RELIC HUNTER UNDERSEA COLONY

G-R-O-A-N!!!! The sound, of metal, and stone, grinding, filled the air with a pitch, so loud, that Amanda, and her team, had to cover their ears, and hope that the vocal assault would end, soon. The sound reverberated off of every nearby wall surface, and seemed even louder than the loudest, acid rock concert ever played. The sound assaulted the ear-drums, and soldiers, and civilian, did anything they could, to block out the deafening sound. Eventually, though, after what seemed like an "eternity", the sound faded, and the question of "What was that?", was left to be answered... Amanda Fox had just been re-starting her survey, of the ancient tunnels system, when the call had come in. Amanda Fox, and her army unit, were recalled, to the university, where Amanda would meet up with both Sydney, and Nigel. When Amanda would ask "What is this about? Why were we recalled?", Syd would have to say "I have no idea. No one has told us anything, either." As Amanda, Syd, and Nigel, caught up, on recent activities, the army commander would come to tell Amanda "The unit has been recalled, for re-arming. It seems that your "little modification", of the C-4 has caught someones attention. I am to give a briefing, in the morning, about alternative uses, of C-4." When Amanda asked "Am I being assigned another unit?", the commander smiled as he said "Not on your life. We have been committed to you. As long as there are tunnels to be found, and charted, we will be by your side." Shortly after this meeting, Amanda and Syd would be called to the chancellors office, where they would meet with university faculty, and with members of the Joint Chiefs. To Amandas annoyance, the subject, of the meeting, was to be "Atlantis". That lousy, undersea, colony. To hear the Joint Chiefs tell it "This colony, whether or not it was Atlantis, seems to be a real target, for enemy forces. So far, we have detected atleast ten different operations, which will, soon, be focusing their efforts on the region you have been studying." When Amanda said "But, there's nothing there. Just old buildings, and bases, for something. Whatever was there is long gone." When the general said "I understand that, and I believe you, when you say the place is a derelict. The problem is that OTHERS do not believe it is derelict. They believe that there are, in fact, weapons, and power sources, which can be used against America." When Amanda said "Fine, we will start on it right AFTER we finish with the tunnels survey", the general said "I am afraid that you dont understand. The Joint Chiefs have decided that an ancient bunker is not as important as a relic, as the possible location, of advanced weaponry, in the undersea colony. We MUST be sure that ANY remaining weaponry is the property of America." When Amanda asked "And, what kind of evidence will prove to you that the ancients left nothing, of value, behind?", the general said "Prove that there is nothing left, but stone, dirt, and sand. No tech, of any kind. Prove that there are NO weapons, which could be used, to attack America, and the Joint Chiefs will allow you to return to cataloging your caves, or tunnels." After the meeting, Amanda would ask Syd her thoughts, and all Syd could say was "As long as I have known him, the general has kept his word. If he says that proof will get you "off the hook", then proof is what we need to provide." When Amanda asked "But, HOW do I provide proof that something doesn't exist? Even if I send back photo's, of empty weapons racks, what is to keep the Pentagon from saying that we just moved the weapons, to make the place APPEAR deserted?" Syd would say "Let me think on that". Later, in the arms, of her army commander lover, Syd would pose the same question "How do we convince the Joint Chiefs that the undersea colony poses no danger?" The man gave her the same answer. The next day, while a smiling, Sydney Fox would return to her office, a smiling, army commander, would pose the question, to his unit. "HOW do we convince the Pentagon that the sub-sea colony is harmless?" That question would slow the writing, of the units report, on the effectiveness, of C-4, when used in tiny amounts. The unit was charged with creating a report, on how effective the explosive would be, if used, in various shapes. As a result, the professional soldiers would spend their day molding the explosives into a wide variety, of shapes, and sizes, then using detonators. In one, whacky, test, the explosive was flattened out, into a long ribbon, then applied to a boulder, which was placed blocking the entrance to a building. With the explosive flattened, and squeezed into the crevice, of the boulder, the detonator was set off. With the force of the blast directed inward, the boulder cracked, and fell to pieces, which were, easily, pushed aside. The test proved that Amanda Fox was right. C-4 could be useful, and not just destructive. One lieutenant thought it was funny how easy it was, to prove the value, of an explosive, yet how hard it was, to prove that a location, thousands of years old, was worthless. After days, of conversations, with his fellow members, of the Joint Chiefs of staff, the general issued the orders. As Amanda Fox, and her miltary escort, set off, on the latest, side, mission, Amanda made a point of sending Syd and Nigel a message, which said: "Sorry, change of plans. Will be awhile before I come home. Love you" After this, it was back to puzzles, charts, legends, and rumors, as the relic hunter, and the U.S. army, tried to be first to find the secret tunnels which, supposedly, lead to "Atlantis". Just two weeks into the search, though, and just as the Pentagon was "barking" for results, word came in, from some intelligence operatives. So far, the militants had discovered THREE sub-surface, tunnels. In each case, though, after travelling an extensive distance, underground, the groups had faced cave ins. The militants stupidity, however, was in carrying blocks, of C-4 explosives, instead of digging tools. In atleast one cave-in, an agent suggested moving stones, by hand, in case of tunnel leakage. At the suggestion, the agent was thrown aside, and called "coward", as the explosive bricks were packed into the debris. When the agent saw how much of the explosive that the militants were prepared to use, the agent did, in fact, run away The agent knew what was coming, with the fools using as much as half a case, of C-4, on the obstruction. Sure, the resulting