Sometimes, he could avoid the nightmares, but even then, they seemed to be lurking on the edge of his consciousness, especially when he was on the verge of waking up.

And if he was lucky, the dreams would morph into Kay. Seeing her, even inside his head, helped him heal faster than all the sleep and medicine in the world. It hurt, but it was bliss at the same time.

"You can do this. All you have to do is keep going."

He knew she was right. "I'll get back to you. And I promise I'll make up for all the time I wasn't there for you, for all the pain." Empty words, but it was all he had.

He would keep this promise. If only he could...

A sharp scream jolted Kyle awake. Groggy and still confused, he quickly searched the surroundings for any danger. He'd become so proficient at it, he could tell everything was fine from just one sweep of the ground. No reptiles, insects or animals. No strangers bursting into camp, brandishing weapons.

It was just him and Snitch Gravel. Except the latter had dropped to the ground on the other side of the still roaring camp fire, clutching his head in his hands.

Kyle rolled out of the cot. It was still dark, but he felt alert and rested which was an obvious improvement.

Snitch Gravel let out another strangled scream and Kyle hurried over and knelt next to him. He wasn't bleeding and he didn't look hurt. But Kyle wasn't fooled. It was the third time he was witnessing this.

"Migraines again?" he asked, looking around for Snitch Gravel's luggage.

He didn't answer, just gritted his teeth together and pressed his hands harder against his temples. The answer was obvious and sent Kyle's heart into a convulsive dance. Because if it was migraines, there was one more thing he was painfully aware of. Snitch Gravel was out of medicine.

"Come on, try to breathe," he said. What the hell else could he do for splitting headaches? "Do you have anything else that helps?"

Water. Coffee. Knocking him out?

Snitch Gravel wasn't helping. His eyes were shut tight and Kyle wondered if he could actually hear him.

"Let's try drinking some water." He grabbed a nearby bottle and snuck his arm under Snitch Gravel's shoulders to lift him a little.

The scream he let out had Kyle dropping him immediately. Tears streamed out of the corners of Snitch Gravel's eyes as he gave up on trying not to scream.

"It's okay, it's okay," Kyle said though he had no idea why he was saying. It was obviously not okay and he wondered if Snitch Gravel would pass out or if his head would explode.

He felt so helpless, just like he used to feel when Jenny and Alex were babies and had colic and there was nothing he could do to ease their pain. Back then, all he had was singing and rubbing their backs.

Snitch Gravel moaned and hugged his knees to his chest.

Kyle put his hand on his back and closed his eyes. He could practically feel the pain radiating through his palm. It did nothing to ease his panic. But what could he do? Except...

He took in a deep breath. "Hush little baby, you'll be alright. You're gonna make it through the night. Even if it hurts, it won't be forever, I promise things will soon get better."

He opened his eyes once Snitch Gravel moved. He turned over, glaring at Kyle, his jaw trembling from the pain. There was confusion and disgust there, visible even through the agony.

Kyle moved his hands to Snitch Gravel's temples, applying mild pressure. "Shush, little baby, don't you cry. Daddy's gonna get you through the night "

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Snitch Gravel managed to say between his teeth.

Kyle ignored him and continued the song. It was maybe because he had nothing else to do, or because the shock of the action itself had stopped Snitch Gravel from screaming and whirling.

Snitch Gravel jerked, as if trying to pull away. Kyle tightened his hold and shushed him, then continued the silly kids song. After a few more attempts to break free, Snitch Gravel's body fell limp, the his jaw was still shut tight.

"No, stop," he moaned. 

"It's going to be alright," Kyle said, trying to keep his voice as soothing as possible. Then he continued singing.

"It's not. I fucking hate you!" The words were distorted with pain.

Nope, the singing didn't seem to work, but at least the screaming had stopped, being replaced by angry cursing. With nothing else to do, Kyle pressed his hands harder on Snitch Gravel's temples and continued what he was doing, repeating the song over and over again, until he could feel Snitch Gravel relaxing. His breathing leveled and he finally uncurled. His pulse also slowed down, and his temples stopped throbbing under Kyle's fingers.

He trailed off, watching for any sign of pain, but Snitch Gravel seemed to have fallen asleep. Slowly, Kyle pulled his hands back.

"No, leave them there a little longer," Snitch Gravel said, his voice low.

"Okay." Kyle pressed against his temples again, keeping the pressure to a minimum.

"And can you keep singing? Not the kiddie song. Something else."

The request was strange, but by no means weirder than what had already happened. "Like what?"

