Story written for "Gloves Up | A Multi-Genre Smackdown Contest", Round 4.1 (November 2022). Genre: Action-Adventure. Inspired by the following image.

Story word count = 3994

If anything, she was predictable. Under the full-moon's light, a dark figure crept across the project yard, keeping to the shadows between the excavating equipment and supplies. Not that stealth mattered much, because the security guard snoozed at his post. In the darkness, I leaned against the rocks at the cavern entrance and waited for her to come to me.

As the footfalls neared, softly crunching gravel, I switched on a lantern and said, "Figured you'd come here."

With a startled yelp, she jumped, nearly falling backwards. "Damn you, Seth!" Quickly regaining composure, she issued an ultimatum. "I'm going, and that's final."

Dr. Nova Jones was a smart, confident, and successful woman. An anthropologist, taking after her father, she was a leading authority on ancient American cultures and known for her contentious theories. But as she said, "Anthropology was only controversial if you do it right."

With full lips, long dark hair, and model-like lithe figure, she also drew other kinds of attention, but she was, well, how do I say this... difficult. Specifically, headstrong as a charging bison, and stubborn as a mule. I knew, because we dated until it became her way or the highway. She didn't expect me to choose the highway.

I sighed. "I'll give you two options. Option one: I hogtie you and drag your arse to the security office."

She placed hands on her hips and struck a defiant pose. "You wouldn't dare!" As I crossed my arms and glared into those deep brown eyes, she gulped. "You would, wouldn't you... Okay, what is option two?"

My expression lightened. "Option two: I come with you."

Nova rolled her eyes back. "Fine — option two. But don't get in the way."

"Wouldn't think of it," I kinda lied. "So, did you bring the artifact?"

"Yes."

Rummaging through her bulging backpack, Nova extracted a shiny metallic sphere about the size of a volleyball from a black canvas bag. Dozens of strange markings like ancient script etched its surface. Humming softly in her hand and emitting a pale blue glow, the object seemed otherworldly.

Perhaps it truly was otherworldly, by Nova's estimation, and further proof of ancient aliens. While a monumental discovery in its own right, the sphere paled to what I found nine months ago deep within this cavern — a portal to another world. Nova believed these things were connected.

I was a geologist, part-time prospector, and outdoor adventurer. Backpacking in the Secret Mountain Wilderness near Sedona, Arizona, I came across this cavern and did not resist the temptation to explore it. Soon after reporting my discovery, I met Nova and her father.

The portal, a dull-metallic ring reminiscent of the old Stargate TV show, displayed a shimmering view of another place when the two-man exploration team approached it, led by Nova's father, Dr. Luke Jones. Nova had sulked for a week after he forbade her to accompany them. But the sullen mood switched to shock when the portal abruptly shut down, becoming inert after they passed through, thus trapping them in some distant place.

That was three months ago. Nova poured her soul into bringing her beloved father back to no avail, also alienating most of the project team with her brash intensity. Clarence Alistair, a brown-nosed upper-level bureaucratic hack from the Department of the Interior, took over and slowed everything to a halt. To say he clashed with Nova would be an understatement, and he soon threw her off the project.

Then Nova discovered the artifact sphere among the ruins of an ancient kiva on the red butte above, as if it wanted to be found. Not so surprisingly, she neglected to inform the project. And here we are.

Nova gave the artifact to me. As I rotated it in my hand, tingles raced up my arm. "You know, if this is not the key you think it is, we are going nowhere."

She snatched it back. "It will work. I know it."

"Okay," I said while putting on my backpack, "let's go."

Her eyes widened upon spying the 9mm pistol holstered at my waist, and pointed, "Do you need that?"

"Hopefully not," I replied. "But we should be prepared."

Our flashlights lit the way as we walked the path deeper into the cavern, weaving between red boulders and rock slabs. Both of us were equipped for an overnight wilderness trek, wearing sturdy hiking boots, rugged clothing, and carrying supplies in our packs, although we had no idea what to expect. Eventually, the ceiling lowered enough that we had to stoop. Here, months ago, a rock fall had opened a tight fissure, allowing me to crawl through to an inner chamber. Since then, the project widened the passage and installed a security gate. The lighted keyboard beeped faintly as Nova punched in a stolen code to open the door and deactivate the alarms.

