The Atlantean Chronicles - Shadow's of Enlightenment

by Kip Hartzell

  “Replication application?”

  “If you hadn’t stopped the progress, she would have disintegrated, and then replicated. So, all the repairs you’ve made have been useless.”

  It was Rhe-A’s turn to flare. But, ever the professional, she said, “That’s why I called you.”

  Maya smirked. “I will have to remove each nanite individually, as I go, and then you may repair the damage.”

  “Understood.”

  Apollo watched the exchange as if a spectator in a boxing match. “Shall we begin,” he said, hoping to break the competitive tension.

  An updated DD-218 slipped silently out of the ceiling. Its flat teardrop shape extended tiny tentacles. It let Maya manipulated them telekinetically along the wound. Rhe-A followed with her own tentacles, replacing tissue as fast as Maya could remove the contaminated cells. Soon, it became another competition. Apollo threw up his hands and walked away. John and Athene-A stopped their stateside trip plans, as he walked up.

  “What’s wrong?” an overly concerned Jay, asked.

  “Those two are at it again.”

  “Progress?” Athene-A asked.

  “The nanites are phasic cell replicators. Much longer and she would’ve been replicated.”

  “Great, now we can add body snatchers to the list,” Jay remarked. “How much longer?”

  Apollo looked back at the two. Their eyes and hands darted around dramatically. The machine struggled to keep up with their frantic pace. “I would guess fifteen point two-three minutes.” Jay half smiled. “Also, these replicants could possibly be possessed by a Destroyer.”

  “How can we discern who’s real and who isn’t?” John asked.

  “I was working on that, should have a prototype device in an hour.”

  John waved a hand. “Aidan, prepare a shuttle.”

  “Understood,” came the disembodied voice.

  “Whoa, if I suddenly appear in the states, people are going to get very suspicious. I’ll fly back, look around, see what I can find. See if Pops knows anything, fly back. Shouldn’t take more than a week.”

  “Alright, JJ, we’ll make the arrangements,” Athene-A stared down at Jay. “Tomorrow, you need rest.”

  “But Grandma.”

  “No butt’s, I know best.”

  Jay relented. “Okay, as soon as I find out about Shell.”

  “She will live,” Maya said, suddenly behind Jay.

  “Damn it! Stop doing that.”

  Rhe-A set a small cylindrical container on the console. Its orange glow and swirl reminded Jay of the faux lava of the past. “This is what they are using. Quite ingenious.”

  “Can you create an antidote?” John asked.

  “Not necessary. Our close association with agoam radiation makes Terrahanian Atlanteans inaccessible.”

  “What about our Cousins?” Athene-A asked.

  “It seems the pathogen was designed for the little ones. Because of its diversity, I would have to inoculate over seven billion different people. The weapon is designed to destroy the existing person, and replace them with a more suitable host, everything is copied, even the memories and emotions. The replicated may not even know it has happened to them.”

  “Start work on a widespread inoculation. We have to try to protect as many Cousins from this, not only for their safety, but our own.” John ordered.

  “Now, for another question: Should we wake Ms. Masters here, or...elsewhere?”

  “She might have information we need,” Jay quickly said.

  “She was able to fend off the Destroyer influence. Warrants further study,” Rhe-A added.

  Maya stepped forward. “She is still a simple Cousin. Her mind may not accept reality, and all our work will be for nothing.”

  “She has a valid point,” John said, drawing a glare from Rhe-A.

  “Maybe, I could ease her into the transition,” Jay said, looking in her direction.

  “We’ll need Council approval,” John said, getting up, and moved toward the door. “But, if she were to awaken before we got back...well, you know.” He smiled, and waved everyone on.

  “The ‘eye’ symbol above the stasis field will release and revive her,” Rhe-A softly said, as she slowly walked by Jay.

  Jay stood over her lifeless body. He studied the astral symbols for a few seconds, and then touched it. The stasis field, almost unnoticeably dissipated. He waited, trying to figure out what he was going to say. Her eyes fluttered lightly, and then opened. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, welcome back.”

