The Heir of Atlantis

By T. Ian Zuker and B. L. Bowling

It has been fifteen years since former Marine captain, Drake Mallory, woke up from his incident in the Bermuda Triangle to discover he was in the lost continent of Atlantis. For two years he was able to enjoy embracing Atlantean society and his opportunity to become an integral part of the ancient order of royal guard, known as the Sentinels. Wi

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amazon Pro Hub
• Release date: Aug 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781957887074

Book preview

The Heir of Atlantis

T. Ian Zuker

w/ B.L. Bowling

Prologue

Word had come down from King Atlas that Atlantis was on the verge of destruction.  The city was on high alert, as well as in a controlled state of panic as pre-selected families were gathering at the docks to board the outgoing escape ships.  It was difficult for the Atlantean citizens not selected for one of these vessels to simply accept their fate.  However, they also understood that survival of the civilization was paramount to any desire for self-preservation.  This was their cultural norm and, as difficult as it was to prepare for their own demise, most of them would do so for their beloved king and the future survival of their society.

It was a different story for the Terran contingency currently residing on or visiting the artificial island.  Many who had come to enrich themselves in the Atlantean culture were not raised with the same loyalty to king and country and were not ready to have their lives end on this day.  It was this drive to survive that allowed for the easy recruitment of a large mob of Terrans by a few corrupt Atlanteans who believed they should have been selected for survival and were going to make sure this error was corrected.

Chonarius Ballatin, leader of the Forward Dominance faction of the Atlantean Senate,  burst onto the bridge of the research ship Euryale with his escort and entered into a scene of chaos.  An advance party of his men had arrived a few minutes earlier to take command of the ship’s control center and while a few of the ship’s crew were sitting with confused expressions, most were on their feet in heated dispute with the invaders.  The fact this situation had not come to blows was due to Ballatin’s men being armed and the crew of the Euryale not.  While no weapons had been used, the scenario was coming to a head.  Several of the crew were obviously weighing the odds of jumping their opponents and wrestling away their weapons, while those same weapons were being raised into more threatening positions preparatory to being used.  The focus of the conflict was a shouting match between two individuals next to the command chair.

In the name of Atlas you will gather your men and remove yourselves from this deck immediately.

And I am telling you that we are here under orders from the Senate to take command of this vessel.

The Senate has no auth…

STOP THIS AT ONCE!  Ballatin bellowed.  With a bit less volume, using the voice with which he had commanded attention on the Senate floor, he continued. I will have order here, this is supposed to be an orderly evacuation; not a panicked mob. 

The noise level dropped precipitously around the bridge as he strode across the deck. Chonarius Ballatin had honed his skills of prevarication, bluff and intimidation to a high degree.  He was also known as a fast thinker when debating, although sticking to facts and being truthful, was not always his strong suit.

Captain Bezor Satlin are you not?  Chonarius came to a stop in front of the two arguing men.  Captain Satlin moved to a form of attention as he recognized the senator. The two men locked eyes and Ballatin extended his arm saying in smooth tones, No need to be formal sir, this is an emergency, not a royal presentation.  Captain Satlin was taken aback, but extended his own hand and the two men grasped each other’s wrists in a proper greeting.  Satlin was a known supporter of the Senator and it was not by chance that Euryale was chosen as the ship to be commandeered.

I am going to have to ask for your cooperation, Captain.  This is a matter of the Senate and may well be the difference between the successful evacuation and the survival of our people, or our total annihilation.  As we speak, my personnel are loading some highly specialized equipment along with skilled technicians.  If that madman Zeus were to discover what we are doing he would stop at nothing to destroy this ship.  This is why I have ordered a total blackout of all communications.

His voice carried across the bridge and gathering in the attention of both the crew and his people, he gave two curt nods of command.  The pirates immediately took control of the various bridge stations while the crew hesitated, waiting for direction.

Captain Satlin took everything in as he locked eyes with the Senator, then coming to a decision; he dropped the handclasp and turned to address his crew.  We will render all assistance to the Senator and his men.  Return to your stations and give them your total cooperation, he commanded.

Speaking to the ship’s artificial intelligence (A.I), he said, Open ship-wide comms.  A high-pitched ping told him the channel was open.  In a calming voice, Satlin said, Attention, this is the Captain speaking.  The Senate has dispatched a special team and equipment to this ship.  The Euryale crew will render assistance, cooperation and courtesy to these people as required by Ships Special Order 14.  As a reminder, under SSO14, I will remain in operational command of the Euryale, while Senator Chronarius Ballatin, as a direct representative of the Atlantean Senate, will be in overall mission control.

Ballatin’s eyes narrowed in suspicion at Satlin’s address to the crew.  Excuse me Captain, but I am unfamiliar with this ‘special order’ you referred to.  What exactly does that entail?

Pretty much what I said, although there are a lot of incidental details.  As I am sure you know, Senator, this is a research vessel and as such, its duty parameters are dependent on the mission requirements of the science teams assigned to us.  Satlin took on a slightly pained expression.  As you can imagine the mixing of such disparate crews and personalities can result in…a multitude of conflicts and friction.  The SSO’s are general guidelines designed to ease these tensions and set ground rules for dealing with new and temporary crewmates. The Euryale has 217 SSOs governing numerous shipboard situations and if you are concerned about them then here is a complete download of them all.

