50. Empire

“Mecca is regarded as the holiest city in Islam and a pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the Hajj, is required by all able Muslims.” The Lite had explained this to the Elite as the reason for being here at this particular moment.” The spiritual guides will most likely be out of hiding now so this is our best opportunity to find them out in the open.” The Elite had acknowledged they understood  the importance of this information prior to them going off on their search.

Normally the city of Mecca has a population of 2 million people. During the Hajj it doubles. The Elite were keeping themselves reflective and also trying to stay out of the way of the mass of humans walking around. The Elite were imprinted with the descriptions of the guides but that didn’t make it any easier in these throngs of worshipers. Stan and Bill’s packs were searching in the southern area of Makkah province. This area was more desolate but considered a more likely hiding place for the guides.

Jolie was dragging up the rear as usual and not paying attention to where she was walking when she bumped into a tall man standing by himself near a small rock out-cropping. The man looked around quickly and saw no one and at the same time reached out his long arm and his hand caught Jolie on the shoulder. She jumped back and the man yelled out something in Arabic. In a matter of seconds men on horse back came racing toward the man. It was obvious to Stan and Bill that the Elite’s presence, mostly due to the unfortunate melting of the human soldiers into glass, was known throughout the Arabian Empire. Jolie was running back toward her pack as fast as her little legs could move.

“I found one, I found one.” Jolie’s high pitched voice was in my head. The Lite was also telling ME the same thing. “Jolie found one of the guides. But she and the other Elite are being approached by a few hundred mostly armed men. They need to grab the guide and leave the area without being detected.”  The little one bumped into that man on purpose. She knew he was one of the guides. I told Jolie to use the Lite Ring, carefully, and subdue the spiritual guide before he got away and if she couldn’t do it to have Stan do it…now!

Stan was already aware of the situation and started toward the tall man when he heard weapon fire coming from all around him. Again, not being able to see the Elite, the human soldiers were firing in a semi-random pattern hoping to hit one of them. Jolie ran back  to the spiritual guide before Stan could get there and unleashed the Lite Ring…..the tall man dropped to his knees then fell in the sand face first.

Stan arrived just as the guide was going down. “Jolie?” Stan was talking to her as she stood over the guide. “Did you just stun him like we were told to do?” Jolie looked at Stan..”yep, I stunned him to sleep.” Stan looked at her and then the prone man and said, “Great, now we have to carry him.”