Atlantis Burning

Chapter 3

Edward and Bea put on their wetsuits and got geared up for their dive.

"Follow the line down. If you get the feed working, give me a wave," Henry instructed.

"We're going to have to do a bit of exploring while we are down there," said Edward.

Henry handed Beatrice a bag. "Bring back a few souvenirs."

Bea put stuffed the bag in her wetsuit and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't wait up for us, Dad. I have a feeling this is going to be the best date Edward's taken me on, yet."

Henry shook his head. "Don't rush the descent in your excitement."

"We won't, see you soon." Bea hopped up and sat on the bulwark beside her husband. Edward was the first to splash into the warmth of the Atlantic Ocean. The two explorers began to slowly follow the line down to Rover, grateful for the absence of the angry puffer fish.

Henry watched for a few minutes and then marveled at the beauty of the Azores. This archipelago is part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is the longest chain of mountains on Earth. One end begins off North America and the other end is at the southern tip of Africa and most of it is submerged. When Bea was in High School, Henry took the family to search in the Mediterranean and came up empty-handed. The world wide web was at their fingertips, with so much new information at hand. The family spent years considering where to search next. Some recent satellite images showed circular designs at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, which is where they were continuing their pursuit. Plato talked about Atlantis having been made up of concentric circles that alternated water and land. Plato died around 348BCE. He claimed to have learned about the city from his ancestors so there's no telling how long ago Atlantis was a thriving city.

If this was the legend that Plato wrote about, it would be one of the world's greatest discoveries. Working as an attorney in LA, Henry had a lot of connections. A good friend was a reporter and Henry dreamed of giving him the exclusive story to tell the world that the legend was in fact a reality.

When Edward saw the ROV, he let go of the line and swam out to get a better view. He was startled to see only half of Rover, and motioned for Bea to take a look. He pointed at Rover and shrugged his shoulders. Bea saw the same thing, half of the ROV, with no loose wires and no broken parts. They looked to the ocean floor, but there was no sign of the other half of the vessel or its parts. Bea arrived at the ROV and tried to reach around to the other side, but her hand disappeared, exactly in keeping with the missing half of Rover. She felt no pain, but immediately jerked her arm back, relieved to see her hand reappear. She reached back out, unsure if she would see it go missing a second time. Edward grabbed her arm and pulled it away from the spot, shaking his head back and forth. He grabbed his spear and moved it alongside the ROV and it too disappeared at the same point, but then reappeared when he pulled it back. He put his spear away and ran his hand along the side of the vehicle noticing that as his hand disappeared, he could still feel Rover. It was still intact. He grabbed the ROV and kicked his legs, to swim backward. As it moved, the remainder of the ROV reappeared, back from the abyss. Edward waved into the camera and then he pointed it at Bea, she waved, too.

Up on the boat, Henry let out a jubilant shout at the sight of his family in the monitor. He used the remote and moved the submerged vehicle up and down, as if nodding in response. Edward swam through where the ROV had disappeared, Bea followed after him, moments later. Henry watched them both vanish in front of his eyes. A knot formed in his gut, as apprehension washed over him.