Richard

"Whether or not Atlantis is the legendary lost continent is not known," Richard said. "I don't know if it can be. But that there was a continent, or at least populated lands, that sank beneath the sea millenia ago we do know. We found the remains of it here."

"Lost civilization?" Sarah asked.

"Indeed. It seems to have ended twelve thousand or so years ago from the artifacts we have recovered."

"What sort of artifacts?"

"Many small items, weapons and tools are found all over the continent. Buried but not as deep as one might expect. Our investigators believe that as the land rose some matter was left behind, washed off. It was rather abrupt, relatively speaking."

"I should think so," Sarah said. "Tsunamis that inundated coasts on both sides of the ocean."

"The final stages did cause a lot of damage," said Walter. "We were not able to predict the times of occurrence or the magnitude. We did warn governments all over the world that it was coming. Some did not prepare, in fact most didn't until it began. It was beneficial to us, not that we wanted it to harm others, but it kept the rest of the world occupied for a few years. Long enough for us to be able to defend ourselves in the event any of the major powers wanted to claim Atlantis."

"I can see how some might have," Sarah said. "A new continent larger than Australia. Much larger with the islands."

"Indeed. An enormous land with no owners. The potential natural resources alone would be tempting. We moved fast and were prepared."

"You must have been planning for a long time."

"Over a hundred years," Walter said with a smile.

"A hundred years? How could anyone know?"

"We didn't know with certainty," Walter replied, "until after 2000. We were monitoring the situation and saw the signs, signs that were not noticed or were ignored by the few scientists studying the area. But we had the fleet ready to converge on the site once the rising began."

"The fleet? You mean the Ocean Gypsies?"

"Some people called them that," said Walter. "I confess to having suggested it. Our agents around the world planted the seeds in their homelands."

"All those ships - old cargo ships, cruise ships, all kinds of ships large and small. I recall there being more than a few private yachts. Apparently some very wealthy people were involved."

"There certainly were."

"I don't suppose details are available."

"Not at this time. Should you one day become a citizen of Atlantis you will learn the entire history."

"How do I accomplish that?"

"It's a lengthy process," Walter replied, "but if you qualify it's worth it. The first step is applying. Or being invited."

"How do I get an invitation?"

"You're under consideration. Are you interested?"

Sarah felt excitement tinged with fear, but she knew the answer.

"Yes."