Ballatin blinked as his internal cyberlinks received the complete list of the Euryale’s SSOs.  Ah, thank you Captain, that is quite a detailed and meticulous list of your ship’s regulations.

Considering the circumstances sir, it is only appropriate.

Satlin’s face betrayed nothing of the conflicting emotions running through him.  While he had long been a supporter of the senator and his Forward Dominance movement, the more intimate he became with the organization the more he had been exposed to its unseemly and corrupt side. Their activities would eventually begin to run counterintuitive to his sense of duty, loyalty and morality.

Originally, he had supported the belief of Ballatin and his followers that Atlantean influence should expand throughout the land masses.  Atlantis was the most advanced and the most civilized society on Terra; why shouldn’t Atlantean culture be spread throughout the world?  He had commanded the Euryale throughout much of the planet's oceans and could see where the inhabitants of this planet would benefit greatly from exposure to Atlantis and its people.  Unfortunately, time and circumstances would reveal a dark underside of the Forward Dominance movement and he could not sit idly by.

When he had accidentally stumbled across a plan to bribe the key members of an opponent’s staff and lightly questioned it to highly placed members of the organization, he had been brushed off with the explanation that all parties did much the same thing and it was just how the political game was played.  He responded with an accepting smile, but he knew this was not proper.  His silence and, seemingly acceptance, had led to a greater trust within the FD and opened doors to information involving more corruption and even criminal acts. 

There had come a point a little over a year ago when Captain Satlin could stomach no more.  He presented meticulously collected evidence to a friend of his who was also a high-ranking member of the Sentinels.  Rather than an immediate arrest order for many of the senior FD leaders and a number of their subordinates, Satlin was instead asked to continue with his membership and to collect additional information, which could be used against them.  Indeed, he was even given information concerning several other matters of interest to the Sentinels for which he was asked to gather collaborative proof.  Unfortunately, the current calamity had come before proper justice could be served.  His current state of forced cooperation was very difficult for him to accept, but he had to think of the lives and safety of his crew and passengers.

Satlin was relieved that the Senator had been mollified with the download of the SSOs.  What Ballatin did not know was that Ships Special Order 14 was almost never used among the Atlantean fleet and had never been called upon aboard Euryale.  The true meaning of these select special orders were never written down or stored in any form of data. They were briefed solely by word of mouth and only to certain key personnel of the ship’s crew. 

Of course, Captain and I thank you for your cooperation also.  Now, how soon can we be under way?

Well we are scheduled to depart in about another thirty-five minutes, but that is also contingent on your own loading operations.

Ballatin was silent for a moment while he consulted with his subordinates via his cyberlinks. Captain, is there a place where we can confer privately for a few minutes?  I need to bring you up to speed on these new developments and our future operations.  The bridge is entirely too noisy and you and I need to discuss some sensitive information in any case. 

The Senator nodded his head towards the crew indicating some of which were watching and listening to them with rapt attention.  Of course, if you would follow me, my briefing room is just back here.  He guided the Senator to the rear of the bridge.  They stepped into the room and as the door slid closed behind them Satlin gestured to a chair.  Please make yourself comfortable Sir.

Thank you, Captain.  As to your question, my people will be finished loading in about ten minutes whereupon I expect this ship to depart.

"That will be difficult.  Several other ships are in front of us and Euryale has been programmed to depart in sequence,"

Nevertheless Captain, I want this done, even if you have to lift the ship.

"Now, that will not be possible.  The Euryale has been reconfigured with additional life support and the power runs have been rerouted accordingly.  Oh, there is no problem in undoing those modifications as restoring power to the gravatic section, but that would take slightly longer than our scheduled departure.  In any case, Senator, the gravity manipulators are enormous power consumers and we will need that energy for life support." 

Satlin paused and took a deep breath while locking eyes with Ballatin.  Sir, there is no special equipment there.  Your men are removing some of our assigned passengers and replacing them with Forward Dominance loyalists and cadre.  I also see that a large percentage of your people are Terrans.  Even if we make our destination, this will not go over well. 

There was no recrimination or accusation in the statement; it was delivered in a flat tone, as a matter of fact.  Ballatin’s own eyes returned a steely glare with no trace of compromise.

Very discerning, Captain.  Yes, we are replacing a large contingent of the assigned passengers with loyalists and Terrans; however, we are also loading cargo vital to our future security.  Do you have a problem with this?

"Problem?  No. I do have a concern that some of our assigned passengers are highly trained technicians and skilled personnel whose talents will be needed."

I was sure we could rely on you, Satlin.  Your actions and consequent rise in the ranks of the FD has not gone unnoticed.  Your comment about skilled personnel is well taken and we are doing the best that can be done.  I hope your order regarding cooperation is understood by the crew as their help will be invaluable in weeding out the, uh, undesirables.