explosion dis-placed the debris, most efficiently. What the militants never counted upon, though, was the "blow-back" effect. The concussion wave, which bombarded the tunnel, knocking the militants flat, like rag dolls. Most would be knocked out, cold, either by the blast, or the concussion wave, which hurtled several, of the militants bodies through the tunnel, where objects, such as protruding rocks, ripped hurtling bodies to pieces. The only reason why the agent survived was because he had been running away, before the blast was set off. When the rumbling, and shaking, reached his position, the agent dove to the floor, laying flat, and facing the exit. Although the concussion, from the blast, pushed the agent 100 feet forward, the man remained flat, on the floor, knowing what was coming, next. And he was right. With so much explosive being used, the agent knew that the rumbing sound meant that he was about to take an extra "bath", that day. His timing had to be right. If he was too soon, or too late, the water would crush him, under its titanic force. This is why he waited until the water sounded "just right". When it did, he lept, as though off of a diving board. If he was right, he would land in the middle of the water, which would not only push him to the surface, but it would insulate him from potential hazzards. Instead of mental calculations, the agent let his "animal instincts" tell him when to leap. Sure enough, "nature" was right, and the man landed, dead center, of the wave. Now, all he had to do was let the water carry him to the surface. That, and be ready to jump free, of the wave, within ten feet of breaching the surface. Any point, beyond this, and injury, or death, were real possibilities. As the agent rode the wave, he wondered HOW he would explain being the only survivor, of the patrol. If he reported his calculations, to the militant commanders, he would be "exposed" (seeing as how the other soldiers were not really intelligent) IF he reported that the debris looked "dangerous", he would be labelled a "coward". The agents only chance, to avoid interrogation, and execution, was to hope to be thrown clear, of the surface, then to "fade away" from the area. What the agent could not know was that, in the other two tunnels, which the militants were exploring, C-4 had caused the same effect. The militants leader was furious that three tunels had not only been flooded, but that geysers now, shot, from previously-concealled locations. The leader might have thought that C-4 was the "great leveller", but even he was not smart enough to understand how DEADLY that using too much, of the explosive, could be. The leader would be even more furious, when ALL three sites had agents reporting "Tunnel flooded. No access this point". As Amanda Fox had pointed out, this meant that the militants were, still, looking, for the colony, just as Amanda Fox, and the U.S. army were. When Amanda Fox reported this, to the Pentagon, though, she received no reply. When Amanda Fox began receiving the reports, of the flooded tunnels, and with "intelligence" claiming these were suspected traps, it would be Amanda Fox who would ask "What is this, about C-4 being used?" When a lieutenant said "Ma'am, it seems that a semi, full of the explosive, was delivered, to the militants, then cut into three units. Each militant patrol carried a unit, to clear any obstacles they might encounter in the tunnels." Now Amanda understood. It wasn't "ancient booby traps". It was modern day stupidity. About two hours after this, an agent, dressed in a lady's dress, reported in. "Command, Agent ( ), site ( ), reporting. Militants enncountered cave in, in tunnel, about ten miles from shore. My suggestion to move barrier, by hand, rejected. Militants packed the debris with so much C-4 that they could have blown up the White House, with that much explosive, if they had wanted to. When I ran, I got far enough away from the explosion, to be spared the blast effect. After that, I rode a wave, of water, at maybe 80 miles per hour, out of the tunnnel. After reaching the surface, the wave did not dissipate, for 100 feet, in height, so I dove clear, once I saw the surface, and landed in the deep end of a local hotel pool. At present, I am waiting for clothing to dry, and awaiting instructions" When asked "Any other survivors?" The agent said "I doubt it. Tha Atlantic Ocean was not kind to us". Our commander said "Roger that. Report in as soon as you are able to" (No one dared make jokes, about the fact that the man was wearing a BORROWED, womans dress). Now Amanda Fox had a clearer picture, of what was hapening. Ancient drawings, combined with a lack of patience, were causing serious loss of life. People were dying because a commander did not want to wait for shovels, to dig holes. This realization would work, easily, into Amanda Foxes plans. While the militia was using standard, block, C-4, Amanda FOX had requested more of a "variety-pack", of the explosive. Her supply, of the explosive, would be re-shaped into sticks which were more "chewinng gum" shaped, and sized for door locks, and other, tight spaces. IF Amanda Fox used the explosive, she would use just enough to "loosen things up". Still, although she might have solved one problem, Amanda had not solved the main problem, yet. Amanda Fox had to give the ancients their "due". For supposedly "barbaric, cave, men", the ancients had done themselves proud, in disguising the entrances, to their colony. Although the Pentagon accepted the fact the the militants were blowing themselves up, and flooding tunnels, this did not lessen the pressure, on Amanda Foxes team, to produce results. Like Amanda Fox told the Pentagon, most, of what she was working with, was old rumors, annd hand-written drawings" When a Pentagon representative asked about the so-called "energy weapons", which were fabled, to protect the island nation, Amanda Fox would remind the Pentagon that fables held that Nazca, Peru, had been a planetary space port, as well. When the Pentagon reminded Amanda Fox that Nazca, Peru remained "under investigation", Amanda Fox would say that her team was doing their best. There were just so many legends, and so many rumors, to check out. The worst part, though, was how often Atlantis maps criss-crossed Roman maps. Since the Romans came along, well AFTER Atlantis, Amanda's unit wondered if the Romans had found, and just "re-purposed" Atlantian equipment? Ofcourse, all of this was "possible". The