The Royal Pursuit Read online

  “Thank you, Ruler Dour,” Optima replied.

  “We better get as much sleep as we can. It won’t be long before we’ll be swimming in the lake and finding out whatever it is that man is anxious to get to.”

  The reminder sobered them. They immediately settled onto the ground and shut their eyes.

  ***

  Dayton, Ohio

  United States of America

  Planet: Earth

  He stood in his mediocre apartment. He could easily afford a much better place, one that suited his expensive lifestyle, but he preferred to keep a low profile so as not to arouse suspicion. He didn’t want anyone to find out his plans.

  He had waited this long. He could wait for one more day. One day. One day and he would live like a king.

  He glanced at his suitcase. He had only packed the necessities. He could buy a wardrobe fit for his status when he erected Atlantis to its former glory. Captain Reed did an excellent job of keeping him informed on the progress Stacey and her group were making.

  Stacey Richards. Now she was Stacey Russell. He remembered her. She hadn’t cared much for him. They met briefly a few times, but he never dreamt she would prove so useful to him in the future.

  It was her thesis on Atlantis that drew him to her. For the first time, he knew exactly what he would do with the wealth he slowly accumulated over the years. He would establish his empire.

  The plan was perfect until he saw a glimpse of the future. He recognized the mother of the child who would grow up to destroy Atlantis. Ann Kerwin’s daughter would see to the destruction of everything he was working for. He couldn’t let that happen. He deserved the fame that was due to him.

  Ann and Hathor thought he had forgotten what happened when Omin’s clone came to take over the Earth, and for a while, he had forgotten everything. It wasn’t until one year after Ann mysteriously disappeared from Earth he rummaged through his memory box. And that was when he learned the truth.

  He had been looking for clues on where Ann might have moved to. It wasn’t like her to ignore him. She had been hopelessly devoted to him, and to be honest, it was nice having her around as a backup plan. He figured if things didn’t work out with any of the other girls he’d dated, he would end up with her by the time he was thirty. He knew she would wait for him. He would be free to sow his wild oats and then settle down with her. But then she disappeared and changed all of that.

  As he searched through his high school memorabilia to find out where she might have gone, he pulled out his old backpack. He didn’t intend to look through it, but as he set it on the floor of his one bedroom apartment, he noticed a tear in one of the side pockets.

  He was ready to dismiss it when a glimmer of blue light flashed from it. Curious, he dug into the pocket. The piece of metal was deeply embedded into the pocket. He had to get out a pair of scissors and cut it out, careful not to destroy the object of interest.

  He held the mysterious steel object in his hand. He turned it over. A glowing blue light beeped at him. It was the size of a nickel. He did the first thing that came to his mind. He slipped it into an adapter he had on his USB port.

  He didn’t think it would work, but as soon as he plugged the adapter in, his computer opened up a program. He gasped in shock when he realized it was playing a video, and his life from the time he was eighteen and met Ann was the object of the recording. All of it was on the screen and played in front of him like a movie in a theater.

  Ann was really a queen of a planet named Raz, and she chose the pesky jerk named Hathor instead of him. He watched Omin’s clone from planet Pale try to take over the Earth with his mind-controlling chip, and he’d almost succeeded. He witnessed Hathor’s desire to kill him but Ann stopping him.

  Hathor ruined his life. He remembered his vow to kill Hathor. A vow left unfulfilled, for they returned him to his original past, the one he remembered. Their plan worked for five years. But when he stumbled upon the video recorder by accident, he began to have flashbacks of that period in his life, and those flashbacks proved the validity of the video.

  He remembered more than his past with Ann and Hathor. He remembered marrying Carol and how she made his life a living hell. Unfortunately, he recalled that tidbit too late, for he had already married her by then. Instead of letting her leave him first, he divorced her right away.

  He had the advantage of knowing which stocks would make him rich, and he gained his wealth quickly and effortlessly. His stockbroker said he had the Midas touch. He didn’t reveal his wealth to anyone. He kept it a secret.

  He examined the video of his life several times through the years, wondering what other memories it might help him recover. One night, when he was twenty-six, he was ready to take the video chip out of his USB port and it got stuck. Aggravated and scared to lose the valuable instrument to his past, he dug his tweezers into the slot to dislodge it. A spark flashed and burned the tips of his fingers. He yelled and quickly examined his fingertips. Fortunately, he wasn’t seriously injured.

  Then he happened to look at the computer screen, and that’s when he saw a glimpse of his future. He didn’t know what age he was, but he guessed he was in his late fifties or early sixties. He sat at an enormous ivory desk, surrounded by elegance and luxury. The ivory plush furniture around him was trimmed in delicate gold. He wore a fancy business suit. People around him scrambled to do his bidding. He consulted a large screen that resembled a television. This remarkable device gave him glimpses of the future, so he knew which decision to make in any situation.

  Everyone idolized him. He was the man women wanted to sleep with and the man other men envied. He didn’t mind taking advantage of anyone who could be of use to him. From the resurrected city of Atlantis, he controlled many of the nations around the world through his money and technology.