"No need to worry yourself on that account, sir.  Euryale has a professional, well trained crew and is well accustomed to assisting newly assigned personnel even under trying conditions such as these.  Please rest assured that I will do everything within my power to make this evacuation as efficient and successful as possible."

My thanks for that Captain.  Your cooperation and actions here are very much appreciated and will not go unrewarded.  Now that we have cleared the air between us and have an understanding, perhaps we should rejoin both our crews on the bridge.

Despite the professionalism of Euryale’s crew, several conflicts had broken out due to the decidedly unprincipled manner of the FD troops.  To his credit Senator Ballatin acknowledged the problems had arisen because of his people and had taken direct action to resolve them.  The greatest problem was the result of families being separated.  Young children, parents and spouses had been separated from their indispensable relatives and ejected from the ship.  Ballatin had used the comm in an open address to the entire ship.  He had no problem in openly lying by stating that provisions had been made to evacuate to other ships anyone turned out from Euryale.

For his part, Captain Satlin had determined that a window of opportunity existed, which would allow Euryale to depart within a few minutes of the Senator’s deadline.  It would be close and there were more than a few obstacles he was certain his unplanned guests had not considered, but given the circumstances he thought they had a good chance of success.  His internal chronometer told him the time was almost at hand, so he moved to his command chair and sat down.

Status report! He commanded.

All the boards are blue across the deck, Sir.  First Officer Tianalis replied.  Below decks reports loading has been completed and the ship is sealed and secure for departure.

Very well.  Helm to me!  I shall be taking the ship out under manual control using my internal links.  He opened ship-wide comms and crew links.  "All personnel standby for maneuvering!  Euryale crew, secure all passengers and new crewmates.  Senatorial crew, follow the instructions of your Euryale crewmates, we will be in for a rough ride and your safety depends on following their instructions, Senator Ballatin will verify these orders."

Ballatin had approached the command chair and was looking at Satlin with a question in his eyes.  Reading this, the captain said, Senator, we have a good chance to get out of here, but it depends on your trust and cooperation. Of critical importance is that data, command and control, and communication links are restored to me.

Captain, as much as I trust you, I cannot stress how much our escape relies on communication security.  Zeus…

Will have no clue as to what we are about.  Satlin interrupted gently.  "What I am going to do has not been done before, at least not to my knowledge.  It has a basis in theoretical military tactics, but not by a civilian ship.  In fact, because the Euryale is not a military vessel, this will give us an advantage.  But, make no mistake, without those links our chances of making the open ocean are nil.  You chose better than you may have realized by selecting the Euryale and myself for no other ship’s captain would be amenable to doing what I am about to attempt and few others could do it."

You think very highly of yourself Captain, what exactly is it that you can do that no other can?

Please Senator, insulting innuendo is not necessary.  It is not what I can do, but what I will try to do.  There are probably four or five other captains in this fleet that have the background and training for what I am about to attempt.  But I hardly think any of them would be as cooperative.  He said with a grin.  "I will be cutting out the command deck operations, biofusing with Euryale and I will be taking direct control of the ship and all of her automated links.  You and any of your people are welcome to monitor my actions.  Now, you have a little more than thirty seconds to make your decision, for that will be when our window of opportunity opens and we will have scant minutes to execute our escape."

Ballatin locked eyes with the captain for a moment then made the only choice available to him.  Release all controls and links to Captain Satlin.  He commanded.  Tannalon! Monitor the captain, everyone else will follow Captain Satlin’s orders as if they were mine.  Tannalon, the Senator’s second in command, gave a curt nod from the auxiliary position next to the First Officer’s station.

Thank you, Senator.  Please strap into the observer’s station, as I said, this will be a rough ride.  Satlin opened the ship wide communications again.  "Last warning!  Ship’s crew, extreme maneuvers! All personnel secure yourselves now, now, now!  Ten seconds to undock."

Satlin was now fully linked with Euryale.  While nowhere near as intricate as the biofusion Atlas shared with Metis, it still gave him extraordinary control of the ship and access to external links.  Within milliseconds several things occurred: magnetic grapples securing Euryale snapped off, maneuvering thrusters pushed the ship away from the dock and the main drives caused her to surge forward rapidly picking up velocity far exceeding the normal speeds allowed in the departure channels.  Most important; the overriding command codes were sent out to the lock controls.

People on the docks looked on in surprise and alarm as Euryale broke away from her moorings and accelerated so quickly it caused a massive displacement of water, which burst into the air.  Not even the dock’s wave dampeners could handle the enormous amount of water that imploded back to fill the momentary vacuum the vessel created with her explosive departure.

Still, the Atlantean engineers had designed the system well and although water rained down and poured over the docks, the dampeners were able to mitigate the effects, so that no lives were lost and only minor injuries and damage were sustained.

Euryale cut through the water rapidly overtaking the mammoth Colossus cargo transport Ashinta, enroute to the massive water locks of the Magnus Canal as the next ship scheduled to depart.  Captain Satlin opened up voice and data links with Ashinta warning her captain and crew to cut their engines to avoid a possible collision.  He flashed a terse message to the other ship’s captain, an old and trusted friend, that he was under emergency orders and that Zeus was possibly, even now, targeting the Euryale to prevent her departure.

