Atlantis Rising: Chapter 9
Previous Chapter: Atlantis Rising: Chapter 8
Homepage: Atlantis
Also see: Reaper's First Drop
00:00 Hours, December 12, 2012 (Military Calendar), Inner Ring, Atlantis City
The presence of fire and ice receded, and his eyes flew open.
Jason howled to the sky, raw, terrible. As the alternating scalding and freezing presence left, his mind filled with molten led, sitting him bolt-upright on the paved road, shrieking his lungs to shreds.
Eventually, his breath petered out, and he paused for air. Finally registering the blurry world before him, he stood, groaned, and retched into the gutter.
Drawing his hand across his mouth, Jason spit, blinked, and looked around.
The first thing he noticed was the mist. It blanketed everything, cutting his visibility down to about a hundred feet in a city that knew no pollution. It hung like a cloud, obscuring streets, hiding the tops of buildings, hovering as if concealing something.
The second thing he noticed was the smell. The salt air mixed with the mist, diluting the aroma, but there was still an aura of rebirth, of recreation. The air felt new, clean.
Looking up, a silver-blue flash cut through the heavy air momentarily, then the ice-blue shield that had covered all of Atlantis faded, retracted, and disappeared. Water fell in sheets as the condensation came falling back to Earth.
Daedalus was stumbling out of the house, he too having just revived. Jason looked down and noticed the soldier who had tried to keep him inside; he was writhing on the ground, clawing at his head and moaning.
"What-" Jason croaked. His throat was raw and gritty. He coughed and started over. "What happened?"
For once, Daedalus threw up his hands. "I have - absolutely - no idea."
Sound gradually returned to the city as its inhabitants slowly regained consciousness. A confused murmur began, waxing in strength as more people joined the throng. Trickling out of their houses, the crowd collected in the courtyard outside the palace. Jason glanced at Daedalus, then set off for the palace gates, Daedalus following closely behind.
As the two pushed their way through the massing crowd, the murmur became more agitated as confusion turned to anger.
Two phalanxes of soldiers pushed their way out from the gatehouse, marched out in front of the thick metal wall, and stood with weapons bared. The front lines wielded large body shields and wooden crowd-control rods.
Jason and Daedalus stood at the front of the crowd, waiting for someone to come forward and explain. Before long, a small zeppelin rose into the air, and in the cabin suspended underneath stood the Pharaoh of Atlantis.
He was tall, with neat, short blond hair. He was about 45, imperious, muscular. He was dressed for war, clad in ornate black titanium trimmed with the silvery-gold Orichalcum. In his arms rested his royal helm, studded with jewels. Behind him was his adviser, also clad in decorative armor but holding a staff instead of a longsword belted at the waist, and the High Priest of the Temple of Poseidon.
The Pharaoh raised his arms, motioning for quiet. The assembled people quickly grew still, upturned faces tinged with floodlights that came on. Jason only just realized that the light permeating the mist that filled the air was unnatural; it was a little before 1:00 in the morning.
"Sons and daughters of Atlantis," The Pharaoh began, his voice amplified both by the architectural design of the courtyard and a mechanical system that rested in front of him, "I present myself before you now, in an attempt to explain events."
His voice rang out over all of Atlantis, its inhabitants groping after battery-powered lanterns as the light began to fade.
Brutus ran up, carrying three, which he distributed to his brothers. The batteries were simple iron rods, wrapped in copper, and left in clay jars filled with electrolyte acids, such as concentrated lemon juice. The resulting chemical reaction was used to power everything from lights to Atlantian computers, and employed to electroplate gold onto silver, creating an artificial Orichalcum.
"We gather here now, on the dawn of a new day when none of our number expected to see light ever again, with the event of the falling meteor that shed darkness on this world in great clouds of ash and nearly obliterated us. The skies were illuminated in fire, the seas boiled, and the land itself shook with Poseidon's fury.
"And yet we are here, still alive, still breathing. I will attempt now to explain what occurred, on that fateful day.
"As the comet of fire fell through the sky, The High Priest gathered together his acolytes. As you all know, it is our High Priest who selects and trains the members of our military in the art of Psichological warfare. He and his acolytes, drawing together in a circle, put forth a shield over the mouth of the volcano. Upon the comet's impact, Mt. Heliotropos erupted, and she erupted like never before. The blast itself would have annihilated this city, and the fallout would have wrought untold damage on the rest of Atlantis. However, the shield around the crater's mouth, the High Priest used to absorb the energy of the eruption. The force granted him by the powers of nature he and his acolytes funneled into the sky, shaping a vast, telekinetic shield around all of Atlantis.
"This shield protected us as our continent was buried underneath millions of tons of water. We were put into deep stasis as our planet was thrown into chaos, and our land doomed to a watery death for millenia as was foretold time and again by the Mayans, those who seceded from our Empire. However, they also foretold our revival. This is the year 2012 after our savior appeared on Earth, in human form. 11,000 years since Atlantis sank.
"The world is a much different place. The primitive inhabitants of the world as we knew it survived; they advanced, evolved, and now we rest in the center of the civilized world. Their technologies far surpass us by a 200 year margin. They have differing laws, religions, and cultures. We have been in contact already with many of their leaders simultaneously via devices they call televisions, which can project images onto a screen many miles apart through the air. They have perfected the use of electricity and the art of war. They have bombs so powerful, one could wipe out the entire of Atlantis City, and just a few of them could obliterate an entire ring of Atlantis.
"It is into this world we are now thrust. Prepare yourselves. Our arrival on the planet has kindered a war between the nations. All it now needs is a spark to set alight. We will, for once, be at a technological disadvantage. I want you all to know, however, that our soldiers are no less skilled and our leaders no less adept, and we shall fight for every last inch of our homeland. If they land here, they shall die here. Conscriptors will begin their work on January 1st. All able-bodied men shall heed the call. Again I say prepare yourselves, for we are on the brink of a World War."
The Pharaoh ended his narration, at which the crowd immediately set up an excited murmuring. Jason turned and strode for the nearest recruitment offices.
"Where are you going?" Daedalus shouted, stepping in behind him.
"If there's gonna be a war, I want in." Jason said. He continued, followed now by his two brothers. "If there's gonna be a fight, let's take it to them."
Next chapter: Atlantis Rising: Chapter 10
Homepage: Atlantis