A small crease appeared between Snitch Gravel's eyebrows. "You had this song about moving town and staying the same person. I don't remember what it was called."

Kyle just stared. He knew the song Snitch Gravel meant. What shocked him was that it was a song he used to play with his band. Could it really be that one? He sang a few verses.

"This one?" he asked.

Snitch Gravel nodded, his expression smoothing. "Yes, that one."

Feeling both confused and grateful that his desperate strategy had worked, Kyle started singing again, only half-focusing on what he was doing. Instead, he noticed Snitch Gravel gradually relaxing, his muscles loosening, his eyes close, but not shut tightly.

When the song was over, he had no idea what to do with himself. He wasn't sure if he should pull back and let go or continue kneeling there touching someone who had obviously not wanted to be touched.

"Did you sing that first song to your kids?" Snitch Gravel asked.

"Yes. When they were babies. They had colic and it was the only thing that would calm them down."

Snitch Gravel nodded. "Yes, caring for babies is hard."

"How would you even know that?"

He hesitated for a few moments. "I can assume." For a few more seconds he was silent. "I'm sorry," he finally said.

"That's okay. I was waking up anyway."

Snitch Gravel opened his eyes. They were still filled with pain. "Not that. I'm sorry I said I hated you."

Kyle actually flinched at his words because they made no sense. "Why are you apologizing for that? I already know it."

"That's the thing." Snitch Gravel shifted and sat up on his elbows. "It's not true."

"What?"

He looked away, staring at his feet, indecision and pain battling on his face and Kyle didn't know what to make of it.

"I don't hate you," he finally said again. "And thank you. Those migraines are... Hell."

"I've never had any, but I can imagine."

"I'm sure you can. You've been hurt badly throughout your life." Snitch Gravel looked at him. "Even now. But they're something different. Like your own mind is trying to kill you. I never would've thought anything but medication could help."

Kyle had a vague feeling the pain may have just passed naturally, but he didn't see the point to say that out loud. "Glad to be of service."

"You always are," Snitch Gravel mumbled and sat up properly. "And you have it in you."

This was getting even more confusing. "Have what in me?"

"The power to stop tears, to comfort people." Snitch Gravel stared at his hands, turning them over. "I could never do that. I could always start the crying, but never stop it."

Kyle titled his head, trying to add this piece to the puzzle of Snitch Gravel's past that he was building inside his head. "Did you ever really try?"

"Oh, yes. Before all this, before the Counters." He continued his analysis of his hands. "You don't know what it's like. Knowing you've caused so much pain, but having no way to take it back, to stop the tears and the destruction you've left behind. I just... I felt like it was me drowning in their tears and there was nothing I could do. Nothing to fix it."

Kyle hesitated, not sure how to respond to that, how to even interpret it. Because it seemed way beyond Millie and their confusing love story. "What exactly did you do? Because things like that can usually be tracked down to one action."

Snitch Gravel shook his head. "It was just too much. And looking back I can tell I was way too young to juggle it all." He let out an amused huff. "Sort of like you when I entered your lives. I saw so much of myself in Sam which is maybe why I didn't kill you in the jungle and decided to test you instead. Felt more fitting than just ending it." He raised his eyes and they were more alert than before. "But now it must end. If only I could get a few hours of sleep, I think we can try getting the jewel in the morning."

That sounded like the best idea in the world. Kyle was so done with lingering around doing nothing and listening to bits of information that only confused him. He did feel like his strength was mostly back. It would have to do.

"Okay, then. I'll keep watch while you rest."

Snitch Gravel hesitated a moment as though Kyle not asking more questions was a trap, but then nodded and settled in the cot. The crackling of the fire filled the space between them and embers danced into the darkness.

"Could you... Um, could you tell me another story?"

Kyle blinked, still trying to compute everything he'd heard. "Sure. Any preferences?"

"Tell me about when your kids were born."

Kyle's heart tightened, but he moved next to the cot and obliged. As much as it hurt at the moment, he wanted to always remember every detail of the day his kids were born. It was, after all, one of the happiest days of his life. And his happiness seemed to feed Snitch Gravel as he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

🧭

The hole was big, dark and menacing, like it had been the first time they'd shined their flashlights in there.

"Here's what we're going to do," Snitch Gravel said, pulling the rope out of his rucksack. "I'm going in first and actually stepping on the floor this time. If I don't instantly die, you can follow."

"Okay." Kyle would've maybe had something against that if it wasn't the only way getting in would work. Not like Snitch Gravel could hold him off the floor.

