The Royal Pursuit (21 page)

William hid his disgust. Who would
have ever thought Ann would play such a prominent role in his
future? Had he known she was destined for such greatness, he might
never have let her go. But all of that was in the past and he had
no desire for her anymore. There was one thing he craved, and that
was fame.

“
So do we have a deal? Your
video chip for the future Queen of Raz?” the man asked.

“
Not so fast.” Now it was
time for William to take control of the situation. He was caught
off guard at first, but he was quickly regaining his sense of
purpose. “How can you be immortal?”

The man didn’t seem surprised by his
question, which annoyed William, who was hoping to knock him out of
his comfort zone.

“
The Olympians, who were
the Greek and Roman gods of mythology, had a Stone of Immortality,
which is why other people on this planet worshiped them. I also
have such a stone, but I never disclosed that information to anyone
on Atlantis, for I had seen parts of my future and knew I would
have to hold onto the stone in order to see it fulfilled. I carry
the stone inside my cane.” He tapped the tip of it. “This stone
ensures that even if I am fatally injured, I will
recover.”

“
Are there any of those
stones left?”

“
I’m sure there are a
couple more residing in Atlantis, but I wouldn’t know where to find
one. I happened to find this one by accident.”

“
Can you share the immortal
power in that stone?”

“
Immortality can be a
curse. You watch people you care for die, but you stay
alive.”

“
Fine. So give me the
stone, and I’ll take the burden from you.”

“
I am not burdened by this
curse. I never get close to anyone. At least, I don’t get close
enough to care. With you, it may be a different story. You have to
be content to be alone. I perceive loneliness is too great for you
to bear.”

“
You don’t know me. You
have no right to make such an assumption.”

“
I think I just struck a
nerve.” The man stood up. “Do we have a deal or not?”

“
As long as we get one
thing straight. I’m the one who runs the show. I’m the president,
not you.”

“
I don’t wish for
presidency. I just want the technology back. You are free to do as
you please.”

William nodded. “Good.”

“
I will take care of
finding Ann Kerwin, and I will bring her to Atlantis. All you have
to do is locate the city and find a way to get there. I will find a
way to capture her magic, and while we have her in our possession,
we will make sure Amanda is never born.”

“
And you will take my video
chip?”

“
It will activate the
machine that tells the future and things that might have
been.”

“
Why is such a machine so
important? Who cares about what might have been?”

“
There is a lot you can
tell by the way the road would have led had you made a different
choice. I often wonder where I would be today had I chosen another
path at various places in my life. Don’t you?”

“
No.”

William didn’t care about the past or
what might have been. He was just interested in where he was going.
He would not only gain the upper hand with the man, but he would
also find his own stone of immortality. He would never allow
himself to be the peon in someone else’s game. He had gone through
that when Omin-2 used him for his own purposes. Now, he was wiser
and older. This time he would call the shots.

“
You need me as much as I
need you,” William flatly told the man. “I will not be talked down
to or used. This is a partnership. Is that agreed?”

The man smiled. “Agreed. I don’t want
to rule over you. I simply want to have that technology
back.”

William remained skeptical, but he was
willing to give the man a chance to prove it. “How are you going to
get Ann Kerwin? She’s on another planet.”

“
I have managed to recall
some of the technical knowledge the people on Atlantis had. All I
need is money, and I can make it happen.”

William raised an eyebrow. “So you
need more than my video chip.”

“
And you need more than
money to make your dreams come true.”

“
Touché. Very well. I will
give you what you need. If she is not pregnant with Amanda, we will
find someone to perform a tubal ligation on her. If she is pregnant
with Amanda, we will kill her.”

“
I’ll get Ann before she
conceives.”

The man left with a large sum of
William’s money, and at first, William wondered if he had made a
big mistake. But when the man contacted him from a planet called
Lone and updated him on his progress, William knew he had made a
wise investment after all.

He had managed to gain the advantage
over the man because now the man needed him to resurrect Atlantis.
William relished the opportunity to order him around. It gave him a
sense of power he’d never experienced before.

William broke out of his thoughts as
the pilot announced their arrival at Gate 45A. He lightly touched
his pocket to make sure his key was still there. He would take his
own private jet to Atlantis, which should be above water by the
time he arrived there. Thanks to Captain Reed, he knew the exact
location of the infamous city.

Soon. Soon he’d be the most famous man
in the world. And if history proved to repeat itself, Hathor would
be following Ann, like he did last time. Only this time, William
wasn’t interested in making Ann his wife. This time, he had a score
to settle. He would kill Hathor for robbing him of the fame he
should have had on Raz. He smiled at the thought. Hathor’s days
were numbered.

***

Atlantis

Planet: Earth

The man in white led Athen, Optima,
and Dour to the lost city of Atlantis. They were still in their
merpeople form, so their swimming was effortless through the cool
blue water.

The man held his cane firmly in his
hand as he swam, careful not to drop it. His heart pounded in
anticipation as his eyes fell upon the city, still standing
majestically as if it was built that same day. It was a city of
dreams and hopes. It was a city he longed to return to since that
fateful day it sank into the ocean.

He was returning home.

