by S. L. Menear
I looked at Rona and Zorel. “What do you want to do?”
“We want to go home.” She squeezed her husband’s hand.
I told the team what she’d said.
“Which home?” Lance crossed his arms. “The one underwater or the one on a distant planet?”
I asked them, and the submerged one was their answer.
I checked my watch and glanced at Lance. “I haven’t forgotten you. The bracelet needs thirty minutes to finish recharging. In the meantime, we’re going to Atlantis.” I ensured everyone was seated and commanded the ship to take us there.
A few minutes later, the sphere dived into the Atlantic Ocean as smoothly as if the water had been air. On the way in, I spotted the USS Leviathan anchored nearby. I hope Captain Rowlin doesn’t shoot at us when we surface.
As we descended through crystal-clear water, I turned to the Atlanteans. “Does this ship have bright exterior lights?”
Zorel nodded. “Yes, my queen, it has everything you need.”
I commanded the ship to illuminate our surroundings. Instantly, bright spotlights revealed circular white marble buildings, some with giant statues as pillars. There were pyramids of varying sizes, some covered with semi-precious gems and gold. Giant sphinxes guarded the ancient city, and beautiful sculptures of sea life decorated public parks.
Zorel looked around, confusion clouding his face. “Where is the obsidian pyramid?”
“Sorry, it was destroyed.” I pointed at a huge pile of black rubble.
Rona leaned into Zorel, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Poseidon’s Sword failed to raise Atlantis.”
I didn’t know what to say to them as I relayed their comments to my team. It was hard to feel sorry that millions of people around the world hadn’t drowned so their precious city could rise again. How could they be so heartless? My team must’ve been thinking the same thing.
Mike frowned. “They’ve seen their homeland, and frankly, I don’t trust them. What now?”
Lance nudged my shoulder. “Holy mother—is that a giant squid?”
A hundred-sixty-foot kraken and its thirty-foot baby swam beside us, but unlike my past experiences with the giant squids, they made no attempt to attack us.
Rona said in Atlantean, “We’re safe. They sense their queen is on board.”
“This is a pleasant change from our previous encounters.” Banger looked into the smart-car-sized right eye of the mother squid. “I wonder if she recognizes me.”
“They can’t see us.” Mike tapped the side. “The ship looks like solid metal from the outside.”
“Should we land on Leviathan’s deck and hand this nifty spaceship over to our military or abscond to somewhere remote and regroup?” I looked from face to face. “Well?”
“What about them?” Lisa nodded in the direction of Rona and Zorel.
“They’re ninety-eight and frail.” I sighed. “Probably not a threat to national security. I kind of feel sorry for them, even though they were raised as heartless Atlanteans keen on world domination, and they tried to take us to a distant planet.”
“They’ve lost everything.” Lisa shrugged. “Not much we can do for them now, except give them a comfortable place to live for however much time they have left.”
“So then, we’re landing on Leviathan?” I glanced at my teammates, and they nodded.
Zorel asked in Atlantean, “My queen, Rona and I would like to join our ancestors in Atlantis. We’re old and near death. Please allow us to take the escape pod and reside in our beautiful city until our air runs out and we die, entombed forevermore in our homeland.”
“What escape pod?” I looked around.
He pointed at the floor beneath my feet. “It’s under the command center.”
I peeked under the command platform and spotted a small, two-person sphere.
“Will it launch underwater, or do you have to exit on the surface first?” I looked at him.
“It works in any environment.” He squeezed his wife’s hand. “Please, my queen, it is what we want. Will you grant us our last request?”
I told my teammates what Zorel had requested and asked for their opinions.
Mike shook his head. “I don’t know, sis. They could prove useful, helping us understand their technology. Our commanders would be angry if we let them go.”
“They’ve had quite a shock.” Lisa glanced at the couple. “Maybe they aren’t thinking clearly.”
“Put yourself in their shoes.” Lance shook his head. “They’re so old and disheartened, they’ve lost any desire to try and adapt to a completely unfamiliar world and its people.”
