The Atlantis Expedition

Chapter Fifteen: Find Your Path In The Stars

Flea nudged his way into the study with a hot cup of tea, wholly unsurprised to find the captain still at her desk with the former President's tablet, poring over the notes it contained. "Brought your tea, Cap'," he announced, and she glanced up, green eyes bright. "Good reading, I take it?"

"I always said he was a cunning businessman and politician, but I never would have guessed him to be such a brilliant archeologist as well." She reached for the tea as he held it out and gestured for him to take a seat. He sat and waited as she sipped the tea. "His methods kind of remind me of someone... Anyway. It's amazing, how much of this he's been able to decipher with so little to go on. There's snippets of translations into other languages, some of them decades old, others centuries, but they still only provide for so many words. But the translations he's made on his own- he's practically doubled the lexicon."

"Like a kid in a candy store," Flea teased. "No wonder you haven't put that thing down."

"Oh, hush you."

"So what's it say?"

"There's a lot of history in here, mostly detailing the downfall of Atlantis, but I've also caught some references to Master Builders. There's a lot of cultural context there, I think, so I can't really make heads or tails of what they're trying to say... Some stuff about the temples being erected as... gateways, I think that says? Placed so that only those who have proved themselves worthy may pass to the next. Something about sentinels, and the temples being the keepers of Atlantean history... Makes sense, with all this stuff they put on the walls. And it looks like some hints on the next temple."

Flea snickered. "Think they'll have any luck getting through it without their notes?"

Airheart steepled her fingers together, looking thoughtful. "Actually... I think they just might. I've done a bit of research on that crew, you see. I thought I recognized them when we confronted them in the desert- those are the same Master Builders that helped The Special stop Lord Business, and not a one of them could be considered a pushover. Metalbeard is a very experienced captain, he's been sailing the seas since he was only four years old. The girl in black was at least formerly known as Wyldstyle, Vitruvius' last, and best, student. Unikitty's no sheltered princess, she kept Cloud Cuckooland hidden from the Super Secret Police for years, and somehow managed to keep the place from falling apart despite being populated only by Master Builders. I think the short man in blue might be the astronaut Benjamin Blue, who was already a very skilled engineer before he was discovered to be a Master Builder- the damage he did to our engines is evidence enough of that. And maybe they're missing the world's best detective, but Bad Cop is a very close second, and tenacious to boot, and with Lord Business having proven himself to be quite the intellectual..."

"And The Special himself??"

The sky captain smirked. "Let's just say I haven't had competition this exciting in ages."

~* *~

It turned out their next destination was about a week's trek inland, in the middle of a rainforest. By the time they reached the next temple, Unikitty had the worst case of fleas she'd ever experienced, and the others weren't much better off. Everyone else was covered in mosquito bites and, in one memorable experience for Emmet, leeches. Bad Cop could sympathize, and when he stopped laughing, he helped to get them off.

"Mind your step," the officer teased.

"I hate nature," Emmet complained in response. "Nature is most definitely not awesome."

"Come on, city boy, buck up. A few days in the woods isn't going to kill you. Besides, we're almost there."

"How are you so sure?" Bad Cop simply pointed ahead in answer. "I don't see anything..."