“Huh? Atlas…like Atlantis?”
“A poor man’s, perhaps.”
“Or a lazy homage by an uncreative author…” Sam muttered. “So, what now?”
The giant stuck his neck down between some logs. Nedry woke with a wide yawn and scratched the spot behind his head with his back talons. He walked to the edge of the raft and started to look suspiciously around. Like he sensed something wasn’t quite right.
“I see nothing down there, Sam Pierce.” Darwin lifted his head and shook water from his beard.
All the while, their reptilian companion was growling at something below the surface.
“What is it?” Sam looked over his shoulder. He saw nothing. There was a hot flash of blue lightning in the distance. Then another, and another. Then gargantuan storm clouds started rolling in like black smoke. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“No one said adventurin’ was easy.”
The rains came. A full-blown storm. Yet the ocean remained relatively calm, with very few waves and of harmless size. And then there was a monstrous rumble that emanated from beneath the sea. Like the hoot of a great whale mixed with the bellow of a lion, the cry made the incessant crackles of electricity in the sky seem utterly insignificant.
“What the hell was that?”
No one need answer, because the creature made its appearance in all its glory but a moment later. A towering monstrosity that made even the great dragon Diakrino look no more threatening than a parakeet. The beast rose above the waves like a serpent from the basket of a snake charmer, with a head like a dragon and short, stubby fins lining its side. Its mouth of razors was large enough to swallow Darwin whole if it were to so choose.
“That’s a big ‘un, ain’t it?!” the titan teasingly chortled as the serpent dove back beneath the sea. “What, runnin’ away already, are ya?”
Sam was still. His hands gripped some twine on the floor of the raft. He stared at the water, which was beginning to form a whirlpool a hundred yards across. He was shivering. Terrified. The sight of the monster had turned his knees into jelly.
“You gotta stand and fight, mate!” Darwin hollered. “It’ll be back any moment!”
“I…I can’t…” He trembled. All that vigor he’d built up in the Grotto of Purpose seemed to have been drawn from his spirit. He was again like a stunned child, listening to his parents violently fight downstairs while he hid in his bedroom, praying their footsteps would remain far away.
“You can’t? Or you won’t?”
“I can’t…I—”
He was disrupted by another powerfully horrific cry from the watery sea monster as it once again broke the surface, stretching its twisting, serpentine body to the clouds, where the lightning illuminated it in brief, ghastly spurts he almost wished he couldn’t see.
“Sam Pierce! Think! This is your mind!”
“I…I…” He was absolutely frozen. The leviathan’s impossibly huge body began its descent…right toward their vessel. “I…” A rattled Nedry rubbed his nose into Sam’s shirt just as the monster whacked the water. The raft went tumbling through the air and Sam felt his body hit the sea. In an instant, he couldn’t breathe. He panicked, but through the darkness, he could see only surging bubbles and churning waves high above. And the more he tried to fight his way to the surface, the deeper he sank…deeper…deeper…deeper…until his eyes closed and he felt nothing at all.
He could hear rain. It clobbered the rooftop and roared down the gutters, pouring into the reservoir behind the house. Scant moonlight trickled in through cracks in the shutters, as a shape moved in the darkness outside. A tall, otherworldly silhouette stepped from window to window, but a menacing shadow in the night.
It stopped at the front door. The knob jiggled. There was pounding, cursing. Each boom sent a shiver down Sam’s spine as he held Lauren tight, her fingers clasping his wrists, tears in her eyes, teeth chattering. “Make him go away!” she said in a loud whisper. “Make dad go away, Sam!”
Beverly Pierce was on hold with the police, who were on their way. Sam wondered if it would be too late. He wondered what would happen if his father actually got in. He wondered—
His thoughts were interrupted by the deafening boom of a splintery crack as the door flew open.
Sam froze, terror overcoming his being as his sister tugged at his arm. He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. His eyes widened as the figure came closer, and closer, and closer…
24
The World Beneath the Waves
Beep. Beep. Beep.