Zorel and Rona dropped to their knees. “Please, Queen Samantha, we beg you.”
I looked into their pleading eyes, and my heart melted. How could I refuse them? They were literally the last two citizens of Atlantis, and I was their queen.
I reached down and helped them stand. “You may take the escape pod and end your days in Atlantis. How may I help?”
“Open the hatch, help us inside, and command the Blue Dragon to launch us.” Zorel helped Rona descend steps that appeared in the floor.
I turned to my teammates. “I have to let them go. It’s the right thing to do.”
In minutes, they were secure in their seats, the hatch closed, and I gave the launch command.
The little craft shot out through an opening that only appeared for a split second. Not a drop of water entered our spaceship. I watched them zoom toward a distant building.
“Well, that’s that.” I checked on Ross and Derek, kissed Ross again, and then sat in the command chair. “Time to land on Leviathan.”
I couldn’t explain to the spaceship in Atlantean precisely where I wanted it to land, so I flew it manually. After three attempts to line it up exactly over the open deck, I finally managed it.
When we landed, we were surrounded by men with weapons trained on the sphere, as expected.
I glanced back at Banger. “My liege, the captain knows you best, and let’s face it, you’re instantly recognizable by the crew, so you should exit first.”
“My queen, are you counting on my large stature to stop all the bullets?” He grinned.
“Yes, I am, so get your handsome self out there.” I pointed at the open door.
He bowed. “Your wish is my command.” Banger eased down the steps with his hands on his head as we watched from inside. When he reached the deck, he spotted the ship’s captain, who was his commanding officer. “Hello, Captain Rowlin. Master Chief Ben Johnson reporting for duty. Mike and Samantha Starr are on board with a few other people you know.”
Max smiled. “I should’ve known Samantha Starr would be involved.” He turned to his men. “Hold your fire. The sphere is controlled by friendlies.”
“Would you like the others to disembark, sir?” Banger asked.
Max strode up to his SEAL. “Permission to board my ship, Banger. Tell them to come out.”
“Aye, aye, captain.” Banger saluted and shouted for us to disembark.
The others walked out while Lisa and I woke Derek and Ross.
“Hi, guys, sorry for the short nap. We’re on the deck of Max Rowlin’s ship over Atlantis, and it’s time to disembark.” I helped Ross climb out of the unit where Zorel had spent so many years, and Lisa did the same for Derek in Rona’s berth. “Can you walk okay?” I asked.
Ross yawned and kissed me. “I’m good.”
Derek gave Lisa a sweeping kiss, leaning her over and back up. “I’m ready to roll.”
“Let’s get out of this weird ball.” Lisa grabbed Derek’s hand and led him down the steps.
“Sorry, darling,” I said to Ross, “but I probably should leave last.” I waved him ahead of me.
The instant I stepped onto the deck, the little escape pod breached the ocean’s surface nearby and shot into the sky, disappearing at a high rate of speed.
Mike pointed. “Sis, they’re running to their home planet to rat us out!”
&nbs
p; Twenty-Nine
Captain Rowlin squinted at the fading silver ball. “Who—”
“Oh, crap!” I rushed back into the sphere and jumped into the command chair. The door closed behind me, and I hauled back on the stick.
In a flash, I was in outer space. I gave a command in Atlantean to catch up with the escape pod. When it came into view, I tried to shoot it with the laser, but the beam just bounced off it.
New strategy.
I commanded my ship to recover the escape pod and hold it on board.
In the blink of an eye, the smaller spacecraft appeared back in its bay beneath the command center. I looked down at the elderly couple.
Zorel and Rona stared up at me, alarm registering on their faces.
They can sit in there and contemplate the error of their ways until we land.
I commanded my spaceship to return to the deck of the ship it had just left.
My home planet morphed from a pinpoint of light to a beautiful blue globe in a matter of seconds. It wasn’t long before Leviathan came into view. Moments later, the sphere landed on the open deck in the exact spot it had been before.
The crew and my friends were still where I’d left them. I descended to the escape pod and opened the hatch.
