Chapter 16 Z B I D X E C S H E V F W M R A E A E G O N F T A T S Y I V The rise of Atlantis, at another time, would have been received quite differently. The appearance of a continent believed to be no more than a myth, it would have aroused the awe, and avarice, of every nation capable of mounting an expedition to explore and, if possible, seize it. But at the time most of the world had more serious matters to worry about. That made it possible for the League to occupy the new land and quickly establish a presence that would have proven difficult to dislodge. from 'Atlantis Rising' by Howard Lawrence Myles was ready to depart, at least in terms of having his luggage ready. Actually leaving was another matter - he was having breakfast with Sarah and Tanya. The girls were both in a cheerful mood, there being no pending operations that threatened the men they loved. Still, neither they nor he were excited about his leaving. They all knew he might be gone for a while. But it was time. The final cup of coffee done, he picked up his bags and they went to the elevator. In front of the building a car waited. They chatted for a while as they waited for Sir Walter to arrive, which was not long. Myles gave each of them a hug and kiss, then got in the car with Sir Walter. It was a short drive to the airfield, and the driver drove up to the small aircraft that would take them to a larger airport from which the League operated larger aircraft. A small leased business jet would take them from there to the U.S. base of the Yankee Tango freehold. Yankee Tango was the U.S. presence of the freehold that was building weapons for the Tandongese government - or at least the government thought so. While they have delivered a couple of prototypes for evaluation, a larger fleet was concealed in the large factory complex in the small island he had given them. As soon as a suitable airfield was built on Atlantis, the dictator would suddenly discover that his guests had flown, literally, and he would not be getting the aircraft and weapons he was expecting. The domestic home of Yankee Tango, an old military base in New Britain, was large but had few inhabitants. Its main function was to provide a departure point for discreet traffic from the eastern side of the country - in this case it would be Atlantis. The long runways and large hangars could accommodate the long-range aircraft they needed for trips out to Atlantis. The facility was generally believed to be a site for repairing and reconditioning used aircraft for resale, and such work was actually done there, but that business paid the bills and provided cover for other activities. Myles and Sir Walter were delivered to a hangar far down the flight line, where large bombers had once been housed. Inside they found an old Douglas DC-12, apparently one of the products of the local facility - the design showed its age, it was over thirty years old - but otherwise it looked like a new aircraft. Myles noticed that the four engines had been replace with newer ones, and suspected that those were not the only improvements. They would be the only passengers - the large aircraft was needed for it's fuel capacity, in order to make a non-stop flight to Atlantis possible. But it was likely that they were one of several cargoes it was carrying on a longer route, so it wasn't quite the waste of fuel it seemed. In fact, it looked as if it had delivered cargo on it's arrival here - a forklift was moving pallets loaded with large boxes from the hanger. The crew were on board, waiting outside the cockpit to greet them and ensure they were comfortably seated before beginning the trip. Before long the hangar doors were opened and a tug entered and backed up to the aircraft, connecting the towbar to the nose gear. Myles barely felt the initial movement as the tug began pulling the aircraft forward. He looked out the window and watched the scenery as the tug delivered them to a taxiway, unhitched, and departed. Shortly the engines were started, and they were rolling down to the end of the runway. After turning onto the runway they stopped briefly, and then he heard the engines spinning up and they were rolling, faster now the scenery passed by, and they the nose went up and they were away. The nearly empty aircraft ascended steeply. Much as Myles enjoyed flying as a pilot, he still enjoyed being a passenger occasionally. He knew the pilots of the freeholds were among the best in the world. Mostly former military aviators, they were, as Sir Walter had once observed, good enough to fly for the Air Force and smart enough to quit. Night was coming on quickly. The first moon was barely visible above the horizon as they crossed over the east coast into the darkness of the north Atlantic Ocean. It was a long flight - over six hours - to the Stejacs, allowing time for plenty of conversation. Although Myles worked closely with Sir Walter daily whenever both were present at the freehold, there were always discussions that did not happen because of time constraints, and long journeys provided opportunities to have some of them. Myles asked for his thoughts about the situation in the United States, and what effect a violent emergence of Atlantis might cause. "I'd be a fool to predict anything" said Sir Walter. "We have no way of knowing if there will be a major geological event at some point, but it might be better if there is. The situation in the cities that have been cut off from most of their