Satlin had no time to respond to his friend or the many other calls raining in from various ships, the Atlantean Aquatic Authority and other panicked sources.  Far too many things were happening at once and he had no time to divert his attention to trivial matters, besides he had already handed that task off to his communication section.

Satlin measured the distance as the numbers ran down and the ships converged.  With precise timing he ordered Euryale into a power dive and the ship cleared the Ashinta’s keel with but a few feet to spare.  Even though the Magnus Canal was wide enough to easily accommodate a Colossus class vessel, there was no way that Euryale could have passed on either side.  On the other hand, the canal was more than deep enough to allow several ships even the size of the Ashinta to pass underneath one another.  In a matter of seconds, Euryale had cleared the hull of the other ship and her bow began to rise, heading on a trajectory, which would barely clear the bottom of the entrance of the lock ahead of them. 

Ballatin had sat strapped into the observer’s chair almost in a state of shock.  Whatever he had expected, he had not been prepared for the ship’s violent departure and its subsequent maneuvers.  His face was white as were the knuckles of his hands, which gripped the chair’s armrests.  As they were closing with the Ashinta at breakneck speed he had almost cried out at what he thought was an inevitable collision and he was scarcely relieved when Euryale plunged beneath the surface to clear the bottom of the other ship by what he deemed to be only a hair’s width. 

Even though he had full access and a complete link to Captain Satlin and Euryale, he had not the training or experience to process the information streaming from the multitude of data inputs, which would have told him there was sufficient clearance and minimal danger of collision.  Now, they were heading down the narrowing canal towards the aperture of the first lock with no reduction of speed.

C-Captain…what are you…

Not now Senator, Satlin murmured firmly, concentrating on his task.  I am a bit busy at the moment.

The Senator clenched his jaws tight and concentrated on making sense of the data streaming into his mind.  He focused on the lock system in front of them trying to determine what Satlin was planning when one detail jumped to the front of his attention.  The Atlantean lock system consisted of three units designed to raise or lower ships from sea level to the elevation of the city and back again.  Multiple redundancies were incorporated into the design and, in fact, during an emergency, bypassing safety protocols, the primary lock towards which they were heading could function solo, raising or lowering a ship by itself.

Only the advanced Olympian technology allowed this structure to withstand such stresses.  The bottom most level of the primary lock provided entry into a passage that passed underneath the outer locks and exited directly into the ocean at depth.  This route; however, was blocked by another ship using it to depart the doomed city.  What alarmed Ballatin was that the waterway of the middle lock was also occupied.

"Satlin, he shouted not only vocally, but across the mental datanet .  All of the channels are blocked!"

The captain almost bobbled a critical data point at the interruption then cut all input from Ballatin and sent a command to his first officer.

Tianalis, He snarled. Handle the Senator!  Tianalis used her own command codes to isolate the Senator’s input out of active data channels leaving him only the ability to monitor, but not use.  Not daring to unstrap herself from her chair, she used its power function to maneuver over to Ballatin to where she could grasp his upper arm.  Are you mad!  She hissed in a whisper, making it a statement not a question. Or do you just have a death wish?  The Senator snapped his head to the First Officer, the terror in his eyes mixed with indignation that she would dare lay hands on his person.

Welcome to the Navy Senator, this is not a debate on the Senate floor or a speech in the forum.  We are maneuvering at high speed in close proximity to numerous obstacles; you disturb the Captain at the risk of us all.  Now sit back, enjoy the ride and do your part to insure that we do not pay for it with our lives.  With one last warning glare, Tianalis roughly let go of the Senators arm, whirled her chair around and returned to her station.

For his part, Ballatin could do little more than press himself pack into his chair and grip his armrests even tighter.  A low whining moan escaped him as the Euryale slammed into what seemed an impossibly narrow entrance of the lock and drove upward toward the opposite end of the passage, which at their speed seemed far too close.  But again, Captain Satlin’s control and timing was precisely on the mark as the lock doors ahead of them were already opening.  The only thing now holding the contents of the lock in check were the auxiliary force fields, which abruptly snapped off and the Euryale ejected out of the portal in a massive spray of mist and water.  Even their tremendous velocity could only keep the ship on an upward trajectory for a few seconds before it began to arc over and descend with ever increasing speed.

Euryale was in freefall and the sinking feeling of weightlessness affected everyone aboard to one extent or another.  Some, especially the crew, were hardly bothered at all.  Others were not so lucky and a few Atlanteans and a multitude of Terrans fell violently ill.  In regards to Chonarius Ballatin, High Senator of Atlantis, due to the overwhelming data inputs, not the least of which were the direct visual of the ship plunging toward ground; not only did he lose his breakfast, but he also lost control of his bladder.

The waters of the open sea came rushing in and the Euryale hit in perfect time for enough ocean to fill the void and absorb the impact of the large ship.  The inertial dampeners had softened the impact greatly, but there were still unsecured people and cargo items strewn about the vessel.  Several Terrans were injured who did not heed the warning to strap in.

