Driftwood: An Atlas Link Series Novella

by Jessica Gunn

  “The fact of the matter is, you had a mission scheduled for this afternoon regardless of what happened with Dr. Johansson when he came here,” General Holt said. “Sophia and her team are positive you’ll be let out in the mid-1950s.”

  “That’s recent,” I said.

  “And new,” Trevor added. “Where?”

  “Sophia thinks New York,” General Holt added.

  I shot Dr. Johansson a look but stopped short of clapping him on the back. “No toga for you! Count yourself lucky.”

  “Toga?” Dr. Johansson asked.

  “We first discovered evidence of Atlantis about a decade ago,” General Holt explained. “Since then we’ve learned their people still exist. So does the city, supposedly.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “They moved the city through time, and use artifacts—usually art pieces— to time-travel. The how’s a bit complicated, but it’s true,” I said. “We didn’t lose SeaSat5, not really. More like misplaced her because she became a war target thanks to the outpost find.”

  “Time-travel,” Dr. Johansson said dryly. “You complain about my theories, and you pitch Atlantis and time-travel to me in the same fifteen minute window?”

  I nodded toward the manila folder holding photographs from the outpost. “Why do you think those artifacts were found in the same resting condition despite being from entirely different time periods?” Dr. Johansson stared at me, no response in sight. I shrugged. “We’re not lying. It’s now a matter of how much you believe us. The U.S. Navy green-lighting an international robbery ring, or time-traveling Atlanteans.”

  “My contract made me speak about the military in that light,” Dr. Johansson said. “I never would.”

  “And Atlantis?” Trevor questioned.

  Dr. Johansson shook his head slowly from side to side. “I…” He exhaled loudly. “I have no other explanation.”

  “Then if you’ll trust us, we can show you how it works,” General Holt said. “You can’t talk about it, but maybe then you’ll understand the seriousness of the accusation you slung around on primetime television.”

  “Again, General, I had very little say in that,” Dr. Johansson insisted.

  “That’s okay,” I said. “I thought you were going to claim Atlantis instead. Guess it’s a good thing you didn’t, huh?”

  Dr. Johansson didn’t look like he knew how to respond to that. Or to me.

  Chapter Six

  We left a few hours earlier than scheduled, which didn’t work so well for me. I dodged the Infirmary despite Trevor thinking I went. I slipped out of the hallway after he’d gotten back on the elevator. I still felt like shit and shook all over from chills, but I didn’t want to admit I’d been drugged. I basically grew up in Boston; if for no other reason, I should have known better. But despite everything going on with reporters and Dr. Johansson, Logan’s house should have been a safe place.

  That was what happened when I let my guard down. And I’d never do it again.

  The bright lights of the Transfer Room (a mid-sized once-conference-room in the heart of TAO’s main building) seared my vision. I blinked and tried focusing on the artifact in front of us, a trombone. Of all things. Guess it counted as manmade, or an artwork. It was amazing what passed under that classification, really.

  “So let me get this straight,” Dr. Johansson said. “We’re going back to 1950s New York, which is more recent than you usually travel?” His gaze skipped between the trombone being treated like a religious idol by TAO and our clothing. Usually we stayed out of sight, so it didn’t totally matter what we wore. But New York City wouldn’t be an easy place to remain invisible, so we tried our best to match at least part of the fashion.

  “No,” Dr. Hill said. “We tend to travel farther into the past, but it depends on the Link Piece in question. We found one linking to a museum in New York, though we’re not sure which one.”

  “Normally the recent time period would give us reason to question going,” Trevor said. “Grandfather paradoxes and all. But a museum is exactly what we need.”

  “Couldn’t you go to the museum today and look?” Dr. Johansson asked.

  “Things get stolen,” Major Pike interjected. “Exhibits change. Dr. Hill and Sophia are convinced whatever’s there in the 1950s isn’t there anymore. But odds are a museum holds more than one Link Piece. We’ll take the convenience, and if we find anything, Dr. Hill can work on obtaining it from the museum in present-day.”

