Atlantis Vortex
Page 30
Marcus had used the facilities of Atlantis to forge identification documents proving he was who he said he was an archaeologist from Chile. It was all very simple. Marcus was convinced people in the upper-world were easy to fool.
Marcus had no idea that as soon as an officer of the law recognized his face, his arrest was imminent and his explanations would be worthless. If he were lucky, the upper-world officials would put him in a mental hospital. If Marcus were less fortunate, the terrorists he was dealing with would simply dispose of him.
Marcus was unaware Xerxes already had him under surveillance. Marcus’ strange fits of laughter, his occasional trips to the surface in public subs, and his furtive behavior, all reported to Xerxes as ordered by the agents assigned to monitor him. Xerxes knew Marcus’ plan was getting closer to actualization, but he could not arrest him until he had proof of sedition.
Since Helena’s departure, his behavior had become more unstable. However, Marcus’ behavior in public was not severe enough for him to require hospitalization. His two nephews, who were both due to enter the Atlantian Military, had been his companions a great deal. Xerxes knew both young men, he had grown up with them. He found it difficult to believe either would be traitors. Possibly, they didn’t know what their uncle was doing. Xerxes believed, and it appeared, that both young men, concerned for their uncle, were looking after him until they entered the military. Both had, in monitored communications to their father, Nick in Pacifica, mentioned Marcus’ condition and their concern about him.
Jessica’s revelation about seeing Marcus in Anthony Sutherland’s office came to mind. Xerxes had turned this information over to his legal staff and as he had known, it was not yet enough to stand up in their court system. Fearing for Jessica’s life, Xerxes alerted the watchers posted on Marcus, and informed them of his suspicions. In complete agreement with their sovereign, they doubled the care they took watching Marcus, and Xerxes made sure he was with Jessica when she went out of their chambers.
Other security matters came to mind. From other well-placed agents, Xerxes learned the FBI, thanks to Ms. Simon’s sighting the night of Jessica’s abduction by the Aztecs, was trying to locate him. This would not be a problem, unless he had to go ashore again in the near future. He was relieved Pericles was home and Alena would be married soon. Jessica was safe from the Aztecs, if not Marcus, in Atlantis. With her near him, Xerxes felt he could protect her; he would remain watchful. Xerxes’ turned his attention to his other pressing problem and called his brother in Pacifica.
*
General Grill was beside himself. His subordinates knew it and tried to stay out of his way. His archaeological dig, he considered it his, the artifacts and their leading expert he had been responsible for were missing. Bruce Lance, the second expert, was in the hospital, he would recover, but he had suffered some memory loss. One of his best and most trusted Captains on the project, and that Captain’s immediate squad had disappeared under inexplicable circumstances when the artifacts had gone missing. If that weren’t spooky enough, it looked as if they had been abducted, and General Grill would not say by aliens.
To make matters worse, the photos NASA had taken of the inside of the Pyramid had turned up blank. They had come out of the development stage fine, but within two hours of the artifacts disappearance, the photos had just gone blank, including the copies. Further, NASA’s satellite photos of the area of the Pyramid showed nothing left as far as their equipment could establish to a depth of a hundred feet. It was gone, a complete bust.
Ms. Carter’s parents had also disappeared. One day they were on vacation on Maui, the next day they went on a day sail and did not come back. If this situation had not been so serious, it would have reminded him of Gilligan’s Island. With out clearance from higher authorities, all information dealing with Jessica Carter had a Top-Secret stamp on it. However, the press, though never officially briefed, was demanding a statement. When Jessica and Bruce had their dive mishap and Jessica had turned up missing, the local press had had a field day. From then on, it was a matter of hours until the national news picked up on the entire story.
He was worried about Ms. Carter. General Grill was sure she had suffered the same fate as Captain Curtis; he could not bring himself to believe either of them, or any of Captain Curtis’ squad, were dead. After the facts were in, and with the results of the searches, it was plain these things did not happen by coincidence, and he didn’t believe in coincidences anyway. He was mad as hell. His superiors were even madder and he was catching the heat for it. Now the NSA and the CIA were trying to get in on it as well. Maybe they could solve it.
With Jessica’s permission, Bruce was staying at her parents’ home. Her parents’ pretty much adopted him when Jessica had brought him home after she met him on a dig in Egypt, expecting them to marry. It soon became clear to her parents that he was like the brother they had never been able to give her. After the doctors had released him from the hospital, he had no other place to stay and knew he was welcome there. They had given him keys to the house years ago. Both government agencies, thinking to gain information on the enigmatic situation, placed listening devices in Jessica’s home and arranged to follow Bruce. General Grill knew the young scientist was clean. Grill had immediately called Ms. Simon; he didn’t believe she could solve this mystery any quicker than he could. Not that the woman did not do her job, she did - although she was a nuisance - there were just no leads. If highly efficient vacuum cleaner had sucked up all the evidence, it would not have been cleaner.
Meredith had been spitting mad when she had learned about the dive Jessica and Bruce were going on the day they had disappeared. She had made the Sail Fish Marina just as the boat headed out the Palm Beach Inlet and passed Peanut Island. They had seen her and waved. She planned to vent some of that anger on the General; he had known about the dive and failed to inform her.