  Her hand went to her chest. She took it away and looked at it. “Wha...what happened?”

  “What’s the last thing you remember?”

  “I... I was shot.” She again, put her hand to her chest. She began looking around, getting her balance back. “I saw my mother.”

  “Yes, you’re right. Good, it seems your memory is intact.”

  She sat up quickly, holding the cell regenerating blanket close. “Where am I?”

  “Okay, okay, settle down. I have a lot of explaining to do.”

  “Why did the Professor shoot me? Is my Mother okay?”

  “She’s fine, and waiting on my call to let her know you’re alright.”

  “Well, let’s call her.”

  “I have to explain something first.”

  “I have to-”

  “Shell, shut up!” Jay took her by the shoulders and looked in her eyes. “You were dead.”

  She stopped, as if knowing the truth. “Jay, please tell me what’s going on.”

  “It’s going to be hard to believe, you’ve got to listen to me, without interrupting. Got it.”

  She nodded. He hopped up on the table beside her. “Do you remember my Gramps?”

  “Yes, Mr. Rodgers was always nice to me. Why?”

  “Do you remember that crazy story I told you, that one he told me about Atlantis?”

  “Yes,” she skeptically said.

  “Well, the funny thing is-it’s all true.”

  She was quiet, and then burst out laughing. “Jay, you always did have a great sense of humor.”

  “Great, you’re laughing at me, maybe I’m crazy, but everyone’s in ‘crazy world’ with me.”

  “Seriously, if you wanted to get me out of my cloths, you could’ve just asked.”

  “Wait, look, we’re getting off point. Just listen, there’s a war going on between Atlanteans and Destroyers. We, Cousins, humans, are caught in the middle. Professor Snodgrass is the enemy. You found an artifact, and he thought you had information about Atlanteans.”

  She stopped smiling, and took a long look around. “So, this is Atlantis?”

  “No, this is Chrysalis, let’s call it an outpost. Atlantis is a space ship far from here, right now.”

  “Ooohh, right. I think I want to go home now.”

  “Take a closer look around. We have nothing near this technologically advanced.” He waved a hand over several symbols, and pulled up a three-dimensional view of several news reports from all over the world.

  “Wow.” She slowly slid off the table and stepped over to the life like hologram, waving a hand through it.

  “That’s nothing, you should see the car. I want you to meet them.”

  “What? They’re alive? Not imaginary,” sounding even more skeptical.

  He rolled his eyes and stood up. “This is tougher than I thought.” He took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. He manipulated a few symbols on the console and a woman answered. A 3-D image of a woman in uniform now stood where the news anchors used to be.

  “Hello, Jay, is this you?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Masters. Are you alone?”

  “Standby.” The image showed her walking into an empty room.

  “Momma.”

  Jay held up his hand for Shelly to be quiet.

  “Okay, we can talk now.”

  “I have someone here that wants to speak to you.” He took the phone and set it on the operating table.

/>   “Momma.”

  “Shell, Baby, are you alright?”

  Shelly didn’t know whether to speak to the phone, or the image. Finally, she spoke to the 3-D image. “Yes, Momma, I’m fine.”

  Jay saw, and heard a sigh of relief. “Mrs. Masters, the line is secure, obviously, the operation was a success, but she’s having a difficult time believing me about our friends. We feel she may have information that could help us against the Destroyers. Can you convince her to trust us?”

  “I’ll try. Shell, Honey, I know this is difficult.” The 3-D image paced in front of her. “But, listen to your heart. You were mortally wounded. The Atlanteans offered to help you. I know about them. I’ve been working on a special assignment to find them. It seems they have found me. Jay, can we trust them?”

  “With our very existence.”

  “Shell, I’m asking you to trust Jay.”

  “Okay, Momma.”

  “Jay, I was ordered back to the states for a debrief. I can’t keep a lid on this much longer, before the Pentagon finds out.”

  “Hold them off for a few more days. I have to come back to retrieve something...important. I’ll bring Shell with me.”