supplies is quite dire. In some places killings are occurring on a large scale as people fight over supplies, and the attempts to deliver them by air have been reduced to air-drops, due to fear that the aircraft will be hijacked by people desperate to leave, and truck drivers refuse to go in. And it gets worse daily. Whoever did this evidently wanted massive destruction." "Still no ideas?" asked Myles. "It seems foreign players are unlikely, and we would know if any freeholds had gone rogue. If there was an organization like the League, with our capabilities, we should know that as well." "I'm inclined to believe the theory about military involvement is likely. There are still some men in the armed forces who haven't been driven out or corrupted - it's possible they are behind it. The explosives used to destroy the bridges were almost certainly military grade, designed for the purpose. And taking down long bridges across rivers isn't easy. Military combat engineers know how to do that sort of thing. More to the point, it's well established the government has long had plans to to exactly that sort of thing, although for different purposes." "The government will likely fall if this continues, and if there is widespread destruction along the east coast, as may happen. Roland indicated in our last discussions seismic events that may precede an earthquake of a magnitude perhaps never seen before. We need to try to keep it in business, but perhaps with some mitigation of its tyrannical behavior. They are already having to scale back their surveillance of dissidents - they don't have the resources even after assimilating the state and local police. So we have more freedom to operate, and can perhaps do some bargaining. We would like to keep the government in business, but crippled, for a while. "It will take some years to build Atlantis into a force that can compete with the world's greatest powers - but they are becoming weaker and that will allow us to narrow the gap. When the time is right, unleashing the dissident forces against the U.S. government will allow us to topple it rather easily, and replace it with our own. The country will then be ruled from Atlantis." "The militias being the main force." said Myles. "Correct." said Sir Walter. "We have made a lot of progress by stabilizing the leadership, giving them a vision - although not the complete one - of replacing the government. Almost all the leaders of the major organizations are in favor of restoring the old constitution and form of government. They just don't know that the nation will be a client state of Atlantis. And by the time they find out, the most influential ones will understand it and will accept it. Giving people high posts in government has always been effective in changing their opinions about the way things should be." "I don't suppose burning out some of the large cities has anything to do with changing the opinions of some other people" said Myles. "Many of the problems have been caused by the enormous underclass that has been built up, deliberately, by politicians. There may be some who want to somehow eliminate that." "That would be unfortunate" said Sir Walter, "but the thought had occurred to me as well. Of course, that situation could have been avoided by not allowing such people to control the direction of society. Voting, and holding public office, should always have been restricted to people who can prove their ability to do so responsibly. Allowing people to vote simply because they exist is incredibly stupid, but since it is a way for politicians to acquire power, it will always happen anywhere it is permitted." "Unfortunately, the people who caused the problems were able to escape" said Myles. "How do we deal with the politicians, activists, and their financiers?" "If you mean after we reestablish the government, we won't have to." said Sir Walter. "There will likely be trouble from some of them, but besides imprisoning the ones who have done criminal or treasonous acts - and they are many, they will be neutralized by the new government. The original republic was flawed, assuming it would be run by honorable people. Some safeguards will have to be added, as in the restriction of voting rights, eliminating the opportunities for career politicians, and a few other adjustments. Their source of power eliminated, they will be irrelevant." "A wonderful vision" said Myles. "If we can accomplish it." "Indeed" said Sir Walter. "Nothing is certain in life. The founders of the republic did something that had never been done before. We are trying something new as well. We should probably check in with headquarters." The latest dispatches from Mike Charlie indicated nothing of consequence happening in the country, the situation seemingly had stabilized somewhat. For the people trapped in the burning cities with no food or electricity, Myles thought, stability was probably not such a great thing. World news was not much changed - there were so many wars going on in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa it was difficult to keep track. Most were small nations, poor and not especially well armed - even nations like Russia, needing money and getting much of it from arms sales, would not sell to those who could not pay. South America was a better market, as there were more competent governments which were funded by relatively stable societies which produced considerable tax revenue from their more friendly business