"We'll figure it out from there," he continued, making a harness for himself.

Of course they would, because that was how it always was. No need to plan ahead in the face of the unknown. Kyle was already so used to this, it didn't even faze him. So he lowered Snitch Gravel down slowly, following the light from his headlamp.

"I'm in," Snitch Gravel called up. "And not dead. Just let me make sure..."

Kyle saw the light moving around, securing a perimeter to make sure they'd both fit on the floor. He tied the rope to a nearby tree and then lowered himself down into the abyss. Fortunately, Snitch Gravel was right and he didn't die when his feet touched the stone floor. He cut the rope and took the rest with them for later use.

They'd ended up in a cavernous hall with four tunnels leading in and out through arched entrances. The floor was almost the size of a normal room with a six feet wide trench filled with water separating it from the walls. The tunnel entrances were connected to the middle of hall by four foot-wide bridges.

"I'd be worried if I didn't know where we were supposed to go," Snitch Gravel mumbled, glancing around.

Kyle was glad about that, too. They'd drawn a sketch of the general direction they needed to follow in order to reach the center of the sun. If their math was right, and he doubted it wasn't, they would have no trouble choosing tunnels.

"Nothing on the walls, but I'm not surprised after what you've told me." Snitch Gravel glanced forward. "At least we have a bridge this time."

Kyle couldn't agree more. The idea of treading through water wasn't appealing.

"I should go first," Snitch Gravel said, already heading for the tunnel in front of them.

"No, I think I should go first."

"I think we've had this conversation before, kid. Your life is more valuable than mine."

"You're just trying to worm your way out of telling us the truth."

"Not in the least."

"Look." Kyle caught up, grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "We've had a lot of instances when the roof collapses. If that happens again, I can actually stop it. So I should go first."

Snitch Gravel pondered on this. "True. But if a trap door opens underneath you, I'm not sure I'm strong enough to pull you back up. You could do that for me."

He also had a point and Kyle glanced down the tunnel, a sick feeling twisting his gut. "I think we should just step together."

"I'm not sure you've noticed, but neither of us is exactly frail. We won't fit on that bridge."

"Yes, we would, if we're careful."

"We could unbalance each other and fall over."

That was true. Unless they actually held hands, which now sounded like a very bad idea which was doomed to fail. But he really believed going together was the best alternative, so with a huge sigh, he reached out his hand.

"We won't unbalance each other if we hold hands."

Snitch Gravel stared from him to his outstretched hand, his eyes wide with shock. "You're shitting me."

"Pretend I'm Millie if that makes you feel better."

"I will most certainly not pretend you're Millie," he growled, but took his hand. "But your idea definitely has merits, so let's do this and never speak of it again."

Kyle would've grinned if he didn't feel so awkward himself, so he focused on the matter at hand instead. Once they stepped onto the bridge and away from the hall, the air felt stuffier and the sound of dripping water accompanied them. As expected, the bridge was a tight fit and they would've definitely had trouble walking it without holding hands.

As they stepped further in, Kyle started getting more and more nervous. Weren't they supposed to hit a trap already?

"Stop." The tug on his hand from Snitch Gravel was more effective than his words.

Kyle halted immediately, focusing on the floor. He then saw it, too. One of the stone slabs perturbing maybe half an inch from the floor. They both stepped over it and continued forward, Snitch Gravel scanning the walls, Kyle keeping his eyes on the floor.

Their next step had the floor sinking underneath them. Without even thinking, Kyle let go of Snitch Gravel and lifted his hands. The force with which he ceiling crashed upon him rattled his bones. His knees hit the stone floor, sending a current of pain up his spine. Snitch Gravel rolled away, rising to one knee, his eyes wide.

Kyle pushed herder, forcing his muscles to obey. Come on, you can do this. He'd done it a million times before. And he could do it again. So he lowered his arms and allowed the stone to rest on his shoulders, then pushed himself back up to his feet. Yes, if he focused, he could do it. Lift again, pull himself from under it and let it drop. The sensation of lightness unbalanced him and he fell over.

In a moment, Snitch Gravel was at his back, helping him stand.

"See what I meant?" Kyle panted. "That would've killed you."

"And anybody else except you."

"And maybe Jimmy," Kyle said fairly.

"I just..." Snitch Gravel trailed off, frowning towards the floor. "Where was the trigger?"

"When we went here the first time, we couldn't really see any triggers either. Plus, the traps recharge."

