Tomb of Atlantis (24 page)

"The Atlantic? Really? What parts of it are we talking about here: Spain, Northern Africa?" Serena asked.

"It's hard to say because I only read a small portion of it, but I'm guessing a region greater than the Mediterranean," Burt replied.

"Wow, that's impressive," Javier cut in.

"I agree. They weren't just a nation. They were an empire controlling many nations, Egypt being one of them," Burt continued.

"From the sound of your scrolls, Egypt had the last laugh though, eventually conquering them," Javier added.

"I'm not so sure. As I scanned through your other scrolls, I think I found out why this mysterious civilization was never spoken of again on my scrolls. It appears that there was a natural disaster; one that destroyed that nation. It's right here,” he said, pointing. “It appears a massive tsunami wiped them out," Burt said.

"Whoa! Let me get these facts straight. You just described a mysterious empire that lived
seven thousand years ago, which was a great naval power, which controlled the Atlantic,
and
was wiped out by a tsunami? That sounds like..." Serena said.

"Atlantis! It sounds like you’re describing the fabled civilization of Atlantis," Javier blurted, cutting off Serena in mid
-sentence.

"Yes, that’s exactly who I’m describing. It fits. It all fits. The timing, their disappearance, the confirming details between the two scrolls. There's no question in my mind. The mysterious nation in our scrolls is Atlantis," Burt said resolutely.

The three stood silently for a moment, their minds spinning from the new revelation. As the gravity of their find became reality, Serena finally spoke.

"Shall we alert the media now or later?"

Atlantis - Chapter 18

DAY 10

THE ATLANTIC
- ONE HUNDRED MILES NORTH OF TURKS AND CAICOS ISLAND:

Jack had weakened to a dangerous level and now the simplest task had become a life struggle. Sleeping more than he was awake, the float had slipped beneath the ocean’s surface, nearly sinking before he was able to pump out the excess water.

Feeling droplets of water stream down his face, he reached up and scratched at them as they rolled downward, tickling his skin. As the salty water seared his face, the burning sensation slowly pushed him from his sleep and he slowly opened his eyes.

Laying on his side and staring across the water, he noticed the gentle waves rolling toward him. They seemed much higher than usual, yet non-threatening. He watched with fascination as they grew from nothing, formed frothy white caps on their crest, then lifted the raft as they rolled under him and disappeared, only to be replaced by another in succession.

As he stared, his mind wandered aimlessly from one dull thought to the next, losing himself in the cadence of the on-marching waves.

Suddenly, Jack felt the cold crushing sensation of water as a larger wave broke and crashed over him. Instantly, he sat up and looked around.

“Dammit, I’m sinking again,” he spat out in anger.

With the float nearly submerged and with little strength to save his raft, Jack needed a miracle to survive. What he received was anything but…

Off in the distance, a lone dorsal fin cut the ocean’s surface like a razor.

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

OFFICE OF JAVIER ARISTA:

“Remarkable, just remarkable,” Burt said loudly.

“What did you find, Burt?” Javier replied.

“Remember that golden artifact Jack Roberts was trying to find?” Burt asked.

“How could I forget it? It’s the reason we’re here in the first place,” Javier replied.

“Well, from what I can tell, they’re describing it in the section I’m translating right now,” Burt said.

“Really? That is remarkable,” Javier responded
, moving in for a closer look.

“And I’m fairly certain that it’s not just a decoration either. It looks like it has great value. Specifically, it looks like it’s a key of some kind,” Burt added

"Really? A key? To what?" Javier inquired, enthusiastically.

“As far as I can tell, it looks like it somehow unlocks a chamber,” Burt replied.

“Say that in my good ear? Burt, please don’t tell me there’s buried treasure at the end of this journey. I really don’t think my heart can handle that kind of excitement," Javier said, now grabbing his heart in jest.

