Vanished

by S. L. Menear

  “I’m thinking I’d hide it at the bottom of the North Sea away from oil rigs and shipping, and I’d use the escape pod to travel back and forth to it. The pod is small and easy to hide in a garage, barn, or wherever.”

  “The thing is, it would be a huge asset to our military in any battle situation.” Banger glanced my way. “That unobtainium is bulletproof.”

  “It’s also laser-proof—I know because I tried blasting the escape pod, and the beam bounced off it without leaving a mark.” I faced Max. “I’m a loyal American, and if my country needed that weapon during wartime, I’d gladly fly it and blast the crap out of our enemy. What I don’t want is to be chained to it for the foreseeable future because it only works for me. Our scientists wouldn’t be able to reproduce it anyway. That metal isn’t available on Earth, and I’m not willing to search outer space for it.”

  Mike came to my defense. “The plans for the lasers and maybe even for the spaceship are probably in the scrolls she recovered from Atlantis’s Hall of Records. Let the scientists use that info to build advanced weapons and spacecraft. It wouldn’t be fair to enslave Sam after all she’s already given up to help our country.”

  Max looked at me. “Sam, I haven’t forgotten that I owe you big for everything you’ve done for me and my crew, dealing with Poseidon’s Sword and the Atlantis nightmare. I trust you, but what would happen if one of our enemies found the spaceship?”

  I considered it. “They wouldn’t be able to enter it, take it, or damage it—so nothing.”

  Banger jumped in. “It’s true, Captain, it only opens or operates for Sam, the last Queen of Atlantis.”

  Max paused. “And if someone kidnapped you and forced you to operate it to save a loved one?”

  “The instant I took control, I’d have it immobilize my kidnappers and blast the living crap out of everyone else involved. Then I’d rescue my loved one and hide the sphere again.”

  Max glanced around the table. “Sam may take the spaceship if everyone here agrees to keep it secret and also agrees that you never landed here.”

  We simultaneously said, “Agreed.”

  Max addressed Banger. “You’re a member of my crew, but you’ll have to leave with everyone else and return by other means.”

  Mike sighed. “There’s still a big problem to solve.” He paused. “How do we explain to General Ryan, and the base commander in Somalia, and Commander Metz how we got from the Kalahari Desert to Ross and Derek and then to wherever it is Sam drops us off?”

  Silence.

  Lisa’s eyes widened. “I know. We’ll say we stole a Super Lynx from the mercs and destroyed the second one. We ordered our jet home and flew the chopper to Uganda to rescue Ross and Derek. Then we landed at Entebbe International and caught a series of commercial flights back to the UK for Sam, Ross, Derek, and me, and to airports in Florida for Mike, Lance, and Banger. I know how to insert us into all the flight manifests and document us avoiding customs using fake diplomatic passports.”

  Derek smiled. “I knew your spy skills with MI6 would come in handy.”

  “I have an untraceable laptop you can use in my stateroom.” Max shrugged. “This is a spy ship.”

  “Uh, Lisa, don’t forget that it’s too soon for us to have traveled all the way from Uganda.” I paused, trying to do some mental calculations. “Look up the flights and let me know when we can realistically get to our destinations, so I’ll know when to drop everyone off. Great Britain is closer to Africa than America is, so I’ll drop you three first and then return after I deliver Mike, Lance, and Banger.”

  Lisa stood. “I’ll get cracking. In the meantime, Command will wonder why we haven’t checked in.”

  “We’ll tell them our satellite phones were destroyed.” Mike looked at Max. “This will work, Captain.”

  “All right, everyone except Lisa remain in the wardroom and don’t talk to the crew.” Max stood. “I’ll take you to my stateroom so you can start working on the flights.” He led Lisa out.

  I looked from Lance to Ross. “Hey, while I’ve got you both here, Lance said I should ask you why he’s trying to redeem himself with you.”

  Ross looked at Lance. “You really want me to tell her?”

  Lance’s face reddened. “No, but she’s bound to find out sooner or later, so go ahead.”

  I raised my brows. “Well, Ross? What happened?”