Inside, I switched on the lights. Except for a few cracks and rock falls, the walls and domed ceiling, about four meters tall at the center, were smooth, and obviously not a natural cavern. In the middle, surrounded by spectral analyzers, cameras, and other instrumentation, the circular portal stood silent, waiting.

I turned toward Nova. "If the artifact is the key, where is the lock?"

"Don't know," she replied, slinging off her backpack. "Science is all about experimentation and discovery."

"Oh, great," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Didn't you think this through? If someone is watching the monitors, it won't take them long to discover us."

Nova bristled as she extracted the artifact, grumbling, "I didn't say this would be easy. Go to the backside and look for any indentations that match the orb."

After a careful search, we didn't find any, nothing that the artifact would slide into as if a conventional key and lock. Each time she pushed the artifact within the portal circle, it flashed electric blue and tiny sparks sputtered and danced around it, but nothing else, no connection to a faraway place. At least it was something.

I pointed at the portal, moving my finger in a circle. "All those inscribed symbols — do they mean anything? Operating instructions, maybe?"

Groaning, Nova replied, "But we can't read them." She moved closer, tracing with a finger a row of six markings on the portal ring near the floor. "But these match some on the orb."

"And I forgot my magic spy decoder ring." I mumbled.

"I wonder... Seth, you might be useful after all." She moved the sphere closer, twirling it in her hand while gazing. "Maybe they are an activation code and the artifact is like a touch sensitive keyboard."

Nova touched in order the symbols on the artifact that matched those inscribed on the portal ring. She frowned when nothing happened. "Damn. Thought it would work."

"Maybe the order is right-to-left, rather than left-to-right?"

"Hmm..." She touched the symbols again, reversing the order. This time, something happened.

The sphere activated, blazing blue light bursting from each symbol. Nova stiffened and cried out, convulsing as if electrocuted, then collapsed to the floor. But the artifact remained in place, floating under its own power.

Rushing to Nova's side, I kneeled and collected her in my arms. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," she said, lifting her eyes to mine. Then she looked away with a gasp, and pointed. "Look!"

The air shimmered within the portal ring, becoming hazy, and crackling sparks danced across the void. A bass hum sounded, soft at first, then a crescendo, until it shook my bones. With a loud pop, a vivid image of another cavern appeared. But this one was different, moist rather than dry, sunlit from an opening above rather than dark. Green moss covered much of the enormous boulders and white limestone walls. Humid air filtered in, smelling of musk and life.

A smile rose on Nova's face. "This is where my father went."

I helped her stand up. "Aren't you glad you insisted I come along?"

As she glared at me, a shout pierced the quiet, reverberating off the rock walls. "Stop right there!"

"Oh, great," I mumbled. "It's Clarence the bureaucrat."

"This activity is not authorized." He said, lifting his pointy nose in the air and adjusting his black suit jacket. Two armed guards in crisp white shirts and black hats flanked him.

Nova drew her eyes into tight slits and spat her words. "We'll file the reports when we get back, Clarence. In the meantime, don't you have some arses to kiss?"

Clarence motioned to the guards. "Arrest them."

"Time to go," I muttered, grabbing Nova's arm. We sprinted to the portal and leaped within. The artifact followed us, buzzing through the air.

"Stop them!" Clarence yelled. Two shots rang out.

We emerged from a similar portal ring on the other side, splashing in a shallow puddle.

"Can you close it?" I said.

"Maybe..." Nova grabbed the floating sphere and touched the same symbols. Again, it pulsed blue, but did not shock her. The portal let out a loud pop, and the image showing the scene whence we came, including Clarence's shocked expression, disappeared.

Nova wrapped me in a tight hug, and I reciprocated. "We made it," she whispered.

"That was just the first step, a big one though," I replied. "Now we have to find your father."

"Damn," she said, breaking the hug. "I left my backpack behind."