  Then, one day, she came to Atlantis. Her name was Amanda: daughter of Ann and Hathor, Queen of Raz. He remembered her saying that in her introduction. One of his business dealings threatened the people on a distant planet called Olympia. He didn’t know the details, but he knew she meant to destroy Atlantis.

  He warred against her and her army of aliens. He recognized the Palers, but he didn’t recognize the other aliens that joined her. Despite his best military powers, she won. Atlantis didn’t fall into the ocean this time. The entire city exploded so that everything on it, all the technology he had refused to allow anyone to duplicate, perished as well.

  By another accident, he found out about Stacey’s thesis regarding Atlantis. He knew he was destined to find the city. He had seen it in his future. He had to discover what Stacey knew of Ann. He called her up, claiming a story of how he wanted to be with Ann again. He figured Stacey would believe the lie.

  Stacey didn’t seem to know anything about Ann, which was what he needed to know. He privately funded Stacey’s expedition to Atlantis, using Captain Reed as his eyes and ears. He hired someone else to find Ann and kill her if it was discovered she was pregnant with Amanda. If Ann was not pregnant yet, he would allow her to live since she had spared his life once. He would sterilize her instead so that Amanda would never be conceived. Ann didn’t pose a threat to him, so he wished her no ill will.

  He recalled how easy it was to send the man in white to Raz. The man, however, learned of an emergency that Ann had to tend to on another planet called Lone, so he arranged a portal to be set up on Raz so that the man could easily travel to Lone. The portal was easy to create with the video recorder’s glimpses into the future on how Atlantis’ technology worked. The people of Atlantis had been extremely intelligent, and now he would benefit from that intelligence.

  The cab driver honked his horn, breaking him out of his thoughts. He took a deep breath as he turned to his suitcase. He would meet up with both Captain Reed and the man in white shortly. He had everything carefully planned, and by the time he arrived on Atlantis, he expected it to be above water again and fully operational. He would take care of Ann at that time.

  The
cab driver honked the horn again. He grimaced at the driver’s impatience. When people realized how much he was worth, they would never honk at him again. William Nichols picked up his suitcase and left his apartment.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Central Arc

  Planet: Aug

  The planet Aug was similar to Earth, and every city was an exact duplicate of Atlantis in its appearance, from the color of the buildings to the furniture. The only difference that a person could detect was the lack of pictures.

  The Augurs had long ago forbidden the use of cameras. They saw pictures as self-seeking since people they’d dealt with who’d hung pictures of themselves up developed bigger egos than they should have had. If their past had taught them anything, it was the quest for self-pleasure and glory often hindered someone else’s rights.

  The Augurs desperately sought for equality on all levels, which was why Gaius’ role as their leader was in name only. It was for the benefit of their intergalactic relations. Other beings were insistent upon a hierarchy of authority, so to make them comfortable, the Augurs decided Gaius would be their spokesperson.

  Gaius stood in his office, barely noticing the flurry of activity outside his large oval window. He calmly waited for his team to get ready for their rendezvous with Hathor. Soon it would be time to act. Timing was of the utmost importance. The future of their planet of birth depended on it. They could not allow the man named William Nichols to succeed in his plan to revive Atlantis.

  The original city of Atlantis was once a thriving and highly advanced city on Earth. It was the Augurs’ birthplace. Had it not been for the greed of one man, they would still be there today. Gaius and the present day Augurs had reviewed the accounts of Avar who quickly rose to power on Atlantis, and upon receiving the same status as the head six leaders Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Hades, Hestia, and Poseidon, he threatened to destroy all of them.

  The six leaders had created a race of people called the Augurs in their quest for the perfect human being. The perfect human could not lie and would only seek the good of others. Their wisdom was unmatched by anyone else. Through countless genetic experiments, they were able to perfect their goal, giving the Augurs life. The current day Augurs were descendants of this special race of people.

  Avar was supposed to be the highest form of perfection of all the Augurs. He did not have one single flaw, save his pride. His pride brought about the destruction of Atlantis, condemning everyone on the island to either seek out a new planet to live on, seek out another location on Earth to flee to, or die as the infamous city sank into the ocean.

  The six leaders chose to take most of their experiments and their children with them to a country called Greece. The Augurs, in their superior intelligence and wisdom, pleaded with them to seek out another planet, but the six leaders wanted to stay on Earth. They offered the Augurs all of the technology they had developed in exchange for the Stone of Immortality the Augurs had found in the bowels of the city. The Augurs agreed and the trade was made. As they destroyed Avar in a bitter war, Atlantis sank into the ocean.

  The Augurs knew that, put in the wrong hands, immortality would be a curse on mankind. That was why William threatened them. He was on his way to not only resurrect Atlantis and its impressive technological instruments, but he would capture the immortal powers of the Olympians. Gaius knew William had seen his future, specifically Amanda’s success in destroying Atlantis and all of its knowledge. In doing so, she would not only save Earth and Olympia, she would eventually save Aug.

  Gaius sighed. The burden of watching over such technology was heavy at times, but the Augurs were created for the purpose of guarding it from anyone who would abuse it. The time to act was soon. William’s arrival to Atlantis would be the time to travel through the portal in their world that would take them to Earth.

