Tomb of Atlantis (13 page)

“Wow, this is pretty cool,” he said to himself as he inspected his new-found treasure.

Wiping the surfaces off with his hands, something caught his eye.

“No way!
” he yelled through his regulator.

Having cleared off the crystal cylinder, Jack could now see this was not just a big hunk of crystal. This was something more. This crystal had a valuable purpose.

Jack tried to shake the glass object, but the resistance through the water was too great. The two-foot long crystal was just too big to shake. Taking his hand and placing it on the bottom, he pointed the cylinder straight up. Standing over a rock, he drove the cylinder down onto his hand. He winced a bit, but his actions were well worth the pain.

Jack's suspicions were confirmed. There was indeed something inside the cylinder. He brought it up to his mask and inspected the contents.

“
What the hell is that, cloth? Why would anyone want to preserve a piece of cloth?” he thought. A moment later, his eyes widened as he guessed the answer excitedly, “Unless the cloth is a flag! Wow, this just keeps getting better... I can't wait to show Moses this one.”

He carefully placed the crystal cylinder in the hoist bag attached to his hip. Reversing his course, he made his way back to the anchor line
being careful not to let the bag drag against the rocks as he swam. With his adrenaline pumping, he swam hard and fast and arrived at the anchor in minutes.

Jack wasted little time. He angled his body upward, pushed off hard, and started his ascent following the anchor line higher. Having passed the twenty-five foot maker, he slowed his ascent to control decompression. Passing the fifty foot marker, he checked his gauges once more to confirm his air supply. Feeling confident now, he kept his pace steady as he swam higher, all the while checking on his precious cargo.

In what seemed like seconds, in reality took minutes. Jack slowed his ascent as he neared the spare tank hanging fifteen feet below the surface. Once there, he clipped into the rope and began to wait out the time for decompression.

Suspended in the water, waiting for time to pass, Jack's mind began to work in tangents as he speculated on other artifacts that might be located near the original find. He now had in his possession two ancient artifacts of incalculable importance and value. How did they get there? If he found those artifacts with simple searching, what would he find if he probed more aggressively?

Twenty minutes passed quickly and soon Jack floated to the surface. He swam to the edge of the floats and lifted himself up and onto them. Pulling the hoist bag out of the water, he placed it onto the netting that spanned between the floats. Too excited to remove any of his gear, he slowly pulled out the contents of the bag and laid it carefully out on the makeshift hammock for inspection and admiration.

“Wow, this is amazing!”
he said loudly.

He rotated the heavy crystal cylinder in his hand, examining every inch of its surface. Under the water, one hundred feet below, diffused lighting and optical distortion degraded any attempt at an accurate analysis, but now, viewing it directly in bright sunlight, Jack could make out every intricate detail on the surface. Turning it over and over, he became mesmerized by each new-found discovery.

As he examined the specimen, he noticed unique hieroglyphics and detailed images lightly etched on the outside surface. Inside the glass cylinder, the ancient cloth appeared to be perfectly dry and intact as if someone had placed it in there the day before.

Jack turned the cylinder over and around, looking for a way to open it somehow to access the
contents. He felt puzzled. Frowning a bit, he realized there were no seams that indicated any covers or openings. It was as if someone, somehow made the cloth magically appear inside the solid piece of crystal.

"Unbelievable. The craftsmanship is like nothing I've ever seen before,"
he said, a bit bewildered. "How the hell did they do that?"

Jack's head was spinning. He wanted more
; he needed more. Who were these amazing people that could create such beauty? How were they able to create such a work of art with ancient tools, which seemed impossible to create in today's advanced technology? What other wonders lay hidden on ocean's floor?

In classic Schwarzenegger fashion, he uttered the simple phrase, “I’ll be back.”

----- ----- ----- -----

“Moses, get on the horn to Serena Arista! She’s got more work to do,” Jack blurted out as he burst through the front door of the FBO.

“Jack, you’re back. And in one piece,” Moses replied, a bit startled by Jack’s sudden entry.

Eying the two-foot long crystal cylinder in Jack’s hand, he
instantly became mesmerized by its beauty.

“Jack, that’s exquisite. Where did you find it?”

“Remember the urn I found yesterday?” he asked rhetorically. “Well, it was sticking out from below the others in the pile. I actually slipped on it and fell.”

Moses carefully took the cylinder from Jack’s hands and examined it. Turning
it over and over, he rubbed his fingers along the intricate carvings on its outside surface. Holding it close to his face, his eyes widened as he realized the value of the contents. 

Moses handed the crystal cylinder back to Jack. His face lost all expression and became serious.

“Jack, does anyone else know about this… this spot of yours?” he asked in a determined tone.

“Not really. Since I’ve been here, I’ve only really had time to talk to you
and Serena Arista.”

“You realize something this valuable will draw the roaches from the woodwork, don’t you? If I were you, I’d keep that location to myself,” Moses said.

“You think someone might try to steal my site out from under me?” Jack asked, already knowing the answer.