question was "proving it". So far, there was nothing to prove. Un-like the militants, who had, somehow, found three entrances, that the military knew of, Amanda Foxes own unit had no such luck. It was not until another, deep, agent, also embedded, with the militants, reported in, that Amanda Fox found out the source, of the militants information. The agent reported that "enhanced interrogation", of Vatican-trained personnel, was the source, of the information. Amanda Fox did not need to be clairvoyant, to know what would happen, if she, a relic hunter, contacted the Vatican. In the past, while on other "hunts", trails had lead to Vatican City. Each time Amanda Fox had applied for permission, to visit, the question had been the same: "Do you believe in God?" Each time Amanda Fox would tell Vatican reps "I am doing scientific research. Religion has no part in this". As a result, all requests were denied. On her last attempt, Amanda Fox had "recruited" a Roman-Catholic church member, given them a clear set of guidelines, of what to look for, them sent them into the church. The church sent the member back, with a message "Nice try, but Vatican records are for the faithful, ONLY" Now, Amanda Fox KNEW that the Vatican had the information, which she needed. The question was "HOW to get the information?" When a soldier suggested "commandeering" a priest, an officer said "Its not our job, to interrogate". The soldier then suggested an armful of "truth serum". The officer then said "If word gets out...", and the soldiers knew that, with America's low-approval rating, in the world, at that time, if it was learned that the U.S. army had kidnapped, and interrogated, a priest, "old Glory" would not be worth the fabric it was printed on. As a result, the undercover agent was told not to report even suggesting that priests might be tortured. Forty-eight hours later, the strain, of looking at millenia-old drawings, was showing, on the soldiers faces, when the agent next reported in. The "evidence" pointed to the conclusion that the Vatican KNEW of yet ANOTHER tunnel. Onne which had been bricked off, centuries ago, after the church realized that it had an intact tunnel. Telling no one, of the find, the church secured the land, which housed the tunnel, and built a church, on the land, to obscure the tunnnel entrancce. From the "testimony", of the "prisoner", the only way into the tunnel, was via some old crypts, which were built beneath an old church. Amanda Fox knew, from experience, that church crypts are "open" only to the families, of the deceased, and to church staff. Amanda Fox also knew that, to prevent grave-robbery, most churches had thick, iron, gates, and locks, protecting the crypts. Devices which only a howitzer might penetrate. The possibility, of gaining access, this way, was next to impossible. The problem was that the priest had told his captors that the crypt had been built on the highest part of the tunnel. This way, no one would question the churches authority. For Amanda Fox, this meant her team would have to penetrate a Catholic church, break into its crypt, then find another tunnel, which lead from the church, out, under the ocean. When a soldier asked how difficult it could be, to penetrate a church, Amanda Fox used the White House as a comparison. Amanda would say "Try attacking the White House, with your automatic weapons, annd see how far you get" Amanda Fox was no stranger to the passion, with which the Catholic church guarded its secrets. Although the agent reported that the priest died, under "enhanced interrogation", without revealling either the name, or location, of the church, in question, Amanda Fox realized that the church would have to be along the Atlantic coastline. This revelation turned a list, of thousands, of churches, into a list, of barely a dozen churches. When Amanda Fox checked the approximate dating information, of the churches, the list dwindled to just six churches. When the agent reported "Just before the priest died, he asked for forgiveness" When asked what name, the agent gave a name, and this is when thew puzzle-pieces began to "fall into place". The NAME the priest had used was the patron saint, of Forgiveness. This saint was connected to only one church, at the time, and location, in question. Using the most intricate plan possible, Amanda Fox, and her army unit, packed their supllies, and headed for the church. As Amanda had hoped they would, the unit arrived at the church, during the pre-dawn hours of the morning. Since no one dared de-file a church, in Europe, the unit entered the church, silently, after hiding their gear. Slipping in, quiet as mice, the unit found the resident priest and slipped him enough "sleeping" mixture to keep him under, for twenty-four hours. After that, the unit "borrowed" the priests keys, travelled to the crypt and, as Amanda had guessed, found another, iron, gate (No doubt, to keep the curious OUT of the tunnel) After trying several keys, before finding the right one, the unit then proceeded down the tunnel, until they reached the room, where the surface tunnel connected with what they HOPED would be the sub-ocean tunnel. Again, the unit faced a carved door, made of solid iron. A soldier would remark "They REALLY wanted to keep someone OUT, or in" With four keys, on the ring, and three locks, so far, Amanda wondered what the final door would be like. Would it be a strong, rigid, gate, as the first ones were, or would it be a door, as the third had been? All that the soldiers could be sure of was that someone had been down here, in the tunnel, during the past one hundred years. This was evident by the repair work, which had been done, to the tunnel, over the centuries. What the soldiers found "creepy" was how "modern" some sections, of the tunnel seemed. In one section, for example, five hundred feet in length, the tunnel was lined with marble slabs, and what looked like wall, light, sconces. Beyond this, the unit found some stairs, made of stone slabs. When a point of light was seen, from above, and ocean waves were heard, the soldiers went up to investigate. Twenty minutes later, the soldiers reported back, finding what had seemed, to them, to be a watch-tower, on the beach, of an off-shore island. There was even a wharf, if such a thing could be made of stone. Maybe, it was a dock? After a certain amount of time, the units timer went off, and they headed back to the church, having taken a GPS fix, on their location, from the "look-out tower". When they returned to the church the priest was just waking up. Amanda handed him back his keys, while the soldiers thanked him for his "cooperation". The next day, troop transports landed the unit on the off-shore island, where they found the tower nested among some tall tree's. Perfect camoflauge, if one did not know where to look. Back inside the tunnel, the team found more sections, of polished marble, and some signs, in a language few had seen, before, and none could, actually, read. Some soldiers called it the "Portal Language" since the portal was the first place the unit had seen the language, in writing. None knew what the signs meant. After what would seem like days. of walking, coming to surface islands, just long enough to relieve themselves, the unit was beginning to wonder if they were walking to America, under the ocean. This is when they came to a gallery, which none had dared dream could exist. What Amanda Fox soon realized, as she, and her unit, looked down, upon the contents, of the gallery, was that, even from this low height, the lay out seemed incredibly small. When Amanda found a walkway, around the model, and walked a very short distance, including down some primitive, stone, steps, was that, when she reached "ground level", she noticed that, among the models, the tallest ones barely reached her knee caps. The rest were little more than ankle height. What amazed the relic hunter, most, though, was the precision, with which the model was constructed. despite the age, of the model, the detail would impress even modern architects. As Amanda Fox walked among the "mini-buildings", she noticed some items, which did not seem to belong. Strange features, which seemed to resemble compact versions, of modern super-coliders. And just WHAT were those barrel-shaped things, on the tiny, swivel, mounts? Fearing she might damage the model, Amanda Fox carefully re-traced her steps, and re-joined the soldiers. At about his time, when one soldier said "Looks ike the model sets my kids, and their friends, play with" while another soldier said "If I didn't know better, I would say this is a 3-D version, of a city lay-out plan." When a soldier said "You're full of it. Maps are flap, made of paper, and labelled as to what city they represent." Amanda ended the discussion, saying "It could be either. Question is: If it IS a childs playtoy, then WHY is it so detailed?" A short time later, a scout returned to the group, reporting having found even MORE tunnel space. When the group walked another couple of miles, they fund a surrisingly LARGE shaft, which seemed to lead to the surface. This shaft, though, was large enough for the whole group to climb, at once. They would find out the reason, for this size, when they reached the surface. At the top of this "cylinder" was a stone roof, to which was attached the remains of a pully system. The unit also found two enormous, doors, set into tracks. When the doors were pulled aside, though, the unit found itself face-to-face with two, LARGE diameter, tree trunks. When a soldier asked "Why build doors which will be blocked by tree's?" Amanda Fox would reply "I would speculate that the tower was here, first, and the tree's grew up, around it." When the unit moved past the tree's, and into the open, they looked UP, to see another look out platform, above the top of the shaft tunnel. Then the unit found what they never would have expected to find. A slab, of volcanic rock, big enough to land four freight helicopters on, with room to spare, for off-loading. When a soldier suggested that those, who used the tunnels, must have been in excellent physical condition, to walk so far, carrying such items, Amanda would indicate that she was un-sure that the ancients had "carried" this equipment. When Amanda Fox issued another order, for equipment, command verified "You want wheeled vehicles?" When Amanda verified the order, including making sure that all items were sized to fit the doorway of a small hangar." When command said "The order will take 48 hours", Amanda accepted the information. And why not. After all their work, the unit deserved a chance to rest up. Sure, the assignment was no stress, on nerves or supplies, but the unit was spending so much time, just walking, that the members were sure they were shedding some pounds. Now, they would have two days, to rest up, in the beautiful tropics. The main topic, of discussion, though, remained that of what they would find at the end of the tunnel, not to mention HOW to get the supplies past the tree's, and into the shaft. As for where the tunnel led, the team wondered if it would be a "paradise", of gold, and ivory, maybe even ultra-high technology? Or, would it be just a cavern, like the miniature, which they had observed? For Amanda Fox, though, the thought was why the ancients would build the models, in the first place, if the place was not important. As for the question, of how to move supplies past the tree's, and into the shaft, it would seem that, while investigating the pulley system, a soldier had found a lever, which did not seemed to have a function. It was not attached to the pulley system, or anything that the soldier could see. When the soldier cranked the lever around, to observe what it operated, a loud GROAN! filled the shaft, and echoed across the island. Still, since the tower didn't crumble, the man turned the wheel a few more times. When all the tower did was groan, some more, the soldier gave up, and went to the doors, expecting to have to climb around the tree's, again. To his surprise, though, the tower no-longer faced the tree's. Now, the tower "faced" the beach, and was about 15 degrees off to the side of the stone slab. The soldier found their team mates looking at them, as if to ask "HOW did you do that?" When the soldier showed Amanda Fox the lever, then showed the unit commander, it was the unit commander who cranked the lever first one was, then the other. This is when Amanda Fox, who had been watching the opening, said "Ofcourse! Its just like those mechanisms, which turn observatories, to face the stars! This must have been their version of a supply depot!" When a soldier asked "Why on a rotating base?" Amanda would say "Which is easier? Moving obstructions, from the entrance, or moving the entrance?" Although the promised forty-eight hours, turned into a week, the unit was not complaining. A week, of sun-light, and sandy beaches. What could be better? During this