"Good to know," Snitch Gravel mumbled. "Shall we?"

Yes, they had to. And with the ice broken, the traps started pouring in again. Fortunately, Kyle still had his reflexes, which made spears and arrow heads easier to avoid. Even better, Snitch Gravel was very fast on his feet as well, ducking, dodging and rolling forward before anything could kill him, effectively signaling danger that Kyle could also avoid.

By the time they reached a hall similar to the one at the entrance, all they had was fatigue and a few small scratches from arrowheads. They also each had a spear they'd pried off a failed trap to test the floor with.

Snitch Gravel stopped in the arched doorway, his hand rubbing his chin. "I don't like this."

Kyle had to admit that he hadn't expected a new room either before actually reaching the jewel. He tried to gauge where exactly on the map they were, but it was difficult.

"Shouldn't we be close to the center by now?"

"I would have guessed the same," Snitch Gravel said. "Unfortunately we don't have much space here to plan and think."

"Then maybe we should go to the center."

"That could also prove deadly."

"We'll just go together."

Snitch Gravel raised his eyes to him, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Don't tell anyone this in case we survive, but I think I might actually like you."

Kyle huffed. "I thought you wanted to tell me the grand secret."

"I actually trust we'll survive." And on that note, he stepped forward.

Kyle followed, keeping his eyes locked on the floor. The square stone slabs had been replaced by crude suns, their rays intertwined to create the bridge. That had to mean something. As well as the fact that they managed to reach the center without anything killing them.

"I'm confused," Snitch Gravel said, as the two of them stopped in the middle of the platform. "If I'm not mistaken, these are the tunnels leading here from the other edges of the sun design." Just to confirm, he dropped on the floor and pulled up the map.

"The floor design changed, too, so that must mean something."

Snitch Gravel hummed as he made calculations. "True." He started drumming the pencil against the paper. "This should be it. But if this is the center.... Where is the jewel?"

Kyle crouched and brushed his hand over the stones under their feet. The dust left room to more drawing. "Could this be writing?"

Snitch Gravel put the map away and joined him, a crease between his eyebrows. "Yes, it is. Warning against going forward." He looked in front of them. "But forward where?"

Kyle counted the tunnels, but Snitch Gravel's first assumption was right. They were the same number as the other rays of the sun, so it was very unlikely that any of them led anywhere but outside via a million traps. Since he had no valuable input, he moved to the corner of the floor and sat down in order to allow Snitch Gravel to read some more.

As he dangled his legs over the edge, he looked down. There seemed to be nothing there, not even water, and he couldn't see the bottom of the ditch. He glanced back and noticed the slant in the floor, how the water which had joined them so far cascaded into nothingness.

"What if there's more to this structure under the floor?" he asked.

"I was thinking the exact same thing," Snitch Gravel said. "Come and see something."

Kyle got to his feet and moved towards the center. Snitch Gravel had cleared up most of the floor and the very center of it was devoid of any writing.

"There are a lot of warnings and they're all spelled out in a spiral which ends in the bare center," he explained. "So I'm thinking you are right."

"It's also the fact that the trenches around this part of the floor are very deep."

Snitch Gravel threw a glance over his shoulder as if he wanted to check for himself, but didn't move. "Then there you have it. But how do we go down?"

"Using the universal key, of course." Kyle knelt on the edge of the empty space and pushed the slabs to form the crude sun. He had to put a lot of force into it, but the slabs finally went down.

With a screech that seemed to reverberate inside him, the stones moved aside to reveal a dark opening, large enough for one person to go through.

"Well, shit," Snitch Gravel said, his tone conversational. "Mind if I go in first?"

Kyle assumed it was stairs, so he didn't see the danger in it. If any of the steps give in, he could grab the man and yank him out

"Sure. The elderly first."

"Don't get cocky, kid." But his smile faltered as he looked down.

With a very visible swallow, he headed down into the unknown. Kyle gave him a few seconds head start and followed. It felt even darker than the room they'd just left and the air was humid and musty. They descended in silence for what felt like five minutes, concentrating on not to fall over.

Once the staircase ended, they were left on a patch of floor the size of the platform above them everything else was darkness, and the light of their headlamps wasn't powerful enough to reveal other walls or floors.

"I guess forward we go," Snitch Gravel whispered, not sounding very certain.

"Because it's east?"

"Precisely."

With tiny steps, the two started side by side into the darkness. At least they didn't have to hold hands this time.

"I couldn't help but notice the lack of death and destruction on our way here," Snitch Gravel said conversationally.