  “Good, thank you, Jay, and thank Rhea for me.”

  “I will.”

  “Shell, I have to go. I love you. Trust Jay. See you soon.” She hung up. The image turned around as if someone had come into the room, and then winked out.

  Shelly wondered around the laboratory, picking up instruments, which Jay took away and put back. “Where am I, again?” She asked, wrapping the blanket closer around herself. “Frankenstein’s laboratory.”

  Jay smiled. “Close enough. Chrysalis, a secret lair for the Atlanteans. They saved your life, after Professor Snodgrass shot you.”

  “You’ve been helping them?”

  “They want your help, also.”

  “What can I offer an advanced civilization?”

  “Well, the fact that you haven’t gone crazy, or just shut down from all this information overload, could be valuable to them. I asked them to include you.”

  She moved closer to him. “I remember you fighting to have them save me. Thank you. I’ll do whatever you ask.” She hugged him.

  “All I ask, is that you keep an open mind. Don’t get overwhelmed. They are on our side, and most are actually friendly.”

  “What information do they think I might have. I don’t even know what’s going on.”

  Jay took a deep breath. “For thousands of years, an alien population has vowed to destroy any civilization that achieves space exploration beyond its own solar system. The Atlanteans have been able to avoid them. Until now, the mother ship has been chasing Atlantis since it was discovered...a long time ago. A lot of Atlanteans were left behind when Atlantis escaped when the Destroyers discovered it here on Earth. Thinking that Atlantis will return for them. The Destroyers lay in wait to annihilate everyone at the same time. A detachment was left behind to spy on us, and Atlanteans. They experiment with us; the results are terrible. But, over the course of time, their behavior has been changing, and their activities are becoming more and more obvious. Before the Destroyers got here, a defense grid was built across the solar system. It may have enough power to combat these creatures.”

  “What does this have to do with me?”

  “Well, the defense grid has to have a key to operate. The key has been lost over the millennia. There are thirteen smaller keys that can reveal the location of the primary key. We need to find these thirteen crystal skulls.”

  “You mean, like some of the crystal skulls that we found in the Amazon?”

  “Yes, but there are many fakes, and the real ones are hard to detect and distinguish from the others.”

  “So, in order to fight super aliens, we need to access to a super weapon.”

  “Yes,” Jay threw up a hand in the form of an American football signal.

  “I still don’t see how I can help.” She strolled over to the operating table and sat on it.

  “The weapon, the skull keys, much of Atlantis, and this facility run off of agoam crystals. You seem to have a knack for being able to...feel its radiation.”

  “You mean the artifact I found?”

  “Yes, that was some long-forgotten left behind technology. The agoam crystals can be reused. The Destroyers need it, also. That’s why they came after you.”

  “Beep...beep...beep...

  Jay looked around, wondering what was causing the noise.

  John’s voice came over the comm, “Jay, the Council has made its decision. May we come in?”

  “Uh, yes, but only a few to start with.”

  “Understood.”

  A smaller portion the main door slid aside to let John, Athene-A, and Rhe-A, enter. They approached as if approaching a skittish wild animal.

  John stepped up. “The Council approved all our research requests. That includes waking our...” he looked over at Shelly, “sleeping beauty.”

  “Sleeping beauty was a brunette. Who are you?”

  Jay ran interference. “This is Chief Councilor John-Anee-Athain, and my Grandfather.”

  “Your Grand-”

  “Now, I said, keep an open mind. I’ll explain later.”

  John held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you again, although I don’t remember our first encounters, Ms. Masters.” She slowly took his hand and shook it. “And this is Athene-A.”

  She moved around John and shook her hand.

  Shelly looked up, studying her features, and shook her hand. “Athena.”

  “Close enough. Why did you break my Grandson’s heart?” Shelly quickly let go.

  “Grandma!” Jay looked at the confused look on Shelly’s face. “Same long story, later.” He turned back to Athene-A. “We’re taking this slow, right?”

  “Yes, yes, I don’t know what came over me, I’m sorry.”