break, though, a message came in, saying that the militants had just slaughtered a town on command orders, since the mapped entrance was so vague, that it could have been any, of a dozen buildings, and locals refused to divulge the location. When federal re-supply arrived, at the island, it would take another two days, to move the supplies into the tunnel, then build the vehicles, which would carry the unit. In order to reduce the risk, to soldiers health, the gasoline engines were replaced with a long distance fuel cell. The unit was back on the job, only now, they were mobile. Thank Goodness, for the extra carts, the army had sent along. Now, the unit looked more like a convoy. Still, it would not be too much longer before Amanda Foxes modified C-4 would come into use. A boulder, from an ancient cave-in, was blocking the pasageway, so the convoy backed away, to a safe distance, and planted several sticks, of Amanda's "chewinng gum" sized C-4 into any cracks, and crevices, on the boulder. Then came the moment of truth. When the unit commander pressed the detonator switch, he expected a devastating ROAR!,, maybe even a cloud, of choking dust. He expected this since this is how C-4 normally worked. In the tunnel, though, the soldier was surprised to hear only a soft "thump", followed by a light raising, of dust particles. When the unit returned to the obstruction, to check the obstacle, and the cave, the unit, still seeing the obstacle, in place, were about to tell Amanda Fox that her experiment was a failure. That is, until Amanda reached for a piece, of rock, took it in hand, and asked "This thing is, still, heavy. Would someone lend me a hand?" To the units surprise, the explosive HAD worked. The boulder had been carved into pieces, which could be moved aside. Best of all, the tunnel was un-damaged. It seems that the boulder absorbed ALL of the shock. Maybe a mile beyond the first boulder, a second boulder stood in the units path. Not long after this second boulder was "blown" out of the way, a scout reported, from the rear. The militants had found the tunnel, as well, and they had enough C-4 bricks planted, to bring down five, city. blocks. When the army commander said "Can't risk it", then ordered the unit back to the supply tower, the group was shocked to learned that the militants, somehow, knew about this, as well. This was proven by the way the soldiers, and Amanda Fox, had to "skirt" the opening, on their way back to shore. As they reached the shore-line, and began finding bricks, of the explosive, all over the walls, one soldier let out a curse before another voice, from down the tunnel, towards the shore, said "That is correct. You are our prisoners and, if you try to escape, we will blow up this tunnel, and let you drown." The militants greatest mistake was in having fanatical, yet un- -trained, "soldiers". When the leader said "I will, now, fire a burst, down the hole, to show you my intentions. Any blood will NOT be on my hands" He forgot to tell his un-disciplined "soldiers" that only one shot was to be fired down the hole. Before the commander knew it, he had a dozen weapons, all firing at once, more or less, down the hole. The U.S army commander realized, as did his unit, that the "soldiers" were firing, "blind", since almost none of the round even came close. While the militants continued their fire, the American commander gave his unit a visual order: "Single shot only. Once their weapons are empty, sniper fire." To the militant commanders horror, the last thing he would see, after his "soldiers" began emptying their weapons, was the short burst, of return fire, from the Americans. "Damn!" He thought, "they were good" even as each American shot took out a militant, and the body count began to grow, until even the militant commander went down. A moment later, a voice rang down, to the Americans: "You have murdered my commander. Since I have no other orders, I will allow you to leave the tunnel, with no harm to you. Just go, and take your blood-lust with you". (The Army commander knew this "soldier" was not trained, since he did not even say "Throw down your weapons") When Amanda Fox and the U.S. army, emerged from the tunnel, they saw the reason why the militant was allowing them to leave. He had only two men still alive, and both were injured. Since this was not a "Search-and-Destroy" mission, though, the Americans just walked past the militants, and headed for the surface. The group was just past the crypts, and on their way, to the priests quarters, when they recoginzed the sound, of C-4 going off. This is when the commander said "Run!", and the unit dashed up, through the church, and dove to the side of the building, just before another blast, of water, ripped the front of this church, off, as well. When the unit commander checked in, via radio, after searching everyone, on his team, just as a precaution, then asking base "How did they find us?" All base could come up with was "You know, America is not the only nation, which monitors world communications" For the next church, Amanda Fox decided upon a different tact. Instead of sneaking in, stealing keys, then sneaking into passages, Amanda Fox suggested asking for the local priests aid. Although the unit entered the church, after dark, to avoid being noticed, when Amanda Fox, and her team, found the priest, he was bound, and gagged. After promising not to shoot the priest, Amanda Fox asked the priest for his keys, to the crypt, the priest looked at the Americans weapons, and indicated the keys. The army commander then left the teams medic to see to the priest, while the rest of the soldiers went to the crypt. When the group came to the iron gate, which blocked the way, to the tunnel, and Amanda realized what the priest had meant when he shook his head, when asked about the crypt, and the tunnel. The man had meant "Is forbidden. No one may go beyond the gate. Not even me". That is until the army commander removed a block, of C-4 from his vest, and, politely, said "Your choice, father. You can open the gate, let us pass, and keep the gate, for future use, or..." The priest knew what "Or" meant, so, he indicated the key, and the unit opened the gate, knowing that the U.S. Army soldiers COULD be just as lethal as those who had come, earlier, bound, and gagged, him. The priest would try to caution the group "Those, who have gone ahead of you have no problem with violence. Be on your guard". With keys in hand, and a medic left, to see