Tomb of Atlantis (28 page)

"Well, you're doing all right now and that's all that matters," Jack's
mom said, hoping to change the negative tone to something more positive.

Jack let out a great yawn. His conversation was the most he'd spoken in
weeks and had exhausted him.

"Well
, Jack, I think we'll get out of your hair and let you rest," Javier said.

"But what about the scrolls? Did you ever find anything out about them?"
he asked.

"What we've found out will change the history books forever, but we'll talk more about that when you feel better," Javier said cryptically.

Atlantis - Chapter 24

With three days of rest behind him, Jack woke feeling refreshed. He slowly swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood for the first time since arriving at the hospital. Using the edge of a table for balance, he made his way to the window. He looked out at the courtyard in front of the hospital and watched the palm trees sway in the morning's wind. He smiled in satisfaction at his first sight of land in a month.

"I think I shall never see, a sight as lovely as a tree,"
he said to himself, slightly rearranging the famous Joyce Kilmer poem.

He took a deep breath and winced as his ribs flexed, causing him pain. As he shuffled back to the bed, the phone rang and he quickly moved to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi
, Jack, this is Serena, how are you feeling?" she asked, in a soft, sympathetic voice.

"My ribs feel sore, but other than that, I think I'm ready to run a marathon,"
he joked.

"Ah, there's that humor I missed,"
she replied, somewhat affectionately.

"Stick around, I'm just warming up.
”

"Well, it's good to hear you're feeling better,"
she said.

"So, tell me, what's the big secret about my scrolls
? Your dad left me in suspense," Jack asked, impatiently.

"Actually, that's why I'm calling. I think you'll be very interested to learn who translated them for you,"
she responded, cryptically.

"Translated? Already? Wow, it's only been
three weeks. Is it usually that fast?" he asked, now puzzled.

"Almost never. You got lucky. The scrolls were translated by none other
than Dr. Burton Samuelson," she replied, sounding official.

"Oh, my God! What'd he say when he saw them? You know, he blew me off when I first told him about what I found on my way back from Peru. Talk about eating crow,"
he laughed.

"Needless to say, he was blown away by your discovery. In fact, you're going to be blown away by your discovery too. Are you sitting down?"
she said, trying to build suspense.

"I'm not, but if you hear me fall, just keep talking. So what's the big secret, Serena. You shouldn't be keep
ing me in suspense. I have a condition, you know," he said, in good humor.

"Sounds more like a mental condition than anything else,"
she teased.

"Ahh, that's so sweet. You always say the nicest things to me. Ok, enough of the foreplay. Are you going to tell me the big secret or not?"
he shot back sarcastically.

"OK, here it is. Those scrolls you found? They
’re Atlantean," Serena blurted out.

"What do you mean,
‘Atlantean’?"

"Just that: t
hey were written by scribes from Atlantis. Jack, you've discovered Atlantis. It really did exist," she announced, proudly.

"Holy crap, do you know what this means? Do you know what the implications of this are?"
he said excitedly.

"Yes, it means..."

"It means I can now afford to pay my bill from this luxury hotel," he teased, cutting Serena off in mid-sentence.

"Jack, you're so weird
.”

"See, there're those nice words again
."

"Anyway, what it means is one of the greatest mysteries of our time has finally been solved and you are the man responsible for solving it. This might be the most significant historical discovery ever. You'll be famous, Jack,"
she said, her voice rising in excitement.

"So, do you think with all this new fame and fortune, girls will actually start to notice me?"
he replied, pretending not to take it all too seriously.

"Maybe the one's you'd have
to pay for."

"Whoever coined the phrase
‘money can't buy you happiness,’" he said. "Boy, what an idiot, huh?"

"If you're the one saying it, you might be that idiot,"
she countered.

They both laughed, then the conversation turned serious.

"Jack, there's something else. Burt actually found a reference to the pyramid with the all-seeing eye. He believes it's actually some kind of key to a chamber inside a real pyramid."

"No way,"
he responded in disbelief.

"Seriously, that's what he said. The picture you took nearly matched the symbol on the scrolls."

"Damn, I've got to get back down there and find that artifact," he said, now lost in thought.

"Are you
crazy
? You almost died searching for it. What? The pain of that awful memory has faded already?" she scolded.

"Well, I wouldn't go alone this time. If what you're saying is true, I could easily afford to assemble a team to help me. It'd be perfectly safe.
”

"Jack, I hate to burst your bubble
, but the scrolls said that Atlantis fell in a massive tidal wave. It was completely destroyed. That pyramid was washed away ten thousand years ago, so there's really no need to risk your life again.”

"Hmm, you're probably right. Besides, my mom and dad would probably kill me."

"They'd have to take a number and get in line. Your disappearance put us all through hell," she said, her tone turning dark momentarily.

"Sorry about that.
”

"Well, we're all just glad you're back. We missed you. I missed you,"
she replied, her voice turning soft once more.

"You're just saying that ‘cause I'm rich and famous now,"
he replied, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Probably,” Serena responded simply.

As they said goodbye and hung up the phone, Jack thought about Serena's smile for a moment.