environment. Of course, the vast amounts of oil and minerals present was also a factor in most cases. But prosperous nations with an advanced society did not fight as much. The aircrew, which was no more the two pairs of pilots who flew the aircraft in two-hour shifts, and a couple of stewards. One of them came out of the cockpit and asked if they would like something to eat, and Myles realized he was hungry. Often, in the field, he would go much longer between meals and so was not affected so much by long times without eating. The steward brought some boxed lunches and drinks from the galley, and the ate for the most part in silence. Myles was becoming tired, and Sir Walter seemed to be as well. Myles often wondered how a man his age could handle his work - but he seldom seemed to tire. Myles' last memory as he fell asleep was seeing him looking at his computer, occasionally tapping or scrolling the screen. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When he awoke, they were still some distance from the airport, but were nearing Atlantis. The sky was clear, and as the pilot slowed the aircraft and made a long, slow circle above the continent. It was possible to see for the first time what the new land would look like. Millions of square miles, much of it above water now, other parts altering the appearance of the ocean surface. They could see the ships anchored on in the channel beside the enormous crescent-shaped island off the west coast, and the few buildings that had been constructed. Sir Walter was also awake now, and looked out the window as the pilot banked the aircraft to give them a better view. He was silent - Myles suspected he was quietly contemplating the near completion of what had been his life's work. It certainly was awe-inspiring, and he thought, somewhat frightening. Is it always like this, he wondered, when men dare to to great things, and take the risks that are a part of it? Eventually they returned to their original course, and before long the Stejac islands came into view. Myles always felt like he was at the edge of the world whenever he came here, And in a way it was the edge, as there was nothing between them and the small polar ice cap which was little more than a marker for the top of the world. He seemed to have conflicting feelings - loneliness and alienation, and peace and serenity. The natives lived simple lives, not allowing the intrusions of the modern world to affect them. Some of them worked at the airport and its related facilities, but maintained their bucolic existence at home. Sometimes he envied their simple lives, and wondered why people had to make such a mess of things when they congregated in large numbers. The slight bump of contact with the runway interrupted his musings. He looked over at Sir Walter, who was observing him with a slight almost-smile, as Myles thought of it. He always seemed to be reading his thoughts at times like this, and this occasion was no exception. "There's always a temptation to just get off the airplane, go out there and build a little house, plant a garden and not worry about the rest of the world" he said. "Especially at times like this" said Myles. "I often wonder if what I'm doing is right. I know that at some point failure to act is itself an act, and not acting against evil is wrong in itself. But there aren't any markers to tell us when it's time. Those decisions are the hardest ones." Sir Walter nodded, further commentary being unnecessary. The aircraft was coming to a stop, the engines idling for a few minutes, then one by one going silent. A power unit had been connected to keep the lights on, and they prepared to disembark. "It is a new beginning for us" said Sir Walter. "Perhaps we can hold back the darkness for a while, at least in part of the world." They flew out to the fleet in one of the amphibious aircraft used as shuttles between the mainland and the fleet which housed the November Alpha freehold, and were now used to travel to the newly exposed continent. Sir Roland had been there for months, monitoring the progress of the continent's emergence. They exited the aircraft onto a small floating dock beside the ship which housed the freehold command center, and an elevator carried them the sixty or so feet to the top deck, where Sir Roland met them. "You're just in time for dinner" he told them, and Sir Walter laughed. "Do you always have dinner this late?" he asked. "Of course not" said Sir Roland. "But I'm always willing to wait for friends. Come on, let's get your gear stowed." They didn't talk much during the meal, and most of the conversation was about the situation back in the homeland, as Sir Roland called it. Over after-dinner brandy, he gave them his assessment of the situation. "I suspect" he said, "that there is doing to be a considerable geological disturbance at some point. The exposure of land has slowed somewhat, perhaps a few inches in a week, and there has been increasing seismic activity for weeks now. Sometimes it feels like something is about to break loose. If it does, it could be quite destructive. "We have the personnel on land on alert at all times, with sufficient transport to get them off if necessary. It has been useful in keeping inquisitive foreigners out - the World Congress representatives have left. They were becoming a little too curious for my taste." Myles thought of the consequences of massive waves hitting the shores of North America, and probably much of South