to the priests bindings, and injuries, the U.S. army soldiers would pass the gates, and down, into the tunnels, where atleast one soldier would say "I feel like we have been here, before." Actually, after searching so many tunnels, the entire TEAM felt like they had been here, before. It would take hours to catch up, to the militants, but, when they did, the soldiers almost wished they hadn't. This is because of what the soldiers found the militants doing. Another, large, boulder, had collapsed, centuries ago. Problem was that these fools were preparing to use no less than six, full, bricks, of C-4 , to blow it. Even the army commander knew what would happen, if the trigger, on so much explosive, was detonated. This is the reason why the commander gave the hand-signal for "sniper" fire, and a "shhh" signal. Amanda Fox watched as the soldiers, silently, attached suppressors to their weapons. A moment later, seven, "puh" sounds barely were heard, before the militants were taken down. After the U.S army commander checked the explosives, and deemed them to be of good quality, he added them to the teams "reserve", of explosives, then replaced the bricks with Amanda Foxes "chewing gum", and repeated the process, from the previous tunnel. It was just a wild guess, however, when Amanda Fox asked if it was strange that, after travelling, so far, in this tunnel, that the rear scout had reported no one following the unit? The commander would suppose that the militants probably thought their comrades had succeeded, in the tunnels, and were on their way to the "treasure". When Amanda Fox asked "What happens when they dont report in?" The army commander said "I doubt they even have a call in schedule. After all, you heard the young man, when we exited the previous tunnel. Without his unit commander, the man had no directions. I doubt there is even much of a chain of command." All Amanda Fox would say was "I hope you are right". Turns out, the commander was right. He was, also, more careful, when ordering supplies, at their next surfacing, for re-supply. The good news was that, this time, the re-supply tower was not blocked by tree's, but it was inside a forest, on an inhabited island. Instead of giving command coordinates, which the militants could hone in on, the army commander suggested dropping the supplies at (name of island mountain). No one, except the natives, some visitors, and geographers, would know what the location meant. If the militants used, specific, grid locations, then they would have no idea where the supplies were being delivered. With overnight air-drops, from high-flying planes (so as not to rouse the natives) the U.S. army re-supplied the team, which, then, headed back underground. After assembling their replacement transports, the team drove on, for a few miles, before reaching the next hazzard. Just a few strips, of C-4, though, moved the barrier, quietly, and safely. A couple of more barriers, of fallen rock, which Amanda Fox judged had happened, over the course of countless centuries, required very little C-4, and just a few hours, of lifting, and lowering. Then came something even Amanda Fox had not counted upon. Since the unit was so deep, under the Atantic Ocean, Amanda knew what she had to do, when she found the wall, in front of the unit, sealed. She took video of the whole chamber, then sent it back, with a soldier, to the closest "watch tower", and transmitted it back to university, where, hopefully, Sydney Fox, and Nigel Bailey, could figure out what all the drawings, and the sealed, cave entrance, meant. When Neither Syd, nor Nigel, could come up with an answer, they went to their friend, the Professor Wellington Johnston. The same man who helped decode the pillars, and save the people, at the portal. Professor Wellington Johnston, otherwise known as "Atantis Johnston". A man whose passion, for the lost continent, had, nearly, cost him his tenure, more than once. Now, his help was needed, just as it had been needed, at the portal. Still, he had agreed to help, since Syd had made a point of reporting that she was not sure that the travellers could have been saved, if not for the professor. When Wellington Johnston saw the video, he printed out as much as he could, especially of the pictographs, which he said were key to the puzzle. Once he had the photo's all laid out, on his desk, Professor Johnston seemed abe to "read" the message, as easily as most people read cheap novels. As he pointed out, though, some of the drawings were just to make the painting look random. Still, he recited what was read-able. "Beyond the passage door lay the "Dragons Breath", which was the first, of three challenges, which the worthy must face, to move into the chamber of the ancient ones" After that, the professor showed how the paintings showed people progressing, through a passage, to reach an "inner sanctum". The problem was to know which code to enter, so that the wall, before the explorers would allow them passage. When Syd asked "Where would you enter a code, anyway? I dont even see a panel" Professor Johnston would say "It is right there, before your eyes" Still, Syd did not see it. A couple of hours, of translations, later, and Professor Johnston wrote out the code, cautioning care, as the tunnel was "booby-trapped". When Syd would ask "You mentioned something called "Demons, or Dragons, Breath. What does that mean?" Professor Johnston said "More than likely, a test, of some kind. Probably involves extreme heat" Back at the tunnel, Anamda Fox looked at the wall. With the recording in hand, and following Professor Johnstons directions, Amanda Fox was surprised at how long it took her to find the "keypad". In fact, she only found it because the rock was more well-defined, from usage, than the walls, around it. What made the keypad look strange was the fact that it really did not resemble a keypad. In fact, it almost perfectly, resembled the rock, around it. When Amanda Fox pressed the stone, in the order Professor Johnston had indicated, though, the wall, before the unit, slid into the wall, revealing a passageway, beyond. This is when the army commander cautioned Amanda to replay the message, again. In the message, when asked what "Dragons", or "Demons" Breath could mean, Professor Johnston had said "I cannot say, for certain. Not absoutely, but I woud think it refers to some sort of trap. Like a burglar alarm". When, in the message, Syd had asked "What KIND of alarm?" Professor Johnston woud