Kyle had noticed, too, but he had no idea how to feel about it. "And is that a good thing?"

"Depends on how proud you are of being the first person in here since the place was built."

He didn't know how to feel about that either. "I sometimes wonder why we get into places like this to begin with."

"Comes with the job, I'm afraid."

"Yes, but why? How did the Agency even get the idea to start looking for them? Including to send you out to Egypt."

Snitch Gravel didn't answer, but Kyle wasn't expecting him to. The man maybe knew a lot, but this was something only the heads of the Agency probably knew.

"Lindenbrock," Snitch Gravel said unexpectedly.

Kyle actually stopped. "Who?"

"Klaus Lindenbrock. He was a German scientist who sought asylum in the US from Eastern Germany during the Cold War. Before that, he worked for Hitler's science division. He sought protection in exchange for information. During that time, the USSR were claiming they'd built a weapon of mass destruction even more powerful than the atomic bomb. It was in the same period as the space race, so you can only imagine all the crazy theories about a space weapon.

"You probably know this already, but Hitler was obsessed with the occult and what ancient knowledge could do for him and his army. Lindenbrock was part of the particular division of research. So he came to the US giving them exactly what they wanted. A secret weapon against the soviets disguised in the form of legends."

Kyle pondered on this as he hurried to catch up with Snitch Gravel. "So let me get this straight. Someone greenlit this project to out-weaponize the Soviets? When did you actually go to Egypt, because you don't seem that old."

Snitch Gravel gave a bitter laugh. "I was there in the beginning of '93. Long after the Counters fell from grace. They did have Lindenbrock's information, but they sat on it for a good long while because it was very hard to determine where these jewels might be. Lindenbrock himself died before he could come with a more exact location than western Egypt.

"Given everything else that was going on, and especially the explosion at Chernobyl which was a very confusing affair since no one knew if it was a failed weapons test or an honest to God accident... Well, you can imagine. But the Counters didn't forget this little tidbit they had. They just pulled it back out to return to everyone's good favors."

It still didn't really make sense. "If you got the first jewel all the way back in '93, why did they wait until 2014 to pull the project out again?"

Snitch Gravel shrugged. "After that one time, they sort of lost their team."

This was new and so interesting. "Because of you?"

"Partially because of me. I outright left, but the others started dwindling. Jessie's parents, Angie's dad. Even Herrison. Some of them died inside that very temple."

"Including our uncle?"

Snitch Gravel froze and turned to him. It was hard to see in the dim light, but he seemed to be doing some quick calculations.

"I never expected a body to be preserved for so long, but I'm guessing you found him." He let out a long sigh. "So I guess that's right. Including your uncle."

"What was he like?"

"A bit of a prick, really. Like your father's entire family." And he headed out.

Kyle quickened his pace to catch up, turning over the new information. He hadn't expected to find out so many things, and everything still swirled inside his head, painting the complete picture if the Agency. He had a lot more questions about that first failed mission, but the finality in Snitch Gravel's tone indicated it wasn't the time.

Just as well since they had something else to do.

"I wonder why we haven't gotten killed yet," Snitch Gravel mumbled.

His question was instantly answered once the light shone on a narrow entry. They couldn't both fit through, so they stopped before the entrance, pointing the light around as much as possible.

There was a bit of floor right next to the entrance, but it narrowed out into what looked like a bridge. Frowning, Kyle stepped through the door and leaned his back against the wall on the right.

He hadn't been wrong. The entrance led to a small platform, and six feet in front, it ended into two very narrow bridges, barely wide enough for one person to step on. The rest of the cavern they'd ended up in was nothing but darkness. On the other side of the bridge, there seemed to be another platform.

Snitch Gravel came in, too, dropped his rucksack on the ground, and searched inside. After a few seconds, he pulled out a large flashlight and turned it on. It did a much better job than their headlamps. As he pointed it over the bridge, light flooded the room and almost blinded them.

"I think," Snitch Gravel said, turning off the light, "that we have found the final jewel."

🧭🧭🧭

So much happening in this chapter and I'm very excited about it. You get more bonding, more information, and two people actually trying to get the jewels. All the traps and layout thing is getting harder and harder to come up with but I hope it was still entertaining.

What are your thoughts on the new bits of information? And Kyle and Snitch are really starting to get along. Going on a dangerous mission together is the best way to bond, lol.

Hope you enjoyed it and stick around for the rest. Only two chapters left of this part!

Vote and comment for support!