Navigator – Chapter 2 – A Sunday Short Story

Posted bySuzette BenjaminPosted inSunday Short Story
Image credit: © lovepik.com

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Falling like a star across the night sky, the two spies clung to each other plummeting to their impending death at breakneck speed heading for the nearby Jumeirah Beach—its white sand, sparkled like diamond chards in the night glow.

With the ground coming up fast…

And, with the force of the winds hammering their plummetting bodies. Isabella spoke, her voice half carried away by the gales:

“Do you trust me, old fr___?”

“You ask me that now!” replied Old Sisyphus, his voice also trailing off on the midnight atmospheric pressures over the Persian Gulf.

Forbidden from using her “abilities” in the day-to-day affairs of her life, Isabella out of desperation prepared herself to use the forbidden incantation taught to her by her late grandmother. It was a spell from the Emerging Forth into the Light scrolls (commonly known as, The Book of the Dead).

That spell was only to be used when there were absolutely no other options—in life or death situations. The incantation brought with it a hefty price that few except, perhaps the fabled Hercules and his many labors, had been willing to pay. Bracing herself, Isabella whispered the Coptic incantation into the heavens:

“Ⲁϥⲧⲁ ⲛⲓ ⲣⲟ” (“Open The door“)

At once there was a deep rumbling of thunder in the distance, high above the gleaming lights of Dubai’s downtown skyline.

Suddenly…

Inexplicable the massive gold-plated Dubai Picture Frame building— one of the city’s great icons at 152 meters (500 feet) high suddenly appeared to project its shape into the night sky. The epic picture frame projection gleamed gold shadows across the Dubai landscape looking like a strange ship in the night sky.

Then…out of the picture frame, she flew.

Her talons were the first things visible; their sixteen tips were double-edged swords crafted from the cauldron of the earth’s core. Bits of molten magma spewed from the exceedingly sharp talons as she flexed them open.

Her epic wings just barely cleared the projection of the Dubai Picture Frame’s iconic shape as she glided swiftly through the magical doorway created by Isabella’s incantation.

Setho Zang, the queen of the harpies then sped towards Isabella and Old Sisyphus with purpose. Her wing span increased tenfold as she exited the enchanted doorway.

Her legendary shrieks timed as if in stereo with the sonic boom her wings’ speed caused as they flapped at their top airspeed of Mach one.

Then…time seemed to stop for Isabella and Old Sisyphus as Setho Zang flew in slow motion towards them, carefully cooling her talons, she readied herself to “receive” the two falling spies.

…out of the darkness of the midnight sky long curved sword-like talons grabbed and cupped Old Sisyphus and Isabella’s entwined falling bodies, and plucked them from the curtain of death already beginning to nip at their heels.

Setho Zang’s wings flapped overhead; their unimaginable sound seemed to human ears like a squadron of helicopters, their blades spinning in unison.

Suddenly… everything stopped— as if, all life since the beginning of time held its collective ohm for a moment.

Then, the queen of the fabled harpies, the half-woman half-eagle Setho Zang, flew from the heavens carrying the two spies. She gently placed Isabella and Old Sisyphus safely on Jumeirah’s white sandy beach while lapping waves washed their feet.

Just as suddenly as she appeared Setho Zang, queen of the harpies…vanished.

Then, time as they knew it resumed…

The two spies looked at one another knowingly. They had made a bargain with the darkness that would have to be repaid. Isabella leaned forward. She took off her Odin’s eye goggles and stiletto heels. Walking barefoot, slinging her shoes over her shoulder as she shrugged, Isabella said:

“I had no choice…”

“I know, I know, there’s gonna be hell to pay, Navigator. And, by the way, whom do you think wants us dead this time? Your enemies of this world, or my frenemies from the demon world, eh?”

Meanwhile, over the sea bridge from Jumeirah beach, nine hundred meters away, at the base of The Burj Al Arab hotel…

The tall lanky Bedouin assassin, code-named: Tomb, mumbled as he frantically searched the seven-star hotel’s lush Palm trees and tropical shrubbery in the outside grounds. He was searching for the bodies of his intended victims: Isabella and Old Sisyphus, but to no avail.

Uttering a host of unpleasantries Tomb or Mr. Tomb as he likes to be called, strolled to his heavily-kitted-out and armored, Off Road Jeep Wrangler in the parking lot. He was deep in thought planning his next move.

Mr. Tomb did not see the small missile advancing fast from the night sky downward to his position. The deadly two-kilogram Spike missile had locked onto his position via his communication earpiece.

The woman at the other end of the satellite-controlled missile launcher, who had been following Mr. Tomb’s every move, while she sipped a mojito from poolside in the same hotel, said as the small missile hit its target:

“I don’t accept failure from my employees, Mr. Tomb. You’re fired. Goodbye.”