  “Our goal is to find SeaSat5,” Sophia said. “It is why we’ve expanded TAO’s mission quota. With no clue as to when in time the station is, we must take every opportunity available.”

  Dr. Johansson shook his head. “I won’t pretend to understand what you do here.”

  “All you need to understand is we’re not the bad guys,” I said. “We didn’t destroy the station, or use it to steal artifacts.”

  “I see that now,” he said.

  I bet.

  “Shall we go, then?” Sophia asked me.

  I nodded and joined hands with Trevor, who offered his hand to Dr. Johansson. Sophia linked hands with Major Pike and Dr. Hill. “Hang on, Dr. Johansson. If you let go, you’ll be lost for good.”

  He had a single moment to shoot me a confused look when the Waterstar map fully encased my vision, becoming all I saw, all I knew. A thin line jutted out from the trombone, today’s date attached to my end of it, then it soared out into the wild blue haze. Sifting, searching, swimming through the wild azure like a perspective clip of a bird flying over land, until it scuttled to a stop on the other end. New York City, September 16th, 1956.

  I blinked and the azure evaporated like morning dew. We stood in the middle of an exhibition hall, none of the patrons any the wiser as to why the six of us were suddenly in the room. They walked around, talking amongst themselves in fancy clothes with champagne glasses in their hands. A string quartet played music in a corner, their music bouncing off the high walls and arched ceilings. Combined, they gave off a high air, a sense of riches and opportunity.

  No one ever seemed to question our abrupt appearance, and we never asked why. Sophia and I discovered early on that when we teleported in present-day, we appeared a few seconds out of sync. It must be the same when we time-travel, and those few seconds out of sync somehow effect others’ perception of our arrival. We didn’t know for sure.

  The exhibition hall showcased artifacts from various cultures rather than art pieces like Dr. Hill and I had expected—which could only mean one thing.

  “It’s the American Museum of Natural History,” Dr. Johansson informed us. “We are actually in the American Museum of Natural History in 1956!” He clapped his excitement and spun around like a time-tourist.

  Dr. Hill touched a hand to his shoulder. “Yes, we are. Now try to blend in and not looked surprised by that fact.”

  Dr. Johansson nodded. I rolled my eyes. The guy who believed in aliens couldn’t handle time-travel. Figures.

  “I’m gonna look around for a Return Piece,” I said. “Sophia, do you want to join me?”

  “Take Trevor,” Major Pike said. I shot him a confused look, asking why. He amended his answer with, “Given the time period and all. I’ll go with Sophia. Couple up and walk around.”

  About the only time Major Pike supported our “coupling” at work was, well, never. He saw what it did on SeaSat5, and despite him being one of the small handful of military personnel at TAO, TAO didn’t like people dating.

  “Okay.” Trevor nudged me away before Major Pike changed his mind.

  As soon as we moved a step, my world swayed. It felt like I was drunk, or sick, and I couldn’t keep my footing on the suddenly slick, fake-marble floor. Trevor caught me as people stared at us.

  “Chelsea?” he asked.

  I wanted to say I was fine, but I had to put a hand to my mouth to keep from puking.

  “What’s wrong?” Major Pike asked.

  “She wasn’t feeling well this morning,” Trevor said. He
eyed me. “Didn’t you go to the Infirmary?” I could only look at him. He knew I hadn’t. “Chelsea…”

  I dropped my hand. “I’m good. The trip’s a short one. I’ll be fine.”

  Trevor hauled me up. “What happened last night? Really?”

  “Yes,” Major Pike echoed. “Why do you look like you’re intoxicated?”

  “I’m fine,” I said again. “The after-party was a bit much, but I don’t get drunk, so don’t worry.” I did, however, apparently get drugged easier than I thought. But Thompson’s poison was lethal and didn’t drop me… It did incapacitate me, though. Oh, God.

  “We’re drawing attention,” said Dr. Hill. “Take her off to the side while we look around. It appears we dropped in on an evening soiree. We’ll be able to move around freer, but people will question our presence more.”

