The 39 Clues: Unstoppable Book 2: Breakaway (11 page)

“But how can Atlantis be Spain?” Dan asked as the Mediterranean slipped beneath their small plane. “Last time I checked, Spain wasn’t even an island!”

Atticus was sitting in the back, wedged between Amy and Jake, his lap full of books. He had been immersed in his research ever since they left the museum. After their chase through the streets of Tunis, there was far too much media and police interest in the Cahills for them to go to the airport, so Jonah’s pilot had made a last-minute switch-up. The four kids had rented a boat and met the pilot and his seaplane a mile offshore. It would be another hour still before they landed near the Spanish coast and were picked up by another boat.

“In actuality, it matches up pretty well with what Plato wrote,” Atticus said. “Atlantis was supposed to be to the west of the Pillars of Hercules, which we know are the rocks on either side of the Strait of Gibraltar. Spain is definitely west of that. And apparently Plato’s not the only one who thinks this is the place. A scientist named Richard Freund has been studying the possibility for years.”

“So why haven’t we heard about him?” Dan asked.

Atticus shifted in his seat. “Well . . . most people think he’s nuts.”

“Sounds like our kind of guy.”

“But he’s found some interesting stuff,” Atticus said. “According to him, there used to be a huge bay in southern Spain. He says Atlantis was built right on the water in a series of concentric circles with amazing temples and ports and everything. And what we know about Tartessos definitely matches up with the legend of Atlantis. It was incredibly rich, largely from the ores it mined from the surrounding area. But then, thousands of years ago, a massive tsunami swept into that area and would have wrecked the entire city. Over the years, it was covered with dozens of feet of silt. Eventually, the whole thing became a big marshland and Spain made it a national park.”

“So does this guy have actual, you know, proof?” Dan asked.

Atticus’s voice got high and squeaky. “He has some interesting images on ground-penetrating radar,” he said carefully. “And some people agree that some sites look like they could, maybe, be memorials to the lost city. There’s
something
down there all right, but the whole area is too marshy to do a lot of excavating. I don’t know! It’s why we’re checking it out, okay?” Atticus plunged back into his books.

Dan looked around the plane, frowning. He and Amy had flown all around the world, a lot of the time with Atticus and Jake with them. But he’d never known a flight so silent. Amy stared out the plane’s window with the same broody silence that had surrounded her since they had left the library.

Dan knew what it was about, but there was nothing he could say. As slick as she’d tried to be, he’d seen her looking in his backpack. He knew what she must have found.

Dan flushed. He couldn’t help feeling as if he’d been caught doing something shameful, like stealing or conspiring with the enemy. But they were just some brochures. And he’d told Amy that he was done with the Cahills after they figured out how to stop Pierce.
If
they figured out how to stop Pierce. He couldn’t do this anymore. It felt as if his skin was getting tighter every day, until soon it would suffocate him. Is that what she wanted for him?

The more he thought about it, the more his guilt was replaced with anger. Anger at
Amy
. He’d been mad at her before — a lot — but it was usually a “hey you borrowed my hoodie without asking” kind of anger. This was real, burning hot, even teary. So much so that he couldn’t bring himself to say anything about it. They’d been through so much together and they’d always been able to talk through anything. It was the only way they’d survived. It was impossible, unthinkable, but something had changed.

The pilot announced that he was preparing to land. Dan clipped his seat belt in place and looked out the window, gulping when all he saw below them was the iron sweep of the ocean. Landing without a runway just didn’t seem right.

It ended up being surprisingly smooth, though, and minutes later they were met by a fishing boat. They all stepped uneasily onto the plane’s pontoons before taking the hand of a grizzled-looking fisherman and crossing over onto the boat deck.

Dan steadied himself against the railing as Jake helped Atticus with his life vest. Amy stood off by herself, again, the hood of her sweatshirt pulled up as she watched the churn of the boat’s wake with empty eyes.
This is ridiculous!
Dan started to cross the deck toward her, but something stopped him.

Once we have the silphium, we’ll both be more relaxed
,
Dan thought.
We’ll talk then.
Dan huddled against the railing, hoping it was true.

A Land Rover met them at the shore and brought them into Doñana National Park, which did not look to Dan like the home of the world’s most famous sunken city. It was a mix of sand dunes and lush, reedy marshlands. About five miles inland, they moved onto a flat plain of sun-bleached dirt dotted with sprigs of dry reeds and tufts of grass.

“So, this is Atlantis,” Dan said. “Man, the Aquaman comic books were
way
off.”

“You wouldn’t look so great, either, if you’d been covered in silt for a few thousand years,” Atticus shot back.

A dusty camp came into view. It consisted of a handful of tents with scientists bustling around in khaki and hiking boots. Their Land Rover came to a halt just outside of camp.

“What if we’re wrong,” Atticus said, looking even younger than usual. “What if Dad’s not here and Pierce really does have him?”

Dan looked back at his friend. “Hey, when are you
ever
wrong? He’s here. So, what’s the plan? Jake, do you want to —”

Amy threw open her door and started across the plain. Dan and the others exchanged a look.

It’s like we’re not even here,
Dan thought, and then the three of them piled out of the car with Jake in the lead.

“Hey!” Jake called after Amy. “You remember that whole thing about my dad disliking you, right?”

“Yes,” said Amy, not even bothering to turn around. “And I also remember you saying that Dan and I should try making a direct appeal. Just hang back and let me talk to him.”

Dan could see the tension in Jake’s shoulders ahead of him.

“All due respect to your Leader-tude,” Jake called, “but he’s my dad and you don’t exactly seem in the most diplomatic frame of mind right now.”

