Weapon of Atlantis (11 page)

“Strange. I don’t see any visible controls. I wonder how they steered this thing,” he asked.

Jack stared
at two small circular shelves that extended from the control panels. They seemed to be occupying part of the space where the seats once sat. He pointed with his light and said, “Check out those rounded shelves. I’m wondering if they had something to do with controlling the ship.”

“How so?” Javi asked.

“Maybe with some kind of interactive heads-up display,” he speculated.

“That’s entirely possible. If you can envision where the seats would be, those small table
s kind of fit right into the laps of the pilots. It might have even been some kind of holographic representation of the controls, projected onto the surface of the shelves,” Javi speculated.

“How cool would that be?” Jack responded. “Just position your hands in the orientation of the ship and it flies exactly as you represent it. Talk about easy flying.”

“Famous last words,” Javi teased.

“Probably slightly more difficult than flipping burgers,” Jack joked.

Javi smirked, then stood up.

“Ok guys, let’s see what other treasures lie
beneath,” he shouted to the men in ceremonious tone.

Moments later, as he and Jack stepped back, the workers moved in and continued with their tedious chore. As two dozen men chopped aggressively at the areas of ice beyond the spacecraft, two dozen more men worked the more delicate task of removing ice from the spacecraft itself. With each hour that passed, several more inches of material were transported out of the cavity. By the end of the day, nearly three quarters of the ship was exposed and a frenzied excitement charged the entire site.

Javi peered in through the now exposed cockpit windows. Mesmerized, he studied the control panel at the front of the ship and the narrow isle that ran between it. At the very front of the ship, the isle ended at a doorway. He smiled as he noticed Jack peering through it, staring back at him from the outside. He walked around to the front of the craft and stood next to Jack. Both men now stared at the entryway into the spacecraft.

“This is amazing. They enter at the nose of the ship and there’re no heat shields or any reinforcing ma
terials here either,” Jack said incredulously. “This is the most critical point on the whole spacecraft and they place a doorway here, creating the greatest potential for structural failure at their most vulnerable location. I just don’t get it. What do they know about engineering that we don’t?”

“P
robably a lot, Jack,” Javi said confidently.

R
unning his hands along the seamless glass and doorway, he shook his head in amazement.

“I can’t wait to get in there and see how the
y built this thing. I’m betting it’ll turn the engineering world on its head,” he said enthusiastically. “We could find engineering principals that would revolutionize the way we think forever.”

Javi nodded, then cupped his hands against a front window and stared through them at the interior. As he studied the near featureless control panel, he noticed a diamond-shaped hole on its surface. Instantly, he felt a familiarity about it.

“Jack!” he shouted excited. “You’ve got to see this.”

Jack pressed his face near Javi’s and peered inside.

“See what?” he asked, curiously.

“Look at that hole in the control
panel. Look familiar?”

Jack studied it momentarily, then smiled.

“Are you kidding me?” he blurted in surprise. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Only one way to find out,” Javi answered in hopeful tone.

----- ----- ----- -----

The following day…

Jack and Javi stood beside the side of the spacecraft and examined its construction. Walking along the thirty foot high craft, they marveled at the one piece design.

“I don’t see one seam on this thing anywhere,” Jack said, astounded by the sight. “It’s as if they poured this from a single mold.”

“I’d say that’s exactly what they did,” Javi concurred. “I wonder what kind of metal this is?” he asked, touching the surface with his fingertips.

Jack wrapped his knuckles on the outside surface.

“I can’t tell. It feels really solid, like it’s made of heavy steel, but it sounds very tinny, like it’s made of aluminum. I wonder if this is some kind of exotic metal we’ve never heard of before.”

Javi raised his eyebrows in suspicion.

“You could be right, Jack. Who’s to say there aren’t more undiscovered elements beyond our galaxy?”

Jack looked down at the ice between his feet. Although the sides of the spacecraft tapered outward at the bottom of the craft, it was apparent there were no wings to speak of.

“I think your theory about their propulsion system is becoming more of a reality with every inch of ice these guys remove,” he said.

Javi looked down at the ice and smiled.

“No wings,” he announced proudly. “So, it’s either powered by an anti-gravity device or some form of thrusting engine, like a rocket.”

Jack pointed to several circular ports spaced along the side of the craft.

“Those to me
look like some kind of thrusting ports for navigation, which suggests rocket propulsion. The problem I see with that is a rocket engine takes a tremendous about of fuel. This craft is way too small to stow enough fuel for space travel.”

“You thinking some form of anti-gravity propulsion?” Javi asked, his voice quivering with excitement.

Jack nodded. “Either that or some kind of engine we’ve never even thought of before.”

“Amazing,” he responded
simply.

The two walked to the front of the craft and studied the narrow door. Running their hands over the entire surface, they searched for any sign of a mechanism that might allow them access into the cockpit. After nearly an hour without success, their patience began to thin.

