Those Who Would be Gods

By Neil Methven

In the beginning there was mist, fire, wind and water. From the fire was born the earth, from the wind was born the storms and tempests, and from the water was born man.

But from the mist were born the Sorcerers.

They walked the Earth in the before time. Warping the fabric of existence with the very words they spoke. They forged weapons of power and gave them to men so that they might fight, for the Sorcerers amusement.

But the time came when the Sorcerers became bored, and began to crave more power and so chose to war upon each other for dominion over all of existence. They separated into factions; those that wished to remain as they were and be Lords over Earth and Man, those that wished to rule all, and those who believed that, should one group or individual become victorious, the Gods themselves would battle and the universe itself would fall.

After 100,000 years of war the Earth was a ravaged wasteland. Man survived only in small settlements. Spells and weapons, so powerful that millions died in the blink of an eye, had destroyed great civilisations that had grown over millennia.

Then one day there came to an a great citadel the only two Sorcerers who had survived the war. They were the two most powerful beings that had ever walked the Earth, so powerful in their magic that even the Gods were fearful of their power.

In the last moments of his life, the Sorcerer who represented the last of those wishing for stability, tricked his enemy and cast him into a steel chamber with spells so strong that none now lived that could break them. With his dying breath he cast his enemy into the deepest cavern on Earth where he would rest for all eternity and finally bring peace to the Earth.

These events occurred 10 million years ago. All the stories have been forgotten and none now live who can remember the terror of the Sorcerers.

And none live who could stop a Sorcerer should he return.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Neil Methven
• Release date: Sep 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370413201

Neil Methven

As you look at the gallery on this web site the first thing you will notice is that he obviously likes martial arts. His first introduction to this came in a Judo class when he was only 9 years old. Neil has continued to train in martial arts since this time, training primarily in Karate but also in Ju Jitsu, Wing Chun and Escrima.Although he loves martial arts, the truth is that Neil has always felt that there was something else in his life he REALLY wanted to do.And that was write.He had toyed for many years with the idea of writing a book on Martial arts, but always believed that his real passion for writing fell into the area of fiction. Primarily Science fiction, but as Neil loves most types of fiction, he felt that whatever he would be writing there would be an element of more than one genre involved. And so an idea was born, and from it came his first Novel Those Who Would be Gods.It didnt happen in a day, or a month or even a year, for as many people who have tried to write know, sometimes although you have an idea, putting it on paper is only the start, it often takes a little bit more. But in March of 2016, Neil submitted Those Who Would be Gods to Kindle and published.What else is there to say? He has two wonderful children that he loves more than life. He has always loved literature, and he loves writing.If you want more information on the Those Who Would Be Gods Series, please click on the icon to the left of this column, this will also give you a tab that will talk about upcoming projects that Neil is working on.Oh yeah, there are many more books to come, and so many ideas in his head that it is possible that he will never stop. So keep watching this site for his continuing adventures!

Book preview

Those Who Would be Gods

Copyright © 2016 Neil Methven

Published by Neil Methven at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is dedicated to the following extraordinary people:

To every student I have ever taught, you have given me a wonderful insight into how amazing people can be if they strive for excellence

To the best martial artists I have ever known, Jeff and Mick, who also just happen to be the best and most loyal friends any man could have

To my Mum, Dad and sister Aileen, who I miss more than I could ever express in words

To my beautiful children Caden and Isabelle. You are the absolute light of my life, and make every day I am with you a joy. I Love you both more than words can ever say.

And to Kat. For everything. Always

Table of Contents

Title Page

Foreword

Those Who Would be Gods

Foreword

To all of those wonderful people who have purchased this book. This is my first Novel. That will be patently obvious after a few pages, when you start picking up grammatical errors, along with punctuation, spelling and general errors of all kinds. This is because I have virtually no education. I have simply sat down and written a book, because I like to write. I have stories to tell and this little piece of fiction is one of them. I have no helpers, no one has sat down and gone through my book and attempted to correct any of my mistakes. Its just me and my own brain desperately trying to get the words on paper, and then of course slogging through the entire thing trying to correct all the mistakes I have obviously made. Because the truth is, writing the book is a lot more fun, and faster, I have found, then doing all the hard work of rewriting it afterwards. I have enjoyed this exercise and am already writing (with great joy and enthusiasm!) the sequel. So please, if you find any glaring errors, keep them to yourself. And don't tell the friend who you are obviously going to recommend the book to!

