"That's exactly what I was going to say. It was really amazing. It was like the little guy and I were saying 'Hello' to each other. Actually, I did say 'Hello' to him, but I think the mother got a little nervous and told him to move on, so that ended our little moment together," Jack responded, then added, "Guess she figured I was from the wrong side of the tracks."
"I've heard that about them. They can be so uppity, you know, the whole biggest mammal in the ocean kind of thing," Javier joked.
"Yeah, that's probably it," Jack returned the joke, then continued, "Anyway, after they left, I dove down and got about fifty feet below the surface. As I was diving, the light above me started flickering. I looked up and saw huge shadows crossing my path high above me." Jack thought for a moment then added, "I actually thought they were sharks at first. Kind of scared the hell out of me, so I quietly floated towards the bottom, hoping not to draw attention to myself. Eventually, the light finally faded and I realized I was out of danger, so I made the bottom and started my search. In the twenty minutes that I was at the bottom, they must have rammed my plane and sunk it because as I was swimming back, there it was, my plane on the ocean floor, with a float sheared off and one of the wings all bent."
"Oh My, Jack, that must have been the worst feeling of your life," Jack's mother said, horror spreading across her face.
"I have two words for it: hopelessness and despair," Jack replied.
They all thought about the meaning of his words for a moment, putting themselves in his shoes, imagining what they would have been thinking too. Once again, Jack's dad impatiently demanded more information.
"Ok, Jack, the suspense is killing me, what did you do next?" he asked with intensity.
Jack flashed his father a sympathetic smile and continued, "What did I do next? Well, it gets pretty ugly from here…”
For the next half hour, Jack retold the story of his survival. As much detail as he could remember, he painfully recounted. At times, his mother’s eyes teared, at other times, his father beamed with pride at his courage. As he told the harrowing tale of the shark attack and violent storms, all gasped in shock as they tried to visualize the hardships he encountered.
"That bad, huh?" Jack's father asked.
"Try visualizing a violent, churning wall of water the size of a house crashing down on top of you and the winds so strong, they could practically blow you off that float. That was no storm. That was a tempest in all its fury," Jack responded.
"Oh, Jack, you poor thing," Jack's mom said, her voice becoming emotional as she visualized her son's plight.
"Jack, you must have been so scared," Serena said, sympathetically.
"Actually, I didn't have a lot of time to be scared. I was distracted by my effort to survive. I know there were moments when I was terrified, like when the lightning lit up the sky and I was able to see those monsters rolling in at me, but for the most part, fighting to hang on and fighting to breathe pretty much occupied most of my time. And by the time the storm had ended and I was able to think about what I had just gone through, I was just too tired to even care," Jack elaborated.
"So how was the first storm compared to the second storm? Commander Luis of the Coast Guard thought that the second one was even more violent than the first," Moses asked.
Jack looked up in the air for a moment and tried to recall his last moments on the sea. With a puzzled look on his face, he looked back at Moses and responded, "Funny thing about that whole second storm, I really don't remember any of it. I know I went through something bad because my mind remembers vague turmoil, but that's about the extent of my recall. It was that bad, huh?" he asked with mild interest.
"Like I said, Commander Luis told me that it was worse than the first storm. By the time they found you, you couldn't even hold onto the float and were being thrown in mid-air from wave to wave. If they had arrived on the scene just a minute later, he told me you most certainly would have drowned," Moses said in somber tone.
"Damn, I guess I'm glad I don't remember much. Those kinds of nightmares are best forgotten," he said philosophically.
"I don't think you forgot, Jack. I think that whole storm just didn't register," Moses replied.
"What do you mean?" he asked, a bit puzzled.
"When they found you, you were delirious. Extreme dehydration and exhaustion had taken its toll and they said you were, for the most part, incoherent. Actually, the doctor's here said that if you had spent one more day out there at sea, you wouldn't have made it," Moses said, in serious tone.