America, as well as Europe and Africa. There would probably be death and destruction much greater that that caused by the wars in progress, and the destruction in the United States as the resistance to the government increased. The burning cities in the interior would seem rather trivial compared to what might happen to the large coastal cities. Over half the population lived on the coasts, and there would be little warning, if any. It could take less than eight hours for a tsunami to reach North America, somewhat less to Europe. "We discussed the possibilities with them" said Sir Roland. "They will pass it on the the various governments, but they're not known for competence. We have some contacts within the U.S. government we can make aware of the risk, perhaps they can do some things to mitigate the potential damage, but it probably will not be much." After dinner they went up on the top deck and looked out over the ocean, now illmuninated by both moons. The ship they were on was near the southern edge of the fleet, but was still several hundred miles from Atlantis. The ships, in deep water, were in no danger from a tsunami, but they would not approach the continent in large numbers until it seemed stable, and that might be a long time even after emergence seemed complete. "There seems to be a purpose in all this" said Sir Roland. "The emergence of a long-submerged continent, just as the world is descending into chaos. Perhaps we should be encouraged, that we are here at this time, and perhaps can provide some hope for the future." "I certainly hope you are right" said Sir Walter. "Of course, there is still the unpleasant task of setting things right in our own homeland. Retreatig to a corner of the world and letting everything else fall apart only buys some time for us. The threat needs to be eliminated." "Indeed" said Sir Roland. "With Atlantis as a base, and our presence in North America, I believe we can stop and eventually reverse the decay there. It won't be an enjoyable task, as we are finding even now. But it can, and must, be done." Sir Roland tossed the small remaining bit of his cigar over the side, and they watched it disappear, and then Sir Walter and Myles disposed of theirs as well. "We'll fly out fairly early tomorrow" said Sir Roland. "There's enough to see to make a day of it." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Myles woke early, and was early for breakfast. Sir Roland and Sir Walter arrived together, apparently having had an early meeting. They provisioned their plates at the buffet and sat down. "A couple of interesting news items" said Sir Walter. "Back home there is a rather intense battle going on up in North Kansas, near Lewisburg. There seems to be a fairly large militia in that area, well over a thousand men. We've looked into them, considered making contact but haven't done so yet. They seem to be well organized and professional, and well armed. "We don't have much in the way of details, but a large Army force moved in there during the past couple of days and are now mixing it up with the locals in the hills south of the city. Word is it isn't going well for the Army." "That's not surprising" said Myles, "considering what we've seen of them. And of course there are a lot of ex-military men in most of the militias, so surprise may be difficult. It seems rather foolish, though, they way the military assets are being stretched. I wonder if it has anything to do with our operation." "Possibly" said Sir Walter. "As you say, without a good reason such an operation would be foolish. But one has to wonder where they got the idea - I wonder if someone is playing games." "Like cutting off big cities to create chaos." said Myles. "And talk is cheaper than explosives." "It certainly is curious" said Sir Walter with a cold smile. "There isn't much that gets by us, and this is quite interesting." "What was the other item" asked Myles. "Another assassination" said Sir Walter. "The governor of Minnesota. The only surprise is that it took so long - he was a bad one, incompetent and mean as well. He had the bad judgment to have a press conference outdoors. Apparently someone shot him with a very sophisticated sniper setup. There isn't any official information yet, but rumor is it was a long shot with a big fast bullet, possibly an intelligent firing system. You know the type." Myles did indeed know. He had used one some years earlier to draw the government into a trap and demonstrate their power. It had some effect, but in the end the relentless imposition of tyranny continued. There had long been other players besides the League, and many had proved useful. Some of them cooperated with elements of the League in operations, others acted independently. "Now that definitely suggests an inside job" said Myles. "The Army has those kinds of weapons, and few others do. Unless they got them from the same source the army uses, as we do. And that isn't easy." "It is looking like elements of the armed forces are up to something." said Sir Walter. "Where it ends is anyone's guess at this point." "I suppose, however" he said, "Roland would appreciate it if we returned to our primary mission." Sir Roland smiled. He was so deeply involved in his work that he often paid little attention to other matters, trusting his colleagues to deal with them. "Not a problem" he said. "But I expect you will enjoy this. Our aircraft is ready when we are." "In that case" said Sir Walter "so are we."