful harmony, evil is still present. It may not be visible or remembered throughout history, but the evil is still present. As good may be celebrated throughout history, the counter culture of evil persists. Each society determines which acts represent the best and worst of that culture.

In a particular highly advanced ancient society, the worst crimes were the crimes that would imprison the entire population under dictatorial rule. Occasionally, such crimes surfaced. Labeled as insane, the sentence of those criminals reflected that label. Near the end of a highly advanced culture, the highest form of evil surfaced in the form of an individual determined to place himself as the self-appointed ruler of the society.

Normally, his sentence would have been carried out and society would be safe from the criminal insanity and potential harm. With the chaos of the natural disasters, that particular criminal mind saw an opening to escape and perpetuate his dream of global domination. He was aware of the science and technology and his plan included using the knowledge of society to fulfill his personal desires. Using the old language, this criminal gave himself the name of Rector, translated as ruler in the old language.

Without the knowledge of the planned transfer by the self-appointed guardian, Rector tried the same process. His plan was to hide until the planet healed from the impending devastation. Rector could monitor the advancements of humanity. In time, he would find a way to raise again and take his rightful place as supreme ruler.

Within the vastness of the crystal matrix of knowledge, staying hidden was difficult but by no means impossible. Patience was the key to remaining hidden from the other unsuspecting essence. Even over the span of several thousand years, one essence remained hidden from detection.

As the planet drifted into a deep repairing slumber, two conscious essences waited for a new dawn. The planet entered a slumber state waiting for a sign. The planet and a great society waited for a signal to awaken waiting activity, a sign to restart the sum of knowledge and to complete the rebirth of the heart of a great culture. The desire for world domination also slumbered. One essence waited for a chance to share a long lost legacy. The other essence waited in hiding, waiting for a chance to escape his crystal prison.

*****

As the technical advances increased, the need for religion to the answer questions of the universe was replaced by a need for inner peace. The religious practices changed from a blind following to a remembrance of earlier times. Symbolisms were often added as a respect for the good in society. A simple ancient prayer was even added as a decorative detail on the marker, a remembrance of the past and a form of respect to the history of a culture. Following science as a form of religion, a final pilgrimage formed to the final vestige of the culture. Completing one last visit to the heart of the knowledge repository of an entire culture, a final task to seal and secure the chamber on the chance that the outcome of the impeding apocalypse changed. A small group of scientists traveled with the knowledge there may be nothing to return to. A final desperate act by the fanatical scientists was a pilgrimage to the most sacred location on the planet. The matrix of their complete knowledge was located at that sacred place. They made the one last pilgrimage. The small group completed the final trip to live out their lives and attempt to perpetuate their culture. They realized it was a futile act, but an act that they needed to attempt. The pilgrimage was a one-way trip. None of the group planned to return to their homes. They would attempt to survive in a new land, in a location that could only support a fraction of their numbers. It was an attempt driven by a religious belief in their science.

The pilgrimage was to their most sacred location on the planet, to the crystal knowledge matrix. Each traveler knew that sacred location would remain safe and immune to the global devastation. Climatic changes would impact the region, but they could survive by adapting. There was a slim hope to perpetuate their society and advanced culture.

With the primary goal of simple survival, each pilgrim knew the chance of advancement was rare. They would have a safe home, but the sacred location would not support any large population. Their primary focus was to guard and protect the crystal matrix grotto, the repository of all their knowledge and technology.

As time passed from years to the countless centuries, the land around the sacred location evolved to an arid mountain environment. Descendants of the original pilgrims wandered the region to scratch out a simple existence. Stories of the importance of the region survived. The details of the crystal grotto were lost to time. Through the passing of history, the location of the sacred grotto gained a non-specific magical stature. The magic of the area morphed into the way the region was referenced.

In time humanity again emerged from the natural disasters and new societies grew and developed, ancient cultures were remembered in story and myth. As the stories are told and retold, many of the minor facts are forgotten or distorted. Even key points of each story change over the passage of time. Usually a key feature is remembered as a focal point of the story.

As the planet stabilized and civilization reestablished throughout the planet, stories of a long past society continued. Stories centered on the great knowledge by this long past culture and their great achievements. One key item noted in each story was the existence and use of a crystal skull. As the stories became legend, the legends became myth. In time, the myth took on a life of its own. The story changed from being told about an ancient culture to stories told of the glory and potential of a number of crystal skulls. The myth of a single crystal skull as a tool became a myth of a group of crystal skulls. The myth exaggerated into a story of mystical power. The crystal skulls formed a part of the truth at the basis of the legend, not through a gathering of objects and not through mystical powers. With their true meaning and purpose lost to time, their importance remained, remembered and shrouded by myth.

The legendary crystal skulls grew in importance from a simple device to a lone symbol of a new awakening. The myth that survived replaced the cultural centers with the crystal skulls. Twelve satellite cities reporting to the single seat of the governing body morphed and merged into other legends. The legend became twelve skulls around a single, thirteenth skull to access the power of knowledge.