  I waved them off and forced myself, step by step, into the hallway toward a second exhibition hall. Trevor trailed after me. All we had to do was take a quick look around for Link Pieces, which Sophia and Dr. Hill would do, and find a Return Piece. Then we’d go home. I just had to make it until then.

  “Where are you going?” Trevor asked.

  “The dinosaur hall is up this way,” I said. “I’ve been here as a kid. Well, will be here. Let’s check that out.”

  We started off in the direction of the hall. “Think we’ll find anything in there?” he asked.

  “Better than staying around Major Pike like this,” I mumbled.

  “You want to tell me what actually happened after I left the party?”

  “Not really,” I said, letting my gaze wander the halls. It’d been a long time since I’d been to this museum. I was a kid and spent most of my time in the Human Origins and Cultural Halls— to no one’s surprise. It’d never been about dinosaurs for me. I wanted to learn about ancient cultures and their material remains. Now I knew it was because I was a descendant of one of those cultures.

  “Please?” he asked. “It’s obvious something did. I know you didn’t take more pills because even you can’t remember doing it.”

  “Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”

  We rounded the corner and entered a hall with dinosaur fossils. Freaking huge reptiles, if you asked me. “Amazing,” I whispered. They hadn’t drawn my attention enough to want to go into paleontology, but you had to be mindless to not be fascinated by the magnificent, prehistoric creatures that once roamed the Earth.

  Trevor’s eyes lit up at the sight of the fossils. “God I love this museum.”

  “You’ve been here before?”

  “Will be. Who doesn’t love dinosaurs?”

  “Beats me.” I sat down on a bench facing the length of the wall and glanced up at a mural decorating it. “I think I was drugged.”

  Trevor looked to me. “What?”

  “Last night,” I said. “That’s what happened. Anthony offered me a drink and I didn’t think twice about it because we were at Logan’s house.”

  Trevor didn’t respond, except to sit next to me.

  “You must think I’m an idiot,” I said. “Accepting drinks from strangers. That’s why I didn’t tell you. I’m stupid and it shouldn’t have happened.”

  “So, what? Whatever he drugged you with mixed with the Vicodin?”

  I nodded. “And a crap ton of alcohol because I’m special and viola. Here we are.” The room swam again and I ducked my head between my knees. “So stupid.”

  Trevor rubbed circles on my back. “Nah. Just trusting.”

  Wrong thing to say. My body stiffened, images of Lexi and Valerie swimming forward. “I’m aware that’s a character flaw of mine.”

  His hand stopped moving. “Er, sorry. That’s not what I meant.”

  “It’s fine.”

  He straightened. “Will what happened on SeaSat5 ever stop shadowing our relationship?”

  I shook my head. I honestly didn’t know. We couldn’t ignore it because the crew was still missing. We couldn’t deal with it because it apparently never went away. And we couldn’t resolve it until we did find the station and its crew. “Ask me again after we find the station.”

  “If we find the station.”

  My gaze lifted to his and despite the tone of his words and the conversation we were having, the ocean blue reflected in them felt immensely like home. Like safety. Like a connection to everything that was love and hope and completeness. “What do you mean, if?”

  He ran a hand through his hair then rested it on the back of his neck. “It’s been a year. A long year of searching and looking and coming up empty.”

  “You want to stop,” I guessed.

  “No, absolutely not. We can’t.”

  “Then what?”

  He’d never outright admitted his disappointment in not finding them. It was written in his eyes, on his face, every time we returned to TAO with nothing to show for progress, but he’d never spoken the words.

  “I’m tired,” he said. “That’s all.”

  “I am, too.”

  He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me close. My head rested under his chin. “I didn’t think the anniversary would be this hard. I figured it’s just another day. That I’d be fine.”

  “It’s okay to not be fine,” I told him. “I’m completely not.”

  “You’re drugged,” he said.