“Come with me—and no tricks or I’ll snap you like twigs.” I pulled Rona out first and then Zorel. “Put your hands on your heads like the disgraced prisoners you are.” I led them outside and presented them to Max.
“Captain Rowlin, these are the last living citizens of Atlantis, Zorel and his wife, Rona.” I stepped back. “Put them in cuffs. They’re not to be trusted.”
Max took a look at the thin, fragile-looking couple and raised a brow. “Cuffs? Really?”
“Don’t let their age fool you.” I glared at them. “Search them for weapons. They were on their way to their home planet to cause us a world of trouble.”
Max turned to his Executive Officer, Vance Lowes. “Check them for weapons, take them to the brig, and see to it they get something to eat and drink.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Vance waved over a warrant officer and took charge of the prisoners.
Max peered up at the silvery blue sphere and shook his head. “So that’s the Blue Dragon?”
“Yep, it’s a two-hundred-thousand-year-old spaceship with a powerful laser weapon and an enormous blue diamond. Want a ride?” I grinned. “It’s super-fast.”
He sighed. “Where am I supposed to hide it? We can’t let enemy satellites spot it.”
“I can fly it into the water beneath your ship and surface in your moon pool in the ship’s belly. Nobody can see it there.”
Max nodded. “Take it into the water now and give me about thirty minutes before you enter the moon pool. We’ll need to move the Scorpion subs to one side to make room for it.” He glanced up at the sky. “Better hurry.”
I rushed back into the spaceship and flew it into the ocean. While I waited, I took another tour of Atlantis. It really was quite magnificent. Too bad its inhabitants had been so evil.
A large, black cloud darkened the water—ink from the squids.
I guided the ship around it and found the kraken and her baby, or what was left of them, lying dead between two buildings. They had huge laser-blast burn holes in their bodies, which meant the escape pod must’ve had a laser weapon. Finally, all the monsters in underwater Atlantis, animals and humans, were gone forever.
I expected to be a little sad about this final chapter, but I actually felt relieved that such a huge responsibility had been lifted from my shoulders.
Time for the Queen of Atlantis to retire. I hope.
Max waited for me beside the moon pool in the ship’s belly. He helped me disembark as the sphere floated near the edge of the pool. It was too big to fit beside the two thirty-foot Scorpion attack subs and the forty-two-foot research sub. We left the spaceship floating in the moon pool and closed the ship’s belly doors.
I smiled. “Another crisis averted.”
He frowned. “Unless that old couple managed to get off a message before you captured them.”
“Oh, crap.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Will they tell the truth if you ask them?”
“I doubt it.” I spread my hands. “They have nothing to lose, so we don’t have a way to threaten them into fessing up.”
Max stood, hands on hips, thinking. “Let’s ask anyway. Maybe we’ll see something in their eyes that will show us the truth.”
“It’s worth a try.” I took hold of his hand. “Sorry to dump all this on you, but it’s good to see you again. I hope you’ll still be able to attend my mother’s wedding in Scotland.”
“I’m planning on it, unless those giant squids decide to sink another ship.” He sighed. “I thought I was finished with this place, but my ‘expertise with the area’ resulted in orders to oversee the site and protect the public.”
“Then I have good news.” I grinned. “The krakens are dead.”
His eyes widened. “You killed them?”
“No, the elderly Atlanteans killed them with a laser weapon in their escape pod. I was cruising around Atlantis while I waited for you to clear the moon pool, and I found the carcasses.”
Max’s face brightened. “You’re positive they’re all dead?”
I shrugged. “About as certain as I can be of anything connected to this weird place.”
Smiling, he hugged me. “I happen to have a few bottles of your favorite wine hidden in my stateroom, just in case the Queen of Atlantis ever graced my ship again.”
“Then we’d better pull the corks,” I said, returning the grin, “because the queen is planning to retire very soon.”
“All right, we’ll take a stab at the old codgers and then gather your team in the wardroom for a good meal with some Opus One.” He waved me forward. “Let’s go.”
