by M. Arcturus
There were sharp stares and whispers from the congregation. Some even attempted to stand and head down the steps to the floor but were prevented by the slight body movements of the sea creatures behind the spotlights promising advancement, even interception if necessary. One board member, in particular, was about to ignore the aggressive behavior of the creatures and intervene, but a warm, persuasive hand was placed on his shoulder. As he turned, he stared straight into the face of Oberon himself.
“Please sit. All will be taken care of.”
With wide eyes, the ambassador sat back down in his seat. Lord Oberon, followed by Sorbek, took to the floor before most of the crowd filled the ancient arena that had over time become their Council boardroom. Turning toward Sorbek, Oberon strongly suggested that his companion should either take his place amongst the sea creatures, or take the closest seat he could find. Sorbek grimaced, but took his seat among the visitors. Taking a moment before addressing the crowd, the Lord of Avalon neared the spotlight that held his daughter in its grip. He wasn’t happy to see Seth holding on to her, but was glad to see her safe and taken care of.
He stretched out his hand into the spotlight and looked at Seth.
“You need to leave her now,” Oberon told Seth. “We have work to do. Unless you have found some proof.”
Seth looked at him questioning at first, and then it hit him. He hadn’t searched for a clue that could reveal Juron’s famous cargo.
“Shadow said you were looking for evidence that could save the innocent and pin it on the real perpetrator,” said Oberon.
Seth laid Pandora aside and took Oberon’s hand. There was no sense in postponing his mission any longer. He had his orders now, so with a small team of palace guards, Seth took off toward Juron’s office. As he looked around, it was apparent that the Secret Guard had their own problems to deal with. Each one of them was guarded by a sentry trained for Council meetings such as this. They were from all walks of life and were trained with one simple task, to keep the peace. Each one took their task seriously and personally, for they not only stood as an environmental figure, but they represented their nationality as well. As he neared the last few steps, Campanula entered with Jarrah by her side. She was decked out in all of her spender. The steel-gray gown sparkled, and the short, thin pieces of metal that arched to form the collar made a soft chiming sound as she walked. She didn’t sit down, but stayed standing against the wall off to the left of the doorway she had just walked through.
As Seth approached the doorway, Campanula looked straight ahead, but spoke to him as he passed. “I wish you well, and I hope you can find the evidence you are looking for. We’re all counting on you. No pressure by the way.”
Her last sentence caught him off guard at first until he saw her crack a smile. Though she had said it sarcastically, she had meant it far more than she wanted to admit. He smiled but didn’t respond to her as he left. Figuring he wasn’t going to say anything back, she kept looking ahead and applauded Lord Oberon for his opening statement. Though Oberon’s address was too muffled, for Seth’s attention was elsewhere, he knew this was going to be a long process. As he exited, the envoy from China whom he had eliminated about a day ago brushed past him in the doorway, but Seth was too focused on his mission to even notice. Like a shadow, the envoy walked past Campanula and took his place among the darkness that lined the walls.
Oberon glanced off to the side into Selené and Giséi’s cell just briefly before he turned to face the audience to deliver his address. The sharp look in his eyes was not meant for Selené or Giséi. It was more out of frustration due to the situation, but it still ran their blood cold. Oberon looked briefly at the stranger in their cell who was busy picking glass out of his foot and knew that soon he was going to need to call on the medics.
“Welcome ladies, gentlemen, companions, and newcomers. If this is your first time to Atlantis, for your comfort and convenience, there are tiny silver boxes attached to the back of the seat in front of you. These are translators provided for us by our gracious Elders so as we talk amongst ourselves; we will be able to understand what is being said. Take the boxes and place them on the side of your throat about equal distance between your mouth and your ear so it can translate what you say into Atlantean but allow you to hear your own language. If that is not effective enough for you, place the box to your ears when you want to hear something in your own language, and place them close to your mouth when talking. They work based upon your intentions, so it doesn’t matter where you’re from, it will translate whatever or however you need it to.
“For quite a few of us, it has been way too long since we have graced the corridors of this remarkable palace built by the Elders. For some, it’s been more than an eternity, and for others, it’s been a matter of minutes. When the Elders built Atlantis, they removed it from the laws of time and space to give us a place to establish truth and peace in order to generate an exchange of knowledge between people from all over the known and unknown universe. Whether that meant through trade or thoughts, we were to share our findings to advance in the understandings of life. As you can see, we are failing in our mission. It is time to take a step back and correct the wrongs. You have been called here today to reestablish our mission and to seek out the flaws that poison our cause. Today, we will grant ourselves a second chance at this creation called Atlantis!”
Everyone in the congregation applauded, and all were inspired to rebuild hope. Selené looked around and saw Shadow and Kajaka. Thankful to see familiar faces, she sighed a breath of relief. Because her cell of light was so bright, she had to squint at the people to get a good look at them. From what she could tell, there were at least five representatives from each species that made up the Atlantean Council. Unison was there with four other Neubians, and of course, the Ackrids made their appearance as well.
