Weapon of Atlantis (33 page)

“This year, I’m
definitely
sending him a Christmas card,” Jack joked, now returning upright and kicking his feet.

Javi grinned then continued,
“He must have used up all his favors getting to us so fast.”

“Not to be in ingrate, but I hope he has a plan to pick us up… and soon. I’m a little sick and tired of being stranded at sea,” Jack said in sarcastic tone.

Javi nodded, then replied, “Yup, it does seem to happen to you quite often, doesn’t it.” He paused a moment, then added, “Maybe you should consider a new line of work.”

“But then who’d rescue you when you get in trouble,” Jack joked, working his hands and feet to stay afloat.

“It has become a habit, hasn’t it?” Javi grinned, still floating effortlessly on his back.

Jack rolled to his back and pumped his legs and arms. His breathing increased as he labored to tread water. Javi turned his head and noticed
him struggling.

“Ar
e you having trouble?” he asked now with alarm.

Jack exhaled, then changed to upright swimming.

“I’ll be alright,” he responded casually.

Javi rolled to an upright position. He swam almost with ease while Jack struggled.

“Jack, this isn’t good. You’re struggling. Tell me truthfully: are you going to make it? Do you need some help?”

Breathing heavier, he only
shook his head.

“Jack, this is no time to be proud,” Javi responded, growing anxious by the second.

He swam close and grabbed Jack’s shoulder, lifting slightly and kicking harder. For the moment, Jack began to swim with less effort.

“Thanks… maybe for
a minute or two,” he responded gratefully.

Javi glanced around them, hoping to spot a rescue vessel in the distance. Sadly, they were all alone.

For the next two hours, as Jack struggled to stay afloat, Javi pumped his legs while paddling with one arm. When he tired, he switched arms, holding Jack with the opposite arm. Even with Javi’s assistance, Jack’s breathing became labored. With each exhale, Javi wondered about the fate of his friend.

Jack heard it first, the distinctive sound of helicopter blades. He spun around and searched the horizon. A great smile spread across his face.

“Here comes the cavalry!” he announced enthusiastically.

Javi turned and studied the approaching craft. He smiled to Jack in relief.

“And not a moment too soon,” he said now breathing heavily himself.

Minutes later, the rescue helicopter hovered over them. Seeing men amidst a desperate struggle, two divers leaped into the ocean to save them. Jack and Javi clung to their rescuers, having finally expending the last of their energy.

As the rescue basket was lowered, it fell next to Javi. A diver shoved him in and raised his thumb to the crew above. Quick and efficient, the crew pulled up and hauled him into the cabin. In less than a minute, the basket was lowered again. Exhausted, Jack struggled to pull himself into it. The two divers each grabbed a side, pumped their fins and launch him skyward. Jack was flung into the basket and landed on his stomach.

He smiled wryly… he’d made it.

The rescue basket was pulled inside the cabin. Jack crawled carefully out of it and came to his knees. He reached out his arms in a great stretch. Still lying on the floor resting, Javi shot him a smile of triumph.

“We made it,” he shouted over the roar of the engines.

Jack nodded, then reached behind him. He fumbled with his waist belt momentarily, then pulled his arm forward. Javi stared in shock. In Jack’s hands, he held the crystal scepter.

“You son of a bitch!” Javi shouted in uncharacteristic anger. “You mean to tell me we struggled out there for two hours, putting
me
through hell, just so
you
could save that stupid thing?”

“I’m really sorry, Javi. It was just too valuable to lose,” Jack responded,
somewhat embarrassed.

“More important than our lives?” Javi challenged.

“Only time will tell,” he replied cryptically.

Javi stopped for a moment and studied Jack’s expression. He’d seen it before and learned to trust it. He nodded in realization of a greater purpose. A slow grin curled is lips.

“You could’ve told me about it,” he said in mild complaint.

“If I had, would you have been so willing to help?”

“Probably not,” he responded in guilty tone.

Jack smiled and sat down next to him. As the two divers were being raised from the waters below, Jack reached into his pants pocket and pulled out an object. Javi watched with curiosity.

“What do you got there, Jack,” he asked suspiciously.

“Ho
ld out your hand,” he responded matter-of-factly.

Javi extended his palm. Jack placed a one-inch-square black disk in at its center.

“What’s this?” he asked, raising it to his eyes to examine.

“That, my friend, is the bulk of the research Zeus and Poseidon were working on before they were
attacked. It’s the disk from the video camera in the lab. I took it before we left. It’s only about half of what’s on the alien database, but I’m certain there’s stuff on there that’ll blow scientists minds. Who knows… they might even be able to develop the cure for cancer from that data.”

Javi smiled at Jack proudly.

“I think the world is about to owe you a very large debt of gratitude,” he said enthusiastically.

“I just hope we’ll be able to get back down there sometime in the future and collect the rest of it. I’m certain our own scientists could complete their research the Araeans were working on,” Jack said.

Javi shot Jack a look of surprise.

“We?” What do you mean ‘we’? What… do you have a tiny person in your pocket?” Javi blurted sarcastically. “This is the last time I do anything even remotely dangerous with you ever again. In fact, why don’t you go sit over there,” he teased, pointing to the opposite side of the cabin.

Jack grinned and responded, “When I said ‘we’, I was speaking generically. When the world learns that a cure-all type drug exists down there, I’m certain the greatest engineering minds will get together and figure out a way to retrieve it.”

“Hence, the scepter,” Javi added.

“Exactly. It’s the key to the facility. Without it, the only way in would be to break in… not a good plan. If they have the scepter, all they’d need to do is develop a tiny sub that will operate at those depths.”

“
All
, you say,” Javi mocked.

“The Russians already have the technology to go to thirty-seven thousand feet. With a few design tweaks, I’m sure they can build one that’ll reach the lab.”

“I hate to be so negative, but building another submarine isn’t the biggest hurdle,” Javi stated bluntly.

Jack turned to him with surprise, trying to read his face for clues.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Who stands to lose everything if some type of cure-all is developed?”
Javi questioned.

Jack thought for a moment, then all blood rushed from his face.

“Pharmaceutical companies!” he blurted in disgust.

“With trillions of dollars on the line, do you really think they’re going to just sit around and watch their livelihood disappear with the announcement of a miracle cure?”
Javi stated. “My guess is things are going to get very political, very fast… or worse.”

“Worse? As in sabotage?” Jack responded.

“Worse, as in murder to protect their assets,” Javi stated bluntly.

Jack nodded in understanding. Although nothing had been started, already he felt cheated.

“Freakin’ greed!” he blurted angrily. “I’m so sick of twisted greedy assholes wreaking havoc with the world. Every time I turn around, there’s some greedy psychopath trying to take something that doesn’t belong to him. Well not this time. This time it’ll be different.”

“What’re going to do?”
Javi asked suspiciously.

“Powerful men may have the ability to block individual pe
ople… or large groups of people for that matter, but don’t have the ability to block the entire world,” Jack responded.

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I’m going to send that data to every nation on the planet. I’m making sure all the top research labs have a copy of it. I’m going to post it on every social media site I can find. In a day’s time, even a lowly skid row bum will have a copy of it. Once I do that, there’s nothing those men can do to block its progress.”

Javi stared at Jack with uncertainty.

“Famous last words,” he said simply.

-End

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Hi, I’m Christopher David Petersen,

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