Atlantis - Return of the Nation

by Steven Cook

  The two scouts grunted at each other then coordinated their first blows. M’Dornat approached on Hildar’s left. His backhand blow swept at Hildar’s chest, causing him to lift both blades to parry. The power of the blow numbed his hands, and he barely had the presence to lift the blades to catch the overhead strike from M’Anhath.

  The weight of the second blow and his weakened state drove Hildar to his knees. The knife in his left hand was knocked away to bounce across the ground. He desperately parried the return strike from M’Dornat but was left open to the second strike from M’Anhath.

  The blade stabbed forward towards Hildar’s chest. Desperately he whipped his knife around and barely caught it. The blow was knocked off target and instead of splitting his chest open it slashed through the thick dorsal muscle under his arm.

  M’Anhath stepped back and withdrew the sword, letting M’Dornat to step forward. Hildar looked up numbly as the sword was drawn back to begin the blow that would sever his head.

  Time slowed for Hildar. His eyes numbly took in everything. The muscles bulging in the Minoans neck as it held up the heavy head, the flecks of foam spraying from the creature’s mouth.

  He watched bemused as three spurts of blood erupted from the chest of the Minoan. The creature paused for a split second, before another three spurts appeared in close formation.

  He realised that the power in the blow had gone and let himself collapse to let blade pass harmlessly over his head. Time reasserted itself. M’Dornat lost all coordination and self control as the two bursts of carbine fire slammed into his chest, tumbling and shredding his lungs and heart. He was dead before he hit the ground.

  M’Anhath turned as a high cry challenged him. Sophia ran straight at him. He slashed with his sword directly at the warrior, only to see her dive over the blade.

  Sophia twisted in mid air and slashed with her sword, scoring a line along the Minoan’s ribs. She tucked her head in and rolled, coming to her feet. She pivoted on one foot to face her adversary who slowly turned to face her, touching the blood across his chest.

  From across the small clearing Danny watched in amazement as Sophia fought the Minoan. She danced in and out, taunting the creature with feints and avoiding its wild slashes by efficient, effortless moves.

  Again and again her blade flicked out, drawing blood and weakening the stronger creature. It made a wild slash at her that took its blade further than it intended, and in a flash Sophia darted in and made two quick slashes across its wrists.

  The heavy sword dropped to the ground as the tendons were severed. M’Anhath threw his head back in pain and bellowed. Sophia span on her right foot and whilst rotating adjusted the grip on her sword.

  Holding the sword in a reversed position with her right hand she braced the hilt against her left palm. As the turn finished she put her weight behind the blade and drove it up through the throat of the incapacitated warrior and into its vertebra.

  The Minoan slipped off the sword and toppled over backwards like a felled tree, raising a small cloud of dust. Sophia knelt and wiped her sword on the hem of his kilt.

  Danny joined her and they approached Hildar where he lay on the ground. He was struggling to rise, holding his hand over the deep wound in his side.

  The injured warrior held his hand up in surrender as Danny walked aimed directly at his chest with the carbine.

  ‘I yield,’ he whispered in pain.

  ‘Like the survivors from the Boise and the Rangers yielded?’ Danny spat at him.

  Hildar went pale. His eyes flicked from Danny’s stern face to Sophia’s steady glare. Motion behind them caused him to cry out.

  ‘Dogs!’

  With the fierce Minoans taken care of the remaining dogs had decided that they could return for their prey. They entered the small clearing at full pelt, most going directly to the fallen bodies of the Minoans. The largest charged directly at Danny and Sophia who turned to face the dog in mid leap. They struggled to lift their weapons.

  There was a flash of tan fur and the dog was plucked out of the air and slammed to the ground.

  Hernet landed beyond the dog, and as it struggled to rise he whipped around and slapped it with his large forepaw. The dog’s neck was broken instantly and it collapsed in a quivering pile.