As Oberon captivated the audience with his speech, Selené tuned him out to take a closer examination of those who attended. Squinting through her bright cell of light, slowly she visually explored. These new representatives were so fascinating to her and were most likely a fraction of the representatives the Galactic Council had to offer. She yearned for the day that she would be able to attend and discover who all was in attendance.
She was in awe by a race that looked like blue fuzzy bear cubs wearing white kimonos. They were barely three feet tall. Their fur glowed blue, and their golden eyes beamed from under the hoods they wore. Another race that caught her eye were tall, slender humanoid beings whose heads looked like jellyfish. They were roughly eight feet tall and wore one-piece bodysuits of all different colors and styles. One wore a metallic forest-green V-neck bodysuit that had a fish scale pattern all over it. The other four beings wore more discreet colors like black, royal-blue, dark magenta, and gray. The bell of their jellyfish heads was clear with a hint of light pink, with dark pink streaks that branched down like veins. Their eyes looked like the eyes of an octopus on four-inch tubular stalks, and their jellyfish tentacles hung down like beards. They wore black collars that emitted a foggy mist all around their heads to keep them moist.
What caught her attention the most, were the representatives from Earth. She was really hoping to see some familiar faces. Maybe some past representatives she hadn’t seen in years. Instead, all of the seats were empty except for the fourth one. There was a man at least fifty years of age. The side of his hair had already started to turn white except for the top part, which clung onto dear life to its dark color of youth. He had one foot on the railing in front of him, and his head was tilted back, leaning on the top of the back of the chair. His eyes were closed behind his metal-framed glasses, and his mouth was gaped open, gasping for air as he slept. Selené had never seen anything so openly rude! Where were the representatives that used to attend? Why were they not here? Lord Oberon continued to speak about the current events, but Selené couldn’t seem to pay attention to him even if her life depended on it.
“What has happened here on Atlantis? A supposed unauthorized ship docks at the port. It’s not even scheduled to arrive, and who is there waiting for it? Juron and his classy Secret Guard—”
As he continued, there was yet another distraction for her ears. It sounded as if Lord Oberon’s pants had started to rip apart. It was loud, agonizing, and other people began to take notice. The audience shifted uneasily in their seats, but hadn’t started to whisper yet. Even Lord Oberon looked a little over his shoulder, but instantly realized his attention should remain at the front. So, in his calm, confident way, he looked back to the crowd as if nothing happened, but for the sake of the Universe, there it was again! This time Selené saw where it was coming from. It was off to her left in front of Juron’s cell. There it was—a rip in the time-space continuum. It was at least three inches in width, four feet in length, and it was as black as pitch. Yet Oberon continued.
“We had three of our most honorable colleagues board the ship, and it is said that these three stole some of the cargo on board. Isn’t that right, Selené?’
His voice was sharp, and it made her head turn back to the front, looking away from the rip. His eyes were piercing, and his face was tight. She must have looked like a deer caught in headlights, for a small smirk started to form in the corners of his mouth. Just as she realized his intentions, he turned back around and continued the briefing. Though her heart was still racing, she had just discovered that it was all for show. He couldn’t play favorites in front of the Council, but maybe for just once, he shouldn’t have been so convincing. Her body still shook from the tone in his voice and the initial look on his face.
Her attention was once again drawn back to the rip as a bright flash of light replaced the rip, and there before everyone’s eyes was a dancing orb of pink iridescent light. A shrill mechanical scraping sound pulsated in their ears. From the center of the orb descended a silver oval shaped pod, only big enough for two people to stand side by side. On the top of the machine was a cone-shaped propeller consisting of a single rod with two spiral shaped fins in the formation of a double helix, which was narrow at the top and then flared out toward the bottom. As the rod rotated, the fins appeared to intertwine, chasing after one another. Selené eyed the cone-shaped propeller suspiciously, recognizing it from somewhere, but she couldn’t place where she knew it from.
Taking in every detail, she noticed the fins were made of a beige cloth-like membrane outlined with multicolored flashing lights. On the bottom of the pod was a metal rotating band connected to two L-shaped fins that spun around the entire machine. The flashing lights on the L-shaped fins seemed to correspond to the lights on the spiral fins as if they somehow communicated with each other. She thought it was the oddest thing.
The pod landed softly on the ground. The curved base flattened like it was made of liquid metal allowing the pod to stand. As the rotating band on the bottom of the pod began to lose speed, the upright angle of the L-shaped fins lowered, making the fins run parallel to the ground, which added extra balance to the freestanding pod. Selené gasped as she watched Oberon duck and roll away from the machine with ill contempt.
The cone-shaped propeller on the top of the contraption still rotated even though frost covered the framework. The bright light coming from what looked like the cockpit dimmed into nothingness, revealing two dark windows running vertically down the front of the pod. Selené tried to stare into the windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of movement, but the darkness was too ominous, and she ended up briefly looking away. As the hatch opened, a well-groomed individual stepped out.