Oh, and by the way, if any of you know a publisher who would like to publish further volumes by me, please pass on my name. And if anyone knows Steven Spielberg or any other famous directors who might like to turn the exploits of the characters in my book into a multimillion pound blockbuster, please feel free to pass on a copy of the book. Really, I wouldn't mind at all.

Regards,

Neil Methven (First Time Author)

Those Who Would be Gods

Prelude

In the beginning there was mist, fire, wind and water. From the fire was born the earth, from the wind was born the storms and tempests, and from the water was born man.

But from the mist were born the Sorcerers.

They walked the Earth in the before time. Warping the fabric of existence with the very words they spoke. They forged weapons of power for man so that they might fight, for the Sorcerers amusement.

But the time came when the Sorcerers became bored, and began to crave more power and so chose to war upon each other for dominion over all of existence. They separated into factions; those that wished to remain as they were and be Lords over Earth and Man, those that wished to rule all, and those who believed that, should one group or individual become victorious, the Gods themselves would battle and the universe itself would fall.

After 100,000 years of war the Earth was a ravaged wasteland. Man survived only in small settlements. Spells and weapons, so powerful that millions died in the blink of an eye, had destroyed great civilisations that had grown over millennia.

Then one day there came to an a great citadel the only two Sorcerers who had survived the war. They were the two most powerful beings on Earth, so powerful in their magic that even Gods would be fearful of their power.

In the last moments of his life, the Sorcerer who represented the last of those wishing for stability, managed to trick his enemy and cast him into a steel chamber with spells so strong that none now lived that could break them. With his dying breath he cast his enemy into the deepest cavern on Earth where he would rest for all eternity and finally bring peace to the Earth.

These events occurred 70 million years ago. All the stories have been forgotten and none now live who can remember the terror of the Sorcerers.

And none live who could stop a Sorcerer should he return.

1

Kimberley region, Western Australia

Thomas Haklow watched the gauges with fascination. He and Sarah had worked so hard to get together the grants and finance to fulfil their dreams of a major breakthrough in archaeological research. He sometimes forgot just how much he enjoyed the thrill of seeing their research come to fruition.

The hub of their research centred on new technology that effectively saw through solid rock. Developed by Thomas and his wife it was cutting edge technology. It was also expensive, with budget requirements that ran into millions of dollars. This, however, was of secondary importance to them, as they were in search of something far more important than money. After nearly a decade of public ridicule in archaeological circles they were seeking vindication.

It revolved around a belief that modern man was merely another chapter in humanities history rather than the pinnacle of human achievement. For many years evidence had been mounting that showed man was far older than had been originally believed. The evidence was totally ignored by those who were considered the pillars of modern archaeology. Thomas and Sarah's search for the truth had been difficult to say the least. The work, and the technology they had developed, had ramifications within commercial and military industry. Eventually they were successful, with various industrial groups vying for first use of the technology once it was proved to be dependable, until only one sponsor remained. From the most recent use of the technology, Thomas knew that not only was it dependable, but he was sure that the results would literally knock the socks off their backer.

What's the depth now? he asked.

About twenty thousand feet and increasing. We have never come across a natural chasm this deep before. We may have found what we need to keep our backer happy. His wife turned to look at him. Even now, well into her forties, she still made the breath catch in his throat. He knew that even the younger male members of his team looked at her with longing. It made him proud to think that she was his and his alone.

The fact that the first venture with the viewing equipment would kill two birds with one stone was what was getting Thomas and Sarah really excited though. They had been lucky. recent geological disturbances had opened this chasm with an astonishing cave system that allowed them unbelievable access to areas of the Earths crust previously unexplored. The fact that it was the deepest land based trench ever discovered though, was absolute gold.

Initial surveys had shown that this area of Australia was likely to be mineral rich. The problem was, that, in the past, technology had been unable to locate such deposits below a certain depth. With the work that Sarah and Thomas had done that was no longer the case. But what really curled their toes was that the region was rich in legends telling of the before times and of men that walked the Earth as Gods. Such legends always revolved around the end of such civilisations in cataclysms that buried evidence beneath the Earth. What Thomas and Sarah intended to do was dig that evidence up and turn the accepted view of history on its head.

Readings are now exceeding thirty thousand feet. Good God, how deep is this thing! shouted Thomas.

The silhouette readings show that we are nearing the base, said Sarah we should get metallurgy and radiological data after that.