“Let’s keep this in perspective Javi, these scrolls are
seven thousand years old. I’m sure whatever they’re describing has been looted by now, like the pyramids of Egypt,” Burt replied, casually.

“So there
is
treasure buried somewhere?”

“Sort of. It appears there’s a pyramid somewhere that has a chamber the golden artifact opens, if I I’m reading this correctly," Burt said, rereading the scrolls.

“Oh my God, Burt. How can you be so blasé about the whole thing? We could have stumbled on another find as fantastic as Tutankhamen, for heaven's sake,” Javier responded, his voice trembling with anticipation.

Turning to Serena, Javier called out, “Honey, come here, quickly. You’ve got to hear this. Looks like that golden artifact Jack saw under the water has more value than just a paper weight. Burt just found out that it might be some kind of key used to open a chamber in a pyramid."

“Whoa, let’s not jump to conclusions just yet. I said it
might
be a pyramid. I haven’t gotten that far yet," Burt countered.

“So it’s true then? The golden artifact really is a key?" Serena asked
, rushing over excitedly.

“Not a key in the conventional sense, but certainly something used to help open a chamber," Burt replied.

“Just imagine, discovering a new burial chamber. It’s every archaeologist’s dream,” Javier blurted loudly.

Suddenly, Serena’s expression changed and became serious.

“One problem with all of this,” she said.

“No artifact?” Burt cut in.

“Correct, we have no way of knowing where to look. If the coordinates Jack gave to Air Traffic Control were incorrect, as stated by the Coast Guard, there’s probably very little chance anyone will ever see that artifact again," Serena reasoned.

“I’d say there’s no chance at all, actually,” Burt replied.

“Hmm, that’s disappointing,” Javier said. He paused a moment, then added, "Well, maybe the scrolls tell us where the pyramid is located. Ancient burial chambers have never stopped looters, and with today’s technology, I’m sure we could find a way into it."

"I hate to burst your bubble so soon, Javi, but so far there’s no specific location mentioned here in the scrolls, just a general location," Burt responded.

"Maybe that’ll be good enough," Javier said.

"Yeah, like looking for a specific g
rain of sand in the desert. Might be a bit challenging. What else does it say?" Serena asked.

"Remember that man with the pitch fork?" Burt asked rhetorically. He waited for the others full attention, then continued.

"He’s buried there."

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

Jack moved sluggishly over to the duffel bag, his tired body aching from head to toe. With as much energy as he could muster, he removed the cover on the float and inserted the pump. Sliding into the water, he kicked his feet while trying to keep the raft afloat.

As the float broke above the surface,
he grabbed the lever on the pump and began to draw out the water. As the float sunk below the surface, he let go of the pump and grabbed the raft, kicking his feet to raise it back to the surface once more. Repeating the process over and over several times, Jack labored to breathe. With his legs aching and his arms giving out, he needed to rest.

Hanging onto the netting momentarily, he watched the float dip below the surface. Once again, he grabbed the float and brought it back up above the water.

Out of breath and tiring quickly, he knew he was in trouble. If he stopped to rest, the float would surely sink. If he kept going, he would surely run out of the strength to swim.

“Oh God, I don’t know if I’m going to make it,” he blurted
loudly, gasping for air.

Jack sweated inside his wetsuit, overheating from exertion. He began to hyperventilate and his vision began to blur. Grabbing the netting, he hung on and rested once more.

Then Jack saw it… the dorsal fin.

“Oh shit! No!” he blurted out between gasps for air. “Not now. God no, not now,” he said through his gravelly voice.

Fear shot through his body and he began to shake uncontrollably. Desperate for air, desperate for rest, desperate for safety, he had but minutes to live.

“Oh God, think,” he moaned to himself in deep despair.

As he watched the dark dorsal fin swim menacingly around the raft, his heart pounded and his adrenaline began to pump. Kicking his feet to stay afloat, he began to feel energized.

Suddenly, he felt it.

“Ow! Shit, it bit me!”