"Man, she's beautiful. And she missed me," he said to himself, then added, "Probably just being nice."

Changing the subject in his mind, he began to think about the golden artifact. He looked at the business card on the table next to his bed. Picking up the phone, he began to dial.

"Javi, this is Jack. Remember you said to call you if I needed anything? Well..."

Atlantis - Chapter 25

TWO WEEKS LATER

Standing on an old fishing dock in Cockburn Harbor, Caicos Island, Jack eyed the fifty-foot charter boat with anticipation. Lined up inside the bow were a dozen scuba tanks, wet suits and excavation gear, as well as several experienced divers all eager to start the adventure.

"Jack, you sure you're up to this? It's only been a couple of weeks since you've been back," Javier asked from inside the boat.

"I was born for this, Javi. It'd take an army to stop me,"
he shot back.

"Well, you just let me know if those ribs start giving you trouble," Javier responded, sympathetically.

Jack was about to respond when a black Mercedes pulled up near the dock. Stepping out was a tall man with gray hair in his late fifties. Dressed in a Bermuda shorts and a white pocketed t-shirt, he looked casual, yet exuded style and class.

"Ah ha, there he is now. Burt Samuelson," Javier said with a
great smile. "Burt, over here,” he shouted.

Burt squinted in the sun, raised his hand in recognition, then walked energetically toward the boat. Stepping out from the driver’s seat, Serena's face carried a disturbing scowl.

"Uh oh, Jack. Here comes your one-man army," Javier said, ominously.

Passing Burt even before he made it halfway from the car to the boat, Serena charged over to Jack with a purposeful stride.

"Jack, what the
hell
are you doing? You nearly died out here two weeks ago and now you're back at it again. What are you trying to do, finish the job?" she scolded.

Jack turned and looked at Javier as he stood grinning on the boat. He read Jack's facial expression, a plea for help, and quickly spoke up.

"You're on your own, Jack. I'm staying out of this one,” he said, raising his brow in sympathy.

"Thanks, Javi. I owe you one," Jack returned with a smirk.

"Jack, please tell me you're not going to go diving with a bunch of broken ribs. I thought your days of danger were over?" Serena asked.

"Serena, how'd you find out about all of this? Your dad said you'd be upset by all this, so it was supposed to be a secret,"
he responded, glaring over as Javier.

"Don't look at me. I didn't tell her," Javier responded feebly.

"Burt called and asked for a lift to the dock, so I drove him. Imagine my surprise to see you and my father loading up a charter boat with scuba gear. Had an urge to go swimming, huh?" she spat.

"I guess you could call it that."

"Actually, what I'd call this is stupid," she responded.

Catching up to Serena, Burt stepped toward Jack and extended his hand.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Burt Samuelson. We spoke on the phone once if you recall?"

Jack shook Burt's hand and replied, "How could I forget? Thank you so much for translating the scrolls. I never would have guessed in a million years they were from Atlantis."

"It really is quite remarkable," he replied.

"Are you coming on the boat with us?" Jack asked.

"Sure am. Javi told me about the search you're conducting and invited me along," he said, excitedly.

"Awesome. So glad you could come."

"Well, if Burt's going, so am I," Serena cut in.

"Maybe you should hang back. This might get a little scary," Jack responded, lightly teasing Serena.

"I'm going for no other reason than to ensure you don't kill yourself," she shot back.

"My guardian angel," Jack said, looking over to Burt.

"I left mine back home with the kids, but I'm sure she's here in spirit, cursing at me too," Burt responded with a playful wink to Serena.

With a reluctant grin, Jack said to the two, "I guess we should get this show on the road, huh?"

"Good thinking, Jack. The redirect usually works for me too," Burt replied with a knowing smirk.

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

Two hours by boat and the GPS's began to sound out their alarms. Slowing dramatically, the charter captain watched the gauges as he maintained his course. Less than a mile from Jack's dive position, he called out to his crew to prepare for the anchor drop.

"Nervous?" Serena asked Jack, seated next to h
im in the bow.

"Me? Never
."

"Don't worry, mate. We're all professionals. We'll have your back down there," their dive master, Gregg cut in.

A dive master of twenty years, Gregg had seen and dove on every dive site around Turks and Caicos Island. After hearing of Jack's story of survival and his mission to find the artifact, he was thrilled to be asked to join the team.

Seated across from them, he continued, "With three pair of dive teams using state-of-the-art equipment, you just can't get safer than that without using a DSV.”
He could see confused looks on their faces and added, “Deep Sea Submergence Vehicle; DSV for short."

"I just hope we find it. I was down there three times and still
missed it," he replied.

"Mate, my boys are good. If we can't find your artifact, no one can," Gregg reassured
him.

Looking to Serena, he continued, "Your dad told me this artifact might have come from Atlantis? Man, that's just too cool."

Pointing to Burt and her dad, she responded, "Yeah, Dr. Samuelson and my dad were able to translate the scrolls Jack found, chronicling the rise and fall of Atlantis. That golden artifact was mentioned in the scrolls, so it would be an amazing find if it were located."

