And for that reason, he had to control himself. While he now had no doubt Niner and Jimmy had indeed found something—there was no way this was a practical joke—it was likely just an ancient city, long lost to the sea, and not the fabled city of Atlantis. He had to not get his hopes up, and he also had to remain calm, controlling his breathing as well as rate of descent, scuba diving something he had done on several occasions, but was in no way expert at.
Fortunately, Laura’s travel agent had arranged state of the art equipment for them, and Niner and Dawson were sporting the gear that awaited Reading and his son’s arrival. All four of them had masks that allowed them to talk to one another, though that left Jimmy and Atlas out of the conversation, much to Niner’s delight.
“We should be getting close.” Niner pointed ahead. “I’m pretty sure this is where the landslide happened.”
Dawson glanced at him. “Pretty sure?”
“Hey, it’s not like I had a GPS down here, but after we found the fork, we went straight up, and you guys were directly ahead of us onshore, so we couldn’t have drifted that far either way.”
Atlas turned, waving at them, then pointed ahead, a blue shark swimming by, paying them no mind.
“I think the big guy just spotted something to eat,” said Niner. “We should have brought the fork.”
Acton peered into the murkiness, in the direction Atlas was pointing, when he gasped. “Forget the king-size Filet-O-Fish, I think he’s pointing at that.” He leaned forward, kicking hard toward what appeared to be a set of columns sticking up from the seabed, the others following, their lights all directed toward what Atlas had spotted.
“My word!” gasped Laura. “Part of me still thought you were pulling our leg, Niner, but…” Her voice trailed off in awe, and Acton for a moment was lost in the excitement as his pulse pounded in his ears. He finally remembered he was a scientist, and grabbed the camera floating around his neck, activating it.
“Let’s remember, this whole area could be unstable, so stay off the seabed if you can, and try not to touch anything.”
“Yeah, especially you, meatball,” added Niner. “Ah, shit, he can’t hear me. Somebody remind me to insult him when we go topside.”
Acton turned to face Atlas and Jimmy, pointing at the seabed and waving his hands and shaking his head, then doing the same with the ruins around them. Both gave him a thumbs up, and they proceeded deeper into the revealed portion of what was clearly an ancient city, the architecture suggesting Ancient Greek, though with significant differences. There was also the fact that the Greeks had never traveled this far, at least according to currently understood history.
But there was no denying that an ancient, advanced civilization had once thrived here, the size of the exposed city significant, and suggesting the center of a metropolis, as opposed to a few scattered homes. Small villages didn’t build large buildings supported by towering columns. And island based indigenous cultures didn’t either. This was clearly built by some ancient European based culture, either previously unknown, or previously unknown to have traveled this far into the Atlantic.
“So, Docs, is it Atlantis?”
Acton glanced over at Niner, about ten feet to his left. “Too soon to tell, but it definitely appears to be from the right era, with the proper influences you’d expect from a culture that would have developed from a Mediterranean one.” He glanced over at Laura. “Let’s place the geolocators so we can easily find it again.”
“Okay.” Laura retrieved two devices from her bag, activating one and dropping it to the seabed, then swimming a short distance and releasing the backup device.
“It’s getting pretty late, so I think we should head to the surface. We’ll come back tomorrow and make a real go of it.”
Niner groaned like a child. “Awww, do we have to?”
Acton chuckled. “We’ll have all day tomorrow, and we’ll come back with more equipment so we can take a proper survey. Trust me, tomorrow is when the fun begins.”
They began their slow ascent, Acton reviewing the footage on the camera’s display, barely seeing anything, but too excited to patiently wait for later. When he finally broke the surface, their guide waved to him, and he swam over to the rented boat.
“Did you find anything good?”
Acton climbed in and shook his head, giving the others a look as they joined him. “No, nothing. We’ll come back tomorrow and keep looking, it’s all good fun just the same.”
“It is that.” Their guide fired up the engine, slowly taking them back to shore, everyone remaining silent as they stripped from their gear. Acton wasn’t a fan of lying, but he couldn’t risk having their guide know they had found something of significance, then tell his friends. There’d be dozens of boats and scores of divers by dawn. In fact, tomorrow, he’d pay extra to take the boat out themselves, and leave the guide behind.
Dawson’s phone vibrated and he took the call, stepping toward the back of the boat as it pulled up to the dock. They disembarked and he rejoined them. “I’m afraid you’ll be on your own tomorrow.”
Laura looked at him. “Why’s that?”
“We’ve been put on standby.”
Acton frowned. “That’s too bad, but I guess duty calls. We’ll keep you posted on what we find.”
Niner jabbed a finger at him as they climbed into their SUV. “You better. I want my cut.”
Acton laughed. “Buddy, the only way you’re making any money off this is if you sell the film rights.”
Niner stared at the roof of the SUV wistfully. “And then maybe I can star in it too!”
Atlas groaned. “Oh, man, let’s not have that discussion again. Soldiers shouldn’t play themselves in movies.”