His clothes were made from silver threads, and he was so pristine that Selené couldn’t help but stare. His dark brown hair was short and intentionally ruffled, and his eyes were so dark they almost looked black from where Selené sat in her cell. He was tall and lean, and just before she started to look as if she was drooling, she looked away. Icarus noticed her reaction to the gentleman and halfway sat up with a jealous scowl on his face as he cast his eyes on the stranger and then onto his precious angel.
The newcomer’s eyes were wide as he scanned the audience, but took no time at all pulling his composure together. He took the floor from Oberon as he raised both arms above his head to address the Council. Oberon stared critically at the stranger, crossed one arm across his chest and used it to prop his other arm so he could place his other hand on his chin to look as if he was in thought. However, if truth be known, he was using his hand to cover his mouth as he bit his lip. Selené gasped at the stranger’s actions, but once again, as the bright spotlights that were once blazing on Oberon’s shoulders were now shining through the tips of the stranger’s dark hair, she found she was about to drool again. Her thoughts went from being appalled at his actions to how brave he must be to have taken the spotlight like that.
He bowed politely at Oberon before speaking, “Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for my interruption and latest invention. My comrade and I will be taking to our seats shortly.”
He bowed one last time at the Council and then ran to the other side and opened the hatch, helping the other man out of the machine. The other man wasn’t as flexible to the new situation or environment as the young stranger. They squabbled for a moment almost like a married couple. Selené held her breath, hoping that the first man was not in a relationship with the other.
Once the other man calmed down, the dark-haired man closed the doors, and they stepped out from behind the machine. They were holding hands as they raised them above their heads as if in triumph. Thinking that this was all an act, the audience went wild and started clapping. The dark-haired man beamed from ear to ear and seemed to be excited to be there, but the other one looked at him as if he was nuts. They let go of one another’s hand, spotted some empty seats, which just happened to be reserved for the human representatives and jogged up the steps to have a seat. The Council members settled but still whispered to one another.
When they reached the section reserved for the human representatives, he realized that only three seats were filled. Oberon watched through sharp eyes until they took their seats. He then turned and looked at the human in Selené’s cell. Guessing that the injured man was number four, he thought for a moment more before addressing the Council. Right before he opened his mouth to speak, there was a large puff of orangish-red smoke that appeared in the third seat next to the sleeping man. As the smoke evaporated, it revealed another man slumped over in his seat, dressed in an old, nineteenth century laboratory coat. He was clearly disorientated. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he looked around the room. Terror flooded his face.
“No, no this can’t be happening. Where am I?” He stood up from his seat and started to back away from the Council. Selené’s new heartthrob grabbed the man by the wrist as he passed by. The man struggled, screaming at the top of his lungs. Murmurs from the Council started to rise.
“Whoa now, take it easy. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Who are you? What is this place?” Squealed the disoriented man. Oberon scowled at the man from the central floor. He had no time for this. Motioning to the guards, they cautiously approached the hysterical man.
Shadow sank in his seat and whispered to Kajaka, “Oh no, not him again. This is the third time this week that he has shown up on Atlantis!”
“Who is that?”
“I don’t know, but he’s an absolute nut job!” Shadow peered over the back of his seat watching the guards’ approach, “I can tell the guards are going to have their hands full with this one!”
The young man turned toward the other. “I’ll let go of your wrist, but you’re going to have to calm down first. Otherwise, you’re going to have to deal with the guards.” The man looked up at the guards who had started to advance on them edging in slowly. “All you have to do is take your seat. Will you do that?”
“But you don’t understand. I can’t be here. I must stop him! He has contro
l of my body—hundreds, millions could die! Do you not understand the severity of the situation?”
The dark-haired man looked at the guards and then back at the crazy man. Deciding to indulge in the man’s insanity he asked with fascination, “Who?”
“Mr. Hyde!” He said it in a raspy, almost forbidding voice with his eyes bugged out. In response to the man’s delusional insistence, the dark-haired man backed up in his seat wondering how mentally stable this individual was.
“Mr. Hyde? He’s nothing more than a story—” he stopped short. In a small voice, he asked under his breath, “Dr. Jekyll?” His thoughts answered back, no—couldn’t be—but what if he is? There was no way he could tell the man anything about the book. The man would probably flip out and go further off the deep end.
To be told that you were only a fictional character from a book written in the late nineteenth century would likely make anyone shocked or angry. That was the last thing he wanted to deal with. Thinking quickly, he played along by adding, “You’re right, I don’t understand. I’m not sure who Mr. Hyde is, but since he is not present, let’s sit down right here to avoid getting arrested by the guards.” The man stared at him with wandering eyes as if searching his face for some more sound logic. “Oh, come on! You honestly think you can stop Mr. Hyde from here? Just take one obstacle at a time. At this present moment, here and now, if you don’t calm down, you’ll have a bigger problem on your hands. Just think of how hard it would be to stop Mr. Hyde if you were behind bars.”