"Funny, we've all been diving here for more than twenty years and never once heard of anyone finding anything even close to stuff like this. Who would have guessed,"
he replied.

The boat slowed to a stop and the captain shut down the engines; a deep silence momentarily fell over the boat.

"Damn, it's so quiet out here," Serena said, breaking the silence.

"Try listening to it for a month," Jack
responded, sarcastically.

"Ok
, boys, saddle up," Gregg called out loudly to his dive teams. "We've got a lot of work to do."

As the five men prepared for the dive, the boat came alive with action. In less than fifteen minutes, six men were in the water, four of them already submerged.

"How do you feel, mate?" Gregg asked. "Your ribs ok?"

"They're definitely sore, but I'll manage," Jack said, as he floated near the boat.

Jack looked up at Serena, Javier, and Burt staring down at him. A month before, he was diving alone and felt apprehension and fear. Now, with so much support, he felt confident and excited.

"Wish us luck?" Jack yelled up to them.

"Be careful," Serena said, then added, "...and bring me back a gold necklace."

"I'll supply the pendant, you supply the chain,"
he replied in characteristic humor. With a toothy smile, he took a deep breath from his regulator, and then submerged.

Jack and Gregg descended together, following the anchor line down to the bottom, just as he had done more than a month before. With such experience all around him, any fear he felt on the previous dives was completely gone, and now he just followed Gregg down the rope and enjoyed himself. Periodically checking his depth gauge,
he seemed to be descending at a far greater speed than he remembered. The two took only a few minutes to descend, and the ocean floor began to appear. A short distance away, Jack began to see the wreckage of his plane.

"There's my baby,"
he said through his two-way intercom.

"Damn shame, mate," Gregg replied. "She looked like a real beauty."

"It was a dream to fly. I plan on building another one when this is all over."

"Ok
, mate, there's the anchor, I'll take a bearing off the it, and we'll move quickly to our starting point."

"You know, Gregg, I can see the ridge I followed along over there," Jack said, pointing. "I think we should take a bearing from there."

"Good call, mate. Follow me," Gregg responded, already underway.

As they moved over the ridge, Gregg stopped momentarily and reset his gauge. Turning on course, he pulled out his waterproof metal detector and began to scan the area in front of him while they swam. With his workload nearly nonexistent, Jack was able to concentrate fully on the scene in front of him. Looking around, he began to see things he hadn't noticed on his previous three dives.

"Wow, it's really amazing what you see when you don't have to navigate, monitor your air, time and gauges, plus look out for sharks," he said, as he paralleled Gregg's course.

"That's good to hear
, mate. Your eyes are your best and strongest asset for finding treasure. Call out if you see anything unusual."

The two made their way along the ridge stopping only momentarily as the metal detector sounded out. Nearly fifteen minutes into their dive, Jack's heart started to pound.

"Gregg, there it is... there's the spot where I found the scrolls and the urns," he called out eagerly.

With a quick pump of his legs, he shot ahead of his dive partner and swam to the site of his previous excavation. Looking at the disturbed rubble, he could still see the scars in the rocks and barnacles where he had worked a month before.

"Gregg this is where I found the scrolls. A few yards more and we should be in uncharted territory," he said, excitedly.

"Let me give this a quick scan first and leave a marker here for our next dive," Gregg replied.

"Ok, I'll just swim ahead and start looking in the new area. We don't have a lot of air left," he said, as he turned to swim away.

"Whoa
, mate, not cool. Remember the buddy system. We gotta stick together, ok?" Gregg shouted out, stopping Jack in his tracks.

Jack looked at his gauges. He had only fifteen more minutes of air left before he would need to turn around. Feeling impatient, he explained his situation to Gregg.

"Gregg, it looks like I've been breathing kind of heavy. I might have another fifteen minutes left before I have to turn around. Let me just move ahead ten feet or so, so I can spot anything new that might stand out while you're scanning the area. We'll still be in eye contact."

"Ok, ten feet, but no more. You've got an injury and you're breathing heavy. I really don't want to
push our luck," Gregg responded apprehensively, then added, "I'm marking our position, so when we do our second dive, we'll save ourselves twenty minutes. I know you're eager, Jack, but let’s follow the playbook, ok?"

"Will do,"
he replied. Pointing, he continued, "I'll be up there a few feet."

Jack swam ahead. In seconds, he was at his furthest most position from his previous dive a month before. His heart began to pump now. This was it; the region he deduced was the track the ship had su
nk in. With the currents running toward him, his felt sure the artifact was somewhere up current of his previous finds.

He took a moment and
scanned the area. Looking straight ahead, he saw several clumps of boulders running along a line in front of him. To the right, he saw sandy patches, seaweed gardens, then more boulders. On the left, he saw long patches of sand.

"Huh. I'm betting it's in the seaweed,"
he said to himself.

"In the seaweed mate?" Gregg  asked.

Jack forgot he was on intercom. With a small chuckle to himself, he responded, "Yeah, I know it's not just sitting out in the open, so it's got to be somewhere over there in the seaweed."

"Ok, almost done here. Give me another second," Gregg said, still recording data.

Moments later, he joined up with Jack and the two started their new search.