John James Pierce stood over his unconscious son with his arms crossed, glowering at Sam’s pathetic, lifeless form as the IVs pumped fluids into his veins. He’d been standing there, alone, for nearly ten minutes, as easy to mistake for a statue as the guards outside Buckingham Palace. But he hadn’t said a word in all that time. He just watched.
“Hi grandpa,” came a tinny voice.
John turned to see his grandson standing in the doorframe. He grunted like an ogre and walked right past, squeezing by.
Logan approached his uncle and looked him over. He poked him in the arm and said, “Wake up.” Nothing. “Uncle Sam, wake up.” Still nothing. So, as any reasonable child would do, the blond boy pulled up a chair, sat down, and kept poking.
“Wake up. Wake up,” said a tiny voice in the darkness.
Sam opened his eyes, fighting back pain. His vision was blurry, but he appeared to be in some kind of bed. He cupped his face in his hands and grumbled, “I’ve now officially woken up in more strange beds the past two days than I did in four years at college.” He smacked his lips thirstily. He must’ve been dehydrated from gulping seawater.
“Here,” said a cherub of a boy as he handed him a pitcher of freshwater.
“Uh, thanks.” He forced himself up and sat at the edge of the cot in which he’d been placed. It was akin to the kind found in medical tents. The voice belonged to a little boy, no more than six or seven, with skin so pale that it nearly disguised his blond hair. He was wearing a white dress shirt and brown vest with a crown of leaves wrapped around his head.
“Is it fitting?” the boy asked.
“Huh?”
“The water, sir. Is it satisfactory?”
“Oh, uh, yeah, thanks.” Sam finished, let out a sigh and examined his surroundings. He was in a dark room, no more than ten by ten feet, but the ceilings were very high. The floor was constructed of tiles not quite green but not quite blue. Brass columns held up the roof from every corner, decorated with ornate patterns of waves, fish, dolphins and other sea life. The walls were made of metal planks and tinged with bluish rust. “What is this place?”
“This place? Why, you’re in Atlas, sir.”
“Where?”
A massive door swung open and Darwin the giant lumbered through. He looked relieved when he spotted Sam sitting upright. “My goodness, lad, can you believe the spill we took?”
“I might be able to if I knew where we were…”
“And the monster…” he continued without breaking for thought. “You froze at the monster, my dear boy. You froze…”
“I don’t like monsters,” Sam said as he stood and stretched. “Monsters scare me.”
“Some more than others, I see.”
“Yes. Some more than others…” He looked down at the little boy. He was dwarfed by even Sam—who maintained his assertion that he was of average height and no less. “So what’s Atlas, exactly?”
“Come! I’ll show you.”
And he and Darwin followed the child into a hall that looked absolutely ancient, like what he’d expect to find in the rustic ruins of ancient Greece. They passed more people, all with albino skin, white hair and leafy crowns, who glanced at the visitors with curious whispers. Particularly at Darwin, whose hair nearly touched the yellow lights embedded in the ceiling.
“Your friend is being worked on as we speak, sir.” The child led them into another room lined with steel tables. There was a group c
lustered around a particular counter, upon which Nedry lay asleep as what appeared to be doctors attempted to stich up the gash in his side—which looked worse than ever.
One of the doctors noticed Sam and shook his hand. He had a goatee that nearly blended into his face and spoke with a cheery British accent. “Ah, one of our visitors. I am Dr. Simon Tam the Third, at your service.”
“Sam Pierce.”
“Ah, a classic name. Then you are not of Paradiso?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Good, good. Most of the inhabitants of Atlas are refugees from that vile city, so it will be nice to have a citizen from a different land.”
“Well, I appreciate the hospitality, but I’m not planning on staying here. We’re sort of on a mission.”