The woman snapped her fingers in the air, at which, one of her henchwomen rushed to her side.

“Athena, send someone else more capable to finish them off, someone they won’t suspect. No mistakes this time!”

“Yes, Aunt Virginia, right away Ma’am.”

Aunt Virginia so confident of her missile “firing” abilities did not keep watch over her satellite feed to ensure that the spike missile’s impact accomplished her intended goal…

Yes, the impact did indeed demolish Mr. Tomb’s armored Off Road Jeep Wrangler. However, call it fate, or destiny, or a miracle but Mr. Tomb did not suffer a scratch except for a slight headache.

Because the Jeep Wrangler’s armored door, which took the brunt of the small Spike missile’s payload, ripped off its hinges from the blast, whacked Mr. Tomb over the head, and then, promptly fell on top of him, like an unintentional shield.

Not a religious man per se but for a brief moment, as he sped away from the scene unscathed, Mr. Tomb glanced back at the demolished and melting Off Road Jeep Wrangler. He whispered a word of thanks, just in case God or whoever was up there might be listening…

****To Be Continued Next Sunday****

Published by Suzette Benjamin

Positive thinker, inspirational, writer, faith

89 thoughts on “Navigator – Chapter 2 – A Sunday Short Story”

  2. 🤸‍♂️Falling like a star across the night sky🤸‍♂️

    Oh yes, this one came up first
    Beautifully terrifying

    Falling Stars or
    Like shooting stars released from purgatory

    Liked by 1 person

  3. 🤸‍♂️Jumeirah Beach🤸‍♂️

    An uncommon sound to me

    Jumeirah district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on the coast of the Persian

    It’s the ring of the word Persian that brings back brief and hauntingly beautiful moments from the people of the region many moons ago.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. 🤸‍♂️his voice also trailing off on the midnight atmospheric pressures over the Persian Gulf.🤸‍♂️

    Portrayed with dexterity, an exquisite sentence, triggering the imagination.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. “Ⲁϥⲧⲁ ⲛⲓ ⲣⲟ” (“Open The door”)

    I can’t remember now. Was the grandmum from the Middle East?

    It was a spell from the Emerging Forth into the Light scrolls (commonly known as, The Book of the Dead)

    Fascinating

    Liked by 1 person

  10. 🤸‍♂️Inexplicable the massive gold-plated Dubai Picture Frame building🤸‍♂️

    Wow, I had to Google to get an idea. It’s ART. They say it is a bit like the Houston of the Middle East.  Lavish and expensive.
    Another world brought in novel to me.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. 🤸‍♂️Setho Zang🤸‍♂️

    I also read that she is a “Female who nags a lot for no reason.”

    😂

    🤸‍♂️Her legendary shrieks timed as if in stereo with the sonic boom her wings’ speed caused as they flapped at their top airspeed of Mach one.🤸‍♂️

    And I think you captured the idea here….

    Could be.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. 🤸‍♂️Then, the queen of the fabled harpies, the half-woman half-eagle Setho Zang, flew from the heavens carrying the two spies. She gently placed Isabella and Old Sisyphus safely on Jumeirah’s white sandy beach while lapping waves washed their feet.🤸‍♂️

    I’m enthralled by the romantic in your thriller.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. 🤸‍♂️The two spies looked at one another knowingly. They had made a bargain with the darkness that would have to be repaid.🤸‍♂️

    Oh dear.
    I pray love prevails

    Liked by 1 person

  15. 🤸‍♂️I know, I know, there’s gonna be hell to pay, Navigator.🤸‍♂️

    I wish it were not so !!!
    Even after the incantation taken from mortuary texts .

    Liked by 1 person

  16. 🤸‍♂️Athena🤸‍♂️

    Oh dear the character will not live up to her name of good counsel

    🤸‍♂️Yes, Aunt Virginia, right away Ma’am🤸‍♂️

    Here we go, another aunty up to her tricks.
    And so to with Mr. Tomb

    We will have to wait and see till next what comes out from the author’s sleeve.

    Bravo…
    You have laboured in love and adventure
    Beautiful chapter.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Up to her trickery and skullduggery…yes “Auntie” after a fashion as you noted correctly.

      Up the “author’s sleeve.” …I love your expression, sounds so “magical” LOL

      Thank you for your generous support and for your adept application of the reader’s microscope to the story’s cellular intricacies. Blessings to you

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Wonderful that you were there. I would love to visit someday. For now, my imagination does the “travelling.”
      So pleased you enjoyed the story thus far. Have a blessed day, Keith.

      Like

  20. love this story and these lines that are full of great visuals Suzette

    “Her talons were the first things visible; their sixteen tips were double-edged swords crafted from the cauldron of the earth’s core. Bits of molten magma spewed from the exceedingly sharp talons as she flexed them open.”

    Enticing and awaiting for part 3🥰

    Liked by 1 person

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