  With a long leap aided by his broad wings Hernet flashed across the small clearing to land on one of the remaining dogs. As his rear claws pinned it to the ground he reared and slashed out with his front claws.

  The dogs barely had time to register the attack before they were thrown down with deep tears across their throats and heads. Satisfied that they were dead, Hernet turned his attention to the dog beneath him. He ducked his head.

  Danny and Sophia were stunned by the speed and ferocity of the Sphinx’s attack. Hernet’s wings blocked their view as he killed the final dog.

  The blood on his face gave them an easy indication of what he had done. Danny was shocked at the mess covering the innocent looking face.

  Hernet stalked towards then and sat on his haunches and began to clean himself.

  ‘Sorry I took so long, I was quite a distance away,’ he apologised between sweeps of his thick tongue.

  ‘Thank you,’ said Danny simply.

  Sophia sheathed her sword and reached down to help Hildar up.

  ‘Come on you. We had better get that wound looked at back at our camp.’

  Danny looked on for a moment before shouldering the carbine and helping her.

  Hernet continued washing his fur and face until they started walking away. He languidly got to his feet, looked around at the corpses of the dogs and Minoans and sniffed with disdain. He gracefully began gliding after them.

  *

  Chapter Seventeen - Decisive Measures

  Northern Plain 26th May

  The camp was fully awake when Danny and Sophia returned with Hildar hanging between them. They lowered him to the ground and stood back as the rest moved closer.

  ‘Hildar,’ started Saraph, ‘you have dishonoured Atlantis by your actions. Make your peace with the gods before I slit your throat and drag you back to Atlantis and hang you by the ankles from the outer wall as a sign for all others who may consider treason.’

  The venom in Saraph’s tone was unmistakeable.

  ‘Before you execute me I think you should listen to what I have to say,’ Hildar wheezed.

  Fisher moved forward.

  ‘Danny, what happened?’

  Danny looked at Fisher then at Saraph.

  ‘Sophia and me saw the dogs running off and I heard him shouting. We ran after the dogs and arrived in time to see a couple of Minoans chase off the dogs and have a go at him. I shot one of them and Sophia killed the other. Hernet turned up in time to kill the rest of the dogs and we brought him back here.’

  Saraph looked at Sophia for confirmation. She nodded but added a quick comment.

  ‘He did warn us that the dogs were coming back.’

  Fisher knelt in front of the warrior.

  ‘Tell us what you know.’

  Hildar spoke directly at Fisher, ignoring the rest.

  ‘Atlas’ original plan was for Arcanadia to resume its place as the most powerful nation on the earth.’

  Fisher nodded.

  ‘We know that.’

  ‘We thought that Minotaur and the Minoans were going along with our idea so they could get their revenge on the Greeks.’

  ‘That is true,’ M’Varak joined the crowd gathered around Hildar.

  ‘Obviously your father has not kept you up to date with the latest version.’

  ‘Your father?’ Coran looked curiously at M’Varak.

  M’Varak nodded slowly.

  ‘Yes. I am the heir to the Minoan throne.’

  ‘So the oath breaker is here as well. I finally recognise the family r
esemblance.’ Hildar sneered at Coran.

  Coran looked back at Hildar calmly.

  ‘Get on with your story,’ said Fisher.

  Hildar tried to make himself more comfortable.

  ‘Minotaur has decided to change the plan. Instead of mankind being the dominant race he intends to petition Zeus to make the Minoan race take their place. He has your two men and my medic.’

  ‘Can Zeus do that?’ asked Danny.

  ‘Zeus is a god,’ said Eraz, ‘he can do pretty much what he wants to. As long as the petition is carried out correctly.’

  ‘Does he not need two Atlantians?’ asked Sophia.

  ‘One of the ruling classes, one of pure blood, one of Outworld blood and one of the outcast races,’ quoted Coran.

  ‘Then he can not carry out the ceremony.’ Eraz smiled.

  ‘Darath is ruling class,’ said Hildar.