"We'll be okay," I said, tugging on my pack straps. "I've got supplies in mine."

Nova's eyes widened, poking at my backpack. "Good thing, too. There's a bullet hole in it."

Shivers crawled down my spine to my gut. That was too close. After a deep breath to calm my nerves, I pointed to a faint path that wandered to the cave entrance, following a small subterranean stream. "Looks like that is the way out." After veering around a large mossy boulder, I said, "You know, we are going to be in so much trouble when we get back."

"A problem for later," Nova huffed. "Clarence is probably freaking out now. He can hardly take a shit without filing a detailed report."

I laughed, but upon hearing a faint scuffle from deeper within the cavern, I froze in my tracks and held out a hand to stop Nova, whispering, "Do you hear that?" As I cocked an ear, the sound came again, but more distinct. A puff, a whir, a stomp. "We aren't alone."

We increased the pace. Low hisses and mechanical throbs set me further on edge.

Then shrieking howls shattered the silence. Holding our breaths, we turned back, sighting a pair of wolf-like beasts perched on the rocks above. But these were not typical wolves, rather twice the size and all machine. Blazing red eyes flashed primal rage while jagged metal jaws snapped.

"What do we do?" Nova whispered.

I whispered back. "I'm thinking run."

So, hand-in-hand, we ran. Heading toward the light, we weaved around rock piles and splashed through the shallow stream, hearts pounding. Snarling, the beasts took up the chase, loping from boulder to rock in fluid movements. The cavern mouth drew closer, but it won't take them long to catch us.

As one wolf appeared on a rock slab above us, I drew my gun, spun, and fired three quick shots. The beast jerked back as the bullets struck and roared. I probably only pissed it off.

"Keep going!" I yelled to Nova.

The other wolf leaped to the floor beside me. As it lunged, I rolled to the side, just avoiding a claw swipe. The beast's momentum carried it along to crash against the wall, metal claws scraping against the hard, wet floor. I came up to a knee and fired off two bullets. Not bothering to check on the result, I sprinted off toward Nova.

Reaching the cave mouth only brought dismay. The only way forward was a five-meter steep rocky drop-off into a swift-flowing river. Nova gasped, hesitating, her wide eyes flashing fear.

"We have to chance it!" I said in a breathy voice. I just hoped those metal monsters did not like the water.

As the wolves came upon us, I grabbed Nova's hand and leaped, plunging into the river. The cold water hit me like an icy shock as the swirling turbulence yanked Nova's hand from my grasp. I rolled, bouncing off a boulder, until my head emerged above the water.

"Nova!" I yelled, while scanning the churning water. She was a woman capable of many things, but swimming was not among them.

Further downstream, her head pierced the surface. She sputtered, mouth gaping and eyes vacant, while splashing her arms out as if to reach an invisible hand hold. I swam toward her.

One summer years ago, I guided white-water rafting trips, so I knew what to do. When I came close, she let out a panicked scream and flung her arms out to grapple my neck. But that might drown us both. Blocking her arms, I dipped below the surface and grasped her torso, spinning her around. Then I surfaced behind her and wrapped my arm crosswise across her torso. Leaning back and floating, I kept our heads above the cold water. I still wore my backpack, but because waterproof bags protected many items, it provided some buoyancy.

With the back of Nova's head against my neck, I said in a gentle voice, "It's okay. I have you now." Breathing fast, she nodded and ceased her struggles. "Good," I said. "Let me do the work."

The current was too fast to fight here, so I pointed our feet downstream and let the flow take us. After a few minutes, the river widened, and the current calmed. Holding Nova tight against my body, I flutter kicked on my back until we reached the shallows among a stand of reeds. I helped her stand and walk to a pebble beach. Trembling, she collapsed into my arms, pressing her head against my chest and whimpering softly.

"We made it," I said while stroking her drenched hair, "But the sun is getting low and we need to find a place to camp and dry off."