Satlin took inventory of the damage report, which was minimal.  Now that they had entered the open sea, the automated course system took control and directed Euryale towards its destination; Novus Atlantis.  Once Satlin received the directional confirmation, he opened the ship-wide comm and commanded, SSO14 is now in full effect. 

Within moments, the crew of Euryale produced weapons from various hidden caches on board and overcame the group of Atlantean and Terran pirates.  On the bridge, Ballatin was recovering from vomiting and soiling himself when a contingent of armed crewmen burst through the bridge doors and aimed their weapons at Ballatin and his men.  Dazed and confused, Ballatin uttered, What is this?

Satlin smiled and said, "Apparently I didn’t include the most important part of SSO14.  It alerts the crew to prepare for the retaking of the ship after hostile forces have taken control.  We now have full control of Euryale.  You and your people will be held in an isolated cargo hold and will remain there until we reach our destination.  From there, the new king can decide what your fate will be.  He looked at his lead crewman and commanded, Take them to cargo hold three and place a rotation of four guards."

The crewman acknowledged and took the small group away.  Stalin looked out at the ever-darkening green of the water as they descended into the depths.  He looked at Tianalis and then back toward the water and said, I have no idea what the future holds for us, or our people, but it has certainly been made more difficult by that bunch of pirates.  We shall see what happens.

The blackness of the ocean depths surrounded Euryale as it continued on towards its new home.

* * * *

Chapter 1

The gentle touch of a light breeze above the slow, rolling swells of the Mediterranean was a source of relaxation and tranquility for most tourists sailing toward the volcanic island of Santorini.  Unfortunately, Drake Mallory never considered himself a normal tourist and relaxation had never been his strong suit.  Steadfast at the helm of Her Majesty’s Vengeance, the former Marine captain was deep in thought about his current mission.  His task was solely unique in all the history of humanity.  He was charged with locating an advanced, alien computer complex lost for millennia within the next few days.  In addition, as if that was not daunting enough, he was in the midst of an even greater challenge; raising a teenage Atlantean prince.

The air was relatively still, forcing Drake to drive the Hammerhead 54 trimaran through the cerulean waters under power of the boat’s sixty-two horse powered Yanmar turbo diesel engine.  A myriad of thoughts were flowing through his mind as the warm breeze caressed his face.  He recalled a similar experience long ago, which led him to reflect on his life and the events that dramatically changed its course.

It had been sixteen years since the death of his beloved fiancé, Jenny Leigh Jensen.  Sailing the western Atlantic in a failed attempt to run from his pain, he was caught in a sudden and powerful storm that drove him toward a strange ship, which seemingly defied the abusive conditions of the tempest.  Injured and near-death, he attempted to escape his sinking boat and was taken to the ship’s point of origin; the subterranean continent of Novus Atlantis.

Drake awakened to find himself in an alien world, healed completely from his life-threatening injuries, as well as the permanent injuries he had previously sustained fighting for his country in Afghanistan.  His first encounter in Atlantis was with the holographic avatar of his apartment’s majordomo named Zhentia.  It was not long before he would be thrown into the middle of a brewing political saga. 

During his two years in the sub-continent, he had served as a mentor for the royal family, befriended Vaelin, the leader of the guardians of the royal house known as the Sentinels, and uncovered a plot by the king’s diabolical twin brother, Dargon, to steal the throne of Atlantis and wage war on the surface world.

In the end, he was forced to escape from Atlantis with the king’s young son, Cyrus, to protect him from being exploited by his uncle, Dargon.  Cyrus was the heir to the throne and had been selected to fulfill the ancient process of biofusion with the main computer of Atlantis.  This protocol could only be completed by a direct descendent of Atlas, the first king of Atlantis.

Looking out over the bow of the fifty-four-foot trimaran, Drake focused his attention upon the lanky body of the tanned, flaxen-haired fourteen-year-old boy-turning-young-man casually leaning forward on the deck rail looking down at the water as they cruised at ten knots.  He was wearing his standard on-board uniform, a pair of knee-length blue surf shorts and no shirt.  The wind generated by the speed of the boat blew his hair back completely exposing a handsome, narrow face featuring a pair of ice-blue eyes, which almost glowed in their brilliance.

The boy was not his real nephew, but he referred to Drake as ‘Uncle Drake’, or more often ‘Unc’.  He was the son of King Rhylon and Queen Shandara and Drake was tasked with raising him and returning him to Atlantis twelve years after they had successfully escaped near-death at the hands Dargon and his henchmen.  Faking their demise in order to keep Dargon, who had secretly replaced his brother in a bloodless coup, and his loyalists from pursuing them to the surface and hunting them down, it was imperative he minimized any unusual activities, which could indicate that the prince still lived.

To achieve this, Drake was advised to inject Cyrus with a vial of nanites designed to render dormant his viralmech; the nanotechnology which formed the basis of Atlantean and Olympian culture.  These nanites gave them greater intelligence, strength and health over their Terran cousins.  In receiving the restraining viralmech, Cyrus would have no idea who he was, or what his destiny had in store for him.  It would be several years before Drake was forced to reveal the truth to Cyrus about his true identity and where he came from.