  ‘And there is a village of pure bloods sitting there waiting for somebody to be snatched,’ said Wallace.

  ‘Hildar, where is Minotaur’s camp?’

  ‘It is about four miles south east of here.’ Hildar informed them, wincing in pain.

  ‘How many are there of them?’

  Hildar thought for a moment.

  ‘They set off with thirty six, thirty seven if you include Minotaur. Three were killed when they slaughtered my men and another four died in my escape. So I believe there are thirty left.’

  ‘Damn,’ said Fisher, ‘this changes things.’

  ‘In what way?’ asked Saraph.

  ‘The Minoan column is closer than we anticipated. We had hoped to be able to get to Zeus first and set the conditions under which Arcanadia stays within the world. Clearly we can’t do that now.’

  ‘Then what are our options?’ asked Danny.

  Fisher looked towards the mountains that were slowly revealing themselves in the dawning light. The cloudy sky mirrored his mood. He took a few steps away from the group and thought deeply.

  Dingo watched his commanding officer for a few seconds. He looked around at the others then raised his hand and vigorously scratched his scalp before wandering over to join Fisher.

  ‘We have to do it don’t we.’ Dingo voiced quietly.

  Fisher didn’t say anything, just nodded sadly.

  Finally he turned and walked back to the group.

  ‘Wallace, open up a channel. I need to contact General Norton.’

  Wallace trotted back towards the Guardian and vaulted over the gunwale to get the large radio unit. The rest of the group followed with Hildar supported by Eraz and Coran.

  Fisher accepted the handset from Wallace.

  ‘This is Lieutenant Fisher over.’

  There was a short burst of static before a voice came on the line.

  ‘Good morning Lieutenant, this is Anthony Morris the National Security Advisor. You are on speaker with the Joint Chiefs and the President. What do you have for us? Over.’

  ‘Sir, we have travelled as far up the river as we can. We have received intelligence that the opposing contingent is a larger force and are closer to our objective. They are able to traverse the terrain faster than us. Over’

  ‘Fisher, this is General Norton. What is your assessment of the situation? Over.’

  ‘Sir, unless we can slow them down I do not believe we will be able to get to the objective before them. We believe that the threat has changed and may have a greater detrimental effect to the world. The Minoans have killed the Arcanadian warriors and we believe they will be petitioning for domination. Over.’

  ‘Lieutenant, this is the President. What is the worst-case situation and what can we do to stop it? Over.’

  Fisher took a deep breath and closed his eyes, unable to look at the rest of the group. He head dropped to his chest and his voice was quiet.

  ‘Mr President.’ He said slowly. ‘The worst case is that the Minoans get to the objective and carry out their plans. That would put the world back to the dark ages with the Minoans as overlords. The only option unless we can stop them would be airdrop a military force ahead of them or to use a thermonuclear device to destroy the objective. Over.’

  ‘Thank you Lieutenant. We will get back to you. Over.’

  Static cut through the line.

  Fisher slowly opened his eyes and listed his head. He passed the handset to Wallace who silently replaced it in its cradle.

  ‘What is a thermonuclear device?’ asked Eraz.

  Danny spoke for them.

  ‘Do you remember when I said about the weapon that acted like a drop of water hitting a hot pan?’

  Eraz nodded.

  ‘It’s one of them.’ Danny said simply.

  He looked at Fisher.

  ‘Why a nuke? They can’t drop the bomb on these people. There must be something we can do instead!’ Danny insisted.

  ‘All other ordinance requires guidance. I know it would be like a sledgehammer to crack a walnut. I’m more than open to suggestions.’ replied Fisher. ‘I don’t like it any more than you.’

  Fisher’s voice rose as he got exasperated.

  Dingo stepped between the two.

  ‘Calm down you two. We need cool heads.’ He looked up at the sky as a drop of water landed on his head.

  ‘Oh great it’s going to chuck it down.’

