Beyond The Glowing Whirlpool

Chapter 10: LURKING DANGER

Finally, it dawned. And a team of 8 were all set and gathered on the first floor of the Atlantis, at 5 am sharp. The first floor was an enormous dome-like room with a glass ceiling that rose above four levels of the central core of the city. The stargate was positioned right in the center. Further down past the stargate was another gigantic gate, that resembled a drawbridge of a castle. It was Atlantis's main entrance that led outside of the city. On the other side of the room, across from the main entrance, were many hexagon cubicles that resembled a beehive comb, where Atlantian shuttles were parked. It was called the shuttle bay. To the right of the stargate was a platform, on which multiple control panels with screens that controlled the stargate and the entire city its power and defense system were positioned. To the left, there was a massive, staircase along with an elevator, that was just as massive, leading to the upper levels of the Atlantis.

The team had boarded up one of the shuttles, and it was ready for a takeoff. The shuttle was a small hover-craft that resembled the main capsule of a futuristic tram with small wings. It seemed to be running on the same kind of power as the city, and it was build to hover above the ground as well as float and go underwater, like a little submarine. Each shuttle was a twelve seater. Two seats in the front, pilots and copilots, and the rest of them in the back, two rows of five, lined up against the walls on each side, facing each other. The storage compartment was built beneath the floor and some above the seats. Though most of the shuttles were discovered to be pre-fueled and had enough energy to last about a month each, they still refrained from using them too often, because once it's been emptied, there was no way to refuel it, same as Atlantis.

After the technician dialed up a specific combination on his control panel, the huge door slowly lowered, and the shuttle was launched straight from its cubicle. It whizzed right through the stargate, and right out the main entrance, into the great beyond. The grand door closed behind them, and the city melted into the misty morning fog rising from the sea. Stacie was glued to the window, looking out into the surrounding waters, as they flew towards the Island. Alice was piloting the shuttle and Melinda was in the co-pilot seat.

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The morning was cool and sunny. There was no strong wind, so their flight was smooth. After about an hour of flight above the sea, a thin line of shore finally appeared on the horizon and started to get closer and closer. And pretty soon thick, green foliage that resembled some Earth's tropical jungles, appeared before them. They continued on over the island for about another hour or so, until they arrived at their marked destination. This part of the island was different from the thick with greenery shoreline. It looked like a borderline where the forest was transitioning into a canyon-like desert with sheer cliffs and towering rocks rising high into the sky. Alice found a good open spot and landed the shuttle. Because of its small size and lightweight, it was easy for this shuttle to maneuver in some tight spaces, and evade any sharp cliffs and rocks. So bringing it down in this uneven landscape wasn't too much hassle. When the shuttle was parked, and the hangers door was opened, everyone stepped out into the bright morning light. Stacie looked around studying her surroundings. She noticed that the landscape here wasn't much different from back on earth, in exception of several variations of plants that were strange-looking, as well as some birds and small animals that bustled around, completely ignoring a group of explorers.

-Alright, everyone, we will start our hike from here and go further up north. - Melinda marked their location on her map where the shuttle was and drew a line up north where they were supposed to go. - Then we will take a rest stop for about an hour, and continue on. Make sure to keep a close eye for anything unusual and watch out for any signs of wildlife. And make sure not to stray too far from the group. It is easy to get lost here. You know the drill. - She gave out orders to her team as she handed out a communication device to each person except Ivar, he had one of his own that was capable of channeling to the rest of them.