Difference between revisions of "Atlantis"

Revision as of 21:52, 12 July 2008

THE ATLANTIS TRILOGY, BOOK I: ATLANTIS: THE CONSPIRACY

Written by Brandon Krupczak

Wellie Delmer as Holly Dayne

Emma Reifenberger as Scarlett Miller

Brandon Krupczak as Matthew Kenderson

Madeline Hill as Kate Alabaster

Stephen Borrelli as Dr. Stephens

Just for confirmation, these chapters are all from our first book in the Atlantis Trilogy, Atlantis: The Conspiracy. So, if you want to see a sneak preview of our second book, Atlantis: Harvest Reaper, click on the link below titled Atlantis: Harvest Reaper. Click on any of these links to take you to the different chapters in the first book.

Atlantis Teaser

"Who the heck are you?" Matthew Kenderson demanded rudely.

The two men stood out like sore thumbs against their environment. Standing on a beach in Daytona, the usual outfit was a casual shirt and swimsuit, sandals, and sunglasses. These two lacked all but the dark shades that obscured half their faces respectively. Matt shot a quick glance around him. The white-sand beach stretched down as far as he could see, interrupted by the occasional pier or jetty. Behind him was a long series of never-ending condos and hotels, following the line of the beach. Toes buried in the soft, dry sand, he saw his older half-brother, Jamie, looking curiously at him from the water.

Matt guessed he did look a little odd, talking to these two adults in designer suits. Who wore suits to a beach? Apparently these guys.

"Wouldn't you like to know," the first Suit snarled. The other one, obviously the senior from his salt-and-pepper hair and tired eyes, elbowed the first Suit.

"We're with the Homeland Logistics Division. We'd like to give you something, but you'd have to come with us to get it. Just a short walk to our car." He said smoothly, like oil, pointing over at a parking lot a good hundred yards or so away.

Matt looked at the Suit, reclined in his lounge chair, a book he hadn't read yet opened to the first page, balanced on his knee, and said flatly, "No."

"It's okay, see, just over to the car. Just a short little walk. I promise you won't regret it!" The second Suit said, trying to put real warmth and authority in his voice but achieving only evil-grandfather malice.

"Um, should I call a doctor?" Matt asked, fake uncertainty lacing his words. "I think you might need to be treated for sudden loss of hearing."

The Suit tried for a laugh. It sounded artificial, even to himself, so he shut up. "No, now, come along with us."

"Jamie!" Matt yelled. His brother started loping for shore as the surf crashed into him and sent sea-spray flying.

Matt only noticed the change after it happened. The two men suddenly tensed, their steel-like corded muscles hidden beneath their designer suits flexing.

The two men reached into their jackets, and that was when Matt knew something was wrong, very wrong. He acted instantly. Why hadn't he seen this coming? Everything about these two said, "Government Business" all over them.

Matt turned tail and ran, so fast that his chair tipped over and fell in the sand. His only desire now was to escape, but even as the two lined him up in their gun sights, he knew he wouldn't have a chance. The first shot rang out and Matt hit the dirt. The round passed directly over his head. He knew why these two wanted him. It had happened before, first in D.C. As he was walking out of his apartment, something had felt wrong. He found out what it was, five minutes later, when a man on the street had grabbed him, shoving Jamie roughly aside and dragging him away towards a discreet grey van. Why was it always grey or white? He'd only escaped because of the fountain... no. He'd promised himself he wouldn't ever do it again. Not after that.

Apparently now he wasn't needed alive.

The second shot burst forward as the firing pin struck the primer in the modified handgun, igniting a burst of gas and propelling a 9mm neuro-toxin dart at 900 fps at the intended target. This particular dart landed half a centimeter away from Matt's arm. He glanced at it once, briefly, then rolled to his right as a third and then fourth round kicked up sand. The fifth round was on its way and coming directly for him.

Nothing he could do. The dart might kill him at this range, it might not. Either way the built in auto-dispenser would inject 4cc's of a potent paralysis drug into his bloodstream, then into his nervous system, and take him down.

The round flew forward - and stuck into the edge of the pit Matt had just fallen into.

It was a shallow pit, but it served its purpose. The two Suits were momentarily taken aback, then ran forward. The first Suit strafed right to flank Matt and leave no grounds for escape. Jamie was closing, behind them now, but the second Suit turned and snapped off a quick shot at him, barely looking and not aiming anywhere near. The dart buzzed past Jamie, but he sprawled in the sand anyways, covering his head in panic. Matt grabbed a fistful of sand and threw it at the first Suit. Luckily the wind was working against the man and the sand flew straight into his face. He stumbled, raising an arm and lowering his defenses to wipe the grit out of his eyes, when Matt struck.

He flew out of the shallow depression, heedless of the single round fired at him from the Suit's partner before Jamie tackled him. Jamie was kinda big.

Matt launched a 360 kick as he ran forward, catching the Suit's shoulder and popping it out of the socket. The Suit blanched but dropped the clip from his gun, fumbling for another.

Matt payed him no attention. He ran directly for the waterline. He'd be safe if he could get out to sea. What he really wanted right now was to sit on this very beach with a cold drink in one hand, his now discarded and forgotten book in the other, and just relax. God knew he hadn't been able to the last month.

But nnoooo. These two ding-dongs had to just waltz in and ruin everything.

Again.

The second suit struggled out of Jamie's hold and mercilessly clocked him in the jaw with the butt of the handgun. Jamie's head whipped back as a cracking sound filled the air. Jamie's jaw.

Matt ducked and weaved as another two shots followed his path, clean misses.

Just another thirty feet! The surf seemed cruelly near and yet far at the same time. Matt cried out as a round took him directly between the shoulder blades. He maybe had twenty seconds before the drug took effect, more likely thirty, due to his... condition.

Stumbling forward with the force, stumbling but forward always, he couldn't spare his brother a glance as he was kicked again with the Suit's shoe, a plain black Loafer. With a metal toe. Jamie curled around the blow, clenching his bloody teeth.

Satisfied that Jamie wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon, the second Suit