  Jay changed the direction of the conversation. “You might remember Rhe-A.”

  Shelly gave her an evil glare. “My Mother told me to thank you, for her. But, I remember you stalling to save me, and having to be persuaded to help me. You were going to let me die.”

  “We have protocols,” Rhe-A stiffly said.

  “Humph.”

  Jay slipped in between them. “Alright, now that introductions are over, how about we prepare for tomorrow’s trip.”

  Shelly got up and walked around Rhe-A and Jay. “Is there some place I can buy some clothes?”

  Athene-A held out a hand. “Come, Dear, you’re going to love this.”

  Shelly took her hand and let Athene-A lead her to a distant corner of the lab.

  “Uh, she’s different,” John said, as he watched them go.

  “Gramps liked her, maybe because she is as crazy as he was-is.”

  John smiled. “I can’t let you go back to the United States alone. I’m sending Apollo and Rhe-A with you two.”

  “I’m still not sure that’s wise,” Rhe-A said.

  “It’s perfect, besides, the Council has made its decision.”

  “I’m on the Council.”

  “You were out voted.”

  She gave up and moved to her large console.

  John looked at the door. “Maya, Apollo, come in.”

  They came in, looking to their right at Athene-A showing Shelly how to use the replication device. All manner of styles of clothing were being sifted through.

  “She seems to be adapting quickly,” Maya commented.

  “Yes, remarkable. Maybe our Cousins have reached the threshold of acceptance that there’s more to this universe than themselves.”

  “Some, perhaps,” Maya remarked.

  “Apollo, would you accompany Rhe-A, Jay, and Shelly to the United States to retrieve what information I might have left behind?” John asked, looking up the almost eight-foot-tall man.

  “Of course, any chance to get out of this tomb.”

  “Good, thank you. You two should introduce yourselves to our newest ally.”<
br />
  “You literally have all the latest fashions from all over the world,” Apollo could her Shelly say, as he walked up to them. “You must have access to their computers.”

  “There’s not much technology we don’t know, or can’t find out,” Apollo said, from behind the two.

  Shelly turned and slowly looked up, dropping her jaw, and almost dropping her blanket. She gazed up at a tan muscular God, with short cropped black hair, a white knee length tunic, and mesmerizing ice blue eyes.

  Athene-A put her hand on Shelly’s shoulder, and said, “Ms. Shelly Masters, this is Delphi-Apollo, Our resident navigation, propulsion, astrophysicist, and sometimes, medic. Apollo, this is Shelly.”

  She unconsciously put out her hand, which was soon drowning in his. “You’re so...tall.”

  “Dial back the charm, handsome,” Maya quipped, “Their small brains can’t handle it.”

  Shelly flared with anger. “Who are you calling a small brain,” she said moving toward Maya.

  “I am,” Maya said, with eyes black blood red, and fangs drawn with a hiss.

  “Eeek,” Shelly squealed, and ducted behind Athene-A.

  “Maya! be civilized,” Athene-A sternly said.

  “But, she smells so good. Please, just one taste.”

  “You know they’re still off limits.”

  “Understood,” she teasingly, dejectedly responded.

  Athene-A pulled Shelly from behind her. “Shelly, this is Maya-A-Toltek. Maya, Shelly.”

  “The Mayan Red Queen?”

  “I’ve been called worse,” she said, putting away her fangs and readjusting her eyes. “At least she’s not any more insane than we are.” She glided back over to John.

  “Here, try this on,” Athene-A said, waving a hand.

  The garment appeared folded and pressed from the machine. She put it to her face and smelled it. Her smile was infectious. She dropped her blanket in front of Apollo, who, barely flinched at her brazenness. She quickly slipped on light blue dress which sported a multi-colored flower pattern streaming around its fluffy torso. Its open back gave way to dark blue vertical lines. The front was close to the neck with a gold leaf pattern. It fit her comfortably. She spun around.

  “Worthy of Aphrodite, herself,” Apollo admiringly said. “Shall I give you a tour of our facility?”