"Huh, funny. Aside from this awful sunburn, I thought I was doing alright," he replied with subtle surprise.
"Well, you're doing all right now and that's all that matters," Jack's mom said, hoping to change the negative tone to something more positive.
Jack let out a great yawn. His conversation was the most he'd spoken in weeks and had exhausted him.
"Well, Jack, I think we'll get out of your hair and let you rest," Javier said.
"But what about the scrolls? Did you ever find anything out about them?" he asked.
"What we've found out will change the history books forever, but we'll talk more about that when you feel better," Javier said cryptically.
Atlantis - Chapter 24
With three days of rest behind him, Jack woke feeling refreshed. He slowly swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood for the first time since arriving at the hospital. Using the edge of a table for balance, he made his way to the window. He looked out at the courtyard in front of the hospital and watched the palm trees sway in the morning's wind. He smiled in satisfaction at his first sight of land in a month.
"I think I shall never see, a sight as lovely as a tree," he said to himself, slightly rearranging the famous Joyce Kilmer poem.
He took a deep breath and winced as his ribs flexed, causing him pain. As he shuffled back to the bed, the phone rang and he quickly moved to pick it up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Jack, this is Serena, how are you feeling?" she asked, in a soft, sympathetic voice.
"My ribs feel sore, but other than that, I think I'm ready to run a marathon," he joked.
"Ah, there's that humor I missed," she replied, somewhat affectionately.
"Stick around, I'm just warming up.”
"Well, it's good to hear you're feeling better," she said.
"So, tell me, what's the big secret about my scrolls? Your dad left me in suspense," Jack asked, impatiently.
"Actually, that's why I'm calling. I think you'll be very interested to learn who translated them for you," she responded, cryptically.
"Translated? Already? Wow, it's only been three weeks. Is it usually that fast?" he asked, now puzzled.
"Almost never. You got lucky. The scrolls were translated by none other than Dr. Burton Samuelson," she replied, sounding official.
"Oh, my God! What'd he say when he saw them? You know, he blew me off when I first told him about what I found on my way back from Peru. Talk about eating crow," he laughed.
"Needless to say, he was blown away by your discovery. In fact, you're going to be blown away by your discovery too. Are you sitting down?" she said, trying to build suspense.
"I'm not, but if you hear me fall, just keep talking. So what's the big secret, Serena. You shouldn't be keeping me in suspense. I have a condition, you know," he said, in good humor.
"Sounds more like a mental condition than anything else," she teased.
"Ahh, that's so sweet. You always say the nicest things to me. Ok, enough of the foreplay. Are you going to tell me the big secret or not?" he shot back sarcastically.
"OK, here it is. Those scrolls you found? They’re Atlantean," Serena blurted out.
"What do you mean, ‘Atlantean’?"
"Just that: they were written by scribes from Atlantis. Jack, you've discovered Atlantis. It really did exist," she announced, proudly.
"Holy crap, do you know what this means? Do you know what the implications of this are?" he said excitedly.
/> "Yes, it means..."
"It means I can now afford to pay my bill from this luxury hotel," he teased, cutting Serena off in mid-sentence.
"Jack, you're so weird.”
"See, there're those nice words again."
"Anyway, what it means is one of the greatest mysteries of our time has finally been solved and you are the man responsible for solving it. This might be the most significant historical discovery ever. You'll be famous, Jack," she said, her voice rising in excitement.
"So, do you think with all this new fame and fortune, girls will actually start to notice me?" he replied, pretending not to take it all too seriously.
"Maybe the one's you'd have to pay for."
"Whoever coined the phrase ‘money can't buy you happiness,’" he said. "Boy, what an idiot, huh?"
"If you're the one saying it, you might be that idiot," she countered.
They both laughed, then the conversation turned serious.
"Jack, there's something else. Burt actually found a reference to the pyramid with the all-seeing eye. He believes it's actually some kind of key to a chamber inside a real pyramid."
"No way," he responded in disbelief.