Initially, the young prince was like any normal human child as he grew.  In time; however, Drake had to slowly reanimate the dormant viralmech with a series of timely injections throughout certain periods of his youth to prepare him for his eventual return to Atlantis.  As the viralmech joined with Cyrus, they began to create noticeable physical and mental differences from the boy’s human counterparts. Somehow, the initial nanites designed to minimize these effects failed to counteract the new viralmech being introduced into his body.  As time moved on, it became obvious to Drake and those around him that Cyrus was advanced well beyond other children his age.  By the time Cyrus reached eight years old, Drake was forced to pull him from school and the athletic programs he was involved in.

Cyrus’s mental prowess versus his contemporaries was extraordinary.  He was solving advanced mathematical problems and had a tremendous understanding of physics by the time he reached the second grade and he was beginning to garner interest from local and regional news outlets. He also became the greatest computer hacker on the planet.  Fortunately, Drake discovered this skill before anyone could trace his incursions back to them. 

In addition, Cyrus was by far and away the best athlete on any field or court he stepped on.  In football, he couldn’t be tackled; in baseball, he threw harder than high school senior Division I prospects.  This led to too much attention being heaped upon the ‘wunderkind’.

Drake hated to pull Cyrus from the things he was successful at and enjoyed, but he had to give the bright young lad an honest reason why he was stopping him from participating in sports and homeschooling him via the internet.  Drake had always been an honest man and lying was not something he felt comfortable doing.  He felt compelled to explain to the young prince who he was and what was at stake were they to be discovered. 

Cyrus took the news well, at first, but as the years went on, he began to become more embittered.  He was angry at the fact he was a refugee from another world and that he was in no position to avenge his mother and sister, or rescue his father.  This began to put a strain on his relationship with Drake.  He did not blame Drake directly, but in the still-developing part of his adolescent mind, Drake was the one who took him away from Atlantis, thus keeping him from exposing his real uncle.  As advanced as Atlanteans were with their viralmech implants and enhanced knowledge, they still had not fully conquered the effects of adolescence on their youth; Cyrus was no exception.

Their relationship fluctuated from day to day, like most human adult/adolescent interactions.  This day happened to be a down day.  It began early in the morning when they engaged in their warm-up session, or waza, in the martial art of Ninjutsu.  Wazas are interactive drills performed with at least 2 people, unlike a kata, which is performed by a single individual, to focus on timing, distancing, and protection methods. Cyrus, already a Shodan after completing the nine schools of Ninjutsu and a 9th degree black belt, was beginning to work on the 10th degree of Judan Level training, which encompasses five levels within itself.  Lacking patience and believing he should be recognized as a Soke, he was determined today was the day he would show Uncle Drake he was worthy of the coveted title.

Unfortunately for Cyrus, Drake was forced to teach the young man why experience and patience are critical in becoming a Soke, as well as an adult.  As they began their waza with a focus on throwing techniques they engaged in Yogo Nagare, or sideways throws, from the 5th kyu of Ninjutsu training.  Drake was working slowly through the technique of the throw, but the impatient Cyrus wanted it to become a full speed, fully engaged exercise.  As Drake relaxed his body so Cyrus could grab his arm and spin his body into proper position, Cyrus put his hip into Drake’s midsection, lifted from his knees and flipped Drake over his side onto the fiberglass deck with great intensity.

Before Drake could say a word, Cyrus had maneuvered behind him and placed him in a chokehold.  Drake’s neck was being tightly squeezed between the forearm and bicep of Cyrus’s right arm.  He was using his left arm to push Drake’s head forward, thus exacerbating the effect of the hold.  Drake’s vision began to blur and darken as consciousness began to depart from his brain.  A brief moment of concern held him from the brink of unconsciousness; not concern for himself, but concern as to why his nephew was taking the exercise this far.

Also, in the back of his mind was the uncertainty he had long harbored about the effect of the unchecked viralmech he had been injecting the boy with over the period of his short lifespan.  He always had wondered if they would create problems since they were not linked to the Atlantean computer. 

Zhentia, the artificial intelligence from Drake’s Atlantean apartment who had been downloaded into the computer given to him by his old friend Vaelin, which he had brought to the surface, had voiced concerns over potential side effects, as well.  An Atlantean child had never been raised with viralmech uninfluenced by Metis, the Atlantean main computer. Perhaps this was causing Cyrus’s uncharacteristic aggressiveness.

Drake brought both of his hands to the choking arm and forced his fingers between his neck and the crook of the boy’s elbow.  This allowed air to begin to flow back to his lungs and brain.  Next, he began to fight to gain his feet.  Once he did, he sunk his body and simultaneously pulled down on Cyrus’s arm, while stepping calf-to-calf behind his right leg.  He then turned his body one hundred eighty degrees to the right and pulled down diagonally, taking the boy off his balance and flipping him onto his back.