“Let’s just say, your fear of sharks shouldn’t end once you leave the water,”
he replied ominously.

“Hmm, good point,” Jack replied.

Atlantis - Chapter 8

Jack pulled into the parking lot of Javier Arista’s offices and quickly hurried into the building for his appointment with Serena. Wrapped in towels, he held the crystal cylinder under his arm. He felt excited and energized by his new treasure and waited impatiently for her to appear.

“Hello, anyone home?” he called out, hoping for a reply.

Not hearing a response, he called out once more, “Hello, Serena, I’m here for my appointment?”

Jack heard the sound of footsteps growing louder. Moments later, a short, overweight, and balding man stepped through the door at the back of the office. As he approached, Jack guessed his age to be in his mid-fifties and quickly realized that he must be Javier.

“Are you Javier Arista?” Jack asked as the man approached.

“In the flesh,” Javier replied with wide, inviting smile. “You must be Jack Roberts, if I’m not mistaken.”

Javier extended his hand and shook Jack’s with energy and vigor.

“Yes sir. I’m here for my appointment.”

“Appointment? We’re not that formal around here, Jack. This is an archeological office. We fly by the seat of our pants most of the time,”
he joked. “And no need to call me ‘sir,’ either. Everyone around here just calls me Javi.”

“Yes
, sir, Mr. Arista,” he replied, somewhat surprised by Javi’s casual demeanor.

“Just Javi, Jack…
no need for formalities,” Javier responded, still smiling.

Jack quickly eyed Javi
er head to toe and remembered Moses’ description: ‘Not your stereotypical archaeologist.’ He had to laugh. Javier’s stature was anything but the strong and imposing Indiana Jones image he had etched in his mind from years back. Although his physical appearance was unimpressive, his piercing green eyes told a different story. Staring back at him, Javier's eyes exuded confidence as well as class that left no doubt in his mind that he was every bit the archaeologist Moses described.

“Well Jack, looks like you’ve discovered quite a find, haven’t you?”
he said, now getting to the point.

“Yes
, sir, I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Jack replied, offering Javier the towel-wrapped cylinder under his arm.

“What’s this?”
he responded, somewhat confused.

“This is my new find,” Jack replied proudly.

“A new find?” Javier asked, now taking the package from Jack and unwrapping it.

“
Yes sir, I found a container made of crystal with some kind of cloth inside. I think it might be a flag or something like that.”

“
Oh my God!” Javi blurted out instantly, nearly cutting Jack off in mid-sentence. “Jack, this is exquisite. I can’t be sure, but I think the contents are leather and I’m guessing that that leather all rolled up isn’t a flag either. I think they’re scrolls.”

“Scrolls?” Jack exclaimed.

Javier nodded simply.

Javi rolled the crystal cylinder around in his hands, examining the surface as well as the contents. He seemed to be looking for something.

“Huh. This is a first,” he said.

“What’s that?” Jack asked.

“I can’t seem to find a way into the chamber,” he replied, not taking his eyes off his work.

“I know. I looked for an indication of separation but found nothing,” Jack replied. “I can’t figure out how the
contents got in there. Must be the reason they stayed dry all these years.”

“Undoubtedly, Jack. What’s more remarkable is the technology they used to make this thing. I’m not sure we could make this today. I’m really baffled,”
he responded.

“That’s what I thought too. I know there’s an opening somewhere on it, but the seam that indicates it is invisible, at least to the naked eye anyway. I’m an engineer and have quite a bit of knowledge about manufacturing processes and I just can’t figure out how anyone could make the seam so precise that it virtually disappears when assembled,” Jack elaborated.

“Well, I have a full laboratory in the back. Let’s examine this under a microscope, shall we?” Javier asked, now beaming with excitement and anticipation.

“What are we doing
, standing here wasting time?” he replied in good humor.

As they walked toward the door to the laboratory, Jack thought about the urn.

“So how’s the urn coming along? All cleaned up and ready for a fresh bouquet of flowers?” he joked.

“I haven’t examined it yet,
but if it’s as old as Serena thinks it is, I’m fairly certain you won’t be using it as a flower pot,” Javier replied.

“Darn, my mom will be so disappointed,”
he joked again.

“She’ll get over it, I’m sure,” Javi
er responded dryly.

Walking down the short hallway toward the lab, Javi
er kept the conversation alive.

“So Jack, Serena tells me you think there might be some kind of golden pyramid near the site of the urns. Is that right?”
he asked.

“Yes, sir, Javi,” Jack replied.

“Well, you'll have to tell me all about it after we examine the cylinder. I love mysteries. Probably the reason I got into this business in the first place,” he said, as he reached for the door to the lab.

As the two stepped into the large room, Jack was mesmerized by all the equipment that filled the laboratory. Large areas were devoted to analysis and restoration, specializing in wood, metal, glass/ceramics and paper. Each area had its own unique equipment designed to handle that particular medium.

On the other side of the room, Jack spotted Serena leaning over a desk, intensely focused on her work. Dressed in a white lab coat, wearing black rimmed glasses and latex gloves, she resembled his image of the mad scientist.