  At that time, they would seek out Hathor who would protect the child Ann carried. Hathor was critical to that particular mission, which was why it was crucial to the Augurs that he didn’t die on Lone.

  He slowly exhaled, suddenly realizing that he had been holding his breath. Timing. Everything had to go in a certain order and at the right time.

  ***

  Atlantis

  Planet: Earth

  “It’s a good thing we brought extra scuba gear,” Stephen said.

  Ann felt confined in the outfit, but she was intrigued by Atlantis, so she was more than happy to put up with it. She glanced over at Hathor who looked as uncomfortable as she was. There was a benefit to being a mermaid after all, she reflected. Still, she was relieved to be back in her regular human body.

  Stacey and Kent had seemed excited by the things they found, especially in the arc that dominated the center of the city.

  “We have pictures and video of what we found, but seeing it in person is much better,” Stacey said as they left the submarine.

  Stephen and Mark decided to stay behind to download their latest pictures, video, and other data into the computer, leaving them alone for the time being.

  “You mentioned that another person came with you,” Hathor said.

  “Captain Reed,” Stacey replied. “He’s still at the arc. He’s fascinated by a certain instrument we found there.”

  Ann looked at her. “Are you going to tell us what that instrument is?”

  “It would be neat to see your expression when you see it. This is the thing that will amaze everyone who hears about it.”

  They swam through the water toward the arc.

  Ann stared in awe at the beautiful buildings. “Shouldn’t this place be falling apart?”

  “Yes, it should,” Kent replied. “We collected samples of the buildings to see if we can identify the material they used to build them. Another thing you’ll find is that the inside of these buildings are just as immaculate as the outside. Even the furniture and pictures are perfectly preserved.”

  “I guess the fish like to keep this place clean,” Ann joked.

  No one laughed. It figured. People rarely thought her jokes were actually funny. She shrugged and kept swimming with the others.

  “Here we are,” Stacey announced, though it wasn’t necessary.

  They settled in front of the arc.

  “We noticed a theme in this building,” Stacey began as she opened the door and led them in. “There are offices by the steps. The steps go all the way to the top. At the top is one large room where a mysterious device is, the one that I mentioned earlier, the one that can tell the future.”

  Ann scanned the room and looked as far up as the scuba gear let her.

  “I’ve never seen a building this tall before,” Hathor said.

  “This is nothing compared to some buildings on Earth,” Ann commented as she walked over to a couch. She touched it and shook her head. “You can almost feel how soft it is through your glove.”

  “So people on Earth like to build tall buildings?” Hathor asked Kent.

  “Big planes, big ships, big cars, big houses…” Kent smiled. “I guess we like to impress other people.”

  “I’m impressed,” he admitted.

  Stacey waved Ann over to a wall. “This is the side where the women in this place worked. The men worked on the other side. I only know this because each room along the steps has a featured picture of the person who worked in the office, and every featured picture on this side of the arc is of a different woman.”

  “And they probably all got together at the top of the arc?” Ann guessed.

  “I hadn’t considered that, but it makes sense. It seems that they liked to balance opposites. Men work on one side and women on the other. The men wore black clothes and women wore white clothes. In the main pictures we see, there are three men and three women. Equal in clothes, number, and gender. I think it’s because they wished to maintain a sense of equality.”

  Ann made it to the wall where Stacey was pointing at one of the many pictures of the six people. Ann gasped.

  “What is it?” Stacey asked.

&nb
sp; “I know them.” Ann reached out to touch the picture, as if it would make the people come out and talk to her. “These are the Olympians on planet Olympia. We took Greek Mythology together. Those are the gods and goddesses who the Greeks and Romans worshiped.”

  Stacey’s mouth dropped open. “No way. That was mythology. This is real life.”

  “I know it sounds bizarre. Hey, I’ll prove it.” She turned to the men who were talking by the staircase. “Hathor! Will you come over here?” She looked at Stacey. “He never took mythology, so if he recognizes them, then you’ll know I’m telling you the truth. Okay?”

  Stacey nodded.

  “What is it?” Hathor asked, coming over to them.

  “What do you think of this picture?” Ann asked.

  He blinked in shock. “What were the Olympians doing here?”

  “See?” Ann pointed out.

  “What’s going on?” Kent wondered as he approached them.

  “Ann said these people are the gods and goddesses found in Greek and Roman mythology. She said they are the Olympians. Those are the same people who had that stone that made them immortal until some alien species called the Nigals took it.”

  “Nicals,” Hathor corrected her.

  “Right. Nicals. How do you two keep all this information straight?”

  “It takes a while.” Ann smiled. “I used to get certain species confused when I started my reign on Raz.”

  Hathor pointed to each person in the picture. “That’s Zeus, Hero, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, and Hestia. We deal mostly with Zeus. Zeus is the head god, and since Ann is the queen, they are the ones who speak for their planets.”

  “Zeus is like a second father to me,” Ann admitted.

  “These are their Greek names on this picture frame,” Stacey recalled. “They had different names in Rome. That’s why they seemed so familiar to me. I don’t believe it.”