  With sudden severity the heavens opened and a deluge began. The group ran for the cover of the short trees at the edge of the camp.

  Danny stood where he was in the middle of the camp, looking up at the sky. The rain quickly drenched him. The others all turned as he suddenly began laughing.

  ‘What is it Danny?’ Sophia called over the noise of the heavy rain hammering onto the beach.

  ‘It’s raining.’ He laughed.

  ‘So?’

  Danny pointed at M’Varak.

  ‘Look.’

  One by one they turned to look at the Minoan. M’Varak was hunched down, his arms covering his head. A low moan could be heard coming from behind them.

  ‘They’re terrified of water. This storm is what we need. We can get ahead of them.’

  He threw his head back and let the rain wash over him.

  *

  USS George H W Bush South of Arcanadia 26th May

  Admiral Joshua M. Davies looked out of the porthole of his stateroom at the storm lashed Atlantic Ocean. His task force had spread out as the storm had returned to the area and none were in sight. The heavy rain and whipped up seas reduced visibility to less than a mile.

  Davies felt sorry for the poor seamen serving on the destroyers and other support vessels in the fleet. The massive aircraft carrier was capable of soaking up the battering of the waves, but every now and then the ship lurched. He could barely imagine the state on the smaller ships.

  There was a light double tap on the door.

  ‘Come in.’ He turned from the small window.

  The door opened and the compact frame of Captain Robert Shinoda stepped through and gently closed the door behind him. Shinoda was the ships CAG, commander of the ships aircraft and responsible for planning its military operations.

  ‘Sit down Bob, coffee?’ The admiral indicated one of the sofas to one side of a low table.

  ‘No thank you sir.’ Shinoda took the offered seat.

  Davies walked slowly around to the other side of the table and took a seat. He retrieved his mug and thought before speaking.

  ‘Bob, can you get one of your Super-Hornets up in this weather?’

  Shinoda barked out a laugh.

  ‘You’ve gotta be kidding. Nothing’s going to be taking off for at least twelve hours. You can’t even get from one side of the deck to the other without running the risk of being blown overbo
ard.’

  ‘I thought as much,’ said the Admiral.

  ‘Why do you ask?’

  ‘The President has asked us if we could drop some freefall ordinance without any guidance into a valley on the North side of the island.’

  ‘We can do it as soon as the weather clears.’

  Shinoda looked at the Admiral and noticed the look on his face.

  ‘I guess it needs doing before then?’ He cringed.

  ‘I thought you would answer that way,’ said the Admiral.

  Shinoda sat quietly for a moment then stood and walked to the coffee pot. He started to pour the steaming liquid into a mug. Setting the pot down he turned to Davies.

  ‘What about one of the missile boats launching a Tomahawk missile?’

  ‘The great thing about Tomahawk’s is their ability to hug the ground. We don’t know what affect the island’s field will have on a missile and we don’t have any ceramic protected units in the fleet. The guidance system will get frazzled before it’s even half way there.’

  ‘I take it that this valley is too far inland to directly shell?’

  The admiral nodded.

  ‘It’s nearly seventy miles.’ He said.

  Shinoda returned to his seat with the mug of strong coffee. He took a sip then set the mug down on the table.

  ‘Is the rumour correct about things working once then cutting out?’

  The admiral confirmed with a nod.

  ‘I would say that the only thing left is a ballistic missile. Send it up and over with a proximity fuse. If the field only works one thousand yards out from the island it shouldn’t deviate in its flight plan and if it has a high enough payload it should take out the target.’

  ‘You’ve confirmed what I already thought and it’s the conclusion that everybody else has come to. We need to get to the CIC and contact the Wyoming.’

  Shinoda left his mug where it was and stood. Together they made their way out of the stateroom. Shinoda held the door for the Admiral. As they passed through the ships gangways the other members of the crew jumped aside, more from the grim expressions on the faces of the two men than their rank.