A fit of rage coursed through Cyrus’s body.  He felt an anger he had not felt in all of his fourteen years.  Now the focus of his frustration was standing in front of him.  He couldn’t explain why and reason seemed to have completely abandoned him.  The only thing he knew was that he was mad and Drake was the one who was going to pay.

Looking around at the weapons carefully set against the railing, Cyrus settled on a wooden katana, or bokken.  He swiftly grabbed the sword and lunged toward Drake.  The small deck space offered Drake little time to react.  Fortunately, he had the presence of mind to move toward the railing where the other wooden katana was resting.  He grabbed it with his left hand and rotated it, so the blade would be facing upward when he drew it.  He then stepped toward his attacker and bent his knee to lower his body while drawing the sword in an upward motion at a forty-five-degree angle and blocking the descending blow from Cyrus’s sword.  Staying low, Drake stepped to the side and brought his katana under the boy’s arms, which would have severed them had they been using steel blades.

The frustration of his succumbing to this ploy angered the teenager even further.  He began to lose his mental control, which was exactly the opposite of what Drake had been teaching him for the past several years.  He knew losing his temper was the fastest way to defeat, but he could not help himself; he had to best his Soke.  Regrouping, he mounted a second attack.  Drake blocked it once again and then attempted to speak to Cyrus.  He said, This is getting out of hand Cyrus, it is time to stop.

There was no registration in the boy’s face that he heard any of what Drake said; instead, he stepped in for another attack.  At this point, Drake figured he was going to have to cause his nephew some pain in order for him to cease his aggressive behavior.  Taking a deep breath, he pointed his bokken straight out from his naval and waited for the attack.  Cyrus was coming at him with the bokken pointed straight at his centerline.  Drake used his quickness and timing to meet and deflect the attacking sword to his left.  He then lowered himself while sidestepping to the right.  He swung his wooden katana in an upward motion and hit Cyrus on his cheek with considerable force.  The move was lightning quick and totally unexpected by the teen.  The impact knocked him off his feet and sent him into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.  The physical battle was over, but the mental one would continue to be fought for some time.

It had been several hours since their ‘workout’, but neither had spoken to one another since Cyrus regained consciousness.  It was now painfully obvious to Drake that the mission they were currently on was the right one.  The time to return the young prince to Atlantis had truly arrived.  Cyrus was soon reaching the age of fifteen, which meant it was time for him to follow the path of all future Atlantean kings and biofuse with Metis.

Biofusion was the process where the selected individual would become of one mind with the computer.  Together, the king, or queen, could control or influence all aspects of Atlantean society.  Only a direct descendent of the first king, Atlas, could be chosen as the Heir of Atlantis, for only they had the cryptic code hidden within their DNA to unlock the secrets and power of the machine.  Built by Atlas’s father Poseidon from Olympian technology, the Atlantean computer system controlled the necessary elements, which allowed the civilization to survive in the hidden subterranean continent of Novus Atlantis.  They also had the power to wreak untold havoc on their world and beyond, should they choose to do so.  That is why it was so important for the Heir to be properly vetted by the computer, to make sure they were of good character and strong mental balance to be trusted with such a vital duty.  As in the case of Cyrus’s uncle, Dargon, Metis had deemed him unworthy and dangerous, thus expelling him from the process, as well as, destroying all viralmech within his body linked to the biofusion process. 

Now Drake was sailing on the Aegean Sea in an effort to find the secondary Atlantean computer, which had been mirrored off-site of Atlantis in a subterranean cavern.  King Atlas’s father, Poseidon, believed a redundant system was necessary, should anything ever happen to the primary system.  He was ultimately proven to be correct.  This secondary location was the place he met Atlas early in the morning hours on the day the Great Cataclysm descended upon the original island-continent of Atlantis, destroying it and wiping all evidence of Olympian technology from the face of the planet.  Fortunately, the second computer, Poros, was already beneath the surface and Zeus had no knowledge of its existence, or the caverns under the Atlantic he had previously built as a potential refuge for alien species should the Olympian war with the Titans not go well.

Drake checked his GPS and concluded they should spy land at any moment.  Getting to the island that allegedly housed Poros was the easy part.  The difficulty lay in the fact that the island was volcanic and its eruption somewhere between 1500 and 1630 B.C.E. completely devastated the landscape.  Even if they knew the exact location of the entrance to the cavern, there was a tremendous possibility the computer complex had been destroyed.  After all, the eruption blew off the top of the island and the side of the caldera, which had been formed, fell into the sea. 

Two elements provided some hope of success for the mission; Atlas was able to provide Zhentia with the precise location of the original entrance and the energy shields used by Poseidon and the Olympians were strong enough to withstand such a violent explosion.  Drake could only hope the power plant was still in full operation at the time of the explosion. 

As he was about to raise his binoculars toward the horizon, a beautiful young woman with reddish-blonde hair and exquisite blue eyes emerged from below the deck of the boat.  She was wearing a yellow sleeveless sundress, exposing her soft, white shoulders.  She exited the salon and gracefully moved toward Drake as if the motion of the boat had no effect on her.  In reality, it did not; the rolling deck of a boat would have no effect on a hologram.