When we entered their cell in the brig, the prisoners appeared to be sleeping. A closer examination revealed they were dead.
Max turned to the guard. “What happened to them?”
“Nothing, sir, they just sat there and closed their eyes. I thought they were asleep.”
Shocked, I sucked in my breath. “Now I really need some wine.”
Max shook his head. “We have no way of knowing if they sent a message.” He paused. “That is, not unless a few thousand ships like the sphere descend on Earth with their lasers blasting us.”
“I hope not because I’ve had it with Atlanteans. Thanks to them, I’ve lost my job, and my life’s a mess. I’m loaded down with knowledge and abilities I never wanted, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to do now.” I frowned at the ancient couple, now mocking me in death.
Max grasped my shoulders. “Sam, I’m sorry you lost your pilot job. I know you loved flying airliners, but now you’re in a position to do a lot of good for your country.”
“What do you mean?” I searched his eyes.
“You’d be a huge asset working in defense intelligence, and you already know several key players. I could arrange a meeting, set things up for you. Should I go ahead?”
“Let me think about it. My mother’s wedding is coming up soon, and I need some time with Ross to help him recuperate from his ordeal with Sweetwater.” I paused. “By the way, Sweetwater is dead, killed by one of his lions.”
“Are you sure?” He cocked his head. “We’ve had plenty of false reports in the past.”
“I saw the lion bite off his head.” I grinned. “There’s no coming back from that.”
“Good. Think about my suggestion, Sam.” He took my arm. “Let’s head up for dinner.”
We gathered in the wardroom for a sumptuous meal and plenty of Opus One. Ross and Derek looked so weak it broke my heart, but at least they’d live to recover and regain their strength.
My watch chimed. It was time to heal Lance. The bracelet lit up once again and healed his combat wounds as Max observed the process with a stunned look on his face.
Max pointed at my brace
let. “What—”
“It’s an Atlantean artifact that heals injuries—I found it in a chamber under the Great Sphinx in Egypt.”
Max shook his head. “Of course, you did.”
Banger looked at Max. “Captain, what will you tell Washington about the spaceship?”
“No idea.” He glanced around the table. “Any suggestions?”
Lance grinned. “Any chance we can keep it as our personal toy?”
“It’s really fun to fly,” I chimed in, “and it won’t work for anyone but me anyway. We could bury the Atlanteans at sea here so you wouldn’t have to put them in your report, and I can fly Ross, Derek, and Lisa home to Great Britain in the blink of an eye.”
Mike nodded. “It would be a win-win for everyone. You can take credit for killing the krakens and get sent on a new mission more to your liking.”
“And my woman won’t get stuck demonstrating the sphere to the military for who-knows-how-long.” Ross put his arm around me.
“What about the mercs we left in the Kalahari Desert?” Banger looked at me. “You know they’ll tell somebody.”
I thought about that for a moment, and a solution came to me. “Our military already knows about the small sphere I carry with me, and they know it has a laser weapon. We can say I used that, and the mercs must’ve hallucinated it being bigger because of the way heat waves bend the air in the desert.”
“What will we say when they ask if we found the Blue Dragon?” Mike looked at me.
“We’ll say we searched for it in Dragon’s Breath Cave and didn’t find it.” I glanced at my team. “When we came out, we fought Sweetwater’s soldiers and forced his general to tell us the secret camp’s location and take us there.”
“And if the Russian mercenary general mouths off to the Kremlin about the spaceship?” Banger raised a brow.
“He has no proof, and he wouldn’t risk it anyway.” I held up the leather pouch. “He knows I can use the Eye of Atlantis to find him anywhere.”
Lisa nodded. “She’s right. Ivan won’t risk his family again.”
Max glanced around the table. “My crew is pretty good at keeping secrets—God knows they’ve kept plenty about Atlantis. I think they’d keep quiet about a spaceship, especially if I tell them it’s a national security issue, and Washington wants it kept under wraps.” He turned to me. “But where would you hide it?”