“Hi
, Serena, how’s my flower pot looking?” he shouted across the room.

“Hi
, Jack. Ready for daises,” she responded, then added cryptically, “or maybe ancient pachira would be more apropos.”

“Ancient
pachira? What’s that?” Jack asked.

“
Pachira Aquatica is a flowing plant that’s been symbolized in Mayan hieroglyphics,” she responded simply.

“So are you saying the urn is Mayan?” Jack asked, excitedly.

“It’s so old and beat up, it’s kind of hard to tell, but I think it could be,” she replied.

“
Wow, that’s awesome,” Jack said, excitedly.

Turning to her father, Serena said, “Dad, there’s a spot on it that Jack cleared away during the excavation. It almost looks like there’s some hieroglyphics on its surface. Why don’t you have a look?”

“Ok, Jack, your flower pot’s over here,” Javier replied, leading the way.

Jack looked toward the area of the lab devoted to glass and ceramics, but didn't see his urn. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a large
rectangular vat, covered with a small foam pad. As they walked closer, he realized the pad was simply an insulating cover used to trap the gases emitting from the chemicals used in the tank.

As
he stood patiently, Javier unstrapped the cover from the tank and lifted it off, revealing the barnacle encrusted urn.

“Wow, I guess the barnacles are tougher than we thought. Still quite a few left on,” Jack observed.

Serena flashed an all knowing smile to her father, then to Jack.

“I get the feeling I just said something dumb,” Jack said loudly.

“No, Jack. If you've never done this before, the process can be deceiving. The solution breaks down the barnacles but you still have to remove them yourself,” Javi said.

As Jack nodded, Javi
er stepped forward and examined the urn while still submerged in the solution. Donning a pair of elbow-length gloves, he reached in and turned the urn, finding the bare patch Jack had previously removed.

Rubbing
his hand over the rough surface, he lightly applied pressure. Instantly, a large chunk of the barnacles broke off in his hand.

“Wow,” Javi
er said out loud, surprised by the ease the crustaceans came loose. “Honey, can you hand me a number one brush?”

“
Slave driver!” Serena joked.

Taking the brush from Serena, he looked toward Jack and
responded simply, “Kids.”

D
istracted from her work, Serena stood by and watched. Gently, carefully, Javier lightly scrubbed the area he had just removed. Standing back a moment, he examined his work quietly, then continued.

Serena turned to Jack and whispered, “Dad's in the zone. There's no stopping him now. I could commit a murder and he'd never know it.”

“Unless it was his,” Jack teased.

Serena laughed, then said, “Funny man, huh?”

“Stick around, I’m just warming up,” he continued.

Serena smirked a bit while looking into Jack’s eyes, then said, “Huh, your eyes are an unusu
al blue. I hadn’t noticed, but they’re a shade I’ve never seen before. Almost a slate color.”

“I get them done every Thursday... this week they’re blue, last week they wer
e a lovely shade of plaid,” he responded.

“Were they Scottish kilt plaid, ‘cause that’s my favorite color and it would really turn me on,” Serena said with a seductive smile.

“Hey, I heard that… and it really creeped me out,” Javier joked, cutting off Jack before he could respond.

F
ocusing on the still-submerged urn, Javier delicately rubbed another area, breaking off more particles. The more he removed, the more focused he became.

“I need the
pneumatic scrubber and the wand with a number four tip,” Javier said out loud.

As Serena passed him the tools, Jack laughed at the process.

“It's like I'm watching surgery. Your dad's the surgeon and you're assisting,” Jack laughed.

“Care to join us? We’re performing the infamous frontal lobotomy next,”
she teased.

“No thanks, I’m thinking I might need my brains one day,”
he rebutted.

“Suit yourself,” she replied while handing her father another tool.

Javier took the wand and placed it into the solution next to the urn. Having donned a full protective mask, he switched on a button, instantly directing a stream of air onto the urn. In seconds, embedded particles were blown from hidden lines and tiny holes on the urn’s surface, revealing more detail with each pass of the tool. He then switched off the wand and used his brush to wipe the surface once more.

Little by little, as Javi
er worked on the barnacles, the urn’s intricate features became more noticeable. Jack marveled at how the two worked together. Quickly, efficiently, and intuitively, Serena and her father passed tools back and forth. No sooner had Javier made a request, then Serena delivered the instrument. Minutes turned into an hour and their pace never slowed.

Lost in their work, Jack sat next to the two and simply watched, mesmerized by the show. At one point, Javi
er appeared to be done. To Jack's surprise, he stopped for a small cup of water, then pressed on with his work.

A short while later, Javi
er stepped back from the tub and handed Serena the small pick in his hand. Jack thought it strange he hadn't requested another. Reaching for a switch on an overhead winch, Javier pressed a green button, retracting four heavy cords that connected to a platform submerged beneath the urn. As the cords came taut, the platform gently raised the urn out of the solution.

“Wow, this is really amazing,” Javi
er said, rubbing his hand over the exposed surface.