Dawson glanced in the rearview mirror as they pulled away, Niner holding his hands in front of him, mimicking a camera lens. Dawson gave Acton a look. “Why oh why did you plant that idea in his head?”
“All right Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up!”
Acton shook his head at Niner. “I think maybe it’s a good thing you guys are leaving. He’s going to be unbearable, and at least you guys are armed.”
10
Atlantean Enforcer’s Office, Western District
Atlantis
Before the fall
Senior Enforcer Kleito sat in her office, reading over a report about damage to the Museum of the Gods suffered in last night’s earthquake. She knew from her dispatches that the news reporters only had half the story, if that. Their orders, handed down from the Secretary of Public Order, was to cordon off any damage, keeping eyewitnesses to a minimum. City maintenance crews would arrive within minutes, teams on standby throughout the city, and the mess would be cleaned up, then repairs made as quickly as possible, usually under the guise of planned work, as stone-based architecture took time to fix.
The population was being kept in the dark, and she didn’t agree with that decision by their duly elected representatives. But she dared not question it. She had just received her promotion, and she wasn’t about to put her career at risk questioning what she had to assume was a decision made for reasons simply unknown to her. While the smoking mountain that dominated the skyline concerned her, she was certain there was no danger, otherwise the government would have taken action by now.
The fringe elements were, of course, out in full force, claiming pending doom, but they had always existed, long before the earthquakes began. Killer waves, angry gods, invasion fleets from beyond the Pillars of Hercules, even massive rocks from the skies, were always dominating the conversations of those with too much time on their hands.
There was a knock on her door and she glanced up to see her assistant standing there, a concerned look on his face. “What is it?”
He stepped forward, handing her a message. “Urgent message from the Senate.”
Her eyebrows rose slightly as she unrolled it, then jumped when she read it, recognizing the name of one of the city’s most prominent intellectuals. “We’re t
o arrest Professor Ampheres? We’re sure this is legit?”
He shrugged. “I could request confirmation.”
She shook her head, rising from her chair. “No, that would take too long. Let’s assume it is, and sort it out later.” She marched through the door and pointed at four officers. “You’re with me.” They all leaped to their feet and followed her outside as she broke into a jog, heading for the docks where one of the most respected scientists of the city was due to arrive.
With orders to arrest him for the theft of Poseidon’s Trident.
11
Off the coast of Pico Island, Azores
Present Day
James Acton checked his gauge, confirming he still had plenty of time to enjoy himself almost 200 feet below the surface. When he and Laura had arrived this morning, there was no evidence that anyone had discovered their find, and the owner of the diving supplies company had no problem taking an extra hundred to leave the guide behind. Their boat was far overhead, most of their equipment it had ferried from shore now on the ocean floor. All it now contained were additional tanks and the trident, carefully wrapped and stowed, they having decided this morning that leaving it at the hotel might be riskier than taking it with them. Hugh Reading and his son Spencer were due to arrive later today, and they’d then have their own built-in security detail.
He checked the waterproof tablet computer hung around his neck, swiping his finger to the left several times, confirming all the camera feeds were working, all but one showing a crystal clear image. “Camera Six seems to be down.”
Laura, to his left, kicked toward the position. “Give me a sec.” She disappeared behind some ruins, then a few moments later the image flickered, giving a clear view of her grinning face.
“Can you see me now?”
“Either you or a mermaid.”
“Hey, if this turns out to be Atlantis, maybe they’re real too.”
“Better not mention that to Hugh, he’ll call you daft or barmy or some other Briticism. Or is that Britishism?”
Laura reappeared from behind a still intact wall. “Who knows when you’re making up words?” She motioned around them. “We now have complete coverage of the area. I think we’re ready to deploy the relay.”
“Yes’m.” Acton swam down to one of their bags lying on the seafloor and unzipped it. He pulled out a weighted device, activated it, and after following the prompts on the screen, it was soon connecting to the signals of all eight cameras now deployed on the seabed. “We’ve got a good connection. Deploying now.”
He placed the heavy relay on the seafloor, then unhooked the end of the flexible antenna from the circular weight. He let it go and the buoyant end slowly rose toward the surface, the light cable uncoiling from within the bag. He carefully helped feed it through so there weren’t any snags, and within minutes, the display updated, indicating it had connected with the satellite providing their link to the cloud storage that would record all of their footage. If anyone tried to disturb the site, or if, God forbid, there was another landslide that might send what had been revealed farther down the side of what was a massive volcano originating on the bottom of the Atlantic, they’d have video of everything that had occurred, and perhaps proof of what they hoped these ruins might represent. “We’re connected.”
“Excellent! Ready to explore?”
He smiled at his wife, about thirty feet away. “Let’s. This place will be getting a whole lot more crowded once we put out the word tonight.”
“I do feel a little guilty about not notifying anyone yet, but, well…”
Acton chuckled. “I know. Sometimes it’s fun to be a little selfish. Besides, I’ll feel better once Hugh and Spencer are here.”