Five minutes later and Sarah was proved correct. The beauty of what was being termed The Haklow Radar, was that the system didn't need a physical presence within the chasm, by bouncing a mixture of light, sound and radiation around an area with complicated computer technology assessing the readings the Haklow's were able to create a picture of the substances contained within solid rock down to, conceivably, any depth.

Thomas watched the first readings come through and frowned. This doesn't make any sense. The readings show a number of major deposits of valuable mineral deposits. But also show just one lump of what is one minute steel and the next brass or even gold. It's lodged in the ground at about four thousand feet. He adjusted some of the parameters on the computer. Still reading the same, must be a glitch.

Sarah came over to his side. We checked the system only half an hour ago. We can run anther diagnostic, but I doubt that we would get a different reading, see if the system can clean up some of the weird stuff and get more accurate measurements on the size of the object.

After a few moments Thomas had finished his adjustments and was more excited than he had ever been in his life. We need to call in some big guns, he said to his wife. Why? she answered.

Because if we confirm these readings, which I think we will, the object measures roughly two metres by one, is cylindrical in shape, and is not naturally occurring. It also must have been down there for a few million years. He turned to his wife Sarah we have our proof, and if we can just get it out of that rock, we may just get a Nobel Prize as a bonus. I think I should make a phone call.

2

Carlos Mendez was a billionaire. His overriding aim for as long as he could remember was to make money, and he had succeeded beyond most people's wildest dreams. Everyone's dreams, that is, except his own.

Carlos was the worlds biggest drug dealer; he was also in every sense of the word untouchable. He was now in the situation where his entire drug operation, (totalling hundreds of millions of dollars per year), was being run by subsidiaries and individuals that, in most cases, did not even know he existed. Those that did know, accepted that their silence was the most important thing that they could give Carlos. To consider passing information on to those who wish to hurt Carlos was to invite retribution that was appalling in the extreme.

Carlos had now reached a point in his life where his public life was the mirror of his private life. He consorted with priests and humanitarians, dined with presidents and kings, and supplied worldwide charities and aid organisations with huge amounts of money. Many of his business acquisitions were hospitals and care homes that were recognised as world leaders for the level of care and professionalism that they offered. This meant that the very people, who wished to place Carlos behind bars, or in his grave, were forced to accept him as an equal and in many cases to defer to him in matters of international aid. This had been Carlos's main aim for many years. To make himself invaluable to those that would destroy him. He was now one of the most powerful men alive. But he craved so much more.

When he had been given an intelligence report detailing the Haklow’s breakthrough, he had been curious rather than excited. He had asked one of his advisors to investigate their claims and once he had seen more details had begun to realise the potential. He had spoken to one of his experts in the mining industry, and the man had been ecstatic. From the little he had been able to understand, the value of the breakthrough, in the long term could conceivably treble his present financial worth. He realised that he could easily become the world's richest man. That was something that made him very happy.

However, the call that he received early yesterday was totally unexpected. He knew, of course, that the Haklow’s main work was considered out there in conventional circles. His private investigators had made it clear that crackpots was a term used regularly in conversations concerning the Haklow’s. The long-term benefits of his association with them were far more important than any dreams they may have for themselves.

He sat in the helicopter reading the report he had been passed as he boarded the craft. It detailed the Haklow’s findings, and detailed the findings of the last thirty six hours. There was still confusion over the actual physical composition of the cylinder. But the results showed that it could not possibly be natural.

Carlos looked at the man in the seat opposite. Do you believe that these results are genuine or some kind of hoax to get more funding?

Jim Baxter was a mining expert of some thirty years experience. He had looked death in the face on many occasions, both in mine shafts and in facing down men who worked hard and played hard in an industry that was as unforgiving as the Earth itself. Yet the man who had just asked the question worried him so much that he knew he needed to choose his words carefully.

You know my feelings on the Haklow's. Carlos nodded, understanding his employee's feelings. But the truth is Baxter continued, that they really know their stuff. These results cannot be faked, not to this detail. I personally think they are the real deal. Although how the damn thing got down there I have no idea.

Carlos had already reached the same conclusion. After speaking to his political and business advisors, he knew that, should the cylinder be a major breakthrough, he would be looking at a Public Relations coup that would put him in the best position of his life. Should it be false the Haklow's were eccentrics that he had befriended and funded with generosity and goodwill; should it be real he was the man who had funded the team that had re-written the history books. A no lose situation whichever way you looked at it.