“Not staying in Atlas?” The doctor looked as if he’d never heard those words before. It took a second for them to sink in. “Hmm. No matter. Now about your friend…” They moved over to Nedry, who was heavily sedated. “He seems to have suffered a very serious injury. We can see various points where the wound has tried to heal, but then always regresses. We are doing the best we can, but nothing can ever be guaranteed when it comes to fate.”
“Thank you, doctor. Do you know how long he should rest?”
He shrugged. “Science is not an exact science. I suggest you take your time to tour our beautiful little city in the meantime. Who knows, you may even change your tune about leaving.”
Their little guide took them to the end of a hall where they stood on a large, metal platform. There was a vertical tunnel over their heads that extended into blackness.
“You may want to have the right footing, sirs.”
“Footing? What are you talking ab—”
The platform suddenly started to rise. Sam wobbled on his legs before Darwin caught him. Within seconds, the moving floor picked up speed. The metal shaft became glass, and beyond it lay the single greatest sight Sam had ever witnessed. A scene so spectacular that it put the fabulous neon lights and futuristic geometry of Paradiso to shame.
A domed metropolis the size of an American city was nestled comfortably between two underwater peaks. The surrounding ocean was so dark that it was illuminated only by the aquatic mega-structure’s bright lights. The central dome contained skyscrapers of brass with a plaza in the middle. Several smaller bubbles containing little villages were connected to the main dome via a series of glass tunnels that twisted and warped every which way.
“That sure is something…” Darwin uttered in reverence.
“Welcome to Atlas, sir,” said the young boy. “It is a beautiful place.”
“That word does it no justice, lad…”
The lift shook as it took an unexpected turn, then a dive, and then moved horizontally, right underneath the massive platform that held up the city. In the next moment, they were moving up at a breakneck pace. The ceiling opened right before they smacked into it, and the next thing they knew, they were standing in the exact center of the plaza, which was set up like a circular marketplace bordered on all sides by lavish gilded buildings, an immense atrium of glass hundreds of feet over their heads and the teal tile beneath their shoes. They were surrounded by stone statues of sea gods brandishing tridents and spears.
And thousands of eyes were staring at them in awe.
The crowd was a mix of old and young, but the clothing was all the same, and they all had the milky skin and blond hair and grassy halos. Some looked on from the windows of the surrounding buildings while others examined the company from behind carts of trinkets and hanging fish. They were silent. Still. It was disconcerting.
“Are we not welcome?” Darwin wondered aloud.
“I don’t know…”
“Visitors are most welcome in Atlas, sir,” the boy said. “But alas, they are also rare. It has never been that we have had four in one day!”
“Four?” Sam thought. “But there’s only three of us. Who could be the—”
Then, as if to answer his impending question, he heard a loud, arrogant, and recognizable voice: “Please, please, people, hold your applause. You’re too kind. Really! I’m just here to do what I do best. You’ve all got a problem, and I’m here out of the goodness of my heart to take care of it.” And slicing through the crowd was a familiar figure who walked with overconfidence in his steps and a cigar dangling from his mouth. He reached the center of the plaza, turned to the people, and spread his arms wide like a politician giving a victory speech. “Evron the Avenger is here to save the day!”
There was a moment of awkward silence as the congregation exchanged baffled glances.
“I’m here to slay the monster, dummies!”
That led to an eruption of applause that filled the dome. Evron took it all in with modesty; saluting, nodding, smiling and blowing kisses.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Sam asked above the thunderous ovation.
“I just told you, I’m here to kill the sea monster. Isn’t that right, kiddo?” He rubbed the child’s hair into a bushy mess.
“My name is Eleos, sir.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever, you all look the same to me. And if you people can build a city underwater then why couldn’t you figure out how to invent a tanning booth, for God sakes.”
“Excuse me,” Sam cut in, “but what monster?”
“The same monster that brought you here, sir.” Eleos pointed to a wall of the dome, where outside hung ragged, empty nets. “The great sea dragon known as Abbot has been stealing our fish. If it continues, we may not survive more than a few months.”