“Me too.”
Acton struck a near-weightless superhero pose. “What? I’m not man enough for you?”
Laura looked back at him and laughed. “My hero!”
“Damn skippy, and you best not forget it!”
“Okay, hero, let’s get to work. I’m going to start mapping the south side, closest to the island. You start on the north.”
Acton became all business. “Roger that. Watch your gauges. We’ll have to surface in a little bit to swap tanks, and the ascent takes almost thirty minutes.”
“Okay.”
Acton pushed back a few feet from the relay device now sending signals halfway across the world, and examined the area. Scattered across the surface were columns and collapsed walls, and what appeared to be cobblestone roads and walkways, long since split apart and scattered. He worked his way deeper, taking pictures and video with his camera, taking notes on his tablet, and was soon lost in the thrill of a new discovery. An alarm beeped and it startled him before he realized what it was—the timer warning him he was due to surface.
He checked his indicator and frowned at the reading showing slightly less pressure than he was expecting, his excitement causing him to breathe heavier than usual. “I have to surface. How’s your pressure gauge reading?” He looked back toward the ruins for Laura, but couldn’t make them out.
You must have traveled farther than you realized.
“I’m good, but I’ll surface with you.”
“Okay, I’ll start coming back toward you.” He turned back away from where he thought the ruins were, and marked his coordinates on the tablet so he could continue from the same spot.
And paused.
“What’s that?”
“What’s what?”
His eyes narrowed as he peered into the distance, trying to pick out what he had seen, but failing. He reached up and flicked off his suit’s lights, the entire area abruptly an inky black except for the glow from his tablet, which he pressed against his stomach, smothering its light.
“Hon, are you okay?”
He squinted, then slowly swam toward whatever it was he was seeing.
“Hon?”
He recognized the concern in Laura’s voice. “Sorry, I think I see something.”
“What?”
“I’m not sure. I think it’s a light, but it can’t be. It must be something highly reflective.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Even if it was a mirror, it would still need a light source to reflect.”
Acton had to agree, but there was no denying what he was now seeing. Directly ahead, there was a light source that grew clearer the closer he got. “It’s definitely a light.”
“Could it be a volcanic vent?”
“Jeez, I hope not, but with the earthquake, who knows.”
“What color is it?”
Acton smiled at the astute question. “Not red or orange. It’s white. Very white. Artificial white.”
“Could someone else be down here with us?”
Acton’s heart rate picked up a few points at the thought. They hadn’t had much of a chance to survey the area, instead focusing on the initial find made by Niner. For all they knew, there could be a massive site farther down the mountain, and someone else could be there, looting it.
He kicked harder, and the light not only became clearer, but silhouettes began to form. “There’s definitely someone else down here.”
“Be careful. You don’t know who they are. They could be dangerous.”
Acton slowed, then held up his camera, zooming in for a better view. He took a picture, hoping to focus in on the resulting image, and cursed when the forgotten flash lit up the area.
All the silhouettes stopped what they were doing and turned toward him.
Oh shit!
“They’ve seen me.”
“Get back here! We’ll sort it out up top.”
The figures were now swimming toward him.
“They’re coming my way.” He kicked toward the surface, hard, then slowed, remembering he’d get the bends if he ascended too quickly.
“I’m coming to you.”
Acton shook his head uselessly. “No! If they’re hostile, they don’t know about you. Go topside. Don’t forget to watch your rate of ascent. When yo
u get there, call Hugh and let him know what’s going on, just in case. Call Greg too.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. If these guys mean us any harm, one of us needs to let somebody know what’s going on.”
“Okay, be careful.”
The fear in her voice was palpable, and he cursed their lives of the past few years, where everything that could go wrong, did. If it weren’t for their previous bad experiences, it might not have even occurred to him that these people could be bad. Yet paranoia had saved their lives too many times, and if these people were so innocent, why were they rapidly approaching him? Why not just send one person for an underwater greeting?
No, something was wrong.
One of the figures, still silhouetted from the light behind them, reached out and grabbed one of his companions, and their pursuit slowed. He smiled.
That’s right, you guys can’t surface too quickly either.
He had at least fifty feet of depth on them, so should reach the surface first, and Laura was even farther ahead than him, exploring the shallower side of the find. She would reach the boat first. “When you get topside, take the boat to the shore where there are people.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll swim.”
“Bollocks!”
“I want you safe, where there are people, and can get help.”
He heard a deep sigh over the comm. “Fine. What’s happening?”
Acton stared at his pursuers as he continued to gently kick toward the surface. “They’ve slowed. I guess they don’t want the bends either.”
“Then you should have time.”
“I should, but I still want you to go to—” He heard something behind him and he spun as he was suddenly overwhelmed by an intensely bright light. He raised his hand to shield his eyes, squinting as his ears made sense of what they were hearing. “Shit, they’ve got some sort of submersible! It’s right in front of me!”
“James, are you okay?”
Atlantis Lost Page 4