“I’m fine!”

“You’re acting like a crazy person!” Jake fired back.

“Dad!” yelled Atticus, and ran past everyone into the camp.

Dr. Rosenbloom had just emerged from one of the tents. Atticus threw his arms around his very startled father, who spun him around.

“What’s going on?” Dr. Rosenbloom asked. “Att, what are you doing here? Are you okay?”

“We’re fine.”

Jake glanced at Amy and then ran over to join Atticus. “We saw your house,” Jake said. “We thought something might have happened to you.”

Dr. Rosenbloom’s expression cleared and he laughed. “Ah, I guess I was in a bit of a hurry. Sorry if it worried you guys. But aren’t you supposed to be back in Rome? Did you miss your flight?” Dr. Rosenbloom waved his own question away. “You know what? It doesn’t matter! When you guys see what we’ve found here, your heads are going to explode right off your shoulders. Come on, let me show you!”

Amy stepped forward, and Dan put up a hand to hold her back. “Amy, wait. Let them —”

“Dr. Rosenbloom!” Amy called.

Dr. Rosenbloom turned. His smile evaporated the second he laid eyes on her. The glow that lit his face from the moment he saw his sons disappeared instantly, replaced with something dark and cold.

“Dad —” Atticus began.

“So, you were worried about me?” Dr. Rosenbloom repeated, anger coloring his voice.

“It’s true,” Jake said. “We —”

Dr. Rosenbloom broke away from them and marched across the field, his eyes locked on Amy.

“Sir, I . . .”

“We may be out in the middle of nowhere, Ms. Cahill, but we do get the news,” he said. “If you think for a single second that I’m going to let my sons get involved with a pair of entitled brats like you and your brother, then you’re out of your mind! I won’t let you do to Jake what you did to that Tolliver boy!”

“Dad!” Jake exclaimed as Amy’s face went totally white.

“Not another word, Jake,” Dr. Rosenbloom snapped. “Take your brother into my tent right now.”

“Amy didn’t do anything!” Jake protested. “Those news reports are lies!”

Dr. Rosenbloom whirled on his son. “That boy’s parents were lying, then? Is that what you’re saying? Is that what she told you?”

“No! It’s just — Amy and Evan were trying to do something very important and he got hurt, but it wasn’t Amy’s fault. She tried to keep him from getting involved. She’d never let anyone get hurt if she could help it.”

“I said, not another word!”

“Sir, please,” Amy cut in. “Dan and I will go. Right now. I promise. You’ll never see us again. But I need to know about silphium. It’s very important. Have you found any?”

Dr. Rosenbloom walked over, not stopping until he nearly ran her down. He glared at her with a heat that made Dan flinch.

“We found two sealed jars this morning,” Dr. Rosenbloom said through clenched teeth. “They had markings that indicated silphium seeds were inside.”

“Can we see them?” Dan asked, trying to move between Amy and Jake and Atticus’s dad. “Like my sister said. It’s incredibly important.”

Dr. Rosenbloom shook his head. “I wouldn’t dream of it. And anyway, you’re too late. I sent them on already.”

“Where?” Amy persisted.

“One went to colleagues in Tunis for study. The other’s on its way to the Global Seed Vault in Svalbard. Both places are out of your reach. And now? I believe you were going?”

Svalbard?
Dan thought, and looked to Atticus.

“It’s a vault built into the side of a mountain in the Arctic Circle,” Atticus said. “They’re using it to store seeds from all over the world.”

“And the vault is shut tight, so there’s no thrill-seeking to be done there,” Dr. Rosenbloom said, nearly shaking with rage. “They only have staff at the vault a couple of times a year. They’re waiting to store the silphium and then they’re headed out.”

“Thank you, sir,” Amy said. She kept her head raised, but Dan could see that she couldn’t quite look Dr. Rosenbloom in the eye. She turned to Jake and Atticus. “You two stay with your father. Dan and I will take it from here.”

Amy turned her back on them and started to walk away. Her back was straight, but they could all see how badly she was trembling.

“Amy! Wait!” said Jake as he charged after her.

Dr. Rosenbloom reached out and caught his son as Jake tried to rush past him. “This is over,” he said, grabbing Jake’s shirt and shaking him for emphasis. “You and Atticus are going back to school, and I’m calling the Tunisian police right now.”

Jake tore out of his father’s grip. “Then you’ll be calling them on me, too.”

“Jake!”

“I can’t explain everything now,” he said. “I just need you to trust me. Amy and Dan haven’t
made
us do anything. We’re doing this because we know how important it is. It’s probably the most important thing Atticus or I will ever do. We’ll be careful, I swear. But we’re going. Now.”

“Jake, don’t you dare —”

Jake’s face was granite as he turned away from his father. Dr. Rosenbloom stepped forward to grab Jake again, and Atticus ran out behind him. Amy stood motionless near the Land Rover, watching the Rosenblooms sprint toward her, with what looked like tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. When she saw Dan looking, she wiped them away and fixed her eyes on the ground.

“Atticus!” Dr. Rosenbloom cried as his sons streaked toward the car. He looked shocked, as if he had woken up into an alternate universe.

“Guys,” Amy said, putting herself between Jake and Atticus and the car. “You can’t —”

“It doesn’t matter what you say, either,” Jake said. “We’re not doing this for you. We’re doing it because it’s right. So unless
both
you and Dan want us gone, we’re coming with you.”

Amy turned to Dan, who was sitting in the front seat of the car. The force of her expectation was like a punch to his chest. He looked from her to Jake and Atticus.