  I chuckled. “Beyond that. It hurts with them still missing. I’ve never forgiven myself for not being able to save them that day.”

  “We will.”

  “Excuse me?” someone said, a new voice in the room. We glanced up at the stranger, a man in a fine suit and a tray of champagne glasses. “You can’t be in here. This exhibit isn’t part of the gala. Please let me escort you to the others.”

  Trevor stood and offered me a hand. I took it. “My apologies,” he said. “I wanted a quiet moment with my girl.”

  “And I cannot fault you for that,” the waiter said as he escorted us back to the gala. “Here, a drink for each of you.”

  We each took a glass despite knowing neither of us would drink it. Trevor didn’t drink, and I considered it a bad idea for me right now. Plus the whole TAO regulations against drinking on the job and all…

  “Come on,” I said as I scouted the room for Dr. Hill and Dr. Johansson. I found them chatting up some men, likely about the various open exhibits.

  “Wait,” Trevor said. I turned to find him staring at the glass. His eyes found mine, and he tilted the glass my way. “I know you can’t have any, but… To SeaSat5? We’ll find them. I know we will. But in remembrance.”

  My eyes widened. “You, drink?”

  His lips formed a thin line as his eyes rounded. I’d never seen Trevor really cry, but tears wet his eyes. He swallowed them back and nodded. “Just this once. It’s basically sparkling cider.”

  I tipped my glass his way, not drinking, and said, “To SeaSat5.”

  And that’s when it all went horrifically, terribly wrong.

  Chapter Seven

  A blood-curdling scream tore through the museum, coming from the dinosaur hall we’d just exited. I turned in the direction of it, but the world rushed back and forth in front of my eyes. I fell.

  Trevor knelt beside me. “Chelsea?”

  “Wha—”

  I’d never felt like this before, like everything wouldn’t stop moving, even after Thompson poisoned me on the Bridge of SeaSat5 on the last day of the hijacking. “Oh God,” I got out before I vomited on the floor.

  Pike was suddenly next to me. His eyes urged truth from my lips, but I was too afraid of opening them lest more puke tumble out.

  “She was drugged last night, didn’t know it until today. Plus alcohol,” Trevor informed him. “Plus the Link Piece travel. Maybe there’s a combination of things than can take down Atlantean super soldiers after all.”

  “No time,” Pike grunted. He tugged me off the floor. “Push through it. Sophia’s already gone on ahead. Lemurians—they found us.” He turned to Dr. Johansson. “And you. Stay he
re.”

  Of course they did. Because we came here looking for a connection to SeaSatellite5. Because they freaking stalked our movements through time every chance they got. I groaned, fighting off another wave of nausea and wooziness.

  Pike ran in the direction of the scream. Gunfire followed him. When had the Lemurians upgraded to firearms?

  “Think you’ll—”

  I pushed Trevor out of the way and charged back to the dinosaur exhibition hall on unsure feet and with dizzy eyes that darted from object to object. All my high school and college years, I wondered what it’d be like to be drunk. Why did people do this to themselves? Every step became a chore, a fight for sobriety and a clear mind. Like those things danced on the horizon, unreachable.

  Trevor divided his attention between Dr. Johansson and me, who’d stupidly followed us despite Major Pike ordering him to stay put.

  “I’m not missing a single second of this,” Dr. Johansson mumbled.

  The dinosaur hall had erupted into chaos. Major Pike and Dr. Hill provided cover fire for Sophia, who fought in a whirlwind of fists and her water power against too many Lemurians for my impaired mind to count. They almost looked pretty, like fire and water pixies dancing instead of sworn enemies fighting to the death. Then something bright blue and shiny caught my vision, and I drew my gaze upon a Link Piece. A large one. One that’d bring us home.

  “Oh fuck,” I groaned, my stomach churning. “How in the hell?”

  Trevor followed my gaze. His brow furrowed. “What?”

  I pointed at the rearticulated skeleton. “It’s a freaking Link Piece.”

  Trevor’s eyes grew big and white. “Are you serious?”