  “As you know, Solraya masqueraded as you.” He paused. “When she was in Key West, Lance had dinner with her, thinking she was you, and, uh, he spent the night with her.” Ross shot a glance at Lance. “That’s how we found out she wasn’t you—no scars and some other clues.”

  “And Lance told you about it?” I was shocked. “You must’ve been pissed.”

  “He had to tell me to verify that she wasn’t you.” He paused. “I was bloody angry, but we agreed that if he helped save you, all would be forgiven. And he did risk his life to save you.”

  “Sooo, you guys are good now?” I glanced from Ross to Lance.

  Ross narrowed his eyes. “Has he made any moves on you since then?”

  “No, he’s been a perfect gentleman, mainly just trying to keep me safe.” I peeked at Lance. He was still red in the face.

  Ross smiled. “Then we’re good. Case closed.”

  “I need a nap.” I kissed Ross, rested my head on his shoulder, and closed my eyes. When I awakened, an hour had passed, and Lisa and Max had returned with our fake flight itineraries.

  Max gave us a hard look. “Don’t make me regret this. I can’t risk letting you stay here longer. I’ll take you down to the moon pool, and you can depart in the sphere. If you have to kill some time before your phony arrivals, fly somewhere satellites and people can’t see you.” He hesitated. “Come to think of it, where are you going to let them off where they won’t be seen?”

  I glanced at my watch. “It’ll be dark soon. I’ll drop the UK three on the lawn of Duncan MacLeod’s castle in Scotland. The others will be let out on rooftops close to their airport destinations, and they can take cabs or Ubers from there.” I paused. “Then I’ll land on the bottom of the North Sea in a remote area and fly the little escape pod back to Duncan’s castle. He has plenty of places to hide it on the property.”

  Banger stood. “Just to give everyone a heads-up, I intend to move up my wedding date to as soon as possible, assuming Tiesha is willing to change it.” He looked at me. “Don’t worry, Sam, it won’t be too close to your mom’s wedding. I’ve been thinking that life is short, and I want to be married sooner rather than later. I’ll text everyone the new date so you can make plans.”

  Max shook Banger’s hand. “Congratulations, Master Chief. I’ll do whatever you need to get leave for your wedding, so let me know ASAP.”

  Banger grinned. “Thank you, Captain. I hope you’ll be able to attend.”

  Max nodded. “All right, people, time to go.” He led us to the moon pool.

  We said our goodbyes to Leviathan’s captain and boarded the shiny silver-blue spaceship.

  I sat in the command chair, and Lisa handed me a paper.

  “These are our fake flight itineraries. We need to kill four hours before you drop us in Scotland.” She paused and pointed at a line on the paper. “Then you’ll have to kill another five hours before you make the first drop off in Palm Beach. After that, you can take Mike to the international airport in Jacksonville, and then drop Banger off in Key West.”

  “Alrighty, anyone want to see the Arctic?” I eased us underwater away from the ship.

  “Sure, why not?” Lance sat in the copilot seat.

  Ross and Derek were already asleep in the open survival pods when I dived the sphere and steered a circle around Atlantis. Max hadn’t wasted any time disposing of the deceased Atlanteans. I spotted two weighted body bags descending into the sunken city.

  “Well, they got their last wish to be buried in Atlantis.” Mike pointed at the sinking bags.

  Banger stared at the kraken carcasses. “That’s
enough of this place. Let’s fly to the Arctic.” He grinned. “What could possibly go wrong?”

  I hauled back on the stick, and we shot into the exosphere in seconds. Easing forward on the control, we arced downward to the frozen North Pole.

  “Nothing to see here but snow and ice. It’s dark, and the polar bears are already asleep for the night.” I glanced back at my teammates. “Let’s have a look under the ice.”

  “Sounds like fun,” Lance said. “Maybe we’ll find another sunken city.”

  Banger shook his head. “I hope not. Nothing good ever comes from finding submerged civilizations, but at least we have a powerful laser to fry sea monsters.”

  The spaceship slid seamlessly into the ocean, and I commanded the floodlights to illuminate our path as we dived under the ice.

  Mike tapped my shoulder. “Uh, sis, I think that’s a Russian boomer.”