He patted his jacket pocket, which
held the crystal that held the queen’s magic. Once he inserted the
crystal into the holder above the screen of the future machine, it
would bring Atlantis back from its watery grave. Once again, he
would have the technology and knowledge he had once taken for
granted.

He glanced behind him at the Razian
and Nicals. He might need them later, but he didn’t need them now.
He couldn’t allow Athen to see where he needed to put the crystal.
Athen would only remove it, and Atlantis would sink back into the
ocean.

He needed a diversion so he could
escape without Athen following him. He examined his surroundings.
He spotted a snake dragonfish swimming idly nearby. Its large eyes
and sharp teeth made its long green snakelike form look menacing.
He smiled. It would be the perfect distraction.

He waved his cane to get its
attention.

It turned its head in his
direction.

He dodged below some seaweed that was
ten feet tall. He hid in the seaweed before the others had a chance
to stop him.

Athen came for him, but fortunately,
the snake dragonfish slithered across the water and reached Optima
and Dour, who screamed in fright. This made Athen halt in his
pursuit so he could help them.

Glad, the man swam lower in the
seaweed, making sure he was completely out of their sight. By the
time he reached Atlantis, Athen and the Nicals were
forgotten.

He remembered every inch of this
glorious city. His heart swelled with pride as he examined how well
preserved it was. The six leaders of the city had done a wonderful
job of creating material that lasted through time and circumstance.
The man swam between the buildings with ease. He didn’t realize how
much he’d missed his home until now.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he
went directly to the arc where the future machine resided. He
opened the door to the arc and swam up the stairs, passing the side
where the male leaders did their business.

The crystal in his hand began to glow.
He noted it with interest. Apparently, the queen was in this
building, but she wasn’t on this side. She must be on the female
leaders’ side. That was useful information he could use as soon as
he plugged the crystal into the future machine.

When he reached the top of the arc, he
saw a person messing with the controls of the future machine. “Get
away from there,” he ordered.

The man turned around, not hiding his
surprise at seeing a merman.

“
You don’t know what you’re
doing with that machine,” the man in white said. “You could break
it.”

“
Are you working with
William Nichols?” he asked. “He told me to expect a man wearing all
white who carried a cane.”

“
Yes, I’m working with him.
Is it safe to assume that you are, too?”

He nodded. “I’m Captain Reed. I led
the expedition down here.”

“
Who else is
here?”

“
Four others. Stacey, Kent,
Stephen, and Mark.”

“
Why would William bring so
many others to this place?”

“
Stacey discovered the
location. The other three are here to help her with her research.
They don’t know the real reason for this trip.”

“
What are we going to do
with them? Are they going to be a part of the leadership here?” The
last thing the man wanted was to share the technology with someone
else. He knew he’d have to share some of it with William, but he’d
hoped William would be so busy being president he wouldn’t have
much time to indulge in the technology.

“
William didn’t say. For
all I know, he plans to send them back to the United States with a
large paycheck,” Reed replied. “He told me I’ll be his
vice-president.”

“
Is there anyone else I
should know about?”

Reed seemed offended by the question
but didn’t retaliate. Instead, he shook his head. “I’m not aware of
anyone else. I was told to expect you, but that is all.”

The man sighed with relief. “Good.
It’s not a good idea to share the glory with too many people. That
would only create tension since there would ultimately be a
struggle for power.”

“
William said you would
bring this city back up from the water?”

He showed him the crystal. “This is
all we need.” Without explaining anything else, he swam to the top
of the large screen. He set the crystal into its designated slot.
It slid in easily, as if it had been waiting for this
moment.

The effect was immediate. The entire
city shook, rising from the ocean floor. He didn’t have much time.
He needed to find the queen.

“
Hold on to something
stable. You don’t want to fall off the edge of this floor,” he
warned Reed, pointing to the large gap between the end of the floor
and the wall.

Reed rushed to hold on to the side of
the doorway.

The man swiftly made his way down the
arc, heading for the women’s side.

***

Ann was following Hathor, Stacey, and
Kent out of Athena’s old office when the building shifted as
Atlantis began to ascend. The sudden movement forced her back into
the office. As soon as she fell back, the city shifted again, the
door closing so that when she lurched forward, she slammed against
it. The heavy desk in the room came at her, pinning her in
place.

She heard Hathor pound on the door
then tried to open it. “Ann?”

She tried to move, but she found the
task impossible. “I’m stuck!” she yelled. “The desk has me pinned
to the door. Is there another way to get into this
room?”

“
Yes.”

The voice came from behind her. She
tried to look at the source of it, but the desk blocked her
view.

“
Who are you?” she
asked.

“
I believe you know me from
the planet called Lone.”

The man in white walked over to her,
no longer a merman.

She hadn’t noticed they were no longer
under water. How was such a thing possible?

As if he could read her mind, he
leaned close to her and whispered, “Atlantis is back on the map. It
is now above the ocean. I have come to show you your
future.”

She was ready to ask him what he meant
when Hathor said, “We’re going to try to find another way
in.”

“
The floor is Pallid,” she
called back, knowing Hathor would understand the man in white was
in the room with her.

The man raised his eyebrow. “I’m sure
you just sent him a secret message. I may not be hip to your lingo,
but I’m not stupid.”