Finding Atlantis - Ch9
#8 of Finding atlantis
Finally, I'm back. Hopefully for good this time! One more chapter down, and I am beginning to wonder if our beloved hero will ever make it off Atlantis. Just don't fall asleep on me yet; I have big plans for the next few updates!
The trip through the tesseract was actually kind of disappointing. There was no 'worm hole' tunnel, no blue lightning. The scenery around us just changed. In an instant we were no longer in an open field, but above the ocean. I fired up the GPS. It was a miracle that the thing still worked. The fighter's GPS and my cellphone were about the only things (besides me) that survived the fateful crash that had changed my life so dramatically.
The trip to the Fort Worth base seemed to stretch out for an eternity even though it was only about an hour and a half. So I was overjoyed when I looked down and saw a set of concrete runways down below. Fort worth was almost exactly as I remembered it. A lonely base and airport out in the wastes of Texas. Thankfully, they didn't know we were there, and I prayed that they never would. I knew that the military was a shoot first, ask questions later kind of institution, especially when it came to trespassing. So even with our ship cloaked, I was nervous. Ariana on the other hand was freaking out. I guess because she was watching my thoughts as they ran through every possible way we could die in the next five minutes.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Yes, we can do this." I sounded positive, but I was beginning to doubt that myself because of her genitive feedback from my own wandering thoughts.
"Look," I said. "This isn't working, We both have to keep those kinds of thoughts to a minimum. We got to stay focused."
"Right." She answered.
They have weaponry that powerful?
'Enough to destroy the planet many times over. but it's going to work out in our favor.' I thought back.
We landed outside the barracks and I turned on my cell phone. I figured I would still have service. It had only been about a month since the accident. they shouldn't have shut it off yet.
Sure enough, It played the little "hello moto" start up movie and showed me the full six bars of signal. I flipped through my contacts until 'Collin W.' came up. I hit send and waited. instead of ringing it came up with that annoying recording that says "Message RF-33. The number you have dialed is no longer valid..."
He must have changed his number. I thought.
And that's weird right?
It was, but I didn't have time to think it over, so I called up Scotty. She was the only other one who might believe me. It rang three times; then I was greeted by a shaky "hello?"
"Scotty, It's Adam." I answered.
"Adam? You're alive? Where are you?"
"You're not gonna believe this." I started. "But I've spent the past month on another planet."
"You mean, like South America?"
"No, I mean like not on Earth."
She was quiet for a while and I waited for her response.
"Who is this, really. Tim, If It's you..."
"No," I cut her off. "If you want proof, go outside and around the back of the Barracks. I'll meat you there."
"Why there?" She asked.
"Because there are no cameras. I don't look... human anymore, so It will be best If I avoid security cameras."
"O-k-a-y."
I wasn't sure she would actually come out, but I heard door open and shortly after that she walked around the corner.
She was shorter than I remembered, though it may have been because I had gotten taller, and she seemed thinner. I also noticed a glint of light off the knife in her boot that wasn't quite hidden by her jeans.
'Always prepared' I thought to myself.
Be careful.
As for me, I was standing right in front of the ship, but you couldn't see it because of the cloaking. I was also cloaked but not with invisibility, more like.. cotton. Anyway, my dark 'Jedi' robe was big enough that to her I would look almost like a normal person, until she was very close. Especially considering that the setting sun was casting long shadows out in front of me.
I looked into her suspicious eyes. She had stopped walking as soon as she saw me.
"Who are you?" I could see the struggle within her, she wanted to believe it was me but her rational side wouldn't let her.
"I'm Adam." I said simply.
By her reaction I knew that she recognized my voice. It had thankfully remained unaltered for the most part.
"So, if you are really Adam, then why all the secrecy?" She asked,
" Okay, I'll show you," I answered. "just promise that you won't scream."
She nodded, so I let the robe fall to the ground. Her eyes went wide with shock at first, but were then taken over by an emotion that I hadn't expected. Recognition, and even some compassion.
"Oh my God, Adam! What happened?" Her compassionate side was taking over now, and I suspect that there was some curiosity involved too, as she rushed toward me.
"Oh my God! I didn't think we'd ever find you, and now you're, a... You..."
"Yeah, this is what I am now." I shrugged, looking down at my paws. "don't worry, it's not contagious. It's just part of living on At..where I live now. I know it's weird, but I kinda like it." she had grabbed one of my rather large paws and held it with both her own smaller hands. "We can change you back," she began. She was obviously trying to comfort me. "there's plastic surgery, lazer hair remov..."