  An enormous nuclear submarine, the kind equipped with nuclear missiles, cruised slowly through the frigid water a thousand feet beneath the surface.

  Lisa stared at the massive war machine. “Definitely Russian. I hope it doesn’t detect us.” As she spoke, a forward torpedo door opened and the tube flooded.

  “Uh oh. Time to go.” I dived the sphere and accelerated away in a flash.

  Mike eased up beside me. “Since depth isn’t an issue, let’s have a look in the Mariana Trench.”

  “I don’t know—we might not like what we find there.” I frowned at Mike.

  “And something we find might swallow us, ship and all,” Banger said.

  “Then we zap it with the laser.” Mike looked at me. “Come on, don’t you want to see what’s down there?”

  “Yeah, someday, but not tonight.” I gazed back at Ross, peacefully sleeping. “My man needs rest, and an emergency situation might wake him. We’ll save the trench for another time.”

  Lance turned to me. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Let’s check out sunken airplanes and battleships here in the Pacific.” I steered us underwater toward Midway Island.

  After scouring several underwater graveyards, it was finally time to drop off the Brits. I zoomed us up to the exosphere again and arced down to Scotland, landing on Duncan’s lawn. It was a clear night with lots of stars and a partial moon shining on the North Sea when I woke Ross and kissed him goodbye.

  “Stay here tonight and I’ll join you in a little over five hours.” I waved as he left the spacecraft with Lisa and Derek.

  I dived the ship into the North Sea and kept it on the bottom for five hours before dropping off Lance, Mike, and Banger in various parts of Florida. Then I returned to my hiding place. I commanded the craft to remain where I’d left it until receiving further instructions from me, and I departed in the escape pod.

  It wasn’t long before I slipped under the covers and snuggled against Ross’s warm body. He was in deep slumber, and his steady breathing comforted me. I felt relaxed and safe with the man of my dreams, and although I’d lost my beloved airline career and had no idea what my future held, at least I had the one thing that was irreplaceable.

  I enjoyed my first sound sleep since Ross had vanished in Africa.

  The next day, I called my friend, Professor Ben Armitage. “Hi, Ben, just wanted to thank you for helping me find Ross and Derek. Everyone is home safe now.”

  “I’m glad you called. The U.S. government wants to organize a joint operation with Algeria to explore that underground city you found in Tassili n’ Ajjer. They’re asking archaeologists and anthropologists from Harvard to join the team.”

  “Do you know Dr. Phil Berger? He’s an American with a PhD in anthropology working the Dinaledi Chamber, and he’s the one who sent me to Dragon’s Breath Cave.”

  Ben paused. “I do know Phil—he’s a Harvard man. Why do you ask?”

  “I promised him he could be the lead anthropologist on the Tassili n’ Ajjer discovery. Think you can make that happen?”

  “Well, you found the city, and Phil’s a colleague, so yes, I can arrange it. Any chance you’d want to go with us?”

  “Sorry, Ben, I’ve had enough of that hellhole. Warn the soldiers to bring plenty of ammo.”

  He sighed. “Maybe you’ll change your mind when I see you at Loren’s wedding in August.”

  Later that day, I attended Bryce’s military funeral. Ross, Derek, Lisa, Duncan, and my mother came with me. Mike, Banger, and Lance weren’t able to get there in time after having arrived in Florida the night before.

  The somber ceremony reminded me just how much military personnel sacrificed for the rest of us. Bryce had served bravely in the UK’s Special Air Service, their most elite Special Forces. And he had been my friend. Lisa gave his mother the diamond jewelry he’d taken from the underground city. It would never make up for her loss, but at least the valuable gems secured her financial independence.

  I stared at his coffin and swallowed hard, trying not to cry. So many of my loved ones and friends served in dangerous military units. I prayed I’d never have to attend another funeral like this.

  Rest in peace, Lieutenant Bryce Manning. You will be missed.

  Epilogue

  MacLeod Castle, Scotland

  Summer in The Highlands was always lovely. I gazed out at the sun-kissed North Sea from my balcony in Duncan’s castle on the cliff. It was the perfect day for a late-afternoon wedding—clear skies and warm breezes.