As the helicopter came in to land he looked out of the window at the vista awaiting them. It was beautiful and remote, and he was excited about what the next few days might bring, but he did not like going anywhere that meant he was not in control, and in such an isolated area he felt naked and vulnerable. It was not a feeling he enjoyed.

Exiting the helicopter though brought a smile to his face as he saw an individual who made him instantly feel more comfortable. Manuel he shouted above the sound of the helicopters engines, I did not realise you had returned from Europe.

The man in front of him returned the smile with enthusiasm. Manuel Escobez was a man who smiled rarely, but he had known Carlos since they were children and loved him like a brother.

In Intelligence circles however Escobez was known by a different name. As a member of his mother countries Intelligence Service and its principle assassin his Code name was Rapier. The name had stuck when he decided to work for Carlos and the first of his victims had fallen to his skill with bladed weapons. All of his kills were on behalf of his childhood friend, and all of them were members of various criminal organisations.

How are things going? asked Carlos, eager to get to business.

Thomas and Sarah Haklow have been in discussion with the engineers sent in by Jim, said Manuel, acknowledging Baxter with a nod of his head, But they all seem more than a little perplexed. Its difficult enough that the thing is buried so deep, but apparently the surrounding area is so full of what one of them called absolutely the hardest fucking stuff imaginable that they have no idea how they are going to get it out.

Carlos stopped and turned to Baxter, Talk to them, get some ideas going, but most of all make them understand this, money is no object. I want that thing out and I don't care how we do it. It's the prize of the century. Make it happen.

Baxter nodded and headed towards the mobile lab where the Haklow's and his engineers were in discussion, while Carlos and Manuel stood in silence.

Did things go well in Europe? asked Carlos.

Our problem has been dealt with. I do, however, feel that my welcome in Europe is now wearing thin. Both the British and French intelligence services have me down for pick up and I have no wish to meet either of them in person. We should use a freelance operative for a while.

Carlos nodded in agreement. It is unlikely that we will need to expend our operations there anyway. I feel that Europe is a dead issue now for us. The Europeans are far less squeamish about rights of the individual if they feel that someone is encroaching on the power bases of European families. It would be wise for us to cut our losses. When we return to Washington I will arrange for the operations to be sold to other principles. We shall continue with our legitimate enterprises only.

He turned to his friend. What do you think of the situation here?

Manuel was silent for a moment. The truth is that I like the Haklow's, they are both honest, and driven by a need to prove not only to others but to themselves that their lives have not been wasted. It is an admirable quality. However, and at this he paused and turned to Carlos I know that your advisors have spoken to you and informed you of the beauty of the situation. I personally though am not so sure. Carlos waited for Manuel to continue.

The real problem will come from the religious groups. Regardless of what the findings may show us, the most powerful religious lobbies in the world will rage against us. They have fought appalling wars to ensure their survival. It is unlikely that they would consider us much of an obstacle. My personal opinion is this, cut loose and let someone else pick up the bill. This is not worth the hassle.

Carlos stood for a moment, staring into the distance. But in truth Manuel knew his mind was working over the implications of what he had just said, and debating whether he should continue with his endeavour in this region.

Anyone who saw the two of them side by side would have seen total opposites. Carlos was short, standing well under two metres and carrying more weight than was advisable for a man who was well past middle age. Manuel stood nearly two and a half metres tall and there was only muscle on his body, conditioned by combat and a disciplined lifestyle.

What Manuel knew though was that where he had honed himself to a level of combat ability few could equal, Carlos had done the same with his mind. It was the reason that he had eluded the world's most dangerous law enforcement and intelligence agencies and it was why Manuel entrusted him implicitly with decisions that could easily bring about this own death.

We will continue, he turned to Manuel for the moment. But should things begin to cause us problems we will reassess the situation and if necessary cut loose as you put it. Does that keep you happy my friend ? he said, smiling.

Yes. Replied Manuel and smiled in agreement.

3

The scene in the lab that had been Thomas and Sarah's home for roughly two years was one of chaos as Carlos and Manuel entered. It seemed as though everyone was shouting at everyone. Carlos recognised the situation in a heartbeat. He had seen it many times, no one was in charge, no one wanted to make a decision, and no one wanted to be the one to give in to some one else's idea of what should be done. It was therefore time for someone to take charge.

Carlos realised that once again he felt comfortable. Then he slammed the door behind him.

All the shouting died at once and all heads turned at once to look for the source of the noise. There seems to be a problem. Perhaps someone might tell me what it is? Said Carlos.