First, the memory of a once great and advanced society remained with a sparse sector of the world population and their descendents with actual knowledge of the earlier times. In time, the memories turned to legends repeated and passed through stories to keep them alive. Over countless generation and centuries, the legend turned to myth, and the power of the myth grew. With the advancement of civilization, the myths fostered both wonder and greed among differing factions of society, and the myths grew even larger. Through all, a solitary entity sat in darkness over the many millennia waiting for the spark of advancement to signal a rebirth of the inevitable advancements of technology. Another solitary entity sat in the same darkness waiting for a chance to escape and join the living again.

Chapter 2

A woman sat in a darkened room in an undisclosed basement near Langley, VA. She sat in a specially designed chair. A chair designed for a person to sit in a relaxed position while a pair of solid crystal artifacts rested on the face of the occupant. The woman was given a new identity, but in her own mind, her name was still Susan Mathews. Once a world famous archeologist and expert in ancient languages, she was now without a real past or true identity. Over the past year, she visited this location on a regular basis. Her husband Dennis Mathews and their friend Gary Benson also make similar trips. It is their job, their lives, and their new identities.

Before the initial discovery, she was Dr. Susan Rymer. Through a race to stay alive and share a vast sum of ancient knowledge, she married Dennis Mathews. Susan even took the name of Rymer-Mathews for a short time. With her dedication to her family, Susan now feels her true identity is Susan Mathews.

When the human mind and the crystal skull merge to transfer knowledge, the knowledge comes in a dreamlike form. It has taken time for all of them to learn to control the knowledge transfer. The difficult part is trying to control the dreamlike images that race through the mind. The images come with such speed there is confusion and blurring of the images. After the whole adventure of finding the crystal mask and skull in Egypt, their lives have not been the same.

As she sits in the specially designed chair and specially designated room, Susan is completely unaware of her surroundings. The mental transfer dominates her senses. Susan can see, hear, and feel nothing. The benefits gained more than outweigh the mental exhaustion that is a byproduct of the knowledge transfer process. Susan sits in a mental trance throughout the process.

Each session starts with a request for specific information and ends with questions about that same information. They have limited control over the information each of them gain from the skull, but not complete control. Most of the information starts as vague images and in time, they are able to make better sense and add details. The people they report to want more details and specific information. Susan did the best that she could, but she is not always able to answer their needs and questions.

At the end of this latest session, Susan went to a room to debrief and pass along the knowledge she just gained. The time with the skull is very short. The time debriefing is long and arduous, hours of questions and explanations. The debriefing is just the beginning. The knowledge from the crystal skull is so extensive that it generally takes days, sometimes even, weeks to understand all the knowledge gained. There are a series of meetings, phone calls, and emails to transfer more details of the knowledge.

Like countless sessions already completed, Susan was given only a little time to rest. When the initial debriefing was finished, she was shuttled to an unmarked car in an underground parking garage. The car drives to a private airfield. From the car, she enters a waiting plane for an undisclosed destination, a series of flights and transfers, until she finds herself on a commercial flight into the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. With all of the precautions and secrecy, no one noticed a solitary figure taking pictures from a distance as Susan entered the first plane on her journey home.

*****

It all started when Dennis found an artifact that was later proven to pre-date the origins of dynastic Egypt by about 10,000 years. Dennis brought in Gary to help on the geological aspects and later Susan to help on translations. The entire effort mushroomed to the extent that the CIA finally had to step in a save Dennis, Gary, and Susan from repeated assassination attempts. A group, they later learned was called the Tri-Lateral Consortium by the CIA, vowed they would stop at nothing to gain all the ancient knowledge for their personal gains. They were also intent on killing Dennis, Susan, and Gary to keep their secrets.

Ever since Dennis Mathews discovered a carved crystal artifact in Egypt referencing an ancient civilization, Dennis, Susan, and Gary have lived a different life. Their lives included dodging danger at every turn, while helping the economic survival of the entire planet. Dennis found a long forgotten marker that gave directions to ancient passage system in Egypt. With such a discovery, Dennis asked for help from his business partner Gary Benson and an expert in ancient languages, Dr. Susan Rymer. Gary was a geologist and Susan was an archeologist. ‘Was’, is the operative phrase. Now they have no true past or identity. Susan’s new identity is the wife of Dennis Mathews and the mother of their daughter Janet. The lack of true identity was a necessary situation to preserve their lives and safety.

The marker was a block of black crystal with inscriptions on all of it’s surfaces. One face was covered with ancient text telling a story of the collapse of an ancient and highly advanced culture. The other face included a detailed map of an ancient underground passage system on the Giza Plateau. All of the edges of the marker were covered with decorative inscriptions intended to aid in the translation of the map and of the story explaining access to all of the knowledge of the ancient culture.

The marker led Dennis and Susan to a crystal artifact, a crystal transfer device, the crystal mask. They also discovered a crystal skull in a secret chamber under the Sphinx on the Giza Plateau. The crystal mask and skull work in tandem to allow access to the full knowledge and technology of an ancient and highly advanced civilization. The access opens the knowledge of a civilization that thrived over 15,000 years ago, and was hundreds or even thousand of years beyond the current levels of technology.

After the discovery, a