“How the hell do you open this damn thing?” Jack blurted out in frustration. “We’ve tried everything but shouting out ‘abracadabra’. Maybe we should just break the glass.”

Javi glared back disapprovingly.

“Javi, I’m kidding,” Jack teased.

Running his hands along the flattened surface, Javi searched once more in desperation. Seconds later, he stepped back and stared at the problem. Slowly, his expression became more positive.

“I think it time to break out the magic wand,” he joked.

“The scepter?” Jack retorted
in doubtful tone. “There isn’t a slot or keyway. You don’t plan on trying to carve a hole through the hull with it, do you?”

“Of course not, Jack. You know me
better than that,” he responded mildly insulted. “I’m hoping that somehow it’ll energize the lock and open the door.”

Jack stared back with suspicion.

“I know it’s a desperation ploy, but I think we’ve reached that level, don’t you?” Javi asked.

Jack nodded silently, then reached for a six inch square, by four-foot long padded box. He knelt to the ground and flipped up several latches, releasing the top half of the box. Inside, encased in f
oam, was Zeus’ crystal scepter the two found while excavating the great golden pyramid. Reaching in, Jack delicately pulled it from its resting place and handed it to Javi.

“Careful. That thing can slice through steal,” Jack cautioned.

“Don’t worry. The testing is still fresh in my mind,” he responded in nervous tone.

Jack
took several steps back and watched from behind. Javi grasped the scepter’s handle and stared at its length. The three foot long crystal blade felt relatively light, despite the intricate collection of mechanisms assembled at its core.

He brought the crystal sword to the doorway and lightly squeezed the handle. Instantly, energy radiated up through the shaft and shot out through the tip. He released his grip momentarily, causing the energy to abate. He stared back at Jack, slightly embarrassed.

“It’s been a while,” he joked.

“Good thing you’re point
ing that thing skyward,” Jack replied unamused. “Careful you don’t kill any birds,” he added.

Javi smirked, then lowered the scepter toward the door. Holding it sideways, several inches away, he slowly squeezed the handle once again. This time, the blade glowed slightly, radiating light from the shaft. Starting at the top of the doorway, he swept the weapon downward. Instantly, a lighted panel illuminated to the
right of the door.

“Ah ha,” he shouted
excitedly. “Found it.”

Jack rushed forward and studied the lighted display.

“Holy crap! It’s like the metal itself is lighting up,” he said surprised.

“It’s not ‘like’ lighting up… the metal
is
lighting up, Jack. How the heck did they get it to do that?” he responded.

“Can you identify the hieroglyphics?” Jack asked.

Javi studied them briefly and smiled. He reached his hand forward and hovered his finger over one of the lights.

“How about the
symbol that says open?” he said sarcastically.

Jack smirked at the humor. “That’ll do,” he replied simply.

Javi touched the outside surface of the craft, his fingertip completely covering the symbol. Instantly, the two heard a low hum, then the door split in two, each half disappearing into the side of the doorway.

Both men’s hearts pounded
with anticipation as they stared into the cockpit, neither man willing to take the first step.

“You want to be the first?” Javi asked respectfully.

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Jack joked.

Javi released his grip on the scepter, ending its energy output, then lifted it upward for Jack to pass by. He stepped forward slowly and peered his head inside first and looked around. He stared in awe of the seven-thousand year old cockpit that was far more advanced than anything he’d seen before.

“Amazing,” he said under his breath.

He took several steps inside and stood in the center. He ran his hand along the glass at the ceiling, then down to the control panel at the front of the craft. Pointing the un-energized scepter downward, Javi now stepped inside and stood next to him on the left. Facing forward, they studied the blank panels in front of them, both men’s eyes focusing on the diamond-shaped hole that seemed to beg for their attention.

“What do you think?” Javi asked with apprehension.

“Go for it,” Jack responded
enthusiastically.

Javi took a step forward and raised the scepter above the hole. He shot Jack a nervous glance, then insert
ed the tip into the slot all the way down to the handle. He took a deep breath and exhaled his nervous tension.

“Here goes nothing,” he said
ceremoniously.

Jack watche
d with great anticipation as Javi began to apply pressure to the scepter’s handle. Within seconds, a low hum drummed inside the cockpit and all lights illuminated on the control panels.

“Wow!” Jack blurted out
simply, the only word he could think of to say at that moment.

Javi’s eyes scanned the console in front of him, then down to the circular shelf that extended from the control panel. He stared in shock and amazement at the tiny
three-dimensional hologram of the ship, now hovering just above the round ledge. Directly in front of Jack, a similar 3-D hologram displayed the same image.

“This is just unbelievable,” he said to Javi, his voice quivering with excitement.

Javi released his hand from the handle and stepped back. The scepter continued to power the control panel. He smiled to Jack, the thrill of their discovery almost too great for words.