"Seriously, that's what he said. The picture you took nearly matched the symbol on the scrolls."
"Damn, I've got to get back down there and find that artifact," he said, now lost in thought.
"Are you crazy? You almost died searching for it. What? The pain of that awful memory has faded already?" she scolded.
"Well, I wouldn't go alone this time. If what you're saying is true, I could easily afford to assemble a team to help me. It'd be perfectly safe.”
"Jack, I hate to burst your bubble, but the scrolls said that Atlantis fell in a massive tidal wave. It was completely destroyed. That pyramid was washed away ten thousand years ago, so there's really no need to risk your life again.”
"Hmm, you're probably right. Besides, my mom and dad would probably kill me."
"They'd have to take a number and get in line. Your disappearance put us all through hell," she said, her tone turning dark momentarily.
"Sorry about that.”
"Well, we're all just glad you're back. We missed you. I missed you," she replied, her voice turning soft once more.
"You're just saying that ‘cause I'm rich and famous now," he replied, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Probably,” Serena responded simply.
As they said goodbye and hung up the phone, Jack thought about Serena's smile for a moment.
"Man, she's beautiful. And she missed me," he said to himself, then added, "Probably just being nice."
Changing the subject in his mind, he began to think about the golden artifact. He looked at the business card on the table next to his bed. Picking up the phone, he began to dial.
"Javi, this is Jack. Remember you said to call you if I needed anything? Well..."
Atlantis - Chapter 25
TWO WEEKS LATER
Standing on an old fishing dock in Cockburn Harbor, Caicos Island, Jack eyed the fifty-foot charter boat with anticipation. Lined up inside the bow were a dozen scuba tanks, wet suits and excavation gear, as well as several experienced divers all eager to start the adventure.
"Jack, you sure you're up to this? It's only been a couple of weeks since you've been back," Javier asked from inside the boat.
"I was born for this, Javi. It'd take an army to stop me," he shot back.
"Well, you just let me know if those ribs start giving you trouble," Javier responded, sympathetically.
Jack was about to respond when a black Mercedes pulled up near the dock. Stepping out was a tall man with gray hair in his late fifties. Dressed in a Bermuda shorts and a white pocketed t-shirt, he looked casual, yet exuded style and class.
"Ah ha, there he is now. Burt Samuelson," Javier said with a great smile. "Burt, over here,” he shouted.
Burt squinted in the sun, raised his hand in recognition, then walked energetically toward the boat. Stepping out from the driver’s seat, Serena's face carried a disturbing scowl.
"Uh oh, Jack. Here comes your one-man army," Javier said, ominously.
Passing Burt even before he made it halfway from the car to the boat, Serena charged over to Jack with a purposeful stride.
"Jack, what the hell are you doing? You nearly died out here two weeks ago and now you're back at it again. What are you trying to do, finish the job?" she scolded.
Jack turned and looked at Javier as he stood grinning on the boat. He read Jack's facial expression, a plea for help, and quickly spoke up.
"You're on your own, Jack. I'm staying out of this one,” he said, raising his brow in sympathy.
"Thanks, Javi. I owe you one," Jack returned with a smirk.
"Jack, please tell me you're not going to go diving with a bunch of broken ribs. I thought your days of danger were over?" Serena asked.
"Serena, how'd you find out about all of this? Your dad said you'd be upset by all this, so it was supposed to be a secret," he responded, glaring over as Javier.
"Don't look at me. I didn't tell her," Javier responded feebly.
"Burt called and asked for a lift to the dock, so I drove him. Imagine my surprise to see you and my father loading up a charter boat with scuba gear. Had an urge to go swimming, huh?" she spat.
"I guess you could call it that."
"Actually, what I'd call this is stupid," she responded.
Catching up to Serena, Burt stepped toward Jack and extended his hand.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Burt Samuelson. We spoke on the phone once if you recall?"