guess "I would say that, due to the reference, that it implies something regarding either fire, or tremendous heat. Un-fortunately, the text does not go into much detail. It is like trying to shut off a car alarm, just by knowing what TYPE of alarm it is", "But, not the actual code" Syd would add. "Precisely" The professor would add. The only difference is that, with an alarm, all one has to fear is noise, the the on-coming police. With this device, I have no clue as to what to tell them to expect" Syd would take over the message, telling the unit "This is as far as we can take you. The rest is up to your judgement." As a result, down, in the tunnel, the army commander would ask "Who is up for it?" When two, of his lieutenants, woud agree to be the ones to go, first, then ask Amanda Fox "What are dragons, and demons, best known for?" Amanda Fox would say "To the best of my knowedge, they are fire-breathers. intense heat, like...STEAM!" then she would say "Ofcourse", then ask the units sargeant "Are there any vocanic islands, in this area?" When the sargeant would say "Ofcourse. Plenty of them." Amanda would tell the soldiers "Volcanoes mean huge amounts of trapped steam. heat from the magma". When the soldier would say "Okay", Amanda would suggest "Treat this like a live fire exercise. The ones you enjoy discussing. Only this time, its not bullets. Its volcanie steam" When the soldier said "So, the solution is to crawl" Moments later, wearing nothing but their clothes, the soldiers woud crawl through the taller than human height doorway, and inch their way to whatever was before them. About twenty minutes later, the soldiers called back "We're through. What do we look for, to shut off the sprayers?" Amanda called back "Look for a lever, or an odd-colored rock. Something which has seen use." When the call came, five minutes later, of "Roger that. Found it", this was followed by a sound, like something shifting, somewhere nearby. Then came the "All clear, proceed" call. When the group followed, Amanda Fox was amazed at how the steam, from the volcano, had been vented, to flow across this path. The ancients were, indeed, an intelligent race. Even Amanda Fox never would have thought of using red hot volcanic steam, as an intruder alarm. Beyond the steam section, though, the unit found what were, probably, the remains, of the second, two, traps. The problem was that time, and the elements, had taken their tolls, and reduced the traps to mere rust patterns, on the floor. Beyond this, though, lay the answers, to a great, many questions. Inside a vast, volcanic, bubble, lay a city of such a size that it could, easily, be any modern city. Except ofcourse, for the complete lack of life. When the unit saw things, which resembled skyscrapers, and other wonders, they had to wonder just what they were looking at. When more supplies arrived, there was a message, as well. It seems that the militants thought their unit was, still, on schedule, and working towards its goal. There was no radio chatter, between the militant commander, and their men. Amanda's army commander would say "I told you. They had no chain of command. Unless someone reports the teams death, or capture, they think the mission is proceeding". With U.S army mobile radar, delivered to the site, the idea was to map this place, end to end, and give the Pentagon a general map, of the lay out, while the soldiers patrolled, on foot. The problem, with this place, was its SIZE. Its was, without a doubt, taller than New York City, and wider than anything they had seen, before. The teams geologist would estimate that the crus, of the dome, must be miles thick, in order not to have collapsed, under the weight of the Atlantic Ocean. The geologist, then, shared an un-certain observation, which they wanted Amanda Fox to verify. Looking up, at the high ceiling, with binoculars, the soldier asked Amanda what she saw. When she asked "Layers upon layers, of sediment?" The soldier said "Thats what I thought. The question is "How did it get so high, and what supported it?"" Amanda had no ready answer, either. The rest of the unit was finding things they could not explain, either. Things which LOOKED like tram tracks, and building doors, which had no handles. When a soldier blew dirt away from the edge of a door, they found more of the "portal language". When another soldier bumped a wall section, and layers of dust fell away, the material, underneath, looked brand new. When the unit commander asked "What do you think? Some kind of abandoned, movie, set?" All that Amanda Fox could ask was "UNDER the Atanitc Ocean?" Hours later, while the unit was trying to turn their finds into a report, which the Pentagon would accept, while wondering just HOW supposed "cave-men" could have built the tall buildings, in this place and, equally important question was, where did they all go?" This is when they heard an ear-wrenching sound. G-R-O-A-N!!!! This would be followed by a high-pitched, whinning, sound, which would sound like a generator, or a jet engine, coming up to speed. When the unit would grab weapons, and head off, in the direction, which they thought the sounds were coming from, they would walk a couple of miles before coming upon something, which few, except Amanda Fox, recognized. Due to her years of study, of various real, and supposed, sources, of energy, Amanda Fox had been surprised to learn that the ancients had been making great strides, in energy production. She had even found references to places like the one she was, currently, looking at. But, how was it possible? Sure, the place might LOOK like a modern super-collider, but it was many times smaller. Besides, where would the ancients find the power, to start such a device? All the unit knew was that their patrol man would report seeing a "glow", inside the building and, when he went inside, to investigate, he found a light, glowing, on a surface. Thinking it might be a light switch, he held his hand just over the switch. He swore he never touched it. As the unit examined this bizzarre place, which seemed identical to modern control rooms, they saw lights come on, in buildings, around the area. Then, a panel, in this room, came to life, but, dag-nab-it! The content, of the display, was in that same, ancient language. When the unit commander would ask "Didn't these people ever learn to speak English?" His unit suppressed a chuckle, as Amanda Fox would suggest "I doubt that English was even created, when this