Looking out across the float, he saw the dorsal fin continuing on its path as it circled around him. Jack looked down at his throbbing foot and saw it—the air tank hanging under the float.

A wave of relief spread through him as he realized he hadn’t been bitten. Quickly, he reached down and pulled his knife.

“Well, ballast won’t do
me any good if I’m dead,” he rationalized.

With a quick flick of his wrist, he cut the line to the tank. Instantly, the float raised above the water by two inches as he watched the tank sink out of sight.

Before he could blink, the dorsal fin disappeared, the air tank now the object of the shark’s attention. Thinking quickly, he knew he had only moments to act. He stowed his knife and with every ounce of his strength, he hauled himself onto the float and grabbed the lever to the pump. Pumping wildly, he began to remove the water as the float slowly inched below the surface again.

“Oh God, please help me,” Jack prayed out loud.

Suddenly, the float began to rise. Slowly at first, then more quickly as he pumped with all his might, the float inched back above the surface. With intense focus, he worked the pump lever, removing several gallons of water in a minute, far faster than he had ever done before.

Now sitting four inches above the waterline, he began to look for the dorsal fin once more. As the waves rolled under him, the water became distorted, making it difficult to detect movement beneath the raft. Fear raged in Jack once more, and he could feel his heart pounding through his wetsuit.

“God, don’t let me die like this,” he prayed out loud again.

Continuing his task, he monitored the water around him.

Suddenly, he saw a dark object growing larger from beneath the raft. Pulling his legs from the water, he stretched them out across the outrigger as he continued to pump water.

Larger and more distinct by the second, there was no mistaking what it was.

“Oh shit! God no, not like this,” he cried out loudly again.

He sat helplessly and watched the dark creature’s eyes roll back and its razor-like teeth opened for the initial strike.

Rising up from the depths, the shark held its focus on Jack. Twenty feet from the float, it opened its mouth and slowly rolled to one side to facilitate a better attack.

Jack counted the feet as the shark approached.

“Twenty feet… ten feet… five feet.”

The shark broke above the surface and lunged for him, narrowly missing his arm as he continued to pump the water from the float.

The shark dipped below the surface and made another run. Moving fast and from the opposite direction, it charged through the surface on the hammock side of the float, momentarily getting caught in the netting while thrashing and biting wildly.

Jack cried out in fear at the sight of such a vicious creature. As quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

His heart pumped at a frenzied pace. Fear and horror raced through his body as he frantically thought about his survival. Still pumping the lever, the spout now began to spew air.

“Oh shit… only eight inches above water… not enough,” he deduced quickly.

As the shark came back for another attack, he pulled his legs in as close to his body as possible, making himself a smaller target.

Like a savage animal, the shark roared through the surface, its teeth slashing at anything it could bite. Jack leaned toward the netting as the monster exploded up
toward him, its teeth clamping on the edge of his wetsuit. With its prey in its teeth, the vicious fiend thrashed back and forth as it attempted to slaughter its victim.

As it dipped beneath the surface, it pulled Jack’s leg with it. He recoiled in fear and pulled away from the savage beast, tearing the material out of the shark’s mouth.

He watched the shark swim away and circle around for another attack. Jack’s mind was paralyzed with fear. He sat motionless as he watch the dorsal fin swim out thirty feet, then turn back toward him. As it dipped below the surface, he knew this was it. He knew with this next attack, the shark would get him.

He
thought about moving to the netting at the last moment, but realized the futility of the plan. He would only be prolonging the inevitable.

He pulled his knife from its sheath. Staring at the sharpened blade, he thought about cutting his own throat.

“Better to die quickly up here, then to die slowly down there,” he thought to himself.

Suddenly, the shark broke through the surface and into the hammock, once again getting entangled in the netting as it fought to get to Jack. Quickly, instinctively, he lunged at the shark with the knife, plunging the point into its nose as he tried to push it away. Blood poured from its wound and it violently thrashed to get away.