Jack shook Burt's hand and replied, "How could I forget? Thank you so much for translating the scrolls. I never would have guessed in a million years they were from Atlantis."
"It really is quite remarkable," he replied.
"Are you coming on the boat with us?" Jack asked.
"Sure am. Javi told me about the search you're conducting and invited me along," he said, excitedly.
"Awesome. So glad you could come."
"Well, if Burt's going, so am I," Serena cut in.
"Maybe you should hang back. This might get a little scary," Jack responded, lightly teasing Serena.
"I'm going for no other reason than to ensure you don't kill yourself," she shot back.
"My guardian angel," Jack said, looking over to Burt.
"I left mine back home with the kids, but I'm sure she's here in spirit, cursing at me too," Burt responded with a playful wink to Serena.
With a reluctant grin, Jack said to the two, "I guess we should get this show on the road, huh?"
"Good thinking, Jack. The redirect usually works for me too," Burt replied with a knowing smirk.
----- ----- ----- -----
Two hours by boat and the GPS's began to sound out their alarms. Slowing dramatically, the charter captain watched the gauges as he maintained his course. Less than a mile from Jack's dive position, he called out to his crew to prepare for the anchor drop.
"Nervous?" Serena asked Jack, seated next to him in the bow.
"Me? Never."
"Don't worry, mate. We're all professionals. We'll have your back down there," their dive master, Gregg cut in.
A dive master of twenty years, Gregg had seen and dove on every dive site around Turks and Caicos Island. After hearing of Jack's story of survival and his mission to find the artifact, he was thrilled to be asked to join the team.
Seated across from them, he continued, "With three pair of dive teams using state-of-the-art equipment, you just can't get safer than that without using a DSV.” He could see confused looks on their faces and added, “Deep Sea Submergence Vehicle; DSV for short."
"I just hope we find it. I was down there three times and still missed it," he replied.
"Mate, my boys are good. If we can't find your artifact, no one can," Gregg reassured him.
Looking to Serena, he continued, "Your dad told me this artifact might have come from Atlantis? Man, that
's just too cool."
Pointing to Burt and her dad, she responded, "Yeah, Dr. Samuelson and my dad were able to translate the scrolls Jack found, chronicling the rise and fall of Atlantis. That golden artifact was mentioned in the scrolls, so it would be an amazing find if it were located."
"Funny, we've all been diving here for more than twenty years and never once heard of anyone finding anything even close to stuff like this. Who would have guessed," he replied.
The boat slowed to a stop and the captain shut down the engines; a deep silence momentarily fell over the boat.
"Damn, it's so quiet out here," Serena said, breaking the silence.
"Try listening to it for a month," Jack responded, sarcastically.
"Ok, boys, saddle up," Gregg called out loudly to his dive teams. "We've got a lot of work to do."
As the five men prepared for the dive, the boat came alive with action. In less than fifteen minutes, six men were in the water, four of them already submerged.
"How do you feel, mate?" Gregg asked. "Your ribs ok?"
"They're definitely sore, but I'll manage," Jack said, as he floated near the boat.
Jack looked up at Serena, Javier, and Burt staring down at him. A month before, he was diving alone and felt apprehension and fear. Now, with so much support, he felt confident and excited.
"Wish us luck?" Jack yelled up to them.
"Be careful," Serena said, then added, "...and bring me back a gold necklace."
"I'll supply the pendant, you supply the chain," he replied in characteristic humor. With a toothy smile, he took a deep breath from his regulator, and then submerged.
Jack and Gregg descended together, following the anchor line down to the bottom, just as he had done more than a month before. With such experience all around him, any fear he felt on the previous dives was completely gone, and now he just followed Gregg down the rope and enjoyed himself. Periodically checking his depth gauge, he seemed to be descending at a far greater speed than he remembered. The two took only a few minutes to descend, and the ocean floor began to appear. A short distance away, Jack began to see the wreckage of his plane.
"There's my baby," he said through his two-way intercom.
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