“General Grill,� his aid buzzed him on his intercom.
“Yes Lieutenant?� His voice sounded more gruff than usual.
“Ms. Simon is here.� The Lieutenant said in almost a hesitant manner, totally unlike a Marine.
“Please send her in.� General Grill answered, not looking forward to seeing her.
“Yes sir.â€� The Lieutenant turned to the smartly dressed agent, “You may go in ma’am.â€�
Ms. Simon was aware the General didn’t like her, and she didn’t care. It wasn’t her job to win popularity contests. He had failed to protect his charges and had not assisted her to protect them. When she had first met Jessica, she had not liked the tall redhead. After a while, she had first come to respect her, then to feel camaraderie with her, in some ways they were much alike. Meredith took it personal when she couldn’t stop the Aztecs from abducting her, and now this bizarre series of events infuriated her further.
“General Grill.â€� Ms. Simon, dressed in an expensive deep gray woman’s business suit that accented her shapely figure, extended her hand.
“Ms. Simon.� General Grill took her hand and found his hand firmly grasped almost to the point of contest of grip. He could tell Ms. Simon was incensed.
He felt like crushing her hand in return, thinking better of it, she might just be able to return the favor, and he could see anger in her gray eyes.
“I hope you have some information for me.� Ms. Simon said briskly.
“Not a thing.� General Grill informed her, sitting after she did in the chair he indicated opposite his desk.
Ms. Simon looked at him for a moment, she sighed and crossed her long legs, “General Grill, I am truly concerned.� It was the first time he had seen her show any emotion.
“As am I, Ms. Simon,� he conceded and they sized each other up for a moment, forming a bond of sorts.
“Had I been informed about their dive a little sooner, General, I might have been able to prevent this, or possibly,� she shrugged, “been th
ere.�
“Then you would have possibly been missing also.� General Grill said, looking at her over steepled fingertips.
“Possibly,� she agreed. “General, I am going out to that location to check it out with the same dive Captain,� she announced.
“Good luck, Ms. Simon, please don’t get lost too!â€� his concern was genuine.
“I won’t, General.â€� She smiled slightly, admiring the fit of his dress uniform, the first time she had seen him dressed in it, and on the dig, and he had always worn his fatigues.
*
Since Pericles and Alena’s wedding had been delayed a day, Xerxes planned to take his new wife on a tour of Atlantis. They had already strolled around the immediate area of his palace, the official public recreational area and gardens that surrounded his dwelling, the Embassies for the other Cities and the off-world dignitaries that represented their Planets. Today he arranged a yacht-sub and they spent the day visiting the outer marvels of Atlantis. Undersea agriculture and ocean farming was massive in one area that had been well explored beforehand for any archaeological evidence of the Old Capital City of Atlantis. Strangely, the Old City was truly lost; possibly, when the continent sank, it covered the main City. The present day people of Atlantis did not know where it had been located.
“Xerxes,� Jessica inquired, “How could this have happened? With all the other records your archaeological people have at their convenience, how could information this important have been lost?�
Xerxes guided the sub toward the shipwreck where Jessica regained consciousness in the chamber on her arrival to Atlantis. “The City’s location has been lost for centuries. All civilizations have their legends - this is one of ours.” he shrugged. “As our people expanded and needed more room, we grew away from the old City’s location. Storms and conditions buried it. Maybe, Jessica, you will be the one who finds it. Or,â€� Xerxes smiled, ready to drop a surprise on her, “perhaps a new Minister of Antiquities, one who will replace Marcus, an archaeologist from the surface, will find it. Do you know of anyone who might want that type of position?â€�
“One or two people,� Jessica smiled back, thinking of Bruce “that would be trustworthy and accredited enough to take on such a position.�
“I thought you might know of someone.â€� Xerxes laughed. “Most of our residents would like to know where the Old City was.â€� Xerxes guided the sub around the shipwreck. “This is an old wreck, as you can see. We will explore it later. It is a popular dive site. See!â€� Xerxes pointed just as a dive class of young teenagers emerged from a large hole in the ship’s side.
“I must admit, when I saw it, before you showed up, I was trying to make out the name of the ship.â€� Jessica stretched to see the ship’s name.
“Another mystery, Jess,â€� Xerxes told her, “The name’s been gone for a long time.â€�
“What is this glow I see over and around the City?� Jessica asked.
“That is called the Vortex Effect. It is our protection grid. At the Four Corners of Atlantis, there are four Obelisk towers. At the top of each is a ten thousand-caret sapphire, and in the exact center of the City, is a fifth sapphire of equal size. A beam of pure laser light passes through these magnificent stones and it provides us with a cover, a mirror effect, which prevents the upper-world from detecting us. Neither radar, sonar nor satellites can see us and a diver, should one happen to be in the area would see a mirror effect also, they would see a reflection of the sea around them.â€� Xerxes explained, smiling at the amazement in Jessica’s eyes. “Only because the sub has special glass can you see the city, if you were diving without a mask with the special glass you would see a reflection of the undersea area around the city.”
“That is unbelievable Xerxes. How long has this Vortex Effect worked?� Jessica asked.
