The Hunt For Atlantis

The tiny mark left by the grapnel suddenly grew. And kept growing, crazed tendrils sweeping outwards across the bubble with an awful, tooth-grinding screech of cracking glass. The immense pressure of the ocean bore down against the new flaw in the surface, expanding it-

With a bang as loud as artillery fire, the submersible’s cockpit imploded. Huge shards of three-inch-thick glass hit the pilot at the speed of sound, reducing him to a red haze that bloomed through the churning air bubbles like a huge and gory flower. The sub nose-dived into the seabed, plowing up a huge swath of sand.

Castille turned around. There might still be time for him to reach the explosives…

There wasn’t.

A shockwave burst from the end of the passage. Castille was slammed away by the deafening blast as if hit by a car, tumbling out of control, all vision obliterated by the enormous cloud of silt.

But he didn’t need to see to know that the thunderous vibrations hitting him through the water after the blast were caused by massive stone blocks collapsing into the tunnel, sealing it forever.

Inside the altar chamber, Chase was about to lower Kari into the shaft when a surge of water erupted beneath them, knocking them both onto their backs as it blasted into the chamber like a geyser. Chunks of debris rained down, hammer-blow impacts against their suits.

“Oh my God!” Kari screamed. For the first time since Chase had known her, she was on the verge of panic. “What was that, what happened?”

“Kari. Kari!” He held her arms, trying to calm her. “We’re okay, we’re all right! Let me check your suit.”

They helped each other to their feet, examining the casing of the deep suits. Both had sustained some dents, but nothing that seemed to compromise their integrity. Not, Chase realized, that it mattered.

“What happened?” Kari asked again.

Chase looked at the shaft. “They blew up the passage. We’re sealed in.”

Starkman’s men had forced the passengers and crew of the Evenor to assemble on the helipad. A quick head count told Nina that eight of the crew were dead.

The other ship moved alongside, crewmen throwing ropes across to tie the two vessels together. Bumpers hanging over the side of the decks creaked and squealed as they rubbed against each other in the swell.

A tall man climbed aboard the Evenor, accompanied by two armed guards. He strode across the aft deck, signaling the men to bring Nina to him. Captain Matthews protested, but the guns waved in his face quickly silenced him.

Nina already knew whom she was facing. She had seen the hard, angular features before.

“Dr. Wilde,” he said. “We meet at last. My name is Giovanni Qobras.”

TWENTY-ONE

I know who you are,” Nina said, trying not to let her fear show. “What do you want?”

“What do I want?” The question provoked the tiniest flicker of amusement on Qobras’s stern face. “I want what everybody wants, Dr. Wilde. I want peace and security for the world. And thanks to you, I can now bring that about.” His intense gaze flicked over to Philby. “And thanks to you too, Jack. It’s been some time since we last met. Ten years, wasn’t it?”

“I was rather hoping I’d never have to meet you again,” said Philby, voice quavering.

Nina rounded on him. “You know him, Jonathan?”

“Jack-Jonathan, rather, I suppose it’s more dignified for a professor-has helped me keep anyone from finding Atlantis before,” said Qobras. He gestured to one of his men, who led Philby from the group of prisoners. “And now… Well.” He waved a hand at the empty ocean. “Atlantis will be lost forever, because it will be destroyed.”

“Why?” demanded Nina. “What secret could there possibly be that it’s worth destroying the most important archaeological find ever? And the lives of all the people you’ve killed?”

“If you knew, you wouldn’t need to ask that question,” Qobras replied. “You would be helping me. But I see your mind has been poisoned by the Frosts, like your parents. A shame. You could have accomplished so much if you hadn’t chosen the wrong path.”

“Wait, what about my parents?” But Qobras turned away as Starkman emerged from the superstructure.

“I’ve trashed the hard drive with the recordings from the dive, Giovanni,” Starkman announced. “All we have to do now is destroy the temple itself and there’ll be nothing left.”

“Excellent,” said Qobras. He was about to say something else when somebody urgently called his name. One of his men jumped between the two ships and ran to the helipad.

“Sir!” the man gasped, looking concerned. “Some thing’s gone wrong down below!”

“What happened?” Qobras asked.

“The Zeus destroyed the Frost submersible”-Trulli shoved forward, shouting and swearing at Qobras, until two of the guards pushed him back at gunpoint-“and detonated one of the demolition charges. But… our hydrophones heard an implosion.”

“Could it have been the Frost sub?”

“No, sir. That was already heading back to the surface, while this was on the seabed. One of the divers must have destroyed it.”

Qobras turned to Philby for an explanation. “Kari-I mean, Ms. Frost-and Chase were inside the temple,” the professor said, almost stuttering in his nervousness. “It must have been Castille.”

“Go, Hugo!” Nina said, with no joy. Starkman fixed her with a nasty look from his good eye.

The furrows on Qobras’s brow deepened. “We needed the Zeus to plant the explosives! How long will it take to get a replacement here?”

“At least five days, sir.”

“Too long. Frost can get more people and equipment here before then. And this time, they’ll be prepared for us.”

“What about their other sub?” Starkman asked, gesturing towards the Evenor’s bow, and the Sharkdozer.

“Only I know how to pilot it,” Trulli said defiantly. “And if you bastards think I’m going to help you after you killed my mate, you can fuck right off.”

Starkman looked annoyed and raised his gun, but Qobras shook his head. “Have the remaining demolition charges from our ship brought aboard this one,” he said after a few seconds of thought. “Set two thirds of them below the waterline forward, and the remainder aft.”

“What are you going to do?” Nina asked.

“Since I can no longer destroy the temple with explosives,” said Qobras, turning back to her, “I need some other method. Three thousand tons of steel dropped directly onto it should be an effective alternative.”

Ignoring the armed men around him, Captain Matthews stepped forward. “Qobras! What about my crew? What are you going to do with us?”

Qobras eyed him dismissively. “I believe there’s a maritime tradition that the captain should go down with his ship. In this case, that will apply to his crew as well.” He glanced back at Nina. “And his passengers.”

“You son of a bitch,” Matthews spat.

“You’re going to drown us?” Nina said, horrified.

Qobras shook his head. “No, no. I’m not a cruel man, or some crazed sadist, whatever your friends the Frosts