"Listen," I interrupted her. "I don't want to change back, and I can't stay here."
"Then what are you going to do?"
"I was hoping to borrow some of Collin's clothes, I think I might cause a scene in downtown Fort Worth looking like this."
"Oh." her eyes dropped to my feet.
"Collin's gone." she said quietly.
You need to get out of there. Ariana's voice cut through my thoughts like they were nothing at all. Suddenly I was aware of voices headed our way.
"We can't talk here." I whispered, moving over toward the wall. Do you think we could come in?"
"Who is we?" she asked, again suspicious.
"I brought a friend with me." I answered. "Just open a window."
"I'm on the second floor" she protested.
"Not a problem. Just go."
Scotty looked at me like I was crazy for a second, then turned and headed back inside, flinging a hurried "Whatever." over her shoulder.
I sighed, 'Where would Collin go?'
Maybe he's out looking for you.
'that must be it' I thought as I climbed up into the plain just before two solders came around the corner.
We waited until they were a good ways away. The plane was invisible, but you could still hear the rush of air from the engines as we took off. I wanted to be sure they wouldn't notice us. We flew up to the roof. Thankfully it was flat and we were able to land where no one would find the plane. Then it was a simple walk down the fire escape and around to Scottie's window. The place seemed deserted. It would be easy to get in the window without being seen. And I wasn't worried about cameras, because I knew where the blind spots were.
See, in places that deal with this much top secret stuff they plan intentional blind spots in the surveillance system so that things can be moved without being noticed.
Ariana and I slipped over to the open window in the growing darkness. Then it was a simple hop up and in. even though it was on the second story, I had no trouble leaping up, grabbing the windowsill, and pulling myself through. Ariana quickly followed.
We found ourselves in a small one bedroom apartment, much like the one I used to have. Except, Scottie's was covered in posters of Lamborghinis and Porches, and there was a home gym in the corner. The bed had about four pizza boxes stacked on it. Scotty herself had just walked out of the kitchenette with yet another pizza in hand.
"You still like sausage right?" she asked. Then she saw Ariana. "Oh,"
After introductions the night went well, all things considered. Ariana and Scotty hit it off well. I was surprised by how much Ariana was able to glean from my mind to make conversation. She also had complete mastery of human etiquette. Though she allowed me to convince her to follow my lead and just pick up the pizza and eat it. Instead of waiting for plates and silverware.
All in all, we learned that Collin had left the day after I vanished. Everything in my lab disappeared the same day. There were rumors that the CIA had kidnapped him and confiscated my research. As unlikely as that seemed, I knew enough not to blow it off. Rumors almost always had some kind of fact buried in them somewhere. Besides, Collin wouldn't just leave as soon as I disappeared. What made it even more suspicious was that Collin had been completely wiped from the base mainframe. According to the Air force, Collin Reynolds Didn't exist!
I was torn. I wanted to try to find him, but I couldn't show myself in public, and we couldn't take time away from our quest to save Atlantis. I was mulling it over as we lay on the ground under the plane that night. Scotty hadn't offered to let us stay at her place. I don't think she quite got past the claws and teeth. At any rate We thought it would be better not to impose so we slipped back out the window at around ten thirty.
I do not know to say, it is terrible to have to leave him, but we can not help him.
'I know.'
I put it out of my mind for now. What was coming was going to require complete concentration.
I awoke to the sun burning brightly in the cold morning sky. Could it really be morning already? It had been cold that night. Being that it was December, I had expected that. The frost was heavy under foot, and Ariana took to it in a rather unexpected way.
"What in the world!" she gasped. "It wasn't like that last night was it?"
"It's just frost hun."
yeah but it is Everywhere! And it is so beautiful!
_ can water really freeze like that?_
"yup, but not all the time. It only happens when the dew point is high enough.'
" It's amazing." she breathed. I suppose that it would happen on Atlantis if it ever got that cold.
'You'll see better than this there we are going.' I thought.
I tried to be ambiguous with my reference to snow so she couldn't find it. It seemed to be working as a frown spread across her adorable face.
"I hate it when you do that." she spat out, crossing her arms.
"I want it to be a surprise." I reasoned.
By now we had gotten up and cleaned the frost out of our fur, we really did seem to be impervious to temperature, and we were scraping the frost off the windshield of the plane
I will find it you know.
'Maybe, but where's the fun in that?'
I smiled at her frustration as we slid into the cockpit. it would be a long trip today.
"Next stop. Yucca Mountain!" I announced.