“It has been online without a problem for almost seventy years. The sapphires are in perfect condition, the laser light does not harm them.� Xerxes completed the circuit around the fifty miles of the perimeter of Atlantis and re-entered the City after having the Vortex opened. Jessica failed to notice he did this, as he spoke to the Controllers in Atlantian. It was just as well that Jessica did not know that to leave the City, the Grid had to open and that could only be done with his permission.
“Atlantis is beautiful, Xerxes.â€� Jessica said to him after he had docked the sub. “You were right, there is enough here for a lifetime.â€� She smiled and, in her warm brown eyes, he saw the promise of a still warmer evening. “And then there is you, husband.â€� Jessica bravely kissed his lips, her tongue tasting his to draw away and smile seductively into his eyes while her hands pulled his shirt from the waistband of his shorts. Jessica had grown to desire Xerxes more by the moment since they left the sunken ship. “The shipwreck reminded me of the day we met.â€� Jessica’s breathless words explained. “On the Mitzpah, when you first touched me, for days afterwards, the places your hands just brushed burned with a heat I didn’t understand. Now I do.â€� She pushed him onto the plush, roomy bunk of the yacht-sub and stretched her lithe body over his muscular one.
Jessica knew true passion when Xerxes’ hands slipped beneath her shirt to fondle her breasts, obstructed by the garment, rolled her over and drew it from her over her head. Jessica sighed when he put his mouth over first one breast then the other as he gently gathered her breast in his hands to tease her nipples.
“So you remembered my touch?� Xerxes demanded between licks.
“And your eyes, but not much else. I was young Xerxes,â€� she moaned as he sucked a little harder on one nipple, “sure I had, Oh,â€� she sighed, “had dated, but I wouldn’t allow the boys to touch me like this.â€� She drew his face to hers, “When you touched me, it ignited a fire so deep inside me I think I have smoldered since then.â€� They looked into each other’s eyes for brief seconds and a resounding rip echoed throughout the sub as Xerxes tore the Velcro fastener of Jessica’s shorts and drew them from her rounded hips pulling her thong underwear with them. She was still innocent and modest enough to blush a bit, and smile about it when his rakish gaze devoured her. He stood, dropped his shorts, and quickly threw his shirt over his head to join his wife.
With a fierce, almost frightening look, he commanded her “You will lay still and you will not move.� Xerxes told her as he parted her legs and knelt between them.
“Oh Xerxes, no,â€� Jessica protested weakly. “You embarrass…”
“And you will not speak!� Xerxes further commanded, but he smiled a sweet loving smile with his commands. He kissed her belly lightly and licked her navel. “Here will our children grow,� he murmured. His kisses moved lower where he planted them on top of the mound of dark red-brown hair. He reveled to hear his wife groan in pleasure, remembering how he had longed for her. When her hands tried to stop him, he held them still, knowing she would soon climax and he would not spare her until then. “You do not follow my commands very well.� he scolded her and nipped at her playfully in payment for her disobedience. Jessica instantly began to climax.
He moved to face her, “You are a most disobedient wife, the thought of spanking you has entered my mind,� he smiled at the outraged look she gave him, and kissed her as he joined with her, filling her slowly, marveling at the short gasps of breath Jessica took as he claimed her body. “I love you.� He whispered breathlessly and began to propel them both to orgasm. Fulfilled with their passion, they lay together, spent.
After a time, they dressed and walked hand in hand, back to their home. A glow seemed to radiate from them both and the residents they met smiled and greeted them in Atlantian fashion as they passed.
“Tonight,� Xerxes told his wife when they had reached their apartment, �
�€œBarrous’ ship will arrive with Alena aboard. I have had Geb plan a family dinner for us. Pericles and Alena will be there and of course Ambassador Barrous. When the Aztecs kidnapped you, it was Barrous and his crew that kept track of where they took you. I was certain where they would go, but he kept watch just in case they took you elsewhere.â€�
“Ambassador Barrous is from Alpha-Centauri?� Jessica asked uncertainly.
“Yes, I think you will find him a most pleasant Ambassador,� Xerxes said with a smile.
“I certainly want to thank him for his helping you,â€� Jessica said. They had found Geb waiting with several messages requiring Xerxes’ attention. Jessica went to prepare for their evening, wondering what she would wear. Xerxes had provided her clothing up until now, her gown for the wedding and other items she needed but she knew of no selection of clothing other than the garments he had already provided. She stood pondering the limited items when Xerxes came into their bedroom.
“What are you doing?� Xerxes asked her.
“Trying to decide what I will wear this evening,â€� Jessica told him. “It is a shame you didn’t kidnap my clothes,â€� she laughed.
Xerxes pulled her close and smiled into her beautiful face, “My love, you have a complete wardrobe.â€� Releasing her, he walked over and pushed a button on a panel, causing a hidden door to slide open, revealing a closet full of apparel. “Not only did I buy your wedding night apparel, I also bought a few other things and of course Atlantis has many shops with ladies’ fashions. Your gowns came from those. They import from our sister Cities and the styles are unique, as I am sure, you noticed. You, however, look beautiful in them.â€