Further up the bank, the space beneath a rock overhang provided a suitable bedroom, and swaths of tall grass, a crude mattress. In short order, I had a crackling fire going, and a water pot on the boil. While unloading my soggy backpack, the artifact floated beside us, none the worse for wear. With every motion, it buzzed like a Star Wars light-saber. "You were a lot of help," I muttered to it with narrowed eyes. But it probably did not understand sarcasm.

As the sky darkened, the air grew still and cold, and we huddled together before the fire's warmth. I looked up. One by one, countless stars appeared, and small twin moons rose above the horizon, casting faint golden light. Beautiful.

"The sky is different here," I said. "We are far from home."

Nova leaned her head against my shoulder. "Seth... Thank you for saving me, and for coming along."

I wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You are worth that."

"Where did we go wrong?" she whispered.

"I'm not sure. Life happened, and we clashed. Maybe we tried to mold each other into something we were not, rather than accepting each other as we were."

"I would like to try again."

When I broke up with Nova, I pruned away the desires I had for her, but with those few words, they sprouted again. I drew her close. "You know what, I would too. But this doesn't count as a date." She giggled in response.

Fortunately, a water-proof stuff sack had kept my sleeping bag dry. We slept in each other's arms, sharing warmth of body and heart.

The morning sun brought new optimism with it. After a breakfast from my supplies, I repacked my backpack.

Nova came up to me, the ever present artifact buzzing beside her. "Which way should we go?"

I scanned the terrain. This place was not much different from the desert from which we came, although somewhat wetter based on the higher vegetation density. Rocky red buttes, carved by wind and rain, stood like sentinels to the valleys between long mesas layered with red sandstone and cream limestone. The trees, brush, and grasses were different, but still remarkably similar. If not for some knowledge of plant identification, I might think this landscape was on Earth.

"Well, if I were them, I might follow along the river," I replied. "They probably wouldn't have gone far."

The floating sphere followed us as we ventured further downstream, staying near the pebbly stream bank. I tilted my head toward it, and said to Nova, "You know, that thing is like a duckling that imprinted on you."

"Hmm, I think it did. I feel it."

"We need to give it a name. How about, Bob?"

Nova rolled her eyes. "No. We are not naming an ancient alien artifact Bob."

"Well, do you have a better name?"

"It doesn't need a name."

"Okay, Bob it is. Come along, Bob," I said, motioning ahead.

Nova huffed, and I braced for a sarcastic retort, but then she stopped abruptly, pointing down at a muddy patch. "Tracks," she said. "My father's boot prints." A wide smile appeared on her face. "We are going the right way."

Later in the morning, we came across rows of plants interspersed with shallow trenches and low dirt dams. We both froze and turned toward each other.

"Agriculture," Nova said, almost in a whisper. "People, or something, live here." As we neared, her eyes grew wider. "Maize, squash, and beans — the three sisters. These are farming techniques originally developed by the ancestral Pueblo people, what some call Anasazi."

We spun around to a sharp yelp. A barefoot boy wearing a woven loincloth and carrying a wooden digging staff stared at us. With coarse black hair, medium brown skin tone, and high cheekbones, he appeared to be native American. But why was he here on this world? With another yelp, he turned and ran.

"This is incredible," Nova said, stunned as she watch the boy disappear over a knoll. "We should follow him. They may know of my father."

A well-worn path led us to a pueblo style village of perhaps a hundred dwellings set against a limestone cliff. In the center stood a round, low-wall building with a timber roof — a kiva, I presumed. As we made our way there, people wearing woven or animal skin clothing reminiscent of the ancient Pueblo cultures emerged from the dwellings, silently gazing at us. They showed no hostile intent, but seemed startled by the artifact as it buzzed alongside Nova.

"Nova!" a voice exclaimed with glee. Luke Jones dashed toward us from the kiva.

Grinning widely, Nova met him halfway, jumping into his arms. "Father! You're alive."

With pale skin, scruffy red beard, and auburn hair, Luke did not at first appear to be her biological father. Much of her coloration came from her Hopi mother, but on closer inspection, they shared facial structures and had the same fire in their eyes.

Luke held his daughter at arm's length. "How did you get here? The portal closed down on us."