“Abbot? For real? This great, powerful, monstrous dragon is named Abbot?”
He nodded.
“There’s got to be some hidden meaning behind that…”
The round of applause grew in intensity before abruptly cutting to silence. Evron looked around disappointedly as people in the crowd started dropping to their knees, bowing, as did the little boy.
Like the sea parting for Moses, the cluster of citizens formed a path through which strode a slender, gorgeous woman. She was easily seven feet tall with red hair down past her shoulders and a white dress so long that she looked as if she were gliding along the floor. On her head was not a crown of leaves, but one of gold, decorated with glossy jewels of all colors and shapes. She approached the group of three visitors and towered over all but Darwin.
“Who visits?” she asked with a voice that was angelic yet commanding, motherly yet firm.
Sam and Evron were both lost for words. “Uh…”
“Darwin of Oasis, madam,” said the giant with a sugary enthusiasm as he pushed past his smaller companions and kneeled before the queen. “It is with most graciousness that you have brought us into your wonderful home.”
Evron whispered in Sam’s ear, “Jesus, I wonder what he does on the second date…”
Darwin kissed her hand. “And may I say, a creature as lovely as you, I have never in my life encountered.”
She rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away. “Uh, right…Alas, my name is Calypso, and welcome to—”
“And a fantastic name it is!”
“Um…yes…okay…Anyway, I am the matriarch of Atlas. Our fair city exists as a refuge for those oppressed by the machines of Paradiso. State your business here.” Her voice traveled all through the dome like the speech of a deity.
“Yes, ma’am. We are travelers, you see, to—”
“Not you.” She pointed to Sam. “You.”
“Uh, me?”
“Yes.”
Darwin sulked and his cheeks flushed red. He slumped back to his group.
“Uh, well, my name is Sam Pierce. And I’m…well…I’m not from this world. I’m from another. And I need to get back to it.”
“And your journey has brought you here, to Atlas?” She crossed her arms and stared him down. It wasn’t a cold stare, or a scowl, or a wince. It was warm, understanding, sympathetic.
“I, uh…I guess…wasn’t really planning on it…but her
e I am.”
She looked at him for a long time, contemplating his words. Finally, she said, “Then you are welcome to stay and rest as long as you need. You may dine with us tonight, but I fear the resources will be scant until we eliminate our little problem.” She turned to Evron, “Mr. Evron—”
“Mr. Evron the Avenger,” he added.
“Fine,” she sighed, seeing right through his armor of egotism. “You have until tomorrow evening to vanquish Abbot. Until then, your continued admittance to this city will be contingent upon your ability to behave yourself.”
“Will do, ma’am. I’ll be the picture of maturity.” He gave her a salute. “Now if you don’t mind doin’ me a kindness, can you point me to the nearest pub?”
“Send him my blessing and give him this present for me.” Gio handed Delaney a brown paper bag. She thanked him for letting her skip the next few days then departed for the hospital. On her way back, walking along the sidewalk, she heard footsteps in pursuit.
“Del,” said the man who had pounded at her door days earlier. “I know you’ve had your damn phone on you.”
Delaney Cooper froze. She didn’t know how to respond. Avoiding the issue was all she had ever known.
“It’s not very polite of you to ignore your husband,” he gritted through angry teeth.
“You ain’t my husband no more,” she said, holding her breath to keep her lips from trembling. “Please, just leave me alone.” And she walked away. Quickly and quietly.
But he would have none of it.
“I’m talking to you, Del!”
She walked faster, but to no avail. He grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around when—
“Hey!” Beverly Pierce blustered up to him and screamed in his face. “You touch her one more time and it’ll be the last thing those hands of yours ever touch.”
“What? Don’t you talk to me that—”
“Leave. Now.”
“Excuse me?”
She stood her ground. “Leave. Turn around. Don’t come back.”
Farewell from Paradise Page 17