A large ruddy faced man with red hair stepped forward, And who the fuck might you be, short arse!? His aggression disappeared however as Manuel stepped in front of Mendez and looked the man full in the face. You will address Mr Mendez with respect or I will teach you some. Is that understood? There was silence for a moment as they stared at each other, then the red headed man stepped back nodding. No offence meant, just a little bit rattled that's all. I didn't realise the man was the paymaster. My apologies Mr Mendez."

That's all right Mr Robertson, I know from my discussions with Jim that you can be volatile. That is one of the reasons you were employed. Your aggressive nature tends to get jobs done quickly.

Mendez turned to the Haklow’s. Sarah, Thomas, so good to see you again, and under such exciting circumstances. Sarah was once again reminded of how charming this man could be. Even though both she and her husband knew some of Mendez's background and could pretty much surmise the rest, she was still amazed at how civilised he could be, and how pleasant.

Mr Mendez, I never expected you to come to the site, said Thomas.

Please call me Carlos. With the amount of money that I have spent on our venture I think we can afford to be less formal, said Mendez, smiling at the scientist.

He turned to the engineers. Gentlemen, I pay all of you large amounts of money for your time and abilities, I think it is time you earned your keep. Mendez smiled when he spoke but none of the engineers were naive. They had just been informed that should they fail to come up with an idea in short order they would be unemployed.

What is the general consensus then? How do we retrieve it ?

The problem is the depth of the coffin, said Baxter. Mendez frowned. Sorry, said Baxter because of its size and shape that's what we are calling it.

Mendez looked at Sarah and Thomas. Is there any reason to believe that is what this could be?

Thomas was silent for a moment and Mendez could see he was considering his answer. The truth is it could be anything. It is more likely to be something similar to a time capsule than a coffin. Some cultures have in the past interred important individuals in metal coffins but it is extremely rare. But of course that isn't the most important factor.

And what is that? Asked Mendez.

The depth, and that it is obviously not a naturally occurring object, mens that it has been there for millions of years. What this means of course is that in reality we have no idea of what it is. Only that it definitely should not be there. Historically it is like finding the body of Jesus Christ himself. It blows history as we know it out of the water. He looked at Mendez Are you thinking of pulling out? He asked nervously.

No, Thomas. Although many people have advised me that this might not be my best course of action, I feel good vibes from this discovery. In fact I have felt good about this project since the first report was given to me of your activities. I am happy to continue the funding, you have nothing to worry about, I promise.

Thomas nodded, happy with the reply. He had his misgivings regarding their sponsor, but did not doubt that the man was shrewd and knew a good thing when he saw it, and Thomas knew that what they had just a few hundred feet below them was a good thing.

Mendez turned to Baxter. What are we going to do then?

Thomas spoke again. We originally thought that the object was much deeper, due to some of the strange readings we have been getting. But we have now narrowed the area down to no more than six thousand to eight thousand feet. It is also far closer to an exposed edge of the chasm than we thought which will make it easier to access than originally thought.

Manuel turned to Thomas with a questioning look on his face. I am sorry to be so blunt, but if your equipment is so accurate why is it so difficult to get accurate readings?

Thomas looked sheepish for a moment. The truth is we don't know, he said addressing Manuel and the rest of the group we have ascertained the composition of the minerals in the surrounding area to a level where we can give you amounts down to 0.1 of a gram. But the actual composition and positioning of the object itself seems to be causing us problems. This leads us to the conclusion that the object itself must be the cause of the irregularities.

Will this cause a problem with the excavation? Mendez asked Baxter.

No. The sort of interference it is causing will be irrelevant to the type of operation we will be undertaking. Once we start it will simply be a case of excavating. And that is the main cause of our argument here said Baxter, looking at his colleagues.

How so? Questioned Mendez.

Under these circumstances we would normally be digging for mineral deposits. It wouldn't matter what we hit. That is not our situation here. We have to ensure the survival of the object, and our normal methods would destroy it. So we have come to what you might call an impasse.

Mendez turned to the group You have been arguing over the best method to use for the excavation? Well I tell you now I do not really care to hear any more arguing. I expect the excavation to begin within the next 48 hours. Money is no object, but my patience is an altogether different matter. Find a solution, get the object out, and do it now.

Mendez left the room with Manuel in tow, His words echoing behind him and leaving no doubt to those left behind that the job had to be done, or else.

4

It had been two days since Manuel had delivered what had been in essence an ultimatum. Although at first it was obvious that the majority