place was in operation". All that anyone could be certain of was that fact that this place was inhabited, at one time, and, somehow, its power source, was, still, in operation. About a week later, while, still, trying to compose a report, which the Pentagon would, actually, believe, the unit found an enormous base, with a bottom, and sides, three feet thick, and which appearred to have power lines flowing to it. Whatever it was, it was HUGE. When a Star Wars fan, among the units members, suggested "What about an Ion cannon?", the unit commander said "No more science fiction movies, for you, until further notice". Athough the unit found more of the "small" buildings, with the glowing lights, the commanders orders were clear. "Dont touch ANY-thing, until Dr. Fox gives the okay. I dont care how pretty it is, or how curious you are" By the time the unit received its recall, they estimated that they MIGHT have charted a full one quarter of this place. They knew why they were being recalled. It was because their reports were less of "Here's the facts, Jack!", and more of "It is possible that this might have been". Still, the unit members would be happy to be back in the sun, again. Back among the living. Amanda's own de-briefing would be the fastest, since she was not military. Her report would be taken, and filed, under "Highly Classified", then she would be allowed time to relax, while the team went through the normal, military, de-briefing. While her team was being questioned, Amanda Fox would take some sketches, and head off, to see a man she knew. A man who worked with special effects, all the time. Reginald was a "free-lance" special effects worker, whom studios called in, when they needed effects which were both spectacular, and believeable. That was Reginalds "bread-and-butter". He designed effects which COULD exist, in scence fiction. This is why Amanda came to him. He had done some work, for her, before. When Amanda showed Reginald her drawings, and he saw the scale, of the units, he told her "If you think these were for statues, then you are wrong. Statue would only need to move in a circle. According to your drawings, these are swivel mounts." When Amanda would say "I just need to know what these things might have held, at one time.." Reginald said "Give me a couple of days." Over those next two days, while her military escort was packing ammunition, and explosives, for their return to the undersea place, Amanda would return to Reginald, hoping her friend would provide her with some pictures, which she could show to the joint chiefs. Pictures which would show that this place was NO threat, to the world. What she got was the opposite. When Amanda saw the pictures, of guns, which could fire, deep into space, she said "NO!, Reginald, I did not want guns!" When Reginald said "I am sorry, but the platforms you showed me, are near-replicas, of modern-day gun platforms. I checked over a dozen sources." When Amanda asked "Are you sure?" Reginald would say "Amanda, give me some credit. Were it not for the fact that you claim these platforms are made of some sort of marble, not the normal metals, which batte ships are made of, I would stake my entire future that I am right." When Amanda would go to face the Joint Chiefs, with her findings, to date, she would start out with "To date, our findings do NOT show any military activity, of any kind. All that we have found are what appear to be sections, of a city. Building material unknown, at this point. Computers are still trying to identify the materials. There would, also, seem to be some items which resemble modern power plants, but these are not as-yet verified." When the chairman would ask "Doctor Fox, HAVE you found any WEAPONS, such as those, which our enemies seek?" Amanda would have to say "No, sir. No weapons, of any kind, have been found, on-site" When asked "How long do you expect your survey to take?" Amanda would say "I realy have no idea. The place is HUGE. The builders must have been highly competent" She would be asked "And that does not alarm you? That ancient peoples have our same level of technology?" Amanda would ask "Why should I be alarmed? We have found no dangers." When asked "What about the "Demons Breath" trap, at the entryway?" Amanda Fox would ask "What about your armed guards, outside these doors?" When asked "What is this question, in your report, about the roof of this place. You imply that it was formed, of some other material, which was, then, covered? Why is this?" Amanda Fox would clarify, "Gentlemen, what my report states is that, at one time, there was some type of enclosure, over this place, which failed, probably long after the place was shut down. By the time the original enclosure failed, a new enclosure had formed, OVER the original enclosure" When asked "An enclosure strong enough to hold out the Atlantic Ocean?" Amanda would say "Yes, that strong" Amanda understood why her military escort was happy to be away from the interrogations, once she was away, as well. She also understood why the soldiers would not say a thing, while on the base. No telling WHO might be listening to their conversations. No sense giving the "enemy" ammunition. Funny thing was, two days later, the whole unit would laugh, when word came down that the Pentagon had issued orders that the colony be depth charged.. Amanda, and her escorts, could only think "Fools! If the Atlantic Ocean had not squashed the place, by now, what good would depth charges, and missiles, do?" It would not be until after some frog-men, who were monitoring the site, saw the complete lack of effect, that six missiles, and twelve depth charges, had made, that the "Cease Fire" order was given. The Pentagon decided that it would be best just to close the location, cover the entrance, with more cement, and rebar, and move on, secure in the fact that there were no weapons, for anyone to find. Professor Wellington Johnston would be the most dis-appointed, with the decision, to re-close the colony. He had hoped to visit, himself, and not just via camcorder data. Syd would console him with a dinner. Amanda, and her escort, would be returned to their primary mission. The endless seeking out, of tunnels, to that blasted, ancient, bunker. For some reason, the Pentagon wanted to be sure that these places were kept sealed up, tight. WHY was anyones guess. After all, these places had been abandoned, for centuries. It wasn't like a group, like Al-Qaida, had just stepped out, yesterday.