A smile crossed Drake’s face as he raised the glasses to his eyes.  He said, Zhentia, I think we are going to reach Santorini soon.  We need to prepare the sensors and hope we can pick up signs of Poros’ existence sooner rather than later.  We really need to get Cyrus back to Atlantis.  I fear he is getting worse as the days go on.

You are correct Drake, she said with the best look of concern a computer program could muster, Atlas feared that growing independent of the Atlantean computer would allow his viralmech to affect him with much greater intensity than the average Atlantean.  There is the potential that they are enhancing his emotional impulses, rather than quelling them while his mind and physical capabilities are expanded.

Regardless of the reason, he is becoming more and more difficult to deal with.  I can’t do anything that doesn’t end in a look of utter disgust toward me.  Taking a moment to allow his emotions to come under control, Drake softly added, I know I am not his blood kin, but it hurts knowing we had such a great relationship before and now I am just a pain in his butt.

Not wanting to let an opportunity pass by, Zhentia quipped, Drake, you cannot put that all on Cyrus; you are a pain in everyone’s posterior region.

This brought a smile to the former marine’s face, which was the intended purpose.  Zhentia smiled back and said, In reality, you are experiencing what most parents do raising children who reach Cyrus’s age.  Teenagers, in general, become extremely difficult to deal with until their hormones balance and they enter adulthood.

I get that, I guess I had hoped Cyrus was beyond that being he is an Atlantean and a descendant of Poseidon.

Zhentia’s image hovered closer to Drake.  A look of seriousness he had not seen from her in a long time formed.  Looking deeply into his bright, blue eyes, which had turned from vivid green over time due to the viralmech Vaelin used to heal him, she said, Under normal circumstances, you would be correct.  These; however, are not normal circumstances and Cyrus is not normal by Terran or Atlantean standards.

A look of questioning concern came over Drake as he asked, What do you mean Zhentia?

I have been monitoring Cyrus’s bio-sensors implanted throughout his body by his viralmech.  These sensors are reading off the charts as far as brain and physical growth.  I fear if he does not get his viralmech under the control of Metis soon, there could be dire effects.

Drake was greatly concerned, but before any further conversation could take place, a voice from the bow yelled, What is that thing doing up on deck?  Why can’t it stay in the computer where it belongs?

Drake looked apologetically at Zhentia and replied, Cyrus, we have discussed this before, Zhentia is more than just a ‘thing’ and I wish you treat her with a little more respect.

How can you defend it as if it is a real person, Cyrus questioned in a disgusted tone.  It may look like a woman, but it’s not real.

Frustrated, Drake replied, I am tired of having this conversation with you Cyrus.  Zhentia is more than just a piece of technology.  She has intelligence and can think and interact with us as much as any human. 

Turning away, Cyrus muttered, Whatever, the ‘favorite’ expression of adults when speaking to an adolescent.

The artificial smile crossing Drake’s face could not mask the anger he was feeling inside.  Staring intently at the teenager, he asked, Zhentia, would you take over the helm and get us to our destination?  I think Cyrus and I need to have another little discussion.

She may have been devoid of emotions, but she understood the tension between Drake and Cyrus and would have felt badly for both of them were she capable.  She replied, I will do so Drake, but please do me a favor.

What?

Please remember he is going through a difficult transition.  He is not like any other child in the world, or Atlantis for that matter.  There is a tremendous amount of stress on him between growing into adulthood and realizing he is to be the savior of a world he does not know or remember.

Drake took a moment to absorb Zhentia’s words and, as much as he hated to admit it, she was right.  Armed with a renewed calmness, he made his way over to Cyrus and placed his arm around the boy, who tried to shrug him off.

Removing his arm so as not to further antagonize him, Drake softly said, I am sorry about knocking you out.  I should have been more careful.

Cyrus stared at the water with no reply.  Drake continued, I know things have been difficult on you, especially as we get closer to returning to Atlantis.  I wish I could make this situation easier for you.

After a moment, Cyrus turned to Drake and said, You have no idea how I feel.  How could you?  Do you know what it is like to be told you can’t go to regular school anymore because you are too smart and you can’t play sports anymore because you are too good?  You can’t even use your computer skills, because it’s too dangerous.  Do you know what it is like to not have any friends your age, because you are too advanced and mature for them?

The two stared into one another’s eyes for a long moment and then Cyrus resentfully continued, After all that, I find out that I am not even from this world, I come from a deep hole in the earth and am descended from a civilization that most people think never existed.  On top of that, I find out my mother and one of my sisters are dead and my father may or may not be alive depending on my uncle who is pretending to be him and is actually some loon that wants to take over the entire planet.  I have another sister who I have no recollection of and no clue where she is.  With all that, I am supposed to somehow restore everything back to the way it was.

Drake was empathetic as to where Cyrus was coming from.  There was complete validity to the way he was looking at his life and that is what hurt.  There was truly little he could do to make Cyrus feel better about his situation.  He tried to change the subject by asking, Is that why you went after me the way you did today?  Were you mad that I am responsible for you being here?

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