She pointed to the artifact. "We found the key."

As I joined them, Luke vigorously shook my hand. "Good to see you, Seth."

My eyes scanned for the other member of the exploration duo. "Where is Carlos?"

The joy drained from Luke's face. "Did you meet the hounds of hell at the portal?" I nodded. "They killed him."

Luke turned back to Nova and swept his hand over the gathering crowd. "These people have been nothing but kind and welcoming. But can you imagine an untouched ancestral Pueblo culture here? They must have come across via the portal in the distant past. That might explain their mysterious disappearance in the thirteenth century. Nova, you might share ancient ancestors with them!"

A gray-haired woman with a colorful beaded headband stepped up, bowed, then spoke, but I could not understand her language. She pointed at the hovering sphere.

"A village elder, I believe," Luke whispered.

Nova's eyes widened. "The language sounds like an Uto-Aztecan variant. The structure and syntax are similar, but vocabulary differs."

Stepping forward, Nova bowed to the woman, pointing to herself. "Nova." She extended her arms, then hugged herself, saying, "Hopituh Shi-nu-mu. Kwaatsi."

The old woman wrinkled her forehead.

"What did you say?" I whispered to Nova.

She replied, "That we are peaceful people, friends, in the Hopi language. But I don't think she understood."

Cries and shouts rose from the village perimeter. People scurried, some running into the dwellings, others, mainly men, emerging with flint tipped spears or bow and arrows. The woman elder waved her arms, directing the men into a protective line. Soon, we understood why. The two mechanical wolves leaped into view beside a building, snarling and pawing dirt. My heart sped up, and Nova grasped my arm as those blazing-red eyes gazed directly at us.

Now I wished I had not lost my gun in the river.

The beasts leaped forward, but then stopped, apparently confused by the row of indigenous men denying them passage. A flair of admiration rose in my mind to the courage of these people, but I feared their spears and arrows would be inadequate.

Then I noticed something about the beasts.

I said to Nova, "On their forehead... The symbols."

"I see them!" she replied, apparently sharing the same idea. She snatched the artifact sphere from the air.

With a series of howls, the beasts charged, toppling the men in their path like bowling pins. Spear and arrow tips bounced off their metal skins.

"Hurry!" I yelled.

"I'm trying!" Nova spun the sphere in her hand, gritting her teeth as she searched for the corresponding symbols.

On reflex, both Luke and I jumped in front of Nova, putting ourselves in the beast's path. Within a second, they were on us. Metal paws slammed me to the ground, taking the breath from my lungs. Serrated metal jaws snapped, threatening to tear us apart.

Then they stopped.

Blue light burst from the sphere as Nova held it aloft. The hell dogs slumped to the ground and their red eyes faded away.

As I rose and brushed myself off, I blew out a long breath. "That was way too close." Luke nodded in agreement.

As Nova wrapped us both in a group hug, I reached out and patted the floating artifact. "Good job, Bob."

"We are not calling it Bob," Nova said with a huff.

Luke shrugged. "Bob is a good name."

*****

A delegation of the people escorted us to the cavern, where Nova used Bob to activate the portal. As it popped into life, the sight of home brought a wave of relief through my core.

Before we entered, the woman elder bowed before Nova and presented a colorful beaded necklace depicting a fanciful figure. "Kachina umi," she said, touching Nova's forehead.

After we stepped through, Nova deactivated the portal behind us, leaving our adventure behind.

Luke turned back and shook his head. "Those wonderful people... If not careful, we could do them great harm. We need to protect them."

Nova grinned as she caressed Bob. "It's okay. I have the key, and I am the only one who can use it. Nobody goes through without my consent."

As we made our way through the cavern, I pulled Nova aside. "What did the elder call you? Kachina?"

"I am not sure, if the word is the same as in the Hopi language, it means divine living spirit."

I smirked. "So, you are a goddess, then?"

Nova shook her head. "It would not be right that I claim divinity to those people." She pressed closer, with hands on my chest, then pressed her lips against my cheek, leaving behind a warm tingle. "But for you... I'm good with being your goddess."