  My mother, Loren Starr, had been a best-selling author for many years, writing medieval romance novels featuring handsome Highland chieftains on the covers. Today, she would marry Laird Duncan MacLeod, the spitting image of the last chieftain who graced her book cover. After losing her youngest child to murder and her husband to a plane crash, she deserved a second chance at happiness.

  Mother walked into my room. “You look deep in thought. What’s on your mind?”

  “Lots of things, but most recently that you deserve a happy ending.” I hugged her.

  “You do too, Sam, especially after all you’ve been through the past year.” She looked into my eyes. “I was so worried about you, but now you’re here, safe and sound, and Ross has regained his strength, looking as handsome as ever, thanks to your tender loving care.”

  “Ah, yes, his deep blue eyes, thick black hair, handsome face, and tall, muscular build could qualify him for the cover of your next novel.” I grinned. “He certainly takes my breath away.”

  “I feel the same about Duncan.” She blushed. “His sky-blue eyes pierce straight into my heart, and he’s wearing his dress kilt for the ceremony. That always gets my blood pumping.” She paused. “Do you think you and Ross will ever get married?”

  “I don’t know—I love him, but he hasn’t asked.” I sighed. “Maybe he thinks I’m too much trouble.”

  “There aren’t many men who would’ve put up with all the dangerous situations you managed to get yourself into, but Ross has hung in there.” She paused. “He risked his life many times to save you. If he hadn’t been there in the Himalayas—”

  “But he was, and I’m safe now.” I squeezed her hand. “All my enemies are dead, and we managed to fool the UK and America into thinking we never found the Blue Dragon.”

  “When you dropped off Ross and his friends on Duncan’s front lawn, I never thought the plan would work.” Mom shook her head. “Good thing Lisa is so good at hacking airline databases.”

  I nodded. “I managed to deliver everyone to their respective destinations at night without anyone ever spotting the spaceship. I wish I could use it all the time as my personal transportation. It’s really fun to fly.”

  “Leave it on the bottom of the North Sea, dear. Your life would be miserable if the military knew about it.” She glanced in a nearby mirror. “I hope I’ll look as regal as Tiesha did at her wedding.”

  “I loved how the ballroom at The Breakers in Palm Beach was decorated like a palace. She really was a stunner in that fitted gown that flared at the bottom—sheer gold gossamer over white satin with a gol
d tiara and a matching gossamer veil that trailed to the floor.” I smiled. “Tiesha looked like an African queen, and the gold stilettos were perfect.”

  “Didn’t you tell me the natives in that underground city in the Amazon basin chose her as their Snake Queen?” She paused. “And their chief thought Banger was her warrior king?”

  “Yep, they crowned her with an ancient gold and emerald crown that sold for thirty-five million at auction in New York.” I replayed the crowning scene in my head. “Of course, she earned it, saving us from that enormous anaconda. She truly was the Snake Queen.”

  “And you and the other bridesmaids looked fabulous in those pink gossamer-over-satin gowns.” She smiled dreamily. “It was a real fairytale wedding, and Banger was so handsome in his dress blues.”

  I hugged her again. “And now it’s your turn. Your fitted ice-blue gown is perfect for a bride’s second time at the altar, and you’re the picture of elegance for your wedding to a Scottish nobleman.”

  “I hope so.” She checked her blond hair in the mirror. “There will be a lot of dignitaries at the ceremony and reception. Rumor has it the queen might attend the wedding.”

  “She’s at Balmoral for her summer vacation, so I guess it’s possible she’ll come.” I stood beside Mom in front of the floor-length mirror. “I like my blue satin gown. It goes well with your wedding dress, which is good since I’ll be standing right next to you.”

  “And Ross will be Duncan’s best man.” She glanced at me. “Will he be wearing a kilt too?”

  “Oh, yes, he knows his kilt drives me wild—so sexy.” I smiled. “Our handsome Highlanders.”

  Lisa tapped on the door and stuck her head in. “Ladies, it’s time, and you won’t believe who’s sitting in the front row.”